Korean, US forces lower alert status: report

SEOUL (AFP) – North Korea has lowered its military alert status to a pre-crisis level, prompting similar moves by Seoul and US forces as tensions on the Korean peninsula showed signs of easing, a report said Friday.
Yonhap news agency quoted unidentified South Korean government sources as saying that the North recently lifted a special alert it issued on November 21 for its military forces on the coast near the disputed sea border.
"The North Korean military recently withdrew an order for special military readiness it had issued in connection with our Hoguk military drills," a source was quoted as saying.
The South Korean military and US forces in South Korea had consequently reduced their own alert status by one notch to a normal level, the source said.
A defence ministry spokesman declined to comment on the report.
Cross-border tensions have been high since the North shelled South Korea's frontline Yeonpyeong island on November 23, following angry protests at the South's military training near the disputed sea border.
The North also raised security fears that month by disclosing a uranium enrichment plant to visiting US experts.
But after a difficult year on the Korean peninsula, 2011 started on a more peaceful note.
The North began the year calling for improved relations with Seoul, while South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak Monday also reached out, saying he was open to talks and offering closer economic ties.
Efforts to resume long-stalled nuclear disarmament talks with the North also gained momentum as Beijing urged dialogue and Pyongyang signalled it was willing to return to the negotiating table.
In an unusually cordial statement, carried by its KCNA agency, North Korea said Wednesday the communist nation "courteously proposes having wide-ranging dialogue and negotiations".
Pyongyang is "ready to meet anyone anytime anywhere", it said, calling for "unconditional and early opening of talks" among officials with "real power and responsibility".
South Korean officials were dismissive of the comments.
"In light of the contents and form of the offer, it cannot be seen as a sincere, official proposal for dialogue," Vice Unification Minister Um Jong-Sik said on KBS radio.
The North had regularly issued similar statements in the past as part of its long-standing strategy to drive a wedge between the South Korean government and its people, he said.
He said the North should show seriousness of purpose by acting on its obligations under a 2005 agreement on denuclearization and apologising for the November shelling and the sinking of a South Korean warship last year.
But Chosun Sinbo, a pro-Pyongyang newspaper published for Koreans living in Japan, said the North's offer was serious.
"It is natural to see that the bold offer for dialogue and negotiations reflect the leader's own decision," said the paper, which faithfully echoes Pyongyang's view.
"South Korean authorities must accept the seriousness in purpose contained in the overture... Now it's time that the South had to come forward," it added.

DEFENCE TALK

Rumored J-20 Stealth Fighter Undergoes Tests: Report

The rumored prototype of China's "J-20 stealth fighter jet" has created a stir over the nation's defensive advancements, but analysts suggest that any such program would simply reflect the country's industrial military progress.
Pictures of the alleged fourth-generation jet fighter, equivalent to a fifth-generation craft under Western classifications, have been circulating on the Internet since mid-December.
The US-based Aviation Week magazine reported Monday that the prototype was undergoing high-speed tests late last week at the Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute's airfield in Sichuan Province.
Citing a picture taken by unknown sources, the report said that the J-20 resembles the shape of the US Air Force's F-22 Raptor and "would facilitate loading larger weapons" than the US jet due to a higher ground clearance.
However, the report said engine development was still a problem, adding that it is still too early to tell whether the J-20 is a true prototype or intended to simply demonstrate technology.
The Moscow-based RIA Novosti News Agency reported earlier that the J-20 could use the indigenous Shenyang WS-10 engine, which is inferior to Russian-made engines.
Chinese authorities have not commented on the latest speculations, but He Weirong, deputy commander of the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), told China Central Television a year ago that the country was "making progress in developing a fourth-generation fighter jet."

Gallery

J-20 Fighter Aircraft Pictures

Shortly after his statement, the PLAAF clarified that the aircraft He referred to was actually an upgrade of the third-generation J-10 that possesses some fourth-generation features such as stealth and super-cruise capabilities. "If the development of the J-20 is true, it will be another reflection of China's fast industrial advancement, which has already been highlighted by high-speed railways and space exploration," Song Xiaojun, a Beijing-based military expert, told the Global Times. "Besides the global, military impact, the rumored J-20 also bears political significance because it represents China's growing power."
He disagreed with some media reports that China is becoming aggressive militarily. "The country's increasing military strength matches its economic growth," Song added.
"Fifth generation" is a term used by US officials to described the most advanced fighter jets that incorporate technologies such as all aspects of stealth, even when armed, as well as possess a low probability of radar intercept and highly integrated computer systems. Under this classification, the US is the only country in the world that has combat-ready, fifth-generation aircraft, namely the F-22 and the F-35 Lightning II models. Russia's fifth-generation fighter jet, the T-50, made its debut in January 2010 but has not been equipped by the air force.
In December, Moscow and New Delhi reached a raft of defense and nuclear deals potentially worth billions of dollars, including joint design and development of fifth-generation fighter aircraft based on the T-50.
It took 15 years for the US military to develop the F-22, which costs around $150 million per unit. However, its production was terminated after President Barack Obama signed the country's 2010 defense bill that included huge spending cuts.
In promoting the defense bill, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in 2009 that China "is projected to have no fifth-generation aircraft by 2020" and only a "handful" by 2025, Reuters reported.
Li Daguang, a military expert at the PLA National Defense University, told the Global Times that Gates' prediction was overly optimistic.
"The recent rumor about the J-20 is pure speculation," he said. "The F-22 is an offensive weapon that fits Washington's global strategy. China's defense development is self-defensive in nature and does not require a fighter jet of that caliber.
"Furthermore, if China does want a fourth-generation fighter jet, it needs to build a large number of them in order to affect the regional military balance. The US has capped its number of F-22s at 187. How many should China build?"
Li also noted that China's aviation technology is still far away from competing with Western countries, especially the US.
"Some Western media are more optimistic than Gates, and than the Chinese people," he said. "They've hyped the issue because they want to."

DEFENCE TALK

Cina Sukses Ujicoba Pesawat Siluman Tandingan Amerika

 Laporan terbaru menyebutkan bahwa Cina telah mengujicoba pesawat siluman pertamanya yang akan menandingi pesawat produksi Amerika Serikat.
Media massa Hongkong hari ini (6/1) mengutip sumber-sumber militer Cina melaporkan, pesawat siluman tipe J-20 itu sukses diujicoba dan foto-fotonya telah tersebar di internet.
Ujicoba pesawat tempur siluman J-20 itu dilakukan menjelang kunjungan Menteri Pertahanan Amerika Serikat, Robert Gates ke Cina, di saat pemerintah Beijing menentang keras penjualan persenjataan dari Washington kepada Taiwan.
Pekan depan Gates akan berkunjung ke Cina setelah ia beberapa kali membatalkan rencana kunjungannya tersebut.
Menurut para pengamat, pesawat tempur J-20 Cina itu akan masuk dalam armada angkata udara Cina sebelum tahun 2017. Konon, pesawat J-20 itu dapat menandingi pesawat sekelasnya produksi AS F-22. Dengan demikian, Cina berhasil mengakhir dominasi superioritas angkatan udara Amerika Serikat di kawasan Asia. (IRIB/IRNA/MZ/MF)

IRIB

Tak Tunduk Obama, Gates Tambah 1400 Pasukan ke Afghanistan

Salah seorang pejabat di Departemen Pertahanan Amerika Serikat (Pentagon) membongkar rencana Menteri Pertahanan Robert Gates untuk mengirim pasukan tambahan ke Afghanistan sebanyak 1400 personil. "Tentara tambahan ini dimaksudkan untuk menghadapi serangan dadakan milisi Taliban," akunya. Kepada televisi CBS Kamis (6/1), pejabat ini mengkonfirmasikan bahwa pengiriman ini akan dilaksanakan akhir bulan ini dan pasukan tambahan ini akan ditempatkan di wilayah Afghanistan selatan. Ia juga mengatakan, kemungkinan Gates menambah jumlah pasukan tambahan ini sebanyak 3000 personil hingga musim semi tahun ini dengan memanfaatkan wewenang yang dimilikinya.
Ditambahkannya, mayoritas tentara ini akan ditempatkan di Kandahar, wilayah yang menjadi ajang pertempuran antara pasukan AS dan milisi Taliban. Para pengamat militer menyebut keputusan Gates ini disebabkan bertambahnya kesulitan yang dihadapi AS dan NATO.
Para pengamat militer ini meyakini bahwa meski klaim-klaim perwira tinggi militer AS menyebut kemajuan di wilayah Kandahar, namun ternyata milisi Taliban dan al-Qaeda di wilayah ini terus bertambah jumlahnya. (IRIB/CBS/MF)

IRIB

Pesawat Siluman China Pernah ke Guam, AS

BEIJING - Pesawat tempur siluman China telah terbukti tidak tertangkap radar. Menurut laporan dalam sebuah uji cobanya, pesawat J-20 yang membawa misil pernah sampai ke wilayah Guam tanpa diketahui Amerika Serikat.

Foto-foto pesawat J-20 sudah banyak mengisi halaman-halaman di internet. Situs Aviation Week bahkan menyebut pesawat ini akan resmi beroperasi pada 2017. Namun, kabar ini dibantah oleh Menteri Pertahanan Robert Gates. Dia mengklaim China baru bisa mengoperasikan jet tempur siluman pada 2020.

Beberapa ahli pesawat mengatakan jet tempur siluman China memiliki bodi lebih besar dari jet siluman yang sudah ada. "J-20 dikemudikan satu orang, dua mesin, lebih berat dan besar dari Sukhoi T-50 dan F-22," kata seorang ahli di situs Aviation Week.

Sumber : METROTVNEWS.COM

AS Minta Bantuan China Redakan Krisis Korea

AP/Alexander F. Yuan. Utusan khusus AS untuk Korut ,Stephen Bosworth (kedua kanan) berjalan menuju pintu keluar setibanya di Bandara Capital di Beijing, Rabu (5/1), untuk meminta bantuan China mengatasi krisis Korea. Beijing, (Analisa)

Seorang utusan senior AS meminta bantuan China, Kamis (6/1) mengatasi krisis semenanjung Korea. China adalah satu-satu sekutu Korut di dunia.

Utusan AS itu, Stephen Bosworth bertemu dengan Wakil Menlu China Zhang Zhijun, Wakil Senior untuk Urusan Semenanjung Korea Wu Dawei dan Wang Jiarui, direktur Departemen Internasional Komite Sentral Partai Komunis. Bosworth diperkirakan berkunjung ke Jepang Kamis malam.

"Dubes Bosworth dan mitra-mitranya dari China telah mengadakan konsultasi bermanfaat bagaimana mengkordinasi langkah lanjutan menangani masalah Korea," demikian bunyi sebuah pernyataan Kedubes AS.

Jurubicara Kemlu China Hong Lei mengkonfirmasikan pertemuan Bosworth. "Semua pihak sepakat terus mengadakan kontak memelihara perdamaian dan stabilitas di semenanjung Korea dan mengenai pembicaraan enam pihak," kata Hong dalam jumpa pers.Pembicaraan mengenai program nuklir Korut melibatkan dua Korea, AS, China, Jepang dan Rusia tapi terhenti selama hampir dua tahun.

Bosworth diperkirakan akan meminta informasi dari China mengenai pembicaraan bulan lalu di Pyongyang antara pemimpin Korut Kim dan Anggota Dewan Negara China Dai Bingguo, pejabat kebijakan luar negeri senior China. China terus mendapat tekanan untuk mendorong Korut, sekutu eratnya, mengubah sikapnya setelah negara komunis itu membom sebuah pulau Korea Selatan (Korsel) akhir tahun lalu, menewaskan empat orang.

Korut akan menjadi masalah penting pada kunjungan Presiden China Hu Jintao ke Washington akhir bulan ini.

Bosworth bertemu Rabu (5/1) di Seoul dengan para pejabat Korsel dan mengatakan dia berharap penuh terselenggaranya "perundingan-perundingan serius" secepatnya mengenai Korut.

Di Washington hari Rabu, Menlu AS Hillary Rodham Clinton dan Menlu China Yang Jiechi mengadakan "pembicaraan panjang lebar" mengenai Korut dan meniadakan rincian mengenai kunjungan Hu pada 19 Januari, kata jurubicara Departemen Luar Negeri P.J. Crowly.

Crowly mengatakan baik AS maupun China menginginkan stabilitas di semenanjung Korea "Tidak ada dari kami ingin melihat munculnya Korut menjadi sebuah negara nuklir," katanya. "Kami berharap memperoleh hasil yang bermanfaat dari kunjungan itu dan pembicaraan-pembicaraan dengan Presiden Hu Jintao yang kami selenggarakan menghasilan suatu konsensus bagaimana cara terbaik ke depan."

Juga hari Rabu, Korut menyerukan bagi diadakannya pembicaraan "tak bersyarat dan lebih dini" dengan Korsel untuk mengakhiri ketegangan selama beberapa bulan. Seoul secepatnya menolak usul itu, yang dimuat oleh kantor berita resmi Korut Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), sebagai tidak jujur dan mengatakan pihaknya menunggu permintaan maaf bagi dua serangan mematikan yang disalahkan dilakukan Pyongyang. (AP/hr)

HARIAN ANALISA

RI Utus Dua Tim Pengamat Referendum Sudan Selatan

Jumat, 7 Januari 2011 11:31 WIB

Kairo, (tvOne)
Indonesia menjadi salah satu negara pengamat referendum Sudan Selatan yang akan berlangsung Ahad (9/12) untuk menentukan nasib wilayah tersebut apakah tetap menjadi bagian dari Republik Sudan atau membentuk negara baru.

"Sebagai negara sahabat baik, Indonesia berinisiatif untuk menjadi pengamat ferendum Sudan Selatan bersama dengan pengamat-pengamat dari berbagai negara dan organisasi nasional, regional dan internasional," kata Duta Besar RI untuk Sudan, Sujatmiko, kepada ANTARA Kairo, Jumat (7/1).

Pemerintah Indonesia menunjuk Kedutaan Besar Republik Indonesia (KBRI) di Khartoum untuk mengemban misi sebagai pengamat tersebut, kata Dubes Sujatmiko.

Menurut Kepala Pelaksana Fungsi Penerangan, Sosial dan Budaya KBRI Khartoum, Muhammad Syafri, tim pengamat KBRI dibawah arahan Dubes Sujatmiko, mulai bertugas pada 7 Januari hingga diumumkannya hasil referendum tersebut pada awal Februari 2011.

Misi pengamat dari KBRI terdiri atas dua tim pengamat yang masing-masing akan mengemban tugas di dua kota besar, yaitu di ibu kota Khartoum dan kota utama Sudan selatan, Juba, katanya.

Dubes Sujatmiko mengutarakan, keikutsertaan Indonesia sebagai pengamat ini mendapat sambutan positif dan apresiasi dari Pemerintah Sudan, mengingat Indonesia juga memiliki pengalaman serupa di masa lalu.

Referendum Sudan Selatan merupakan pelaksanaan dari kesepakatan perjanjian perdamaian yang ditandatangani oleh Pemerintah Sudan dengan kelompok pemberontak separatis Sudan selatan, Gerakan Pembebasan Rakyat Sudan (Sudan People?s Liberation Movement/SPLM) pada tahun 2005.

Perjanjian perdamaian tersebut mengakhiri perang saudara yang berkecamuk di kawasan itu sejak tahun 1983. Pemerintah Sudan dan para pemimpin Sudan selatan telah menyampaikan komitmennya untuk melaksanakan referendum yang lancar, tertib dan aman. Kedua pihak juga telah berikrar untuk menerima apa pun hasil referendum penentuan nasib tersebut.

Selain Indonesia, sejumlah negara sahabat Sudan juga menjadi mengambil bagian sebagai pengamat referendum tersebut, antara lain Mesir, Libia, China, Malaysia dan Afrika Selatan.

TV ONE