Titles:

• Euro zone under threat from debt crisis, says EU
• UK general: Cannot defeat al-Qaeda
• US Offers To Lift Sanctions, Remove Sudan From Terrorism Blacklist On Condition
• Bibi can take US into war with Iran
• U.S., Uzbekistan agree to cooperate in security sector
• India not to get UNSC seat soon: US

News Details:

Euro zone under threat from debt crisis, says EU
The President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, has raised the stakes before showdown talks among finance ministers in Brussels overnight, warning the European Union could collapse unless the debt crisis that is gripping the region is resolved. With Ireland and Portugal both on the brink of a bailout, Mr Van Rompuy warned that there is a serious risk of contagion spreading across the entire continent. ''We're in a survival crisis,'' he said in a speech in Brussels. ''We all have to work together in order to survive with the euro zone, because if we don't survive with the euro zone we will not survive with the European Union.'' Advertisement: Story continues below Mr Van Rompuy's speech added to the pressure on the Irish government, which was continuing to resist international pressure to accept a bailout yesterday. Shares fell across Europe as pressure mounted on Ireland to accept an EU or International Monetary Fund bailout to stem contagion to other high-deficit euro zone countries. Portugal, which has seen its borrowing costs rocket along with Ireland's, warned that it too might need a rescue package.

UK general: Cannot defeat al-Qaeda
Britain's most senior officer has been quoted as saying that al-Qaeda can never be completely defeated. David Richards, chief of the defense staff, said on Sunday that outright victory is "unnecessary" as long as governments are able to contain the fighters. "First of all, you have to ask: 'Do we need to defeat it (al-Qaeda) in the sense of a clear cut victory?'" Richards told British newspaper the Sunday Telegraph. "I would argue that it is unnecessary and would never be achieved ... but can we contain it to the point that our lives and our children's lives are led securely? I think we can." His comments are the latest from western military leaders and politicians who have been paving the way for coalition forces to exit Afghanistan over the coming years, even though the Taliban remains a significant threat to security there. Barack Obama, the US president, and David Cameron, the British prime minister, hope to start bringing troops home next year. Richards underlined Britain's aim to end its combat role in Afghanistan by 2014-15 but did not estimate how much longer after that coalition troops would need to support Afghan security forces. Richards, who became head of Britain's armed forces last month, said the region should be stabilized before any withdrawal is completed. "We are equally clear that we have got to support the operation thereafter to make sure that our legacy is an enduring one," he said. British soldiers have been fighting in Afghanistan since 2001 as part of a US-led force.

US Offers To Lift Sanctions, Remove Sudan From Terrorism Blacklist On Condition
The United States has offered a number of incentives to Sudan if the leaders of the African country choose a path of peace and successfully conduct the proposed referendum. Addressing a UN Security Council meeting in New York on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said that it is ready to withdraw Sudan from the black list of state sponsors of terrorism if the Government fulfills the North-South Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), resolves the future of Abyei by holding the referendum, and then recognizes the will of the people in the South.  She also announced that the Obama Administration is prepared to lift U.S. sanctions, work toward international debt relief, increase trade and investment, and forge a mutually beneficial relationship if the Government of Sudan commits to a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Darfur and takes other steps toward peace and accountability. The January 9 referendum decides whether the oil-rich southern region of Abyei, where most people are Christian or follow traditional religions, should secede from the Arab-dominated mostly-Muslim north.

Bibi can take US into war with Iran
A former CIA member says the Israeli premier can take US into war with Iran but Washington is not prepared for such a confrontation. US Republicans, riding a wave of economic discontent, took over the House of Representatives in mid-term polls, dealing a heavy blow to President Barack Obama. Analysts say control of the House will now give Republicans enough power to slam the brakes on Obama's agenda. "On Iran, there's no difference between Democrats and Republicans. They're very comfortable with the idea that a foreign leader like [Benjamin] Netanyahu can take 300 million Americans to war whenever he wants," said counterterrorism expert Michael Scheuer, who has worked with the Central Intelligence Agency for more than 20 years. "The election was a disaster in terms of increasing the chances of another war that we don't have the resources to fight, and we won't have the will to win," Newsmax quoted Scheuer as saying. He criticized Obama for "saying the country can handle another 9/11 attack," and added, "It's a foolish comment of a man who is only moderately talented in terms of international affairs." "Given the disastrous state of our economy, I'm not so sure we could handle all the effects of an attack." Scheuer expressed doubt that gaining control of the US House by Republicans would improve anti-terrorism efforts, adding that "I don't think there's any real difference between Obama and his party and the Republicans." "They're still fighting an enemy that doesn't exist, an enemy they believe is attacking us because we have elections..." Scheuer said no problem would be resolved "until they [US officials] understand we're being attacked because of our foreign policy and what we do in the Muslim world, we're never going to understand the motivation and size of the enemy."

U.S., Uzbekistan agree to cooperate in security sector
The U.S. Embassy to Uzbekistan said on Wednesday the U.S. Central Command and Uzbekistan's Defense Ministry had signed a security cooperation program for 2011. "The program outlines a series of mutually agreed-upon engagements and training opportunities for fiscal year 2011," the embassy said. The move comes during a visit of U.S. Central Commander General James Mattis to this central Asian country. During his visit, Mattis and Uzbek Defense Minister Kabul Berdiev also exchanged opinions over regional security issues and Afghanistan issue. The United States used an airbase in Uzbekistan as part of operations in Afghanistan from 2001 until 2005, but now has since relied exclusively on the Manas facility near Bishkek, capital city of Uzbekistan's neighboring Kyrgyzstan.

India not to get UNSC seat soon: US
Robert Blake, US Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs, told a briefing at Washington's Foreign Press Centre that the expansion of UNSC was, "a very complex process that has to take place - many, many contenders for permanent seat - there is a whole question of veto". The United States, he said, "needs to have a very serious and detailed conversation with all our friends who are competing for these seats". During a visit to India last week, President Barack Obama endorsed India's bid for a permanent seat in the UNSC saying that the world body needed reforms to accommodate the changes that have taken place since the World War Two. "I would caution against expecting any kind of breakthrough anytime soon," Mr. Blake said. "I think the President and others have made it clear that this (reform) is going to be a long and complicated process and those we are committed to a modest expansion both of permanent and non-permanent seats," he said. The official said the only "real change" Mr. Obama announced was US support to India's permanent seat in the 15-membered UNSC, but "we have always been clear that this is going to be a long-term and very complicated process".