Ahto Lobjakas

Also by Ahto Lobjakas

• October 03, 2007

  Rights Activists Say EU-Russia Dialogue Is Between 'The Deaf And The Blind'

  BRUSSELS, October 3, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Representatives of leading Russian civil society groups are expressing their frustration with what they say is a complete lack of progress in the EU's human-rights dialogue with Russia.

• October 03, 2007

  EU Envoy Calls South Caucasus A 'Broken Region,' Prescribes European Identity

  BRUSSELS, October 3, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- The European Union's special representative for the South Caucasus, Peter Semneby, offered an analysis rare in its candor in his annual address to the European Parliament's Foreign Relations Committee.

• October 02, 2007

  'No Uzbek Rights Progress' Ahead Of EU Sanctions Review

  BRUSSELS, October 2, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- A senior EU official has told a European Parliament hearing in Brussels that the human rights situation in Uzbekistan remains "miserable."

• September 24, 2007

  Afghanistan: No Major Relief For NATO Before 2009

  Afghan National Army soldiers take part in military exercises near Kabul (file) (epa) The chief of planning for NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan has warned that those troops cannot expect significant relief from Afghan security forces for at least a year and a half. French Brigadier General Vincent LaFontaine said the Afghan National Army is currently at less than half its headline goal of 70,000 well-trained men, but could reach that goal by early 2009. He also warned that international troops in Afghanistan remain "underresourced," hindering the stabilization effort.

• September 21, 2007

  Afghan Diary, Part Five: Leaving, The Afghan Way

  Afghan traders waiting to enter ISAF's compound in Kabul (RFE/RL) RFE/RL's Brussels correspondent, Ahto Lobjakas, spent a week with NATO-led troops in Afghanistan this month. The trip was organized by NATO for European journalists to show them the reality on the ground for troops in the International Security Assistance Force. In his five-part Afghan diary, Lobjakas takes us from Kabul to Kandahar and two other southern provinces, where the Taliban insurgency is strongest and opium-poppy cultivation hardest to eradicate..

• September 21, 2007

  Afghan Diary, Part Four: 'You Can Go From Being Smiled At To Being Shot At'

  Dutch soldiers cleaning their guns at their base in Chora (RFE/RL) RFE/RL's Brussels correspondent, Ahto Lobjakas, spent a week with NATO-led troops in Afghanistan this month. The trip was organized by NATO for European journalists to show them the reality on the ground for troops in the International Security Assistance Force. In his five-part Afghan diary, Lobjakas takes us from Kabul to Kandahar and two other southern provinces, where the Taliban insurgency is strongest and opium-poppy cultivation hardest to eradicate.

• September 21, 2007

  Afghan Diary, Part Three: Mystery And Suspicion In Zabul

  On patrol in a Romanian Humvee (RFE/RL) RFE/RL's Brussels correspondent, Ahto Lobjakas, spent a week with NATO-led troops in Afghanistan this month. The trip was organized by NATO for European journalists to show them the reality on the ground for troops in the International Security Assistance Force. In his five-part Afghan diary, Lobjakas takes us from Kabul to Kandahar and two other southern provinces, where the Taliban insurgency is strongest and opium-poppy cultivation hardest to eradicate.

• September 21, 2007

  Afghan Diary, Part Two: The Challenge Of The 'Pashtun Belt'

  A local malik, or village administrator, shows where he wants a bridge to be built (RFE/RL) RFE/RL's Brussels correspondent, Ahto Lobjakas, spent a week with NATO-led troops in Afghanistan this month. The trip was organized by NATO for European journalists to show them the reality on the ground for troops in the International Security Assistance Force. In his five-part Afghan diary, Lobjakas takes us from Kabul to Kandahar and two other southern provinces, where the Taliban insurgency is strongest and opium-poppy cultivation hardest to eradicate.

• September 21, 2007

  Afghan Diary: Into The Volatile South

  Join our correspondent as he swaps the genteel hospitality of Kabul for a wilder ride through Afghanistan's south, where suspicion of Western forces is strong and one trip includes a swift lesson in handling ammunition...

• September 20, 2007

  ISAF Allies Questioning Their Commitments

  The resolve of key ISAF nations is being put to the test in the face of a gritty Taliban insurgency that could take many more years, and lives, to suppress.

• September 19, 2007

  Should NATO Rethink Its Strategy In Fighting The Taliban?

  NATO's military campaign seems to underestimate the complexity of the enemy, and may reinforce locals' resentment toward foreign forces.

• September 06, 2007

  EU Rebukes Belarus Over Opposition Arrests

  BRUSSELS, September 6, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- The European Commission has condemned the latest wave of arrests of opposition figures in Belarus.

• September 03, 2007

  Ukraine Seeks Distance From EU Neighborhood Policy

  (RFE/RL) BRUSSELS, September 3, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Ukraine has reiterated its long-standing objections to being part of the EU's European Neighborhood Policy.

• September 03, 2007

  Belarusian Official Challenges EU On Policy

  (RFE/RL) BRUSSELS, September 3, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Valery Voronetski has challenged the European Union over its policy toward his country.

• September 03, 2007

  Policy Focuses On Economics, Not Membership

  The message from Brussels at a meeting with the members of its European Neighborhood Policy is clear: economic cooperation -- yes; membership -- no.

• August 04, 2007

  President Grapples With Economy

  Two years have passed since the former hard-line mayor of Tehran, Mahmud Ahmadinejad, came to power on a pledge to improve the economy.

• July 27, 2007

  EU Condemns Opposition Arrests In Belarus

  BRUSSELS, July 27, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner has said in a statement that she is "dismayed" at the arrests and detention of several members of the democratic opposition in Belarus in the past few days.

• July 24, 2007

  Russia's Dispute With Britain Threatens To Spill Over Into EU Ties

  BRUSSELS, July 24, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Escalating tensions between Britain and Russia are threatening to spill over into Moscow's relations with the European Union.

• July 23, 2007

  EU Edges Closer To Reform Treaty

  BRUSSELS, July 23, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- European Union foreign ministers have formally launched the final stage of technical talks on a so-called reform treaty.

• July 20, 2007

  NATO Sees 'Tribal' Nature To Insurgency

  NATO's top intelligence officer in Afghanistan says the tribal nature of the dominant Pashtun population makes the Taliban insurgency difficult to contain.

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