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Tuesday's global agenda: France seeks international support for Mali intervention
Your morning global affairs speed-read
France's government is asking for support from Arab states to help fund its intervention in Mali as the Obama administration weighs whether to provide midflight refueling planes and air transport. Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, during a visit to the United Arab Emirates, announced that donors would meet later this month, probably in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to discuss financing an offensive against the rebels in Mali, Reuters reported.
A rift has opened between the U.S. and Afghanistan over training for local police, The Washington Post reports.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton holds a U.S.-Liberia Partnership Dialogue signing ceremony with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf at noon, following a bilateral meeting. Earlier in the morning, Clinton meets with Colombia Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar.
Robert Blake, the assistant secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, travels to Turkmenistan today for talks on regional security issues, international investment and human rights. Blake then goes on Wednesday to Kyrgyzstan, home to an air base used by U.S. forces to ship supplies into Afghanistan.
Also, Assistant Secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations Rick Barton travels today to Honduras to discuss bilateral cooperation on citizen security and to encourage Honduran officials to continue their support for public security reform efforts.
In other news:
Pakistan's high court has ordered the arrest of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on corruption charges. [The Wall Street Journal]
Japan has launched its own probe of Boeing's troubled Dreamliner aircraft. [Agence France-Presse]
The economy of Germany, the European Union's growth engine, shrank last quarter. [The Wall Street Journal]
Washington's Diplomatic Courier leads its latest issue with a memo to the president on the next four years in foreign policy. The issue includes pieces by former Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, former Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez and former Secretary of Agriculture Daniel Glickman.
Lobbying and regulations:
The Gephardt Group is working for Taiwan's Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States regarding "strategic advice, lobbying and government-relations services; outreach to and advocacy before the legislative branch and the executive branch; and other support.”
Just Consulting LLC is working for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (Saudi Arabia) regarding "strategic and communications consulting, advice and execution, strategic and tactical public and media outreach and government affairs representation services."
The Fratelli Group is defending the Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement and other Colombian interests.
The Nickles Group is working for Taiwan's Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the U.S. regarding “legislative strategy and congressional communications” and other issues.
Global Affairs news you might have missed:
Clinton to testify on Benghazi next week
Obama signs North Korea child welfare bill into law
Netanyahu invited to speak at CPAC
Panetta says US has 'responsibility' to support French offensive in Mali
Experts warn Iran will be capable of nuclear weapons in 2014
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