 |
Saturday,
February 9, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
|
Treat both Taliban, Al-Qaida men as PoWs: ICRC
WINDOW ON PAKISTAN Don’t trust Pervez, Benazir to USA |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sharon fails to convince Bush on Arafat Don’t extend anti-terror war: France Storm leaves 46 dead in Congo
Pakistani held in USA pleads guilty Two ministers
quit in Lanka
|
|
Treat both Taliban, Al-Qaida men as PoWs: ICRC Geneva February 8 “They were captured in combat (and) we consider them prisoners of war,” ICRC spokesman Darcy Christen told newsmen. U.S. President George W. Bush agreed on Thursday to apply the Geneva Conventions to Taliban prisoners but said the Al -Qaida network could not be considered a state that is party to the treaty, which guarantees a wide range of rights to captives. Even though acknowledging the Conventions applied to the Taliban, Washington said that group would not be granted full prisoner-of-war status. A spokesman for United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, who has warned the USA it must treat captives humanely, said she felt Washington’s decision could be a “step forward”. But Jose Luis Diaz added that her legal advisers were still examining the implications of Bush’s announcement. Britain, the stanchest ally of the USA in its war against those it considers responsible for the September 11 attacks, welcomed the move. Granting prisoner-of-war status to the captives would have given them sweeping rights, including the right to disclose only their name, rank and serial number under interrogation and to go home as soon as the conflict ended. Both the ICRC and Robinson said under the Geneva Conventions, to which the USA is a signatory, any dispute over the status of a prisoner must be settled by a tribunal and not the government of one of the sides to the conflict. “You cannot simply decide...what applies to one person and what applies to another. This has to go to court because it is a legal decision not a political one,” Christen said. The ICRC spokesman also noted that Article 3 of the Third Geneva Convention on captives taken in international combat applied to all fighters. The article sets out minimum standards, including prohibiting cruel treatment and guaranteeing that any trial of prisoners must be carried out before a “regularly constituted” court. Christen said that there was no category under humanitarian law giving more than minimum Article 3 protection but falling short of full prisoner of war status — as the U.S. decision implied. “It does not exist,” he said. U.S. officials have expressed concern that if Washington gave prisoner of war status to Taliban fighters and Al-Qaida members, it would be virtually impossible to interrogate them. The ICRC is visiting prisoners held at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, as well as inside Afghanistan and will continue to report on their treatment based on standards. Washington: President George W. Bush decided to apply the Geneva Convention to Taliban fighters held by the USA but not to Al-Qaida members, a decision that will not change the captives’ treatment but may help to protect US soldiers and to blunt foreign criticism. Mr Bush’s decision, criticised by some human rights groups, does not confer the prisoners-of-war status on the Taliban detainees, which would have given them protections, including the right to disclose only their name, rank and serial number under interrogation and to return home once the conflict is over. Analysts said Mr Bush’s decision may have been designed in part to protect the rights of US soldiers who might be captured in the US military campaign in Afghanistan or elsewhere as Washington continues its war on terrorism.
Reuters |
|
WINDOW ON PAKISTAN When General Pervez Musharraf gave his January 12 landmark speech he said something like this in Urdu: have the people of Pakistan got a contract (theka) for indulging in militant jehad for all that happens in any part of the world? He was referring to the activities of the jehadi (read terrorist) organisations which are now banned. But he gave the impression that he might indulge in stronger rhetoric on Kashmir to win the battle he had launched. But, at the same time, he also echoed the sentiments of his corps commanders to ward off any threat to his position from the most powerful institution in Pakistan the Army. President Musharraf had hot discussions with the corps commanders before finalising his much awaited televised address. The details of what transpired between the two sides were given in an article carried in a special issue of the Jamaat-e-Islami mouthpiece in Urdu, Jasaarat (January 18-24). In his write-up Mr Hamidullah Abid said the significant meeting, held on January 9, brought out serious differences between the President and his Army colleagues on the Kashmir question and the relations with India. All this led to a crisis-like situation at General Headquarters, Rawalpindi, with General Musharraf threatening to resign. The Jasaarat article gives the impression that it was General Musharraf’s stand on the Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and other such militant outfits as also those involved in promoting sectarianism in Pakistan which enraged the commanders. This is not astonishing as these outfits, according to the writer, except for the Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat Mohammadi, had links with intelligence agencies, including the ISI, which means deep involvement of the ruling dispensation. Ultimately, General Musharraf had his way by agreeing to delete or change certain portions of his address, but the strong reaction of the commanders impressed him on the immediate necessity of strengthening his position among the masses. Hence, perhaps, his more venomous anti-India rhetoric in the speech he made on the Kashmir Solidarity Day. Yet his worries may not be over easily. Going by the military history of Pakistan, his authority may be challenged from within the armed forces once the impression gains ground that his position is getting shaky with regard to his anti-jehadi campaign. So, it is like a do-or-die situation for the General. In such a setting one fails to understand how he will hold the promised elections by October, that too when his efforts to reach an understanding with the Benazir Bhutto-led PPP have failed to bear fruit. He can win his internal war without much difficulty if he listens to saner counsel coming from within the Pakistani media, and gives a new turn, if not a U-turn, to his country’s Kashmir policy. Though this seems unthinkable at the moment, anything is possible under the doctrine of necessity, used in Pakistan in times of crisis. It is clear from what is carried in newspapers and magazines that a section of society is convinced that Pakistanis cannot live in peace without bringing about a qualitative change in their relation with India. What Mr Imran Khalid Khan says in his article published in a recent issue of The Friday Times is worth quoting here: “Contrary to fervent pronouncements, China is not our eternally best friend — they (the Chinese) are not that stupid. Since our fears consign us to see the world only in an anti-India mode, we do not perceive our relationship for what it really is: as a means for the wily Chinese to use us to contain India, at our own expense, while they continue to normalise their bilateral relations. We should abide this lesson in pragmatism. “So, there is no alternative but to live in peace with India since all other options have now been exhausted after 50-plus years of some tortuous and some dexterous manoeuvres. Peace surely implies that, as the junior partner, we have to give up more of our ambitions — but this ought to be easier now with most of our elaborate sandcastles pummelled by one autumnal phone call from the White House.” Of course, General Musharraf and his angry corps commanders will fail to realise the futility of their outdated and unpragmatic Kashmir policy unless there is a fresh phone call from Washington. It is time America told its ally in the war on terrorism to forget Kashmir and help create conditions for developing amicable relations with India. It is likely that the USA has already given this kind of impression in view of its own strategic interests in the region. The talk of track-II diplomacy once again has its own significance in this context. A recent report in The Nation has it that a meeting of retired diplomats, Generals and senior journalists from both sides is scheduled to be held in Islamabad from February 22 to 27. According to former diplomat Niaz Naik, known for his back-channel efforts, rooms in a hotel have already been booked in the Pakistani capital. The Indian team will have to cover an unsually long distance because of the closure of air and other routes between the two countries. The unofficial talks, perhaps having the blessings of Uncle Sam, are expected to ease the tension at the border. But it all depends on the American seriousness about the expected exercise. |
|
Don’t trust Pervez, Benazir to USA Washington, February 8 “For the moment some might find General Musharraf’s dictatorship useful, but the USA must proceed with great caution and wisdom”, Ms Bhutto said in an article in the Christian Science Monitor. “The Pakistani General, who seized power in a coup in 1999, was a principal architect of policies that empowered Osama bin Laden and strengthened the Taliban regime harbouring Al-Qaida”, Ms Bhutto, also the chief of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) said. General Musharraf, she added, also failed to close the militant Islamic schools in Pakistan that “filled youngsters with hatred toward the West and were the prime recruiting grounds for Bin Laden’s war on civilisation.” Holding General Musharraf responsible for bringing the South Asian region to the brink of war, the former Prime Minister said twice during his tenure as Army Chief, a position which General still holds, “Two confrontations have taken place with India that have brought South Asia to the brink of a nuclear armageddon.” “Ms Bhutto criticised General Musharraf for denouncing the ISI, which, she said, was used by the President and his predecessors to destabilise democratic governments in Pakistan and manipulate the electoral process in the country.
PTI |
|
Sharon fails to convince Bush on Arafat Washington, February 8 Mr Bush and Mr Sharon, during their meeting here yesterday, were also supportive of a Palestinian state which they said could only be possible through negotiations and non- violence. “Mr Arafat has heard my message. I can’t be any more clear about it, that he must do everything in his power to reduce terrorist attacks on Israel,” Mr Bush said in a joint Oval Office appearance with Mr Sharon. “It is difficult to have peace during terrorist times. And I am absolutely committed to fighting terror wherever terror exists,” Mr Bush said. “And I would hope other leaders do so. And Mr Arafat has a chance to do so, and my hope is that he responds in a positive way.” Mr Sharon accused the Palestinian leader of being an obstacle to peace, saying that “ Mr Arafat has chosen a strategy of terror and formed a coalition of terror. Therefore, we believe that pressure should be put on him in order, maybe, I hope, to have an authoritative leadership in the future.” Mr Sharon said at the end of the peace process “We will see a Palestinian state.” “But only at the end,” he stressed, “And the final steps that should be taken in order to start negotiations. That cannot be done under terror. My role and my government’s role is to defend our citizens against terror.” Mr Sharon has said Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat “is not and never will be a partner,” and called for an “alternative Palestinian leadership.” “Mr Arafat disqualified himself by heading a coalition of terror. He is not and never will be a partner. He’s out of play,” Mr Sharon told reporters here late yesterday after meeting Mr Bush and Mr Cheney. NABLUS (West Bank): Israeli troops backed by tanks entered several Palestinian-ruled areas the West Bank on Friday and arrested at least three suspected militants. The raids followed the deaths of three Israelis in an attack by a Palestinian gunman on the Jewish settlement of Hamra in the West Bank this week, and took place as Prime Miniser Ariel Sharon visited Washington for talks with President George W. Bush. Palestinian security sources said 10 tanks and armoured vehicles rumbled about 200 metres (yards) into Nablus in the northern West Bank, and troops entered several homes and took over a Palestinian checkpoint on the outskrits of the city. Troops also took over several homes in the Palestinian-ruled village of Tamoun north-east on Nablus, they said. The Army said in a statement its forces were tighting a miliary blockade around Nablus because the city had harboured militants accused by the Army of carrying out attacks on Israelis, including the raid on Hamra settlement. Army Radio quoted Israeli security sources as saying that troops also raided Tamoun because Palestinians were believed to have fled there after helping the gunman who attacked Hamra. Israeli forces have regularly entered Palestinian-ruled areas of the West Bank and Gaza Strip to crack down on militants involved in a 16-month-old uprising against Israeli occupation. The Army said troops arrested a member of the militant group Islamic Jihad in an overnight raid into the Palestinian-ruled area of Hebron in the West Bank, South of Jerusalem. Troops also
arrested two members of the Islamic militant group Hamas in Bir Zeit, a West Bank village near Jerusalem which is under Israeli security control, the Army said.
PTI, Reuters |
|
Don’t extend anti-terror war: France Paris, February 8 Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, speaking at a European parliamentarians’ conference on money laundering, spoke two days after his Foreign Minister, Hubert Vedrine, blasted Bush for his “simplistic’’ approach’’ to world politics. “We hope the USA does not give in to the strong temptation of unilateralism,’’ Jospin said. France, a long-standing critic of what Vedrine calls the US “hyper-power’’, has strongly backed the campaign against terrorism since the September 11 attacks. “But this does not mean that we must not reflect lucidly on the lessons we have learned from September 11,’’ Jospin said. “We cannot reduce the problems of the world to the single dimension of the struggle against terrorism, despite its pressing importance, nor rely on the predominance of military means,’’ he added. “Our conception of the world aims to create a more balanced international community... based on a multilateral approach,’’ he said. “Cooperation means members of the international community can together tackle the root of the problems, since none of us can hope to resolve them alone.’’ France fully supported the war in Afghanistan, providing logistical support, but has voiced alarm over Bush’s State of the Union speech last week in which he named Iran, Iraq and North Korea as sponsors of terrorism in an “axis of evil’’. Vedrine hit out at Bush’s approach on Wednesday, saying the rhetoric coming out of Washington was confirmation that the Republican administration approached foreign policy “unilaterally, without consulting anyone’’. Keen to stress the multilateral approach to world politics, France is currently hosting a meeting of 78 states negotiating a voluntary code of conduct on limiting the proliferation of ballistic missiles. “This is an antithesis of American views,’’ the conservative daily Le Figaro wrote in a commentary. “At a time when President George W. Bush is denouncing an ‘axis of evil’ composed of three countries — Iran, Iraq and North Korea — France has called an international conference (including Iran) to try to halt the proliferation of ballistic missiles,’’ the newspaper said.
Reuters |
|
Storm leaves 46 dead in Congo Uvira Congo, February 8 Rescuers searching the wreckage of houses destroyed by rain and flash floods that hit the town of Uvira on Wednesday night said more than 600 people had lost their homes. “We have so far found 15 bodies, 31 more are missing, they must be under the rocks” Constantin Magala-Baha, president of Uvira’s branch of Congolese Red Cross, told newsmen. “But this is only a provisional toll, the real numbers will only be known after everyone has counted their neighbours,” he said. Initial estimates put the death toll at about 19. Town officials said it was the worst tempest for more than 10 years to hit Uvira, which lies near the Democratic Republic of Congo’s border with Burundi. Local officials put the town’s population at about 200,000.
Reuters |
|
Pakistani held in USA pleads guilty Brighton (Colorado), February 8 Sentencing for Arsalan Absar Rizvi, 27, on charges of assault and possession of forged documents was set for February 20, officials said. On Wednesday, Rizvi was sentenced to time already served and three years of probation for a Federal firearms charge. He is being held by the US immigration and Naturalisation Service in preparation for deportation. Rizvi was accused in October by his former wife of abusing her. Rizvi’s brother, Armoghan Absar Rizvi, 23, is scheduled to appear in Federal court next week on a charge of falsely claiming US citizenship. Neither brother was accused of terrorist activity. Also yesterday, a Federal judge dismissed a civil complaint in which the brothers claimed they were prohibited from attending prayer services with other Muslims in custody. Attorney Jim Salvator, representing the brothers, said he planned to refile the complaint before the end of the month. The government has denied the brothers’ allegations.
AP |
|
|
Two ministers
quit in Lanka Colombo, February 8 Housing Minister Arumugam Thondaman leads a key partner party in the coalition which has a two-seat majority in Parliament. Aides said he and Deputy Livestock Minister Muthu Sivalingam quit over a dispute about the nominations for local council elections on March 20 and 25. “They have resigned their posts but will continue to support the government in Parliament,” a senior official of Thondaman’s Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) said. The CWC is a partner in the United National Front which won a snap parliamentary election in December. The ruling coalition has 114 seats in the 225-member House. But it also enjoys the tacit support of several minority groups because of a promise to revive Norway’s efforts to end an ethnic war that has killed more than 64,000 people. Hours before the resignations, the government announced dates for the local council elections, setting the stage for the first test of its popularity.
Reuters |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 122 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
(
