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Stop construction of barrier, India tells Israel India, Sudan to join hands against terror
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Pak ready for talks on air links with India Pak
opposition questions Army’s role in politics Maoists free British officer UK Govt rejects demand for probe into
Diana’s death
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Stop construction of barrier, India tells Israel United Nations, October 21 “While we understand the legitimate rights of states to self-defence, Israel’s unilateral action cannot be justified,” Indian delegate Saleem Iqbal Shervani, MP, told the 191-member United Nations General Assembly yesterday. He also “strongly” deplored Israeli air strikes deep inside Syrian territory on October 5, describing those as “violation of the sovereignty of Syria’s territorial integrity.” “Unfortunately, some recent acts of Israel have not assisted the cause of peace,” he said participating a debate on the two resolutions moved by the Palestinians seeking the UN’s condemnation of Israel’s action of building the wall and world body’s opinion on its legality. Mr Shervani condemned the attack on a United States diplomatic convoy in Gaza recently in which three Americans were killed and commended the Palestinian authorities for their swift action in attempting to bring the suspects to book. “We are confident that such actions would bear results all round,” he said. Mr Shervani warned Israel that its insistence in continuing with the construction would be “widely interpreted as an attempt to predetermine the outcome of any final status negotiations” with Palestinians. After the debate, the Assembly postponed vote on two resolutions until at least this evening as the diplomats discussed the drafts to make those acceptable to maximum number of members, especially key players. Expressing India’s full support to the Road Map drawn by Quartet comprising the USA, Russia, European Union and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, he said the road to peace is often bumpy but the ride must be endured in the interest of the peoples of the region and international peace and harmony. —
PTI
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India,
Sudan to join hands against terror Khartoum, October 21 “Unless there is international cooperation, the cancer of terrorism cannot be eradicated,” President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and his Sudanese counterpart Omer Hassan Ahmed Al Bashir felt at a meeting here this afternoon. Briefing mediapersons on the talks, Union Minister for Disinvestment, Communication and Information Technology Arun Shourie said India would help Sudan in redrafting its constitution once peace was established between the government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement. India also agreed to open a line of credit for $ 50 million for Sudan. The line of credit would be repaid over eight years, with a one-year grace period. The President said India and Sudan could work together in building capabilities in various areas in the oil sector and exploitating other natural resources that could fuel the economic growth of Sudan. He identified oil exploration, refining, marketing and value-added oil based products as the specific areas where there could be bilateral cooperation. He noted that among the key resources of Sudan was hydrocarbon. With a large part of the country still unexplored, hydrocarbon contribution to the national economy was likely to increase significantly in the future. The President said he was sure India’s vision and its experiences could be useful in evolving a mission for the development of Sudan. —
UNI, PTI
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Iran relents to pressure, agrees to inspections Dubai, October 21 At a joint press conference in Tehran with Foreign Ministers of France Dominique de Villepin, Britain’s Jack Straw and Germany’s Joschka Fischer, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Hassan Rowhani said “Tehran will sign the additional protocol with certain conditions”. “Tehran is determined to settle the remaining issues with the International Atomic Energy Agency in order to end the current tension in the field of its legitimate nuclear activities and to take the necessary measures to join the additional protocol as the 81st country,” Mr Rowhani said. The announcement was the result of a intense diplomatic efforts launched by the three countries to defuse mounting tensions that have raised fears of yet another West Asian conflict. According to a joint declaration, Iran pledged to show “full transparency” to the IAEA, reiterated its commitment to the NPT and vowed atomic weapons had “no place” in its defence doctrine. Referring to the conditions Iran set for signing the additional protocol, Mr Rowhani said, “Iran will sign the protocol with some reservations,” the official Iranian news agency IRNA quoted him as saying said. “The protocol should not harm our national security, national interests and national dignity. We will issue a statement in which Iran`s reservations for joining the additional protocol will be mentioned explicitly,” he added. “One of the agreements is that the Islamic Republic temporarily suspends uranium enrichment process that Tehran will observe to show good will and to create a new atmosphere of trust between Iran and other countries,” the SNSC secretary said. |
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Pak ready for talks on air links with India Islamabad, October 21 Pakistan also said it had received a “confirmation of sorts” from New Delhi that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee would attend the SAARC summit in January here. “Pakistan too was ready for talks and would approach the issue with an open mind,” Foreign officie spokesman Masood Khan told reporters. He was reacting to Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal’s comments yesterday that “we were ready to have civil aviation links but Pakistan put a spoke in the wheels. We are willing to have the second round provided they come with an open mind.” Mr Khan said, “We are also open-minded on this question. We have engaged the Indians in the past and are ready to hold the second round of consultations. The dates have to be confirmed by Delhi. Whenever they suggest, we shall hold the consultations”. He, however, drew a distinction between resuming air links and overflights. —
PTI |
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Pak opposition questions Army’s role in politics Islamabad, October 21 Opposition parties, which have been waging a year-long fight against President Pervez Musharraf’s constitutional amendments, took the government by surprise by releasing yesterday the unsigned letter written on the letter head of the General Headquarters of the Pakistan Army in Rawalpindi. Titled ‘Independent Force’, Pakistan Zindabad,’ the letter calls for a judicial inquiry into the Army’s role in politics. It also expressed dissatisfaction with the military’s role in the US-led war on terror. Releasing the letter at a joint press conference of the opposition leaders in the National Assembly, ARD President Javed Hashmi claimed that that the letter had been received by all opposition parties. However, Pakistan’s Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed branded the letter as “sheer fabrication” by the opposition to tarnish the image of the armed forces of the country. “This letter is forged, fabricated and self-made to harm the unity of the armed forces,” he said adding the armed forces of the country are united. —
PTI |
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Maoists free British officer Kathmandu, October 21 The seven men, kidnapped on Sunday in Baglung district in west Nepal during a drive to recruit Gurkha soldiers, were safe after they were released into the care of a local school teacher, district administrator Prem Narayan Sharma told Reuters. Nepali officials said initially there were two Britons among five kidnapped by the rebels. But an official, who declined to be named, said today there was only one British army officer in the group. —
Reuters |
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UK Govt rejects demand for probe into London, October 21 “Everybody knows that there has been an exhaustive investigation by the French authorities into the circumstances surrounding Diana’s death and there will be nothing to be gained from repeating that here,” the Prime Minister’s spokesman said. “But clearly, there will be a routine coroner’s inquest in Britain once the French legal processes are completed,” he said. Meanwhile, excerpts, published today from Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell’s new book “A Royal Duty” revealed that Prince Philip, in a letter, had castigated Diana for her behaviour, which he claimed was partly responsible for driving Prince Charles into the arms of his
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Illegal Indian immigrants quizzed London, October 21 A Home Office spokesman told PTI that all 16 detained on Sunday were Indians and “They are being questioned separately”. “We can confirm 14 adults and two unaccompanied minors were detected at Hull on Sunday morning by Customs and Excise officers”, the spokesman said. “They entered the UK by hiding in the back of a lorry. Customs and Excise officers who were using X-ray technology to find smuggled goods. Instead they found people”, he said —
PTI |
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Egyptian twin sits for first time Dallas, October 21 Dr James Thomas, director of critical care at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas where Ahmed and Mohamed Ibrahim were separated on October 12, said the -year-old boys were following a different path to recovery. They were both in remarkable condition after being separated at the crown of their head by a team of 18 doctors in a 34-hour operation, he said yesterday. Mohamed, who has recovered at a quicker pace, was able to sit up with the help of a therapist. Due to the way the boys were joined at the head, it was impossible for them to sit, and without separation surgery, they probably would have never been able to walk. —
Reuters |
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China launches two satellites Beijing, October 21 |
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