We can transcend past rancours with Pak: PM

Jakarta, April 23
Observing that breathtaking pace of change in the current times offered an “opportunity and a responsibility to act decisively”, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said today that India and Pakistan had ventured on a journey towards peace and good neighbourly relations amid a “sincere” desire to resolve all issues in a “mutally-acceptable manner.”

Addressing the Asian-African Summit here, he said “past rancours” can be transcended and new initiatives taken to “create new cooperative mechanisms and regional partnerships.”

Referring to his interaction with President Musharraf at the dinner hosted by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono here yesterday, the Prime Minister said “I appreciate the positive sentiments expressed” by the Pakistan President which I fully reciprocate.”

Quoting former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, he said “when we march in step with history, success would be ours.”

The Prime Minister told the conference being held to commemorate the 1955 Bandung Summit that absence of international consensus created insecurity rather than security in the world and global solutions were needed to meet the challenges posed by terrorism and HIV/AIDS.

He said new structures of mutual support, solidarity and cooperation should be created to ensure benefit of best practices and appropriate technologies available.

He noted that a cooperative and consensual international security eludes us and its consequence of insecurity, not common security.

The Prime Minister said the countries of Asia and Africa had their own “distinct perspectives on measures to combat international terrorism”. “We are well-equipped to initiate and sustain meaningful dialogues among civilisations, instead of subscribing to the theory of the so-called clash of civilisations,” the Prime Minister said, adding “our voice must be heard in this regard”.

Regretting that South-South linkages have weakened “when they are most required”, he emphasised on greater cohesion between nations of Asia and Africa in the transition from dependence to inter-dependence.

Recalling that the 1955 Bandung Conference had inspired the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) with which Nehru was closely associated, the Prime Minister said meet was a “defining event” in modern history.

He said the New Asian African Strategic Partnership to be adopted at the summit outlines guiding principles for joint action to achieve the goals in a changed global environment. — PTI

Muslim society needs reform: Musharraf

Jakarta, April 23
Taking note of the “flexibility and courage” shown by India and Pakistan for achieving peace and harmony, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has favoured institutionalisation of multilateral conflict resolution mechanisms for regional and global peace.

“Today, Pakistan and India can be jointly proud of showing how sincerity, flexibility and courage can lead to bilateral achievement of peace and harmony,” General Musharraf said addressing the plenary of the Asia Africa summit here yesterday.

General Musharraf also noted that Muslim societies required reform and the international community could help the process through educational, technological and developmental assistance. — PTI

Pak arrests 23 Indian fishermen

Karachi, April 23
Coast guards arrested 23 Indian fishermen and seized four boats for illegally entering Pakistani waters in the Arabian Sea and fishing, an official said.

The fishermen were arrested on Monday about 170 km southeast of Karachi, Pakistan’s main port, said Lt-Cmdr. Khawar Hassan Khan, a spokesman for the Maritime Security Agency, which made the arrests.

He said they handed over the men to police on Saturday for further action. — AP

India, China to expedite talks on boundary issue
S. Suresh

Jakarta, April 23
India and China today decided to expedite the process of taking forward the resolution of the boundary issue between them.

At a meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese President Hu Jintao on the sidelines of the Asian- African Summit here, the two countries also decided that the ongoing efforts should not affect tranquillity and peace along the Line of Actual Control.

Dr Manmohan Singh told mediapersons after the meeting that he had “very good” discussions with the Chinese leader.

Replying to a question, he said the issue of UN reforms did not figure at the meeting. 
On a hectic day, Dr Manmohan Singh also had bilateral meetings today with the leaders of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Nepal and Afghanistan.

Saying that India had been trying in the past ten months to build its relations with the USA, the European Union, Japan and Russia, Dr Manmohan Singh asserted that “our effort is to make the most favourable international environment so that we can concentrate on fundamental problems affecting the nation.” — UNI

Annan calls for restoration of democracy in Myanmar

Jakarta, April 23
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan took aim at military-ruled Myanmar today, delivering a stern message to the junta’s hardline leader to deliver on long-promised democratic reform.

Annan met General Than Shwe on the sidelines of a summit of Asian and African leaders here and said he hoped the General would think about the message.

Myanmar has not allowed Annan’s special envoy, Malaysian diplomat Razali Ismail, to visit Yangon for more than a year.

‘’I met General Than Shwe and we did discuss the situation in Myanmar and the democratisation process. He briefed me extensively as to how he sees things and how things were going,’’ Annan told a news conference.

“I did raise the question of Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD and the fact that it was vitally important that all people...be able to organise themselves and exercise their individual rights,’’ he said.

“I think he listened to me, he got my message and...now he will go back hopefully to think about it and do something about the message I gave him.’’ The UN Commission on Human Rights on Thursday unanimously urged Myanmar to halt killings, rapes and torture by government forces and the harassment of Opposition activists led by Nobel laureate Suu Kyi. — Reuters

Moussaoui pleads guilty
Says he was selected by Osama to attack White House
Richard A. Serrano

Alexandria, April 23
A calm, deliberate Zacarias Moussaoui pleaded guilty on Friday to conspiring with Al-Qaida operatives who were involved in the September 11 terrorist plot. But he defiantly vowed to “fight every inch'' of the way against being put to death because, he said, he actually was recruited for a separate assault: flying a large plane into the White House.

Nevertheless, by signing a five-page, 23-paragraph ``Statement of Facts'' acknowledging his involvement, Moussaoui made himself eligible for the death penalty when the punishment phase of his case opens later this year.

In the ``Statement of Facts,'' the 46-year-old French Moroccan said he came to the United States after being ``personally selected'' by Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden to attack the White House. He acknowledged that he used several aliases, including ``Abu Khaled al Sahrawi.'' And he said Bin Laden, in encouraging him to kill Americans, told him, ``Sahrwari, remember your dream.''

Moussaoui's admissions seemed to offer new details about Al-Qaida and its plans to attack the United States. He supported the theory, widely held by anti-terrorism experts, that Bin Laden personally approved members of the teams sent to attack the United States. And he indicated that one of Al-Qaida's goals had been to free the so-called blind sheik, Omar Rahman, who is imprisoned in the United States.

But the statement of facts also left some key questions unanswered, including the mystery of whether the al-Qaida leader had wanted to hit the White House in the same wave of attacks that struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, or in a later one.

Both his guilty plea and his statements about details of his case are shadowed by questions about his mental state. In the past, he has frequently made contradictory, sometimes incoherent, statements, ranted against the judge and his own attorneys, and taken positions that appeared to be against his own interests.

Moussaoui pleaded guilty to all six counts in the federal indictment filed against him: that he conspired to commit acts of terrorism, aircraft piracy and aircraft destruction, to use weapons of mass destruction, to murder US employees, and to destroy property.

It is the first four charges that carry the death penalty.

The punishment phase of the case, expected to be heard before a 12-member jury in Alexandria, is likely to be a hard-fought and emotion-charged battle.

Furthermore the government may find jurors reluctant to pronounce death for Moussaoui for fear that it would make him a martyr and inspire other terrorists to attack America. That is what jurors said after handing out life sentences in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

A third obstacle for the government —and perhaps the most important— is that Moussaoui was already behind bars on September 11.

He was arrested in August 2001, a month before the attacks, after trying to take flight lessons in Minnesota. The flight instructor alerted the FBI after becoming bothered by Moussaoui's bizarre behaviour, especially his insistence on only learning how to take off and land planes, and he alerted the FBI.

— By arrangement with the LA Times-Washington Post

China hails Japan’s ‘remorse’ over wartime aggression

Beijing, April 23
Three busloads of paramilitary troops guarded Japan’s embassy today, but there was no sign of new anti-Japanese protests after the government called on China’s public to end unrest that might damage economic ties.

China welcomed Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s expression yesterday of “deep remorse” for Japan’s wartime aggression, but called for Tokyo to back its words with actions as dozens of Japanese lawmakers visited a controversial war shrine.

Relations between the two Asian powers have plunged to a three-decade low amid protests in China over Tokyo’s campaign for a permanent UN Security Council seat and its handling of its wartime history.

The government appealed yesterday for calm, with state television quoting Commerce Minister Bo Xilai as saying that more unrest might damage China’s economy by disrupting trade and investment ties with Japan.

Outside the Japanese embassy, troops with riot helmets and shields waited aboard buses parked on a side street, trying to avert a repeat of violence two weekends ago when stone-throwing protesters broke windows at the embassy. — AP

Respect ethics, Pope tells media

Vatican City, April 23
Pope Benedict today reminded journalists in four languages of their responsibility to seek the truth and defend human dignity and pledged to have a papacy as open to the media as his predecessor.

In a sign of how important communication will be to him as Pope, Benedict called the media that has converged in Rome from around the world to be the guests of his first audience for non-clergy since his election on Tuesday.

Benedict said he wanted to “continue the fruitful dialogue” with the media begun by John Paul, who went down in history as a great communicator.

Benedict’s message to the media was courteous but clear.

He stressed the “ethical responsibility of those who work in the media, especially regarding the sincere search for truth and the defence of the centrality and dignity of the human person”.

Displaying his linguistic skills by speaking in Italian, English, French and his native German, he said each journalist had to contribute to the common good. — Reuters

John Major knighted

London, April 23
Former British Prime Minister John Major, swept from power by Tony Blair in 1997, was knighted today with the country’s highest award for chivalry.

The 62-year-old received the venerable Order of the Garter, an honour that dates back to the 14th century when it was founded by King Edward III.

“I am absolutely thrilled, honoured and delighted,’’ the BBC quoted Sir John as saying.

Mr Major joins an elite group of only 25 full members of the Order, personally chosen by the Queen, which includes British politicians and royals and the Kings of Spain and Sweden.

Lady Soames, the 82-year-old daughter of British wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and former Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales Lord Bingham also entered the order today.

An official ceremony will be held in June, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said. — Reuters

Iraq bomb attack kills 9

Baghdad, April 23
A car bomb attack on an Iraqi National Guard convoy west of Baghdad killed nine Guardsmen and wounded 20 today, the police said.

The attack was near Abu Ghraib on the western outskirts of the capital, where there has been a surge in violence in the last month.

The police said some of the wounded from the bombing had been taken to hospital at the prison. — Reuters

Actor John Mills is no more