 |
|
|
Kumaratunga fears threat to life
Newsweek apologises for errors in Koran story
Indian, Pakistani officials to meet again on Kishanganga
Aziz urges strategic restraint in South Asia
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Kumaratunga fears threat to life
Kandy, May 16 “In the decisions we are called upon to take, the lives of some of us are in extreme danger,” Kumaratunga said inaugurating an international donor meeting, also attended by India, the USA and Japan,. She said the threat to her could also come “from within”, referring to extremists in the coalition. A majority of the nine-party ruling coalition supported her, she said. She told the international donors that she was committed to entering into a pact with the rebels to distribute tsunami aid in the affected regions. Her main Marxist ally, the JVP, or the People’s Liberation Front, is opposed to any deal with the Tigers. Just as she finished her address, a nationalist Buddhist monk legislator of the Heritage Party, got up to deliver an unscheduled speech denouncing Kumaratunga’s move. He said they would use all democratic means to block Kumaratunga’s plan to enter into a “joint mechanism” with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Kumaratunga received a memorandum from the monk, but minutes earlier she made it clear that a vast majority of the population, as well as a majority within the ruling coalition, was with her. At least 22 donor nations and key lending organisations are attending the meet, partly organised by the World Bank, but opposed by nationalists. World Bank’s Vice-President for Asia Praful Patel said they supported the joint mechanism with the Tigers as a means that could also boost the island’s peace hopes. The police and military put in place strict security for the meeting in this hill resort of Kandy, home to Sri Lanka’s holiest Buddhist shrine that has previously been attacked by Tamil Tiger suicide bombers. The government is hoping to firm up $ 2 billion aid linked to the December 26 tsunami and another billion dollars of other aid. Kumaratunga launched the two-day deliberations by lighting a traditional coconut oil lamp and observed a moment’s silence in remembrance of the 31,000 Sri Lankans killed by the tsunami.
— PTI |
|
Newsweek apologises for errors in Koran story
Newsweek has apologised for errors in a story that claimed that US interrogators had desecrated the Koran at a detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, and promised to investigate the story that led to deadly protests in Afghanistan.
In the magazine’s latest edition, Editor Mark Whitaker wrote in a note to readers: “We regret that we got any part of our story wrong, and extend our sympathies to the victims of the violence and to the US soldiers caught in the midst.” According to reports from Afghanistan, at least 15 persons died following violent protests sparked by a May 9 report in the magazine that cited sources saying investigators looking into abuses at the military prison in Guantanamo Bay found interrogators “had placed Korans on toilets, and in at least one case flushed a holy book down the toilet.” In the past week it was condemned in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Malaysia and by the Arab League. In its latest report, the magazine said one of its reporters spoke to “his original source, a senior government official, who said he clearly recalled reading investigative reports about mishandling the Koran, including a toilet incident.” “But the official, still speaking anonymously, could no longer be sure that these concerns had surfaced” in a forthcoming report by the US military, the magazine added. When Pentagon spokesman Lawrence DiRita was informed of the development, Newsweek said, the spokesman “exploded.” “People are dead because of what he said. How could he be credible now?” Mr DiRita said. The Pentagon official blamed the report for the recent unrest in Muslim countries. “People are dying. They are burning American flags. Our forces are in danger,” he said. The report had prompted promises from the Bush administration of a thorough investigation into the purported incident. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last week asserted: “Disrespect for the Holy Koran is not now, nor has it ever been, nor will it ever be, tolerated by the United States… Disrespect for the Holy Koran is abhorrent to us all.” Air Force General Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said investigators had been unable to confirm the “toilet incident, except for one case, a log entry, which they still have to confirm, where a detainee was reported by a guard to be ripping pages out of a Koran and putting (these) into the toilet to block it up as a protest. But not where the US did it.” Noting that top administration officials had pledged to continue looking into the charges, Mr Whitaker said, “And so will we.” Newsweek Washington bureau chief Daniel Klaidman said the magazine believed it had erred. “The issue here is to get the truth out, to acknowledge as quickly as possible what happened, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” Mr Klaidman told the “CBS Evening News” on Sunday. |
|
Indian, Pakistani officials to meet again on Kishanganga
Islamabad, May 16 He said discussion on the issue was time-bound and the two sides had to reach an understanding by July 15, adding that the experts had to discuss whether questions raised by Pakistan could be categorised as “issues” or “differences”. “The Indus Water Commissioners of the two countries will request their respective governments to intervene, if their negotiators categorise the questions already raised by Pakistan as differences,” the spokesman said. Mr Jilani said a number of violations of the treaty had taken place in last few years, adding the Indians stopped construction of the Wuller Barrage after they were convinced that its design was in violation of the accord, brokered between the two countries by the World Bank. He said it was again violation of the treaty, which forced Pakistan to refer Baglihar Dam issue to the World Bank for arbitration after talks between water officials of the two countries collapsed early this year. “Kishanganga also falls in the same category, as its design is in violation of the IWT,” Mr Jilani added.
— UNI |
|
Aziz urges strategic restraint in South Asia
Islamabad, May 16 He was addressing the delegates of South Asian Parliaments Conference at a dinner hosted by him at the PM House. The Prime Minister said there was a need for substantive dialogue for peaceful settlement of all disputes in the region and mechanisms to address issues on bilateral and multilateral bases with respect to sovereign equality of all states. SAARC, home to one-fifth of the world population, could make rapid progress by applying strategic restraint and avoiding an arms race in the region, he said. Mr Aziz said there should be cooperation in South Asia as a whole and with other sub-regions of Asia for the progress and prosperity of the region. He said that instead of focusing energies and resources on overcoming the challenges being faced by South Asia, “we have in the past remained mired in the elusive search for security or even in the delusion of domination”. Historic disputes and tensions have dissipated the creative forces and growing military expenditures have drained the valuable resources, he said. The Prime Minister said the people living in South Asia “have tremendous potential” and they only needed opportunities and the “necessary conducive environment” to flourish. He added: “We need to take a holistic approach that encompasses the entire spectrum of inter-state relations in South Asia.” He said Pakistan strongly believed that the creation of a climate of peace and stability, resolution of differences and disputes and simultaneous building of economic synergies could transform the lives of the people. He said Pakistan was fully committed to the laudable goal of promoting peace and prosperity in South Asia. Mr Aziz said ever since Pakistan and India began the composite dialogue process fifteen months ago, Pakistan had demonstrated courage and flexibility for the sake of lasting peace. He said: “We have entered the dialogue process with firm commitment that it would result in a just and durable solution to all issues with India, particularly the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.” The Prime Minister said Pakistan remained committed to the dialogue process and believed that it was irreversible. He said some progress had been achieved in the form of CBMs and people-to-people contacts, but both the countries “have reached a juncture” where they must move beyond dispute management to dispute resolution. Appreciating the role of South Asia Free Media Association (Safma) for organising the meeting, he said people-to-people contacts should be promoted to enhance bilateral relations. Replying to a question, Mr Aziz categorically said “Pakistan never had a terror infrastructure. He said Pakistan abhors terrorism in any form. He stressed that the fundamentals in Kashmir “have to be addressed”. “Why are people behaving the way they are? Nobody wants to stand in front of a soldier and get killed. There must be reasons and we have to identify the root causes.’’ |
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
