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Will facilitate meeting with Taliban commander: Sharif
Comply with China’s rules, US advises its commercial flights
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33 die in Mozambican plane crash
US exempts India, China from Iranian oil sanctions
1 dead as Thai protests turn violent
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Will facilitate meeting with Taliban commander: Sharif
Islamabad, November 30 Addressing a joint news conference in Kabul after talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Sharif made it clear that a solution could be found only through an “inclusive political settlement”. He said his government had released Baradar, who was captured in Karachi in 2010 and is seen by Afghanistan as key to bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table. “Anybody who is sent by the (Afghan) president to Pakistan to talk to Mullah Baradar... we will make sure that such meetings would take place,” Sharif said. “The key to sustainable peace in Afghanistan in 2014 and beyond is an inclusive political settlement. I...urge all the stakeholders to seize this moment and join hands to support peace efforts,” he said. “It is imperative to reverse the destructive cycle of conflict.” Pakistan has been jockeying for a greater role in Kabul’s troubled peace process with the Taliban. It has freed over 35 Afghan Taliban commanders, including Baradar, to boost the peace process but analysts say the move has not produced the expected results. Sharif said Pakistan will continue to extend all possible facilitation for the Afghan peace process. “This is the time to take decisive steps for moving forward the dialogue process and bringing it to a successful conclusion,” he said. He made a one-day visit to Kabul at Karzai’s invitation at a time when Afghanistan is preparing for crucial presidential polls and the drawdown of US and foreign forces next year. “We stand at the threshold of a consequential year in Afghanistan’s history. In 2014, the Afghan people would take major steps towards becoming the masters of their own destiny. We welcome this milestone and wish our Afghan brothers well,” Sharif said after one-on-one and delegation level talks between the two sides. “Our vision of a peaceful and prosperous neighbourhood can only be realised by having peace and stability in Afghanistan and by forging cooperative ties between Afghanistan and Pakistan,” he said. This is Sharif’s first visit to Afghanistan since he assumed office in June. Prior to his departure, Sharif told reporters here that peace in Afghanistan is a priority for Pakistan and all efforts would be taken to accomplish that. Karzai is engaged in a public dispute with the US over a security deal covering the role of American soldiers who will remain in Afghanistan after the 2014 drawdown.
— PTI
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Comply with China’s rules, US advises its commercial flights
Washington/Tokyo, November 30 The United States said it expected US carriers to operate in line with so-called notices to airmen issued by foreign countries, adding, however, that the decision did “not indicate the US government acceptance of China’s requirements.” The advice is in contrast with America’s close ally Japan, where the two major airlines have agreed with the Japanese government to fly through the zone without notifying China. Beijing wants foreign aircraft passing through the zone, including passenger planes, to identify themselves to Chinese authorities. A US administration official said China’s action appeared to be a unilateral attempt to change the status quo in the East China Sea, which could “increase the risk of miscalculation, confrontation and accidents”. “We urge the Chinese to exercise caution and restraint, and we are consulting with Japan and other affected parties throughout the region,” the official said. The zone includes skies over islands at the heart of a tense territorial dispute between Japan and China and represents a historic challenge by the emerging new world power to the US, which has dominated the region for decades. US Vice-President Joe Biden is due to visit China, Japan and South Korea next week, and will try to ease tensions over the issue.
— Reuters
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33 die in Mozambican plane crash Johannesburg, November 30 The plane was carrying 27 passengers, including 10 Mozambicans, nine Angolans, five Portuguese, and one citizen each from France, Brazil and China, said the airline. Six crew members were on board, it said. A Namibian police helicopter joined officers on the ground in the search. Police copter crashes into pub in Scotland, 8 dead London: Eight persons were killed and over 30 injured when a police helicopter crashed into a busy pub in the Scottish city of Glasgow. The Eurocopter EC135 T2 helicopter came down late last night on Clutha Vaults pub on the bank of the River Clyde, which was packed with more than 100 people listening to a performing band. "There were three people on board the helicopter, two police officers and a civilian pilot, and on a busy Friday night, there were a number of customers in the bar," said a police official. Plane crashes in Alaska, four killed Anchorage (US): A plane crash near the remote western Alaska village of Saint Marys in the US has killed four of the 10 persons aboard, an Alaska State Troopers spokeswoman said. Spokeswoman Megan Peters said early on Saturday by email that the pilot and three passengers were killed in the Friday night crash. — Agencies
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US exempts India, China from Iranian oil sanctions Washington, November 30 “I am pleased to announce that based on additional significant reductions in the volume of their purchases of Iranian crude oil, China, India, the Republic of Korea, Turkey and Taiwan have again qualified for an exception to sanctions... (under) the National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2012," Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement yesterday. These additional reductions were determined based on an analysis of these economies' purchasing activity over the previous six months, he said. These countries would be allowed to keep purchasing reduced amounts of Iranian crude oil for the next 180 days without any penalties. Additionally, Malaysia, South Africa, Singapore and Sri Lanka have again qualified for the NDAA exception because they no longer purchase crude oil from Iran, he said. Kerry's exemption in this regard came soon after the determination made by US President Barack Obama that there is sufficient supply of non-Iranian oil for countries to continue to reduce import of oil from Iran. The US has enforced tough sanctions to discourage nations from buying Iranian oil. — PTI
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1 dead as Thai protests turn violent
Bangkok, November 30 Gunfire was heard during the clashes near Rajamangala Stadium between protesters and "red shirts" or supporters of Yingluck's brother, former premier Thaksin
Shinawatra. The protesters also attacked a bus and a taxi carrying "red shirt" supporters near the stadium, the first incidents of violence after a week of opposition protests led by former deputy premier Suthep Thaugsuban. It was not immediately clear who fired the shots. Police confirmed that a man was killed and five others were injured. Thaugsuban declared that tomorrow would be their "victory day" and the demonstrations would be intensified even if breaking the law is required.
— PTI
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