• Musharraf’s steps lauded

150 rebels die in Russian air raids
MOSCOW, Nov 19 —Russian warplanes unleashed a hail of bombs and missiles against Muslim rebel forces in the breakaway republic of Chechnya, officials in the North Caucasus warzone said today.

Iraq’s ‘oil for food’ plan extended
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 19 — The UN Security Council extended the "oil for food" programme in Iraq for two weeks only instead of a normal six-month renewal due to differences between the USA, Russia and China, diplomats here said.

More wiring problems found on Discovery
CAPE CANAVERAL (Florida), Nov 19 — NASA has discovered more wiring problems on space shuttle Discovery, due to blast off next month with crucial replacement parts for the Hubble space telescope.

China backs Musharraf

BEIJING, Nov 19 (PTI) — In a major morale boost to Pakistan’s military regime, China today signalled to the world that it will not "sacrifice or isolate" its closest ally because of the army coup in that country and pledged further its consolidation of cooperative partnership.

"The friendship between China and Pakistan has withstood all sorts of trials — The governments and peoples of the two countries have always understood, trusted and supported each other," Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji told visiting the Pakistani chief executive’s special envoy, Sahabzada Yakub Khan here at a meeting, Xinhua news agency reported.

Mr Zhu said China attached immense importance to developing friendly relations with Pakistan.

He also assured the Pakistani envoy that the Sino-Pak partnership will be further consolidated and strengthened in the next century.

"Sino-Pakistani friendship is not only in the common interest of the two countries, but conducive to the peace and stability of the region and of the world at large," he added.

Mr Khan, who arrived here on a three-day visit on Wednesday at the invitation of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said that the Pakistani government and people cherish their friendly cooperation with China and would like to further push forward bilateral friendship.

"Pakistan highly appreciates the positive role China has played in safeguarding peace and stability in the region and in the world," the former Pakistani Foreign Minister said.

USA monitoring Sharif trial

WASHINGTON, Nov 19 (UNI) — The USA wants the military regime in Pakistan to treat deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his political allies fairly, impartially and in accordance with international standards of due process.

State Department spokesman James P. Rubin made this statement yesterday on the eve of the commencement of Mr Sharif’s trial in Pakistan.

Answering a question, he said he had no information to suggest at this time that Mr Sharif and his political allies had been ill treated in the military custody.

He said the USA was monitoring “carefully” the trial of Mr Sharif and others which begins today.

“We have repeatedly urged that Mr Sharif and all others be treated fairly and impartially and in accordance with international standards of due process,” he added.

Mr Rubin said that US Ambassador in Pakistan Milam saw military ruler General Pervez Musharraf late last week and had made these points to him directly.

“We understand that Mr Sharif will be tried in the special anti-terrorism courts which were established during his tenure. These courts afford Mr Sharif the right to an open hearing with high court-appointed judges and the right of appeal to the Supreme Court,” he added.

Mr Rubin, in his reply, said when he took power in mid-October, Pakistani Chief of Army Staff, General Musharraf, announced that top priority would be to recover the enormous funds allegedly lost to un-repaid loans to state controlled banks and other financial institutions in Pakistan.

He said Pakistan had major economic problems, due in part to serious corruption over the past decade. Un-repaid loans had indeed drained billions of dollars from the economy.

Musharraf’s steps lauded

ISLAMABAD, Nov 19 (Reuters) — Ordinary Pakistanis have applauded their new military rulers’ crackdown on the country’s political and business elite, including former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, for alleged loan defaults and corruption.

“When people become powerful they become pharaohs, they forget that they are just humans,” a farmer, Malik Bashir, said at a bank counter here today.

“Now look at where Mr Sharif is. In prison, where others are, behind bars like ordinary people,” Mr Bashir said with a grin.

Mr Bashir said it was for the first time that any government had touched the “mighty” people of Pakistan for corruption or for not paying back loans.

54 nations sign security charter
Chechnya an issue of concern to OSCE nations

ISTANBUL, Nov 19 (Reuters) Leaders of 54 countries, including the USA and Russia, today adopted a charter for European security which establishes the principle that conflicts in one state are the legitimate concern of all.

At the end of a two-day summit of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) here, member-states reaffirmed their commitment to peace, human rights, democracy and the prevention of conflict.

A key passage in the charter, intended to prevent countries from declaring that internal conflicts such as Russia’s war in Chechnya are no business of their neighbours, declares that “participating states are accountable to their citizens and responsible to each other for implementation of their OSCE commitments. We regard these commitments as our common achievement and, therefore, consider them to be matters of immediate and legitimate concern to all participating states”.

President Bill Clinton signed the charter on behalf of the USA while Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov signed on Moscow’s behalf in the absence of President Boris Yeltsin, who left Istanbul yesterday.

U.S. officials have described the charter as the equivalent in security terms of what the 1975 Helsinki Final Act did for human rights, which, at the height of the cold war, was declared to be a matter of legitimate international interest.

The leaders agreed that a political solution was essential in Chechnya and that Moscow would let an international delegation visit the region.

A declaration adopted at the end of the OSCE summit stated. “We agree that a political solution is essential and that OSCE assistance would contribute to achieving that goal...we welcome the agreement of the Russian federation to a visit by the (OSCE) Chairman in office to the region”.

Russia’s acceptance of the text represented a concession to Western pressure following Moscow’s previous rejection of what it saw as international interference in its internal affairs.

President Boris Yeltsin angrily told Western leaders yesterday they had no right to criticise Russia’s war against “bandits and killers’’ in the rebel Caucasian republic.

The declaration strongly reaffirmed “that” we fully acknowledge the territorial integrity of the Russian federation and condemn terrorism in all its forms.

“We agree that in light of the humanitarian situation in the region it is important to alleviate the hardships of the civilian population, including the creation of appropriate conditions for international organisations to provide humanitarian aid”.

AFP adds: Thirty countries, including the United States and Russia, signed a landmark treaty limiting conventional forces in Europe in Istanbul today.

The updated version of the 1990 Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty notably sets out new lower ceilings for key armaments and troops stationed in the key areas of the militarily sensitive border regions.

It was signed on the last day of the summit OSCE which has been dominated by discord over Russia’s clampdown in Chechnya.

Russia admitted that it had already breached the military ceilings agreed in the new treaty in its Chechnya offensive, but the West agreed to sign after Moscow committed itself to cutting back its forces once it was finished in the Caucasus republic.

LTTE captures 5 more towns

COLOMBO, Nov 19 (PTI) — The LTTE today claimed to have smashed Sri Lankan military defence lines and captured five more towns, including the strategic Roman Catholic pilgrim town of Madu, in the north-western Vanni region.

An LTTE statement issued from London this morning said its forces over ran army complexes in Pallamadu, Perimadu, Palampitty and Thatachannamaruthu and have taken control of Madu, which was abandoned by the army.

All small urban centres which had fallen to the rebels yesterday were located on the north-western flank of the Vanni region and geographically much closer to the army controlled north-west Mannar town.

Like the six major urban centres in north and north-eastern Vanni which had been captured by the rebels after spectacular counter attacks two weeks ago, these places have also fallen in a just day’s battle.

Meanwhile, the death toll in last night artillery shelling by the LTTE in the garrison town of northern Vavuniya has risen to two.

UNI adds: Even as the LTTE claimed that it had captured Madu in the Wanni region, where the famous Roman Catholic shrine is situated after it overran several strategic military bases in Mannar, the army said that it had repulsed the attack launched by the rebels causing heavy casualties.

The operational headquarters of the Defence Ministry said in the fierce battle which broke out yesterday, the army lost 10 soldiers and 106 have been injured. It put the LTTE casualties at 87.

The LTTE said in a statement its fighting formations launched simultaneous attacks on Pallamadu, Periamadu, and Palampitty and overran the military bases in these areas.

Situated along the strategic land route between Vavuniya town and Vidathalthivuon the west coast of Mannar, these towns were captured by the Sri Lankan army during a series of military campaign code named “Operation Ranagosa”. The holy town of Madu also fell to Tamil Tigers without resistance, it said.

The Defence Ministry statement further said that one child was killed and four civilians were injured when terrorists fired mortars southwest of Vavuniya yesterday.

The LTTE further said that vast tracts of territory in the heart of Mannar fell to the Tigers during the past 24 hours of battle.

150 rebels die in Russian air raids

MOSCOW, Nov 19 (DPA) —Russian warplanes unleashed a hail of bombs and missiles against Muslim rebel forces in the breakaway republic of Chechnya, officials in the North Caucasus warzone said today.

In deteriorating weather conditions jets and helicopter gunships flew 60 sorties over a 24-hour period up to this morning, a spokesman at the Russian forces headquarters in Mozdok, North Ossetia, told Interfax news agency.

A munitions dump, two anti-aircraft batteries and two bridges were destroyed and an estimated 150 rebel fighters died in the raids, officials said. There was no independent confirmation of the reports.

The Russian military also reported that a 100-man group of volunteer fighters from Lebanon had arrived in Chechnya from the neighbouring Black Sea republic of Georgia.

In a bid to bolster defences against the government force of almost 100,000 soldiers, Chechen rebel leaders have reportedly been recruiting hundreds of Muslem fighters from the Middle East, Pakistan, Africa and Afghanistan.

Indian forces for Sierra Leone

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 19 (PTI) — An Indian Army battalion will be among the first United Nations peacekeepers to be deployed in Sierra Leone to monitor cease-fire between government and rebels and provide security for world body’s staff and humanitarian supplies.

The deployment of the Indian battalion, along with one from Kenya, will start on Monday. They will be among 6000 peacekeepers to be deployed in an attempt to bring peace and stability to the West African country ravaged by brutal war.

The peacekeepers will also oversee disarmament, demobilisation and reconciliation plan. So far only 999 former combatants, including 94 child soldiers, have surrendered their weapons and some 44,000 are reportedly still hiding in the jungles.

The Security Council had on October 22 decided to establish the 6000-strong United Nations peacekeeping force with robust mandate to support the peace agreement which ended the country’s civil war.

Iraq’s ‘oil for food’ plan extended

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 19 (PTI) — The UN Security Council extended the "oil for food" programme in Iraq for two weeks only instead of a normal six-month renewal due to differences between the USA, Russia and China, diplomats here said.

The agreement on the interim extension came yesterday evening after closed-door discussions lasting for more than four days. The current six-month phase of the programme ends on Sunday.

Under the programme, Iraq is allowed to export oil worth $ 5.2 billion to finance the purchase of food, medicines and other essential commodities.

The USA, supported by Britain, wanted the programme to be renewed on similar terms but Russia demanded removal of the limit so that Iraq could export any quantity of oil.

Russia also wants Baghdad to be allowed to import spare parts worth $ 600 million for its oil industry over a six-month period.

That will effectively double the amount provided for spare parts imports when the programme was renewed last time.

The council is expected to adopt a resolution today allowing the programme to be continued for another two weeks on the existing pattern and diplomats say they hope to reach an agreement before that.

More wiring problems found on Discovery

CAPE CANAVERAL (Florida), Nov 19 (AP) — NASA has discovered more wiring problems on space shuttle Discovery, due to blast off next month with crucial replacement parts for the Hubble space telescope.

Because the inspections are ongoing, it’s too soon to know whether any repairs will delay the December 6 launch, NASA spokesman Joel Wells said yesterday.

30 killed in landslide
RIO DE JANEIRO: At least 30 persons were killed in northern Brazil on Thursday, 48 hours after an entire, 100-metre hill slid into the port at Manaus on the Rio Negro. Rescue workers had pulled only five corpses from the rubble. Another 20 persons were in clinics with severe injuries. But a fire department worker said despite the small number of bodies recovered, there were expected to be many more victims of the landslide. — DPA

Rolling logs kill 9
COLLEGE STATION (Texas): At least nine students were killed and 28 injured when a 12-metre pyramid of logs assembled for a Texas university’s annual bonfire collapsed while dozen of students were working on it. Authorities said on Thursday that six bodies were taken from the rubble at Texas A and M. And Kem Bennett, Director of the Texas Task Force I rescue unit, said he saw at least three more bodies in the wreckage. — AP

Cherie Blair pregnant
LONDON: Ms Cherie Blair, wife of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, is pregnant, the Prime Minister’s office has announced. Ms Blair, 45, already has three children — Euan, 15, Nicky, 14, and Kathryn 11. “They are delighted at the news, which came as a total shock,” a spokesman said on Thursday. The new baby is due in May. — Reuters