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| Saturday,
September 30, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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Oppn pressure on Milosevic to quit BELGRADE, Sept 29 — The Serbian Opposition announced plans for a new rally in central Belgrade later as part of its efforts to pressure Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to concede election defeat. France opens talks with Taliban
OPEC challenges rich nations |
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| Canada’s ex-PM
Trudeau dead MONTREAL, Sept 29 — Former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau (80), who headed the Canadian Government for 15 years, has died here, his children said in a statement. LTTE asks civilians to flee north Sharif’s plea dismissed Greek crew faces murder charges
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Oppn pressure on Milosevic to quit BELGRADE, Sept 29 (Reuters) — The Serbian opposition announced plans for a new rally in central Belgrade later as part of its efforts to pressure Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to concede election defeat. About 20,000 people — many times less than a similar event on Wednesday evening — attended an anti-Milosevic demonstration in Belgrade's Republika Square in the afternoon. Opposition leader Zoran Djindjic said a new rally would be held at the same place. "We will have another rally at Belgrade's Republika Square to tell the people what we have done so far," he said. "We will continue with the rallies over the weekend and start a general strike on Monday to grind Serbia to a halt," Mr Djindjic said. Analysts say it remains uncertain how many people will take part in the campaign, noting that massive participation is essential if it is to succeed. Daily street protests launched last year failed to put any major pressure on Mr Milosevic and fizzled out after a few weeks. Meanwhile, Slobodan Milosevic deepened the political crisis in Yugoslavia by confirming he would take part in runoff presidential elections despite claims of a first-round victory by a pro-democracy challenger and Opposition threats of a general strike. In a show of confidence, Milosevic summoned his closest Socialist Party associates for a meeting yesterday which focussed on “immediate tasks” ahead of the October 8 second round of the presidential vote, government-sponsored television reported. “The presidential elections will go into the second round,” said Milosevic’s top aide, Nikola Sainovic. “We will do our best so that our candidate wins.” Milosevic’s move signals he has no intention to back down and recognise claims of victory by the Opposition candidate, Vojislav Kostunica, as demanded by the Opposition and dozens of international officials. Meanwhile, Yogoslav election commission yesterday announced that the Socialist Party (SPS) of President Milosevic and a coalition of allies have won an absolute majority in Sunday’s parliamentary elections. Although the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) grouping won the largest single bloc of seats, the SPS and its coalition partners — the Neo-Communist Yugoslav Left and their allies from Montenegro — secured an absolute majority. WASHINGTON (AFP): US President, Bill Clinton has said that Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic should “heed the call of the Serb people” and step down, pledging to lift sanctions on Belgrade as soon as a democratic government is in place. “It is time for Mr Milosevic to heed the call of the Serb people, step down and allow a peaceful democratic transition to take place,” Mr Clinton said in a statement issued by the White House yesterday. “The people of Yugoslavia have spoken loud and clear in support of democratic change. The Opposition’s claims to an absolute majority are backed up by certified results from polling places,” the statement said. “The government’s commission acted in secret and excluded the Opposition. One of its top officials has resigned. The Serb Orthodox Church has recognised Mr (Vojislav) Kostunica as Yugoslavia’s new President,” he said. Mr Clinton reiterated earlier statements that once a democratic government is in place in Belgrade the USA “will immediately take steps to remove economic sanctions and help Serbia with its transition.” The Election Commission, yesterday made a controversial call for a second-round vote after Yugoslavia’s presidential election on Sunday. |
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France opens talks with Taliban FRANCE was dropped a diplomatic bombshell by becoming the first western power to initiate government-level talks with Afghanistan’s Taliban Islamic militia. The move which marks a foreign policy shift on the part of the French Government, is dictated by pressure from French energy companies having vital stakes in the gas-rich Central Asian region. Although Paris has not yet recognised Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate government, Taliban’s Deputy Foreign Minister Maulvi Abdul Rehman Zahid met several senior officials of the French Foreign Ministry in Paris recently, in response to an invitation from the French Government. The meeting is being construed as a clear signal of the France’s intent to establish diplomatic relations with the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan. It may be mentioned that the USA and other western countries have steadfastly declined to accept the militia government. Taliban controls more than 90 per cent of the country under a strict version of the Islamic law. The opposition is made up of ethnic and religious minorities. The French motive for establishing ties with the Taliban is simple. Afghanistan’s location makes it an important transit state for gas exports from the Central Asia. But the country’s four-year civil war has prevented the construction of pipelines — particularly the one planned by Unocal from Turkmenistan to India via Afghanistan and Pakistan. French oil companies are major investors in South Central Asian oil and gas projects. In Iran, Total Fina Elf is part of a consortium that has a $ 2 billion deal for Iran’s largest gas reserve, the South Paris field, which holds an estimated 240 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of natural gas. French oil companies are also major investors in Kazakistan and Turkmenistan oil and gas projects. Besides abundant gas supplies, the region boasts of a booming energy market. India is the world’s seventh largest consumer of energy. It should become Asia’s third largest consumer by next year. Between 1995 and 2000, India’s natural gas consumption doubled and should rise by another 60 per cent by 2005. To meet the growing demand, New Delhi has turned to natural gas. Since the subcontinent has limited reserves, it imports majority of its natural gas requirements. This creates an attractive, local market for Iranian and Central Asian natural gas exports. Aware of India’s energy problems, French oil companies want to be part of the solution. The French company, Alstom, signed a deal on August 9 to build an electric power plant in western India. Elf Gas India,Total Fina Elf’s Indian subsidiary, has announced plans to build a natural gas import terminal and a storage and bottling unit in the South, according to Chemical Business Newsbase, to further penetrate into regional energy sectors. Total signed a $ 20 million petroleum products marketing agreement on September 18 with Pakistan’s Parco refinery. The deal includes a plan for additional investment of up to $ 100 million. However, the civil war in Afghanistan hampers exports of the region’s natural resources to India. Indeed, the US oil company, Unocal, gave up plans to build a pipeline to transport gas from Turkmenistan to Pakistan and then on to India when its backers failed to garner funding due to the fighting in Afghanistan. Although plans for a gas pipeline from Iran to India via Pakistan seem to be moving forward, instability in the region remains a deterrent to additional transport options. French energy companies’ push into the region in driving the shift in foreign policy on Afghanistan. Indeed, French Foreign Ministry officials have met Taliban officials twice last year. France denied holding a biased position on the Afghan conflict, although the Taliban has accused Paris of supporting the Opposition, Northern Alliance military. The French shift is an important step toward peace in Afghanistan. More importantly, it advances the Taliban’s claims as the legitimate government. Currently, only three countries — Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE — recognise the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate government. The rest of the international community still recognise former President Burhanuddin Rabbani’s ousted government. Several regional players, including China, India, Iran and Pakistan are pressuring Taliban to make peace with the Northern Alliance. However, the Islamic group’s recent battlefield victories undermine the push for peace. Paris seems to have decided that peace in Afghanistan will come only by working with, not against, the Taliban. Given the growing competition, other countries with a stake in South Central Asia’s energy sectors like Russia may soon follow suit. — IPA |
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Window on Pakistan THERE is certainly a gentle nudge from Moscow to Islamabad. And the response for the Russians is encouraging. Before his crucial visit to India, Russian President Vladimir Putin rushed his top adviser on South Asia, Mr Sergei Yastrzhembsky, to Pakistan. This nudge is now being felt in Pakistan if editorial comments in the leading newspapers are any indication. For the past 53 years its relations with the former USSR and now Russia have been far from friendly. The Russians have indeed been hostile with Pakistan, always playing a frontline state’s role for the Americans. Pakistan came close to China and helped the USA to warm up its relations with Communist giant. It helped the militants in Afghanistan to meet the Russian challenge. Islamabad is being accused of aiding and abetting Islamic fundamentalism not only in Chechnya but also in the Muslim-dominated republics of Central Asia — Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrghyztan. Hence the need for the Russians to get firm assurance from the present military ruler. The response is indeed encouraging, particularly when Pakistan is getting isolated worldwide. Jung, an influential Urdu newspaper, called a welcome visit and said Pakistan and Russia had nothing to fear and much to gain from each other. In an editorial it said, “So problematic has been the history of their bilateral relations that the axiom of impermanence of enmities in world affairs does not quite apply to Pakistan and Russia. The two countries for most part of the last 53-years have been growling at each other, and barring a few lucid moments of positive and purposeful interaction, have kept a deep grudge in their hearts.” The visit of Mr Yastrzhembsky, however, was a break from this putrid script. Its surprisingly encouraging outcome was obvious from the positive tone of the special envoy’s press conference in Islamabad in which he appeared to suggest that the two sides were able to end their differences over Afghanistan, terrorist camps in its neighbourhood and the alleged presence of the members of Pakistan-based groups in the ongoing Chechen war. He did not accuse Pakistan of undertaking or backing any activity which harmed the Russian Federations core security interests and was remarkably upbeat about the prospects of cooperation with Pakistan in the areas of mutual concern. This should melt some ice that has kept frozen Pakistan-Russia relations in frigid hostility. The absence of warmth between them has been a direct result of lack of proper, structured dialogue and infrequent diplomatic interaction. It is true that from where Russia is located and what its cold war experience had been, Pakistan does not look to be ideally suited for friendship. But, then, Pakistan too does not have much to remember Moscow fondly. However, that itself it the reason for deeper, and not shallower and perfunctory, diplomatic engagement because the two have a much troubled area in their bilateral relations to cover, and many hatchets to bury. This should not be difficult to do. In the changed circumstances, when much of the cold-war-related problems are over, there is little that divides Moscow and Islamabad excepting misperceptions and the after-effects of the Afghan war. Pakistan has no interest in supporting splittist movements in Russia, and if there are individual groups involved in the pursuit of such ambitions, they ought to be firmly discouraged and neutralised. Similarly, Moscow can get better acquainted with the ground realities in Afghanistan by not seeing the situation from the prism of past. If it is apprehensive of the spread of fundamentalism in its strategic soft underbelly in Central Asia, and traces, rightly or wrongly, the origins of this trouble in Afghanistan, then isolating itself from this problem region will not end its fears. Better and direct dealings with the Taliban will. Pakistan can assist it is overcoming the initial mental barriers. Another leading daily, Dawn, said, “...the visit of the Russian President’s special envoy, who was in Islamabad for two days, has set the tone for improved Pakistan-Russian relations. Mr Sergei Yastrzhembsky expressed ‘cautious optimism’ about better relations between Moscow and Islamabad in future. The envoy also spoke of the great opportunities for the expansion of ties between the two countries. Coming a few days after President Putin’s message emphasising that Russia assigned special importance to relations with Pakistan, Yastrzhembsky’s reiteration of the same theme is quite significant. In view of the fact that Pakistan’s equations with the USA have not been very warm in recent years, and tensions with India run high, prospects of better relations with Russia are certainly encouraging.” It is, however, clear from the statements made in Islamabad on this occasion that simply formal reaffirmation of goodwill by the two governments will not bring about the change Pakistan might be looking for. The Russian envoy came to Islamabad with a specific purpose and that was to enlist Pakistan’s cooperation for fighting terrorism in Central Asia. The fact is that the war in Chechnya and the rise of Islamic militancy in its erstwhile Central Asian republics of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrghyzstan are the major strategic-political problems Moscow faces today in these territories. The Islamic militants, said to be trained in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, and their jehad against the Russians and Central Asian governments are seen as a threat to the peace and stability in this region. Since the Taliban are perceived to be the sponsors of these forces, Moscow, which has no tie with Kabul, is now seeking Islamabad’s help in the matter. It is widely believed that Pakistan can exert some influence on Afghanistan in reining in the Islamic militants. It is significant that the visiting guest from Moscow described Pakistan as an “important player in the region” which could play a more meaningful role in stabilising the Central and South Asian regions. One hopes General Musharraf’s government recognises the implications of these statements.
— Gobind Thukral |
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OPEC challenges rich nations CARACAS (Venezuela), Sept 29 (AP) — OPEC wrapped up its summit challenging rich nations to lower oil prices and defending its own production, but lingering animosities shadowed its presentation of a united front to the world. Conflicts among OPEC members Iran and Iraq, Iraq and Kuwait, Libya’s pariah status and Saudi Arabia’s support of U.N. sanctions against Iraq were set aside in a summit declaration yesterday celebrating cartel unity and pledging help for the world’s poor. Populist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez — who paved the way for the summit with his controversial Middle East tour in August — cajoled fellow leaders to become advocates for developing nations and to fight the U.N. sanctions. OPEC giant Saudi Arabia, however, counselled prudence this week in OPEC’s dialogue with industrialised nations — a tone reflected in the final OPEC “Caracas Declaration” at the end of two-day summit yesterday. Talk of OPEC unity is “lip service,” said Jareer Elass, managing director of Oil Navigator, a Washington-based consulting firm. “It is in part trying to accommodate Mr Chavez’s vision. The Saudis, I think, don’t want to contradict everything the man is saying.” Venezuela’s former paratrooper-turned-President reiterated that OPEC will supply its oil to thirsty world markets, but at “fair” prices that turn a profit. He also announced that OPEC will hold summits every five years. OPEC has held only two summits in its 40-year history. A UN decision awarding Kuwait more war reparations from Iraq also didn’t escape notice here. Iraq condemned the decision, and OPEC’s Venezuelan hosts made certain that leaders from Iraq, Iran and Kuwait didn’t sit next to each other at meetings. Alluding to OPEC’s tumultuous past — including its near-collapse when prices sank to $ 10 a barrel in 1998 — a beaming Mr Chave called the summit nothing less than a “resurrection” of the cartel. Oil releases by the USA and European nations to ease stubbornly high prices allowed OPEC leaders to avoid production decisions this week and cling to a pricing mechanism that many analysts believe is unworkable. OPEC has had little luck in keeping prices within its designated price band of $ 22 to $ 28 per barrel. The cartel is supposed to raise or lower production if prices slip outside that range, though Mr Chavez said the band could change depending on future circumstances. |
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Canada’s ex-PM Trudeau dead MONTREAL, Sept 29 (AFP) — Former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau (80), who headed the Canadian Government for 15 years, has died here, his children said in a statement. “Justin and Sacha Trudeau deeply regret to inform you that their father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, passed away shortly after 12.30 a.m. (IST) today,” they said in a statement issued yesterday. “In addition to Parkinson’s disease, Mr Trudeau suffered from prostate cancer,” the statement continued. Mr Trudeau had been ailing since he failed to make a complete recovery from a recent bout of pneumonia, and he had also been severely affected by the death of his son, Michel in an avalanche in 1998. Mr Trudeau served as Prime Minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and again from 1980 to 1984. The funeral will be held in Montreal, according to reports from CBC television. |
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LTTE asks civilians to flee north COLOMBO, Sept 29 (Reuters) — Tamil Tigers asked civilians to evacuate large areas of Sri Lanka’s
northern Jaffna peninsula today as intense fighting with government troops entered its fourth day. The rebel’s clandestine radio said civilians around several key urban areas, including Koddikamam, the peninsula’s third largest town, should move to safer locations. |
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Sharif’s plea dismissed KARACHI, Sept 29 (DPA) — A Pakistani court today dismissed a plea of the deposed Prime Minister, Mr Nawaz Sharif, to summon Gen Pervez Musharraf as a court witness. “The defence has failed to bring up the ground as to why additional witnesses be called,’’ a brief court order read out in the courtroom said. Mr Sharif’s lawyer had filed an application seeking General Musharraf’s and five other generals’ testimony in the appeal against the conviction of MR Sharif on hijacking and terrorism charges. “The application was not filed with bona fide intentions, hence dismissed,’’ Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court Syed Saeed Ashad, heading a three-member judges panel said. |
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Greek crew faces
murder charges ATHENS, Sept 29 (DPA) — The Captain and three crew members from the Greek ferry that sank killing at least 66 were being charged with murder today, but one of the suspects blamed bad weather for the accident. Coast guard officials on Paros said a public prosecutor from the nearby island of Syros arrived to press charges of repeated manslaughter with possible intent. Syros is the administrative capital of the Cycladic Island. The charges included multiple counts of homicide with possible malice, causing serious injuries with possible malice, violating maritime regulations, violating international regulations on avoiding an accident and sinking a ship. The four were transported to Syros where the prosecutor was to formally charge Captain Vassilis Yannakis, First Officer Anastasios Psychoyos and two crewmen. |
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