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| Sunday,
January 14, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Lanka Govt may agree
to talks with LTTE WINDOW ON AFRICA I abided by SC decision:
Clinton |
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Musharraf has no
plan to visit India PM visits 16th century temple USA ‘not averse’ to
talks with Taliban
Suicide bid by UK
Queen’s page Estrada’s mistress
flees to HK B’desh—Myanmar
border tense Pinochet
quizzing put off yet again
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Lanka Govt may agree to talks with LTTE COLOMBO, Jan 13 (UNI) — The Sri Lankan government is reluctant at this stage to engage in talks with the ltte, but Norwegian peace envoy Erik Solheim might eventually succeed in bringing both sides to the negotiating table. Mr Solheim is likely to visit the country again a week after he has had talks with the ltte leaders and this might pave the way for the breakthrough, according to political observers. A Foreign Office communique issued after Mr Solheim concluded his recent two-day visit to the island nation said: “The Norwegian envoy will further discuss matters with the ltte and thereafter with the Sri Lankan government.” President Chandrika Kumaratunga had dismissed the ltte ceasefire out of hand citing earlier instances when similar moves failed to alter the situation, but political observers said if the ceasefire was linked to peace talks within a given time-frame, the government might agree for talks. During his visit Mr Solheim met Mrs Kumaratunga, Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremesinghe, Speaker Anura Bhandaranaike, leader of the Opposition Ranil Wickremesinghe and Sri Lankan Muslim Congress leader Rauf Hakeem, but none of the Tamil parties. “Mr Solheim should have met some Tamil party leaders though we did not seek an appointment with him,” Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) senior vice-president V. Anandanasangri said. The TULF leader said he was optimistic that the Norwegian peace envoy’s efforts would “achieve something”. Yesterday, 11 Tamil parties had a meeting with Indian High Commissioner Gopalkrishna Gandhi. At the meting, they sought an appointment with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee so that they could impress upon him to persuade the Sri Lankan government to respond positively to the
LTTE'S ceasefire declaration. |
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WINDOW
ON AFRICA MORE than any other region of the world, Africa abounds in contrasts and contradictions. There are well-to-do countries like South Africa and poor and backward countries like Eritrea in the continent of Africa. There are peaceful countries like Tanzania and Zambia and highly disturbed countries like Angola and Democratic Republic of Congo. Then there are stable democracies like Namibia and countries like Sierra Leone and Sudan, which have a legacy of poor
governance. There are friendly neighbours as in East Africa and hostile neighbours like Ethiopia and Eritrea. The list of these contradictions in Africa is unending. But the most glaring reality in the continent one noticed was in Ivory Coast and its next-door neighbour Ghana on January 7. In Ivory Coast, soldiers loyal to President Laurent Gbagbo battled to crush an apparent coup attempt by rebel fighters barely two months after he was elected to office. Happily, a coup attempt failed and the rebels were routed. It is a sad commentary that the military had to step in to defend democracy. Democracy has come to stay in most countries of Africa and military rule is rejected. But, in countries like Ivory Coast, men in uniform are not loyal to the political authority. How long this situation will continue, it is difficult to say. On the same day (January 7) neighbouring Ghana defied predictions when Jerry Rawlings, one of Africa’s most colourful post-independence leaders, who rose from fighter pilot to President in a military coup, handed over power to the opposition after 19 years. It was Ghana’s first peaceful and democratic change in government since the former colony of Gold Coast won independence from the UK in 1957. John Kufour, leader of the New Patriotic Front, was named the President of Ghana. Rawlings, whose candidate was defeated over two rounds of voting, attended the inauguration ceremony. In a gesture of reconciliation, Rawlings wished his successor well. Rawlings did not contest the election, because the Ghanaian Constitution does not allow third presidential term. In contrast, Ivory Coast, a former French colony, has been stable and prosperous — Africa’s third largest economy is dependent on exports of cocoa and coffee. Ivory Coast has been a tranquil nation, a role model for Africa; the country has lived and breathed in the image of Felix Houphouet-Boigny, a doctor and wealthy planter who has been the country’s President for three decades since its independence from France in 1960. But after Houphouet-Boigny’s departure from the political scene at the ripe age of 85, Ivory Coast has not been stable. The country’s reputation as one of Africa’s few oasis of stability was shattered by a wave of strikes and street protests. Multi-party democracy somehow did not suit the people of Ivory Coast in post-Houphouet-Boigny period. General Robert Guei seized power in a coup on December 24, 1999. He initially promised a quick handover to civilians, but after trading his military uniform for a suit and tie, he rallied several political parties and announced his candidacy for the President’s post (This was on the lines of what Rawlings had done in Ghana). Elections were held in Ivory Coast last October. Laurent Gbagbo was swept to power by a popular uprising after Ivory Coast military ruler Robert Guei attempted to ignore defeat after being defeated at the hustings. That was the time when there were rumours of a coup. It is not officially announced who was behind the abortive coup attempt on January 7, but the BBC said, a day after, that Robert Guei masterminded the coup. Many coup makers have been arrested but the whereabouts of Guei remain a mystery. Fierce fighting was reported on January 7 and January 8 and the loyal troops recaptured the television station and the broadcasting station. Heavy gunfire erupted when the rebels tried to capture the President’s residence in Abidjan, the capital of Ivory Coast. The coup has failed, but the people of Ivory Coast are living a dreaded life with curfew imposed all over the country. No one knows when peace will return to the country and there are fears of civil war. Foreigners, who form 40 per cent of the country’s population of 16 million, are living in hordes, jamming buses and trains to get out. According to analysts, life will never be the same again and the biggest sufferer will be Ivory Coast’s prosperity. Many foreigners, most of them low-paid labourers coming from neighbouring countries like Mali and Burkina Faso fear that Ivory Coast may take the shape of Liberia and Sierra Leone.
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I abided by SC decision: Clinton WASHINGTON, Jan 13 (UNI) — President Bill Clinton has said that he did not question the legitimacy of President-elect George Bush and that he abided by the decision of the US Supreme Court in this regard. “We accept the decision of the Supreme Court. It is the way our system works. And it is not the first time or the last time the Supreme Court made a decision with which I disagree. I did not call into question its Bush legitimacy”, Mr Clinton told reporters here yesterday. He was replying to questions about the controversial statement he had made in Chicago two days ago that Vice-President Al Gore would have been a victor of the Florida state if the manual counting was allowed. The statement raised a storm in political circles with several analysts questioning the President’s criticism of his successor. About his post retirement plans, Mr Clinton said he would stay in New York but would visit Washington during the week to be with his senator wife, Hillary Clinton. He plans to go to his home town Arkansas to get his library project going. “I have been working for 27 years now, pretty hard, and I want to rest a while”, he said. TALLAHASSEE: A federal civil rights panel blasted Florida’s top election official on Friday for not providing leadership or adequate oversight in a presidential election that became a national embarrassment and prompted a federal investigation. For most of an hour, members of the US Commission on Civil Rights grilled Florida Secretary of State, Katherine Harris over her hands-off approach to the state’s recently concluded election, a convoluted spectacle that kept the fate of the USA presidency in doubt for more than a month. “I heard, today especially, from supervisers (of elections) who were desperate, desperate for your help,” Commissioner Victoria Wilson said. “And the word that comes to mind is that you abandoned them. They were abandoned by your department.” Harris, a Republican who served as co-chair for George W. Bush’s campaign in Florida, was widely criticised by Democrats during the fierce fight over Florida, the state both Bush and Vice President Al Gore needed to win the White House. Mr Bush ultimately won the state and the presidency by 537 votes after the US Supreme Court ended ballot recounts Mr Gore believed would produce enough votes to win the state. The civil rights commission convened in Tallahassee for two days of hearings to investigate allegations that thousands of voters were denied the opportunity to vote on November 7 and that tens of thousands more had their ballots rejected. The panel has scheduled a public hearing in Miami next month. The eight-member panel unanimously agreed to investigate the 2000 presidential election after civil rights leaders including the Rev Jesse Jackson, alleged widespread disenfranchisement of voters due to technical snafus, poorly trained election workers and intimidation at the polls. |
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Musharraf has no plan to visit India ISLAMABAD, Jan 13 (PTI) — Pakistan’s military ruler General Pervez Musharraf has no plan to visit India as no formal invitation has been received from New Delhi, Foreign Secretary Inamul Haq said. The ‘Dawn’ newspaper today quoted Mr Haq as saying that General Musharraf was on record having offered several times to hold talks with India any time, anywhere and at any level. However, there had been no positive response from New Delhi to Islamabad’s desire to resume talks. “How can the Chief Executive agree to travel to New Delhi for talks without an invitation from the other side,” he said. The Pakistan observer’ quoting diplomatic sources in Islamabad reported on Thursday that General Musharraf would be visiting New Delhi for talks with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee later this month and an invitation in this regard was expected in the next few days. The Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Brajesh Mishra yesterday said no Vajpayee-Musharraf summit was under consideration “at the moment”. However, “I don’t rule out a summit meeting sometime in the future,” he said. DENPASAR (Bali), Jan 13 (UNI) — It was a cherished dream come true for Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee when he visited the famous 16th century Tanah Lot Shiva temple here on the last day of his four-day official visit to Indonesia today. Mr Vajpayee poured ganga water, which he had brought with him, at the temple. The pagoda-like temple, built on a large coastal rock on Bali’s west coast, is very popular with the tourists, who also like to gaze at it from a nearby cliff as it looks like a picture cutout against the backdrop of setting sun. Mr Vajpayee could not see the sunset as there was a heavy downpour. In a poetic mood, he said the clouds have blocked the view of the sunset, but he was hopeful that the clouds would clear out. The Minister of State for External Affairs, Mr Ajit Panja, also accompanied the Prime Minister to the temple. Earlier in the day the Prime Minister visited the Gandhi Ashram situated in front of the University of Udavana, and paid floral tributes to him. The Prime Minister is returning to New Delhi tomorrow. |
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USA ‘not averse’ to talks with Taliban ISLAMABAD, Jan 13 (PTI) — The USA has not closed the course of dialogue with the Taliban and has provided to them all relevant information about international terrorist Osama bin Laden’s involvement in the bombing of the American Embassies in East Africa, US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Karl Inderfurth has said. “We don’t believe that the course of dialogue with the Taliban is closed. We have presented very detailed information on bin Laden to the Taliban,” he said in an interview to a local news agency. Mr Inderfurth said US officials were in contact with the Taliban through their representative in New York and had held negotiations with them in Islamabad and Kabul on bin Laden. However, he said, the US Government wasn’t able to reach an understanding with the Taliban on the issue. “But we will continue the dialogue,” he said, adding that the imposition of sanctions on the Taliban was not an arbitrary action. “Bin Laden is there (in Afghanistan)”, he said, adding that “Afghanistan is a base for international terrorists, opium and narcotics,” he said. Justifying the imposition of a one-sided arms embargo on the Taliban, Mr Inderfurth said, “There is a reason to impose a ban on the supply of arms to the Taliban because of terrorism. We are not taking sides but have proposed steps against the Taliban because they protect terrorists and giving safe haven to bin Laden.” To have the sanctions lifted, Afghanistan would have to turn over bin Laden to face charges of bombing two US Embassies in 1998, halt drug production in 95 per cent of the country it controls and close terrorist camps training extremists. |
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Suicide bid by UK Queen’s page LONDON, Jan 13 (AFP) — One of the Queen Elizabeth’s pages tried to commit suicide by overdose at Buckingham Palace, her London residence, but was found in the nick of time by the royal policemen, ‘The Mirror’ newspaper reported today. The unnamed man was found when the officers battered down the door to his room in the servants’ quarters, where they found him unconscious, the paper said. The Scotland Yard confirmed that a servant of the Queen, in his twenties, was taken to St Thomas’ Hospital in south London on January 6. ‘The Mirror’ reported that the man had taken an overdose and was now thought to be recovering with his family. The Queen was not at the Palace at that time, it added. The page’s responsibilities included serving meals to the Queen and her husband Prince Philip, tidying their personal apartments and managing appointments, according to the newspaper. A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “We were called on January 6 by a worried member of the staff at Buckingham Palace to report on another male member of the staff having taken ill”. “Officers from the Royal Palace Division attended and found a male in his twenties collapsed. An ambulance was called and he was taken to St Thomas’ Hospital.” The man telephoned a colleague as he made his suicide attempt, the newspaper said, and the royal police officers dashed to his room near the Queen and Prince Philip’s private quarters. However, Buckingham Palace refused to comment on the incident. |
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Estrada’s mistress
flees to HK HONG KONG, Jan 13 (DPA) — A mistress of Philippine President Joseph Estrada is reported to be in hiding here to avoid giving evidence at his impeachment trial. Former movie starlet and mother of Estrada’s three children Laarni Enriquez arrived here yesterday as court officials in Manila tried to serve a subpoena on her, the South China Morning Post reported. A close associate of Estrada, William Gatchalian, a businessman who has been implicated in the impeachment proceedings, arrived here on the same flight as Enriquez but told the Post from a hotel here that he did not see Enriquez on the plane. |
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B’desh—Myanmar
border tense DHAKA, Jan 13 (DPA) — Tension mounted on the Bangladesh-Myanmar frontier today after a troop buildup by both countries in the wake of a border clash over the construction of a dam on the Naaf river. Bangladeshi Commanders of the bdr said military contingents in the region had been put on high alert as Myanmar continued to amass troops along the frontier. About 25,000 troops from Myanmar’s Nasaka border force and regular army units with heavy artillery guns were deployed along the frontier, government officials in the Bangladeshi border town, Teknaf, said. Earlier, Bangladesh and Myanmar began deploying heavy weapons after Dhaka opposed the construction of the river dam. Nasaka forces dug trenches and moved in military equipment along the border near Teknaf, about 400 km southeast of Dhaka. Pinochet quizzing put off yet again SANTIAGO, Jan 13 (AFP) — A judge has postponed the interrogation of Augusto Pinochet, as supporters of Chile’s former dictator claimed he was “exhausted” after a third and final day of medical tests set to determine his fitness to stand trial for human rights abuses. With the decision yesterday, he was responding to a request by Pinochet attorneys that the judge suspend or postpone his questioning of the ailing General. Yesterday’s measure saw the judge delay his interrogation of Pinochet for the third time, switching the date from next Monday (January 15), to Tuesday (January 23). Pinochet (85), was first cited on December 27 to appear for questioning within 30 days over his role on murder and kidnapping charges relating to a series of summary executions in October, 1973, the month after the bloody coup that brought him to power. Some 75 political prisoners were assassinated by the “Caravan of Death” squad, led by General Sergio Arellano Stark, according to human rights groups. The second interrogation date, January 9, was also postponed. Meanwhile, investigators examined an unmarked grave believed to contain Pinochet-era remains.
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