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| Friday,
May 11, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Gunbattle in Gaza Strip
US House passes
budget Hindujas mixed up South Asia, West Asia Blair rejects
cover-up charge Pakistani troops
begin exercises |
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Ball in India’s
court, says Musharraf ‘Kanishka’ case: 2 held on intimidation charge US Congress for ‘active’
policy on Tibet
Hasina talks tough Russia loses contact with 4 spy satellites Sri Lanka bans demonstrations Hair dye causes singer’s death
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Gunbattle in Gaza Strip Jerusalem, May 10 Six Palestinians and a soldier were wounded in the fighting, which erupted when the Israeli troops destroyed Palestinian buildings adjacent to an Israeli-controlled road along the Gaza-Egypt border. The Palestinian Public Security chief in Gaza, Major-Gen Abdel-Razek al-Majaydeh, said at least three houses and two Palestinian police posts were destroyed by the Israeli bulldozers in Yebna refugee camp near the Egyptian border. Both Palestinians and the Israeli army claimed that the area where the demolitions took place was under their control, according to a 1994 interim peace agreement. The Israel Radio said the shooting lasted for three hours. The army said soldiers destroyed a Palestinian police post and other buildings used by the Palestinians to throw hand grenades, explosive devices and anti-tank grenades at troops patrolling the border yesterday. There was no dispute that the Palestinians controlled an area in northern Gaza that the army entered late yesterday. The fighting erupted hours after the bodies of two 14-year-old Israelis were found dead beaten with rocks and dumped in a cave near their West Bank Jewish settlement. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon blamed the Palestinian authority for the deaths, accusing it of spreading ‘’murderous incitement’’ on the Palestinian media outlets under its control. “This thing definitely shows us that the Palestinian authority does not fight terrorism even though it pledged to do so and Mr Yasser Arafat was committed to it,’’ Mr Sharon told the Israeli television yesterday. On the other hand Mr Arafat sidestepped a question about the killing. But Cabinet Minister Saeb Erekat said: “The Palestinian authority regrets the loss of life of these two boys and all children, be it Israeli or Palestinians, Jewish, Muslims or Christians.’’ Six Palestinians were wounded, one critically, and an Israeli soldier was hurt in the fighting near Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip early today, hospital officials and security sources said. The Palestinian security officials said the Israeli troops also briefly entered a Palestinian-controlled area near the west bank town of Ramallah where they exchanged fire with Palestinian gunmen before retreating. The Israeli army said troops fired tank shells in response to Palestinian gunfire, but did not enter the Palestinian territory. Mr Sharon has insisted that Israel has no intention of retaking lands it handed the Palestinians under interim peace deals. Israeli Finance Minister Silvan Shalom yesterday defended a plan to allocate additional sums to settlements that has angered Palestinians and drawn rebuke from the USA. The Palestinians say Israel’s policy of building settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, lands they want for a future state, has fuelled its uprising which erupted in late September in the vacuum of deadlocked peace negotiations. Mr Shalom told the Israeli television during an official US visit that the plan was not final and had been misunderstood.
Reuters |
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US House passes
budget Washington, May 10 The Republican-led House voted 221-207, near party lines, for the $ 1.97 trillion fiscal 2002 Budget yesterday that sets the framework for tax relief over 11 years and fell short of President George W. Bush’s call for $ 1.6 trillion in cuts. The senate, which is split 50-50 between the Republicans and Democrats, opened the debate immediately after House passage and was to vote today on the compromise budget. Lawmakers from both parties said they expected it to pass with support of a few moderate Democrats. “The US people can take heart that tax relief is one important step closer to reality,” Mr Bush said in a statement after the House vote. Meanwhile in a move sure to draw Beijing’s ire, members of the US Congress today called for a new comprehensive approach to Tibet, including the appointment of special coordinator for the Tibetan issue and granting more than $ 2 million in humanitarian aid to exiles and refugees. The Bill, introduced in both Houses of Congress today, was designed to “safeguard the cultural, religious, linguistic and ethnic identity” of the Tibetan people and encourage dialogue between China and Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, on the future of the Himalayan region.
Reuters |
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Hindujas
mixed up South Asia, West Asia London, May 10 The brothers, Gopichand and Shrichand Hinduja, one of them then a British citizen and the other about to become one, represented India diplomatically at talks at the British Prime Minister’s office in June, 1998, to explain India’s position following the nuclear tests. In a letter to Jonathan Powell, Chief of staff to British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Shrichand Hinduja wrote of Pakistan’s nuclear tests: “What we see emerging is a China-Islamic axis pivoting on Pakistan; this is a major destabilising element for West Asia.” Shrichand Hinduja clearly meant South Asia, not the Middle East. The political wisdom of the brothers invites further questions on the basis of their own correspondence with Blair’s office. The correspondence was released by Tory MP Andrew Tyrie in London on Wednesday. In an “aide memoire” to 10 Downing Street giving their views on the world following the nuclear tests, the brothers collectively wrote: “The previous British Government’s understanding for the French Government’s decision to conduct further nuclear tests in the Pacific in 1995 was also noted favourably in the subcontinent.” The Hindujas had begun to speak not just for India, but for the whole subcontinent. But there is little evidence of support for the French nuclear tests from Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka or even India. The correspondence reveals the brothers’ confidence if not much else. In a letter dated June 4, Shrichand Hinduja wrote to Jonathan Powell, “G.P. (Gopichand) and I very much hope that the Prime Minister (Blair) will ask (British Foreign Secretary) Mr (Robin) Cook to persuade Mrs (Madeleine) Albright (the then Secretary of state) and others in the US Administration to moderate their public presentation: better save hard talking for the private sessions.” A note sent by Shrichand Hinduja from Washington oozes with confidence — and with language difficulties. “Get India and Pakistan to come to a practical package,” he writes. “Get Bill Clinton to endorse it.” He goes on to say, “Then negotiate this package with US Administration, then finally present to Congress this package. The US laws are very unflexible (sic). The discussions will be tough.” The next points made in the note are not quite clear: “In November, 1998, there will be the Congress elections and the majority has to vote. Pakistan got it from China. US has invested hugely in China. Bill Clinton will visit China soon. The danger is that US must not end up losing all three countries: China, India and Pakistan. Today people are talking. Pakistan has already sent its delegation to Washington. This is what is needed. India has to send its delegation to speak to Congress, administration and listen to them.” This is the post-Pokhran diplomacy that India practiced while a career diplomat of the calibre of Salman Haider, then High Commissioner in London, was bypassed. “At least the brothers lobbied for India in Indian English,” an official remarked tongue-in-cheek.
IANS |
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Blair rejects
cover-up charge London, May 10 While accusing Mr Blair of covering up his relations with the Hindujas, Tory MP Andrew Tyrie said yesterday that five leaked letters to the NRI businessmen, some signed ‘yours ever, Tony’ showed that the links went “far deeper than we were led to believe.” The accusation came close on the heels of the revelation that Hinduja brothers had accompanied Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s Principal Secretary, Mr Brajesh Mishra, during his meeting with Mr Blair in June, 1998. Three of the letters, released by Mr Tyrie at a Westminster press conference yesterday, are signed by Mr Blair and the other two by his Chief of Staff, Mr Jonathan Powell.
PTI |
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Pakistani troops begin exercises Islamabad, May 10 “Different formations of the Pakistan army are conducting exercises in their respective training areas,’’ the sources said adding that “the exercises are a part of training and it is an on-going process which gets accelerated in summer.’’ Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar, however, said on Wednesday that he did not know whether Islamabad, following the tradition would hold military exercises in response to the “on-going show of force’’ by New Delhi in Rajasthan. He said he had no knowledge whether Pakistan would hold any military exercise. Mr Sattar said Pakistan would follow the agreement of 1991 which bounds India and Pakistan to give notification in writing 60 days before the launching of corps level military exercises within 75 km of the border.
UNI |
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Ball in India’s
court, says Musharraf Beijing, May 10 In an interview with China’s official Xinhua news agency on the eve of premier Zhu Rongji’s visit to Islamabad, Mr Musharraf said Pakistan had already proposed, through
diplomatic channels, the resumption of bilateral dialogue with India. “The ball is now in India’s court. A positive response from India could start a peace process in South Asia,” Xinhua quoted the military ruler as saying. Stating that Pakistan wanted to settle disputes with India through dialogue, Mr Musharraf said: “The unresolved Jammu and Kashmir dispute is the main cause of Pakistan-India tension and conflict in South Asia.” “The acquisition by India of the state-of-the-art weaponry and its nuclear ambitions as manifested in India’s nuclear doctrine have further aggravated the situation,” he said. Mr Musharraf said: “Last year, India increased its defence budget by 28 per cent. This year it has been increased by another 14 per cent. Currently, India is conducting a military exercise involving several corps of the Indian Army with support from its air force.”
PTI |
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‘Kanishka’ case: 2 held on intimidation charge Vancouver, May 10 Randhawa was arrested from his residence in a Vancouver suburb, while Atwal surrendered later. They belong to the International Sikh Youth Federation and have been accused of telling a key witness in the case that he would be considered a traitor if he testified for the prosecution. Investigations are on in other cases of intimidation against witnesses and action would follow soon, the police said. The police have in their custody two of the accused in the case, Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri, since October, and their trial is scheduled to begin soon. The prosecution is also trying to include Inderjit Singh Reyat on the accused list but are encountering difficulties in the matter as the British authorities are yet to agree to the modification of the Extradition Treaty under which he was sent to Canada. Inderjit Singh is a British national.
UNI |
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US Congress for ‘active’
policy on Tibet Washington, May 10 The resolution, co-sponsored by the Democrats and the Republicans, also seeks to protect Tibetan cultural and religious autonomy besides encouraging dialogue between China and the Dalai Lama. “The President and the Secretary of State should initiate steps to encourage China to enter into negotiations with the Dalai Lama or his representatives on the question of Tibet and the cultural and religious autonomy of the Tibetan people,” the resolution says. “The time has come for the USA to increase its attention to enhance Tibetan cultural and religious autonomy,” Senator Dianne Feinstein, who introduced the resolution in the House of Representatives with Mr Tom Lantos, said. The resolution also calls for the release of the 11th Panchen Lama. Entitled ‘The Tibet Policy Act of 2001’, it authorises $ 2.75 million for humanitarian assistance for Tibetan refugees and scholarships for Tibetan exiles.
PTI |
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Hasina talks tough Dhaka, May 10 “Bangladesh stands for resolving all issues, including the border problem, with India through discussion. We don’t want any conflict but we have courage and strength to retaliate if there is any attack,” she said at a meeting with Foreign Ministry officials. Referring to recent border clashes between the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) and the Border Security Force (BSF), the Prime Minister said when she took power, about 150 miles of border was undemarcated but now only 6.5 km border and enclaves remained to be settled. She hoped that task forces of the two countries would settle the unresolved issues. About opposition criticism over the issue, Ms Hasina said in such a national crisis all parties should get together, but unfortunately the opposition did not extend any cooperation, rather the opposition and fundamentalist groups tried to provoke and aggravate the situation.
UNI |
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Russia loses contact with 4 spy satellites Moscow, May 10 “We have full control over all other military space structures,” Gen Anatoly Perminov said speaking live on the state-run RTR TV. Gen Perminov said due to a blaze in the ground control command post in Kaluga region (south-west of Moscow) constant contact with four military satellites was lost, but added that they were functional and technically it was possible to check their de-orbiting. Russia has about 40-50 functional military satellites in the orbit used for spying, communications and missile attack early warning systems, according to reports. Gen Perminov said all important documents, software and weapons were safely evacuated and no one was injured in the fire. The fire was apparently caused due to a short circuit in the main feeder cable on the ground floor which later spread to the first and second floor of the three-storey command post, according to NTV channel.
PTI |
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Sri Lanka bans demonstrations Colombo, May 10 The prohibition was timed to prevent a protest demonstration by a radical Sinhala group at Maradana, the scene of pitched battles last Friday in Colombo. The Api Sinhala (We are Sinhalese) had announced the demonstration to protest violence by the minority community, but apprehending further trouble, disallowed it. Meanwhile, opposition United National Party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said national unity in Sri Lanka had suffered a setback due to the Mawanella and related incidents. In a statement issued here, he said Mawanella violence was not a communal conflict and blamed armed supporters of a minister for stirring up the trouble. He demanded action against the politician who allowed the situation to develop by extending “patronage” to criminal elements. He wanted the government to issue instructions to the police to act decisively in such situations to prevent communal violence. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan riot police clashed today with Sinhalese protesters defying a ban on demonstrations in the capital Colombo. The police said it fired tear gas to disperse crowds led by Buddhist monks in Colombo’s Maradana area where minority Muslims clashed with anti-riot squads last Friday prompting the government to slap a dusk-to-dawn curfew on the city. Meanwhile, the European Union has urged the Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE to work towards finding a peaceful solution through democratic means to end the ethnic conflict in the island nation. “I hope that the conflict in Sri Lanka would soon come to an end through peaceful and democratic means ensuring a lasting political solution for the benefit of all citizens of Sri Lanka,” European Union Ambassador to Sri Lanka Ilkka Uusitalo said. Speaking at the European Union Day celebrations here last night, Mr Uusitalo said the good relations and cooperation between the European Union and Sri Lanka would be continued and strengthened further.
Agencies |
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Hair dye causes singer’s death Colombo, May 10 An autopsy report said the 51-year-old singer experienced difficulty in breathing and collapsed after she used the hair dye the day she was due to leave Los Angeles in March, the daily news said.
AFP |
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