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| Monday,
July 30, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Israeli
cops enter mosque in Jerusalem |
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Pak has
dual policy on Kashmir: JKLF
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B’desh
poll likely in October: CEC Sino-Indian
boundary talks tomorrow Commander
of Lanka air base replaced Bush
invited to China in October
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Israeli cops enter mosque
in Jerusalem Jerusalem, July 29 Fifteen policemen and seven Palestinians were injured inside the hilltop compound, the site where the current round of Israeli-Palestinian violence erupted 10 months ago during a similar confrontation. The compound contains two mosques and is the third holiest site in Islam, known collectively as the “noble sanctuary”. The mosque compound is built atop the ruins of the two biblical Jewish temples, the holiest site in Judaism, known as the Temple Mount. Police rushed into the compound to drive back the stone-throwers, while Jews praying at the Western Wall down below fled the barrage of rocks, with some holding plastic chairs above their heads for protection. The Western Wall forms one side of the compound. “Police forces stormed the Temple Mount and are dispersing the (Muslim) worshippers,” said police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby. He said the police fired stun grenades, and that 15 policemen were injured by stone-throwers. Today was the Jewish holy day of Tisha B’Av, when observant jews mark the destruction of Jewish temples at the site between 586 BC and 70 AD. The police were deployed in large numbers to block a small group of ultra-nationalist Jews who sought to march on the mosque compound. The Jewish group, Temple Mount Faithful, had wanted to plant a cornerstone for a future Jewish temple in the mosque compound. The Israeli police said the claim that the group was going to lay the cornerstone in the flashpoint compound was inaccurate, and the ceremony would take place several hundred metres away. “The stone will not enter the area of the old city”, Jersalem Police Chief Miki Levy told Israel’s Channel 2 television news. The Muslims say the compound marks the spot from where the Prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven, while Jews believe it is built on the site of their Biblical Temple, whose destruction they mourn on Sunday, in the Fast of the 9th of the Hebrew month of Av. DAMASCUS: Experts from 13 Arab countries began a two-day meeting today to discuss ways of activating the Arabs’ boycott of Israel in a fresh effort to pressure the Jewish state into making peace with the Palestinians. The meeting, the first since 1993, is organised by the central office for the Boycott of Israel, a Damascus-based offshoot of the Arab League. Previous efforts to convene a conference had failed for lack of quorum. The meeting gathers experts from Syria, Iraq, Sudan, the Palestinian territories, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Algeria, Tunisia, Yemen, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Libya and Somalia. Among the absentees were Egypt and Jordan, the only Arab countries to have signed peace accords with Israel, besides, Morocco, Qatar, Oman, Mauritania, Bahrain and Djibouti.
AP, DPA |
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Top brass names Gen as PoK ‘President’ Islamabad, July 29 The Vice-Chief of General Staff at the army’s General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, Gen Mohammad Anwar Khan, was tipped to become “President” of PoK, the daily Dawn said today. Quoting sources, it said General Anwar Khan could be retired within 24 hours and be made the ruling Muslim Conference’s candidate for elections to the office of PoK President. The nomination papers for the presidential polls are to be filed on July 31 and the polling will be held on August 1. The electoral college for the President comprises 48-member assembly, six-member council and the federal minister in charge of the council. The decision to nominate a high ranking General as President followed a controversial move by the army to openly express its opposition to leader of Muslim Conference (MC) Sardar Abdul Wayyum, a moderate, taking over as “Prime Minister” again defeating former “Prime Minister” Sultan Mehmod of the Pakistan People Party. Dawn said the partymen wanted Qayyum to take over as the “President” but he declined saying that the military government was not feeling comfortable with him which was why he did not want the post. “Though the nomination of General Anwar was surprising for commoners and a majority among Muslim Conference members was also taken aback when they were told that a serving General was most likely to be their party’s candidate for the presidential slot”, the newspaper said. The reports of army’s interference in the PoK election process followed India’s insistence in the Agra summit to stop cross border terrorism from Pakistan, which was firmly rejected by Islamabad. The allegations of army’s interference also followed boycott of PoK elections by Amanullah Khan-led Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front and All Party National Alliance (APNA) led by Arif Shaid protesting against a clause in election rules, which stipulated all the contestants to sign a declaration accepting PoK’s accession to Pakistan.
PTI |
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Pak has dual policy on Kashmir: JKLF London, July 29 “Pakistani policy on Kashmir is like teeth of an elephant, the tusk is to gain international sympathy while the actual teeth are to eat Kashmiris,” Mr Shabir Chaudhury, former JKLF president and a member of the outfit’s Supreme Council, said here. He said the Pakistan authorities had been on the “rampage”, trampling rights in the areas under Islamabad’s occupation. “Though on one side, Pakistan claims to be very concerned about Kashmiris, on other it simply denies the freedom lovers right to contest elections held in Pakistan occupied Kashmir,” he said. “Musharraf should first seek a mandate from the people of Pakistan before talking on international issues,” he said and contended that General Musharraf’s meeting with Hurriyat leaders was only to project himself as a Kashmir representative in the international fora. Mr Chaudhury said General Musharraf should understand that Kashmiris were not fighting for their rights against India alone but also against Pakistan as the “independent Kashmir” was the only viable option. He castigated Pakistan for denouncing the rights of people living in Gilgit and Baltistan. “People in this region have not been even given the right of voting,” he said.
PTI |
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Japan’s ruling bloc wins 63 House seats Tokyo, July 29 The coalition has 61 seats of the 126 not being contested in this poll. These will be contested in another poll three years hence. The number of seats in the chamber has fallen to 247 from 252 before today’s poll. The LDP itself was on course to win between 65 and 67 seats, television exit polls said. Mr Koizumi needs a comfortable victory for his party and its allies to survive challenges to his leadership, but doubts persist as to whether he can overcome opposition to reforms from LDP Old-Guard rivals at a time when the long-stagnant economy appears to be slipping into recession.
Reuters |
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B’desh poll likely in October:
CEC Dhaka, July 29 However, a
Bangla daily Sangbad in a report quoting EC sources said the EC had
planned to announce the poll schedule either on August 12 or 13. The
poll is likely to be held on any day between October 1 and 3. Earlier
the CEC told the media that the poll was likely to be held in the
first week of October. Poll campaigns by two major political parties
are yet to be formally launched. But chiefs of both parties have in
public rallies here this month informally launched campaigns by
introducing party candidates in the city. The two main political
parties — arch rivals in Bangladesh politics — the Bangladesh
Awami League (AL) and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), are now
opposing each other’s stand with regard to the announcement of the
election schedule. The Awami League Executive Committee, at its recent
meeting, demanded immediate announcement of the poll schedule to
facilitate early launching of the poll campaign to avoid clashes
between activists of the two parties. But BNP Chairperson Ms Khaleda
Zia in a statement termed this demand as “mischievous” and urged
the caretaker government not to announce the poll schedule till the
administration and the EC was cleaned of pro-Awami League
elements. |
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Sino-Indian boundary talks tomorrow Beijing, July 29 “China hopes to enhance bilateral understanding and trust so as to further develop Sino-Indian relations through a frank and friendly exchange of opinion at the session,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said. The 13th round of the Joint Working Group
(JWG) on the Sino-Indian boundary issue, will be held here on July 31. The Indian side will be led by Foreign Secretary Chokila Iyer while the Chinese side will be headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
PTI |
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Commander of Lanka air base replaced Colombo, July 29 Air Commodore R.A. Ananda, who commanded the base and Wing Commander Nihal Ratnayake, its Ground Defence Officer, were “moved out of their positions” on the orders of Chief Air Marshal Jayalath Weerakkody. The new base commander, Air Commodore Channa Gunaratne and Ratnayake’s successor, Wg Cdr Krishan Yahampath, would assume charge today, The Sunday Times newspaper said, adding that more changes were likely after a five-member Sri Lankan Air Force team completed its investigation into the airport attack. Meanwhile, two LTTE rebels were killed today in an accidental explosion while four LTTE militants, one soldier and two civilians have been killed in different parts of Sri Lanka in increased fighting since yesterday, the military said. In an early morning incident at Pallimunai in Mannar district of north-western Sri Lanka, two LTTE men, apparently trying out suicide jackets, were killed when the bomb under preparation went off, a situation report said. In the Welikanda sector in the east, two LTTE militants and an army soldier were killed in an exchange of fire early today. The confrontation took place a day after the Army’s Kinniadi detachment in the eastern Batticaloa district came under heavy fire by the rebels. Troops delayed retaliation for some time because of the presence of civilians in the area, but when they opened fire ultimately, two villagers were killed and seven others injured “in the crossfire”, the bulletin said.
PTI |
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Bush invited to China in October Beijing, July 29 Mr Powell, the senior-most US official to visit China under the new republican administration, told reporters that he had “productive” meetings with the Chinese leadership, including with President Jiang Zemin, who has invited US President George W. Bush to China in October. “I just had a productive series of meetings here in Beijing. I told them I was here as sort of an advance party for President Bush who will be here later this year,” he said adding “President Bush wants to build constructive, forward-looking relations with the People’s Republic of China.” Mr Powell said China had agreed to resume a “no-holds barred” human rights dialogue this year and also participate in expert discussions on Chinese missile technology transfers, both issues which are of paramount importance to all US administrations. Mr Powell claimed that he had narrowed differences with China over Beijing’s military exports and the proposed expert-level contacts on non-proliferation would address America’s concerns on China’s adherence to a November 2000 US-China agreement. “Some other issues, with respect to specific transfers, we pointed out to them, and the need for expert consultation on their export control policies that we think ought to be in place,” he said, referring to the clandestine Sino-Pakistani missile cooperation. Responding to US allegation on Chinese proliferation of missile technology, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi said that China had been making “an earnest effort” to comply with its obligations under the US-China non-proliferation agreement of November, 2000. On China’s human rights policies, Powell was able to extract a major concession from China to restart the bilateral dialogue which was suspended by Beijing following the US bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade in May, 1999, during NATO’s Kosovo campaign. Meanwhile, China said it supports a “constructive” US role in regional affairs and stated that the two sides have agreed to increase cooperation to promote peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. “The Chinese side is willing to see the US side playing a constructive role in regional matters. But, we did not touch upon any specific issues,” Sun Yuxi told reporters when asked whether Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan and Mr Powell discussed the situation in South Asia or the outcome of the Agra summit . Sun said “regarding regional issues, both sides agreed that we should increase our cooperation so as to promote peace and stability in the region.” “The relationship is now out of the lowest point, there are signs that it is moving towards a more smooth and healthy one. The biggest reason is that finally, the US side has found that we have converging parts of national interests,” SU GE, Vice-President, China Institute of International Studies, a Beijing-based think-tank, was quoted as saying.
PTI |
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Hundreds of Israeli police today
stormed the mosque compound that is Jerusalem’s most contested
religious site and fired stun grenades at worshippers who had been
pelting stones at Jews worshipping at the nearby Western Wall.
