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Sunday,
January 20, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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‘No Pakistani will be handed over’ Spying devices in Jiang’s plane ? |
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Laden probably
dead: Musharraf
Sierra Leone officially ends 10-year war Palestinian radio offices blown up
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India, Pak clash in UN
United Nations, January 19 Calling for a resolute fight against terrorists and their sponsors, India’s UN Ambassador Kamalesh Sharma said the international community should not be convinced by the justification being offered for the “moral, political and diplomatic support” to what is clearly terrorism. Without naming Pakistan, he said terrorists and their sponsors have used empty gestures and rhetorics and they would now be testing the will and resolve of the international community. Speaking at an open Security Council debate on “Threats to International Peace and Security Caused by Terrorists Acts” yesterday, he said the existance of, and support to, militant outfits like the Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad was in direct contravention of the Security Council resolution. Pakistan Ambassador Shamshad Ahmed charged India with provoking a crisis in the region for the sake of “political opportunism by confusing and obfuscating the issue and by fudging the very definition of terrorism. “This crisis, imposed on us and accompanied with blatant threats of use of force, has shifted the focus away from the real fight against terrorism. It is driven only by political ambitions for regional hegemony, not the fight against terrorism.” Neither India nor Pakistan is a council member but both asked to take part in the debate called to take stock of progress made by the UN’s counter-terrorism committee set up under resolution 1373. Mr Kamalesh Sharma said India was a victim of state-sponsored cross border terrorism for two decades with “horrendous toll in tens of thousands. We have fought this terror and will continue to do so with unflinching determination and resolve.” Addressing the 15-member council he said India was not aware of any action initiated against the Jaish-e-Mohammad which claimed responsibility for the attack on the Kashmir Assembly. To stress its foreign sponsorship, the Indian Ambassador pointed out that none of the five terrorists who attacked Parliament were Indian nationals. Launching a tirade against India and raising the Kashmir issue, Mr Ahmed said “If those who provoked this (present) confrontation are really sincere in fighting terrorism, they should practice what they preach and in doing so end terrorism which they themselves provoke in the guise of democracy and secularism by keeping people under military occupation in violation of the UN Security Council resolutions.” He said terrorist groups were not hermetic entities and needed sponsorship, logistic support, financial backing, training facilities and a home. “They operate from safe havens where the governments and their agencies harbour them, give them the means to plan and carry out heinous actions”.
PTI |
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‘No Pakistani will be handed over’
Islamabad, January 19 In an interview to the CNN which was telecast today, General Musharraf said he was under the impression that “tension began easing” between the two countries as a result of diplomatic efforts during the past one week and believed that there was desire on the part of Mr Vajpayee to take the dialogue forward to address all issues, including Kashmir. Replying to a question whether there was any change in the situation as the two countries were on the brink of war two weeks ago, he said, “I would agree. I think if you are talking of one week, yes”. Asked why he would not call Mr Vajpayee over the phone to ease the tensions further, he said he had been taking a lot of initiatives for quite some time. “It is high time that he (Vajpayee) takes some initiative also,” he said. To a question whether he was optimistic about having fruitful talks with India, he said, “I am quite optimistic”. “There has to be a desire from the Indian side for a dialogue. I cannot say for sure, but since I went to Agra and I met the Indian leadership and met Prime Minister Vajpayee, my reading, which I still hold is that there is a desire in Mr Vajpayee on moving forward on dialogue...having a dialogue with Pakistan and also addressing all issues including Kashmir.” Reacting to a question, that why there was no response from Indian leaders to his direct appeal to the Indian people few days ago, saying that he wanted peace and was ready for talks, General Musharraf said the lack of response was due to extraneous factors like immediate elections which influenced the minds of the Indian leaders. General Musharraf said, “We do not want war. We want to reduce tensions. And we want to de-escalate. This is what we want. “There should be similar willingness and assurances from the other side. For dialogue to start between India and Pakistan, there must be desire from both the sides,” he said. General Musharraf also took strong exception to the Indian leaders’ statements saying that they were judging his actions. “However, I would like to comment that the comments from their side that they are judging what we are doing and that I have to show more action after this speech. I do not have to show anything to them, really. I take strong exception to these statements. We are not being judged by them and I am not doing anything to show them. I am doing something for Pakistan,” he said. He also sounded tough on the Indian list of 20 wanted criminals and terrorists for deportation. “They have a list of 20. I said as far as Pakistanis are concerned, we are not going to hand over any Pakistani and if at all we get evidence we will try them here. Now as far as non-Pakistanis are concerned I do not know anybody in the list. We do not have them.” PTI |
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Spying devices in Jiang’s plane ?
London, January 19
Citing Chinese officials, the newspaper said it was unclear when the aircraft was fitted with the bugs, said to be tiny and operated by satellite. The devices were detected after the plane emitted a strange static whine during test flights in China in September, shortly after it was delivered. One device was found in a lavatory and another in the headboard of the presidential bed. The discovery came ahead of a planned summit between US President George W. Bush and Mr Jiang in Beijing next month. Mr Jiang was said to be furious about the find, the FT said. The aircraft was made at the Boeing factory in Seattle and then fitted with VIP equipment and upholstery by another company. The plane was under surveillance by Chinese officials throughout, the newspaper said. An official from the Chinese Foreign Ministry said today he could not confirm if the report was true and no one was available for comment from the civil aviation authority administration. Boeing had no comment on the report but spokeswoman Debbie Heathers said a 767-300ER plane, which was delivered to Delta Air Lines in June 2000, was re-sold to China United Airlines — the air force-run airline that ordered the aircraft — and customised for executive use by Mr Jiang Zemin by a modification company in Texas. The FT quoted Chinese officials as saying the security forces had launched an investigation into possible negligence within China United Airlines and state-owned China Aviation Supplies Export and Import Corp (CASC), which was responsible for importing the plane. Some 20 air force officers had been held for questioning and two CASC officials had been taken into custody for questioning, the FT said. Reuters  |
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Nepal seeks US aid Katmandu, January 19 Mr Powell left the Himalayan kingdom after the meeting, ending a four-nation trip to South Asia and Afghanistan aimed mainly at reducing tensions between nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan. He headed for Japan, where he is to attend a meeting of international donors to Afghanistan beginning tomorrow. Mr Powell has urged other nations to join the USA in supporting the rebuilding of the war-torn nation. After meeting Nepal’s King Gyanendra and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba yesterday, Mr Powell said the USA would discuss the possibility of sending military hardware to Nepal to assist its fight against the rebels. Mr Powell, the first US Secretary of State to visit Nepal, met with the Army chief, Gen Prajwalla Shumsher Rana, early today to hear the military’s needs. The rebels broke a four-month ceasefire last November and began attacking police, military and government installations. King Gyanendra declared an emergency on November 26 and ordered the army to take over the battle against the rebels.
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Laden probably
dead: Musharraf Kabul, January 19 President Musharraf’s comments came in an interview broadcast as Afghan interim leader Hamid Karzai began an international foray — including a crucial conference of donors in Japan next week — to win help for the virtually bankrupt administration. President Musharraf said it was likely Bin Laden was dead, although other possibilities were he could be hiding in Afghanistan or Pakistan.
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Sierra Leone officially ends 10-year war Freetown, January 19 Sierra Leone has been torn apart by war since 1991 when rebels of the Revolutionary United Front launched an insurgency to oust the government and take over the nation’s lucrative diamond fields. I declare the war is over and the curfew lifted,” Kabbah said at a ceremony just outside the capital, Freatown to the cheer of thousands in this West African nation. Interim rebel leader Issa Sesay welcomed the move, saying that it signified the start of a peaceful future. After a failed advance on the capital in May, 2000, the rebels agreed to a peace deal signed in November, 2000, under intense pressure from the UN, British and Guinean troops. AP |
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Palestinian radio offices blown up Ramallah, January 19 No one was in the building when it was blown up, shortly after being occupied by Israeli soldiers. The Israeli army destroyed the Palestinian radio transmitter about a month ago, and the station had since broadcast sporadically using other means. Meanwhile, Israeli troops patrolled the area close to the headquarters of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in another district. Mr Arafat has been under a blockade since December
3. AFP |
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26 die in plane crash Quito, January 19 |
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