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Saturday,
February 23, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Lanka reaches truce with LTTE WINDOW ON PAKISTAN
Bush supports one-China policy
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Sharon announces buffer
zones
Annan sees UN role
in West Asia Copter with 12
US troops crashes
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Lanka reaches truce with LTTE Vavuniya, February 22 Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe handed over his government’s letter of confirmation of the agreement to Norwegian Ambassador Jon Westborg before the national and international media at the Vavuniya district headquarters in northern Sri Lanka. He said the Norwegian Government would formally announce the entry into force of the agreement in Oslo and declined to give any details. Mr Wickremesinghe also declined to disclose who had signed the “memorandum of understanding” on the behalf of the LTTE. This is the first indefinite truce agreement between the two adversaries since the 1994 accord between President Chandrika Kumaratunga and the LTTE, but it collapsed after talks failed in April, 1995. Mr Westborg confirmed that he had obtained the signed document from the LTTE at Kilinochchi, a northern town in rebel-controlled territory, yesterday in a meeting with the rebel group’s political wing leader S.P. Thamiselvan. The only detail that Mr Wickremesinghe was willing to share with the media was that even after the entry into force of the formal truce, the armed forces, especially the navy, would retain the right to stop illegal movement of arms. He said once the formal ceasefire came into effect, the stage would be set for the beginning of “talks about talks” in the next eight weeks, subject to more issues being sorted out by then. It is understood that the MoU contains a three-stage agenda of confidence-building measures that should be in place by the 30th, 60th and 90th days from the day on which the formal truce comes into effect. The truce accord replaces unilateral ceasefires being currently observed by the two sides since December 24. It provides a set of rules for the ceasefire and lays down procedures for dealing with possible violations and a monitoring mechanism to oversee it. Prior to handing over the letter to Mr Westborg, the Prime Minister flew in by an Air Force helicopter, accompanied by Defence Minister Tilak Marapane and the chiefs of all services to Vavuniya. In a gesture that showed his confidence in the progress in his peace initiative, Mr Wickremesinghe drove up to Omanthai, 10 km north of the town, the point at which army control ends and neutral territory begins. It was the first time in seven years that a Sri Lankan Prime Minister had come to North and that too close to the war-ravaged Vanni region where the LTTE has its main bases. Mr Wickremesinghe said the ceasefire would operate on land, air and sea, subject to the right of the armed forces to interdict illegal movement of arms. Meanwhile, an AFP report from Oslo said Norway confirmed that a historic ceasefire agreement had been signed between the Sri Lankan Government and the Tamil Tiger rebels. “As from 0000 hours on February 23, 2002, a ceasefire agreement enters into force between the government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam”, Norwegian Foreign Minister Jan Petersen said in a statement. “The ceasefire document, signed by Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and LTTE leader Vellipulai prabhakaran has been deposited with the Norwegian Government and we have been asked to make the agreement public,” the statement said.
PTI |
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WINDOW ON PAKISTAN The military regime in Pakistan refuses to accept its inability to grapple with the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl on January 23. The world community, particularly the USA, too seems to be optimistic about solving it sooner or later. The past performance of the Pakistani police, however, belies the hope, specially in the case of an incident in Karachi. In any case, Pearl is dead. Some time ago Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider’s brother was gunned down in Karachi, but his killers are yet to be taken in custody. According to a study by Yousuf Khan carried in Nawa-e-Waqt on February 8, there is an alarming decline in the law and order situation in the commercial capital of Pakistan. “No one is safe there, whether he is a local or a foreigner. There are hundreds of incidents of crime in Karachi which remain unsolved with no clue available about the criminals’ whereabouts. Who cares for ordinary cases? The police has failed to arrest the criminals behind the murder of the Minister’s brother when he is in charge of the police department!” laments Mr Khan. Over the years Karachi, with a population of 1.25 crore, has earned a dubious distinction as the most lawless city in Pakistan. In matters of law and order people have more confidence in a military regime than a civilian government. There was a general expectation for better days ahead when General Pervez Musharraf captured power by overthrowing the elected government of Mr Nawaz Sharif. Today, however, people realise that they were hoping against hope. The sensational kidnapping of the American journalist has frightened ordinary Karachiites more than anybody else. Their faith in the capacity of the military regime to safeguard their lives and property is shattered. Why did the militants kidnap only Daniel Pearl, not any other American reporter, though many of them are there reporting from Pakistan? With the arrest of Sheikh Omar of the Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit and his confessions, it is almost certain that the US journalist was targeted not only to secure the release of the Al-Qaida and Taliban members in American captivity but also to punish him for the story he was doing to expose the lacklustre handling of militant elements. He was about to complete his report that terrorists were thriving despite the much-publicised crackdown on them. According to a Friday Times report, he had obtained the views of Jaish activists saying that the police “left behind enough people to keep their office running.” Khaled Ahmed, in his analysis in the paper, says that Pearl also “found a Jaish regional centre near Bahawalpur operating as well as a still functioning bank account despite a freeze ordered by the State Bank”. Whatever the truth, Pearl has become a victim of the raging anti-Americanism in Pakistani society. The involvement of terrorists has added a new dimension to the episode. They are capable of springing a surprise even when “under tremendous pressure” from all sides. The kidnapping has, however, led to a situation when the world attention will be more focused on the military regime’s drive against religious extremism and militant jehad. Any let-up in the campaign will be intolerable. President Musharraf’s survival has also got linked to the move. That is why he has initiated measures to incapacitate the ISI to derail his plans. But the ISI has its own track record so far as developments within Pakistan are concerned. There are serious challenges that lie ahead for the General. He is not sure of his popularity with the public. This is the reason why he is giving hints that he may manage to remain the President of Pakistan without facing the electorate. It will be interesting to watch how he wins the battle he is fighting on more fronts than one. |
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Bush supports one-China policy PaBeijing, February 22 Emphasising that both sides should avoid provocation, Mr Bush said, “I have reiterated support for the one-China policy. Its been my government’s policy for a long time and we haven’t changed it. “We believe in the peaceful settlement of this issue. We will urge there be no provocation. The US will continue to support the Taiwan Relations Act,” he told students at China’s prestigious Qinghua University on the last day of his visit to the Communist country. “The US observes the one-China policy and hopes for a peaceful solution to the Taiwan question. Such a stand is consistent and will not change,” he said. In a bid to overcome differences over Taiwan and non-proliferation issues, Chinese leaders, including President Jiang Zemin, today once again met visiting US President for last minute parleys. Mr Bush left China today at the end of a three-nation Asian tour which included South Korea and Japan. Air Force one took off from Beijing’s international airport at about 1.56 P.M., witnesses said. In his two-day visit, Mr Bush met Chinese President and his heir apparent Hu Jintao, gave a speech on American values to the students of Tsinghua University and visited the Great Wall. During the visit, Bush and Jiang agreed to step up contacts between the two countries but differed over religious freedom and failed to reach an agreement restricting
Chinese exports of missile technology. Bush, headed for Washington, will take a route home never before used by a US President on Air Force one. PTI, Reuters |
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Sharon announces buffer zones Jerusalem, February 22 “In order to increase the security of our citizens, we have decided to set up buffer zones so as to achieve security and to set up obstacles along the border zones,” Mr Sharon said in a televised address to the nation last night. He, however, made it clear that his eventual aim was peace with the Palestinians. “We all want peace, we all are committed to peace.. I shall do everything possible to meet Palestinian officials...and prevent a slide into total war,” he said emphasising that Israel would win its war on terrorism. Mr Sharon’s announcement came as Israeli forces carried a series of reprisal strikes against Palestinians that left 70 persons dead this week. Political observers said Mr Sharon, under heavy pressure from left and right of his coalition, appeared to be on a tight rope. Reacting to the speech, a senior Palestinian official said the Israeli Prime Minister offered “no hope and no means” to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the 17 months of bloodshed. Meanwhile UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, commenting on Mr Sharon’s speech, urged both sides to find new ways to stop violence.
PTI |
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Annan sees UN role in West Asia United Nations, February 22 The council has met less than half a dozen times since the start 17 months ago of the “intifada”, the Palestinian uprising against Israeli rule which has claimed the lives of 967 Palestinians and 275 Israelis. “The breakdown of trust is so total that neither side will believe the other when it comes to the implementation of agreements,” Mr Annan went on. “I truly believe that it is imperative for the Security Council and the wider international community to work in a concerted manner with the parties towards a just, lasting and comprehensive peaceful settlement of the conflict.”
AFP |
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Copter with 12
US troops crashes Washington, February 22 The Pentagon said yesterday no hostile fire was reported when the
crash occurred and that the big, twin-rotor MH-47 chopper crashed into the sea in darkness while flying from Basilan Island to the Mactan air base.
Reuters |
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Photos show deluge on Mars Washington, February 22 The deluge washed the equivalent of one and a quarter times the water found in Lake Erie onto the surface of the planet near its equator, carving out a series of tear-shaped mesas, the team at the University of Arizona reported. And it was an unusual torrent, spurting from underground much like lava, the scientists report in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. “This is a completely different water-release mechanism than previously studied on Mars,” Devon Burr, who is working on a doctorate degree in geosciences at the University of Arizona, said in a statement. The search for water on Mars is the key to exploring the planet. It is interesting on its own to geologists but water is also the key to life as we know it. The NASA mandate for exploring Mars is to seek water first. Burr and planetary scientist Alfred McEwen analysed images taken by the Mars orbital camera, which is aboard Mars Global Surveyor. The pictures show a series of fissures stretching 1,000 km across the lava-covered Cerberus Plains just north of the equator. Fissures made by gushing water have been seen on Mars but they are estimated to be 2 billion years old. Burr said the newest landforms look to be only about 10 million years old — very recent in geologic terms. “What’s different here is that this is very recent, and the water source is nothing like we have on earth,” she said. “The water here gushed from volcano-tectonic fissures. While the fissures themselves may be older, the latest eruption of water was probably only about 10 million years ago.” “That’s young,” McEwen added. If the water comes from a geothermal source, similar to geysers on earth, that would mean a source of both heat and water on a planet where the average temperature on the surface of Mars is far below freezing. It stays so cold on Mars that everything should be frozen hard to the depth of several miles. “Flood volcanism on earth occurs about every tens of millions of years,” McEwen said. “The last such event was 10 million years ago. But that doesn’t mean it’s over. It will happen again. The same is probably true on Mars — geologically speaking, it’s still active.” The researchers say tectonic forces, or a combination of tectonic force and pressure from magma, probably created the fissures that leaked the lava over the Cerberus Plains. It is not the first evidence of recent water on Mars. In June, 2000, experts analysing photographs taken by the Mars orbital camera said they saw evidence of water gushing onto the surface of the planet. Reuters |
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