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Sunday,
November 10, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Bare all
in a week, UN deadline for Iraq World
welcomes UN resolution Iran urges
Iraq to cooperate with UN Zardari
says talks to form govt on
Chief
prosecutor in Pearl case resigns Return
tickets must for UAE-bound Indians |
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Britain
gets new immigration law “The
sensuous & the Sacred” in USA Golden
Temple tops in Britons’ holiday list India’s
charges on Al-Qaida refuted Students
hold demonstration
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Bare all in a week, UN deadline for Iraq
United Nations, November 9 It has no bargaining capacity and no choice but to accept it if it wants to avoid possible military action, said the resolution adopted by the 15-member UN Security Council. The seven-day period began yesterday itself with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan conveying the resolution to Iraq after the Security Council adopted it. Secondly, Baghdad’s non-compliance with the resolution is defined as its failure to make complete declaration of all its weapons of mass destruction, related facilities and materials and vehicles of delivery as also their component and disclose their location within 30 days. It is the understanding among the Council members that Iraq would get another week or two to disclose all civilian programmes employing items of dual use, the resolution said. The third “material breach” would be in the event of inspectors finding that the disclosure of weapons was not complete or Iraq withheld some information, tried to mislead them or barred them access to any site, including Presidential palaces. Access must be granted immediately. In the earlier inspection regime, there was a special method to conduct searches in the Presidential palaces which were much less intrusive. That procedure no longer exists and their inspection could be as intrusive as of any other site. The Bush administration has warned Iraq that it will have “zero tolerance” for any attempts to thwart UN weapons inspections, as the Pentagon prepared for fresh troop call-ups and a possible invasion to topple Saddam Hussein. The Pentagon, quietly gearing up for war, already has tens of thousands of troops in the region, as well as hundreds of planes and other military equipment. Two aircraft carrier battle groups are within striking distance of Iraq, and two more are heading to the region.
Agencies |
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World welcomes UN resolution
Tokyo, November 9 Australian Prime Minister John Howard said the resolution was double-edged threatening “serious consequences” if Baghdad fails to cooperate with weapons inspectors. “We cannot allow weapons of mass destruction to remain in the hands of a country which in the past has demonstrated a willingness to use those weapons,” Howard said. China cast the resolution as victory for the Security Council’s authority, saying that the vote gave it the last say about the use of force and laid out “a comprehensive solution to the Iraqi issue.” Mexican President Vicente Fox applauded Washington for softening its stance to reach a multilateral compromise. “The USA adjusted its position, came closer to what Mexico demanded, came closer to what was the position of France and Russia,” Fox said. France said it felt vindicated by the final draft that toned down the threat of military action backed by Washington and London. “The unanimous vote by the Security Council ... offers Iraq a chance to disarm in peace,” French President Jacques Chirac said. “That was the meaning of France’s initiative since the start.” Russia also said a quick descent into war was stopped. “The important thing is that the automatic use of force against Iraq was scrapped,” said Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Fedotov. British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a full supporter of Washington’s hard-line stance against Baghdad, said the resolution left the choice of war or peace up to Saddam Hussein. “Defy the UN’s will and we will disarm you by force. Be in no doubt whatever over that,” Blair said. “Conflict is not inevitable, but disarmament is.” Israel, which views Iraq as a serious threat, offered a muted response. Foreign Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said through a spokesman that Israel “values the determination of President Bush in leading the process.”
AP |
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Iran urges
Iraq to cooperate with UN Teheran, November 9 “We hope Iraq will cooperate fully with the Security Council and the UN inspectors so as to leave no pretext for American adventurism in the region,” said Hamid Reza-Assefi. He was speaking the day after the Council adopted resolution 1441, calling on Baghdad to comply with its disarmament obligations or face “serious
consequences.” AFP |
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Zardari
says talks to form govt on
Islamabad, November 9 Asif Ali Zardari, who has been in custody for the past six years on corruption and criminal charges, has become the focus of attention as parties continue to wrangle over the formation of a government more than four weeks after the poll led to a hung Parliament. The October 10 poll was the first since President Pervez Musharraf seized power in a bloodless 1999 coup and were supposed to lead to the formation of a civilian government. Mr Zardari, a former senator and former minister in his wife’s Cabinet, said yesterday — before being flown from Islamabad to Karachi — that a dialogue was in process between Ms Bhutto’s anti-regime Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the military government. “A dialogue is definitely on and there are certain proposals under discussion between the two sides,” Mr Zardari said. He said PPP parliamentary leader Makhdoom Amin Fahim was in touch with the “powers that be and talked with me about their proposals”. Mr Zardari did not elaborate but broadly hinted that the proposals related to the formation of a PPP-led coalition government.
AFP |
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Chief prosecutor in Pearl case resigns
Karachi, November 9 The letter from Raja Quereshi did not say why he wanted to leave his job, Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider told reporters here today. When he announced yesterday that he wanted to resign, Quereshi told reporters that he would later explain his reasons. The prosecutor’s assistants, though, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Quereshi had received threatening letters and phone calls, although they did not say from
whom. Commenting on this, Haider said, “I am not aware of any specific threat to Raja Quereshi. I don’t know why he has resigned.”
AP |
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Return tickets must for UAE-bound Indians
Dubai, November 9 Visit visas to the UAE for Indians will be issued only if return tickets are attached with the application. Travel agents have confirmed reports that the new law has been enforced by the Naturalisation and Residency Department asking individuals and firms wanting visit visas to submit copy of the return ticket to the department, the Gulf News reported yesterday. The report quoted official sources as saying that prior purchase of return ticket is compulsory to obtain a visit visa to the UAE and a copy of the travel document has to be attached to the visa application form. Meanwhile, close on the heels of its ban on foreign taxi drivers, Saudi Arabia has announced that all jobs in gold and jewellery shops, dominated by Indians, will be taken over by the local people by next year. Saudi Interior Minister Prince Naif, who is also chairman of the Manpower Council, has ordered the total Saudisation of jobs in gold and jewellery shops from March 4, Al-Madinah newspaper reported. The shop owners have also been asked to implement 50 per cent Saudisation this year itself. There are 3,500 expartriates working in the 1,100 gold and jewellery shops in Saudi Arabia and 10,000 skilled workers in the 360 workshops in Jeddah alone.
UNI |
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Britain gets new immigration law
London, November 9 The new legislation requires candidates for British citizenship to take language classes and demonstrate that they understand British society. It also restricts the period allowed for appeals procedures for asylum seekers. Requests for asylum from the 10 European Union candidate nations will no longer be considered. It also seeks to prevent those who receive a residency permit and welfare benefits in one EU country from demanding the same in Britain. The law requires the children of asylum seekers to attend classes in special centers where they are registered and not in regular schools while their parents’ cases are being examined. The law also increases the maximum jail term from 10 to 14 years for anyone convicted of organising the smuggling of illegal immigrants.
AFP |
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“The sensuous & the
Sacred” in USA
Washington, November 9 Worshipped in South-East India as the Lord of the Dance, Shiva, plays a variety of roles in Hinduism — both destroying the universe and creating it anew. A hymn, written 1,200 years ago by the poet-saint Manikkavachakar and still sung in temples, urges worshippers: “Let us praise the dancer who dances with fire, who sport creating, destroying this heaven and the earth and all
else.” Manikkavachakar was sent to the coast to buy horses for the cavalry. On the way, Shiva appeared to him and the poet spent the money to build a huge temple. When his agent returned, Manikkavachakar was jailed twice. Shiva appeared twice to free him. The poet-saint wrote many philosophical and religious poems, some now sacred and some that became popular songs. The show opening tomorrow at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery includes a 28-inch bronze statue of
Manikkavachakar. Priests often place a similar image in a temple, facing Shiva portrayed as dancing in a ring of fire. The fire symbolises general destruction, but poets also found symbols of creation in the gestures of Shiva’s four arms. This is for the first time that an exhibit devoted to what are called Chola bronzes has been assembled in the USA, said guest curator, Vidya
Dehejia, Professor, Art History, Columbia University. AP |
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Golden
Temple tops in Britons’ holiday list London, November 9 America’s Grand Canyon topped the list, followed by Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and Walt Disney World in Florida, according to the survey released yesterday. India’s Golden Temple at Amritsar was sixth followed by the American gambling town of Las Vegas, Sydney in Australia, New York and India’s Taj Mahal. But when Britons dream of travelling, it’s to anywhere but Britain, and this has dismayed tourism executives here. The closest place to Britain was Paris, at No. 27 on the list.
AP |
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India’s charges on Al-Qaida refuted Dhaka, November 9 “We want to reiterate that we do not support any terrorists and that we do not allow our territory to be used by any terrorists.” Mr Advani on Thursday said Pakistan’s Inter-Service Intelligence and Al-Qaida had stepped up activities in Bangladesh after Prime Minister Khaleda Zia-led coalition came to power in October 2001.
AFP |
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Students
hold demonstration Kathmandu, November 9 Political leaders, teachers and students joined in the peaceful demonstration organised by the Nepal Students Union, a student wing of the opposition Nepali Congress (Democratic) Party. “It was an unconstitutional and undemocratic move by the King, and the executive powers should be returned to the people,” said Chitralekha Yadav, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Lower House of Parliament, who led the demonstration.
AP |
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