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Friday,
December 13, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Ship with N.Korean missiles released Strike paralyses life in Jaffna UK backs India for permanent UN seat Fresh charges against Cherie Blair
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Palestinian panel favours poll delay Khaleda begins Thai visit
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Ship with N.Korean missiles released
Washington, December 12 White House spokesman Arie Fleischer told reporters yesterday: "There is no provision under international law prohibiting Yemen from accepting delivery of missiles from North Korea." "While there is authority to stop and search, in this instance there is no clear authority to seize the shipment of Scud missiles from North Korea to Yemen and, therefore, the merchant vessel is being released." Forces from the amphibious assault ship USS Nassau had been aboard the detained vessel in the Arabian sea since Tuesday awaiting orders on what to do with it and the weapons, Pentagon officials said. The US decided yesterday to let the missiles go to their destination, after Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakral-Kerbi summoned US Ambassador Edmund Hull to protest against the seizure and ask for the return of the equipment which the minister said was for "defensive purposes." Secretary of State Colin Powell and Vice-President Dick Cheney consulted quickly and decided to release the vessel, which came from the North Korean company Changgang Sinyong Corp. on which the Bush Administration had imposed sanctions in August for selling Scud missle parts to Yemen. PTI
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Strike paralyses life in Jaffna
Colombo, December 12 According to reports from Jaffna, educational institutions, government offices and business centres were closed while essential public services, including healthcare and transport, came to a complete halt due to the strike. However, schools where the GCE examinations are taking place were open. Today’s strike was called by the Jaffna Traders Associations and other civilian organisations in protest against the police shooting on civilians. Fifteen persons, including a local reporter, were injured when police opened fire at an unruly LTTE-backed crowd demanding the removal of the Eelam People’s Democratic Party’s office situated in the Vadamaradchchi division, about 30 km north of Jaffna. Police sources in Jaffna said they were forced to open fire at the crowd using tear gas canisters and rubber bullets when it stormed the EPDP office at Nelliyadi with stones. The police said at least four petrol bombs were also exploded during the clash but did not know who brought those locally made bombs. At least 14 persons have been arrested in connection with the incident. The Tuesday incident was apparently an expansion of the protest by the people of Jaffna for the removal of EPDP camps from the Delft island of the Jaffna peninsula. The civilians have been protesting for over a month, with the EPDP refusing to vacate the island. The protests in Jaffna continue even after LTTE chief negotiator Anton Balasingham, during the last round of talks in Oslo, accepted the theory of pluralistic political cultures and assured that the Tigers would allow other political parties, even if they held opposing political beliefs. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday met leaders and parliamentarians of the North-East based Tamil parties, including the pro-LTTE four-party Tamil National Alliance (TNA), EPDP, EROS and EPRLF, in a bid to resolve the crisis. UNI
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UK backs India for permanent UN seat
London, December 12 Mr Straw, who met visiting Indian External Affairs Minster Yashwant Sinha over a working lunch yesterday, said "We spoke about a range of regional and international issues, including India’s relationship with Pakistan. And I reiterated my support for a permanent Indian seat on the UN Security Council". During the meeting, both ministers discussed several issues of current interest to both India and Britain. It included the situation in the Indian subcontinent, Iraq and Indo-British bilateral relations. After the meeting Mr Straw said, "I was pleased to see Yashwant Sinha today. This is the third time we have met in as many months, but there is always a lot to talk about. We are both working hard to promote the already excellent bilateral relationship between India and the UK". "We spoke about our growing links in commerce and education. We agreed that there is a need to increase direct air services between the UK and India to satisfy consumer demands," said the British Foreign Secretary, who accepted Mr Sinha’s invitation to visit India. Mr Straw also said, "I took the opportunity to thank Yashwant for the assistance he has provided with UK consular cases in India, in particular in relation to Ian Stillman". Mr Sinha had stopped here en route to Cape Town where he will be participating in a NAM Foreign Ministers meeting. UNI
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Fresh charges against Cherie Blair
London, December 12 Directly contradicting claims by officials that Mrs Cherie Blair had never seen or read the legal papers about Foster’s case, The Scotsman, a tabloid’s claim comes after Prime Minister Tony Blair said all important questions about the controversy had been answered, and rejected repeated calls for an inquiry. It said Mrs Blair not only took part in a telephone conversation with Foster’s solicitors but also asked to be shown details of the case being made against him. The front-page article published today says these details were faxed to her private fax at Downing Street. It says the papers were also delivered in person by Foster’s girlfriend Carole Caplin before Mrs Blair called Foster at home. According to the Scotsman, the Prime Minister’s wife also discussed the two judges involved in his appeal. The paper’s editor, Iain Martin, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that The Scotsman had proved that Mrs Blair was “intimately involved” in Foster’s legal case. He said Mrs Blair had spoken to Foster on November 22. “She had also given him, we have established in the Scotsman this morning, a serious amount of legal advice and this is I think what proved there was a quid pro quo.” The Prime Minister’s Office, however, said that Mrs Blair had not read any papers concerning the case. PTI
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Palestinian panel favours poll delay Ramallah, West Bank, December 12 Committee members met with President Arafat today in the West Bank city of Ramallah. A decision on delaying elections requires a presidential decree by Arafat. “The committee is unable to carry out its work as a result of Israeli occupation. We tend to recommend to the President (Arafat) the need to delay the elections,’’ Ali Jarbawi, a political scientist on the election committee, said. “We will hold a press conference on Monday on these developments,’’ Jarbawi said. “As long as occupation remains and as long as the committee is incapable of carrying out its functions...then it is impossible to carry out these elections.’’ Reuters
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Khaleda
begins Thai visit Chittagong, (Bangladesh), December 12 Earlier, in an unprecedented diplomatic move, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, along with his senior ministers, travelled to Chittagong to accompany Ms Zia back to Thailand. The Bangladeshi leader was visiting Thailand to launch her country’s new “Look East’’ foreign policy thrust. Ms Zia’s visit also marked the opening of a direct air link between Chiang Mai and Chittagong, Bangladesh’s main seaport and the country’s business capital.
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