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Saturday,
January 11, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Musharraf rules out accidental N-war Ball now in Indian court, says Pak
Missile test adds to
‘charged amosphere’
Pak may recall tainted UN
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US NRIs welcome dual citizenship North Korea withdraws from NPT USA cancels
2 planned missile tests
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Musharraf rules out accidental N-war Islamabad, January 10 “This is not Warsaw Pact vs NATO situation where warheads and missiles were ready for fire with a button in a hand. There is no button in our case. Missiles and warheads are not permitted together. There is a geographical separation between them,” General Musharraf said in an interview to Pakistan Observer. “One has to go up the escalation ladder to come to the stage of pressing of the button,” General Musharraf said, adding that no individual had been authorised to press the button. There is a National Command and Control Authority responsible for development and deployment of all nuclear and strategic weapons, jointly headed by him and Jamali. On reports that Pakistan’s nuclear assets could fall into wrong hands, General Musharraf said there were custodial controls and command arrangements that had been put in place long before India did. “Let me assure you that there is no question of any breach (of the nuclear command),” the President said. Over prospects of escalation of tension due to Pakistan’s induction of Ghauri missiles into army and Indian test-firing of Agni missile, General Musharraf refused to accept elements of reciprocation and complementarity in the actions. The two countries are taking actions according to their own requirements. There is no reciprocation involved, he said. “As a matter of fact it was India which inducted missiles into their Army first. Pakistan has produced a number of missiles and it was our requirement to induct them into service,” he said. General Musharraf also criticised Defence Minister George Fernandes’s statement that Pakistan would be wiped out if India was attacked with nuclear weapons. “I don’t take such irresponsible statements as a threat to Pakistan,” he said, adding that Pakistan had a deterrence in place to take care of any aggression. General Musharraf said that despite his “countless peace efforts”, India has termed him as “number one enemy”.
PTI |
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Ball now in Indian court, says Pak Islamabad, January 10 “The ball is now in the Indian court. Pakistan is not ready to grant more concessions to India”, he told local daily Pakistan Observer in an interview, claiming that he has “done enough” for India to resume talks. He said the Indian leaders were “slaves to a mindset” and struck by an attitudinal problem. “We need some external diplomacy to bring India back on talks table,” he said adding, “attitudinal change in Indian leaders was what Pakistan is very eagerly looking for. This can be facilitated only by the international community”. He expressed hope that the Indian Government would respond positively to offer of talks by Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali. Ruling out any chances of him going to India for talks, he said it was now the duty of the Prime Minister to pick up the threads that were left at Agra. “But again it takes two to clap. Unless Indians invite Jamali for talks, how can he move forward for the normalisation of relations?” he asked. Musharraf also said he was very much disappointed about the “lack of support” from the Muslim world to the Kashmir issue. “I am not satisfied with the Ummah’s support to the Kashmir cause. I have been voicing it everywhere,” he said claiming that Pakistan has been doing so much for the Palestinian cause.
PTI |
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Missile test adds to
‘charged amosphere’ Washington, January 10 “We think tests like this contribute to a charged atmosphere, make it harder to prevent a costly and destabilising nuclear arms race,” US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said here yesterday commenting on India’s test-launch of short-range ballistic missile
Agni. “We are disappointed when we see ballistic missile tests in this region,” he said. The USA has urged India and Pakistan “to restrain their nuclear weapons and missile programmes” including the operational deployment of nuclear-armed ballisitic missiles, he said. “We have urged them to begin a dialogue on confidence-building measures to decrease the likelihood that such weapons might be used, Mr Boucher said, adding that this should be part of a broader dialogue to reduce tensions. PTI |
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Pak may recall tainted UN envoy Islamabad, January 10 The US Government has already asked Pakistan to withdraw his diplomatic immunity to allow New York authorities to prosecute him on misdemeanour charges. “Even if it was largely a weak case, the Pakistan Government will not let an individual, no matter how competent, hamper Pakistan’s presence at the United Nations,” The Dawn daily, quoting a senior Pakistani Government official, reported today. “This is likely to be, even if tragic, an open-and-shut case,” the official said, adding that a decision on the matter was expected soon. The Foreign Ministry wants to avoid this “simple and unfortunate” case from acquiring propaganda proportions in an already difficult, if not hostile, diplomatic milieu, the daily said. Reports from New York said the US Government had given time to Pakistan till today to decide on its request to withdraw Mr Akram’s diplomatic immunity so that he could be prosecuted. The New York police moved against the high-profile diplomat, who just took charge of Pakistan’s seat in the UN Security Council this month following its election as a non-permanent member after a woman claiming to be Mr Akram’s wife, telephoned police emergency room, complaining she was being assaulted by him.
PTI |
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US NRIs welcome dual citizenship Washington, January 10 “We welcome and appreciate Mr Vajpayee’s announcement and hope the Indian Parliament will soon pass a legislation to this effect,” NRIs here said. The Prime Minister’s speech making the announcement was sent by various associations to their constituents here using the Internet. They wish that this does not meet the same fate as the People of Indian Origin (PIO) scheme. The PIO scheme could not be implemented in the US capital by the Indian Embassy for a very strange reason: Blank cards were not available! Prime Minister Vajpayee had announced dual citizenship for PIOs at the inauguration of the first Pravasi Bhartiya Divas in New Delhi yesterday. For now, dual citizenship will be granted to PIOs living in the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. London: There has been a mixed reaction to the way the Pravasi Divas has been organised in New Delhi and the selection of people invited for the occasion but by and large NRIs have welcomed India’s decision to give dual citizenship to People of Indian Origin in selected countries. A leading NRI Piara Singh Khabra, MP, who has been canvassing for the cause for the past two decades, felt that the “whole idea has been botched up and made into a political gimmick.” He said India should have recognised the real people who championed its cause abroad rather than certain individuals like controversial writer V.S. Naipaul whose contribution to India, he said, was “next to nothing.” Mr Khabra, who represented the Indians-dominated Southall constituency in the House of Commons for over a decade, said the government should have invited all elected representatives of People of Indian Origin abroad so that it would have enthused them to champion the cause of India much better in the future. On the other hand, Mr Munaf Zeena, Chairman of the Council of Indian Muslims (UK), welcomed the decision. “We welcome this announcement which was being eagerly awaited for years,” he said in a statement.
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North Korea withdraws from NPT Seoul, January 10 The move was likely to heighten tension over North Korea’s nuclear development efforts as the USA and its allies seek a diplomatic resolution. Although adding to the drama, the withdrawal was partly symbolic. North Korea was already violating the 1968 nuclear treaty by secretly pursuing nuclear weapons development, and by flouting UN safeguards at its nuclear facilities. The announcement came as New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, a former UN Ambassador, became a surprise intermediary at a two-hour meeting with two North Korean diplomats. Neither side commented to reporters and were to meet again today. North Korea blamed what it said was US aggression for its decision to withdraw from the treaty. “We can no longer remain bound to the NPT, allowing the country’s security and the dignity of our nation to be infringed upon,” the North Korean Government said in a statement carried on KCNA, its official news agency. North Korea has said it is willing to settle US concerns if Washington signs a nonaggression treaty. The Communist country also desperately needs aid for its shattered economy. “If the USA drops its hostile policy to stifle the DPRK and stops its nuclear threat to it, the DPRK may prove through a separate verification between the DPRK and the USA that it does not make any nuclear weapon,” the North Korean Government statement said. DPRK stands for Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. In its statement, North Korea denounced a January 6 statement by the UN International Atomic Energy Agency that urged it to readmit its inspectors and allow the Yongbyon site to be monitored. The facilities were frozen under a 1994 deal with Washington. TOKYO: Faced with news that North Korea has quit the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, South Korea today called for dialogue with its Communist rival as a matter of “life and death” while neighbouring Japan demanded Pyongyang reverse its decision. Moscow did the same and expressed “deep concern” that it would harm global security. Australia, a close US ally, said it would send a diplomatic team to Pyongyang next week. Financial markets in South Korea and Japan reacted nervously. South Korea’s government convened an emergency meeting of its security council. President Kim Dae-jung, who leaves office next month after years of trying to build bridges with the North, said talks would be key to a solution. The Russian Foreign Ministry said North Korea’s decision “can only aggravate the already tense atmosphere around the Korean peninsula, and strike a significant blow to universal international legal instruments for the provision of global and regional security.”
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USA cancels
2 planned missile tests Washington, January 10 The next $ 100 million intercept test will be put off until the last quarter of this year, said Air Force Lt Col Rick Lehner of the Missile Defence Agency, which is developing a controversial shield against incoming ballistic missiles. By the final quarter, Boeing Co, prime contractor for the project, is due to be ready to use the new booster. Lockheed Martin Corp. has been competing with Orbital Sciences Corp. <ORB.N> to supply the rocket. Cancellation of the intercept tests will save $ 200 million.
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