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Tuesday,
July 22, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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US soldiers kill 24 suspected Taliban militants More US
troops ordered to Liberia Jamali rules out war with India |
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Pak Embassy reopens in Kabul |
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USA to raise armed militia
in Iraq UK, China welcome frank discussions
China keen to host Venkaiah, Sonia this year
USA to ease entry of legitimate tourists Invitations for SAARC Summit next month Israel nominates Ambassador
to India
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US soldiers kill 24 suspected Taliban militants Kandahar, July 21 The suspected militants ambushed the convoy near the town of Spinboldak on Saturday, US military spokesman Lt Col Douglas Lefforge said yesterday. The American troops returned fire, killing five attackers and pursuing the rest into the surrounding hills, Colonel Lefforge said. US Apache helicopter gunships chased the group and killed an estimated 19 of the suspected Taliban, he said. There were no coalition casualties. On Saturday only, some 60 suspected Taliban fighters attacked a border post in southern Afghanistan with heavy machine guns and assault rifles before escaping across the border into Pakistan, a government official said. None of the Afghan soldiers at the post were hurt in the three-hour battle at the Shero Obah government post, said Khalik Khan Achekzai. They called about 100 Afghan soldiers and 20 US Special Forces for assistance from Kandahar, about 100 km away. Two of the suspected Taliban fighters died and five others were injured in the border attack, said another government official, Fazluddin Aga. “They (the attackers) came from the direction of Pakistan. When we sent more troops with US soldiers, they crossed the border and returned to Pakistan,” Achekzai said. The US Special Forces called in helicopter gunships, which pounded the area. —
AP |
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More US
troops ordered
to Liberia Washington, July 21 The Defence Department said the soldiers, belonging to a naval “anti-terrorism security team” based in Rota, Spain, will join US marines currently guarding the US Embassy in Monrovia. The deployment has been ordered by Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld at the request of US Ambassador to Liberia John Blaney, according to the statement yesterday. A Pentagon spokeswoman declined to provide any further details. The move comes as Liberian government troops are locked in a fierce battle with advancing rebels for control of the war-ravaged capital. Yesterday, government forces repulsed a rebel advance on two key bridges that lead to the heart of Monrovia and where many diplomatic missions are located. However, heavy fighting continued to rage in the city centre, with at least five rockets landing there in the afternoon, sparking fresh panic among desperate local residents. —
AFP |
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Jamali rules out war with India Islamabad, July 21 “We do not want a war with India. Rather, we want to live in peace with our neighbour. We want peace in the region with honour and dignity,” Mr Jamali said in an interview with ARY Television yesterday. “We would like to talk to India with an open mind on the understanding that New Delhi might convince us or we might convince them on the differences between the two countries,” he said, stressing the need to build confidence on both sides. He pointed out that Pakistan had taken several steps in response to the Indian offer of friendship. On the sensitive issue of Pakistan granting recognition to Israel, Mr Jamali said his government would take the elected Parliament and the Opposition into confidence before making a decision. “The recognition of Israel would be considered if the roadmap for peace in West Asia succeeds. The plan calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state by 2005. “An independent sovereign Palestinian state can pave the way for diplomatic ties with Israel,” he said. When asked to comment on his working relationship with President Pervez Musharraf, Mr Jamali said he had a “wonderful coordination” with him on all national, international and political issues. —
PTI |
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Pak Embassy reopens in Kabul Kabul, July 21 About 24 policemen were guarding the embassy compound in eastern Kabul. As many as 200 Afghans were lined up outside, awaiting visas. Pakistan ordered the embassy closed after the July 8 attack, during which several hundred Afghans, angered over reports of Pakistani military incursions along the eastern border, poured through the compound, smashing windows, computers and cars while diplomats took refuge in a basement bunker. Pakistan has denied the alleged incursions. “We still have (security concerns), but the government has assured us that they’ll be taken care of,” Pakistani Ambassador Rustam Shah Mohmand said. Speaking on Saturday on a private Pakistani television station, Mr Mohmand said the Afghan government had paid $ 56,000 for extensive embassy repairs. The damage was estimated by a company and the government The attack prompted an apology from President Hamid Karzai. Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been strained since the Northern Alliance took control of Afghanistan’s capital in November 2001 after a US-led bombing campaign defeated the Taliban. —
AP |
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USA to raise armed militia in Iraq Washington, July 21 The armed militia or civil defence force will be trained by conventional US forces, General Abizaid said yesterday in Baghdad. Meanwhile, America’s top civil official in Iraq, L Paul Bremier, presently here for consultations, said in a TV interview that he believed Saddam Hussein was still in Iraq, though not orchestrating attacks on American troops. “Getting” Saddam would help the situation. “The sooner we either kill him or capture him, the better it would be because the fact that his fate is unknown certainly gives his supporters the chance to go around and try to rally support for him.” In Najaf, thousands of followers of Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, shouting “America and the Council are infidels,” declared they wanted the coalition forces to leave Najaf and allow Iraqis to handle security for themselves. US officials, on the other hand, keep saying that their problem is with the Sunni minority in Baghdad and in other areas, while the Shiites, who constitute 60 per cent of the population, are happy to be liberated from Saddam. However, they are unable to explain why the Shiites are also demonstrating and demanding that US troops leave. A coalition official, on condition of anonymity, warned the Shiites that no private armies will be tolerated. “The only army in Iraq will be the new Iraqi army which is being formed,” the official said. “Anyone found with an unlicensed weapon will be arrested,” he said. —
PTI |
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UK, China welcome frank discussions Beijing, July 21 In his first visit to China since he was re-elected in 2001, British Prime Minister Tony Blair held closed-door meeting with his Chinese host, Mr Wen Jiabao, and expressed hope that the two sides could “work hard jointly to create a stable, peaceful international environment.” “The discussions we’ve just had privately now are an indication of how open and frank we are able to be with each other across a range of issues and also how much agreement there is on how we produce a world that is stable and prosperous, peaceful, where we are diminishing the possibility of conflict,” said Mr Blair, who is facing a crisis at home, following the death of weapons inspector David Kelly. “The relationship between the UK and China has strengthened enormously over these past few years....” “I have got no doubt that it will continue to strengthen still further not only the economic field, where we are the largest European investors in China but also in the political field where we are working together in resolving some of the critical issues that face our world,” he said. Mr Jiabao said relations with the UK had improved since Mr Blair took office six years ago. Mr Blair, however, carefully avoided questions related to the death of Kelly. When asked whether the Kelly issue had been raised during his meeting today with the Chinese premier, he smiled and continued walking, making no comment. Viewing the visit as a new starting point, the Chinese premier said China was ready to improve Sino-UK relations to achieve faster and greater development. Earlier, Mr Jiabao held an impressive welcome ceremony for Mr Blair, who arrived here late last night on the last leg of his three-nation tour of Japan, South Korea and China. Mr Blair would meet Chinese President Hu Jintao and Central Military Commission Chairman Jiang Zemin separately. —
PTI, AFP |
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China keen to host Venkaiah, Sonia this year Beijing, July 21 “We have invited Ms Gandhi on many occasions in the past. We hope she can come this year as it would be a good thing for Indo-China relations to have both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition to visit China in the same year,” an official from the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) told PTI here. Ms Gandhi last visited China in 1996. Party sources said the CPC would like to maintain good relations with all Indian political parties as this would enhance bilateral relations, especially after the successful visit to China by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in June. The official said the CPC had also invited Mr Naidu to visit China to strengthen party-to-party relations and step up interactions and exchanges between the two ruling parties. “We hope the BJP President could find some time to visit China, which would be beneficial for furthering CPC-BJP relations as well as Indo-China relations,” the official said. Meanwhile, the high-level delegation from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) led by politburo member, Sitaram Yechuri, would be visiting China from tomorrow at the invitation of the CPC. The CPM would be the first Indian political party to visit China after Mr Vajpayee’s visit. The youth wing delegation from the BJP is also slated to visit China soon, sources said. —
PTI |
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USA to ease entry of legitimate tourists Houston, July 21 According to the US Department of Homeland Security, the system is designed to make entering the country easier for legitimate tourists and students, while making it more difficult to enter the USA illegally through the implementation of biometrically authenticated documents. All visitors entering the USA with a valid visa through airports or seaports will be finger-printed and photographed, while customs officials will scan their travel documents. The system will replace the currently existing National Security Entry Exit Registration System (NSEERS) programme, integrate the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) programme, and encompass the Congressional requirements of the automated entry exit system. The new system combines elements of the SEVIS, designed to let university officials electronically update the government on changes in the status of their international students, and the NSEERS. The US Department of Homeland Security, which is implementing the system, says it will provide a better chance of identifying potential terrorists. —
PTI |
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Invitations for SAARC Summit next month Islamabad, July 21 The 12th SAARC Summit will open in Islamabad on January 4 and conclude on January 6. While the dates for the Summit and the preparatory meetings have been finalised, a decision on the venue of the summit is yet to be taken. The first of the preparatory meetings — of the SAARC Director-General and Joint Secretaries of the seven member countries — will be held on December 29 and 30. —
IANS |
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Israel nominates Ambassador
to India Jerusalem, July 21 Mr David Danieli, a career diplomat currently serving in the policy planning centre of the foreign ministry, has served as Ambassador to Singapore, besides serving in Tokyo and Seoul in other capacities. He has been chosen for the job for his vast experience, considering the strategic importance attached by Israel to its relations with India, officials said. The officials also confirmed that the Prime Minister’s visit would take place between September 9 and 11. —
UNI |
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