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Indo-Tajik group to fight terror
India, Pak raise mission staff strength |
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Sino-Indian navies
hold exercises China to screen passengers from India for dengue Mulford new US Ambassador
to India No early US pullout from Iraq, says Rumsfeld |
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Norway suspends peace role in Lanka Air Sahara’s first flight to Sri Lanka Indian publisher gets award
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Indo-Tajik group to fight terror Dushanbe, November 14 A treaty of extradition was among eight documents signed between India and its closest neighbour in Central Asia at the conclusion of talks between Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Tajikistan President E S Rakhmanov, who hailed these decisions as the “opening of a new page in the ancient bilateral ties”. A joint declaration on friendship and cooperation, signed by Mr Vajpayee, the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Tajikistan since it broke away from the erstwhile Soviet Union 12 years ago, and Mr Rakhmanov condemned “supporters of terrorism and those that finance, train or provide support for terrorists”. Indicative of the desire of the two countries to construct a highway that would link them on an “urgent basis” was the decision to set up a working group for this. Mr Vajpayee
announced an economic package of $ 40 million, including a credit line of $ 25 million to Tajikistan. India would also assist in infrastructure development of a military training college in Dushanbe. Besides the declaration and the extradition treaty, six other agreements signed included accords on cooperation in tourism and Information Technology and an MoU on establishment of Indo-Tajikestan IT centre. Instruments of ratification for agreement on mutual legal assistance in legal matters and bilateral investment promotion were also exchanged. Mr Vajpayee’s 22-hour visit took place amidst reports that India had set up a military base at Ayny in Northern Tajikistan and Mr Rakhmanov brushing aside the development. Responding to a Russian reporter’s question on Ayny, the Tajikistan President said he knew “where the question had come from” and went on to explain that his country had looked around for help in rebuilding the airstrip at Ayny before a friendly India had offered to reconstruct it. There was no secret about it, he said. Mr Rakhmanov pointed out that military personnel of Tajikistan were being trained in India and para-troopers had participated in military exercises in this country. Tajikistan wanted to expand such cooperation, he said. Mr Vajpayee expressed satisfaction over the cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries. —
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India, Pak raise mission staff strength Islamabad, November 14 Accepting the suggestion made by India in September, Islamabad issued visas to eight Indian officials yesterday, while India granted the visas to same number of Pakistan officials to work in the Pakistan High Commission in India, officials here said. The proposal was made by India to meet increasing rush of visa seekers from Pakistan to visit India as currently the visa section in the Indian mission functioned with skeletal staff. The proposal also figured in the 12-point confidence building measures, proposed by India last month to improve relations between the two countries. Pakistan, while accepting the Indian suggestion, wanted the staff strength to be restored to its original levels of 110 members. The numbers had come down sharply after India had reduced its staff strength by half after the terrorist attack on Parliament in 2001. The numbers reduced further due to mutual expulsions of diplomats and staff that followed. Currently the Indian High Commission here was grappling with heavy rush for visas to visit India following resumption of bus services between the two countries as well as visits by political and trade delegations. —
PTI |
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Sino-Indian navies
hold exercises The three Indian warships, INS Ranjit, a guided missile destroyer, INS Kulish, a guided missile corvette, and INS Jyoti, a replenishment tanker, took part in the three-and-a-half hour exercise. The Indian warships were joined by two Chinese warships, Jia Xing, a frigate, and Feng Chang, a tanker, official sources said. The two navies coordinated their communication links, crucial for the success of the ‘search and rescue’ exercises between the two navies. Though the exercise may not be militarily significant, senior Indian Navy officers said it was a ‘good first step’ in evolving stronger ties between the two navies in the fast changing global scenario. —
PTI |
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China to screen passengers from India for dengue Beijing, November 14 Since November 12, any person entering China with symptoms of high fever, body-ache and rashes would have to be quarantined and the cargo checked for mosquito breeding, the state media reported. Indian Embassy sources in Beijing said they had not been officially informed about this decision by the Chinese authorities. “Let’s see what will happen,” an official source said. The Chinese government, already on high alert against the revival of SARS, has asked India to take anti-mosquito measures before loading cargo bound for China. Dengue fever has claimed some 33 lives in Delhi and adjoining areas. —
PTI |
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Mulford new US Ambassador
to India Washington, November 14 The post has been vacant since Robert Blackwill moved to the National Security Council as strategic adviser to Condoleezza Rice. Mulford’s nomination, which was announced by the White House yesterday, will have to be approved by the US Senate. He previously served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (Europe) for the same corporation. Prior to that, Mulford was Under Secretary for International Affairs for the Department of Treasury, where he had earlier served as Assistant Secretary for International Affairs. Mulford earned his bachelor’s degree from Lawrence University, his master’s degree from Boston University and PhD from Oxford University. —
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No early US pullout from Iraq, says Rumsfeld Anderson Air Force Base, Guam, November 14 “There is no decision to pull out (of Iraq) early, indeed it’s quite the contrary,’’ Rumsfeld told troops stationed on the Pacific island outpost of Guam before leaving to visit Japan and South Korea. “We will stay there as long as necessary to see that that country is put on a path’’ to democracy, he said. Rumsfeld said the initial plan had been for a transfer of sovereignty after a new Iraqi constitution had been ratified and elections held. But the process was likely to take about two years and the Iraqi Governing Council and US administrator Paul Bremer would try to find a way of transferring some responsibility before that. “It does not mean that we would physically leave the country any sooner,’’ Rumsfeld said. —
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Norway suspends peace role in Lanka Colombo, November 14 Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen said they needed “clarity” regarding who was actually responsible for the peace process from the Colombo government’s side before they could resume their efforts. “Until such clarity is re-established, there is no space for further efforts by the Norwegian Government to assist the parties,” Helgesen told reporters here at the end of a three-day visit. He said the talks between the government and the Tiger rebels could have started even tomorrow, but the political crisis triggered by President Chandrika Kumaratunga sacking of three ministers and suspending Parliament on November 4 cast a shadow over the entire effort. The visit by Helgesen and Special Advisor Erik Solheim was originally aimed at reviving talks between the Colombo government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), but Helgesen said they failed because of the political uncertainty here. “This is one single impediment that Norway can do nothing about. So we will go home and wait,” he said Helgesen said Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who revived a peace bid with Tamil rebels in 2001, is effectively “out of the peace process” due to his power struggle with the President. “He would not be able to take decisions and make compromises at the table, so effectively he has said he is out of the peace process. The Prime Minister can’t take responsibility for the peace process and is unable to give security guarantees,” Helgesen said. —
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Air Sahara’s first flight to Sri Lanka Colombo, November 14 The chartered non-revenue flight, S2 501, which embarked on its firstever sojourn from Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, was accorded a warm welcome by the Sri Lankan government. —
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Indian publisher gets award New York, November 14 Five outstanding Asian-Indians, including publisher Gopal Raju, were honoured on the occasion for their achievements. The honorees were: Gopal Raju, who got a Lifetime Achievement Award from Senator Clinton; Naresh Goyal, founder and chairman of Jet Airways; Mukesh ‘Mike’ Patel, founding member and former chairman of Asian American Hotel Owners Association Analjeet Singh, chairman of Max Group of Companies; and Rajendra Vattikuti, founder and president of Complete Business Solutions Inc., and his wife, Padma. —
IANS |
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Shanghai, November 14