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Foreign troops should leave Iraq, says Musharraf
Major shift in Canada’s foreign policy on cards
Howard vows support to Sikhs
Indian among 5 killed at Dubai airport
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Prison abuse: US woman faces court martial
Second case of bird-flu in Thailand
Tytler for varsity for NRIs
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Foreign troops should leave Iraq, says Musharraf
New York, September 27 “Nobody likes (to be occupied by) foreign troops. The answer lies not in bringing in more foreign troops, but in raising the army in Iraq itself so it can take over security. Everything should lead to an exit strategy,” the military ruler told Newsweek in an interview. Replying to a question, Mr Musharraf said he had held discussions with both US President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi about an exit strategy for foreign troops. “Both agree that Iraqi forces should be raised. But where they are to get the forces from is the question.” Pakistan, he said, had offered to train troops for Iraq, but under the present circumstances, he would not send troops to the country. The war in Iraq “has complicated the situation in the Islamic world. It has increased the opposition to the USA in the Islamic world.” Asked what can be done to remedy the situation, Mr Musharraf replied: “Close down fronts. You have opened too many fronts (such as) the Palestinian front.” The Palestinian front, he said, was affecting the entire Muslim world. All terrorist and militant activity in the world today had been initiated because of the Palestinian problem. This was because of the sense of hopelessness, alienation and powerlessness. “If you examine how Al-Qaida came into existence, you’ll find that the root is the Palestinian struggle,” Mr Musharraf added.
— PTI |
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Major shift in Canada’s foreign policy on cards
Ottawa, September 27 We should have a diverse and more pronounced role, particularly in areas of conflicts in the world,” an aide to Prime Minister Paul Martin emphasised. “For example in South Asia, India is a large fast-growing country, but the Kashmir issue is a major area of conflict impeding the progress and peace in the sub-continent. We are exploring what role we could play to end this conflict and establish permanent peace. But it does not mean poking our nose in others’ affairs. It is to help both India and Pakistan resolve the conflict and the current efforts offer great hope,” this adviser told The Tribune in an informal chat. This new policy would be formally announced when Chinese-born Governor-General, Ms Adrienne Clarkson, opens the new Parliament and delivers her speech from the throne on October 5. In fact, he said: “India has been taking the position against any third party intervention, though we know there have been third party efforts and interventions in the past to keep the violent conflict under check and what not. But we would like to probe at both the formal and informal levels how would India react to any such a proposal and how Pakistan felt about it.” Prime Minister Paul Martin has been sounding diplomats and leaders of these countries on this issue. In his Liberal Party at the national and provincial level, there is a strong presence of people from South Asia. They could be a big help. In fact, some senior ministers, including the high-profile Health Minister, Ujjal Dosanjh, originally from India, could be a great help, though the area really belongs to the Foreign Ministry. South Asians who are not only large in number but have a pronounced role in the political life of Canada, would welcome any such move. Right now a dozen odd leaders from South Asia are members of the House of Commons. Martin stands to gain in his status at the international and national levels. The Prime Minister also plans to travel to Asia after he completes his commitment to visit Paris and Moscow. |
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Howard vows support to Sikhs
London, September 27 “I will do everything possible in my power to fight discrimination and intolerance,” Mr Howard said while speaking at a function to mark the 400th anniversary of Guru Granth Sahib at the Royal Albert Hall here last night. The Tory leader, who had recently announced plans to put annual limits on the number of immigrants entering Britain, said “a tough policy on immigration does not conflict with good race relations.” “I believe there are many common and shared values between Sikhism and Conservatism,” Mr Howard told the Network of Sikh Organisations, UK, that organised the function. Mr Howard, who began and closed his speech with a quotation in Punjabi, praised Sikhs for “holding on to your traditions and your distinct identity while fully integrating into British society”.
— PTI |
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Indian among 5 killed at Dubai airport
Dubai, September 27 However, Al Arabiya television said at least eight workers were killed in the mishap. The accident occurred at 10.45 am (local time) during the preparation of a wall at an under-construction terminal when a section of the reinforcement cage fell, trapping the workers, an official statement said. Emergency personnel rushed to the site. Five workers were killed, while 12 injured in the mishap were sent to hospital. “Of the five bodies at the police mortuary, one was of an Indian,”
officials at the Indian consulate here said, quoting the police. It was not yet known to which state the victim belonged. President of the Department of Civil Aviation and Chairman of the Emirates Group, Sheikh Ahmed bin Sayeed Ali Maktoum, said an investigation would be held into the accident. “I extend heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased workers. We will conduct a full investigation into the accident,” he said.
— PTI |
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China paves way for possible
return of Dalai Lama
Envoys of the Dalai Lama are in Tibet discussing his possible return to the disputed mountain nation. Lodi Gyari, the Dalai Lama's quasi-ambassador in Washington, is leading a four-man delegation which arrived in China a week ago.
It is the third such visit since contact was re-established between the two sides in September 2002. Western diplomats believe that the resumption of talks is cause for optimism that the Tibetan holy leader could return home. "For the first time you have a Chinese leader who knows Tibet," said one diplomat. Hu Jintao, who became head of the Chinese Communist Party two years ago, was party secretary of the Tibet Autonomous Region from 1988 to 1992. His predecessor, Jiang Zemin, retired from his post on Sunday, leaving Hu in complete control over foreign and domestic policies. Hu may push a more conciliatory line over Tibet and other issues as part of a broader effort both to normalise China's political system and to improve its international image. Mary Beth Markey, executive director of the International Campaign for Tibet, said: "Considering Beijing's timeline for exhibiting itself as a world leader at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, initial steps must be taken now to reach a solution for Tibet." The US Government has repeatedly called for discussions between the Chinese Government and the Dalai Lama or his representatives. Progress on Tibet is also necessary if a European Union(EU) arms embargo is to be lifted. The first official EU visit to Tibet since 1998 starts next week. A group of ambassadors will be gathering information on human rights in preparation for a new round of EU-China talks. At the heart of the negotiations being conducted by Gyari are efforts to find a formula to allow the Dalai Lama to return to Tibet as a religious leader in return for acknowledging Beijing's sovereignty over the country. The Tibetans are seeking guarantees that the Dalai Lama will be permitted to live all the year in the Potala Palace and not be kept a virtual prisoner in Beijing. The Dalai Lama wants to have full control over the publication and editing of all religious tests and undisputed authority to appoint the abbots of monasteries and supervise the choice of the reincarnations of all living Buddhas. The Dalai Lama also wants full freedom to leave the country when he wishes and the right to travel to all regions of China inhabited by Tibetans. If formal talks were to start, discussions might well focus on the 17-point agreement made between the Tibetans and the Chinese Communists after the People's Liberation Army marched into Tibet in 1951. When this agreement was broken by Chairman Mao, who insisted on spreading the Communist Revolution to the Tibetans, they revolted and the Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959. — By arrangement with The Independent |
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Prison abuse: US woman faces court martial
Washington, September 27 “They are moving ahead with a court martial,” attorney Rhidian Orr said yesterday in a brief telephone interview from his office in Denver, Colorado. The trial has been scheduled to begin on January 15. England (21) an army reservist who served with a military police company in Iraq, was propelled to infamy in late April following publication of the photographs showing Iraqi inmates at Abu Ghraib crouching in front of their US guards in sexually humiliating poses, being chained to cell doors and cowering in front of snarling guard dogs.
— AFP |
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Second case of bird-flu in Thailand
Bangkok, September 27 The woman was confirmed to have the H5N1 virus, but her condition was improving, reports said. A test on Friday had turned out negative for avian-flu, but the second test came out as positive. Health experts fear that if the avian-flu combines with human flu virus the result will be a more lethal version that can spread among people. It is still not confirmed if the woman had come in contact with chickens or if she had got the disease through human-to-human transmission. According to reports, her sister died last week. The sister had not been known to come in contact with poultry, but had spent some days with her daughter who died earlier this month.
— PTI |
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Tytler for varsity for NRIs
Singapore, September 27 |
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