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Hamas, Islamic Jihad agree to conditional ceasefire, says Israel
Yushchenko sworn in as Ukrainian President
29 Indians held for illegal entry into Pakistan
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8 die in Kenya land clashes, hundreds flee
Teenagers may be asked to pledge
loyalty to Queen
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Hamas, Islamic Jihad agree to
Jerusalem, January 23 “As far as we understand, there is an agreement between (Abbas) and the heads of Hamas and Islamic Jihad for a ceasefire for a certain period ... about a month,” Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz told Israel Radio today. The two militant factions have agreed to the ceasefire in return for a future role in the Palestinian Authority, Mofaz said. Palestinian sources did not confirm the development immediately. They said that Abu Mazen (Abbas’ nom de guerre) is still holding talks with other Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli Defence Minister stressed that Israel has not made any promises to the Palestinians, but would scale down its activities if the ground situation shows an improvement. “As long as there is quiet there is no reason for us to act,” Mofaz said. Meanwhile, the militant factions are said to be demanding formal
guarantees from Israel to end targeted killings, arrests and Israel Defence Forces operations in the Palestinian areas of the Gaza Strip for a ceasefire agreement, media reports said. Hamas and Islamic Jihad both have told Abbas in their talks that a mere Israeli promise to halt its activities in the Gaza Strip is not sufficient and they expect serious
guarantees backed by appropriate declarations. “We conditioned (an agreement) on the receipt of guarantees from the Israeli enemy, but Abu Mazen has not yet met with the Israelis and has obviously not received such guarantees,” Islamic Jihad leader Mohammed al-Hindi said yesterday. A Hamas spokesman Moshir al-Masri also echoed similar sentiments. Palestinian Authority (PA) has deployed several thousand security forces in the Gaza Strip in areas used by militants to launch rocket and mortar fire against Israel, resulting in complete cessation of attacks during the last three days. A key aide to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has said that if the PA continues to take “postive” steps to halt attacks on Israel, talks for arranging a meeting between the Premier and PA Chairman can resume. “If the deployment continues then of course we will consider resuming the talks where we stopped in order to facilitate a meeting between Abu Mazen (Abbas) and Sharon,” Ra’anan Gissin, a top aide to Sharon, told the Jerusalem Post’. The Israeli cabinet, meanwhile, will hold its weekly meeting in Sderot, the western Negev town hard hit by Palestinian rocket attacks, in an effort to express solidarity with its residents. Sharon decided to move the meeting to the town in order to express identification with its residents following accusations that he was ignoring their sufferings.
— PTI |
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Yushchenko sworn in as Ukrainian President
Kiev, January 23 Mr Yushchenko, a Western-oriented reformer, took the oath in the Verkhovna Rada Parliament, placing his hand on a copy of the constitution and an antique Bible. After the oath, some deputies repeatedly shouted “Yu-shchen-ko, Yu-shchen-ko,” an echo of the chanting that filled Kiev during the protest demonstrations. But others stood stonily unapplauding, a reflection of the deep political tensions that Mr Yushchenko will face as the country’s third post-Soviet leader. Mr Yushchenko was declared the loser of a November 21 election that international observers said was severely marred by vote fraud. Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators poured into Kiev’s streets to protest the vote, and demonstrations continued for weeks. The Supreme Court annulled the election and Mr Yushchenko won a December 26 rerun, beating Mr Viktor Yanukovych, Kremlin-supported Prime Minister at that time, by 8 percentage points. But Mr Yanukovych raised a series of legal challenges to the revote, the last of which was rejected by the High Court on Thursday, paving the way for the inauguration. Mr Yanukovych has vowed to take his complaints to the European Court of Human Rights. The court has no enforcement mechanism, but such a move could be an unwelcome shadow on Yushchenko’s intentions to push for Ukraine’s closer integration with the European Union and NATO.
— AP |
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29 Indians held for illegal entry into Pakistan
Quetta, January 23 The Indians told investigators that Iranian border guards detained them about 10 days ago while they were trying to cross into Turkey on their way to Europe, said Barkat Ali, a police official in Pakistan’s Taftan town. Iranian security forces allegedly “pushed” the Indians over the border into Pakistan yesterday, Ali said. The men were arrested late yesterday near Taftan, about 700 km southwest of Quetta city near the Iranian border, Ali said. The Indians, ages 28-35, have been moved to Quetta, Akbar Baluch, director at the Federal Investigation Agency. Quetta said. Baluch said the Indians could face fines or several months in prison for entering Pakistan without visas. He did not say when they would appear in court. Iran and Turkey lie along a route used by many Indians and Pakistanis trying to go to Europe in search of better jobs. Many are caught at borders along the way. It was not known whether the Indians arrested yesterday had travelled through Pakistan before they were caught in Iran.
— AP |
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8 die in Kenya land clashes, hundreds flee
Mai Mahiu (Kenya), January 23 Four were killed when they were pulled from vehicles at impromptu checkpoints set up by rival Kikuyu and Maasai groups, which attacked anyone from the “wrong” tribe on the main road from Nairobi to the Maasai Mara safari park. Yesterday’s violence was the latest in a series of clashes between members of various communities over land, an explosive issue President Mwai Kibaki’s government says it will address. Rift Valley Provincial Commissioner Wilfred Ndolo said the latest bloodshed killed eight elderly persons in the Mai Mahiu area in the shadow of Mount Longonot volcano. The fighting between youths wielding machetes, bows and arrows and spears was over access to water in the area, traditionally roamed by the Maasai, but settled since the 1970s by small-scale farmers from the Kikuyu tribe. The Maasais said the invasion was revenge for the killing by Kikuyu farmers of 50 Maasai-owned goats at a water point.
— Reuters |
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Teenagers may be asked to pledge
loyalty to Queen
TEENAGERS will be asked to swear their loyalty to Queen and country on their 18th birthday, under plans being drawn up by Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary.
Ministers believe the initiative could encourage youngsters to vote, involve them in their local communities and help them identify with Britain. The scheme followed the recent launch of citizenship ceremonies in which recent immigrants of all ages sung the national anthem and pledged their allegiance to their new home. The 18th-birthday events could be modelled on “affirmation ceremonies” held in Australia and some parts of the USA. Australian teenagers swear a pledge of loyalty to their nation, promising to respect its rights and freedoms and to obey its laws. Mr Clarke said a British equivalent was being considered as part of a drive to tackle race inequality and build bridges between different ethnic groups. Youngsters from different backgrounds would be encouraged to learn and socialise together, while Whitehall was setting tough new targets to guarantee all communities had equal access to public services. Schools will also issue a pocket-size guide of the British political and legal system in an attempt to give young people a “sense of common belonging”. Fiona Mactaggart, the Race Equality Minister, said citizenship ceremonies introduced past February had been a great success and there was a case for introducing them for the UK citizens reaching the “rite of passage” to adulthood. So far 34,500 new Britons have taken part in the ceremonies. She added “It might increase voting among young people, for example, it might increase their interest in contributing to society.” The Australian ceremonies are voluntary, but the Australian government says, they have become extremely popular, since they were introduced five years ago. They are usually organised by local councils and take place on holidays such as the Australia Day. The Home Office also said it would organise a “Citizenship Day” in October, when community organisations, schools, museums and other groups would stage events to mark what it meant to be British. In other moves, teachers of religious education will be asked to lay emphasis on understanding the range of faiths in Britain and young people will also be urged to take part in youth volunteering. — By arrangement with
The Independent |
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Kiev, January 23
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