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Sonia arrives in Moscow on four-day visit
Moscow, June 13
A red carpet welcome was accorded to UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi as she arrived here today on a four-day visit to Russia as President Vladimir Putin’s personal guest.
Congress President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi is received by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov and Deputy Railway Minister Vladimir Yakunin on her arrival at the VVIP Vnukovo-2 airport in Moscow on Monday
Congress President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi is received by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov and Deputy Railway Minister Vladimir Yakunin on her arrival at the VVIP Vnukovo-2 airport in Moscow on Monday — PTI photo

Iran pipeline cannot be abandoned, Pak tells USA
Washington, June 13
Pakistan is believed to have informed the USA that it cannot abandon the Iranian gas pipeline project despite a strong US opposition to the scheme, diplomatic sources told Dawn.

Iran’s nod to LNG deal with India
Teheran, June 13
Iran today agreed to give Indian oil firms a block in the North Pars gas field in the Persian Gulf for production of Liquified Natured Gas (LNG) and its export to India and other countries.




EARLIER STORIES

 
American super star Tom Cruise holds actress Dakota Fanning as they pose for photographers in Tokyo on Monday. Both of them are in Tokyo for the world premier of Steven Spielberg's latest film ‘‘War of the World’’
American super star Tom Cruise holds actress Dakota Fanning as they pose for photographers in Tokyo on Monday. Both of them are in Tokyo for the world premier of Steven Spielberg's latest film ‘‘War of the World’’ — AP\PTI

Talks with expert on Baglihar fruitful: Pak
Islamabad, June 13
Pakistan today described the first-ever meeting held in Paris under the auspices of the World Bank-appointed neutral expert on the Baglihar issue as ‘’extremely fruitful”.

Hurriyat: Pakistan has no solution
Islamabad, June 13
With Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf talking of various options to resolve the Kashmir issue, the moderate Hurriyat faction has said the country does not have a solution to offer on the vexed problem.

Britain unveils plans for dawn-to-dusk schools
London, June 13
Education Secretary Ruth Kelly today unveiled plans for “dawn-to-dusk” schools that will stay open beyond normal classroom hours to offer extra options for child care.

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Sonia arrives in Moscow on four-day visit
Vinay Shukla

Moscow, June 13
A red carpet welcome was accorded to UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi as she arrived here today on a four-day visit to Russia as President Vladimir Putin’s personal guest.

On a rainy Moscow morning, Mrs Gandhi was given a red carpet welcome by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov and Deputy Railway Minister Vladimir Yakunin and other senior officials at the VVIP Vnukovo-2 airport.

She is accompanied by External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh.

Talks with President Vladimir Putin in his hometown St Petersburg on Wednesday will be the political centrepiece of her visit - the first foreign tour to a UN Security Council’s P-5 nation after becoming the UPA Chairperson.

“This visit is an exceptional gesture of friendship made by the Russian President taking into account the high degree of importance attached by both sides to India-Russia relationship,” Indian Ambassador Kanwal Sibal told reporters.

Today she is scheduled to visit the ancient Russian city of Vladimir (The Master of the World) near Moscow.

In Moscow, besides meeting with Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov, an old India hand, Mrs Gandhi is also scheduled to address a function tomorrow organised in her honour by the ‘Centre of National Glory of Russia’, a civic body which has top Kremlin officials, including Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov and daughter of the world’s first cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, Yelena Gagarina on its trustee council.

In recent weeks, there has been an unprecedented number of high-level visits between the government, state and party leadership to sustain and advance a political dialogue between New Delhi and Moscow.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had toured Moscow to attend Victory Day celebrations in the beginning of May, followed by President A P J Abdul Kalam, who paid his first state visit to Russia on May 22-25.

In the beginning of this month, External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh visited Russia’s far-eastern port city of Vladivostok for bilateral talks with his Russian colleague Sergei Lavrov and to attend a India-Russia-China trilateral meeting. — PTI

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Iran pipeline cannot be abandoned, Pak tells USA
Anwar Iqbal
By arrangement with The Dawn

Washington, June 13
Pakistan is believed to have informed the USA that it cannot abandon the Iranian gas pipeline project despite a strong US opposition to the scheme, diplomatic sources told Dawn. The project was discussed in detail at a meeting between Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Washington on Friday.

Ms Rice, who has publicly opposed the project, reiterated Washington’s position that the proposed pipeline, which will be bringing Iranian gas to India through Pakistan, is against US laws.

The US Iran and Libya Sanctions Act of 1996, known as ILSA, forbids more than $ 20 million of investment in Iranian oil and gas projects. The violator can be deprived of US economic assistance and may also face sanctions.

During the meeting Ms Rice is believed to have argued that even if the US administration gave up its opposition to the pipeline, there were powerful groups in Congress, media and academia that would continue to oppose the project and it will ultimately adversely affect Washington’s relations with Islamabad.

Pakistan’s response, conveyed by Mr Kasuri, covered both the economic and political aspects of the proposed deal. Pakistan argued that it would earn up to $ 600 million a year from the pipeline, which is close to about $ 700 million a year Islamabad receives from Washington.

The pipeline will also allow Pakistan to import about $ 1 billion of gas every year from Iran. As Indian Oil Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar pointed out during his recent visit to Islamabad, Pakistan will have to import gas by 2010 to meet its domestic and industrial requirements.

Pakistan already consumes more per capita energy than India and has a high domestic consumption. In Pakistan, domestic users consume more energy than both industrial and agriculture users who are second and third on the list.

In India, agriculture has the highest consumption of energy, followed by industrial and domestic users.

The pipeline will also create a major industrial infrastructure in Pakistan, generating new jobs.

Pakistan also pointed out that the Iranian pipeline to India will have a major political impact on South Asia and will add a huge economic incentive to the ongoing peace process between India and Pakistan.

Both are major reasons for Islamabad to opt for the Iranian project, the Pakistanis argued.

Responding to Pakistan’s concerns, Ms Rice is believed to have urged the Pakistani delegation to look at other options as well, such as bringing a pipeline from Qatar or the Central Asian republic of Turkmenistan.

Pakistan said that bringing gas from Qatar would double the cost while gas reserves in Turkmenistan are still unproven. Political instability in Afghanistan is another cause for concern that will need to be sorted out before a pipeline is routed through that country.

Despite this frank and bold response, there are concerns in the Pakistani camp that annoying America over the project could have serious economic and political consequences for the country.

Pakistan is a major recipient of US economic assistance. Recently, Washington has also resumed military assistance to Islamabad and in March agreed to sell the much-needed F-16 fighter jets to the Pakistan Air Force.

India, the major partner and the beneficiary of the gas pipeline, receives only $ 25 million of annual humanitarian assistance from the USA and still buys its weapons from Russian and European sources.

Wary of the obvious consequences of annoying America, Pakistan is trying to convince the Americans that it will not be violating any US law by agreeing to build the Iranian gas pipeline. Pakistanis say that they will not make any investment in Iran’s oil infrastructure, which ILSA forbids. The Iranian side of the project will be financed entirely by Iran and a group of multi-national investors Iran will be required to put together.

Pakistan’s investment into the project will start only after the pipeline reaches the Pakistani territory.

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Iran’s nod to LNG deal with India
Ammar Zaidi

Teheran, June 13
Iran today agreed to give Indian oil firms a block in the North Pars gas field in the Persian Gulf for production of Liquified Natured Gas (LNG) and its export to India and other countries.

State-run Indian Oil Corporation and Iran’s Petropars had earlier proposed to develop one of the 20 blocks in the gigantic South Pars gas field.

Separately, the ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL), the overseas arm of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation had also evinced interest in taking over one of the blocks of the field for gas production, conversion into LNG and its export.

Iran, however, today clubbed OVL and IOC’s proposal and offered to give a block in the neighbouring North Pars gas field, which till now has not been explored.

“The North Pars field can produce 3.6 billion cubic feet of gas per day. One of the blocks in the field will be given to Indian oil firms,” Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said.

The minister said contracts for almost all the phases of the gas field had been finalised and a block from North Pars field would be given to Indian firms. — PTI

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Talks with expert on Baglihar fruitful: Pak

Islamabad, June 13
Pakistan today described the first-ever meeting held in Paris under the auspices of the World Bank-appointed neutral expert on the Baglihar issue as ‘’extremely fruitful”.

“Pakistani and Indian officials made a detailed representation on the technical aspects on June 9 and 10, and discussed the modalities and the schedule for future engagements to resolve the dispute,’’ Foreign Ministry spokesman Jalil Abbas Jilani told a press briefing here this afternoon.

Under the agreed modalities and schedule for the meeting, India will provide complete and up-to-date information on the project by a certain date, while Pakistan, on the basis of data, will substantiate its objections it had made on its design. India will then respond to Pakistan’s objections. — UNI

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Hurriyat: Pakistan has no solution

Islamabad, June 13
With Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf talking of various options to resolve the Kashmir issue, the moderate Hurriyat faction has said the country does not have a solution to offer on the vexed problem.

Playing down the optimisn generated by the visit of Kashmiri separatist leaders, Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said they had a “very honest discussion” with General Musharraf and their understanding was that “Pakistan doesn’t have a solution to offer to Kashmiri people.”

Without naming General Musharraf, he referred to the various options being suggested to resolve the issue and said “I do not think we have reached that stage.”

Addressing a symposium on Kashmir here yesterday, organised by the Dawn group of newspapers, he said “there is no ready-made solution” to the Kashmir problem and the best mode of moving forward could be tripartite talks with India, Pakistan and the Kashmiri leadership sitting on the same table.

However, he said, since India would not agree to this, the alternative for the moment could be a triangular dialogue with Kashmiris talking to both Pakistan and India separately and Pakistan and India talking between themselves.

The Hurriyat chief said they were still exploring the mode of their participation in the peace process already going on between Pakistan and India, and they would be going to New Delhi for talks with the Indian leadership after the present visit. — PTI

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Britain unveils plans for dawn-to-dusk schools

London, June 13
Education Secretary Ruth Kelly today unveiled plans for “dawn-to-dusk” schools that will stay open beyond normal classroom hours to offer extra options for child care.

The government plans to spend £ 680 million over two years on the scheme.

“Schools are at the heart of our communities and it makes sense to extend the services they offer beyond the traditional school day,” Ms Kelly said at a London primary school.

“By 2010, all children under 14 who want to, could have access to breakfast and after-school clubs offering exciting activities from 8 am to 6 pm,” she said.

Teachers will not be required to provide or supervise the extra activities, which will be run by voluntary groups and outside suppliers.

Of the £ 680 million, 430 million will be distributed to schools via local authorities and 250 million will go directly to schools.

The government envisages “high quality wraparound childcare” with activities ranging from homework clubs to dance and drama classes. The aim is to provide year-long services.

The National Union of Teachers (NUT), which represents the bulk of Britain’s teachers, questioned how viable the plans would be.

“For many schools, their ability to offer such activities will be constrained by the physical limits of their premises and lack of appropriate resources,” NUT general secretary Steve Sinnott said in a statement. — Reuters

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