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Suicide attacks kill 57 in Amman
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Suicide bombers kill 33 in Iraq
Dhaka on alert as violence feared
Pak rakes up Kashmir issue at UN
Natwar’s removal in tune with
pro-US policy: US think tank
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Suicide attacks kill 57 in Amman
Amman, November 10 The late evening attacks yesterday on one of the closest US allies in the Middle East targeted the luxury Radisson SAS, Grand Hyatt and Days Inn hotels, usually packed with foreigners. In the deadliest blast, a suicide bomber blew himself up in a hotel ballroom during a wedding reception at the Radisson SAS causing the largest number of casualties, Deputy Prime Minister Marwan Moasher told AFP. A suicide bomber also detonated his charge at the entrance of the Grand Hyatt while a suicide car bomber was carried out the attack on the three-star Days Inn in the Rabiyeh neighborhood where the Israeli Embassy is located. “The attacks were carried out either by individuals wearing explosives on their belts or in one instance by a car that attempted to cross through the security barrier,” said Mr Moasher. Mr Moasher, who announced the toll of 57 dead, said the majority of victims were Jordanians. The Grand Hyatt and the Radisson SAS lie about 1 kilometer from each other and are located in an upmarket of the city, until now seen as one of the most stable and safest capitals in the Arab world. Jordan’s King Abdullah II said the deadly blasts were “terrorist acts” and pledged that “justice will pursue the criminals.” “The terrorist attacks that targeted three hotels in Amman are criminal acts carried out by terrorist groups,” the king, who is visiting Kazakhstan, said in a statement released by the royal court. “Jordan remains determined to pursue its fight against the criminals who wanted by their acts to target innocent civilians... and will remain a safe country,” the king said. UN chief Kofi Annan, currently visiting Saudi Arabia, postponed a trip he had been due to make to Jordan today after deadly bomb blasts, his spokesman said. The White House condemned the strikes as a “a heinous act of terror” against innocent civilians. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the attacks were a “great tragedy.” The fire brigade and ambulances rushed to the scene to ferry away the wounded. Television showed that parts of the hotels had been wrecked, with debris covering the luxury marble flooring. The first blast hit the five-star Radisson SAS at 9:02 pm (0032 IST) in the western part of the capital and could be heard for kilometres around. It was immediately followed by a second blast at the Grand Hyatt. Prime Minister Adnan Badran also rushed to the Grand Hyatt, an AFP correspondent at the scene said. He also ordered all schools and public offices to close on Thursday. Mr Moasher said all Jordan’s land borders had been closed. Police threw barricades around the neighbourhood home to several five star hotels. They also surrounded embassies and hotels in the city.
— AFP |
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Suicide bombers kill 33 in Iraq
Baghdad, November 10 The blast echoed through central Baghdad at about 9.45 a.m. local time. Police Maj Abdel-Hussein Minsef said two bombers entered the restaurant and detonated bombs strapped to their bodies, leaving seven police officers and 26 civilians dead and 19 others injured.
— AP |
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Dhaka on alert as violence feared
Dhaka, November 10 Top security personnel received information that the terrorists, travelling in a yellow car from Comilla district, near here, were heading towards Dhaka. The security forces were placed on high alert. All entry and exit points to the city were sealed. House-to-house searches were also conducted in some areas. Highly placed sources in the security agencies said the terrorists could belong to any of the banned fundamentalist groups. However, the needle of suspicion was on the Jamiat Mujahideen Bangladeshi (BMJ), which was allegedly involved in serial bomb blasts in Dhaka in August. The security forces are coordinating with their Indian counterparts as well as those from other SAARC countries in providing foolproof security to South Asian leaders, who start arriving here tomorrow morning. —
Amman |
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Pak to support Kabul’s SAARC bid
Karachi, November 10 This was stated by Foreign Minister Khurshid M. Kasuri at a news conference here on Wednesday. He said that in his capacity as chairman of the SAARC Council of Ministers he would propose admitting Afghanistan as a full member of the organisation. Mr Kasuri said he had received a letter from Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah with the request that his country be admitted to SAARC. “Pakistan and Afghanistan share bonds of history, culture, traditions, values as well as common perceptions of peace, stability and harmony in our region. We strongly support Afghanistan’s admission in the SAARC fold,” said Mr Kasuri. In the context of improved relations, Mr Kasuri pointed out that there had been a 40-time increase in trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan in three years, from $ 30 million to $ 1.2 billion. Certain other countries were also interested in being associated with SAARC either as observers or dialogue partners. They include China and Japan, which were already linked with the organisation by virtue of the SAARC-Japan fund. Modalities had to be worked out for including them in the SAARC fold, he said. He claimed that SAARC’s profile had enhanced internationally and the decision taken at the 12th SAARC summit in Islamabad had opened new avenues and chartered new horizons for promoting peace and prosperity of the people of South Asia. Mr Kasuri said that since the signing of Safta, a committee of experts had met 11 times. This was in addition to the four meetings of the Commerce Ministers of the member states. He hoped that the few outstanding issues in the implementation of Safta would be agreed upon in Dhaka and it would become operational by January. Mr Kasuri said he was going to Dhaka with an open mind and a positive attitude and would try to meet the important target. The SAARC council of ministers would also be discussing matters relating to regional cooperation in new areas, including energy, environment and tourism. It would also review progress of implementation of SAARC Social Charter and evolving a Vision for the Third Decade of SAARC. The 13th summit will also discuss regional projects and financing mechanisms. SAARC, he said, was moving towards regional project cooperation. A shift towards project cooperation would be beneficial for the region. “We believe that a project where two or more countries could benefit should be considered a SAARC activity,” said Mr Kasuri, adding that there would be further discussions on the matter. Pakistan, he said, had proposed the setting up of a SAARC poverty alleviation fund with a capital of $ 340 million. Contribution from the member states could be calculated according to their share in the GDP of South Asia. Pakistan is also setting up a national committee with representation from various ministries to implement the SAARC Social Charter signed at the 12th summit in Islamabad. |
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Pak rakes up Kashmir issue at UN
United Nations, November 10 “Having itself gained independence through the exercise of the right of self-determination, Pakistan has extended political, moral and diplomatic support to the exercise of this right by all other people recognised as being entitled to this right, including the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” its UN Ambassador Munir Akram said, addressing a UN committee. “The principle of equal rights of people and their right to self-determination has been applied and exercised in most parts of the modern world,” he said. “However, the free exercise of this right has been prevented, so far, in several other parts of the world, especially in Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine,” he claimed. Six decades, Mr Akram said, have elapsed since the Kashmiri people were promised the exercise of their right to self-determination by UN Security Council resolutions, which India considers outdated. The Security Council had pronounced that the future status of Jammu and Kashmir would be decided through democratic means of a free and impartial plebiscite conducted under the auspices of the United Nations, he added, demanding holding of plebiscite in the State.
— PTI |
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Natwar’s removal in tune with
pro-US policy: US think tank
The dismissal this week of Mr K. Natwar Singh from the post of Foreign Minister reveals the growing steps by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to align New Delhi with Washington, according to a report by a US intelligence firm.
Stratfor, a private Texas-based intelligence organisation, says that besides the allegations over his involvement in the United Nations oil-for-food programme, “another major sticking point cost the Foreign Minister his job: the Islamic Republic of Iran.” Maintaining New Delhi’s close ties with Tehran had been a priority for Natwar Singh, Stratfor analysts say. “Recognizing the strategic importance of sustaining economic and diplomatic ties with Iran, he was at odds with the Prime Minister over the Iranian nuclear debate, and promoted an agenda of resistance to US pressure to vote against Iran at a vote of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).” Feeling the heat from charges of profiting from the humanitarian oil-for-food programme, Mr Natwar Singh threatened India would reverse its stand on Iran’s nuclear programme at the next meeting of the IAEA. In a September 24 vote, India had supported US-led pressure on Iran to give up its nuclear programme winning praise from the Bush administration and members of the US Congress. Prior to that vote, members of the US Congress had been irked by remarks attributed to Mr Natwar Singh that India opposed recommending Iran to the United Nations Security Council for disciplinary action. At a heated House International Relations Committee hearing Congressman Tom Lantos, the seniormost Democrat on the panel, said, “Only an imbecile would believe that they (Iran) are developing a nuclear programme for peaceful purposes and it is an insult to the intelligence of Congress that they (the Indians) keep repeating this.” Mr Ronen Sen, India’s Ambassador in Washington, at the time said Mr Natwar Singh had denied making those remarks while on a visit to Tehran. The Manmohan Singh administration believes that for reasons of “geopolitical strategy, India should not take any major steps that would antagonize the USA at this juncture — especially with a major civilian US-Indian nuclear deal sitting before the US Congress,” Stratfor analysts say. Noting that a number of high-ranking officers in the Indian Army share this belief, the analysts add: “The timing of Mr Natwar Singh’s dismissal and a scheduled November 25 IAEA meeting on Iran’s nuclear activities conspicuously parallel US interests.” The controversy also comes at a time the US Congress debates a civilian nuclear cooperation deal with India and the changes in US law that will be required to make this a reality. Mr Nick Bryant of the British Broadcasting Corporation says congressional approval for the nuclear deal would have been made much more difficult if Mr Natwar Singh had remained in his job. “Mr Natwar Singh always claimed to have the confidence and support of Mrs Sonia Gandhi, India’s most powerful woman. One of his biggest problems was that he has long been treated with suspicion by (US Secretary of State) Condoleezza Rice and the administration she represents,” he writes on the BBC’s online site. Nobody is suggesting that Washington lobbied for Mr Natwar Singh’s removal, or even hinted at it, says Mr Bryant. “But it did not have to. Diplomacy works on a much subtler and, at times, unspoken level.” Mr Manmohan Singh’s decision to strip the Foreign Minister of his post runs the risk of alienating Left-wing parties, which constitute a sizeable portion of the Congress party’s ruling coalition. But while the left-wing parties will employ anti-US rhetoric to maintain legitimacy among their constituency, Congress can use economic incentives as a bargaining chip with CPI and CPM in advance of West Bengal elections in May, Stratfor analysts say. “In essence, India is performing its traditional balancing act in the world of foreign policy,” the analysts say. “The Singh Government may not wish to rock the boat with Washington, but it will take great care to ensure that any IAEA statements adopt a softened stance on Iran. Still, Mr Natwar Singh’s dismissal signals India’s intent to make relations with the USA as warm as naan bread straight out of a tandoori oven.” |
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