W O R L D

Neighbours ban poultry import from India
Islamabad, February 20
India’s neighbouring countries — Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka — and the Gulf countries have banned the import of poultry and poultry products from India in the wake of reports of outbreak of bird flu there.

Europe steps up battle against bird flu
Paris, February 20
Europe has accelerated its efforts to combat bird flu as Italy called for EU aid for affected fowl raisers, Germany ordered a limited cull of poultry and France grappled with its first case of the lethal H5N1 strain confirmed in a wild duck.

China for peaceful solution to Kashmir
Beijing, February 20
China today welcomed the easing of tensions between India and Pakistan and backed peace talks between the two countries for resolving all outstanding issues, including Kashmir. Indo-Pak peace process figured prominently in talks between visiting Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao, who lauded the General as an “old friend of the Chinese people.”

Pak seeks parity with India on N-concessions
Islamabad, February 20
With India and France signing a landmark document on nuclear energy cooperation, Pakistan today demanded parity saying it was also entitled for any "concessions and exception" offered to Delhi.

Nepali Congress party youth leader Shashank Koirala (centre ), uncle of Indian actress Manisha Koirala, addresses media representatives outside a courthouse in Kathmandu on Monday, following his release from custody together with four others by Kathmandu District Court. — AFP

Laden vows never to be captured alive
Cairo (Egypt), February 20
Osama bin Laden promised never to be captured alive and declared the US had resorted to the same “barbaric” tactics used by Saddam Hussein, according to an audiotape purportedly by the Al-Qaida leader that was posted today on a militant website.

Cartoon row: Pak Islamists plan protests
Islamabad, February 20
Pakistan's main Islamist alliance vowed today to hold more protests against cartoons of Prophet Mohammad as authorities freed its leader from a day in house arrest to prevent him leading a weekend rally.

Neighbours ban poultry import from India

Islamabad, February 20
India’s neighbouring countries — Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka — and the Gulf countries have banned the import of poultry and poultry products from India in the wake of reports of outbreak of bird flu there.

Pakistan’s Food and Agricultural Ministry official Rana Muhammad Akhlaq said their country had banned poultry imports from India, Iran and France.

Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam, however, said Pakistan had no plans to seal the borders and called for stepping up of international cooperation to prevent the spread of the virus.

In Nepal, Director General at the Department of Livestock Services (DLS) Dalaram Pradhan said all quarantine posts along the Indo-Nepal border had been activated. “We have decided to discontinue import of poultry products from India.”

The Nepalese Government has asked importers not to import live birds and poultry products.

The decision will remain in force till international institutions certify that the epidemic no more exists in India, he added.

Nepal has already banned the import of poultry products from Thailand, Germany and Indonesia. The country mainly imports chicken from Andhra Pradesh for commercial production.

Terming it a “pre-emptive” measure, Sri Lanka’s Health Ministry Epidemiology Unit Director Dr Nihal Abeysinghe said: “We advise public not to bring poultry products from India and we request people who have visited agricultural areas in India to report immediately to the authorities since the virus could spread from many ways other than the consumption of poultry.”

Gulf countries too have banned the import of poultry products from India.

Authorities today assured local consumers of poultry meat and eggs that steps had been taken to ensure adequate availability of products from other sources.

In the UAE, the demand is likely to be met from imports from Saudi Arabia and Oman. — PTI, UNI

Europe steps up battle against bird flu

Paris, February 20
Europe has accelerated its efforts to combat bird flu as Italy called for EU aid for affected fowl raisers, Germany ordered a limited cull of poultry and France grappled with its first case of the lethal H5N1 strain confirmed in a wild duck.

Veterinarians and soldiers fanned out across the continent yesterday to check dead birds, cordon off the affected areas and ensure that vehicles were not carrying fowl.

“This is a phenomenon that has now clearly taken a European dimension,” Didier Houssin, a top French Health Ministry official in charge of bird flu tests, said.

Germany’s Defence Ministry sent 40 soldiers specialised in countering biological and chemical weapons to the island to help disinfect vehicles, equipment and people leaving the affected area.

Italian authorities said yesterday that a wild duck found dead in central Italy and six more wild birds found in Sicily had tested positive for the highly virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu.

In Britain, Animal Health Minister Ben Bradshaw told British GMTV television that poultry keepers should remain ready to pull their birds indoors if an outbreak occurs. — AP

China for peaceful solution to Kashmir
Anil K. Joseph

Beijing, February 20
China today welcomed the easing of tensions between India and Pakistan and backed peace talks between the two countries for resolving all outstanding issues, including Kashmir.

Indo-Pak peace process figured prominently in talks between visiting Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao, who lauded the General as an “old friend of the Chinese people.”

During the talks, Hu called for a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir issue, diplomats said.

“China welcomes Pakistan and India to improve their relations through (dialogue) and to negotiate to settle all their outstanding issues, including Kashmir,” Chinese foreign office spokesman Qin Gang quoted the Chinese leader as saying.

General Musharraf, who is on a five-day visit to China, briefed Hu on the current situation in South Asia, especially the ongoing peace talks between Islamabad and New Delhi.

“We have an in-depth exchange of ideas on a number of issues and I am very interested in further pursing our discussions covering bilateral relations and questions of shared interests,” Hu said at the start of the formal talks.

Earlier, General Musharraf apologised to the Chinese leadership over the killing of three Chinese engineers last week in his country and pledged to punish the guilty. — PTI

Pak seeks parity with India on N-concessions

Islamabad, February 20
With India and France signing a landmark document on nuclear energy cooperation, Pakistan today demanded parity saying it was also entitled for any "concessions and exception" offered to Delhi.

"We have not seen the details of agreement. Our stand is that Pakistan and India have the same status. They are nuclear weapons states and not signatories to non-proliferation treaty (NPT).

"We do expect that any concessions and exception granted to India in the context of NSG (nuclear suppliers group) or any other multilateral arrangement will be applicable to Pakistan also," Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said.— PTI

Laden vows never to be captured alive

Cairo (Egypt), February 20
Osama bin Laden promised never to be captured alive and declared the US had resorted to the same “barbaric” tactics used by Saddam Hussein, according to an audiotape purportedly by the Al-Qaida leader that was posted today on a militant website.

The tape appeared to be a complete version of one that was first broadcast January 19 on Al-Jazeera, the pan-Arab satellite channel, in which Bin Laden offered the United States a long-term truce but also said his Al-Qaida terror network would soon launch a fresh attack on American soil.

“I have sworn to only live free. Even if I find bitter the taste of death, I don’t want to die humiliated or deceived,” Bin Laden said, in the 11-minute-26-second tape.

In drawing the comparison to American military behaviour in Iraq to that of Saddam, the speaker said:

“The jihad is continuing with strength... despite all barbarity, the repressive steps taken by the American Army and its agents, to the extent that there is no longer any mentionable difference between this criminality and the criminality of Saddam.” — AP

Cartoon row: Pak Islamists plan protests

Islamabad, February 20
Pakistan's main Islamist alliance vowed today to hold more protests against cartoons of Prophet Mohammad as authorities freed its leader from a day in house arrest to prevent him leading a weekend rally.

The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) alliance said most of the 3,463 opposition supporters detained at the weekend were still being held, but its president, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, was allowed to leave the eastern city of Lahore today morning.

Ahmed later arrived in Islamabad to chair a meeting of the six-party alliance, MMA spokesman Shahid Shamsi said. He said ''some children'' among the detained had been freed, but most, including some Members of Parliament, were still being held.

Shamsi said the MMA planned a countrywide protest on Friday, another in Lahore on Sunday, and a nationwide general strike on March 3. Another protest would be held on March 5 in Karachi, the country's commercial capital, he said. — Reuters