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Big five fail to agree on action against Iran
Milosevic found dead in cell
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EVEN as senior officials in US President George W. Bush’s administration tout India’s non-proliferation record as justification for a civilian nuclear deal with New Delhi, a former United Nations weapons inspector claims India circumvents other countries’ export controls and leaks sensitive technology in procuring materials for its nuclear programs.
Little Buddha disappears
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Big five fail to agree on action against Iran
United Nations, March 11 The second round of talks among the US, Britain, Russia, France and China came in the shadow of statements by top American officials, including its UN Ambassador John Bolton, indicating that Washington might look outside the world body if the council failed to take a firm action against Teheran. " This is a test for the council. And if the Iranians do not back off from their continued aggressive pursuit of nuclear weapons, we will have to make a decision what the next step will be,"Mr Bolton told reporters when asked how the US would react if the council failed to take a strong stand as demanded by it. "We will think of other option," to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, he said. The US, Britain and France want the council to issue a tough statement which would give Iran limited time to prove that its has abandoned the uranium enrichment plans, diplomats participating in the discussion said. But Russia and China would like a mild statement as they fear that the tough stand could aversely affect the talks with Iran to resolve the issue. Diplomats expect the council to issue a statement sometime next week. After the five agree on a statement, they would consult remaining 10 non-permanent members but officials say that would only be a formality. They expect consultations among the capitals over the weekend could help finalise the statement early next week. Iran threatens to use oil as weapon
Iranon Saturday made a thinly veiled threat to use oil as a weapon if the UN Security Council imposed sanctions to force it to resolve questions about its nuclear programme. "If (they) politicise our nuclear case, we will use any
means. We are rich in energy resources. We have control over the biggest and the most sensitive energy route of the
world, "Interior Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi was quoted as saying by the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported. Iran insists its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes
only, but the United States claims that it has been working to build a bomb for more than a
decade. Britain and France are also skeptical of the Iranians, and the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog, says it has serious questions about Iran's programme. Iran is a major oil and natural gas producer and has partial control over the narrow Straits of Hormuz at the mouth of the Gulf. The straits are vital for the export of crude from the oil-rich Gulf region, with key producers like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq heavily dependent on the waterway. —AP |
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Amsterdam, March 11 Milosevic, 64, was found dead in his bed at a UN prison near The Hague, the tribunal said in a statement. He appeared to have died of natural causes, a tribunal press officer said. A full autopsy and toxicological examination have been ordered. “The guard immediately alerted the detention unit officer in command and the medical officer. The latter confirmed that Slobodan Milosevic was dead,” the statement said. Milosevic had been on trial since February 2002, defending himself against 66 counts of crimes, including genocide, in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo — proceedings repeatedly interrupted by Milosevic’s poor health and chronic heart condition. The trial was recessed last week until Tuesday to await his next defence witness. Milosevic was also waiting for a court decision on his request to subpoena former US President Bill Clinton as a witness. His death comes less than a week after the star witness in his trial, former Croatian Serb leader Milan Babic, was found dead in the same prison. His testimony in 2002 described a political and military command structure headed by Milosevic in Belgrade that operated behind the scenes. Babic, who was serving a 13-year prison sentence, committed suicide. Brother blames court
Moscow: Slobodan Milosevic’s brother Borislav said the international war crimes court trying him in The Hague bore “full responsibility” for the former Yugoslav president’s death, Interfax news agency
reported. “The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia bears full responsibility for this,” he was quoted as saying. The court earlier this year had refused permission for Milosevic to go for treatment for heart problems and high blood pressure in Moscow, drawing condemnation a former Yugoslav Ambassador to Russia.
— AFP/AP |
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Discussions on in US over nuke deal
EVEN as
senior officials in US President George W. Bush’s administration tout India’s non-proliferation record as justification for a civilian nuclear deal with New Delhi, a former United
Nations weapons inspector claims India circumvents other countries’ export controls and leaks
sensitive technology in procuring materials for its nuclear programs.
Indian officials dismissed as baseless the charges laid out in a report by David Albright, now at the Institute for Science and International Security. The Washington-based group alleges Indian procurement methods for its nuclear programme leak sensitive nuclear technology. The nuclear deal has led battle lines to be drawn between the nonproliferation ayatollahs and those who feel civilian nuclear cooperation with India will benefit the US. Britain, France, Russia and Mohamed ElBaradei, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency have all backed the deal. On Friday, a group of former US officials and prominent South Asia specialists lent their support to the deal in an open letter to Congress. The group cautioned that failure to support the deal would be a “body blow” to the US-India relationship. The group, headed by Selig Harrison, of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, includes former US Defence Secretary William Cohen, former US Ambassadors William Clark and Frank Wisner, former assistant secretary of state for South Asian affairs Karl Inderfurth, Stephen Cohen of the Brookings Institution and Teresita Schaffer of the Center for Strategic and International Studies among others. Contrary to congressional testimony of some critics of the deal, “The NPT does not bar the United States and other signatory nations from providing civilian nuclear technology under safeguards to non-signatories such as India,” the group says in its letter to Congress. In a speech to the US Chamber of Commerce on Friday, Undersecretary of State R. Nicholas Burns admitted there would be “business opportunities” for US companies, adding, “This is a deal Congress should embrace.” US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has submitted some “ideas” to members of Congress on legislation to amend US laws and allow civil nuclear cooperation with India. The Bush administration has suggested an India-specific waiver of amendments to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954. |
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Kathmandu, March 11 The 16-year-old boy, who is known as little Buddha due to his Buddha style meditation, was meditating in the forest of Ratanpuri village in Bara district without any food and water since May last year, disappeared at around 0300 hrs local time, a local radio network reported. “It is unclear whether he had left his meditation or was abducted by someone,” it said, adding police have been pressed into service to search for him. “He may have left his meditation site due to disturbance caused by a large number of people who gather to see him everyday,” a local resident said adding he may have shifted to a new place. Meanwhile, another local radio network said he was found near the same place where he used to meditate. — UNI
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