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No parallel between N. Korean and Indian nuclear ambitions: US
US not examining A Q Khan’s role
No proof of new test: US
Japan bans N. Korean imports
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Musharraf ‘panicked’ after Kargil conflict broke out
Israel company denies corruption in
Barak deal
Terrorism: Pak ready to cooperate with India
Czech govt resigns
35 Lankan troops killed
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No parallel between N. Korean and Indian nuclear ambitions: US
Washington, October 11 While differentiating North Korea's atomic programme from that of India and Pakistan, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack lauded New Delhi's nuclear track record. In an apparent reference to concerns that North Korea's nuclear tests could impact the Indo-US civil nuclear deal, he said the accord was not only good for the two countries but also for the non-proliferation regime. "I think that the characteristics of...this particular North Korean regime and the particular historical facts among those three different cases are quite different," he said, replying to a query whether North Korea could not look at the examples of India and Pakistan, wait out sanctions and hope to be accepted as a nuclear power. "... looking at the nature of each of those three governments in those countries— North Korea, India and Pakistan— I think they are all quite different. In terms of India you have the world's largest multi-ethnic democracy. "India has been a responsible actor in that regard. We have certainly made that judgment," McCormack said about India's non-proliferation record. "In terms of Pakistan, you have a country that has made the strategic decision to ally itself with those who are promoting freedom and democracy around the world," he said. McCormack refused to speculate on the thinking of the North Korean leadership, saying, "I can't tell you what their calculus is. It's relatively opaque." "And in terms of their particular programs, each has different historical pathways and I would note that North Korea was in fact a treaty signatory to the non-proliferation regime and it broke its commitments under the Non-Proliferation Treaty and I don't believe, certainly not, India was a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty." He also argued that if North Korea were a democracy, it would not have been fine to go ahead with the nuclear
test. — PTI
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US not examining A Q Khan’s role
Washington, October 11 “I don't know who’s talked to him (A Q Khan) lately. But he’s out of business, and that’s a good thing for nonproliferation efforts around the world,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said, replying to a question on whether Khan, “mentor” of North Korea, had been interviewed by both the United Nations and the IAEA because he would know “where all the pieces” lay. In the meantime, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the US was still trying to figure out what really happened in North Korea. “... we’re still trying to evaluate what really happened here. And I think it will take a little while to evaluate it.
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No proof of new test: US
Washington, October 11 “ We have detected no evidence of additional North Korean testing,” said White House spokesman Blair Jones. Lieutenant Colonel Brian Maka, a Pentagon spokesman, also said : “We have no credible evidence” of a second test and no seismic activity has been
detected.” — AFP
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Japan bans N. Korean imports
Tokyo, October 11 North Korean nationals are also banned from entering Japan, with limited exceptions, the Cabinet Office said in a statement released after an emergency security meeting late today. “Japan is in gravest danger, if we consider that North Korea has advanced both its missile and nuclear capabilities,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters following the meeting. “We cannot tolerate North Korea’s actions if we are to protect Japanese lives and property,” he said. “These measures were taken to protect the peace.”
— AP
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Musharraf ‘panicked’ after Kargil conflict broke out
Islamabad, October 11 PML-N, which released part-1 of the factsheet on Kargil, questioned the version of Musharraf in his book ‘In the Line of Fire’, in which, he claims that he had informed Sharif about the operation. Giving out his party’s version to the media, PML-N secretary Ahsan Iqbal said yesterday that according to Musharraf’s version, the first briefing on Kargil was given to Sharif in May 1999 by the then Director General of Military Operations (DGMO). The chronology of events that led to Kargil conflict, however, started much earlier. “It was amply clear that when the war had broken out between armies of the two nuclear states, only then Gen. Musharraf panicked and decided to brief the Prime Minister for soliciting his support” he was quoted as saying by ‘The Nation’ daily today. Iqbal said this briefing on May 17 was not complete either as it became evident later from the recorded conversation between Musharraf and then DGMO Gen. Aziz, which came to light in the first week of June. It was only then that the Prime Minister came to know that “our troops” were involved in the Kargil conflict, he said. Musharraf had spoken to Aziz on the phone during his visit to Beijing about the status of their plans over Kargil. The conversation was later released by India, much to Musharraf’s embarrassment. — PTI
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Israel company denies corruption in
Barak deal
Jerusalem, October 11 “It never happened, and we’ll cooperate as much as possible,” a senior Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) official was quoted as saying by the business daily Globes. India’s Central Bureau of Investigation yesterday said it had registered an FIR against former Defence Minister George Fernandes, former Navy Chief Admiral Sushil Kumar and others regarding corruption in the deal to sell seven Barak anti-missile systems in 2000. The Barak system is made by state-run IAI. The report in Globes said Israel’s Ministry of Defence Director General Maj-Gen Gabi Ashkenazi obtained a full report on the investigation in India. “This is an internal investigation in India, and I don’t think IAI will have a problem,” a senior defence official was quoted as saying. “Israel’s defence establishment stresses that there is no evidence or allegations against IAI, and that the suspicions are being levelled against former senior Indian defence officials,” the report said.
— PTI
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Terrorism: Pak ready to cooperate with India
Islamabad, October 11 Reacting to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statement that India will provide “credible evidence” to Pakistan regarding the July 11 Mumbai blasts, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said “first of all, India will have to tell us what type of cooperation they want from us and on what basis. “...we cooperate with international community. This cooperation and help is based upon some information or evidence.’’ She said no proof or evidence of any type was provided to Pakistan, neither in this case nor in earlier ones. India has been accusing Pakistan of involvement in many terrorist acts. Pakistan time and again has asked for proof but India failed to do so, she told state-run PTV today. Responding to a question, she said it is for the first time that Indian leadership has acknowledged that Pakistan itself was a victim of terrorism and ‘’we should cooperate against a common enemy. We too can get Indian cooperation if any terrorist act takes place in Pakistan,” she said.
— PTI
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Prague, October 11 Klaus asked Topolanek and his ministers to remain in their posts until a new government is formed. The resignation of Topolanek’s minority centre-right government had been widely expected after he announced last week that his Cabinet would step down. The government narrowly lost a parliamentary confidence vote on October 3 by 99 votes to 96, When Socialists and Communists united against Topolanek’s Civic Democratic Party and its partners, the Greens and Christian Democrats. “We resigned today, because the government did not win confidence of Parliament,” Topolanek said after a Cabinet session which approved the move. — AP
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Colombo, October 11 The fighting lasted about five hours and the government troops stalled the advance into the rebel-held part of the peninsula because the level of resistance was greater than they anticipated, the Defence Ministry said. “Troops are consolidating their positions after fierce gun battles that lasted for over five hours. Intermittent fighting however still rages on,” it said. “Ground troops confirmed that a large number of terrorist dead bodies were also found scattered around their forward defence lines,” the ministry said. There was no word from the Tigers about their casualties. — PTI |
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