W O R L D

Iraq on brink of disintegration: ICG
New York, December 20
Iraq is on the brink of "complete disintegration" into a failed state, threatening to drag down much of the region with it, a think tank said today. "More troops in or out are not going to solve this.

N-deal ‘undermines’ treaty
Beijing, December 20
Chinese experts today expressed concern over the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, which they said undermined the Non-Proliferation Treaty and hampered global efforts to persuade Iran and North Korea from going nuclear.

Bangladesh ex-PM says polls must be on schedule. (56k)

Bush may be asked to clarify assurance to India
Soon after signing into law a Bill that permits civilian nuclear trade between the US and India, President George W. Bush issued a statement that sought to reassure Indians about non-binding language in the new Act.

Sunita bids adieu to Discovery crew
Houston, December 20
Indian American astronaut Sunita Williams bade an emotional adieu to the seven-member Space shuttle discovery astronauts who left the orbiting laboratory to begin the two-day journey back to earth.

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Iraq on brink of disintegration: ICG

New York, December 20
Iraq is on the brink of "complete disintegration" into a failed state, threatening to drag down much of the region with it, a think tank said today.

"More troops in or out are not going to solve this.

What is needed above all is a new multinational effort to achieve a new political compact between all relevant Iraqi players," the International Crisis Group (ICG) said, advising Washington to distance itself from the Nuri al-Maliki's government which, it said, had failed to deliver.

Instead, ICG calls for a new U.S. regional strategy, including engagement with Syria and Iran, end of efforts at regime change, revitalisation of the Arab-Israeli peace process and altered strategic goals.

Mere engagement of Iraq's neighbours will not do; Washington must clearly redefine its objectives in the region to enlist regional, and particularly Iranian and Syrian help.

The goal is not to bargain with them, but to seek compromise agreement on an end-state for Iraq and the region that is no one's first choice, but with which all can live," it adds.

All Iraqi actors who, one way or another, are involved in the country's internecine violence, it says, must be brought to the negotiating table and pressed to accept the necessary compromises. That cannot be done without a concerted effort by all Iraq's neighbours, which in turn cannot be done if their interests are not reflected in the final outcome.

The ICG advocates a conference of all Iraqi and international stakeholders to forge a new, more equitable and inclusive political compact.

"This is not a military challenge in which one side needs to be strengthened and another defeated. It is a political challenge in which new consensual understandings need to be reached," it says.

A new national compact needs to be agreed upon by all relevant actors, including militias and insurgent groups, on issues such as federalism, resource allocation, de-Baathification, the scope of the amnesty and the timetable for a U.S. withdrawal.

"This can only be done if the International Support Group brings all of them to the negotiating table, and if its members steer their deliberations, deploying a mixture of carrots and sticks to influence those on whom they have particular leverage," it adds.

There is abundant reason to question whether the Bush administration is capable of such a dramatic course change.

But there is no reason to question why it ought to change direction, and what will happen if it does not," says Robert Malley, Crisis Group's Middle East and North Africa Programme Director. — PTI

N-deal ‘undermines’ treaty

Beijing, December 20
Chinese experts today expressed concern over the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, which they said undermined the Non-Proliferation Treaty and hampered global efforts to persuade Iran and North Korea from going nuclear.

"I don't think the Chinese government will be opposed to nuclear cooperation between India and the United States for peaceful purposes, but the concerns of the Chinese side should be addressed," Deputy Director of the Institute of Asia Pacific Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a government think-tank, Professor Sun Shihai told PTI here.

Sun said Chinese experts were concerned about the Indo-US nuclear deal as Washington may "use" India to "counterbalance" China's rise.

"However, I am confident that the Indian government will not succumb to US attempts to use India against China, which is against India's national interest," Sun, a leading Chinese expert on South Asian affairs, said.

Other Chinese experts were more critical of the deal, saying the agreement undermines the Nuclear NPT.

The reaction of the Chinese experts have came as US President George W Bush signed the landmark legislation law on Monday allowing the sale of civilian nuclear technology and fuel to India.

Interestingly, commenting for the first time publicly on the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang yesterday said nuclear co-operation for civilian use "should be conducive to safeguarding the principles and effectiveness of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime."

"The NPT stipulates that only countries that renounce nuclear weapons qualify for civilian nuclear assistance," the Chinese experts were quoted as saying in the state-run 'China Daily', the first state-run media o come out against the just-inked deal.

The article noted that Bush called the bill the foundation for a new strategic partnership with India and said the two countries' relationship had never been more vital. — PTI

Bush may be asked to clarify assurance to India
Ashish Kumar Sen writes from Washington

Soon after signing into law a Bill that permits civilian nuclear trade between the US and India, President George W. Bush issued a statement that sought to reassure Indians about non-binding language in the new Act.

The President’s action, however, could undermine support for the deal from lawmakers when it comes up for a second vote in the US Congress. At least one senior member of the Congress, worried about the implications of Mr Bush’s actions, has sought a legal explanation of the so-called signing statement.

In the statement, Mr Bush noted at least two sections of the Act were merely “advisory”. The signing statement is an assertion of presidential prerogative and is based in both law and custom. A congressional source has said members of the Congress will want the Bush Administration to clarify this statement, and how the administration responds will determine the attitude of the Congress toward the up-or-down vote on the nuclear deal after the 123 Agreement is completed. This agreement finalises the details of the nuclear cooperation deal.

“Both Republican and Democratic members will have to look at this signing statement carefully and demand clear answers from the administration,” the congressional source said.

“Previous presidents have used signing statements largely to pat themselves or their congressional colleagues on the back; Bush has used signing statements to signal that he has no intention of obeying the law he has just signed”.

“Bottom line,” the source said, “George Bush is not a king, and our Constitution does not grant him the power to decide which provisions of the law he will choose to obey. The laws of the US are made by the Congress. If George Bush truly regards a law as unconstitutional, his duty is to veto it”.

Sunita bids adieu to Discovery crew

Houston, December 20
Indian American astronaut Sunita Williams bade an emotional adieu to the seven-member Space shuttle discovery astronauts who left the orbiting laboratory to begin the two-day journey back to earth.

Discovery is due to land at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre on Friday at 2426 IST. Discovery must land no later than Saturday because of supply limitations.

"We bid a bittersweet farewell to Discovery," Expedition 14 commander Micheal Lopez Alegria said during a brief ceremony adding "we'd like to welcome Suni to our crew."

With this came an end to the STS-116 crew's stay at the International Space Station. During its eight-day visit, the crew added a new truss segment to the station, delivered a new crew member and rewired the orbital outpost's power system.

Sunita, who arrived at the station with the STS-116 mission, replaced European Space Agency Astronaut Thomas Reiter on the Expedition 14 crew. She will remain a member of Expedition 14 until Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin are relieved by Expedition 15 in March 2007.

Sunita will finish her remaining time of her six-month tour of duty on the station as a member of Expedition 15. Reiter will return to Earth with STS-116.

"I hope Discovery takes you home as smoothly and safely as it brought me here," Sunita told Reiter. "It's been an exciting time, so it's hard to let go," Reiter said before leaving the space station. — PTI

French troops ‘sighted’ Laden

Paris, December 20
A documentary says French special forces had Osama bin Laden in their sights twice about three years ago but their US superiors never ordered them to fire.

The French military, however, said the incidents never happened and the report was ''erroneous information''.

The documentary, due to air next year and seen by Reuters yesterday, says the troops could have killed the al Qaeda leader in Afghanistan but the order to shoot never came, possibly because it took too long to request it.

''In 2003 and 2004 we had bin Laden in our sights. The sniper said 'I have bin Laden','' an anonymous French soldier is quoted as saying.

The documentary 'Bin Laden, the failings of a manhunt' is by journalists Emmanuel Razavi and Eric de Lavarene, who have worked for several major French media outlets in Afghanistan. A cable television channel plans to air the documentary in March. — Reuters