W O R L D

US Senate panel opposes plan to send more troops to Iraq
Washington, January 25
The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee has passed a resolution opposing President Bush’s decision to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq, even after his impassioned plea to the Congress to allow his plan to succeed.

Ecuadorean minister dies in air crash
Quito, January 25
Ecuador’s first female Defence Minister was killed in a mid-air collision of two helicopters after only nine days in office, government and military officials said.

Ecuador’s Defence Minister Guadalupe Larriva gestures in Quito in this January 3, 2007 file photo. — Reuters photo

Saudi Arabia needs 1.2 m workers
Dubai, January 25
Saudi Arabia needs to issue at least 1.2 million recruitment visas to meet the requirements of contractors to carry out government projects.

US Bill seeks ban on assistance to Pak
Washington, January 25
A new legislation, already endorsed by the House of Representatives, calls for stopping US military assistance to Pakistan if Islamabad fails to halt the resurgence of Taliban inside its territory.

World’s oldest man dies
San Juan, January 25
The world’s oldest person, Emiliano Mercado Del Toro, has died at his home on the northern coast of Puerto Rico, a relative said. He was 115.

Cultural shows to mark celebrations in Bahrain
Dubai, January 25
Indians in Bahrain plan to celebrate their country’s 58th Republic Day with a parade, cultural shows, a Bollywood dance-drama, patriotic songs and a souvenir booklet.

 

 

US Senate panel opposes plan to send more troops to Iraq

Washington, January 25
The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee has passed a resolution opposing President Bush’s decision to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq, even after his impassioned plea to the Congress to allow his plan to succeed.

The committee adopted the measure by 12-9 vote with one Republican, Senator Chuck Hagel, breaking ranks to join the 11 Democrats on the panel in approving the resolution.

A decorated Vietnam veteran, Senator Hagel criticised Bush’s decision to send more troops into a “civil war.”

“We better be damned sure we know what we are doing, all of us, before we put 22,000 more Americans into that grinder,” he said.

Committee Chairman, Democratic Senator Joe Biden, was one of the co-sponsors of the non-binding resolution, which does not have the force of law.

He said, “Our resolution of disapproval is not-I emphasise not-an attempt to embarrass the President. It is not an attempt to demonstrate isolation. What it is, is an attempt to save the President from making a significant mistake regarding our policy in Iraq.”

Senior Republican on the committee, Senator Richard Lugar, voted against the resolution, though he did not favour American troop increase in Iraq.

He questioned the rationale behind the resolution when the President had abundantly made it clear that he would ignore the move and go ahead with the deployment of more troops in Iraq.

The resolution, which goes to the Senate floor for consideration next week, calls upon the United States to transfer, under an “appropriately expedited timeline,” responsibility for internal security and halting sectarian violence in Iraq to the Baghdad government and its security forces.

It wants the Bush administration to engage Iraq’s neighbours with a view to developing a regional and internationally-sponsored peace and reconciliation process for Iraq.

It also expects of the Iraqi leaders to lead the way in reaching a political settlement that could lead to peace.

Senator Biden said he would introduce tougher, binding legislation on Iraq if President Bush failed to heed the message of the symbolic resolution. — UNI 

Ecuadorean minister dies in air crash

Quito, January 25
Ecuador’s first female Defence Minister was killed in a mid-air collision of two helicopters after only nine days in office, government and military officials said.

The accident yesterday, in the Andean nation further rattles the leftist government of President Rafael Correa, who has clashed with Congress over his executive powers and prompted street protests since taking office along with his ministers on January 15.

Minister Guadalupe Larriva, a former teacher and senior official of a socialist political party supporting Correa, died in the crash in a Pacific coastal province east of Quito, presidential spokeswoman Monica Chuji said.

Ecuadorean Vice-President Lenin Moreno said he received a report from the military saying it was an unfortunate accident, “but under these circumstances we usually call for a commission to investigate.”

Other Cabinet members dressed in black gathered inside Moreno’s home in Quito to mourn Larriva’s death.

“We as the government will carry out a deep investigation,” Interior Minister Gustavo Larrea told a television station.

Correa wanted Larriva, one of a few civilians to lead Ecuador’s 176-year-old military, to control an institution that has played a part in the ouster of three presidents in the last decade by publicly withdrawing its support as street protests erupted. — Reuters 

Saudi Arabia needs 1.2 m workers

Dubai, January 25
Saudi Arabia needs to issue at least 1.2 million recruitment visas to meet the requirements of contractors to carry out government projects.

Abdullah Hamad Al-Ammar, chairman of the National Committee for Contractors, estimates the total value of new projects including those of Saudi Basic Industries Corp and Saudi Aramco in billions of dollars.

“To implement these projects we need at least 1.2 million additional visas to recruit engineers, skilled labour and ordinary workers,” he told Al-Watan daily today.

Al-Ammar praised the recent decisions of the Labour Ministry to reduce Saudization rate for government contractors from 10 percent to five percent and increase the validity of labour visas from one to two years.

“This will solve at least 60 percent of the problems faced by contractors,” he said. — PTI 

US Bill seeks ban on assistance to Pak
Anwar Iqbal

Washington, January 25
A new legislation, already endorsed by the House of Representatives, calls for stopping US military assistance to Pakistan if Islamabad fails to halt the resurgence of Taliban inside its territory.

The first piece of legislation by the new Congress since it was sworn in earlier this month also urges the Bush Administration to help resolve the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan.

Meanwhile, at a briefing at the Pakistani embassy, Ambassador Mahmud Ali Durrani acknowledged that anti-Pakistan feelings were strong in the United States because of “misperceptions” about the country’s role in the war against terrorism.

“We are already standing on our head, what else we could do,” he asked. “They should not blame us for their failures.”

The proposed legislation urges the US President to certify that Islamabad is making all efforts to “prevent Taliban from operating in areas under its sovereign control, including in the cities of Quetta and Chaman” before releasing any funds or approving licences for enhancing its military capability.

The new provisions form part of the Implementation of 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act, 2007, aimed at revamping the US national security and foreign policy apparatus to address challenges post-9/11.

Three countries have been singled out in the proposed legislation: Pakistan, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia.

A congressional aide, who did not want to be identified, told Dawn that the legislation “shows the general mood in both the chambers, which is not very favourable to Pakistan.”

The section on Pakistan lays down a set of policy objectives that range from ensuring free and fair parliamentary elections this year to securing borders to “prevent movement of militants and terrorists into other countries.”

The Act is now being discussed in the Senate.

— By arrangement with the Dawn

World’s oldest man dies

San Juan, January 25
The world’s oldest person, Emiliano Mercado Del Toro, has died at his home on the northern coast of Puerto Rico, a relative said. He was 115.

Mercado del Toro died yesterday at his home in the town of Isabela, 115 kilometres west of San Juan, of natural causes, his grandniece, Dolores Martinez told The Associated Press.

“He died like a little angel,” Martinez said.

Mercado del Toro had been having difficulty breathing recently but was conscious and alert shortly before his death, Martinez said outside the family home.

At his death, he was with a great-grandnephew and a caretaker, she said.

Mercado del Toro, who was born in Puerto Ricowhen it was still a Spanish colony, was drafed into the U.S. Army in 1918 but did not serve in combat because World War I ended while he was still in training. Later, he worked in the island’s sugar cane fields.

He never married and had no children. — AP

Cultural shows to mark celebrations in Bahrain

Dubai, January 25
Indians in Bahrain plan to celebrate their country’s 58th Republic Day with a parade, cultural shows, a Bollywood dance-drama, patriotic songs and a souvenir booklet.

The weeklong celebrations, organised by the Coordination Committee of Indian Associations (CCIA) are being held under the patronage of Indian Ambassador to Bahrain Balkrishna Shetty, reported the Gulf Daily News.

Various activities, including patriotic song competitions, cultural shows by children and a Bollywood dance and drama programme are being lined up. A souvenir booklet will be released to commemorate the occasion.

The celebrations will end with a Republic Day parade in which Indian children are expected to take part.

A programme called “Cultural Aspects: Snapshots of India” showcasing the country’s various art forms and culture will also be organised. — IANS