Washington, May 20
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton trashed the US’ policy towards Pakistan over the last 30 years calling it “incoherent” acknowledging that it also had to the share the blame for the current mess in Pakistan.

In her first interaction with foreign journalists after becoming America’s chief diplomat to outline Obama’s foreign policy initiatives yesterday, Clinton made a mention of Pakistan several times but did not make any reference to ties with India.

Clinton, earlier at the White House, hailed the “real national mood change” in Pakistan against the Taliban and Islamabad’s recognition of the “serious threat” posed to it by the extremists. Clinton also unveiled a $100-million humanitarian aid to Pakistan for displaced people in Swat.

“I think that it is fair to say our policy toward Pakistan over the last 30 years has been incoherent,” Clinton said at her State Department interaction, adding that she did not have any other word to use.

She gave an example how the US quietly walked away from Pakistan after taking its help following the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Promising to end to the “incoherent” US policy towards Pakistan, Clinton said the Obama administration had sought a “very clear and transparent” ties between the two countries. Clinton argued that the Obama administration’s approach towards Pakistan is qualitatively different than anything that has been tried before.

“We came in the ‘80s and helped to build up Mujahideen to take on the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. The Pakistanis were our partners in that. Their security service and their military were encouraged and funded by the US to create the Mujahideen in order to go after the Soviet invasion and occupation,” Clinton said.

After the Soviet Union fell in 1989, Clinton said: “We basically said - thank you very much. We had all kinds of problems in terms of sanctions being imposed on the Pakistanis. Their democracy was constantly at risk of and often being overtaken by the military, which stepped in when it appeared that democracy could not work.” — PTI

Colombo, May 20
Continuing with their mopping up operations in the northern war zone, Sri Lankan forces have so far recovered 400 dead bodies from the scene of the Tigers last stand, as the country marked the day as “Victory Day” with a holiday.

Though the army has declared the end of war, hundreds of troops are searching the Muliyawaikal area from where LTTE chief's Vilupillai Prabhakaran's body was recovered, for weapons, bodies or any rebels who might have slipped through the army dragnet.

“More than 400 dead bodies of rebels have been recovered from the scene of their desperate last stand, including many female fighters,” military officials said.

Meanwhile, the army shot dead eight Tamil Tigers as they tried to attack army installations in the eastern districts of Batticacola and Ampara, almost 140 km from where the big battles raged.

“Close after their humiliating defeat in the north, a five member Tiger rebel team miserably failed in their mission to attack army and were shot dead,” a military statement said.

Three other rebels were shot dead in the adjoining Ampara district, the army said. — PTI 

Yangon, May 20
Army-ruled Myanmar opened the prison trial of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to diplomats and journalists on Wednesday in an apparent effort to calm international outrage over the case.

Embassies were told they could send one diplomat each to the court inside Yangon’s Insein Central Prison, where Suu Kyi faces up to five years in jail if found guilty of breaking the terms of her house arrest.

Journalists working for local and foreign media were also told they could cover the proceedings at around midday, the secretary of Myanmar’s foreign correspondents club said.

“They seem to want to improve the image of the trial by allowing us to be there,” one Asian diplomat said after he was contacted by the Foreign Ministry.

The case against Suu Kyi, accused of violating her house arrest after an uninvited American intruder swam to her lakeside home two weeks ago, has outraged the West and triggered threats of new sanctions against the regime.

Foreign diplomats were barred from the opening of the trial on Monday, angering French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner who called the junta’s actions “a scandalous provocation”.

The Association of South East Asian Nations, setting aside its mantra of non-interference, said on Tuesday the trial had put the “honor and credibility” of its troublesome member at stake.

She has been detained for more than 13 of the past 19 years, guarded by the police and visitors restricted. Her latest house arrest will end on May 27 after six years, fuelling allegations that the regime is using the American intruder as a pretext to keep Suu Kyi in detention.— Reuters

Annoyed with President Ram Baran Yadav's move to retain the sacked Chief of Army Staff Rookmangud Katawal, Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) on Wednesday registered a resolution against him at the parliamentary secretariat.

Even after receiving pressure from 22 political parties in the legislature-parliament assembly, deputy leader of Maoists Parliamentary Party Narayan Kaji Shrestha registered the resolution at the secretariat in accordance with the decision made by the Maoists meeting held on Wednesday.

In the resolution paper, the Maoists have requested the House to issue immediate directive against the President asking the latter to ratify his “unconstitutional” move to retain Katawal.

However, Nepali Congress vice-president Ram Chandra Poudel claimed that the Maoists move to lodge resolution was against the spirit of the interim constitution and rules of procedures of the Legislature-Parliament.

Meanwhile, Speaker Subas Chandra Nembang adjourned the regular session of parliament slated for Wednesday with a notice after the UCPN(M) refused to let the parliament proceed ahead resuming its regular business.

Maoist lawmakers have been disrupting the parliamentary proceedings demanding the withdrawal of President Ram Baran Yadav's decision to reinstate Chief of Army Staff Rookmangud Katawal.

The UCPN(M) has been obstructing the House meetings after the resignation of Prime Minister Dahal on May 4. The House will resume tomorrow afternoon.