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US cautious over Karzai’s talks offer
Pak wants ‘more clarity’ on US Afghan policy
Nepal ministers hold meeting at Mt Everest
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‘Proof against India on Baloch unrest’
The Foreign Office has reiterated that it stands by its claims that India is interfering in Balochistan and tribal areas. “India cannot deny its involvement in Balochistan and Fata areas as Pakistan does have evidence,” FO spokesman Abdul Basit told a private channel here, while commenting on a statement by Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna, denying Indian interference.
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US cautious over Karzai’s talks offer
The Taliban are not the only ones cool to Afghan President Hamid Karzai's invitation to hold talks; Washington has also adopted a cautious approach to such suggestions even as President Barack Obama voices his support for outreach to those militants who renounce violence.
In an interview with the Associated Press this week, Karzai reiterated his offer for talks with the Taliban's one-eyed leader Mullah Omar, who has a $5 million U.S. bounty on his head. The Afghan President acknowledged such an initiative stood little chance of success without support from the U.S. and its allies. Perhaps Karzai was emboldened by Obama's own words. In a speech at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, on Tuesday, Obama said the U.S. will support efforts by the Afghan government to "open the door to those Taliban who abandon violence and respect the human rights of their fellow citizens." Karzai told the AP: "We must talk to the Taliban as an Afghan necessity. The fight against terrorism and extremism cannot be won by fighting alone... Personally, I would definitely talk to Mullah Omar. Whatever it takes to bring peace to Afghanistan, I, as the Afghan president, will do it." On Thursday, U.S. officials responded to Karzai's offer with skepticism. An official who spoke to The Tribune on the condition of anonymity said "We'll just have to wait and see how this plays out." While India opposes any suggestion that there is an element of "good Taliban" in the ranks of the Islamic militants, the U.S. official said a discussion is underway within the Obama administration to determine American "red lines" when it comes to the Taliban and Mullah Omar. The official said as of now neither the U.S. nor Afghan governments have any policy of engaging the Taliban. He said it was essential for the Afghan government and international forces in the country to build "momentum on our sides to show [the Taliban] that this is the winning team" in the hope of persuading those who joined the ranks of the Taliban out of compulsion to switch sides. Karzai said his overtures stood little chance of success without the support of the United States and its international partners. He said his previous attempts to negotiate with insurgents were not fruitful because "sections of the international community undermined - not backed - our efforts." In public, U.S. officials maintain that any outreach to the Taliban has to be an Afghan-led process. State Department spokesman Mark Toner was asked by reporters on Thursday about the Obama administration's stand on Karzai's offer to Mullah Omar. Toner said Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had been very clear in a Council on Foreign Relations speech in July that the Taliban must renounce violence, lay down their arms and participate in democratic process as enshrined in the Afghan constitution as a precondition to any talks. He dismissed Karzai's offer as "hypothetical." Saudi King Abdullah had offered to broker talks between Karzai's government and the Taliban but that initiative appears to have made little headway. In his inaugural address in November, Karzai made it a point to mention the Saudi king by name, a gesture interpreted here in Washington as a nod to Saudi efforts to reach out to moderate elements in the Taliban. While on one hand the U.S. official who spoke on background said publicity of Saudi efforts creates a certain nervousness as it conjures up images of radical Wahhabis and al Qaeda, he admitted that for the U.S. government to have its hands in such an initiative is "also kind of awkward."
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Pak wants ‘more clarity’ on US Afghan policy
Pakistan wants "more clarity" on US President Barack Obama's new Afghan war strategy, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Thursday. “We are studying that new policy. We need more clarity on it,” he said after talks in London with his British counterpart Gordon Brown, referring to Obama's pledge of 30,000 more US troops for Afghanistan. Gilani, who is currently in London, said that the US and NATO military commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, would be coming to Pakistan to discuss “more military cooperation”. “After, when we get more clarity on the situation, then we will see how we can implement on that plan,” he told reporters in a joint press conference with Brown. Pakistan’s foreign ministry statement on Wednesday, reacting to Obama's long-awaited announcement, made no mention of welcoming the troop increase, which many fear, could be counterproductive for Pakistan. Pakistan has raised fears that a surge of the Western troops in Afghanistan could push militants over the border, destabilising an already-troubled region. Gilani further said, Islamabad does not believe that the al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is on its territory. "I don't think Osama bin Laden is in Pakistan," he stated. Last weekend, Brown called on Pakistan to step up its action against the al-Qaeda, and hunt down Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, still at large, eight years after the Septemer 11. After Thursday's talks, Brown said, "The international community expects much of Pakistan," adding, "What we've all got to do is work together (and) step up our efforts".
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Nepal ministers hold meeting at Mt Everest
Bishnu Budhathoki writes from Kathmandu In a 10-point declaration issued at the end of the half-an-hour meeting at Kalapatthar plateau, the need for prompt action to minimize adverse effects of climate change in the Himalayan region was highlighted. The ministers said the countries contributing to the green house gas emission should bear the responsibility to minimise the impact of climate change. The Nepal government also expressed its commitment to work in tandem with the international community to fight against climate change and its impact on the Himalayas. The Sagarmatha (Mt Everest) Declaration on environment protection was made public by the PM at a press conference in Syangboche. The declaration aims at conducting campaigns to spread awareness on global warming and its impact on the natural heritage. The Cabinet meeting also decided to increase the conservation area of Nepal to 25 per cent from the existing 20 per cent.. The meeting also declared Banke as the new national park and Api-Nampa and Gauri-Shankar as conservation areas. “Now there is an increased risk of floods, landslides, glacier melting, drought and other natural calamities. Due to global warming and its effects, the entire human civilisation is facing a survival challenge,” said Nepal.
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‘Proof against India on Baloch unrest’
The Foreign Office has reiterated that it stands by its claims that India is interfering in Balochistan and tribal areas.
“India cannot deny its involvement in Balochistan and Fata areas as Pakistan does have evidence,” FO spokesman Abdul Basit told a private channel here, while commenting on a statement by Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna, denying Indian interference.
Abdul Basit hoped that interference inside Pakistan would be stopped. If India wanted peace and stability in the region, it was absolutely important that such activities should be ended forthwith, the spokesman said. SM Krishna told Parliament on Thursday that Pakistan “does not have any evidence against India.” He alleged that Pakistan had been fabricating evidence about the Indian involvement in Fata and Balochistan. Answering another query, Abdul Basit said the new strategy adopted by the United States for Afghanistan could cause negative impact on Pakistan, adding that Pakistan and the US needed to closely coordinate their efforts to achieve the shared objectives.
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Madhav Kumar Nepal and his 23 Cabinet colleagues today held a historic meeting at the base camp of Mt Everest amid freezing temperatures to highlight the danger posed by global warming to the Himalayas.
In a 10-point declaration issued at the end of the half-an-hour meeting at Kalapatthar plateau, the need for prompt action to minimize adverse effects of climate change in the Himalayan region was highlighted.
