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US links Pakistan govt
to Haqqani network
3 dead in US air show crash
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China starts wooing Vietnam, offers friendly cooperation
Khamenei warns Arabs against US, NATO
Libyan fighters plot moves
after Bani Walid setback
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US links Pakistan govt
to Haqqani network
Islamabad/Washington, September 17 A “lot of work” is needed to put Pakistan-US ties back on track and Islamabad must sever its links with militant groups like the Haqqani network, Munter said in a wide-ranging interview with ‘Radio Pakistan’. “Let me tell you that the attack that took place in Kabul a few days ago, that was the work of the Haqqani network. “And the facts, that we have said in the past, that there are problems. There is evidence linking the Haqqani network to the Pakistan government,” he said in response to a question about the current state of bilateral ties. He did not give details about the evidence. “This is something that must stop. We have to make sure that we work together to fight terrorism. “We have to make sure that the efforts that we are making to build the ties between our intelligence services bring about results,” he said. The US has to talk with the Pakistan government “very openly and clearly about how we can make sure” that attacks like the one in Kabul do not happen in future, Munter said. Efforts are being made to recognise the “common enemy” of the US and Pakistan who attack people of both countries and their allies, the envoy noted. “We have to fight these people. We cannot let events like that happened in Kabul to take place,” he said. Munter’s remarks came close on the heels of a warning from Defence Secretary Leon Panetta that the US would retaliate against attacks on its forces in Afghanistan by Pakistan-based militants. US Vice-President Joe Biden too has criticised Pakistan in recent days as an unreliable ally in the war against terrorism. Unnamed US officials were today quoted by the Wall Street Journal as saying that they are looking for evidence that directly links elements of Pakistan’s military-run Inter-Services Intelligence agency to the 20-hour assault on the US Embassy in Kabul that killed 27 people in total. Pakistan has angrily rejected the US administration’s charges, saying such accusations were “out of line” with ongoing counter-terrorism cooperation between the two sides. Munter said Pakistan and the US need to jointly fight terrorist and extremist elements and defeat them “because that will allow us to take care of those other elements that we need for long-term investments in your future”. He acknowledged that bilateral relations had been “tough” over the past year and both sides have to be realistic about “what we can expect is a good relationship”. — PTI
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3 dead in US air show crash
Reno, September 17 The plane, flown by an 80-year-old pilot, spiraled suddenly out of control and appeared to disintegrate upon impact. Bloodied bodies were spread across the area as people tended to the victims and ambulances rushed to the scene. Maureen Higgins of Alabama, who has been coming to the show for 16 years, said the pilot was on his third lap when he lost control. She was sitting about 30 yards away from the crash and watched in horror as the man in front of her started bleeding after a piece of debris hit him in the head. "I saw body parts and gore like you wouldn't believe it. I'm talking an arm, a leg," Higgins said "The alive people were missing body parts. I am not kidding you. It was gore. Unbelievable gore." Among the dead was pilot Jimmy Leeward, 80, of Ocala, Florida, who flew the P-51 Mustang named the "Galloping Ghost," according to Mike Houghton, president and CEO of Reno Air Races. Medical centre spokeswoman Kathy Carter confirmed that two others died, but did not provide their identities. Stephanie Kruse, a spokeswoman for the Regional Emergency Medical Service Authority, told The Associated Press that emergency crews took a total of 56 injury victims to three hospitals. She said they also observed a number of people being transported by private vehicle, which they are not including in their count. — AP
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China starts wooing Vietnam, offers friendly cooperation Beijing, September 17 A high-level Vietnamese military delegation has called on Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping yesterday during which the latter said Beijing would enhance friendly cooperation with Hanoi and ensure healthy development of bilateral relations. China's new overtures to Vietnam comes in the wake of recent row with New Delhi over Indian companies' oil exploration bids off Vietnamese coast in South China Sea. Xi, who is expected to take over as President after the retirement of the incumbent Hu Jintao in 2013, said the way China-Vietnam relations had developed proved that by sticking to friendly consultation, equality, mutual benefits and win-win cooperation, the two countries could advance their ties and achieve peaceful development. "China is willing to join hands with the international community including Vietnam, to make positive contributions to building a harmonious world," Xinhua quoted him as telling the delegation, led by Ngo Xuan Lich, director of the General Department for Politics of the Vietnamese People's Army. In response, Ngo Xuan Lich said his country treasures its traditional friendship with China. The Vietnamese people would not forget the assistance and support that Chinese people gave Vietnam with regards to its national liberation, he said. — PTI
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Khamenei warns Arabs against US, NATO
“Never trust America, NATO, and criminal regimes like Britain, France and Italy, who for a long time divided your lands (among themselves) and plundered them,” Khamenei said as he opened a two-day conference in Tehran on “Islamic Awakening” attended by several hundred guests from Arab countries. Khamenei said the US and NATO would try to dominate the future governments in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya. The Arab nations should not let this happen but preserve their Islamic traditions, he added. “Be suspicious of them and do not believe in their smiles. Behind those smiles and promises lie conspiracy and betrayal,” Khamenei said. “Look for solutions in ... Islam.” Iran has vocally supported most uprisings in the Arab world, with the exception of the revolt in its regional ally Syria, where it backs the regime of President Bashar al-Assad while advocating reform. The Islamic republic has in recent months repeatedly accused the West of attempting to hijack the revolt movements in the Arab world. Khamenei said the “ultimate goal” of the regional revolutions should be creating a new Islamic civilisation based on religion, logic, science and morals, one which is away from Western schools of thought. He also denounced the intervention of NATO in Libya, saying the operation had inflicted “irreparable losses” on the country through destroying its infrastructure. — AFP
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Libyan fighters plot moves after Bani Walid setback Bani Walid, September 17 There were no signs anti-Gaddafi forces were seeking to make a swift counter punch into Bani Walid, a mountain enclave about 140 kilometers southeast of Tripoli. The fighters withdrew yesterday after facing withering sniper fire and shelling from loyalists units holding strategic positions above the valley entrance to the town. The tough defence of the holdout bastions of Bani Walid and Sirte on Libya’s central Mediterranean coast displayed the firepower and resolve of the Gaddafi followers and suggested Libya’s new rulers may not easily break the back of regime holdouts. It also raised fears the country could face a protracted insurgency of the sort that has played out in Iraq and Afghanistan. — AP
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Tehran, September 17