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Iran wants more UN nuclear talks after Tehran stalemate
Kevin Rudd to challenge Oz PM
A file photo of former Australian PM Kevin Rudd (L) seated next to PM (then Deputy PM) Julia Gillard at Parliament House in Canberra. — Reuters |
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Pak Govt offers amnesty to Baloch leaders in exile
Auction of possible sapphire hub sets off frenzy across Lanka
Indian-origin store owner shot dead in US
12 more killed in protests against Quran burning in Afghanistan
Pak urges Afghan Taliban to enter peace talks
Solution to piracy should come from Somalia: India
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Iran wants more UN nuclear talks after Tehran stalemate
Vienna, February 24 The relatively upbeat comments by Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) were in stark contrast to a terse statement issued by the UN agency on Wednesday after the two days of discussions in Tehran. The Vienna-based agency is later on Friday expected to issue its latest quarterly report on Iran's nuclear programme, giving details on this week's meetings in Tehran and the overall status of the Islamic state's uranium enrichment drive, diplomats say. The report to member states could form the basis for any diplomatic action against Iran at a March meeting of the IAEA's 35-nation board, which has the power to adopt resolutions and can report a country to the UN Security Council. Iran's envoy to the IAEA stressed the need for dialogue, warning against any "provocation" that could jeopardise this. "Our position is that we are going to continue the talks for cooperation with the agency and we hope that this process will be successfully going on," ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh said. "We need a quiet environment, a calm environment to continue our professional work with the agency," he told Reuters late on Thursday. The IAEA said no further meetings with Iran were planned, signalling frustration at the lack of progress in two rounds of talks this year. The setback has increased fears of a spiral towards conflict between Iran and the West, and sent oil prices higher. Western diplomats suspect Iran is merely seeking "talks about talks" in an attempt to ease outside pressure on the Islamic state while it presses ahead with nuclear work which the United States and its allies believe has military aims.
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Canberra, February 24 Rudd, who was ousted as prime minister by Gillard in June 2010, said Australians had lost trust in Gillard and the party was headed to an electoral wipeout at the next elections, due in late 2013, under her leadership. "I want to finish the job the Australian people elected me to do when I was elected by them to become prime minister," Rudd told reporters. Gillard called a leadership vote for Monday after Rudd quit as foreign minister on Wednesday, hoping the early vote would enable her to stamp her authority over the Labor Party.
— Reuters
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Pak Govt offers amnesty to Baloch leaders in exile
February 24 “All cases against Baloch leaders will be withdrawn if they return to their homeland,” Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said. The offer has been made to Baloch leaders in exile such as Brahamdagh Bugti and Hyrbyiar Marri, and comes at a time when the government’s effort to convene all political forces on the matter is floundering. Malik’s offer came right after some hectic behind-the-scenes meetings which include that with PM Yousuf Raza Gilani, in which both decided to invite disgruntled Baloch leaders in order to initiate fresh talks with them. “We want a political solution to the Balochistan issue,” said Malik, adding that serious steps needed to be taken to save the country. “Both Brahamdagh Bugti and Hyrbyiar Marri should take part in the political and development process and I would personally receive them,” he added. Officials of the Interior Ministry say Pakistan has sought the help of Swiss authorities to convince Brahamdagh Bugti to return to Pakistan. Brahamdagh went underground when his grandfather Nawab Akbar Bugti was killed in an operation conducted by the Pakistan military during the regime of General (retd) Pervez Musharraf in 2006. Malik’s offer, however, failed to impress any Baloch leader. Nationalist parties said they do not trust Rehman Malik or government institutions, claiming they have “betrayed the Baloch people” on several occasions in the past. Balochistan National Party (BNP) chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal questioned how the rulers could come up with solutions for Balochistan if they did not know the problem. As far as Rehman Malik is concerned, he added, no one takes his statements seriously in Balochistan. “Baloch leaders were implicated in fake cases. Therefore, the withdrawal of cases is not a big issue,” he said, adding that the prevailing trust deficit between rulers and Baloch leaders is because of the government and its functionaries’ discriminatory attitude towards the province. “All the government is doing is giving an impression to America and Europe that they are ready for negotiations but Baloch leaders are refusing the offer. They must not fool themselves,” he added. The interior minister said on Thursday he had met Baloch leader Hyrbyiar Marri in London in an effort to start talks to resolve issues related to his (Marri’s) family. However, Marri categorically refuted that Malik held any meeting with him in London in the past four years. “We had a meeting in 2008 and it was not over the Balochistan issue,” he said. “I do not trust Mr Rehman Malik and no one in Balochistan takes him seriously. He is the killer of many Baloch political opponents.” Some 48 new cases of missing persons have come to light from various districts of Balochistan in recent months, according to officials associated with a special task force working under the auspices of the Interior Ministry. “The cases are under investigation,” said Director of the Crisis Management Cell in the Interior Ministry Fareed Khan, adding that as many as 150 cases have been registered with the organisation in Balochistan in recent months. Malik confirmed registration of 42 fresh cases of missing persons in Islamabad, saying, “Authorities are trying to trace these [missing persons].” However, according to Malik, the ‘real’ figures have been exaggerated. “Although I agree the law and order situation is worsening in the province with every passing day, it has been propagated and portrayed in an ‘overarching’ negative fashion,” asserted Malik. Several dissidents from Balochistan have all succeeded in getting political asylum overseas.
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Auction of possible sapphire hub sets off frenzy across Lanka
February 24 The sapphires had surfaced when soil was excavated to be taken for a landfill in the southern district of Hambantota from a nearby bare land. A workers had spotted an unusual stone and picked it up, which later turned out to be a blue sapphire. At the auction for the first 49 blocks of land situated in the town of Kataragama, the National Gem and Jewellery Authority which auctioned the land had earned over Rs 279 million (around US $2.7 million), officials said. Forty nine blocks of land were put on auction, with each block of around 10 perches of land being sold for Rs 10 to 20 million (between $1,00,000 and $2,00,000). A large number of persons including gem merchants from all over Sri Lanka flocked to the auction, with the story getting wide media coverage. There was heavy security provided by the police as the auction took place. Sri Lanka Blue Sapphires are noted for their natural colour and lustre and are considered among the finest in the world. This precious gem has a high clarity transparency and saturation of colour, which is a hallmark of an excellent Blue Sapphire. There has been a long tradition of Sri Lankan gems being sought out
for the jewellery of royalty in the world. Legend has it that King Solomon in Biblical times wooed the Queen of Sheba with precious stones from this ‘Paradise Isle’. Solomon had sent his emissaries to the City of Gems in the Orient to procure the gems that won him the hand and then heart of the Queen. More recently, the 12 Carat oval Blue Sapphire at the centre of the engagement ring given to Kate Middleton by her future husband Price William had originated in Sri Lanka.
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Indian-origin store owner shot dead in US New York, February 24 A break-in and robbery at another house in the same building just eight hours later led to suspicions that a robbery might be a cause of the killing, WSB Atlanta TV reported. Banna Grocery was one of four businesses in the two-story brick building in the Atlanta neighbourhood, and the people residing in the building described Das as a good-natured man. When police officials rushed to the site responding to a call, they found the store owner down from a gunshot wound to the abdomen, the Atlanta police spokeswoman was quoted as saying.
— PTI
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12 more killed in protests against Quran burning in Afghanistan Kabul, February 24 The burning of copies of the Quran at the Bagram compound earlier this week has deepened public
mistrust of NATO forces struggling to stabilise Afghanistan before foreign combat troops withdraw
in 2014. Hundreds of Afghans marched towards the palace of Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul, while on the other side of the capital protesters hoisted the white flag of
the Taliban. Chanting "Death to America!" and "Long live Islam!", protesters also threw rocks at police
in Kabul, while Afghan army helicopters circled above. — Reuters
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Pak urges Afghan Taliban to enter peace talks Islamabad, February 24 Both Afghan and US officials have long accused Pakistan of using militant groups as proxies in Afghanistan to counter the influence of rival India, allegations Islamabad denies. Regional power Pakistan is critical to efforts to bring the Afghan Taliban to the negotiating table because of its historical ties to the group. Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani said in a statement that Pakistan was "prepared to do whatever it takes" to help the Afghan reconciliation process succeed. He called on Hizb-i-Islami — one of Afghanistan's
most notorious insurgent factions — and other militant groups to negotiate peace.
— Reuters
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Solution to piracy should come from Somalia: India
New York, February 24 “Piracy off the coast of Somalia is primarily a Somali problem and the solution should be Somali-owned and supported by the Somali institutions. Any imposition of external solutions will not work in the long run,” India’s deputy Ambassador and Permanent Representative to UN Manjeev Singh Puri said. Despite a reduction in the number of successful attacks, the total number of pirate attacks continues to be high and the geographic spread of pirate activities has expanded into the Red Sea, the Somali Basin and into the western Indian Ocean, Puri said.
— PTI
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Kevin Rudd,who
stepp- ed down as Australia's foreign minister this week, said on Friday he would contest a leadership vote against Prime Minister Julia Gillard, bringing to a head a bitter leadership fight engulfing the minority government.
February 24
