Ex-hostage reveals Speight not real leader of Fiji coup

SUVA, Aug 18: Fiji’s George Speight was not the real leader of the May 19 coup which brought down the Government, a Cabinet Minister held hostage for 56 days claimed today.

His revelation came as Speight and his top henchmen made another brief appearance before a Suva magistrate.

Poseci Bune, deposed Minister for Agriculture, in an interview with the ‘Fiji Sun’, said minutes after being taken hostage on May 19, Speight told them he was not the leader of the coup. He was waiting for the leader to come up.

"So we had to wait about 40 minutes as he was answering calls and telling us that we will be surprised that he is not the leader as the real leader will arrive for us to see him.

"But then he got another call. Then he turned to us and said: I think he is going to be late, well, I have to take it on from here."

Bune said he realised that the leader’s failure to turn up meant "there was a big hiccup or something had gone wrong in the operation."

"The real power behind the coup were the failed politicians, failed businessmen and disgruntled professionals and senior civil servants. A combination of all these were involved in the may 19 event", he claimed.

Meanwhile Speight and his 12 top henchmen appeared briefly in the Suva magistrate’s court today on a series of minor unlawful assembly and arms charges.

They had been scheduled to appear today amid rumours that a group of supporters were arriving in the city where authorities held the hearing. Heavy security was evident around the courts.

Speight and some of his associates also face treason charges but these were not dealt with today.

On application from the prosecution, Chief Magistrate Salesi Temo disqualified himself from hearing the unlawful assembly charges because of his family relationship with one of the charged men, Joji Bakoso. Temo indicated he would handle treason hearings.

Temo remanded Speight and the men until August 25 when they are also due to re-appear for procedural issues related to the charges of treason, misprision of treason and waging war on the people of Fiji.

Proceedings dealt with charges of unlawful assembly, consorting with persons carrying arms and unlawful burial of a body.

Meanwhile Interim Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase has told the European Union’s pacific ACP (African Caribbean Pacific) mission that Fiji is committed to new general elections at the end of 2002 after a new Constitution is promulgated by December next year.

"The new Constitution will address and secure the paramountcy of indigenous interests and aspirations," qarase said in his submission to ACP.

He has previously said it would take three years for a new election to be held.

The mission, which heard submissions from a wide cross section of Fiji’s society, political, social, economic and religious groups, completed its hearings yesterday.

It intends submitting its report to the European Union at the end of September, after which time the EU will decide whether to impose sanctions on Fiji, a member of the EU-ACP grouping under which former European colonies get preferential trade and aid assistance. (AFP)

US Air Force launches classified satellite on Titan rocket

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE (CALIFORNIA), Aug 18: US Air Force successfully launched a Titan 4B rocket that carried a classified satellite into orbit.

The rocket was visible across a wide area of California as it rose over the pacific ocean after the launch yesterday.

Titan 4 launches have been closely watched since three consecutive failures in 1998 and 1999. One blew up and the other two put satellites into wrong orbits.

Since then, two other Titan 4 launches have been successful.

The Air Force said the new satellite was designed and built by the national reconnaissance office but did not release any information about its purpose.

Built by lockheed Martin Corp., Titan 4S are the United States’ largest unmanned rocket. (AP)

Jack to visit India

LONDON, Aug 18: British Home Secretary Jack Straw would visit India from September third, signifying consolidation of bilateral ties, Indian High Commissioner to UK Nareshwar Dayal said.

Straw’s visit would be followed by visits of Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister Peter Hain, defence secretary Geoff Hoon, and Prime Minister Tony Blair "may also make a visit," Dayal said last night.

"Indo-UK relations are very healthy and we are moving forward in every sphere," Dayal, who was the chief guest at Independence Day celebrations organised by the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan here, said.

Dayal referred to Indo-British bilateral trade which has crossed four billion pounds and said the goal for the current year is five billion pounds.

"This is something achievable as we have already achieved 30 per cent of it in the first four months," he said.

He said "India is an upbeat story - upbeat because of all the things that have happened, a free and vibrant press, strong democracy and an independent judiciary."

"We have been able to defy and disprove all prophets of doom because of the ingenuity of the people and the system," he said.

Dayal earlier inaugurated an exhibition on Indian art.

Home Minister L K Advani had extended an invitation to straw to visit India during his four-day official visit here from June 20 when the two had decided to intensify cooperation to deal firmly with drug traffickers and terrorists.

British Defence Secretary would visit India at the invitation of Defence Minister George Fernandes had also visited UK in mid June.

Dayal told the NRIs "we in india are extremely proud of what you are doing in UK. We rejoice in your achievements and in your progress."

Referring to growing bilateral ties, he said even in the recent victory of Kent in the national league, India’s Rahul Dravid played a key role, scoring 60 runs.

G K Noon, MBE, said after breaking free from the shackles of British imperialism India remained friends with it and "today britain is the largest trading partner of India.’’

Referring to the exhibition inaugurated by the High Commissioner, he said one of the exhibits, a sketch of Lord Ganesh, was drawn by a Muslim artist and "that is the India emerging".

The Bhavan’s students put up a bright cultural programme on the occasion. (PTI)

Gore to push for labour standards in trade pacts

WASHINGTON, Aug 18: Accepting the democratic party ticket for US President, Vice President Al Gore declared himself "my own man" and sought to champion the cause of ordinary Americans.

"I stand here tonight as my own man, and I want you to know me for who I truly am. I know I won’t always be the most exciting politician but I will work for you every day and I will never let you down," he said last night at the democratic national convention, held to officially anoint him.

Gore pledged to fight for the working people, the middle class and the disadvantaged and warned if the Republicans capture the presidency, the common people will suffer while they reward the rich and powerful at the expense of the working people.

"We are for the people. They (Republicans) are for the powerful," Gore said.

Gore said he would insist on and use the authority to enforce worker rights, human rights and environmental protection in trade agreements and ensure that the US utilises all its trade laws and other mechanisms, including product-specific safeguards, to stop any surges that "threaten our workers".

He pledged that if he became President, he would ensure that "by the end of the next presidential term, every eighth grader in America is computer literate".

The pledge is aimed to get the support of labour organisations which say instead of bringing Indians, Chinese and other foreigners to fill high-tech job vacancies, Americans ought to be trained for them.

The democratic platform, taking into account the workers’ demands for a wary approach to glabalisation, says that globalisation will work for all Americans "only if there are rules of the road".

To make the global economy work, it says that Gore administration will make sure that "all trade agreements contain provisions that will protect the environment and labour standards, as well as open markets in other countries."

Gore said "we should use trade to lift up standards around the world, not drag down standards here at home."

Listing his goals, Gore promised better schools, prescription drugs for the elderly, affirmative action for the unemployed, tax cuts for the poor and the middle class and not for the rich, equal rights and equal pay for women and a woman’s right to choose whether to have an abortion.

Gore however touched upon foreign policy very lightly. "We must strengthen our partnership with Africa, Latin America and the rest of the developing world. We must confront new challenges of terrorism, new kinds of weapons of mass destruction and global environmental problems," he said. (PTI)

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