Stars come out for Vajpayee’s banquet

WASHINGTON, Sept 18: Stars of screen, sport and the internet revolution feted Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, at a White House banquet last night.

Leading the list of Indian pioneers on the world of Information Technology was Sabeer Bhatia, founder of the Internet Mail Service Hotmail, according to White House guest list.

Former India tennis star Vijay Amritraj, who is now a sports commentator, was also among the guests seated in a luxurious marque lit by thousand of candles and chandeliers, pitched in the grounds of the White House.

Actress Goldie Hawn and model and activist Christie Brinkley were also among the guests, who included scores of Government officials from both major US political parties and supporters of Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton.

Serenaded by a chamber orchestra, guests feasted on roast river salmon followed by a white chocolate desert in the shape of a tiger.(AFP)

India will not accept any bindings on CTBT: Vajpayee

FRANKFURT (GERMANY), Sept 18: On his way back home after talks with President Bill Clinton, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared here tonight that India will not accept any bindings on the CTBT that would limit its independence in strategic matters.

Addressing a press conference, Vajpayee said some people had expressed apprehensions before he went to Washington that he would be pressurised there on the issue of CTBT. "But these doubts had no foundation and there is no change in the stand." Vajpayee, who is staying here overnight before returning to India tomorrow, said he had discussed the issue of CTBT with President Clinton and each side had explained its stand.

There was no question of either side imposing a decision on the other, he said.

"We placed our difficulties before them. We also told them of our efforts to arrive at a consensus. I am hopeful that difficulties in the path of a consensus will be removed," he said.

Vajpayee answered questions on a variety of issues discussed by him with Clinton including nuclear non-proliferation, continuing US sanctions and prospects of talks with Pakistan.

The Prime Minister was repeatedly pressed to clarify whether his Government favoured a consensus on signing CTBT.

He parried the question stating that the Government would go by the national consensus.

However, he added meaningfully "I do not think the consensus will be against signing of the treaty".

On the question of holding dialogue with Islamabad, Vajpayee said he had made it clear to Clinton that India was ready to talk to Pakistan on all issues. "We want the talks to start but they should be useful".

He reiterated the conditions for dialogue — violence and terrorism should stop in Kashmir and Pakistan should show readiness to implement previous agreements.

The Prime Minister recalled that Pakistan based militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen had declared a ceasefire in Jammu and Kahsmir but subsequently withdrew it.

"There is no need to say from where the proposal for the ceasefire was given as well as withdrawn," he said.

Other countries agreed that this was a setback and a stumbling block in the path to talks, Vajpayee said, adding "we tell our friends to tell Pakistan to make the atmosphere conducive for talks."

Asked if he had pressed Clinton to declare Pakistan a terrorist state, Vajpayee replied that Washington knew India’s views.

Describing his visit to Washington as successful, the Prime Minister said it had given a new turn to the bilateral relationship.

He said that there was a detailed discussion on CTBT. "We talked on this in detail and they understood our difficulties," he said.

Reiterating that there was no change in India’s stand, he said New Delhi wanted a world without nuclear weapons.

The Indo-US talks on the issue will continue, he said, adding that the effort was to understand and convince each other and not to impose anything.

Vajpayee drew attention to the joint statement issued after his talks with President Clinton in which it had been stated that each side would take decisions on nuclear non-proliferation in the supreme national interest.

This means that India is free to take decisions in its national interests, he said.

On the question of economic sanctions, Vajpayee said he had not not even raised the issue but there were voices within the United States which wanted the measures to be removed.

The only thing that he had told the American side was that sanctions should not even exist in the relationship that India had with the United States, the Prime Minister said.

"They spoke of their law and their difficulties. I hope the new administration will continue to talk on this and find a satisfactory way out," he said.

Vajpayee said he talked to Clinton at length on the issue of terrorism and it was decided that the two countries would step up their cooperation to deal with the menace. "Some steps will be taken soon", he said.

He said he would be discussing the issue of terrorism with the Russian President Vladimir Putin who visits New Delhi next month. (PTI)

Lanka President takes job of dead Minister amid row

COLOMBO, Sept 18: Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga today took over the responsibilities of Ports Minister M H M Ashraff, killed on Saturday in a mysterious helicopter crash, despite resistance from a key ally.

President Kumaratunga’s office said in a statement that she had assumed the functions of the Ministry of Ports, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction, held by Ashraff at the time of his death.

The move came even though Ashraff’s Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) had met President Kumaratunga and informed her of the party’s decision to nominate their new co-leader, Rauf Hakeem, to the Cabinet post.

The news of President Kumaratunga taking over Ashraff’s portfolio came as Hakeem addressed a press conference announcing he was set to take oaths as the new Minister for Ports.

Hakeem warned of serious implications for their support to Kumaratunga’s Government, which they helped form in 1994, if he was not given the Cabinet post.

"If what you are saying is true, then it will lead to a breakdown in relations between us," Hakeem said when reporters questioned him on Kumaratunga’s decision.

Hakeem is due to have another meeting with President Kumaratunga tomorrow to resolve the outstanding problems between them.

Shortly before his death, Ashraff had issued a statement announcing his party was severing ties with the ruling People’s Alliance. (AFP)

NAB chief leaves for Europe to bring back
plundered wealth

ISLAMABAD, Sept 18: Chairman of Pakistani National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lt Gen Muhammad Amjad today embarked on an eight-day tour to Europe in a bid to retrieve money acquired through corrupt means and stashed abroad, officials said.

Amjad will visit Holland, Switzerland and Great Britain during the period.

During the first stage of his visit, he is scheduled to meet experts and officials from across the world and seek international cooperation for Islamabad’s anti-graft drive.

In London, he will review the performance of the commission to trace hidden assets and establish the ownership of properties allegedly purchased by Pakistanis.

Pakistan has expressed unhappiness over the role of Western countries to assist it with deportation of Pakistanis wanted for having amassed ill-gotten wealth abroad.

Military ruler General Pervez Musharraf and Cabinet Ministers had accused Britain of sheltering criminals. Musharraf, in his address to the UN millennium summit had called for international cooperation to check transfer of ill-gotten money.

Islamabad says it had provided a list of 12 persons to the United States and Britain and sought their extradition but complained about non-cooperative attitude of the two countries. (PTI)

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