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Blackwell
to be new US WASHINGTON, Mar 22: Robert Blackwill will be the new US Ambassador to India...more Sharon urged to ease closure of Palestinian territories UNITED NATIONS, Mar 22: UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has urged Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to ease the....more Balckwill to be new US Ambassador to India WASHINGTON, Mar 22: President George W Bush has appointed Robert Blackwill...more Lankan
planes COLOMBO, Mar 22: Sri Lankan fighter planes destroyed an LTTE terrorist base in eastern Batticaloa in a pre-dawn attack...more |
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Britain’s
foot-and-mouth LONDON, Mar 22: A top scientific adviser to the British Government today said the country’s foot-and-mouth epidemic was out of control and could take a further five months to eliminate.....more Young
reformist set to TOKYO, Mar 22: Japan’s reformist former Health Minister Junichiro Koizumi is set to run to replace embattled Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, a news report said today...more US
will stay out of WASHINGTON, Mar 22: The United States will keep out of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, limiting its role to assistance, support and encouragement, a senior U.S. official has said......more Founder
of Hyundai SEOUL, Mar 22: Chung Ju Yung, the founder of the Hyundai business empire and symbol of South Korea’s rapid rise among the world’s economies, died yesterday.......more |
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Blackwell to be new US Ambassador to India WASHINGTON, Mar 22: Robert Blackwill will be the new US Ambassador to India, the White House has announced. "Bob Blackwill," said President George W Bush in a statement, "understands the important place India holds in my foreign policy agenda, and he will be an outstanding American Ambassador to India. He will bring a wealth of expertise to the position." Currently the Belfer lecturer in international security at Harvard University’s John F Kennedy School of Government, Blackwill is the author and editor of many books and articles on US foreign and defence policy. He served during his foreign service career as political counsellor in the US Embassy in Tel Aviv, director of West European affairs on the National Security Council staff, principal deputy assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, Ambassador and chief negotiator at the negotiations with the Warsaw pact on conventional forces in Europe, and special assistant for National Security Affairs to President George Bush in 1989-90. John E Carbaugh, a consultant, says in his periodic "India report" that Blackwill is close to White House national security adviser Condoleezza rice. Blackwill is also known as an arms control expert - an area he focused on during his time as a career diplomat-and thus could lay a larger role in the Bush administration policy on India’s nuclear and missile programmes, Carbaugh said. Blackwill, says Carbaugh, had a large hand in writing the first draft of Bush’s campaign platform last year which called for much more US attention to be given to India. "India is emerging as one of the great democracies of the 21st century," the platform said. "Soon it will be the world’s most populous state. India is now redefining its identity and future strategy. The United States should engage India, respecting its great multicultural achievements and encouraging Indian choices for a more open world." The draft said "mindful of its long-standing relationship with Pakistan, the United States will place a priority on the secure, stable development of this volatile region where adversaries now face each other with nuclear arsenals." However, he added, some US conservatives have questioned Blackwill’s stance on China, believing that he is too soft on dealing with Beijing- "a country with which India has had long-standing tensions over border and territorial issues." A number of observers in both the US and India, Carbaugh said, argue that it is China, not Pakistan, which could prove the biggest threat to India. Blackwill clashed with other Republicans during last year’s assembling of Bush’s campaign policy platform. He tried to tone down criticism of China in the platform’s Asia policy plank, whereas others argued for a tougher line against China and more overt support for Taiwan. (PTI) |
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Sharon urged to ease closure of Palestinian territories UNITED NATIONS, Mar 22: UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has urged Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to ease the closure of Palestinian territories to reduce tensions after six months of violent clashes - and Sharon said he would as security permits. In their first meeting since his election Feb. 6, Sharon said yesterday that he told Annan he wants to lift the closures imposed on and off since the violence began in an effort to keep potential attackers out of Israel. "I explained to him that I intend to broaden these steps as much as the security situation allows," Sharon told reporters after the meeting. The Palestinians say the closures have crippled their economy, and Annan also expressed concern that a weakening of the Palestinian authority headed by Yasser Arafat could cause chaos, the Israeli leader said. "We expressed our position that Arafat controls the situation" and that his security forces have been involved in anti-Israel attacks, he said. During the meeting that lasted just over an hour yesterday, the two leaders covered many of the most troubling mideast issues including Israeli settlements, the tense Lebanon-Israel border, the possibility of Israeli negotiations with Syria, and prospects for resuming Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. "On the subject of talks, the Prime Minister emphasized that he would remain flexible but said that he would not compromise on the subject of the security of Israeli citizens," UN spokesman Fred Eckhard said. Sharon reiterated in his talks with US President George W Bush and other administration and Congressional leaders that Israel will refuse to negotiate with the Palestinians until anti-Israeli violence ends. His tough position toward Arafat won support from the white house as well as from a dozen senators. In an interview with Israel’s second channel, Sharon added yesterday: "We will certainly be forced to take measures against those who stand behind terrorism, and the terrorists themselves." Sharon did not ask to meet with the UN Security Council, which has before it a draft resolution introduced by Palestinian supporters Tuesday which seeks Council backing for the creation of a UN observer force to help end the Israeli-Palestinian clashes. The Israeli Premier said he expressed his "strong opposition" to an international force. "This subject of sending international observers will cause in my mind an escalation in terror because it gives terrorists a cover behind the observers," Sharon said. The Secretary-General also raised the question of Israeli settlements in Palestinian areas. Sharon said he defended his position that existing settlements can grow while new ones will not be built. Annan expressed his support in the meeting for Israel’s demand that Lebanon deploy troops along its southern border to prevent attacks into Israel, Sharon said. (AP) |
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Balckwill to be new US Ambassador to India WASHINGTON, Mar 22: President George W Bush has appointed Robert Blackwill, a trusted aide, as the new US Ambassador to India saying he understood the importance New Delhi held in the foreign policy agenda of the new administrate belfer lecturer on international security at Harvard University’s John F Kennedy School of Government, will succeed Richard F Celeste, a political appointee of former President Bill Clinton. "Bob Blackwill," said Bush in a statement yesterday, "understands the important place India holds in my foreign policy agenda, and he will be an outstanding American Ambassador to India. He will bring a wealth of expertise to the position." Blackwill, who is the author and editor of many books and articles on us foreign and defence policy, has served during his foreign service career as political counsellor in the US Embassy in Tel Aviv. He was also Director of West European Affairs on the National Security Council Staff, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs, Ambassador and Chief Negotiator at the negotiations with the warsaw pact on conventional forces in Europe, and Special Assistant for National Security Affairs to President George Bush in 1989-90. (PTI) |
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Lankan planes destroys a LTTE base, 11 killed in Jaffna COLOMBO, Mar 22: Sri Lankan fighter planes destroyed an LTTE terrorist base in eastern Batticaloa in a pre-dawn attack while at least 11 Tamil rebels were killed in a confrontation with security forces elsewhere in the Jaffna Pensinula. A Defence Ministry statement said the Beirut Base, 35 km west of Batticaloa town, was destroyed in a series of air raids carried out at about 0645 hrs today. Pilots of three aircraft reported big explosions in the camp. The Lebanon base is one of the main terrorist base. "The LTTE has suffered very substantial casualties," said Brigadier Sanath Karunaratne, although he could not give any figures. The Defence Ministry statement said at least ten terrorists were killed in Nedunkerni in Jaffna when security forces challenged a group of LTTE rebels. In Muhamali, one terrorist was shot dead by troops. The attack comes one day after the mid-sea battle off Mullaittivu, a rebel-controlled area in which the military lost one of its Israeli-built Dvora boats. The Sri Lankan Navy today confirmed at least 15 sea tigers were killed and 15 more injured in yesterday s mid-sea battle off Mullaittivu, a rebel-controlled area. Meanwhile, the LTTE has blamed the Sri Lankan Navy of attacking their sea tiger boats yesterday. The Voice of Tigers (VOT) in its night news broadcast yesterday said the Sri Lankan Navy attacked patrol craft of the sea tigers. The VOT bulletin alleged that the attack on the sea tigers was unprovoked and aimed at disrupting the peace process. (UNI) |
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Britain’s foot-and-mouth out of control: Expert LONDON, Mar 22: A top scientific adviser to the British Government today said the country’s foot-and-mouth epidemic was out of control and could take a further five months to eliminate. While world attention remained focused on the British outbreak, the Netherlands became the second mainland European state to fall victim to the highly contagious and financially costly disease. France was the first. The Netherlands, which found foot-and-mouth on three farms yesterday, plans to vaccinate animals as part of efforts to prevent the disease spreading — a measure Britain and other countries have rejected on grounds of cost and that it would be only short-term. In Britain, 40 new infected sites were found on Wednesday, bringing the total to 435 and showing the country was far from controlling the month-long epidemic that has paralysed much of its countryside, from farming to the lucrative tourism industry. "I think everybody is in agreement — the Government, the farming community and the independent scientific advice — that this epidemic is not under control at the current point of time," said Professor Roy Anderson, an epidemiologist called in by the Agriculture Ministry to monitor the crisis. The scale of the disaster was underscored by figures showing that more than 270,000 animals had been slaughtered because they were infected or as a precaution, and a further 130,000 were waiting to be killed. Nearly 80,000 carcasses are piled up awaiting disposal, and giant pyres burn round the clock in infected areas. The disease afflicts cloven-hoofed livestock such as pigs, sheep and cattle by causing mouth and foot blisters and severe weight loss. Anderson told BBC television the epidemic was likely to rage on for months — possibly until August. If the number of cases continues to increase at a rate of two an hour, the epidemic will peak early in May — tipped as Prime Minister Tony Blair’s favoured time for a general election. Anderson said it was likely to be the worst foot-and-mouth epidemic the country had seen, beating a major outbreak in 1967. "Although the 1967 epidemic was very serious and resulted perhaps in 2,000 cases, this one is likely to be worse" he said. Anderson attributed this to changes in farming practices, including larger herds and the increased movement of livestock. The Dutch Government reacted to its outbreak with an export ban on all meat, meat products and dairy products. It also placed a three-day ban on feed and milk transportation across the country, extending an earlier 10 km limit. It plans to cull 18,000 animals within a week to contain the outbreak, and will inoculate those animals that cannot be killed immediately to prevent the disease from spreading. The ban on livestock movements forced the cancellation of a top equestrian tournament today at Den Bosch, close to an area with suspected cases of the disease, and extra customs controls were imposed at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport. (REUTERS) |
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Young reformist set to run to replace Japan’s Mori: Report TOKYO, Mar 22: Japan’s reformist former Health Minister Junichiro Koizumi is set to run to replace embattled Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, a news report said today. Koizumi, the 59-year-old champion of a new generation in Mori’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), has already informed his followers he intends to run in the party’s presidential elections, the Yomiuri Shimbun said. "Under the circumstances, I have no choice but to run by promising to promote structural reforms," Koizumi told lawmakers close to him, the paper said. Koizumi declined to confirm the report, saying only he would make a final decision when Mori announces his resignation. "It is impossible to say now," said Koizumi, who as the No. 2 man in Mori’s own faction in LDP is in a delicate position when it comes to openly declaring his candidacy in the race. "I will make a final decision after seeing what kind of attitude Prime Minister Mori will finally take," Koizumi told a party meeting. But on Tuesday, he did hint he was ready to run for party leader. "I want to explore ways to respond to the people’s expectations by demonstrating resolve to restart the party from scratch," Koizumi said in a speech. The Yomiuri said former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto is poised to challenge Koizumi’s bid. Among other candidates is the 75-year-old former party secretary general Hiromu Nonaka, who represents the old guard. LDP is the largest party in Parliament and as such its leader automatically becomes Prime Minister. Koizumi will reportedly propose focussing on fiscal reforms in a bid to reduce the nation’s huge national debt, the mass-circulation daily said, quoting party sources. Koizumi would also call for a halt to the pump-priming spending policy conducted by the Japanese Government for the past decade to boost the ailing economy. If he throws his hat into the ring, Koizumi is also expected to press his long-cherished but contentious proposal to privatise three key postal services - mail delivery, postal savings and life insurance - operated by the Government. The search for Mori’s successor has been in full swing in LDP since the premier who is facing intense pressure to step down, announced early elections for a new party leader 10 days ago. But the party remains divided over the timing of the elections, originally scheduled for September. While Mori has failed to spell out whether he would resign, his announcement of early elections was seized upon by the Japanese media, experts and the opposition as a sign he intended to step down. Popular support for Mori’s 11-month-old Government has plunged below 10 per cent due to a series of gaffes and alleged economic mismanagement, threatening to erode the ruling party’s support in July’s parliamentary upper house elections. (AFP) |
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US will stay out of mideast talks: Official WASHINGTON, Mar 22: The United States will keep out of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, limiting its role to assistance, support and encouragement, a senior U.S. official has said. "When it comes down to negotiations, we’re not going to do the negotiating," the assistant secretary of state for near Eastern affairs, Edward Walker, told The Washington Institute yesterday. "We will support, help, encourage. We will certainly offer our good offices if necessary, but the negotiations themselves will have to take place between the parties," Walker said. The United States will not even set the framework for any negotiations or decide what the objectives will be, he said. Walker’s comments supported the impression that the administration of President George W. Bush will not follow the example set by former President Bill Clinton, who was an active participant in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. But Walker also said the Bush administration was not walking away from the middle east. "For an administration that was accused by some that it was going to pull back from the middle east and walk away from the problem, I can attest to the fact that that is the last thing that is happening," he said. After talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Tuesday, President Bush said: "I told him that our nation will not try to force peace, that we will facilitate peace and we will work with those responsible for peace." U.S. secretary of state Colin Powell, setting the tone for the Sharon visit on Monday morning, said: "the United States stands ready to assist, not insist." A senior U.S. official, who asked not to be named, added to the impression of U.S. disengagement in the region when he said it was up the israelis and palestinians to judge whether each other’s unilateral actions are offensive. "I’m not going to get into a position where I am going to challenge one party or another on specific acts... One thing the administration doesn’t want to get into is being the Ping-Pong ball between parties," he said. But the same official said one form of unilateral action, new Jewish settlements in the West Bank, would be counterproductive because they make Palestinians doubt Israel’s commitment to peace. "We’re going to call a spade a spade," he said, referring to State Department criticism of an Israeli plan to build more than 2,000 new housing units at Hor Homa, a Jewish settlement on the edge of East Jerusalem. "We have to be increasingly concerned about what is opinion in the various parts of the region. How does it impact? do people have an impression of U.S. policy that it is hostile to arabs? how does this play into our ability to be helpful in creating an environment that is good," he said. Another U.S. official said the Bush administration was not ruling out U.S. mediation in Israeli-Palestinian talks, or even participation in trilateral meetings. What the Bush administration wants to avoid is the practice under Clinton of the president and secretary of state acting as the main channel for the exchange of negotiating positions between Israelis and Palestinians, he said. (REUTERS) |
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Founder of Hyundai group dies at 86 SEOUL, Mar 22: Chung Ju Yung, the founder of the Hyundai business empire and symbol of South Korea’s rapid rise among the world’s economies, died yesterday at a hospital in Seoul. He was 86. Chung, the Honorary Chairman of Hyundai, died of old age, a Hyundai statement said. For months Chung had suffered from exhaustion and loss of weight. In early March he was hospitalised with pneumonia and died on Wednesday evening with family members at his bedside. He had retired from active business only last year. His immediate family included his wife, six sons and a daughter. Chung, who rose from rags to become one of Asia’s richest and most powerful men, was a controversial self-made man known for taking risks in business and politics. South Korea’s President Kim Dae Jung, in a condolence telegram to Chung’s family, said Chung had made a great contribution to the development of the nation’s economy during the days of its industrialization. The development and widespread diversification of the Chung family-controlled empire reflected South Korea’s rise from one of the world’s poorest nations in the 1950s to the status of a leading industrial nation. Chung himself came to symbolize the nation’s ascendancy after the 1950-53 korean war to its reputation as an economic wonder. He often took chances that other entrepreneurs would not. For instance, he began Hyundai’s ship-building branch by taking orders even before he had facilities to make the ships. The expansion of the Hyundai Chaebol, or group, was a leading force in South Korea’s expansion in all industrial areas. In the 1960s and 70s the group was making such products as ships, cars, electronic equipment, computer chips as well as providing financial services. In 1999, sales of the 50 Hyundai subsidiaries totalled 70 billion dollars. However, the Hyundai group, which had 170,000 employees, was hit especially hard by the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis and came under sharp criticism. Business leaders who worked for Chung were accused of delaying efforts to reform the overextended Hyundai group. They were said to have held on too tightly to the strict hierarchical Chaebol culture. Chung himself stepped down from managing the group amid the growing financial difficulties of its subsidiaries. During his active career, Chung ran unsuccessfully in 1992 as a South Korean presidential candidate. In 1988, he was successful in his efforts to gain the 1988 olympics for South Korea. His political efforts were marred, however, when he was found guilty of violating election laws and was sentenced to three years in jail. But the sentence was dropped later because of his age. In the final years of his life, he played a key role in South Korea’s reconciliation policies with communist North Korea. He even shipped hundreds of cattle across the heavily fortified border to famine-devastated North Korea at his own expense to further the reconciliation campaign. In 1998, Chung entered an agreement with the North Korean Government for the development of a joint tourism and industrial project under which Hyundai was to provide 942 million dollars. Chung was born in 1915 as the first son of a poor family in North Korea. At the age of 18, he left his home and went South to take his first job as an errand-boy. Later, he worked at a car repair shop. At the end of World War II he founded a construction company which was the foundation stone for the step-by-step building of the Hyundai empire. The first divisions of that empire to suffer acute financial ills were the construction and semiconductor wings. (DPA) |
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