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Guarded US response WASHINGTON, Nov 2: The United States has said Pakistan is making every effort to ensure that no support goes to. ...more Mandela
lauded for BUJUMBURA, Nov 2: Nelson Mandela walks slowly and stoops slightly, but still commands respect like a freedom fighter at the height of his .......more Media
bring the JABAL-US-SARAJ, AFGHANISTAN, Nov 2: When hundreds of reporters began to descend on the small Afghan town of Jabal-Us-Saraj six weeks. .....more Washington
gears WASHINGTON, Nov 2: Worried they are losing the public relations battle in the war in Afghanistan, the United States and Britain have set up three....more |
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UN disavows political UNITED NATIONS, Nov 2: The UN has disavowed remarks made by its chief military observer in Kashmir, Major General Hermann K Loidolt, and ......more Pak
newspaper says KARACHI, Nov 2: The editor of a Pakistani newspaper said today white powder in an envelope hand-delivered to the paper last week had tested .......more Taliban
to hang captured ISLAMABAD, Nov 2: Taliban today threatened to hang captured supporters of a top aide to exiled former king Mohammed Zahir Shah who is on an ....more Women
marines pack a ON BOARD USS PELELIU, Nov 2: One of the marines who fixes helicopters on the USS Peleliu in the Arabian sea is about to become a grandmother. ........more |
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Guarded US response to reported Pak assistance to Taliban WASHINGTON, Nov 2: The United States has said Pakistan is making every effort to ensure that no support goes to the Taliban in Afghanistan but was guarded in its response to reports suggesting that ISI is providing military supplies to the militia. "We have excellent cooperation from Paistan. We have gotten a lot of help and support in the campaign (in Afghanistan) and I think we have every indication that the Pakistani Government will be trying to avoid anything like that happening," State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher said yesterday while commenting on a media report attributed to US officials that the Taliban was still getting assistance from Islamabad. On whether he could say specifically if it has happened, Boucher said: "No, I can’t. But I would say that the Pakistani Government have made every effort to cooperate, every effort to make sure that no support goes to the Taliban." A report in ‘The Washington Times’ attributed to US officials said that military goods, including ammunition and fuel are being sent to the Taliban with the help of some elements of the Pakistani Government, including ISI. National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice in seperate statement said: "We believe we are getting very good cooperation from the Pakistani Government. We are in constant discussion with them. "We believe that Pakistanis are doing what they can to avoid the situation that you are talking about," she said. Foreign Minister of the internationally recognised Burhanuddin Rabbani Government in Afghanistan also said Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is still providing support to the Taliban militia. "There are lots of (ISI) officers who are fully committed to the way of the Taliban and Osama Bin Laden," Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah told a press conference at Jabal Seraj in Afghanistan. "They will keep on helping as much as possible. Since the 1980’s they have kept the same mentality, the same vision and the same view." Abdullah did not state how the Pakistani intelligence service was currently aiding the hardline militia. (PTI) |
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Mandela lauded for brokering deal in divided Burundi BUJUMBURA, Nov 2: Nelson Mandela walks slowly and stoops slightly, but still commands respect like a freedom fighter at the height of his powers, not least here in a country scarred by civil war. The former South African president is being credited with bringing Burundi as close to peace as it has been since 1993, when ethnic Tutsi soldiers assassinated a democratically elected Hutu President, triggering a conflict that has killed an estimated 200,000 people. Not one to take it easy in retirement, Mandela last year agreed to facilitate Burundi’s Moribund peace process, which had little to show for more than a dozen all-party meetings under the mediation of the late Tanzanian President, Julius Nyerere. By August 2000, the nobel laureate had arm-twisted reluctant Burundian politicians into signing a power-sharing agreement and this week, he travelled here to the capital to witness the sqearing-in of the resulting Government of national unity. In a speech, Mandela thanked those who selected him to do what he called "a task that was arduous and often very frustrating and taxing, but at the end was a great honour to be entrusted with." Some observers had worried that the seemingly intractable situation in the central African nation would send the 83-year-old Mandela to an early grave. Those fears were heightened earlier this year when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Yet he continued his work, alternately chastising Burundian leaders for being stubborn and urging armed factions to join the peace process. Speaker after speaker took turns during yesterday’s inauguration ceremony to praise Mandela for rescuing Burundi. "Despite his age, he spared no effort to make the peace efford move forward," said Burundian President Pierre, to applause from the audience. "Everybody knows that without his assistance, the peace agreement would not have been signed." Everyone, that is, except for Mandela himself. He dismissed a suggestion that his influence was the key factor in clinching the deal. "No, no, that’s a mistake," he told reporters. "It is the leaders of Burundi, plus the President here who are responsible for this breakthrough. All that we could do was merely to help them, so that they could reach a settlement as soon as possible. The spadework was done by former President Nyerere. All of us just put the finishing touches to the work of the real architect of this agreement." On the surface, Burundi’s political situation was not dissimilar from what Mandela struggled against in apartheid-era South Africa. A small minority, the ethnic tutsis, long controlled the Government and military, while Hutus, who make up 85 per cent of the population, were severely disenfranchised. Yet the power imbalance was coloured by repeated ethnic massacres, the most recent of which was the rwandan genocide in 1994, when a Hutu Government led the killings of some 800,000 People, mostly Tutsis. Mandela saw the need to allay Burundian Tutsis’ fears that they would suffer the same fate if they released their grip on power, while insisting that moderate Hutus deserved a role in Government. His influence was also considered essential in persuading the South African Government to send 700 troops to Burundi on the country’s first international peacekeeping mission since the end of apartheid. What Mandela has yet to achieve in Burundi is a cease-fire. Armed hutu rebel groups did not sign last year’s peace accord and as recently as last weekend launched attacks on a suburb of Bujumbura. But in recent months, they have held parallel talks through other mediators and this week Mandela said rebel leaders told him they are prepared to negotiate with the transitional Government. (DPA) |
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Media bring the good, bad and ugly to Afghanistan JABAL-US-SARAJ, AFGHANISTAN, Nov 2: When hundreds of reporters began to descend on the small Afghan town of Jabal-Us-Saraj six weeks ago, the locals were licking their lips at the prospect of an economic boom. They have not been disappointed. Drivers, translators, restaurants, shops, carpenters, mechanics and officials have all earned sums of cash that hitherto would only have been a dream. But as time goes on, the tensions and problems caused by the presence of the world’s press have surfaced — between the Afghan population and journalists, between the locals, and, of course, between the highly competitive reporters themselves. US air attacks on Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban are in their fourth week, and the war on world terrorism focused on the hardline Islamic movement has regularly topped news bulletins. The appetite for news and views from what was toe of the world’s most inhospitable countries has been insatiable. The inevitable media frenzy this created has hit two main locations — Khoja Bahawuddin near the Afghan-Tajik border in the very north and Jabal-Us-Saraj, about 300 km south at the mouth of the Panjsher Valley. The remainder of the country — more than 90 percent — is held by the Taliban, which does not usually welcome foreign reporters and promises to deal harshly with any it finds without proper accreditation. The first big challenge for the media is getting into Northern Afghanistan. The trip to Khoja Bahawuddin is made most often by road from the Tajik capital of Dushanbe. Taxis charge 400 to get to the border, four times the rate before the September 11 attacks on the United States and resulting military campaign in Afghanistan. The lucky ones get a ride in an ageing Soviet helicopter, although even that is no guarantee of landing where you want. Many reporters promised a flight to Jabal-Us-Saraj land instead in Khoja Bahawuddin, where they can wait for up to 10 days for another helicopter. Some take the road instead. "It was the worst journey of my life," said one south African cameraman, a hardened war reporter not easily frightened. Getting out is another major headache. More than 100 people were on the helicopter waiting list in late October, with flights often postponed for days because of weather or because they are booked to supply opposition forces with ammunition. But those from the Shomali plain further south, where the front lines cross, have pushed for a redistribution of the wealth, and media companies have been forced to change drivers. One reporter was seen urging his cameraman to roll the film as he helped civilian victims of the US attacks into the back of his vehicle, and others have posed in places where they know they will draw fire from the Taliban. The marksmen have proved inaccurate so far. (REUTERS) |
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Washington gears up in war for public opinion WASHINGTON, Nov 2: Worried they are losing the public relations battle in the war in Afghanistan, the United States and Britain have set up three 24-hour information desks around the world that aim to shoot down damaging Taliban claims as they are made. Facing anger in the moslem world and fading support in europe over television images of civilians deaths in Afghanistan, the coalition hopes to counterbalance the Taliban allegations and stress its humanitarian campaign. The three coalition information centers are being set up in Islamabad, London and Washington to rapidly rebut information in time to meet the deadlines of regional media, White House Spokesman Ari Fleischer said yesterday. The Bureaux will span the world’s time zones, so that viewers and readers getting their information from the Taliban, where the news cycle starts each day, will also be "able to get the facts from (people) in a position of responsibility", Fleischer said. The information war is an integral part of the war on terrorism because it aims to maintain a fragile coalition that includes nations where anti-American protests have risen sharply - including key allies such as Pakistan. A thorn in the side of the Bush administration has been the arab satellite news channel Al-Jazeera, the only network still filming in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, which has broadcast footage of the war, including this week’s carpet-bombing raids. The Government has asked US networks to use their editorial judgement before broadcasting video messages by Bin Laden from Al-Jazeera, and Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has accused the Qatar-based channel of a "pattern" of spreading Taliban propaganda. The Islamic militia sheltering suspected terrorist mastermind Osama Bin Laden had made false claims about shooting down US aircraft, Fleischer said, and the new centres would seek to "counter misinformation by the Al-Qaeda network" of Bin Laden. "They’ve made a series of allegations that are just not true, including gross exaggerations about civilian casualties in the war in Afghanistan," he told White House reporters. The Washington Post reported that the coalition will also try to stagger speeches and news conferences on both sides of the Atlantic so they dominate TV coverage around the world and around the clock. Next week, the State Department plans to post online various statements by Moslem leaders condemning the September 11 attacks, translated into 12 regional languages, the report said. Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon Thursday, Rumsfeld and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Richard Myers made repeated reference to the September 11 bombings in answer to questions about civilian casualties in Afghanistan. The international media being courted by the new strategy was also a source of frustration for Rumsfeld, who complained that civilian deaths often resulted from the Taliban’s emplacement of anti-aircraft batteries on top of buildings in residential areas "so ... They can then show the press that civilians have been killed". He charged that aid workers stood under threat of being shot if they reported that their inability to distribute food was due not to the bombings, but to the fact that their warehouses have been taken over by Taliban militia. In an internal memo, CNN reportedly said, "we must remain careful not to focus excessively on the casualties and hardships in Afghanistan that will inevitably be a part of this war, or to forget that it is the Taliban leadership that is responsible for the situation Afghanistan is now in". According to the trade magazine variety, news anchors were also urged to point out, in their own words, that "these US military actions are in response to a terrorist attack that killed close to 5,000 innocent people in the US." (DPA) |
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UN disavows political remarks by chief observer in Kashmir UNITED NATIONS, Nov 2: The UN has disavowed remarks made by its chief military observer in Kashmir, Major General Hermann K Loidolt, and reprimanded him for making political observations without getting clearance from the headquarters. "I would like to make it clear that what he (Loidolt) said does not represent the views of the Secretary-General," Manoel De Almeida E Silva, Deputy Spokesman for UN Secretery General, told reporters yesterday. Loidolt, who heads the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), at a press conference on October 29, described the Kashmir issue as "multi-layered" and said "all of us are aware of the situation in Kashmir and the games both parties — India and Pakistan — are playing with this tormented country." Reacting to his statement, the UN spokesman said "chiefs of the mission in the field are required to discuss with the headquarters and get clearance when they are going to make political statements." "Major General Loidolt did not comply with that in this case and he has been reminded of the limits of his responsibility," he added. Loidolt yesterday expressed "sincerest apology" for his "misbehaviour" in making political comments. In a letter sent to the Director General of Military Operations, he said "I deeply regret that this incident caused some discomfort. It was not intended to blame someone on something." Loidlot said "if I had violated any existing regulations, I am sorry for that. I can assure you I have learnt the lesson and that will never happen again." Reacting to his statement, Minister of State for External Affairs Omar Abdullah had yesterday said that India would lodge a protest with the UN for his controversial comments. In his remarks on October 29, Loidolt said "my assessment is that the situation will become more tense in the time coming, not only along the LoC, but also in the whole of Jammu and Kashmir state." "We all know there is no easy solution and especially war is absolutely no solution for the issue of Kashmir. Whatever the reason is for playing political games, may it be diversionary manoeuvre on the Pakistani side, to make India the real enemy instead of the us, or may it be the dawning of next election in India. (PTI) |
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Pak newspaper says finds anthrax spores KARACHI, Nov 2: The editor of a Pakistani newspaper said today white powder in an envelope hand-delivered to the paper last week had tested positive for anthrax spores, the first case of its kind outside the United States. "We received a press release envelope which contained white powder...And it has tested positive for containing anthrax spores," Mehmood Sham, editor of Pakistan’s largest Urdu-language newspaper Daily Jang, told Reuters by telephone. "We have received the final report by the hospital yesterday which said it contained anthrax spores," he said. Six staff present when the letter was opened were not sent for tests but were immediately put on antibiotics, and following confirmation of test results another 60 to 80 staff would also be given medication, Sham said. He said doctors had advised there was no need for staff possibly exposed to the powder to be tested for anthrax as long as they were immediately put on antibiotics. Hospital officials and doctors, when contacted by Reuters, cited patient confidentiality and declined to comment on the case. It is the first confirmed anthrax case outside the United States — where four people have died from the deadly disease — after a number of false alarms. Sham said the letter was received in the paper’s Commerce Section on October 23 and opened by a reporter. After finding the white powder the sample was rushed to the leading private Agha Khan University Hospital. He said after confirmation of anthrax spores about 80 to 90 editorial staff, working on the same floor of the building, would be put on antibiotic course as a precaution, but no employees appeared to be sick. "The news and reporting section of the newspaper will be closed for decontamination today," Sham said. He said suspicious letters containing white powdery substances were also received by other sections of the newspaper but they turned out to be harmless. Anthrax scares in Pakistan have hit the US Embassy and British High Commission in Islamabad, while a suspicious letter was received by a foreign bank in Karachi. All were false alarms. The US Embassy received a suspect envelope on Wednesday, but it says it has yet to receive results from tests on a white powder. A spate of anthrax attacks in the United States in the wake of the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington sparked fears worldwide that the potentially deadly bacteria was being used as a biological weapon. Anthrax, often found in farm animals, is spread by spores. Without quick antibiotic treatment, more than 80 percent of people who contract the severe inhalation form of anthrax die. At least 16 people in the United States have been confirmed with either inhalation anthrax or the less deadly skin version. A larger number of people have tested positive to anthrax exposure but did not contract disease. Most cases have been identified as being caused by spores sent through the mail. The panic has sparked a string of hoaxes and false alarms in the United States and other countries. (REUTERS) |
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Taliban to hang captured supporters of Afghan king ISLAMABAD, Nov 2: Taliban today threatened to hang captured supporters of a top aide to exiled former king Mohammed Zahir Shah who is on an undercover mission in Afghanistan, Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) reported. The militia was reported to have captured 25 followers of former Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Hamid Karzai in a confrontation in Deharwad in Uruzgan province overnight. The Pakistan-based agency quoted Taliban sources as saying execution orders had been issued for "important" members of the detained group and they were expected to be hanged today, probably in Taliban bastion of Kandahar. Militia fighters were still hunting for Karzai, AIP said. Karzai is believed to be on a similar mission to Afghan resistance hero Abdul Haq, who the Taliban captured and executed last week. Haq was believed to be trying to encourage a rebellion against the Taliban. Taliban said four US helicopters had tried to rescue Karzai yesterday but failed after Taliban troops acted on a tip-off and raided a hideout in Deharwad. Four supporters of the ex-king were killed and several others wounded in the battle. Sources said the Pashtun leader clandestinely entered Taliban-held areas last week. He is close to Zahir Shah who is the focus of attempts to form a post-Taliban Government if US military operations, launched in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks on the US, succeed in ousting the militia. Taliban Ambassador to Pakistan, Abdul Salam Zaeef, told AIP that four US helicopters landed in Deharwad yesterday and tried to rescue Karzai, but the attempt was foiled. Karzai was influential in southern Afghanistan before Taliban seized power in 1996. (AFP) |
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Women marines pack a punch on USS Peleliu ON BOARD USS PELELIU, Nov 2: One of the marines who fixes helicopters on the USS Peleliu in the Arabian sea is about to become a grandmother. "When I first came in the attitude was we were in the marine corps just to free up a man to fight. We learned to serve tea," said master sergeant Pat Stewart, the avionics chief in charge of maintaining all the electronic systems on the helicopters and harrier jets on the Peleliu. Stewart joined the marines in 1976 when women were not allowed to touch a weapon or even wear trousers. "Boot camp was more a finishing school for ladies." Stewart took a five year break to have two children and re-enlisted in 1984. She plans to retire next year when she will be 47. Her 20-year-old daughter, a petty officer in the navy, is due to give birth in a few weeks. "I’m probably the first for that," says Stewart, who spends her evenings putting the final touches to a mint green crochet blanket for the coming baby. While women have become a relatively common fixture in the other services in recent years, the marine corps remains overwhelmingly male with just over 10,000 women out of a total force of 173,000. On the Peleliu and the other ships in the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) there are only 30 women marines out of a total of around 2,200. April Urquizu, a Petite 26-year-old sergeant from Washington state, says woman can do any job men can. "Absolutely. If not better," she said, taking a break from bayonet training in the hangar bay of the Peleliu, the marine flagship in the Arabian Sea. Twenty-two year-old corporal Anna Sobecki, the day crew supervisor in Stewart’s avionics team, would normally stay on ship to service the helicopters designed to ferry troops ashore, but she is ready to go in country if need be. "A lot of guys say what would you do if you had to go on land. I say give me an M16 and I’ll see what I can do," Sobecki said. "Every marine is a rifleman first," she added. Like all marines whatever their discipline, Sobecki has to spend a week every year on the rifle range to maintain her skills with the M16. "You feel very powerful that you have this machine in your hand," she says of her gun. "I feel safe because I’m so comfortable with it." Urquizu says the Marine Corps requires a lot of physical endurance but that’s not the biggest challenge. "It’s the privacy — there’s none of it... We’re all confined in a real small area," she says. "I‘ve pretty much established myself and most of the marines know how we are," Urquizu said. "If we walk around with our heads held high they’re going to respect us. And they do respect us." Asked if she is prepared to use the bayonet skills she is practicing, ready to kill a man at close quarters, she nods. "I’m ready for anything. Anything that comes." Sobecki said she sometimes finds male marines a little reluctant to take her on at first in her martial arts class but they soon get over it. (REUTERS) |
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