No-trust motion against Lanka Govt to be voted on Oct 11

COLOMBO, Oct 8: Sri Lanka’s ruling People’s Alliance today agreed to face an opposition no-confidence motion in Parliament on October 11, while President Chandrika Kumaratunga removed a senior rebel leader from his party post in a sign that she will not tolerate dissident activity.

Parliamentary group leaders decided at a meeting that the motion moved by the United National Party would be taken up for debate and voting on Thursday. Meanwhile, state-controlled radio said the working committee of the alliance leader, Sri Lanka Freedom Party, removed former minister S B Dissanayake from his position as its Chief Secretary.

Kumaratunga presided over the committee meeting that also named a minister, Maithripala Sirisena, as the acting secretary in place of Dissanayake, who has raised the banner of revolt against her leadership.

It is on Dissanayake and like-minded rebels that the UNP is banking to garner the votes needed to oust the PA regime in the 225-member house, which now has an effective voting strength of 223.

The President had charged dissanayake with mismanaging funds allocated to his Ministry for Poverty Alleviation Programmes, but the defiant SLFP strongman had rejected the allegation. Along with two other ministers, he resigned on the eve of a cabinet pruning exercise.

An SLFP disciplinary committee will now examine the charges of dissidence and rebellion against him.

Meanwhile, the Tamil United Liberation Front has decided to vote with the opposition and suggested a detailed amendment to the one-line motion to highlight the PA Government’s alleged failure to carry forward peace initiatives to end the protracted civil war.

"As the peace process does not any longer occupy a position of priority in the agenda of the Government., TULF expresses its censure and loss of confidence in the Government," the party, which has five mps, said in its suggested amendment.

The UNP’s motion reads: "This house declares that it has no confidence in the Government, since it is demonstrably clear that it cannot solve the prssing problems of the country and its people."

The TULF working committee, on the other hand, said the house should also declare that "the Government has failed to grasp the opportunities that became availabe to bring a cession of the cruel war."

The amendment also wants Parliament to censure the Government for not taking tangible steps to commence negotiations with the LTTE in pursuance of the Norwegian initiative. It refers to the ‘continued prosecution of the war, loss of lives, rape, sexual assault, indiscriminate arrests and detention’ of the Tamil people.

The leftist Janatha Vimukti Peramuna (JVP) is propping up the PA Government by exchanging the parliamentary support of its 10 legislators for a series of conditions and populist concessions.

The Government expects to sail through the no-trust vote, despite claims by the UNP that there will be many defections from the PA. (PTI)

US doing all to avoid civilian casualties

MOSCOW, Oct 8: Russian President Vladimir Putin today said he was certain the US was doing everything possible to avoid civilian losses in Afghanistan, and that terrorists would no longer be able to operate by leaning first on one center of power, then another.

He said he had no doubt "that the U.S. President and leadership are doing everything in their power so that the population of Afghanistan does not suffer," Interfax News agency reported.

Putin was addressing key Russian Cabinet members. Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov told the meeting that security had been stepped up around Russian embassies in several countries bordering Afghanistan, the Itar-Tass news agency reported.

Putin said the U.S-led attacks on Afghanistan were justified, considering the thousands of people who were killed when hijacked planes crashed into World Trade Center, Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field.

"Such a colossal loss cannot pass unnoticed or go without an adequate response," he said adding that the terrorists had "provoked the leadership of the leading countries of the world to such a turn of events. But this time, the terrorists miscalculated."

Putin said following the Sept. 11 attacks, humanity has "grown up," and that it would no longer be possible for terrorists to operate as they have before.

With the new anti-terrorism coalition, terrorists can no longer "manoeuver between various centers of power leaning first on one, then on another... That went on for many years."

He said Russia’s position on actions under the anti-terrorism coalition remained unchanged.(AP)

Musharraf accuses India of trying to take political mileage

ISLAMABAD, Oct 8: In the midst of his worries over the situation in Afghanistan, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf today chose to accuse India of trying to take political mileage of the situation, asking New Delhi not to have any illusions about Pakistani response to any attack on militant training camps there.

Clubbing Kashmir with Palestine, the military ruler rejected New Delhi’s stand that what was happening in the northern Indian state was terrorism. "It (Kashmir) cannot be identified as terrorism. There is a freedom struggle going on in Kashmir," he told a press conference here.

Seeing no link between events in Afghanistan and those in Kashmir, the general said that Kashmir "is a major dispute and we need to address the root cause of terrorism."

Asked about the reported statements emanating from India that an attack on terrorist training camp in Pakistan occupied Kashmir could not be ruled out, Musharraf replied, "let there be no illusions. Pakistan knows how to defend its borders."

As for the US-led air strikes in Afghanistan, he said while he supported the action he did not want the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance to come to power once the Taliban regime fell.

"Certainly the Northern Alliance must be kept in check so that we do not not return to the period of anarchy," he said.

Musharraf said that Pakistan would "guard" against "any damage" being caused to "freedom struggle" in Kashmir.

At the same time, Musharraf regretted the October one bomb attack in Srinagar saying Pakistan "condemned such terrorist acts in which civilians are killed. This is not not part of the freedom struggle".

On whether he had received any assurances from US President George Bush and British Premier Tony Blair on implementation of UN resolutions on Kashmir which seek a plebiscite there, Musharraf said it would have "unbecoming" on his part to have sought any assurance when the international community was entirely focussed on Afghanistan.

Musharraf kept repeating that root cause of disputes in Palestine and Kashmir which was leading to militancy had to be resolved. "To that extent Kashmir was emphasised (before the international community). But certainly the emphasis was on Afghanistan".

Asked about terrorism within Pakistan, he said that there were "external influences" behind them.

"I know about them," he said maintaining that he could not not believe muslims going to mosques and killing fellow Muslims.

He said that he was going into the "root of the problem" and taking steps to improve the functioning of law enforcement agencies to check this problem.

Outlining four parametres needed to bring unity, stability and peace in Afghanistan, he said a broad-based multi-ethnic dispensation taking the demographic composition in view should be supported.

"A political dispensation should be facilitated rather then being imposed on the people of Afghanistan" he said adding "Pakistan would like a friendly Afghanistan on its western border".

Significantly, the Pakistan President said he was not opposed to the return of exiled King Zahir Shah.

He also sought a detailed plan for rehabilitation at the end of the ongoing operations.

Musharraf said he had been informed of the US-led action a few hours before it was launched but denied that Pakistan air-bases had been used in this.

To a question on the new warming up of US-pak ties, he said "no deal" has been struck ahead of the action on Afghanistan. "US understands the difficulties of Pakistan and we have been assured assistance to overcome our difficulties" (PTI)

Britain on high alert for retaliatory strikes

LONDON, Oct 8: Foreign Secretary Jack Straw today urged Britons to carry on life as normal, saying terrorists could strike anywhere but that police were on high alert.

Top landmarks, including Buckingham Palace, are considered targets if extremists try to hit back for the role Britain played in yesterday’s US-led military strike on Afghanistan, which is accused of sheltering Osama bin Laden, prime suspect in the September 11 attacks on the United States.

Straw said no specific threat had been made on any British target in retaliation for the strikes in response to the suicide hijackings in New York and Washington.

But he acknowledged "terrorists" were indiscriminate with their targets, and said police had stepped up security.

"One of the great evils of terrorism is that it can strike almost anywhere," Straw told reporters before flying to a European Foreign Ministers meeting in Luxembourg. "Police levels of alert have been raised."

By carrying on life as normal, he said, Britain would be defying terrorism.

"We ask people to be vigilant and calm, to go about their normal business...And if they see anything suspicious, to report it immediately to the police," Straw said.

Police in London say security has been increased at "potentially vulnerable areas" of the capital. More than 1,000 extra officers have already been deployed on the London’s streets since last month’s attacks.

"We have been vigorously planning for a range of threats which may impact on London," a spokeswoman for London’s metropolitan police said.

Police refused to divulge details of the extra security measures, but said key buildings would be watched.

"We never discuss details of security, but obviously heathrow, Buckingham palace and the houses of parliament have security implications," the spokeswoman said.

US officials yesterday warned that strikes on Afghanistan may prompt Bin Laden’s Al Qaeda network to activate some long-planned plot.

London’s police chief, John Stevens, who last month put the capital on the highest peacetime security alert in its history, was among the first to admit the city could be the next target.

Britain has been reviewing plans for dealing with retaliatory strikes, including anthrax or plague attacks, since the World Health Organisation warned Western Governments to prepare for possible chemical or biological attacks. (REUTERS)

| home | state | national | business | editorial | advertisement | sports
| international | weather | mailbag | suggestions | search | subscribe | send mail |