Daily Excelsior... World

Concern over terrorist plot to bomb
US consulates in Calcutta

WASHINGTON, Jan 21: The Clinton administration has expressed "grave concern" over the reported terrorist plot to bomb US consulates in Calcutta and Chennai and said American security officials are in India to assess the situation.

State Department spokesman James Rubin yesterday said "we have no knowledge of the alleged involvement of Pakistan. I don’t care to speculate on the various motives of an event that is being investigated."

Media reports here have quoted Indian police saying that suspected terrorist Osama Bin Laden was behing the alleged plot.

Replying to questions, Mr Rubin said that Syed Abu Nasir, named in the Indian press, was being in volved in the plot to bomb the two consulates. He was detained by Indian authorities in December and formally arrested on January 19.

"Embassy officials have been working closely with Indian authorities to try to determine the credibility the threat," he added.

Mr Rubin said there had been a heightened level of protection around all of our diplomatic facilities in India since the bombings in East Africa. "We are maintaining that enhanced protection and will continue to do so. We ciously regard with grave concern and take very seriously any threats to our personnel, both American and Indian," he added. In reply to a question about the proposed missile tests by India and Pakistan, Mr Rubin said "we remain concerned about the matter. We’ve been discussing with them. I don’t have any new information to offer."

Asked whether the US got any satisfactory reply from the two countries, he said "we remain concerned about the possibility of such tests. We continue to discuss the matter with them."

He said Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott was going, as scheduled, on a to the two countries later this month. (UNI)

Ushakov new Russian Amabassador to USA

MOSCOW, Jan 21: In the wake of a strained bilateral relationship with the USA, Kremlin has appointed the Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Ushakov as the Russian Ambassador to the USA.

The appointment of Mr Ushakov was made here last night. Mr Ushakov succeeds Yuli Vorontsev, who also served as Russia’s envoy to New Delhi in the 1970’s.

Mr Ushakov, a career diplomat, assumes charge of this office at a time when Russia and the USA are on bitter terms due to their polarised stands on the "Iraq issue".

Both Russia and the USA also differ on other issues of global concern like Kosovo, NATO expansion, Iran, and the US sanctions against some of Russia’s research and analysis centres.

Besides, Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov’s "triangle theory", which calls for closer ties between China, Russia and India, has been interpreted by American foreign policy framers as a direct challenge to the US bid to dominate the world scene as the only super power. (UNI)

German pupils very poor in general knowledge

HAMBURG, Jan 21: German youths have a poor general knowledge, the results of a new survey have shown.

Half of the 1,960 girls and boys, aged between 14 and 16, questioned did not know who elects the country’s Chancellor or which two big superpowers were rivals in the Cold War, the survey carried out by the cologne-based institute for empirical psychology found.

The survey found that the pupils on average were only able to give the correct answer to about 15 out of a total of 40 questions related to politics, history, arts and natural sciences.

The national survey, issued yesterday was carried out on behalf of the German magazine Stern.

Only about a third knew that 19th century statesman Otto Von Bismarck (1815-98) was the architect of the German empire, and only 17 per cent said they had an idea what a "light year" was.

When asked where the seat of the European Parliament was only 8 per cent correctly named the French city of Strasbourg.

The pupils scored far better when asked about pop star Michael Jackson. Three-fourths of them knew that he has released the pop album "Thriller". (DPA)

Ethnic problem needs political settlement:
Lankan President

COLOMBO, Jan 21: President Chandrika Kumaratunga has said the ethnic problem in the country cannot be solved by war alone, but through a political settlement.

Addressing an election meeting of her party for the January 25 North West Provincial Council poll, she vowed that she would win the war against the LTTE and implement the political solution as well.

Mrs Kumaratunga said her Government put forward a political proposal to find a solution to the ethnic issue. But it was blocked because of the constitution framed by former President J R Jayawardane and opposition leader Ranil Wickeremesinghe’s silence. "I promise that I shall will the war and implement the political solution as well," she said.

"The largest number of war heroes are from Wayamba (NW province). We are very proud about it. But we are very sorry that young lives are lost in the war. Now we have captured almost 80 per cent of the North."

She said during the United National Party’s (UNP) time no one could proceed beyond Vaviniya. "Now a large number of Tamils are with us, not with Prabhakaran," she said.

Meanwhile, campaign for Monday’s election to the 52-member NW Provincial Council has intensified by both the ruling People’s Alliance (PA) led by Mrs Kumaratunga and opposition UNP, led by Ranil Wickremesinghe. Political analysts say the coming election, although fought on local issues, would be an acid test for both parties as it would be a trend setter for the presidential elections due next year.

Addressing another meeting, Deputy Defence Minister Anuruddha Ratwatte said the whole of the country would be liberated from the clutches of terrorists and peace would prevail throughout before the end of this year.

He said though a sum of Rs 60 billion has been allocated for defence this year, he believed that only half that amount would actually be required.

When the PA Government came to power in 1994, we couldn’t proceed North of Vavuniya despite the fact that the previous UNP regime was spending about Rs 22 billion on the war. "Government servants in the North were collecting their salaries from the state, but were doing Prabhakaran’s bidding," he said.

"Now the Government has liberated the whole of Northern province, including Jaffna, but except for some pockets in the North, Mr Ratwatte said. (UNI)

Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot committed suicide: Report

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA, Jan 21: Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot committed suicide last year after learning his comrades had offered to hand him over to the United States for trial, the far Eastern economic review reports.

The Hong Kong-based newsweekly, in a press release preceding its latest edition today, said that Washington turned down the chance to take Pol Pot into custody because it was unprepared to arrest and try him.

The magazine has broken several stories on the disintegration of the Khmer Rouge. Correspondent Nate Thayer’s interview with Pol Pot in 1997 was the first since 1979, when the revolutionary group lost power after causing the deaths of as many as two million cambodians.

Pol Pot was deposed as leader in 1997 after a bloody power struggle and kept under house arrest on diminishing rebel territory along the border with Thailand.

Khmer Rouge sources told Thayer in this week’s review that Ta Mok, the one-legged general who became Khmer Rouge leader, offered to turn Pol Pot over to the United States on March 25 last. The offer came as the last Khmer Rouge strongholds were falling under Government attack.

Lacking an indictment, an arrest warrant or a court order in which to try the aged rebel leader, the Americans refused, the review said.

The offer set off a furious behind-the-scenes effort in Washington to establish grounds for an arrest and find a country willing to hold Pol Pot while a trial could be arranged.

But in mid-April, Pol Pot died. The Khmer Rouge said the cause was a heart attack, though there was speculation he was murdered by former followers. His body was cremated without an autopsy.

Khmer Rouge sources recently told Thayer, however, that Pol Pot committed suicide after hearing of Ta Mok’s plans to turn him over on a voice of America radio news bulletin.

According to the review, Pol Pot took an overdose of anti-malarial pills and tranquilisers on April 15 to avoid being taken alive. (AP)

Pallone calls for restarting economic relations with india

WASHINGTON, Jan 21: Democratic Congressman Frank pallone, a key founder of the Congressional caucus for India and Indian Americans, has called in effect for lifting the remaining US sanctions against India and for American support for India’s permanent membership of the UN Security Council.

Pointing out that the two countries shared a tradition of rich values, pallone said in a statement to mark India’s Repubical Day on January 26, There is growing need for India and the United States, the two largest democracies of the world, to come closer and work together on a variety of initiatives.

"Though the two countries do not always agree on every issue, our national interests coincide on many of the most important concerns, such as fighting the scourge of international terrorism and controlling the transfer of nuclear and weapons technology to unstable regimes," he said.

Given India’s size and long term record of democratic stability, I believe that India should be made a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council-a goal that I hope the United States will come to support, he said.

India, he said had stuck to the path of free and fair elections, a multi-party system and the orderly transfer of power from one Government to its successor, despite the challenges of sustaining economic development while reconciling her many ethnic, religious and linguistic communities.

India’s vast middle class represented a significant and growing market for US trade while its infrastructure needs offered a tremendous opportunity for many American firms, large, small and mid- size, Pallone said.

US sanctions imposed on India last year have subsequently been relaxed, and I believe we should continue to work to preserve or restart economic relations that have developed during this decade of major change, while creating a positive atmosphere for new economic relations.

He also hoped that the two countries could build upon their educational, cultural and other people-to-people ties that have developed between the two countries. He looked forward to seeing the Indian-American community, more than a million strong, continue to serve as a human ‘bridge’ between our two countries. (PTI)

Yugoslav Govt bows before NATO threat of airstrikes

BELGRADE, Jan 21: With the threat of NATO airstrikes looming, the Yugoslav Government suggested it might be prepared to rescind the expulsion of the top international monitor in Kosovo.

Signs of compromise emerged late yesterday over the fate of Mr William Walker, the head of the international peace verification who was ordered out of the country after he accused Serb Police of last week’s massacre of 45 ethnic Albanians near the Southern village of Racak.

Deputy Prime Minister Vuk Draskovic said that the case of Ambassador Walker will be solved through compromise and to the mutual satisfaction.

Mr Draskovic, cited by the Independent Fonet News Agency, spoke after meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Avdeyev. The Russian official also met Mr Milosevic in what diplomatic sources said was an attempt to reverse the expulsion order. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Government on Monday gave Mr Walker 48 hours to leave the country. The deadline was extended by 24 hours.

Mr Draskovic’s announcement was the first sign that authorities were ready to back away from a test of wills with NATO and its member nations and came after both sides ignored NATO warnings to halt fighting Northwest of Pristina.

Earlier, Mr Avdeyev told Russian reporters that it was unlikely NATO would launch airstrikes as long as the international verifiers remained in Kosovo. Mr Milosevic blunted but did not end the threat of NATO airstrikes in October when he agreed to end a prolonged crackdown on ethnic Albanian guerrillas fighting for independence for Kosovo, a province of Serbia, the dominant Yugoslav Republic.

There has been concern that the verifiers could be held as hostages if NATO carries through with airstrikes. A French-led NATO rapid reaction force is stationed in MaCedonia to evacuate the mission if necessary.

In Brussels, Belgium, NATO’s Supreme Commander, Gen Wesley Clark, and German Gen Klaus Naumann admitted they made little progress during talks on Tuesday with Mr Milosevic in Belgrade.

Gen Clark told alliance Ambassadors yesterday that Mr Milosevic showed "no flexibility" and described the meeting as "a very blunt, direct and forceful encounter."

With diplomacy making little headway, NATO’s policy-making body, the North Atlantic Council, ordered the US enterprise, currently in the Aegean Sea, to take up watch in the Adriatic Sea and moved a mediterranean naval force to Brindisi, Italy.

In what NATO spokesman Jamie Shea described as "preliminary measures," the council also reduced the notice for carrying out airstrikes from four to two days and agreed to meet in almost continual session for the rest of this week.

In London, British Prime Minister Tony Blair told the house of commons that he would not rule out "the possibility of (British) participation in using ground forces" in Kosovo.

"Mr Blair said that Milosevic risks a rapid military response from NATO" if he fails to abide by the October. 12 cease-fire, which ended seven months of fighting. (AP)

Emperor’s illegitimate child arrested

TOKYO, Jan 21: A 59-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion she swindled 10 million Yen (88,000 dollars) from an acquaintance by claiming to be the illegitimate child of the late Emperor Hirohito, a media report said.

Akiko Ikeda, from Osaka prefecture in Western Japan, allegedly convinced a 52-year-old woman to lend her the money in 1992 after telling her she was the daughter of Hirohito and a former court noble, Kyodo news agency reported.

Police say Ikeda told the woman she wanted the money to donate to a university and said she would pay her back after collecting a large inheritance she expected shortly, the report said.

The woman, arrested yesterday, has denied the charges, Kyodo said.

Osaka prosecutors were not immediately available for comment.

Hirohito died in January 1989 after 63 years on the throne. (AP)

Muslims-Christians clash in Indonesia for third day

JAKARTA, Jan 21: Bloody rioting among rival mobs of Christians and Muslims flared for a third straight day on a remote island in Eastern Indonesia today. At least 22 people were killed, police said.

They feared the death toll could rise as religious strife intensified on Ambon Island, 2,300 kilometres North-East of Jakarta, the Capital.

Dozens have been injured and many residents fled their homes for the safety of nearby halong navy base. Hundreds of others sheltered in police stations.

"We all are frightened now. We are getting out with our children. The men will stay behind to guard our houses," said one woman.

The rioting started on Tuesday night after Muslims from the village of Batumerah attacked a man from the neighbouring Christian-dominated village of Mardika. They accused him of being drunk and of insulting their Islamic beliefs. The trouble later spread to the city of Ambon and other nearby villages.

Sporadic fighting continued after 700 riot police and troops were deployed. About half were flown in from other islands.

Ambon’s Patimura Airport reopened briefly today after being closed to commerical flights for two days.

However, many passengers who arrived on a lone flight from neighboring Sulawesi Island stayed at the airport too afraid to drive about 16 kilometres to Ambon city. Frightened taxi drivers refused to take passengers.

Residents said armed gangs had blocked roads around the airport.

"All cars leaving the airport have to be guarded by the military," said one airport official.

Mobs armed with machetes, spears and crowbars were enraged by reports that mosques and churches had been set on fire.

Local Police Chief Col Karyono S M said six houses of worship had been burned and dozens of vehicles were damaged on the island.

"The violence is as bad as it was on the first day," one police officer.

The official Antara News Agency said at least 100 people had been badly injured and more than 30 houses burned in the main city, Ambon. Residents reported several columns of smoke rising over the city. (AP)