US Congressman for Indo-Pak dialogue on Kashmir

WASHINGTON, Jan 4: Saying "improved diplomacy" between India and Pakistan would serve as an impetus for the US and other industrialised countries to invest in South Asia, an influential US lawmaker has called for bilateral talks between the two countries.

In a congratulatory letter to Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali on his assuming office as Pakistan Prime Minister, New Jersey Democrat Frank Pallone, said he appreciated the Jamali’s statements seeking to improve relations with India.

However, he said, President Pervez Musharraf’s "war rhetoric" had not helped to contribute to a dialogue.

"President Musharraf attempted to appease the Islamic parties with talks of a ‘non-conventional’ war with India," Pallone said.

"Although I appreciate General Quereshi’s clarification that Musharraf was not referring to nuclear arms, overall, the specific comments made by Musharraf do not seem to bode well for diplomacy between the two nations on Kashmir issues."

Pallone, the founder of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, said he hoped that "2003 will mark a year of improved relations between India and Pakistan and in due course, peace and stability in the South Asian region." Democrat Frank Pallone said he was encouraged by Jamali’s statement that he is interested in improving Indo-Pak relations.

"I congratulate you on publicly expressing your willingness to work with New Delhi and I would hope that you aim to use your newly elected position to steer pakistan in a positive direction."

"Additionally, the recent transparent state elections in Kashmir and its newly elected Government can perhaps play a role in helping India and Pakistan arrive at successful negotiations on the Kashmir issue," Pallone said.

The resumption of bilateral dialogue between New Delhi and Islamabad on the Kashmir dispute is essential for the two nations to achieve normalised relations, he said.

"I strongly believe that the significance of such progress within the region cannot be understated, and furthermore, improved relations between India and Pakistan would have a direct impact on establishing better political and economic ties between the US and all countries of the Indian subcontinent," Pallone said.

However, the Congressman said he felt that the recent release in Pakistan of two leaders of the Jaish-e-Muhammad, who are allegedly the masterminds behind the attack in the Indian Parliament in December 2001, was "cause for grave concern."

"The anxiety behind their release is compounded by the recent Islamic rebel attack on India paramilitary soldiers, for which the Jaish-e-Muhammad publicly claims responsibility."

Aside from increased terrorism in Kashmir, Pallone said, the domestic situation in Pakistan was contributing to "highly charged tensions."

"As you know, members of Islamic fundamentalist parties, with both anti-American and anti-Indian platforms, were successful in the October parliamentary elections,"he added.

Although such developments were discouraging, Pallone said recognised several windows of opportunities for bilateral talks between India and Pakistan to come to fruition. Pallone said he acknowledged that the leaders of both India and Pakistan realise the great benefit of improved relations.

"Bilateral discussions would need to resume without us third party intervention by the US, but that the US does have a significant stake in the current tensions in the region," he added. (UNI)

9 top Pak nuclear scientists go absconding

ISLAMABAD, Jan 4: Pakistan’s top nine nuclear scientists are absconding sending alarm bells to the worried international community over safety of Islamabad’s nuclear programme, a news report has said.

These nuclear scientists, who were working at the "Chasnupp" nuclear power plant, have slipped out of Pakistan, the South Asia tribune revealed in its latest report.

Eight of the nine scientists were senior engineers and one was an Assistant Engineer, it said.

The details were revealed in a memo sent by the Chasnupp authorities to their seniors a few weeks ago warning them that many more were planning to follow the suit "as they were not getting fair deal in Pakistan".

"There are 250 nuclear engineers and scientists working at the Chasnupp. Most are unhappy with salaries and other benefits and looking for opportunities to flee from Pakistan," the paper, quoting a retired nuclear scientist, said.

The working condition of the scientists should be a cause of concern to everyone as unhappy engineers at nuclear facilities could mean trouble of all kinds, the scientist told The Tribune.

The situation is ripe for any country needing their services to offer them a reasonable package, the paper said.

It said the engineers were being kept at Chashima as if they were in a "detention camp".

They are required to work for eleven hours a day and seven days a week. Many of them are called for emergency duty and not allowed to keep their families, the tribune said.

The scientists who left the country had received training from Chinaand and were highly qualified to run a power plant, it said. (UNI)

Pak-US troops exchange heavy fire; Musharraf talks to Bush

ISLAMABAD, Jan 4: In the second incident of cross-firing within a week, Pakistani and US troops exchanged heavy fire in a tribal area on Pak-Afghan border as President Pervez Musharraf held telephonic talks with his American counterpart George W Bush to defuse tension arising out of the last weekend’s skirmish.

Pakistani and US-Afghan forces on the Pak-Afghan border near Angoor Adda of South Waziristan agency exchanged heavy machine gun fire early yesterday, local daily ‘The News’ reported from Pakistani tribal town of Wana.

Details of loss to human lives or property, if any, were not immediately available.

Musharraf also spoke to Secretary of State Colin Powell over the phone yesterday about last Sunday’s border clash between Pakistani and US troops.

Local Government officials said a rocket launcher shell, fired from across the border, fell into Pakistani territory yesterday. The fire was returned, resulting in heavy exchange of machine gun fire from both sides for over an hour, the paper said.

All communication links between Angoor Adda and rest of Pakistan remained suspended yesterday, while roads leading to the troubled area were closed for a few hours for traffic.

Pakistani officials said fresh contingents of scouts and armed forces have been dispatched to Angoor Adda to control the situation.

Tension between Pakistan and US force mounted after an American soldier was wounded in firing by Pakistani scouts last weekend. It was further aggravated when a US plane reportedly bombed an Islamic religious school on the Pakisani side of border.

In his conversations with Bush, Musharraf also protested the new registration procedures for Pakistani nationals in US and asked the American President to remove the curbs, ‘The Nation’ said.

While talking to Powell, the Pakistani President said there should not be a repetition of aerial bombing by US planes. Powell assured him that utmost care would be taken in this regard by the allied forces in future, the paper said.

US Central Command Chief Tommy Franks is expected to hold a teleconference with Musharraf or Chairman of Pakistan’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen Aziz to discuss steps to reduce tensions.

US Military Spokeswoman at Bagram in Afghanistan, Capt Alayne Cramer, delivered a terse message to a Pakistani Colonel, who formed part of a joint team, saying that "enough was enough" and US would not tolerate any firing from Pakistani side.

Capt Cramer told the Pakistani Colonel that the message was from "the very top." Franks himself wanted it to be conveyed to Gen Aziz, `Dawn’ daily said.

The Pakistani Colonel and US Spokeswoman are reportedly not on speaking terms after their show down.

Pakistan officials refuted the US warnings by saying that "Pakistan is not Afghanistan,".

Pakistan warned Americans that "hot pursuit" across the border would provoke Pakistani firing and the Americans would have to face the consequences of such a misadventure.

Pakistan will respond appropriately to stop violation of its territory or airspace by US forces through operations not cleared by the Pakistani authorities, dawn quoted a senior pakistani official as saying.

Referring to the air attack of December 29, the official said "they (the US authorities) have to ensure that such an incident is not repeated," warning that the US anti-terror campaign would come to a grinding halt if Pakistan stopped cooperating with it.

Pakistan has already lodged a written protest with US Ambassador to Islamabad Nancy Powel.

As an immediate damage-control measure, Powel met the Governor and Corps Commander Peshawar to discuss the situation.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat said US troops have no blanket permission to enter Pakistan in close pursuit.

"There is no room or legal sanctions for any cross-border operation by US forces to pursue fugitives into Pakistani territory. We have no such policy. There is no question of allowing any hot pursuit into our territory," he said.

Pakistan’s defence spokesman, Maj-Gen Rashid Qureshi, said yesterday the Pakistani Government had not allowed raids to be carried out by the US troops inside Pakistani territory.

Commenting on reports about US forces’ hot pursuit in Pakistan, he said there had been very close cooperation and coordination between US forces operating on the Afghan side of the border and Pakistani security forces on the Pakistani side.

"There is continuous exchange of information and intelligence. However, only Pakistani security forces and troops operate in Pakistani territory," he told the official APP news agency. (PTI)

Bush talks of liberating Iraq, troops mass in Gulf

WASHINGTON/BAGHDAD, Jan 4: More American troops prepared to join the tens of thousands already massed in the Gulf and President George W Bush told cheering soldiers a war against Iraq would be one of liberation, not conquest.

A state-run Iraqi paper called Bush "the master of evil-doers". Thousands took to the streets yesterday in Pakistan and hundreds joined a march in the pro-western Gulf state of Bahrain to protest against the threatened US attack and what one banner called the "holocaust of the Muslims".

Bush addressed thousands of cheering soldiers at the biggest Army base in the United States, Fort Hood in his home state of Texas, describing how he viewed a possible war against President Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.

"Should Saddam seal his fate by refusing to disarm, by ignoring the opinion of the world, you’ll be fighting not to conquer anybody but to liberate people," he told them.

The Pentagon has ordered some units of the US first marine expeditionary force, based in camp Pendleton, California, to go to the Gulf, defence officials said yesterday.

In a new year surge of military preparation, the US military has announced the deployment of more than 11,000 soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division based in the state of Georgia, as well as hundreds of engineers and intelligence specialists from Germany.

Nearly 60,000 US military personnel are already in the Gulf and that number could double in coming weeks.

UN Inspectors continued their investigations of suspect sites in Iraq with no word yet of a "smoking gun" that might prove the country has weapons of mass destruction or is developing them.

A UN spokesman in Baghdad said one inspection yesterday was of a depot 200 km west of Baghdad which was used as a chemical weapons store before the 1991 Gulf war.

Experts also inspected an adjacent area used in the 1980s for chemical munitions tests, he said. Both desert sites had been visited by previous inspection teams.

Over 100 inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency and the United Nations Monitoring and Verification Commission (UNMOVIC) are trying to assess what Iraq’s military industries have been doing since inspectors left in 1998.

The UN Security Council passed a resolution in November demanding Iraq give a full account of its weapons programmes and cooperate with weapons inspectors, as required by resolutions stemming from the 1991 Gulf war, or face tough consequences. Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz accused Washington on Thursday of "an imperialist design" to invade his oil-rich country regardless of the verdict of the inspectors, who must report their findings to the Security Council by January 27.

Chief Weapons Inspector Hans Blix said at the United Nations on Friday the findings would include the results of laboratory tests of samples taken in Iraq. He will make an interim report to the UN Security Council on Thursday and visit Iraq from January 18 to 20.

Iraqi daily Al-Iraq questioned the sincerity of a statement by Bush that he still hoped the standoff with Baghdad could be resolved peacefully.

"Bush remains the first evil-doer or the master of evil-doers on earth," Al-Iraq said in a front-page editorial.

It said he had talked about a peaceful solution only to defuse rising global public anger: "The truth of the matter is that Bush wanted...To cool down the climate after the rise of temperature of global public anger over his threats and preparations for aggression against Iraq."

In Pakistan, angry demonstrators burnt an effigy of Bush in nationwide protests organised by a six-party hardline Islamic coalition, which made huge gains in an October election by tapping anti-US sentiment.

In the largest rallies, some 2,000 people gathered in the central city of Multan and in Quetta, near the Afghan border, where opposition to US action in Afghanistan is strongest.

"War will continue until Bush’s destruction," the crowd shouted in Multan, located in the populous Punjab province.

Iraq’s main opposition groups met in London on Friday and said they planned to convene a Congress on Iraqi soil in mid- January to boost their credibility as an alternative to Saddam.

A 65-member committee dominated by the six groups, recognised by the United States, was selected at an opposition conference in London last month to act as a Government in exile.

A Congress might be held in the city of Arbil, in Kurdish-controlled Northern Iraq, or in Turkey. (AGENCIES)

Taliban possesses chemical weapons: Ex-Taliban Envoy

ISLAMABAD, Jan 4: In a sensational disclosure, a senior Taliban leader has claimed that his dismembered outfit was in possession of chemical and other sophisticated weapons provided by ‘friendly’ states.

"Mujhaideen are now in possession of chemical and other sophisticated weapons provided by friendly countries. We have still not used them but guided missiles and remote control weapons have been used and the results are very encouraging," former Taliban diplomat, Naseer Ahmad Rohi told a select group of journalists in Peshawar yesterday.

Rohi, who has served as first secretary at the Afghan Embassy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was quoted as saying by the local daily ‘The News’ the new weapons have not been used by the Taliban in the past, neither by the Arabs nor the Afghans.

However, experts were sceptical about Rohi’s claims, the paper said.

While denying Pakistan’s role in the provision of the latest technology and weapons, Rohi said some Muslim as well as non-Muslim friendly countries had supplied them with the weaponry.

Rohi did not name any country providing what he claimed were chemical weapons to the resistance forces in Afghanistan, but said the situation was encouraging for them because of the coordinated attacks on the US and allied forces in eastern and southern provinces during the last few months.

About Osama bin Laden, he said the Al-Qaeda chief was alive and moving in areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan along with his family.

Rohi said Osama bin Laden was injured in US bombing but recovered. "Osama received injuries in the chest at the Tora Bora bombing by US planes, but has survived the air strikes. However, the entire family of Aiman Al-Zawahiri has been killed including his two wives and kids," he claimed.

He said Al-Zawahiri, second in command in the Al-Qaeda network, has moved out of the region and was no longer in Asia.

Rohi claimed that Taliban, Al-Qaeda fighters loyal to Osama bin Laden and Hezb-i-Islami’s Mujahideen under the leadership of Gulbaddin Hekmatyar have joined hands and reactivated its dormant cells in several provinces to take on the enemy.

"Hekmatyar met Taliban supreme leader, Mulla Muhammad Omar in Uruzgan province and both the leaders have agreed on the war strategy and coordination among resistance groups," he said adding the two leaders have resolved to launch a joint struggle for the liberation of Afghanistan from foreign forces.

He said Taliban would also hold general elections in the country after ousting Karzai Government. "It was Hekmatyar’s insistence to hold general elections in the country after after the victory," Rohi said. (PTI)

Jews, Arabs protest barring of Arab MK

JERUSALEM, Jan 4: Hundreds of Jews and Arabs are reported to have demonstrated this afternoon in the northern town of Nazareth in protest of the disqualification of Arab member of the Knesset (MK), Ahmed Tibi, by the Central Elections Committee (CEC).

In the demonstration, members of the Balad Movement, which was also disqualified by the CEC from running in the 16th knesset elections, called for Arab Israelis to boycott the January 28 elections if the Supreme Court upholds the CEC’s decision.

Despite the objections, CEC Chairman Mishael Cheshin, Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein and committee members voted earlier in the week to disqualify Tibi as well as MK Azmi Bishara and his balad movement, citing their alleged vocal support for the Palestinian Intifada and "enemies" of Israel.

Meanwhile, the United States said late Thursday that it wanted to see broad participation in the January 28 elections, implicitly criticising the CEC’s preliminary disqualification of the Arab candidates.

We’re of course interested in broad participation in the political process in Israel, as we are elsewhere, State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher is reported to have said. (UNI)

Pak rejects US assertions on hot pursuit

ISLAMABAD, Jan 4: Rejecting assertions by the US military officials that the American troops in Afghanistan have the right of hot pursuit of Taliban and Al-Qeda militants into Pakistan, Islamabad today said that such operations with in Pakistan would be "solely and exclusively" conducted by its own troops.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Muhammad Kasuri said that from the first day since Pakistan joined international coalition against terrorism, military operatins against militants within Pakistan were conducted by Pakistan alone.

He was reacting to comments made by US military spokesman in Afghanistan asserting that US and allied forces reserved the right to chase the Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants entering into Pakistan borders.

"From the very first day it has been absolutely clear and fully understood and I would like to reiterate it today that operations with in Pakistani territory would be conducted solely and exclusively by our own forces and in response to decisions taken by Pakistan," he said in a statement read out to the media here.

He said Pakistani troops were highly disiplined, organised and efficient. "It has been demonstrated time and again that they are capable of undertaking all actions that are expected of them", he said adding that "our forces are fully capable of securing and protecting Pakistan’s borders". Kasuri’s reaction followed comments by US military spokesman at Bagram Airbase in Kabul, Capt Alayne Cramer, who said "US forces reserved the right to pursue enemy attackers across the border to evade retaliation".

In a telephone interview to Pakistan daily dawn, she said "yes we can enter Pakistan, that is the policy. But we deliberately not crossed the border in hot pursuit. The closest we came was on the 29th December."

She said in that chase a US soldier was injured due to firing from a Pakistani guard and US military took exception to it. Subsequently a US plane bombed an Islamic religious school located at the borders of Afghanistan.

Commenting on the incidents, Pakistan’s Defence Spokesman Maj. Gen. Rashid Qureshi told state television that the two incidents were being investigated by the Pakistan Army.

The religious school, which was bombed, was located close to the borders and it was difficult to ascertain immediately whether it was situated within Pakistan, he said.

In his statement Kasuri said Pakistan was a key member of the global coalition against terrorism and it has joined the global coalition in its supreme national interest.

Kasuri said Pakistani and US authorities were in close contact with regard to the Angoor Adda incident. US Secretary of State Collin Powell spoke to President Pervez Musharraf yesterday over phone.

Both agreed that the incident of 29th December may have occurred due to some misunderstanding at the operational level on the ground. They reiterated the need to further strengthen coordination to ensure that such incidents do not happen in future, he said.

The Foreign Minister said he also took up with the matter with the US Ambassador in Pakistan on 31st December.

He claimed and Pakistan’s role and contribution in the fight against terrorism were significant and highly appreciated and pointed out that appreciation also came from the top leadership of the United States including from President George W Bush in his last state of the union address to the Congress.

Yesterday, a US military military spokesman Maj. Stephen Clutter said the US forces "reserve the right to go after them and pursue them."

He said that notion was "something that Pakistan is aware of", but added US forces hadn’t actually gone into Pakistani territory.

As early as March 2002, US commanders said their troops might enter Pakistan - but only as a last resort and with Pakistan’s approval. (PTI)

Philippine troops kill 5 Muslim rebels in battle

ZAMBOANGA, PHILIPPINES, Jan 4: At least five Muslim guerrillas were killed in a clash with Government troops in the Southern Philippines, military officials said today.

The clash came as troops stepped up their offensive against the Abu Sayyaf separatist guerrillas, who the United States has linked to the Al Qaeda network.

Eleven soldiers and an unknown number of rebels were injured in the three-hour gunbattle late last night on the mountainous jungle of Jolo Island, about 980 km south of Manila, said Lieutenant General Narciso Abaya.

Military officials said they expected more clashes with the rebels as troops hunted an Abu Sayyaf faction that Manila believed played a leading role in the kidnapping of 21 foreigners from a nearby Malaysian dive resort nearly thee years ago.

All but one of the hostages, a Filipino resort worker, have been released.

In other kidnapping cases, Abu Sayyaf has beheaded some hostages and released others in return for ransom payments. Last year two hostages — an American missionary and a Filipina nurse — were shot dead during a military rescue operation.

Abu Sayyaf says it is fighting for a separate Islamic state in the south of the predominantly Catholic Philippines but Manila labels them Bandits.

The rebels hold three Indonesian seamen abducted in June from a Singaporean-owned Tugboat and four women evangelists kidnapped in August. Major General Sua said there were no recent reports of sightings of the hostages. (AGENCIES)

Israelis, Palestinians talking, but not about state

RAMALLAH, Jan 4: Reports that Israeli and Palestinian officials are holding secret talks on establishing a temporary Palestinian state "are untrue", Palestinian Minister of Local Government Saeb Erekat said today.

He admitted, however, that the sides are holding contacts on different levels on issues related to daily life in the Palestinian territories.

Erekat’s comments, to voice of Palestine radio, came following Israeli media reports that the parties were engaging in secret discussions on the subject of Palestinian statehood.

A United States-initiated peace plan - the so-called "roadmap" - sees a provisional Palestinian state coming into being by the end of 2003, with the final borders and other issues still outstanding to be decided on by 2005.

Meanwhile, Palestinian Minister of Planning Nabil Shaath announced today that the first draft of a constitution of the future Palestinian state would be completed soon.

He said the constitution committee, which he heads, was putting the final touches to the document.

Shaath told the Ramallah-based Al-Ayyam daily that the constitition would include 220 provisions and added that the committee was working intensively to formulate the two major provisions related to the borders of the state and the question of the Palestinian refugees.

"This Palestinian constitution is based to a great extent on the major Palestinian system of law," Shaath said, adding that the constitution would cover all aspects of daily Palestinian life.

"Provisions related to freedoms, separation of authorities, the rule of law, economic system, general duties and women’s rights are all included," he said.

In addition, he continued, the constitution would contain provisions related to misuse of the authority by officials, by political groups and by individuals.

Shaath said the Palestinian Central Council (PCC) of the Palestine Liberation Organization would convene on January 9 to discuss and approve the constitution.

The document would also be the focus of a referendum, after which it would be put up for approval by the Palestinian political groups.

"I would expect the referendum to be held together with the Palestinian presidential and parliamentary elections," he said.

The presidential and parliamentary elections were due to be held this month, but were recently postponed.

Shaath said that a Palestinian delegation which is expected to head soon for talks in London on reforms in the Palestinian authority would be taking a copy of the constitution with it. (DPA)

Russian author Solzhenitsyn admitted to hospital

MOSCOW, Jan 4: Nobel prize-winning author Alexander Solzhenitsyn has been admitted to a Moscow hospital after suffering a stroke, Russian news agencies reported today.

Solzhenitsyn’s Russian Social Fund confirmed he was in hospital, but did not elaborate on his condition. "He is feeling comfortable and works when he can," the fund’s spokeswoman told Reuters.

She said Solzhenitsyn, author of the acclaimed "one day in the life of Ivan Denisovich", became ill at the end of December.

Solzhenitsyn, 84, returned to Russia in 1994 after 20 years in forced exile. He was awarded the nobel prize for literature in 1970. (AGENCIES)

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