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Some World News as at 2006-03-04



Bush says no to mediation on Kashmir

Islamabad/New Delhi: US President George W. Bush Saturday rebuffed Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's renewed efforts to "involve" him in mediating in the Kashmir dispute with India, saying it was for the leadership of the two countries to resolve the issue.  "I will encourage both sides to continue make progress on important issues, including Kashmir," Bush said when asked whether the US would "facilitate discussion" on the solution of the Kashmir issue. "The best way to resolve the Kashmir issue is for leaders of both countries to step up and lead," he said at a joint press conference with Musharraf after one-and-a-half hours one-on-one meeting at the President House.

Bush was referring to Musharraf's plea in his opening remarks at the press conference when he urged the US president to "remain involved in facilitating resolution of disputes including Kashmir." Musharraf expressed "gratitude to President Bush for his efforts towards resolution of disputes in the South Asian region to bring peace, with special reference to the resolution of the Kashmir dispute."

"President Musharraf has done and (Indian) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has assured me he wants to resolve this situation," Bush said, while describing both as "leaders of courage and vision." He also backed a slew of confidence-building measures (CBMs) both countries have initiated to bridge the trust deficit between them and to push forward the ongoing peace process.  " CBMs are bearing fruit in increased trade and transportation links," Bush said.

The US president had told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his talks in New Delhi that Washington was not interested in mediating in the decades-old dispute between India and Pakistan even as it backed the peace process and the CBMs. Bush had promised to take up with Musharraf the issue of "dismantling terrorist camps" in an interview to Doordarshan before embarking on a tour of the subcontinent. However, there was no information whether he did.  "On my trip to Pakistan, I will, of course, talk about the terrorist activities, the need to dismantle terrorist training camps, and to protect innocent life," Bush had told Doordarshan, India's public service broadcaster.

All Bush said at the press conference was that he was convinced of Musharraf's "commitment to the war on terrorism," despite the ongoing militancy in Pakistan and the presence of Al Qaeda members. Replying to a question on the proposed multi-billion dollar Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline, Bush said the US was not against it as such but "we are worried about Iran's nuclear ambitions...we don't want that funding that can help Iran in meetings its nuclear ambitions."



Bush hails Pakistan's fight against terrorism

On the third and last leg of his South Asian tour, US President George W. Bush has met his Pakistani counterpart Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad for talks on the fight against terrorism. Other issues on the agenda included Pakistan's dispute with neighbouring India over Kashmir, gas supplies from Iran and the country's democratic reform. Hailing his counterpart's courage, President Bush reaffirmed his country's strategic alliance with Pakistan but also warned that a lot of work remained to be done in the fight against al-Qaeda.

The visit by the US president is surrounded by extraordinary security measures, with tens of thousands of soldiers and police officers patrolling the streets of the Pakistani capital. Members of Islamic opposition parties suspected of planning demonstrations and strikes to protest against President Bush and Pakistan's alliance with the US have been arrested for the duration of the visit.

On the first two stages of his five-day trip, President Bush visited Afghanistan and India. In the Indian capital New Delhi, the US president struck a landmark deal on nuclear co-operation, ending a 30-year boycott on supplying nuclear technology and raw materials. The move, which will enable the country to expand its nuclear programme, has drawn widespread criticism as India is one of the countries which refuses to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

President Bush will return to Washington later tonight.



Pentagon releases Guantánamo names

The US Defence Department has for the first time released the names and nationalities of some of the inmates being held at its Guantánamo Bay prison in Cuba. A US court ordered the Pentagon to release the names under the Freedom of Information Act after the US news agency Associated Press filed a lawsuit.

The names have not been published as a list but are included in more than 5,000 pages of documents posted on the Pentagon's website. A senior Pentagon spokesman said the documents contained the names of just 317 of the 490 detainees he said were being held at Guantánamo. Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, are calling on the Pentagon to release a complete list of detainees at Guantánamo as well as at facilities in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

The so-called enemy combatants held at Guantánamo since early 2002 on suspicion of being al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters have never been formally charged.


Hamas rejects calls to recognise Israel

A delegation of the Palestinian militant group Hamas currently visiting Moscow has rejected Russian pressure on the organisation to recognise Israel. Deputy leader Abu Marzouk said the move would amount to renouncing Palestinian rights. The Hamas delegation is in Moscow at the invitation of the Russian government, the only one of the four Middle East peace mediators to recognise Hamas since its recent election victory.

The visit has angered the United States, which suspended all financial aid to the Palestinian Authority after Hamas won last January's elections. The delegation wrapped up its two-day visit meetings with business and religious leaders.


Moscow ally appointed as new Chechen PM

Ramzan Kadyrov, a pro-Russian strongman accused of mass human rights abuses, has been appointed as Chechnya's new prime minister. He replaces Sergey Abramov, who resigned on Tuesday after being injured in a car crash last year.

The new prime minister is the 29-year-old son of former President Akhmad Kadyrov, who was assassinated two years ago. He heads a militia of several thousand gunmen and is widely regarded as a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.


US Republican congressman jailed over bribery

A former Republican member of the US Congress has been sentenced to over eight years in prison for bribery, the longest sentence ever given to a US congressman.

Randy 'Duke' Cunningham, a 64-year-old decorated Vietnam war pilot, was found guilty of accepting a total of 2.4 million dollars in bribes from arms manufacturers in exchange for defence contracts. He has also been ordered to pay 1.8 million dollars in unpaid taxes.

Mr Cunningham was a member of Congress for nearly 16 years and served on the House Defence Committee.


Arias rival concedes defeat in Costa Rica

The main rival of Oscar Arias in Costa Rica's disputed presidential election has conceded defeat, ending a month of uncertainty over the poll. Elections were held nearly a month ago but Ottón Solís of the centre-left Citizen's Action Party has only now conceded after losing a series of legal challenges and a manual recount showed Mr Arias had won by a margin of 18,000 votes.

Mr Arias, who won the 1987 Nobel peace prize for his efforts to end civil wars in Central America, was president of Costa Rica in the late 1980s. He favours good relations with the United States and wants Costa Rica to join the Central American Free Trade Agreement (Cafta).


Former Ecuador president released from jail

The former president of Ecuador Lucio Gutiérrez has been released from jail after a judge cleared him of charges of threatening the country's national security.

In December 2004 President Gutiérrez replaced most of the Supreme Court's judges with alleged supporters, prompting a constitutional crisis which eventually led to his downfall. After fleeing the country in April 2005, he was arrested on his return half a year later.

Mr Gutiérrez has vowed to stand in October's presidential poll even though his popularity has been seriously damaged and several other charges against him are still pending.


China boosts military spending by 15 percent

China says it has raised its defence budget for 2006 by nearly 15 percent to 35 billion dollars. A senior government official, however, indicated the additional expenditure would be spent on fuel and wages rather than new equipment. The announcement comes in the wake of fresh tensions with Taiwan over possible moves towards independence, while China's ongoing military build-up is also prompting concerns among Western observers.


South Korean rail workers call off strike

South Korean railway workers have called off a three-day-old strike after the government refused to meet their demands and support for the stoppage was dwindling. More than 16,000 employees stopped work on Wednesday over pay and conditions and the sacking of more than 2,000 union activists. The South Korean government declared the strike illegal and was threatening to arrest its leaders.

The strike affected around half of the country's rail traffic, which transports more than 2.5 million people every day.



Belarus police beat up journalists ahead of poll

Police in Belarus are reported to have beaten up at least nine journalists who were covering the arrest of opposition candidate Alexander Kozulinin, who is running in this month's presidential elections.

The incident was denounced by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which warns that the election campaign is taking place in a climate of terror, without any democratic freedoms.

The judicial authorities are now probing allegations that the opposition candidate broke a portrait of President Alexander Lukashenko while in detention. President Lukashenko has been ruling Belarus with an iron fist since 1994 and is virtually certain of victory in the ballot due to be held on 19 March.


Ivory Coast extradites Paris murder suspect

The suspected leader of a French gang that last month kidnapped, tortured and murdered a Jewish man near Paris has been extradited by Ivory Coast to France. Youssouf Fofana, a 25-year old French national of Ivorian origin, had fled to Ivory Coast, where he was arrested a few days after his arrival. The crime sparked public outrage in France, prompting allegations of anti-Semitism. The suspect has since confessed being involved in the case.


Greenpeace given access to nuclear documents

A French court has ruled that environmental organisation Greenpeace should be given access to information about the processing of waste from the Dutch nuclear power plant at Borssele.

Greenpeace describes the ruling as groundbreaking. It gives the environmental organisation access to contracts between Borssele and French processing plant Cogema. The contracts, which until now have been confidential, may show whether Dutch nuclear waste shipments to France contravene French legislation, as environmentalists suspect.


Chavez prepares his people's army to confront US

Venezuela begins training a vast army of civilian reserves today to fight off the attack its Left-wing president, Hugo Chavez, says the United States is plotting against it. The oil-rich state aims to teach up to two million volunteers, from the unemployed to office workers, shop assistants and housewives, basic military skills such as marching in step or shooting to kill. If it reaches that size, the force will be the largest civilian reserve army in the Americas, double the size of Washington's reserves. Its creation will further inflame relations between Venezuela and the US, already characterised by insults and tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats.

Mr Chavez, a former paratrooper, has warned repeatedly that the "imperialist enemy" will attempt to crush his socialist revolution in this enormous South American country, which supplies the US with 15 per cent of its oil. At one military parade Mr Chavez, first elected in 1998, called on his countrymen to prepare for an "assymetric war" against the world's most powerful nation. "If somebody meddles with Venezuela, they'll repent for 100 centuries," he said. "If we have to fight a war to defend this country, we'll make blood flow."

Many see the populist leader's warnings as just more of his rabble rousing, anti-American rhetoric. Donald Rumsfeld, the US defence secretary, has dismissed any idea of an attack on Venezuela as "ridiculous". But what began as a war of words is escalating into a more serious confrontation. For example, Mr Chavez has been buying military hardware, including Russian helicopters, 100,000 AK-47 rifles and Brazilian and Spanish equipment he says Venezuela needs to defend itself. In response the US warned this week that Venezuela's creeping militarization could destabilise Latin America, setting for the recent election of a string of Left-wing leaders. John Negroponte, the US national intelligence director, also sounded the alarm at Venezuela's forging of "economic, military and diplomatic ties with Iran and North Korea".

These are both members of what the Bush administration has denounced as "axis of evil" regimes suspected of sponsoring terrorism and with an unhealthy interest in weapons of mass destruction.

Mr Chavez claims Venezuela, along with Brazil and Cuba form an "axis of good", united against President George W Bush, the "world's only terrorist". He has even threatened to stop oil supplies to the US. "I will sting those who rattle me, so don't mess with me, Condoleezza," he said recently, blowing a mock kiss to the US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice. Such strident defiance of the world superpower, seen by many as a bully which has economically raped and pillaged the region for decades, has made Mr Chavez hugely popular.

In the grimy, litter-strewn capital Caracas his face beams out from posters whipping up national pride and warning the gringos: "Watch out, Latin America is coming." "The people stand firm with their Commander," one poster reads, with Mr Chavez, known by his supporters as El Commandante, giving a military salute. "Chavez is the people" reads the slogan under another Che Guevara-like image. Willing "Chavistas" (supporters of the president) are queuing up to enlist in the new reserve force. Many believe their main mission will be more social than military, providing assistance to the poor and first aid in emergencies.

Many work for the state and some have met informally for months, marching without weapons around car parks and sports grounds, their group leaders calling themselves sergeants and colonels and wearing T-shirts saying "Combatant of the Revolution". During their training over the next five months, they have been told they will be drilled to be "mentally and physically prepared" for all kinds of attack. In return they will receive a monthly income of about 16,000 Bolivares (£4.30) and in some cases, social benefits including free clothes and shoes. "Venezuela is changing, Latin America is changing and America does not like it," said Alfredo Carquez, who signed up as a reservist in January. "We are not aggressive but we have to be ready to defend ourselves. If I have to, I'm ready to use a gun to defend the people." Another recent recruit who combines his new role with a day job at a state-owned oil firm, said: "Until very recently, the military anywhere in Latin America was associated with oppression, dictatorship and murder. "But now we are learning that military can be on the side of the people."
But many Venezuelans see Mr Chavez, not the US, as the real threat. They are increasingly afraid the civilian reserves will be used to intimidate and, if necessary, suppress the opposition as he campaigns to win six more years in power later this year. A message written in the dusty window of a Caracas van sent a silent plea to the US not to invade but to rescue the Venezuelans from their maverick leader. "We are counting on you, Condoleezza. Intervene, please."


Australian Prime Minister to visit India

Sydney: Australian Prime Minister John Howard on Saturday said that he will pay a four-day visit to India beginning on Sunday to strengthen bilateral trade and “strategic” relations between the two countries.

Accompanied by a 20-strong business delegation including leaders from some of the top Australian companies will arrive in New Delhi tomorrow night. During the four-day visit Howard will also visit Mumbai and Chennai and is scheduled to meet President A P J Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and various Cabinet Ministers. Howard will also take part in discussions with the Indian Cabinet, which is expected to culminate in the signing of a number of memoranda of understanding. Howard in a statement said today: “India is an increasingly influential global and regional player whose interests converge with Australia’s.”  “The discussions I will have while in India will add impetus to our growing strategic relationship,” he added.  “During my visit it is anticipated that a number of agreements will be signed in various fields including trade, defence, science and air services,” he said.

Howard who last visited India in 2000, his this visit is followed by the US President George W Bush’s high-profile three-day visit to India during which India and United States signed the landmark nuclear deal. Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer yesterday welcomed the Indo-US nuclear deal but ruled out lifting a ban on uranium exports to India since India is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT).

India is currently Australia’s 12th biggest trading partner and two-way trade is valued at almost 10 billion Dollars. India is one of the few countries where Australia has a strong trade surplus, currently around six billion Dollars.


Blair says God will judge Iraq war decision

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said God and history would judge whether he was right to go to war in Iraq, according to the transcript of a television interview to be broadcast later on Saturday.
In a rare reference to his Christian religious faith, Blair told broadcaster Michael Parkinson he had struggled with his conscience over the decision.
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