US to back India in securing n-deal Washington, July 23 (IANS) The US has pledged to move forward on the civilian nuclear deal with India after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh won a vote of confidence in parliament, but a state department spokesman conceded the calendar was quite tight to get it through US Congress. "We think that we can move forward with this," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said about the nuclear deal at the daily briefing Tuesday. "If their legislature lets it move forward, then we can do the same here, and then we'll be able to get this wrapped up," she elaborated, adding that the deal is good for India because it would help provide a source for energy that the country needs, one that is non-polluting. When asked whether President George W. Bush would now call Singh, she said there was no need since the two "just spoke about two weeks ago when they were at the G8 meeting -- and they had a very good bilateral meeting" and Bush expressed his support to Singh on the issue. At the Department of State press briefing in Washington, Gonzalo R. Gallegos, acting deputy spokesman, said the US would move forward on the deal, step by step. The next crucial steps for operationalisation of the deal are for India to secure the safeguards agreement with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and a waiver from 45-nation NSG before the deal goes back to the US Congress for approval. The US Congress will have to meet before September when it breaks for session to meet only after the presidential election process is completed in January 2009. The tight timeline made spokesman Gallegos say: "We'll see how long the calendar gives us and whether or not we're able to continue forward." When asked how the Bush administration plans to overcome the Congressional calendar constraint, he said it plans to communicate to Congress as quickly as possible "how important we believe this measure is for the US, how important we believe that this strategic partnership will be for India, for us, and for others concerned with security around the world." Gallegos affirmed that the US would strongly support approval of India's safeguards agreement by the IAEA at the meeting of the agency's board of governors Aug 1. "We're in discussions with IAEA board members. Some are still reviewing the safeguards agreement. My understanding is the secretary will be given a technical briefing on the agreement in the coming days," he elaborated. On the US making any efforts to convince other members of the NSG on making an exception for India, the spokesperson said: "Obviously, this is something that we've been looking at for a long time. We're going to continue to work towards it." Obama faces packed schedule with Israelis, Palestinians JERUSALEM (AP) — U.S. presidential hopeful Barack Obama endorsed Israel's right to defend itself against rockets fired from Gaza while visiting a battered town Wednesday during a short but event-filled visit to the Holy Land, where he also promised the Palestinians to push vigorously to win them a state. Obama clearly was trying to allay fears on both sides on how he would tackle their stubborn conflict. Many Israelis are concerned that Obama — a first-term U.S. senator with little foreign policy experience — would push Israel too hard in negotiations with the Palestinians. His family's Muslim roots have added to the unease, even though Obama was raised as a Christian and remains a practicing Christian. Palestinians doubt Obama or any other U.S. leader would reverse what they see as Washington's bias toward Israel. "I'm here on this trip to reaffirm the special relationship between Israel and the United States and my abiding commitment to Israel's security and my hope that I can serve as an effective partner, whether as a U.S. senator or as president," Obama during a visit to the official residence of Israeli President Shimon Peres. In his meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Obama confirmed "that he will be a constructive partner in the peace process" and would not "waste a minute" if elected, Erekat said. OBAMA OVERSEAS: He promises to focus on Middle East peace Addressing reporters in front of a collection of hundreds of exploded rockets stacked up in a display in Sderot, just outside Gaza, Obama said, "This terror is intolerable." While hoping that a June 19 truce would stop the attacks, he said, "America must always stand up for Israel's right to defend itself those who threaten its people." Obama supported peace efforts "with Palestinians who are prepared to accept the state of Israel," but said it would be "hard" to negotiate with Hamas, which rejects Israel and has "used terrorism as a weapon" against it. Sderot mayor Eli Moyal presented Obama with a white T-shirt carrying the slogan, "I (heart) Sderot," with a rocket piercing the heart. Asked about his policy toward Iran, Obama said a nuclear Iran" armed with nuclear weapons "would be a game-changing situation" and must be prevented. He said he would be consider meeting with any world leader under conditions that could promote U.S. interests, while charging that the Bush administration took diplomacy off the table. "It's not surprising that we did not make much progress," he said. Obama is visiting at a time of political turmoil that has jeopardized prospects for Mideast peace. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is under investigation in a corruption probe that threatens to topple him. And the Palestinians are deeply divided, with Abbas' forces in charge of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip ruled by Islamic Hamas militants. Obama plunged into the intricacies of the region's longest-running conflict with a packed schedule of meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. At Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial earlier Wednesday, he wore a white skullcap, laid a wreath of white chrysanthemums and lisianthus and lit a memorial flame. "Despite this record of monumental tragedy, this ultimately is a place of hope," he said. "At a time of great peril and torment, war and strife, we are blessed to have such a powerful reminder of man's potential for great evil, but also our capacity to rise up from tragedy and remake our world," he wrote in the visitors' book. American tourists who passed him by at the memorial told him, "Remember what you see here," and he replied, "Yes, I understand, I understand," said Yad Vashem's director, Avner Shalev. Peres gave him an effusive welcome, saying he had read Obama's two books and was "moved" by them. The Israeli president handed Obama an English translation of a book he wrote, "The Imaginary Voyage: With Theodor Herzl in Israel." Obama asked him to sign and dedicate the book, Peres' office said in a statement. Obama praised Israel's accomplishments 60 years after its creation, and complimented the 84-year- old Israeli president on his youthful appearance. "I also want to get his recipe for looking as good he does," Obama quipped. After Obama huddled with Peres, a female aide to the president emerged from the room and was overheard gasping in Hebrew, "What a hunk!" An aide to the president said Obama showed a "strong grasp" of regional affairs and that "he said he came to listen and learn." The aide spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting was not open to the public. Earlier in the day, Obama met with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and parliamentary opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, whose Likud Party takes a hard line against the Palestinians. He was to meet with Olmert in the evening. Israeli officials said their talks with Obama included discussions about Iran's nuclear ambitions. Many Israelis are worried by Obama's willingness to talk to Tehran, the Jewish state's bitterest enemy. Obama met with Barak and Netanyahu at Jerusalem's historic King David Hotel, where an "Israel for Obama" campaign poster was draped over an armchair in the lobby. The poster included Obama's campaign slogan — "Change you can believe in" — translated into Hebrew. Some Israelis who support Obama hope he will take a tougher stand against Israel when it ignores its commitments to the U.S. to halt settlement building and dismantle settlement satellites known as outposts. "In general, I think tough love is better than a free hand," said the head of the "Israel for Obama" campaign, Samson Altman-Schevitz. He moved to Israel two years ago from Chicago, where Obama's wife, Michelle, was his adviser at the University of Chicago. Obama briefly interrupted his tour of Israeli sites and talks with its leaders to take the half-hour drive to Ramallah, the West Bank's administrative capital, to meet with Abbas at midday. Obama left Abbas' headquarters without speaking to reporters. But on Tuesday, he cautioned it is "unrealistic to expect that a U.S. president alone can suddenly snap his fingers and bring about peace in this region." His meeting with the Palestinians stands in contrast to the decision by Republican presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain to visit only Israel in March, without stopping in the West Bank. On the road leading to Abbas' headquarters on Wednesday, police were out in full force, standing 10 meters apart and outfitted in full battle regalia, with camouflage uniforms, helmets, bulletproof vests, and carrying truncheons and assault rifles. Obama arrived in Israel Tuesday night from neighboring Jordan and is due to leave for Germany early on Thursday. Zardari writes to Nawaz, pinpoints ‘spoilers’ ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari has written a letter to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif complaining that PML-N leaders Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Makhdoom Javed Hashmi and Ahsan Iqbal are playing the “role of spoilers”. According to sources within Zardari House, the PPP co-chairman was responding to correspondence from the PML-N chief seeking clarification from the PPP leadership on various coalition issues. They said that Nawaz had written that he needed to know the PPP’s plans to decide his party’s future course of action. Continue coalition: The sources said that Zardari had expressed his desire to continue the coalition setup with the PML-N to take the country out of its current situation. “The PPP co-chairman appreciated the ‘positive’ role of Khawaja Asif and Ishaq Dar during meetings with the PPP, but complained of PML-N ‘hawks’ playing the role of spoiler,” they said. Quoting Zardari’s letter, they said that while Khawaja and Dar were involved in constructive talks, Chaudhry Nisar, Hashmi and Iqbal were always trying to create problems for the coalition through the media. “Sometimes, they even adopt an opposite stance from their own party colleagues during meetings with the PPP,” the sources added. Worried: On the reinstatement of the sacked judges, the sources said that the PPP co-chairman had written that he was worried that reinstating the judges through an executive order could instigate President Pervez Musharraf into invoking Article 58 (2b). In response to the PML-N’s complaints about not being taken into confidence in the day-to-day decision-making process, the sources said that Zardari had invited the PML-N to rejoin the cabinet and participate in the country’s governance. 30,000 Iraqi troops poised for assault on Qaeda bastion BAQUBA, Iraq (AFP) - Some 30,000 Iraqi soldiers and police are to launch a military assault against Al-Qaeda fighters and insurgents in Diyala province from August 1, army and police officers said Wednesday. "The operation is aimed at cleansing the region of insurgents, Al-Qaeda and militias who are still there," a senior Iraqi military officer told AFP on condition of anonymity. He said some 30,000 soldiers and policemen from across Iraq would take part in the crackdown in the central province starting August 1. Senior Iraqi police officials in Baquba, the capital of Diyala, confirmed the assault would start on August 1. "It will be an operation led by the Iraqi army. The US army will probably only watch... If they need help, we'll help them. If not, we will not do anything," a US military officer said. Iraq's interior ministry spokesman Major General Abdul Karim Khalaf announced on July 13 that the Iraqi military would launch an assault in Diyala but did not specify the date. He said troops expected tough fighting during the assault. Diyala and its capital Baquba are Iraq's most dangerous regions with insurgents regularly carrying out attacks, including by female suicide bombers. The looming assault in Diyala follows similar Iraqi military operations in the southern provinces of Basra and Maysan, and the northern province of Nineveh. Aided by the US military and Iraqi forces, local anti-Qaeda groups known as "Sahwa" or Awakening councils, have inflicted severe blows on Al-Qaeda but the extremist group continues to carry out attacks in the region. "Yes. Diyala remains the most dangerous province in Iraq," said Colonel Ali al-Karkhi, commanding officer of Iraqi forces in Khan Beni Sad, a town near Baquba which has been torn apart by the violence. "But understand that it is a mini-Iraq. There are Sunnis, Shiites, Kurds, Christians," the colonel told AFP in an interview. "The other provinces are far less mixed which is why it is so difficult to restore peace here. It is also the reason why people are so extremist," he said. As in other parts of Iraq, the colonel said, the locals have grown weary of violence and massacres and want peace and reconstruction, particularly through economic development. Diyala, fed by the Euphrates and Diyala rivers, was once the granary of Iraq and the country's orange capital with its lush orchards. But "foreign countries have sown the disorder," lamented Colonel Karkhi, pointing a finger at Shiite Iran, which shares a border with Diyala. "We captured five people (Iraqis) who 45 days ago were in Iran for training. They receive instructions from the Iranian services and their business is to kill people," he said. The US military claims that most of these militants are "rogue" members of the Shiite Mahdi Army militia, the militant wing of radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's movement. Karkhi said the militants apart from receiving weapons, are paid three million dinars (2,400 dollars) monthly. "It is good money," he said. He said security forces usually display the names and photographs of wanted people at check- points. "The problem is that when we apply pressure they flee to Iran," Karkhi said. Iran praises US participation in nuclear talks Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that the United States' participation in the latest round of nuclear talks is a step toward recognizing Tehran's right to acquire nuclear technology. A senior diplomat from the U.S. joined envoys from five other world powers in Switzerland at Saturday's talks on Iran's nuclear program. Ahmadinejad told thousands of supporters gathered in the southern Iranian town of Yasouj that U.S. Undersecretary of State William Burns "spoke politely and in a dignified manner." "It was a step toward recognizing the rights of the Iranian nation, toward justice, toward repairing your image in the world, toward cleaning 50 years of crimes you committed against the Iranian nation," Ahmadinejad said, addressing the U.S. The United States and other Western nations accuse Iran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons and demand that it freeze its uranium enrichment program. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. Ahmadinejad on Wednesday again vowed Iran will not "retreat one iota" from pursuing it. The U.S. participation in the Geneva talks had raised expectations for a compromise under which Iran would agree to stop expanding its enrichment activities. In exchange, six world powers — the U.S., Germany, Britain, France, Russia and China — would hold off on adopting new U.N. sanctions against Iran. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said negotiators were hearing "very diverse signals" from Iran on its intentions but that she still expects a diplomatic solution. "I am counting on that and nothing else," she told reporters Wednesday. In France, which currently heads the European Union, Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said he wasn't surprised that Ahmadinejad "declared he won't budge" because the Iranian president has proved "quasi-unable to show political flexibility." "It's always disappointing to see how peace efforts are opposed by a tenacity ... that doesn't benefit the Iranian people," Kouchner said. He said the slow beginning to the Geneva talks did not mean a diplomatic solution would not be found. "The Iranian (negotiators) we are sent are much more flexible than President Ahmadinejad," he told reporters. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday accused Iran of not being serious at the Geneva talks. She said Iran had given the run-around to the envoys, while all six nations were serious about a two-week deadline for Iran to agree to freeze suspect activities and start negotiations or else be hit with new penalties. Iran already has defied three sets of U.N. sanctions over its uranium enrichment activity. But recent Iranian pronouncements suggest the Islamic Republic may be looking to improve ties with the United States, with officials speaking positively about the possibility of opening an interests section in Tehran after closing its embassy there decades ago. Ahmadinejad urged the United States to continue its "positive" attendance in the talks. "I advise you not to ruin the positive step you took through irrelevant words and claims," he said. Bhutto's Killing Probe Will Cost US$100 Million For Pakistan ISLAMABAD, July 23 (Bernama) -- The investigation into the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto could cost Pakistan up to US$ 100 million and take up to 14 months to complete, a media report said Wednesday. Pakistan has assured the United Nations it will provide all the money needed to investigate the assassination of Bhutto. The assurance was given by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi during a meeting with U.N. officials, the Press Trust of India reported Wednesday quoting a local daily as saying here. A probe commission would report to both the government of Pakistan and the U.N. secretary- general. Pakistan has not asked for involvement of U.N. Security Council in the investigation. Bhutto was killed in a suicide attack after an election rally in Rawalpindi on December 27. "There is no need to refer the request to the Security Council," Qureshi told reporters here after his meeting with U.N. officials. An investigation sought by the U.N. Security Council would have been funded by the world body. The investigation into the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Harriri has so far cost US$350 million. |