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Leading News
Constitutional Amendments
JS forms 15-member special committee
UNB, Sangsad Bhaban
Parliament on Wednesday formed a 15-member Special
Committee to scrutinize amendments of the Constitution in
the light of the High Court verdict and submit its report
to the House.
Leader of the House Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina proposed
the names of the Special Committee, which were adopted
unanimously.
Deputy Leader of the House Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury will
chair the Special Committee with Suranjit Sengupta as
co-chair.
Other members of the Special Committee: Amir Hossain Amu,
Abdur Razzak, Tofail Ahmed, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim,
Rahmat Ali, Syed Ashraful Islam, Advocate Fazle Rabbi Miah,
Rashed Khan Manon, Abdul Matin Khasru, Hasanul Huq Inu,
Barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud, Dr Hasan Mahmud and Dr
Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury.
The Prime Minister said the Special Committee, if
necessary, will also take suggestions from experts who may
be invited at the committee meetings.
"Amendments to the Constitution are extremely necessary to
consolidate the people's rights so that illegal power
grabbers cannot usurp the State power and trample the
rights of the people," she told the House amidst applause.
Hasina said the Awami League-led grand alliance was voted
to power with more than two-thirds majority to "accomplish
a historic task and we'll accomplish that" the way the
High Court gave a historic verdict.
The Prime Minister narrated how the sacred Constitution
was wrecked at gunpoints after the assassination of father
of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. She said
there was no reference to martial law in the Constitution
or in the Army Act or regulations. However, she said
military dictators changed the Constitution through
martial law ordinances.
Hasina said military ordinance was promulgated on November
8, 1975. Later, on August 20 in 1975, the Chief Martial
Law Administrator was declared through military ordinance.
On April 22 1977, a military dictator declared himself as
President by removing President ASM Sayem. She said
according to rules 292 and 293 of the Army Act there is no
provision of promulgating martial law. Also there is no
provision in the Army Act for an army officer to contest
in election being in the service.
Despite the fact, the Prime Minister said the State power
was captured through illegal means and changed the
Constitution which was prepared by the elected
representatives.
In 2005, she said the High Court declared illegal the
capture of power through promulgation of martial law.
Hasina said people's voting rights were denied,
Constitution was suspended and rigged elections were held
securing two-thirds parliamentary majority legalizing the
illegal power. She recounted the cost given by the army
due to usurping of power as she said thousands of army men
were killed in those days.
All
party JS committee unconstitutional: BNP
UNB, Dhaka
BNP secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain has termed
the formation of the All Party Parliamentary Committee (APPC)
to decide over restoring the 1972 Constitution
'anti-constitutional and against the parliament rules of
procedure.'
He made the comment at a press briefing at the BNP central
office on Wednesday afternoon.
The press briefing centred upon the party's stance
regarding the government's move to form the APPC, and
BNP's reply to the Chief Whip Abdus Shahid's letter on
Monday to the leader of the opposition Khaleda Zia seeking
a representative from BNP for the committee.
Khaleda sat with some of her party's policymakers Tuesday
night and decided to respond to the Chief Whip's letter.
At the briefing Khandaker Delwar asked the government to
refrain from the 'ill motive' of changing the
constitution.
He said if the ruling party imposes their own will on the
people by dint of power that would be not accepted by the
public.
He further said it would not be proper to amend the
constitution by the court through exerting pressure.
Responding to Awami League leader Surenjit Sengupta's
remarks, Delwar said the constitution can't be amended by
the order of the Supreme Court. It has been written in the
constitution how the constitution can be changed, he
added.
He further said the SC can give an explanation but can't
order amending the constitution.
Regarding the reply to Chief Whip Shahid's letter, the BNP
secretary general said the letter did not mention the
rules of procedure through which the committee will be
formed. 'We have given reply to the letter seeking reply
over the matter," he said.
Referring to the newspaper reports of forming 19-member
APPC, Delwar said the ruling party did not wait for 'our'
reply to the letter.
He smelt some 'bad intentions' in the government's
excessive haste.
Power
crisis hinders private sector’s growth: World Bank
BSS, Dhaka
The World Bank (WB) Wednesday said inadequate power supply
has been identified as one of the dominant constraints to
economic growth and private investment in Bangladesh.
The bank favoured capacity building of the government,
strengthening power and energy utilities for mitigating
the power crisis in the country.
The WB is now supporting the government's power sector
development programme through the Power Sector Development
Technical Assistance Project (PSDTA) to increase
electricity coverage, improve the quality of service, and
protect the interests of both investors and consumers.
The initiative will also mobilize much-needed investment
to the sector, said a WB release.
With the support of PSDTA, the government has formulated a
number of critical policies and strategy plans for 2009-12
Power Reform Road Map, a mid-term strategy to set up
financially sustainable power generation and distribution
companies.
The road map also focuses on improving the quality of
power supply through corporatization and on introducing
modern utility practices.
The Captive Power Policy has enabled the delivery of 40 MW
of captive electricity to the grid and it is hoped that
another 50 MW will be added and the Gas Master Plan and
Strategy has provided reforms in gas pricing,
institutional reorganization and prioritized investment
plan up to 2025 to facilitate gas supply.
The Government has also approved the Balance Sheet
Cleaning Work of Utilities under the Financial
Restructuring and Recovery Plan (FRP) and when
implemented, it will result in clean balance sheets
reflective of the true value of assets and liabilities.
Through PSDTA and other projects in the energy sector, the
World Bank remains a committed partner of the government
of Bangladesh in its efforts in ensuring reliable power
and energy to unleash the growth potentials of the
country.
Move underway
to reorganise Planning Commission
UNB, Dhaka
A series of initiatives are underway to reorganize the
Planning Commission along the model it functioned after
independence, during the tenure of the government of
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The reorganizing and strengthening initiatives will aim to
enhance the planning capacity of the Commission, as well
as to deliver successful planning.
"The strengthening initiative will also aim to attract the
best talents or professionals of the country," said Prof
Shamsul Alam, member of the General Economics Division (GED)
of the Planning Commission while talking to UNB.
He said that the Planning Commission should be reorganized
and strengthened as the country is returning again to the
devising of five-year plans, with the sixth one to be
implemented soon.
"It should be a center of excellence with the renowned
professionals," said Prof Alam.
Besides, steps will be taken to upgrade the status of the
Planning Commission members so that professionals are
being attracted to render their services at the
Commission.
Prof Shamsul Alam said that the Planning Commission
Reorganizing and Strengthening Committee, formed under the
directive of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last May, held
their 2nd meeting on Wednesday at the Planning Commission.
The four-member committee is headed by Planning Minister
AK Khandaker as its convenor, Prime Minister's adviser HT
Imam and Establishment Secretary Iqbal Mahmud as its
members and GED member Prof Shamsul Alam as its member
secretary.
The committee comprehensively reviews different existing
problems of the BCS Economic Cadres, and analyses the
problems in implementation of the development projects.
The committee has also been given the task to submit their
recommendations after evaluating the project
implementation, inspection and evaluation activities of
the Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED)
and turning them to time befitting organisation.
The committee meeting today formed a four-member
subcommittee and asked them to submit their report before
the main committee about the strengthening initiatives
within the next three weeks.
The sub committee comprises former Bangladesh Bank
Governor Dr Farashuddin Ahmed as chairman, GED member Prof
Shamsul Alam as convenor, Bangladesh Institute of
Development Studies (BIDS) Director General Mustafa K
Mujeri and former secretary Omar Haider as members.
The meeting also discussed different problems of the BCS
Economic Cadres and formed another sub committee to
intensively review whether their demands could be met and
rationalized. Discrimination in the postings and salaries
of the Economic Cadres were also discussed in the meeting.
HC grants en
masse bail to Jamaat-Shibir activists
Two cases against Sayedee transferred to Int’l Crimes
Tribunal
UNB, Dhaka
Two High Court Division benches on Wednesday granted en
masse ad interim anticipatory bail to over eight score
district-level activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and its
student front outfit Islami Chhatra Shibir as the accused
surrendered before the courts in four criminal cases.
Passing the interim anticipatory bail orders, the duo
division bench issued separate identical rules upon the
government to explain why the accused-petitioners should
not be granted regular bail in the cases.
The division bench headed by Justice Afzal Hossain Ahmed
granted anticipatory bail to 51 leaders and activists of
Satkhira, including district Jamaat ameer M Abdul Khaleq,
for four months, while another division bench headed by
Justice Syed M Dastagir Husain granted pre-arrest bail to
122 Jamaat and Shibir men of Khulna, Jessore and Kushtia
for two months. Police filed cases in Kushtia, Jessore,
Satkhira and Khulna on different dates against the
Jamaat-Shibir men on charges of illegal gathering and
obstructing police in discharging their duties.
Meanwhile, UNB adds from Pirojpur: Two cases filed in the
court in Pirojpur against Jamaat leader Delwar Hossain
Sayedee on charges of killing and looting in 1971 were
transferred to the International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka
on Wednesday.
Acting Chief Judicial Magistrate Chowdhury Mahbubur Rahman
passed the order after Sadar thana OC Sheikh Mohammad Abu
Zahid and OC of Zianagar thana in separate petitions
prayed for transferring the cases to the tribunal. As the
tribunal formed for trying the war criminals remained
effective, the two cases, now under investigation,
relating to crimes committed in 1971 should be transferred
to the tribunal, contended the police officers. Manik
Prosari, son of a freedom fighter of Sadar upazila, filed
a case against five people, including Saydee accusing them
of murder and plunder in 1971.
Freedom fighter Mahbub Alam Hawlader filed the other case
against the Jamaat leader accusing him of murder, looting
and arson during the War of Liberation. Jamaat Nayebe
Ameer (vice-president) Delwar Hossain Saydee, also former
MP, was arrested from his Mogbazar residence in Dhaka on
June 29 hours after a Dhaka court ordered his arrest on
charges of hurting religious sentiments of the Muslims at
a function.
Back Page
PM calls for efforts to attain
fish production target of 29 lakh tons
National fisheries week inaugurated
UNB, Dhaka
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directed the Ministry
concerned to introduce 'Fisherman's Card' to allow the
government's cash incentives and other facilities to
directly reach the country's fishermen.
The Prime Minister gave the directives while inaugurating
the 'Fisheries Week 2010' at Osmani Memorial Auditorium on
Wednesday morning.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the National
Fisheries Week-2010 with a call for all-out efforts to
attain a fish production target of 29 lakh metric tons
this year. The Fisheries Week is being observed with the
theme "Increase Fish Production, Ensure Food Security."
To uphold the policy of "Jaal Jar Jala Tar," the Prime
Minister said the Government Water Body Management Policy
2009 has been approved so that the fishermen could catch
fish in the government khas water bodies.
The Prime Minister also said the government is actively
considering recruiting filed workers up to union level to
ensure the expansion of fish cultivation technology and
services to the fish cultivators in every village
according to their need.
Sheikh Hasina said her government enacted the Fish
Hatchery Act 2010 and the Fish and Animal Feed Act 2010
for protecting the interests of the fish cultivators
through producing quality fish fry and fish feed. Besides,
she said a process is underway to ensure the smooth supply
of quality fish fries to the cultivators.
The government has allocated 19 thousand 7 hundred 68
metric tons of rice to providing 30 kilograms of rice to
each fisherman family as food aid to prevent them catching
jhatka fish during the restricted time, she said.
Sheikh Hasina recalled that her government during its
previous term for the first time formulated the 'National
Fish Policy 1998' and introduced the 'Bangabandhu Award'
in recognition of the outstanding contribution in
protecting the fisheries resources and increase fish
production.
Terming unplanned construction of roads and embankments,
dumping of toxic industrial waste to the rivers, use of
insecticides in agriculture lands and siltation of rivers
as the main reasons for the dwindling fish production, the
Prime Minister said her government has undertaken a number
of measures including dredging of rivers and establishing
Effluent Treatment Plants in the industrial complexes.
Sheikh Hasina mentioned that due to her government's
pragmatic steps in the fisheries sectors, the Fisheries
and Livestock Department got the Edward Sawma Award of UN
Food and Agriculture Organization in 1997 and
International Energy Award this time in recognition of the
country's success in the utilization of society based Fish
Cultivation Management Technology.
Traffic congestion causes
Tk 20,000 cr losses annually
UNB, Dhaka
Traffic congestion in Dhaka city causes losses amounting
to Tk 20,000 crore a year, according to a study presented
at a seminar on 'Traffic Congestion in Dhaka City and its
impact on business: Some remedial measures.'
The report identified inadequate transport infrastructure
against transport demand, urban development without
traffic impact assessment and inadequate capacity of
intersections as the main causes for traffic congestion in
Dhaka city.
The report estimates traffic jams cause upto 3.20 million
business hours to be lost every day, which is about an
hour per working person.
The report was presented by the Executive Engineer of the
Roads & Highways Department (RHD) Abdullah Al Mamun at the
Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI)
Conference Room in Motijheel, Dhaka on Wednesday.
Engineer Sayed Moinul Hossain and Transport economist
Marufa Ismat of the RHD assisted him in the study.
The seminar was jointly organized by the MCCI and The
Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.
Chaired by MCCI president Anis-ud-Dowla, the seminar was
also addressed, among others by Home Minister Sahara
Khatun, Vice-Chancellor of BRAC University Dr Ainun Nishat,
president of Chartered Institute of Logistics and
Transport Sayed Rezaul Hayet, Additional Chief Engineer of
Roads & Highways Engineer Belal and DMP Commissioner AKM
Shahidul Haq.
The report said 8.16 million hours are wasted every day,
causing a loss of around Tk 2,000 crore every year.
Introduction of mass transport facilities, high capacity
public bus rationalized routes and route franchising by
competitive tendering, grade separators at all the level
crossings, increasing east west connectivity, commuter
trains and development of road intersections were held up
as measures that could help reduce traffic congestion in
the capital.
In her address, the Home Minister said thousands of
working hours are wasted every day in the capital due to
traffic congestion, which is an unrecoverable loss for the
people.
Air of Dhaka,
Ctg contains poisonous lead
UNB, Sangsad Bhaban
Air of Dhaka and Chittagong cities contained 0.1 to 0.2
micrograms of Lead, a heavy metal element, per cubic meter
of ambient air which is lower than the maximum level as
per the Environment Conservation Regulations, Parliament
was told on Wednesday.
Lead is a poisonous substance to animals. It damages the
nervous system and causes brain disorders. Excessive Lead
also causes blood disorders in mammals.
Replying to a question of Nasimul Alam Chowdhury, State
Minister for Environment Dr Hasan Mahmud said the main
reason of increasing the level of lead in ambient air is
use of lead-contain fuels in transports.
He said the Awami League government during its previous
tenure had made mandatory use of lead free fuels for
transport on July 1, 1999.
The minister said as per Environment Preservation Rules
and Regulations, 1997 the highest level of lead is 0.5
microgram per cubic meter of ambient air.
He said presently the amount of lead in ambient air in the
key cities of the country is much lower than the level
controlled by the rules and regulations.
Dr Mahmud said the Environment and Forest Ministry is
carrying out continuous efforts to keep the level of lead
in the set level. On polythene replying to a question the
state minister said a total of 32 polythene production
factories have been closed after the government assuming
in power. Of the closed factories 17 in Dhaka, 8 in
Chittagong, four in Khulna, two in Rajshahi and one in
Sylhet.
He said there is no scope of growing other industries in
unplanned ways without no-objection certificate of the
Environment Directorate at the dense-populated residential
areas of divisional headquarters including Dhaka.
Govt has
adequate stock of foodgrains
UNB, Sangsad Bhaban
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday ruled out the
possibility of disruption of food security system as the
stock of foodgrains has increased sufficiently.
"There is no possibility of disruption of food security
system as the food stock has increased through domestic
procurement and import," she said replying to a written
question from treasury bench member Shafiqul Islam of
Sirajganj.
The Prime Minister said that initiatives have already been
taken to import foodgrains from the friendly countries to
strengthen the food security. The process for buying wheat
from India and Russia is on.
As on July 19, she said the government stock stood at
6,09,714 metric tons including 4,98,522 tons of rice and
1,11,192 tons of wheat.
She said arrangements were made to import 7.5 lakh metric
tons of wheat and 3 lakh metric tons of rice from the
budget of the 2009-10 fiscal year. Of this, 4.50 lakh tons
of wheat have already reached the country and the rest 3
lakh tons will arrive by next two months.
Sheikh Hasina said that an agreement has been signed to
purchase 1.75 lakh tons of rice. International tender has
been floated for purchase 4.50 lakh tons of wheat and one
lakh tons of rice. Steps have been taken to import more in
phases.
About 3.27 lakh tons of rice have been procured from the
boro crop this year as against the target of 5.20 lakh
tons. Domestic procurement programme is continuing.
The Prime Minister said about 20 lakh metric tons of
foodgrains were distributed from the government stock
under various projects during the last financial year.
25-year old trucks now to ply in city
from 11pm to 6 am: Minister
UNB, Dhaka
The Communications Ministry Wednesday revised its decision
to allow trucks of 25 years old to ply in the capital from
11pm to 6am.
Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain stated this
during a meeting with Dhaka District Truck Workers
Association which threatened to go for strike from August
2 to press for their 7-point demand.
As the Communications Ministry revised its decision
regarding the plying over 25-year old truck, the Truck
Workers Association withdrew their strike program. On July
15 the Communications Ministry launched a drive to remove
buses over 20 years old and trucks over 25 years old from
the city streets.
Secretary general of Bangladesh Road Transport Association
Khandaker Enayetullah, Dhaka District Truck Workers
Association president Osman Gani, Bangladesh
Inter-district Truck Drivers Association president Tajul
Islam, BTRC chairman MM Iqbal and BRTA chairman Ayubur
Rahman and Communications Secretary Mozammel Huq attended
the meeting.
As Inter-district Truck Drivers Association president
Tajul Islam complained that police harass the truck driver
for realizing extortion, the Communications Minister
assured that he would raise it to the Home Ministry to
take actions.
Responding to another demand, the Minister said excepting
fitness certificate, registration and license, other small
faults of vehicles would be ignored during the ongoing
drive against unfit and flawed vehicles.
Two
auto-rickshaw drivers killed by unknown assailants
UNB, Chittagong
Two auto-rickshaw drivers were killed by unknown
assailants at Chandanaish and Mirsarai on Tuesday night
and their vehicles were taken away.
The bodies of Abdur Rouf, 30, of Satbaria village in
Chandanaish upazila and Noor Mia of Rahmatpur village in
Fatikchhari upazila were recovered on Wednesday.
Police arrested four persons from the two areas for their
suspected involvement in the killing. Relatives identified
Rouf when police brought the body to Chandanaish thana
from a paddy field at Bahrampara, with hands and legs tied
with rope.
In another incident, Noor Mia, 25, with his auto-rickshaw
was passing by Dabor area on Karer haat-Ramgarh road when
a group of miscreants intercepted him. They stabbed him
indiscriminately leaving him fatally wounded.
Locals rushed him to Mostan Nagar hospital where he died
at night.
Editorial
Killing of police
personnel
Three
police personnel were gunned down by extremists at remote char
area in Bera upazila in Pabna on Tuesday. The victims are ASI
Kafiluddin, Nayek Wahed and Constable Shafique of Dhalar Char
police camp, about 75km east of Pabna town. Locals said the
police personnel in civil dress went for marketing in
Rajdhardia Bazaar of Masundia union in the evening.
According to a national daily, the superintendent of police in
Pabna said a gang opened fire on the three plainclothes
policemen who were returning to their camp. The motive behind
the attack could not be known immediately. Police suspect the
gunmen are members of an outlawed group. Police launched a
combing-operation in the area infested by different outlawed
groups from Pabna, Manikganj and Rajbari. In a similar attack
in 2001, outlawed party operatives killed a sub-inspector at
Dhalarchar. Later, a police camp was set up there. Operatives
of different outlawed groups take shelter at Daspara after
committing crimes in the adjoining areas, police said.
Meanwhile, State Minister for Home Affairs, Shamsul Haque Tuku
on Wednesday deplored the killing of the police personnel in
Pabna and hoped that such incident would not take place in
future. He said the persons responsible for the killings of
the policemen must be arrested and brought to justice. Tuku
asked the law enforcers to deal with the extremists with a
heavy hand.
The killing of the police personnel in Pabna is very sad and
alarming. As is known to all, the extremis had been active in
different areas of the southern and western parts of the
country for a long time. However, consequent upon the massive
drives by police the activists of the extremists had reduced.
But the Tuesday's killing of police personnel showed that the
extremists are still very active. This incident also raises
the fear that the extremists may try to create anarchy and
political instability in the country. Against this backdrop,
the administration and police should be alert and active.
After all unlawful activities by any group cannot be accepted
and such activities by outlawed political adventurisms must be
dealt with severely. The authorities should try to find out
those responsible for the killing of police in Pabna and bring
them to justice in a bid to stop recurrence of such
activities.
Drive against
unfit vehicles
The
drive against the old, faulty and unfit vehicles launched in
the capital by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) on July 15
with so much publicity has yielded no tangible results so far.
According to press reports, authorities seized 14 buses and a
truck in drives against buses older than 20 years and trucks
older than 25 years till Tuesday. The DMP on Thursday launched
the drive to get rid of about 13,778 unfit buses and trucks
and inspect the documents of about 5,50,000 vehicles plying
the city rods without proper fitness papers. The drive is also
aimed at improving the city's nagging traffic situation and
stop frequent road accidents.
The mobile courts conducting the drives could seize four
vehicles on Tuesday, six on Monday, one on Sunday and four on
Thursday. District additional magistrate Amit Kumar Sarker,
who is coordinating the mobile courts, told a national daily
that the owners had kept their buses off the roads to avoid
being caught but put them back on the road after the day's
drive. The city people, meanwhile, had to suffer for shortage
of buses on the road. Residents said there were no local buses
on the road during the drive.
Fifteen mobile courts comprising members of police and
Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), each headed by an
executive magistrate, are conducting the drive against buses
and minibuses older than 20 years and trucks older than 25
years. The crack -down started following a decision of the
Communication Ministry. Meanwhile, most of the model out and
faulty vehicles were absent in the city streets as their
owners came to know about the crack down.
There is an alleged attempt by a section of transport owners
to foil the ongoing DMP drive against the old, faulty and
unfit vehicles plying the roads of the capital.
As part of this ill-designed move, the Shyampur main road was
blocked on Friday disrupting the traffic movement there for
more than an hour. Earlier, road blocks were put up and a
number of vehicles were vandalized on Thursday on Dhaka Aricha
road in protest against the drive against the unfit vehicles.
Traffic congestion is an unbearable crisis the city dwellers
are plunged in and this crisis continues to be aggravated by
the old, faulty and unfit vehicles. The irony is that the
problems of the commuters have been worsened following the
disappearance of the unfit vehicles from the road in the wake
of the drive. Maybe, the owners of the old and unfit vehicles
have taken those away from the roads to intensify the
transport shortage crisis and force the government to allow
the unfit vehicles to ply the city streets. This position is
not acceptable and the unfit vehicles must be removed from the
roads.
Meanwhile, in order to meet the transport shortage and ease
the persistent traffic congestion the government should
introduce more buses in the city streets and strictly enforce
the traffic rules. Moreover, other problems relating to the
traffic jam should also be addressed and resolved immediately.
There is no use of eye-wash like drive against unfit vehicles
in the name of resolving the traffic congestion. Actions must
be resolute and effective and those must include widening the
roads, removing unauthorized bus counters from the roads and
unplanned and unauthorized parking of vehicles on the city
roads must be stopped. Above, traffic system should be
streamlined and violation of traffic law should be severely
dealt with.
Analysis
Moving on in Afghanistan
We now have a new commander of the ISAF
mission, Gen. David Petraeus. But our strategy hasn't changed,
because it is the right one. Our objective is clear: to ensure
that Afghanistan does not again become a safe haven for
terrorism.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen
On Tuesday, an
international conference on Afghanistan in Kabul brought
together more than 70 countries, international and regional
organisations and financial institutions to support a plan for
development, governance and stability. The meeting would
result in a clear way forward for the transition to Afghan
responsibility and ownership. In short, it's a milestone in
the process by which Afghans are finally becoming masters of
their own house.
This new political momentum has not come about by
happenstance. It is the result of a sustained effort both by
Afghans and the international community to give this country a
new lease on life.
After the tragedy of 9/11, indifference was no longer an
option. Engagement was our only choice. Leaving Afghanistan to
its own devices would have spelled more instability there, and
more terrorist attacks worldwide.
There is no denying that the international community initially
underestimated the magnitude of the challenge. After nine
years of international engagement, it has become painfully
obvious that the price we have to pay is much higher than
expected, most of all in the loss of life of international and
Afghan soldiers.
But Afghanistan is finally moving in the right direction.
Maybe the insurgents think they can wait us out, but we will
stay for as long as it takes to finish our job. Our training
of Afghan soldiers and police is ahead of schedule, and by
next year there will be a 300,000-strong Afghan security force
- and it can't be waited out.
By sending 40,000 additional international troops, we have
demonstrated our commitment to protecting the Afghan people by
holding areas we have liberated from the insurgents. We are
also finally taking the fight to the Taleban where it hurts
them the most. Over the past months, the NATO-led
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has launched
military offensives into Taleban heartland - Helmand and
Kandahar.
These operations, in which the Afghan security forces play an
important role, will inevitably lead to intensified fighting.
Regrettably there will be more casualties. But these military
actions are of tremendous political importance. They
contribute to the marginalisation of the Taleban as a
political and military force. And this will encourage many who
joined the Taleban to quit their ranks and engage in the
reconciliation effort.
Reconciliation, however, is no blank check. Renunciation of
violence and respect for the Afghan Constitution, including
women's rights, is a precondition for successful
reintegration. The Afghan authorities know this, and we will
keep reminding them.
The next important political step after the Kabul conference
will be the parliamentary elections in September. Despite
death threats, Afghans have voted several times since the fall
of the Taleban regime. Nothing could illustrate better the
desire of the Afghan people to take their future into their
own hands. NATO-led forces will support these elections, but
the overall responsibility for their security and their free
and fair conduct will lie with the Afghans themselves.
All these developments point in the same direction: a gradual
transition to Afghan lead. This transition will not be done on
the basis of an artificial timetable. It will be done on the
basis of clear assessments of the political and security
situation in each area. Where and when we do it, it will be
irreversible.
Starting the transition does not mean that the struggle for
Afghanistan's future as a stable country in a volatile region
will be over. Afghanistan will need the continued support of
the international community, including NATO. It is important
that we send a clear message of long-term commitment. The
Afghan population needs to know that we will continue to stand
by them as they chart their own course into the future.
To underline this commitment, I believe that NATO should
develop a long-term cooperation agreement with the Afghan
government.
We now have a new commander of the ISAF mission, Gen. David
Petraeus. But our strategy hasn't changed, because it is the
right one. Our objective is clear: to ensure that Afghanistan
does not again become a safe haven for terrorism.
We are building Afghans' ability to resist terrorism and
extremism on their own. We are changing the political
conditions in the key strategic areas of Afghanistan; we are
protecting the population; we are strengthening the capability
of the elected government; and we are training the Afghan
Army, to enable Afghanistan to look after its own security.
If we and our Afghan partners stick to our strategy and give
it time to work, it will.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen is a former prime minister of Denmark
and the Secretary General of NATO
Cutting
Hillary Clinton some slack
"Perceptions will change... once they see how their lives
have
changed" -- Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
Mosharraf Zaidi
Poor
Americans. This is the fellow that Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton has to stand beside as she tries to
squeeze more juice out of a Kerry-Lugar Bill that had its
lifeblood squeezed out of it last year by the Pakistani
establishment, when it first became US law. The
frustration from that reaction still riles the Americans.
So much so that Hillary Clinton, who is a role model and
an inspiration, can't seem to let go. On every trip she
reproduces a Bin Laden outburst that is militarily and
strategically irrelevant for the US, but that serves as an
enduring cancerous tumour for America's public diplomacy
goals in Pakistan.
Still. Mrs Clinton needs to be cut some slack. Her
tireless advocacy for health care around the world, and
her enduring compassion for South Asians -- Indians,
Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Muslims, Hindus, men, children,
and most of all, women -- is singularly unique among
either Democrats or Republicans.
The western media seems as fabulously smitten by Mrs
Clinton as I am. The wires, the newspapers and the
electronic media all reported Mrs Clinton's announcement
of the allocation of $500 million worth of projects as
headline news, when really, it represents the fulfilment
of only one-third of Kerry-Lugar-Berman's sacred covenant
with the Pakistani people. One of the most telling things
about that covenant? It was signed by the US House of
Representatives and the US Senate. It was, in short, a
covenant between the US government and the American
people, with the US government acting as a proxy for the
Pakistani people.
Perhaps now Pakistanis can better understand the
frustration of the John Kerrys, the Hillary Clintons and
the Richard Holbrookes of the earth. Top US policymakers
have fought for over two years to win the Kerry-Lugar
Bill. Since then, two things have kept that money from
flowing into Pakistan. The first is Mr Holbrooke's
decision to dispense with the Clintonian (Bill, not Hill)
model of US aid disbursement through large contracting
firms that Americans often refer to as Beltway Bandits.
That decision, while long overdue, was rushed and was made
in the wrong country, at the wrong time. American
development assistance, which is not routed solely through
USAID, but often through half a dozen different US
departments (or ministries), has been in desperate need of
an overhaul for years. But to attempt to reform the
instrument of aid delivery in Pakistan, at the climax of
Obama's war in Afghanistan, has been a disastrous
decision. The American international aid community is so
removed and so distant from the mainstream of western
assistance thinking (spearheaded by the OECD and captured
in the Paris Declaration) that it doesn't quite know how
to deal with large sums of money without the Beltway
Bandits. This has meant that the Kerry-Lugar money has
been parked in Washington DC, with a clear destination,
but no vehicle to take it there.
The second thing that has kept the Kerry-Lugar money from
being spent is the government of Pakistan itself. Pakistan
has no clarity whatsoever about what its development
priorities are. It required the intervention of the
military chief back in March to summon the federal
secretaries to begin to articulate a wishlist of pet
projects this government would like to see come to
fruition. Indecision and the absence of any coherent
development strategy within Pakistan have meant that the
US government has had to try to figure out what Pakistan
wants, kind of on its own. This may seem like comedy
noire, but it's really not funny at all.
The problem with Pakistani government today is that it
doesn't enjoy the competent stability it once used to
through the bureaucracy. Today's Pakistan's bureaucracy,
while made up of individually brilliant officers, is a
collection of inward-looking dinosaurs that cannot see
beyond their GOR houses, their I-8 plots and their
post-retirement benefits. Those officers, in years past,
used to be the eyes and ears of oft-changing governments
that would seek the guidance of senior bureaucrats in the
federal ministries and at the provincial headquarters.
While there's been no discernable change in the quality of
governance that democratically elected politicians can
render, there has been a severe nosedive in the quality of
officers available to either the federal or provincial
governments.
Part of the reason for the exodus of top-tier officers
during the Musharraf era was the curtailment of powers of
district managers, under decentralised local governments.
But the decentralisation argument is a red-herring for a
much more fundamental shift in Pakistani bureaucracy.
While being a CSP or DMG officer was an instrument of
social mobility in the 1970s or 1980s, it is now a barrier
to the personal and professional growth of officers. Many
of Pakistan's brightest officers can afford to be
well-paid UN, World Bank and IMF staffers. Many others can
do even better at Wall Street and on Madison Avenue. Still
others can be brilliant academics. Across the board, since
1999 we have seen exactly this. An exodus of top-shelf
talent that might have been able to deal with rents, with
incompetence, and with the heat, but not with the
disrespect that the military and political class have for
educated Pakistanis in the employ of the government of
Pakistan.
So how does all this relate to Mrs Clinton's troubles in
Pakistan? Simple. No matter how democratically legitimate,
when the blind lead the blind, there is a problem of
vision. Pakistani politicians are so disconnected from any
kind of global narrative that it will be a generation
before we produce a Chidambaram, a Krishna or a Mukherjee
that can win elections without the help of their gaddi
(see: Shah Mehmood Qureshi), or the kindness of the Arbab
Ghulam Rahims of the world (see: Shaukat Aziz). The
nauseating outburst of the foreign minister on Friday was
a demonstration that winning an election does not enable
you to win an argument. In short, Pakistan's current
political class cannot muster politically legitimate
actors that are also competent at statecraft.
Enter the advisory class. This is where the Husain
Haqqanis, the Shaukat Tarins and the Dr Hafeez Shaikhs
enter the fray. No fake degrees here. Only pedigree. Their
problem is of an entirely different nature. They don't
have any stake in Pakistani politics -- they enter as
unknowns at the thaana kuthchehri and galli-mohalla level,
and they leave as unknowns at the thaana kuthchehri and
galli-mohalla level. They can talk about all the right
kinds of reform, but they can't deliver. More worryingly,
their reform-speak is often deluded, because it is devoid
of any political rigour. "Let's clip military powers by
marketing bold ideas in Washington DC, instead of
Rawalpindi." Well. We've seen how that has turned out.
"Let's raise taxes!" Sure. Because nobody else has ever
thought of that! "Let's improve education." Sure. Because
it takes genius to figure out that education is a problem.
Advice that is anchored in Rubinomics and Bretton Woods
theology has been failing Pakistan for the entire duration
of Pakistan's lifetime. This should hardly be a surprise.
It never works anywhere.
And that is why Shah Mehmood Qureshi is wrong, again.
Perceptions won't change. $500 million worth of pet
projects is a supremely sweet gesture. But even $500
billion worth of aid, delivered through Beltway Bandits,
NGOs, budget support or otherwise can't change the lives
of Pakistanis. Only organic reform can achieve such noble
goals. When the strategic dialogue in October picks up
where this one leaves, Pakistan will still have no CT
strategy, no development strategy, an inflated defence
budget, no civil service reform, and no hate-speech
legislation. All the money in the world can't change that.
And that's not Hillary Clinton's fault. That one's on us.
Viewpoints
Rivals make a positive start
Though not
much substance was achieved, or expected, the foreign
ministers of Pakistan and India showed sincerity.
Tariq Osman Hyder
After
a delay of nearly two years, the foreign ministers of Pakistan
and India met in Islamabad on July 15. Since the Mumbai
tragedy in November 2008, the peace process dialogue begun in
January 2004 had been frozen by India.
At the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Summit
in Bhutan, both democratically elected prime ministers agreed
that their foreign ministers would meet to chart the way
forward and discuss all issues.
Both governments and peoples are now grappling with the
aftermath on the day after. What took place; what is the
outcome; was it expected; were the foreign ministers well
prepared, supported or constrained by their bureaucracies;
what comes next; what lessons can be learned?
Both ministers elaborated their positions and expectations.
The Indian minister concentrated on terrorism. The Pakistani
minister reiterated that Pakistan would not allow its soil to
be used against India, and conveyed deep concern at Indian
destabilisation activities through Afghanistan into the
Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Balochistan.
Hafiz Saeed, whatever he said, was not an official - unlike
the Indian home secretary, who a day before the talks had made
an irresponsible statement. Responding to Indian claims of
infiltration across the Line of Control he declared government
policy was to prevent infiltration. India should address the
continuing human-rights violations that were again igniting
discontent in Kashmir.
Kashmir on hold
The Indian proposal to restart Kashmir negotiations along
their preferred Musharraf model met the response that till the
entire dialogue process was recommenced such talks would not
resume - the back channel could only work in tandem with the
front channel.
Substance was not expected as this meeting was an exercise on
how to proceed. As was obvious from the foreign ministers'
joint press conference, the scope of agreement was limited. No
clear structure or timetable emerged. The only agreement was
on the dialogue's continuation, and that information to
counter terrorism should be exchanged through diplomatic
channels and the foreign ministers' meeting in Delhi later
this year.
Hence both foreign ministers could claim there was no deadlock
- each better understood the other's position and despite
differences the window of opportunity could lead to better
relations. Few observers expected otherwise, though many hoped
that more could be done to smooth the oft-troubled
relationship between the nuclear neighbours.
There has been much discussion and criticism by the media and
opposition in both countries on the performance and
preparation of their foreign ministers, as evidenced in the
joint press conference.
An accurate appreciation would be that both foreign ministers
followed their national briefs. However, the Pakistani
minister went into the meeting backed by thorough Foreign
Office preparation and a national consensus. The Indian
foreign minister was inclined towards his prime minister's
mandate, but was pulled back by the powerful Indian
bureaucracy. This was done during the talks through phone
calls from the Indian foreign secretary's calls, presumably
with Indian National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon.
The Pakistan foreign minister had previously stated that
though he was ready to drop, in deference to Indian
susceptibilities, the term "composite dialogue", which had
defined the eight-segment process before, it was essential
that all the subjects must be discussed in an integrated
manner in any future bilateral dialogue. This core Pakistani
position remained intact and was apparently accepted by the
Indian foreign minister in informal discussions preceding the
talks.
Pakistan, consistent with its position, had an indicative
timetable to discuss all issues before reviews at foreign
secretary and foreign minister levels. For India, this was too
ambitious. India's emphasis on tackling terrorism reinforced
by real-time instructions from Delhi provided its foreign
minister with a brake. He was open to discussing all issues
but in a gradual, piecemeal manner - aiming to enhance trust
before moving on to other issues.
Had the Pakistani foreign minister agreed to this piecemeal
approach, India would have put Pakistan's core issues -
including Kashmir and water - on the back burner; concentrated
for the foreseeable future on terrorism; kept in play its
preferred soft issues of trade and people-to-people contacts;
while reassuring the international community that it was doing
everything possible to improve relations with Pakistan.
Slow progress
So where do both countries go from here? Relations are not at
an impasse - which is something - but progress will be slow
and incremental, which is not what their peoples deserve.
Better groundwork is required before the next round.
India, the larger country with an expanding economy, oversized
military and global ambitions bolstered by strategic
partnership with America, feels it can take the high road with
Pakistan, ignoring the reality that bad relations with its
neighbour inevitably impact on its global image and role and
waste scarce resources better utilised to mitigate endemic
poverty.
For Pakistan there are three main lessons. It must hand over
to India, and share with its allies and friends, the detailed
evidence that it certainly has on Indian destabilisation
through Afghanistan - which was initially provided as far back
as March 2007 during the first meeting of the Joint
Anti-Terror Mechanism.
Pakistan must improve its governance, economy and internal
security - which would bring India back to the negotiating
table. Equally important, the talks served as a stark reminder
and corrective to Pakistan's political leadership that India's
hard-edged diplomacy and hawkish bureaucracy cannot be
countered by politesse, urbanity or defensiveness, which is
viewed as weakness. n
Ambassador Tariq Osman Hyder headed Pakistan's delegations
to the Nuclear and Conventional CBM talks and the Joint
Anti-Terrorism Mechanism with India from 2004-2007.
Requiem for
Abdullahs
In the changed
context, India needs a stable, representative government
in Srinagar, sensitive to the people's aspirations,
responsive to their needs, and supportive of the peace
process.
A.G. Noorani
If
the great Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah were alive today, he
would weep bitterly at the depths to which his son, Farooq,
and grandson, Omar, have fallen. He drew strength from the
people; they, from the centre and following the very
strategy which his betrayer Bakshi Ghulam Mohammed
followed - give us power and we will check secessionism.
Gory events since June 11 mark a seismic change in
Kashmir. As Mirwaiz Umar Farooq noted, "the baton has now
passed on to the new generation" which grew up after the
outbreak of militancy. Not only the unionists even the
separatists have been marginalised. The young follow no
leader.
A senior correspondent Shujaat Bukhari reported, "It is
actually anger against the unresolved Kashmir dispute that
drives the stone-throwing mobs on the streets. It is hard
to believe that the stone-throwers come from the
'downtrodden class'. Wearing branded jeans and shoes and
fashionable watches and carrying expensive mobile
handsets, these educated boys do not mince words about
their involvement with what they call the 'struggle for
freedom'." Omar admitted that "even the moderate
secessionists do not have much influence there".
To India this offers a challenge and an opportunity for
liberating itself from the blackmail practised by the two
Abdullahs to which it had succumbed in realpolitik -
remove us and you lose Kashmir. India needs no dalals.
Secessionism thrives in fact on unrepresentative regimes.
The India-Pakistan peace process is directed at a
'non-territorial' solution based on self-rule for both
parts of Kashmir without the secession of either.
In the changed context, India needs a stable,
representative government in Srinagar, sensitive to the
people's aspirations, responsive to their needs, and
supportive of the peace process. The Abdullahs fail on all
counts. They are opposed to the people's sentiments. Their
eyes are fixed embarrassingly at New Delhi and their
decline is irreversible.
To deep popular resentment at the unresolved Kashmir
dispute was added resentment at the installation of an
unrepresentative government in 2009 with central help. As
Churchill said in the House of Commons on June 2, 1931,
"No government which is in a large minority in the
country, even though it possess a working majority in the
House of Commons, can have the necessary power to cope
with real problems."
On July 10, Omar himself admitted "the troubles erupted in
areas where we got very low polling percentage in
elections, where voting was less than 20 per cent even in
the 2008 election that was considered a major success".
This is a particular reference to the eight constituencies
in the Srinagar district; all won by his National
Conference (NC). By external aid, people believe. It is on
the strength of these eight that he could form a coalition
with the Congress.
In a house of 85 seats, the NC won 28, Mehbooba Mufti's
People's Democratic Party (PDP) 21 and the Congress 16. In
the Valley itself, if the eight are excluded, the NC won
12 and the PDP 19. Farooq Abdullah won two of the eight.
No sooner were the results out than he publicly said he
would form the government. The centre averted certain
disaster overnight and plumped for Omar with high hopes.
He dashed them in no time.
The spectacle of an unrepresentative government and a
nominated chief minister was bad enough. It was made worse
by his arrogant indifference to responsibilities, disdain
for cabinet colleagues and the party and aloofness from
the people whose aspirations, ethos and culture he
rejects; in sum an administrative failure, a political
disaster and a moral outrage.
Omar made another damning admission on July 11: "The PDP
was greatly aided by the dialogue that took place between
India and Pakistan during President Pervez Musharraf's
time in office." He himself went to Islamabad to meet
Musharraf - to improve his standing and bargaining power
with the centre. It did not help. People know that the two
Abdullahs' heart is not in the peace process, rhetoric
apart. An accord with Pakistan would spell their political
demise.
The PDP rose even as a unionist for two reasons; an
identification with the people's aspirations and
sufferings and active support to an accord with Pakistan.
In contrast to the NC's demand for 'autonomy', its
'self-rule' plank has an integral external dimension of
linkage with Pakistan. That explains why while rejecting
the separatists' politics, as chief minister Mufti
Mohammad Sayeed studiously refrained from hounding their
leaders.
Omar, in contrast, has followed a policy of sustained
repression. He said on May 19, 2002, "The way the centre
is desperate to bring the separatists … into the
elections, we are being made to feel as if we are not
important." Farooq was more candid on Jan 13, 2001. "I
don't want to fill the jails. My orders to the police are,
wherever you find a militant, dispatch him." He also said,
"In the negotiations on Kashmir, there is no role for
Kashmiris. It is clear we are a part of India and they are
a part of Pakistan."
Omar's first test was the Shopian rapes in May 2009. He
confidently predicted they "will be just a paragraph when
his tenure is reviewed six years hence". Then he had to be
advised to file an FIR. Now the Union Home Minister P.
Chidambaram had to advise him on June 30 "to visit the
disturbed area so that there can be some political action
along with action taken by the security forces".
On the same day, the army chief Gen. V.K. Singh said, "I
feel there is a great need for political initiatives."
Omar's response was belatedly to convene an all parties
conference on July 12 which not only the PDP but even the
Congress leader and deputy chief minister Tara Chand
boycotted.
Omar does not seek counsel. His 'political adviser' is one
Devinder Rana, a media baron whose highhanded ways a
respected media watcher Sevanti Ninan exposed. The
perception is that he runs the regime. Comments on Omar's
weekends in New Delhi, holidays in Ladakh and in Gulmarg
leave him unmoved. "The way I work I can understand the
issues in five minutes what someone else may take half an
hour." But then "my party is at fault too. If I am a bad
salesman, it should come up and communicate with the
people".
A leader who says that proclaims his unfitness to lead.
Cabinet colleagues told a leading daily he would often not
take calls from them. "He had a perpetual disdain for
advice." He is not in control. The centre is. On June 29
the administrative secretaries were asked to report
directly to the Governor N.N. Vohra, an able civil
servant, bypassing Omar.
A chief minister of proven incompetence cannot be allowed
to remain in office till 2014. The centre must step in
with its own measures to respond to the urges and needs of
the people. A political initiative by Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh is overdue. So is the Abdullahs' departure
from the seats of power. They are irrelevant.
The writer is an author and a lawyer.
An
exercise in futility
One wonders how much longer the Palestinian leadership can
sustain this act, which is in fact the real exercise in
futility.
Ramzy Baroud
Each
time Israel fails to keep its "side of the bargain," the
Palestinian Authority responds with the same redundant
language. The cycle has become so utterly predictable that
one wonders why the Palestinian Authority officials even
bother protesting Israeli action. They must be well aware
that their cries, genuine or otherwise, will only fall on
deaf ears. They know that their complaints could not
possibly contribute to a paradigm shift in Israel's
behavior, or the US position on it.
Let's take a look at the context for the language of the
Palestinian Authority's complaints. In a speech made in
early July, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas referred
to any direct talks with Israel as "futile." Thousands of
newspapers and news sites beamed this "headline,"
highlighting the word "futile" between inverted commas -
as if it constituted some kind of earth-shattering
revelation. But anyone following the Middle East, and the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict in particular already knows
that such talks will be "futile." More, Israel has hardly
made secret its lack of desire for a peaceful and just
settlement.
Abbas, however, has managed to insert his relevance as a
"player" in the conflict, using one cleverly coined word.
This word has had as much of an impact in Arabic as has in
English.
Of course, none of this means that Abbas has actually
adopted a serious shift in course. One need not dig up old
archives to remember that the PA president felt the same
way about the so-called "proximity talks" with Israel last
May. Before they began, he also expressed his opinion that
the talks would be futile. He further insisted that no
talks, direct or otherwise, would resume without a
complete Israeli halt in settlement constructions in
occupied East Jerusalem. After this grand declaration,
Abbas went along with the proximity talks charade, while
Palestinian families continued to be uprooted from their
homes in their historic city. Only one barrier was removed
before embarking on the proximity talks: Abbas and his men
quit complaining.
Nearly two months later, when it is evident to all that
the proximity talks were indeed "futile" - especially as
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has triumphed
over US President Barack Obama in his most recent visit to
Washington -Abbas finds himself in desperate need for
another line of defense. Thus, the new campaign attacking
predictably "futile" direct talks with Israel.
Abbas is not the only actor in this drama. Others have
also been doing their job, as efficiently and as true to
form as ever. Yasser Abed Rabbo, who has worn several hats
in the past and is now one of Abbas' aides, stated that
the PA "will not enter new negotiations that could take
more than 10 years." This promise - that the Palestinian
leadership will not be fooled into talks for the sake of
talking and with no timeframe - is not the first of its
kind to come from Abed Rabbo, and it's unlikely to be the
last. Abbas' aide will most likely continue sharing the
same tired insight over and over again, because it's the
scripted part that any "moderate" - as in self-seeking -
Palestinian official must reiterate to remain relevant.
How else could they give the impression that the PA still
serves the role of the bulwark against Israeli illegal
territorial encroachment and military occupation?
Ahmed Qorei, former Palestinian Authority foreign minister
and ex-prime minister, recently spoke at a Hebrew
University Conference, entitled: "The Israeli-Palestinian
Proximity Talks: Lessons from Past Negotiations." The
conference was organized by Hebrew University's Harry S.
Truman Institute for the Advancement of Peace. The place
and occasion of this conference could not be more
significant. First, much of the Hebrew University was
built on "ethnically cleansed" Palestinian land. Second,
Qorei spoke at an Israeli university in an occupied city,
at a time when activists and academics from all over the
world, including several from Israel, are leading a
cultural and academic boycott of Israeli universities to
protest the terrible role these institutions have played
in Israeli violence against Palestinians.
Worse, immediately before his speech, Qorei met with
former Israeli foreign minister and acting prime minister,
Tzipi Livni. Livni had ordered and supervised the
unprecedented killing and maiming of thousands of
Palestinians in Gaza between December 2008 and January
2009. The level of inhumanity she displayed during those
days was met with outrage around the world, including from
many in Israel itself. But all the blood was brushed under
the carpet, as "Livni (and) Abu Ala exchanged 'niceties,'"
according to The Jerusalem Post.
Just try to imagine the fury that all Palestinians - and
especially those besieged in destroyed Gaza - must have
felt as Qorei and Livni shook hands and smiled for
cameras. As for Qorei's academic and political
contributions, the Post reported that, "at the conference,
Qorei said Netanyahu had not really frozen West Bank
settlement construction, and added that Israel's actions
were preventing direct talks."
Considering the numerous compromises that Qorei afforded
in his very attendance of the conference, and his
handshaking with Livni, one fails to understand the point
of such statements.
These empty declarations will have no bearing on the
outcome of events, nor will they force Netanyahu and his
right-wing government to think twice as they carry on
demolishing homes and uprooting trees. But they are more
important than ever for the PA, as voices are rising in
Washington, in London and elsewhere, demanding that the US
and its partners acknowledge, if not "engage" Hamas. Such
a prospect is bad news for the West Bank Palestinian
leadership, which understands that its relevance to the
"peace process" hinges on the constant dismissal of Hamas.
Therefore, the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah will
continue to adhere to its methodology: Don't criticize
Israel too harshly, so as not to lose favor; follow the US
dictates, so as to maintain a "moderate" status and many
privileges; and always give an impression to Palestinians,
Arabs and Muslims that the PA is the one and only defender
of Jerusalem.
One wonders how much longer the Palestinian leadership can
sustain this act, which is in fact the real exercise in
futility.
Ramzy Baroud (www.ramzybaroud.net) is an
internationally-syndicated columnist and the editor of
PalestineChronicle.com.
International
Afghanistan makes
promises, but no guarantees
AFP, Kabul
An Afghan pledge to take over national security by 2014
plays into the hands of Western supporters eager to pull
their soldiers out of an unpopular war, but there are no
guarantees of success.
War-weary Western leaders have welcomed the latest
promises from Afghanistan to take responsibility for
security, control spending of billions of dollars in aid
and broker a peace process to end a nine-year Taliban
insurgency. But observers said the true focus for the West
is pulling their soldiers out of a war increasingly
unpopular with voters, also tired of pouring their taxes
into the impoverished country.
"Now the focus is very much on transition and donors being
able to tell their voters when their soldiers are coming
home," said Ashley Jackson, head of policy and advocacy
for Oxfam International in Afghanistan.
"I think this truly is the last strategy that will get
this kind of backing from donors. Patience and support are
running out," she told AFP.
Tuesday's Kabul conference drew representatives from
around 80 countries and organisations to endorse a
proposal by President Hamid Karzai that Afghan forces take
over responsibility for national security by 2014.
Karzai also won a concession for the Afghan government to
control within two years 50 percent of aid, up from the
previous 20 percent.
There was support too for his plan to talk peace with the
Taliban, and possibly include them in government, welcomed
by many in the West as a way to end a war increasingly
seen as bogged down in the insurgency's favour.
The conference decisions-contained in a communique that
was debated until the last minute-were hailed by US
President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David
Cameron.
Obama said it was a "major step forward" for the future of
Afghanistan while Cameron, who was in Washington,
described 2014 as a "realistic" timeframe.
Benchmarks for Afghanistan's progress on pledges had been
set up by the international community, but there were no
sanctions in case they are not met, officials and
diplomats said.
Trust funds and management structures for international
aid were built in, they noted, auditing government
spending before reimbursement.
No such safeguards apply to targets for building up the
army and police to take over from foreign troops, though
the timetable is punishingly fast and has been widely
criticised as aiming for quantity not quality. "It took us
more than eight years to build the Afghan National Army of
60,000 troops, and the same with the Afghan National
Police," said analyst Haroun Mir.
"Will we be able to reach 400,000 by the deadline? These
figures are not based on sound calculations, rather than
pressure from Britain and the United States, it's about
appeasing public opinion at home," he said.
NATO seeks deeper
relations with Pakistan: Rasmussen
AFP, Islamabad
NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Wednesday he sought
broader, deeper ties with Pakistan, in a visit to
Islamabad that followed a major international conference
in neighbouring Afghanistan.
Rasmussen reiterated a NATO commitment to stay in
Afghanistan beyond the planned end of combat operations in
2014, and said he understood Pakistan's vital role in
achieving security in the region.
"I strongly appreciate NATO's developing relations with
Pakistan and it is my strong desire to deepen it
politically as well as militarily," he said at a press
conference held with Pakistan's foreign minister Shah
Mehmood Qureshi.
"This is also the reason why I have suggested today that
we initiate work hopefully leading to a strengthened
political framework for our cooperation," the NATO
Secretary General said.
Rasmussen's visit comes two days after a similar trip by
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, during which she
also spoke of building on bilateral relations in an
"enduring partnership" with Pakistan.
Western nations see Pakistan as integral to their ability
to win the war in Afghanistan as Taliban and
Al-Qaeda-linked insurgents targeting coalition forces roam
the mountainous region dividing the two countries.
"This partnership is not confined to needs in
Afghanistan," Foreign Minister Qureshi told Wednesday's
press conference.
"This is a very important relationship and we intend to
build on it.... We have both been useful partners to each
other and this partnership will continue in the days to
come," he said.
During Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's visit
to Brussels in June, NATO and Pakistan agreed to
strengthen their political ties with measures that could
include high level exchanges and parliamentary visits.
Nepal parliament meets to
elect new prime minister
AFP, Kathmandu
Nepal's Maoists pushed for a return to power on Wednesday
as parliament met to name a new prime minister to fill a
three-week political void in the formerly war-struck
Himalayan country.
The parliament session for the election of a new leader
started six hours late at 1700 pm (1115 GMT) amid intense
negotiations between the leading parties as they tried to
forge a consensus.
The Maoists, who fought a 10-year battle against the state
before entering politics and winning elections in 2008,
say that as the largest single party in parliament they
should lead the government.
They have put forward Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who goes by the
name of Prachanda, meaning "the fierce one", for the
leadership contest. He served as prime minister after the
2008 vote but quit in May 2009 over a row with the army.
He faces competition from Ram Chandra Paudel, vice
chairman of the second-biggest party, the Nepali Congress,
and veteran communist leader Jhala Nath Khanal from the
Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML).
Observers say Prachanda will struggle to get a majority
because other parties are reluctant to back the Maoists
until they offer a timed commitment to dismantle their
army camps and return property seized during the civil
war.
Yogesh Bhattarai, a UML leader, claimed his party had
secured Maoist support for their candidate, Khanal, which
could result in a new hard-left Maoist-UML coalition.
"They have given us their word to support our chairman in
the prime minister's election," Bhattarai told AFP.
An inconclusive outcome to the parliamentary session was
also a possibility.
"It's highly likely that we will not have any prime
minister today since the votes are going to split," Nepali
Congress spokesman Arjun Narsingh KC told AFP.
The impoverished republic has been in a political limbo
for three weeks since the government collapsed after the
sudden resignation of former UML prime minister Madhav
Kumar Nepal on June 30. The former leader headed an
unwieldy 22-member coalition government that excluded the
Maoists and was seen as weak from the start.
Its time in office was marred by a series of power
struggles with the Maoists, led by Prachanda, who quit as
PM after a row over the integration of former rebels into
the national army.
US ready to restore
dialogue with China’s military: Gates
AFP, Seoul
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday said he
stood ready to revive a dialogue with China's military,
especially in light of some "worrying" signals from
Beijing.
Forging relations between the two countries' armed forces
was crucial to preventing misunderstandings, Gates, who
recently saw a planned visit to China cancelled, told a
news conference during a trip to South Korea.
The defense secretary acknowledged he was "disappointed"
at China's rebuff of his scheduled visit in June, but was
willing to move forward.
"I remain open to rebuilding and strengthening
military-to-military dialogue between the United States
and China because I think it can play an important role in
preventing miscalculations and misunderstandings," he
said.
"We are obviously concerned by some of the things China
has said and some of the things China is doing in the
military arena. They are worrying," he said.
Washington's misgivings about Beijing's military build-up
underscored the need to press ahead with a regular
dialogue, he said.
Gates, however, praised China for backing a UN statement
condemning the sinking of a South Korean warship.
The top US military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, also
called for resuming a dialogue with China's armed forces
during a visit to South Korea.
Speaking to US troops, Mullen said China's spending on
high-tech weaponry, including anti-ship missiles, had
raised questions about its intentions.
But he said the absence of a regular dialogue with China's
military made it difficult to address those concerns.
"It's really important that we know each other in ways
that we just don't right now because our engagement with
them is very much off-and-on," Mullen told troops from the
US Army's 2nd Infantry Division at Camp Red Cloud.
He said every country had a right to bolster its armed
forces.
"But it's the specifics of some of it, that you know I'd
like to have a conversation to see where they're going.
Right now I can't do that."
Hillary announces new US
sanctions on North Korea
AFP, Seoul
The United States Wednesday unveiled new sanctions against
North Korea after the sinking of a South Korean warship
and said the attack could be the start of more
provocations by the communist state.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the measures were
designed to pile pressure on Pyongyang and prevent the
regime from bankrolling its atomic programme or spreading
weapons of mass destruction.
She said the measures were not directed at the North
Korean people, "who have suffered too long due to the
misguided and malign priorities of their government".
"They are directed at the destabilising, illicit and
provocative policies pursued by that government."
Clinton and US Defense Secretary Robert Gates travelled to
South Korea in a show of solidarity after the sinking of
the ship, which left 46 dead.
The US and South Korea, citing findings of a multinational
investigation, accuse the North of torpedoing the Cheonan
near the disputed Yellow Sea border in March-a charge it
denies.
"There has been some indication over the last number of
months, that as the succession process gets under way in
the North, that there might be provocations particularly
since the sinking of the Cheonan," Gates said.
"So I think it is something that we have to look at very
closely, we have to keep in mind and be very vigilant."
Ailing leader Kim Jong-Il, 68, is widely reported to be
preparing to name his youngest son as eventual successor.
Ex-terror suspect speaks
out against Malaysia security law
AFP, Kuala Lumpur
A former terror suspect linked to the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI)
militant group Wednesday urged Malaysia to repeal a tough
security law, saying detainees were subjected to mental
torture.
In a rare public statement from an ex-detainee, Mat Sah
Satray said the Internal Security Act (ISA) was used as a
political tool to detain individuals without trial and
said the "draconian" act should be abolished.
Mat Sah was held without charge under the ISA for eight
years until his release last year over alleged links with
the Southeast Asian terror outfit and the group's
spiritual leader, Indonesian radical cleric Abu Bakar
Bashir.
"I was held in a small room and was interrogated with
questions that were meant to incite anger, such as how
many times do you have sex with your wife every day," he
said at the launch of a human rights report.
"The ISA can be used to detain anyone at any time without
trial and we can't defend ourselves," said Mat Sah, who
said he was made a "sacrificial lamb" as the region
stepped up anti-terrorism efforts after the September 11
attacks. JI, which is linked with Al-Qaeda, is blamed for
a string of major attacks in the region including the 2002
Bali bombings.
Mat Sah said he was not subjected to physical torture
during his detention, but went through "mental torture" as
he was interrogated daily in a small room with fierce air
conditioning.
The 48-year-old, sporting a beard and a black Islamic
skull cap, said he had attended Bashir's religious classes
in Malaysia for about a year in the late 1980s but was not
in contact after that.
Japan's politics too immature for
stable power: Ex-PM
AFP, Tokyo
Japan, despite last year's dramatic change of government,
is still years away from achieving a real two-party
system, says one of its best-known former prime ministers,
Yasuhiro Nakasone.
"Party politics have yet to mature" in the world's
number-two economy, said Nakasone, a retired conservative
statesman who served as premier for five years in the
1980s as head of the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party
(LDP).
"One of the reasons is that politicians with strong
leadership skills have yet to emerge in Japan," said the
92-year-old, known for his hawkish views, in an interview
with AFP.
Japan has had five premiers in four years, a
revolving-door leadership that has done little for the
country's international stature or its efforts to fix
problems, from mounting public debt to sluggish economic
growth.
The centre-left party of Prime Minister Naoto Kan last
year pledged a fresh start when it ended over half a
century of conservative rule, but it has been much
weakened by a poor showing in an upper house ballot this
month.
Egypt,
Turkey leaders discuss Mideast peace process
AFP, Cairo
The leaders of Egypt and Turkey met in Cairo on Wednesday
to discuss stuttering international efforts to coax
Israeli and Palestinian leaders back to the negotiating
table, the MENA news agency said.
Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak and President Abdullah Gul
discussed "efforts to revive the Middle East process as
well regional developments of mutual interest," the
official news agency reported.
Mubarak also highlighted "Egypt's efforts to push forward
the peace process, as well as negotiations between Israel
and the Palestinians, and Egyptian efforts to achieve
Palestinian reconciliation," it said.
Gul arrived in Cairo on Tuesday night and was to leave
Egypt later on Wednesday, officials said.
Mubarak on Sunday hosted separate meetings with
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who are taking part in
indirect talks brokered by US Middle East envoy George
Mitchell.
Mitchell, who is trying to clinch an agreement to a
face-to-face meeting between Netanyahu and Abbas, also met
with Mubarak on Sunday.
He then held talks with Arab League chief Amr Mussa, who
later told reporters the Palestinians could not move
automatically from the indirect talks to face-to-face
negotiations. The Palestinians froze direct talks in
December 2008 when Israel launched a 22-day assault on the
Gaza Strip. They have said there can be no direct talks
without progress on border and security issues, and
without an Israeli pledge to halt all settlement activity
on occupied territory, including east Jerusalem.
Turkey's Islamist-rooted government has sought a stronger
Turkish role in the Middle East, notably improving ties
with Muslim countries, among them former foes Syria and
Iran. Both Egypt and Turkey have repeatedly insisted their
positions in the region are complementary, not
competitive.
UN court orders war
crimes retrial for ex-Kosovo PM
AFP, The Hague
A UN court quashed the war crimes acquittal Wed-nesday of
ex-Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj and ordered that
he be retried for murder and torture with two others,
citing witness intimidation.
"The appeals chamber ... orders that Ramush Haradinaj,
Idriz Balaj and Lahi Brahimaj be retried" on several
counts on the initial indictment, said presiding judge
Patrick Robinson of the International Criminal Tribunal
for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
This would be the court's first-ever retrial, said ICTY
spokeswoman Nerma Jelacic. Robinson ordered the three, all
former senior figures in the separatist ethnic Albanian
Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), to be detained in The Hague.
Haradinaj, 42, and Balaj, 38, had been freed after their
acquittal in April 2008 on numerous counts of war crimes
and crimes against humanity allegedly committed against
Serbs and political opponents-including murder, torture
and rape.
Haradinaj, the most senior Kosovo leader to stand trial at
the ICTY, was arrested in Kosovo on Tuesday on a warrant
issued by the court "because they (the judges) wanted him
to be here for the judgment," said Jelacic. Balaj, serving
an unrelated sentence in a Kosovo jail, was not present.
Co-accused Brahimaj, 40, who was convicted of torture and
sentenced to six years in jail in 2008 but released
pending the appeal outcome, sat next to Haradinaj in the
accused box. Neither man displayed a reaction to the
judges' majority decision.
But Michael O'Reilly, the head of Haradinaj's defence
team, said in a statement issued in Pristina he was
"extremely surprised".
"We could not have predicted such a development,
particularly if one takes into account the unanimity with
which the decision to acquit was taken two years ago," he
said.
At least 49 killed in north
Yemen tribes rebels clashes
AFP, Sanaa
Fighting in mountainous north Yemen between Shiite rebels
and army-backed tribes over the past four days have left
at least 49 people dead, threatening a fragile truce,
tribal and rebel sources said on Wednesday.
The major confrontations were taking place in al-Amsheyah,
in the northern Amran province, where the tribe of MP
Sheikh Sagheer Aziz is allegedly besieged by the Huthi
rebels.
"The confrontations bet-ween the Huthi (rebels) and the
supporters of the tribal chief Sheikh Sagheer Aziz have
resulted in the death of 20 tribesmen and 10 Huthis," a
tribal source told AFP, requesting anonymity.
"Rebels are still besieging the tribe" of Bin Aziz, the
source added. But the rebels' spokesman, Mohammed Abdul
Salam, told AFP that 20 rebels were killed in the
confrontations, claiming that the clashes were with the
army and not with the tribe.
"We are confronting military positions. These are not
tribal areas," he said by telephone.
Aziz is a member of the parliamentary bloc of the ruling
General People's Congress party. Six MPs have started a
sit-in on Tuesday at the parliament in support of Aziz,
demanding government action to end the alleged siege.
Meanwhile, 62 MPs have signed a petition demanding the
government "to assume responsibility in ending the
violations committed by the Huthis", and threatened to
suspend their parliamentary membership if the authorities
fail to help Aziz.
The Amran region and the neighbouring Saada province have
been the scene of sporadic clashes between the rebels and
government-backed tribes.
In separate clashes on Tuesday, Yemeni tribal chief Sheikh
Zaidan al-Moqannay, his son and four of his bodyguards
were killed in a rebel ambush in Saada, a security
official said.
Abdul Salam denied that the rebels ambushed Moqannay,
claiming that he was killed in confrontations which also
resulted in the death of three rebels.
Muslims must fight
‘savage’ US, British terrorism: Khamenei
AFP, Tehran
Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Wednesday called on
Muslims to fight the "blind and savage terrorism" fuelled
by the United States and Britain, whom he blamed for
deadly bombings of an Iranian mosque.
"In our region... the blind and savage terrorism is born
out of the evil policies of the United States, Britain and
their state and non-state mercenaries," Khamenei said in a
statement marking the seventh day of mourning for victims
of the bombings of a Shiite mosque in southeastern Iran.
"All Muslims are required to combat and confront this evil
and sinister offspring which is the epitome of corruption
on earth and of waging war against God," the all-powerful
Khamenei said in the statement read out on state
television.
Two suicide bombers on Thursday blew themselves up at a
Shiite mosque in Zahedan, the capital of
Sistan-Baluchestan province which borders Afghanistan and
Pakistan, killing 28 people and wounding hundreds.
Sunni rebel group Jundallah (Soldiers of God) said it
carried out the attacks to avenge the execution of its
militant leader Abdolmalek Rigi in Tehran's Evin prison on
June 20.
Jundallah says it is fighting for the rights of the Sunni
Baluchis who make up a significant population in
Sistan-Baluchestan. Tehran has blamed the group for
several such deadly attacks over the past few years.
Iranian officials say that Jundallah, and particularly its
executed leader Rigi, received support from US, British,
Israeli and Pakistani intelligence services for launching
cross-border attacks inside Iran. Khamenei repeated the
accusation, blaming US, Britain and Israeli spy agencies
for the latest bombings in Zahedan despite Washington and
the European Union leading a chorus of condemnation of the
attacks.
This "bloody incident" was carried out by the "devious,
bigoted Wahabis with the support and plotting of foreign
spy organisations," Khamenei said, adding the Zahedan
bombings were aimed at dividing Iranian Muslims.
Darfur rebels JEM sign key
child protection deal with UN
AFP, Geneva
Sudanese rebel group JEM signed a landmark deal with the
United Nations Wed-nesday, pledging to protect children
caught up in the Darfur conflict, according to a copy of
the accord rele-ased by mediators.
The Justice and Equality Movement's humanitarian affairs
coordinator Suleiman Jamous and UN resident and
humanitarian coordinator in Sudan Georg Charpentier had
signed the agreement in Geneva, with UNICEF's Sudan
representative Nils Kastberg as a witness. As part of the
agreement brokered by the Geneva-based Centre for
Humanitarian Dialogue, the JEM committed to "release and
handover to UNICEF all boys and girls associated with the
JEM if any and facilitate their reintegration."
It also agreed to release and handover children "not
directly associated with JEM if any who might have been
recruited or used by other parties to the conflict."
In addition, the rebel group committed to protect children
from sexual violence.
To verify that the JEM adheres to its commitment,
officials from the UN children's agency and other
monitoring officials have been granted "unimpeded and
regular access to all relevant JEM places, persons and
relevant documents" under the deal.
Ahead of the signing, mediator Dennis McNamara described
the deal as a "very valuable precedent."
"Certainly (other groups) will be aware of it and they
will presumably look at themselves and think whether they
should not do something similar and we hope that is the
case," the humanitarian adviser at the centre told AFP.
Among key issues surrounding children in Darfur is the use
of child soldiers, with all parties of the conflict having
been accused of recruiting minors for combat.
UNICEF estimated late-2008 that there were around 6,000
child soldiers in Darfur alone, with the youngest just 11
years of age, while most were aged between 15 and 17.
Anyone under 18 is considered a child under international
and Sudanese law. However, in many tribal cultures, they
are viewed as adults after puberty.
Suspected Kurd rebels blow
up Iran-Turkey gas pipeline
AFP, Ankara
Suspected Kurdish rebels blew up a pipeline carrying
natural gas from Iran to Turkey, forcing the shutdown of
the conduit, officials said Wednesday.
The powerful blast occ-urred overnight at a section of the
pipeline near the eastern Turkish town of Dogubayazit, in
Agri prov-ince, several kilometres (miles) from the
Iranian border, a local official told AFP by telephone,
without giving other details. "The explosion is believed
to have been carried out by members of the separatist
terrorist organisation," Agri Governor Ali Yerlikaya said
in a statement, using officialese for the outlawed
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
Security forces are looking for the perpetrators, said the
statement, carried by Anatolia news agency. Television
footage showed a large blaze raging over the pipeline
after the blast, which, Anatolia said, shattered the
windows of nearby buildings. The PKK has dramatically
stepped up its 26-year separatist campaign since its
jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan said thro-ugh his lawyers in
May he was abandoning efforts to seek dialogue with
Ankara.
The explosion cut the flow of Iranian gas, but an official
at Turkey's state oil and gas company BOTAS ruled out a
supply shortage, saying that gas coming via pipelines from
Russia and Azerbaijan was meeting the needs.
"There is no problem at the moment," she told AFP.
Repairs at the damaged section of the Iranian conduit were
expected to take about a week, she said, adding that the
fire had been extinguished as of Wednesday morning.
One killed, ten wounded
in Israeli strike on Gaza
AFP, Gaza City
A Palestinian was killed and 10 others were wounded on
Wednesday by an Israeli strike in the northern Gaza Strip,
according to medics and witnesses.
Dr Muawiya Hassanein, the head of Gaza emergency services,
confirmed the toll and said three of the wounded were in
serious condition. Two of the wounded were children,
according to an AFP photographer at a nearby hospital.
Witnesses said the strike was aimed at a group of
militants. The Israeli military said soldiers opened fire
at "a few suspects" who were seen approaching the border
fence in northern Gaza but did not immediately give
further details.
Gaza has been mostly quiet since the end of a devastating
Israeli offensive in January 2009, though there are still
occasional clashes between Palestinian militants and the
Israeli military along the heavily guarded border.
Business/Economy
‘Steps
taken to narrow down BD-India trade gap’
BSS, Dhaka
Commerce Minister Lt Col (retd) Faruk Khan on Wednesday
said necessary steps have been taken to narrow down the
trade gap between Bangladesh and India by removing tariff
and non-tariff barriers within the next one year. "I hope
all types of trade barriers between India and Bangladesh
will go by next one year," he said at a seminar at CIRDAP
auditorium in the city.
The seminar on 'India, Bangladesh and the North East:
Transit and Transshipment-Strategic Considerations',
jointly organized by Bangladesh Institute of Development
Studies (BIDS) and Manusher Jonno Foundation. BIDS
director general Dr M Asaduzzaman chaired the function,
joined, among others, by Professor of Dhaka University Dr
Imtiaz Ahmed, President of Bangladesh Enterprise Institute
(BEI) Farooq Sobhan, experts, professionals and trade
analysts.
BIDS research director KAS Murshid presented the keynote
paper on the topic of the seminar, highlighting diverse
modalities of India-Bangladesh trade. Faruk Khan said both
Bangladesh and India will be benefited enormously by
utilizing untapped potentials at north east region and
asked concerned officials to identify types of barriers to
remove those on priority basis.
He came down heavily on the sluggish implementation
process of the India- Bangladesh joint communiqu, saying
bureaucrats of both the countries will have to understand
about the interest of commoners in this regard.
The commerce minister, however, said the government has of
late taken a number of measures to boost trade relation
with India including steps in setting up border hut and
strengthening state-run Bangladesh Standards and Testing
Institute (BSTI).
Dr Imtiaz Ahmed said Indian politicians are more ahead
than their bureaucrats' and it should be considered that
bureaucrats of both India and Bangladesh must come forward
first in order to understand India-Bangladesh relation in
terms of trade and commerce. "We should not only look into
the issue of India-Bangladesh trade rather trade in the
region as a whole and even with China, Singapore, and the
Europe," Farooq Sobhan said adding that comparative cost
of benefit in business in the region could bring
tremendous economic advantage for both the countries. The
former ambassador said trust and confidence are
indispensable for strengthening the India-Bangladesh
relations in terms of trade and commerce.
Tariff Commission Chairman Dr Mojibur Rahman said the
much- discussed trade between Bangladesh and India will
boost up remarkably if the tariff, non- tariff and para-tariff
barriers are removed.
DSE
index nears 6500-point mark
BSS, Dhaka
The continuous rally took the price index of Dhaka Stock
Exchange (DSE) to a new high when it finished close to
6500-point mark on Wednesday.
The index finished at 6495.20 after crossing 6500 points
about one hour before the 3pm terminal time. The rise
beyond a new century-mark could not sustain mainly because
of a big slide in the GP.
The giant issue lost 1.99 percent on profit taking
selling, but the volume was comparatively lower at
4,37,400.
Despite the fall of the market dominator, issues from
energy, banking, textile and engineering drove the index
up.
A number of offbeat issues like Fidelity Assets, Apex
Weaving, Apex Food, Dulamia Cotton and BD Welding sneaked
into the day's top ten gainers' lists without any valid
reasons for price rise. The Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC) asked explanations from many companies
for reasoning the rise in their share prices when the
companies responded only to convey their unawareness about
any price sensitive disclosure.
Marco, however, lost some edge even after announcing a
profit of Taka 14.63 crore for the last six months when
the earnings per share (EPS) was Taka 4.65. Some investors
booked this issue in the past few days on bigger hope. The
day's turnover increased further to Taka 1,804 crore from
Tuesday's Taka 1,738 crore.
Outsource jobs
good, but conditions could be better
AFP, Manila
Global back office outsourcing is creating "reasonably
good" jobs in poorer countries, but staff are stressed and
some work conditions have to be improved, a United Nations
study said Wednesday.
The UN's International Labour Organisation (ILO) said its
study of business process outsourcing (BPO) to India, the
Philippines, Brazil and Argentina was the first in-depth
look at workplaces in the 90-billion-dollar industry.
"On the positive side, and unlike previous assumptions,
remote work jobs are of a reasonable good quality by local
standards," said senior ILO researcher Jon Messenger.
BPO employees in India, which has the world's biggest
share of the outsourcing market, earned nearly double the
wages of same-age workers in other sectors of the nation's
economy, according to the report.
In the Philippines, BPO employees took home 53 percent
more than workers of the same age in other industries.
However Messenger said BPO workers suffered from
higher-than-normal stress levels, with the industry driven
by pressures to cut costs, and this led to a high rate of
staff turnover.
"BPO workers face heavy workloads backed by performance
targets combined with tight rules and procedures, all this
enforced via electronic monitoring," Messenger said in a
video news conference from the ILO's Geneva headquarters.
"This type of high-strain work organisation is well-known
to produce high levels of job-related stress."
Among the stress factors, staff typically worked the
telephones all night to serve sometimes difficult
customers in distant time zones. Some companies also
controlled when workers could rest and take toilet breaks.
In the Philippines, which has the world's second biggest
share of the market, staff turnover rates averaged about
30 percent annually, compared with less than 10 percent in
other sectors, Messenger said.
Saudi has ‘every intention’ of meeting oil demand
AFP, Riyadh
Saudi Arabia fully plans to meet the growing demand for
oil driven by China and India, a senior prince and former
national intelligence chief said on Tuesday.
"As the demand for oil continues to rise, especially from
China and India, the kingdom has every intention of
meeting that demand," Prince Turki al-Faisal said in a
speech to the Oxford Energy Seminar in Britain.
Saudi Arabia, which holds the world's largest proven oil
reserves, is pushing to diversify its own energy
production and consumption away from oil in part to ensure
it has enough to supply the global oil thirst, Turki said.
"One of the most important things the kingdom will be
doing to make sure it can meet that demand will also help
meet a different demand rising more strongly every day. I
am speaking of the development of alternative energy
sources," he said in the speech, the text of which was
emailed to AFP.
He foresaw the possibility of Saudi Arabia exporting
natural gas, solar-powered and wind-powered energy to the
world one day as well as crude oil. "Saudi Arabia wants to
sell energy, and it very much understands that there are
two kinds of businesses in this world-those that sell
things people want, and those that don't. Saudi Arabia
wants to sell what people want," he said.
Turki, who heads Riyadh's King Faisal Centre for Research
and Islamic Studies, also dismissed recent claims by Hugo
Chavez who said Venezuela might have more than Saudi
Arabia's proven reserves of 264 billion barrels of oil.
"We have recently heard mention from other countries of
having oil in the ground that exceeds what can be found in
Saudi Arabia," he said. "However, these claims are
entirely about unproven reserves, so they are completely
hypothetical and, in my opinion, entirely unfounded.
"Were Saudi Arabia to go down the path of claiming
unproven reserves, there would still be no competition,"
he added, saying the desert kingdom might have over 700
billion barrels underground.
"Leave it at this: No other country can claim anywhere
near the quantity of proven or unproven oil reserves as
Saudi Arabia."
‘World champion’
Hungary does not need IMF: PM
AFP, Berlin
Hungary's prime minister said Wednesday his "world
champion" country did not need a new IMF credit line when
the current one expires in October, after talks with the
lender broke down last weekend.
"Hungary and the International Monetary Fund had a deal,
which expires in October. So there is no point in
negotiating long-term questions with the IMF," Viktor
Orban said in Berlin after talks with German Chancellor
Angela Merkel. "Once it expires, we no longer have to
negotiate with the IMF, but with the European Union ... We
have to agree with the EU, not with the IMF, how we will
reduce our budget deficit ... to less than three percent,"
he said.
"We are world champions when it comes to cutting
spending." Orban added that Hungary would still manage to
cut its budget deficit to 3.8 percent of ecoomic output in
2010, as agreed with the IMF and the EU in return for a
20-billion-euro (25.6-billion-dollar) credit line,
untapped so far in 2010.
The comments followed a break-down last weekend in talks
between the Hungarian government and the IMF and the EU on
reviewing the country's efforts to rein in its deficit. As
a result the Hungarian currency, the florint, tumbled to
fresh lows when markets opened again on Monday, and the
country's borrowing costs rose as investors jitters
resulted in a disappointing auction of government debt.
The IMF and the EU were critical of Hungary's efforts to
balance its books, saying Orban's centre-right government,
elected in a landslide victory in April, had to do more to
meet its targets.
They also attacked a planned bank levy which Orban hopes
will generate 650 million euros in extra revenues, saying
it will would do serious damage to Hungary's investment
climate and hit growth.
Merkel, who as head of Europe's biggest economy would be
the largest contributor to any further EU credit line,
steered clear of criticising Orban, at least in public.
"Hungary in the long term must return to a stable footing.
With a deficit of 3.8 percent it doesn't look that bad,
although we have to look at next year," Merkel told a
joint news conference.
National
Probe committee finds Taka 23
crore 22 lakh corruption in RU during 2001-2008
BSS, Rajshahi University
Rajshahi University Syndicate has recommended for probing
a Taka 23 crore and 22 lakh corrupt practices during
BNP-Jamaat tenure in the university on the basis of a
report by the investigation committee formed earlier at
the directives of the education ministry.
The approval came at a meeting of the syndicate on Monday
with RU Vice-chancellor Prof. M Abdus Sobhan in the chair.
The RU VC told BSS on Wednesday that the probe committee
report will be sent to the concerned department for taking
necessary actions.
The committee formed in 2009 found proofs of corruption
practices at the university in recruitment of employees,
planning and development work, education sector and
engineering section.
The convenor of the probe committee and also director of
Institute of Education Research of the university Prof M.
Entazul Haque said former VC Prof Faisul Islam Faruqui,
Prof Altaf Hossain and former Pro-VC Prof AKM Sahadat
Hossain Mondol, Prof Mamunul Keramat are responsible for
these corruption.
The report also says Planning and Development Director M
Lutfur Rahman, PGD in ICT Project Director Khaza Zakaria,
Chief Engineer Abdus Rahman and Assistant Registrar of
legal cell Tajul Islam are also held responsible for the
corruption.The probe committee found Taka seven crore
three lakh 75 thousand and 435 corruption in recruitment.
This money was spent for controversial appointment of 553
employee of the university avoiding rules and regulations
of recruitment.
Meanwhile, the committee found Taka eight crore 61 lakh
and 43 corruption in planning and development sector of
the university. It also found corruption in central
library book buying project, Shaheed Habibur Rahman Hall
construction work, M.Phill and PhD dormitory construction
work, Air conditioned project on central library, TSCC
construction, PGD in ICT project and legal cell of the
university in last 2001-2008.
Syndicate members Prof Zulfikar Matin, Advocate Zillur
Rahman and Institute of Bangladesh Studies Director Prof.
Mahbubur Rahman are other members of the committee.
Collective efforts a must to protect the indigenous fish
species
BSS, Rajshahi
Speakers at a discussion in Rajshahi on Wednesday
underscored the need for a collective effort to protect
the native fish species particularly the small indigenous
ones from the verge of extinction along with meeting the
national protein deficiency.
They viewed that frequent and indiscriminate use of
harmful pesticides and chemical fertilizers in the
agricultural lands and other water bodies and abnormal
declining of the wetlands are being adjudged as the main
reasons for declining the indigenous fish species.
Besides, they said the breeding and grazing fields of the
fish species have been reducing drastically due to
siltation in the big rivers and their tributaries and
other water bodies and floodplains. Speakers made these
observations while addressing the opening ceremony of the
National Fisheries Week-2010 arranged by Department of
Fisheries (DoF) and District Administration at Zila
Parishad Auditorium.
"To enhance fish production and to ensure food security"
is the main theme of the week. Additional Commissioner of
Rajshahi division Swapan Quamr Roy addressed the ceremony
as the chief guest with Deputy Commissioner of Rajshahi
Dilwar Bakth in the chair.
In his address of welcome, District Fisheries Officer
Israil Golder gave an overview of the district fish
farming and production activities. District Livestock
Officer Khairul Alam and fish farmers Raoshan Ali Bachhu
and Faridul Alam also spoke on the occasion. Speakers said
enhancement of fish production is inevitable to meet up
the country's protein deficiency, as fish alone is the 80
per cent contributor of animal protein. With this in view,
they said a concerted effort of all the authorities and
individuals concerned has become inevitable to enhance
fish production. For the sake of ensuring food, income,
savings and nutrition they added that the fish production
must be increased. Referring to the country's significant
fish production in the past 10-12 years they laid
importance on enhancing fish production in open water
bodies and floodplains.
Extensive tree plantation can help maintain environmental
balance in Barind tract
BSS, Rajshahi
Speakers at the closing ceremony of a fortnight-long tree
plantation movement and tree fair in Rajshahi on Tuesday
night said extensive tree plantation could help
maintaining environmental balance in the region including
its high Barind tract.
They also viewed that substantial afforestation could be
the effective means of halting degradation of environment,
ecology and biodiversity to make the region a safe abode
for all. Creation of more forests through tree plantations
to expand the country's forest area up to 25 percent of
the total landscape will protect Bangladesh from the
possible alarming consequences of the ongoing climate
changes, they said.
The tree fair jointly organized by Department of Social
Forestry (DSF) and district administration ended on the
premises City Bhaban with a call to plant more trees.
Commissioner of Rajshahi division Nurul Islam addressed
the ceremony as the chief guest while chief executive
officer of Rajshahi City Corporation Ajahar Ali and former
chairman of Rajshahi Education Board Prof Shirin Sufiya
Khanom as special guests with Deputy Commissioner Dilwar
Bakth in the chair.
In his thanksgiving speech, Divisional Forest Officer Abul
Bashar Mian described the aspects of arranging tree fair
particularly awareness buildup along with positive social
impacts. Speakers urged the people irrespective of age,
sex, creed and caste to plant more trees to protect
environmental balance and to conserve it from degradation.
They termed the tree plantation as a big invest and said
many people have been changing their lots through
establishing nurseries and creating garden of fruits at
present.
Massive cultivation of short duration anti-monga paddies
BSS, Rangpur
The farmers have been continuing large-scale farming of
anti-monga short-duration variety paddies now under
adequate government assistance in greater Rangpur to
combat the century-old seasonal curse, officials said on
Wednesday.
Special steps have been taken by the DAE in collaboration
with different NGOs as per directions of the Ministry of
Agriculture for successful farming of these paddies on
70,000 hectares land with a view to saying a permanent
good-bye to monga this time.
Additional Director (AD), Rangpur of the DAE Mohsin Ali
told that 19,200 hectares land will be brought under anti-monga
paddy farming in Rangpur, 8,600 in Gaibandha, 12,750 in
Kurigram, 11,500 in Lalmonirhat and 17,900 hectares in
Nilphamari district.
Of them, BRRI dhan 33 will be cultivated on 40,300
hectares, BRRI dhan 39 on 10,000 hectares, BINA dhan 7 on
19,000 hectares and BU dhan 1 will be cultivated on 700
hectares in greater Rangpur where seedling transplantation
now continues in full swing.
Farming of BRRI dhan 33 inbred variety paddy started
contributing a lot to combating seasonal monga effectively
during peak monga hours in greater Rangpur since the year
2007 when farmers successfully cultivated the paddy on
24,188 hectares land.
Similarly, farming of the other short duration inbred
paddies like BRRI dhan 39, BINA dhan 7 and BU dhan 1 also
got stronger footages in combating the seasonal curse for
the people of poverty- prone greater Rangpur areas in
recent years.
Using the evolved farming technologies by Bangladesh Rice
Research Institute (BRRI), large-scale farming of short
duration BRRI dhan 33 began in the area 2008 to combat
monga after a meeting held at Rangpur Circuit House on May
16 in 2008.
Professional skills a
must for attaining successes in banking sector
BSS, Rajshahi
Gaining professional skills is indispensable to attain
professional success in the banking sector along ensuring
transparency and accountability in its operational
activities.
This was stated at the inaugural session of a two-day
orientation course for the data entry operators of
Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank (RAKUB) at its training
institute in Rajshahi on Wednesday. RAKUB General Manager
(Operation) Dilwar Hossain Bhuiyan addressed the session
as the chief guest with principal of the institute
Mozammel Haque in the chair.
In his address of welcome, Faculty Member and Course
Coordinator Ataur Rahman illustrated the aims and
objectives of the course and its module. He said the main
objective of the course was to enhance professional
competence of the data entry operators through
disseminating ideas about the bank's operation,
administration, accounts, ethics, norms, discipline and
other related matters. Faculty Members Asadur Rahman and
Moazzem Hossain also spoke on the occasion.
Delwar Hossain Bhuiyan highlighted the importance of the
bank in agricultural development of the northwestern
Bangladesh and asked the participants to acquire proper
knowledge for flourishing their banking idea.
As the largest development partner in the agricultural
sector of the northwestern Bangladesh, he said the RAKUB
has a vital role to earn economic emancipation and to free
the nation from poverty and hunger through boosting
credit-flow to the potential agricultural fields.
Goods transport strike withdrawn after talks with minister
BSS, Dhaka
Bangladesh Track-Covered Van, Long Vehicle Owners-Workers
Unity Council on Wednesday withdrew its pre- declared
indefinite goods transport strike from August 2 following
fruitful discussions with Communications Minister Syed
Abul Hossain. The minister held a meeting with the leaders
of unity council in the meeting room of the communications
ministry. The meeting lifted restrictions on the plying of
trucks in Dhaka city and permitted running of
goods-carrying trucks of all models and ages from 11 pm to
6 pm.
The unity council called the strike as the minister had
earlier decided that the time for running truck-covered
vans would be from 12 to 5 am and no truck aged more than
25 years would be allowed to enter Dhaka city.
At the beginning of the meeting, leaders of Track-Covered
Van, Long Vehicle Owners-Workers Unity Council presented a
seven-point demand that also included stopping harassment
in the name of requisition and extortion and repression by
traffic and highway police.
National Fish Week
inaugurated in Khulna
BSS, Khulna
Khulna Divisional Commissioner Md. Moshiur Rahman on
Wednesday said poverty could be reduced to a great extent
through integrated and intensive fish farming in the
country. He said the present government was committed to
build a poverty-free and self- reliant Bangladesh through
large scale promotion of the fisheries and livestock
sector.
The Divisional Commissioner said this while inaugurating
the National Fish Week-2010 in Khulna as the chief guest.
The programmes also included colourful rally and
discussion.
The theme of the week "Boost fish production, ensure food
security" and the week aims at creating mass awareness
about expansion of fish cultivation, prevention of fish
resources and boosting fish production in the country.
Chaired by Khulna Deputy Commissioner Jamsher Ahmed
Khondker, the function was addressed by Deputy Director of
Fish (Standard Control and Inspection) Dr Moslehuddin
Ahmed and Deputy Director of Fish Directorate Md.
Hasanuzzaman Chowdhury as special guests.
Govt to sign ‘Letter of
Intend’ with WCO within one week: Muhith
BSS, Dhaka
Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith on Wednesday said
the government would sign a 'Letter of Intend' with the
World Customs Organization (WCO) within one week for
increasing efficiency of the local custom houses through
modernization.
"After the signing, the WCO will extend their support for
modernizing the custom houses, which will reduce the
duration of goods release from the ports," he said while
speaking at a seminar titled 'Customs and Business:
Improving Performance Through Partnership' organized by
the National Board of Revenue (NBR) at a city hotel.
Visiting WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya, NBR
Chairman Dr Nasiruddin Ahmed and President of Federation
of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI)
AK Azad also spoke on the occasion.
The Finance Minister said the government has decided to
sign the 'Letter of Intend' as without this document, it
could not get any benefit from the WCO, the international
apex body of custom houses.
After getting support from the WCO, Muhith hoped that
Bangladesh could provide world standard customs services,
which will help increasing county's international trade
volume.
Mikuriya assured that the WCO would provide all kind of
support to Bangladesh for improving services of its custom
houses through modernization. After signing the document,
the NBR chairman said the WCO would send a delegation here
to identify the existing problems of four custom houses.
As per the report of the delegation, the WCO will send a
specialized team to solve the identified problems, he
added.
He said they are expecting that the WCO would provide
adequate support to improve overall tax management through
bringing automation and providing human resource training.
Besides, the WCO would also take initiatives to bring
assistance from the developing partners for reform of the
custom houses.
The NBR chief also said the government has already take
initiatives to bring the Benapole land port under
automation.
High officials of the NBR and leaders of the business
community were present at the seminar.
Amina Haq highlights
Bangladesh’s contribution to fighting poverty
UNB, Dhaka
Bangladesh has contributed greatly to poverty alleviation,
and the great contribution the country has made to lift
people out of poverty is recognized worldwide.
This was asserted by Ameerah Haq, the first Bangladeshi
Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, while
addressing the convocation of the University of Liberal
Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) in the city.
"We've made headlines in the world through Mohammad
Yunus's pioneering vision of microcredit," said Ms Haq.
President Zillur Rahman presided over the first
convocation of ULAB, held at the Bangabandhu International
Conference Center on Tuesday. Ms Haq called upon
Bangladeshi students, especially the new graduates to set
themselves missions to prop up their neighbors with a view
to ensuring prosperity for themselves.
"I have just three words for you: Prosper thy neighbor,"
she said, adding that this single phrase has directed her
professional and personal choices all her life.
"When your neighbor is prosperous, you are that much
better off yourself," the UN Under-Secretary-General said.
Congratulating each and every one of the graduates, she
suggested they help others to have better days than the
ones they had before, and their days would be filled with
joys.
3 snatchers nabbed in
Ctg
BSS, Chittagong
Kotwali police caught red-handed three snatchers from
Parade Corner area in the city on Tuesday night.
Sub Inspector Nasir Uddin of Kotwali Thana said police
seized a CNG-run three-wheeler that was used in committing
the hijack, two mobile sets, a knife, two machetes and Tk
700 in cash from the snatchers.
The snatchers were identified as Mohammad Ali, 25, Jahir
Alam, 23, both hailed from Mosheskhali upazila and CNG
driver Loukman Hakim, 28, hailed from Rangamati district.
The snatchers were nabbed from the spot by a team of
Kotwali police in cooperation with the locals when they
were fleeing the spot after snatching mobile sets and cash
money from Mezbahul Alam and Rubel Khan at about 10.15 pm
on Tuesday night.
Rubel said as soon as he along with Mezba reached beside
Keary Elysium Shopping Mall, four snatchers snatched their
mobile sets and purses showing knife.
When they screamed locals chased the snatchers and caught
three of them. Police took the injured snatchers to
Chittagong Medical College Hospital as angry mob gave them
a black and blue. Rubel also received stab injury. Mezba
and Rubel filled a case with Kotwali thana in this
connection, police said.
Sports
Pakistan pacers inflict stunning
Aussie collapse
AFP, Leeds, England
Australia, after winning the toss, were bowled out for 88 by
Pakistan on the first day of the second Test at Headingley
here on Wednesday.First change Umar Gul took two wickets for
six runs in five overs after Mohammad Asif (two for 29 in
nine) and left-armer Mohammad Aamer (one for 16 in eight) had
done the initial damage.
Salman Butt, in his first Test as Pakistan captain, could
scarcely have wished for a better start after former skipper
Shahid Afridi quit the five-day format following the team's
150-run loss at Lord's last week.
And his hunch in bringing on Umar Amin, primarily a batsman,
was rewarded when the medium-pacer took his first Test wicket
to remove Marcus North, the last of Australia's specialist
batsmen. The left-hander, who made a century in last year's
Ashes Test at Headingley, had got to 16 - the top score of
this innings so far - when he pushed at an Amin ball outside
off stump and edged to wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal.
That left Australia 60 for six, having lost six wickets for 40
runs in 101 balls.
Tim Paine was eight not out and Steven Smith 10 not out, with
Australia needing eight more runs to surpass their lowest Test
innings total of 80 against Pakistan in Karachi in 1956.
Although conditions were initially overcast, Ponting decided
to bat first on a pitch that now has a reputation as one of
the best surfaces in England. Aamer and Asif reduced Australia
to 20 for two in the eighth over as Pakistan took two wickets
for no runs in eight balls. Left-hander Simon Katich, who made
80 and 83 at Lord's, shuffled across his stumps in typical
fashion but was struck in front of off by Aamer. Rudi Koertzen,
in his last Test as an umpire, raised his finger with
trademark deliberation and Katich was lbw for 13.
Pakistan had a second wicket when Katich's opening partner
Shane Watson, missed an intended drive and was plumb lbw for
five to an Asif ball that cut back into the right-hander.
Michael Clarke, repeatedly beaten outside off stump by Asif,
got to three before he was clean bowled by Gul's ninth
delivery. Ponting, who before this match averaged over 105 at
Headingley, never looked at ease. The star batsman had
struggled to six in 41 minutes when he thrust his front pad
forward and was lbw, aiming across the line at an Asif
delivery that nipped back, with English umpire Ian Gould
sending the Australia captain on his way. Asif, at that stage,
had taken two wickets for six runs in 22 balls.
Gul then had left-hander Hussey lbw for five. Replays
suggested the ball had done too much but Koertzen was
convinced and Australia were 41 for five. Gul had taken two
wickets for one run in 15 balls and Australia had lost five
wickets for 21 runs in 65. This series is being played in
England because of security concerns in Pakistan.
Barresi
carries Netherlands to major victory
Cricinfo Online
Netherlands secured their first one-day international victory
against a Full Member nation as Wesley Barresi hit a
match-winning 65 off 43 balls against Bangladesh in Glasgow
after the game was reduced to 30 overs per side. Barresi,
playing just his seventh ODI, added 96 with Bas Zuiderent and
the pair batted superbly to steady a run chase that had
threatened to fall apart after Eric Szwarczynski's 67.
The victory also means Netherlands will join Ireland and Kenya
on the main ICC rankings table having gained the required
victory against a Full Member while holding an overall win
ratio of 60%. It was a disappointing end to the tour for
Bangladesh, who had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Ireland
and had their match against Scotland washed out, having hoped
to dominate their Associate opposition.
Szwarczynski batted confidently, with his runs coming from 54
deliveries, and he dominated an opening stand of 61 with Alex
Kervezee but, when he was lbw to Shakib Al Hasan, Netherlands
were 104 for 4 and still needed 96 from 15 overs. However,
Barresi and Zuiderent paced the chase so impressively that
there were seven balls to spare when Barresi guided the
winning boundary to third man off Shafiul Islam.
Barresi stuck 11 boundaries while Zuiderent played the anchor
role during the match-winning stand and his lone boundary was
a six to open his account off Shakib. Bangladesh, though,
didn't help their own cause with some poor fielding, including
an horrendous drop by Mahmudullah to give Szwarczynski a life
when he had 29. Imrul Kayes had earlier top-scored for
Bangladesh with a solid 53, but Peter Borren's three wickets
proved crucial in keeping the Test nation to a chaseable
total. They were also boosted by the early departure of Tamim
Iqbal who was caught behind off Mudassar Bukhari for 2 in the
second over.
However, Junaid Siddique managed a fair impression of his
colleague as he raced to 31 off 19 balls to kick-start the
innings before he, too, fell to Bukhari from a top-edged pull.
But Siddique's rapid innings had given Bangladesh time to
regroup as Kayes and Jahurul formed a solid partnership. Runs
continued to come at a decent pace until Jahurul fell in the
18th over, lofting to long-on, to begin a mini-collapse as
three wickets fell for seven, including Kayes for 53. Shakib
struggled to find any momentum as he took 20 balls over 15,
but Mahmudullah and captain Mashrafe Mortaza ensured the
innings didn't fade away. They added 33 in five overs for the
seventh wicket. Once again, though, it was Bangladesh's
bowling and fielding which cost them the match.
Adebayor
sues Togo journalist for defamation
AFP, Lome
Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor has taken legal
action against a Togolese sports journalist on grounds of
alleged defamation, AFP learnt from a legal source on
Tuesday.
Lawyers for Adebayor issued a writ against Prosper Komi
Agboklou, otherwise known as 'Prosper the German', for
"broadcasting false information, defamation and impugning
the honour" of the former Togo captain.
The journalist is accused of claiming on a programme on a
private television channel that Adebayor, who retired from
international football in April, was the cause of a rift
between the players and management prior to the 2012
Africa Cup of Nation qualifier in Chad on July 1.
The Togo players had refused to travel on the date
officially set aside by their football federation because,
according to Agboklou, they decided to stay in Lome to go
to a party organised by Adebayor in one of the capital's
nightclubs.
The match went ahead on schedule and ended in a 2-2 draw.
The Association of Sports Journalists in Togo (AJST)
issued a statement "deploring" the writ and underlining
its faith in Agboklou.
Adebayor retired from playing for Togo after their team
bus was attacked by armed rebels while travelling to this
year's Africa Cup of Nations in Angola, resulting in the
deaths of two of the team's delegation.
Logan’s USA Track and Field future
cloudy
AFP, Indianapolis, Indiana
Logan's USA Track and Field future cloudy Doug Logan marks
his second anniversary as USA Track and Field's chief
executive on Wednesday, but learned last week that he
could be ousted as early as next month.
According to sources within the American governing body
for athletics, Logan was in Columbus, Ohio, last Thursday
to meet with USATF president Stephanie Hightower and Jeff
Darman of the organisation's board of directors.
Logan was told he must show improvement by mid-August, or
face dismissal.
Hightower and Darman confirmed last week's meeting, but
declined further comment.
"We have an obligation to evaluate our CEO," said
Hightower, a former world-class hurdler and USATF's
president since December 2008. "We started that process
about a month and a half ago. We went over our findings at
a board meeting in Des Moines (during June's national
championships there).
"This was a follow-up meeting with Doug, based upon the
results of his evaluation. Anything regarding personnel
issues, as the board chairman, I'm not at liberty to
discuss."
Darman had nothing to add. "For me to talk about the
evaluation process-for Doug, or any other employee-would
be inappropriate," he said. Logan said that, like all
other USATF staff members, he is currently undergoing an
evaluation process. "This is something that's good for the
sport, good for the board, and good for me," said Logan,
directing further queries to Hightower.
Also reportedly unhappy with Logan's reign is sports
apparel giant Nike, USATF's chief sponsor. "I can't speak
for Nike," Hightower said. "We have a partnership
agreement with them, but I've never had any conversations
with them (regarding Logan's performance)."
Salzburg
progress in Champions League
AFP, Paris
Austrian champions Red Bull Salzburg eased into the third
qualifying round of the Champions League despite slipping
to a second-leg defeat to HB Torshavn in the Faroe Islands
on Tuesday.
The Austrians were never in danger after winning the first
leg 5-0 last week but the Faroese champions were
determined to make their mark, a 73rd minute strike from
Simun Samuelsen giving them a memorable 1-0 victory on the
night.
Salzburg rested four players as they had one eye on next
week's third qualifying round first leg against Cypriot
champions Omonia, who wrapped up a 5-0 aggregate win over
Renova with a 2-0 victory in Skopje.
Takis Lemonis's side got their noses in front in the 15th
minute through Tassos Aloneftis. Leandro added a second
nine minutes later and new signing Lomana LuaLua had the
luxury of being able to miss a couple of good chances
before the final whistle.
Welsh champions TNS overturned a 1-0 first-leg deficit to
beat Irish side Bohemians 4-1 on aggregate. Their reward
is a third-round tie with Belgian giants Anderlecht.
It was less comfortable for Croatian champions Dinamo
Zagreb, who probably expected an easy ride after their 5-1
first-leg annihilation of Slovenia's Koper.
Instead the second leg in Nova Gorica turned into a
nail-biter as Koper came close to an astonishing
turnaround. Enes Handanagic put them ahead after 11
minutes and further goals in the second half from Ivica
Buberac and a penalty from Mitja Brulc left the Croatians
hanging on for the last 12 minutes. One more goal would
have seen the Slovenians through on the away goals rule
but Dinamo clung on to go through 5-4 over the two legs.
They will next face Moldova's FC Sheriff, who lost 1-0
away at Dinamo Tirana but go through 3-2 on aggregate.
Bulgaria's Litex Lovech made short work of Rudar, winning
4-0 in Montenegro to complete a 5-0 aggregate win. Lovech
will meet Maltese side Birkirkara or Slovakia's MSK Zilina
in the next round.
Liverpool
rubber-stamp Cole deal after medical
AFP, Liverpool
Liverpool rubber-stamped the signing of Joe Cole on a
four-year contract after the England midfielder passed his
medical on Wednesday.
Cole had already agreed personal terms on Monday after
being released by Chelsea and flew to the club's training
camp in Switzerland to undergo his physical checks.
The 28-year-old has been allocated the number 10 shirt and
should make his Premier League debut for the Reds in their
season opener against Arsenal on August 15.
Although Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson was delighted to tie
up Cole's signing, he knows it will take more than a few
new faces to erase the memories of last season's dismal
campaign.
There will be no Champions League action at Anfield this
season after the team finished seventh in the Premier
League - their worst final position for a decade.
Manager Rafael Benitez left by mutual consent in June
after his reign turned sour and it is four years since
Liverpool last won silverware.
Hodgson admits it is not surprising that uncertainty over
the club's future, caused by co-owners Tom Hicks and
George Gillett's desire to sell up, has led many fans to
fear another poor season is in store.
"It's not going to be an overnight thing," Hodgson said.
"Last season was a very disappointing season for the club
in every respect, culminating in a popular manager
leaving.
"You don't change doom and gloom or disenchantment with a
signing or two.
"I would never want to dupe the Liverpool public by
telling them all is rosy now because Joe Cole has signed.
"There's a lot more work to do, a lot more players are
needed and we as a football team have got to make certain
that when we take to the field the supporters will see
there is something different and that we are making the
biggest effort we can make.
ICC pays
tribute to retiring Rudi
AFP, Leeds, United Kingdom
Leading cricket officials paid tribute to Rudi Koertzen as
the South African prepared to bow out as an umpire in the
second Pakistan-Australia Test starting at Headingley here
on Wednesday.
The match, which is also the series finale, marks the end
of the 61-year-old's career as a top-flight umpire, which
will have encompassed 108 Tests, a record 209 one-day
internationals and 14 Twenty20 internationals.
"He is one of the most highly respected umpires of the
game and we wish him the best of luck in his final Test
tomorrow (Wednesday)," said International Cricket Council
(ICC) chief executive Haroon Lorgat, in a statement issued
on Tuesday.
"It is somewhat fitting Rudi's final appointment before
retiring from the Elite Panel is to officiate in the
pinnacle of our great sport, Test cricket."
His sentiments were echoed by Vincent van der Bijl, also a
South African and an outstanding fast-medium bowler in the
years when the country was banned from international
cricket because of apartheid.
Van der Bijl, now the ICC umpires and referees manager,
added: "Rudi can be proud of the respect and affection
that he has generated among his fellow umpires as well as
captains, players and administrators alike.
Flintoff hopes to return ‘in the next few weeks’
AFP, London
England all-rounder An-drew Flintoff hopes to make his
long-awaited return from knee surgery "in the next few
weeks".
Flintoff has had two knee operations since helping England
win the Ashes against Australia in the final Test at the
Oval last year.
The Lancashire star retired from Test cricket after that
match, but he still hopes to play in one-day
internationals for England, as well as representing his
county in domestic action. Flintoff, 32, believes he could
play for Lancashire some time in the coming weeks as a
batsman and then gradually step up his bowling work-load
as well. "It's going well, there's light at the end of the
tunnel," he told Sky Sports News. "It's been a long road
with the rehab since then but I'm hoping to play again in
the next few weeks.
"I'm back in the nets at Lancashire and from nowhere I've
found the ability to bat again which is encouraging. "I'm
going to have to play in the second team first and force
my way back into the first team but with the way I'm
batting, I'm hoping to do that with the bat initially and
then pick up the bowling from there. "Rather than worrying
about where my feet go, my hands and my head and getting
too technical, I've basically gone back to how I used to
play when I was younger, just see the ball and hit it as
hard as I can.
India face defeat after Murali bags five wkts
AFP, Galle, Sri Lanka
Hosts Sri Lanka were well-placed to win the first Test
against India after spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan
wreaked havoc in his final match on Wednesday.
The world's leading wicket-taker grabbed 5-63 in the first
innings as India were forced to follow on after being shot
out for 276 on the fourth day in reply to Sri Lanka's
520-8 declared.
Sling-arm fast bowler Lasith Malinga then claimed three
wickets to leave the tourists' second innings tottering at
181-5 at stumps, still 63 runs away from avoiding an
innings defeat.
India, the top-ranked Test side, lost 12 wickets during
the day on a wicket that took only slow turn at the Galle
International Stadium. Muralitharan, who dismissed Yuvraj
Singh with the last ball of the day, will return for his
final day in Test cricket on Thursday two short of the
800-wicket mark as Sri Lanka press for the lead in the
three-match series.
Batting superstar Sachin Tendulkar hit a defiant 84,
sharing a third-wicket partnership of 119 with Rahul
Dravid (44) after India were reduced to 42-2.
But Malinga, gaining appreciable reverse swing in the
final hour, removed the veteran pair in the space of six
deliveries to leave the hosts on top.
Dravid was caught at backward short-leg by Sri Lankan
captain Kumar Sangakkara, while Tendulkar was trapped
leg-before with a fiery yorker.
Malinga had earlier removed Gautam Gambhir with the third
delivery of the innings after dismissing the left-handed
opener with the second ball in the first innings.
Gambhir's opening partner Virender Sehwag, who scored 109
in the first innings, hit a breezy 31 off 30 balls in the
second knock before being superbly caught at gully by
Mahela Jayawardene.
It was the 67th time Muralitharan, 38, had claimed five
wickets or more in a Test innings, way ahead of
second-placed Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne, who
managed the feat on 37 occasions.
The off-spinner followed up the dismissal of Tendulkar for
eight on Tuesday with four more scalps in the first
innings.
Muralitharan broke a 74-run stand for the sixth wicket
between Yuvraj and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (33) by
bowling the Indian captain with a ball that turned in
sharply. Muralitharan struck again in his next over,
forcing Yuvraj (52) to edge a catch to first slip and
returned after lunch to remove tailenders Pragyan Ojha and
Abhimanyu Mithun.
Earlier, India lost the overnight pair of Sehwag and VVS
Laxman to reckless batting within the first hour of play
to slide from 140-3 at stumps on Tuesday to 178-5.
Sehwag, starting the day on 85, reached his 20th Test
century before he slashed at a wide ball from Welegedara,
edging an easy catch to lone slip Tharanga Paranavitana.
Laxman had made 22 when he top-edged a hook off Malinga to
Tillakaratne Dilshan at square-leg.
The entire second day's play had been washed out and 22
overs were lost on the first day due to heavy rain, but
Wednesday's play began under clear blue skies.
BFF still
uncertain about rolling out crore taka Super Cup this year
UNB, Dhaka
Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) is still uncertain
about rolling out the second version of the 1 crore taka
Super Cup, one of the biggest domestic meets of the
country, this year due to major renovation works at the
Bangabandhu National Stadium (BNS) for the upcoming ICC
World Cup Cricket in February next.
Talking to reporters today (Wednesday), BFF general
secretary Al Musabiir Sadi said that the Super Cup would
fail to attract the crowds if BFF had held the meet during
the just concluded World Cup Football, the scheduled time
of hosting the tournament.
He said that BFF is still thinking over the matter,
"Although there's a very little time in hand."
"But, considering the present situation, there is a dim
chance of holding the Super Cup this year," Sadi said.
Sadi said: "We cannot take such prompt decisions to host
the big tournament as the tournament budget is near 1.75
crore for which BFF is yet to receive any green signal
from any sponsor party." The first version of the super
cup was able to arouse the country's almost morbid
football state, pulling huge numbers of football crazy
people to the big bowl.
On the other hand, the league committee will likely sit on
Saturday to fix the probable dates of fourth version of
inter club player transfer and Bangladesh League.
It was known that two more new teams will be included in
the upcoming Bangladesh league after five new teams
already applied to take part in the meet.
Chelsea keeper
Cech sidelined for a month
AFP, London
Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech is likely to miss the start
of the Premier League season after suffering a calf injury
in training.
Cech tore a calf muscle in his right leg on Tuesday and
the Premier League champions have now confirmed he will be
sidelined for up to a month.
That means the Czech Republic international seems certain
to miss Chelsea's opening league match against West
Bromwich Albion at Stam-ford Bridge on August 14 and
possibly the trip to Wigan a week later.
The 28-year-old, who sustained a similar injury which kept
him out for a month last season, will also miss the
Community Shield clash against Manchester United at
Wembley on August 8 and the rest of Chelsea's pre-season
preparations, which includes friendlies against Ajax and
Hamburg.
"Scans have shown Petr Cech has torn a calf muscle in his
right leg and the goalkeeper is expected to be out for a
month," a statement on Chelsea's website read. "He
suffered the injury yesterday (Tuesday) in training and is
now expected to miss the start of our competitive season,
as well as the remainder of our pre-season friendlies."
Cech's absence is a major blow to Blues boss Carlo
Ancelotti as his team start their title defence. Ancelotti
will turn to either veteran Portuguese keeper Hilario or
Ross Turnbull to deputise for Cech.
Maicon Real move in
doubt
AFP, Rome
Brazil full-back Maicon's proposed move from European
champions Inter Milan to big-spending Spanish giants Real
Madrid is in doubt, according to the player's agent on
Wednesday.
Antonio Caliendo told Italian TV sports channel Sky Sport
24 that unless something changes, the 28-year-old will be
staying in Italy.
"If things stay the same, I believe he will stay," said
Caliendo, who claimed to know nothing about rumours
circulating in the Spanish press that Real have given
Maicon an ultimatum. The Brazilian was part of then coach
Jose Mourinho's side that stormed to the treble last
season and now the Portuguese boss wants his former charge
to join him at his new home in the Bernabeu.
Spanish daily Marca on Wednesday claimed Real have tabled
a 22 million euro bid for the right-back, a member of
Brazil's World Cup squad in South Africa.
However, the Spanish press say Real are fed up with
Inter's postulating and have given Inter president Massimo
Moratti a 72-hour ultimatum to accept their offer or they
will look elsewhere. Moratti is believed to be holding out
for 30 million euros for a player he snapped up from
Monaco four years ago. Maicon has twice won both the Coppa
America and the Confederations Cup with Brazil, for whom
he has 63 caps.
Veteran Oddo
extends Milan contract
AFP, Rome
Former Italy full-back Massimo Oddo on Wedne-sday signed a
one-year contract extension with AC Milan, the club
announced on its official website.
The 34-year-old's contract was due to run out at the end
of the coming season but he is now tied down to the
seven-time European champions until June 2012.
Oddo joined Milan from Lazio on a four-and-a-half-year
deal in January 2007 but within 18 months he was loaned
out to Bayern Munich. Although he has 34 Italy caps and
was part of the World Cup winning squad in 2006, he has
played little for Milan recently, making just 14 league
appearances last season.
Oddo began his career with Milan but failed to break into
the first team and spent several years on loan in the
lower divisions before joining Verona in 2000, where he
made his Serie A debut. Two years later he was sold to
Lazio, with whom he won the Coppa Italia in 2004. After
four and a half years with Lazio he joined Milan halfway
through the 2006/07 season, and ended that with a
Champions League winners medal.
However, a year after that he was loaned out to Bayern
Munich after Milan bought Gianluca Zambrotta, the man to
whom Oddo was an international understudy, from Real
Madrid.
Inter sign Ranocchia, loan him back to Genoa
AFP, Rome
Inter Milan have signed young centre-back Andrea Ranocchia
from Genoa for an undisclosed fee, the club said
Wednesday.
Ranocchia, who signed a five-year contract with Inter,
joins the reigning European champions in a co-ownership
deal that will see him stay at Genoa on loan for the
coming season.
The 22-year-old, who has represented Italy at under-21
level, spent the last two seasons on loan at Bari having
began his career in Serie B with Arezzo.
He has yet to play for Genoa since signing for them in
2008.
As part of the deal, Inter have also sent promising young
forward Mattia Destro on loan to Genoa for next season.
Destro was top scorer for Inter's under-19 team last
season, finding the net 18 times. Although champions of
Italy and Europe, Inter have been much criticised for not
having many Italian players on their books.
Extra assistant refs to be used in Champions League
AFP, Cardiff
Champions League matches next season will feature two
extra assistant referees after the experiment was approved
by Wednesday's meeting of the Inter-national Football
Associ-ation Board (IFAB).
The additional assistant referees system was used in the
Europa League last season and has now been brought into
Europe's elite club competition, as well as a handful of
other competitions around the world.
Referees will be assisted by two linesmen and two further
officials in each penalty area.
The decision was ratified at a meeting of the technical
sub-committee of football's rule-makers in Cardiff, where
it was also confirmed the issue of goal-line technology
would be discussed in October.
IFAB, which comprises representatives from world
football's governing body FIFA and England, Scotland,
Northern Ireland and Wales, had previously rejected the
idea of introducing goal-line technology on the grounds of
cost.
But calls for its' introduction grew louder after
England's Frank Lampard was denied what should have been
an equaliser in the World Cup second round clash with
Germany when his shot rebounded off the underside of the
crossbar and dropped over the line.
The 'goal' went unseen by the match officials and was not
given, denying England an equaliser in a match they
eventually lost 4-1.
The issue was never on the agenda for Wednesday and a
statement from FIFA confirmed a date had been set for
discussions.
"FIFA and the technical sub-committee confirmed that
goal-line technology will be on the agenda of the next
annual business meeting of the IFAB in October 2010," the
statement read.
Xavi-Fabregas only ‘on loan’ at Arsenal
AFP, London
Barcelona midfielder Xavi has told Arsenal they will only
have Cesc Fabregas "on loan" for a year if the Spanish
champions are unable to sign the Gunners captain this
season.
Barca had a 25-million-pound (38 million dollar) bid for
Fabregas rejected earlier in the close-season and,
although the Arsenal midfielder has made it clear he would
love to return to his former club, there is no sign of a
deal being completed in the immediate future. The
23-year-old Fabregas still has five years to go on his
current Arsenal contract and Gunners manager Arsene Wenger
is desperate to keep his prize asset.
But Xavi, who played with Fabregas in Spain's World
Cup-winning team, is convinced the player will move to the
Nou Camp in 12 months time if Barca can't get him now. "We
know where Cesc wants to be this coming season, but
perhaps there is not enough time for Barcelona and Arsenal
to agree a deal," Xavi told the Daily Express.
"Arsenal need to understand they are only delaying the
inevitable.
"If we don't manage to get his signature this season then
Arsenal only really have him on loan for a year - because
there is nothing they can do to stop him joining next
summer.
"I haven't given up on him joining us this season but, if
he doesn't, it won't be more than a year before he is back
home.
"His people will have a whole season to sort out the deal
between the two clubs and it will happen at the very
latest next summer." Xavi claims Fabregas told his
international team-mates he was keen on joining Barcelona
while on World Cup duty.
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