USA: India, Pak may sign CTBT

WASHINGTON, Oct 2 (PTI) — The USA has said India and Pakistan may sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) once the US Senate ratifies it and hoped the upcoming conference on the CTBT will pass a strong resolution urging both the countries to initial the treaty.

"India and Pakistan have expressed interest in signing the treaty. An opportunity to make the case with our efforts to persuade them to do so, in the near term, will be more powerful if we have ratified this agreement," State Department spokesman James Rubin said yesterday.

Asked whether New Delhi and Islamabad have raised the issue of ratification of the treaty by the USA, Mr Rubin said: "Secretary of State Madeleine Albright met with the Foreign Ministers of both India and Pakistan last week. It is certainly true that in numerous contacts with the Indians and Pakistanis and with many other countries, the question of the Senate ratification and the US ratification of the CTBT came up."

Meanwhile, US Under-Secretary of State-designate for Non-Proliferation John Holum told reporters yesterday that he expected the conference on accelerating the entry into force of the CTBT, to be held in Vienna from Wednesday, to pass a resolution urging India, Pakistan and several other nations to sign and ratify NPT.

He conceded that the US would be in the "painful situation" of being able to attend the conference only as an observer as the Senate has not yet ratified the treaty.

He, however, exuded confidence that the Senate would ratify the treaty later this month.

Polluted water threatens millions in Bangladesh

DHAKA, Oct 2 (Reuters) — Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today appealed for international help to solve a major health problem created by arsenic contamination of ground water threatening more than 20 million people.

"The government has limited resources to combat this problem. We need international help to stop spreading of the diseases caused by the arsenic contamination of water,’’ she told Reuters television.

She was speaking before launching a national screening programme to supply arsenic-free water at Gopalganj, 130 kms southwest of Dhaka.

Ms Hasina said Bangladesh had taken measures to contain arsenic contamination of water, but the problem was so big that it needed foreign help.

Arsenic occurs naturally in sediments mainly in southwestern, central and northeastern Bangladesh.

The first arsenic case was detected in 1988. Official BSS news agency said the arsenic problem had affected more than 20 million people in 69 districts.

Pak Naval Chief resigns

ISLAMABAD, Oct 2 (AFP) — Pakistan’s naval chief Admiral Fasih Bokhari suddenly resigned today, officials said.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif accepted his departure and appointed Vice-Admiral Abdul Aziz Mirza as the new chief of the Navy, promoting him to the rank of Admiral, they said.

Admiral Bokhari, who assumed naval command in May 1977, personally conveyed his desire to leave the post during a meeting with Sharif, who acceded to his request, the officials said.

No official reason was given for the resignation.

But it followed Thursday’s decision by Mr Sharif to extend army chief General Pervez Musharraf’s tenure as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC) for two years.

The sources said the extension irked Admiral Bokhari who was in line for the post of JCSC on the basis of seniority.

Admiral Bokhari was due to complete his tenure as naval chief in May.