 |
|
No headway in EU
constitution row
Zimbabwe gives
notice on quitting C’wealth Yashwant signs
MoU on trade with Iran
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Bush asks
Halliburton to repay overcharges Window on Pakistan
|
||||||
|
No headway in EU constitution row
Brussels, December 13 After a first round of formal talks yesterday, the summit chairman, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, abruptly cancelled a planned joint dinner and cloistered himself in a series of head-to-head talks late into the evening. Mr Berlusconi was said to be preparing new compromise proposals to present to his colleagues early today, but criticism mounted on the maverick billionaire’s high-wire style of negotiating. "We haven’t got anywhere. And I’m very sceptical about the possibility of getting an agreement on a text," said Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, clearly exasperated. An EU minister who declined to be named said: "If Mr Berlusconi has nothing to propose tomorrow morning, we should pack up. It’s pointless." The summit - scheduled to last two days, but which is shaping up to be a marathon - aims to streamline the EU’s decision-making process after it expands from 15 to 25 members next May, and further in 2007. The talks in Brussels involves the leaders of all 25 countries. Among the disputes are the composition of the European Commission - the EU’s executive branch - the powers of a new EU President and whether the constitution should refer to Europe’s Christian heritage. But the key sticking point is national voting rights. Spain and Poland are refusing to cede the disproportionate influence they secured at a chaotic EU summit in Nice three years ago.
— AFP |
|
Zimbabwe gives notice on quitting C’wealth Harare, December 13 “The principles of equality, fair play and respect for the national sovereignty of member-states for which the club stands have sadly been compromised,” said a letter from Foreign Affairs Minister Stan Mudenge to Secretary-General Don McKinnon. Attached to his letter, Mr Mudenge sent Mr McKinnon a copy of a parliamentary resolution passed last week, endorsing Mr Mugabe’s action.
— DPA |
|
Yashwant signs MoU on trade with Iran Teheran, December 13 Later, an MoU for cooperation in several areas including energy, transit modalities and trade matters was signed by the two ministers. During his two-day stay, Mr Sinha will hold talks on bilateral and international issues with Iranian President Mohammed Khatami, Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi, Chairman of the Expediency Council Hashemi Rafsanjani and other leaders.
— UNI |
|
Bush asks Halliburton to repay overcharges
Washington, December 13 The preliminary findings of the Pentagon audit that Halliburton may have charged the US Army by $ 61 million for gasoline delivered to citizens in Iraq by buying from Kuwait instead of Turkey. The charges were part of a no-bid contract Halliburton received for rebuilding the Iraqi oil industry. The Pentagon’s probe into the matter “will lay the facts out for everybody to see,” Mr Bush told reporters yesterday. US contracts were awarded without competitive bidding and have a potential value of $ 15.6 billion. Recent estimates by the Army have put the current value of Halliburton contracts at about $ 5 billion. However, Halliburton denied overcharging and called the inquiry a “routine audit.” Meanwhile, NBC News reported that Pentagon had repeatedly warned contractor Halliburton KSR that the food it served in Iraq was “dirty” and so were the kitchens it was served in.
— PTI |
|
Window on Pakistan On the chessboard of politics, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan cannot see eye to eye. This is largely as Pakistan is all the time intransigent, trying to keep India out of area of influence. India cannot just sit back and let the centuries old relationship fade away. Any effort by India is taken as if Afghanistan is being snatched away from the lap of Pakistan. For 20 long years, Pakistan on its own and as a frontline state of the United States played clever games. It encouraged by all possible means the Talibnisation of that rugged but poor country. It treated that hapless country caught between the invading Soviet army and the American hegemonic interests, as its backwaters. It used Afghanis in Kashmir. But their encouragements to religious extremism had a fall-out back home and led to uncontrolled violence. After the fall of the Taliban and installation of Hamid Karzai as President, Pakistan has been restless and worried. This is reflected in the media in a big way. Karzai has been trying to balance the scales, knowing well that Pakistan could play foul any time, irrespective of America being there or not. Last week he invited leading editors to Kabul. Most of them came out with long editorials. Daily Times has this to say, “Karzai asserted that Afghanistan was greatly interested in the normalisation of relations between India and Pakistan because ‘both were like two nurses looking after the patient’ that was Afghanistan. As President Musharraf promised, Pakistan must work towards two objectives: normalisation of relations with India and the more important ‘detribalisation’ of the territory abutting Afghanistan. Mr Karzai’s reference to Pak-Afghan trade with Central Asia obviously includes India because that is where the Central Asian pipelines will end up. That’s the only way Pakistan and Afghanistan will be able to meet the challenge of poverty and become prosperous. Both are in many ways going through the post-9/11 trauma and have to review the strategies they have been following in the past. But the good news is that in the new situation there is more convergence than divergence.” Daily Times also added, “President Karzai’s gesture should be accepted at face value. We believe that rhetoric on both counts should be toned down and most mutual plaints addressed to the tripartite commission where the third-party presence of the United States can ensure solutions more easily. President Karzai’s desire for normalisation of relations between India and Pakistanis should also be taken positively. It is indeed a pivotal factor in the achievement of security in South Asia in general and Afghanistan and Bangladesh, in particular.” Dawn wrote a bit differently: “With a rapprochement now under way between Pakistan and India, one hopes both Islamabad and New Delhi will help Afghanistan in its reconstruction instead of turning that country into a hotbed of intrigue and espionage. Pakistan would do well to note that India is helping the Afghan people by building schools, roads and hospitals. Pakistan should do the same. Islamabad has already pledged $100 million to Kabul in aid, and part of the money has been paid. It should realize that Pakistan could have greater influence with Kabul and earn the people's gratitude if it is seen as playing a greater role in rebuilding Afghanistan. News International of the popular Jang group was straighter: “Relations between the two neighbours, however, leave much to be desired. The earlier warmth has been replaced by ties that are kept warm by infusions of well-intentioned rhetoric. The increasing presence of Indians in Afghanistan is understandably a matter of concern for Pakistan. Apart from its alarming strategic configurations it has also the capacity to muddy the relations between the two countries. Merely recalling the shared cultural, historical and religious factors needs to be accompanied by visible efforts to keep the relations on an equal keel. The stream of accusations that was directed at Pakistan recently did not suggest that our ties are warm.” Its advice to the Afghan government was: “A basic fact that Afghanistan needs to understand is that having good relations with Pakistan is essential.” |
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | National Capital | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Teheran, December 13
LONDON: