USA forces no-growth budget on UN
UNITED NATIONS, Dec 24 — The United Nations has agreed to a 2.535 million dollar no-growth budget to foot expenses of the world body’s operations for biennium 2000-2001 after weeks of negotiations with its principal donor — the USA.

Egypt, Sudan restore ties
DUBAI, Dec 24 — Egypt and Sudan have announced restoration of full diplomatic relations after ten years of tense relations between the two neighbours.

Pope kicks off Holy Year
VATICAN CITY, Dec 24 — Pope John Paul II kicks off Holy Year celebrations on Christmas eve — unlocking the Holy Door of Saint Peter’s Basilica for the last time before the start of the third millennium.

‘Army rule not for few months’

ISLAMABAD, Dec 24 (PTI) — Pakistan’s military ruler General Pervez Musharraf has asserted that the army has not taken over power to rule for few months and refused to give any time-frame for the restoration of the national and provincial Assemblies.

“I have been repeatedly asked both inside and outside the country that when you are going to restore democracy?....I want to make it clear to you that we have not come for only few months. The objectives we have set for ourselves in the national interest cannot be achieved in few months,” General Musharraf was quoted as saying by Urdu Daily ‘Jung’.

Addressing a gathering of senior civil and police officers in Lahore yesterday, Gen. Musharraf, who seized power in an army coup on October 12 overthrowing Premier Nawaz Sharif, also ruled out any possibility of revival of the suspended Assemblies in the near future.

“The question of revival of Assemblies does not arise as for me implementation of my programme is more important than giving any time-frame for restoring the Assemblies,” the chief executive, who has kept the National Assembly as well as provincial Assemblies under suspension, emphasised.

Meanwhile, Raja Zafarul Haq, former Cabinet Minister and senior member of the Pakistan Muslim League, has ruled out the possibility of launching a movement against the military regime saying that it would only benefit some vested interests in the country.

Raja Zafarul Haq, however, conceded that the regime had no intentions of restoring Assemblies but said that rumours about the PML launching any movement against the present government were being spread by some “vested interests”. Any movement would lead to devastation and would not have any positive impact, he said.

“We are already aware of the government’s design not to restore Assemblies though some of our colleagues were of the view that military leadership wants to talk to politicians but now the situation has become clear,” he said.

But Zafarul Haq, who is also the PML’s convenor said that he had received a message from detained party chief Nawaz Sharif to make contacts with other political parties but said that the programme for such contacts had not been finalised.

Incidentally, Sharif has already taken a hard stand against the army regime and in his comments before party leaders in recent days he had hinted at launching movement against the government for the restoration of democracy.

There were also reports that leaders belonging to some of the leading parties including the PML and Benazir Bhutto’s the Pakistan People’s Party have already established contacts and an effort is underway to create a common platform in the line of a similar movement for the restoration of democracy launched against former military ruler General Zia-ul-Haq in mid1980s.

A delegation of top PML leaders are going to meet Sharif in jail to prepare strategy for the future course of action and they have already been granted permission by the anti-terrorism court in Karachi to meet the deposed Premier.

Mutiny in Ivory Coast

ABIDJAN, Dec 24 (AFP) — A military mutiny in Ivory Coast’s main city Abidjan continued early today with troops shooting into the air and overrunning Abidjan international airport.

The mutiny erupted yesterday in the economic capital with rampaging soldiers firing shots and looting in a protest blamed on unpaid wages and complaints about their standard of living.

Their representatives were received at government headquarters by several ministers including Defence Minister Bandama N’Gatta, who said afterwards the mutineers’ delegates would meet President Henri Konan Bedie today.

National radio and television stopped broadcasting, with troops occupying the broadcasting headquarters of the west African country.

Mutinous soldiers early today overran Abidjan international airport, chasing out the technical staff, a member of the agency for air safety and navigation (ASECNA) told AFP.

The source, who worked in the control tower, said some 70 soldiers in a dozen vehicles arrived at the Felix Houphouet Boigny airport at 2:00 am local time (0730 IST).

N’Gatta said four mutineers headed by their leader, named as Staff Sergeant Boka, had had talks with him and Prime Minister Daniel Kablan Duncan. They laid down a nine-point list of “essentially material” demands.

Sgt Boka was among some 230 Ivorian soldiers who served in Central Africa with MINURCA, the UN mission in Central Africa. The soldiers are calling for payment of bonuses they should have received for the mission.

The Defence Minister said that among the other claims were problems concerning clothing, bedding, application of the military code, and “improvement of living conditions in general”. The mutineers “have no political demands,” he said.

Shooting continued throughout the night in Abidjan. No one is reported to have been killed in the troubles.

At the beginning of the mutiny yesterday, soldiers in vehicles and on foot moved throughout Abidjan’s neighbourhoods, firing in the air and spreading panic among residents.

Informed sources said problems began early yesterday when soldiers from the Akouedo camp in eastern Abidjan went to the home of the country’s military commander General Maurice Tauthuis.

The soldiers forced their way into his house and were reportedly fired on by the commander’s guards, the sources said. One soldier was reportedly injured.

The mutiny came after a four-month political crisis as Ivory Coast faced criticism over its treatment of the opposition.

Window on Pakistan
March towards a civil face
By Gobind Thukral

IT has taken good three months for the military rulers in Pakistan to present a civil face. The trial of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his other colleagues is being presented as a fair one.

The Accountability Bureau has tightened the noose on certain sharks who had been siphoning of public funds. These severe acts have delighted the people who had become sick of the loot of Mian Nawaz Sharif and his predecessors.

On the economic front a new agenda is being unfolded. There have been attempts to please the World Bank and the IMF. The two organisations were expected to bail out Pakistan from the fiscal quagmire. By freezing accounts of the Taliban, the government has tried to show that it respects United Nations sanctions. But all this is cosmetic. Gen Pervez Musharraf is, perhaps aware of it.

In oppulent’s drawing rooms the discussions centre around questions: Who has made how much? Who has been punished? Who has been let off? What would become of the Nawaz family?

Wife and daughter of the deposed Prime Minister are trying hard to gain public sympathy by presenting the image of a wounded family. However, the government has the support of the rich and mighty.

But problems of masses have yet to be attended to. They feel cheated, again. Prices of goods, particularly of the daily use, have not fallen. Traders are making huge profits. No new jobs have been created. The unemployed look out for jobs in the West and West Asia. There is not even marginal improvement in the level of education. Children, women, peasants and workers continue to be an exploited lot.

A section of Pakistan’s press feels that Gen Musharraf’s efforts to present a civil and just face would not succeed. He lacks understanding and serious commitment, a number of columnists feel. ‘‘He was an unwilling general who had to stage a coup’’, say many commentators.

At the social level, the mullahs and those who swear by jehad sway the masses. Gen Musharraf, like all his predecessors, sees great merit in raising the Kashmir issue. The government stand is ‘‘talks on other issue would follow the solution to the Kashmir problem’’. He knows that solving the basic problems of the masses isn’t easy. Kashmir and the hate-India campaign could be of great use. The tiger he is riding now, would not let him consider people’s issues.

Recently a seasoned commentator, Ayaz Amir in a bold analysis in The Dawn said”. ‘‘Since dislodging a civilian government in Pakistan takes about as much time as fixing a complicated tyre puncture, sending Nawaz Sharif to the cleaners was the easy part. Creating some order out of the chaos of Pakistan’s problems is more difficult. In coming to grips with the task the senior officers who removed Nawaz Sharif with so much aplomb look decidedly less sure of themselves.’’

Mr Amir further said: ‘‘It is scarcely surprising, therefore, if what the nation is being treated to is a roll-call of dismal events: uninspired appointments, the hollow clang of good intentions and the swiftness of a pair of oxen making their way up a steep mountain. Even after two months the overriding impression is of an army trying to improvise on the march.’’

Mahathir names successor

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 24 (Reuters) — Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad today said that his deputy Abdullah Ahmad Badawi would succeed him if he stepped down, ending speculation on his choice of a successor ahead of party elections.

Mr Mahathir said he believed his United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the dominant party in the ruling National Front Coalition, would back Mr Abdullah as his successor at its trienniel elections polls next year.

UMNO is due to hold its annual convention in June and pick candidates for the post of President, Deputy President and Vice-President, which it does every three years.

A local newspaper said recently that the convention might be held earlier but Mr Mahathir, the party President, said the date had not been decided.

“UMNO will determine the question of succession,’’ the 74-year-old Mahathir told reporters.

“Of course, if I step down now, Dato Abdullah will take over. But I think UMNO will back Dato Abdullah as successor.’’

Mr Mahathir, speaking to reporters in the capital after an official function, gave no hint when he would step down.

Suspected terrorist indicted

SEATTLE, Dec 24 (AFP) — An Algerian man has pledged not guilty to charges of smuggling bomb-making material into the country as authorities warned of the risk of terrorist attacks on Americans during the holiday season.

In a courtroom lined with armed US federal agents, a handcuffed Ahmed Ressam heard a summary of the charges against him through an Arabic interpreter yesterday.

The court hearing here came as the USA stepped up its worldwide warning for possible anti- American terrorist attacks over the New Year Eve.

Ressam’s spectacular arrest and swift indictment underscored authorities’ warnings that any suspected terrorist activities or threats would be taken seriously.

“We are doing everything in our power to prevent any attack from occurring and to bring to justice those people planning any such attacks,” US Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder said earlier in Washington.

Ressam, 32, was stopped at Port Angeles, Washington on December 14 as he arrived by ferry from Canada carrying a fake passport and - hidden in the trunk of his rental car - enough bomb-making material to take down a large building.

The judge ordered him held without bail and set a February 22 trial date.

USA forces no-growth budget on UN

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 24 (PTI) — The United Nations has agreed to a 2.535 million dollar no-growth budget to foot expenses of the world body’s operations for biennium 2000-2001 after weeks of negotiations with its principal donor — the USA.

The UN General Assembly’s finance committee adopted the budget, which is marginally higher than last biennium’s outlay of 2.533 million dollars, yesterday. The budget has to be ratified by the 188 member states before it comes into effect.

The Budget does not include expenses for peacekeeping operations and other missions. These are met by voluntary contributions or donations by members on the basis of an already drawn out formula.

There are two unusual features in the budget, he said. First, is a contingency fund of 35 million dollar for special missions “Just in case we need it”.

The second, is transfer of resources from administration to “prime areas of activity of UN — peace and security, growth, Africa, human rights, humanitarian aid, justice disarmament, drug control, crime prevention and combating of international terrorism”.

The USA had demanded a no-growth budget for the world body as a pre-condition for clearing dues currently estimated at 1.7 billion dollars. On Wednesday, Washington re-paid 51.2 dollars in dues to avoid losing its vote in the UN.

Egypt, Sudan restore ties

DUBAI, Dec 24 (UNI) — Egypt and Sudan have announced restoration of full diplomatic relations after ten years of tense relations between the two neighbours.

A joint statement issued by the two countries at the end of Sudanese President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir’s visit to Cairo said Egypt would ‘immediately’ return its Ambassador to Khartoum to push ‘brotherly links’ forward.

Egypt had recalled its Ambassador to Sudan in 1995, accusing its neighbour of sponsoring terrorism. Since then Cairo has been represented in Khartoum by a charge d’affaires.

Relations between the two nations were strained after Gen Bashir’s coup in 1989 and worsened in 1995. The breakthrough in the relations came with Gen Bashir’s two-day visit to Cairo.

According to regional news agencies, the joint statement by two countries said both Gen Bashir and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak emphasised that achieving peace, security and stability in Sudan “requires comprehensive political solution based on Sudan’s unity and territorial integrity”.

They also deemed the joint Egyptian-Libyan initiative to achieve national reconciliation in Sudan as a “fitting framework to steer efforts towards realising a peaceful settlement in Sudan”.

Pope kicks off Holy Year

VATICAN CITY, Dec 24 (AFP) — Pope John Paul II kicks off Holy Year celebrations on Christmas eve — unlocking the Holy Door of Saint Peter’s Basilica for the last time before the start of the third millennium.

The ceremony, to be televised worldwide, starts at 9.30 p.m. IST today.

Seven thousand people will follow the ceremony from within the basilica but another 60,000 will attend in Saint Peter’s Square facing Catholicism’s holiest shrine which has been cleaned for the rare event.

Italian television officials expect more than 1.5 billion people to follow the ceremony on television screens worldwide.

John Paul II will read Mass under Bernini’s baldachin at midnight.

This will be the 26th Holy Year celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church since 1300. The last Holy Year in 1983-84, marking the 1950th anniversary of the death of Christ, was the seventh extraordinary one.

Gorkha soldiers’ pension doubled
LONDON: Retired Gorkha soldiers from Nepal will be getting twice as much money from their pensions beginning in April, the government has announced. The change falls well short of meeting demands from Gorkhas for the same pension benefits as British soldiers. The Ministry of Defence said the latest changes would boost a Gorkha staff sergeant’s pension from $ 1,250 a year to $ 3,500 a year — compared to $ 24,000 for a British soldiers of the same rank. — AP

Pietermaritzburg Gandhi memorial
DURBAN: The South African city of Pietermaritzburg, which has taken the lead in honouring the role of Mahatma Gandhi in the country’s freedom struggle, is adding another monument to honour the apostle of peace. The Mahatma Gandhi Cultural Centre and Library will be set up at a cost of four million rand (approx Rs 25 lakh) over the next two years by the Gandhi Memorial Committee and the Gujarati Vedic Society. — PTI

Nepal PM wins 6-month reprieve
KATHMANDU: Nepal Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai has won a temporary reprieve, with the ruling Nepali Congress agreeing to give him six months to improve his performance or resign, media reports said. Mr Bhattarai, who heads the Himalayan kingdom’s first majority government since 1994, ran into trouble this month when more than 60 Nepali Congress deputies signed a petition urging him to quit over what they called his poor performance. — Reuters

Paper sorry for condom caper
PHNOM PENH: A Cambodian newspaper threatened with closure for an article saying a popular condom brand was infected with the HIV virus has promised to print a retraction, officials have said. The article, printed in the Khmer National Ideal newspaper, suggested that neighbouring Thailand and Vietnam were contaminating condoms to wipe out the Cambodian race. Cambodia has Southeast Asia’s highest HIV infection rate. — DPA