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W O R L D | ![]() Monday, May 17, 1999 |
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Barak set to win race for PM TEL AVIV, May 16 Centrist candidate Yitzhak Mordechai announced today that he was withdrawing from the race for Israeli Premier, boosting the likelihood that Ehud Barak of the Labour Party will defeat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in tomorrows election. Vajpayee govts fall hit Indo-Pak talks ISLAMABAD, May 16 Indo-Pakistani bilateral talks would pick up pace only after a new government took over in New Delhi, according to Pakistani Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz. |
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Deal
to end Congo war signed Bangla
Opposition launches march Pak
envoy faces eviction Martin
to head UN mission to Timor Serbs
shoot 12 in reprisal killing |
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Barak set to win race for PM TEL AVIV, May 16 (AFP) Centrist candidate Yitzhak Mordechai announced today that he was withdrawing from the race for Israeli Premier, boosting the likelihood that Ehud Barak of the Labour Party will defeat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in tomorrows election. I reached the conclusion this morning that I should give up my candidacy, Mr Mordechai told a press conference in Tel Aviv. Until the past few days I was convinced that I could attain the objectives I had set if I could become Prime Minister and with the help of my party, he said. But this Sabbath, after talks with my family and friends, I decided to take this decision, he said. The dramatic announcement clears the way for far-right candidate Benjamin Begin to also quit the race, leaving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Ehud Barak as the sole candidates. A fifth challenger, Arab-Israeli Azmi Bishara, pulled out the race last night. Commentators said the withdrawals of Mr Mordechai and Mr Bishara would boost Mr Baraks chances of winning the contest. Mr Mordechais withdrawal also increases the chances that the race for Premier will almost certainly be decided tomorrow, without the need for a run-off, which had been scheduled for June 1, if none of the candidates received 50 per cent plus one vote. Mr Mordechai, an ex-Defence Minister in Mr Netanyahus Government, had entered the race, saying that he had the best chance of unseating Mr Netanyahu. This optimism was not reflected in the poll and in recent weeks he came under intense pressure from party colleagues and from Mr Barak to quit the race and not split the anti-Netanyahu vote. PTI adds: Amid the Palestinian hope that Mr Benjamin Netanyahu would not be re-elected, Israel goes to the polls tomorrow to choose a Prime Minister who will decide the fate of the stalled peace process in the Middle East. Mondays poll clash between Likud Party chief and current incumbent Netanyahu and Opposition Labour chief Ehud Barak, would decide the way the peace process goes, given the difference in opinion between the two leaders on an independent Palestinian statehood. The Palestinians, who held Mr Netanyahu responsible for the deadlock in the peace process, however, did not openly endorse Mr Barak fearing that any perceived interference in the Israeli polls may backfire and drive undecided voters into Mr Netanyahus camp. While Mr Netanyahu had opposed Palestinian statehood, saying that it would endanger Israels security, Mr Barak advocated a separation between Israeli and Palestinian populations, a position closely associated with separate statehood for Palestine. The two leaders also
differed in regard to the status of Jerusalem, with Mr
Netanyahu saying the future of the holy city, including
its eastern sector which was claimed by the Palestinians,
was non-negotiable and Mr Barak saying that he would keep
Jerusalem united. |
Vajpayee govts fall hit Indo-Pak talks ISLAMABAD, May 16 (PTI) Indo-Pakistani bilateral talks would pick up pace only after a new government took over in New Delhi, according to Pakistani Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz. The fall of the Vajpayee government on April 17 had thrown off gear bilateral discussions between the two countries to resolve outstanding issues and prevent a nuclear arms race in the subcontinent and substantial progress can be made only after a new government takes over, although some technical discussions would continue, Mr Aziz said. Admitting that talks on a strategic restraint regime had been interrupted by the fall of the BJP-led government, Mr Aziz told reporters during Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs Singapore visit that it is only a temporary interruption and I hope whichever government comes, will pick up the tab and resume the dialogue process. Well wait for the new government before arriving at any substantial agreement on that subject (of strategic restraint regime), Mr Aziz said, adding well probably have technical discussions in the interim period. He expressed hope that Pakistan and India would reach an agreement on preventing a nuclear arms race in the South Asian region following an understanding reached at Lahore during summit meeting of the Prime Ministers of the two countries. Significantly, the
Indian government had offered to continue high-level
discussions on all bilateral issues as the elections are
over five months away. |
UK plot fuelled Pak crackdown on Press ISLAMABAD, May 16 (PTI) The recent crackdown on the press in Pakistan could have been prompted by reports of an alleged British conspiracy to destabilise the Nawaz Sharif government, media reports quoting informed sources say here. Sharif, despite emerging as the most powerful Prime Minister in Pakistans history, feels insecure as he has been made to believe by some of his aides that the British security establishment has launched a drive against his government in retaliation to the governments actions against some of the British-financed power projects in the country. Some of the close associates of the Prime Minister have convinced him that in order to settle scores, the British security establishment has launched a secret drive to destabilise his two-year-old government, The News English daily claimed, quoting informed sources within the government. The paper said yesterday the retaliation was a fallout of Sharif governments actions against two major power projects - Hubco and Kapco - in which Britains national power had large stakes. The conspiracy theorists claimed a recent decree passed against the Sharif family by the London High Court in a default case and then the move by the BBC to make a film on the alleged corruption of the Sharif family was part of the, British plot, the paper said. The sources also said the Prime Minister had been warned that if the conspiracy and its perpetrators were not crushed on a war footing, it might lead to an overthrow of his government and argued that the forthcoming film on BBC would be the first step towards that as it would bring international disrepute to his government. Incidentally, almost all journalists who had been made targets in recent weeks, including Friday Times Editor Najam Sethi and columnist Hussain Haqqani had been interviewed by the BBC team in the last week of April, the paper said. The government had also fired off a complaint letter to the BBC chief alleging the Premier news channel was giving a one-sided picture of the Pakistani government and society in its coverage. The London High Court had passed a decree against the Sharifs in March ordering payment of $ 32 million to a British finance company, Al-Towfeek, Investment Limited, the newspaper said. The decree was passed ex-parte because the Sharif family, which had taken a loan from Al-Towfeek, refused to contest the case in London while challenging the jurisdiction of the London court in a Pakistani court, it said. The Sharifs had also
told the Pakistani court that being Muslims they are
prevented from paying interest to the company because
interest was Prohibited in Islam, the news said. Sethi
had spoken out against the Sharifs on this issue during
his interview to the BBC, the report said. |
Deal to end Congo war signed CAIRO, May 16 (AP) African leaders have agreed in Libya on a peace deal that calls for a regional cease-fire and the first direct talks between Congo and its rebel fighters. The agreement was reached yesterday in the Libyan coastal city Sirte, where Congolese President Laurent Kabila and Rwandan Vice-President Paul Kagame participated in an African summit. It was the first time the two had met since Congos war against Rwandan-backed rebels began nine months ago. A nearing of the points of view was achieved between the parties of the conflict, and the base of understanding between them was broadened, read a statement issued at the summits end. The statement was broadcast on Libyan television, monitored here. Under the agreement, participants confirmed an earlier peace deal brokered by Libyan leader Moammar between Congo and Uganda. That deal called for a cease-fire, a withdrawal of Rwandan and Ugandan troops and the deployment of African peacekeepers. Rwanda and Congolese rebels were not party to that agreement. It was not clear whether the rebels would be amenable to yesterdays agreement. Rebel leaders had expressed skepticism about the Libyan-brokered proposal with Uganda, saying no agreement was possible without their participation. According to the statement broadcast at the end of the summit, yesterdays agreement also called for a cease-fire between all warring parties in the region. The statement said Congo has agreed to hold direct talks with all the opposition elements. The agreement also calls for foreign ministers of the parties concerned to meet in Lusaka at an unspecified date. That meeting would include Congolese rebel representatives, it said. KIGALI: A Congolese rebel faction backed by Uganda has said it captured a northwestern town after it was abandoned by government forces loyal to President Laurent Kabila. Mr Jean-Pierre Bemba, who heads the rebel Congolese liberation movement, said yesterday that his forces took Businga, 1,100 km northeast of Kinshasa, without fight on Friday. Mr Bemba, speaking on a
satellite phone from northern Congo, said he would
continue advancing on Gbadolite, former Zairian dictator
Mobutu Sese Sekos home village on the border with
the central African republic, 110 km north of Businga. |
Bangla Opposition launches march DHAKA, May 16 (PTI) Opposition parties in Bangladesh today launched a three-day long 500-km road march as part of a campaign to intensify pressure on Sheikh Hasina Government to resign and call early elections. This march is to highlight the governments incompetence and failures, Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Khalida Zia said as she led a convoy of some 400 vehicles carrying party supporters. This is a march for justice, democracy and fair governance and elections. Let us all make the concerted move and give a push to oust the inefficient government, she told party supporters at Paltan Maidan here. Ms Khaleeda Zia, a former Bangladesh Premier, warned of giving a call to the people to march towards Dhaka from all parts of the country in a bid to force the Awami League Government to resign if it did not accept their demands. She alleged the Awami League Government failed to protect the border and the countrys sovereignty was at stake. We are now in the
streets to launch an agitation against the government to
save the country from ruination. We will launch more
agitations in the coming days and God willing we will
succeed, she said. |
Pak envoy faces eviction LONDON, May 16 (AFP) The Pakistani High Commissioner in London is facing eviction from his official residence after lawyers obtained a court order to reclaim money owed by his government, The Sunday Telegraph reported. The paper said the firm, Ian Guyster, had not been paid £ 120,000 ($ 1,95,000) for investigating the business dealings of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. It added that the firm was applying for a sale of the £ 4.2 million ($ 6.8 million) seven-bedroom residence to cancel the debt. Ian Guster investigated
Bhutto and her husband, Asif Zardari for six months after
the collapse of Ms Bhuttos administration in 1997,
said the paper. |
Martin to head UN mission to Timor UNITED NATIONS, May 16 (PTI) Mr Ian Martin, a British human rights activist, has been selected by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to head the UN mission to East Timor. A formal announcement on the appointment of Mr Martin, a former Secretary-General of Amnesty International, was expected shortly, diplomatic sources said here. Some 800,000 East
Timorese were to decide whether they favoured autonomy
within Indonesia or wanted independence; in a vote slated
for August 8. |
Serbs shoot 12 in reprisal killing LONDON, May 16 (Reuters) Albanian Television has reported that Serbian forces had murdered 12 youths in a Kosovo village in reprisal for the killing of a Yugoslav soldier. The youths, aged 12 to
16, were put to death in the village of Izbice near the
town of Srbica, the television, monitored by the BBC,
said yesterday. |
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