sipila
Sun, 03 Feb 2002 10:48:07 -0800
Extracts. Inside Story of Negotiations Between Dalai Lama, Central Chinese Government Revealed. A signed article carried in the latest issue of China's Tibet magazine cited plenty of irrefutable facts to expose Dalai Lama's true intention of separating Tibet from China under the cloak of negotiation with the central Chinese government. A signed article carried in the latest issue of China's Tibet magazine cited plenty of irrefutable facts to expose Dalai Lama's true intention of separating Tibet from China under the cloak of negotiation with the central Chinese government. Entitled "Fresh comments on negotiation between the 14th Dalai Lama and the Central Government", the article started with late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping's talks with an AP reporter. On December 28, 1978, Deng Xiaoping, then vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), said when meeting with the AP reporter: "The Dalai Lama may come back, but in his capacity as a Chinese citizen. We have only one demand -- being patriotic -- and we put forward the theory that there is not major difference as to when he becomes patriotic, earlier or later." Deng's talks clearly demonstrated brotherly affection shown by the Central Chinese Government toward Tibetan compatriots residing overseas and also showed the Central Chinese Government's attitude toward Dalai Lama. The 14th Dalai Lama sent his private representative back to the motherland on February 28, 1979 for matters concerning the bettering of ties between him and the Central Government. On March 12, Deng Xiaoping met with the "private representative" and told him: "The fundamental problem lies in the fact that Tibet is part of China. It is the yardstick to judge whether things go right or wrong. Now, the problem is whether Tibet is to start a dialogue with the Central Government in its capacity as a country, or for it to discuss things with the Central Government in its capacity as a part of China. This is a realistic question." Deng's remarks broke the 20-year-long isolation between Dalai Lama and the Central Chinese Government, said the article. **** Pakistan Rejects Reports of Receiving Chinese Aid in Missile Program. Pakistan on Saturday strongly denied reports of receiving any assistance from China in developing missiles, saying its missile program was "totally indigenous." Pakistan on Saturday strongly denied reports of receiving any assistance from China in developing missiles, saying its missile program was "totally indigenous." This stand was reiterated by Foreign Office spokesman Aziz Ahmed Khan in a press briefing Saturday afternoon in Islamabad while commenting on a story published in a section of the press. Khan said similar allegations had been made in the past and were refuted by both Pakistan and China. Commenting on the statement of Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee that India would not enter into dialogue on Kashmir, Khan described it as "unfortunate." He said there was a world-wide practice to resolve inter-state problems through negotiations and dialogue. Khan reiterated that Pakistan would like to resolve all outstanding issues with India including the Kashmir dispute through dialogue. "Our position remains the same," he added. **** Roundup: US, Europe Inconsistent Over NATO, Security. Defense ministers and foreign ministers of NATO countries and the foreign ministers of Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic gathered here on Saturday to discuss the global security situation after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. Defense ministers and foreign ministers of NATO countries and the foreign ministers of Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic gathered here on Saturday to discuss the global security situation after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. But it is evident that the United States and Europe differed on matters regarding the development of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the global security. Addressing the meeting, U.S. Senator John McCain said, "This campaign for freedom and against terror across the globe is a joint endeavor that will commit the United States and our friends and allies across Europe." "But a necessary condition for its success is an assertive, and distinctively American, internationalism that will propel a global campaign to reorder international relations, just as a new, more just order emerged from the ashes of this war-torn continent under American leadership in 1945," McCain said. He noted that American leadership within NATO has been enhanced by its leading role in the ongoing anti-terrorism war. The senator expressed his hope that NATO's European members and the United States could put aside their "previous differences over an emerging European security identity in favor of NATO's existing security architecture." However, officials from European countries voiced their dissatisfaction over the current development of NATO and called for military balance between the United States and other NATO members. "We are confronted by the problem of how to reduce the imbalance between the United States' military capabilities and those of Europe, " Italian Defense Minister Antonio Martino said. "The new global defense and security tasks are on such a scale that they cannot be managed by the United States alone, and require that Europe makes a greater contribution," he continued. "There must be a fairer sharing of responsibilities and costs, and hence of rights over decision-making regarding our common defense and security missions," he added Observers said Europe's lack of necessary technical facilities has made it unable to perform all security and defense missions together with the United States. NATO General-Secretary George Robertson said in an interview before the Munich meeting that NATO's European members lag far behind the United States in terms of military technology. The U.S.-European gap was more obvious in the anti-terrorism war in Afghanistan <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/afghanistan.html> than in the Kosovo war, the official pointed out. The unbalance is "unhealthy" for the alliance because it is becoming more and more difficult for the Americans to "cooperate with allies when they need the allies." Robortson called on the United States to give its European allies more help in developing military technology. "Even a superpower needs coalition partners," he said. Deputy U.S. Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, stopping short of pointing out European countries' inability of fully-cooperating with the United States in the anti-terrorism war, said, "our policy in this war has been to accept help from countries on whatever basis is most comfortable to them." "Some will join us publicly, others will choose quiet and discrete forms of cooperation," said the U.S. deputy at the security conference, adding that "this maximizes their cooperation and our effectiveness." Official statistics have shown that the European Union's defense costs are merely a half of that of the United States and their military fighting capacity is only one-tenth of the United States. Europe must strengthen its security and defense policies to create a balanced sharing of burden and responsibilities between the United States and Europe, said Angela Merkel, chairman of Germany <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/germany.html> 's biggest opposition party the Christian Democratic Union. "The decision to establish an European Rapid-Reaction Army is completely right," said the chairman, adding that the army should not be a "paper tiger." "The establishment of the army should be completed by 2003," she said. **** Israeli Army Carries Out Military Operation in Southern Gaza Strip. The Israeli army carried out a military operation Saturday night in areas south of Khan Yunis town in southern Gaza Strip, a Palestinian National Authority (PNA) public security spokesman said. The Israeli army carried out a military operation Saturday night in areas south of Khan Yunis town in southern Gaza Strip, a Palestinian National Authority (PNA) public security spokesman said. The spokesman said that five tanks and two bulldozers drove about one kilometer from two directions into Palestinian-controlled areas south of Khan Yunis, while tanks opened heavy gunfire at the areas. He said in a statement that while Israeli tanks were entering into the Palestinian areas, Israeli Apache helicopters flew over the town of Khan Yunis, adding that Israeli troops entered into several homes searching for Palestinian militants. Palestinian eyewitnesses said that they saw the Israeli tanks coming out from the Morag settlement, and entering into Khan Yunis, adding that they heard from time to time explosions and sound of intensive heavy fire in the area. The spokesman accused the Israeli army of escalating military actions against the Palestinians "while the whole area in southern Gaza Strip was relatively quite over the last few hours." Meanwhile, Palestinian eyewitnesses in the town of Deir El Balah near the Jewish settlement of Kfar Darom said that the Israeli army left the roof the Palestinian Al Sakhra dairy product company after staying there for a whole day. Palestinian sources said that the PNA has complained to the United States against Israel for capturing the roof of the factory, north of Kfar Darom, for one day. The factory is one of the projects that PNA invests in the Gaza Strip. Israel Radio reported that Israeli troops left the area after chasing a group of Palestinian militants who had attacked with grenades an Israeli army post near Kfar Darom. One Israeli soldier was lightly injured in the attack. **** Egyptian Business Leader Envisages Better Economic Ties With China. The chairman of Egypt's Chambers of Commerce on Saturday voiced optimism over the prospects of Egyptian-Chinese economic and trade cooperation in the years ahead. The chairman of Egypt's Chambers of Commerce on Saturday voiced optimism over the prospects of Egyptian-Chinese economic and trade cooperation in the years ahead. "Egyptian-Chinese ties have been developing well, and there is potential for the two countries to engage in better economic and trade cooperation," Khaled Abu Ismail said in an interview. Abu Ismail, who accompanied Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on his recent visit to China, said that the signing of an agreement on establishing the Egyptian-Chinese Business Council could be seen as one of the most important results of the visit. He said that such a council will help promote cooperation in trade and investment between business sectors in the two countries. During a meeting in Cairo next month, the council is expected to discuss investment rules and ways of offering services, facilities and information to businessmen who will cooperate in the areas of production, investment and trade, he said. He added that tourism cooperation between the two countries will develop further in the coming years. Mubarak paid his eighth visit to China on January 23-26, during which the two countries signed five documents on cooperation in various fields. **** Ethiopia: Israeli Ambassador's Remark Baseless. Ethiopia has described the recent remarks on it made by the Israeli ambassador to Eritrea as inexcusable and deeply saddening, Ethiopian Herald newspaper reported Saturday in Addis Ababa. Ethiopia has described the recent remarks on it made by the Israeli ambassador to Eritrea as inexcusable and deeply saddening, Ethiopian Herald newspaper reported Saturday in Addis Ababa. The Israeli ambassador's remarks, which doubted Ethiopia's staunch stance on the peace process, lacked total responsibility, a spokesperson for the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry was quoted as saying. The ambassador had said at a press conference organized by the U.N. Mission on Eritrea and Ethiopia that Ethiopia had declined tosign a peace agreement at the recent Khartoum summit. The spokesperson went on to say "what the Israeli Ambassador iscited to have said is totally erroneous and based on a fictitious story." The Israeli ambassador must be one of the very few who have failed to recognize that Ethiopia is, and will continue to be, a pillar for peace in the sub-region, the spokesperson added. In the statement, the spokesperson also expressed the Ethiopiangovernment's desire to address the issue in a legal and through a proper channel. **** Bush's Anti-Iran Rhetoric 'Impolite': Iranian Speaker. Iranian Majlis (parliament) Speaker Mahdi Karrubi on Saturday denounced as "impolite" U.S. President George W. Bush's recent accusing of Iran's being part of an "axis of evil", the official IRNA news agency reported. Iranian Majlis (parliament) Speaker Mahdi Karrubi on Saturday denounced as "impolite" U.S. President George W. Bush's recent accusing of Iran's being part of an "axis of evil", the official IRNA news agency reported. "Bush's speech is not only an insult to the Iranian nation, but also an affront to the American nation with a president talking in such a tone to the world," Karrubi said at an open session of the Majlis. Karrubi said remarks like these from the U.S. president sounds "strange" at a time when the world is promoting dialogue and interaction among religions. Bush renewed his third accusation in a week on Friday against Iran, Iraq and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), describing the three as forming an "axis of evil" with their programs to acquire or develop weapons of mass destruction. Bush also accused Iran of trying to destabilize neighboring Afghanistan , which is recovering from years of war and internal strife. Karrubi brushed off Bush's accusation by saying that Iran has been pursuing a policy of detente and working for stability in Afghanistan. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday denounced Bush's labeling of Iran as part of an "axis of evil," saying Washington itself was "the greatest evil." The moderate President Mohammad Khatami also slammed Bush's "warmongering," describing his words as insulting to the Iranian nation. **** Roundup: Iran Looks to Natural Gas for New Cash Cow as Global Markets Swell. Iran, a Mideast powerhouse, has taken new steps to boost its role as a reliable natural gas exporter as Europe and other energy-deficient regional countries have kept groping after steady supplies. Iran, a Mideast powerhouse, has taken new steps to boost its role as a reliable natural gas exporter as Europe and other energy-deficient regional countries have kept groping after steady supplies. In an unprecedented move since Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh has recently inaugurated a pipeline delivering natural gas to Turkey, which is viewed by Iran "as a gateway for the export of Iranian gas to the European markets." Under a 20-billion-dollar contract, which has been opposed by the United States, Iran is to supply 228 billion cubic meters of gas via a 2,577-kilometer pipeline in a 25-year span, starting withan initial 3 billion cubic meters. The figure is expected to rise to 10 billion cubic meters a year by 2007. Ranking second worldwide after Russia in natural gas deposits, Iran's whopping 20,000 billion cubic meters account for 18 percent of the world's proven reserves, making it a supplier long favored by energy-strapped neighbor Turkey. Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Zeki Cakan has forecast that Turkey's gas demands would increase six-fold over thenext 20 years, noting that gas delivering from Iran would be most cost-effective. Looking further, Iran sees the potential purchasing power in theEuropean market and has stepped up efforts in lobbying for Europe'sfavor on Iranian energy following the start of pumping gas to Turkey, a bridge linking the two sides. "Iran plans to increase the production of natural gas to more than 500 million cubic meters per day in 2005 from current 300 million cubic meters per day," Zanganeh said on Thursday at an energy conference in Athens, Greece. He noted that Turkey can play a "central role" as a point of connection, receiving gas from Iran and distributing it among European customers, stressing that "time is ripe to plan Iran's gastransfer to Europe." Iran has reached "favorable results" in talks with the European sides over the transfer of Iranian energy, Zanganeh said, without elaborating. Greek Development Minister Nikos Christodoulakis assured the Iranian energy boss that "the European Union is looking for secure energy resources and Iran enjoys the best position in this respect," the IRNA news agency reported on Friday. Iran has a special stance in view of its energy resources, nearly half of its gas reserves are on-shore, with the rest being off-shore, creating considerable flexibility for investment and development. The country is intensifying its efforts to become less dependenton crude oil selling, which account for 70 percent of the total export revenue, making it extremely vulnerable to world oil price fluctuations. The reformist President Mohammad Khatami has been groping for remedies for Iran's ailing economy, calling for an increase in non-oil exports to diversify the economy while targeting its huge gas reserves as a new cash cow. In another noticeable move, Zanganeh inaugurated a new natural gas refinery built by France 's TotalFinaElf in the southern coastalAssaluyeh region last week amid hopes to earn Iran 300 billion dollars in revenues over the next three decades from the South Parsgas field in the Persian Gulf. The giant South Pars field, the largest in the world shared by Iran and Qatar, lies 100 kilometers off Iran's southern coast with a rich reserve of 12 trillion cubic meters of gas, accounting for 10 percent of the world's and 60 percent of Iran's total gas reserves. The development of 12 phases of the field with a production capacity of 300 million cubic meters per day is expected to supply gas to both nearby and remote markets. In Asia, Iran has been mulling to sell gas to India, which viewsIran as the best long-term energy supplier for its swelling markets. State-owned Gas Authority of India Ltd. (GAIL) and National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) have recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for cooperation in oil and gas project, requiring both sides to conduct feasibility study for bringing Iranian gas to India through an onshore pipeline via Pakistan or through a deep sea pipeline. Iran and India signed a MOU in April 2001 during Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's visit to Tehran for the 3.5-billion-dollar project that envisages the running of a gas pipelinefrom Iran to India through Pakistan, a project long dogged by New Delhi's security concerns. Should overall regional geo-political environment turns ideal, technologies involved in the transnational gas pipeline are unlikely to become factors blocking Iranian gas flowing to the Indian subcontinent, energy experts said. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________