Extracts. Chinese, Pakistani Leaders Exchange Messages on Anniversary of Relations Chinese and Pakistani leaders exchanged congratulatory messages on Monday to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries which falls on May 21. In a message to his Pakistani counterpart, Muhammad Rafiq Tartar, Chinese President Jiang Zemin said: "China and Pakistan are close and friendly neighbors linked by common mountains and rivers, and the traditional friendship between our two countries goes back to ancient times." "Since the establishment of the diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan 50 years ago, the two sides have always been abiding by the five principles of peaceful coexistence and respecting, understanding, trusting and closely cooperating with each other," Jiang said. The Chinese president went on to say the friendly bilateral relations not only accord with the common wishes and fundamental interests of the two countries and two peoples, but also benefit the maintenance and promotion of peace, stability and development in the region and the world at large. Echoing Jiang's voice, Tartar said in his message, "This friendship has stood the test of time and has been growing in strength and vitality despite far-reaching changes in the international environment. It has also remained unaffected by domestic changes." "Our two countries oppose international and regional hegemony and have been striving for a just international political and economic order," he added. The Pakistani head of state noted that the two countries consult each other on international and regional issues and cooperate closely in international fora. In his message to Pakistani Chief Executive General Pervez Musharaf, Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji said the mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of politics, economy, culture and science and technology between the two countries has progressed in an all-round way. "No matter how the domestic and international situation changed, the Sino-Pakistani friendly cooperative relations have always maintained a healthy trend of development," Zhu said. Zhu also expressed his confidence that with the joint efforts of the two governments and the two peoples, the Sino-Pakistani partnership of all-round cooperation will be further enhanced and strengthened continuously. In response, Musharaf said, "Both Pakistan and China are resolved to reinforce their abiding friendship and all-round partnership during the new century for the mutual benefit of their two peoples and for peace, stability and development in the region." "In the years ahead we will continue our high-level contacts, enhance our economic cooperation and intensify people-to-people contacts," he said. Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan also sent a message to his Pakistani counterpart, Abdul Sattar, to mark the anniversary. **** Rumsfeld Widely Criticized for US Defense Reform Program US Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has reaped an "unlikely collection of critics," including many from the conservative camp, as he tried hard to pursue an ambitious and doubtful military reform in an imperious way, the Washington Post reported on Sunday. In a front-page story, the newspaper said that Rumsfeld, who started a top-to-bottom review four months ago to craft a new military vision ranging from missile defenses to global strategy, has met with a salvo of criticisms from "conservative members of Congress and his predecessor as defense secretary to some of the generals who work for him." "In dozens of interviews, those people complained that Rumsfeld has acted imperiously, kept some of the top brass in the dark and failed to maintain adequate communications with Capitol Hill," the Washington Post reported. The criticisms have focused on Rumsfeld's score of study groups, made up of retired generals and admirals and other experts, the newspaper said. "The Rumsfeld review," as the studies are collectively called, is mocked in Pentagon hallways by some as a martial version of Hillary Rodham Clinton's health care plan, which failed spectacularly in 1994 when it was offered up to Congress, the newspaper said. "He (Rumsfeld)'s blown off the Hill, he's blown off the senior leaders in the military, and he's blown off the media," said Thomas Donnelly, a defense expert at the conservative Project for the New American Century. "It's arrogant theorists behind closed doors," said retired Army Lt. Col. Ralph Peters, now a prominent writer on military strategy. On Thursday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff held a closed-door meeting at their secure conference room at Pentagon, during which "they posed scathing questions about Rumsfeld's intentions on strategy and possible cuts to the Army," the Washington Post quoted defense officials as saying. During the secret meeting, the newspaper added, the Army officials led the charge against the conclusions of a Rumsfeld study group on conventional weapons that suggested big cuts in Army troops. Sullivan, the former Army chief, told a conference of Army reservists on Saturday that he is worried that Rumsfeld would "propose a world in which we will be able to hide behind our missile defense." In his speech, Sullivan likened the missile defense to the expensive but useless Maginot Line the French built up to prevent German attack after World War I, the newspaper reported. In another talk, the newspaper added, Sullivan described Rumsfeld's new emphasis on space as "rathole" for defense spending. He also sent an e-mail lashing out at the defense secretary, and the message has circulated widely inside the Army. Many generals also complained about Rumsfeld's gruff and brusque style, the newspaper said. It said that generals who have met with the defense secretary reported that communications tend to be one way. "He takes a lot in, but he doesn't give anything back," one general said. "You go and you brief him, and it's just blank." One senior general unfavorably compared Rumsfeld's stewardship of the Pentagon with Colin L. Powell's performance as secretary of state. "Mr. Powell is very inclusive, and Mr. Rumsfeld is the opposite, " and "we've been kept out of the loop," the general was quoted as saying. Rumsfeld's relations with Capitol Hill have been even more chaotic, as quite a lot of Congress members are being concerned about the lack of communications with Rumsfeld on the defense reform program. One warning sign has been a spate of "holds" placed on Rumsfeld's nominees by angry senators, the Washington Post said. William S. Cohen, former defense secretary, criticized Rumsfeld last week for failing to cultivate good ties with Congress. "However brilliant the strategy may be, you cannot formulate a strategy and mandate that Congress implement it," Cohen told a group of reporters. In the following weeks, Rumsfeld will appear at Congress hearings and will begin making critical decisions on high-profile weapons systems and on whether to cut the size of the military to pay for new weapons. "Every one of those decisions could antagonize members of Congress," the Washington Post said. **** Communist Party Adopts Stricter Rules Against Corruption The Communist Party of China (CPC) has adopted stricter disciplinary measures against its members who have been implicated in corruption cases. Xia Zanzhong, a deputy secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, said this recently in a Xinhua interview. Xia urged local departments concerned to earnestly study and implement the recently issued regulations on punishing leading officials at different levels who, taking advantages of their positions, have accepted or given cash, securities and certificates of payment. Although the CPC Central Committee and the State Council have repeatedly ordered not to be involved in such activities, some leading officials are continuing their wrongdoings, which have tarnished the image of the Party and the government, Xia said. According to the new regulations, anyone who has been involved in such activities will be punished, he noted. **** Mideast Situation Likely to Be More Complicated: Mubarak Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said on Sunday that the Middle East situation was "gravely worsening," expressing fear that it might become "more complicated and reach a point of no return." Mubarak said that he had thought Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon might be "a man of peace," because the former general said that he wanted peace soon after assuming power in March. But what has happened on the ground has proved the opposite, Mubarak was quoted as saying by Egypt's state-run Middle East News Agency. "Israeli excessive use of force would not lead to peace at all and the situation will get more complicated after Israel's use of F-16 fighter jets," Mubarak said, stressing that fighter jets are used only to defend a country against external attacks. Israeli fighter jets and helicopter gunships on Friday fired missiles at bases of the Force 17, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's personal guard, in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, killing 12 Palestinians and wounding scores of others. The nearly eight months of clashes between the Israelis and Palestinians, sparked by Israeli violation of an Islamic holy site in East Jerusalem last September, have so far left more than 520 people dead, most of them Palestinians. **** China Cautions India over Supporting US Missile Shield Plan China urged India to exercise extreme caution in backing the planned US National Missile Defence (NMD) system, the Statesman newspaper reported Sunday. The paper quoted Zhou Gang, the Chinese ambassador to New Delhi, as saying that India might have ignored certain realities in responding positively to the controversial project without analysing it. "Peace loving countries and people should have an understanding of the NMD's dangers. We oppose it because it promotes strategic imbalances ... and domination of world politics," Zhou said. However, the Chinese ambassador said India's positive response to the NMD system "would not come in the way" of improving bilateral ties between India and China. New Delhi's official stance on the project, designed to protect the US from missile attacks by what Washington considers "rogue states", has been difficult to read. The Indian government first gave the impression of endorsing the idea within hours of US President George W. Bush's announcement of the proposal to set up a US$60 billion NMD, leading to an eventual break from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty of 1972. However, 48 hours later at a joint press conference with visiting Russian foreign minister Igor Ivanov, Indian foreign minister Jaswant Singh took a different line, warning Washington against any attempt to disturb existing arms control mechanisms. India's traditional ally, Russia, rejected Washington's arguments for the NMD project, but the US side pledged to continue efforts to win over Russian critics. ^ ***** Ivanov: Russia Determined to Defend ABM Treaty Russia will firmly defend its position on preserving the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty and continue a constructive dialogue with the United States on strategic stability, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said Saturday, ending his two-day visit in Washington. Russia still has quite a few questions regarding the US-said "new architecture" of strategic stability, including the so-called national missile defense shield, Interfax news agency cited Ivanov as saying at a final press conference in Washington. The U.S. arguments that the whole structure of disarmament agreements should be dismantled and non-proliferation regimes are threatened because of potential threats "are not persuading either us or most of the countries in the world," he said. "The 1972 ABM treaty still remains an effective instrument ensuring confidence and predictability in the strategic sphere," he stressed. The treaty does not hamper but actually makes it easier to find responses to contemporary threats and challenges to international stability, Ivanov said. During the talks in Washington, the two sides "agreed to continue the dialogue on all aspects of the problem of strategic stability both at the political and expert levels," Ivanov said. The foreign minister said that "the U.S. and we share an understanding of one key principle: it is only on the basis of equal and mutually beneficial interaction between our countries that new global challenges can be effectively opposed." "It is natural that we do not agree with each other on all points," Ivanov said. "The narrowing of our differences in certain spheres is a lengthy and complex process," he noted. What is crucial, he said, is that the present and future problems be solved not in a confrontational way but through mutually acceptable solutions and compromises. Necessity of Dialogue on Missile Defense Russia and the United States should maintain a constructive dialogue on strategic issues, in particular, on anti-missile defense, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said Saturday. Moscow and Washington have "obviously different views" on most problems, but both sides agreed that "dialogue be maintained between Russia and the U.S. and we act not as rivals but as partners in discussing these problems," Ivanov told the Russian TV channel on the results of his visit in Washington. The U.S. says that the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty is outmoded and should be replaced, although "it does not offer any specific formulas that could replace the 1972 treaty," the foreign minister said. "In our view, the 1972 ABM treaty and everything the two sides have worked out to develop it provide a very broad set of instruments for preserving and improving strategic stability," he said. "It is important that we have begun a constructive dialogue, a constructive discussion on all these issues with experts, representatives from defense and other structures involved," the foreign minister said. "There are grounds to hope that there will not be unilateral moves but moves taking into account each other's interests," he said. **** Keep Away from Cult, Pursue New Life: Commentary People's Daily will publish a commentary Monday, calling for people to help Falun Gong practitioners to keep away from the cult and return to the embrace of family and society. The commentary, titled "Keep away from cult, pursue new life" says that governments and party organizations at various levels have made great efforts to help Falun Gong followers return to their normal work and life. It extends congratulations to formal Falun Gong followers who have kept away from the cult, and respect to people who have done a lot to help Falun Gong followers resume normal life. "All facts have proved that Falun Gong can only bring disasters instead of consummation to its followers", notes the commentary, adding that the fight against Falun Gong have not ended and still need more efforts and patience to help Falun Gong practitioners to escape the control of the cult and be master of their own life. **** Li Peng, Hun Sen Discuss Ways to Enhance Sino-Cambodian Ties Chairman Li Peng of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) of China and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen discussed here Saturday ways to enhance Sino-Cambodian ties and exchanged views on international issues. Li, who arrived here Friday for a four-day official goodwill visit, has already met King Norodom Sinhanouk and Cambodia's parliament leaders. Hun Sen said that Li's visit demonstrated the unity, friendship,and cooperation between Cambodia and China, and between the two peoples. Li's visit is significant for promoting friendly cooperative relations between the two countries, he added. The Cambodian prime minister expressed his hope that more Chinese businessmen would invest in Cambodia and the two sides would expand cooperation in all fields. In reply, Li said that China would study Hun's proposal and increase contacts and cooperation between the two countries. China will always support Cambodia's independent policy, its efforts for consolidation of national reconciliation and its efforts for economic development, the Chinese leader said. Li said that China stands for multi-polarity, and would develop good relations with all countries in the world, and with its neighbors in particular, under the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence. He also expressed his appreciation for the adherence to the One-China policy by the Cambodian government. Earlier in the day, Li met Cambodian Senate President Chea Sim here and the two sides agreed to increase contacts and expand cooperation between China's National People's Congress (NPC) and the Cambodian parliament. During the meeting, Li said that it is China's set policy to develop closer and stable relations with Cambodia. Exchange of visits by Chinese and Cambodian parliament leaders and other officials is an important part of bilateral relations, said Li. Chea said that Li's current visit would further promote the existing friendship and cooperation between the two parliaments as well as the two countries. The Cambodian people have suffered from the war for decades, he said, but fortunately, under the leadership of King Norodom Sihanouk, the Cambodian parliament, together with the government, are consolidating peace, achieving national reconciliation, and stepping up economic development. Cambodia is the first leg of Li's three-nation tour, which will also take him to Brunei and South Korea after the visit here. _________________________________________________ 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 mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
