Extracts. China Supports Palestine's Peace Efforts. China said at the United Nations Saturday that it will continue to support Palestine and its leader Yasser Arafat in their continuous efforts to seek peace through negotiation. China said at the United Nations Saturday that it will continue to support Palestine and its leader Yasser Arafat in their continuous efforts to seek peace through negotiation. "We believe that the Palestine Authority is the indispensable and legitimate party to any peaceful future and its important role should be completely safeguarded." said Shen Guofang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, when speaking at an open UN Security Council debate on the current situation in the Middle East. The open debate was held at the request of the Arab nations in the United Nations against the backdrop of the worsened situation in the Middle East. China backs President Arafat and his Palestine Authority's pursuit of peace through negotiation, Shen said, adding that Arafat has for many years made great contributions to the restoration of the legitimate rights of the Palestinians and the promotion of the Middle East peace process. Meanwhile, Shen reiterated the stance of China on the Middle East conflict. "We strongly condemn the present series of violent attacks on the civilians. The retaliation by Israel <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/israel.html> through military means does not help alleviate the conflict," he said. "Such events repeatedly taking place between Israel and Palestine prove the futility of a policy of an eye for an eye," he said. "They can only lead to even more violence and further escalation, harming civilians on both sides." "We call on the two sides to stay calm in handling the serious situation, bringing an end to the cycle of revenge and counter- revenge and settling their dispute through negotiation," he said. "The only way to solve the question of the Middle East is a cessation of the Israeli military occupation of the Palestine territory on the basis of the principle of the land for peace, the implementation of all peace agreements, and the full restoration of all the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to an independent state," he said. Under the current situation, the international community should attach great importance to the tensions between Palestinians and Israelis, and the UN Security Council, which has the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security, should make prompt response to the dangerous development in the Middle East situation, he said. Israeli troops reoccupied the West Bank area and conducted air raids on Palestinian security targets in Gaza as part of a wave of reprisals for recent Palestinian attacks on Israelis. **** U.S. Mideast Envoy Ends Fruitless Mission. With violence escalating in the Middle East and Israel refusing to deal with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, the U.S. Middle East envoy, retired marine general Anthony Zinni, is to end his 19-day fruitless mission to the region on Saturday after a short visit to Jordan and Egypt. With violence escalating in the Middle East and Israel refusing to deal with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, the U.S. Middle East envoy, retired marine general Anthony Zinni, is to end his 19-day fruitless mission to the region on Saturday after a short visit to Jordan and Egypt. The U.S. State Department said that Secretary of State Colin Powell has recalled Zinni back to Washington "for consultation and the Christmas holiday." Israeli officials said Zinni will not return to Israel in the near future. Zinni arrived in the region on November 26 in a bid to convince both Israel and the Palestinians to implement a lasting ceasefire to end their nearly 15-month-old violence, which has killed more than 1,000 people, mostly Palestinians. The U.S. mediation attempts, however, have run up against an escalation in violence between the two sides. When Zinni left Israel for Jordan and Egypt on Friday, Israeli warplanes, helicopters and ground forces attacked more facilities of Arafat's Palestinian National Authority in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israel decided this week to sever ties with Arafat after accusing him of being directly responsible for attacks by Palestinian militants. Neither Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon nor Arafat has given the U.S. envoy any slack to help his mission achieve a ceasefire and get Israel and the Palestinians out of their cycle of violence and onto the track recommended by the Mitchell Report. However, both leaders had insisted that Zinni should stick around, preferring to continue their fighting with an American proctor in the region. Observers here said that the U.S. envoy's presence in the region is important for both sides. Sharon benefits from Zinni's presence. The U.S. envoy's announcements after each Palestinian "terrorist" attack have provided important backings to the decisions of the Israeli cabinet. Arafat also needs Zinni. The envoy's stay in the region is an expression of international legitimacy for Arafat's regime, and he is the Palestinians' last defense from the Israeli prime minister's wrath. According to officials close to the envoy, Zinni decided that there was no point in continuing his efforts to broker a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians after a Thursday night meeting with Sharon. Given the new round of violence and questions about his mission, however, some officials here expressed fear that even a short trip back home for the U.S. envoy might give the wrong signal. During Zinni's 19 days in the Middle East, Palestinian suicide bombing attacks in Israel and Israeli-occupied territory and mortar attacks against Jewish settlers have intensified, during which about 43 Israelis have been killed. Sharon's government has also intensified its retaliation attacks on Arafat's administration, security headquarters and other symbols of power. As Israel continues its attacks against Palestinians, U.S. officials said they were re-evaluating the fruitless mission, which has failed to achieve any agreement from the Israelis and Palestinians to defuse the nearly 15-month bloody conflict. A U.S. official in Jerusalem said the current assessment of the U.S. government is that chances of reaching a ceasefire are steadily diminishing and therefore the U.S. government must reconsider its most recent Middle East initiative. The official said during his stay in the region, Zinni concentrated exclusively on progress toward a ceasefire and not on the basic issues at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. These basic issues include Israel's withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza Strip, continued construction of Jewish settlements in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory, the definition of Israel's borders and of a possible Palestinian state, the "right to return" for Palestinian refugees and the status of Jerusalem. Zinni has brokered a 48-hour period of "restraint" twice, in which Israel pledged to limit strikes on Palestinians to responses for specific attacks and "ticking bombs" who were planning terrorist attacks. But the so-called periods of restraint have been shattered by renewed violence each time. Zinni said in a statement issued before leaving the region that Washington remains committed to achieving peace in the Middle East and that the U.S. administration will continue to deal with Arafat as the representative of the Palestinian people. Secretary of State Powell said earlier that the U.S. could not walk away while things are "getting worse, not better" after Zinni's 19-day nonstop U.S. mediation in Jerusalem. "We really cannot give up hope. We can't walk away from this. The stakes are too high," Powell said. **** Iran Condemns U.S. Veto Against U.N. Protection Force on Palestine. Iran on Saturday condemned the United States for its veto on a draft resolution presented by theArab countries to the U.N. Security Council on sending aninternational force to protect the Palestinians, the official IRNAnews agency reported. Iran on Saturday condemned the United States for its veto on a draft resolution presented by theArab countries to the U.N. Security Council on sending aninternational force to protect the Palestinians, the official IRNAnews agency reported. Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi noted thatthe U.S. has stood against the demand of the internationalcommunity while the defenseless Palestinians have been exposed toIsraeli attacks every day. "The U.S. is pressing on with the old means of the cold war eraand the bankrupt policy of iron-fist to support Israeli stateterrorism", he denounced, calling for U.N. Secretary General KofiAnnan's personal intervention and active role of the Islamic andArab states to stop Israeli violence against the Palestinians.Dispatch of international observer force under the umbrella ofthe United Nations is the only way to stop bloodshed in occupiedPalestinian territories, the spokesman stressed. Earlier in the day, the U.S. vetoed during a U.N. SecurityCouncil session a draft resolution condemning all terrorist actsagainst civilians, executions without trial and excessive use offorce against Palestinians and calling for the establishment of amonitoring mechanism to protect the Palestinians from Israeliaggressions. **** Mubarak Warns Israel of Disastrous Consequences. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak late Saturday warned that escalating Israeli aggressions against the Palestinians would bring about "unlimited" dangers in the future. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak late Saturday warned that escalating Israeli aggressions against the Palestinians would bring about "unlimited" dangers in the future. Mubarak made the warning in an interview with Samir Ragab, chairman and editor-in-chief of the official Arabic-language Al Gumhuria. "The policy they (Israelis) are pursuing are short- sighted and will lead to no solution rather than catastrophes," he warned. "When they try to eliminate the Palestinian National Authority, the Israelis imagine that they will get the upper hand. On the contrary, a state of chaos inside and outside Israel will prevail," the Egyptian leader said. The Egyptian president dismissed as "bizarre" Israel's decision to ban Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat from leaving for an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Conference, held in Doha, Qatar, last week. The violence in the Middle East would not be halted until Israel gives up its belief that security would result from its aggressive policy on the Palestinians, Mubarak said. "Security and peace will not be realized unless a sovereign Palestinian state is established," Mubarak said, stressing that only negotiations and easing the siege of the Palestinians would lead to peace. Mubarak also said that it is necessary to enhance international cooperation in combating terrorism, while calling on the world community to "join hands" to find solutions to the international problem. He renews his call for holding an international conference against terrorism under the auspices of the U.N. to provide a " clear-cut" definition of terrorism and distinguish terrorism from resistance to foreign occupation. The situation in the Middle East has been worsening as the Israeli cabinet decided Wednesday night to cut off all contacts with Arafat and approved a series of military measures against Palestinian targets in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. **** Mubarak Calls for Halting Israeli Aggressions on Palestinians. Egyptian President Hosni MubarakSaturday called for halting Israel's continued assaults against thePalestinians, the state-run MENA news agency reported. Mubarak made the appeal during his meeting with the U.S. peaceenvoys William Burns and Anthony Zinni, Egyptian Foreign MinisterAhmed Maher said at a news conference held after the meeting."It is necessary to put an end to the Israeli aggressions on thePalestinians and their leadership in order to achieve calm in theregion and revive peace negotiations," Maher quoted Mubarak assaying. Egyptian President Hosni MubarakSaturday called for halting Israel's continued assaults against thePalestinians, the state-run MENA news agency reported. Mubarak made the appeal during his meeting with the U.S. peaceenvoys William Burns and Anthony Zinni, Egyptian Foreign MinisterAhmed Maher said at a news conference held after the meeting."It is necessary to put an end to the Israeli aggressions on thePalestinians and their leadership in order to achieve calm in theregion and revive peace negotiations," Maher quoted Mubarak assaying. Mubarak also stressed that Egypt supports any "sincere" effortsto end the current circle of violence in the interests of a justpeace and a return to negotiations, Maher said. Burns and Zinni arrived at Cairo Saturday afternoon on a brief visitto Egypt, in which they had asked Mubarak to step up pressure onPalestinian leader Yasser Arafat to crack down on Islamicmilitants, sources said. Burns and Zinni, named by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powellas Mideast peace envoys last month, intended to broker a ceasefirebetween Israel and the Palestinians to end their almost 15 monthsof violence, which has so far killed more than 1,000 people, mostlyPalestinians. The Mideast situation has been further deteriorating as theIsraeli cabinet decided Wednesday night to cut off all contactswith Arafat and approved a series of military measures againstPalestinian targets in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. **** India Says All 5 Terrorists Pakistanis. There were only five terrorists involved in Thursday's attack on Parliament House and all of them were Pakistanis, highly placed sources said Saturday night. There were only five terrorists involved in Thursday's attack on Parliament House and all of them were Pakistan is, highly placed sources said Saturday night. They said that "vital clues" have been found in the probe into the terror strike and a breakthrough is expected soon. Some arrests are also likely to be made shortly, according to the Press Trust of India. **** Despite Historic Agra Summit, India-Pakistan Relations Remain in Dead. The year 2001 witnessed a historic summit between leaders of India and Pakistan, actually the first in more than two years. Nevertheless, hopes were dim forthe two subcontinental neighbors to put behind their longtime feudand forge a lasting peace in the foreseeable future. The year 2001 witnessed a historic summit between leaders of India and Pakistan, actually the first in more than two years. Nevertheless, hopes were dim forthe two subcontinental neighbors to put behind their longtime feudand forge a lasting peace in the foreseeable future. In view of the constant exchange of fire between the two armiesalong the border and the endless violence and bloodshed in Kashmir,some pessimists were even saying that India-Pakistan relations in the current stage were no better than in late 1999, when the two countries just finished a major military conflict in Kargil of Kashmir that brought them to the brink of a fourth war. It would be unfair to blame leaders of both countries for lacking the will to make peace, especially when you saw Prime Minister Vajpayee and President Musharraf continuously extended their talks till the last minute during their mid-July summit in north India's ancient city of Agra. But it would also be naive to believe that the old saying "where there is a will, there is a way" would work here. Despite three days of painstaking efforts, negotiators from both sides even failed to work out a planned statement with mutually acceptedexpressions and had to let their leaders bid farewell to Agra empty-handedly. Though not as successful as many had expected, the Agra summit yielded at least two positive results: resumption of a dialogue process which was abruptly halted in 1999 and a clear understanding of each other's position by both sides. It was more encouraging that in their post-summit statements, both governments promised to "pick up the thread" from Agra and further promote the normalization of bilateral ties. While Vajpayee already accepted Musharraf's invitation to visit Pakistanin due time, the two leaders also agreed to hold more talks in NewYork in September on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. However, the unexpected terrorist attack on the United States <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/usa.html> on September 11 and its aftermath changed the whole trend and triggered a rapid downslide in India-Pakistan relations. Disappointed at the U.S. turning to Pakistan for help in its war against terrorism in Afghanistan and worried about reinforcement of Pakistan's stand on Kashmir with possible U.S. support, India lost no time in urging Washington not to forget itssufferings from "Pakistan-backed cross-border terrorism", an Indian reference to the decade-long militancy in India-controlled Kashmir which Pakistan vehemently denied. In return, Pakistan had accused India of exercising "state terrorism" in Kashmir and also trying to take advantage of its domestic crisis. Tension mounted further in October: following a suicide attack by militants on the Jammu and Kashmir assembly building on October1 which claimed 36 lives, some Indian leaders and military officers started talking about the option of "hot pursuit" -- sending troops into Pakistan-controlled Kashmir to destroy "terrorist camps" there. Throughout the month, New Delhi and Islamabad had hardly stopped charging each other with "ominous troops buildup" along the Line of Control and the international border. For fears that a fire could break out anytime in the backyard of its anti-terrorism front, the U.S. had to send its Secretary of State Colin Powell on a whirlwind visit to South Asia. Though the general-turned top U.S. diplomat largely succeeded in persuading India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and preventfurther escalation of tension, he also had a bitter taste of the complexity of India-Pakistan entanglement: hours before his arrival in Pakistan on October 15, the Indian army shelled and destroyed 11 Pakistani posts in Kashmir; after saying "the Kashmirissue is central to India-Pakistan relations" in Islamabad, which seemed to be echoing the Pakistani position, the general flew in New Delhi to a low-key welcome without red carpet and had to explain to the local media the "true meaning" of his words. Diplomatic analysts here believe that what happened between India and Pakistan in the past couple of months has actually reflected a deep-rooted mistrust between them, which also obstructed them from achieving any concrete outcome in Agra. And they say the best and probably the only way to build up mutual confidence would be through continued dialogue and increased contacts. Concerned about the "particularly risky" situation in Kashmir, the U.S. Bush administration, which had initially chosen to be an outsider on problems between India and Pakistan, recently also displayed an ever-growing enthusiasm for bringing the two rivals back to negotiating table. It also claimed that it was working outplans to "help build a long-term Indo-Pak relationship". However, political observers here were doubtful about Washington's chance to succeed, citing Clinton's failure to persuade India and Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue through dialogue during his South Asia tour early last year and Bush's inability to make Vajpayee and Musharraf sit together for a meeting in New York during last month's UN session. Though the U.S. involvement could have positive impact on the development of India-Pakistan relations, said the observers, it was the leaders of both countries themselves who were really holding the key to breaking the current deadlock. Fortunately, there have been rising possibilities that Prime Minister Vajpayee and President Musharraf would have a meeting again during the upcoming South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit, scheduled for next month in Kathmandu. Quite a few people here hoped that this meeting could finally come true. Even though the two leaders could only have some informal talks, they said, it would revive the interaction betweenthe two sides and bring new hope for a new year. **** Jiang's Myanmar Visit Successful: Chinese FM. China's Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan said that President Jiang Zemin's four-day state visit to Myanmar is "successful." Tang noted that this visit is an important event in the history of China-Myanmar bilateral relations and is of significance for pushing forward the overall development of the bilateral good-neighborly friendship and cooperation in the new century. Jiang's Myanmar Visit Successful: Chinese FM China's Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan said that President Jiang Zemin 's four-day state visit to Myanmar is "successful." Tang briefed Chinese journalists on the results of President Jiang's Myanmar visit Saturday just before leaving Mandalay for home. Tang noted that this visit is an important event in the history of China-Myanmar bilateral relations and is of significance for pushing forward the overall development of the bilateral good-neighborly friendship and cooperation in the new century. It has helped enhance understandings, friendship and cooperation between the two countries, noted Tang. Jiang's Myanmar Visit Successful: Chinese FM It will also exert positive impact on the cooperation between China and members of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), as well as on the region's peace and development, added Tang. He went on to say that during the visit, President Jiang held talks with Than Shwe, chairman of the State Peace and Development Council of Myanmar, and met with other leaders of the country. They exchanged views on bilateral relations and issues of common concern and reached wide-ranging consensus. Jiang spoke highly of the development of bilateral relations, saying the China-Myanmar friendship is based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and was cultivated by leaders of older generations, Tang said at the briefing. Jiang Zemin stressed that the enhancement of long-term bilateral friendship and cooperation is not only in the fundamental interest of the two peoples, but also conducive to regional peace and stability, Tang continued. Jiang noted that China is ready to make concerted efforts to ensure that the two countries remain good neighbors and partners forever, said Tang. Myanmar leaders agreed with Jiang and said that Myanmar attaches importance to the development of its relations with Chinaand will further its overall cooperation with China, said Tang. They believe that bilateral "pawkphaw" (fraternal) friendship will be carried forward from generation to generation, the ChineseForeign Minister went on. He also said that Myanmar leaders reiterated that Myanmar will continue to follow a "one China" policy as it has always done. Tang cited that leaders of the two countries voiced their satisfaction with the positive progress of bilateral economic and trade cooperation in recent years, and believed that the bilateralcooperation between the two countries has a broad prospect. Both sides agreed to further expand their cooperation, especially in agriculture, human and natural resources development,and infrastructural constructions, stated Tang. Tang also talked about the cooperative documents signed betweenthe two sides, saying that the documents will play a positive rolein the development of bilateral relations and cooperation in the future. Leaders of the two countries spoke highly of the progress that has been made in each other's country, noted Tang. Jiang pointed out that every country is entitled to choosing its own development path suited to its own conditions and the Chinese government will, as always, support Myanmar's efforts to safeguard social stability and promote economic development, according to Tang. Jiang also praised Myanmar's achievements in protecting its Buddhist relics, noted Tang. Tang said that Myanmar leaders hope and believe that China willplay a more important role in safeguarding international and regional peace and development. On regional situations, Jiang stated that China and the ASEAN countries have maintained good relations, and China supports ASEAN's integration and will continue to strengthen relations with these countries, noted Tang. Tang said that Myanmar leaders stressed that Myanmar will spareno efforts to support the further development of relations betweenChina and the ASEAN. Leaders from both sides agreed that they will strengthen coordination and support in international and regional affairs, Tang noted. Jiang Zemin started his four-day official visit to Myanmar on Wednesday as guest of Than Shwe. _________________________________________________ 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] __________________________________________________
