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Musharraf for Further Deepening and Intensifying Pak-China Co-op. "I am looking forward to my visit to China as it would afford us an opportunity to review our bilateral relations with a view to further deepening and intensifying them," Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said in an interview with Chinese journalists in Islamabad on the eve of his visitto China beginning December 20. "I am looking forward to my visit to China as it would afford us an opportunity to review our bilateral relations with a view to further deepening and intensifying them," Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said in an interview with Chinese journalists in Islamabad on the eve of his visitto China beginning December 20. "Pakistan-China friendship is based on shared interests in regional stability, UN Charter and the five principles of PeacefulCo-existance. We consider our time-tested ties with China as cornerstone of our foreign policy and China as our most important and trusted friend," He said. "While we are resolved to further strengthen our multi-dimensional cooperation in the new century, Pakistan-China friendship is not directed against any third country. It is an important factor for peace and stability in south Asia and has assumed greater significance in the changing regional and international situation," Musharraf stressed. Musharraf said, "the trade and economic ties between our two countries are important part of our bilateral cooperation. However,we feel that considerable potential for enhancing further collaboration in these fields exists. We need to bring them at parwith our remarkably strong political and strategic cooperation." Musharraf said that Pakistan's policy is being further liberalized to open all sectors of the economy, agriculture, services infrastructure, and social services to foreign direct investment, as Chinese companies can benefit from these opportunities by investing in Pakistan. He said that he believed that his visit to China would help build upon the foundation of economic cooperation laid earlier this year by Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji's visit to Pakistan. **** China to Strike Hard Against Social, Economic Crimes Next Year. China's courts will continue its campaigns to "strike hard" against crimes and rectify market order next year, this will ensure a sound legal environment for China's economic development and social progress after the country's WTO entry, said Xiao Yang, president of China's Supreme People's Court at a national conference. Criminal Cases In the first ten months of this year, courts throughout China have tried 162,822 criminal cases involving severe threats to public order, and 12,915 cases that seriously damaged market order, sentencing 210,779 and 15,945 criminals respectively, Xiao said. Next Year's Task Noting that next year's "strike hard" campaign will focus on organized crimes, Xiao stressed the campaign must be joined with anti-corruption efforts, for some officials were in collusion with various criminal gangs. Xiao said the criminals' illegally gained wealth must be confiscated. Strike Hard Against Various Crimes Addressing the regulation of market order, the top judge pointed out that cases which involve the production of counterfeit goods, copyright infringement, smuggling, undermining financial order, tax evasion, and production accidents will be handled with an especially firm hand. China Vows to Crack Down on Fake Money Crimes Sources from the People's Bank of China, the country's central bank, said that government departments concerned will jointly launch a nationwide campaign against crimes related to forged bank note this year. Severely Punishing Tax-related Crimes According to Law: Commentary The exceptionally serious case of crimes committed by Huang Zhenchi and other offenders who falsely made out special VAT invoices is shocking for it involves a huge sum of money and is very bad in nature. The tax-related criminals have caused enormous losses to the State's tax revenue, greatly disturbed and disrupted the country's normal economic order and seriously harmed the interests of the country and the people, they were given severe legal punishment that served them right. Chinese Courts to "Strike Hard" on Crimes Endangering Public Order Chinese courts across the country will intensify efforts to punish criminals who endanger public security in strict accordance with the law, in order to make sure "obvious progress" is made in public order in the next two years, top judge Xiao Yang pledged. **** DPRK Delegation Visits S.Korea for Nuclear Reactor Program. A 20-member delegation from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) arrived here Sunday for a two-week tour of inspecting nuclear training facilities in South Korea, according to government officials Monday. A 20-member delegation from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK arrived here Sunday for a two-week tour of inspecting nuclear training facilities in South Korea, according to government officials Monday. The tour is part of a training agreement signed between the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) and the DPRK on October 20, 2000. The DPRK delegation is to inspect training facilities in North and South Kyongsang provinces in the country where DPRK nuclear experts and technicians will be trained in the coming two years for safe operation of the two light-water reactors under construction in the DPRK. It left here Monday afternoon for Ulchin, North Kyongsang Province, which holds South Korea's No. 3 and No. 4 reactors, the standard models for the two reactors the KEDO is building in the DPRK in accordance with the 1994 DPRK-U.S. Framework Agreement signed in Geneva. It will also visit the Kori nuclear power station in South Kyongsang province, where most of the technical training for DPRK technicians will be held, and Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction Co. in Changwon which is manufacturing parts for the DPRK's reactors. Under the training agreement, some 290 DPRK technicians will come to South Korea in separate groups over the next two years fortraining. Their courses will run from six to 40 weeks. All training costs will be paid by the KEDO, which was established in 1995 according to the framework agreement. In 1994, a U.S.-led international group signed an agreement with the DPRK, promising to construct two light-water reactors in the DPRK in return for Pyongyang's suspension of its nuclear development program. **** Iran Rejects Israeli Allegation on Nuke Development. Iran on Monday rejected Israel's allegation over its attempts to develop nuclear and other non- conventional weapons, the official IRNA news agency reported. Iran on Monday rejected Israel 's allegation over its attempts to develop nuclear and other non- conventional weapons, the official IRNA news agency reported. An informed source at the Iranian Foreign Ministry was quoted as saying that "the oft-repeated and totally false allegation by Zionist circles to this effect is made while the Zionist regime is blatantly continuing to develop deadly weapons without heeding international laws." Ephraim Halevy, chief of Israel's intelligence agency Mossad, said at a recent public conference in Tel Aviv that Iran was attempting to develop nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, and expanding its long-range missile program. The Iranian source denied the Israeli allegation, saying that it is Israel itself which has continued "to develop and use non- conventional chemical and biological weapons and ground missiles against non-military targets." Despite serious concerns of regional countries over Israel's nuclear threat, Israel has refused to be supervised by international organizations, mainly the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the source said, stressing that Israel's nuclear threat is the main cause of instability and insecurity in the Middle East. The United States has also accused Iran of seeking to acquire weapons of mass destruction. But Iran has repeatedly said that its nuclear plants in the southern port of Bushehr are for civilian purposes and has opened facilities to regular checkings of IAEA experts. **** Anthrax Spores Apparently Produced in the U.S. Anthrax spores that contaminated U.S. mail in October were apparently produced in the United States, the White House said Monday. Anthrax spores that contaminated U.S. mail in October were apparently produced in the United States, the White House said Monday. Press secretary Ari Fleischer said the evidence is not conclusive but it is increasingly ''looking like it was a domestic source.'' He said officials still did not know who delivered the anthrax. Later, President Bush said the government is mystified by the case. ''We're still looking on that. We've all got different feelings about it. We're gathering as much information. As soon as we make definitive conclusions we'll share it with the American people,'' he said. Army officials are doubtful that potentially deadly anthrax in letters mailed to Congress originated at a military medical research center, even though spores in both places were a genetic match. The U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease obtained its supply from the Agriculture Department and shared it with five labs in the United States, Canada and Britain, spokesman Chuck Dasey said Sunday. He was reacting to a report in The Washington Post that the genetic makeup of the anthrax used in the letters mailed to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., and Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., matched the anthrax in the Army's stockpile. On Capitol Hill, meanwhile, technicians worked Monday to pump chlorine dioxide gas into portions of the ventilation system of the Hart Senate Office Building to kill anthrax spores still lingering there. The Environmental Protection Agency workers also were using the liquid form of chlorine dioxide in Daschle's office, which had been fumigated with the gas earlier. The Hart building has remained closed since Oct. 17, two days after an anthrax-filled letter was received in Daschle's office. The EPA reported Friday that traces of anthrax remained after its initial fumigation efforts. _________________________________________________ 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] __________________________________________________
