‘Pak may use surrogate Taliban to use nukes against India’

April 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Pakistan may slip over nuclear weapons to the Taliban for use against India in the event of escalated tension or war between the two neighbours, a non-proliferation US commission has said.

“If something broke out in Kashmir that reignited the vitriol between India and Pakistan, that could be an incident that could cause someone to make the decision.

“We don’t want to use these weapons, but we’re going to let our surrogate Taliban have access to these weapons and they’ll do our dirty work,” Bob Graham, head of US Commission on the Prevention of WMD proliferation and terrorism told US lawmakers at a Congressional hearing.

Graham was responding to questions from anxious lawmakers who expressed concern over the safety and security of nuclear weapons in Pakistan at a hearing convened by the House Homeland Security Committee.

“I think one of our recommendations was to work with India and Pakistan to develop some fail-safe procedures. Unlike, the US and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, where although we were strong adversaries and had the capability of destroying each other.

“We understood that we didn’t want to allow a misstep or an accidental event to become the ignition for such a war.

So we set up the red phone in the Oval Office and a whole protocol,” Graham said referring to the report of the commission released early this year.

“None of that exists between India and Pakistan. I have felt that this may be an area in which the US and Russia together, since we developed these protocols for our own benefit and the world’s benefit, might work together with India and Pakistan to try to get them to develop,” he said.

“I was encouraged that within the last month India and China have started to develop some of those fail-safe procedures. But there’s almost nothing that has been done in a similar vein between the real adversaries, which are India and Pakistan,” Graham said.

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U.S. Iraq command: no current plans to reopen attack probe

April 9, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – The U.S. military’s Central Command said on Wednesday it has no current plans to reopen an investigation into a 2007 helicopter attack that killed a dozen people in Baghdad, including two Reuters news staff, amid rights groups’ appeals after graphic video footage was leaked.

U.S. | World

Some international law and human rights experts who have watched the video of the incident say the Apache helicopter crew in the footage may have acted illegally.

Lawyers at Central Command have been reviewing the classified video, made public on Monday by a group that promotes leaking to fight government and corporate corruption, two U.S. military officials said on condition of anonymity.

“We’re looking at a reinvestigation because of a question of the rules of engagement. Were all the actions that are depicted on that video in parallel with the rules of engagement in effect at the time?” one of the officials said.

But Rear Admiral Hal Pittman, director of communications at Central Command, which oversees the war in Iraq, said in a statement to Reuters: “Central Command has no current plans to reinvestigate or review this combat action.”

Other officials said Central Command was seeking to play down its role in determining whether to reopen the case because the unit involved was no longer based in Iraq, shifting the onus to Army and Pentagon leaders to make the decision.

Detailed rules of engagement are generally kept classified to avoid tipping off adversaries about U.S. tactics on the battlefield, Pentagon officials said.

The stark helicopter gunsight video of the July 12, 2007, attack has been widely viewed around the world on the Internet since its release by the group WikiLeaks. The video includes an audio track of the conversation between the helicopter crew and many who have seen it have been shocked at the images and at some of the fliers’ comments.

The two Reuters staff killed in the attack were photographer Namir Noor-Eldeen, 22, and his assistant and driver Saeed Chmagh, 40.

David Schlesinger, Reuters’ editor-in-chief, said: “I would welcome a thorough new investigation. Reuters from the start has called for transparency and an objective inquiry so that all can learn lessons from this tragedy.”

The U.S. military has said an investigation of the incident shortly after it occurred found that U.S. forces were not aware of the presence of the news staffers and thought they were engaging armed insurgents, mistaking a camera for a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.

WikiLeaks said it obtained the video from military whistleblowers and posted it at www.collateralmurder.com.

The video shows an aerial view of a group of men moving about a square in a Baghdad neighborhood. The fliers identified some of the men as armed. The gunsight tracks two of the men, identified by WikiLeaks as the Reuters news staff, as the fliers identify their cameras as weapons.

SHOOTING ON A VAN

Human rights lawyers and other experts who have viewed the footage say they are concerned about how the helicopter fliers operated, particularly in opening fire on a van that arrived on the scene after the initial attack and whose occupants began trying to help the wounded.

Chris Cobb-Smith, a former British army officer who has conducted war zone investigations, said knowing what rules of engagement the pilots were operating under was critical to understanding whether they had acted appropriately.

But he said firing on those who came to help the wounded appeared to be a breach of the laws governing military conduct in war. “That is the element that is blatant. That is against all humanitarian law and the rules of conflict — most definitely and without a doubt,” he told Reuters.

Bibi van Ginkel, an international lawyer and senior fellow at the Clingendael Netherlands Institute of International Relations, said the video was only a fragment of evidence and more investigation was required. But she added:

“My first guess would be that a war crime was committed. Very simply speaking, if people are helping the wounded, they are non-combatants. If force is used against them, then that is a war crime,” she said.

Other lawyers and human rights experts pointed out that it would be very difficult to build a case on the video alone.

Anthony Dworkin, the director of the Crimes of War Project, which studies humanitarian law in conflict, said it did not appear that the pilots had intentionally targeted civilians.

“I would be surprised to see, on the basis of this, any sort of military prosecution,” he said. “I think, if anything, it’s more likely to raise issues about the rules of engagement and how clear they are.”

Amnesty International called on Wednesday for an independent, thorough and impartial investigation into the incident shown in the video.

(Additional reporting by Luke Baker in Brussels, Alastair Macdonald in Jerusalem; Editing by Frances Kerry)

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Obama and Medvedev sign disarmament treaty

April 9, 2010 By Leave a Comment

In a scene that would have been unimaginable at the height of the Cold War, the leaders of the United States and Russia have signed an agreement to reduce their nuclear arsenals.

Surrounded by the golden opulence of Prague’s hill-top castle, US president Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev shared a laugh as they signed the bound documents, considered the biggest advancement in nuclear disarmament in decades.

It is being described as a historic, not just for the relationship between the former enemies but for the security of the world.

The agreement will cut strategic nuclear arsenals deployed by the former Cold War foes by 30 per cent within seven years but leave each with enough to destroy the other.

“This is a whole range of issues that I think that we can make significant progress on. I am confident that this is an important first step in that direction,” Mr Obama said.

Mr Medvedev was full of similar praise.

“This is a win-win situation. No one stands to lose from this agreement. I believe that this is typical future of our cooperation,” he said.

The former adversaries will reduce their arsenals to 1,550 deployed warheads over the next seven years.

And in another sign of growing cooperation they agreed that Iran may face tougher sanctions over its nuclear ambitions.

“Regrettably Iran is not responding to many constructive proposals that have been made and we cannot turn a blind eye to this,” Mr Medvedev said.

The new agreement has to be ratified by both the Russian parliament and the US Senate, and Mr Obama will need a handful of Republicans onside to get the two-thirds vote required.

William Cohen served as defence secretary in the Clinton administration and is concerned about the agreement.

“Politics has no place here. There is a legitimate question to be raised about the merits,” he said.

“Are we safer with this? Does this make us more vulnerable?”

But there are still hurdles ahead.

There is also the issue of America’s plans to build a missile defence shield in Europe. Russia has reiterated its opposition and that could be an obstacle to any further disarmament talks.

Moving forward is what Mr Obama hopes world leaders will do next week when they meet in Washington to discuss ways to secure nuclear weapons from terrorists.

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Obama’s healthcare win could boost foreign policy

March 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

President Barack Obama’s domestic success on healthcare reform may pay dividends abroad as the strengthened U.S. leader taps his momentum to take on international issues with allies and adversaries.

More than a dozen foreign leaders have congratulated Obama on the new healthcare law in letters and phone calls, a sign of how much attention the fight for his top domestic policy priority received in capitals around the world.

Analysts and administration officials were cautious about the bump Obama could get from such a win: Iran is not going to rethink its nuclear program and North Korea is not going to return to the negotiating table simply because more Americans will get health insurance in the coming years, they said.

But the perception of increased clout, after a rocky first year that produced few major domestic or foreign policy victories, could generate momentum for Obama’s agenda at home and in his talks on a host of issues abroad.

“It helps him domestically and I also think it helps him internationally that he was able to win and get through a major piece of legislation,” said Stephen Hadley, former national security adviser to Republican President George W. Bush.

“It shows political strength, and that counts when dealing with foreign leaders.”

Obama’s deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said the Democratic president’s persistence in the long healthcare battle added credibility to his rhetoric on climate change, nuclear nonproliferation and other foreign policy goals.

“It sends a very important message about President Obama as a leader,” Rhodes told Reuters during an interview in his West Wing office.

“The criticism has been: (He) sets big goals but doesn’t close the deal. So, there’s no more affirmative answer to that criticism than closing the biggest deal you have going.”

Foreign policy dividends have been minimal in the short amount of time since he signed the healthcare bill into law on Tuesday.

Exhibit A: a one-on-one meeting this week between Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, a country that closely tracks U.S. domestic policy, yielded little sign of a breakthrough in a dispute over Jewish housing construction on occupied land in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem.

A FOREIGN POLICY SUCCESS, TOO

Still, some specific foreign policy successes are looming.

U.S. and Russian officials say Washington and Moscow are close to announcing an agreement on a nuclear arms reduction treaty, which would require a two-thirds majority in the U.S. Senate for ratification.

Some analysts said Russia was watching Obama’s domestic successes and failures throughout the process.

“I think there were some in the Kremlin saying, ‘how strong is he? If he can’t get some of these things through, does that give us more leverage to push him on arms control?’” said Steven Pifer, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and now a senior fellow at the Washington-based Brookings Institution.

Administration officials played down a connection between healthcare and talks with Russia on the START nuclear arms treaty, though Rhodes said the processes that led to success on both issues were similar.

“Like healthcare, the START treaty has been a negotiation where at times we seemed very close to getting a deal done and then there were huge roadblocks,” Rhodes said, crediting Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for sticking it out.

“So, it was a similar narrative of persistence, of refusing to throw in the towel at times when he could have.”

Foreign leaders have noted the persistence.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown were among the leaders who congratulated Obama, and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said the healthcare win would have a positive impact abroad, according to White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.

Analysts said the bill’s passage showed Obama could deliver votes for domestic legislation with foreign policy components, such as rules to fight climate change, currently stalled in the Senate, which European leaders are eager to see advance.

James Lindsay, senior vice president at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, who was sceptical that Obama’s healthcare win would have a huge foreign policy benefit, said the law did free up the president to focus less on purely domestic issues.

“If the president had lost on healthcare, it would have further sapped his popularity as president, requiring him to spend even more time on domestic affairs and left him with less time to devote to foreign policy,” he said.

“That’s not the same as saying that because the healthcare bill has passed that the Iranians are going to be more pliable in their nuclear program, that the Israelis are going to rethink their settlement policy or the Chinese are going to become more agreeable on currency issues.”

(Editing by Xavier Briand)

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Chidambaram says cross border terrorism is a matter of deep concern

September 15, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sep 14 (ANI): Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Monday said that cross border terrorism is a matter of deep concern. They find supports among disgruntled elements within India.

Addressing the inaugural session of a two-day conference on internal security threats, Chidambaram said: “Cross border terrorism is a matter of deep concern. Terrorist groups including LeT and JeM persist in their endeavour to launch terror attacks. They continue to innovate new ways and means of deniability. They find supports among disgruntled elements within India. Cells and modules within India lend an Indian character to these activities. Through community policing and other innovative measures, we must detect and deny any opportunity to our adversaries.”

Lauding the work of the police forces, in maintaining the security of the country, he asserted a firm stance on issues like terrorism and left wing extremism.

“Let me state our position clearly. On terrorism, our stance is zero tolerance. We shall raise our level of preparedness to fight any terror threat attack and, in the case of threat or attack, our response will be swift and decisive,” the Home Minister said.

He said the security agencies have neutralised 13 terror modules in the first six months of this year.

Describing 26/11 attacks as a game-changer, he said “We meet under circumstances that pose formidable challenges to the security of the nation. We can no longer afford to business as usual,” he added.

Talking about the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, he said that there are attempts being made from across the border to unite separatists and disrupt the situation in the state.

“Terror elements take advantage of our systemic constraints and an effective way to combat it is institutionalised mechanism, intelligence coordination and technological advancement,” he added.

He also chalked out the priority areas in the next five years- a modern police act, mega city policing, and prison reforms.(ANI)

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US taxpayer money may be funding Taliban

September 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New York, Sep. 4 (ANI): American taxpayers’ money which is meant for building roads, bridges and schools in Afghanistan, may be getting salted away into protection payments to the Taliban.

According to CBS News, US funded contractors have been spending a hefty chunk of development aid to the Taliban – for years.

“That translates into money that the Taliban are using to attack and kill American military personnel, and that’s just simply outrageous,” said Rep. Bill Delahunt.

The report quoted several contractors who said 20 percent of their budgets – or more – go to pay off the Taliban so it won’t bomb their projects, or their people.

It’s a protection racket far more sophisticated than the typical mob-style shakedown.

“The Taliban literally has an office in Kabul where it works out what percentage will be charged on these contracts. This is so open,” said Charles Sennott, the executive editor of the GlobalPost.

The US State Department has spent more than 4 billion dollars on development contracts in Afghanistan since 2002.

Contractors have good reason to fear the Taliban. As of last September, 291 State Department-funded contractors, most of them foreigners, had been killed by Afghan insurgents.

The US State Department has launched an investigation into the alleged protection payments.

“In Afghanistan, any diversion of funds for any reason makes it that much more difficult for us to achieve our objectives,” said P.J. Crowley, an assistant secretary of state for public affairs.

Especially because the public support for the war in America, which has fallen lately, could sink ever further if taxpayers fear their money is going to fund our adversaries. (ANI)

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Don’t fool people by claiming “premature”success in Swat operation : former PAF official

July 1, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Islamabad, July 1 (ANI): While the Pakistan government has been claiming that the Swat military offensive has been successful and nearing its end, a former Pakistan Air Force (PAF) top official, Air Marshal (retired) Masood Akhter has raised questions over the claims by saying that people shouldn’t be fooled through such statements.

During a discussion on ‘Post-Swat Operation Outlook’ here, Akhter said people should not hope that the war against terrorism and the extremist threat would end within a few weeks.

“We shouldn’t befool people by saying war against militancy will end within a few weeks. The army is rendering sacrifices there and we must support it but it’ll take some time to completely defeat these elements,” The Daily Times quoted Akhter, as saying.

Akhter said the military offensive in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) would continue until militants are rooted out from region, and added that it was in Pakistan’s interest to quell extremism.

“It’s our war because it threatens our vital national interest and our moderate way of life, and the non-state actors are also threatening all of us,” he added.

Akhter highlighted that the government’s work should not be limited to flushing out of the militants, but it should also cover the post-war scenario.

“The government should socially and ideologically isolate adversaries, sever links between local terrorists and international jihadis, and wean people away from religious extremism,” he said. (ANI)

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US launches all out cyber war against hackers

May 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, May 30 (ANI): Computer hacking is becoming a growing threat and the US Department of Homeland Security sees it as a future battleground.

To counter this new menace, the department has instructed the Air Force Office of Special Investigations to launch a cyber war against hackers seeking to disrupt and destroy vital U.S. military networks, reports CBS.

“What we want to do is protect the way we do business, protect the Air Force, and protect our country from this kind of harm,” Brigadier General Dana Simmons said.

At the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, agents identify and attempt to neutralize criminal, terrorist and espionage computer threats of every kind. They have 11 field offices around the world.

Using brains and bytes, agents like Paul Alvarez play a high-tech game of cat and mouse – running traces, tracking IP address, assessing damage, plugging security holes in the network by erasing viruses and fixing programs and searching for the source of nameless, faceless intruders. There are thousands of attempts every day.

“We basically peel the onion layers back to find out where the core attack came from,” Alvarez said.

“We call them hot points. We’ll chase them from computer to computer to end point to find out who really did it. The only constant in the attacks: they come around the clock, and from around the globe. Now you’re seeing a wide variety-from major criminal enterprises to foreign adversaries,” Alvarez said.

At risk: missile defense systems, communications networks – everything that makes the military work.

The Department of Defense says it has spent more than 100 million dollars in just the last six months repairing the damage done by cyber attacks. (ANI)

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IAF AWACS to arrive in India on May 25

May 22, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, May 22 (ANI): The first Indian Air Force AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) will arrive in India on May 25.

The AWACS are set to alter the dimension of the see-through capability of the IAF beyond conventional visions of ground-based and tethered electromagnetic sensors.

On its maiden flight from Israel to India, the AWACS will land first at Jamnagar, Gujarat and arrive at Palam Airport,New Delhi on May 26.

The AWACS is an airborne mission support system fitted on an IL-76 aircraft with improved engines. With radar that can help detect even a cruise missile or an aircraft at ranges far more than the ranges detected through the present ground-based radars, the AWACS radar, most sophisticated to date, can collate surface information about troop movements and missile launches even while listening to highly confidential communications between enemy frontline units.

Air combats the world over are now envisaged in an ever-increasing electronic surveillance environment where pilots have little liberties for individual manouevring without endangering their own lives or safety of their aircraft.

The IAF AWACS will help pilots find hitherto unconceivable space and room for tactical manouevres in the air under controlled directions that will give them an edge over their adversaries at all times.

AWACS, a potent force-multiplier, will significantly enhance the effectiveness of both – offensive and defensive operations.

The intensity and pace of modern air battle need AWACS for a successful air defence umbrella to be maintained. The swift mobility that the AWACS platform provides will help neutralize any threat as it can be moved anywhere at a very short notice. (ANI)

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Computer spies have broken into the Pentagon’s 300 billion dollar project

April 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, Apr.21 (ANI): Computer spies have broken into the Pentagon’s 300 billion dollar Joint Strike Fighter project – the Defense Department’s costliest weapons program ever – according to current and former government officials familiar with the attacks.

According to Fox News, the latest intrusions provide new evidence that a battle is heating up between the U.S. and potential adversaries over the data networks that tie the world together.

The revelations follow a recent Wall Street Journal report that computers used to control the U.S. electrical-distribution system, as well as other infrastructure, have also been infiltrated by spies abroad.

Attacks like these – or U.S. awareness of them – appear to have escalated in the past six months, said one former official briefed on the matter.

Former U.S. officials say the attacks appear to have originated in China. However it can be extremely difficult to determine the true origin because it is easy to mask identities online. (ANI)

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Chinese Premier hopes Iran will resolve nuclear standoff soon

April 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Sanya (China), Apr. 18 (ANI): Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao hopes that Iran will resume talks with world powers soon to resolve the standoff over the nuclear issue.

During his meeting with Iran’s Vice-President Parviz Davoudi, Wen said the Muslim country should take up the nuclear issue to the 2009 Boao Forum for Asia.

The meeting came two days after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad urged for warmer ties with Washington and announced that Teheran will offer a new package for negotiations, the China Daily reports.

US President Barack Obama’s government has sought direct dialogue with Iran – in sharp contrast to the Bush administration’s tough talk.

China, the US, Russia, Britain, France and Germany decided earlier this month to invite Iran back to the negotiation table.

Experts feel the moves indicate that two long-time adversaries are seeking to ease a nearly three-decade-old diplomatic standoff.

“The Chinese government hopes the relevant sides involved (in the Iranian nuclear issue) grasp the current favorable opportunity, show positive gestures and resume negotiations as soon as possible,” reads the news release on the talks, issued by the Foreign Ministry.

To that effect, China would like to continue its constructive role, Wen said.

Davoudi said Teheran wanted to settle the nuclear issue on the basis of mutual respect and improve its relations with “relevant countries”.

China respects Iran’s possession of nuclear power for peaceful use, Wen said, adding Beijing also “firmly protects” global nuclear non-proliferation efforts. (ANI)

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‘Will seek votes on basis of UPA govt performance’

April 2, 2009 By Leave a Comment

After piquing his adversaries within the party for the nomination from the South Central Mumbai constituency, Congress MP from North Central Mumbai Eknath Gaikwad is now gearing up for a contest against Mahim MLA Suresh Gambhir of the Shiv Sena.

Gaikwad, 69, had won a surprise victory in 2004 against Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi of the Shiv Sena.

The former three-term MLA from Dharavi is planning to contest for his second innings in a constituency that has seen its name and boundaries being changed in the delimitation. The following are excerpts from an interview:

What will be your poll plank? My main plank will be the performance of the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre in the last five years and the manifesto of the Congress Party. My work as an MP, public contacts, relations with people and my work aimed at redressal of public grievances will also be important.

Mumbai East MP Gurudas Kamat was also in the race for your constituency. Do you see any threat from your rivals within the party? I do not feel that such an atmosphere exists. I have been moving around in Chembur and Anushakti Nagar (earlier part of Kamat’s constituency) for the past two days and meeting MLAs and corporators. I cannot sense any discrimination. Gurudas (Kamat) also belongs to the Congress. In a democracy, all feel that they must get a nomination and nothing will happen once my nomination has been declared by Sonia Gandhi and the high command. I am also organising a conclave of workers at Sion where Gurudas will also be present.

Sena candidate Gambhir has pockets of support even among minority voters, apart from the significant number of Maharashtrians. Do you see a strong threat from the Shiv Sena? This will not be of any trouble. Gambhir was elected an MLA with a margin of just over 2,000 votes, and the Congress candidate came number two. Of the seven MLAs in the constituency, five belong to the Congress and two to the Sena. This election is for power at the Centre and is being fought on the policies of the party. My contacts with people will also help. If the constituency was so easy for the Sena, Manohar Joshi would have contested here. However, I am not underestimating Suresh Gambhir.

Your constituency of North Central Mumbai was seen to be jinxed for people who were trying to get re-elected. Barring Sharad Dighe of the Shiv Sena who was elected in 1984 and 1991, the constituency has a record of seeing sitting MPs biting the dust. I have been elected since 1985 from Dharavi. Before I was elected, it was said no one could be elected twice from the constituency. I have won thrice and my daughter (Varsha Gaikwad) has been elected once. We are people who make history.

There is resentment in your stronghold of Dharavi over the arbitrary method in which the Dharavi redevelopment has been initiated. Do you expect a backlash? There is no reason for the people to be cross. Some (Sena) tried to mislead them by asking for 400-sq ft houses, but Dharavi is a difficult slum and giving 400-sq ft houses is not possible owing to the density of population. People have realised the double standards (of the Sena). They (Sena) are also not seeking 400-sq ft houses in the SRA projects that are underway as the work has been undertaken by their builders. We have promised 300-sq ft carpet area houses. If we wanted to cheat them, we could have promised 400 to 450-sq ft super carpet area houses, but we told the truth. I will also get votes from areas like Dadar and Prabhadevi as I have taken up problems of the old buildings. I expect more votes than last time from these areas as earlier Manohar Joshi was in the fray and they had no option. Now they have an option.

What will be the impact of the MNS? The MNS will eat into the Sena votes. I will not be surprised to get a lead in the Dadar Mahim constituency owing to it.

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NEWS FEATURE: Finance crisis forces Dutch return to “old” politics

March 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Amsterdam – Eight years after so-called “polder model” politics was officially carried to its grave in the Netherlands, the economic crisis has revived the typically Dutch socio-political tradition of compromise and pragmatism.

Wednesday the labour unions and employee organisations deliberated on the government’s proposal for measures to fight the economic crisis.

The outlines were already revealed to the public – 6 billion euros (8.104 billion dollars) of investments in the next six years, followed in 2011 by cutbacks of 5 billion euros.

However, the proposal’s details have not yet been presented in parliament – let alone voted on by the legislators.

By contrast, the major labour unions and employee organisations, also known as the “social partners” in Dutch political jargon, had seen the government’s proposals the previous night.

And even more, both powerful interest groups in Dutch society had joined government talks late Tuesday night to debate the proposed measures.

Labour union FNV left the talks early Wednesday claiming it had successfully postponed government plans to raise the legal retirement age from 65 to 67. In exchange, FNV and other unions had agreed to freeze the salaries for the time being.

Pre-negotiating a deal with all parties that have a vested interest in the agreement before its formal presentation is also known in the Netherlands as the “polder model.”

The polder model – “polder” is Dutch for artificially drained land – represents typically Dutch political pragmatism.

Rather than wait for possible opponents to its proposal, the government invites those potential adversaries to the negotiating table.

A give-and-take then follows, with the government compromising on certain issues in exchange for these socio-economic interest groups’ support to its general proposals.

The “polder model” boasts a long tradition. But its biggest moment came on November 24, 1982 when the Dutch government and “social partners” secretly convened at a private home in the upscale village of Wassenaar near The Hague.

There, they concluded a deal providing for the freezing of salaries in exchange for reduced work hours.

The “Wassenaar Agreement,” as it was later known, marked a turnaround in the ongoing recession of the 1980s.

In the 1990s, the Liberal-Labour led coalition thrived on the “polder model,” involving unions and employee organisations on a continuous basis whenever dealing with relevant legislation.

The traditional gap between the government, the unions, the employee organisations appeared to have disappeared in the Netherlands.

Everything could be pre-negotiated. Protest rallies or strikes were no longer necessary as a means for a group to achieve its goals.

It was the late politician Pim Fortuyn who ended the “polder model” tradition. Fortuyn, assassinated in May 2002 days before he was slated to win a major victory in the Dutch parliamentary elections and instantly become prime minister, called for political transparency.

The “polder model” was just euphemism for “cooking a deal out of the public eye,” he charged. Debates ought to be conducted in parliament, so legislators and the public could see what was happening.

Fortuyn’s ideas have strongly influenced Dutch politics from right to left ever since.

In the past eight years, pre-negotiating agreements out of the public eye has been out-of-fashion regardless one’s political colour.

This changed overnight in recent weeks, when government officials convened daily to negotiate an economic support plan.

As talks progressed, representatives of the various labour unions and employee organisations were repeatedly invited to the prime minister’s office.

Government officials from the three coalition parties increasingly stressed the importance of “social coherence in times of crisis” and the “prevention of social unrest.”

It is crucial, they said, to fight the crisis together, rather than fight each other, or otherwise the economic measures could not be implemented properly.

After the coalition had reached an agreement on principles on Tuesday, the “social partners” – labour unions and employee organisations – formally joined the talks to discuss the contents of the proposed measures.

The plans’ official presentation to the parliament was due to take place later on Wednesday. None of the political parties was particularly bothered about being the last to be fully updated.

The one exception, not surprisingly, was Freedom Party PVV leader Geert Wilders, Fortuyn’s unofficial successor. (dpa)

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Samajwadi Party lashes out at Congress for political witch-hunt

February 10, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Feb 10 (ANI): The Samajwadi Party has said the Congress is using the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to settle scores with it.

“I am very ashamed to have given support to Congress who can go to this extent to fix their adversaries. Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel was attacked when the talks of seat sharing were going. When we are having talks of seat sharing with them, they have asked for CBI inquiry on us. We are not afraid of CBI,” Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh told reporters here on Monday.

The issue relates to a disproportionate assets case against former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav

In January, the Supreme Court hailed up the CBI for changing its stand on the disproportionate assets case against Yadav.

The CBI’s plea to withdraw the application was opposed by advocate Vishwanath Chaturvedi, who petitioned the apex court on March 1, 2007 to direct the agency to conduct a preliminary enquiry.

The apex court ordered a CBI enquiry on the alleged accumulation of disproportionate assets by Yadav, his sons — Akhilesh, Prateek — and daughter-in-law Dimple.

Political temperatures are rising in the country, though the Election Commission is still discussing the final election dates. (ANI)

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