Clinton offers aid, seeks stronger Pakistan ties

July 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

ISLAMABAD, July 19 (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced more than $500 million in new aid projects for Pakistan on Monday, which Washington hopes will help win over a sceptical public in an ally vital to winning the war in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Clinton was in Islamabad for two days as part of the U.S.-Pakistan strategic dialogue, a series of talks aimed at strengthening the relationship between the wary allies in the struggle against al Qaeda and the Taliban.

“The United States does not only want a dialogue between governments, we also want a dialogue between peoples,” she said ahead of the second “strategic dialogue” meeting between the countries in Islamabad on Tuesday.

Clinton will later fly on to Kabul for an international conference as the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan runs into mounting doubt in the U.S. Congress. [ID:nKABCON]

She announced a string of new projects — including dams, power generation, agricultural development and hospital construction — funded under U.S. legislation passed last year that tripled civilian aid to Pakistan to $7.5 billion over the next five years.

<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ For more Pakistan stories click [ID:nAFPAK]

For Reuters Afghanistan and Pakistan coverage:

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The projects, the first to be launched under a new aid plan, are seen as crucial to shoring up support for the U.S.-led struggle against militant extremists in a country where opinion polls show under one in five view the United States favourably.

“These aren’t one-time expenditures; they are long-term investments in Pakistan’s future,” she said.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi echoed Clinton’s optimism.

“This is a transformational phase in our bilateral relations,” he said.

Pakistan also wants enhanced market access, strengthening of its resources to take up the anti-terror fight and “non-discriminatory access” to energy and other technology.

The latter two requests are long-standing Pakistani desires for more military equipment and a civilian nuclear deal such as the one between India and the United States.

Clinton’s two-day visit includes talks with top military and civilian leaders.

The Pakistan and Afghan commerce ministers signed a trade deal during her visit that the United States also hopes will help boost cooperation between the countries. [ID:nN18171993]

HISTORY OF MISTRUST

The Obama administration sees nuclear-armed Pakistan as a pivotal player in the struggle against militant Islamist groups in both countries. But the two sides are divided by a history of mistrust and sometimes diverging goals over a war that is increasingly unpopular.

Opinion polls have shown many Pakistanis doubtful about long-term U.S. intentions, citing examples of abandonment, particularly after the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan.

U.S. officials, meanwhile, are wary of the role Pakistan is playing in Afghanistan and believe it needs to do more to fight its own homegrown Taliban militants, which Washington blames for the attempted bombing in New York’s Times Square on May 1.

Richard Holbrooke, the Obama administration’s special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, said there was a “dramatic acceleration” in cooperation between Washington and Islamabad, but conceded Pakistani public opinion was lagging. (Editing by Chris Allbritton)

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U.S. seeks details on China-Pakistan nuclear deal

June 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – The United States was seeking clarification from China on its deal earlier this year to build two new civilian nuclear reactors for Pakistan, the State Department said on Tuesday.

Politics

“We have asked China to clarify the details of its sale of additional nuclear reactors to Pakistan. This appears to extend beyond cooperation that was grandfathered when China was approved for membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group,” State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters.

“We believe that such cooperation would require a specific exemption approved by consensus of the Nuclear Suppliers Group,” Crowley said.

The United States was expected to oppose the China-Pakistan deal next week at a meeting of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

The 46-nation group controls trade in “dual-use” nuclear fuel, materials and technology to ensure they are applied only to civilian nuclear energy programs and not diverted into clandestine nuclear weapons work.

The Washington Post reported that China has suggested that the sale is grandfathered from before it joined the NSG in 2004, because it was completing work on two earlier reactors for Pakistan at the time.

(Reporting by JoAnne Allen; Editing by Paul Simao)

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No consensus in CPI(M) Polit Bureau on political review draft

June 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Jun 6 (PTI) The CPI(M) Polit Bureau today appeared to have failed to reach a consensus on a draft of their review on political decisions taken after 2007 Party Congress and decided to meet again next month to finalise it. The two-day meeting of the top party leaders, which ended here today, discussed the outline of the draft resolution which will be presented at the extended meeting of the Central Committee in Vijayawada scheduled in August.

“No, no. We have not reached on a consensus.

That is why there is one more meeting. There are differences on the implementation of political line adopted in the last Party Congress,” a senior CPI(M) leader said when asked about the deliberations in the two-day meeting.

The Polit Bureau will meet again on July three and four to finalise the draft which will be presented before the Central Committee which will discuss it for three days from July 21. The extended Central Committee meeting is being held as CPI(M) decided to postpone the Party Congress, which was to be held this year, due to upcoming assembly polls in West Bengal.

Sources said there were intense discussions on the decisions taken by the party leadership with regard to aligning with non-BJP, non-Congress parties like Samajwadi Party, BSP and others during the past three years. There were also discussions on the strategy adopted during cut motions and its fall out, they said.

However, the leaders were unanimous in backing the decision to withdraw support to UPA government on Indo-US nuclear deal in 2008. “There were no opposition to the decision to withdraw support to UPA either in Polit Bureau or Central Committee.

But there were discussions on other issues on which decisions were taken after the Party Congress. That was reviewed.

We discussed these problems,” senior Polit Bureau member M K Pandhe told reporters here. Another Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury said there was one round of discussions on the document to be presented in Vijayawada.

“The Polit Bureau discussed the outline of a draft document for the extended meeting of the Central Committee to be held in August. The PB will meet next month to finalise the draft to be presented to the Central Committee,” he said.

On the Bengal civic polls, party leaders said a preliminary report was presented in the meeting. “The West Bengal state committee will conduct a review of the election on the basis of which necessary political and organisational steps can be taken to win back the confidence of those sections of the people which have moved away from the party,” Yechury said.

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Trinamool to stay with UPA govt for full tenure: Mamata

June 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Making it clear that Trinamool Congress would remain a “trusted” ally of UPA government for its full tenure, party chief Mamata Banerjee has kept her cards close to her chest on an alliance with Congress for the West Bengal Assembly polls, saying that “nothing is closed”.

“I will speak on what is happening today. I will not speak about the future. We have gone to the people when all others had left us and they (people) have supported us. When opportunity comes in the future, we will speak. Nothing is closed,” Banerjee said in an interview after her party’s triumph in civic polls which it fought without a tie-up with the Congress.

“When the UPA-II government was formed, we as an ally made a commitment to remain in it for five years. We will stay unless we are pushed out,” Banerjee said.

55-year-old Banerjee, however, said, “those who are saying that we are not to be trusted, should understand that we are more trusted then anybody else. There cannot be comparison between our commitment and those of others. We only want love and respect.”

Stating that the Left parties were the main allies of the UPA-I before they quit on the nuclear deal issue, she said her party will remain in UPA-II “as long as CPI(M) is not there.

“If there are relations with the CPI(M) we cannot stay. We cannot co-exist with the CPI(M) just as and DMK and AIADMK cannot coexist,” the TC supremo, whose party is the second largest ally in the UPA with 19 MPs, said.

On her ties with the UPA, the Railway Minister said that there should be reciprocity “in the way we love and respect them. We also want a reciprocal gesture. We don’t want anything more than that.”

Describing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as “a good man and a gentleman”, she said, “We have got all his blessings and support. He is a good administrator. He has information about who is doing what.”

Asked about a senior Congress leader saying in the acrimonious run-up to the civic polls that alliance could not be made at the cost of the party, she said, “I respect senior leaders of the Congress.

“I have no comment. Anybody can make some comment. It is their prerogative and their choice.”

On suggestions by a section of Bengal Congress leaders that the party could not be written off because of the the civic poll outcome and was in a position for seat-sharing on honourable terms with the Trinamool for the 2011 assembly polls, she said, “They got the verdict of the people. The verdict itself speaks about performance.”

To a question on CPI(M) Politburo member Biman Bose’s statement that Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee would not step down and there was no question of advancing the assembly elections, she reiterated, “We are in favour of the early elections.

She accused the CPI(M) of raising the bogey of post-poll violence.

“If there was violence, it would have erupted within 72 hours,” she said when asked about CPI(M) statement that the chief minister had skipped the CPI(M) Politburo meeting in New Delhi to control post-poll violence in in the state.

“That there was no post-poll violence, credit should go to us since we have told our workers not to take out victory processions maintain restraint. By raising the bogey of violence, the ruling party is trying to instigate violence.”

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Didigiri hits Karat, is Yechury next Red boss?

June 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, June 6 (IANS) ‘Didigiri’ appears set to shatter the ‘dadagiri’ of the Red bosses after the battering they got from Cyclone Mamata in the West Bengal civic polls. The buzz is that CPI-M top man Prakash Karat is seriously thinking of handing over the baton to Sitaram Yechury.

Party insiders say although he still enjoys the full backing of the party’s Kerala state committee, West Bengal leaders are not happy with him for severing all ties with the Congress over the India-US nuclear deal. Unlike Karat’s Stalinist hardline, Yechury’s pragmatism is seen widely as his plus point. They believe the party could re-build a bridge with the Congress under Yechury’s leadership.

A section in the party believes a change in the CPI-M leadership may take place later this year before the assembly polls in West Bengal and Kerala next year.

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Newsmakers in Shanghai!

Presidential visits have a knack for making news for all the wrong reasons. And so it was when two Indian journalists from prominent TV channels got into a drunken brawl in Shanghai during President Pratibha Patil’s visit to China.

The news spread like ‘wildfire’, the delegates travelling with the president got to know about it within minutes. For the Indian embassy, it was most embarrassing, as it was made clear to everyone, including the scribes, that the Chinese regard drunkenness with extreme distaste.

‘If it had been some official in the president’s delegation, the media would have flashed it as breaking news,’ said one senior official.

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Zuma’s ode to Indian food

‘Time is the biggest enemy to what we want to achieve here in India,’ South African President Jacob Zuma told the captains of Indian industry. ‘Especially for eating!’ he added after a pause, triggering ripples of laughter across the Durbar hall in Taj Palace hotel.

‘Those who are not from Durban, it is too much… But for those from Durban, with the hot curry, we feel at home,’ he said.

Zuma, a fan of Hindi films, also expressed his love for things Indian during a press appearance with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. ‘I enjoyed the music and the food. We are at home in India,’ said Zuma, adding he and his delegation did not feel like leaving.

Zuma’s hometown is Durban, the third largest South African city, which also hosts the country’s largest Indian population.

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Scandal back home

While South African President Jacob Zuma’s state visit here received a fairly good press in India, back home, it was overshadowed by a scandal involving his second wife Nompumelelo Ntuli who had accompanied him on the trip.

Newspapers in South Africa carried reports of alleged improprieties by First Lady Ntuli, as noted in an anonymous letter faxed to media houses. This led the President’s Office to issue a terse denial Friday, saying the reports were part of an ‘ongoing and malicious campaign to undermine the right of the president and his family to privacy and dignity’.

‘He will not dignify such gossip with a response,’ said the note.

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What’s between Congress, Paswan?

Guess what comes between the Congress and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan? The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) of Lalu Prasad.

The Congress is not likely to support any candidate in the ensuing elections to the Rajya Sabha from the state. And Paswan is doing exactly that with RJD’s help.

The Congress has 10 MLAs in the state and state leaders say a directive will be issued to party MLAs to abstain from voting. State Congress leaders are up against any tie-up with the RJD – they even prevailed upon central leaders against any attempts at government formation in Jharkhand with Lalu Prasad’s RJD.

But if Paswan distances himself from Lalu after getting elected to the Rajya Sabha, there is always the possibility of a tie-up, say Congress leaders.

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Jairam misses Environment Day function

Guess who missed the World Environment Day function at Vigyan Bhavan Saturday? Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh.

Ramesh could not make it to the ceremony as he was in Andhra Pradesh with work related to his Rajya Sabha nomination. While invitation cards read that Ramesh would preside over the function, the ministry asked Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khursheed to take over at the last moment.

‘I am here as a substitute for the un-substitutable Jairam Ramesh,’ said Khursheed who read out a record of work done by the environment ministry in past year.

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Tytler’s unending woes

Nothing seems to be working out for Congress leader Jagdish Tytler, the man who until recently was supposed to shepherd the Congress’ comeback trail in poll-bound Bihar.

Barely a year after he was given a chance to rehabilitate himself – having been denied a Lok Sabha ticket in the wake of fierce opposition to his candidature by Sikh groups – he is once again in the wilderness.

The party central leadership removed him as incharge of the state earlier this week for his apparent failure to check factionalism in the state party unit. The story goes that Tytler developed differences with his protege Anil Kumar Sharma, who too was removed last week as the party’s Bihar unit president.

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Tech savvy Bollywood divas

Who says technology is a thing for the guys? Bollywood divas are slowly taking over that domain. While Bipasha Basu appeared in a trimmer-than-ever avatar to endorse a cellphone company and tomtommed her soon-to-join micro blogging site Twitter, another diva Neha Dhupia beat the likes of willow wielder VVS Laxman in an online gaming competition.

Another beauty Priyanka Chopra, a regular at Twitter, couldn’t help but go gaga over her inseparable association with her new prized possession – the Apple iPad. Well if these maidens are set to conquer the wired world, how do boys have all the fun?

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US not frustrated over delay in nuclear liability law

May 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, May 29 (IANS) The US says it’s not frustrated at the delay in India enacting the nuclear liability act to take their ‘win-win’ nuclear deal forward as it understands the ‘political resonance’ over it because of the Bhopal gas disaster.

‘I don’t think it’s taken that long,’ Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert O. Blake told reporters Friday when asked if the US was frustrated at the delay which was coming in the way of US companies selling nuclear reactors to India.

‘India is a democracy and, like our own democracy, they have to work a bill first through their own cabinet system and then they have get a consensus within their own parliamentary system on this very, very important bill.’

‘And it has some political resonance in India because of the Bhopal disaster. So people obviously look at this very closely and they should. It deserves that kind of scrutiny.’

The passage of this legislation is a priority for the Indian government, he said, citing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s remarks on the issue at his recent press conference.

‘And it’s a priority because it’s going to help the United States and other countries to deliver nuclear technology that will help to meet the energy needs of India’s fast-growing economy. And it will also help us because we’ll be able to substantially increase our exports, but also provide much needed new jobs in the United States.’

‘So we see this as a win-win for both of our countries,’ Blake said. ‘And we’re not frustrated. We trust Prime Minister Singh’s judgment on this. ‘And our main interest is in making sure that the legislation that is passed is compliant with the Convention on Supplementary Compensation, which is the international standard for such legislation.’

‘If passed, it would provide a very important legal protection and open the way for billions of dollars in American reactor exports and thousands of jobs,’ he said.

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US should end discrimination towards Pak to ink civil nuke deal: Qureshi

May 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Islamabad, May 4 (ANI): Reiterating the country’s long standing demand, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that the United States must end its ‘discriminatory’ behaviour and enter into a civil nuclear deal to help it address the massive energy crisis prevailing in the country.

During a meeting with US Congressman Howard Burman, Qureshi said Washington must help Islamabad to resurrect the sluggish economy and issues like the huge electricity and water crises, The Dawn reports.

Qureshi told Burman that the counter-terrorism efforts would not achieve the desired results unless the US provides monetary assistance it has pledged under the Kerry-Lugar Bill and Coalition Support Fund (CSF)

Meanwhile, the US has released the final instalment of 467 million dollars under the CSF as reimbursement for Pakistan for the cost incurred during the counterinsurgency operation in 2009.

The CSF was established by the United States in 2001 to support 27 nations, including Pakistan, for some of the costs they incurred in anti-terror operations. Since 2001, Washington has reimbursed approximately 7.2 billion to various countries.

In addition to the CSF, Pakistan has received a total of four billion dollars in civilian and security assistance from the US over the last three years. (ANI)

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India, Japan to establish a working group on civil nuclear cooperation

April 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Apr.30 (ANI): In a landmark development today, India and Japan have agreed to put aside past differences on the nuclear issue, and will now work towards a civil-nuclear treaty with the establishment of a Joint Working Group (JWG) on civil-nuclear cooperation.

This key decision is said to have been finalized during a meeting between the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of India, Montek Singh Alhuwalia, and Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. Masayuki Naoshima during the fourth ministerial-level meeting of the India-Japan Energy Dialogue here.

The Japanese industry is basically pushing its government to consider engaging India in nuclear trade, as companies from the United States, France and Russia seem to have already acquired a head start in terms of cornering Indian nuclear business.

The chairmen of leading Japanese companies like Toshiba, Mitsubishi and Hitachi, who are accompanying Minister Naoshima on his current visit to India, form the core-lobbying group, which is encouraging the Japanese Government to work out a civil nuclear deal with India.

During the dialogue, both Alhuwalia and Naoshima welcomed the progress made so far in Working Group discussions by Japanese and Indian officials on energy efficiency, renewable energy, coal and electricity, and power generation.

While welcoming India’s formal joining of the International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation (IPEEC) last year, both recognized that a viable and vibrant energy policy can contribute to addressing both energy requirements and reducing the negative impact of climate change.

It was agreed that the two countries would step up cooperation in the energy sector through concret and pragmatic projects. (ANI)

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China’s plan to build two nuclear plants in Pakistan worries Washington: Report

April 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, Apr.29 (ANI): In what could severely impede the United States’ efforts towards nuclear non-proliferation, China has reportedly agreed to help Pakistan build two nuclear reactors.

According to a report in The Financial Times, Chinese companies and officials in Islamabad have confirmed the deal, which is yet to be made public by Beijing.

China began building a nuclear reactor in Chashma in Pakistan”s Punjab province in 1991 and work on a second rector began in 2005, which is expected to be completed next year. Under the new agreement, Chinese companies will build at least two new 650-MW reactors at Chashma, the report said.

It quoted a Pakistani government official privy to the discussions with China over the issue as saying : “Our Chinese brothers have once again lived up to our expectations. They have agreed to continue cooperating with us in the nuclear energy field.”

Diplomats in China said that though Beijing has given its formal approval to the deal, there could still be last-minute hitches in the talks between the two governments.

Analysts believe that China’s overtures to Pakistan were primarily because of political reasons, as it wanted to help its ‘old ally’ after the US snubbed Islamabad’s demand for a India like civil nuclear deal.

“China had decided to go ahead with the deal because for political reasons it felt Pakistan should be compensated in some way for the US-India nuclear deal,” the newspaper quoted Mark Hibbs, senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace”s nuclear policy programme, as saying.

“After the dust settled on the US-India nuclear deal, China gravitated towards a position that it will support nuclear commerce if it benefits Chinese industry,” Hibbs added.

It is worth mentioning that the deal between Washington and New Delhi had facilitated nuclear co-operation, even though India has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Hibbs also pointed out that while the White House is concerned over the deal keeping in mind Pakistan’s history of nuclear proliferation, it can not do much as it wants keep Pakistan engaged in Afghanistan and garner Beijing’s support over Iran’s nuclear programme.

He is said that it was difficult for the Obama Administration to oppose the deal between Pakistan and China as it has a similar accord with India. (ANI)

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US won’t persuade ‘very special friends’ India, Pak to sign NPT

April 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, Apr.22 (ANI): Bracketing both India and Pakistan as its ‘very special friends’, the United States has said that it would not pressurise these countries to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT).

Interacting with media persons during a press briefing here, US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Ellen Tauscher said the Obama Administration is in direct touch with both India and Pakistan over such issues and holds daily conversations with them.

“The countries that you mentioned are very special friends of the United States. We have conversations with them every day about many different things,” Tauscher said while responding to a question that whether the US would persuade New Delhi and Islamabad to sign the NPT.

She, however, added: “We would like all countries to sign onto the NPT. We have a universality commitment, yes.”

The top US official also warned that the world was facing more danger than it was during the Cold War era, as more and more countries are competing to acquire nuke know-how.

“We have terrorist groups and organised crime and other bad actors that are looking to acquire nuclear technology, nuclear know-how and nuclear material. And secondarily, we have more states looking to acquire nuclear weapons than we have had in the last 15 years,” The Dawn quoted Tauscher, as saying.

When asked that if the White House feels that both India and Pakistan must cut down their nuclear arms race and reduce the stockpile of the weapons of mass destruction (WMD), Tauscher opted for a more diplomatic reply and said her views as a lawmaker were very different from her views as a senior US official.

“Congresswoman Tauscher and Under Secretary Tauscher occupy the same body but not in the same time. What I did in the Congress was one thing, and I get quite used to accepting when things pass and letting them go on,” Tauscher, who had strongly opposed the Indo-US civil nuclear deal, said.

She also acknowledged that Washington shares a significant relationship with New Delhi, and that being the under-secretary it was now her duty to implement the India-US nuclear accord.

“I’m very honoured to have been in India late last year, we have a very vibrant and very significant relationship with India,” Tauscher said. (ANI)

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Pak can play ‘pivotal’ role in war-torn Afghanistan: Gilani

April 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Apr.20 (ANI): Pushing for playing a ‘greater’ role in Afghanistan, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that Islamabad can play a pivotal role in stabilising the war torn neighbouring country.

In an interview with French daily Le Figaro, Gilani stressed that a stable and peaceful Afghanistan was in Pakistan’s own interest.

He said Pakistan cannot be sidelined while charting out a solution for the Afghan issue, and underlined that the leadership of both countries wanted a ‘homemade’ solution to the impending issues.

Gilani also clarified that Islamabad doesn’t want to interfere in Kabul’s internal issues, rather it wants to help its troubled neighbour.

“Pakistan did not interfere in President Karzai’s elections,” he said.

Responding to a question over the notion regarding the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ Taliban, Gilani made it clear that no such gradations can be made.

“The terrorists have no religion, they are enemies of the humanity and we are against them,” Gilani said.

He also denounced reports that said Pakistan was not doing enough to crush militants flourishing on its soil, and claimed that the military operations in Swat, Malakand and South Waziristan were a huge success.

When asked about Pakistan-US’ objectives in the war against terrorism,Gilani said: “We have common objectives, terrorism and extremism, and we want to work together with the US.”

Commenting on Pakistan’s long-standing demand of unmanned armed aircraft and concerns regarding drone strikes in country’s ungoverned tribal areas, he said Pakistan had conveyed its concerns to the US, and the latter was looking into the issue.

“Our discussion is still going on but at the moment we are just discussing it and there is nothing concrete,” Gilani said while responding to a question over Islamabad’s consistent demand of a civil nuclear deal with Washington. (ANI)

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No US big bang on India N-trade

April 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

American firms, which played a key role in the passage of Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, are unlikely to engage in atomic trade with India if New Delhi does not become party to the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage, which has not yet entered into force, a Congressional report has said.

“US companies have not yet started nuclear trade with India. New Delhi had reportedly insisted that India and the United States conclude an agreement on a reprocessing facility in India before New Delhi would sign contracts with US nuclear firms. However, the countries announced March 29 that they had concluded the agreement,” said a latest report on the civil nuclear deal released by Congressional Research Service.

“The Administration must submit the subsequent arrangement to Congress, but has not yet done so. The proposed arrangement shall not take effect if Congress adopts a joint resolution of disapproval,” said the CRS report ‘US Nuclear Cooperation with India: Issues for Congress’.

CRS is the independent research wing of the US Congress.

“It is worth noting that US firms will likely be very reluctant to engage in nuclear trade with India if the government does not become party to the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage, which has not yet entered into force,” said the 47-page report, dated April 8, a copy of which has been obtained by PTI.

The civil-nuclear bill requires that, before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission can issue licenses for US nuclear exports to India, the President must determine and certify to Congress that New Delhi’s IAEA safeguards agreement has entered into force and that India’s declaration of its nuclear facilities to the agency “is not materially inconsistent with the facilities and schedule” described in a separation plan that New Delhi has provided to Washington.

India’s safeguards agreement entered into force May 11, 2009, and New Delhi has filed the declaration with the IAEA.

Obama submitted the required certification to Congress on February 3, 2010, determining that India has satisfied the legal requirement described above.

“Nevertheless, US firms will likely be very reluctant to engage in nuclear trade with India if the government does not become party to the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC), which has not yet entered into force,” it said.

In a letter, the then Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon in September 2008, said: “It is the intention of the Indian Government to take all steps necessary to adhere to the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage prior to the commencement of international civil nuclear cooperation under” the US-India agreement.

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Pak signed ‘civil nuke deal’ with China just ahead of strategic talk with US

March 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Mar.30 (ANI): Pakistan has reportedly entered into a civil nuclear deal with China for setting up two nuclear power stations of 640 megawatts in Chashma.

According to sources, the deal under which Beijing would be providing Islamabad financial and technical assistance for the project, was finalised ahead of the last week’s first ministerial level strategic dialogue between Pakistan and the United States.

During the strategic dialogue Washington had rejected Pakistan’s demands of having a India like civil nuclear deal.

The federal government had approved an inter-government framework agreement on the financing of ‘Chashma Nuclear Power Project 3’ and ‘Chashma Nuclear Power Project 4’ with China, The Daily Times reports.

Each 320-megawatt unit would contain a nuclear steam supply system, a turbine-generator set and the associated auxiliary equipment and installations, sources added.

Insiders said that under the deal, China would be providing 82 percent of the total 1.912 billion dollars to Pakistan as a 20-year soft loan, with an eight-year grace period.

They said that the frequent visits of President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to Beijing was particularly aimed at securing the deal.

Chasma houses a number of establishments of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, including two units of 300 megawatt nuclear reactors. (ANI)

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Pak may soon acquire US drone technology: Qureshi

March 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Mon, Mar 29 12:02 PM

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has expressed optimism over Islamabad acquiring US drone technology in near future by saying that significant progress has been made on the issue during the recent Pak-US talks in Washington.

After concluding his visit to the US, Qureshi told reporters at the Allama Iqbal International Airport that Pakistan’s political and military leaders had successfully pleaded the country’s case before Washington.

“On every matter, the US response was much better than we had anticipated,” the Daily Times quoted Qureshi, as saying.

On being asked whether he had also discussed the matter of a civil nuclear deal with the US, he said that discussing “some matters are against national dignity”.

Speaking on the issue of Pakistanis being discriminately screened at US airports, he said the US had promised to reconsider its policy of screening Pakistani travellers.

Qureshi also informed the media that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would visit Pakistan after the completion of the second phase of the Pak-US talks that would begin thins April.

After Clinton’s visit, he added that he would go to the US for further discussions.
ANI

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Pak may soon acquire US drone technology: Qureshi

March 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Lahore, Mar. 29 (ANI): Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has expressed optimism over Islamabad acquiring US drone technology in near future by saying that significant progress has been made on the issue during the recent Pak-US talks in Washington.

After concluding his visit to the US, Qureshi told reporters at the Allama Iqbal International Airport that Pakistan’s political and military leaders had successfully pleaded the country’s case before Washington.

“On every matter, the US response was much better than we had anticipated,” the Daily Times quoted Qureshi, as saying.

On being asked whether he had also discussed the matter of a civil nuclear deal with the US, he said that discussing “some matters are against national dignity”.

Speaking on the issue of Pakistanis being discriminately screened at US airports, he said the US had promised to reconsider its policy of screening Pakistani travellers.

Qureshi also informed the media that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would visit Pakistan after the completion of the second phase of the Pak-US talks that would begin thins April.

After Clinton’s visit, he added that he would go to the US for further discussions. (ANI)

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Q+A – Why is a U.S.-Russia nuclear deal important?

March 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The presidents of Russia and the United States will meet in Prague to sign a new nuclear arms reduction treaty on April 8, the White House and Kremlin said on Friday.

The two largest nuclear powers have been formally negotiating on a successor to the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I) since April 2009.

* WHAT IS THE NEW TREATY?

- Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev said last April that they wanted to agree a new deal by the Dec. 5 expiry date of START I but talks snagged and the two sides agreed to act in the spirit of START until a replacement was ready.

The two leaders agreed in July that a new treaty would limit operationally deployed nuclear warheads to 1,500-1,675, and both sides said on Friday that the specific limit would be 1,550 — down from current levels of 2,200-2,700.

In the 2002 Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT), also known as the Moscow Treaty, each side agreed to cut strategic nuclear warheads to 1,700-2,200 by 2012.

Obama and Medvedev said the limit for delivery vehicles — the missiles, bombers and systems that deliver a warhead to a target — should be in the 500-1,100 range. Negotiators agreed on a specific limit of 800, half the 1,600 set in START I.

* WHY IS THE AGREEMENT IMPORTANT?

– The quest for a START successor pact is a key part of efforts to “reset” relations after increasing tension that peaked with Russia’s 2008 war against U.S.-supported Georgia.

Obama has said improving ties with Russia, a key player in Iran and an important source of support on Afghanistan, is a priority.

– Both the United States and Russia, which hold 95 percent of the world’s nuclear arms, say further reductions in their arsenals will improve mutual trust and send a strong signal to other nations at a time when global powers are trying to rein in the nuclear ambitions of Iran and North Korea.

– The agreement could help create the momentum for a nuclear security summit Obama is hosting in mid-April and a May conference to review the 1970 nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

– For Russia, its vast store of Soviet-era nuclear weapons is one of the factors keeping Moscow at the top table of world politics.

After Russia’s conventional forces were starved of cash in the chaos that followed the 1991 Soviet collapse, its still mighty nuclear deterrent is the centrepiece of the Kremlin’s military doctrine.

– Both sides said the new deal will include detailed verification procedures that were absent from the 2002 Moscow Treaty — an omission cited by arms experts as a major flaw However, the verification procedures will not be as onerous as in START I.

Verification procedures such as inspections and access to data about missile tests is important because it helps the former Cold War foes accurately to predict how many weapons each side has and thus reduces the chance of a new arms race.

– A replacement for START I is seen as the first step towards much deeper cuts. Both sides hope an agreement on START could lay the ground for more ambitious talks about reducing the silos of thousands of non-deployed nuclear warheads and shorter-range tactical nuclear warheads.

Those talks could also impose must bigger cuts to deployed strategic warheads and delivery systems.

* WHY DID THE TALKS TAKE LONGER THAN HOPED?

– The two sides agreed on a news blackout from negotiations in Geneva, so there were few details about what caused the delay in achieving a deal.

– Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said in December that U.S. plans for a missile defence system were the main obstacle to reaching a new deal, suggesting Moscow wanted it to limit missile defences.

Obama and Medvedev agreed in July that the treaty will contain a provision describing the relationship between offensive and defensive weapons, but the United States says the pact is not the place for details on missile defence.

– Remarks about the treaty from both sides on Friday suggested that it will not place specific limits on missile defence. But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said either side has the right to stop reducing strategic offensive weapons if the other side increases its capacity for defence against those missiles.

– Negotiations over verification measures were said to have been intense. Russia has called for more relaxed procedures than in START I.

That is in part because while Russia has been developing new nuclear missiles to take the place of aging models, the United States is relying mostly on models that will be in service for years to come, prompting Russia to contend that it is getting little new information from verification measures.

(Writing by Guy Faulconbridge and Steve Gutterman in Moscow)

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Pak’s history of nuke proliferation still playing on US’ mind

March 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, Mar.26 (ANI): A joint statement issued by the United States and Pakistan after the first ministerial level strategic talks between both countries mentioned the setting up of a policy steering group for further talks on ‘strategic stability’ and ‘non-proliferation’, which clearly indicates that Washington is still concerned about Islamabad’s poor track record in terms of nuclear proliferation.

The document, issued after the two-day strategic dialogue did not mention any date for future talks between the two sides but stated the “sectoral meetings” will be held in Islamabad soon.

Observers in the US pointed that the inclusion of “strategic stability and non-proliferation” in the joint statement shows that the issue of the nuclear deal did come up for discussion during the strategic dialogue.

They said that Islamabad, which has been pressing Washington for a India like civil nuclear deal, would not have agreed to talk on the issue of non-proliferation without an indication from the US that it would no longer seek to disengage its atomic programme, The Dawn said.

During an interview with a news agency just after the dialogue with his US counterpart Hillary Clinton, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, was reminded that the Obama Administration is hesitant over offering it a deal like India because of its concerns regarding the proliferation network run by the father of country’s nuclear programme Dr. A Q Khan.

“I think that is behind us,” Qureshi responded.

“I think they understand the new command-control structures we have in place. I think they are pretty satisfied with security and safety systems in place in Pakistan and there is recognition of that,” he said.

The joint statement also said that both sides acknowledged the common threat that terrorism and extremism posed to global, regional and local security. (ANI)

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Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik has reiterated that the US drone attacks in the lawless tribal areas along the Afghanistan border are being carried out without Islamabad’s consent and the issue would be raised with Washington during bilateral discussions.

March 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Mar.26 (ANI): Rejecting India’s concerns over the strategic dialogue between Pakistan and the United States, the Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) has said that New Delhi should not have any problem with Islamabad’s relations with Washington.

Addressing a weekly briefing here, Foreign Office spokesperson Abdul Basit said: “I think India should not have a problem with dialogue because we (Pakistan) don’t have concerns over US-India relationship.”

“We don’t have problem with US-India relationship, but we do have serious concern over US-India nuclear deal due to its negative impact over neighbouring countries,” he added.

It may be noted that Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna had expressed concerns over Pakistan pushing for a India like civil nuclear deal with the US during their “strategic dialogue”.

“I think, US would always look into the track record of every country with which they are going for certain understanding or signing a treaty. I am sure that US will constantly remember that proliferation of nuclear weapons was because of certain indiscretions of certain countries and more particularly Pakistan and the clandestine activities which they carried on,” Krishna had said.

Describing Krishna’s statement as ‘unfair’, Basit said talks between Pakistan and the US dialogue were very broad and concerning various issues such as energy, water , science and technology and other sectors.

He said the Pakistan government is optimistic about a ‘positive outcome’ of deliberations.

“The dialogue was a positive trend and should continue in the future. Pakistan has also proposed that the US play a mediatory role in resolving the water conflict between Pakistan and India,” The Daily Times quoted Basit, as saying. (ANI)

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Pak-US civil nuke accord to remain a pipedream till terror havens eliminated : Editorial

March 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Mar.25 (ANI): Both the Pakistani political and military leadership have been boasting of coming down hard on extremists in the country citing examples of recent arrests of several top Taliban commanders, and have, in return, been pressing the United States for more military and financial aid, but Washington is far from convinced.

An editorial in one of Pakistan’s leading English Dailies said that despite Islamabad’s claims and statements from some of the top American diplomats acknowledging its action, the trust deficit between the two countries has not been bridged.

“Washington is not entirely convinced that Pakistan is totally committed to the war against militancy,” the editorial in The News said.

It pointed out that unless Pakistan acts tough and dismantles terror safe havens based in Southern Punjab and extremists groups fighting a proxy war in Kashmir, Pakistan cannot win credibility in front of the international community.

The editorial said that there is a possible threat posed by the Taliban and other extremist groups of taking over Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, which is a major cause of worry for the United States.

“The matter of groups based in southern Punjab has been raised more than once. New Delhi alleges ”jihadi” groups in Kashmir remain untouched. There is also the issue of possible terrorist acquisition of nuclear weapons. No matter how far-fetched the scenario, it lives on in US minds,” it stated.

The editorial said. that unless Islamabad acts ‘really’ tough against militant organisations thriving on its soil , it would be very hard for it to seal any nuclear deal with the US.

“This will make the task of pushing any kind of deal involving nuclear technology through US Congress all the harder. What Pakistan needs to focus on for now is filling in the gap that exists in trust,” it concluded. (ANI)

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Former diplomat says India should not be complacent over US snub to Pak

March 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Mar. 25 (ANI): Former Indian Foreign Secretary Lalit Mansingh has said that while the US might have turned down Pakistan”s quest for a civil nuclear deal akin to the India-US civil nuclear agreement, New Delhi should not be complacent over the snub and the eventual outcome of US-Pakistan strategic dialogue.

Mansingh, who also served as India”s ambassador to the United States, believes that a US-Pakistan nuclear deal was never expected. India, he said, should keep focusing on the future of Afghanistan and its relationship with central Asia.

Mansingh also underlined the fact that since 2001, the US has given nearly 50 billion dollars in aid to Pakistan and is planning to dole out an additional 7.5 billion dollars over the next five
years.

ISI chief Lt. General Ahmed Shuja Pasha and Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani are there with a big list of military equipment, he said

The supply of a fresh batch of nuclear-enabled F-16 and maritime aircraft supplied by the United States to Pakistan is not to fight terrorism, but to fight India, added Mansingh.

He said that the military relationship between the US and Pakistan is 50 years old, while the relationship with India just started a decade ago.

Islamabad will continue to have the same relations in the future.

Former Foreign Minister K. Natwar Singh said Pakistan had gone to the US with “exaggerated” hopes, and added that India and Pakistan are not in the same league.

“India is a global player, Pakistan is not, although they have close links with the Pentagon and the CIA,” he added.

“The US lacks understanding of our region, and, the Prime Minister, who will be visiting the United
States to attend Nuclear Security Summit, should apprise (President) Obama about India”s concerns,” he said. (ANI)

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