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America
Wins Without War in Iraq? DUBAI/CAIRO: President Saddam Hussein of Iraq has agreed to leave Iraq and go into exile in an African country if certain conditions are met, three diplomats in the United Arab Emirates have been quoted as saying. The diplomats in Dubai - one Western and two Arabic - who requested anonymity, said the Iraqi leadership was prepared to accept a deal under which Saddam Hussein would leave the country if he was guaranteed not to be prosecuted or persecuted by the United States or any of its European allies, according to Dawn. Hussein would be accompanied by other members of his Government and their families, and an African country was considered as the location for their exile, they added. According to observers in the region, news of a possible exile could be related to recent announcements that Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, Egypt, Jordan and Syria were due to present a proposal to avoid an invasion in the next few days. The speculations gained pace after Syrian President Bashar al Assad cancelled a scheduled trip to Teheran on Wednesday and a visit of Iraq's Gen Ali Hassan al Majid to Cairo was postponed, the newspaper stated. The three diplomats said that other conditions for Saddam's departure would be withdrawal of American troops from the Gulf region and end to UN arms inspections and sanctions against Iraq as well as measures against production of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. However, the US has so far rejected these terms and Egypt is now trying to convince Baghdad to accept a compromise, the diplomats said, Dawn reported. Cricketers Back Home; Saurav, Sachin Skip Media (Go To Top) MUMBAI: The Indian team arrived here early on Friday after their disastrous tour of New Zealand, where they lost both the Test and one-day series. Skipper Saurav Ganguly, who had to take a connecting flight home town Kolkata, ... (Details) Delhi High Court Notice to Govt, ICC on World Cup Contracts (Go To Top) NEW DELHI: On a petition challenging the controversial players' contracts for the upcoming World Cup, the Delhi High Court on Friday issued notices to the Government, International Cricket Council and its marketing arm ICC Development International, Board of Control for Cricket in India, Reserve Bank of India and six sponsoring companies. (Details) Foreign Troops Not Permitted to Operate in Pak: Kasuri (Go To Top) ISLAMABAD: Foreign minister Shaukat Mehmoud Kasuri has said that none of the foreign troops, including those of the US, is allowed to operate in Pakistani territory as part of war against terrorism. "None of the foreign troops has been allowed to operate in Pakistan for war against terrorism. Pakistani authorities are taking care of every such operation within its territory and we have proved ourselves as best as anybody else could be," Kasuri declared in Rawalpindi on Thursday while addressing a seminar organized by the city's Bar Association against the wave of terrorism. He added that no Pakistani national has been involved in any act of terrorism. BBC Signs News Service Deal With Al-Jazeera(Go To Top) LONDON: With an aim to provide more comprehensive service to its audience, BBC has signed a news-gathering deal with Qatar-based news channel Al-Jazeera, known for its intimate contacts with Al-Qaeda. Al-Jazeera has provoked fierce opposition in Washington for its coverage of Osama bin Laden and the Palestinian conflict in the Middle East. But the channel has always maintained its independence. The agreement includes cooperation on the ground, such as sharing facilities. One example of this could include the BBC using Al-Jazeera's satellite connections in Kabul. In return, the BBC is in talks to provide online advice for the channel's English language website, which is due to launch next month. Al-Jazeera ('the Peninsula'), founded in 1996, is the most popular news station in the Middle East. It has come to prominence in the West because of a number of exclusives, including broadcast footage of Osama bin Laden and filmed statements from the Al-Qaeda leader. Shinde Elected Leader of Ruling DF Alliance (Go To Top) MUMBAI: Veteran Congress leader Sushil Kumar Shinde was on Friday elected leader of Maharashtra's ruling Democratic Front coalition in the Assembly here. Shinde, who was elected head of the Congress Legislature Party on Thursday, will now meet Governor Mohammed Fazal to stake claim as the new Chief Minister. After being sworn in on Saturday, Shinde will become the State's first Dalit Chief Minister. Earlier in the day, the Governor officially accepted the resignation of outgoing Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh. Kofi Annan to Visit India, Lanka Next Month (Go To Top) NEW YORK: United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan is likely to visit India and Sri Lanka in late February after attending the Non-Aligned Summit scheduled to be held in Kuala Lumpur next month. According to sources, his programme is yet to be finalised but it is believed that he would spend two days in India - one in New Delhi and the other outside the Capital. In Sri Lanka, he is expected to visit only Colombo. Indian and UN officials are now working out the details of the visit. -ANI |