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Pak 'hitch' in bus service

          Moscow, May 31: Pakistan has said it needs ten days for negotiations on the re-opening of the Lahore-Delhi bus service. Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal told newsmen in Munich that Pakistan has also not responded to India's offer to revive air links between the two countries.

Pakistan and Iraq dominate Vajpayee talks with world leaders
-by N Bhadran Nair

          St. Petersburg, May 31: New Delhi's latest initiative to improve relations with Islamabad, the situation in Iraq and the tough US posturing against Iran dominated Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's bilateral meeting with four of the permanent members of the Security Council in St. Petersburg. Though the visit of Vajpayee to the Russian city was officially billed as ceremonial to take part in the tercentenary celebrations of St. Petersburg, the Prime Minister seized the opportunity to meet host Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Jack Chirac, Chinese President Hu Jianto and British Premier Tony Blair on the sidelines of the celebrations. (Contd)

Two killed in Rajouri encounter with militants (Go To Top)

          Jammu, May 31: Two civilians were killed and two others injured in an encounter between security forces and militants in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday. The encounter began late Friday night at Bala Khas area of Budhal block when the forces challenged the militants hiding in a house following a tip-off. The injured, including a special police officer (SPO), have been shifted to the Government Medical College hospital in Jammu. The injured SPO is stated to be out of danger. Om Prakash, an SPO, said the encounter continued throughout the night. "The militants had set the house of a civilian on fire. The police only got the information at 10 in the morning and the encounter went on throughout the night. One civilian was set on fire and one was shot. One policeman and another civilian were also injured," Prakash said. Security forces have launched a hunt for the militants who escaped in the cover of darkness. More than a dozen militant outfits are fighting Indian forces in Jammu and Kashmir.

Sonia for tripartite talks on Kashmir (Go To Top)

          Srinagar, May 31: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday said New Delhi must involve all sections of people, including separatists, in talks to find peace in the troubled Jammu and Kashmir. She was talking to reporters in Srinagar after chairing a two-day meeting of chief ministers of her party-ruled states. "The Congress Party's stand remains the same. We are for talks. We believe in talks and talks have to be conducted with all sections of society," Ms Gandhi said.

          Kashmir's main separatist alliance, the All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC), has ruled out talks with New Delhi pointsman NN Vohra who has held talks with various political parties and groups. The APHC has demanded to elevate talks to the prime minister's level. While welcoming Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's fresh peace initiatives with Pakistan, Ms Gandhi called for a caution "vis- a-vis foreign policy, which is such a sensitive area that the government tends to go from one extreme to other and often you will have noticed that while a member of the government says something and makes a statement, someone else in the government at the highest level says the opposite. That has been our criticism. Someone says something, someone else says opposite. Naturally this kind of stance or stand creates confusion. But as far as the policy vis-a-vis fighting terrorism, vis-a-vis Indo-Pak relations, we have not criticised them," Ms Gandhi said. X

Kashmiris have to be involved in talks: Kasuri (Go To Top)

          Dubai, May 31: Pakistani Foreign Minister Mian Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri has said that Kashmiris should be involved in the proposed talks between New Delhi and Islamabad. "I'm sure they won't mind voicing their views," he said. A report in the News quoted Kasuri as saying in an interview in Teheran that in the past few days his country had taken many steps to contain cross-border terrorism against India. Citing an example he said, "we banned several militant outfits. We've done the best we could. No country can seal its borders completely." He was in Teheran to attend the 30th Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers.

          According to the report, he said this while referring to his Indian counterpart Yashwant Sinha's recent statement that New Delhi would not make a complete halt to the cross-border attacks a precondition for talks with Pakistan. Kasuri reportedly said that the proposed talks with India should begin at the earliest. The ground work should be completed within weeks, he added. According to him, the recent statements of Indian premier Atal Bihari Vajpayee show that he is sincere in continuing with the peace process, and hold talks without wasting much time.

Thousands have holy dip in Kurukshetra lakes (Go To Top)

          Kurukshetra, May 31: Thousands of people thronged the streets and lakes of Kurukshetra in Haryana on Saturday to witness the century's first solar eclipse. In a special solar eclipse festival organised in the town, devotees took a holy dip in Sannehit and Brahm Sarovars or lakes amidst tight security. According to Hindu mythology, a dip during the solar eclipse in the two lakes helps one attain salvation. "If we take a dip here we are freed from our sins. So we all come here to take a dip in the holy water," said Ajay Sharma, a devotee. "I have come here to see the solar eclipse. I have come here to have a good time and I am having one too. And all the priests and people are happy here," said Ram Das, a priest.

          The whole town wore a festive look. According to Hindu mythology, Kurukshetra is the place where Lord Krishna delivered the message of Bhagwad Gita to Arjuna. In fact, the city has also a special astronomical place in the universe. It has a historical temple called Nabh-Kamal, which indicates that Kurukshetra is situated on the central line of the universe. The entire area has been divided into 12 sectors for the three-day solar eclipse fair. Each sector was under the supervision of a duty magistrate. A total of 13 reception centres was set up. Meanwhile in Haridwar, another pilgrimage centre in Uttaranchal, thousands of devotees took a holy dip in the river Ganges to mark the auspicious occasion. Located in the foothills of the Himalayas, Haridwar represents the point where the Ganges reaches the plains. Haridwar is an ancient pilgrimage site, held in reverence for centuries. The five sacred bathing spots in Haridwar are Gangadwara, Kankhal, Nila Parvata, Bilwa Theertha and Kusavarta.

          The eclipse was visible between 0735 (IST) and 0839 (IST) in Delhi, Jaipur, Srinagar, Agra and Haryana. The country's first solar eclipse fell into the category of annular eclipse, different from a total eclipse in which the Sun is fully eclipsed by the moon and only the corona, the outer radiation of the Sun, is visible from the Earth. In this eclipse, Indians saw 20 per cent of the Sun as eclipsed. The eclipse was also visible from several parts of the world.

CBI chargesheet against Advani, Singhal (Go To Top)

          Raebareilly, May 31: The CBI on Saturday filed supplementary chargesheet against Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani, his Cabinet colleague Murli Manohar Joshi, VHP leader Ashok Singhal and five others in the Babri Masjid demolition case. BJP leader Uma Bharati and firebrand VHP leader Sadhavi Rithambara are among the others against whom supplementary chargesheet was filed in the court which had granted the investigating agency time till Saturday to do so. The court exempted the accused from personal appearance and posted the matter for further hearing to June 13.

Anna to wed pop dude Enrique (Go To Top)

          Washington, May 31: Come Saturday, and a million male hearts all over the world will be broken as Russian tennis beauty Anna Kournikova walks down the aisle with handsome pop star Enrique Iglesias. The high-profile couple are all set to take their vows of togetherness on the Caribbean paradise island of the Dominican Republic in a ceremony slated to be held at sunset. Enrique's famous crooner father Julio Iglesias will not be attending the ceremony to be held in Casa de Campo.

          The twenty-one-year old Russian star and the pop singer have been dating since February last year. The pair, living in Florida, have gone to great lengths to keep their romance a secret and away from the media glare, according to a report in the Sun. The blonde tennis ace was briefly married to Russian ice hockey star Sergei Fedorov two years ago. Her relationship with Enrique has seen lots of highs and lows, with trouble brewing in November 2002 at the MTV Europe awards in Barcelona, where the cool dude was spotted with party girl Emma Jones. The incident flared a series of rows with Anna and a split just before Christmas. However, since then Anna and Enrique have been spotted together several times and seem very much in love. The couple's real-life chemistry was apparent when Enrique and Anna sizzled steamily in his music video, Escape.

Putin opens summit in Saint Petersburg (Go To Top)
-by N Bhadran Nair

          Saint Petersburg, May 31: The first summit between Russia and the European Union since the war in Iraq opened here on Saturday. The summit, attended by 14 of the 15 current EU leaders and hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin, was also marked by the presence of leaders from 10 new EU membership hopefuls from central and Eastern Europe. "We are glad to see everyone, but I would especially like to thank the prime minister of Luxemburg", Putin said in his opening remarks. It was his idea to meet like this, Putin said in reference to the 10 new EU member-states who were attending talks held in the Kremlin chief's native city amid its tercentenary anniversary celebrations. The meeting was taking place in the grand Konstantinovsky Palace, once a tsarist mansion, which the Russian government reconstructed at great expense so that Putin can stage summits in Saint Petersburg, his native city.

Vajpayee's request for military spares from Russia  (Go To Top)
-by N Bhadran Nair

          St. Petersburg, May 31: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, who arrived in the Russian city of St. Petersburg on Friday to take part in the tercentenary celebrations of the city, met French President Jack Chirac and President Vladimir Putin and discussed various bilateral issues. During his meeting with Putin, Vajpayee recalled the strategic relations between the two nations and stressed on Indo-Russian cooperation in the defence sector. The Prime Minister sought his intervention to meet the requirement of spares for military hardware acquired from Russia and the former Soviet Union.

           "We have strategic relations. Russia is our trusted friend. We have been cooperating in various fields including defence. We have some problem of getting the spares for our military equipment. I hope you will help us out," he told Putin. Vajpayee also had his first-ever encounter with Chinese President Hu Jintao and British Premier Tony Blair on Saturday, on the bedecked white ship 'Silver White specially rented by Russia to add colour to the celebrations.

          While Moscow invited leaders from the G-5, G-8, Central Asian countries, India was the only exception, which highlights the special relationship between the two countries. Vajpayee's visit to China is on the cards at the end of June to brush up the thaw between the two giants of Asia. The visit is expected to push forward a new beginning to resolve the contentious border dispute between the two countries.

          A tight security blanket was thrown around the city, with all major roads leading to the embankments of River Neva, which flows through the city. The celebrations take place on the banks of the river. Over 40 heads of states and governments have landed up in the city at the invitation of President Putin, who is looking forward to bolster his image in the country which is going to the polls next year. While the city has been spruced up to match the event with banners and hoardings all over, the streets looked deserted as the government had advised people to stay away due to security reasons. Even the Pulkovo airport is closed to normal traffic, barring VVIP flights.

India to gain from shifting US friendships   (Go To Top)
-by Sanjiv Prakash

          Washington, May 31: President George Bush boarded Air Force One on Friday bound for Europe and the Middle East amid clear-cut indications that the fortunes of Russia and France were skidding while India was all set to be the flavour of the US administration at the G-8 summit. Not only has Washington welcomed and supported Prime Minister Vajpayee's Kashmir peace initiative but the administration has also noted India's cautious position on Iraq and the absence of public criticism of the war. This is an administration which does not like its world view to be challenged and India did just that - it did not and quietly went about announcing unilateral peace initiatives on Kashmir and Pakistan. But Russia and France did the opposite. What others did privately, they did publicly - and in the process earned the unforgiving ire of the Bush government.

          Just hours before President Bush took off for the G-8 summit, the administration recommended a large cut in funding of aid to Russia - more than a third from the last fiscal year. This means that for every American dollar which the Russians received last year they will now receive only 66 cents - a huge price to pay for not being America's friend at a time of war, especially if you multiply that 66 cents by over five billion dollars !! In the case of France, the punishment is more severe. The US defence department has cancelled French participation in a major US military exercise set for this summer. Moreover, the administration has announced that it would make no concessions to those who opposed the war as they failed to demonstrate trans- Atlantic cooperation. The US is France's leading export destination and word has gone down all through the ranks that while American troops were getting ready for war in Iraq, the French foreign minister was travelling round the world building an anti-war coalition.

          In these changing times, India stands to make dramatic gains according to long-time administration watchers. They say that this administration is great for friends and terrible for its perceived foes. While Bush will in all likelihood pass along his personal appreciation to Vajpayee at Avian, the US will look for an enhanced Indian role in Iraq and an Indian voice in the Middle East peace process. At and after Avian, the Bush administration will invite India for specific task-oriented reconstruction projects in Iraq. Well- placed sources say that what France and Russia lost could be India's gain both in Iraq and at the high diplomatic table of the Middle East. Iraq's reconstruction is in the hands of the big American companies, which by themselves are essentially conduits for subcontracts reacting to political green signals from the Pentagon. With India being in favour, word has gone out from the administration to the big US companies that it is okay to subcontract Indian companies. India's patience in dealing with Pakistan have also earned high marks. In fact, as the administration builds a coalition of reliable friends for the mid-east peace process, New Delhi can count on being in that group which the US will turn to for counsel and behind-the-scene diplomacy. All of this will jump- start India's global economic and political profile and as one US source put it, "who knows it could also be India's ticket to the United Nations Security Council".

India puts forth its 'Asian region' status for Games venue  (Go To Top)
-by Trevor Barnard

          London, May 31: Cricket could return to the Commonwelth Games if Delhi succeeds in its bid to host the games in 2010, and football could feature for the first time if Delhi's rival, the Canadian city of Hamilton, gets the vote. The two contenders gave notice of their intentions when they lodged their bids, with due ceremony, at Marlborough House, the headquarters of the Commonwealth in London, on Friday. India's bid was presented by Diana Hayden, Miss World 1999, attired in a traditional bridal dress and escorted by a procession that walked to the rhythmic beat of drums. Hamilton gave the job to a five-year-old athlete, accompanied by competitors who had appeared at last year's games in Manchester.

          Delhi's case was argued by Sports Minister Vikram Verma and president of the Indian Olympic Association Suresh Kalmadi. Canada's delegation, led by the Canadian Minister for Amateur Sport Paul de Villiers, included Commonwealth and Olympic sprint gold medalist Bruny Surin and paralympic gold medallist Chantal Benoit. (Details: Sports Section)

Pakistan and Iraq dominate Vajpayee talks with world leaders  (Go To Top)         

          (Contd) Briefing newsmen on the meetings, Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibbal said in a way the visit to St. Petersburg has been successful. He said Vajpayee would also get an opportunity to meet US President George W Bush during a dinner hosted by Putin in honour of the visiting dignitaries tonight. Sibal said the meeting between Vajpayee and Putin, which lasted for almost half an hour, took place after midnight yesterday, underlining the warmth of relation between the two allies. Putin referred to the growing cooperation between New Delhi and Moscow, especially in the areas of defence and space science. The Russian side also briefed Vajpayee on their perception about the situation in Iraq. Putin is reported to have said that the preeminence of the "UN should be restored without affecting the effectiveness of the global body".

          French President Chirac appreciated Vajpayee's latest initiatives in normalizing relations with Pakistan and said they perfectly understand New Delhi's position and do feel that Islamabad should seize the opportunity provided by him. The French side also indicated that during the forthcoming visit of Gen Musharraf to France in the first week of July, they would convey their thinking and position on terrorism, which is totally unacceptable. Chirac is reported to have told Vajpayee that France has decided to take a practical view of the UN Resolution 1483 for the reconstruction of Iraq, though the resolution was not necessarily a desirable one, but gave a role to the UN.

          Both France and Russia want a review of the guidelines by the Nuclear Suppliers Group to make cooperation with India possible, especially since it is for peaceful purposes, like generation of power. Vajpayee's first-ever meeting with Chinese President Hu Jianto gave an opportunity to understand his thinking on Indo-Sino relations, as it took place less than a month before the scheduled visit of the Prime Minister to Beijing. Both sides also expressed their clear desire to expand and reinforce bilateral ties. The new Chinese leadership has given an impression that it would give top priority to cooperation and friendship with India. The question of post-war situation in Iraq also came up for discussion. Jianto said though the military phase is over, the Iraq question has not been completely solved.

          The meeting with Tony Blair too veered around Iraq, the latest US concern about Iran and Indo-Pakistan situation. Referring to the latest initiatives taken by Vajpayee to improve relations with Pakistan, Blair is reported to have said, "the ball is now in Pakistan's court." He welcomed the announcement for resuming the Delhi-Lahore bus service. The British premier is reported to have told Vajpayee that the US is putting more pressure on Pakistan, as part of a bigger American concept on terrorism. On his part, Blair too assured the Indian Prime Minister that "we will keep up maximum pressure on Pakistan." The British Prime Minister told Vajpyee about the American concerns about Iran and Syria helping resurgent groups from Iraq. He, however, ruled out "any possibility of a military action against Iran." Foreign Secretary Sibbal said New Delhi on its part believes that there is scope for engagement of Iran and the US for a dialogue, based on its own assessment of the position of Teheran. New Delhi was concerned about the latest posture of the US administration against Iran, with which it has traditionally good relations.