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Hurriyat says talks with Advani fruitful

         New Delhi: Kashmir's main separatist alliance on Sunday termed his second round of talks with Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani as "fruitful." India will begin substantive talks with All Parties Hurriyat (freedom) Conference (APHC) in June seeking an end to a 15-year revolt that has killed thousands of people. Moulvi Abbas Ansari, in an exclusive interview to Asian News International, said the earlier dialogues had failed to yield positive results as Kashmiri people were sidelined. "It is very unfortunate that whenever talks have been held, there was nothing fruitful because Kashmiris were sidelined. Today the thing is that talks are being held between India and Pakistan. But we want that the real issue has to be treated and that is that the people of Kashmir have to be given their due. That's the reason the talks with Advani were fruitful as in this it was accepted that we have to move forward," Ansari said.

          The Indian government launched an unprecedented dialogue in January with the Hurriyat, which New Delhi had long shunned for its insistence on a plebiscite to decide the future of Muslim majority Kashmir. At the Saturday meeting, the Hurriyat also renewed calls for the release of political prisoners and ending what they called human rights violations in the region. Ansari said they were assured by Advani, that June talks may be the first where substantive issues will be discussed.

Tension in Bilaspur (Go To Top)

         Bilaspur: Tensions flared in Bilaspur whem a copy of the Quran was allegedly put on fire by a Hindu, police said. "Outraged by this incident on Saturday, a group burnt a couple of motorcycles which created some tension in the region. Police has been stationed to keep the situation under control. Currently, it is under control and police is vigilant," D.S. Maraavi, police superintendent, Bilaspur, said. one person has been arrested in connection with the incident. The arrested person's relatives said he was depressed after his wife, a Muslim, was burnt to death a year ago. Police patrolling has been increased in the area to prevent any religious clashes.

French lawyer to defend Saddam (Go To Top)

          London: Veteran French lawyer Jacques Verges will be the defence lawyer representing the deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's lawyer, the News reported Sunday. Verges had acted for the Gestapo chief Klaus Barbie and the terrorist known as Carlos. Verges confirmed on Saturday that Saddam's nephew Ali Barzan al- Takriti had asked him, through a letter, to defend the former Iraqi leader. According to the paper, Verges received Ali Barzan's letter reading: "In my capacity as nephew of President Saddam Hussein I commission you officially via this letter to assure the defence of my uncle." As to how he would organise the defence, Verges said he had "three possible destinations: Baghdad, Geneva - the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross - and the Hague, where the International Criminal Court is based."

          Meanwhile, Verges' another important client is former Iraqi foreign minister Tareq Aziz who had surrendered to US forces in April 2003. Born in Thailand in 1925 of a French father and a Vietnamese mother, Verges reportedly grew up on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion, where his experiences of racist discrimination contributed to his fierce anti-colonialism.