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Tuesday, March 23, 2010

U.S. Sees Hope in Pakistan Requests for Help


Pakistan sent a 56-page document to the U.S. ahead of strategic talks scheduled for Wednesday, seeking expanded military and economic aid in what some American officials believe is an implicit offer to crack down in return on the Afghan Taliban. The previously undisclosed document includes requests ranging from U.S. help to alleviate Pakistan's chronic water and power shortages to pleas for surveillance aircraft and support in developing the country's civilian nuclear program. U.S. officials say the document and the talks surrounding it could help redefine one of America's thorniest foreign-policy relationships, if it leads to a serious Pakistani clampdown on the Taliban. The Taliban uses Pakistan, a U.S. ally, as its rear base in its fight against American and allied forces in neighboring Afghanistan, and has often relied on clandestine support from elements of Pakistan's national security establishment. But in the past few months, Pakistan has rounded up several senior leaders of the Afghan Taliban on its soil, and last year it began a series of offensives against the Pakistan offshoot of the Afghan movement. U.S. officials are keen to see those moves broadened as a key to shifting the momentum of the Afghan war. "Right now, we're looking at something that could deliver a big part of our success in Afghanistan," said a senior U.S. military official, speaking of the document and talks. The document outlines a range of aid Pakistan is seeking from the U.S., say American and Pakistani officials who have seen it or been briefed on its contents. A high-level meeting between senior Pakistani and U.S. officials in Washington on Wednesday aims to stitch together their fraying alliance. Many of Pakistan's requests build on longstanding demands for more U.S. assistance. But officials on both sides say that by detailing them in a single comprehensive document, Islamabad is trying to signal its willingness to align its interests with those of Washington, its vision for a partnership—and its price.

Karzai studying peace offer from militant group


Afghan President Hamid Karzai held an unprecedented meeting Monday with representatives of a major Taliban-linked militant group, boosting his outreach to insurgency leaders to end the eight-year war. Less certain is whether the talks with the weakened Hizb-i-Islami faction represent a game-changer in the conflict, given its demand to rewrite the Afghan constitution and force a quick exit of foreign forces. It is the first time that high-ranking representatives of the group, led by warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, have traveled to Kabul to discuss peace. The reconciliation offer from Hekmatyar contrasts with his reputation as a ruthless extremist. Hekmatyar's power has waned over the years and he commands far fewer fighters than the Taliban. Nevertheless, Hizb-i-Islami is very active in at least four provinces of eastern Afghanistan and parts of the north. His defection from the insurgency would be a coup for Karzai and could encourage some Taliban commanders to explore their own peace deals.

"Right to Build" in Jerusalem


Israel's prime minister has rejected US pressure over the expansion of Jewish settlements. Speaking to a pro-Israel lobby group in Washington DC on Monday, Binyamin Netanyahu said "Jerusalem is not a settlement" and Israel has the right to build there. "Everyone knows, everyone - Americans, Europeans, Israelis certainly, Palestinians - everyone knows that these neighbourhoods will be part of Israel in any peace settlement. "Therefore, building them in no way precludes the possibility of the two-state solution," he said. On a visit by Joe Biden, the US vice-president, to the Middle East this month, Israel announced that it would build 1,600 new housing units in Ramat Shlomo, a religious Jewish settlement in an area of the West Bank annexed by Israel to Jerusalem.

China anger at Google switch


Google's decision to shut down its internet search site for mainland China and stop censoring search results is "totally wrong" and represents a politicisation of business issues, China has said. In an immediate and sharply critical response to Google's announcement, China said the California-based internet giant had "violated the written promise" it made when it entered the Chinese market. "We firmly oppose politicising commercial issues, and express our dissatisfaction and anger at Google Inc's unreasonable accusations and practices," the state-run Xinhua news agency quoted an unnamed official from China's State Council Information Office as saying. The backlash followed an announcement from Google on Monday that it was shutting down its China-based site, Google.cn, and redirecting search requests to Google's Hong Kong-based portal, Google.com.hk.

Pakistan is celebrating its 70th 'Pakistan Day' with national fervor today (Tuesday) to commemorate the Lahore Resolution that was passed on March 23, 1940 in Lahore by the Muslim League under the leadership of the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah. The day will dawn with 31 gun salute in Islamabad and 21 gun salutes in the provincial capitals. Prayers were offered in the mosques for the prosperity and progress of the country. Special programs are being held by public and private institutions throughout the country. It is a public day therefore all the government offices including banks and educational institutions will remain closed. 
According to information from a leaked roadmap of the next iteration of Windows Live Essentials, Windows Live Messenger Wave 4/2010 is up to Build 15.3.2649.311. Francisco Martín Garcia, Microsoft Active Professional 2010, Microsoft tester, has published the development process timeline of Windows Live Essentials Wave 4 indicating that the next version of the clients and services are moving along nicely. The current build of Windows Live Essentials Wave 4 had reached 15.3.2659.319 at the end of the past week, indicating that Microsoft is still in Milestone 3 stage. The Redmond company is expected to open more dogfood builds of Windows Live Essentials Wave 4 to a select number of testers on April 28th. Microsoft itself is, of course, dogfooding Wave 4, but so far has not made public any plans or delivery dates for development milestones. According to Garcia, Windows Live Essentials 2010 is planned to reach Milestone 3 on May 18th. It will be on June 3rd that Microsoft will offer the public the first details of Windows Live Wave 4, with the first Beta release, apparently scheduled for June 7th. 

Iranians train Taliban to kill Nato troops:British newspaper


A British newspaper claimed that hundreds of insurgents have been trained in Iran to kill Nato forces in Afghanistan. According to Sunday Times report, Taliban commanders have revealed that they had learnt to mount complex ambushes and lay improvised explosive devices, which have been responsible for most of the deaths of British troops in Helmand province. According to the commanders, Iranian officials paid them to attend three-month courses during the winter. They were smuggled across the border to the city of Zahidan, in southeast Iran.

Pakistan pushes US for nuclear technology deal


Pakistan wants the US to provide it with nuclear technology for a civilian energy programme and is to push the Obama administration this week for a deal. Islamabad seeks a civilian nuclear deal to mirror the package granted to India by George Bush, a proposal that would prove contentious in Washington, given Pakistan's uneven record on combating extremist groups and its sale of nuclear technology to states hostile to the west, led by the former head of its programme, Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan. A spokesman for Pakistan's ministry of foreign affairs, Abdul Basit, said today: "Pakistan is an energy-deficit country and we're looking for all sources, including nuclear, to meeting our requirements." A team led by Pakistan's foreign minister that includes the country's army commander and spy chief is due to arrive in Washington on Wednesday for meetings with their US counterparts, including Hillary Clinton, the secretary of state, in an effort to relaunch dialogue between the two allies. Afghanistan and help for Pakistan's near-bankrupt economy will also be on the agenda. Many experts believe Pakistan holds the key to stabilising Afghanistan and it is trying to position itself as a sole conduit to talk to the Taliban. The US meetings, are designed to restart talks that were last held in 2008. Pakistan believes it has suffered from the violent fallout of US-led intervention in neighbouring Afghanistan and requires further assistance, despite a recent $7.5bn (£5bn) US aid injection. A civilian nuclear deal, which would provide technology and fuel for power plants, could be the carrot required for Pakistan to finally cut its ties to jihad groups. A variety of incentives since 2001, including military equipment and civilian aid, have not worked, say experts.

US passes landmark healthcare bill


The US House of Representatives has passed a landmark bill overhauling the country's healthcare system, finally pushing through the top item on Barack Obama's domestic agenda. The US president praised legislators for passing the reform bill late on Sunday, saying he knew it was not an easy vote but calling it "the right vote". "Today's vote answers the prayers of every American who has hoped deeply for something to be done about a system that works for insurance companies, but not for ordinary people," Obama said at the White House just before midnight. "It's a victory for the American people and it's a victory for common sense," he added.

Thailand: Anti-government protest enters into eighth day


The supporter of ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra continued their protest which entered into the eighth day. The United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), which is calling for snap elections, planned to camp out near the Government House for at least another two weeks. Thai red-shirts protesters vow to continue their protest in Bangkok calling for fresh elections, although their numbers have dwindled.

Sarkozy government faces reshuffle


The French president is expected to announce a cabinet shake-up after his centre-right party suffered a heavy defeat in regional elections over the weekend. Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Fillon, the prime minister, met in Paris on Monday to plan what one senior official described as a "technical reshuffle". The ruling UMP party took only 35.4 per cent of Sunday's vote, while the Socialist party and its allies won 54.1 per cent, preliminary results showed. Claude Gueant, Sarkozy's chief of staff, said the results were a "big wake-up call for quick and effective action" to tackle unemployment and other effects of the economic crisis".

15 die, 44 hurt in Colombia bus accident


Around 15 people have been killed and 44 others injured when a bus crashed into two other vehicles on a highway in central Colombia. The accident occurred in the municipality of Granada, in Cundinamarca Department, 30 kilometres to the south of Bogota. The highway, which connects the Colombian capital with the country's southeast, was closed after the accident.

US: Israel faces difficult choices


Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, has told America's pro-Israel lobby that the building of Israeli settlements in the occupied East Jerusalem and West Bank is preventing peace with the Palestinians. She made those remarks at the annual policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) in Washington DC on Monday, following diplomatic tensions between Washington and Israel. "New construction in East Jerusalem or the West Bank undermines mutual trust and endangers the proximity talks that are the first step toward the full negotiations that both sides want and need," Clinton said.