IUP WATCH
INDIA/US/PAKISTAN
19 August 2010
HEADLINES:
- President Zardari, Sen. Kerry view flood situation in Jampur
- John Kerry acknowledges civil and military cooperation in relief measures
- US trying to armtwist India to let Dow go scotfree: Oppn MPs
- No linkage between Bhopal and investment ties with India: US
- “N-liability bill will clip wings of India’s nuclear technology”
- India should read Kashmir's 'writing on the wall': Pakistan
- India accuses Pak of Kashmir ceasefire violation
- Pak yet to decide on India's aid offer; 'appreciates' gesture
- US places India on 'Priority Watch List'
IN DEPTH
- U.S. Strategy in Pakistan Is Upended by Floods
FULL TEXT:
President Zardari, Sen. Kerry view flood situation in Jampur
MULTAN, Aug 19 (APP): President Asif Ali Zardari and Senator John F. Kerry on Thursday had an aerial view of the flood-hit Jampur.President Zardari was accompanied by US Senator John Kerry who arrived in Pakistan Wednesday night to personally review the damage caused by devastating floods.Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, US Ambassador to Islamabad Anne Patterson, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Washington Hussain Haqqani also accompanied President Zardari during the visit.
John Kerry acknowledges civil and military cooperation in relief measures
MULTAN, Aug 19,(APP): US Senator John Kerry Thursday said there has been strong and effective cooperation between civil and military administration in the relief work being carried out in the flood affected ares of Pakistan with international help and support.Talking to APP on board C-130 while flying to Multan to see the damage caused due to floods, Kerry said, there was close coordination of army with democratic government in this relief operation.
He especially mentioned meetings of General Kayani with President Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani to discuss with them the on going relief measures.
Replying to a question about credibility of politicians in this relief work, Senator Kerry said the helicopters for the relief measures are not flying to the houses of any politicians, adding these helicopters are providing food to flood victims across the board.
He said, “we want long term commitment with Pakistan and will ensure it through more help and assistance to the flood affected people.”
Senator Kerry said main objective of his visit to flood affected areas was to witness the magnitude of the losses due the natural disaster.
He said the US would increase its assistance to 150 million dollars that was being provided directly, through government of Pakistan and local and international NGOs.
Regarding issue of transparency in American assistance, the Senator said it is also the requirement of US Senate and Congress therefore certain measures have been taken to ensure transparency in spending these funds in Pakistan.
Answering a question about slow response of world community to provide aid to Pakistan he said, he was impressed by the assistance in pipeline.
He said the UN General Assembly is meeting today on Pakistan’s request and expressed the hope that more assistance would come after this meeting.
He said majority of funds from KLB would also be utilised for rehabilitation work in the flood affected areas with provision of food, education, health and other basic needs of life.
US trying to armtwist India to let Dow go scotfree: Oppn MPs
Press Trust Of India
New Delhi, August 19, 2010First Published: 16:00 IST(19/8/2010)
BJP and Left parties on Thursday alleged that the US was trying to armtwist India to let Dow Chemicals go scotfree with regard to its liability in the Bhopal gas tragedy. Raising the issue during Zero Hour, D Raja (CPI) quoted media reports saying that there was an exchange of emails between
related storiesNo change in India's stand on Dow Chemicals: Official
US advises India not to pressurise Dow; Govt makes stand clear
Bhopal case might affect investment: US warns India
Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and US deputy national security advisor Michael Froman.
Responding to Ahluwalia's request for US support in the World Bank for India's borrowing, Froman had reportedly said "We are hearing a noise about Dow Chemicals issue...I think we want to avoid developments, which put a chilling effect on the investment relationship."
Raja, joined by CPI-M and BJP members, said it was very clear that the US was trying to influence the decision making of our country and the government should not succumb to this pressure.
He said the email exchange between Ahluwalia and Froman suggests that US wants India to take back Rs 1500 crore-damage claim against Dow Chemicals.
He said Home Minister P Chidambaram had given an assurance earlier this month that there was no pressure from outside the country on the Bhopal gas issue.
"Government of India should come clean on the issue," he said.
The worldwide assets of Union Carbide were taken over by Dow Chemicals. It was the gas leak at the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal in 1984, which claimed thousands of lives.
In a separate Zero Hour mention, Ashwini Kumar (Congress) expressed concern over security threat from China.
He said India's defence preparedness against China was one:five. He said while the budget for China's defence is $150 billion, it was only $32 billion for India. While China has eight nuclear submarines, India has only one, he said.
"It is high time that rising India stops being apologetic about its need to increase its defence expenses," he said.
Kumar said while India has to build good relationship with China, it did not mean that "we remain oblivious to the urgency of our defence preparedness...we must revisit our defence preparedness."
No linkage between Bhopal and investment ties with India: US
PTI
Meanwhile, senior administration officials were quick to point out that the US has supported India's position at the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development of the World Bank. "We are committed to have a very strong relationship. We can talk about any range of issues and work them out together through dialogue and discussion. I believe any of these issues could be resolved through dialogue," the officials said, but refrained from making any specific comment on the Union Carbide issue. They denied reports that there was any pause in the relationship between the two countries on any issues, including Pakistan, Afghanistan or economic issues. "The Indo-US relationships are in a very good standing. The ground is very firm. The dialogue (between India and the US) is going on very well," the officials said. The David Headley case is the latest example of the close co-operation between the two countries, they said. "We are very much supportive of the dialogue with Pakistan to resolve a variety of issues between two countries and encouraging India's role in Afghanistan -- the common goal that we have for the stability and prosperity for that country," the officials said. "Internally there is lot going on -- trade and commerce. Externally we are working on regional stability.I think there is going to be a lot of opportunity when the President (Barack Obama) visits India in November to expand on the relationship," they said.
“N-liability bill will clip wings of India’s nuclear technology”
K. P. M. BASHEER
Former chairman of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, A. Gopalakrishnan, has said the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill will lead to clipping the wings of India’s indigenous nuclear technology capabilities.
Mr. Gopalakrishnan, a stringent critic of the India-U.S. nuclear deal, told The Hindu that the new law would open the doors for the U.S. and French nuclear industry to “extensively sell their very costly and unproven light-water reactors (LWR) to India.”
He said that back in 2008, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had, without consulting the Indian Parliament or the public, promised the U.S. administration to purchase 10,000 MWe worth of LWRs from that country. This, Mr. Gopalakrishnan claimed, was under pressure from the U.S. administration for getting the `123’ agreement passed by the U.S. Congress. Mr. Singh had also promised French President Nicholas Sarkozy to purchase French reactors, in return for his help to circumvent the Nuclear Suppliers Group’s conditions. Without a liability law that lets the reactor manufacturers off the hook in case of a nuclear accident, these companies would not dare to do business with India, he said.
Mr. Gopalakrishnan pointed out that India is a leading country in thorium breeder reactor technology and is poised to build thorium-based reactors routinely by 2040. The country had abundant resources of thorium raw material in the sands of Kerala’s shores. Moreover, the indigenous nuclear technology capabilities would, in another ten years, enable India to design and build 1000-MWe PHWRs (pressurised heavy water reactors.) “This is a natural progression; we started off with 220 MWe reactors, now we are in the process of building 700 MWe units , and soon we will acquire the capability to build 1000-MWe reactors.” (The largest LWR India now plans to import is a 1650-MWe French reactor.)
He contended that the plan to import 40,000 MWe worth reactors during 2015-35 would shelve the thorium-based breeder reactor technology currently under development. “We have two generations of top-class nuclear scientists and engineers who have been painstakingly trained; we have the technological and industrial capability; and we have abundant raw materials,” he said. “All these will go to waste if we predominantly start relying on the import of the highly expensive U.S. and French reactors.”
A reactor like the AP-1000 had not yet been built or tested even in the U.S. Because of the lack of demand, the U.S. nuclear industry had been idle for some time and it would take several years for them to get the reactors going in India.
Mr. Gopalakrishnan thinks that had Prime Minister Singh’s secret promise (in the form of a letter by India’s Foreign Secretary to the U.S. Under-Secretary of State) on September 10, 2008 been made public at the time, the Opposition parties and the public would not have perhaps let the India-U.S. nuclear deal through. The commitment was made without a proper techno-economic impact assessment, he alleged. That commitment would prove to be fatal for India’s indigenous reactor technology, he said.
Mr. Singh had also promised that India would `take all steps necessary’ to adhere to the Convention on Supplementary Compensation (CSC) for Nuclear Damage. “The CSC Annex insists that the national law should legally channel the liability for all nuclear accidents in India absolutely to the `operator’ of the nuclear facility,” he pointed out. “This sell-out to the U.S. administration has been kept from all the deliberations on the liability Bill.” At the same time, he alleged, the desirability of joining the CSC is highlighted by the government, using `false and baseless’ arguments.
“The unwarranted written assurance given by the Prime Minister to help obtain the NSG clearance and the passage of the `123’ agreement has now come to haunt the government in the context of the liability Bill,” he said.
India should read Kashmir's 'writing on the wall': Pakistan
Published: Thursday, Aug 19, 2010, 17:04 IST
Needling India, Pakistan today said that Kashmiri people were resolved to get their right to self-determination and New Delhi should read the "writing on the wall".
"It is our firm belief that when (the Kashmiri) people are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for their cause, then nothing can stop them from reaching their destination," foreign office spokesperson Abdul Basit told the weekly news briefing.
In provocative comments, Basit also spoke about Indian forces "brutally" trying to deal with the agitation in the valley.
The Kashmiri people were "resolved to get their right to self-determination no matter how brutally Indian security forces try to suppress their legitimate struggle", Basit said.
He was responding to a question on prime minister Manmohan Singh's call to agitating Kashmiri youth to end violent protests as they would not benefit anyone.
Pakistan, which has raised hackles in New Delhi by commenting on the internal situation in the valley, believes "it is high time that India reads the writing on the wall", Basit said.
The government and people of Pakistan will "continue to stand by the people of Jammu and Kashmir through thick and thin by providing full diplomatic and moral support to their struggle", he added.
India has accused Pakistan of backing the violent protests that recently erupted in Jammu and Kashmir after a youth died when he was hit by a teargas canister.
Islamabad has denied the charge and said Kashmiri people are waging a struggle on their won to achieve the right to self-determination.
India accuses Pak of Kashmir ceasefire violation
(AFP) –
JAMMU, India — India's army on Thursday accused Pakistan of violating a ceasefire along their militarised border, accusing it of trying to push Islamic militants into divided Kashmir under the cover of fire.
A defence spokesman said Indian military posts in southern Kashmir came under small arms and mortar fire from across the border in a pre-dawn skirmish with Pakistani troops that lasted around two hours.
"Pakistani troops opened unprovoked firing at Indian posts and targeted several positions in Poonch" district, Lieutenant Colonel Biplab Nath said in Indian Kashmir's winter capital Jammu.
"Our soldiers retaliated to the firing," Nath said, adding there were no casualties on the Indian side in Poonch, a hilly Kashmir district some 240 kilometres (150 miles) northwest of Jammu.
The Press Trust of India quoted an Indian commander as saying dozens of mortar shells exploded around Indian posts.
"It is ceasefire violation and it was aimed at infiltrating militants into this side of the Line of Control (LoC)," brigadier S. Dua said, referring to a de facto border which divides the Indian and Pakistani zones of Kashmir.
India has in the past accused the Pakistani army of providing covering fire for infiltrating militants. Islamabad denies the charge.
India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars over the mainly Muslim region of Kashmir, which is held in part by each country but claimed in full by both.
They agreed to a ceasefire along the LoC in 2003 and began a peace process in 2004. Since then there have been sporadic clashes with both sides accusing each other of violating the truce.
An insurgency against New Delhi's rule in Indian Kashmir has raged since 1989.
Pak yet to decide on India's aid offer; 'appreciates' gesture
Press Trust of India, Updated: August 19, 2010 17:10 IST
Islamabad: As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called his counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani offering more assistance to flood victims, Pakistan today said it has not yet decided on the $5 million aid pledged by India last week in the wake of the devastating deluge in this country.
The Pakistan government is considering the proposal and no decision has been made in this regard, Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit told reporters in response to a question
on India's aid offer. "We appreciate the gesture by India. Their offer has been conveyed to relevant authorities and the matter is under consideration," he said.
To another question about the US administration's stand that Pakistan should accept the aid from India, Basit said, "Pakistan is a sovereign country and we will take a decision
according to what we believe is the right thing to do."
His remarks came as Singh called Gilani and offered more assistance in handling the devastation caused by the floods in Pakistan.
Dr Manmohan Singh said in such times of natural disasters, all of South Asia should rise to the occasion and extend every possible help to the people of Pakistan affected by the
tragedy.
Nearly one-fifth of Pakistan has been badly hit by the floods, the worst for the country in 80 years. Over 1,700 people have died and the UN says more than 6,50,000 people are
without basic shelter while six million desperately need emergency aid.
Last week, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna had called his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi and offered USD five million in aid for flood relief work.
'Pak won't accept preconditions for resuming talks with India'
PTI, Aug 19, 2010, 04.48pm IST
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday said it was unwilling to accept any "preconditions" for resumption of the Indo-Pak dialogue, including New Delhi's demand for action against terrorism emanating from its soil, claiming that the ball was in India's court to move the process forward.
"Our position is very clear. We do not agree to any preconditions for resuming the dialogue process between Pakistan and India," Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit told a weekly news briefing.