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| Sunday, 24 October 2004 |
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Globescan Tension between US and India mounting by M.P. Muttiah Tension between India and the United States rose to a higher level, as the Bush administration approved curbs to be imposed on India in the near future. These curbs would be in addition to the sanctions on two Indian scientists. These actions would be in response to other Indian transfers of weapons related goods to Iran. According to reports, three main entities may come under the sanctions list. However, the United States does not heed the Indian protest. Meanwhile, the US Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca, and her Indian counterpart S. Jaishanker have agreed on their next step towards a strategic partnership cooperation in nuclear technology, space, high-tech commerce and missile defence. At the same time, India and Pakistan have agreed to begin their next round of talks on November 29. These talks would include narcotic control, resumption of Munnabao-Khokhrapar railway link, Sri Nagar-Muzzafarabad bus service and confidence building measures relating to nuclear and conventional weapons. The talks would begin when Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz makes his first official visit to India next month. India and Myanmar are taking further initiatives in the field of non-traditional security issues. The two countries are expected to finalise an agreement on counter-terrorism. Talks between Indian leaders and senior Myanmar General Than Shwe will begin tomorrow in New Delhi. This is the first visit by a senior leader in Myanmar for 17 years. General Than Shwe is known to be familiar with the ground situation on 1,400 km-long Indo-Myanmar border. British Labour government's attempts to block a new law aimed at punishing negligent employers with heavy fines or imprisonment over deaths or injury have infuriarated trade unions. Deputy Prime Minister John Scott introduced the new Bill, for which the trade unions had been campaigning for many years. The commitment for a draft bill was a cornerstone of the agreement between the government and unions reached at Warwick Forum recently. According to observers, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw's interference in the local problem and the attempt to block the bill could cause a rift in the Labour Party government in the near future. Meanwhile, aid worker Margaret Hassan, who was kidnapped in Iraq, made an emotional appeal to British forces to withdraw from Iraq to save her. This appeal came after the British government confirmed that an 850-strong battle group is to be deployed to take decisive action against rebels. While US President George W. Bush and Democrat John Kerry were battling to prove their views on Iraq, UN Secretary-General Koffi Annan has again declared that world was not safer after the Iraq war. The US-led war against Iraq has done nothing to make the world a safer place. He added that he could not say the world was safer when considering the violence in many countries. In a way of condemning the United States' unilateral actions, the Secretary-General said that international community must try and make the world safer. Meanwhile, senior officials of the United States have estimated the number of rebels against the US-led forces in Iraq as 20,000. They say the rebels continue to inflict casualties on American and Iraqi forces, significantly have more fighters in the rank and far greater financial resources. According to the US officials, hard-core fighters comprise 12,000 with 20,000 sympathisers. At the same time, support for the pro-US Ayed Allawi government has been losing ground. According to reports, leaders of Iraqi's religious parties have merged with the country's most popular politicians and would win the largest share of votes if an election was held today. The poll showed that the most popular politician was Abdel Hakkim, leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq. This group was part of the US backed opposition to Saddam Hussein and could not be acceptable to the US administration as it gets assistance from Iran. |
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