The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock, Environment and Forest Adviser Dr CS Karim said the government has fixed a target of 28.18 lakh metric tonnes urea, 4.76 lakh metric tonnes TSP, 2.50 lakh metric tonnes DAP and 4 lakh metric tonnes MOP fertilizers to distribute among farmers according to their demands.

"Demand of fertilizer is now at off peak level. It will increase after December 15. Some 80 per cent seeds have already been distributed," he said.

"Earlier, the Government assigned only one dealer at union level to distribute fertilizers among the farmers. But this year the government will appoint three dealers in each union and identified four points to ensure fertilizer distribution among the farmers. As a result, fertilizer will be distributed from 12,800 centres across the country," he added.

Adviser said this at a press briefing on 'Fertilizer and Seed Situation in the country' at the Conference Room of the Information Ministry at Secretariat in the city yesterday.

Adviser said in 64 districts, total demand of urea fertilizers is 28,18,000 metric tonnes for 2007-08. Of them, institutionalised demand of urea fertilizer is 26, 68,000 metric tonnes and immediate demand is 75,000 metric tonnes.

The government has fixed production and import target of urea fertilizer for 2007-08. Production of urea fertilizer from the industries of BCIC is 15 lakh metric tonnes, from CAFCO 4.50 lakh metric tonnes and from other countries 9 lakh metric tonnes, he said.

The government has ordered the district administration and BCIC to take quick initiative against the dealers while obtaining fertilizers slowly, he also said.

To fulfil the demand of the farmers 'buffer stores' of the BCIC has increased to 24 from 21. New stores have been set up in Mymensingh, Tangail and Patuakhali, he added.

Adviser said this year seeds production have increased 8,077 metric tonnes. Seeds production of BADC has increased 2,995 metric tonnes.

This year about four lakh metric tonnes of local seeds of potato has been stored for use and 3,800 metric tonnes of potato seeds have been imported from abroad. Therefore, about one lakh metric tonne potato has been stored for using as food in which one part could be used for the need of the farmers, he added.

M Abdul Aziz, Agriculture Secretary, among other officials of the Ministry, were present at the press conference.

Special Correspondent

China will likely achieve-and may even exceed-its target to obtain 15 percent of its energy from renewables by 2020, according to a new report released by the Worldwatch Institute. If China's commitment to diversifying its energy supply and becoming a global leader in renewables manufacturing persists, renewable energy could provide over 30 percent of the nation's energy by 2050, says a message received from Washington, DC yesterday.

That is the major conclusion of Powering China's Development: The Role of Renewable Energy, written by Beijing-based researcher Eric Martinot, a Worldwatch senior fellow, and Li Junfeng, Vice Chair of China's. Renewable Energy Society in Beijing.

"A combination of policy leadership and entrepreneurial savvy is leading to spectacular growth in renewable energy, increasing its share of the market for electricity, heating, and transport fuels," said Martinot. "China is poised to become a leader in renewables manufacturing, which will have global implications for the future of the technology."

More than $50 billion was invested in renewable energy worldwide in 2006, and China is expected to invest over $10 billion in new renewables capacity in 2007, second only to Germany. Wind and solar energy are expanding particularly rapidly in China, with production of wind turbines and solar cells both doubling in 2006. China is poised to pass world solar and wind manufacturing leaders in Europe, Japan, and North America in the next three years, and it already dominates the markets for solar hot water and small hydropower.

"Our ingenuity and manufacturing prowess are being harnessed to provide leadership to the world on renewables," said Li Junfeng. "China's position provides a strong example for other developing countries, while helping to drive down renewable energy costs to become competitive with fossil fuels for all countries the world over."

The report discusses China's advances in wind power, solar photovoltaics (PV), solar heating, biomass power, and biofuels have led to impressive gains in these sectors, the report says, the message adds.

Adrian Pabst

Last month, 138 Muslim scholars addressed an open letter to Pope Benedict XVI and other Christian leaders in which they call for a new dialogue between Christianity and Islam based on sacred texts.

Entitled "A Common Word Between Us and You," the document claims that the shared Muslim and Christian principles of love of the One God and love of the neighbour provide the sort of common ground between the two faiths that is necessary for respect, tolerance and mutual understanding.

The publication of this letter coincided with the anniversary of a previous open letter in response to the pope's controversial Regensburg address on Sept. 12, 2006, when he appeared to link violence in religion to the absolute transcendence of God in Islam. His point was that according to Muslim teaching, God's will is utterly inscrutable and therefore unknowable to human reason - with the implication that divine injunctions cannot be fully understood and must be blindly obeyed.

Against this background, the latest initiative by Muslim scholars marks an attempt to move interfaith dialogue away from debates about reason and revelation towards scriptural reading. Christian-Muslim relations, so their argument goes, are best served by engaging in textual interpretations that highlight shared commandments and common beliefs.

But to suggest, as the authors of "A Common Word" do, that Muslims and Christians are united by the same two commandments which are most essential to their respective faith and practice - love of God and love of the neighbour - is theologically dubious and politically dangerous.

Theologically, this glosses over elementary differences between the Christian God and the Muslim God. The Christian God is a relational and incarnate God. Moreover, the New Testament and early Christian writings speak of God as a single Godhead with three equally divine persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

This is not merely a doctrinal point, but one that has significant political and social implications. The equality of the three divine persons is the basis for equality among mankind - each and everyone is created in the image and likeness of the triune God. As a result, Christianity calls for a radically egalitarian society beyond any divisions of race or class. The promise of universal equality and justice that is encapsulated in this conception of God thus provides Christians with a way to question and transform not only the norms of the prevailing political order but also the (frequently perverted) social practices of the Church.

By contrast, the Muslim God is disembodied and absolutely one: there is no god but God, He has no associate. This God is revealed exclusively to Muhammed, the messenger (or prophet), via the archangel Gabriel. As such, the Koran is the literal word of God and the final divine revelation first announced to the Hebrews and later to the Christians.

Again, this account of God has important consequences for politics and social relations. Islam does not simply posit absolute divisions between those who submit to its central creed and those who deny it; it also contains divine injunctions against apostates and unbelievers (though protecting the Jewish and Christian faithful).

Moreover, Islam's radical monotheism tends to fuse the religious and the political sphere: It privileges absolute unitary authority over intermediary institutions and also puts a premium on territorial conquest and control, under the direct rule of God.

These (and other) differences imply that Christians and Muslims do not worship or believe in the same God; in consequence, across the two faiths, love of God and love of the neighbour invariably differ.

By ignoring these fundamental divergences, the authors of the open letter perpetuate myths about Christians and Muslims praying differently to the same God. Worse, they exhibit a simplistic theology of absolute, unmediated monotheism.

In this way, they unwittingly play into the hands of religious extremists on both sides who claim to have immediate, total and conclusive knowledge of divine will by faith alone.

The problem with all textual interpretations is that they are, by definition, particular and partly subjective. Without universal concepts and objective standards such as rationality, scholars differ from extremists merely in terms of their honorable intentions.

So, the political danger of focusing Christian-Muslim dialogue on textual reading is that it neglects each faith's theological specificities and the social implications; as such, this approach undermines the mutual understanding which it purports to offer but fails to deliver.

Christian and Muslims can no longer eschew the fundamental differences that distinguish their religions. The best hope for genuine peace and tolerance between Christianity and Islam is to have a proper theological engagement about the essence of God and the nature of peace and justice.

Otherwise, interfaith dialogue will amount to little more than the polite platitudes of politicians and diplomats. In the name of the shared commitment to truth and wisdom, Christians and Muslims should have robust debates that are theologically informed and politically frank.

Of course, this does not preclude pragmatic cooperation between the faiths on issues of common concern such as aggressive secularism, militant atheism and, most importantly, violence in religion.

But the fundamentalists on both sides will only be intellectually defeated and politically marginalised by reasoned belief and rational argument - not by subjective textual interpretation.

(Adrian Pabst teaches religion and politics at the University of Nottingham and is a research fellow at the Luxembourg Institute for European and International Studies.)

AFP, Islamabad

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has said that he will step down as army chief before December 1, the country's attorney general told reporters Thursday.

The announcement came as military ruler Musharraf, who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999 and declared a state of emergency on November 3, faced growing international calls to shed his uniform.

"The president has said he will give up his uniform before December 1," attorney general Malik Mohammad Qayyum told a news conference.

Musharraf and other officials have previously said he will wait for the Supreme Court to rule on the legality of his October 6 re-election as president before quitting the army.

Asked what would happen if the court -- stripped of hostile judges under emergency laws -- ruled against Musharraf, Qayyum said: "He will decide about it himself. He has already his appointed his successor." Musharraf named former spy chief Ashfaq Kiyani as the heir apparent to the post of chief of army staff in October.

Qayyum said Pakistan's incoming caretaker government would take an oath on Friday morning after the current parliament dissolves at one minute before midnight.

A U.S. diplomat met with detained opposition leader Benazir Bhutto Thursday, while she and another rival of President Gen. Pervez Musharraf opened talks on forming an alliance against him. The political unrest worsened, leaving two children dead, officials said.

Unidentified protesters opened "indiscriminate gunfire" in a violence-ridden neighborhood of Karachi, killing two boys aged 11 and 12, police officer Aslam Gujjar said.

Pakistan's Pervez Musharraf conferred with key aides Thursday to hand-pick a caretaker government that will steer the emergency-ruled nation toward elections.

His presidency officially comes to an end at midnight, the same time as parliament dissolves, amidst a mounting political crisis triggered by his declaration of emergency rule.

The military ruler has pledged general elections by January 9 but said the state of emergency will stay in place until then.

The government said Musharraf, as the incumbent, would remain in office as both army chief and president until the Supreme Court rules on the legality of his victory in an October 6 presidential election.

Opposition leaders including detained former premier Benazir Bhutto have called on Musharraf to quit, while international pressure is growing for him to give up his role as army chief and end the emergency.

"In the constitution the incumbent will continue until the next president takes oath. That is only a common-sense approach, that you cannot have the office lying vacant," Deputy Information Minister Tariq Azeem told newsmen.

Musharraf's lawyers told the Supreme Court in September that his five-year term in office would end on November 15. He also promised to shed his uniform before his second term.

Critics say jitters over the likely court ruling led to Musharraf imposing the state of emergency on November 3, following which he gutted the court and replaced its top judges.

Detained opposition leader Benazir Bhutto said Thursday she hopes to form a national unity government to replace President Gen. Pervez Musharraf ahead of elections, and is contacting other opposition parties to get them on board.

"I am talking to the other opposition parties to find out whether they are in a position to come together," she told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from the home in Lahore where she is under house arrest. "We need to see whether we can come up with an interim government of national consensus to whom power can be handed."

Bhutto left open the question of whether she, or someone else, would lead such a government, saying it was a subject that would have to be worked out in negotiations.

But she said a consensus must be reached that would ensure an orderly transition should Musharraf agree to step down.

BSS, Dhaka

A proposal for giving the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) the entity of a self-ruled organisation is awaiting presidential approval after vetting from the Law Ministry.

Director General (admin) of the commission Col. Hanif Iqbal said this during the regular press briefing at his office here on Thursday.

He said after the approval of the President, an Ordinance would be promulgated in this regard. The Council of Advisers approved the draft of a law on October 31 last proposing for making the ACC a "self-governed body" alongside its existing independent and neutral entity. The DG said the ACC has brought broad-based amendments to its existing rules to make it more vibrant and expedite the process of enquiry and investigation of the graft cases.

The ACC has brought 29 amendments to its existing rules, he said adding that the President has already approved the amendments that may be published in a Gazette notification within a week, he said.

The new amendments will have provisions for conducting the enquiry and investigation of a case by the same officer instead of separate officers aimed at saving the time of processing the case.

However, the amendments also incorporated the provision for appointment of separate officers at the enquiry and investigation levels if the ACC deems it necessary.

According to the other amendments, the divisional and district level scrutiny committees would be constituted with the senior officials of the ACC instead of local distinguished persons. The commission may constitute more than one committee at the divisional/district level to verify the allegations of corruption.

As per another amendment, the ACC would inform the concerned ministries, divisions or departments in writing about its action taken against any official or employee on charge of corruption, the DG said.

All the amendments are under the process for publication in the Gazette after the assent of the President, he said.

Staff Reporter

Speakers at a discussion in the city yesterday called for building up a social movement against the genetically modified (GM) foods, which they said pose serious threat to human health.

Alliance of Food Sovereignty Campaign (AFSC) organised the discussion at National Press Club in the city.

GM foods are foodstuffs produced from genetically modified organisms (GMO) that have had their genome altered through genetic engineering. GM Foods have been available since the 1990s. The most common modified foods are derived from plants: soybean, corn, canola and cotton seed oil and wheat. The process of producing a GMO used for GM Foods may involve taking DNA from one organism, modifying it in a laboratory, and then inserting it into the target organism's genome to produce new and useful traits or phenotypes. Such GMOs are generally referred to as transgenics. Other methods of producing a GMO include increasing or decreasing the number of copies of a gene already present in the target organism, silencing or removing a particular gene or modifying the position of a gene within the genome.

Consumer rights groups, such as the Organic Consumers Association, and Greenpeace emphasise the long term health risks which GM could pose, or that the risks of GM have not yet been adequately investigated.

With AFSC president ATM Zakir Hossain in the chair, the discussion was participated by BELA's programme director Syeda Rezwana Hasan, Commerce Ministry's deputy director Sharifa Khan, Pavel Perth, AM Badrul Hasan, Mahfuzullah, and Sharif Khan, among others.

Staff Reporter

South Korea has expressed its keen interest to invest in Bangladesh, particularly in power and energy sectors.

Visiting Korean Vice Minister of Commerce, Industry and Energy Dr Jae Hoon Lee expressed the interest when an 18-member Korean delegation, led by him, called on Adviser for Foreign Affairs Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury at his office yesterday.

The Foreign Adviser appreciated the Korean interest to invest in Bangladesh in different sectors. "Our bilateral cooperation with Korea is also expanding to other fields such as trade and manpower," he said. Bangladesh has so far received over 278 proposals for Korean investment. The government's decision to open the Korean Export Processing Zone will immensely assist this development," the Foreign Adviser observed.

Meanwhile, South Korea signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Bangladesh to promote cooperation in power and energy sectors.

South Korean Vice-Minister Lee Jae Hoon and Energy Secretary of Bangladesh Mohammad Mohsin signed the agreement on behalf of their respective countries. The MoU said both the sides would promote cooperation in the field of energy, including power and gas on the basis of equally and mutual benefit.

The Korean Minister is leading delegation of a business consortium, which wants to invest about US$ 7 billion in different sectors, like power, gas and coal field development.

The consortium comprises the public and the private companies-the state-owned Korean Resources Corporation, Korean Electric Power Corporation, Daewoo, Luxon Global Energy and POSCO.

Earlier, the Luxon Global Energy signed a MoU with Bangladesh's Board of Investment to invest more than US$ 2 billion in 2005.

Energy Secretary Mohammad Mohsin told reporters that the MoU between Korea and Bangladesh was signed to explore cooperation in technical fields.

"Under the agreement, we may seek technical support from Korea as it is an experienced country," he said.

Staff Reporter

The three-day Bangladesh Apparel and Textile Exposition-BATEXPO'07, the annual trade show of the garment industry, opened at Hotel Pan Pacific Sonargaon in the city yesterday.

Chief Adviser of the Caretaker Government Dr Fakruddin Ahmed inaugurated the gala business function, which is one of the largest apparel expositions in the Asia-Pacific region.

The show, organized by the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), will expose latest advancement in production capacities of Bangladeshi manufacturers who are among the top three suppliers to the US and EU markets. BATEXPO brings opportunities for the global buyers and their representatives to see varied categories of Made-in-Bangladesh garments with world's most competitive sourcing offers.

Top Bangladeshi suppliers are participating in the event and displaying their products in 75 stalls at the exposition. More than 50 companies, including suppliers for India, China, Japan and Hong-Kong who usually come to market fabrics and accessories, have registered their participations.

Buyers from USA, Germany, U.K. Canada, Middle East, Southeast Asia and other parts in the world wait every year for the BATEXPO and its last version was visited by 3000 industrial visitors including 500 from abroad.

Also varied categories of woven and knitted garments, denim wears and formal wears, textiles and accessories will be displayed at the single venue of the fair. Industry seminars will be held during the fair and experts from home and abroad will address there.

With nearly $10 billion annual exports and 5000 plus exports' manufacturers, the Bangladesh apparel industry is an admired source for numerous global retailers and importers. Local manufacturers are famed globally for executing large volume orders and to be competitive in terms of quality, prices and skills of workers. Their capacity regarding speedy shipments has improved a lot in recent months.

BSS, Dhaka

Experts yesterday suggested that all water development projects in Bangladesh be brought under sector-wide approach.

The water development projects should also be relocated to programme approach from the project approach, they recommended at a training programme on sector-wide approach in the city.

The experts presented the recommendations at the closing session of the three-day training programme, jointly organised by the Water Resources Ministry and the Netherlands Embassy at a city hotel. Water Resources Secretary Syed Mohammad Jobayer attended the closing session as the chief guest. ERD Secretary Aminul Islam Bhuiyan, Water Resources Ministry Joint Secretary Mahbubul Alam, Water Development Board Director General HS Mojadded Faruq and IUCN Country Representative Prof Dr Ainun Nishat spoke on the occasion. The experts said that earlier it took a long time in implementing a project and making assessment of cost. Even the development partners could not give any prior idea about how and when their money would be spent.

These problems could be resolved through sector-wide approach to accelerate the pace of work, the speakers opined. The water resources secretary said the development partners are now supporting the initiatives to run the ministries with sector-wide approach giving priority to poverty reduction.

He said Bangladesh needs huge funds for implementation of its projects in water resources sector. The assistance of the development partners could be better utilised, if the ministries can take sector-wide approach, he added. Denmark-based Training for Development Dot Net conducted the training programme while Centre for Environment and Geographical Information Services carried out the managerial responsibilities.

Government officials of the ranks of joint and deputy secretaries, and representatives from NGOs, donor agencies and the media took part in the training programme.

Staff Reporter

Refugee experts, human rights activists and civil society representatives urged the government to solve the Rohingya Refugee problem raising the issue to the international forum.

They also urged the government to review the country's bilateral relation with Myanmar looking at from human aspect instead of economic one.

They were speaking at a seminar on' Rohingya Refugee in Bangladesh: Issue and Concerns' organised by Neeti Gobeshona Kendro at the National Press Club yesterday.

While speaking at the seminar, refugee expert and Refugee and Migratory Movement Research Unit (RMMRU) Executive Director Prof CR Abrar said there is no refugee law in the country to address the issues properly.

Considering it as our constitutional limitation he said,' Without enacting proper law, the refugee issues could not be addressed successfully.

He protested the tendency of making refugee community responsible for all criminal activities across the globe.

Referring to the difficulties in solving the Rohingya issue Prof CR Abrar, former chairperson of the International Relations Department of Dhaka University alleged, even if the present military junta's rule ends and National League for Democracy leader Aung Suu Kyi comes to power, the refugee issue may not be solved immediately. Because it was created long ago.

Prof Abrar, also a human right activist, accused the Burmese rulers of violating the first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which reads 'All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights'.

Rohingya community is virtually stateless people, he added.

Former Secretary Nurul Islam emphasised on the need for finding the root causes of the problem while Ain O Salish Kendra General Secretary Adv Asaduzzaman voiced in favour of proactive role of government especially for the children in the refugee camps.

Shawkat Mahmud, president, National Press Club moderated the seminar while Mahbubul Haque presented the keynote paper.

Educationist Mohammad Shafiullah, development activist Aminur Rasul, Rohingya refugee leader Dr Ishaq Khan and Mohammad Ali Ahsan, among others, addressed the seminar.

for loan default

Staff Reporter

Bangladesh Bank has removed two directors of City Bank Ltd for Tk 14 crore loan default.

They are-Deen Mohammad, also the Chairman of Phoenix Group of Industries, and his son Mohammad Shoeb, vice-chairman of Phoenix Finance and Investment Limited (former Phoenix Leasing Company Limited).

Deen Mohammad's Phoenix Group of Industries is associated with Phoenix Textile Mills Ltd., Phoenix Spinning Mills Ltd., Phoenix Fabrics Ltd. and Eastern Dyeing &Calendaring Works Ltd. He is also the founder Chairman of The City Bank Ltd., Phoenix Insurance Co. Ltd and the Apollo Group of Industries.

Mohammad Shoeb is also one of the sponsor Directors of the Phoenix Group of Industries. In addition, he is the Director of Phoenix Textile Mills Ltd., Phoenix Spinning Mills Ltd. and Phoenix Fabrics Ltd. He is also the Chairman of Phoenix Insurance Company Ltd.

The City Bank sources said they took a loan of Tk 20 crore from IFIC Bank Ltd for their company Apollo Ishpat Ltd. Of the amount, they paid Tk 6 crore only.

Bangladesh Bank issued a show-cause notice in August, asking the two to repay the rest of the money within two months. But they failed to do so. They were removed on Wednesday.