The New Nation - Internet Edition

Showdown with Musharraf looms for Pakistan coalition

Reuters, Islamabad

Leaders of Pakistan's civilian coalition pondered over the fate of President Pervez Musharraf on Thursday as speculation grew that the U.S. ally might be stripped of his powers and possibly be impeached.

Such a move would almost certainly plunge the nuclear-armed Muslim nation into a new bout of political instability unless the former army chief, who came to power in a coup nine years ago, decided to go quietly.

Musharraf, due to go to China early on Thursday to attend opening ceremonies for the Beijing Olympics, delayed his departure because of the uncertainty hanging over him. He has already put off the visit by a day.

Officials said Musharraf might either depart in the evening or postpone the visit.

He lost parliamentary support after an election last February that resulted in a civilian coalition government led by the party of the late Benazir Bhutto, a two-time prime minister who was assassinated while campaigning last December.

Asif Ali Zardari, Bhutto's widower and head of the ruling alliance, met Nawaz Sharif, leader of the second largest party, to resolve differences over the issues of Musharraf's impeachment and the restoration of Supreme Court judges who were dismissed by Musharraf last November during a period of emergency rule.

A spokesman for Sharif's party said there had been "some interruption" over the restoration of deposed judges but hoped that it would be resolved in the talks.

Leaders of the coalition parties are expected to give a news conference later in the evening.

Musharraf has become increasingly unpopular at home though the United States would be reluctant to see its old ally impeached as a constitutional crisis could distract Pakistan from the fight against an al Qaeda network that has regrouped in tribal areas close to the Afghan border.

The parliamentarians from the tribal areas said they would fully support an impeachment move against Musharraf. "The people of the tribal areas will be very happy if President Musharraf goes," Noor-ul-Haq Qadri, an MP from the tribal belt told Reuters. "We would like him to step down on his own but if the coalition leaders decided to impeach him, then we will fully support them.

The uncertainty has taken a toll on Pakistani markets, with the main share index at its weakest in nearly 23 months and the rupee headed back towards all-time lows posted in early July.

Pakistan is suffering inflation at a three-decade high, frequent power cuts, food and fuel shortages, and rising militancy across the northwest.

Musharraf has previously said he would resign rather than face impeachment proceedings but Pakistani political circles are awash with speculation that he could dismiss parliament, even though he has said he would not.

How the army responds to the prospect of a humiliating exit for its former chief will be crucial.

Army commanders met in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, close to Islamabad, on Thursday but a military official said "it was a routine meeting."

"The meeting will continue on Friday in which they will discuss issues relating to promotions of brigadiers and other senior officers," the official said on condition of anonymity.

Last November, Musharraf passed command of the army to General Ashfaq Kayani, who had previously headed the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.

Kayani has tried to withdraw the army from politics but he maintained close ties with the president.

Bush cites oppression, human rights abuses in Asia

AP, Bangkok

President Bush praised the spread of freedom in Asia while training a harsh spotlight Thursday on the region's democratic laggards, sharply criticizing oppression and human rights abuses in China, Myanmar and North Korea.

Bush's speech, outlining America's achievements and challenges in Asia as he wraps up eight years in office, came on the same day he was due to arrive in Beijing to attend the opening ceremonies of the Olympics and several days of competition. China has rounded up opponents and slapped restrictions on journalists, betraying promises made when it landed the hosting rights.

Chinese officials had bristled at Bush's criticism and his meeting with Chinese activists at the White House last week. A spokeswoman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing said there was no comment at this time to the speech, but the country's leaders were unlikely to be pleased at the criticism on the eve of their proud moment as Olympic hosts. At the same time, Bush has come under pressure to use his Beijing visit to openly press China's leaders for greater religious tolerance and other freedoms. The White House's handling of the speech demonstrated the president's delicate balancing act.

In what appeared to be an effort to ease embarrassment for Beijing as it prepared for its splashy appearance on the world stage, Bush's address containing the criticism of China was delivered outside the country, in Thailand. The White House took the unusual step of releasing the text of it even earlier, about 18 hours before he spoke.

And the speech was followed by a string of events Thursday, by both the president and his wife, Laura, that were clearly aimed at shifting the focus to the repressive military regime in Myanmar, neighbor to Thailand.

, where Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej regards himself as a friend of Myanmar's generals. Myanmar, also known as Burma, marks the 20th anniversary of a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy activists on Friday.

The Bush administration has become increasingly vocal about Myanmar in recent months, blaming a corrupt regime for failing to help its citizens after a devastating cyclone in May, in large part by initially failing to accept international help and then only with tight restrictions, and for violently suppressing democracy demonstrations by Buddhist monks in last September's so-called Saffron Revolution.

Mrs. Bush, the administration's highest-profile spokeswoman on the issue, flew for the day to northwestern Thailand to visit a border refugee camp. The camp in Mae La is home to 38,000 Karen, an ethnic minority that human rights organizations say is the target of an ongoing Myanmar military campaign marked by murders of civilians, rapes and razing of villages. She also stopped at a health clinic run by a woman known as the "Mother Teresa of Burma."

UN nuclear watchdog in Tehran talks amid sanctions calls

AFP, Tehran

The UN atomic watchdog's number two was in Tehran on Thursday for a new round of talks on Iran's nuclear drive as Western governments said the time had come for the Security Council to impose fresh sanctions.

The two-day visit comes a day after six world powers discussed Iran's response to their latest offer to resolve the nuclear standoff, which has helped push world oil prices to record levels.

It was not clear if Heinonen's visit was directly related to the incentives being offered to Iran to freeze uranium enrichment activities, a process that Western nations fear could be diverted to build an atomic weapon.

A diplomat close to the International Atomic Energy Agency said Heinonen's visit was likely to concentrate on clarifying outstanding questions the watchdog has about Iran's nuclear programme rather than the incentives offer.

Heinonen has made a series of visits to Iran as part of the agency's longstanding efforts to make sure there is no military dimension to the programme, the last on April 28.

That visit focused on studies that the IAEA suspects Iran carried out in the past into the engineering involved in making a nuclear warhead. But a source at the Iranian atomic energy organisation insisted that these "alleged studies" would not be on the agenda of the new talks.

In his last report on Iran in May, IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei accused Tehran of withholding key information on the so-called weaponisation studies.

Iran dismissed the allegations as "baseless", insisting it had provided a comprehensive response.

It has since gone further, with Vice President Gholam Reza Aghazadeh, who heads Iran's atomic energy organisation, insisting that the alleged weaponisation studies were not a matter for the UN watchdog.

"We are dealing with it through other channels. Measures have already been taken and we will follow them up if necessary and if appropriate," Aghazadeh said last month.

On Wednesday, Britain and the United States said the six powers now had "no choice" but to seek new UN sanctions after Iran failed to give a "clear positive response" to their latest offer of trade and technology incentives in return for an enrichment freeze.

The two governments said there was now agreement among the six powers, which also include China, France, Germany and Russia, that a new sanctions resolution should be discussed at the Security Council.

The powers "have agreed that, while informal contacts between (EU foreign policy chief Javier) Solana and (Iranian negotiator Saeed) Jalili will continue, we now have no choice but to pursue further sanctions against Iran, as part of our dual-track strategy," British junior foreign minister Kim Howells said.

But Russia's UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin said he was unaware of any such consensus on sanctions.

Georgia, Ossetia rebels clash, Russia warns of war

Reuters, Tbilisi

Several people were wounded overnight in Georgia's rebel region of South Ossetia, officials from both sides said on Thursday, in fighting that has grown more intense since the weekend.

Russia accused Georgia of preparing for war against its breakaway region and expressed concern over the situation. Tensions between ex-Soviet Georgia and its two breakaway regions, South Ossetia and the Black Sea region Abkhazia, have increased in recent months.

Both regions broke away from Georgia in the early 1990s. Both have financial and political support from Moscow and the vast majority of locals have Russian citizenship.

Moscow and the West are vying for influence over vital energy transit routes in the region, and Georgia has angered Russia by pushing for membership of NATO.

Georgia and South Ossetia accused each other of starting the latest fighting.

"Separatists opened fire from different locations aiming at eight Georgian villages," Georgian Reintegration Minister Temur Iakobashvili told Reuters. "After several appeals to cease fire, and no response, the Georgian side had to return fire." Two members of the Georgian security forces were wounded and some firing came from near Russian peacekeeping posts, he said.

The South Ossetian authorities said on the region's website that 18 people were injured by a heavy artillery bombardment of villages and the capital Tskhinvali.

"As a result of overnight firing by Georgian military units against the Republic of South Ossetia 18 injured were brought into the hospital," the website www.cominf.org said.

Russia, which said this week it would not be indifferent if violence escalated on its border, accused Georgia on Thursday of preparing for war against South Ossetia.

"Concern was expressed that the action of the Georgian side around Tskhinvali can be regarded as war preparations," the ministry said on its website after a telephone conversation between Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin and South Ossetia's leader, Eduard Kokoity.

Russia has previously accused Georgia of building up its military forces around South Ossetia and Abkhazia, allegations Georgia denies.

Maldives adopts new constitution

AP, Colombo

Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom signed and adopted a new constitution Thursday that allows multiparty elections and a number of other key democratic reforms after decades of authoritarian rule.

The new constitution also embodies for the first time independent bodies for human rights, judiciary, police, defense, election and corruption investigation, government spokesman Mohammed Shareef said.

Accordingly, the first multiparty presidential election will be held before Oct. 10. The specific date will be announced after an election commissioner is appointed within 30 days as stipulated in the constitution, he said. "This is an important milestone for us, many many things will change from this point onwards," Shareef said.

Gayoom has ruled the Islamic nation with tight controls for the past 30 years, and he promised in 2004 to enact a new constitution amid widespread protests demanding reform.

During his rule, the nation made up of 1,190 coral islands and a population of 300,000 emerged as one of the most attractive tourist destinations and by far the most prosperous country in South Asia.

The opposition praised the move.

"For the first time the people are getting to chose a president and we have ended the autocratic powers of the president," said Ahmed Shaeed, a former foreign minister under Gayoom and currently a member of opposition New Maldives party.

A special 114-member council representing political parties and elected representatives prepared and voted on the constitutional draft before it was endorsed by the president.

Thursday was declared a national holiday to allow the people witness the signing ceremony televised live.

Tibetan exiles demonstrate against China in Nepal

AP, Katmandu

About 2,000 Tibetan exiles demonstrated in Nepal's capital on Thursday, a day before the Olympics open in Beijing, demanding religious rights and an investigation into China's crackdown in their homeland.

Tibetan activists said their protest was aimed at drawing international attention to the issues and urging other nations to put pressure on China. "We timed our demonstration just before the Olympic Games begin in China to try to draw maximum attention," said Lakpa, an activist who uses only one name.

The demonstration on the eastern outskirts of Katmandu drew about 2,000 Tibetan exiles, many of them monks, nuns and schoolchildren. The area is home to Tibetan refugee shelters and Buddhist temples.

Nepalese police snatched banners from the protesters and did not allow them to chant anti-China slogans. They were, however, allowed to gather peacefully.

Many demonstrators wore T-shirts that said, "Free Tibet. Stop killing in Tibet."

Nepal has been criticized for not allowing Tibetans to protest in front of the Chinese Embassy and the mission's visa office in the center of Katmandu. Police have routinely broken up the frequent demonstrations since they began in March, when China cracked down on protests in Tibet.

Nepalese officials have said they will allow peaceful demonstrations, but not near foreign embassies or ones that target friendly nations, including China.

Thousands of Tibetan refugees live in Nepal. Thousands more are allowed to pass through the country on their way to Dharmasala, India, where their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, lives in exile.

13 drown in boat accident in northern India

AP, Lucknow

A police official says a boat carrying people home from work capsized overnight in northern India killing 13 people.

Local police official Rajesh Modak says five people on board managed to swim to safety and six others were rescued. Modak says four others are still missing Thursday. The accident took place in Barhi village, about 93 miles southeast of Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state.

Boat tragedies are common in India, especially during the June-September monsoon season, when often heavy rains result in flooding. The boats used to ferry passengers are also generally rickety, overcrowded and people seldom use life jackets.

Laura Bush visits refugees on Thai-Myanmar border

AP, Tha Song Yang

First lady Laura Bush, meeting with refugees who fled a brutal campaign by Myanmar's military junta, urged China and other countries on Thursday to join the U.S. in imposing sanctions against the country.

Mrs. Bush, who is traveling in Asia with President Bush, flew to the Thai border with Myanmar, previously known as Burma, to visit the Mae La refugee camp and a health clinic run by a woman known as the "Mother Teresa of Burma."

"We urge the Chinese to do what other countries have done - to sanction, to put a financial squeeze on the Burmese generals," Mrs. Bush said. An outspoken critic of the junta, Mrs. Bush urged other nations to apply sanctions to force the military into a dialogue with pro-democracy forces in Myanmar. At the border, she met with some of the 38,000 refugees at Mae La, mostly from the Karen ethnic minority group that human rights organizations say is the target of an ongoing Myanmar military campaign marked by murders of civilians, rapes and razing of villages.

She also bid farewell to a group of Karen ready to depart for resettlement in the United States, including a family of seven bound for South Carolina who were boarding a bus.

The Myanmar junta's decades-long conflict with a number of the country's ethnic minorities has sparked an ongoing exodus, and some 140,000 refugees now live in camps strung out along the Thai-Myanmar border. Kitty McKinsey, spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees in Thailand, said more than 30,000 Myanmar refugees have been resettled in third countries, including more than 21,000 who have left for the United States since January 2005.

"While these camps are supposed to be temporary camps, in reality, some people have been living here for over 20 years. Some were born in the camps and now they have their own children," said Sally Thompson, deputy director of the Thailand Burma Border Consortium, the key aid agency working in the camps. "They are entirely dependent on handouts, which is not good socially or psychologically."

Dalai Lama gives support for Beijing Games

Reuters, New Delhi

The Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader, gave his public support on Wednesday for the Beijing Olympics. "Right from the time of China's application to hold the Olympic Games, I have supported China's right to host the Games," the Dalai Lama said in a statement posted on the government-in-exile's website.

"This is a moment of great pride to the 1.3 billion Chinese people. These Games should contribute to promoting the Olympic spirit of friendship, openness and peace. " "I send my prayers and good wishes for the success of this event."

China has accused the Dalai Lama's followers of seeking to derail the Games by orchestrating unrest across Tibet in March and subsequent protests that upset the Olympic torch relay in several countries. The Dalai Lama has denied the accusations.

Kashmir separatist hospitalised due to hunger strike

AFP, Srinagar

A prominent Indian Kashmir separatist was hospitalised Thursday after his health deteriorated on the third day of what he says will be an indefinite hunger strike, doctors said.

Yasin Malik has been on a "fast to death" since Tuesday to protest against attacks on Muslims in the Hindu-dominated southern part of Jammu and Kashmir state. Hindu hardliners have also been trying to impose an economic blockade on the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley. Tensions flared in June when the state government said it planned to transfer land in the disputed area to Hindu pilgrims, sparking violent protests by Muslims who said the move was aimed at engineering demographic change.However, ministers did a u-turn, leading to demonstrations in the mainly Hindu region of Jammu, where three protesters have been killed since last week. Malik, who heads the pro-independence Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), was shifted to summer capital Srinagar's main hospital after his blood pressure dropped.

"His condition isn't well as he is a heart patient. His blood pressure has dropped as he has stopped taking medicines," physician G.Q. Allaqaband told reporters.

Malik has a pacemaker and has a history of bad health.

Hundreds of Malik supporters chanted "long live Yasin Malik" and "Allah is Great" as he was being shifted to hospital.

On Wednesday Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held talks with Indian politicians to try to defuse the tensions.

McCain to discuss potential job losses in Ohio

AP, Marion

Republican presidential candidate John McCain is taking up the issue of possible job losses due to the closure of a DHL shipping site in Ohio, the result of a corporate merger aided by his campaign manager during his work as a lobbyist. In 2003, McCain campaign manager Rick Davis lobbied Congress to accept a proposal by German-owned DHL to buy Airborne Express, which kept its domestic hub in Wilmington in southwest Ohio. In announcing a restructuring plan in May, DHL said it planned to hire United Parcel Service to move some of its air packages, sending them through an airport in Louisville, Ky., and putting the Wilmington Air Park out of business. Some 8,000 jobs could be at stake, Wilmington officials estimate. Davis took a leave of absence from his lobbying practice to work for McCain, a self-styled reformer who asked his campaign staff to disclose all previous lobbying ties and make certain they were no longer registered as lobbyists or foreign agents.

McCain on Thursday was to discuss DHL's plans with local officials and others affected by the potential job losses. The economy and job losses are important issues in Ohio, a critical swing state that gave President Bush the electoral votes needed for re-election in 2004.

McCain campaign spokesman Brian Rogers said Wednesday that Davis had not worked with DHL since 2005, long before DHL announced plans to move its work out of Wilmington. The companies merged in 2003.

"At the time of the merger, no one anticipated an impact on jobs in Wilmington," Rogers said.

McCain, as chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, had a role in the deal too. He urged then-Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ted Stevens to abandon proposed legislation that would have prohibited foreign-owned carriers from flying U.S. military equipment or troops, which Airborne Express said was aimed at torpedoing its merger with DHL.

Mauritania junta pledges free polls

Reuters, Nouakchott

Leaders of a military coup in Mauritania said they would hold "free and transparent" presidential elections "in the shortest time possible," according to a statement released on Thursday.

Presidential guard chief Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz set up an 11-strong council to rule the northwest African Islamic republic on Wednesday after he ousted Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, Mauritania's first freely elected president.

The coup drew international condemnation and widespread demands for Abdallahi's return to power, but many local politicians threw their weight behind the coup and planned a march on Thursday in support of the junta. "The High State Council t will supervise, in coordination with the institutions, political class and civil society, the organization of presidential elections to renew the democratic process on a sustainable basis," the junta said in a statement published by national news agency AMI.

"These elections, which will be organized in as short a time as possible, will be free and transparent," it said.

The council also pledged to respect treaties and other international commitments binding Mauritania, Africa's newest oil producer.

Abdallahi, his prime minister and the interior minister were arrested on Wednesday by soldiers after he tried to sack Abdelaziz and other top military commanders after weeks of simmering political tensions.

Abdallahi won elections last year after a 2005 coup, also instigated by Abdelaziz, which ended years of dictatorship. But Abdallahi had been fighting off a series of crises in recent months.