02 June 2006
DUBAI, June 2 (NNN-WAM) -- Abraaj Capital, one of the leading private equity firms in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asian region, and BMA Capital, one of the most prominent investment firms in Pakistan, have launched a 300million USD fund, the Abraaj BMA Pakistan Buyout Fund L.P.
The largest Private Equity fund ever to target investments in Pakistan, it aims for an internal rate of return of 30 per cent and will pursue a broad-based and opportunistic strategy, rather than a sector-focused strategy.
The fund will concentrate on sectors with high growth rates and proven business models. It will also look into fragmented sectors with room for consolidation, with significant barrier to entry and with stability of business cycle and resistance to recession.
In a statement on the deal, United Arab Emirates (UAE) Economy Minister Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi said the UAE and Pakistan enjoy a special relationship as highlighted by the recent visit to Pakistan by UAE Vice-President and Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
She added: "Pakistan offers tremendous investment opportunities and UAE is keen to play an important role for Pakistan's development. Abraaj BMA Pakistan Buyout Fund is a step in this direction which I support whole heartedly."
Arif Naqvi, Chief Executive Officer and Vice-Chairman of Abraaj Capital, said: "We are delighted to announce our latest buyout fund dedicated to Pakistan. Pakistan's economy is the second fastest growing economy in Asia.
“The Government's increasing focus on privatisation and the extremely conducive regulatory environment for foreign investment present great opportunities for business and we are delighted to be part of it."
Farrukh Khan, the CEO of BMA Capital, said: "We are extremely pleased to partner with Abraaj Capital in this pioneering venture. We see a number of consolidation opportunities in many fragmented industries such as insurance, banking, basic materials, power, automotive parts, telecom, textiles, etc.
“With BMA's deep knowledge and understanding of Pakistan and involvement in landmark transactions in Pakistan and Abraaj Capital's regional expertise in private equity, we intend to focus on 'buy & build' initiatives, under-leveraged companies with quality assets or stable cash flows and under-managed or under-capitalised assets, adding significant value for both our partner companies and shareholders in the process."
Poonch, June 2 (IANS) Excitement is palpable in this border district of Jammu and Kashmir as the nearly six-decade wait for meeting their family members and friends in Pakistan will end June 19.
That is when the road connecting Poonch in the Jammu region to Rawalakote in Pakistani Kashmir will be thrown open after 57 long years.
Almost each family living in Poonch has relatives across the Line of Control (LoC) that divides Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan. The people on both sides of the border share a common language and culture.
The security establishment is working overtime to secure the town for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is expected to flag off the inaugural Poonch-Rawalakote bus service.
The reopening of the Poonch-Rawalakote road follows the opening of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road in April last year and is another confidence building measure (CBM) between New Delhi and Islamabad to take forward the peace process.
In preparation for the prime minister's visit, checkpoints have been erected at sensitive points in the insurgency-infested district.
District police officer S.D. Jamwal, who is supervising the security measures, said the troopers were being extra cautious after three improvised explosive device (IED) blasts in the district in May.
Unmindful of the high security scenario, residents here are counting the days till they finally meet their relatives across the LoC in Rawalakote, barely 40 km from here.
Ram Nayak, a resident of Poonch town, said he and his family were eager to travel across to Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
"This is the best thing to happen to us since the country's independence. We have always been neglected. For covering a distance of a few kilometres, it took years," Nayak said.
Nayak's cousins, whom he has never seen after the route was closed in 1948, live in Rawalakote.
"I used to play with them when we were kids. Today when I am an old man I am getting an opportunity to see them again," he said, visibly happy.
After the deadly earthquake of October in the Kashmir region claimed around 72,000 lives and left some three million homeless, a few checkpoints were opened on the LoC for distribution of relief to the victims.
At the time, relatives of former prime minister of Pakistani Kashmir Sardar Sikander Hayat Khan had crossed the LoC through the Chakan Da Bagh checkpoint in Poonch to meet Khan and his family.
Initially, Poonch-Rawalakote was scheduled to be the first point to be opened on the LoC but after the quake Chakan Da Bagh was chosen instead.
The Poonch-Rawalakote road would be the first to open south of the Pir Pinjal mountain ranges.
New Delhi, June 2 (IANS) India's human resource development (HRD) minister Arjun Singh has promised all help and support for promotion of Urdu language to the Jeddah Urdu Academy in Saudi Arabia.
Addressing a function at Jeddah Thursday, the minister assured that India's National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language would closely work with Jeddah Urdu Academy to promote the language, an official statement issued by the HRD ministry here said.
At a reception, Singh said: "A proposal to declare Maulana Abul Kalam Azad's birthday as the National Education Day is under active consideration of the Indian government.
"It is likely to be implemented soon."
Maulana Azad, a well-known freedom fighter and Muslim intellectual, was independent India's first education minister.
"Each and every one of the grievances raised by the Indian expatriates will be receiving serious consideration by the Indian government," Singh assured.
The minister added: "I have flagged all the issues raised by the Indian expatriates in my talks with the Saudi minister for higher education."
The reception was followed by a seminar on "Educational Exchanges between India and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia" in which delegates of the two nations participated.
The minister is currently on a week-long visit to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to strengthen India's educational ties with them.
By Arun Kumar,
Washington, June 2 (IANS) India's most wanted criminal Dawood Ibrahim and his organisation have been named as foreign narcotics kingpins by the US along with a Brazilian and an Iranian drug trafficker and were slapped with sanctions denying them access to the country's financial system.
Besides Dawood, who was named a global terrorist by the US three years ago, President George W. Bush also named Fahd Jamil Georges of Brazil, Ali Naway of Iran and Mexico-based Amezcua Contreras Organisation as subject to sanctions under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act ("Kingpin Act").
In a letter to the US Congress designating them as foreign drug traffickers, Bush clearly indicated that Dawood Ibrahim's operations encompassed India, Pakistan and UAE.
"This action underscores the president's determination to do everything possible to pursue drug traffickers, undermine their operations, and end the suffering that trade in illicit drugs inflicts on Americans and other people around the world, as well as preventing drug traffickers from supporting terrorists," a White House statement said.
Dawood, wanted in India for the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts figures in New Delhi's list of 38 most wanted criminals harboured in Pakistan, but Islamabad has feigned ignorance of his presence.
With this, the total number of individuals and entities designated under the Kingpin Act has gone up to 62 since the first designations were made in June 2000.
The Kingpin Act, which became law in December 1999, targets significant foreign narcotics traffickers, their organisations and operatives worldwide, denying them access to the US financial system and all trade and transactions involving US companies and individuals.
The act does not target the countries in which these foreign individuals and entities are operating or the governments of such countries.
New Delhi, June 2 (IANS) The National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions has criticised the Delhi government for shortage of textbooks and teachers in Urdu-medium schools in the city.
The commission Friday issued notices to concerned government officials, taking suo motu cognisance of the poor results of Class X CBSE in Urdu-medium schools in Delhi. The commission asked the government to explain the reasons behind the poor performance of the schools.
The results for the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class X were announced last month.
"Inaction of the Delhi government in providing Urdu textbooks and allowing the posts of Urdu teachers to remain vacant for the last eight years tantamount to deprivation and violation of the educational rights of the minorities," the commission observed in the notice.
An official spokesman of the human resource development ministry said, "The commission has issued notices to the chief secretary and secretary (school education) of the Delhi government in this regard."
"Notices have also been issued to the principals of Zakir Hussain school, Hakim Azmal Khan Girls Memorial school, Anglo Arabic School, Fatehpuri Muslim School and the secretary of the Confederation of Muslim Educational Institutions of India for assisting the commission," the spokesman added.
The first hearing is scheduled for July 20.
Paris, June 2 (DPA) High-flying Martina Hingis led Patty Schynder in a Swiss sweep into the third round of the 14.3-million-euro French Open Friday, with two-time finalist Kim Clijsters joining the winner's parade.
With sun finally shining at Roland Garros following days of rain and clouds, spirits lifted on the clay.
Grand Slam champions Hingis and Clijsters made up for lost time, with number 12 Hingis, the winner of five majors as a teenager, hammering Czech Zuzana Ondraskova 6-1, 6-3.
Second seed Clijsters rolled past Conchita Martinez-Granados of Spain 6-0, 6-3. Schnyder, the number 7, faced more of a struggle, but pulled though over Julia Vakulenko of Ukraine 2-6, 7-5, 6-0.
"I really played very well, served well, moved well, everything," said Hingis, never a champion in Paris.
"I just hope it's going to continue like that. I want to save the best for last," said the 1999 losing finalist to Germany's Steffi Graf.
Russian eight seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, playing a round ahead, reached the fourth round as she put out one of two remaining Chinese hopes, defeating Na Li 6-3, 7-6 (7-4).
The last Chinese was beaten in the second round, Jie Zheng going out to Croatian Ivana Lisjak 6-4, 6-4.
Clijsters, who struggled in the first round, had a wobble in the second set, losing serve to the 95th-ranked Martinez-Granados in the fifth game.
But the Belgian second seed, the reigning US Open champion, broke back a game later before moving on to close out victory in 55 minutes.
"I wasn't patient enough," said Clijsters. "I wasn't making the right decisions at the right time I think in those few games.
In the men's section, defending champion Rafael Nadal predictably steamrolled American lucky loser Kevin Kim 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 in less than two hours.
The win was the Spaniard's record-setting 55th in succession, his first after breaking the old mark set in 1977 by Guillermo Vilas of 54 during the first round on Monday.
But eighth seed James Blake overturned the form guide with his comeback over young Spanish specialist Nicolas Almagro. Blake remains the lone American into the third round with his 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 win.
He was joined by Spain's 15th seed David Ferrer, who defeated Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-1, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.
2004 champion Gaston Gaudio won a battle of former holders, defeating Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero, the 2003 winner, 7-5, 7-5, 7-6 (9-7).
Berlin, June 2 (DPA) A majority of Germans see Brazil winning the World Cup, but only one in 10 think the host nation will do it, according to a survey released on Friday.
Compiled for the main ARD television network, the Infratest study showed 54 per cent of those questioned favouring the South Americans to defend their title.
Ten per cent thought Germany would win, while 4 per cent fancied Italy and another 4 per cent Argentina. Twenty-one per cent thought Germany would reach the final, while 14 per cent saw them failing to make it past the group stage.
The survey also showed that 93 per cent were happy with the security arrangements for the tournament, which kicks off June 9 with the host country playing Costa Rica in Munich.
A recent string of xenopobic attacks had raised fears of violence targetted at visitors to the World Cup.
Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, who is in charge of World Cup security, said he did not expect the threat of right-wing violence to increase during the month-long competition.
"First of all police will be extremely vigilant. Secondly, I believe that the large number of genuine fans would make sure that any rowdies would think twice about having a go at a foreigner in a public viewing area," the minister told the daily Die Welt.
New York, June 2 (IANS) The family of a 42-year-old businessman of Indian origin in Wayne, New Jersey, is living in terror after what appeared to be racially motivated vandalism at their home last weekend.
The incident, which has come to light only now, took place at the family's Toms Lake community home last Saturday.
According to media reports here, the family discovered graffiti spray-painted at the back of their two-storey house, front steps and rear patio with threats and profanities along with references to their Hindu faith and their Asian Indian descent.
According to a report on the northjersey.com website, the black, orange and neon green graffiti read threats like 'We Kill U', 'We will Fire your house', 'Watch Your Kids' and 'I HATE INDIANS' among others. Some profanities, targeting Hindus, were too vulgar to print according to the website.
Wayne in Passaic County, New Jersey, is a small township of around 54,000 people. It is a cosmopolitan community with a mix of African Americans, Hispanics, Pacific Islanders, Asians and Native Americans besides Whites. Asian Indians comprise around two percent of the population, according to the report.
The businessman, who was born and brought up in Tanzania and moved to Passaic in the US when he was 17, said on condition of anonymity that his three children were aware of the graffiti but he would not let them see it.
"They don't understand it," the father of two boys, aged 11 and 16, and a daughter, 13, was quoted as saying.
"They were born here (in the US) and they go to school here in Wayne. They learn what everybody else does. They don't feel any different from the next kid."
He said he and his wife, hailing from Mumbai in India, drive straight into their garage and enter their home from there.
According to the report, a neighbour saw two individuals, described only as dark-haired teenagers or men in their early 20s, in the house's backyard Saturday. When she saw the graffiti, she called her husband who urged her to call police.
This is not the first time that the family has been made targets of hate crime since they moved into this home in November last year. Early in January this year, they received a series of hate mails and found threats painted on their garage doors.
Wayne Mayor Scott Rumana, who expressed disgust at the incident, said: "Any action like this is not tolerated whatsoever, and I'm appalled that any individual and any family would be subjected to this kind of treatment.
"We are all neighbours no matter what religious or ethnic background. We expect people to be understanding and supportive of that position."
Jyoti Gandhi, a former president of Arya Samaj in New Jersey, has expressed shock at the incident. She, however, added that many Hindu families prefer to keep quiet when they face something like this.
In the past, there have been a number of reports of hate crimes against Indian Americans, who comprise less than one percent of the US' population of around 300 million. Post 9/11, Sikhs were targeted and one of them was killed in Phoenix, Arizona, on the mistaken assumption that he was an Arab.
In the 1980s, New Jersey witnessed a series of attacks on Indian Americans by a group calling itself Dot Busters.
The Indian American community is among the most educated and affluent among all communities in the US. Last year, the US Congress had passed a resolution recognising contributions made by Indian Americans to the country.
New Delhi, June 2 (IANS) After three successive days of losses, Indian equities ended higher Friday as investors resorted to some active buying at lower levels, especially in blue chip stocks.
The 30-share sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) opened on a positive note at 10,104.57 points, as against the previous day's close of 10,071.42 points, and gained steadily, only to fall sharply to 10,011.45 points.
But a rally in the afternoon took the index to the day's high at 10,477.35 points, to finally end with a gain of 379.91 points or 3.77 percent at 10,451.33 points.
As many as 28 stocks that go into the basket of Sensex shares ended with gains, while two were in the negative territory.
Maruti Udyog, Hindustan Lever, Hindustan Aluminium, Housing Development Finance, Tata Motors, Associated Cement Companies and Tata Steel were the main gainers among the Sensex shares, while Reliance Energy and Tata Power ended with losses.
London, June 2 (DPA) Tehran could have the capability to develop nuclear weapons within a decade, United States' top intelligence official John Negroponte said Friday.
In an interview with the BBC's Today radio programme, director of national intelligence Negroponte warned that Tehran could have a nuclear bomb ready between 2010 and 2015.
"We don't have a clear-cut knowledge, but the estimate we have made is that some time between the beginning of the next decade and the middle of the next decade they might be in a position to have a nuclear weapon which is a cause of great concern," he said.
Negroponte accused Iran of being the world's top sponsor of terrorism, saying: "Their behaviour has been a cause of concern not only in Lebanon and Israel and in the Palestinian territories but also in Iraq."
His warning came on the heels of claims by former chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix that Israel possessed a substantial nuclear arsenal.
Israel is "assumed" to have 200 nuclear weapons, said Blix, who was speaking Thursday in his capacity as head of new Swedish organisation Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission.
Blix warned that current political tensions in the Middle East did not allow for the establishment of a nuclear-free zone, saying that regional disputes must be resolved first.
"Israel should commit itself not to make more plutonium; they are assumed to have 200 nuclear weapons," Blix told a news conference called by his group to present a 227-page study.
Tehran, June 2 (DPA) Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad promised the Iranian national football team all assistance during the World Cup in Germany, the news agency ISNA reported Friday.
At a meeting with the head of the Iranian Football Federation Mohammad Dadkan, football fan Ahmadinejad wished the squad the best of luck for the tournament.
His remarks indicated the president himself would not travel to Germany where there has been opposition to a visit because of his controversial remarks about Israel and the Holocaust.
But there was a chance he might go if Iran survived the preliminary group stage and advanced to the second round.
The president was due to receive the 23-man squad on Saturday to personally wish them good luck.
The Iranian team flies out of Tehran on Sunday for its training camp in Friedrichshafen and a warm-up game against a local team on Monday before their first match against Mexico in Nuremberg on June 11.
New York, June 2 (DPA) Former chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix said that Israel is "assumed" to have 200 nuclear weapons - a figure that Israeli officials and its allies have rarely, if ever, mentioned.
Blix, who was speaking in his new capacity as head of a Swedish organisation, the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission, said Thursday that a nuclear-free Middle East would be possible if states in the region, including Israel, rejected nuclear activities.
To date, Israeli officials have never discussed in public the breadth of their nuclear programme or their nuclear arsenal. The assumption has been that the programme exists.
But in Israel, Mark Regev, a spokesperson for the Israeli Foreign ministry, said, "there has been no change in Israel's long standing position that we will not be the first country to introduce nuclear weapons into the region".
Blix's release of the "assumed" number of Israeli nuclear weapons comes at a tense time over Iran's nuclear programme. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for the dismantling of the Israeli state and claimed that the Holocaust never happened.
The international community is wrestling with Tehran to bring a stop to its new uranium enrichment programme, which Washington charges will be used to produce nuclear weapons that would be a threat to Israel.
Blix last made headlines as chief of the international team that searched for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq during the time it was ruled by Saddam Hussein. The weapons inspectors found no such weapons and the effort was disbanded after the US invaded Iraq in March 2003.
Blix said Middle East states should refrain from uranium enrichment and conversion of plutonium as a first step to a nuclear-free zone.
"Israel should commit itself not to make more plutonium, they are assumed to have 200 nuclear weapons," Blix told a news conference to present a 227-page study by the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission in Sweden.
The document, titled "Weapons of Terror," was issued at UN headquarters in New York and given to Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the president of the UN General Assembly, Swedish Foreign Minister Jan Eliasson.
The world now has a stock of 27,000 nuclear weapons, of which 12,000 are still actively deployed, held mostly by the nuclear powers, the report said.
The study made 60 recommendations, topped by a call on all countries to accept the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), which for nuclear states would reduce their arsenals and stop producing fissile material for nuclear weapons and enrichment of uranium.
"All states - even the great powers - must prepare to live without nuclear weapons and other weapons of terror," the study said.
The 14-member commission that issued the study seeks to reduce dangers from nuclear, biological, chemical and radiological weapons. When he returned to Stockholm after his work as head of the IAEA, Blix was given the job of forming the commission in December 2003, with the cooperation of dozen well known world experts on weapons.
Israel has taken strident moves to keep secret information about its nuclear programme. In 1986, it abducted nuclear spy Mordechai Vanunu from Rome and put him in jail for 18 years for leaking secret information to a British newspaper. Since his 2004 release, he has been banned from travelling abroad and meeting with foreign nationals without prior clearance from Israeli authorities.
By Yoginder Sikand
Early last month, unidentified gunmen shot dead 22 Hindus in Kulhand, a remote mountain village in Doda in Jammu and Kashmir. The massacre is an indication that the situation in Doda district, racked by conflict over the last fifteen years, continues to be volatile.
Local opinion is divided on precisely who was behind the massacre. Many Muslims claim that it was the handiwork of the ubiquitous ‘agencies’. H, a teacher in Doda, says, ‘It could well have been done by the ISI but, equally, it could have been done by the Indian armed forces, as in the case of the massacre of 35 Sikhs in Chhatisighpora in 2000, which, some people say, was engineered by the army and falsely attributed to the militants, after which the army is said to have killed 5 innocent Muslim villagers in Pathribal, claiming that they were responsible for killing the Sikhs. There have been so many killings here and in the Kashmir valley of innocent people by militants as well as Indian forces that we don’t know who was behind the Kulhand massacre’.
L, a shopkeeper in Doda, argues, ‘In the past, whenever militants have massacred people like this, one or the other militant group has claimed responsibility. In this case, no group has done this. Hurriyat leaders rushed to Kulhand to commiserate with the victims’ families and many militant outfits have condemned the act’. R, a Muslim student, thinks that the massacre might have been perpetrated by political rivals of the Congress because it occurred soon after Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad’s landslide victory in nearby Bhadarwah. ‘It might have been to defame Azad, destabilize his government and polarize people Doda on communal lines to benefit certain political parties, such as the BJP, that thrive on Hindu-Muslim conflict’, he opines. ‘On the other hand’, he adds, ‘the massacre might have been done by some terrorist groups that, shocked by the massive turnout in the recent elections and realising that many Muslims here are fed up of militancy, want to stir communal conflict to keep the pot boiling’.
A, a Hindu from Kulhand, provides an interesting twist to the story of the massacre. He claims that the day the massacre took place a meeting of the Village Forest Committee, consisting of local Hindus, was held in the house of a Hindu school-master in Kulhand in which a serious altercation took place, and one of those present had threatened the others with dire consequences. ‘It might be that this person contacted local militants to finish off his enemies’, he says. The person he alludes to denies the charge. He admits of an ongoing dispute with other Hindu families in the village for the last three generations and says that his social relations are with the Muslims of the village rather than the Hindus. ‘I have several cases pending in the courts against other Hindus in the village, but I did not issue any threats and I have nothing to do with the massacre’, he insists.
While many Muslims in Doda are hesitant to blame militants for the massacre pending an impartial investigation, most Hindus, as well as some Muslims, think otherwise. T, a Rajput from Kulhand, who lost his son in the massacre, insists it was the handiwork of militants. He claims to have seen the same persons who killed his son roaming in the area a fortnight before the carnage. ‘They had long hair and beards and spoke with each other in Kashmiri’. T speaks of how militants often come to Hindu homes in these remote parts and demand food from them and even stay in their houses. ‘We give them what they ask for and refuse to tell the army about their whereabouts for fear of our own lives. And this is how the militants have repaid us for our kindness’, he says, sobbing uncontrollably.
N, a widow who lost her only son in the carnage, echoes this view. ‘Those who say that militants were not behind the massacre only want to deny that Muslims, like anyone else, can commit such a heinous crime. They say that militants could not have done it because, they say, Islam forbids this, but these militants are not pious religious people at all but criminals’. As she relates the events of that fateful day, her neighbours, Hindus and Muslims, listen grim-faced in stunned silence, and a young maulvi from a neighbouring village places his arm on my shoulder and bursts into tears.
As I leave T’s house, S, her Muslim neighbour, tells me, ‘Some militant groups have their own false interpretation of Islam based on unrelenting hatred of all non-Muslims. But that is not our Islam, the Islam which the Sufis taught us, and at whose hands our forefathers, who were Hindus, became Muslims’. ‘Popular support for militancy has considerably declined’, S adds, ‘because we have seen how it has been infiltrated by criminals and also because we now realize that conditions in Pakistan are terrible and that it is better to be with India instead of becoming a Pakistani colony’.
The massacre suggests that the militants, if they were indeed responsible for the deed, are getting desperate, S says. ‘They wanted to sabotage the recently-held peace talks in Srinagar and widen the communal divide. And now the BJP is taking up the issue, spreading canards about ethnic cleansing of Hindus by Muslims in Doda, thereby playing into the hands of terrorist outfits that actually want this to happen. In actual fact, most local Muslims are opposed to Hindus migrating from here and our leaders have issued appeals for peace and communal harmony’. S tells me of how Muslims joined Hindus in organizing a complete strike in Doda district to mourn the massacre. ‘Even Sayyed Ali Gilani of the Jamaat-i-Islami, known for his advocacy of Kashmir’s merger with Pakistan, sought to come to Kulhand to commiserate with the victims, but he was stopped by the police. The general secretary of the Jamaat-i-Islami visited Kulhand and announced that the Jamaat would pay for the education of three children who lost relatives in the massacre. Prominent Muslim leaders, social workers and doctors visited Kulhand along with Hindus to provide relief and express their shock and sorrow and the Imam of Doda’s Jama Masjid joined the priest of the town’s major temple to denounce the heinous act’.
‘There has never been any communal violence in our area, whether in 1947 or even at the height of militancy’ says R, brother of a Hindu lad slain in the massacre. ‘Hindus are a small minority here and the village Muslims are like our brothers. We visit each others’ houses, attend each other’s festivals and help each other at times of need. Our Muslim neighbours helped us carry the bodies of people killed in the massacre and arrange for their cremation’, he adds. But, R admits, some Hindus are planning to leave the village, following some others in the area who have already done so for fear of more attacks. ‘There is of course a distinction between our Muslim neighbours and the militants. Many Muslims in our village are opposed to the militants but cannot speak put against them or else they will be killed. But after this incident a wall of suspicion has come up. We don’t know who is working with which agency and the trust that we enjoyed for centuries is no more. Our Muslim neighbours insist we should not leave the village, but even they admit that they cannot protect us from the militants’, R says. ‘We don’t know who was behind the massacre’, he adds, ‘but the government should immediately institute an impartial inquiry to set suspicions at rest’. This demand is echoed by every Muslim and Hindu I met in Doda.
R is planning to leave Kulhand for Doda or Udhampur, but G, the son of a slain Hindu school-teacher, is determined to stay on. ‘Where else can we go?’, he asks. ‘We have our land and animals here and we’ll be treated as beggars elsewhere. We’ll live and die here just as our ancestors did’. ‘It isn’t just the Hindus who are fearful here’, he tells me. ‘Many more Muslims than Hindus have been killed by militants and various agencies, so our destinies are interlinked. Communalism is not a major problem here. We have no enmity with local Muslims. But selective killings have created a fear psychosis. Certain militant groups as well as the BJP are hell-bent on widening the communal divide in Doda’. ‘Ordinary Hindus and Muslims opposed to this’, he says, his eyes brimming with tears, ‘but what can we small people do, when our fate is being determined by people from outside?’.
New Delhi, June 2 (IANS) A month after senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pramod Mahajan's death, his son Rahul was Friday struggling for life in a Delhi hospital while the late leader's close aide Vivek Moitra died after a drinking binge whose circumstances police believe left many questions unanswered.
"Rahul was brought in with low blood pressure and low respiratory rate. He is on a life support system. However, the functioning of his kidney is normal. We will keep a strict watch on him for the next 24 hours," stated an evening bulletin at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital where Rahul had been admitted in the early hours of Friday.
Nirmal Surya, neurologist and Rahul's personal doctor, said his condition had deteriorated due to toxins that had affected his respiratory system. But he ruled out any drug overdose that police circles appeared to suspect after the recovery of some unknown white powder from the late leader's sprawling bungalow at 7 Safdarjung Road.
"We do not know what these toxins are and it needs to be investigated," said Surya, adding that his blood samples had been sent for forensic tests.
Moitra, on the other hand, had been brought dead to the hospital by the Mahajans' domestic helps around 3 a.m. and his body was sent to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences for post-mortem.
"We will get to know the results later this evening or maybe on Saturday," said a hospital official.
Following his father's death on May 3, after being shot at by his brother Pravin Mahajan, Rahul was reportedly suffering from acute depression and was taking anti-depressants.
"Three days back, he had called me to tell me about his depression and the dosage of medicine was slightly increased," said Surya.
The incident has come like a double whammy for the Mahajan household, barely recovering from the tragic demise of the dynamic BJP leader who succumbed to his injuries after a 12-day fight for life at Mumbai's Hinduja Hospital.
Rahul's mother Rekha and his sister Poonam arrived here from Mumbai in the evening.
Police, who initially suspected food poisoning, were now looking at various angles including "drug overdose" and have not ruled out foul play as a possible reason behind the incident.
"The white residue found in the champagne glasses and in the vial recovered from Rahul have been sent for toxicological tests. We cannot share details of the investigation right now," said Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Manish Aggarwal.
Police said they had also contacted Sudhanshu Mittal, a close associate of Pramod Mahajan, and Nirmal Sharma, his private secretary, whom the servants had contacted.
Many who know Rahul, 31, say that he was a regular in Mumbai's party circuit, keeping late hours.
Reconstructing the sequence of events, police said three unidentified people came to the late leader's official house, within walking distance of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's residence, shortly before midnight and were greeted by Moitra at the gate.
According to the domestic helps, there was a party Thursday night and Rahul and Moitra, who was Mahajan's factotum and a virtual family member, were expecting several guests.
"Both began drinking at 8 p.m. and it was only three hours later that the three guests arrived," said Aggarwal.
However, the servants told the police that the three were not known to them.
After staying for about 30 minutes, two of them left the house only to return a little later. After a while, one of the three came and told the helps, Ganesh and Anil, that Rahul and Moitra were not "doing well", police sources said.
With their condition deteriorating, both were rushed to the Apollo Hospital. Moitra, who was a diabetic, was declared brought dead.
According to police, both Rahul and Moitra received several calls on their respective mobile phones while they were in the house. Efforts were on to establish the identity of these callers.
It is believed that neither Rahul nor Moitra had dinner and both had vomited leaving the household staff to clean up.
Friday was the day when Rahul was to go, probably to Guwahati, to immerse his father's ashes in the Brahmaputra river.
Moitra was a force to reckon with in the BJP due to his proximity to the late leader. "In fact, he was Pramod Mahajan's Man Friday. Mahajan trusted him more than anyone even in his own family and thus he acted as his son Rahul's guardian also," said a senior BJP functionary.
The low-profile Moitra's association with the senior Mahajan dated back to more than a decade.
Emergency procedures of injecting adrenalin as well as electric shocks and oxygen were administered to at least get Rahul's heart pumping. Even after monitoring him for over 15 hours, a battery of five doctors described Rahul's condition as "critical but stable".
A host of political personalities, including Pramod Mahajan's brother-in-law and senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde and Samajawadi Party general secretary Amar Singh, went to the hospital on hearing the news.
After Mahajan's death, Rahul was being tipped as a potential political heir to the charismatic leader.
His unscheduled appearance at the BJP national executive meeting in the capital early this week created quite a flutter among the delegates and hordes of media persons covering the event, prompting many to ask if this was his initiation into politics.
Police have not registered a case so far and are conducting investigations under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
LUSAKA, June 2 (NNN-Xinhua) Malawians are still living poor lives as they were 10 years ago with more than half the 12 million population living below the 44 kwacha (33 US cents) line per day, local media cited a World Bank report as saying Thursday.
The Poverty and Vulnerability Assessment (PVA) on Malawi, jointly produced by the Malawian government and the World Bank, says there has been little or no progress in reducing poverty and inequality in the country, independent newspaper The Nation reported on its website.
Unveiling the PVA report Wednesday, World Bank country manager for Malawi Timothy Gilbo said there was a need for the government to invest in long-term projects that will in turn change the economic status of most Malawians.
Gilbo said although President Bingu wa Mutharika has shown political will to fight poverty from the grassroots since he came into power in 2004, there was concern that 52 per cent of Malawians are still poor while 22 per cent are ultra-poor with daily expenses being less than 15 kwacha (11 US cents).
Minister of Economic Planning and Development David Faiti pushed much of the blame to former President Bakili Muluzi's administration for fiscal mismanagement during his two five-year terms of office.
"In those 10 years, agricultural production almost collapsed, forcing this government to come with quick interventions like irrigation projects and creation of employment for the rural people," Faiti said when he was briefing the press after the release of the report.
But opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) spokesperson Sam Mpasu said the current government cannot run away from its responsibilities, arguing that the Muluzi administration took over a collapsed economy but managed to bring inflation from 98 per cent to 6 per cent.
"The truth of the matter is that today the economy is worse than it was two years ago when President Mutharika came to power," Mpasu was quoted by the paper as saying. "If Mutharika claims to be an expert in economics, he should have changed things within this period."
The report shows that the highest shares of the poor are rural inhabitants of the southern and northern parts with the central region presenting relatively less poor indicators.
The report also says HIV/AIDS has put considerable pressure on the public sector, with only 31 per cent of communities having access to a health clinic where drugs are not readily available.
New Delhi, June 2 (IANS) An Islamic organisation Friday condemned the attempted terrorist attack on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters in Nagpur Thursday and asked Muslim youth to reject militant groups and participate in politics instead of indulging in violence.
A statement issued by All India Muslim Majlis-E-Mushawarat (AIMMM) president Syed Shahabuddin, also deplored the "tendency to ascribe terrorist acts to Islam".
"The AIMMM deplores the terrorist attempt to attack the RSS headquarter in Nagpur but it also deplores the impatient and uncalled for statement of Nagpur Police maligning Islam," the statement said.
Three militants, wearing police uniforms and armed with AK-47 rifles and grenades, were shot dead when they tried to barge into the complex early morning Thursday.
Although no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, Nagpur Police Commissioner S.P.S Yadav has said the slain men "Islamic militants".
"Investigate all cases of extra judicial killing particularly of those in custody and prosecute the detained in accordance with law and above all stop automatic ascription of supposed acts of terrorism to Muslim youth and religious functionaries without any evidence and before investigation," the body said.
It asked the government to make all the Special Task Forces "accountable".
"The AIMMM has consistently opposed political violence in any form and believes that politically repugnant ideologies and policies have to be contested, combated and debated through mass education and non-violent political means," Shahabuddin said.
He appealed to the Muslim youth to "reject the hand of extra-territorial militant outfits and shirk acts of violence and instead actively participate in politics."
By T.R. Ramakrishnan,
St John's (Antigua), June 2 (IANS) Irfan Pathan, the rising star of Indian cricket who claimed a sensational hat-trick in Pakistan four months ago, is facing tough times and has been dropped from the team for the first Test against the West Indies that began here Friday.
The 21-year-old left-arm medium-pace bowler has had a poor tour of the Caribbean so far. His performance in the one-dayers, with both bat and ball, was unsatisfactory, (24 runs and 6 wickets, economy rate 5.59, in four matches). Not only was he off form, his successive failures were eroding his confidence.
Every effort was made to get him ready for the first Test at the Antigua Recreation Ground, for he has been an integral part of the Indian team since his debut in Australia in 2003 (816 runs, 89 wickets in 24 Tests). There was that special session after the end of the two-day practice match, with sports psychologist Rudi Webster in tow.
Obviously, it wasn't enough. And the team management took the brave decision of dropping him. It must have thought hard and long before doing so because it left India going into the match with a pace attack having a combined experience of four matches: S. Sreesanth (2), Munaf Patel (2) and V.R.V. Singh (making his debut, India 256th Test player).
They would be regretting the selection committee's decision to leave out Ajit Agarkar from the Test squad. With nine wickets at 18.11 (economy rate 3.46) he was easily India's best bowler on view. Both skipper Rahul Dravid and coach Greg Chappell have avoided commenting on the decision, saying they had to make do with what was available, what was given to them.
With Pathan out, India had no choice but to take the safe option of playing six batsmen. Anil Kumble at No 8, followed by Sreesanth, Patel and Singh, looks a very long tail. Mohammed Kaif had to come in and Harbhajan Singh is omitted.
The teams:
India: Rahul Dravid (captain), Virender Sehwag, Wasim Jaffer, V.V.S. Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammed Kaif, M.S. Dhoni, Anil Kumble, S. Sreenath, Munaf Patel, V.R.V. Singh.
West Indies: Brian Lara (captain), Chris Gayle, Darren Ganga, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Ian Bradshaw, Dave Mohammed, Fidel Edwards, Corey Collymore.
Umpires: Simon Taufel and Asad Rauf.
New Delhi, June 2 (IANS) Rahul Mahajan, son of late Bharatiya Janata Party leader Pramod Mahajan has been admitted to the Indraprastha Apollo hospital here, while the late leader's secretary, Vivek Moitra, died of suspected food poisoning.
Both Moitra and Mahajan took ill Friday and were rushed to hospital, but Moitra was reportedly "brought dead".
"Both Vivek Moitra and Rahul Mahajan were brought to our hospital at around 3.00 a.m. and Moitra was declared 'brought dead' by the doctor," said a spokesperson of the hospital.
"Rahul is in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) but his condition is stable. A team of multidisciplinary doctors are supervising his health condition. Both blood tests and X-ray reports are yet to come, the spokesperson told IANS.
"We are waiting for their relatives from Mumbai, but there is no confirmed report of any team of specialists coming to our hospital. Initial examination shows that the death of Vivek Moitra and the ill health condition of Mahajan is due to food poisoning, but the doctors are examining other details to reach a final conclusion," he added.
A couple of days back, Mahajan participated in the BJP executive meeting and it was speculated that he may join the party following his father's death.
Pramod Mahajan, who was the BJP's general secretary, passed away on May 3, 2006, after being shot at by his brother Pravin Mahajan. He succumbed to his injuries after a 12-day fight for survival at Mumbai's Hinduja hospital.
Singapore, June 2 (DPA) The Singapore Exchange (SGX) will list an exchange-traded fund (ETF) based on 64 top Indian stocks including Reliance Industries and Tata Group, Channel News Asia reported Friday.
The new fund, iShares MSCI India, is designed and managed by Barclays Global Investors and will be listed on June 15.
It tracks mainly blue chips, covering at least 85 percent of the Indian market.
The minimum board lot for an investment is 100 shares, which will cost about 730 Singapore dollars ($462).
"There is a lot of demand in India. It's one of the two most exciting markets right now. Together with China, India is the growth engine for this new century," said Joseph Ho, head of iShares Asia for Barclays Global Investors.
"The issue has always been - how do you help investors to get access because India has these restrictions about foreign investments into the country. They only allow certain groups of investors, the very large institutional investors."
There are already several US-based, exchange-traded funds on SGX, but the local exchange is aiming to promote more Asian products, with two to three more ETFs based on Asian equities and possibly a non-equities ETF based on fixed-income products or commodities.
Port of Spain, June 2 (IANS) Comments by Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Trinidad and Tobago's leader of the opposition, on people of Indian origin (PIOs) being targeted in government enterprises have sparked a controversy with a US-based think-tank describing them as racist.
Addressing a rally in Penal village in southwestern Trinidad on the occasion of Indian Arrival Day celebrations, Persad-Bissessar, herself a PIO, had said that "tactics of suppression" on the part of the government against PIOs have resulted in many of them being fired from state enterprises.
May 30 is observed as Indian Arrival Day in Trinidad and Tobago. It was on this day in 1845 that the first batch of Indian indentured labourers arrived to work in the sugar plantations following the abolition of slavery.
Today their descendants, who call themselves Indo-Trinidadians, comprise 40 percent of the country's population of over one million.
A New York-based Caribbean think-tank, Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy (CGID), has taken strong exception to Persad-Bissessar's remarks, describing them as apparently unfounded and racist "designed to incite racial hostilities and insecurities for self-aggrandisement and political expediency".
A report in the Trinidad and Tobago Express newspaper quoted Persad-Bissessar as saying in the rally: "Indians in the state employ are being fired or displaced by government merely because they are Indians."
She added the terminations cannot be taken in isolation but, rather, have to be seen as a part of the state's employment strategy. She also read out names of people who have been victims of what she called a 'shock and awe' programme with state-sanctioned policy that significantly discriminated against Indo-Trinidadians.
She said the termination of employees needed to be reviewed holistically.
Citing an example, Persad-Bissessar said oil company Petrotrin has drawn out a list of PIOs - known locally as east Indians - to be demoted or terminated from service. She even mentioned the names of these PIOs.
She also cited the case of Winston Dookeran, now a leader in her own United National Congress party, whose contract as governor of the Central Bank was not renewed.
The newspaper also quoted her as saying that the emphasis on the occasion of Indian Arrival Day should not be on "arrival", but on survival and revival.
CGID, on its part, has sent a strong letter to Persad-Bissessar, in which it stated: "Your comments, apparently made without providing the necessary empirical evidence to demonstrate an established government policy or pattern of racial discrimination against Indo-Trinidadians and Tobagoians, were irresponsible and tinged with an element of racial insularity that is a dangerous tactic on your part."
Accusing her of inciting racial fears among Indians, the letter demanded that since the charges made by her against the government were so serious, she should present the evidence to an independent constitutional body for investigation.
"However, if your charges are unfounded and cannot be substantiated by credible evidence, they should be withdrawn forthwith and not left to ferment racial and political tensions and divide the society," the letter stated.
CGID promotes the educational, cultural and economic development of the Caribbean diaspora in the US. According to its constitution, it also stands for human rights and good governance in the Caribbean region and the advancement of the humanities and social and human development, among others.
This year's Indian Arrival Day celebrations have seen leaders calling for racial harmony among all sections of people in this Caribbean nation.
Riyadh, June 2 (IMI)Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh said that UPA Government will leave no stone unturned to protect the rights of minorities in India and ensure that they get what is legitimately due to them. He was speaking at a reception by Aligarh Muslim Old Boys’ Association (AMUOBA) yesterday at Riyadh.
He further added that the UPA Government has constituted the National Minority Education Commission. He made a reference to The National Policy on Education (NPE) 1986 which laid emphasis on minority education owing to the vision of Late Shri Rajiv Gandhi, Former Prime Minister. Mr. Singh also said that a National Monitoring Committee on Minority Education has been set up by the UPA Government to ensure the educational advancement of the minorities. Mr. Singh said that the minority character of the Aligarh Muslim University will be protected beyond any doubt.
The President of the AMUOBA, Dr. Syed Misbahul Arifin, in his address mentioned about a number of issues, which included protection of minority character of Aligarh Muslim University, opening examination centres of All India Engineering Entrance Examinations (AIEEE) in Saudi Arabia, equivalence of degrees, opening of Kendriya Vidyalayas etc.. He also presented a memorandum to Shri Arjun Singh.
Following are the excerpts from Shri Arjun Singh’s speech:
“I am happy to be here at the reception hosted by the Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys Association and profusely thank those who are present on this occasion. I hope this platform would help create better understanding of the great institution that the illustrious Sir Syed Ahmed Khan founded in 1877, by networking amongst the alumni of the University who are residing in Saudi Arabia.
At the outset, let me take this opportunity to pay tributes to the memory of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, a true visionary, who was far ahead of his times. Sir Syed was one of those earliest pioneers who recognized the critical role of education for the empowerment of poor and backward, particularly among the Muslim community of the times. According to Sir Syed, the ‘independence of mind and political liberation, were not symptoms of heterodoxy’ – and mind you, he said this way back in 1860.
I emphasise here, without any reservation, that Sir Syed’s vision was not a narrow or an exclusive one; it was broad and all inclusive. His aim in founding the MAO College, which later on emerged as the Aligarh Muslim University, was to establish a forum for inculcating scientific attitude and to help Indian, particularly the Muslims, to march towards the new age of science and enquiry with confidence. The University was thus rightly described by Sir Hamilton Gibb as the ‘first Modernist organization in Islam’. Ever since its inception, the University has endeavored to emerge as a Centre of excellence maintaining high academic standards and the success of the alumni of the University, in various walks of life throughout the world, speaks volumes about the mission achieved.�
Mr. Arjun Singh announced that an examination centre for AIEEE will be opened in Saudi Arabia in the next academic year 2007. Shri Singh hoped that the issue of equivalence of degrees will cease to be a problem very soon. Shri Singh said that education of children of Indian expatriates is of a concern to both countries and that he will take every possible step in this regard. He referred to the Delhi Declaration signed between India and Saudi Arabia, terming it as unparallel in the history of Saudi Arabia.
Mr. Singh said that rights of minorities will be duly protected. He said, the minority education would continue to receive high priority from the Government. He added that the UPA Government has constituted the National Minority Education Commission. He made a reference to The National Policy on Education (NPE) 1986 which laid emphasis on minority education owing to the vision of Late Shri Rajiv Gandhi, Former Prime Minister. Mr. Singh also said that a National Monitoring Committee on Minority Education has been set up by the UPA Government to ensure the educational advancement of the minorities. Mr. Singh said that the minority character of the Aligarh Muslim University will be protected beyond any doubt. Under the leadership of Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson UPA and Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister, UPA Government will leave no stone unturned to protect the rights of the minorities in India and ensure that they get what is legitimately due to them. In a sentimental tone, Shri Singh said that though several universities had offered him honorary doctorates, he declined them and chose to accept only the doctorate awarded by the Aligarh Muslim University, which he values and cherishes most.�
Others who spoke on the occasion included the Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Mohammad Farook and Wasim Ahmed, ex-MP and patron of the AMUOBA.
Washington, June 2 (DPA) The US has rejected a North Korean invitation to a top US envoy for nuclear negotiations to visit Pyongyang.
"The US is not going to engage in bilateral negotiations with the government of North Korea," White House spokesperson Tony Snow said Thursday.
Snow urged North Korea to rejoin six-nation talks aimed at resolving the standoff over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme. North Korea has long sought one-on-one discussions with the US, a demand that Washington opposes.
"The US sticks by its position, which is North Korea has to return to the six-party talks," Snow said.
The talks involving China, Japan, Russia, the US and the two Koreas ended in September and Pyongyang has refused to return to the table although it has agreed in principle to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
The invitation was issued through the media to Christopher Hill, the chief US negotiator. Hill was welcome if the US had made a political decision to implement the joint statement made in the September round of the talks, said the ministry.
North Korea wants the incentives offered before abandoning its nuclear programme, while Washington believes Pyongyang should begin dismantling the programme before it receives benefits.
By Arun Kumar,
Washington, June 2 (IANS) Less than a week after a report of gunshots on Capitol Hill, the seat of US Congress, raised the spectre of a terrorist attack, the home department has slashed anti-terrorism budget for Washington and New York by $214 million.
The controversial announcement that the two cities targeted on Sept 11, 2001, would suffer 40 percent reductions in urban security funds prompted outrage from lawmakers and local officials in both areas.
In Washington, where the funding dropped from about $77 million to about $46 million, Mayor Anthony A. Williams questioned the wisdom of cutting funds so deeply for cities widely recognized as prime terrorist targets calling the decision "short sighted."
In chopping New York's grant from about $207 million to $124 million, a Department of Homeland Security risk scorecard asserted that the home of the Empire State Building and the Brooklyn Bridge has "zero" national monuments or icons.
Scoffing at the huge cut in the grant for his city, New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said, "When you stop a terrorist, they have a map of New York City in their pocket," he said. "They don't have a map of any of the other 45 places."
Even as lawmakers on either side of the political divide denounced them, home department officials defended the cuts saying that the new funding distribution was the result of a better review process and does not indicate lesser risk for cities such as Washington or New York.
Officials noted that Congress had cut the program by about $125 million in 2006, to $711 million, and that New York, Washington and other major cities still would receive the largest shares.
Only last week, law enforcement authorities in Washington had locked down the 2.4 million-square-foot Rayburn House building next to the Capitol after Republican representative Jim Sexton reported what he "thought sounded like a 9mm handgun".
The report touched off a five hour long lock-down of the building in which 168 House members have offices, drew a swarm of media and led to the closure of 147 public schools in the American capital.
It turned out to be a false alarm with the police determining that the noise that Representative Jim Saxton heard probably "came from a pneumatic hammer" used for construction work inside the building.
Meanwhile, nearly five years after the Sept 11 terrorist attacks, imposing barriers at Washington's landmark buildings are beginning to vanish as federal officials try to balance aesthetics with the need for stricter security.
Near the White House, mature American elm trees, so spaced as to stop vehicles, have been planted on both sides of Pennsylvania Avenue. They have replaced concrete barriers that first appeared after the Oklahoma bombing in 1995.
Security around the presidential mansion looks much less intrusive now with metal bollards and entrance security booths replacing the chain-link and bicycle fencing, though unauthorised vehicles still cannot drive near it.
"They created a Spartan state in the nation's capital - and that was unnecessary," said Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, the city's non-voting representative who serves on the House Homeland Security Committee.
"Gradually, the ugly stuff is disappearing," Norton was cited as saying by the Washington Times.
Since 2001, the National Capital Planning Commission has worked with security specialists from several federal agencies to come up with a blueprint for removing all the makeshift barriers.
At the National Museum of the American Indian, huge boulders have been used in conjunction with a decorative moat - all of which can block vehicles - in keeping with the designers' suggestion to use trees and other natural materials.
Along the wide thoroughfares flanking the mall, concrete planters have been replaced with trees, low benches and heavy decorative planters originally designed for use around the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.
Such permanent security measures come for a price. The overall cost of the under construction US Capitol Visitor Center has gone up from 265 million dollars to 522 million dollars since the September 11 attacks.
But the sight of more aesthetically pleasing security barriers here does raise a question in mind - would the equally security obsessed officials in India's national capital ever take a leaf out of Washington's book?
Vienna, June 2 (DPA) The major countries involved in trying to resolve the dispute with Iran over its nuclear activities agreed to a proposal aimed at persuading Iran to comply with international demands to halt uranium enrichment.
British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett announced that a package of incentives had been agreed upon during a meeting with her US, Chinese, Russian, German and French counterparts in Vienna.
"I'm pleased to say that we have agreed to a set of far-reaching proposals as a basis for discussion with Iran," Beckett said.
The two-part package includes a set of incentives to encourage Iran to comply, but also penalties that can be applied to Iran by the UN Security Council if it does not cooperate.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said after the meeting that the new proposals reopened the possibility of negotiations with Iran, and that he hoped the US, China and Russia would join any new round of talks, which had so far been conducted by the EU-3 of Germany, France and Britain.
Both the Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which monitors the compliance among countries that have signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), have called for Iran to halt all nuclear enrichment activities.
"We are prepared to resume negotiations should Iran resume suspension of all enrichment and reprocessing activities as required by the IAEA and we would also suspend action in the Security Council," Beckett said.
"We urge Iran to take the positive part and to consider seriously our substantive proposals," she added.
Beckett made the announcement after several hours of negotiations with her counterparts at the British embassy in Vienna.
Beckett did not offer details on exactly what the incentive package entails.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice participated in the meeting a day after announcing in Washington that the US was willing to negotiate directly with the Iranians in multilateral discussions led by the Europeans, as long as Iran suspends uranium enrichment.
Iran has expressed a willingness to hold negotiations that include the US, but on Thursday appeared to reject a halt of its uranium enrichment programme as a condition for the US overtures.
Steinmeier earlier in the day said he hoped Teheran's initial negative reaction to the US offer - its first offer of direct talks in more than a quarter century - was not the Iranians' final word.
The German foreign minister said the world could see how seriously he and his colleagues were working towards an agreement.
US President George W. Bush also said the US was waiting for an official reaction from Iran.
"My reaction is the choice is theirs and we'll see whether or not that is the firm position of their government," Bush said at a meeting of his cabinet at the White House on Thursday.
The Russian foreign ministry said there was still "a real chance" for a diplomatic solution, and called on Iran to provide a "constructive" answer to the US offer.