New Chapter in Russia-Norway Relations

A new chapter has been added in the relations between Russia and Norway. A 40-year-old negotiation saga has been concluded. But the book is not closed -- there will be more writing in it.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev emphasizes the point by banging lightly on the table। The page has been turned, he says। A beaming satisfied Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg has released the news -- there is agreement on where the border will be drawn between Norway and Russia in the Barents Sea and the Arctic Sea; 175,000 sq km of sea floor and ocean area have been divided in two equal parts। It has only taken 40 years. 'A sensation,' the Russian president calls the news. He is not exaggerating.

Beginning of Historic Step
So from here on we must, unfortunately, use the well-worn cliches about what happened in Oslo and, as told by reliable sources, actually took place roughly when the clock had passed midnight, in a negotiating room। That is when the 'boundary line for the continental shelf and the ocean area in the Barents Sea and Arctic Sea' was settled.

It was a historic day। It really marks a new era, even if it is now up to governments as well as business sectors and others to use the potential and possibilities triggered by a clear border agreement. That will be the challenge. The first step is, naturally, to get all the technical details in place. This means, among other things, that the maps must be drawn and checked and stamped by the respective authorities -- which in Russia is the Russian Navy. An extensive body of regulations on, among other things, the exploitation of oil and gas resources that cross the line has been drawn up in both Norwegian and Russian. But it must also be approved in all its details. And, finally, it remains to get the agreement signed and ratified by the Storting in Norway and the Duma in Russia.

International Negotiations
So why did the agreement come now? Something was in the works, which can be seen afterward from the positive statements President Medvedev before the visit। He talked about a 'sensible compromise,' and he said that Russia has considerably more difficult territorial problems with other nations than with Norway. Those would be clear enough signals. 'Compromise' has not always been the most prominent word in the Russian vocabulary. Land areas are difficult to divide; that applies not only to Russia. Then, it is easier, after all, to draw a line on a continental shelf where there are neither reefs nor islands.

But anyone who has participated in or followed complicated international negotiations knows that there are many technical and political reefs in the sea। It is easy to run aground at the last moment. So keeping it secret, as President Medvedev admitted with a smile that Russia has deep traditions for, was necessary because no one was quite sure before it was possible to be quite sure.

It helped that the negotiators agreed that everything they had agreed to over the course of 40 years should remain। No new or unexpected demands or wishes or interpretations appeared at the last moment.

Developing Personal Relationships
But most crucial of all must have been that now there is a Russian leader who thought the time was ripe to resolve a long-standing problem with a neighboring country। A lengthy buildup of trust probably also contributed. So did the well-developed personal relationships between Russian and Norwegian leaders. Stoltenberg and Medvedev have had many meetings, and so have Foreign Ministers Jonas Gahr Store and Sergey Lavrov.

In addition, the lack of a boundary has prevented the development of the energy resources, and that has made it more complicated to administer the stock of cod and other types of fish that literally swim in both the Norwegian and Russian zones। With a border it becomes simpler: On the Norwegian side Norwegian authorities do the checking, on the Russian side Russian authorities monitor.

The temporary gray zone from 1977, which was to regulate fisheries in that part of the region, was not particularly favorable to Norway; it goes very far west। But now that the boundary is in place, for the two countries' economic zones as well, the temporary agreement can be left to the history books, along with the role played by then Undersecretary Arne Trehold behind the scenes.

Positive Political Effects
For Russia and President Medvedev the compromise is probably a diplomatic feather in the cap, after several diplomatic successes recently। For Stoltenberg and Jonas Gahr Store as well. Russia has rid itself of a problem in the relationship with a small and friendly neighbor, who is well anchored in North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and in a Western community. That could generate positive political effects. Medvedev did not exaggerate when he pointed out that the agreement will also have significance for European security.

One result of the agreement, connected with the development in the gas market, might be that energy from the Barents Sea could be conducted to the continent via an extension of the pipeline grid on the Norwegian continental shelf. In that case it means less investment for Norway and Russia, now that shale gas has made liquefied gas, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), from the north less attractive in the United States and internationally in general.

French President's Reconciliation Visit to China

Chinese President Hu Jintao on 29 April said on his three-day state visit China-France ties have "opened a new page" as French President Nicolas Sarkozy pays his second state visit to China। Hu and Sarkozy held about 50 minutes of private talks before starting their formal, large-scope talks which Hu described as "candid, friendly and productive" and reaching "many important agreements."

It is Sarkozy's fourth visit to China and his second state visit as French president। He paid his first state visit to China six months after taking office in May 2007. He attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games and took part in the 7th Asia-Europe Meeting held in Beijing in 2008.

Four-Point Proposal for Bilateral Ties
To further upgrade the China-French comprehensive strategic partnership, Hu made a four-point proposal at his talks with Sarkozy। Hu said China hopes to work with France to maintain high-level exchanges and dialogue and consultations on major issues of common concern.

Hu also suggested both sides boost pragmatic cooperation। He said in addition to cooperation in traditional fields, the two sides should actively promote cooperation in energy saving, environmental protection, new energy, agriculture and farm produce processing, and among small and medium size businesses to seek long-term, stable and reciprocal common development.

The two countries should strengthen cultural exchanges, facilitate language education, two-way travel, and dialogue between each other's media and think tanks। China and France are expected to together meet local and global challenges to achieve a peaceful and stable international environment, citing reform of the international financial system, improving the global economic governance structure and coping with climate change.

The Chinese president said the Chinese side set a high value on the role the European Union (EU) play in international affairs and appreciates the constructive stance taken by the French side in promoting China-EU relations. France is the initiator of the reform of the global economic governance mechanism. Hu added China supports France's holding of next year's G20 summit.
France will hold the presidency of the G20 summit this November and host the 2011 summit।

Sarkozy said France was willing to work closely with China to ensure a successful summit। He said that China was a very important strategic partner of France and they both need to cooperate closely on major global issues such as pushing economic growth, and maintaining world peace.

Diplomatic Ties
The French president said that there was only one China in the world and that Taiwan and Tibet were both part of China। This is the policy France has been adhering to since the France-China diplomatic ties were established in 1964. There is no change in the policy.

The French president said France is willing to work with China to further beef up cooperation and exchanges in fields including peaceful use of nuclear energy, aviation, transport, environmental protection, finance, agriculture and culture.

16th SAARC Summit: 25th Anniversary of Founding

The 16th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit concluded on 29 April in Bhutan's capital Thimphu। SAARC, an economic and political organization, includes Bhutan, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The Summit also marked the 25th anniversary of its founding। Anniversaries generally are times of introspection and resolve. When it is the 25th there is all the more reason to do so.

SAARC has come a long way since its inception। Though it may not be able to match the record of the EU in terms of economic and fiscal integration the results achieved are remarkable. This is especially so in view of the strained relations between its two giant members - India and Pakistan. Actually the unresolved problem between them has been the single most deterrent to its rapid progress. However, that the South Asian nations have been able to achieve significant economic integration despite that divide is a sign of the maturity of its leaders including those of India and Pakistan.

By now SAARC has the institutional mechanisms to further strengthen its diverse unifying mechanisms. The South Asian agreement of cooperation in fighting terrorism is a case in point.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Nepal Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, Maldives' President Mohamed Nasheed, and Bhutan Prime Minister Jigmi Thinley attended the two-day summit.

Major Issues Discussed
At the end of the Summit, the leaders agreed on the following major issues:

1। The leaders noted Bangladesh's proposal to convene an inter-governmental meet in Dhaka on the SAARC charter of democracy.

2। SAARC countries might consider Bhutan's experience with the concept of Gross National Happiness and welcomed Bhutan's offer to host a SAARC workshop on GNH in 2010.

3। They noted that while climate change impacted every country, the SAARC member states as developing countries were shouldering a major burden, in spite of having contributed least to the problem. They emphasized that global negotiations should be guided by the principles of equity, and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities as enshrined in the UN Framework Convention on Climate change. They underscored the need to initiate the process to formulate a common SAARC position for COP16.

4। Leaders called for focus on water management and conservation and development of cooperative projects at regional level.

5। The leaders strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and expressed deep concern over the threat which terrorism continues to pose to peace and security and economic stability of the region. They emphasized the need to strengthen regional cooperation to fight terrorism and crime.

6। Action plan on energy conservation would be prepared by the SAARC energy center, Islamabad with inputs from the member states and submit to the inter-governmental mechanism for consideration.

7। Leaders noted the proposal from India for preparing a roadmap for developing a SAARC market for electricity (SAME) on a regional basis.

8। The leaders took note of the reports of the steering committee of the South Asian university, and appreciated the progress being made towards establishing the university.

India's Announcement
India has announced setting up of a fund that would help South Asia effectively meet urgent adaptation and capacity building needs posed by climate change and also proposed establishment of innovation centers in the region to develop sustainable energy technologies. India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made the announcement at the 16th SAARC Summit that began here with an apt theme - 'Toward a Green and Happy South Asia'.

He also proposed setting up of climate innovation centers in South Asia to develop sustainable energy technologies based on indigenous resource endowments and welcomed the conclusion of the SAARC Convention on Cooperation on Environment.

Noting that India has already launched a national mission in sustaining the Himalayan ecosystem, the Indian Prime Minister said the initiative could serve as a nucleus for regional cooperation in this vital area.

Singh said there was perhaps no region more vulnerable to the effects of climate change than South Asia and lauded Bhutan's efforts in combining development with conservation of the environment.

The SAARC Council of Ministers on 27 April agreed to seek observer status at the climate talks scheduled to be held in Cancun, Mexico in December to better articulate the concerns of the region.

Manmohan-Gilani Meeting: Indo-Pak Talks Resume

Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh on 29 April met his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani for the first substantive dialogue in nine months during which he is understood to have conveyed India's deep disappointment over Islamabad's inaction to punish perpetrators of Mumbai attacks. Singh and Gilani met in this picturesque Bhutanese capital, Thimpu on the sidelines of the 16th SAARC Summit, their first meeting after their controversial engagement in Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt in July 2009. Before beginning their meeting, which began almost 40 minutes later than the originally scheduled time, Singh and Gilani shook hands and greeted each other warmly.

Ahead of their 29 April meeting, the two prime ministers had shook hands twice on 28 April during the opening day of the Summit and took a stroll together at the insistence of other leaders. During the meeting, Singh is believed to have conveyed to Gilani India's strong demand for action by Pakistan against the perpetrators of the Mumbai attack.

India had suspended the Composite Dialogue process after the Mumbai attacks and has linked its resumption to action against terror. The prime minister is also understood to have sought an update on Pakistan's investigation and trial in the Mumbai attacks case in that country. While the Indian delegation consisted of External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna, National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon and Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao, the Pakistani delegation included Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir and others.

Joint Statement
The Joint Statement issued after the meeting had triggered a major controversy in India over reference to 'threats' in Balochistan, where Pakistan has been alleging Indian hand in terror incidents. The statement also appeared to delink the composite dialogue process from action on terrorism by Pakistan. India had suspended the composite dialogue process after the Mumbai attacks.

The Indian side is believed to have focused on the 'core' concern of cross-border terrorism and highlighted its unhappiness over Pakistan having not done enough on this front.

Singh is understood to have pointed out that the threat of terrorism emanating from Pakistan continues to loom and Pakistan had not taken any concrete steps to eradicate this to create conditions for resumption of substantive dialogue.

Pakistan has arrested seven of those accused in the Mumbai terror strikes but Singh had publicly expressed his displeasure on the mastermind of attacks against India like JuD chief Hafiz Saeed -- still roaming freely in Pakistan. The Prime Minister is also understood to have raised Hafiz Saeed issue with Gilani.

Water and Power Projects
The two leaders also had two brief encounters earlier this month in Washington where both the Prime Ministers were to attend the Nuclear Security Summit. On both occasions there were handshakes and pleasantries exchanged. Pakistan had earlier this week stated that the dossiers handed over by India during the Foreign Secretary level talks in New Delhi on 25 February did not contain any evidence to book Saeed.

The Pakistani side is also believed to raise the issue of water-sharing. Pakistan has been alleging that India was violating the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 by building a power project on Kishanganga river in Jammu and Kashmir, a contention rejected by India.

Foreign Secretary-Level Talks
During their meeting, Dr Singh and Gilani decided that the channels of dialogue between the two countries should be kept open to restore 'trust and confidence' in the bilateral relationship. Terrorism and the 'slow progress' of Pakistan's probe into Mumbai attacks formed part of the agenda of the discussions which were held at the 'Bhutan House' here on the margins of the SAARC Summit.

'The prime ministers held very good talks in a free and frank manner. They agreed that cooperation between the two countries is vital for the people of South Asia to realize their destiny. The Indian prime minister expressed India's concern over the slow progress of Mumbai trial in Pakistan to Prime Minister Gilani. The Indian prime minister told Gilani that India was willing to discuss all issues of mutual concern through dialogue but the issue of terrorism is holding back the progress.

China Considers Singapore as First Choice for Overseas Cadre Training

During the last weekend when visiting People's Republic of China Politburo Member cum CPC (Communist Party of China) Central Committee Secretary General and Central Committee Organization Department Minister Li Yuanchao was at National University of Singapore (NUS) Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy to preside over the opening ceremony of the Senior Master Degree of Public Administration and Management course, Li said: "We see Singapore as our first choice for our leading cadres' overseas training.

This is because Singapore and China have good relations, this is also because Singapore is willing to truly help the development of China and assist China in the training of our leading cadres. Moreover, Singapore's development experience can serve as a special reference to China also." Li Yuanchao's remark indeed carried with it a very positive meaning and outlook for the future development between Singapore and China.

Leadership Training and Exchange
In the past few years, Singapore and China have put strong emphasis on the importance of leadership training and exchange. For a long time, Singapore has engaged in the provision of the training of leading cadres in China. Nevertheless in his capacity as China's Central Committee Organization Department Minister, Li Yuanchao has now made it a point to confirm that Singapore's development experience could serve as a special reference for China.

Such confirmation has also highlighted that, this "special" development is also one of the special relationship between Singapore and China. Some people might think that when there is a world of difference between Singapore's small size and China's broad and complex landscape, it is impossible for China to make a special reference to Singapore in term of Singapore's development experience.

National Needs and International Situation
The fact is that, as a world recognized city-state, the formation of Singapore's political system, the establishment of Singapore's development and economic model, and the improvement of them have always gone through the process of in-depth review in response to national need and international situation. The experience of Singapore's People's Action Party that has been functioned as the ruling party from the time Singapore was established until present day is a rare example in the international arena. In the process of development, what Singapore has shown to the world is that this process is maintained and established using its own unique system that suits its own country.

When Singapore faces all kinds of challenges, Singapore will continue to go through the process of self-discovery and self-innovation. Chinese leaders see and understand Singapore's uniqueness. This is called "China knows Singapore." In the same token, Singapore leaders also see and understand the structure and development of China's uniqueness and have never held back its desire in wanting to share Singapore's experience with China. This is what we call "Singapore knows China." It is this type of unique relationship between the two countries that, besides the two countries sharing the deep rooted culture, economy, and a sense of regional security, Singapore and China also share this additional layer of unique relationship. This unique relationship between the two countries has also allowed Singapore and China to have another pipeline to understand and to dialogue with each other.

Bilateral Exchange Programs
China's Central Organization Department has already sent more than 1000 senior level cadres to Singapore for training. Over the past years, more than 30,000 Chinese cadres from other parts of China have also come to Singapore to receive short-term training through the bilateral exchange programs. Before the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and the National University of Singapore (NUS) 's School of Management jointly launch the Senior Master Degree of Public Administration and Management, back in 1998, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has already founded the Master Degree of Management Economics popularly referred by the Chinese officials as the "Mayor Class." These two graduate management degree courses have trained and nurtured close to 1,000 senior and mid-level Chinese Government officials.

In fact, NTU's 's involvement in helping to train China's young leading cadres can even be traced to much earlier period in 1992 when the university provided short term training courses for the Chinese government officials. In 2009, the NTU converted the office responsible for the setting up of the Chinese oriented "Mayor Class" as the NTU Graduate School of Public Administration. It is obvious that it is NTU's intention to upgrade and enhance the standard of this branded master degree in order to provide even more professional and perfect curriculum for its master degree courses catered for the need of the Chinese young leaders.

Where is Problem?
Li Yuanchao's clear affirmation of Singapore as China's overseas training base for its leading cadres does not mean that these two national universities in Singapore can take for granted that this is their role and achievement. Whether it is the NTU Graduate School of Public Administration, or the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at NUS, both universities should continue to work together to maintain and create Singapore as the golden brand name.

As always, these two national universities in Singapore should sincerely in wanting to help train China's leading cadres in good faith. Between the two compatible universities, having a degree of competition is a good thing. As Li Yuanchao said, under the overall leadership training program for China's hundreds of millions cadres, tens and thousands of them would be sent for overseas training. As such, for the "Mayor Class" conducted by the two national universities to attract enough students and staff is not a problem.

The problem is that if there is a higher demand for the "Mayor Class", these two universities must have enough good faulty members to shoulder this type of unique public administration and management courses. This will require not only the university authorities to come out with long-term plan and to invest in sufficient resources to carry out these special courses, from overall perspectives, it will also need Singapore authorities to take relevant consideration and appropriate plan.

Iranian Envoy to Malaysia Calls For Finding Roots of International Narcotic Trafficking Syndicates

In recent days, many Iranians bought illicit narcotics to Malaysia. Although they tried to go through the Malaysian custom checkpoints one after another, the Malaysian Police also managed to arrest them one by one. In response to this problem, Iranian Ambassador to Malaysia Prof Dr Muhammad Mehdi Zahedi pointed out that it was because the market price of illicit narcotics in Southeast Asia was ten times higher than the Middle East and than some of the European countries. Southeast Asia has become the gold mind for illicit narcotic syndicates. This was the main reason why the illicit narcotic dealers would want to come to Malaysia.

The Iranian envoy said that international narcotic trafficking syndicates were very active in carrying out illicit narcotic trafficking in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia. He said that this development had made Southeast Asia to become one of the big "narcotic dens" in the world.

When Iranian Ambassador to Malaysia Prof Dr Muhammad Mehdi Zahedi accepted an exclusive interview with the Sin Chew Daily, he pointed out that international narcotic trafficking syndicates would definitely put their own interests as top priority when they considered where to go to get money. Because of the fact that the price of illicit narcotics could fetch a much better price in Southeast Asia than in countries in Europe and in the Middle East, they have created an influx of narcotic smugglers to Southeast Asia. He added: "They are quite active in this region."

Narcotic Trafficking Activities Serious in Malaysia
Prof Dr Muhammad Mehdi Zahedi admitted that the recent narcotic smuggling cases to Malaysia by Iranians were getting more and more serious. Moreover, there was sign of deterioration. He said , although the Malaysian Police had frequently arrested quite a number of illegal narcotic smugglers who were Iranian nationals at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, in reality the narcotic trafficking activities engaged by them were much more serious than what we could see from the media.

Statistics have shown that in the past three months or so, at least 70 Iranian illicit narcotic dealers, including men and women, were arrested by the police at Kuala Lumpur Klang Valley and at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

The methods used by these the Iranian narcotic traffickers in trying to bring in illicit narcotics to Malaysia were diversified and endless. Toward the end of February, the Malaysian Police have already arrested 50 Iranian narcotic traffickers (47 are men and three are women) and seized 55.133 kg of ice (crystal methamphetamine), 6.9 kg of liquid ice, and 4 kg of cocaine.

Malaysian, Iranian Police Strengthen Cooperation To Combat Narcotic Trafficking Activities in Country
Iranian Ambassador to Malaysia Prof Dr Muhammad Mehdi Zahedi said that the aforementioned narcotic trafficking activities carried out by Iranians did not affect the bilateral relationship between Malaysia and Iran. Instead the narcotic trafficking problem in Malaysia has further strengthened the cooperation between the police task force in both countries.

Prof Dr Muhammad Mehdi Zahedi disclosed that that the police authority in Iran has already worked very closely with the Malaysian enforcement agencies, including the police, custom department, and the Malaysian Anti-Narcotic Task Force to fight against the narcotic trafficking activities. He said that the coordination and the exchange of intelligence between the two countries had reaped considerable success.

Cooperation Between Malaysian, Iranian Police Reduces Airport Narcotic Trafficking Cases by Drop 70 Percent
According to Prof Dr Muhammad Mehdi Zahedi, the illicit narcotic trafficking offences committed by Iranians in Malaysian airports and arrested by the relevant Malaysian authorities have dropped from between 60 to 70 percent. However, he said that he could not verify the number of Iranian narcotic trafficking in the Malaysian society or those who themselves were narcotic addicts.

He said: "Narcotic trafficking cases in the airport have been reduced. This is mainly because of the hard work of the Malaysian and Iranian Police. At present, Iran has already cooperated with the international criminal police. If Malaysia can also work and cooperate with the Interpol, results in curbing international narcotic trafficking activities will achieve greater results."

The Iranian envoy to Malaysia disclosed that that most of the Iranian narcotic traffickers who were arrested at the Malaysian international airport did not fly directly from Iran. He said that these Iranians arrived in Malaysia from other countries. He said that this indication has reflected the fact that the Iranian Police and the Iranian custom authorities had carried out stern enforcement measure to ensure that the narcotic traffickers did not enter the country.

Iranian Ambassador Urges To Make Effort for Arresting International Narcotic Trafficking Syndicates
The Iranian ambassador said: "The guns of the Malaysian police must aim at the international narcotic trafficking syndicates and not the sporadic narcotic smugglers and narcotic dealers."

Iranian Ambassador to Malaysia Prof Dr Muhammad Mehdi Zahedi pointed out that narcotic trafficking activities were often controlled and manipulated by large international narcotic trafficking syndicates. He said that those narcotic traffickers arrested by the Malaysian Police at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport were but "hatchet man" of the international narcotic trafficking syndicates. As such he said that if the Malaysian authorities wanted "to catch the petty thieves they must first arrest the king of the thieves." He said that the guns of the Malaysian Police should point at the masterminds of the international narcotic trafficking syndicates.

Iranian Ambassador Terms Narcotic Smugglers, Dealers Middlemen
In accepting the Sin Chew Daily's interview, Iranian Ambassador to Malaysia Prof Dr Muhammad Mehdi Zahedi said: "These narcotic traffickers are only 'middlemen.' They received some rewards from the international narcotic syndicates to carry out some simple task. But they are not the masterminds behind the illicit narcotic trafficking activities. Instead, the international narcotic trafficking syndicates are the target we should attack."

He said that if the Malaysian Police could successful fight against international narcotic syndicates and arrest the narcotic trafficking masterminds behind these illegal narcotic activities, the number of narcotic offenders would naturally be reduced.

He said: "Otherwise, what the Malaysia Police arrested presently were not the main controllers behind the illegal narcotic trafficking scene. When we do not use the right method to fight against the illicit narcotic trafficking activities, we will only face more and more narcotic trafficking problems."

Iranian Government Makes Great Effort To Fight Against Illicit Narcotic Trafficking Activities
Prof Dr Muhammad Mehdi Zahedi also pointed out that about 93 percent of the global narcotic production came from Afghanistan. However, more than 90 percent of the narcotic trafficking cases were detected in Iran. This statistics reflected the great effort of the Iranian Government to combat illicit narcotic trafficking activities.

The Iranian ambassador to Malaysia concluded: "Compared to the past, the number of Iranians arrested for trafficking in dangerous narcotics in Iran has fallen. We hope to achieve even greater success. If we can find the main masterminds behind these international narcotic trafficking syndicates, the middlemen and narcotic smugglers will 'disappear.' Just like a tree, we cut the leaves, the leaves will regrow; but if cut the roots of trees, the trees are withered. We have to find the roots of the international illicit narcotic trafficking syndicates!"

Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship: Obama’s New Diplomacy

The United States is continuing to revise its relations with the Islamic world. On Tuesday, 27 April 2010, President Barack Obama opened a 'Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship.' The participants in this forum were business leaders and social entrepreneurs from the United States and from countries with majority Muslim populations.

From Indonesia nine persons participated, one of whom was Tri Mumpuni. In fact, Tri Mumpuni was one of eight people who was singled out for praise at the forum, which was attended by representatives from 60 countries. Other representatives from Indonesia included Sandiago Uno, Vice Chairperson of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce, and Putera Sampoerna, former owner of the cigarette company Sampoerna.

New US Approach
This is a new approach being taken by the United States after the tragedy of the 9/11. The president dubbed this approach 'new partnerships.' The attempt can be advantageous for both sides. However, if Indonesia and other nations with a majority Muslim population do not make use of this opportunity, it could turn out otherwise. In any case, we should appreciate this initiative. We hope that the follow-up meeting in Turkey will yield a concrete result.

Up to now, attempts to lessen the tension between the United States and the Muslim world have only been approached from the perspective of security and politics, including developing inter-faith dialogue. This has taken place at the level of governments, nations and civil society in bilateral, regional and multilateral programs. Now, the United States is trying something new by bringing together business entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs at the same time and carrying it out at the civil society level. Thereby Obama is clearly offering to entrepreneurs of Muslim-majority countries an opportunity for business development. Although the level of trade between the United States and the Islamic world continues to grow, it is still only at the level of trade between the United States and Mexico.

Suspicion and Misunderstanding
However, the involvement of social entrepreneurs gives the initiative a wider dimension, because it means dealing with matters of communications, culture and social development. It is at this entry point that the United States wants to try to enter into the heart of an entity. Social entrepreneurs are very valuable for the development of the US values. Meanwhile, the final goal of all this is the lessening of tensions and the elimination of suspicion and misunderstanding. At this dimension we need to be clever enough to make the opportunity yield advantages that are balanced. At a certain level, the United States has to restrain itself from being offensive and when necessary empower its partners if they are still weak. At another level, the United States also has to be careful in choosing its partners. Only the right partners can support us to reach the goal.

We have seen that as a result of choosing the wrong partner, American aid to Indonesian society can in fact increase antipathy to the superpower. This is certainly an irony. Not only a flawed strategy, but the choice of the wrong partner can result in failure. If the local partner is only an opportunist who cannot truly understand the country's issues, at a certain point they will only become a receptacle for receiving charitable funds. Therefore, it is necessary to choose a partner appropriate to the social and economic map, not a partner who is uprooted from their origins, nor a partner who is incapable of fully understanding the feelings of the people.

Reducing Tension in Muslim World
In another perspective, the government must make use of this American initiative for the advancement of the Muslim community. If we examine the substance of Obama's new diplomacy, we will find an understanding and a determination to examine the tense relations between the United States and the Muslim world from the social and economic points of view, not only as a matter of religion. Also, a determination not only to see things from above, but also from the grassroots level.

On one hand, there are poverty, ignorance and backwardness. Therefore, tensions between these countries and the United States shouldn't be approached with weapons or by making an issue of religious values. On the other, here is an attempt at achieving equality through jointly sharing and learning together.

Peace Process, Power Balance in Middle East

The action taken by the President of the United States Barack Obama to open the door of discussion between Washington and Damsyik can be deemed as a manifestation of his open attitude toward the Islamic world. This is what Obama promised when he spoke in Cairo on 4 June 2008. His Cairo speech is historical because it is considered as the starting point from which Washington opened up the room for negotiation to all Islamic countries, regardless they are friends of foes.

Restoration of Ties
The diplomatic ties between these two countries have broken since the assassination of the Prime Minister of Lebanon, Rafik Hariri in 2005, which was allegedly masterminded by Syria. The restoration of the ties will culminate at the appointment of the new US ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford. The appointment is only pending approval from the US Senate.

It is noteworthy that since the incident in 2005, Washington had recalled its ambassador in Damsyik, until today. Senator John Kerry, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations only visited to Syria last week and had an opportunity to discuss with President Bashar al-Assad about bilateral relations and peace process in Middle East. It is so evident that the relations between the US and Syria is moving toward a better path.

Objections Raised
Washington's implicit agenda to befriend Damsyik is used as a catalyst for stability in Middle East, especially in relation to issues involving Iran. The US hopes to isolate Teheran and in turn weaken Hamas fighters in Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Obama's strategy to be friendly to Damsyik received objections especially from the Republican Party and Israel. They object for the reason that Damsyik still provides assistance to Hezbollah group, which is defined by Washington as a terrorist group.

Groups doubtful of Damsyik got an opportunity they were waiting for when the President of Israel, Shimon Peres, accused Syria of having provided Scud missiles to Hezbollah. Peres made the accusation when he visited to Paris last week, though it could not be proved with solid evidence.

It is no longer a secret that Damsyik indeed sympathizes Hezbollah by providing weapons, but it has never provided Hezbollah long-range missiles. If the accusation is true, then the fact that Hezbollah possesses Scud missiles could alter the power balance, especially between Lebanon, Iran, Palestine and Israel.

Considering Hezbollah was capable to defeat the troops of the Israeli regime in 2006 without Scud, with the more accurate long-range missiles, Hezbollah would definitely be capable of giving an impact as terrific as the scenario wherein Iran presumably possesses nuclear arms.

Syria indeed has the North Korean-made missiles, Scud D, which can strike a target 700 km away. If it is launched from Lebanon, Scud D can strike Jerusalem as well as Tel Aviv. In addition to its accuracy in hitting the target, Scud D also has good precision. Therefore important targets such as Dimona nuclear plant which is said to be the pulse of Israel's nuclear arsenal can be easily destroyed. Similarly, other targets such as Ben-Gurion airport can also be struck easily with Scud D.

Insincere Israeli Attitude
Although Peres's allegation cannot be verified yet, the implication is already felt and the first will probably be that the Senate would not approve the appointment of new ambassador to Damsyik. If the accusation is true, then they obviously have violated the Resolution 1701 of the United Nations Security Council intended to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah.

However, if we examine carefully, to deliver Scud to Lebanon is a rather difficult task. The southern part of the country is a Hezbollah-influenced area monitored by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) also participates in the peacekeeping team through the Malaysian battalion (Malbatt).

Many analysts are of the view that the actual motive behind Tel Aviv's wild allegation was to fail the endeavor undertaken by Obama administration to start a new peace process in Middle East. It is not exaggerating if we say White House has started to get bored with Benjamin Netanyahu's insincere attitude in the efforts of seeking solution.

Netanyahu's recent announcement of constructing new illegal Jewish settlements in Jerusalem was akin to a slap to Obama's ongoing effort to assure the Islamic world that there would not be new illegal settlement during his tenure as the president.

There are rumors saying that White House has prepared a new plan for peace in Middle East, which clearly outlines the concept of two sovereign countries -- Palestine and Israel. To fail the latest effort, Tel Aviv has resorted to the factor of Hezbollah as a shortcut to undermine the authority of Obama administration when facing the issues of Middle East.

Tel Aviv dared to take such an approach as Washington itself refuses to acknowledge Hezbollah as a legitimate representative of the Lebanese people.

Presence of Hezbollah Parliamentarians
We should note that the presence of Hezbollah parliamentarians formed a main factor for the establishment of a Unity Government under Prime Minister Saad Hariri. Similar situation happens in Gaza Strip where Hamas is defined as a terrorist group while it is also a legitimate government.

But if Peres's allegation is true, for sure it would not only alter the political landscape in Middle East, it would also bring impacts to the region of Middle East. Hezbollah equiped with Scud would definitely countervail the arrogance of the Israeli regime.

Tel Aviv will be more careful in issuing threat to destroy Iran's nuclear plant like what it did on Syria in 2007. Likewise, it will be more restrained with its arbitrary actions against the Palestinians. It is not overboard to assume that Hezbollah equipped with Scud will actually speed up the peace process in Middle East, instead of retarding it as alleged by some quarters.

Sudan Elections 2010: Opposition Rejects Results

The opposition political forces have announced their unequivocal rejection of the results of the elections, which they described as a sham. They considered that these results will contribute to further complicating Sudan's crisis and reproducing the Salvation (Bashir) regime in a new form.
They asked Al-Bashir to disavow the result courageously. They stressed the necessity of convening a conference comprising all political forces and of forming a transitional government to manage Sudan's pending problems. They saw in what it described the discrepancy in the percentages Al-Bashir obtained in the North and the South an indicator of the future of the relationship between the two sides.

Importance of Transitional Government
The candidate of the Sudanese Alliance in the presidential elections, Brigadier (retired) Abd-al-Aziz Khalid, asked Umar al-Bashir whom he described a forged President to reject the election results courageously. He stressed the importance of forming a transitional government to manage Sudan's pending problems, including self-determination for the people of South Sudan and Darfur's peace, with this to culminate in new elections.

'If Al-Bashir accepts the result he becomes part of the forgery machine, and we have information that the delay in announcing the results was because of the need to find a way of making the percentage he won exceed 51 percent,' he said.

Boosting People's Morale
He called on the forces of the National Consensus to desist from participation in the coming government, drawing attention to the need to boost the morale of the Sudanese people. He insisted that change was coming through peaceful struggle, reminding that 'we are going into a strange experience in which there is a forged President who is wanted by criminal justice'. He demanded that those who reject the election results should be allowed to express their opinion just as the supporters are allowed to do.

Khalid said that the team that managed the forgery process committed unprofessional mistakes. He said it was not possible for him to get 'zero' in Nahr al-Nil Province since his party has members in the area, something that raises doubts about the result.

For his part, Dr Al-Shafi'i Khidr, a member of the Communist Party's Central Committee, said that the rigging that was documented during the electoral process raises doubts about the results. He said that the delay in announcing the results proves there was foul play by the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) to cook the results in their final form. 'We regret that the issues of destiny of our country are mortgaged to the deals cooked by the NCP,' he said.

Attempt To Reproduce Salvation Regime
Dr Al-Shafi'i cast doubts on the votes obtained by the two candidates who completed the electoral process, Hatim al-Sirr and Abdullah Deng Nhial. He said these did not represent the real total of votes they obtained. He described the result as a coup through forgery and an attempt to reproduce the Salvation regime in a new form. He said this will entrap the country in another crisis. He called for a conference comprising the political forces to find solutions for Sudan's crucial problems led by the elections crisis. 'If Salvation thinks the people will take what happened lying down then it is deluding itself,' he said. 'The Sudanese people add the mistakes and experiences together and eventually expose them.'

Within the same perspective Dr Miriam al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, a leading figure in the National Umma Party, said that the result was known in advance. She said the number of votes Al-Bashir obtained was not expected and that she had anticipated a percentage similar to that in the elections for governors. She said that the difficulty of forging the results in the South led to delaying the announcement of the results and looking for a way out. This was worked out in the announced result that came closer to the real picture, she said.

Discrepancy in Results
Dr Miriam drew attention to what she described the discrepancy in the results obtained by Al-Bashir in the North and South. She considered this as an indicator of the future of relations between the two sides. She said that these elections were the first in Sudan's history to be rejected in such a total way and that they were elections that were held unilaterally. She said the forgery that was made ignored the problem of managing diversity in Sudan. 'The hope was that the elections would be part of the solution but they increased tensions and congestion,' she said.

For his part, the Political Secretary of the Popular Congress Party, Kamal Umar, said that the elections were conducted under the heavy-hand of a regime which he described as unjust and despotic. He described the results of the executive and legislative elections as a sham that depended on forgery and corrupt methods.

Afghan President Pays Official Visit to India

Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan paid an official visit to India on 26 April at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. During his stay, President Karzai met President Pratibha Patil, and held discussions with the prime minister.

This was President Karzai's first visit to India after his reelection as the Afghan President in 2009. The visit marked the continuation of high level exchanges between the two countries, and was a manifestation of the tradition of regular consultations between India and Afghanistan.

Joint Statement
During the discussions between President Karzai and Prime Minister Singh issued a joint statement. According to it, the two sides reiterated their commitment to the strategic partnership between the two countries, and expressed satisfaction at the progress in their relations. They noted that these relations were rooted in historical and civilization links, and served not only the interests and welfare of the two countries, but also contributed to peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

Prime Minister Singh stated that India desired to see a strong, stable and prosperous Afghanistan, at peace. India remained committed to assisting Afghanistan in its development efforts in accordance with the wishes and priorities of the people of Afghanistan. India's development partnership is focused on areas of infrastructure development, human resource development and capacity building, food assistance and small development projects that bring immediate benefit to the people at the grass-roots level. The two leaders, in particular, took note of the Zaranj-Delaram road project, the Pul-e-Kumri to Kabul transmission line project and scholarship programs, which had brought direct benefit to the Afghan people. They welcomed the progress being made in the construction of the building for the Afghan Parliament. President Karzai expressed appreciation for India's assistance to the reconstruction and development efforts of the government and people of Afghanistan.

President Karzai outlined to Prime Minister Singh recent developments with regard to Afghanistan. Prime Minister Singh lauded the progress that had been made in national reconstruction efforts under President Karzai and the sacrifices made by the people of Afghanistan in their quest for building a democratic and peaceful society.

Karzai and Singh leaders reiterated their conviction that the national rebuilding process in Afghanistan should be led by the people of Afghanistan in keeping with the principles of national sovereignty, independence and non-interference in internal affairs. They expressed their grave concern over the threat posed by terrorism to Afghanistan's national development efforts. They expressed their determination to work with the international community to combat the forces of terrorism which pose a particular threat to the region.

President Karzai conveyed his outrage and deep condolences over the terrorist attacks on Indian nationals in Afghanistan, and assured the Indian side that the Government of Afghanistan is committed to providing full security to them. The Indian side welcomed these assurances. The two leaders expressed their intention to continue to consult each other with a view to consolidating their partnership and contributing to peace and stability in the region.

Development Partnership
Extending support for a strong, peaceful and democratic Afghanistan led by the Afghan people, India has said that it was ready to 'augment' civil assistance to Kabul. Karzai and the Indian prime minister reviewed the 'development partnership' and also discussed the issue of terrorism.

Singh expressed his 'deep admiration' for Karzai's 'courageous leadership in difficult times' and conveyed that India was 'ready to augment its assistance for capacity building and for skill and human resources development to help strengthen public institutions in Afghanistan. It asserted said Singh's remark reflected New Delhi's 'reluctance' to take up any new 'mega project' in Afghanistan and indicated that its role in reconstruction of the conflict-ridden country would -- at least for the time being -- be limited to giving scholarships to Afghan students to study in India; helping in skill-development of employees of the Afghan government in addition to providing vocational training to workers in private sector.

India was 'unlikely' to take up any new infrastructure project in Afghanistan.

Taliban and Al-Qa'ida Factors
India has been recalibrating its role in Afghanistan in the wake of the 26 February terrorist attack in which seven Indians were killed in Kabul. The attack came amid an aggressive diplomatic campaign by Pakistan against Indian role in Afghanistan. Indians have been among the targets of terrorists in Afghanistan in 2008 and 2009.

Interestingly, while no reference to Taliban was observed in any of the remarks made by Singh, an Indo-Asian News Service report on 26 April said that the Indian prime minister conveyed concerns to Karzai over plan to hold talks with the 'so-called moderate Taliban' in Afghanistan.
Speaking after the talks, Karzai also said the two leaders had 'discussed the upcoming Afghanistan Peace Consultations which should comprise people of Afghanistan, those from all walks of life to advise on how to move forward for reintegration and reconciliation of those elements of Taliban and others who have accepted the Constitution or not part of Al-Qa'ida or any terrorist network

China's Globalization: Changing International World Order

Everyone is amazed to witness the growth of China, which has become a new model for development in the world. The Chinese model is different from the process of modernization that Western countries underwent through the stages of colonialism and imperialism in the last century. In the context of regionalization, free trade and 60 years of bilateral China-Indonesia relations, China is suddenly like the elephant in the room.

Not only that, but China is seen as a threat to just about everyone, including the US, which is suffering from the worst financial and economic crisis in the 21st century. It is certain that China will transform the world in a fundamental way with a greater force than any other world power in the past two hundred years.

Recent signals from China are that its leaders in Beijing want to see China rise in this century of information technology. They stress that their determination to do so will not result in a drastic change in the global system that up to now has been dominated by the West. However, slowly but surely, China's rise is beginning to shift the position that the West has always occupied.

Growth and Development
The developed countries seem not to admit to the existence of China as the elephant in the room. The West feels that the growth and development of globalization, which is currently being driven by China, must follow universal norms, including norms of ethics, humanitarianism, democracy, human rights, liberty and other liberal norms. The West considers it impossible that a platform of socialism-communism can be capable of changing the world system that has been built over the last two centuries.

But, without realizing it, there is now an extraordinary shift in the balance of global power that is happening "sotto voce," and, in fact, is invisible. The phenomenon indicates a significant difference between the rise of China and the rise of Germany or Japan during the two world wars. The rise of China is also different from the rise of the Soviet Union during the Cold War era.

Factory Floor
Since the beginning of the opening up and reform of China's economic and trade systems in 1978, it has struggled long and hard to be accepted by the international community and to accrue all the privileges and positions that go along with being a superpower. As a newly emerging power, China is being forced to change and to accept international norms.

However, many observers and politicians around the world are gradually beginning to see China as a hidden threat and are saying that the world is approaching what they call "the coming China wars," as in the title of a book by Peter Navarro published in 2008. Navarro sees China as slowly dominating one by one the strong countries, and emerging in the midst of globalization as the world's "factory floor." Its rise is happening through misleading international trade with the use of the slogan "made-in-China price", by pricing goods as relatively cheaper than those of any other country's.

The rapid growth of China's economy over the last two decades has been triggered by its exports. The question is whether by continuing to spur exports China can sustain and achieve continuous growth in the midst of a global recession that has dampened consumer demand.

The extremely rapid growth of China's economy has never been experienced by any other country on earth. China's performance is considered unjust by some who accuse it of practicing mercantilism, including subsidizing its exports, pirating intellectual property and various other practices that are considered the props of the cheap "made-in-China price."

The interesting thing is that in the midst of dampening consumer demand, China continues to actively look for opportunities to maintain its economic growth and to widen its market networks, including looking for new centers of cooperation to prop up its own internal demand, and especially finding new energy sources.

Dominant Power
It is understandable that fears of China have been cropping up everywhere, including Southeast Asia with the coming into force of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement. Many feel that it will be very difficult to compete and survive in trade and economic cooperation with China, which will tend to profit the most in that trade.

We need to understand that China will continue to have its own problems in the future, such as income inequality, sustainable development, environmental pollution, corruption and others that won't just go away. At the same time, there will be other critical points that threaten sources of fresh water or of imported oil that will force the leaders in China to come up with new ways of thinking to solve them.

China's regionalization in the Asia-Pacific region should provide interesting choices, including among them the idea put forward by Beijing of a new global currency that would de facto replace the US dollar as the international standard. China itself is actively seeking ways to gradually provide a role for the renminbi in the international arena.

Current Global Recession
It can not be avoided that China is a dominant power in the Southeast Asia region. This is the stage to make China a global power on the level of the United States. China has shown its ambitions to become the locomotive for regional growth. This is an approach to make China a market for countries in the region as well as a source of investment and technology.

Coincidentally, in the mid of the current global recession, the rise of China and the fall of the US as world powers are happening at the same time. This is causing a significant change in the balance of world economic power as well as a change in the relations between those two nations. We hope that a "changing of the guard" will not lead to a terrible shock that will endanger economic growth and trade everywhere.

Increasing Coldness in Israel-US Bilateral Relationship

A slight coldness has developed between Israel-US ties during Barack Obama's regime. Israel has much doubts and suspicions about the US designs, whereas Obama wants that Israel should not get unchecked, while exploiting the US dependence and that it should demonstrate more caution and moderation in its attitude.

The Israeli extremist government is quite worried having fears that the United States wants to impose a peace agreement with it under which the Palestinians can unilaterally announce their independent state, and that the United States can also make a progress toward announcement of ending tension from Syria as well.

Undefeatable Alliance
In the wake of these apprehensions, Israel is worried about to what extent these differences emerging between the United States and Israel, which would affect the construction projects for the Jewish settlement in Israel. However, there is a proclaimed resolve that an undefeatable alliance between the two countries exists.

The fear that the gulf emerged in the views of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Obama can take any shape has reduced Israel's trust on the United States.

Impact of Arab-Israel Tension
Netanyahu apprehends that Israel could be forced to give Palestinians two concessions, which Israel does not want to do. Moreover, in such a situation, the Palestinians will get strengthened. Obama is promising for the establishment of peace in the region, and for the first time, he has openly stated that Arab-Israel tension is causing damages to the US reconciliation.

Netanyahu explains it as the United States wants to forcefully impose a peace agreement on Israel. Seven Israeli ministers met for three times last week in order to find out a way to end coldness between Israel and the United States. However, no agreement could be reached in all three meetings under which the United States could be appeased by stopping construction of the Jewish settlements in eastern Baitul Maqdis (in Palestine was the first Qibla [direction, in which Muslims face when praying]).

Netanyahu also expressed his displeasure with the US Administration by not taking part in the Nuclear Security Summit held recently in Washington. US President Obama ferociously spoke against Iran and North Korea at the Nuclear Security Summit and said that new strict policies could be announced against Iran. Obama, however, did not name Israel in the summit, whose prime minister did not bother to participate at the summit.

Uranium Enriching Issue
Egypt and Turkey alleged Israel that it also has nuclear weapons urging the world states to deal with the Israeli weapons as well. The US President's reaction to this identification was quite bizarre. On one hand, Obama was saying that Israel should essentially join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation (NPT), and on the other, the US President refused to make any comment on the Israeli nuclear program.

Obama avoided speaking on the Israeli nuclear program because it is the result of the US oversight. A process of useless investigation continues in the United States for a long time, which is based on making Israel a nuclear power through the US oversight. The investigation is being prolonged with the objective that at any stage it could be suspended for not reaching any conclusion.

The issue is that enriched uranium of the level of weapons development, got disappeared from a the US experimental site in Pennsylvania, and the United States has not yet clued to the same. The US concern to check the nuclear proliferation would depend on identifying where has the uranium gone.

A person namely Steve Levin was a member of the Israeli Army. He also took part in the 1948 Israeli war, and later on, he became head of the Israeli spy agency. He was also a close friend of first Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. The same person was the builder of Israel's nuclear program. In 1940s, Ben-Gurion as the head of a Jewish agency made a weapons purchase program, stealing and smuggling in the United States through a big network, and also their shifting to Israel. In this connection, the purchase of small weapons, heavy machine guns, arms-manufacturing material, planes, ships, and tanks was made from the United States discarded material places, and they were shifted to Palestine.

On nuclear front, Levin purchased Apollo Steel Company Pennsylvania at a cost of $450,000. Intelligent inventor Dr Zalman Shapiro was the founder and president of the Apollo Steel Company. This company also included a corporation of nuclear material. By September 1968, 587 pounds highly enriched uranium was declared missing through this organization. It was learned as a result to the 1968 investigation that this enriched uranium has been shifted to Israel, and it has also been used in weapons development there. Despite this disclosure, the United States did not take any action.

Kennedy was the last US President who was very cautious about proliferation of nuclear material, and was also serious regarding the US embargos on Israel. Later, Israel had freedom to steal enriched uranium from the United States, take it to Israel, and use it in making nuclear weapons. Despite knowing all about it, the United States did not take any action.

Israel's Growing Arrogance
Now, Obama desires to find John Kennedy's footprints and tread on them, but it has not remained easy for him to do. Israel has intruded into the very thinking of the United States through the Jewish lobby to the extent that it has become very difficult for the United States to take any action against Israel.

Israel's arrogance has increased to the level that it has become able to even eyeing the United States. US President Obama convened an international summit in Washington to devise a strategy to check proliferation of nuclear weapons. Israel did not give importance to attending this summit, and Netanyahu himself did not take part in it, although the heads of big nuclear powers took part at the summit. Netanyahu did not participate at the summit, so that it could not have to disclose the secrets of its nuclear power before the world opinion, and that it could also not have to make any final promise regarding the nuclear weapons. He also does not want to sign the NPT on the US request.

The coldness in the bilateral relationship between the United States and Israel is increasing. However, these relations have not yet reached open tension. Nevertheless, Israel does not care much about the United States.

General Kayani's Washington Visit and US-Pak Cooperation

At present, the entire Pakistan is under the threat of terrorism, which appears to be without end. However, far way from this bloodshed, some decisions are being taken in Washington and the GHQ (General Headquarters) in Rawalpindi that will determine the future of Pakistan in the days to come.

In pursuit of its political objectives, the United States is attempting to devise a broader strategy for the war against terror under which the Pakistani military will get the opportunity to play the leading role. The main goal of this strategy is to bring down the Taliban and Al-Qa'ida and also to eliminate the Pakistani groups associated with this network. The primary focus of this strategy is to isolate Taliban's supreme commander Mullah Omar in order to force him to negotiate with the United States and pave the way for the US withdrawal.

Pakistan will hold a key position in this whole planning and the last month's arrest of Mullah Omar's deputy Mullah Beradar is part of the same planning. The Pakistani military will play a central role in this whole plan, and General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani's visit to the United States was meant for the same purpose. That is why General Kayani, the Pakistan Army chief, is the main focus of the US attention.

56-Page Document
The main point of the strategic dialogue between the United States and Pakistan held in Washington was to guarantee Pakistan's role in the Afghan conflict and take decisions to eradicate the terrorism network. It has become clear after this dialogue that the United States wants to withdraw from Afghanistan and it requires Pakistan's assistance in this regard.

Pakistan was aware of what did the United States want. Therefore, a 56-page document was prepared after consultation with the military officials, which talked about what Pakistan wants from the United States and the concerns that are prevalent in Pakistan with reference to the United States. This document was handed over to the United States before the strategic dialogue. Pakistan mentioned the sacrifices, which it has given in the war against terror and also put forward its demands before the United States.

These demands include the transfer of nuclear technology from the United States to Pakistan, acknowledgment of Pakistan's status of a Muslim nuclear power, Pakistan's involvement in talks regarding the future of Afghanistan and the US funding for water projects to resolve the power crisis in Pakistan. In addition to these, issues like additional aid for Pakistan under the coalition support fund, release of blocked funds, supply of drone technology to Pakistan, pressure on India to resolve the Kashmir issue, and the US intrusion in the matter concerning blockage of Pakistani water were also talked about in this 56-page document.

Resolving Disputes With India
Pakistan demanded of the United States to supply gunship helicopters, spy planes, and other warfare equipment to be used in fight against the Taliban and requested for increased cooperation between the intelligence agencies of the two countries. In addition to this, concerns were raised over India's military preparation and procurement of weapons from the United States. Pakistan also requested Washington to play a direct role in restoring the peace process between India and Pakistan that has been brought to a standstill after the Mumbai attacks in November 2008.

The main point of this document was to ensure Pakistan's safety on the eastern borders. It has further stated with regard to issues that Pakistan's strategic interests will continue to clash with the US strategic interests in the region, and Pakistan will only be able to take limited action against the Taliban until Pakistan's safety is guaranteed on its eastern borders.

This document has left the US officials in jeopardy. The document was debated in the US Department of State and it was decided where to favor Pakistan and where not to. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi led the delegation consisting of Defense Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, chief of the Army staff, senior advisers and secretaries of different ministries. However, the US delegation consisted of Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and other high-ranking officials.

These negotiations took place in a pleasant atmosphere. The United States accepted most of Pakistan's demands. However, the United States refused to accept some, for instance, it refused to play a role in resolving the water dispute with India, and said that this dispute between the two countries was 50-year-old. The United States has accepted Pakistan's demand to ensure that the Pakistani products have access to the US markets. The US ambassador to Islamabad has also ruled out the possibility of civil nuclear agreement with Pakistan, which shows that the United States is not providing civil nuclear technology to Pakistan.

Pakistan's Security Needs
The biggest achievement of this dialogue is the assurance given to the military leadership by the US officials that the United States will fulfill its vows regarding Pakistan's security needs, and will provide latest equipment as well as drone technology to Pakistan. This assurance was given during General Kayani's meeting with Robert Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen.

According to a statement issued by the Pentagon, bilateral defense issues were the main focus of General Kayani's meeting with Robert Gates and Mike Mullen. The US defense secretary assured General Kayani that the United States will fulfill Pakistan's security requirements in the war against terror on urgent basis, ensure that drone technology and modern equipment and weapons are provided to Pakistan, and all promises are fulfilled. General Kayani talked about the needs of the Pakistani security forces, regional security and stability, new US Afghan policy, and outcome of the Helmand Operation to this point during this meeting with Robert Gates.

US Withdrawal From Afghanistan
According to a senior US military official, who was part of the recent meetings with General Kayani and other Pakistani officials, Pakistan knows that there is not much time left for the United States to directly assist Islamabad. He claimed that General Kayani focused all of his attention on establishing cooperation between the Pakistani and Afghan Governments at a time when the United States is reducing the number of troops and investment in Afghanistan. Most importantly, India has rejected the idea of any third-party mediation in the decade-old disputes between India and Pakistan.

It will not be wrong to declare these negotiations as a success for Pakistan. The United States is currently in a weak position and hence it is possible to make it accept some other demands as well. The United States should pay a price for withdrawal from Afghanistan. Perhaps this is the reason why attempts are being made by the United States to make General Kayani the most powerful personality in Pakistan's military history, so that he can improve the political situation in Pakistan without doing any harm to the present democratic system.

US Objectives
The US objectives are behind this whole planning and since Pakistan's military has to play the most important role in this whole planning, attempts are being made to improve and strengthen relations with the military.

Even the extremist groups are not unaware of this planning and they are preparing to play the final round of their fight. The biggest target of the extremists is the Pakistani military and that is why there has been a rise in attacks on the military. The Pakistani military also knows that the next face of the Afghan war will not be short of resistance. Let's see who will play the cards right in this game.

Indonesia Supports Nuclear-Free Zone in Middle East

Indonesia recently took part in two conferences on nuclear weapons in two countries that are in heated opposition -- the first, a nuclear summit in Washington, DC, and the second a nuclear conference held two days later in Tehran, Iran. Indonesian Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Teuku Faizahsyah discussed Indonesia's role in both conferences in an interview.

Question: Indonesia was recently involved in conferences on nuclear weapons in Washington and Teheran. What was the motivation behind these two conferences?

Answer: The Nuclear Security Summit in Washington focused more on how to prevent nuclear weapons from falling into the hands of irresponsible people and thus endangering international security. So, it focused more on safeguarding nuclear materials. The conference that took place in Tehran focused on attempts to do away with weapons of mass destruction.

Judging from a number of statements that came out of the two conferences, we get the impression of a dispute. On the one hand, the US accuses Iran, and even threatens Iran with nuclear weapons; on the other hand, Iran calls the US a "nuclear criminal."

Question: What actually happened?

Answer: I think that we should not look at it from the perspective of competition or a dispute, but see the two forums as discussing issues of importance to Indonesia: the security of nuclear weapons, and how to create a world that is safe and without nuclear weapons. That is the essence of Indonesia's participation in the two forums. So whoever hosts a forum to discuss ways to create a world that is safe through nuclear disarmament and disarmament of other weapons of mass destruction will certainly attract Indonesia's interest.

Question: What about the several countries that have still not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and still don't want to make public their nuclear arsenals, such as Israel, for instance?

Answer: Our stance is clear, that we ask for compliance with the regime for nuclear weapons disarmament that is included in the NPT, so that Israel's nuclear technology can be evaluated by international bodies, such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Thereby security and the whereabouts of materials can be determined. One thing we are pushing for is a nuclear weapons-free zone in the Middle East.

Question: Relating to nuclear weapons in the Middle East, recently a number of Western countries have been competing with each other to sell nuclear technology for energy purposes to a number of Arab countries. Is there concern in the world that this could later lead to the development of nuclear weapons?

Answer: I don't know the technical details, but Indonesia is paying very close attention to the development of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. We see nuclear technology in the framework of three pillars; we reject its spread, support its development for peaceful purposes, and seek nuclear weapons disarmament. Of these three pillars, we still don't know if in the future we will be forced to use nuclear technology for energy purposes or not. That underscores the importance of the role of the IAEA as an international body that can carry out regular checks and assessments, and can evaluate the nuclear energy programs of countries that possess nuclear technology.

Question: Related to the dispute on nuclear issues that led to the trading of threats and counter-threats between Teheran and Washington at the two conferences, what is Indonesia's position?

Answer: Our position is quite well understood by Iran: as long as their development of nuclear energy is for peaceful purposes, we are supportive. But, if they use nuclear materials to develop nuclear weapons, we would be among the first to express our objections. And there is no problem with our expressing that objection to a friendly country.

Question: Has Indonesia's support of Iran's program to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes affected its relations with the US?

Answer: No, in the sense that the US understands our position well and knows how concerned we would be if the use of nuclear energy were to be diverted to developing weapons. And, for example, if Iran develops its nuclear capacities for peaceful purposes, we support them, and if they do not, then certainly Iran, also, would understand Indonesia's objections.

Question: Do you consider appropriate the posture of the US threatening to use its nuclear arsenal to attack Iran?

Answer: We do not comment on the attitude of one government towards another government, for this could cause problems. It could be seen as not conducive. We note that the US's position has changed considerably in its nuclear policies. The United States sees that the world should be free from all nuclear weapons, including what has already been agreed to in the reduction of nuclear weapons. This is a process. So, if there is collective motivation to create a nuclear weapons-free world, we will support it and value it. In other contexts, of course, we hope other countries will take similar steps so that the risks of mass destruction can be avoided by us all.

Thai Political Violence Becoming Unavoidable

Now Thailand has become a failed state so anything could happen. It was frightening to hear reports that businessmen pooled their money to try to deal with the situation because they could no longer depend on the government to protect their life and properties anymore.

In several countries, people had to take up guns to fight one another because their government could not protect them, and thus causing civil wars. In the three southern border provinces, some groups of people had to build their own armed force to protect their employees so that their workers could work in rubber plantations. Such a situation is now happening in the capital or Bangkok.

Deteriorating Situation
Now all sides share the same feeling that if troops are deployed to reclaim traffic space from protesters or to break up the rally again, casualties will be higher than what happened on 10 April 2010 by several folds because all sides are now ready to use violence to the full extent. Each side cited justification from different ground to use force.

At the same time, conflicts do not exist only between the government and the demonstrators. But the conflicts are setting stage for a major change of the structure of power. So, this is the transitional period of the current structure, which is being challenged.

And there is a need to build a new order like what happened after the 6 October 1976 massacre of student activists. So, if the red-shirted leaders still hope to earn a victory with help from an invisible hand or a special power, they should have a second thought. This kind of thought will cause them to be overconfident and prompt them to risk the people's life by leading them to their death again.

After the 14 October 1973 uprising by student activists, the democracy was enhanced and student activists earned a special status. They earned a status to become like a mechanism of the state because of the power they earned after the 14 October 1973 uprising. The increase of the power of the pro-democracy students after the 14 October caused certain groups to be dissatisfied, leading to the student massacre on 6 October 1976.

Demand for Immediate House Dissolution
Had the conflicts existed only between the United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) and the government, the problems would not have had escalated to this level. The UDD insisted on its demand for immediate House dissolution while the government wants to wait for nine months. Had the two sides agreed to negotiate, they should have compromised on the six-month timeframe.

But one side wants the House to be dissolved in 15 days while the other side wants to wait for nine months. This clearly showed that the two sides did not aim to reach a compromise from the negotiation. Instead, they aimed to use the negotiation to create justification for themselves. This caused the conflicts to have reached the point where no more negotiations could be made.

So, some groups started thinking about using a shortcut. And such a shortcut will cause a great loss of life. However, the new order after such bloodshed will lack stability and the country will not be peaceful like what happened after the 6 October 1976 event.

This is because the situation in 2010 has changed much from 1976. A great information revolution has happened and the people have greater access to information - both true and false. So, the belief that "everything could be put under control" is no longer true in today world.

At the same time, rifts exist in several organizations which are state mechanisms, such as the military, police and civil servants. They are divided into groups and their rifts have been amplified, prompting them to be ready to use violence against one another.

Current Power Structure
Since there is no stability in the current power structure, the general people could not depend on the government to protect their life and properties so the country has already become a failed state.

So, it was not unexpected that some private groups took their own actions. Under this kind of situation, a civil war is already knocking on our door. Only a miracle by the great force of pro-peace members in the society can stop this frightening event from happening.

Muslim World Lost Great Scholar: Dr Israr Ahmed Passes Away

Dr Israr Ahmed, prominent Islamic scholar and Tanzeem-e-Islami founder, passed away from this transitory world to the eternal world. 'We are all for God and to return to Him.' According to Hijri Calendar (Islamic calendar), Dr Israr was approaching 80. He spent most part of his life for the establishment of caliphate system and propagating the invitation of the holy Quran.

Although he was not a formal religious scholar, (who gets education from religious schools), because of which some of his religious interpretations became controversial, yet it is a fact that his knowledge about religion was superior than the contemporary educated people. He knew the terminologies of the present day world because of which his sermons and lectures on the holy Quran were listened with eagerness.

Phenomenal Career
Dr Israr Ahmed was born on 26 April 1932 in Hissar District in Haryana (India). He took an active part in Pakistan movement.

He was an active member and secretary general of Muslim Students Federation in his District, Hassar. He had the honor of meeting Qaid-e-Azam in this capacity. During his studies at high school, he established his intellectual and emotional relationship with the charismatic poetry of Allama Iqbal and nourished the desire for practical struggle for the renaissance of Islam in his heart. He walked on foot for 20 days along with a caravan to reach Pakistan via Sulemanki. After doing his FSc (Grade 12 of high school) from Government College Lahore, he did his MBBS from King Edward Medial College Lahore and his masters in Islamic studies from Karachi University with distinction.

While a student he was impressed by eminent religious scholar Maulana Maudoodi and remained the Chief Administrator of Islami Jamiat Talaba. He joined Jamaat-e Islami and remained closely associated with (late) Maulana Maudoodi . He was amongst the founding activists of the party. Dr Israr parted ways with the party in 1957 because of the electoral politics and intellectual differences with it. When he was a student and associated with the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba, he started working as a teacher of the Quran. After submitting his resignation to the party, he continued to deliver lectures on the Quran in different cities of Pakistan.

He shifted to Lahore in 1965 and set up several circles for the study of the Quran. After that, he used to spend most of his time in learning the Quran. In 1971, he abandoned medical practice and fully devoted himself for propagation of the injunctions of Islam. In 1972, he set up Central Association of Servants of the Quran for the promotion of the teachings and ideas of the Quran. He stayed away from politics and associated himself with teaching. He set up the caravan of Tanzeem-e-Islami for the domination of Islam. in 1978, he participated in Pakistan Television's program, 'The Book.' At that same time, he presented many television programs including Alif-Laam-Meem, perfect prophet, mother of all books, and the most popular program of the history of Pakistan Television, 'The Guidance'. This program took him to the heights of popularity. His inculcated his impressive talk about religion into the hearts of the people and they were infatuated by him. 'Tamgha-e-Imtiaz' (medal of distinction) was awarded to him in recognition of his services in 1981.

He authored more than 100 books. He wrote famous exegesis of the Quran and books on the life of the prophet of Islam. Dr Israr Ahmed launched Tehrik-e-Khilafat Pakistan in 1991. In 2002, Dr Israr submitted his resignation to Tanzeem-e-Islami due to ill health and Hafiz Aakif Saeed took over as the new chief. Dr Israr was greatly impressed by the personality of Shah Waliullah. Besides, he was also impressed by Maulana Amin Ahsan Islahi, and Maulana Hamiduddin Farahi.

Dr Israr started his religious struggle from the platform of Jamaat-e-Islami, but he resigned because of differences with the founder of the party, Maulana Abul Aala Maudoodi and set up his own party, Tanzeem-e-Islami. He does not declare his party a political party, or a religious group but an Islamic revolutionary party which, according to him, wanted to make Islam dominant in Pakistan, and then in the entire world, i.e., to establish the caliphate system. Dr Israr has steadily and sincerely been traveling toward the destination he set before him.

He has been raising voice for the caliphate system and calling people toward the holy Quran for approximately half-a-century. He believed that it was necessary to have that much manpower, which can make any protest effective, in case of need, and hence compelled the government to accept his demands. Even if the workers have to lay down their lives for this purpose, they may not refrain from doing so. According to Dr Israr, this number should be in hundreds of thousands that may compel the government to kneel down through their protest. How many people Dr Israr could prepare during the struggle for half a century? How far was the destination? This can be guessed from the statement of Dr Israr.

Revolutionary Struggle
Dr Israr came to Multan in March 2009 and delivered lecture on the topic of, 'The reality of antichrist.' I invited him for a cup of tea at the branch of the Jamia Khair-ul Madaris and he affectionately accepted the invitation. During the conversation, I enquired from Dr Israr as to how many people he prepared so far for the enforcement of the Islamic system and the revival and establishment of the caliphate system, he said with a yearning, '5,000 maximum.' If 5,000 persons are prepared in 50 years, it can well be imagined as to how many centuries will be required to take the number to hundreds of thousands.

Dr Israr declares Hazrat Sheikhul Hind, Maulana Mahmudul Hassan as the founder and ideal for this revolutionary struggle. According to him, the lower lineage was thus that Maulana Abul Kalam got inspiration from Sheikul Hind, and Syed Abul Aala Maudoodi received the lesson of revolutionary politics from Maulana Azad and Dr Israr was inspired by Syed Abul Aala Maudoodi. He termed it the 'family tree' of the revolutionary politics. Undoubtedly, the first two chains were golden. However, it remains to be seen whether Maudoodi and Dr Israr followed the same course of faith and action that was fixed by Sheikhul Hind.

Literary people differed with some of the ideas of Dr Israr during his lifetime. But Dr Israr insisted on the righteousness of his opinion. For instance, the religious scholars of later ages believe that one must follow some established imam to save him from his cardinal desire and the path of evil. The learned people have termed it illegal that some imam is followed on some issues and then he is ignored in other issues, and another imam is then followed because such practice gradually takes a person to the path of evil instead of the path of Islamic teachings. Such a person always looks for 'ease' and follows the imam in whose teachings he finds it easy.

This is not, in fact, the following of the Islamic teachings, but following of the self. Dr Israr believed that interpretation of any of the four imam (Imam Azam, Imam Maalik, Imam Shafeh, and Imam Ahmed Bin Hanbal), which is nearer to the holy Quran and teachings of the holy Prophet should be acted on. The fact is that a dangerous theory is being implied in these pleasing words that there is no need to fully follow some specific imam, but act on what you consider right.

Overwhelming Ideas
Like the ideas of Dr Israr, some of his interpretations also remained doubtful. For instance, it is the collective belief of the Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat that emancipation in the hereafter depends on one's belief and if a Muslim has an iota of faith in his heart, he will, with the blessing of God, get deliverance without any sentence, or getting sentence according to his sins.

On contrary, Dr Israr believed, 'The overwhelming majority of Muslims have incorrectly been under a notion that deliverance of one who recites Kalima (declaration mandatory to recite to enter into Islam) will get deliverance.' It means that only faith and its verbal confession is enough. If he does some good deed, it will be additional goodness on his part and it will only heighten his stature, otherwise good deeds are not necessary for salvation (the Rah-e-Nijat, authored by Dr Israr, page 11). When attention of Dr Israr was drawn that his opinion was contrary to the collective belief of the Muslim community, he expressed renunciation from it, but kept the aforementioned writing as it was and made no amendment in the same.

Despite some of his intellectual lapses, his following of religion, and his steadfastness were appreciable. He was an enduring, content, grateful, and self-respected person. His domestic life was immune from luxury, pomp and show, and affectation while Islamic veil and eastern tradition were followed in his home and full arrangements made for acting on them.

A prominent facet of the lift of Dr Israr was that he openly expressed what he considered righteous and never demonstrated any fear or cowardice. In his capacity as the founder of Tanzeem-e-Islami and its chief, he could have benefited from the government's privileges and offers, but he never took any benefit on any occasion. He remained content on living a life like a dervish and hermit.

He has been a member of the Majlis-e-Shura (Islamic consultative council) for some time when President General Ziaul Haque nominated him during his rule. However, when he felt that religious expectations pinned on parliament were not being fulfilled, he submitted his resignation without any hesitation. His stance about the veiling of women's face and wearing of scarf was emphatic and he considered it a binding injunction of Islam, and declared it necessary for the protection of the honor and chastity.

Dauntlessness and Straightforwardness
Another instance of Dr Israr's dauntlessness and straightforwardness is that he termed standing in respect for the national anthem and saluting the national flag illegal and a type of polytheism. He was opposed tooth and nail to it and he stood firm in his stance throughout his life. The opinion of Dr Israr carries weight because we don't show same attention and respectfulness when the holy Quran is recited as we show, while anthem is being played. This is nothing except the mimicry of alien nations and following customs that are polytheistic.

Anyhow, despite some human weaknesses, and some intellectual lapses, Dr Israr was a great Muslim, a mujahid who called people to Islam and remained a harbinger and champion of Islamic revolution and system of caliphate all through his life. He was a great independent thinking individual.

May God shower His blessings on his departed soul.