HC clash rocks Tamil Nadu Assembly
Chennai, Feb 20 (PTI) The issue of violent clashes between lawyers and police in the Madras High Court rocked Tamil Nadu Assembly today with the entire opposition demanding that the Question Hour be postponed to discuss it, leading to walkout by AIADMK and its allies and en masse eviction of PMK members.
As soon as the proceedings started, the opposition members demanded that the Question Hour be postponed to discuss yesterday's clashes in the high court which left scores, including a judge and advocates and mediapersons injured.
Speaker R Avudiyappan declined to postpone the question hour, saying he would consider the matter later even as the AIADMK members shouted slogans, saying "the state is burning".
As the speaker stuck to his decision, the AIADMK members staged a walk out, followed by members of MDMK, CPI and CPI-M, shouting slogans condemning the DMK Government.
The PMK members persisted with their demand even as the Speaker proceeded with the question hour.
As they kept on pressing for postponement of the question hour despite his repeated pleas, the Speaker ordered the ward and watch staff to remove the slogan-shouting PMK members.
The AIADMK members later returned to the House. PTI
CLB allows auction to find Satyam buyer
NEW DELHI: The Company Law Board on Thursday came to the rescue of cash-starved Satyam Computer Services and allowed the IT firm to increase its
authorised share capital.
The CLB added Satyam could issue preferential shares "at par or at a premium".
CLB chairman S Balasubramanian allowed the company to increase its authorised share capital to Rs 280 crore (comprising 140 crore equity shares of Rs two each) from the current Rs 160 crore.
The CLB asked the company to use the share through a preferential allotment and said the strategic investor should be found through a "transparent, open and competitive process."
Balasubramanian said the price bid auction process should be overseen by a retired judge of the Supreme Court/ a former CJI of India.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/CLB_allows_auction_to_find_Satyam_buyer/articleshow/4156335.cms
authorised share capital.
The CLB added Satyam could issue preferential shares "at par or at a premium".
CLB chairman S Balasubramanian allowed the company to increase its authorised share capital to Rs 280 crore (comprising 140 crore equity shares of Rs two each) from the current Rs 160 crore.
The CLB asked the company to use the share through a preferential allotment and said the strategic investor should be found through a "transparent, open and competitive process."
Balasubramanian said the price bid auction process should be overseen by a retired judge of the Supreme Court/ a former CJI of India.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/CLB_allows_auction_to_find_Satyam_buyer/articleshow/4156335.cms
US state set to recognize 'personhood' of fetus
WASHINGTON: North Dakota has become the first US state to move towards passing a law that defines "personhood" as starting at the moment of conception, which would effectively outlaw abortion, pro-life groups said.
Lawmakers in the North Dakota lower house voted 51 to 41 on Tuesday to pass the Personhood of Children Act, which confers the same basic rights on "all human beings from the beginning of their biological development, including the pre-born, partially born."
Voters in Colorado rejected by three-to-one a personhood amendment to their state constitution in a referendum in November. The North Dakota bill is expected to go before the state senate in around two weeks.
If passed, it would be used to challenge the supreme court's 1973 Roe versus Wade decision, which legalised abortion in the US and gave the country the least restrictive abortion laws in the world, experts said.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/US/US_state_set_to_recognize_personhood_of_fetus/articleshow/4157646.cms
Lawmakers in the North Dakota lower house voted 51 to 41 on Tuesday to pass the Personhood of Children Act, which confers the same basic rights on "all human beings from the beginning of their biological development, including the pre-born, partially born."
Voters in Colorado rejected by three-to-one a personhood amendment to their state constitution in a referendum in November. The North Dakota bill is expected to go before the state senate in around two weeks.
If passed, it would be used to challenge the supreme court's 1973 Roe versus Wade decision, which legalised abortion in the US and gave the country the least restrictive abortion laws in the world, experts said.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/US/US_state_set_to_recognize_personhood_of_fetus/articleshow/4157646.cms
Alleged US fraudster Allen Stanford located: FBI
WASHINGTON: Texas financier Allen Stanford, accused of a multibillion dollar fraud that prompted governments to shut down his banks and seize their assets, was located on Thursday in Virginia, the FBI said.
But the man accused two days ago by securities regulators of perpetrating "a fraud of shocking magnitude that has spread its tentacles throughout the world," and whose whereabouts until now were unknown, was not arrested.
"The agents served Mr. Stanford with court orders related to the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) civil filing against the Stanford Financial Group," FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said in a statement.
A US judge has frozen the assets of Stanford, his banks and two top executives and investigators are working to track down and seize assets overseas.
That could be complicated by the actions of other governments who have shut down -- and in the case of Venezuela seized -- his banks, said Securities and Exchange Commission spokesman John Nester.
"In any investigation involving multiple jurisdictions, there are complications that arise," Nestor said.
In the Caribbean and Latin America, authorities sought to quell fears among depositors who formed long queues outside local branches.
Five Latin American countries have already taken action against companies owned by Stanford, 58, whose wealth management and financial services group was particularly successful in Latin America and the Caribbean, where it lured investors with promises of big returns that never materialized.
Stanford Investment Bank claims to serve 50,000 clients in more than 130 countries while the umbrella Stanford Financial Group has more than 50 billion dollars "under advisement," according to the SEC complaint.
Faced with a run on a local subsidiary by panicked Venezuelans, Caracas "made a decision to intervene and to immediately sell" financial companies owned by Stanford, Finance Minister Ali Rodriguez said on Thursday.
Stanford Bank Venezuela, which has 15 branches in the country, already has received offers from interested parties, he said.
Peru's securities regulator on Thursday suspended operations for 30 days at the local office of Stanford Financial Group, promising it was working to secure investors' funds.
In Panama, banking authorities took over "administrative control" of a local Stanford branch after nervous clients made massive withdrawals of deposits on Wednesday.
Ecuador suspended a Stanford affiliate from operating in the Quito stock exchange for 30 days or until the company resolves the claims.
The Stanford affiliate in Colombia agreed on Wednesday to suspend its activities on the Bogota stock exchange. Banking authorities said they had taken steps to "protect customers and investors in the entity and to preserve confidence in the stock market."
On the tax haven island of Antigua, hundreds of people queued up Wednesday at the Stanford-owned Bank of Antigua to withdraw funds despite authorities' assurances their accounts were not in danger.
For the past two decades, Stanford has been based in the Caribbean, where he built a reputation as a cricket patron.
Stanford allegedly ran the most high-profile fraud since Wall Street financier Bernard Madoff was charged in a 50-billion-dollar Ponzi scheme in December.
The scandal has caused huge embarrassment in English cricket with the bosses of the national association facing calls to resign after they signed a now unraveling deal with Stanford to stage matches in Antigua and England.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/US/Alleged_US_fraudster_Allen_Stanford_located_FBI/articleshow/4158062.cms
But the man accused two days ago by securities regulators of perpetrating "a fraud of shocking magnitude that has spread its tentacles throughout the world," and whose whereabouts until now were unknown, was not arrested.
"The agents served Mr. Stanford with court orders related to the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) civil filing against the Stanford Financial Group," FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said in a statement.
A US judge has frozen the assets of Stanford, his banks and two top executives and investigators are working to track down and seize assets overseas.
That could be complicated by the actions of other governments who have shut down -- and in the case of Venezuela seized -- his banks, said Securities and Exchange Commission spokesman John Nester.
"In any investigation involving multiple jurisdictions, there are complications that arise," Nestor said.
In the Caribbean and Latin America, authorities sought to quell fears among depositors who formed long queues outside local branches.
Five Latin American countries have already taken action against companies owned by Stanford, 58, whose wealth management and financial services group was particularly successful in Latin America and the Caribbean, where it lured investors with promises of big returns that never materialized.
Stanford Investment Bank claims to serve 50,000 clients in more than 130 countries while the umbrella Stanford Financial Group has more than 50 billion dollars "under advisement," according to the SEC complaint.
Faced with a run on a local subsidiary by panicked Venezuelans, Caracas "made a decision to intervene and to immediately sell" financial companies owned by Stanford, Finance Minister Ali Rodriguez said on Thursday.
Stanford Bank Venezuela, which has 15 branches in the country, already has received offers from interested parties, he said.
Peru's securities regulator on Thursday suspended operations for 30 days at the local office of Stanford Financial Group, promising it was working to secure investors' funds.
In Panama, banking authorities took over "administrative control" of a local Stanford branch after nervous clients made massive withdrawals of deposits on Wednesday.
Ecuador suspended a Stanford affiliate from operating in the Quito stock exchange for 30 days or until the company resolves the claims.
The Stanford affiliate in Colombia agreed on Wednesday to suspend its activities on the Bogota stock exchange. Banking authorities said they had taken steps to "protect customers and investors in the entity and to preserve confidence in the stock market."
On the tax haven island of Antigua, hundreds of people queued up Wednesday at the Stanford-owned Bank of Antigua to withdraw funds despite authorities' assurances their accounts were not in danger.
For the past two decades, Stanford has been based in the Caribbean, where he built a reputation as a cricket patron.
Stanford allegedly ran the most high-profile fraud since Wall Street financier Bernard Madoff was charged in a 50-billion-dollar Ponzi scheme in December.
The scandal has caused huge embarrassment in English cricket with the bosses of the national association facing calls to resign after they signed a now unraveling deal with Stanford to stage matches in Antigua and England.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/US/Alleged_US_fraudster_Allen_Stanford_located_FBI/articleshow/4158062.cms
Stanford goes missing as worried investors pull funds
WASHINGTON: Authorities were trying to track down Texas billionaire financier Allen Stanford on Thursday as fraud charges against the cricket impresario prompted panicked investors to withdraw cash from his banks.
Two days after the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) accused Stanford, 58, of perpetrating "a fraud of shocking magnitude," SEC officials were still in the dark about his whereabouts -- as were close members of his family.
Authorities in the Caribbean island of Antigua —the centre of Stanford's financial empire — and in parts of South America meanwhile sought to quell fears among depositors as big queues formed outside branches of his bank.
In an interview with the Houston Chronicle newspaper, Stanford's 81-year-old father James said he understood that authorities were searching for his son, but insisted he had no idea where his son could be.
"I'd spoken to him a week or so ago — he'd called — about problems with the business climate in general, but nothing of this magnitude," he said.
"I cannot imagine, I cannot believe, I will not believe what is being alleged actually happened.
"I cannot believe that my son would run," he added.
Reports also emerged on Wednesday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has launched an investigation into whether Stanford was involved in laundering drug money for Mexico's powerful Gulf cartel.
ABC News, citing unnamed federal officials, said Mexican police detained one of Stanford's private planes and found checks inside believed to be linked to the ultra-violent cartel.
The network also reported that Stanford spent eight million dollars in Washington wooing lobbyists and lawmakers, and that red-faced lawmakers, including former presidential candidate Senator John McCain, were scrambling to return or donate thousands of dollars Stanford gave to their campaigns.
A substantial portion of Stanford's clients are in South America, where the Venezuelan government issued a request for more information from US authorities.
"They are wondering what will be done with Stanford Bank in Venezuela," finance minister Ali Rodriguez said Wednesday.
"At the moment, we are investigating what repercussions may have occurred with the institution abroad, while at the same time we are asking US authorities about the real situation."
Rodriguez added that Venezuela's finances were "secure and stable."
In Ecuador, transactions at the Stanford Financial Group were temporarily suspended on Wednesday and Stanford representatives barred from engaging in any trading or other business in the Quito stock market.
In Antigua, hundreds of people queued up Wednesday at the Stanford-owned Bank of Antigua to withdraw funds. For the past two decades, Stanford has been based in the Caribbean, where he has built a reputation as a cricket patron.
Late Tuesday, Antigua's Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer rushed to assure depositors that their money was safe.
Spencer said the Stanford charges "have profound serious implications for Antigua and Barbuda," but that the government and the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) were "putting in place a contingency plan."
"Therefore there is no need for panic," he added.
While the Bank of Antigua has not been officially implicated in the fraud, another offshore bank, Stanford International Bank (SIB), has been involved in Stanford's alleged scheme.
The SEC filed civil charges Tuesday against Stanford for what they called a fraud "of shocking magnitude" in selling 9.2 billion dollars in securities, "promising ... improbable high interest rates."
A US district judge consequently froze Stanford's assets.
He ran the most high-profile alleged scheme since Wall Street financier Bernard Madoff was charged in a 50-billion-dollar Ponzi scheme in December.
Aside from SIB, Stanford's companies include Houston-based broker-dealer and investment adviser Stanford Group Company, and investment adviser Stanford Capital Management.
Stanford's wealth management and financial services group has offices across North America, Latin America, Europe and the Caribbean.
The scandal has also caused huge embarrassment in English cricket with the bosses of the national association facing calls to resign after they signed a now unraveling deal with Stanford to stage matches in Antigua and England.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/US/Stanford-goes-missing-as-worried-investors-pull-funds/articleshow/4156856.cms
Two days after the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) accused Stanford, 58, of perpetrating "a fraud of shocking magnitude," SEC officials were still in the dark about his whereabouts -- as were close members of his family.
Authorities in the Caribbean island of Antigua —the centre of Stanford's financial empire — and in parts of South America meanwhile sought to quell fears among depositors as big queues formed outside branches of his bank.
In an interview with the Houston Chronicle newspaper, Stanford's 81-year-old father James said he understood that authorities were searching for his son, but insisted he had no idea where his son could be.
"I'd spoken to him a week or so ago — he'd called — about problems with the business climate in general, but nothing of this magnitude," he said.
"I cannot imagine, I cannot believe, I will not believe what is being alleged actually happened.
"I cannot believe that my son would run," he added.
Reports also emerged on Wednesday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has launched an investigation into whether Stanford was involved in laundering drug money for Mexico's powerful Gulf cartel.
ABC News, citing unnamed federal officials, said Mexican police detained one of Stanford's private planes and found checks inside believed to be linked to the ultra-violent cartel.
The network also reported that Stanford spent eight million dollars in Washington wooing lobbyists and lawmakers, and that red-faced lawmakers, including former presidential candidate Senator John McCain, were scrambling to return or donate thousands of dollars Stanford gave to their campaigns.
A substantial portion of Stanford's clients are in South America, where the Venezuelan government issued a request for more information from US authorities.
"They are wondering what will be done with Stanford Bank in Venezuela," finance minister Ali Rodriguez said Wednesday.
"At the moment, we are investigating what repercussions may have occurred with the institution abroad, while at the same time we are asking US authorities about the real situation."
Rodriguez added that Venezuela's finances were "secure and stable."
In Ecuador, transactions at the Stanford Financial Group were temporarily suspended on Wednesday and Stanford representatives barred from engaging in any trading or other business in the Quito stock market.
In Antigua, hundreds of people queued up Wednesday at the Stanford-owned Bank of Antigua to withdraw funds. For the past two decades, Stanford has been based in the Caribbean, where he has built a reputation as a cricket patron.
Late Tuesday, Antigua's Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer rushed to assure depositors that their money was safe.
Spencer said the Stanford charges "have profound serious implications for Antigua and Barbuda," but that the government and the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) were "putting in place a contingency plan."
"Therefore there is no need for panic," he added.
While the Bank of Antigua has not been officially implicated in the fraud, another offshore bank, Stanford International Bank (SIB), has been involved in Stanford's alleged scheme.
The SEC filed civil charges Tuesday against Stanford for what they called a fraud "of shocking magnitude" in selling 9.2 billion dollars in securities, "promising ... improbable high interest rates."
A US district judge consequently froze Stanford's assets.
He ran the most high-profile alleged scheme since Wall Street financier Bernard Madoff was charged in a 50-billion-dollar Ponzi scheme in December.
Aside from SIB, Stanford's companies include Houston-based broker-dealer and investment adviser Stanford Group Company, and investment adviser Stanford Capital Management.
Stanford's wealth management and financial services group has offices across North America, Latin America, Europe and the Caribbean.
The scandal has also caused huge embarrassment in English cricket with the bosses of the national association facing calls to resign after they signed a now unraveling deal with Stanford to stage matches in Antigua and England.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/US/Stanford-goes-missing-as-worried-investors-pull-funds/articleshow/4156856.cms
US winks at Pak-Taliban deal
WASHINGTON: The United States appears to have acquiesced in another Faustian bargain in Pakistan, allowing Islamabad to cede space to a rampant Taliban advancing from the west in exchange for continued cooperation in the war on terror, including Predator strikes mounted from Pakistani air bases.
Reactions from US officials to Islamabad’s latest "peace deal" with extremist forces who have scorched the Swat region indicated that Washington was once again buying into the discredited theory of "good Taliban and bad Taliban." Pakistan has argued that some Taliban (those sponsored by the ISI whom it regards as strategic assets) can be won over and trusted whereas others (who have turned "rogue") and are irreconcilable.
In initial reactions to the Swat deal, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that while "the activity by the extremists in Pakistan poses a direct threat to the government of Pakistan as well as to the security of the United States, Afghanistan and a number of other nations," Washington is studying the agreement and trying to understand the Pakistani government’s "intention and the actual agreed-upon language."
There were more signals from the State Department that the Obama administration, like its predecessor, would not take a firm stand against the agreement, despite the assessment of the military-intelligence community that similar deals in the past only gave time and space for the Taliban to regroup.
Asked on Tuesday for the administration's view of the truce, acting Spokesman Gordon Duguid said Washington was in touch with the government in Pakistan and discussing the issue. "We’ll wait and see what their fuller explanation is for us," he added.
More seriously, the administration brushed aside the growing concern that Pakistan was ceding not just geographical, but also ideological space, to extremists with medieval views.
TOI: Nothing further on the deal about allowing the rule of Islamic law?
DUGUID: Well, as I understand it, Islamic law is within the constitutional framework of Pakistan. So I don’t know that that is particularly an issue for anyone outside of Pakistan to discuss, certainly not from this podium.
TOI: But is it a good development or a bad development?
DUGUID: We’ve seen these sorts of actions before. What is, of course, important is that we are all working together to fight terrorism, and particularly to fight the cross-border activities that some Taliban engage in attacking in Afghanistan.
Human rights activists and terrorism analysts who have seen the consequence of such deals in the past are less sanguine about it. Bill Roggio, a terrorism expert who runs the Long War Journal, maintained that the "agreement will lead to a further deterioration of the situation in Pakistan and is a direct threat to the security of the Pakistani state."
Indeed, even as Islamabad was dressing up the deal to make it palatable to rest of the world, the Taliban leader Sufi Mohammed, with whom Pakistan’s democratically elected government clinched the deal, was telling a news agency about his hatred for democracy and his vision of imposing Islamic rule throughout the world.
"From the very beginning, I have viewed democracy as a system imposed on us by the infidels. Islam does not allow democracy or elections," Sufi told Deutsche Presse-Agentur. "I believe the Taliban government formed a complete Islamic state, which was an ideal example for other Muslim countries."
Roggio said Islamabad’s willingness to negotiate with the Taliban despite the failure of past agreements "is eroding the viability of the Pakistani state." Washington, Roggio told ToI, is repeating the same mistakes it made in 2006.
During the "peace periods," he explained, the Taliban would use the time granted to add new recruits, rest and re-arm its forces, and consolidate control over the new-found territory. The peace agreements also served to embolden and restore the morale of the Taliban while demoralizing those who fought against the Taliban and live in the regions.
Successive US administrations going back to the mid-1990s have been indulgent about the Taliban, buying into the thesis by its sponsor Pakistan that the outfit represents Pashtuns and is representative of its interests in the region.
But the increasingly nihilistic Taliban have been spreading a dark reign of terror in the region and are now, in the words of Pakistan’s own President, threatening to take over the country. Yet, both Washington and Islamabad appear to believe there is a "good Taliban" they can deal with.
On Wednesday, the same dark forces telegraphed their intentions by killing a Pakistani journalist hours after the "peace" deal.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4152578.cms?TOI_mostemailed
Reactions from US officials to Islamabad’s latest "peace deal" with extremist forces who have scorched the Swat region indicated that Washington was once again buying into the discredited theory of "good Taliban and bad Taliban." Pakistan has argued that some Taliban (those sponsored by the ISI whom it regards as strategic assets) can be won over and trusted whereas others (who have turned "rogue") and are irreconcilable.
In initial reactions to the Swat deal, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that while "the activity by the extremists in Pakistan poses a direct threat to the government of Pakistan as well as to the security of the United States, Afghanistan and a number of other nations," Washington is studying the agreement and trying to understand the Pakistani government’s "intention and the actual agreed-upon language."
There were more signals from the State Department that the Obama administration, like its predecessor, would not take a firm stand against the agreement, despite the assessment of the military-intelligence community that similar deals in the past only gave time and space for the Taliban to regroup.
Asked on Tuesday for the administration's view of the truce, acting Spokesman Gordon Duguid said Washington was in touch with the government in Pakistan and discussing the issue. "We’ll wait and see what their fuller explanation is for us," he added.
More seriously, the administration brushed aside the growing concern that Pakistan was ceding not just geographical, but also ideological space, to extremists with medieval views.
TOI: Nothing further on the deal about allowing the rule of Islamic law?
DUGUID: Well, as I understand it, Islamic law is within the constitutional framework of Pakistan. So I don’t know that that is particularly an issue for anyone outside of Pakistan to discuss, certainly not from this podium.
TOI: But is it a good development or a bad development?
DUGUID: We’ve seen these sorts of actions before. What is, of course, important is that we are all working together to fight terrorism, and particularly to fight the cross-border activities that some Taliban engage in attacking in Afghanistan.
Human rights activists and terrorism analysts who have seen the consequence of such deals in the past are less sanguine about it. Bill Roggio, a terrorism expert who runs the Long War Journal, maintained that the "agreement will lead to a further deterioration of the situation in Pakistan and is a direct threat to the security of the Pakistani state."
Indeed, even as Islamabad was dressing up the deal to make it palatable to rest of the world, the Taliban leader Sufi Mohammed, with whom Pakistan’s democratically elected government clinched the deal, was telling a news agency about his hatred for democracy and his vision of imposing Islamic rule throughout the world.
"From the very beginning, I have viewed democracy as a system imposed on us by the infidels. Islam does not allow democracy or elections," Sufi told Deutsche Presse-Agentur. "I believe the Taliban government formed a complete Islamic state, which was an ideal example for other Muslim countries."
Roggio said Islamabad’s willingness to negotiate with the Taliban despite the failure of past agreements "is eroding the viability of the Pakistani state." Washington, Roggio told ToI, is repeating the same mistakes it made in 2006.
During the "peace periods," he explained, the Taliban would use the time granted to add new recruits, rest and re-arm its forces, and consolidate control over the new-found territory. The peace agreements also served to embolden and restore the morale of the Taliban while demoralizing those who fought against the Taliban and live in the regions.
Successive US administrations going back to the mid-1990s have been indulgent about the Taliban, buying into the thesis by its sponsor Pakistan that the outfit represents Pashtuns and is representative of its interests in the region.
But the increasingly nihilistic Taliban have been spreading a dark reign of terror in the region and are now, in the words of Pakistan’s own President, threatening to take over the country. Yet, both Washington and Islamabad appear to believe there is a "good Taliban" they can deal with.
On Wednesday, the same dark forces telegraphed their intentions by killing a Pakistani journalist hours after the "peace" deal.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4152578.cms?TOI_mostemailed
Afghanistan can become Obama's Vietnam if he emulates Russians: Bill Clinton
WASHINGTON: If the US president attempts to do what the British and the Russians did in the past, then Afghanistan could become 'Barack Obama's Vietnam', but it is unlikely to happen, former president Bill Clinton has said.
"If President Obama were to do what the British tried to do in the 19th century and literally control the country, or what the Russians did into the 1980s, trying to, have a puppet government and then send the whole Russian Army in there to fight, it could become Vietnam," Clinton told Larry King of the CNN in an interview.
"But I don't expect that to happen," Clinton said when asked if Afghanistan has the potential to become Obama's Vietnam. "In theory, it could happen. But I don't think so. I think what they mean is that Afghanistan has often been a sinkhole for other country's aspirations, that it is big, tough terrain, rugged people and impossible to control the borders," he said.
"He's (Obama) got perhaps our smartest General, Gen Petraeus, and our most successful diplomat in the modern era, Dick (Richard) Holbrooke, working together to craft a military and diplomatic strategy, strongly supported by (Secretary of State) Hillary (Clinton) and Secretary (of Defence Robert) Gates," Clinton said.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4148724.cms?TOI_mostread
"If President Obama were to do what the British tried to do in the 19th century and literally control the country, or what the Russians did into the 1980s, trying to, have a puppet government and then send the whole Russian Army in there to fight, it could become Vietnam," Clinton told Larry King of the CNN in an interview.
"But I don't expect that to happen," Clinton said when asked if Afghanistan has the potential to become Obama's Vietnam. "In theory, it could happen. But I don't think so. I think what they mean is that Afghanistan has often been a sinkhole for other country's aspirations, that it is big, tough terrain, rugged people and impossible to control the borders," he said.
"He's (Obama) got perhaps our smartest General, Gen Petraeus, and our most successful diplomat in the modern era, Dick (Richard) Holbrooke, working together to craft a military and diplomatic strategy, strongly supported by (Secretary of State) Hillary (Clinton) and Secretary (of Defence Robert) Gates," Clinton said.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4148724.cms?TOI_mostread
UN talks to expand Security Council begin
UNITED NATIONS: The General Assembly launched negotiations on Thursday aimed at reforming the powerful UN Security Council after nearly 30 years of efforts mired by national and regional rivalries.
Representatives of the 192 member states met informally behind closed doors to listen to the timetable for talks on five key issues, including the size, composition and power of an expanded council.
``This is a historic day in the United Nations,'' Assembly President Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann said. ``Finally, today, we are about to enter into the substance of this reform.''
There is widespread support for revamping the UN's most powerful organ to reflect current global realities rather than the international power structure after World War II when the United Nations was created. But all previous attempts, starting in 1979, have failed because rivalries between countries and regions blocked agreement on how to expand the council.
The Security Council, which is responsible for maintaining international peace and security, has 15 seats. Ten are filled by non-permanent members elected for two-year terms that come from all regions of the world, and there are five permanent members with veto power whose support is essential for any reform to be adopted - the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France.
In 2005, world leaders called for the council to be ``more broadly representative, efficient and transparent.'' The General Assembly's last session, which ended in September, asked the current session to start intergovernmental negotiations on council reform by Feb. 28.
German Ambassador Thomas Matussek, whose country is seeking a permanent seat as a reflection of its economic might, said prospects for compromise ``are better than they were before, because against the backdrop of the international financial and economic crisis everybody talks about global governance.''
The question, he said, is whether countries want the world to be run by small groups of economically and politically powerful nations or ``by the only legitimate global institution that we have, and that is the UN''
Italian Ambassador Giulio Terzi di Sant'Agata, whose country recently hosted a ministerial meeting of 80 countries to discuss remaking the council, said that ``everybody feels the pressure of the international situation - be it in the peace and security (area), be it in the financial aspect.''
But Chinese Ambassador Zhang Yesui said he viewed the negotiations as a continuation of talks in the assembly's working group. ``The problems remain,'' he said. ``We have to see how people present their views in this new forum.''
D'Escoto said the first negotiations, on March 4, will tackle the different categories of Security Council membership. That session will be followed by meetings on the veto and regional representation later in March.
The size of an enlarged council and its working methods as well as the relationship between the council and the General Assembly will be up for consideration in April.
A second round of negotiations is scheduled for May. Chances for a deal remain to be seen, and some diplomats said talks could stretch into next year.
Deep divisions forced the General Assembly to shelve three rival resolutions to expand the Security Council in 2005:
- The so-called Group of Four - Germany, Japan, Brazil and India - aspired to permanent seats without veto rights on a 25-member council.
- A group of middle-ranking countries, including Italy and Pakistan, wanted a 25-member council with 10 new non-permanent seats.
- The African Union, whose 53 members argue that their continent is the only one without a permanent seat on the council, wanted to add 11 new seats: six permanent seats, including two for Africa with veto power, and five non-permanent seats.
Calling Thursday's launch of negotiations ``a significant event,'' British Ambassador John Sawers said ``the need for change is great.''
``The current climate of economic instability has highlighted the need for strong, representative and effective international organizations,'' he said.
But Sawers cautioned that in undertaking reforms, ``we have to ensure that this council remains capable of taking the effective action necessary to confront today's security challenges.''
US Ambassador Susan Rice echoed this view, saying President Barack Obama's administration supports council expansion ``in a way that will not diminish its effectiveness or its efficiency.''
``We will make a serious, deliberate effort, working with partners and allies, to find a way forward that enhances the ability of the Security Council to carry out its mandate and effectively meet the challenges of the new century,'' she said.
China's Yesui said Beijing supports expansion of the Security Council ``and we think priority should be given to an increase of the representation of developing countries, particularly from African countries.''
Pakistani Ambassador Abdullah Hussain Haroon called Thursday's meeting ``an important starting point'' and reiterated his government's support for regional rotation of seats on the council to ``give everyone a fair chance.''
Representatives of the 192 member states met informally behind closed doors to listen to the timetable for talks on five key issues, including the size, composition and power of an expanded council.
``This is a historic day in the United Nations,'' Assembly President Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann said. ``Finally, today, we are about to enter into the substance of this reform.''
There is widespread support for revamping the UN's most powerful organ to reflect current global realities rather than the international power structure after World War II when the United Nations was created. But all previous attempts, starting in 1979, have failed because rivalries between countries and regions blocked agreement on how to expand the council.
The Security Council, which is responsible for maintaining international peace and security, has 15 seats. Ten are filled by non-permanent members elected for two-year terms that come from all regions of the world, and there are five permanent members with veto power whose support is essential for any reform to be adopted - the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France.
In 2005, world leaders called for the council to be ``more broadly representative, efficient and transparent.'' The General Assembly's last session, which ended in September, asked the current session to start intergovernmental negotiations on council reform by Feb. 28.
German Ambassador Thomas Matussek, whose country is seeking a permanent seat as a reflection of its economic might, said prospects for compromise ``are better than they were before, because against the backdrop of the international financial and economic crisis everybody talks about global governance.''
The question, he said, is whether countries want the world to be run by small groups of economically and politically powerful nations or ``by the only legitimate global institution that we have, and that is the UN''
Italian Ambassador Giulio Terzi di Sant'Agata, whose country recently hosted a ministerial meeting of 80 countries to discuss remaking the council, said that ``everybody feels the pressure of the international situation - be it in the peace and security (area), be it in the financial aspect.''
But Chinese Ambassador Zhang Yesui said he viewed the negotiations as a continuation of talks in the assembly's working group. ``The problems remain,'' he said. ``We have to see how people present their views in this new forum.''
D'Escoto said the first negotiations, on March 4, will tackle the different categories of Security Council membership. That session will be followed by meetings on the veto and regional representation later in March.
The size of an enlarged council and its working methods as well as the relationship between the council and the General Assembly will be up for consideration in April.
A second round of negotiations is scheduled for May. Chances for a deal remain to be seen, and some diplomats said talks could stretch into next year.
Deep divisions forced the General Assembly to shelve three rival resolutions to expand the Security Council in 2005:
- The so-called Group of Four - Germany, Japan, Brazil and India - aspired to permanent seats without veto rights on a 25-member council.
- A group of middle-ranking countries, including Italy and Pakistan, wanted a 25-member council with 10 new non-permanent seats.
- The African Union, whose 53 members argue that their continent is the only one without a permanent seat on the council, wanted to add 11 new seats: six permanent seats, including two for Africa with veto power, and five non-permanent seats.
Calling Thursday's launch of negotiations ``a significant event,'' British Ambassador John Sawers said ``the need for change is great.''
``The current climate of economic instability has highlighted the need for strong, representative and effective international organizations,'' he said.
But Sawers cautioned that in undertaking reforms, ``we have to ensure that this council remains capable of taking the effective action necessary to confront today's security challenges.''
US Ambassador Susan Rice echoed this view, saying President Barack Obama's administration supports council expansion ``in a way that will not diminish its effectiveness or its efficiency.''
``We will make a serious, deliberate effort, working with partners and allies, to find a way forward that enhances the ability of the Security Council to carry out its mandate and effectively meet the challenges of the new century,'' she said.
China's Yesui said Beijing supports expansion of the Security Council ``and we think priority should be given to an increase of the representation of developing countries, particularly from African countries.''
Pakistani Ambassador Abdullah Hussain Haroon called Thursday's meeting ``an important starting point'' and reiterated his government's support for regional rotation of seats on the council to ``give everyone a fair chance.''
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