Monday, October 13, 2008
President Bush invites hundreds to formal signing of law on nuclear deal
President Bush invited more than 100 Indian Americans plus a host of business representatives and others to the White House October 8, to witness his triumphant signing into law of the U.S.-India civil nuclear cooperation agreement. He called the two countries "natural partners" that fought colonialism to establish vibrant democracies, encourage private enterprise, and now, to jointly fight terrorists. He offered a Diwali prayer for expanding bilateral relations before signing the dotted line.
The President also countered critics in India who have said external clauses Congress had inserted would jeopardize India's independence.
The bill, H.R. 7081, United States-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Nonproliferation Enhancement Act, establishes the legal framework for the 123 Agreement to come into effect. The 123 Agreement lays out the details and obligations of the nuclear trade relationship ."The bill makes clear that our agreement with India is consistent with the Atomic Energy Act and other elements of U.S. law," the President emphasized before the signing.
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The President also countered critics in India who have said external clauses Congress had inserted would jeopardize India's independence.
The bill, H.R. 7081, United States-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Nonproliferation Enhancement Act, establishes the legal framework for the 123 Agreement to come into effect. The 123 Agreement lays out the details and obligations of the nuclear trade relationship ."The bill makes clear that our agreement with India is consistent with the Atomic Energy Act and other elements of U.S. law," the President emphasized before the signing.
To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
Labels: agreement, Atomic Energy Act, bill, Diwali prayer, india, Indian Americans, invites, nuclear deal, President George W. Bush, signing of law, United states, White House, witness
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Group of Eight wants broad United Nations deal to halve emissions
T he G8 rich countries said on July 8 they want to work with the nearly 200 states involved in U.N. climate change talks to adopt a goal of at least halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The final climate communique agreed by the Group of Eight leaders at a summit in northern Japan also said mid-term goals would be needed to achieve the shared goal for 2050, but gave no numerical targets.
The statement puts the focus of fighting global warming on U.N.-led talks to create a new framework for when the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012, and papers over differences inside the G8 itself. The U.N. talks are set to conclude in Copenhagen in December 2009.
The careful wording of the statement -always the most contentious part of summit negotiations -- was also unlikely to satisfy those seeking much more specific targets.
Last year, the G8 club of rich nations -Japan, Britain, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Russia and the United States -- agreed merely to "seriously consider" a goal of halving global emissions by mid-century.
The European Union and Japan have been pressing for this year's summit to go beyond that, and Brussels wanted clear interim targets as well.
But U.S. President George W. Bush has insisted that Washington cannot agree to binding targets unless big polluters such as China and India rein in their emissions as well.
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To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
The final climate communique agreed by the Group of Eight leaders at a summit in northern Japan also said mid-term goals would be needed to achieve the shared goal for 2050, but gave no numerical targets.
The statement puts the focus of fighting global warming on U.N.-led talks to create a new framework for when the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012, and papers over differences inside the G8 itself. The U.N. talks are set to conclude in Copenhagen in December 2009.
The careful wording of the statement -always the most contentious part of summit negotiations -- was also unlikely to satisfy those seeking much more specific targets.
Last year, the G8 club of rich nations -Japan, Britain, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Russia and the United States -- agreed merely to "seriously consider" a goal of halving global emissions by mid-century.
The European Union and Japan have been pressing for this year's summit to go beyond that, and Brussels wanted clear interim targets as well.
But U.S. President George W. Bush has insisted that Washington cannot agree to binding targets unless big polluters such as China and India rein in their emissions as well.
To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
Labels: Canada, emissions, France, G8, Germany, greenhouse gas, india, Italy, Japan, President George W. Bush, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UN deal, United Nation, United states
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Washington, Islamabad joint investigation into border incident
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in a meeting with Pakistan Foreign Minister, Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi agreed to conduct a joint military investigation into the recent U.S. cross border bombings by U.S. forces that allegedly led to the death of 11 Pakistani soldiers on June 11.
While the Bush administration 'regreted' the incident, and may be in favor of Islamabad making peace with tribes in the North west frontier, it would not brook any negotiations with terrorists, Richard Boucher, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, speaking to media in Paris on June 13, on the sidelines of the Afghanistan donor countries' meeting, said.
He called the Rice-Qureshi meeting 'positive', a significant follow-up in the backdrop of Pakistani accusations that the U.S. military was trigger happy on the border. Qureshi is expected to visit Washington by mid July, Boucher indicated during the briefing.
"They did talk about the border incident. They discussed and supported the idea of a joint military investigation. That's been agreed between our militaries. They agreed that we are partners in the war on terror; we need to work together. The terrorism coming from Pakistan/Afghanistan border region is a threat to both peoples, Pakistan - actually Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States and elsewhere," Boucher said.
"The Secretary expressed our regret for the deaths of the Pakistani soldiers in particular, knowing that they too are allies in the war on terror," he added.
The two leaders also discussed overall problems of extremism, including need for development in the border regions, as well as security, the problems that Pakistan is facing in financial matters, in energy and food, he said.
Boucher will visit Pakistan in early July and Qureshi is expected in Washington after that in a bid "to continue our high-level dialogue with the new government," Boucher indicated.
To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
While the Bush administration 'regreted' the incident, and may be in favor of Islamabad making peace with tribes in the North west frontier, it would not brook any negotiations with terrorists, Richard Boucher, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, speaking to media in Paris on June 13, on the sidelines of the Afghanistan donor countries' meeting, said.
He called the Rice-Qureshi meeting 'positive', a significant follow-up in the backdrop of Pakistani accusations that the U.S. military was trigger happy on the border. Qureshi is expected to visit Washington by mid July, Boucher indicated during the briefing.
"They did talk about the border incident. They discussed and supported the idea of a joint military investigation. That's been agreed between our militaries. They agreed that we are partners in the war on terror; we need to work together. The terrorism coming from Pakistan/Afghanistan border region is a threat to both peoples, Pakistan - actually Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States and elsewhere," Boucher said.
"The Secretary expressed our regret for the deaths of the Pakistani soldiers in particular, knowing that they too are allies in the war on terror," he added.
The two leaders also discussed overall problems of extremism, including need for development in the border regions, as well as security, the problems that Pakistan is facing in financial matters, in energy and food, he said.
Boucher will visit Pakistan in early July and Qureshi is expected in Washington after that in a bid "to continue our high-level dialogue with the new government," Boucher indicated.
To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
Labels: bombings . US forces, incident, investigation, Islamabad, pakistan, Pakistan border, Pakistan Foreign Minister, Pakistani soldiers, President George W. Bush, terror, Washington
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