Iran’s intentions
Monday, 28 Sep, 2009
IRAN’S disclosure about its upcoming uranium enrichment facility has expectedly upset the US and its western allies. As it is the two sides have been trading charges and counter-charges since 2003 when Iran’s nuclear programme came to light. The UN Security Council has even imposed sanctions on Iran and now there is talk of tightening them in a bid to check Tehran’s ‘nuclear ambition’. It is a pity that the issue has acquired crisis dimension and become a major destabilising factor in Middle East politics. While the West, particularly the US, has been extremely sceptical and refused to believe Iran’s assurances that its programme is designed to generate power for civilian use, Iran has not been sufficiently reconciliatory and open in its dealings with the IAEA either. It has not submitted all its plants to comprehensive inspection by IAEA investigators. This has left the on-again, off-again dialogue between the P5+1 and Tehran on the rocks. An additional difficulty came in the form of the Bush administration’s ham-fisted style of conducting foreign policy. Even though US intelligence certified that Iran had not been producing nuclear bombs since 2003, Washington continued to engage in polemical exchanges that only escalated the tension between the two countries.
The silver lining in the Iranian nuclear cloud is that the US under Barack Obama has extended the olive branch to President Ahmadinejad and expressed his willingness to enter into negotiations. On Oct 1 the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany will be meeting Iranian negotiators in Geneva to discuss their differences. The disclosures about the new enrichment plant near Qom could be so timed as to enable the two sides to flex their muscles before they enter into a serious dialogue. There is much to discuss and now this new dispute has erupted. Whether Iran was required to inform the IAEA about its new facility much before it did so on Monday would depend on the terms of its safeguards agreements, the additional protocols and subsidiary agreements with the atomic agency. Iran believes it has done nothing wrong and insists that its uranium enrichment will not be of weapons grade. Resorting to a lot of hair-splitting arguments, the West has been strongly critical of Iran and called for stronger sanctions. The US has managed to persuade Russia to harden its stance somewhat but China is still insisting on a negotiated settlement. Beijing is averse to sanctions which will affect its booming trade with Iran. A lot will now depend on the degree to which Iran is prepared to cooperate with the IAEA inspectors who alone can reassure the US and the others about Iranian motives.
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Foreign travel expenses
Monday, 28 Sep, 2009
ACCORDING to documents obtained and published on Saturday by this newspaper, the Senate secretariat spent over Rs22m in just four months, funding senators’ participation in various international events. The expenses were incurred between April and July this year and covered air tickets, foreign exchange, communications and transport charges as well as miscellaneous expenditures. While justifying the sum before the Senate finance committee, which approves such expenditures, Senate Chairman Farooq H. Naek pointed out that these foreign visits were undertaken so that senators could participate in important international events. Their purpose was to present at these platforms Pakistan’s stand on various issues, including the war on terror, nuclear assets and the country’s internally displaced persons. It is difficult to deny this. The sum, staggering though it is, may well have been spent on legitimately incurred expenses during foreign excursions that are vital in representing the country’s interests before the global polity.
Nevertheless, the Senate finance committee’s observation while endorsing the expenditures is also valid: that the volume of expenditures could have been reduced. The fact is that the country’s senators and parliamentarians have, over the years, acquired the reputation for needlessly spending enormous amounts from the country’s exchequer on foreign trips. While the trips themselves may arguably be necessary, there have often been allegations of delegations being larger than they need to be, and needlessly lavish travel, accommodation and transport arrangements. In some cases, there have been allegations of corruption and favouritism in terms of the foreign travel undertaken by various functionaries of different governments. What is needed, therefore, is a system of transparency where all such expenditures are listed in detail. Given the huge sums of money involved, the citizenry cannot help but contrast this seeming lavishness on the part of elected representatives with the economic realities of the country. More and more people, after all, are slipping below the poverty line, and there is a worsening shortage of daily essentials. In this situation, the public must be given no grounds to suspect mismanagement or corruption. While needless extravagance must be curtailed, absolute transparency and public accountability are also required.
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Looking to be clean
Monday, 28 Sep, 2009
A CITY is known for its looks. The cleaner the look, the easier it is for the city’s places and people to attract attention. But this is not the only reason for a city to look clean. Clean cities are also known to have healthy residents. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s instructions to create solid waste management units in all the cities in Punjab should therefore be warmly welcomed. His desire for Lahore to emulate the Iranian city of Mash’had as a model of cleanliness is also a well-directed nudge for city officials. But look at the ground realities. For a population of more than seven million, Lahore has only 8,000 solid waste management officials and only a few of them are trained for the job. The number of cleanliness staff and level of its expertise are much higher in Mash’had, with only 2.5 million people. Lahore also does not have a scientifically developed, environment-friendly site to dump the solid waste that is daily swept off its streets and bazaars. The three current sites provide no protection against dangerous waste materials seeping into ground water, nor do they have arrangements for ensuring waste disposal in a way that it does not become hazardous for those living close to these sites. In fact, a recent official survey in localities near one of these sites has shown abnormally high incidence of respiratory and abdominal diseases there.
Isn’t it unfortunate for Lahore that this improper waste dumping is taking place because procedural and financial problems are delaying the acquiring of a site earmarked for a proper landfill? Besides improving the strength and technical know-how of the solid waste management officials in Lahore, Shahbaz Sharif should step in to cut the red-tape involved in the development of this landfill. This one step alone can bring Lahore closer to Mash’had in terms of cleanliness. Without it, Punjab’s capital may be only half as attractive as its people and places suggest it should be.
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OTHER VOICES - North American Press Volcano upgrades
Monday, 28 Sep, 2009
The Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument is often the subject of funding and jurisdictional debates. For example, the Coldwater Ridge Visitor Centre was closed in 2007 because of federal funding problems. ….A second debate centres on whether the volcano should be moved from the supervision of the US Forest Service to the National Park Service.
….Meanwhile, the Forest Service continues to improve the monument in meaningful ways…. Many people who have visited the Johnston Ridge Observatory remember a small plaza outside the main entrance where interpretive programmes are presented. No formal seating exists there, and often it’s difficult for visitors to see the speakers. Fortunately, a $400,000 amphitheatre is being planned… On the other side of the volcano the Forest Service is planning a $175,000 parking area for Ape Cave. — (Sept 23)