Friday, July 11, 2008

LONDON: Oil rose on Thursday to near $138 a barrel due to escalating tensions between Iran and the West and threats of an oil workers’ strike at Brazil’s Petrobras next week.

The upside was limited by International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts for a more comfortable supply outlook next year. US crude rose by $1.77 to $137.82 a barrel by 11:33 am EDT (1533 GMT). London Brent crude traded up $1.63 at $138.21 a barrel.

The threatened five-day strike at Petrobras would affect all 42 Campos basin offshore platforms, which account for more than 80 per cent of Brazil’s output of around 1.8 million barrels per day.

Iran tested more missiles in the Gulf on Thursday, while the United States pledged to defend its allies. “A second day of missile tests probably has less impact on prices than on the first day,” said Mike Wittner, analyst at Societe Generale. Iran test-fired nine missiles on Wednesday which it said included ones that could hit Israel and US bases.

Concern over Iran has mounted after a big Israeli military exercise last month. The West fears Iran wants to master technology to build nuclear weapons. These tensions boosted gold on Thursday, which was also supported by sagging equity markets.

The situation in the Middle East has played a part in oil’s surge this year to record levels of more than $145 a barrel. But high prices are starting to take their toll on demand.

World oil demand growth will slow in 2009 and the need for oil from the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will fall, the International Energy Agency said in its monthly report. This could help relieve the perceived tight supply/demand balance in the world oil market that has contributed to around a 50 per cent jump in prices this year.

“We do see the potential for a build in spare capacity in 2009, that should help to improve the situation,” said Lawrence Eagles of the IEA, which advises 27 industrialised countries on energy policy. A pledge from Saudi Arabia to increase output this year could help provide more of a cushion for the market, he said.

Notice issued to Shaukat Aziz

Friday, July 11, 2008

ISLAMABAD: Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) of Islamabad issued notices on Thursday to former prime minister Shaukat Aziz, the concerned official in the Ministry of Finance and officials in the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), for allegedly filing a false case against Secretary General of Advanced Education Trust working in 56 Islamic countries.

The respondents have been directed to appear on July 23 with the relevant record. Zahida Malik appeared in person and apprised the court that former premier got a case registered against her under Sections 420/467/468/471 PPC after levelling allegations that his forged signatures were used by her when she was serving as Country Director Overseas Pakistanis Socio-Economic Development Club.

Most PBC members do not want govt grant’

Friday, July 11, 2008


LAHORE
A MEMBER of the Pakistan Bar Council has claimed that majority of the PBC members are against accepting Rs 5 million grant from the government till the restoration of judiciary.

At a press conference here on Thursday, PBC Member Hafiz Abdul Rehman Ansari added a11 21 members of the PBC were united at this point and they were also against the constitutional package proposed by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

He said majority of the PBC members were with the lawyers’ movement and it was the body, which had regulated the same since March 9, 2007 and so there was no question of it betraying the community.

He said 11 members of the PBC were not in favour of accepting the official grant until all the ‘deposed’ judges were restored.

He expressed reservations over the statement reportedly made by Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Aitzaz Ahsan that PBC would no more lead the lawyers’ movement.

He said it was not the time to create a rift in the community but harmony. He said the PBC members by no means lagged behind others in the movement.

However, he said, whoever among the PBC practiced ‘plots politics,’ was bound to frustrate and was liable to receive wrath of the community.

Hafiz Abdul Rehman Ansari said the movement had reached a point where anyone betraying it would be looked down upon.

FM rejects foreign troops on Pak soil

Friday, July 11, 2008

UNITED NATIONS: Reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to fight terrorism, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmud Qureshi has told the UN Security Council it will not permit its soil to be used against other countries nor allow foreign troops to operate inside the Pakistani territory.

“We can assure greater success in containing terrorism and insurgency on both sides of the border through more effective cooperation and matching military measures. This is a joint responsibility,” he said as the 15-member council debated the situation in Afghanistan on Wednesday afternoon.

“We are prepared to consider suggestions to enhance the effectiveness of such cooperation,” the foreign minister added. At the same time, he said Pakistan’s partners, especially Afghanistan, too could contribute to enhancing operational cooperation by undertaking measures such as expansion of military deployments and check-posts on the Afghan side of the border to match Pakistan’s 100,000 military personnel and 1,200 check-posts, real-time intelligence sharing, caution in the use of artillery and aerial attacks, supply of counter-insurgency equipment requested by Pakistan, more effective check of the 40,000 daily legal crossings and relocation of Afghan refugee camps close to the border from Pakistan to controlled sites in Afghanistan.

More is needed to be done to overcome suspicion and distrust, Qureshi stressed. Initial steps could include declaring mutual respect for each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, avoidance of provocative statements and the revival and reinvigoration of the Jirga process. The Ankara Process as well as Afghanistan-Iran-Pakistan tripartite cooperation should be supported.

He said Pakistan had condemned the terrorist attack against the Indian embassy in Kabul and deeply regretted the loss of life and damage caused by that unacceptable suicide bombing. The continuing insecurity and violence in several parts of Afghanistan could be attributed to a complex interplay of several factors, including the Taliban, al-Qaeda, lingering warlordism, factional rivalries and criminal activity.

Pakistan had committed $300 million to Afghanistan’s reconstruction and pledged $20 million for the resettlement of refugees. Despite shortages in Pakistan, 50,000 tons of wheat would be exported to Afghanistan at subsidised rates.

He said economic cooperation could be enhanced by jointly establishing Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs) along the border, implementing Pakistan’s plans to import electricity from Central Asia and implementing the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline.

Earlier, Afghan Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta said Afghanistan had witnessed a spike in terrorist acts in recent months, including the assassination attempt on President Hamid Karzai, the Kandahar jail-break and a drastic increase in the loss of international forces.

He said those behind the Taliban and al-Qaeda had enhanced their support, increased the pace and scope of terrorist activities and shifted their focus to Afghanistan as a part of their psychological war to sabotage the peace process in the country and affect regional and global public opinion.

One of the contributing factors, Spanta said, was the de facto truce in the tribal areas beyond the border.The terrorists were sustained by a complex set of networks and infrastructure, and, therefore, could not be defeated by military operations inside Afghanistan alone.

Terrorism could not be defeated unless its root causes were addressed. Success would be achieved only by a coherent, integrated, regional and global approach, he said.The Afghan security forces, alongside their allies from Isaf and the international coalition against terrorism, were bearing the brunt of that effort, Spanta said.

They were fighting an enemy that was trans-national in composition and international in focus, based outside Afghanistan’s borders.Meanwhile, the UN special envoy for Afghanistan, Kai Eide, stressed the need for a “strong presence of international forces for the foreseeable future”.

“Afghanistan should not used as a geopolitical battleground and we call on Afghanistan’s neighbours not to arm or finance insurgents or allow them to operate from their territories,” US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said.

Iran’s UN Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee also called neighbouring Afghanistan’s security a “high” priority for Iran.UN humanitarian chief John Holmes said the UN was now seeking $400 million in international aid for Afghanistan, up from $81 million sought in January. At a conference in June in Paris, nations pledged more than $20 billion to help Afghanistan.

Indian ambassador to the UN Nirupam Sen said despite Monday’s attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul, New Delhi would not waver in its commitment to helping Afghanistan secure stability and development.

“We cannot afford to slacken our resolve or our efforts in combating the forces of terrorism, extremism and crime, wherever and in whatever forms these groups may take,” he told the council.

And he underscored the need for a collective effort. “We cannot succeed if we send mixed signals through bargains for temporary and local peace, while the rest of us contend with the consequences of such deals,” he added in an apparent dig at Islamabad.



To a question on the constitutional package to restore the judges, Ansari said it was a trick to buy time until the issue diffused.

He said the government did not have majority to get the package passed in the Parliament so why this exercise. He said previously the lawyers were confronting only Musharraf but in the form of Asif Ali Zardari, they have another to tackle with, as he was equally unwilling to restore the judges.

To a query about the Peoples Lawyers Forum (PLF) invitation to Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar to address the lawyers in the City, he said that, in his view, Chief Justice Dogar would not go.

PPP leaders avoid meeting Amin Fahim

Friday, July 11, 2008


Karachi
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leadership, as well as federal and provincial ministers, is avoiding meeting with and inviting PPP Senior Vice Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim even to their private and family functions due to his criticism of the government and the party leadership.

The party leaders believe that they would be in trouble and would face the wrath of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari if they maintain contact with the rebel party leader.

Diplomats, businessmen, politicians, senior citizens and the PPP leadership also took notice of the absence of Amin Fahim in the Valima function of Nafees Siddiqi’s son Rahil held Wednesday at a local club.

Guests were surprised when they did not find Amin Fahim in the function as Nafees is considered to be very close to Fahim.

The absence of Fahim was the main topic among the participants of the function, which was attended, among others, by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, acting Governor Nisar Khuhro, acting Speaker Shela Raza, acting Senate Chairman Jan Jamali, provincial and federal ministers, Secretary Election Commission, Kanwer Dilshad, Prof Ghafoor Ahmed of and Dr Mairajul Huda, Fatheyab Ali Khan, PML-N’s Salim Zia and Waqar Mehdi.

It was observed that most of the guests phoned each other first and confirmed whether Fahim was present in the function or not and then they attended the function.