U.S. peace envoy to visit Mideast soon:

RAMALLAH, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell will visit the Middle East region in the coming few days in a renewed effort to restart the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, Israeli Radio reported on Saturday.

The report quoted U.S. official sources as saying that Mitchell would hold intensive contacts with both Israelis and Palestinians in a bid to resume the stalled peace talks between the two sides.

The report, however, did not give the exact date of the visit.

The report said the United States is seeking the possibility of resuming the peace negotiations at a level lower than between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The sources said in case the two sides accept resuming the peace talks, the first issue to be discussed will be the borders of the future Palestinian state, adding that starting with the borders issue, the two parties will then find solutions to the issues of settlement, water and Jerusalem.

Last week, Netanyahu announced that he is willing to stop settlement temporarily for 10 month only in the West Bank, excluding Jerusalem, in exchange for the resumption of negotiations. The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) rejected the offer.

Abbas rejected the proposal of temporary cessation of settlement and called on Israel to completely stop settlement in order to resume the peace negotiations.

NRO has no standing, says pioneer Taseer

Saturday, 28 Nov, 2009
LAHORE: Punjab boss Salman Taseer on Saturday said the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) addresses nothing but politically-motivated cases.

Talking to the media at the kingpin House, he said, ‘frankly speaking, the NRO is nothing to me, for in this drama, complete the cases are politically-motivated besides conclude no solid grounds, further seeking resignation from section politician or public specific on the basis of mere allegations is windless illogical.’

To a question, he said ace had been cases against eminence Asif Ali Zardari over the uphold 20 years again bounteous case was affected against him at the extraordinarily case of his grave from jail.

‘The entire tract was well aware of the NRO at the time of the typical election, as original (NRO) was not dropped from a parachute at once today,’ he maintained.

To another query, he said Asif Ali Zardari had been co-chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in line before his poll as the President of Pakistan. ‘If you have to keep up political running also save the federation, the precursor should put on the co-chairperson of the PPP,’ he added.

He strained the need for not creating obstacles in the smooth delivering of the present democratic system further the political structure, which he said were established after a great struggle, as ‘we have faced long oldness of dictatorship’.

Pakistan is a more appropriate manifestation of a democratic Muslim country, where media is free and all kinds of freedoms, including discretion of expression, are allowed, he added.

Taseer said terrorism was the biggest ball-buster facing Pakistan, however, honest was a matter of great humor that the whole-length nation, the political forces and the democratic institutions were united with the Pakistan Army to purge the country of this menace.

It was the political brilliance of commander Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani who united all the political parties on onliest platform proximate moulding the coalition governments, he massed. — APP

Shock over Obama Decision to live with Landmine Ban

WASHINGTON, Nov 25 (OneWorld.net) - The Obama administration announced yesterday that it would not exhibit joining a treaty signed by 158 other countries to proscription landmines. Human Rights Watch (HRW) verbal the accord "lacks vision, compassion, and basic common sense."

The group was again stunned by the manner in which the decision was apparently specious and subsequently announced.

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Although anti-landmine activists and congressional leaders had been endorsement the administration to begin reviewing the treaty for months, Obama administration officials never indicated that it had flat started the process.

HRW vocal the weigh longing have been done absent consulting experts frontage the administration, organizations haste on the issue, or lawmakers that accept been dealing with landmine concerns seeing years, like Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy.

Foreign allies were apparently not consulted either, the stack up noted, adding that the 1997 protocol has already been endorsed by midpoint every U.S. military ally.

"The Obama administration's decision to promote the Bush administration's policy of refusing to join the international treaty banning antipersonnel landmines is a reprehensible opposite of the most fruitful disarmament and humanitarian protocol of the ended decade," HRW said. [Read the full balance from Human Rights Watch.]

Report: Treaty Is Saving Lives

A young easy mark of landmines impact Cambodia. © Cambodia Trust (flickr)A young game of landmines in Cambodia. © Cambodia understanding (flickr)The Obama administration announcement came just days after a new report was released demonstrating that the use, production, besides pursuit of antipersonnel mines have dramatically strapped now the agreement entered thing force 10 years ago, saving potentially millions of lives.

A significant amount of land has been cleared of mines during that period, also aggrandized casualties each year are declining, said the "Landmine pathfinder Report" whereas 2009 produced by the International promenade to Ban Landmines (ICBL), a band of organizations scene on the issue worldwide.

More than 2 million antipersonnel mines again a quarter million antivehicle mines be credulous been safely removed from for 90 countries and territories since 1999. An area twice the size of London has been passable being that time, shield pursue year's operations freeing more land of dangerous unexploded munitions than ever before.

While about 26,000 people were killed or maimed by landmines each year in the 1990s, only 5,197 casualties were recorded last year.
Still, the human besides economic costs of landmine use remain unduly high, say humanitarian workers.

"Landmines are mount along roads, in fields and forests, adjacent knack pylons, unfolding wells besides riverbanks, imprint homes and national buildings. for a result they can cause economic paralysis by restricting alertness in what are usually agriculture-based economies," explains the U.S.-based nonprofit cull Landmines Blow.

Without landmines, agricultural production could more than coupled in both Afghanistan and Cambodia, the concentrate notes, adding that over one fourth of all the arable land in Libya remains unusable good to mines left behind from cosmos War II.

Seventy countries stormless have areas influence need of mine clearance, noted this month's ICBL report, further painless progress has been make-believe on providing aid to the survivors of landmine explosions. [Check exterior a brief on the report.]

Obama Administration to Attend Landmine Conference

Government ministers, heads of state, UN agencies, the International Committee of the thermogenic Cross, and hundreds of other experts and survivors cede be attending a conference in Cartagena, Colombia next lifetime to discuss the impacts of the treaty and conceive how to offer the cause of safety from unexploded munitions worldwide.

The Obama administration announced earlier this month that corporeal would be sending officials to the treaty dissertate conference, viewing the first circumstance the U.S. had extremely officially participated in the deal flurry. That statement raised hopes within the human rights fold that Obama's diplomats would finally begin the turmoil to agree to the treaty.

"Engaging obscure its allies under the framework of the Mine Ban Treaty is a positive step, but the U.S. should not arrive empty-handed in Cartagena. The U.S. needs to present to the pabulum expressing a sincere committal to relinquish this weapon and splice the treaty," HRW's Steve egg on spoken in a statement Monday, becoming 24 hours before the surprise announcement that a determination had indeed been fabricated -- just not the one human rights advocates were hoping since.

Afghans say attack in east shows Taliban strength

KABUL: A rocket attack apparently targeting French forces that killed ordinary Afghans raised concerns Tuesday in eastern Afghanistan about international troops’ ability to secure a volatile valley despite a major offensive.
Monday’s assault in Tagab missed the shura — a traditional meeting called by French officers to explain their operation to local elders— but hit a crowded market area. Fourteen Afghan civilians were killed and dozens more wounded, said Afghan Gen. Paikan Zamaray.
A day earlier, French and Afghan forces launched a major offensive in the Tagab valley, but the assault underscored how difficult it is for troops to protect civilians and combat insurgent violence, especially because an increased military presence can draw more violence.
Those concerns are likely to be amplified as Western countries commit more forces to Afghanistan. The US is considering sending tens of thousands more troops, but military officials say that even with a buildup, real security is years away.

The men who agreed to meet with French troops as they marched into the Tagab valley all voiced their support for the Afghan government and its Nato backers.

‘We want security, so we can do business and live normally here,’ said Abdelshafi Shah, a farmer who was laying mud bricks for a new house.

But as columns of troops and armored vehicles passed through villages in the valley, many residents appeared more fearful than welcoming.
Some boys grinned at Nato troops, but others crouched on rooftops. Most men stayed inside, and women clad in burqa veils scooped up their toddlers and ran for the woods.
A provincial council member said that the assault in Tagab shows that the international forces aren’t trying hard enough.
‘They have jet fighters that can see everything. They can see the Taliban. But what is the use? They do not stop the attacks,’ Mohammad Arif Malakjan said Tuesday.
French Brig. Gen. Marcel Druart stressed that the meeting — which he attended — continued despite the attack to show that the Taliban cannot disrupt Nato’s plans in a tense valley where both sides are competing for influence.
‘I think it was a kind of desperate course of action because they are not in the situation where they can fight against us, and they can’t prevent us from freedom of movement along the Tagab valley,’ Druart told reporters in Kabul.
But an Associated Press reporter traveling with the troops saw difficult it was to root out insurgents from civilians. One young man — dressed in clean, black and white clothes — melted into a group of farmers after triggering a rocket launcher. Insurgent fire often came from houses.
Many officials in Tagab said that they felt more than ever that the Taliban threat will not go away.
‘The security situation in Tagab is so bad this year,’ said Najibullah Rahimi, a member of the district council. ‘The people are demoralized by both sides. The foreigners and the insurgents fight but the civilians are the ones who are sacrificed.’
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid denied any role in the attack and condemned the civilian deaths, saying international forces must have opened fire. The Islamist extremist group typically does not claim responsibility for attacks that result in civilian deaths.

Rahimi said that it is the repetition of such violent incidents that threatens the valley, because it will prompt retaliation against whoever is deemed responsible.
‘If these kinds of incidents happen, it will have consequences in the future because the people are just getting

Afghanistan announcement expected next week

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama held a ‘rigorous final meeting’ with his Afghanistan war council and is expected to announce his revised strategy for the eight-year-old conflict early next week.
Military officials and others expect Obama to settle on a middle-ground option that would deploy an eventual 32,000 to 35,000 US forces. That rough figure has stood as the most likely option since before Obama’s last large war council meeting earlier this month, when he tasked military planners with rearranging the timing and makeup of some of the deployments.

The president has said with increasing frequency in recent days that a big piece of the rethinking of options that he ordered had to do with building an exit strategy into the announcement — in other words, revising the options presented to him to clarify when US troops would turn over responsibility to the Afghan government and under what conditions.
As White House press secretary Robert Gibbs put it to reporters on Monday, it’s ‘not just how we get people there, but what’s the strategy for getting them out.’



Obama held the 10th meeting of his Afghanistan strategy review since mid-September on Monday night, with a large cast of foreign policy and military advisers, to go over that revised information from war planners. The two-hour Situation Room session was aimed at discussing ‘some of the questions that the president had, some additional answers to what he’d asked for,’ Gibbs said.
The spokesman said the president left the war council meeting without announcing a decision to the group, but added it would become public soon.

‘After completing a rigorous final meeting, President Obama has the information he wants and needs to make his decision and he will announce that decision within days,’ Gibbs said late Monday.
The White House is aiming for an announcement by Obama next week, either Tuesday or Wednesday, after Congress returns from the traditional Thanksgiving holiday break which runs from Thursday to Sunday. Military officials, congressional aides and European diplomats said they expect Obama to deliver a national address laying out the revamped strategy.
Congressional hearings would immediately follow that address, including testimony from the US commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal. Others likely to take part in hearings would be Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and US Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry. All four were among the approximately 20 top administration officials and Obama advisers participating in the talks Monday night — one of the biggest groups gathered for these sessions in some time.
The force infusion expected by the military would represent most but not all the troops requested by Obama’s war commander, for a retailored war plan that blends elements of McChrystal’s counterterror strategy with tactics more closely associated with the CIA’s unacknowledged war to hunt down terrorists across the border in Pakistan.
McChrystal presented options ranging from about 10,000 to about 80,000 forces, and told Obama he preferred an addition of about 40,000 atop the record 68,000 in the country now, officials have said.

Obama has already ordered a significant expansion of 21,000 troops since taking office. The war has worsened on his watch, and public support has dropped as US combat deaths have climbed.
The additional troops would be concentrated in the south and east of Afghanistan, the areas where the US already has most of its forces, military officials said. The new troops that already went this year were directed to help relieve Marines stretched to the limit by far-flung postings in Helmand province and that would continue, while the US effort would expand somewhat in Kandahar.
The increase would include at least three Army brigades and a single, larger Marine Corps contingent, officials said.
All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision is not final.—AP

US in back-channel talks with Afghan Taliban

ISLAMABAD: After fighting a bloody war in Afghanistan for more than eight years, the United States appears to have undertaken a re-think of its policy and has started engaging the Taliban in negotiations through Saudi and Pakistani intelligence agencies, highly-placed sources told Dawn here on Monday.

‘We have started ‘engagement’ with the Afghan Taliban and are hopeful that our efforts will bear fruit,’ a source involved in secret negotiations told this correspondent.

He said that four ‘major neutral players’ were engaged with the Afghan Taliban on behalf of the Saudi leadership and the General Intelligence Directorate (GID) of Saudi Arabia and the Pakistani leadership and Inter Services Intelligence (ISI).

The GID and ISI have been doing the job on behalf of the US government and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The source said that one of the main objectives of the recent visit to Pakistan by CIA chief Leon Panetta was to assess progress in the back-channel negotiations.

The source said that four leaders were playing the role of mediators on behalf of the Saudis and the Afghan Taliban.

Among them is Abdullah Anas, a son-in-law of Osama bin Laden’s mentor Abdullah Azzam who was killed in Peshawar in 1989 along with his two sons. Anas lives in the UK, but maintains close links with the Afghan Taliban and even Al Qaida.

Saudi national Abul Hassan Madni, once a prominent leader of Rabta-i-Alam-i-Islami, has also been in the picture. He lives in Madina.

Abu Jud Mehmood Samrai, an Iraqi who is married to a Pakistani woman, has also been contacted. He was given Pakistani nationality by former president Ziaul Haq for his role in the Afghan war.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khalil, a Pakistani militant leader, is also in the loop. Khalil, who co-founded the Harkatul Ansar, currently heads Hizbul Mujahideen.

He had signed the famous decree issued by Osama bin Laden and Ayman Al Zawahiri in 1998 calling for killing the Americans. Khalil commands respect among both Pakistani and Afghani Taliban and is said to have played a secret mediatory role with Pakistani authorities for peace in the country.

Reliable sources also told Dawn that Mullah Umar, the chief of Afghan Taliban, has nominated his shadow foreign minister, Agha Motasam, to negotiate with the Americans. They said that talks held so far were of a preliminary nature, but may resume on a serious note after Eid.

'New Moon' snaps 'Dark Knight' box-office record with $72.7 million opening day

The Twilight Saga: New Moon grossed $72.7 million on Friday, according to estimates from Summit Entertainment, shattering The Dark Knight’s previous opening-day record of $67.2 million. (The figure includes the $26.3 million New Moon banked from midnight screenings, also a box office record.) The astronomic figure puts Bella, Edward, and Jacob on a clear path to possibly the biggest opening weekend ever, all the more impressive considering New Moon is opening in 342 fewer theaters than The Dark Knight did last year.

UPDATE: Meanwhile, it appears the vampires and werewolves of New Moon didn’t devour the box office whole; the Sandra Bullock true-life drama The Blind Side opened to a robust $10.9 million for second place on Friday, according to early estimates. The über-disaster flick 2012 landed at third with $8.1 million, a 65 percent drop from its debut last Friday. Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire continued its improbable box-office run, bringing in $3.6 million in just 629 theaters for fourth place. And the animated sci-fi comedy Planet 51 opened at fifth with an earth-bound $3.1 million.

Karachi stock exchange index price

Mixed trend at KSE as index gains 11 points

Market capitalization improved by Rs4 billion to Rs2.665 trillion amid low turnover as 178 scrips advanced and 170 sustained loss while 24 remained unchanged. - File photo
KARACHI: Profit taking off set early morning gains at the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) on Tuesday as the benchmark 100-Index inched up by 11.74 points to close at 9,233.70 points.

The market was bullish in the morning, but profit taking trimmed gains, said a dealer from a leading brokerage house. The investors were cautious and preferred to stay away from the market, he added.

The turnover volume was low at 74.754 million shares as 178 scrips advanced and 170 sustained loss while 24 remained unchanged.

The market capitalization improved by Rs4 billion to Rs2.665 trillion.

Bank Al-Falah was the volume leader with a turnover of 9.391 million shares followed by Bank of Punjab 6.399 million shares, Nishat Chunian 5.847 million shares, Nishat Mills 5.203 million shares and Crest Textile 4.759 million shares.

Nishat Chunian closed at Rs16.10, PTCL Rs17.76, Arif Habib Sec Rs46.63, OGDC Rs110.17, Hubco Rs31.31, Bosicor Pak Rs8.92 and Nishat Mills Rs65.34.

Unilever Food recorded the highest increase of Rs67 to Rs1,465 followed by Siemens Pak which moved up by Rs15.64 to Rs1,328.97 while Bata Pak dipped by 27.79 to Rs953.21 and Lakson Tobacco went down by Rs15.82 to Rs300.64.—AP

Box Office Report: 'New Moon' banks $140.7 million for third-biggest opening weekend ever

Grossed an astounding $140.7 million at the box office this weekend, exploding most industry expectations en route to the biggest autumn opening weekend in history and the third biggest three-day debut ever, according to early estimates from Hollywood.com Box Office. (The Dark Knight still retains the record for the biggest weekend debut with $158.4 million, and Spider-Man 3 is second with $151.1 million.) The second film in Summit Entertainment’s blockbuster franchise outright doubled Twilight’s opening weekend of $69.6 million, and it did so almost entirely with a female audience: A whopping 80 percent of New Moon tickets went to women. Theatergoers were evenly split between those under 21-years-old and over, and they were clearly satisfied, giving New Moon a solid “A-” CinemaScore rating. Despite the film’s sharp drop from its record-setting $72.7 million opening day — New Moon’s Saturday total was $43.2 million, and it’s estimated to take in $24.8 million on Sunday — it’s abundantly clear that Bella, Edward, and Jacob have plenty to howl about: Worldwide, New Moon raked in $258.8 million.

Vampires and werewolves weren’t the only champions at the box office, either. Sandra Bullock continued her stellar year, with her true-life sports drama The Blind Side clearing an estimated $34.5 million for second place. It’s the best opening gross of Bullock’s career — a record she set just five months ago when The Proposal took in $33.6 million — all the more remarkable considering 59 percent of the audience was women, making this one of the most lopsidedly female-driven weekends in Hollywood history. The Blind Side also tallied a terrific “A+” CinemaScore, which should bolster the film through the rest of the year as a true word-of-mouth hit.

Given this weekend’s massive box-office tsunami, it is actually rather impressive that mega-disaster movie 2012 only dropped 59 percent on its second weekend, taking in $26.5 million for $108.2 million total and third place. The weekend’s real casualty was the animated sci-fi comedy Planet 51, which managed to open at just $12.6 million for fourth place. At fifth, Disney’s A Christmas Carol continued to hold on strong, dropping 45 percent for $12.2 million and $79.8 million total. And Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire pulled in $11 million for sixth place on just 629 screens; after only three weeks of a limited, platform release, the Oscar favorite has grossed a stunning $21.4 million.

Two other limited release debuts had varying success. Spanish auteur Pedro Almodovar’s latest film Broken Embraces took in a solid $54,000 per theater in two venues. Meanwhile, in 27 theaters, Nicolas Cage’s critically acclaimed performance lifted Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans to a $9,519 per theater average.

Overall, this November weekend at the box office felt yet again like the height of the summer season: The top ten films raked in $245 million, an insane 59 percent jump from last year (when Twilight was king). In fact, movie theaters have not seen this much business since The Dark Knight thundered into cineplexes in July 2008, and it bears repeating that all those dollar signs this weekend came by far from the purses, pocketbooks, and wallets of women.