[At the moment that the United States
unilaterally decided to ignore the United Nations,
international law and the
Nuremberg conventions it opened the door for the rest
of the world to follow suit. As the World Trade organization
has stated that it does not want to operate in a world
where the only super power decides which rules to obey
and which to ignore, India now shows us the other side
of
the coin: global chaos between nuclear powers. Leadership
by example is the prime duty of a global empire that
stands unchallenged militarily. The example currently
being set
by the U.S. points in only one direction – MCR]
(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C.
Section 107, this material is distributed without profit
to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving
the included information for research and educational
purposes.)
-----
India Mulls 'Pre-Emptive' Pakistan Strike, Cites U.S.
Iraq War Precedent
Agence France Presse
Friday 11 April 2003
JODHPUR, India - Defence Minister George Fernandes reiterated
Indian warnings that Pakistan was a prime case for pre-emptive
strikes.
"There are enough reasons to launch such strikes
against Pakistan, but I cannot make public statements on
whatever action that may be taken," Fernandes told
a meeting of ex-soldiers in this northern Indian desert
city on Friday.
The renewed warning came just hours after US Secretary
of State Colin Powell said Washington would strive to cool
tensions between nuclear enemies Pakistan and India, who
have fought three wars since 1947.
Fernandes said he endorsed Foreign
Minister Yashwant Sinha's recent comments that India
had "a much better case
to go for pre-emptive action against Pakistan than the
United States has in Iraq."
Sinha also argued that Pakistan
was "a fit case" for
US military action, because it had weapons of mass destruction
and terrorists.
Fernandes also rejected Pakistani allegations that India
had breached United Nations Security Council resolutions
from 1948 to 1957 which call for a plebiscite among Kashmiris
to choose rule by India or Pakistan.
"Pakistan has a habit of lying and the issue of cross-border
terrorism is a serious issue," Fernandes said.
India accuses Pakistan of arming and training Muslim militants
in Kashmir. Islamabad denies the charge but says it offers
moral and political support to what it describes as Kashmiris'
legitimate struggle for self-expression.
Around 38,000 people have died in Kashmir, India's only
Muslim-majority state, since the launch of the armed insurgency
by Islamic guerrillas in 1989 in the Himalayan territory.
Pakistan and India both claim the scenic region, which
is divided between them by a ceasefire line known as the
Line of Control, with Pakistan controlling the northern
part and India the south.
(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this
material is distributed without profit to those who have
expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information
for research and educational purposes.)
