Barrister Harun ur Rashid

Recently Israeli Prime Minister has sent a message to the President of Syria through the Prime Minister of Turkey that Israel would be willing to withdraw from Gloan Heights in return for peace with Syria.
   The Golan plateau encompasses about 1,800 square kilometres (690 sq mi); it is situated south of the mountains and extends to the east. Since 1967, the term generally refers to a somewhat different 1,200 square kilometres (460 sq mi) area that includes the western portion of the plateau, a small portion of the Jordan River Valley in the northwest, and higher, mountainous areas in the north, which descend to the southeast from Mount Hermon.
   The name "Golan" refers to both Biblical and historical names for the southern portion of the area. In contemporary usage, the "Golan Heights" refers to the territory captured by Israel from Syria. The geographic area lies within, or borders, the countries of Israel, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.
   The Golan Heights are of great strategic importance in the region. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria, during the 1967 Six-Day War. The territory was successfully defended in the 1973 Yom Kippur War and a sizable additional portion was later returned to Syria. The Golan Heights remain disputed.
   Syria maintains that the Golan Heights are within the governorate of al Qunaytirah. Most of the Syrian population of around 53,000 fled.
   Starting in the 1970s, new Jewish settlements were established in the captured area. Israel asserts its right to retain the area under the text of United Nations Security Council Resolution 242, which calls for "safe and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force".
   In 1981, Israel formally applied its "laws, jurisdiction and administration" to the Golan Heights with the passage of the Golan Heights Law. It is governed since as part of Israel's North District. This annexation is not internationally recognized and United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 considers the area part of the Israeli occupied territories.
   Former US President Jimmy Carter visited Damascus during the third week of April and said that only a few details were left to work out on a full peace treaty between Israel and Syria but the Bush administration is reportedly discouraging Israel from proceeding because of America's other concerns about Syria, especially related to Iraq.
   It is reported that Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallam, on 23 April said that if Israel was committed to withdrawing to the pre-1967 border and had the will to make peace, there is no objection to resuming talks."
   
   Why this gesture?
   Withdrawal from the Golan Heights is a contentious issue in Israel. The right wing party Likud, led by Netanyahu, a former Prime Minister, is opposed to it. They underscore the need of Golan Heights as a strategic land for its national security. It is a high plateau that overlooks a large swath of northern Israel and for warfare it is very strategic.
   However the Prime Minister of Kadima Party wants it to be swapped in exchange for permanent peace because of the following reasons:
   First, Syria, an Arab country, is getting closer with Iran and Tehran's foreign Minister's visit to Damascus speaks volume of nature of the long-held friendship. The US and Israel want Syria out of Iranian influence. If the Golan Heights is swapped, Israel will have peace with Syria. And Syria may not be under the influence of Iran.
   Second, Syria could start a war with Israel at an appropriate time to get back the Golan Heights when Syria acquires more power militarily. It is reported that both Iran and Russia continue to supply arms and weapons to Syria. Russia is reopening its naval base in Syria's Tartus port, which will facilitate Russia to monitor the movement of naval ships of NATO in the Mediterranean Sea.
   Third, Syria is believed to be engaged with North Korea in establishing a nuclear plant in its territory. On 24th April, the release of the photographic images by the Bush administration of a nuclear reactor project in Syria points to Syria-North Korean cooperation. Israel last September destroyed the site. Syria denies it. If Israel concludes peace with Syria, it may not be engaged in building a nuclear reactor that in turn may produce nuclear weapons.
   Middle East region has become a war zone since the US-led war against Iraq since March 2003. President Bush and his advisers cannot contain the conflagration because of his flawed foreign policy. The Syrian-Israeli animosity is one of the components of the increasing tension in the region.
   The Bush administration's goal of marginalizing the influence of Syria and Iran has backfired because the "Shi'ite crescent" now runs from Beirut to Tehran. Both Hezbollah and Iran have stood taller before the Arab World.
   Given Syrian total control of its border with Lebanon and Iraq, no one can marginalize the role of Syria in the Middle East?
   Peace overtures from Israel to Syria is long overdue. Israel cannot illegally occupy the Palestinian and Syrian lands after the 1967 war. If Israel does not make a comprehensive peace, Iranian influence will grow in the region and Israel thinks that it is a greater threat to its security than what Iraq was during Saddam Hussein.
   The writer is a former Bangladesh Ambassador to the UN, Geneva.

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A replay of 1981 assassination of Egypt's Anwar Sadat

Abdus Sattar Ghazali

In a virtual replay of the 1981 assassination of the Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, the Afghan militants attempted to assassinate the Afghan President Hamid Karzai during a military parade in Kabul on April 27.
   The only difference between the two dramatic operations was that the assassins of Sadat were able to penetrate into the army ranks and the attackers were cadets participating in the parade. In the case of the abortive assassination attempt on Karzai, the militants were not part of the parade but they were able to penetrate the tight security cordon around Kabul and stashed arms in a restaurant just about 500 yards from the parade ground.
   However, in both cases the targets of the attack were leaders perceived to be serving the western interests. Anwar Sadat had signed a peace deal with Israel that angered many in the Arab and Muslim world. Similarly, President Hamid Karzai, whose writ does not extend beyond his presidential palace, is seen by the militants as a symbol of western interests in Kabul.
   Interestingly, the attack on Karzai came on the "Mujahideen Day" celebrating the expulsion of the Soviet forces by the Afghan Mujahideen in 1980s. And the attack was claimed by Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan, that was also leading the anti-Soviet group. This group is led by Gulbadin Hekmatyar who was once one of the leading pro-US "Mujahedeen" leader. A Hizb spokesman said that the attack disproved Afghan government and NATO assertions that the Taliban insurgency has been weakened.
   He said: "Afghan and NATO authorities this year repeatedly said the Taliban are on the verge of annihilation ... Now it has been proved to them that the Taliban not only have the ability to operate in the provinces, but even in Kabul."
   
   Has NATO failed?
   Many observers argue that the NATO forces have not yet made any major dent to the Taliban strength in Afghanistan and therefore they say that NATO has failed to attain its objectives. Initially a sizable number of Afghan people were hopeful that NATO would soon be able to stabilize the situation in the country but after the passage of seven years with no notable successes, the attitudes are radically changing. The inability of NATO to deliver has disappointed many Afghans though the Afghan officials continue to eulogize in support of NATO.
   By and large many Afghans now view the once hailed liberation army as an occupation force now. Inability to defeat Taliban despite being equipped with the latest and the most sophisticated tools of war, the Afghan people are loosing confidence in their presence and some Afghans have now begun to sympathize with the Taliban.
   Besides, the indiscriminate bombing have killed many Afghan civilians which in turn has also taken a heavy toll of Afghan patience.
   In short, operation 'Enduring Freedom' has brought neither peace nor prosperity to Afghanistan; just occupation. Seven years have passed and the country is still ruled by warlords and drug-merchants. Afghanistan now produces 90 per cent of the world's opium; more than any other country. The booming drug trade is the direct corollary of the US invasion.
   President Bush has said that the war in Afghanistan must continue or the country will become a haven for drugs, terrorism and organized crime. But the Taliban and Pashtun tribesmen see it differently. They see the conflict as an imperial war of aggression which has only added to the suffering of their people.
   A recent report by the United Nations Human Development Fund appears to support this view. It shows that Afghanistan has fallen in every category. The average life expectancy has gone down, malnutrition has risen, literacy has dropped, and more than half the population is living below the poverty-line. Hundreds of thousands of people have been internally displaced by the war. The occupation has created plenty of misery, but no democracy.
   In 2001 the international determination to deal with Taliban and to reconstruct Afghanistan was indeed very impressive. Over the years not only the international community has become extremely slow even delivering the promised economic aid to Afghanistan but the attitudes are gradually changing. It seems that fatigue syndrome is setting in.
   The battle for hearts and minds has been lost, too. A statement from the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) best reflects the sentiments of Afghan people: "After seven years, there is no peace, human rights, democracy or reconstruction in Afghanistan. The destitution and suffering of our people is increasing everyday. ...We believe that if the troops leave Afghanistan, our people will become more free and come out of their current puzzlement and doubts...Afghanistan's freedom can only be achieved by Afghan people themselves. Relying on one enemy to defeat another is a wrong policy which has just tightened the grip of the Northern Alliance and their masters on the neck of our nation." (RAWA www.rawa.org)
   
   Pakistan: Target for blame
   As the NATO forces fail to gain ground, Pakistan has become the major target of blame game with the US leaders often stressing that Pakistan is not doing enough to stop Taliban taking refuge in Pakistan's tribal territory known as the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA). To lend credibility to their carefully devised accusations, they sometimes undertake strikes on Pakistani areas adjacent to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The media invariably extends unlimited support and frequently publishes baseless stories about the presence of Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders on Pakistani soil without providing any convincing proof.
   While the American forces in Iraq are over 150,000, the forces in Afghanistan are a meagre 66,000 and all of which are not combat forces. At least 20,000 troops are not fighting but are merely performing police duties in one form or another. Given the nature of terrain and the popularity of Taliban, this number is grossly insufficient. On the other hand Pakistan has deployed around 80,000 troops along the Pak-Afghan border and suffered more casualties than the NATO forces.
   According to General Dan McNeill, the International Security Assistance Force Commander in Afghanistan, "if proper US military counterinsurgency doctrine were followed; the US would need 400,000 troops to defeat Pashtun tribal resistance in Afghanistan."
   It was not a surprise when a January 2008 report by the Atlantic Council of the United States pointed out that the NATO forces in Afghanistan are in a strategic stalemate, as Taliban insurgents expand their control of sparsely populated areas and as the central government fails to carry out vital reforms and reconstruction. "Make no mistake, NATO is not winning in Afghanistan," the report concluded.
   Abdus Sattar Ghazali is the Executive Editor of the online magazine American Muslim Perspective: www.amperspective.com E-Mail: asghazali@gmail.com.

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Polls in the east may cause new discontents

Jehan Perera in Colombo

There has been impressive development work in the east of Trincomalee. The most obvious work that is being done is the reconstruction of the road network. Large tracts of the highway connecting the town to Colombo are partially closed off on one side, as the road is being widened and resurfaced. This gives rise to clouds of red dust and to slow moving traffic. There are also evident signs of new buildings coming up. The construction of a new market in Trincomalee town will be one of its crowning jewels.
   
   Restoring normalcy
   Trincomalee would appear to be a success story of the government's strategy of clearing out the east of the LTTE, restoring normalcy. There was general agreement that the security situation had improved in the past several months. The strengthened presence of the security forces after the declaration of elections has also contributed to the lessening of incidents of violence.
   The remainder of the tsunami reconstruction work, for which there was a massive outpouring of international generosity, is taking place at a faster pace, mostly by NGOs. In these circumstances there is likely to be a sense of confidence within government that the forthcoming provincial elections will yield victory to the government and to its ally, the TMVP.
   However, the problems that continue to exist in Trincomalee, and which can go against the government, cannot be underestimated. Despite the flurry of developmental activity, Trincomalee remains a very poor town, which does not befit the capital city of a province. Most of the shops are single storey ones, with a battered appearance. Likewise most of the houses have a run down appearance.
   
   Continuing poverty
   But even more significant than the continuing poverty of the region is the absence of peaceful conditions and prospects for peace in the foreseeable future. In the absence of a peace process between the government and LTTE, there is a sense that the improvement in the security situation is a reversible one, and that the dip in violence will be temporary. The intensity of the fighting at Muhamalai in the north, and the shifting of the theatre of military confrontation from Madhu in the west of the LTTE-controlled Wanni region to the government-controlled Weli Oya in the east which adjoins the Trincomalee district suggests how rapidly the theatre of war can shift.
   
   Strategic area
   With its internationally strategic harbour and also being the connecting district between the Northern Province and the Eastern Province, Trincomalee is a strategic area. As the northernmost district of the Eastern Province, which borders the LTTE-dominated parts of the Northern Province, the possibility of infiltration by the LTTE is high. This may also explain the lesser visibility of the anti-LTTE and pro-eastern TMVP in Trincomalee.
   One of the most controversial features of the forthcoming elections in the east is that the TMVP continues to retain its weapons despite opposition and civil society protests. This means that, by definition, the elections are seriously flawed at the outset, and cannot be considered to be either free or fair. The basic requirement for a free and fair election is that all the contesting parties are unarmed and not in a position to intimidate both their political rivals as well as voters who will be fearful to cross the path of the armed party. On the other hand, it is widely accepted that so long as the LTTE is armed, it will seek to destroy any serious Tamil political rival, who therefore need to keep their arms if only for self defense.
   Reports from the east, particularly from the Tamil dominated parts of the Batticaloa and Ampara districts indicate that the TMVP has been able to subject their political opponents to a high degree of intimidation. Although TMVP candidates canvass for votes without the open use of guns, the power of the guns they keep behind the scene and are prepared to use is also known to the people and to their political competitors. In parts of the east, in Batticaloa and Amparai, the TMVP's posters are pasted all over while those of rival political parties are barely to be seen, and when seen have been blacked out.
   By way of contrast, in the Trincomalee district, the public campaign on the part of all contesting parties, including the TMVP, appears to be at a low level. As a result, the voters in the district are less likely to be intimidated by the TMVP and will have a relative autonomy in choosing for whom they will vote. Nevertheless the fear psychosis among the Tamil voters in the district is so high that they did not wish to say who their preferred party was, unlike the Muslims and Sinhalese voters who are more forthright in their expressions.
   
   Complex decision
   The decision about which party to vote for is likely to be especially complex for the Tamil voters in the east. The improved security situation, the military upper hand obtained by the government and the proliferation of development projects would weigh the balance in favour of the government. A recent public opinion poll by the Centre for Policy Alternatives has highlighted the fact that the economic difficulties facing the people are the biggest problem for all ethnic communities. At the same time the survey also showed that the issue of a peaceful settlement is especially important to the Tamil people who are the main victims of the war and the human rights violations that result from it.
   The long stalling on the part of the government to come up with a credible power sharing proposal to the ethnic conflict and restart the peace process with the LTTE, coupled with slow military progress in the north, points to the possibility of the war being extended indefinitely.
   On the other hand, the traditional rivalry between the Tamil and Muslim communities for dominance in the east has also surfaced during the present election campaign. In the absence of a comprehensive population survey of both the Northern and Eastern provinces, there remains a doubt as to the actual population composition of these two provinces. At the last full census that took place in 1981, the Tamils were shown to be the largest community in the Eastern Province, followed by the Muslims. It is now believed that the Muslims are the largest. This means that the post of Chief Minister of the Eastern Province is within their reach.
   A flawed electoral process that combines intimidation of voters and rival political parties by the armed cadres of the TMVP with the government misuse of state resources as already reported by election monitors could lead to a high level of Muslim discontent. With the government bringing in Iran to the centre stage of the country's foreign policy, the potential for the Muslim population to seek solidarity with their co-religionists internationally in the face of unjust deprivation is now higher than ever. Whoever wins the election and leads the Eastern Province will have a major responsibility to heal the wounds of a politically and ethnically decisive election which is being held under abnormal conditions.

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US using Georgia to delay process

Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal

Russia has been at logger heads with many of its former friends that constituted the USSR. Apart from the Central Asian Republics, there is hardly any country of the Former Soviet-Union States (FSUS) that supports Russia in good faith. Byelorussia with which Russia has been trying to make a united country is also not showing full interest in the project off late. Supported by the US and European nations, the European part of FSU sates have even opposed Russian dominance over them. Russia thus used energy diplomacy to contain the resistance form these essentially anti-Russian FSU states. Ukraine and Georgia are spearheading the fight against Russia in many ways irritating the Kremlin strategists.
   Strained relations between Russia and Georgia have grown steadily worse in recent weeks for geo-political and WTO reasons. Long-standing tensions between Russia and Georgia over two separatist regions in Georgia have flared dangerously in recent days with each country accusing the other of provocative actions that risk war. Abkhazia and Ossetia have been wooed by Russia to cede form Georgia annoying the Georgian government.
   Recent reports about Georgian forces planning an onslaught on these regions have been resented by Moscow and warned of military reaction from the Kremlin. Russia denied reports late last month that it was deploying additional peacekeeping troops to Abkhazia, but the Foreign Ministry said it would use "all possible measures," including a military response, to defend its citizens that live in the republics. Many residents in the republics have Russian passports.
   
   Russian policy
   Over the years Moscow has made it a major foreign policy initiative to enter the World Trade Organisation (WTO), but has not succeeded because of certain conditions that Russia refuses to fulfil. It has become more difficult for Russia to join WTO even after China's entry into this world economic body. Russia's strenuous efforts to enter WTO are also being opposed by some of FSU states essentially to outsmart Moscow and explicitly showing their anger. Negotiators aiming to speed up Russia's entry into the WTO overcame objections from Georgia during talks in Geneva. Tbilisi had threatened to block Moscow's WTO entry because of its attempts to support Georgia's "separatist" republics.
   The WTO took a "great step forward" in its membership talks with Russia in Geneva, said Stefan Haukur Johannesson, chairman of the negotiations and Iceland's ambassador to the EU, news agencies reported. Georgia's tough stance at the WTO talks showed that Russia still faces an uphill battle in its 15-year drive to join the world trade body. After reaching a bilateral deal with the United Arab Emirates in late April, Russia now needs agreements with Georgia and Saudi Arabia, besides approval from the multilateral talks in Geneva, to join the WTO.
   
   Georgian opposition
   Recently, speaking to reporters in Tbilisi, Georgian First Deputy Economy Minister Vakhtang Lezhava for the first time linked heightened tensions with Russia to WTO membership. "We demand that the order from President Vladimir Putin for the government to establish direct links with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which contradicts WTO rules, be withdrawn," Reuters quoting Lezhava said.
   Russia faces potential WTO barriers from countries other than Georgia. "Russia has signed agreements with the EU and the US, but all the issues still have to be dotted," the Georgian minister said. "If something comes up, the US and EU could go back to the drawing board." Russian government officials, however, believe that Moscow would achieve WTO membership this year.
   Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who has been transferred to Putin's new office of Premier, called the White House, declined immediate comment. Putin's order, signed earlier this month, stopped short of formally recognising the republics, which have functioned under de facto independence since a series of separatist wars in the early 1990s. The Russian government had hoped to join the WTO this year, but it has already been delayed after missing its deadline to sign the bilateral agreement with Georgia by the middle of last year. "It's about trade," Timothy Spence, a Russia WTO expert at the EU-Russia Cooperation Program said of the bilateral agreement, "but obviously there might be a political angle in the way they approach their trade issues."
   
   Power lies with US
   The Kremlin is eager to win over Georgia by improving trade ties and linking the independence issue with its WTO objective. Putin, therefore, has called on the Cabinet to revive trade ties with Georgia, instructing ministers late in April to hold talks to lift a ban on imports of Georgian wine, mineral water and other products, ending visa restrictions and speeding up reconstruction of a border crossing. Georgian wine and mineral water, two of the country's main exports, have been banned since 2006, with Russia citing health concerns and critics pointing to political motives. Russia had disrupted travel and postal links with Georgia following a spying dispute in 2006. Air and sea travel resumed earlier in April.
   Russia firmly believes that it is the US that can make Russia a member of WTO without making it crawling further. Once Washington shows green signal, Tbilisi would also fall in line, Moscow's logic goes along these lines. President Bush and President Putin of Russia made a commitment to find ways to interact economically at their April 6th meeting in Sochi, Russia.
   The US, in a move to help Russia enter WTO at the "earliest", said in January that an economic dialog was needed with Russia because of their growing investment and trade, as well as Russia's growing importance in the world economy. Russia is a 1.3-trillion-dollar economy, the seventh largest in the world. US State Department official say they have discussed the WTO ascension process with the Russians, in an effort to coordinate their growing mutual economic interests. President George Bush has already indicated his commitment to work on that process, to see it through to a successful conclusion. But rationalist Russia, however, does not need any special lecture on the history of US policy for Russia.

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Jonaid Iqbal

The people of Bangladesh may like to know who the top international scientists are within OIC context.
   In the field of Bio-sciences it is Firdausi Qadri that shines.
   Chemistry has three of them: Dr. Hakimelahi Gholam Hossein, Dr. Mohammad Rashid, and Hassan Chaudhry Mahmood.
   There are two eminent scientists in the physics field : Dr. Mamun as well as Mohammad Salimullah. Mubarak Ahmad Khan belongs to the field of material sciences.
   Dr. Qadri's specialisation in immunology and he works at the International Centre for Diarrhoreal Sciences at Dhaka. He has written 100 papers for international journals, and has 793 citations with total impact factor of 101.
   Dr. Hakimelahi Gholam Hossein's field of study is drug design. He has written 102 papers. Presently he is teaching at Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics at Tehran. He has received 743 citations for his work.
   As for Dr. Rashid, who has specialized in pharmaceutical chemistry and is Professor of Pharmacy at the Dhaka University, he has written 115 papers. He has 338 citations.
   Dr. Kazim Ali Azam at the Chemistry Department, Jahangirnagar University, in Dhaka, has written 48 papers and has total of 571 citations.
   Professor Mamun, also of Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, has also written 100 papers for international journals, and has received 627 citations.
   Dr. Mohammad Salimullah has 112 papers to his credit with 295 citations.
   The information comes out of a recent book Leading Scientists and Engineers of OIC Members States published last month on the occasion of the Comstech Summit held at Islamabad. Dr. (Ms) S. K. T. Naim has edited this 852-page study which lists research related achievements of 381 leading scientists in Muslim countries.
   Chair of Higher Education Commission, Prof. Atta-ur-Rahman, Coordinator General Comstech, is also a leading scientist of Pakistan. In the foreword of this study he writes: "Highly educated scientists and engineers transform national economies and societies by conducting research and development for industry; they are involved in capital formation projects such as technology parks and business incubators and they train future researchers and entrepreneurs who convert research into enterprises.''
   The maximum number of scientists who qualified for this study are from Turkey (81) followed by Pakistan (62), Iran (55), Egypt (45), Malaysia (27), Saudi Arabia (22) and Morocco (18).

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