Selasa, 07 April 2009
free pdf hosting
service ebook article provider pdfvia free pdf hosting store ebook pdf file service, ebook, article, provider, pdfvia free pdf hosting.
Kamis, 12 Maret 2009
Police bar top lawyer from Pakistan protest march
Pakistani police Friday prevented one of the country's top laywers from travelling to join a major anti-government protest due to march on the capital Islamabad.
Ali Ahmed Kurd, the current president of the national Supreme Court bar association, was barred as he tried to enter the southern province of Sindh en route to Lahore, from where marchers plan to head for Islamabad.
He spent the night in the open at a sit-in protest against the block, but said Friday he would return to the southwest city of Quetta to try again.
"We strongly condemn the Sindh government for stopping our peaceful march," Kurd told reporters.
"We are calling off our march for the moment and going back but will try to reach Islamabad by other routes and appeal to all Pakistanis to reach Islamabad in groups or as individuals by any possible means," he added.
"This action of the government has shown to the people of Pakistan and the entire world that lawyers cannot move freely in their own country."
Pakistani police had already Thursday blocked activists from leaving the country's biggest city, Karachi, and manhandled protesters into prison vans.
The march by lawyers and opposition supporters is to demand that Zardari reinstate sacked judges but has mushroomed into a wider protest against the government of Prime Minister Asif Ali Zardari.
Main opposition leader Nawaz Sharif, locked in a showdown with his longtime rival, has urged people to rise up against the civilian government which has failed to stem a political crisis, economic meltdown and Islamist violence.
Ali Ahmed Kurd, the current president of the national Supreme Court bar association, was barred as he tried to enter the southern province of Sindh en route to Lahore, from where marchers plan to head for Islamabad.
He spent the night in the open at a sit-in protest against the block, but said Friday he would return to the southwest city of Quetta to try again.
"We strongly condemn the Sindh government for stopping our peaceful march," Kurd told reporters.
"We are calling off our march for the moment and going back but will try to reach Islamabad by other routes and appeal to all Pakistanis to reach Islamabad in groups or as individuals by any possible means," he added.
"This action of the government has shown to the people of Pakistan and the entire world that lawyers cannot move freely in their own country."
Pakistani police had already Thursday blocked activists from leaving the country's biggest city, Karachi, and manhandled protesters into prison vans.
The march by lawyers and opposition supporters is to demand that Zardari reinstate sacked judges but has mushroomed into a wider protest against the government of Prime Minister Asif Ali Zardari.
Main opposition leader Nawaz Sharif, locked in a showdown with his longtime rival, has urged people to rise up against the civilian government which has failed to stem a political crisis, economic meltdown and Islamist violence.
China's premier warns growth target will be tough
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao reassured the world on Friday that he would deliver on a promise of 8 percent growth in 2009 and might roll out extra stimulus spending if needed to meet the goal.
Wen also said he was closely monitoring the U.S. economy and was concerned about the safety of Chinese assets there, which he called on Washington to protect.
The premier reaffirmed China's commitment to keeping the yuan broadly steady and noted that the currency, far from having depreciated, had gained in value because of a sharp slide in European and Asian currencies.
This had hurt Chinese exporters, said Wen, who was speaking against a background of fears in the currency markets that Swiss moves on Thursday to weaken the franc could trigger a round of competitive devaluations.
In his annual news conference on the sidelines of the National People's Congress, China's ceremonial parliament, Wen said it would be a struggle to prevent growth from slipping below 8 percent.
"I believe that there is indeed some difficulty in reaching this goal. But with effort it is possible," Wen said.
Beijing announced a 4 trillion yuan ($585 billion) plan on November 9 to boost domestic demand and so take up the slack left by a collapse in exports in the wake of the global financial crisis.
But Wen said Beijing had kept some of its powder dry in case the crisis worsened. "We have prepared enough ammunition and we can launch new economic stimulus policies at any time," he said.
The country's years of growth, and tightly managed budget, meant it could now afford to borrow to support the economy.
"We now have more leeway to run a larger fiscal deficit and take on more debt," Wen said. "The most direct, powerful and effective way to deal with the current financial crisis is to increase fiscal spending -- the quicker the better."
JOBLESS WORRIES
Attaining 8 percent growth is the absolute priority of China's ruling Communist Party, which has staked its claim to legitimacy on ensuring ever-rising living standards.
Eight percent is widely thought to be the minimum growth rate needed to hold down the jobless rate at manageable levels -- although the country is already struggling to find jobs for at least 20 million unemployed migrant workers.
Officials fear social unrest could flare if they remain out of work for long, or if many more men and women join their ranks.
"The problem of unemployment is a very serious one," Wen said, adding however that the country was still stable.
"Our government will take this a hundred times more seriously and never become complacent," he said.
SAFE FX RESERVES
Wen said that China had worked to diversify its $2 trillion stockpile of foreign exchange reserves, the world's largest, and that they were "safe overall."
But the premier had a stark message to the United States, where most of the reserves are invested. China is the biggest holder of U.S. government debt.
"Of course we are concerned about the security of our assets and, to speak truthfully, I do have some worries," Wen said.
"I would like, through you, to once again request America to maintain their creditworthiness, keep their promise and guarantee the safety of Chinese assets."
A collapse in exports and a slump in factory output growth in February surprised investors who had taken recent manufacturing surveys and electricity output data as signs that China's economy, the world's third largest, had already bottomed out.
But a sustained surge in bank lending since late last year has fueled hope that ample financing is in place for the government's stimulus package to gain traction.
With 10 months to go in 2009, China is already more than half way toward reaching its goal of at least 5 trillion yuan in new bank lending.
(Writing by Emma Graham-Harrison and Simon Rabinovitch; Editing by Ken Wills and Dean Yates)
Wen also said he was closely monitoring the U.S. economy and was concerned about the safety of Chinese assets there, which he called on Washington to protect.
The premier reaffirmed China's commitment to keeping the yuan broadly steady and noted that the currency, far from having depreciated, had gained in value because of a sharp slide in European and Asian currencies.
This had hurt Chinese exporters, said Wen, who was speaking against a background of fears in the currency markets that Swiss moves on Thursday to weaken the franc could trigger a round of competitive devaluations.
In his annual news conference on the sidelines of the National People's Congress, China's ceremonial parliament, Wen said it would be a struggle to prevent growth from slipping below 8 percent.
"I believe that there is indeed some difficulty in reaching this goal. But with effort it is possible," Wen said.
Beijing announced a 4 trillion yuan ($585 billion) plan on November 9 to boost domestic demand and so take up the slack left by a collapse in exports in the wake of the global financial crisis.
But Wen said Beijing had kept some of its powder dry in case the crisis worsened. "We have prepared enough ammunition and we can launch new economic stimulus policies at any time," he said.
The country's years of growth, and tightly managed budget, meant it could now afford to borrow to support the economy.
"We now have more leeway to run a larger fiscal deficit and take on more debt," Wen said. "The most direct, powerful and effective way to deal with the current financial crisis is to increase fiscal spending -- the quicker the better."
JOBLESS WORRIES
Attaining 8 percent growth is the absolute priority of China's ruling Communist Party, which has staked its claim to legitimacy on ensuring ever-rising living standards.
Eight percent is widely thought to be the minimum growth rate needed to hold down the jobless rate at manageable levels -- although the country is already struggling to find jobs for at least 20 million unemployed migrant workers.
Officials fear social unrest could flare if they remain out of work for long, or if many more men and women join their ranks.
"The problem of unemployment is a very serious one," Wen said, adding however that the country was still stable.
"Our government will take this a hundred times more seriously and never become complacent," he said.
SAFE FX RESERVES
Wen said that China had worked to diversify its $2 trillion stockpile of foreign exchange reserves, the world's largest, and that they were "safe overall."
But the premier had a stark message to the United States, where most of the reserves are invested. China is the biggest holder of U.S. government debt.
"Of course we are concerned about the security of our assets and, to speak truthfully, I do have some worries," Wen said.
"I would like, through you, to once again request America to maintain their creditworthiness, keep their promise and guarantee the safety of Chinese assets."
A collapse in exports and a slump in factory output growth in February surprised investors who had taken recent manufacturing surveys and electricity output data as signs that China's economy, the world's third largest, had already bottomed out.
But a sustained surge in bank lending since late last year has fueled hope that ample financing is in place for the government's stimulus package to gain traction.
With 10 months to go in 2009, China is already more than half way toward reaching its goal of at least 5 trillion yuan in new bank lending.
(Writing by Emma Graham-Harrison and Simon Rabinovitch; Editing by Ken Wills and Dean Yates)
Pakistan blocks anti-government demonstrators
Pakistan's opposition leader predicted President Asif Ali Zardari would not last his full five-year term in office as police Friday turned away another convoy of protesters trying to reach the capital for a major anti-government demonstration.
Authorities have detained several hundred political activists and lawyers in recent days, seeking to thwart a protest movement that is challenging the government's shaky one-year rule just as the West wants to see Pakistan unite and fight against al-Qaida and Taliban extremists.
Activist lawyers are demanding Zardari fulfill a pledge to reinstate judges fired by former President Pervez Musharraf, a general who ousted opposition leader Nawaz Sharif as prime minister in a 1999 coup. The protest movement heated up last month when the Supreme Court banned Sharif and his brother from elected office.
After the ruling, the federal government dismissed the Punjab provincial administration led by Sharif's brother, stoking anger in Pakistan's most populous region and putting the pair and their supporters on a collision course with Zardari.
Sharif — a seasoned political campaigner who is seen as closer to Pakistan's conservative Islamist forces than Zardari — told a local TV station late Thursday he did not want to destabilize the government, but again appealed for Zardari to reinstate the judges.
By resisting that demand, Zardari was "shortening his political life", he said, adding, "I don't think he will be able to complete his five years."
The lawyers' movement, Sharif's party and other small political groupings called a "long march" to begin Thursday across the country, with groups of protesters planning to converge on the parliament building in Islamabad on Monday and begin a sit-in.
Early Friday, police stopped about 200 lawyers in a convoy of cars and buses from entering Sindh province en route to Islamabad, witnesses and participants in the convoy said. No arrests were made, but the protesters vowed to find another way to get to the capital.
On Thursday, several hundred protesters in Karachi, the country's largest city, set off for Islamabad in a convoy or cars, buses and motorbikes. They were stopped by police trucks blocking the highway out of the city, and officers with clubs moved in to arrest the leaders, engaging in brief scuffles.
While some protesters sped back into Karachi, several people sat on the road chanting "Zardari is a traitor! Zardari is a dog!" before being arrested. After clearing the highway, police dragged several protesters from a nearby restaurant and a mosque.
"Why is a democratic government crushing a peaceful protest?" asked Naeem Qureshi, secretary-general of Karachi Bar Association. "There is no difference between it and a martial law regime."
Government officials said they would allow protesters only to gather in a park close to the capital, vowing to keep them from massing outside parliament or in other downtown areas. Officials have banned protests in much of the country.
The U.S. has stepped up efforts to mediate a solution to the crisis, which threatens to undermine its goal of getting nuclear-armed Pakistan to do more in fighting militants along the border with Afghanistan.
Richard Holbrooke, the Obama administration's envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, spoke by phone to Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, while U.S. Ambassador Anne Patterson met with Sharif.
But there were no signs of any breakthrough to calm political squabbling that is looking a lot like the unrest that preceded the removal of Musharraf last year.
There were signs the crisis was causing cracks in the ruling party, which rose to power on a wave of sympathy votes following the assassination of Zardari's wife, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, by suspected Islamic militants before the 2008 elections.
Most of the judges fired by Musharraf have been restored to their posts, but the government has ignored a few, including a former Supreme Court chief justice. Zardari is believed to fear that those judges could move to limit his power or reopen corruption cases against him. His supporters say the old chief justice has now becoming a political figure and will no longer be neutral.
___
Associated Press writers Zarar Khan and Chris Brummitt in Islamabad, Babar Dogar in Lahore and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
Authorities have detained several hundred political activists and lawyers in recent days, seeking to thwart a protest movement that is challenging the government's shaky one-year rule just as the West wants to see Pakistan unite and fight against al-Qaida and Taliban extremists.
Activist lawyers are demanding Zardari fulfill a pledge to reinstate judges fired by former President Pervez Musharraf, a general who ousted opposition leader Nawaz Sharif as prime minister in a 1999 coup. The protest movement heated up last month when the Supreme Court banned Sharif and his brother from elected office.
After the ruling, the federal government dismissed the Punjab provincial administration led by Sharif's brother, stoking anger in Pakistan's most populous region and putting the pair and their supporters on a collision course with Zardari.
Sharif — a seasoned political campaigner who is seen as closer to Pakistan's conservative Islamist forces than Zardari — told a local TV station late Thursday he did not want to destabilize the government, but again appealed for Zardari to reinstate the judges.
By resisting that demand, Zardari was "shortening his political life", he said, adding, "I don't think he will be able to complete his five years."
The lawyers' movement, Sharif's party and other small political groupings called a "long march" to begin Thursday across the country, with groups of protesters planning to converge on the parliament building in Islamabad on Monday and begin a sit-in.
Early Friday, police stopped about 200 lawyers in a convoy of cars and buses from entering Sindh province en route to Islamabad, witnesses and participants in the convoy said. No arrests were made, but the protesters vowed to find another way to get to the capital.
On Thursday, several hundred protesters in Karachi, the country's largest city, set off for Islamabad in a convoy or cars, buses and motorbikes. They were stopped by police trucks blocking the highway out of the city, and officers with clubs moved in to arrest the leaders, engaging in brief scuffles.
While some protesters sped back into Karachi, several people sat on the road chanting "Zardari is a traitor! Zardari is a dog!" before being arrested. After clearing the highway, police dragged several protesters from a nearby restaurant and a mosque.
"Why is a democratic government crushing a peaceful protest?" asked Naeem Qureshi, secretary-general of Karachi Bar Association. "There is no difference between it and a martial law regime."
Government officials said they would allow protesters only to gather in a park close to the capital, vowing to keep them from massing outside parliament or in other downtown areas. Officials have banned protests in much of the country.
The U.S. has stepped up efforts to mediate a solution to the crisis, which threatens to undermine its goal of getting nuclear-armed Pakistan to do more in fighting militants along the border with Afghanistan.
Richard Holbrooke, the Obama administration's envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, spoke by phone to Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, while U.S. Ambassador Anne Patterson met with Sharif.
But there were no signs of any breakthrough to calm political squabbling that is looking a lot like the unrest that preceded the removal of Musharraf last year.
There were signs the crisis was causing cracks in the ruling party, which rose to power on a wave of sympathy votes following the assassination of Zardari's wife, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, by suspected Islamic militants before the 2008 elections.
Most of the judges fired by Musharraf have been restored to their posts, but the government has ignored a few, including a former Supreme Court chief justice. Zardari is believed to fear that those judges could move to limit his power or reopen corruption cases against him. His supporters say the old chief justice has now becoming a political figure and will no longer be neutral.
___
Associated Press writers Zarar Khan and Chris Brummitt in Islamabad, Babar Dogar in Lahore and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
China's premier vows to save economy, defend Tibet
China's premier defended his government's policies in Tibet and its handling of the economic crisis Friday, promising more stimulus measures if needed to boost growth and maintain public confidence.
In his sole news conference of the year, Premier Wen Jiabao stressed that a half-trillion-dollar stimulus program would revive the buoyant growth dragged down by the global downturn and create jobs and provide social welfare to cope with worsening unemployment. He pointedly called on Washington to protect the value of Chinese holdings of U.S. Treasuries and other debt, estimated to be worth about U$1 trillion.
More than painstakingly explaining policies, the precise, scholarly Wen tried to convey the message that Beijing was confident it could withstand the turmoil. He used the word confidence five times in as many minutes at the start of the nationally televised news conference.
"Confidence is more important than gold and money," Wen told reporters in the Great Hall of the People. "First and foremost, we have to have very strong confidence. Only when we have strong confidence can we have more courage and strength and only when we have courage and strength can we overcome the difficulties."
Wen is the most popular figure in the usually remote communist leadership. Sometimes referred to as "grandpa Wen," he is frequently shown on state television touring the country, talking with farmers in the countryside. As such, his popularity is a boon for an authoritarian government that in part relies on its popularity to impress sometimes recalcitrant local officials to carry out Beijing's policies.
Though largely focused on the domestic economy, Wen also twice defended its record in Tibet, including ramped-up security intended to prevent a repeat of the massive anti-government uprising that swept Tibetan communities in western China a year ago.
"Tibet's peace and stability and Tibet's continuous progress have proven the policies we have adopted are right," said Wen. He said Beijing has hugely increased subsidies to Tibet in recent years to spur growth and raise incomes in a chronically poor region.
The news conference, an annual fixture, was the first for Wen since he began confronting the collective leadership's first economic crisis. Since coming to power six years ago, Wen, President Hu Jintao and other leaders have mostly faced the opposite situation, trying to slow breakneck economic growth.
The turnaround for the economy has been swift. Growth has halved in a year. Exports have cratered. Jobs are disappearing by the tens of millions, raising the prospects of heightened unrest in a society that has gotten used to steadily rising standards of living.
The centerpiece of the government's effort is the 4 trillion yuan ($586 billion) stimulus plan to be spent on infrastructure projects and social programs. Before Wen's news conference, deputies to the Communist Party-dominated national legislature overwhelmingly approved the stimulus and the rest of a budget that will increase spending nearly 25 percent from last year's level to cope with the downturn.
Wen said the government stood ready to unveil additional stimulus measures should the current ones prove insufficient to raising growth to about 8 percent.
"We already have our plans ready to tackle even more difficult times, and to do that we have reserved adequate ammunition," he said. "At any time we can introduce new stimulus policies."
Unlike previous years, Wen struck a businesslike tone and shied away from revealing personal details or quoting poetry — displays that have made him popular but are unusual for Chinese leaders. One exception: He voiced his desire to visit Taiwan, Beijing's long-standing rival in a half-century civil war but with whom ties are warming.
"Taiwan is China's treasured island," Wen said. If allowed, he would visit the popular scenic spots of Mount Ali and Sun Moon Lake. "Although I am 67 years old, if there's a chance for me to go to Taiwan, even if I can no longer walk, I will crawl to the island."
In his sole news conference of the year, Premier Wen Jiabao stressed that a half-trillion-dollar stimulus program would revive the buoyant growth dragged down by the global downturn and create jobs and provide social welfare to cope with worsening unemployment. He pointedly called on Washington to protect the value of Chinese holdings of U.S. Treasuries and other debt, estimated to be worth about U$1 trillion.
More than painstakingly explaining policies, the precise, scholarly Wen tried to convey the message that Beijing was confident it could withstand the turmoil. He used the word confidence five times in as many minutes at the start of the nationally televised news conference.
"Confidence is more important than gold and money," Wen told reporters in the Great Hall of the People. "First and foremost, we have to have very strong confidence. Only when we have strong confidence can we have more courage and strength and only when we have courage and strength can we overcome the difficulties."
Wen is the most popular figure in the usually remote communist leadership. Sometimes referred to as "grandpa Wen," he is frequently shown on state television touring the country, talking with farmers in the countryside. As such, his popularity is a boon for an authoritarian government that in part relies on its popularity to impress sometimes recalcitrant local officials to carry out Beijing's policies.
Though largely focused on the domestic economy, Wen also twice defended its record in Tibet, including ramped-up security intended to prevent a repeat of the massive anti-government uprising that swept Tibetan communities in western China a year ago.
"Tibet's peace and stability and Tibet's continuous progress have proven the policies we have adopted are right," said Wen. He said Beijing has hugely increased subsidies to Tibet in recent years to spur growth and raise incomes in a chronically poor region.
The news conference, an annual fixture, was the first for Wen since he began confronting the collective leadership's first economic crisis. Since coming to power six years ago, Wen, President Hu Jintao and other leaders have mostly faced the opposite situation, trying to slow breakneck economic growth.
The turnaround for the economy has been swift. Growth has halved in a year. Exports have cratered. Jobs are disappearing by the tens of millions, raising the prospects of heightened unrest in a society that has gotten used to steadily rising standards of living.
The centerpiece of the government's effort is the 4 trillion yuan ($586 billion) stimulus plan to be spent on infrastructure projects and social programs. Before Wen's news conference, deputies to the Communist Party-dominated national legislature overwhelmingly approved the stimulus and the rest of a budget that will increase spending nearly 25 percent from last year's level to cope with the downturn.
Wen said the government stood ready to unveil additional stimulus measures should the current ones prove insufficient to raising growth to about 8 percent.
"We already have our plans ready to tackle even more difficult times, and to do that we have reserved adequate ammunition," he said. "At any time we can introduce new stimulus policies."
Unlike previous years, Wen struck a businesslike tone and shied away from revealing personal details or quoting poetry — displays that have made him popular but are unusual for Chinese leaders. One exception: He voiced his desire to visit Taiwan, Beijing's long-standing rival in a half-century civil war but with whom ties are warming.
"Taiwan is China's treasured island," Wen said. If allowed, he would visit the popular scenic spots of Mount Ali and Sun Moon Lake. "Although I am 67 years old, if there's a chance for me to go to Taiwan, even if I can no longer walk, I will crawl to the island."
SKorea, Obama seek halt to NKorea rocket launch
South Korea warned of United Nations "countermeasures" after North Korea set dates for a satellite launch seen by Seoul and Washington as a disguised test of a missile which could reach Alaska.
US President Barack Obama spoke of the "risks" posed by Pyongyang's missile plans while UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the planned launch "will threaten peace and security in the region."
The communist state has told the International Maritime Organisation and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) it will launch a communications satellite between April 4-8.
The nuclear-armed nation insists on its right to "peaceful" space research and has said any attempt to shoot down its rocket will be an act of war.
The US and South Korea say its real aim is to test a Taepodong-2 missile, and a launch for any purpose would violate UN resolutions passed after the North's missile and nuclear tests in 2006.
"Regardless of whether North Korea fires a missile or launches a satellite, I believe this issue will be raised at the UN Security Council," Seoul's Foreign Minister Yu Myung-Hwan told reporters.
A statement from his ministry predicted "consultation and countermeasures" at the council.
It said South Korea is talking with the US, Japan, China and Russia to try to deter the launch. The five states are part of a forum involved in tortuous nuclear disarmament negotiations with the North.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has also raised the prospect of a UN response, but analysts believe permanent Security Council members China and Russia will shy away from further sanctions.
Russia's chief nuclear negotiator Alexei Borodavkin was equivocal when asked in Seoul Thursday if a launch would violate UN resolutions. "Let us wait and see what will be the real technical parameters of this launch," he said.
US State Department spokesman Robert Wood repeated warnings against what he said would be a "provocative act," but would not elaborate on a US response.
Yonhap news agency, quoting an intelligence source, has said preparations could be completed in two weeks at the North's Musudan-ri base on its northeast coast.
The only previous Taepodong-2 test, in July 2006, ended in failure after just 40 seconds of flight. But the UN Security Council passed a resolution calling for a halt to the programme.
Three months later a defiant Pyongyang staged an atomic weapons test. It is unclear whether it has the capability to manufacture a nuclear warhead.
The ICAO said Pyongyang had notified it of a launch sometime between 0200-0700 GMT on one of the four days in April.
It released a map of two potential danger areas, one off Japan's northwest coast and the other in the Pacific, indicating that a multi-stage rocket would overfly Japan after shedding its first booster.
The main body of the rocket would plunge into the Pacific.
Regional tensions are already high, after Pyongyang in late January cancelled all peace accords with Seoul in protest at its conservative government's tougher cross-border policy.
Since last week it has ordered its military on combat alert and warned South Korean airlines to stay clear of its airspace, in protest at an ongoing US-South Korean military exercise which it sees as a rehearsal for invasion.
US intelligence chief Dennis Blair said Tuesday the North does indeed appear to be planning a space launch. But the technology involved is indistinguishable from a missile test, he added.
The North's official media Friday took note of his first comment but not the qualifier.
"US National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair has recognised our preparations to launch a satellite," web newspaper Uriminzokkiri reported.
US President Barack Obama spoke of the "risks" posed by Pyongyang's missile plans while UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the planned launch "will threaten peace and security in the region."
The communist state has told the International Maritime Organisation and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) it will launch a communications satellite between April 4-8.
The nuclear-armed nation insists on its right to "peaceful" space research and has said any attempt to shoot down its rocket will be an act of war.
The US and South Korea say its real aim is to test a Taepodong-2 missile, and a launch for any purpose would violate UN resolutions passed after the North's missile and nuclear tests in 2006.
"Regardless of whether North Korea fires a missile or launches a satellite, I believe this issue will be raised at the UN Security Council," Seoul's Foreign Minister Yu Myung-Hwan told reporters.
A statement from his ministry predicted "consultation and countermeasures" at the council.
It said South Korea is talking with the US, Japan, China and Russia to try to deter the launch. The five states are part of a forum involved in tortuous nuclear disarmament negotiations with the North.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has also raised the prospect of a UN response, but analysts believe permanent Security Council members China and Russia will shy away from further sanctions.
Russia's chief nuclear negotiator Alexei Borodavkin was equivocal when asked in Seoul Thursday if a launch would violate UN resolutions. "Let us wait and see what will be the real technical parameters of this launch," he said.
US State Department spokesman Robert Wood repeated warnings against what he said would be a "provocative act," but would not elaborate on a US response.
Yonhap news agency, quoting an intelligence source, has said preparations could be completed in two weeks at the North's Musudan-ri base on its northeast coast.
The only previous Taepodong-2 test, in July 2006, ended in failure after just 40 seconds of flight. But the UN Security Council passed a resolution calling for a halt to the programme.
Three months later a defiant Pyongyang staged an atomic weapons test. It is unclear whether it has the capability to manufacture a nuclear warhead.
The ICAO said Pyongyang had notified it of a launch sometime between 0200-0700 GMT on one of the four days in April.
It released a map of two potential danger areas, one off Japan's northwest coast and the other in the Pacific, indicating that a multi-stage rocket would overfly Japan after shedding its first booster.
The main body of the rocket would plunge into the Pacific.
Regional tensions are already high, after Pyongyang in late January cancelled all peace accords with Seoul in protest at its conservative government's tougher cross-border policy.
Since last week it has ordered its military on combat alert and warned South Korean airlines to stay clear of its airspace, in protest at an ongoing US-South Korean military exercise which it sees as a rehearsal for invasion.
US intelligence chief Dennis Blair said Tuesday the North does indeed appear to be planning a space launch. But the technology involved is indistinguishable from a missile test, he added.
The North's official media Friday took note of his first comment but not the qualifier.
"US National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair has recognised our preparations to launch a satellite," web newspaper Uriminzokkiri reported.
Japan orders warships to Somalia anti-piracy mission
Japan on Friday ordered two warships to join an anti-piracy mission off Somalia, one of the most active deployments yet for a military restrained by the country's post-war pacifist constitution.
US, European and Chinese naval vessels are already deployed in the Gulf of Aden to fend off pirates behind more than 100 attacks on ships last year.
The two Japanese destroyers with 400 crew were to set sail Saturday for the Gulf to protect cargo ships in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes near the Suez canal that links Europe with Asia, the defence ministry said.
"Piracy off Somalia is a threat to Japan and the international community," Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada said.
"It is an important duty for the Self-Defence Forces to protect Japanese lives and assets."
The maritime mission has divided public opinion in Japan, which under the post-World War II constitution permits its soldiers in international disputes to use force only for self-defence and to protect Japanese nationals.
The government planned to submit a bill later Friday that would widen the scope of force that its military personnel can use against pirates and allow them to protect foreign vessels and nationals as well as Japanese.
The two destroyers -- the 4,650-ton Sazanami and 4,550-ton Samidare -- will each carry two patrol helicopters and two speedboats, to be used by members of the navy's commando-style Special Boarding Unit.
The ships are expected to arrive in waters near the Suez canal in around three weeks. The period of deployment has not been fixed, Hamada said, but he told reporters that "six months could be an idea."
Japan's major overseas missions in the past -- including in Iraq, near Afghanistan, and as UN peacekeepers -- have so far been largely for logistical and rear-area support, such as refuelling, transport and reconstruction.
Critics argue this mission could set a new precedent for Japanese military missions overseas and could see the country's servicemen use lethal force for the first time since WWII.
However, recent newspaper polls have shown growing public support for the anti-piracy mission, with a survey this week by the top-selling Yomiuri Shimbun showing 61 percent of respondents in favour and 27 percent against.
Under the current rules of engagement, the two Maritime Self-Defence Force ships, carrying a combined total of about 400 sailors and coast guard officers, would protect only Japanese ships, nationals and cargo.
Prime Minister Taro Aso's Liberal Democratic Party has proposed legislation to allow Japanese troops to fire on the hulls of approaching pirate boats that refuse repeated orders to stop.
It would also allow them to protect non-Japanese ships and citizens.
A cabinet meeting Friday approved the bill, Hamada said, and it was due to be submitted to parliament in the evening, a parliament official said.
"I hope the legislation will be approved as soon as possible," Hamada said, to allow Japan to "assume our responsibility in the international community."
Around 2,000 Japanese ships sail through Somali waters to pass through the Suez canal every year and the nation's shipping industry has voiced alarm over the cost should they have to opt for a safer but longer route.
The spate of pirate attacks have led some shipping companies to avoid the Suez canal and sail around Africa at greater cost.
US, European and Chinese naval vessels are already deployed in the Gulf of Aden to fend off pirates behind more than 100 attacks on ships last year.
The two Japanese destroyers with 400 crew were to set sail Saturday for the Gulf to protect cargo ships in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes near the Suez canal that links Europe with Asia, the defence ministry said.
"Piracy off Somalia is a threat to Japan and the international community," Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada said.
"It is an important duty for the Self-Defence Forces to protect Japanese lives and assets."
The maritime mission has divided public opinion in Japan, which under the post-World War II constitution permits its soldiers in international disputes to use force only for self-defence and to protect Japanese nationals.
The government planned to submit a bill later Friday that would widen the scope of force that its military personnel can use against pirates and allow them to protect foreign vessels and nationals as well as Japanese.
The two destroyers -- the 4,650-ton Sazanami and 4,550-ton Samidare -- will each carry two patrol helicopters and two speedboats, to be used by members of the navy's commando-style Special Boarding Unit.
The ships are expected to arrive in waters near the Suez canal in around three weeks. The period of deployment has not been fixed, Hamada said, but he told reporters that "six months could be an idea."
Japan's major overseas missions in the past -- including in Iraq, near Afghanistan, and as UN peacekeepers -- have so far been largely for logistical and rear-area support, such as refuelling, transport and reconstruction.
Critics argue this mission could set a new precedent for Japanese military missions overseas and could see the country's servicemen use lethal force for the first time since WWII.
However, recent newspaper polls have shown growing public support for the anti-piracy mission, with a survey this week by the top-selling Yomiuri Shimbun showing 61 percent of respondents in favour and 27 percent against.
Under the current rules of engagement, the two Maritime Self-Defence Force ships, carrying a combined total of about 400 sailors and coast guard officers, would protect only Japanese ships, nationals and cargo.
Prime Minister Taro Aso's Liberal Democratic Party has proposed legislation to allow Japanese troops to fire on the hulls of approaching pirate boats that refuse repeated orders to stop.
It would also allow them to protect non-Japanese ships and citizens.
A cabinet meeting Friday approved the bill, Hamada said, and it was due to be submitted to parliament in the evening, a parliament official said.
"I hope the legislation will be approved as soon as possible," Hamada said, to allow Japan to "assume our responsibility in the international community."
Around 2,000 Japanese ships sail through Somali waters to pass through the Suez canal every year and the nation's shipping industry has voiced alarm over the cost should they have to opt for a safer but longer route.
The spate of pirate attacks have led some shipping companies to avoid the Suez canal and sail around Africa at greater cost.
Langganan:
Postingan (Atom)