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Politics : Idea Of The Day -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: IQBAL LATIF who wrote (42734)	5/27/2002 9:46:05 PM
From: Henrik	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 50167

<< why should any one go to my country when his life is not safe >> Downer issues travel warning......-......Pakistan stockpiles nukes G'day Ike, From today's issue of 'The Australian'. Hope all is well with you and your family. Share your concern about the present situation in the sub-continent. Regards, Henrik ============================================================ Downer issues travel warning May 28, 2002 AUSTRALIANS planning to head for the sub-continent should cancel their plans because of the security situation and risk of war, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said today. Mr Downer said Australia remained deeply concerned about the security situation and overnight statements from Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf Musharraf vowing not to initiate war were reassuring. "The reality ... is that Pakistan must not only do what it can to try to crack down on these militants but be seen to be doing what it can," he said on the Nine Network. "If that is achieved then that will obviously build a good deal more confidence in India and help to ease the tension." Mr Downer said it was important to maintain the travel alert. "That is that in the case of both India and Pakistan Australians are advised to defer all holiday and business travel to those countries," he said. "In the case of India if they do feel in some danger they should consider leaving. In the case of Pakistan, slightly stronger words, Australians in Pakistan should leave. Mr Downer said there were about 1000 Australians who were permanent residents in India and fewer in Pakistan. But there would be thousands of Australian travellers in India. He said the situation was safer the further travellers were from Kashmir. Mr Downer said he needed to see more movement away from conflict. "We need to see more signs of progress than just one speech from the president," he said. theaustralian.news.com.au ........ and good reasons for being concerned if this is correct reporting : Pakistan stockpiles nukes From The Times May 28, 2002 PAKISTANI scientists had been secretly working around the clock for the past three years to accelerate production of weapons-grade uranium for atomic warheads, said one of the country's leading nuclear physicists. Pervez Hoodbhoy, professor of nuclear physics at Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad, said there were clear indications that nuclear warheads were in place on missiles, and that there could be many more warheads than previously thought. "The scientists have been working in three shifts over the past three years since the Kargil conflict," Dr Hoodbhoy said. "We are much closer to a nuclear confrontation with India than at any other time." Pakistan was thought to have 30 to 50 nuclear warheads. Each warhead was thought to have the same explosive power as the US atomic weapon dropped over Hiroshima in 1945. India was believed to have already taken its warheads out of storage to be fitted to delivery systems. The revelation adds to international fears of the outcome of any escalation in conflicts between the neighbours. Islamabad and New Delhi have none of the safeguards that the US and Soviet Union established to prevent a nuclear holocaust during the Cold War. They are linked by no working hotlines and the warning time – from launch to impact – is no more than five minutes. There is no room for a mistake or a misjudgment. British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw was due in the region overnight, Australian time, to try to ease tensions and open up dialogue. He will propose establishing greater contact between the sides to avoid either one accidentally triggering a holocaust. US President George W. Bush appealed to General Musharraf to "show results" by clamping down on attacks in India by militants from Pakistan. General Musharraf, due to deliver a televised address to the Pakistani people last night, said he had acted to stop all military actions and insisted he was not looking for confrontation with India. But he also vowed to defend himself if attacked. After raising international ire by testing two nuclear-capable weapons at the weekend – a short-range and a medium-range rocket – Pakistan was expected overnight, Australian time, to fire its long-range Shaheen 2 missile, capable of reaching targets nearly 3000km away. "The flight data indicated that all design parameters have been successfully validated," a military spokesman said. The development is said to have enhanced Pakistan's tactical nuclear strike capability. Pakistan insisted that the missile tests were routine. "The tests were merely a technical requirement and it should not be seen as an offensive measure," Information Minister Nisar Memon said. Nevertheless, the timing was a defiant gesture that added to world alarm. Pakistan welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin's suggestion for a meeting between Indian and Pakistani leaders in Kazakhstan next month. Pakistani officials said that General Musharraf was prepared for talks with Indian leaders "anytime, anywhere". theaustralian.news.com.au