China supports Pakistan independence, sovereignty

ISLAMABAD: China has reiterated its firm support to Pakistan’s endeavors in upholding its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The assurance came during the three-day visit of Representative of Chinese President Hu Jintao and State Councilor of the State Council of China Dai Bingguo, China’s Ambassador to Pakistan Liu Jian said Monday.

The ambassador in his briefing on the visit of Dai Bingguo to Pakistan said the visit, though short, proved fruitful.

He said China supports Pakistan’s efforts in maintaining its national stability and unity, creating a sound external environment, developing its economy, and improving the livelihood of its people, by fully exploiting its geographical advantage.

Dai Bingguo also emphasized that the international community should fully recognize the significant contributions made by Pakistan for the international campaign against terrorism and continues to render strong support for Pakistan.

He said the visit was aimed at marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of China-Pakistan diplomatic relations and the “Year of China-Pakistan Friendship”, and secondly to discuss with Pakistani leaders how to carry forward the traditional friendship, deepen cooperation and shape a better future for bilateral ties.

During the visit, Dai Bingguo held in-depth discussions with Pakistan’s civilian and military leaders and reached broad consensus on further promoting China-Pakistan strategic cooperative partnership.

Dai thanked the Pakistani side for its longstanding and valuable support on issues that concern China’s core interests.

“Our two sides have signed 6 agreements including the Supplementary Agreement on Extension of Five Year Development Programme on Trade and Economic Cooperation, and a 10-billion-yuan (1.58 billion US dollars) currency swap agreement between People’s Bank of China and the State Bank of Pakistan.”

“This visit is a tour of friendship, and a tour of cooperation. It’s our firm belief that this visit will further consolidate and strengthen the strategic partnership of cooperation existing between China and Pakistan.”

The ambassador also thanked Pakistan for the gracious hospitality and thoughtful arrangements for Dai Bingguo and his delegation.

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Posted in: INTERNATIONAL

Thirteen killed in shelling of Syria’s flashpoint Homs: activists

NICOSIA: Heavy gunfire in Syria’s flashpoint central city Homs killed 13 people on Monday in the Sunni district of Baba Amro, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a statement.

“The rounds fired from heavy machineguns in the Baba Amro district caused 13 deaths on Monday morning and dozens of injuries. 

The situation is frightening and the shelling is the most intense of the last three days”, the group said, citing activists on the ground.

The Britain-based Observatory renewed its call for Arab League observers, the first 50 of whom were due to arrive in Syria on Monday evening, to head immediately to Homs, which has become of a focal point of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

“The observers must head immediately to the martyrs’ district of Baba Amro to stop the assassinations and meet with the Syrian people so that they witness the crimes being perpetrated by by the Syrian regime,” the group said.

A nine-member advance team of Arab monitors arrived on Thursday to pave the way for the observer mission to oversee a deal aimed at ending the crackdown, which the UN estimates has killed more than 5,000 people since March.

Syrian opposition groups have said that the observers must stop their work if they are blocked by the authorities from travelling to protest hotspots like Homs.

General Mohammed Ahmed Mustapha al-Dabi, who is heading the League’s observer mission, arrived in Damascus on Sunday evening, a source told AFP.

The mission is part of an Arab plan endorsed by Syria on November 2 that calls for the withdrawal of the military from towns and residential districts, a halt to violence against civilians and the release of detainees.

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Gunman opens fire on Nato troops in Afghanistan

KABUL: Military authorities say an individual wearing an Afghan army uniform has opened fire on coalition troops in western Afghanistan.

A Nato statement said on Monday there were no fatalities among alliance soldiers. A Defense Ministry spokesman said they were investigating Saturday’s shooting.

An official who asked not to be named because the investigation is ongoing said an Afghan man died and several coalition troops were wounded in the shooting at an outpost in Bala Boluk district.

If the probe confirms that the gunman was a soldier, the shooting will be the latest in a series of attacks by Afghans against coalition partners.

Those shootings have raised fears of Taliban infiltration as Nato speeds up the training of Afghan security forces.

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Posted in: INTERNATIONAL