Ahead of his fourth visit to China since taking office, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari voiced public support for Chinese policy in its restive autonomous region of Xinjiang. Saying he believed ‘China's policy of social development and harmony is producing great results for all Chinese people', Zardari described China as Pakistan's ‘all-weather and time-tested friend.' Since July's bloody riots in Xinjiang's capital Urumqi which saw at least 197 people killed, China has been under diplomatic pressure to secure the backing of Muslim countries to validate its often brutal tactics in repressing Uighur calls for greater autonomy. Zardari's comments will provide Beijing with this much-needed endorsement.
The ToD Verdict: ‘My enemy's enemy is my friend' has long been the bedrock of the China-Pakistan connection. With both sharing a distrust of India, mutual diplomatic assistance and support have been the cornerstones of their relationship. China is Pakistan's main supplier of conventional arms. In addition, it is widely believed that China has provided long-standing support for Pakistan's missile and nuclear development programmes, aiding in the construction of Pakistan's principal nuclear plant at Chashma and currently helping in the construction of a second facility.
Although Pakistan's diplomatic relationship with the United States is arguably more critical, it has also been more troubled. Even the Pakistan army's recent victories over militants in the Swat Valley have not been sufficient to allay Washington's continuing suspicions over suspected ISI backing of the Afghan Taliban. In addition, the US is also a key ally of India, whose robust diplomatic presence in Afghanistan is deeply resented in Islamabad.
Although few Muslim countries apart from Turkey have been overtly critical of China's muscular response to unrest in the Xinjiang region, Beijing has badly needed vocal support to bolster its tarnished international profile. The fact that Pakistan has provided such assistance makes it clear that this decades-long partnership straddling Karakorum is as firm today as it ever has been.
Competing victory claims in Afghan election
Incumbent President Harmid Karzai and former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah have both claimed victory in Afghanistan's presidential elections. Karzai's campaign manager, Deen Mohammad, has stated that, based on reports from nearly 29,000 monitors the incumbent's team have around the country, Karzai won a clear majority with no need for a second round of voting. This claim was swiftly rebutted by one of Abdullah's spokesmen, Fazal Sangcharaki, who said that the former foreign minister had received 63% of the vote to Karzai's 31%. Afghan election officials have refused to comment on either claim, with Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC) saying that the results would be known in a few days.
Although many independent observers have commended the election, allegations of vote rigging and tampering with ballot boxes abound, and eleven people were killed in violence during the vote. In addition, the estimated turnout of 40-50% is considerably lower than the 70% who voted in the previous presidential election.
Al-Shahab strikes back at Mogadishu
Somali government attempts to reassert its control over the capital led to continued violence in Mogadishu on Friday. The 24 people killed on the second day of clashes between African Union and Somali government forces and the Islamist group al-Shahab brings the total death toll to 62. The fighting began on Thursday when Somali government troops attempted to expel al-Shahab militants from the town of Bula Burte, some 210 km north of Mogadishu.
Claiming a right to retaliate, al-Shahab fighters struck back on Friday, firing mortar shells against government forces as well as an African Union base housing peacekeepers from Uganda and Burundi. Most of those killed were innocent civilians caught in the crossfire. Al-Shahab's avowed goal is the overthrow of the current Somali government and the establishment of an Islamic state in Somalia. US claims that they have ties to al-Qaeda have been repeatedly denied by the organisation.
Lockerbie Bomber released to hero's welcome
Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, the only individual convicted in the wake of the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, popularly known as the ‘Lockerbie Bombing', returned home to Libya late on Thursday to cheering crowds at a choreographed reception. His welcome has drawn sharp criticism from governments both in the United States and the United Kingdom.
The bombing led to the deaths of 270 people, including 11 inhabitants of Lockerbie, Scotland, who died when debris from the plane, which exploded mid-air, landed in and outside the town. Al-Megrahi, a former Libyan intelligence operative, has always denied that he was involved. The recent diagnosis that he has terminal prostate cancer led to the decision of the Scottish government to order his release on 20th August was on compassionate grounds.
The Scottish First Minister, Alex Salmond, criticised al-Megrahi's hero's reception, saying it was not ‘appropriate', while British Foreign Secretary David Miliband described it as ‘deeply disturbing'. President Obama has yet to comment, but had personally opposed the move by the Scottish government to release al-Megrahi.
IAEA permitted to inspect Iranian reactor
A senior diplomat revealed on Friday that IAEA inspectors had been given access to the construction site of a new, Iranian heavy water reactor at Arak by Tehran. The Iranian government has rebuffed attempts by the IAEA to inspect Arak for a year. The move comes just one week before the IAEA is expected to circulate its latest report on Iran, which will in turn shape diplomatic talks on 2 September regarding a proposed fourth round of sanctions against the Tehran regime. At these talks, the United States, Britain, France and Germany are expected to urge China and Russia to maintain diplomatic pressure on Iran.
In another conciliatory move, Iran has also permitted the IAEA to upgrade its monitoring equipment at the Natanz facility. However, these additional measures, which include the installation of cameras and additional sealing, may prove insufficient to preclude the possibility of the Iranians using the plant for purposes other than civilian enrichment.