Balochistan People’s Party

QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - A car-bomb killed four people and wounded 17 on Saturday in the gas-rich southwestern Pakistani province of Baluchistan, where militants have for decades been fighting for autonomy, police said.

"There was a blast in a car which hit a van next to it causing the casualties," said police official Najam Tireen in Dera Bugti district where the blast took place.

A paramilitary official said seven people were killed but Tireen and other police said four people were dead.

A doctor at the district's hospital said four bodies and 17 wounded people -- many in critical condition -- had been brought in.

Baluch rebels have waged a low-key insurgency for years for autonomy and a larger share of the profits from resources in Pakistan's biggest but poorest province.

They frequently attack gas pipelines, electricity infrastructure and transport links in the province of deserts and barren mountains bordering Afghanistan and Iran.

They also attack security forces but have no links with Islamist insurgents also fighting government forces, especially along the Afghan border in the northwest.

The bomb was detonated by remote-control as the son of a pro-government tribal leader was passing, an intelligence official said. The man was not hurt.

(Additional reporting by Augustine Anthony in ISLAMABAD)
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Executions and other abuses in Iran

Iran is the focus of the first resolution adopted today. Here the EP expresses deep concern at "the deterioration of the human rights situation", notably the "dramatic increase in the repression of civil-society movements in Iran over the past year". It urges the authorities "to honour their obligations in accordance with international human rights standards and instruments ratified by Iran".

Sharp increase in executions

Among other things, MEPs are "appalled at the spiralling numbers of executions recorded, many of those executed facing unfair trials". The number of executions in Iran, including those of minors and homosexuals, often public by hanging or stoning, has dramatically increased, bringing the number recorded since the start of 2007 to at least 244. The EP "calls on the Iranian authorities to implement their declared moratorium on stoning" and "demands that the Islamic Penal Code of Iran be reformed in order to abolish stoning".

Iran is also urged "to fully respect its Code of Criminal Procedure and to grant the right to a fair trial to all individuals", including access to a lawyer from the start of the judicial process. The EP calls for "legislation outlawing the execution of juvenile offenders and the application of the death penalty for homosexual acts or adultery". Lastly, the authorities are asked to release all prisoners of conscience unconditionally, notably several journalists named in the resolution.

International bodies urged to keep up the pressure

Pressure should be kept up on Iran from outside the country, MEPs believe. They urge the UN General Assembly, for example, "to vote on a resolution explicitly and decisively condemning the violation of fundamental human rights in Iran and to adopt urgent measures to halt the recent wave of executions in Iran".

As to the European Union, the resolution calls on the Council and Commission "to closely monitor developments in Iran and also to raise concrete cases of human rights abuses". It also suggests "restarting the EU-Iran Human Rights Dialogue, which has been interrupted since June 2004, and which could possibly be accompanied by a joint initiative of the Majlis [the Iranian Parliament] and the European Parliament".

In conclusion, the resolution calls on the Commission to support civil society in Iran, notably through the new Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights, and on the EU Member States to refrain from expulsions of Iranian asylum-seekers.

Attack on Bhutto prompts call for restoration of democracy in Pakistan

In a resolution on Pakistan adopted in the wake of the suicide bombing attack against Benazir Bhutto, Parliament voices concern at the unstable political situation in the country and calls on the authorities to restore democratic standards ahead of the parliamentary elections.

MEPs condemn the attack against Benazir Bhutto and call on the Pakistan government to conduct a "thorough and independent investigation". Parliament extends its deepest sympathy, especially to the families of those killed and injured, and reaffirms its solidarity with the people of Pakistan who want "democratic governance and transparent, accountable rule and who act with courage and determination in the face of terrorist and criminal violence".

Military dictatorship must be replaced through free and fair elections

The EP urges Pakistan to uphold all the principles enshrined in the Cooperation Agreement with the EU, in particular the democracy and human rights clause and, alluding to the forced departure of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to Saudi Arabia, asks the government "to allow the return of all political leaders to counter the extremist forces in the country and contribute to establishing a legitimate government through free and fair elections, replacing the current military dictatorship".

The lack of independence or neutrality of Pakistan's institutions and judiciary is a major worry: the caretaker government is chosen by President Musharraf, the government interferes with the courts and the president failed to relinquish his post of army chief before being elected president. Against this background, the resolution calls for "immediate action to restrict the influence of the military in society as a whole". It also "urges that Pakistan returns to democratic government by holding free, fair and transparent elections in January 2008", warns against "the imposition of emergency rule" and urges the government "to provide all parties with equal access to the media".

The fact that EU will monitor the parliamentary elections and the European Parliament will participate in the observer mission is welcomed.

Religious issues, women's rights

MEPs note the reports of "ongoing oppression of religious minorities such as Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs and Ahmadis" and call for "immediate action to cease such religious-based repression". They also stress the importance of "effective monitoring of the madrassas to prevent control by extremists".

Parliament urges the repeal of the Hudood Ordinances, which have led to the imprisonment of hundreds of women, as well as the removal of a restriction on women's participation in the parliamentary elections (an academic qualification is currently required as a condition for standing for election, thus excluding 70% of women).

Lastly, EU Member States are urged "fully to respect the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports".

Killing of AU peacekeepers in Darfur

On the day the EP's Sakharov Prize was awarded to the Sudanese human rights lawyer Salih Mahmoud Osman for his work in Darfur (see link below), MEPs also adopted a resolution (by 65 votes to 0, with 0 abstentions) condemning the killing of 10 African Union peacekeepers in that region and calling on the Sudanese government to shoulder responsibility for the country's internal security, notably by allowing the UNAMID peacekeeping force to be deployed.

On 30 September 2007 unidentified forces attacked an African Union base in Haskanita, South Darfur, killing 10 AU peacekeepers and civilian police, at least eight other personnel from the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) were seriously injured and approximately 40 remain went missing. Attacks on AMIS personnel have increased lately and, since the force was deployed in 2004, more than 25 soldiers and staff have been killed.

The resolution strongly condemns the killing of the 10 AU peacekeepers and considers it "a war crime to be promptly investigated by the African Union and the United Nations". It stresses that "customary laws of war prohibit directing attacks against personnel and objects involved in international peacekeeping missions".

MEPs demand an immediate cessation of hostilities and attacks not only on AMIS but also on civilians and humanitarian agencies, their staff and assets and relief convoys. They call on "the Sudanese Government and the rebel groups to cooperate fully with an independent investigation into the dreadful attack in Haskanita and to bring all those responsible to justice". They add that the fate of those peacekeepers still missing must be established.

Sudanese Government urged to allow deployment of UNAMID force

The AMIS force in Darfur comprises approximately 7000 troops and civilian police at the present moment, and is virtually the only force on the ground in Darfur providing civilian protection. A 26,000 member AU-UN hybrid operation, UNAMID, was authorised by the UN Security Council in July 2007 but has yet to be deployed, owing to unwillingness by the Sudanese Government.

The resolution points out that "the Sudanese Government has made previous unfulfilled commitments to allow the hybrid force into Sudan". It calls for "rapid deployment of the UNAMID force with a mandate which enables it to efficiently protect civilians" and calls on the UN "to fulfil its commitment and provide the troops that have been promised".

In addition, the resolution "reminds the Sudanese Government that it bears the prime responsibility for internal security and that it should not abdicate this responsibility in favour of the international community".

Lastly, the EU, the UN and the African Union are called upon to show a united front in efforts to resolve the conflict in Darfur and "to prioritise a comprehensive peace process through a political dialogue with all parties concerned".

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Arab News

KUWAIT CITY, 27 October 2007 — Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, yesterday told Iran that making provocative statements against countries in the Gulf region would not serve its interests.

“It will not be in the interest of Iran to provoke any party,” the prince said when asked about Tehran’s plan to attack Gulf states in response to a possible US strike on the country.

Speaking to reporters after opening the new Saudi Embassy building in Kuwait, Sultan said Saudi Arabia was not playing host to any foreign forces.

“Saudi Arabia is not the runway or base of any force in the world,” said the crown prince in reply to question whether the Kingdom would allow the US to use military bases in the Gulf to attack Iran.

Sultan reiterated the GCC stand that the three islands — Abu Moussa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs — occupied by Iran belonged to the United Arab Emirates.

Riyadh Gov. Prince Salman was present at the opening ceremony.

Sultan also announced a donation of SR10 million from Prince Sultan Charitable Foundation to three social and educational institutions in Kuwait.
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Kurdish villagers evacuate due to Turkish bombardment

27 October 2007: The Kurdish inhabitants along the Turkish-Iraqi (southern-northern Kurdistan) border started evacuating their villages due to continuous Turkish bombardments, reported Kurdish website sbeiy.com on Saturday.

According to sbeiy.com most of the population of the village of Desht-Tikh close to Turkish border in the province of Zakho (aka Zaxo) have left their villages while the inhabitants of the village Berkh, which consist of 30 families, left to Zakho. Other villagers, according to the website, relocated to the village of Bativ.
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2007-10-27 ; http://www.unpo.org/article.php?id=7282

With a unilateral declaration of independence possible in the next months, EU countries must ponder if they will endorse an independent Kosova.

Below is an article published by EU Business:

Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, the head of the German parliament's foreign affairs commission, told AFP that if Kosovo took such a step unilaterally, "a group of countries, including Germany, could move quickly to recognise" its independence.

The Christian Social Union politician said European countries were however showing great "inventiveness" in trying to wring a settlement from fraught talks between Kosovo and Serbia mediated by European, Russian and US negotiators.

Leaders of Kosovo's 90 percent Albanian population are threatening to proclaim independence on December 10 [2007], when the negotiations are due to end, regardless of the outcome of the talks.

Guttenberg said Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia are among the EU member nations who are reluctant to recognise an independent Kosovo.

There are strong fears that the EU could be split on the issue.

To avoid this, Guttenberg said, the bloc is likely to leave it up to individual nations to decide when they want to recognise Kosovo's independence.

"Faster recognition by some nations could then be accepted as part of the process" within the bloc, he said.

The German daily Die Welt on Thursday reported that at least 25 EU nations planned to recognise Kosovo's independence, but diplomats in Brussels cast doubt on the scenario.

The German government this week rejected earlier, similar reports as "speculation".

Kosovo has been under UN rule since 1999 after NATO intervened to stop a crackdown on ethnic Albanians by Serbia.

Belgrade vehemently opposes independence for the province, claiming that it is the cradle of Serbian history and culture. Russia backs Serbia's stance while the United States has said it would recognise Kosovo.

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By JAMEY KEATEN – 27-10-2007

PARIS (AP) — Britain and France are leading a push for new EU sanctions to punish Iran over its nuclear program. But while European nations increasingly fear a war in their backyard, the continent is divided over how to deal with the crisis.

The United States raised the stakes this week with new sanctions targeting the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, which Washington accuses of supporting terrorism by backing Shiite militants in Iraq. The announcement raised the question of whether the European Union would follow suit.

France, long viewed as too busy making money in Iran to punish it over its nuclear program, is now seeking to hurt Tehran economically. Britain also sees tougher sanctions as essential.

But few other European nations clamoring to support stepped-up EU sanctions. The divisions mirror those that split the continent over Iraq, though the fault lines have shifted.

"It's not unthinkable that (Europe) could reach symbolic sanctions, but it will be complicated to get much further. There's just too much division," said Philippe Moreau-Defarges of the French Institute for International Relations. "France is pretty isolated, aside from Britain."

Since the United States first slapped sanctions on Iran in 1979, European companies have continued to rake in profits from business in Iran, from the oil sector to banking deals.

While corporate rivals in Asia or elsewhere could fill a void left by the possible loss of European companies in Iran, EU expertise in the financial or industrial sectors would be missed, analysts said. Iran already faces limited EU sanctions and visa bans.

Concerns have been rising in some European corners that the United States or Israel might attack to prevent Iran from developing atomic bombs. But few EU members agree on what measures to take to make sure war does not break out.

Iran insists its nuclear program is designed strictly to produce electricity and has repeatedly defied U.N. demands that it suspend uranium enrichment — a possible pathway to atomic weapons.

EU foreign ministers in mid-October failed to agree on new sanctions sought by French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner. He sent a letter to European counterparts Oct. 2 urging them to examine new EU sanctions, mainly on Iran's financial sector, to complement efforts toward a third set of U.N. Security Council sanctions.

But Germany and Italy — Iran's biggest EU trading partner — want to give diplomacy and current sanctions more time, looking for unity through the United Nations.

"These are countries that are discreet in their international relations and have economic ties to Iran," in industries like metals, chemicals and oil, said Francois Gere, an Iran specialist and head of the French Institute of Strategic Analysis.

After meeting Wednesday with Iranian officials, Italian Premier Romano Prodi praised the efforts of EU and Iranian negotiators and said dialogue was "the only instrument" to reach a solution.

The new dynamic of European ties with the United States is central to the equation.

Sarkozy has sought to rekindle ties with the U.S. that soured during the Iraq war. Britain has been a stalwart U.S. friend. Several EU newcomers from eastern Europe tend to favor tougher sanctions, mostly because of their pro-U.S. affinities, analysts said.

Sarkozy said in August he wanted to avoid "a catastrophic alternative: an Iranian bomb, or the bombing of Iran" if diplomacy fails. The mere suggestion from France of military action against Iran sent shockwaves through diplomatic circles. But Sarkozy's comments appear designed to rally the international community around the idea of a forceful strategy on Iran that stops short of war.

Sarkozy also apparently wants to set the example that France is willing to take a hard line against Iran despite its economic interests there. French lenders hold more outstanding Iranian debt of any in Europe — some $5.9 billion — or more than a quarter of all foreign claims there, according to Bank for International Settlements figures provided in September.

French automaker Renault has invested millions in a partnership to develop a local equivalent of its Logan sedan. A Renault spokeswoman said that existing sanctions on Iran have stalled the rollout of the production line that could make up to 300,000 cars per year for the Iranian market.

Some analysts, however, say France's tough stance is just for show.

"Though their rhetoric has been very staunch, in practice what they're going to do is a totally different thing," said Roger Howard, author of "Iran Oil," a book on the Mideast oil and the United States.

French oil company Total SA is close to finalizing a deal to develop the latest phase of Iran's South Pars natural gas field, Howard said. Total has declined to comment about possible sanctions.

"If Sarkozy and Kouchner are that hawkish, they can put pressure on them to pull the deal or distance themselves from it," he said.

Associated Press Writers D'Arcy Doran in London, Victor Simpson in Rome and David McHugh in Berlin contributed to this report.

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Release Yaqoob Mehrnehad

Yaqoob Mehrnehad a peaceful campaigner for Baloch basic rights in Iran who is imprisoned without any charge since 27 April 07.