Iran, Geopolitics and the Bomb

O! MS, O! GE, O! why don`t ye help India with Washington....

India must learn how to behave. Oops, no Syrian oilfield for the suckers....

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http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006 01 29 story_29-1-2006_pg7_2
US warns India against investing in Syrian oilfield

NEW DELHI: Washington, which is negotiating a landmark civilian nuclear deal with India, has asked New Delhi to reconsider its decision to buy a Syrian oilfield with China, a report said on Saturday. The demand was made earlier this month and a note with Washington’s objections was handed over to Indian foreign ministry officials, The Hindu newspaper reported.

The report came after the US ambassador to India warned earlier this week that the country could lose out on the crucial nuclear deal if it does not vote against Iran’s nuclear programme at a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) February 2.

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Kicking India where it hurts. Treat them like dogs.

India must be shafted and India will be shafted...

Rejoice Pakistanis with the following news:

http://dawn.com/2006/01/29/top1.htm

Pipeline plan may be delayed

By Ihtasham ul Haque

ISLAMABAD, Jan 28: Pakistan is facing difficulties to go ahead with the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline project due to the mounting US pressure on Islamabad and New Delhi to give up the over $7 billion plan.

Informed sources told Dawn on Saturday, though almost all technical and professional issues had been sorted out among the three stakeholders, the intensifying US opposition to the project could delay its execution.

The remaining issues of pipeline structure and gas pricing will be sorted out in tripartite talks to be held in Iran next month, but the officials concerned fear for the progress of the project under the present circumstances.

President Gen Pervez Musharraf said in Davos on Thursday that Pakistan had no plans to ditch the natural gas deal with Iran. If the United States wanted Pakistan to stay away from the project, it should pay the compensation.

Sources said that all the three countries were keen to sign the final agreement as early as possible, but could not “straightaway” reject the US reservations over the IPI gas project.

“If everything goes as per plan, we should be able to start this project by June next year. But I am afraid, I cannot speak about the political issues which are of course important and need to be settled,” a source said.

He said the target of achieving 7.5-8 per cent GDP growth rate could not come true without having all the three gas projects finalised.

“At least two gas pipeline projects have to be firmed up to achieve the desired growth rate in near future,” a source said.

Talks on Turkmenistan gas project, he said, would be held on Feb 13-15, while the Qatar government had been requested to give time for initiating discussion on a gas pipeline project from Qatar to Pakistan.

Sources said that keeping in view the financial and technical viability of the IPI project, it was not difficult to arrange a foreign consortium to manage funding for it and other two gas projects, sources added.

Iran has proposed a segmented approach to build the trans-national pipeline, which means that each country should construct the pipeline in its respective territory. Another proposal is to lay the whole pipeline as an integrated project from gas field in Iran to distribution points in Pakistan and India.

The Pakistan’s Interstate Gas Company Limited (IGCL) has appointed Pricewaterhouse Coopers as financial adviser to propose a best possible structure of the project from Pakistan’s point of view.

Islamabad has sent a gas pricing formula to Iran, which is based on gas pricing mechanism in Pakistan.

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This is just the beginning. Mighty Persian and Arab khajoor injected sugar cane therapies are on its to treat the Indians on how to behave with neighbors......

Strange creatures, otherwise also known as Hindoos, have no idea where to put their mouths to have a good morning suck. They huddle on railroad tracks as their spiritual leader Gandhi had decreed. They are enemies of their neighbors. It is time for some sugar cane therapy for the dung eating creatures.

#179, Ranjit {``You are a zoroastrian, not a muslim. You seem to be well educated and successful. What do you have in common with people like urstruly, ali1 and malik99? Manto is an exception but other than him, what else is there in Pakistan? Even Salim bhai is on our side. :-) ``}

Ranjit Bhai,
Yes, I am on the side that is more logical and more humane. That varies from issue to issue and topic to topic. :)
For the record, I am not a Bihari Pharisee, as alleged by some, and would like to be cremated rather than consumed by bugs underground or vultures above ground - I just have a very low threshold for pain, even when I am dead. Thanks. :)

re: US-India relationship: a new paradigm?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/24/AR2006012401804_2.html
(U.S. Troops on Front Line Of Expanding India Ties
Post-9/11 Shift Stresses Common Interests

By John Lancaster
Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, January 25, 2006; Page A01

CHAUBATIA, India -- More than half a century after independence, foreign soldiers have returned to this onetime colonial garrison of tin-roofed bungalows, stone churches and panoramic Himalayan views. But this time, the soldiers` accents are American, not British, and their purpose is not to subdue India but to cultivate it as an ally.

In the latest of a series of such exercises, 120 U.S. combat troops have come here to train with their Indian counterparts in areas such as counterinsurgency and peacekeeping. Besides taking classroom instruction, they are firing Indian weapons, bonding with Indian soldiers over games of soccer and volleyball, and even developing a taste for vegetarian cuisine, albeit with spices toned down for sensitive American palates.

``When you get the armies together, it`s like saying, `Hey, we can work together, we can accomplish this together,` `` said U.S. Army Capt. Robert Atienza, 31, of San Diego, who commands the Hawaii-based infantry company that is participating in the 2 1/2 -week exercise that began last week. ``It`s very broad.``

The exercise is an example of the striking improvement in relations between the United States and India following decades of Cold War estrangement and more recent tensions stemming from India`s nuclear tests in 1998.

Spurred by the United States, the two governments have signed commercial, scientific and military agreements in the last two years and are negotiating a controversial deal that could permit the sale of civilian nuclear technology to India. The Bush administration is eager to cultivate India as a partner in counterterrorism and, some analysts say, as a strategic counterweight to China.

The warming trend is also reflected in the surge of interest in India among U.S. business leaders such as Bill Gates, the chairman of Microsoft Corp., who recently announced a $1.7 billion investment in the country, the latest in a string of such commitments by U.S. technology firms eager to cash in on India`s booming economy and surplus of inexpensive brainpower.

Other indicators include the parade of U.S. lawmakers through New Delhi in recent months and steadily expanding commercial air links. In addition, a record number of Indian students -- more than 80,000 -- are studying at U.S. universities, according to the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi.

President Bush is scheduled to visit India for the first time in early March at the invitation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a self-effacing economist who met with Bush at the White House last July. In New Delhi on Friday, Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran said the planned visit is ``really reflective of the very significant transformation that has taken place, and is taking place, in India-U.S. relations.``

Saran was speaking at a news conference after meetings with Undersecretary of State R. Nicholas Burns, who was making his third visit to the Indian capital in the last six months. ``India is one of the few countries in the world that has the capability to act globally and has the same basic interests as the United States,`` Burns said in a telephone interview from New Delhi.

The two countries still have important differences. In particular, India has a long history of warm relations with Iran and is pursuing plans to build a natural gas pipeline from Iran across Pakistan, a move that the Bush administration has warned could trigger sanctions against Indian companies under a U.S. law aimed at isolating Iran`s Islamic regime. Indian officials say the project is essential to their country`s energy security.

Partly for that reason, India has walked a tightrope in its handling of the standoff between Iran and the United States over allegations that Iran is secretly developing nuclear weapons.

India`s reluctance to dance entirely to Washington`s tune stems in part from the influence of political parties opposed to the Bush administration`s policies on Iraq and free trade.
One of the most important tests of the new relationship centers on the agreement signed by Bush and Singh in Washington last July that would give India access to nuclear fuel and reactors to produce electricity. Under the deal, the United States would lift a ban on the sale of such technology to India, provided that India opens up its civilian nuclear facilities to international inspections and other safeguards.

That cannot happen, however, until the administration and India agree on a plan to separate the country`s civilian and military nuclear facilities. The U.S. Congress would then have to vote on the deal, which critics say would weaken efforts to curb the spread of nuclear weapons and create perceptions of a double standard in U.S. dealings with such countries as Iran and North Korea.

``The nonproliferation system is built on rules,`` said Michael Krepon, a specialist on the issue at the Henry L. Stimson Center in Washington. ``They`re not always honored, but having them makes it easier to gang up on people who break the rules. The approach the administration is taking is very poisonous to all that.``

U.S. officials say the deal would strengthen nonproliferation efforts by opening up India`s civilian nuclear facilities to outside inspection for the first time. India, they say, is entitled to special treatment in light of its democratic values and exemplary record of preventing nuclear secrets from falling into the wrong hands.

Burns said in the interview that his discussions last week with Indian officials had not yielded a breakthrough on the separation plan, and he made no prediction about whether a deal would be secured in time for Bush`s visit. ``It`s a possibility but not a certainty,`` he said.

If the deal does fall apart, ``a lot of people would be quite happy to say, `We told you the United States cannot be trusted,` `` said C. Raja Mohan, an analyst and commentator in New Delhi.

Other analysts say the relationship would survive such a setback, citing many common interests. Already, they note, India and the United States are working closely to coordinate policy on regional concerns such as instability in Nepal and Bangladesh. ``The relationship is going to stand on its own,`` Burns said.

The goodwill marks a sharp change from the Cold War, when India was a champion of the Non-Aligned Movement and had close ties to the Soviet Union. Relations began to improve in the early 1990s following the Soviet collapse and India`s initial moves to liberalize its economy. But they nosedived when the United States imposed sanctions in response to India`s 1998 nuclear tests.

The Bush administration lifted the sanctions after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and has promoted India as a new global partner, citing its vast economic potential and status as the world`s largest democracy.

Analysts say the White House drive to court India was also influenced by frustration with traditional allies such as France and Germany and concerns over the rising power of China.

The administration has paid special attention to strengthening India`s military capabilities.

Since 2002, India and the United States have held a number of naval, air and ground exercises. The latest is being conducted in Chaubatia, an army base that was established by the British Indian Army in the late 19th century in the forested Himalayan foothills about 90 miles northeast of New Delhi. It is now occupied by the Indian army`s Kumaon Regiment and, at least through the end of January, by the men of Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, which is part of the 25th Infantry Division out of Scofield Barracks, Hawaii.

Chaubatia is an exotic setting for the exercise, with its striking views of snow-capped peaks, immaculate grounds and road sign alerting drivers that ``leopards have right of way.``

One morning last week, Atienza, the company commander, lectured Indian soldiers on lessons learned during the battalion`s year-long tour of Afghanistan, which ended in March 2004, as an interpreter translated his words into Hindi. In other classes, Indian officers shared their experiences fighting Islamic guerrillas in Kashmir. Later in the day, Indian and American troops converged on a firing range, where they took turns shooting each other`s assault rifles at pop-up targets.K

In part, the exercise is aimed at bridging cultural gaps between the two militaries. Several American officers, for example, said they had been struck by the relative lack of autonomy vested in Indian soldiers at the platoon level. And an Indian officer, who under Indian army ground rules could not be identified by name, said the U.S. soldiers were ``quite relaxed,`` adding philosophically, ``That is their way.``)
Sridhar

re:#175 by ranjit
Just because an ambassador shot of his mouth some stupid statement does not mean US is trying to browbeat India.
These kind of things happen in diplomatic circles. US diplomats are not known for their diplomacy, especially those serving in developing countries. India did right by summoning the ambassador and giving him a ``diplomatic dressdown``.
All this does still does not change the real picture. Iran is a dangerous nation. It is not just an ideological nation (like Pak) but a nation ruled by a nutcase who will very likely pass on the nuclear weapon to Hamas or probably use it at the first instance.
I do not know why Iran is considered a friend of India. This probably happened more out of compulsion during the cold war days. Now-a-days, India and US are forging a new relationship and there is nothing much to gain from Iran.
The only thing Iran has (that is useful to India) is gas. There is noway that will ever be sold to India. The pipeline is now a pipedream. There is nothing else to be gained from Iran. I suspect this year will see a UN sponsored war against Iran.
Sridhar

Re:behram all

Yaar, why dont u come over to our side? You are a zoroastrian, not a muslim. You seem to be well educated and successful. What do you have in common with people like urstruly, ali1 and malik99? Manto is an exception but other than him, what else is there in Pakistan? Even Salim bhai is on our side. :-)

We hindus get along well with zorostarians and they succeed beyond all imagination in India like the Tatas. Even Jinnah`s grandson Nusli Wadia, a parsee, prefers to live in India.

So what say? Thook do gussa aur ban jao hindustani!! :-)

Re: # 179

ranjit:

Thanks, but no thanks. I am very comfortable with Pakistanis. Yes, being a Zoroastrian, I truly love my country of birth Pakistan. In my life I have always trusted Pakistanis. Pakistanis are good humans. There is no reason for me to become a Hindustani.

{Manto is an exception but other than him, what else is there in Pakistan?} Why don`t you make a trip to Pakistan, then? You will find Pakistanis thousand times better than your countrymen.

The hate that Hindoos have been promoting on this Chowk is not what Pakistanis are all about.

{We hindus get along well with zorostarians and they succeed beyond all imagination in India like the Tatas.} Zoroastrians get along with everyone in Pakistan as well. Parsees have schools, hospitals, and even a University in Pakistan. They truly live as royal citizens of Pakistan. Go check it out yourself.

{Even Jinnah`s grandson Nusli Wadia, a parsee, prefers to live in India.} But, Behram prefers to live in Pakistan, and that is what matters the most.

{So what say? Thook do gussa aur ban jao hindustani!! :-)} Actually, it is hindoos who have ``gussa`` against Pakistanis. Ask them to be civilized and stop spewing hate.

Bipolar factoid junkie is stuck and can`t comprehend a simple post:

>>>#172 by behram1 on January 28, 2006 1:23pm PT

Bipolar Factoid Junkie and other hindoos are on a collision course. Indians on this chowk can`t decide whether India is Iran`s friend or not? I know India is NOT. <<<

Actually, I agree with his views and yet his bipolar nature continues to harp on irrelevancy.

Maybe that madrasi hate monger would should up and explain his position, and then bipolar factoid junkie would be isolated permanently. He could even agree with me.

Oooooh! what fun would it be to shaft these idiots in the darkest corner of chowk.....

As usual, Indian Hindoos can`t make up their mind.

Is Iran India`s friend? Most say yes, except for this bipolar factoid junkie. The other who has rocks bouncing around in his skull is still MIA. He must be waiting on the railraod tracks doing his early morning thing. Maybe all these Hindoos should huddle on the railroad tracks and think what is going to happen to their society. With the pressure mounting while squatting maybe their brains would ooze out from between their legs.

Indians are strange creatures hard for humans to understand.

Don`t Mess With Iranians

http://money.cnn.com/2006/01/27/news/international/pluggedin_fortune/index.htm

Ready for $262/barrel oil?

Two of the world`s most successful investors say oil will be in short supply in the coming months.

DAVOS, Switzerland (FORTUNE) - Be afraid. Be very afraid.

That`s the message from two of the world`s most successful investors on the topic of high oil prices. One of them, Hermitage Capital`s Bill Browder, has outlined six scenarios that could take oil up to a downright terrifying $262 a barrel.

The other, billionaire investor George Soros, wouldn`t make any specific predictions about prices. But as a legendary commodities player, it`s worth paying heed to the words of the man who once took on the Bank of England -- and won. ``I`m very worried about the supply-demand balance, which is very tight,`` Soros says.

``U.S. power and influence has declined precipitously because of Iraq and the war on terror and that creates an incentive for anyone who wants to make trouble to go ahead and make it.`` As an example, Soros pointed to the regime in Iran, which is heading towards a confrontation with the West over its nuclear power program and doesn`t show any signs of compromising. ``Iran is on a collision course and I have a difficulty seeing how such a collision can be avoided,`` he says.

Another emboldened troublemaker is Russian president Vladimir Putin, Soros said, citing Putin`s recent decision to briefly shut the supply of natural gas to Ukraine. The only bit of optimism Soros could offer was that the next 12 months would be most dangerous in terms of any price shocks, because beginning in 2007 he predicts new oil supplies will come online.

Hermitage`s Bill Browder doesn`t yet have the stature of George Soros. But his $4 billion Moscow-based Hermitage fund rose 81.5 percent last year and is up a whopping 1780 percent since its inception a decade ago. A veteran of Salomon Bros. and Boston Consulting Group, the 41-year old Browder has been especially successful because of his contrarian take; for example, he continued to invest in Russia when others fled following the Kremlin`s assault on Yukos.

Re:arjun_m#170

While I am no fan of the Iranian mullahs, I dont want India to slowly become a US lapdog. The US ambassador`s behavior in Delhi, with his threats and all, was highly objectionable. Who does he think he is dealing with? We are not Pakistan that he can threaten us openly and we will lick his boots.

We must keep in mind the typical US relationship with its client states in the past, especially Pakistan. While we must pursue open markets and economic liberalization at full speed, we must maintain our self-respect, just like China does. China doesnt take any $hit from the US, only the dollars. :-) We must be like that.

The problem is basically Pakistan that has created the impression in US minds that all brown skinned desis will behave the same way and lick their boots. We need to disabuse them of that notion!!

Bipolar Factoid Junkie:

China`s Foreign Reserve jumps to $818B

South Korea`s Reserve jumps to $214B

India`s Reserve stuck at $123B

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China`s Industrial Output Growth = 16%

Pakistan`s Industrial Output Growth = 8%

India`s Industrial Output Growth = 5%

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hello inbred retard..

India Is Darling of World Economic Forum
India, Darling of Davos, Is Questioned by Corporate Heavyweights As It Seeks New Investment

— Dell Inc. founder Michael Dell asked about manufacturing semiconductors. Nestle SA CEO Peter Brabeck-Letmathe raised the problem of water supplies in rural areas.

Bipolar Factoid Junkie and other hindoos are on a collision course. Indians on this chowk can`t decide whether India is Iran`s friend or not? I know India is NOT.

Iran should stay away from the Indian shenanigans and let India suffer the consequences of it`s foreign policy decisions.

All this islamist whining is meaningless..If the US decides to bomb Iran, it`ll do so...just like it decided to bomb the cr@p out of pakis



no amount of whining by anyone can change that..