December 11, 2000

Stansted hijack jet crew went home to torture
The Times-UK
BY DANIEL MCGRORY
MONDAY DECEMBER 11 2000
JACK STRAW was under pressure last night to change his mind about refusing asylum to passengers from the hijacked Afghan jet that landed at Stansted airport,

Taliban hold talks with opposition BBC
Representatives of the Taleban movement in Afghanistan and its rivals in the opposition Northern Alliance have met face-to-face in the Turkmen capital, Ashkhabad, for the first time in many months.

Warring Afghan sides hold talks in Turkmenistan
ASHGABAT, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Afghanistan's warring factions held more than three hours of peace talks in the Turkmen capital on Sunday and the talks may continue on Monday, a Turkmen government official said.

Chinese delegation visits Afghanistan - BBC
A Chinese delegation has arrived in the Afghan capital, Kabul, following a call by the ruling Taleban authorities for Beijing to oppose a joint call by the United States and Russia for tighter

UN Staff Begin Leaving Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD (Dec. 11) XINHUA - Some United Nations staff have begun evacuating from Afghanistan in face of possible protests over new U.N. sanctions, a spokeswoman said here Monday.

Taliban Vows To Close U.N. Offices
By KATHY GANNON
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - The Taliban vowed Sunday to shut down United Nations offices that do not provide humanitarian aid if the global body imposes more sanctions on their war-ravaged country.

Aid workers fear sanctions will prolong Afghan war
By Sayed Salahuddin
KABUL, Dec 11 (Reuters) - U.S. and Russian calls for an arms embargo on the ruling Taleban movement have alarmed Western aid workers, who say they are worried about the impact on Afghanistan and their own work.

Taliban threaten to boycott UN peace talks
ISLAMABAD (NNI): Taliban have threatened to boycott the negotiations being conducted through the UN mediation if sanctions were imposed on Afghanistan.

PAKISTAN TO EXPORT 300,000 TONNES OF WHEAT TO AFGHANISTAN
ISLAMABAD, Dec 11 Asia Pulse - Pakistan on Friday signed an agreement with Afghanistan for the export of 300,000 tonnes of wheat.

India, Kazakhstan discuss Afghanistan situation
NEW DELHI (NNI): India and Kazakhstan believe the international community should step up the efforts to settle the Afghanistan situation and put an end to the bloodshed in the country.

US citizen 'admits links to bin Laden
Jordan, Dec 9 (UPI) -- A Jordanian with U.S. citizenship has "confessed" to having links with Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden and planning to carry out attacks in the kingdom last year

RAWA rally attacks Jehadi groups' stalls - DAWN
ISLAMABAD - A protest rally organised by RAWA at Karachi Company against Taliban Forces in Afghanistan ultimately led to a mess which gripped the entire area for more than three hours.

CARE, World Vision, Oxfam, Save the Children and Mercy Corps Receive a TotalOf $1.6 Million for Kenyan and Afghanistan Drought Relief Efforts
SEATTLE, Dec. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- CARE, World Vision, Oxfam, Save the Children and Mercy Corps International have received grants totaling $1.6 million from the Bill

Sattar on Afghanistan - DAWN editorial 12/11
FOREIGN Minister Abdus Sattar, while referring to the imposition of more sanctions by the UN Security Council on the Taliban government in Afghanistan,

Lateef calls for end to Afghan fighting - Frontier Post 12/10/2000
PESHAWAR - National Awami Party of Pakistan (NAPP) has expressed fear that the expected US-NATO joint attack on Afghanistan will further deteriorate the situation

Excerpt of the day from The News Int.
Following Gen Musharraf's assurance to Crown Prince Abdullah during Islamic Summit in Doha last month that Nawaz Sharif would soon be released in exchange of a Saudi guarantee