3D"SASSI_logo_ol"

The=20 Journal of South Asian Non-Proliferation and = Security

October,=20 2009

Editorial=20 Staff
Dr. Maria Sultan, = Editor-in-Chief
Nick=20 Robson, Production
Research, SASSI = Research=20 Fellows

The Journal=20 of South Asian Non-Proliferation is an online compendium of=20 non-proliferation related publications.
It is a periodic compilation = of=20 news, official statements, and expert analyses related to South Asian=20 non-proliferation issues.

Supporting = worldwide=20 understanding of South Asian non-proliferation, arms control and=20 disarmament issues.

The=20 Journal of South Asian Non-Proliferation
is a Product of the = South=20 Asian Strategic Stability Institute (SASSI)

NUCLEAR RELATED=20 ISSUES

AFGHANISTAN

OPINION /=20 EDITORIAL

MIDDLE = EAST

CLIMATE / = ENERGY

SUMMARIES

NUCLEAR RELATED=20 ISSUES

Precursor=20 to PM's US visit: India notifies separation plan in=20 IAEA

NEW DELHI: In = the run-up=20 to PM Manmohan Singh's first state visit to Washington in the = Obama=20 administration, India has notified its separation plan in the = IAEA, which=20 formally separates India's civilian and military nuclear = establishments.=20 The plan, which was announced in March 2006, has passed muster at = IAEA and=20 India's safeguards agreement is now officially operational.=20

Iran=20 Could Enrich Uranium to Higher Level

NTI: Tuesday, = Oct. 13,=20 2009: Iran indicated Saturday that it intends to further refine=20 low-enriched uranium from its stockpile if world powers and the=20 International Atomic Energy Agency do not agree in upcoming talks = to=20 supply the nation with higher-enriched material needed to operate = a=20 research reactor in Tehran, the Associated Press=20 reported.

North=20 Korea Says Dismantling Its Nuclear Weapons =91Unthinkable=92=20

Oct. 6 = (Bloomberg) --=20 North Korea said dismantling the regime=92s nuclear weapons is = =93unthinkable=20 even in a dream,=94 while signaling a readiness to return to = disarmament=20 talks with the U.S., China, Russia, South Korea and Japan.=20

Nuclear=20 Commission Co-Chief Blasts Khan's = Release

Monday, Oct. 5, = 2009:=20 Former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans yesterday = castigated a=20 Pakistani court order to end the house arrest of former top = nuclear=20 scientist and proliferators Abdul Qadeer Khan, Asian News = International=20 reported. Khan confessed in 2004 to running a nuclear smuggling = ring that=20 provided sensitive nuclear technology and materials to Iran, North = Korea=20 and Libya.

Iran=20 Has Nuclear Weapon Know-How, IAEA Findings=20 Suggest

Monday, Oct. 5, = 2009:=20 Newly leaked excerpts from a running U.N. analysis of Iran's = nuclear=20 capabilities support the conclusion that the nation has obtained = much of=20 the data necessary to build a nuclear bomb and fit it onto a = missile, the=20 New York Times reported yesterday.

India=20 inks nuclear pact with Argentina

NEW DELHI: = India on=20 Wednesday signed an agreement in civilian nuclear cooperation with = Argentina, the seventh pact it has inked after coming out of = isolation in=20 the civilian nuclear field. =20 The nuclear pact was among the 10 agreements signed with = Argentina=20 following talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and visiting = Argentine President Cristina Fernando de Kirchner. The Agreement for = Cooperation in=20 the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy was signed by Secretary (West) = in the=20 Ministry of External Affairs Vivek Katju and Argentine Foreign = Minister=20 Jorge Talana.

Some=20 Indian Officials Seen Backing Call for New Nuclear=20 Tests

Monday, Oct. 5, = 2009: An=20 Indian scientist's recent call for his nation to conduct further = nuclear=20 tests reflects a view shared by well-placed Indian nuclear = researchers,=20 military experts and foreign officials who oppose ratification of = the=20 Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, analysts said in a = Washington Post=20 article published today.

Do = not=20 expect India to sign NPT in present form:=20 ElBaradei

IAEA Director = General=20 Mohammad ElBaradei has said that he does not expect India to sign = the=20 Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) but feels Comprehensive = Test Ban=20 Treaty (CTBT) could be more "acceptable". "I do not expect India = to sign=20 the NPT in its present form...Maybe the CTBT would be more = acceptable," he=20 told CNN-IBN. His remarks assume significance in the wake of the = United=20 Nations Security Council adopting a resolution asking all non-NPT = states,=20 including India, to sign the NPT.

U.S.=20 Not Seeking Disclosure of Israeli Nuclear=20 Arsenal

Friday, Oct. 2, = 2009: The=20 Obama administration does not intend to press Israel to give = international=20 monitors access to its nuclear weapons, the Washington Times = reported=20 today. U.S. President Barack Obama, left, speaks with Israeli = Prime=20 Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside the White House in May. = Obama's=20 administration does not plan to pressure Israel to open its = nuclear sites=20 to international scrutiny, officials said.

Clinton=20 Calls for Indian Role in Updating = NPT

Thursday, Oct. = 22, 2009:=20 India should be given a "major" role in efforts to update the = Nuclear=20 Nonproliferation Treaty, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton = said=20 yesterday. In a question-and-answer session following a = nonproliferation=20 policy address at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Clinton said that a = civilian nuclear cooperation agreement finalized last year between = Washington and New Delhi "is embedded in a broader strategic = dialogue that=20 we are engaged in with the Indians".

Israel=20 Eyes Attacking Iran Over Nuclear = Program

WASHINGTON -- = Israeli=20 leaders are having a =93serious conversation=94 about carrying out = a=20 unilateral attack on Iran should that nation continue to develop a = suspected nuclear-weapon capability, one U.S. journalist said = Wednesday=20 following an investigative reporting trip to the Middle=20 East.

Pakistan=20 Must Deal With Nuclear Threats, Clinton = Says

Pakistan needs = to=20 recognize the seriousness of the threat posed by terrorists who = want to=20 acquire nuclear weapons, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton = said=20 today during a trip to Islamabad. Clinton said the Obama = administration=20 had a "high degree of confidence" that Pakistan's nuclear weapons = were=20 secure, Agence France-Presse reported.

Tale of two speeches: = Ahmadinejad=92s and=20 Netanyahu=92s

Iranian President = Ahmadinejad=92s Speech=20 at the UN General Assembly on September 23 was titled = The End of = Capitalism, more brusquely titled on = the YouTube=20 clip: Greedy Capitalism Has Failed And Will Be Swept Away. = He=20 proceeded, quite fairly I might add, to scour the US for its = political,=20 financial, colonial, war-making policies. Starting by criticizing=20 discrimination, lack of equality and respect for the human = community, he=20 spoke of two conflicting outlooks in our world, one based =93on = the=20 predominance of materialistic interests through spreading = inequality and=20 oppression, poverty and deprivation, occupation and deception,=94 = which=20 =93tends to bring the entire world under its control and impose = its will on=20 other nations. =93This outlook has produced nothing but = frustration,=20 disappointment and a dark future for the entire=20 humanity.

Oren=20 upbeat about West-Iran dialogue

Oct=20 4, 2009 =20 Ambassador=20 to the US Michael Oren on Friday welcomed the arrangements worked = out=20 between America and other world powers with Iran the day before, = in some=20 of the first comments by an Israel official on the talks. He = referred to=20 Iran's agreement to allow inspectors into its recently revealed = secret=20 nuclear facility in Qom as well as apparent willingness to = transfer much=20 of its enriched uranium to other countries for processing into = nuclear=20 fuel as "several important and rather positive developments." The=20 agreement came after Thursday's landmark meeting between Iran and = the US,=20 Russia, China, Britain, Germany and France over Teheran's nuclear = program.=20

Senators=20 Push for More "Benchmarks" on Iranian Nuclear=20 Cooperation

Wednesday, Oct. 7,=20 2009 WASHINGTON -- Democrats on a = key=20 Senate oversight committee yesterday pushed Obama administration = leaders=20 to establish carefully timed "benchmarks" for gauging Iran's = cooperation=20 in resolving international concerns about its nuclear program = During a=20 hearing of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs = Committee,=20 lawmakers from both parties voiced growing impatience with Iran's = nuclear=20 ambitions as the United States joins five other world powers in = talks with=20 the Islamic republic. The so-called "P-5 plus one" on Oct. 1 = launched=20 discussions with Tehran aimed at reversing its suspected efforts = to=20 develop a nuclear weapon, a program that Iranian leaders insist is = aimed=20 solely at generating peaceful atomic energy. The group involves = the five=20 permanent members of the U.N. Security Council -- China, France, = Russia,=20 the United Kingdom and the United States -- plus=20 Germany.

South=20 Korea, Japanese leaders: No aid to North Korea before=20 denuclearization

October=20 8th, 2009 South = Korea, Japan=20 say no aid until NKorea disarms SEOUL, South Korea = =97 The=20 leaders of South Korea and Japan stood united Friday in saying = North Korea=20 should not be offered aid until the communist regime takes = concrete steps=20 to dismantle its nuclear weapons program.=20 The summit came days after = North Korean=20 leader Kim Jong Il said his country may rejoin international = nuclear=20 talks, depending on its negotiations with the = U.S.=20 Despite the North=92s stated = willingness=20 to talk, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said he backed = South=20 Korean President Lee Myung-bak=92s view on withholding aid to=20 Pyongyang.

Georgia=20 downplays Russia statement on preventive nuclear=20 strikes

TBILISI/MOSCOW, October 14 = (RIA=20 Novosti) - Russia's decision to include preemptive nuclear strikes = in its=20 revised military doctrine is mostly a political move and does not = pose a=20 real threat, Georgia's top security official said Wednesday. The = head of=20 Russia's Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, said in an interview = in the=20 Wednesday edition of the Izvestia newspaper that the revised = military=20 doctrine does not rule out preventive nuclear strikes against = potential=20 aggressors. "I think that it is a loud geopolitical statement = rather than=20 a real threat," Georgian National Security Council Secretary Eka=20 Tkeshelashvili said in an interview on Imedi television. She said = the=20 statement was directly addressed to the world powers, especially = the=20 United States, with the goal of regaining former spheres of = influence, and=20 added that it would only trigger negative political reaction from = the=20 West.

Tehran edges towards nuclear deal

Atomic=20 watchdog 'crossing fingers' that Iran will heed Friday deadline = Thursday, 22=20 October 2009 The UN nuclear watchdog has given Iran a = draft=20 agreement designed to check the country's ability to acquire a = nuclear=20 arsenal and says it wants an answer from Tehran by tomorrow. Under = the=20 programme, 1.2 tonnes of the Islamic Republic's 1.5 tonne reserve = of=20 low-enriched uranium would be shipped to Russia and France by the = end of=20 the year and converted into fuel =96 a process that aims to = prevent Iran=20 manufacture nuclear weapons. The draft deal from the=20 International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was circulated to = Iranian=20 officials along with representatives from three Western powers =96 = the US,=20 Russia and France =96 at talks being held in Vienna. IAEA director = Mohamed=20 ElBaradei said: "I cross my fingers that by Friday we have an OK = by all=20 the parties concerned."

U.S., North hold rare nuclear = talks in=20 New York City

October 26, 2009 In a rare = occasion=20 that could help advance the Washington-Pyongyang bilateral talks = on ending=20 a nuclear standoff, senior North Korean and American nuclear = officials=20 held a face-to-face meeting in New York early Sunday, Korean time=20 (Saturday, EST). The U.S. State Department said that Ri Gun, = deputy North=20 Korean negotiator to the six-party talks, met with Sung Kim, chief = U.S.=20 nuclear representative and special U.S. envoy on the North=92s = nuclear=20 disarmament.

=20 =

AFGHANISTAN

4,000=20 US troops to exit sooner from Iraq. More ready for=20 Afghanistan?

September=20 30, 2009

Washington - The top US commander in Iraq = is=20 accelerating the number of troops he is sending back home even as = he=20 remains cautious that violence could threaten January's elections = there.=20 The move comes as the White House begins an intense debate this = week over=20 the way ahead for Afghanistan and whether more troops are needed = there.=20 The faster redeployment from Iraq could make it easier to send = more forces=20 to Afghanistan. Gen. Ray Odierno, the top commander in Iraq, said=20 Wednesday he will speed the drawdown of American troops by sending = home=20 about 4,000 next month, leaving about 120,000 there for the = January=20 elections. By next summer, there should be only about 50,000 US = troops=20 there.

McCain:=20 Afghanistan Not as Tough as Iraq

October 1,=20 2009

Sen. John McCain continued = his lobby=20 for a troop surge in Afghanistan as President Obama = reconsiders his=20 overall strategy for the region. =20 "It's not as tough as when the surge started in Iraq," = McCain said=20 today during an interview with NBC's David Gregory at = The First = Draft of=20 History,=20 a conference in Washington, D.C., produced by The Atlantic, the = Newseum=20 and The Aspen Institute. "I am confident we can succeed if there = are=20 sufficient resources to do so. If we don't get sufficient = manpower--men=20 and women in uniform--then I think we could fail," he=20 said.

Beijing=92s=20 Afghan Gamble=20

October 6, 2009 IN = Afghanistan=92s Logar=20 Province, just south of Kabul, the geopolitical future of Asia is = becoming=20 apparent: American troops are providing security for a Chinese = state-owned=20 company to exploit the Aynak copper reserves, which are worth tens = of=20 billions of dollars. While some of America=92s NATO allies want to = do as=20 little as possible in the effort to stabilize Afghanistan, China = has its=20 eyes on some of world=92s last untapped deposits of copper, iron, = gold,=20 uranium and precious gems, and is willing to take big risks in one = of the=20 most violent countries to secure = them.

U.S. Moves to=20 Overhaul Jails That Breed Insurgents in = Afghanistan=20

October 7, 2009 WASHINGTON = =97 To combat=20 Al=20 Qaeda=92s growing influence and = presence in=20 Afghanistan=92s prisons, the Pentagon is = creating a=20 military task force to oversee a planned overhaul of the troubled=20 detention operations there. =20 Skip to next=20 paragraphThe Defense = Department on=20 Wednesday named Vice Adm. Robert S. Harward, who commanded Special = Operations forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, to lead the task force. = He is=20 currently deputy commander of the military=92s Joint Forces = Command.=20

Miliband, Clinton hold talks = over=20 Afghanistan policy, Iran's nuclear program

LONDON, Oct. 11 2009 British = Foreign=20 Secretary David Miliband and visiting U.S. Secretary of State = Hillary=20 Clinton held a joint news conference in London on Sunday, with = Clinton=20 saying that the world "will not wait indefinitely" for Iran to = live up to=20 its obligations. But the U.S. diplomat hailed a recent meeting in = Geneva=20 between Iran and six world powers over nuclear talks, calling it = "a=20 constructive beginning." The two also discussed Britain-U.S. = military=20 strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Miliband said "transatlantic = cooperation is very important as we face joint challenges" and = Britain is=20 determined to prevent return to Taliban rule in Afghanistan.=20

A = Historic=20 Success In Military Recruiting

October 14, 2009 For the = first time in=20 more than 35 years, the U.S. military has met all of its annual = recruiting=20 goals, as hundreds of thousands of young people have enlisted = despite the=20 near-certainty that they will go to war. The Pentagon, which made = the=20 announcement Tuesday, said the economic downturn and rising = joblessness,=20 as well as bonuses and other factors, had led more qualified = youths to=20 enlist. The military has not seen such across-the-board successes = since=20 the all-volunteer force was established in 1973, after Congress = ended the=20 draft following the Vietnam War. In recent years, the military has = often=20 fallen short of some of its recruiting targets. The Army, in = particular,=20 has struggled to fill its ranks, admitting more high school = dropouts,=20 overweight youths and even felons. =

No=20 more French troops for Afghanistan - Sarkozy

Oct 16, 2009 PARIS (Reuters) = - France=20 will not send any more troops to Afghanistan and wants instead to = see an=20 enlarged Afghan army, President Nicolas Sarkozy said in a = newspaper=20 interview released on Thursday. The United States is considering = sending=20 up to 40,000 additional troops to Afghanistan and has urged its = NATO=20 allies to bolster their forces to tackle the Taliban. Britain = announced=20 this week that it was ready to send 500 more troops but Sarkozy = told Le=20 Figaro daily that he was sticking to a long-standing pledge not to = send=20 more forces.

Obama Weighs Afghan Options, = Amid=20 Controversy Over Afghanistan Election = Results

October 18 U.S. President = Barack Obama=20 is weighing his options on Afghanistan amid continuing controversy = surrounding the recent Afghan presidential elections. = Administration=20 officials stress they need a strong partner in Kabul in order to = achieve=20 military success. President Obama has already held a number of = lengthy=20 meetings with his national security team on Afghanistan - all part = of an=20 in-depth review that is likely to result in a modified war = strategy, and=20 perhaps a boost in U.S. troop levels. At least one more session is = expected this week. But hanging over the discussions is the = uncertainty=20 surrounding the outcome of Afghanistan's presidential=20 election.

U.S. defense secretary in = Japan with=20 Afghanistan, SOFA on agenda

TOKYO, Oct. 20, = 2009=20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates arrived in = Tokyo on=20 Tuesday for talks with the new Democratic Party of Japan = government, with=20 the realignment of U.S. forces in the country and Afghanistan = likely to be=20 high on the agenda. Gates has said that any alternative to the = Status of=20 Forces Agreement (SOFA) that was signed by the administration of = President=20 George W. Bush and the then-governing Liberal Democratic Party in = 2006 had=20 proven "unworkable." There is, however, little chance that the DPJ = will=20 accept this statement, given its alliance with the Social = Democratic Party=20 in government, which is opposed to the U.S.-Japan military = agreement as it=20 stands, and also the unpopularity of U.S. forces in Okinawa.=20

US Lawmakers Hear Diverse = Opinions on=20 Afghanistan

23 October - As President = Obama=20 continues to consider his next steps on Afghanistan, U.S. = lawmakers have=20 received more advice from strategic and regional specialists about = the=20 pros and cons of counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism = strategies, and=20 what is at stake for U.S. security interests. Lawmakers have absorbed = a dizzying=20 accumulation of recommendations for U.S. policy in Afghanistan, = with their=20 advantages and disadvantages, presented by policy and academic=20 experts.

The = Great=20 American Arm-Twist in Afghanistan

October 24, 2009 KABUL,=20 Afghanistan=20 =97 By the looks of it, the ceremony that unfolded last week = inside the=20 Presidential Palace here was marking a joyous, even triumphant, = occasion.=20 President Hamid=20 Karzai, flanked by Senator = John=20 Kerry=20 and an array of Western ambassadors, had just announced that he = would=20 accept the revised vote totals showing that he had not won = re-election=20 after all. The president=92s decision meant the Afghan election = would go to=20 a second round, one that Mr. Karzai could conceivably=20 lose.

First US official resigns over Afghanistan = war

October=20 27, 2009 A senior diplomat has become the first US official to = resign in=20 protest at the war in Afghanistan, in a move that has shaken the = White=20 House, according to reports. Matthew Hoh, 36, a former captain in = the=20 Marine Corps who fought in Iraq before joining the US State = Department,=20 resigned from his post as the senior US civilian in Zabul = province, a=20 Taleban stronghold in Afghanistan. He said that he believed the = war only=20 fuelled the insurgency, the Washington Post=20 reports. "I have lost understanding of and confidence in the = strategic=20 purposes of the United States' presence in Afghanistan," Mr Hoh = wrote in=20 his resignation letter, dated September 10.=20

Afghan attack puts aid = programs at=20 risk

October 29, 2009 Reporting = from Kabul,=20 Afghanistan - The deaths of five U.N. employees in a Taliban = assault on a=20 Kabul guesthouse Wednesday is forcing the world body and = humanitarian=20 agencies to reevaluate the way they operate in Afghanistan, = officials=20 said, putting at risk programs aimed at helping millions of people = and=20 stabilizing the war-torn country. U.N. special representative Kai = Eide=20 said the attack, which killed eight people, including an American, = would=20 not deter his organization from continuing its reconstruction and=20 development work. But already the ability of U.N. workers to = deliver aid=20 has been compromised. With less than two weeks to go before = Afghanistan=20 holds a runoff presidential election that is the focus of the = world body's=20 current efforts, all employees across the country were placed = under=20 lockdown, said Adrian Edwards, spokesman for the U.N. Assistance = Mission=20 in Afghanistan.

OPINION /=20 EDITORIAL

Pakistani = Editorials:

The=20 so-called =91Quetta shura=92

01 October = 2009

The US = ambassador to=20 Pakistan, Anne W Patterson, has told the Washington Post that = =93the United=20 States has now turned its focus to Quetta=94, claiming that the = area has now=20 become a major Taliban base from where =93Mullah Omar and his = commanders=20 plan and launch cross-border strikes into Afghanistan=94=85.

Feeling=20 insecure in Islamabad

04 October = 2009

The federal = religious=20 affairs minister, Mr Hamid Saeed Kazmi, escaped death at the hands = of=20 terrorists on Wednesday at Islamabad=92s GPO chowk. He was driving = out of=20 his office without much security. His driver has been killed and = his guard=20 has sustained wounds=85..

Stalled=20 talks with India

07 October = 2009

Prime Minister = Yousaf Raza=20 Gilani says a delay in the resumption of Indo-Pak talks only = benefits the=20 terrorists. He wants relations with India =93on the basis of = equality=94. He=20 says =93it is our resolve that we will not allow our soil to be = used for=20 terrorism=94=85..

Brawling=20 over Kerry-Lugar Bill

08 October = 2009

After a motion = by the PMLN,=20 the National Assembly is going to debate the Kerry-Lugar Bill = which gives=20 Pakistan $1.5 billion annually as an American grant for five = years. The=20 session is going to be stormy with most members primed with = =93facts=94=20 already made public by the media=85.

Politically=20 divided again

09 October = 2009

Prime Minister = Yousaf Raza=20 Gilani has taken the debate over the Kerry-Lugar Bill to the = National=20 Assembly where it can be either accepted or rejected on the basis = of a=20 majority vote=85.

Literate=20 by 2015?

11 October = 2009

There is nothing = wrong in=20 announcing upbeat development plans. But when it comes to = education,=20 allowance must be made for forgivable cynicism=85

Blocking=20 South Waziristan offensive?

14 October = 2009

The = suicide-bombing on=20 Monday of Shangla, a district of Malakand Division, has killed 41, = including six soldiers, sending multiple messages to the people = and the=20 state of Pakistan=85

Non-state=20 actors in South Punjab

15 October = 2009

A report = published in=20 London=92s The Telegraph alleges that the outlawed terrorist = organisation=20 Jaish-e-Muhammad has acquired a 4.5-acre compound outside the city = of=20 Bahawalpur in addition to the madrassa named Usman-o-Ali inside = the=20 city=85.

PPP=20 and the Kerry-Lugar Bill

16 October = 2009

Foreign Minister = Shah=20 Mehmood Qureshi told journalists Wednesday in Washington that he = would=20 return to Islamabad satisfied that the Kerry-Lugar legislation did = not=20 harm Pakistan=92s sovereignty=85.

Useless=20 battle over the NRO

19 October = 2009

The PMLN leader, = Mr Nawaz=20 Sharif, says the PPP-led government would be legitimising = corruption by=20 introducing the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) in the=20 parliament=85.

Jundallah=20 and relations with Iran

20 October = 2009

On Sunday, a = suicide-bomber=20 in the Iranian province of Sistan shockingly killed seven = commanders of=20 Iran=92s elite Revolutionary Guard and up to 42 other people. = Iran=92s=20 President Mr Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the attack was planned = inside=20 Pakistan where an anti-Iran terrorist organisation named Jundallah = has=20 been active for the past several years=85.

Army=92s=20 message to the Mehsud

21 October = 2009

The Pakistani = army chief,=20 General Ashfaq Kayani, has sent an =93open letter=94 to the = various clans of=20 the Mehsud tribe in South Waziristan. This letter throws light on = the=20 strategy the army has adopted for the operation there=85

Striking=20 Islamic University in Islamabad

22 October = 2009

On the fourth = day of the=20 South Waziristan offensive by the Pakistan Army, the terrorist=20 suicide-bombers decided to strike at the International Islamic = University=20 in Islamabad, killing six, out of whom three were girls=85.

UK=20 and the Task Force on education

24 October = 2009

Pakistan and the = United=20 Kingdom are thinking of establishing a joint task force on = education =93that=20 will work to implement the strategy being developed by the = government of=20 Pakistan=94=85

Indian=20 red rag in Afghanistan

25 October = 2009

The top US and = NATO=20 commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, in his = latest=20 situation report to President Barack Obama, has suggested the = scaling back=20 of India=92s =93influence=94 in Afghanistan. In his opinion this = Indian factor=20 is =93jeopardising US efforts to defeat the Taliban and Al Qaeda=20 extremists=94=85

South=20 Punjab and Taliban

26 October = 2009

In a TV = discussion,=20 ex-Jama=92at-e Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad asserted that the = terrorists=20 who were killing innocent Pakistanis were not only not Muslims but = that=20 the killing was being done by three enemy states: the United = States, India=20 and Israel=85

Pakistan=20 asserts itself at the UN

27 October = 2009

President Asif = Ali Zardari=20 seems to have registered well at home after his Friday address at = the UN=20 General Assembly. His strong point was democracy =93which has = begun to=20 deliver=94 and the success a democratic Pakistan had achieved in = its=20 struggle against the

Taliban=85.

A=20 regional approach to Afghanistan

29 October = 2009

Foreign ministers of China, Russia and India, = holding=20 their 9th meeting in Bangalore in India, have jointly urged the=20 international community not to let the focus slip from their = mission in=20 Afghanistan=85

MIDDLE=20 EAST

Obama=20 says Iran offer to cooperate a good start, but must take steps = within 2=20 weeks

October 1,=20 2009 President Barack Obama on Thursday called landmark nuclear = talks with=20 Iran a constructive beginning, then challenged Tehran to match = words with=20 deeds by giving international inspectors =93unfettered access=94 = to a=20 previously secret uranium enrichment plant within two=20 weeks.

US=20 identifies Yemen as new terror threat =

October 1,=20 2009 Saudi Arabia=92s drive to disrupt Al Qaeda financing networks = should be=20 more strictly enforced while Yemen is emerging as a new base for = terror=20 groups plotting against US and Saudi interests, a US government = watchdog=20 report said on Tuesday. =20

Ira= q's=20 Mosul hopes for end to stubborn insurgency =

October 2, 2009 For a=20 city under constant attack at the hands of a violent Sunni Arab=20 insurgency, northern Iraq's Mosul looks in better shape than it = has for=20 many years.

Holy = See=20 urges establishment of 'nuclear-free zone' in Middle=20 East

October=20 2, 2009 A Vatican official called for the establishment of a = "nuclear-free=20 zone" in the Middle East and urged all countries to work toward = total the=20 elimination of their nuclear arsenals.

Senior=20 U.S. officials shuttle in Middle East for implementing sanctions = on=20 DPRK

October=20 3, 2009 A U.S. interagency delegation has been in the Middle East = for=20 coordinating implementation of the1874 UN Security Council = Resolution on=20 Pyongyang's nuclear and missile and proliferation activities, said = the=20 State Department on Friday.

Syrian=20 Visits Washington as Part of Regional D=E9tente=20

October 3, 2009 While=20 the Obama administration pursued its high-stakes diplomatic gambit = with=20 Iran last week in Switzerland, it was quietly working on another = fraught=20 relationship, welcoming to Washington the highest-ranking official = from=20 Syria to visit in five years.

Israel=20 trying to dodge overseas prosecution

October=20 3, 2009 Stung by a = damning UN=20 report alleging war crimes in Gaza, Israel is taking extraordinary = steps=20 to fend off potential international prosecution of its political = and=20 military leaders, hiring high-powered attorneys, lobbying Western=20 governments and launching a public relations = blitz.

Israeli=20 planes strike Gaza tunnels and = building

October 4, 2009 Israeli = planes carried=20 out strikes on tunnels used for smuggling along the Gaza-Egypt = border and=20 a building east of Gaza city on Saturday, causing damage but no=20 casualties, security forces and the Israeli military=20 said.

Abbas=20 blasted for withdrawing support for UN war crimes=20 report=20

October 5, 2009 Palestinian = President=20 Mahmoud Abbas faced growing outrage at home on Sunday over his = decision to=20 withdraw support for a UN report that alleged Israel and Hamas = committed=20 war crimes in last winter's Gaza war.

UK=20 offered Libya 14m pounds to end support for=20 IRA

October 6, 2009 Britain secretly offered = to pay 14=20 million pounds to Libyan leader Muammer Qaddafi as part of a deal = to end=20 his country=92s support for Irish paramilitary group the IRA, = according to a=20 report Monday.

El=20 Baradei to run for president of Egypt?

October=20 7, 2009 Whether = President=20 Hosni Mubarak runs for re-election in 2011 or gives way to his son = Gamal,=20 an opposition party sees UN nuclear watchdog head Mohamed = ElBaradei as a=20 strong contender for Egypt=92s top job.

Abbas=20 official says Gaza report back down a=20 mistake

October=20 8, 2009 The Palestinian leadership made a mistake by suspending = action on=20 a UN report on Gaza war crimes, a member of President Mahmoud = Abbas' inner=20 circle said on Wednesday =96 the first such acknowledgment after = days of=20 protests in the West Bank and Gaza.

Palestinians=20 call for strike, warn of battle at Al Aqsa=20 mosque

October=20 9, 2009 Palestinian=20 leaders on Thursday called for a one-day general strike and warned = of more=20 street protests over Jerusalem, but Israel played down the risk of = an=20 uprising despite two weeks of tension in the disputed = city.

US=20 Middle East envoy meets Israeli = officials

October 9, 2009 US Middle = East envoy=20 George Mitchell has met with senior Israeli officials. The talks = are the=20 latest efforts from the Obama administration to push forward the = stalled=20 peace process in the region.

Better=20 Syria-Saudi ties could ease Mideast = tension

October=20 10, 2009 The Saudi king=92s first visit to Syria that ended on = Thursday=20 marked a crucial turning point in relations as Damascus is = emerging from=20 years of isolation - a process that could ease tensions between = the pro-=20 and anti-American camps in the Middle East.

Yemen=20 forces kill 100 rebels

October 11,=20 2009 Yemen=20 security forces said they have killed 100 rebels and injured a = further 280=20 in the country's northern Saada province, where the authorities = are=20 battling a renewed rebel revolt.

Israel=20 lifts restrictions on access to Al AqsaOctober=20 12, 2009 Israeli police on Sunday lifted restrictions on access to = Jerusalem's Al Aqsa mosque compound, a flashpoint site holy to = Muslims and=20 Jews that was cause for clashes and tensions for more than a=20 week.

Arab=20 extremists behind Jerusalem clashes: Netanyahu

October13, 2009 Israeli Prime Minister = Benjamin=20 Netanyahu accused Muslim extremists of being behind recent = violence in=20 Jerusalem and said on Monday they spread baseless lies to = =93undermine the=20 peaceful life=94 in the holy city.

Israel=20 to join NATO Mediterranean patrols

October=20 14, 2009 The Israeli navy will join a NATO force patrolling the=20 Mediterranean Sea as part of the =93global war on terror,=94 a = military=20 spokesman said on Tuesday.

Iraq=20 cabinet approves $67 billion budget

October=20 15, 2009 Iraq=92s cabinet=20 has signed off on a $67 billion draft budget for 2010 that is well = below=20 what officials have said is needed, raising concerns that the = shortfall=20 will derail the progress of Iraqi security forces just as they are = taking=20 over from withdrawing American troops.

Hamas=20 in Syria spurns plan to reconcile with = Fatah

October=20 16, 2009 The Syrian-based leadership of the Palestinian Hamas = group said=20 on Thursday it has rejected an Egyptian-mediated proposal to = reconcile=20 with the rival Fatah group.

In=20 first, Israeli flag displayed in UAE =

October=20 16, 2009 An Israeli flag was displayed for the first time in the = United=20 Arab Emirates this week when a delegation from the Jewish state = attended=20 an international meeting, the Foreign Ministry said on=20 Thursday.

UN=20 Rights Council endorses Gaza war crimes=20 report

October=20 17, 2009 The UN Human Rights Council endorsed on Friday a Gaza = report that=20 accused both Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas of committing = war=20 crimes during the December-January war.

Israel=20 vows long fight against UN report on GazaOctober=20 18, 2009 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised a = lengthy=20 diplomatic battle to =93delegitimise=94 United Nations charges = that Israel=20 committed war crimes in the Gaza Strip, an official said on=20 Saturday.

Israeli=20 spy devices blown up in Lebanon

October=20 19, 2009 Three suspected Israeli spy devices have been blown up in = south=20 Lebanon, two detonated remotely by the Israeli army and one = destroyed by=20 the Lebanese army, a military official said on=20 Sunday.

Fatah=20 hits out at Hamas over stalled unity = deal

October=20 20, 2009 Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas=92s Western-backed = Fatah party=20 lashed out at Hamas movement on Monday, blaming it for the failure = of an=20 Egypt-proposed Palestinian unity agreement.

UN=20 suspects Israel planted Lebanon spy = devices

October=20 20, 2009 A UN investigation into explosions in south Lebanon = indicated on=20 Sunday that Israel had planted spy devices on Lebanese land in = what a=20 senior UN official said would be a violation of a ceasefire=20 agreement.

US=20 scientist arrested for spying for = Israel

October=20 21, 2009 A leading American scientist who has worked for the White = House=20 and NASA was expected to appear in court on Tuesday charged with=20 attempting to spy for Israel.

Joint=20 US-Israel military exercise aimed at Iran gets=20 underway

October=20 22, 2009 Israel and the United States launched a major air defence = drill=20 on Wednesday as part of what Israeli public radio called = preparation for a=20 faceoff with Iran.

Israel,=20 US rehearse modern air defence = umbrella

October=20 23, 2009 A massive air defence drill under way in Israel will join = Israeli=20 and US systems to create the world=92s most advanced anti-missile = umbrella=20 to protect the Jewish state, officials said on=20 Thursday.

Israel=20 pleads against moving Gaza crimes report to=20 UNSC

October=20 24, 2009 Israel=92s foreign minister has urged UN chief = Ban-Ki-moon not to=20 send the Goldstone report on Gaza war crimes to the Security = Council or=20 the General Assembly, his office said on = Friday.

Abbas=20 insists on January date for Palestinian = vote

October=20 25, 2009 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Saturday he = was=20 pressing ahead with January elections but held out hope that=20 reconciliation with his Hamas rivals could still be=20 achieved.

Rumours=20 of Jews=92 Al Aqsa trespass spark = protest

October=20 26, 2009 Israeli police stormed Jerusalem=92s Al Aqsa mosque = compound on=20 Sunday, hurling stun grenades at Palestinians who had thrown rocks = at them=20 in another eruption of violence at the holy city=92s most = sensitive=20 site.

Palestinians=20 should have nuclear weapons: Qaddafi

October=20 27, 2009 Arab nations and =93even the Palestinians=94 should be = allowed=20 nuclear weapons as long as Israel=92s nuclear ambitions are = tolerated,=20 Libyan leader Muammer Qaddafi said in an interview out=20 Monday.

Albemarle = enters=20 Middle East venture

October=20 28, 2009 Albemarle Corp. will produce chemical refining catalysts = in a new=20 Middle East joint venture.

Bahrain=20 parliament bars contacts with Israel=20 October 28, 2009 Bahrain=92s parliament on Tuesday = approved=20 legislation penalising contacts with Israel, a move which could = complicate=20 Gulf Arab leaders=92 efforts to promote peace talks with Israel.

Sadat=20 continues to work for lasting Middle East=20 peace

October=20 28, 2009 The widow of slain Egyptian President Anwar Sadat = expressed hope=20 Tuesday in Reno that comprehensive Middle East peace will come in = her=20 lifetime. =20

Egypt=92s=20 silence on succession fuels = uncertainty

October 29, 2009 THE elderly = Egyptian=20 president's silence on succession, even as a presidential vote = approaches,=20 has fuelled doubts over whether Hosni Mubarak has settled on a = successor=20 and will secure a smooth transition in his lifetime. =

ENERGY /=20 CLIMATE

EU = strikes=20 climate funding deal.

The EU has=20 agreed a conditional deal on how to help other nations fight = global=20 warming, ahead of a key climate summit, but set no figure on what = it would=20 pay. The EU = agreed=20 climate change would need 100bn euros ($148bn; =A390bn) a year by = 2020, and=20 would pay its "fair share", conditional on other nations. UK PM = Gordon=20 Brown said the deal, which came after a deadlock on cost sharing = was=20 broken, was a "bold proposal".

United = States=20 and Ukraine Announce Bilateral Energy Security Working = Group

Washington, DC = October 28,=20 2009 The government of the United States and the government of = Ukraine=20 warmly welcome the creation of a Bilateral Energy Security Working = Group=20 (BESWG) under the auspices of the Strategic Partnership = Commission. The=20 BESWG is co-chaired by Ambassador Richard L. Morningstar, Special = Envoy=20 for Eurasian Energy, U.S. Department of State; and Sergiy = Pavlusha, Deputy=20 Minister, Ministry of Fuel and Energy, Ukraine. On the U.S. side,=20 participants included representatives from the departments of = Energy,=20 Commerce and Labor; the National Security Council; and the Agency = for=20 International Development. On the Ukrainian side, participants = included=20 representatives from the Secretariat of the President, Ministry of = Foreign=20 Affairs, Energoatom, and the Embassy of Ukraine in = Washington.

South Asian=20 Strategic Stability Institute=20 (SASSI)

The = South Asian=20 Strategic Stability Institute (SASSI) is an = independent think=20 tank dedicated to promoting peace and stability in the = South=20 Asian region. SASSI contributes to the international = debate on=20 contemporary South Asian security issues through this = and=20 other substantive products.

Journal of = South Asian=20 Nonproliferation

Produced = by: SASSI,=20 36 Alie St., Aldgate East, London, E1 8DA, UK

CONTENTS