Top Stories of the Week
He alone to blame for mistakes
President George W Bush told Americans today ''where mistakes have been made in Iraq, the responsibility rests with me,'' as he unveiled a new war plan that includes an infusion of more than 20,000 extra US troops.
In a remarks prepared for a televised prime time speech, Bush also said the United States would hold the Iraqi government to certain ''benchmarks,'' including passage of oil-sharing legislation, reconstruction and job projects and political reforms. But he set no timetable for achieving these goals.
Labels: George W Bush, international, politics
Inquiry for Saddam execution recording
United States President George W Bush has told Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that he supports the investigation to find out the person responsible for taunting Saddam Hussein and recording his execution on a cell-phone camera.
White House spokesman Tony Snow who gave this information yesterday said ''He (Bush) expressed that it was the right thing to do to investigate the taping and behavior at the execution of Saddam Hussein. And the prime minister agreed, and said the political parties were pained at the filming and the release, and they are taking a look at punishing those responsible.'' According to a report from Baghdad, Iraqi authorities are questioning at least two guards suspected of involvement in the taunting and filming.
President Bush and Prime Minister Maliki spoke for nearly two hours and also discussed options for the proposed new US Iraq policy which the President prefers to call a new way forward.
Snow says both men define winning the same way, the establishment of an Iraqi government that can sustain, govern and defend itself.
He is expected to announce that new way forward in a nationwide address sometime at the end of this month.
Labels: George W Bush, international, politics
George Bush signed nuclear agreement
Dec 18, 2006, President George W Bush today signed into law the legislation that gives effect to the India-US Civil nuclear agreement, lifting the three-decade-old ban on the export of American nuclear fuel and technology to India.
Several Congressmen and members of the Indian-American community attended the brief signing ceremony at the White House. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was also present.
President Bush, in a brief speech, said the agreement would strengthen the partnership between India and the United States. The relationship had never been more vital, he said.
He said it would help India meet the challenge on the energy front at a time when its economy is on the fast track.
President Bush called Prime Minister Manmohan Singh a trustworthy man and a friend and praised his leadership on this issue.
The legislation is formally called the Henry J Hyde United States- India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act of 2006, named after the outgoing Republican chairman of the House foreign relations committee Henry Hyde. The Republican Congressman retired this month after a long spell in the House.
Supporters of the measure say it would help cement the emerging strategic alliance between the two democracies.
Labels: George W Bush, international, politics
Bush promises to get India-US nuke deal
On November 9th 2006, US President George W Bush resolved to get Congressional approval for the India-US civilian nuclear agreement, which awaits the Senate's endorsement, notwithstanding the electoral reverses suffered by the Republican Party.
Addressing a press conference at the White House yesterday after the big Democrat victory, Mr Bush, however, said he was not certain whether the deal would figure in the agenda of the session of the outgoing Senate.
The House of Representatives had approved the measure in July last with certain amendments.
Though there is a strong lobby against the deal in the United States as in India for different reasons, according to observers, the House of Representatives' new composition would not have any effect on it.
An overwhelming majority of the members in the two houses of the Congress will still remain the same. For example, the 100-member Senate will have only six new faces, even if the withheld result of the disputed Virginia state goes in favour of the Democratic Party. Mr Biden, who was first elected to the United States Senate in 1972 at the age of 29, is recognised as one of the country's most powerful and influential voices on foreign relations.
Similarly, Democratic Congressman Tom Lantos of California is likely to chair the new House Committee on International Relations in place of Republican Party's Henry Hyde.
Mr Lantos too is an ardent supporter of the agreement. In fact, in May, he favoured a legislative compromise to ''keep the momentum for this important agreement moving forward.'' He had gone on record to say that ''the Indian Government needs reassurance that the Congress is supportive. It needs the confidence that we will adopt the necessary legislation in order to negotiate the final details of this agreement with the United States.'' His draft legislation emphasises the importance of deepening India-US bilateral relationship and welcomes the India-US Joint Statement of July 18, 2006, as well as the agreement reached on March 2, 2006 to expand peaceful nuclear cooperation between the two countries.
Therefore, the Congress changing hands is hardly going to have any impact on the fate of the agreement. What matters most is the timing of its figuring on the Senate agenda and whether the amendments that are likely to be tagged on to the agreement, would be acceptable to India.
A clearer picture would emerge when the outgoing Senate returns for its lame duck session next week.
Meanwhile, the Coalition for Partnership with India, a support group, in a statement recognised that many legislative initiatives might be affected by the change in the structure of the Congress, ''We are optimistic that the India bill will weather the shift in political climate.'' It recalls that Democratic leader in the present Senate Harry Reid and its majority leader Bill Frist (Republican) have each stated publicly their desire to pass the agreement during the lame duck session.
It said the broad, bipartisan support for the measure is evidenced by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's 16-2 vote to approve it. When the bill comes to the Senate floor, most experts believe it will win by a margin similar to the landslide House vote of 359-68, it said.
Labels: George W Bush, international, politics
Bush to visit Singapore
United States President George W. Bush will make a two-day official visit to Singapore from November 16, it was announced here today.
Singapore is his first stop in the region en route to Vietnam for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders Meeting. This will be President Bush's second official visit to Singapore. His previous visit was in 2003, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. President Bush will be accompanied by First Lady Laura Bush and key U.S. government officials.
During his visit, President Bush will call on Acting President J Y Pillay and meet with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and other Cabinet Ministers. President Bush will also be delivering a speech in Singapore.
Labels: George W Bush, international, politics
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