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January     Last updated:January 20 : 7:00 p.m.

World Window
Uneasy head in Clinton's crown

Atul Rawat

The West Asia peace plan which could have crowned Clinton at the fag end of his two-term presidency fell through. It was only expected. His enemies, in the Muslim world would never like him to be so crowned. The American plan was rejected by the Palestinian negotiators ostensibly because it was not the basis for a lasting peace with Israel, but deeper causes may have played a bigger role in this rejection. The statements of Saddam Hussain to address Arabs and Bin Laden to leave Afghanistan came just around the rejection day. More about them later but essentially the American plan which Clinton claimed to be a long leap to end the 52 years old conflict with his "parametres for a fair deal, the plan would have given Palestinians full control of almost the whole of the West Beank and the Gaza Strip. It would have also sent an international force at Israel's border and the Palestinian refugees would not have been allowed to return to Israel. The American plan also envisaged a division of Jerusalem.

The Israelis have proposed to accept the American plans as basis for the peace talks. While the senior Palestinian negotiator rejected the plan, Yasser Arafat, the supremo of the Palestinians was not available for his comments. Meanwhile, it was just before the rejection that the news of President Saddam Hussain's address to Arabs came and within a day the Saudi millionaire terrorist Osama bin Laden also spoke in terms of supporting Palestinians. Bin Laden has been asking his Afghani hosts to allow him to travel to an unknown destination probably Yasser, where his family is said to have bought a few islands. According to the same Muslim sources, Laden is now convinced that it is hightime that he entred the anti-Israel war with a belief that his migration will enhance his operational capability. By this way he feels he will be able to consolidate Jihadi forces against America and its allies. Israel is also the main target and so is India. It was also reported that he recorded a message for the Palestinian forces active against Israel.

The above mentioned developments clearly indicate that terrorism both state-sponsored as well as private enterprise have become a major weapon in the hands of Pan-Islamic forces. If the Islamic forces and nations believe, terrorism, particularly against innocent people to be a justifiable weapon, they certainly lose a lot of moral ground. It is high time that both Indian Muslims and Muslim Indians rejected terrorism lock, stock and barrel in the interest of both their national identity and humanism.

Republicanism, eastwards ho!

It was way back in 1788, that the British settled in a colony in the newly found continent of Australia. Initially, it was a penal colony where various criminals were extradited or jailed. It was in the beginning of the 20th century (exactly on January, 1, 1901) that the six colonies united to form a federation but still keeping a strong chord of relationship with England in form of maintaining the British crown as its own head of the State. Australia, which still remains a part of the British common wealth is a vast continent with a small population less than the combined population of Delhi and Mumbai. As the continental nation of Australia celebrating its centenary, the question of its becoming a republic is once again swaying the moods and sentiments of people of Australia. One may remember that it was only in 1999, when an overwhelming majority of Australians who wanted to turn the country into a republic was cheated by a monarchist Prime Minister who framed the questions in such a manner that despite upto 67 per cent of the Australians being actually in favour of ditching the monarch, the final results of the referendum allowed the Queen of England to remain the head of the Australian State.

Even the British newspapers like the Times London, editorially commented negatively on this victory by terming it as pyarrhic victory. The republican movement of Australia has not yet died down, despite the reverses. The republicans are today more firm in their beliefs and some important segments in almost all political parties and shades with in the ruling Liberal National Coalition. The second in command after Prime Minister Howard, treasurer Peter Costello is himself a well known Republican. He is widely perceived to be Howard's political successor if the coalition wins in the coming elections, expected sometime later this year. On the other hand, Kim Beazley the opposition Labour Party leader is also a known Republican and many observers are expecting that he may demand another referendum. In any case, the days of John Howard are not expected to last very long and the Republican movement in Australia is nurturing fond hopes of fresh oppurtunities to have an Australian president in place of the British Queen. They are planning to distribute a petition around whole of Australia and later presented to both houses of the parliament. The general atmosphere seems to be that Australia will terminate its final cord of colonialism and probably the 21st century will witness the birth of a young Republican Australia.