Ain-Al-Yaqeen - October 27, 2006

		October 27, 2006

NABIH BERRI CALLS FOR A RESUMPTION OF THE NATIONAL DIALOGUE AMONG LEBANESE POLITICAL LEADERS.
SINIORA THE FIRST TO ENDORSE BERRI'S INITIATIVE AND AFFIRMS HIS PARTICIPATION.
ISRAEL PLANES FIRE TWICE A GERMAN NAVY SHIP PATROLLING THE LEBANON COAST AS PART OF AN INTERNATIONAL PEACEKEEPER FORCE.
INFORMATION ABOUT ISRAEL ACCEPTANCE TO EXCHANGE 1000 PRISONERS FOR THE RELEASE OF ITS ABDUCTED SOLDIER.
PRESIDENT BUSH WORRIES ABOUT THE INCREASE IN NUMBER OF LOSSES AMONGST AMERICAN FORCES.

Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament Nabih Berri called for a resumption of the national dialogue among Lebanese political leaders, which started on March 2 and was interrupted by the July 12 conflict with Israel. "I call on all parties of the National dialogue launched on last March 2. and on the same level of representation to come back to the roundtable in the parliament to hold discussions this time around this table instead of taking to the streets," said Nabih Berri, Lebanon's speaker of the Parliament.

Berri, who was speaking during a news conference in Beirut, called on all participants in the dialogue to meet once again to sort out their differences in preference to sorting them out through street confrontations.

The duration of the next round of dialogue is 15 days (at most) starting with an initial session at 11 a.m. on Monday, Oct 30, Berri said.

He called for the "immediate implementation" of any solution endorsed by the leaders.

He listed the main two issues on the agenda of the expected dialogue as that of the controversial national unity government and that of a new electoral law.

The speaker called on participants in the future dialogue to state whether the future elections would take place under single and small electorate system or the proportional representation one or a mixture of both systems.

Berri also called for a joint meeting of cabinet and parliamentary finance committees to agree on issues such as the Lebanon's Donors Conference, which is scheduled to take place in Paris by the beginning of next year.

He stressed that one of the most important reasons for his recent visit to Saudi Arabia was "to improve inter-Arab relations."

Speaker Nabih Berri invited rival political leaders for the consultation session to be held October 30 aimed at resolving demands for the formation of a national unity government. "I believe this tension and this escalation will lead to confrontations in the Lebanese street," the speaker told the news conference in Beirut.

Berri presented his proposal as a "gift" to the nation on the occasion of Eid Al Fitr. Berri said the talks, which he set to begin on October 30, would last no longer than two weeks and focus on the issues of forming a national unity government, drafting a new elections law and devising a plan to pay off the country's mounting national debt.

Berri expressed his fears from possible turmoil on the streets if the tension continues to increase. "I am more than afraid and maybe I reach a point where I believe that this tension and this escalation that took place will lead to confrontations on the Lebanese street and we know, regrettably, we know of the vertical and horizontal divisions in the country, and I don't want to say sectarian, so we're trying to keep the issue restricted among us (the leaders) and through dialogue," said Berri.

He said Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has the right to be represented by any delegate he chooses for "security considerations."

"I call on all national dialogue sides to come back to the roundtable in parliament to consult around the table, and not go down the streets," Berri told the news conference at his Ein el-Tineh mansion.

He said the first session of "a maximum" 15-day consultation period will commence in parliament on Monday, October 30 for discussions on "the national unity government and a new electoral law."

"Any issue to be agreed upon (in the meeting) will be subject to implementation," said Berri, organizer of the national dialogue.

Sources told Naharnet that leaders of the March 14 Forces were willing to accept Berri's initiative on condition that the consultations would also deal with the issue of the presidency.

The speaker said he had not contacted any leader in advance about his proposal.

While Siniora was the first to endorse Berri's initiative, affirming his participation, other parties said they needed to hold consultations among their leaderships before deciding.

"I would like to express my appreciation and support for Speaker Berri's initiative, for I believe any calm dialogue will contribute in national peace and national prosperity," Siniora said in a statement.

The premier said the talks should also tackle decisions reached during the national dialogue sessions that were held in March - and were also sponsored by Berri - and the means to implement them.

The prime minister also said his seven-point plan - which helped shape the UN Security Council resolution that ended the war - should be the base for these consultations.

"It is my duty to hold consultations with my allies, the March 14 Forces, and we will try to come up with a decision as soon as possible," Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt said following a meeting with Berri.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said the agenda for the talks was "incomplete," adding he would also announce his decision after consultations with the March 14 Forces.

"After all that happened in the country, consultations should start with the July war ... We should start working on how to prevent the repetition of such events and how to spare Lebanon a new Israeli aggression," Geagea added.

March 14 MP Boutros Harb welcomed Berri's plan.

"I support this initiative ... We should respond to it positively because it is an invitation for consultations and dialogue among Lebanese," Harb told reporters following a meeting with Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir.

A Hezbollah spokesperson said the party "responds positively to all consultations and dialogue initiatives," but added that the final decision of whether or not to attend would be made on Thursday.

FPM MP Ibrahim Kanaan said the talks aimed to tackle "two dividing issues which require consultations with the opposite parties."

However, he added that the Reform and Change bloc would announce whether it will participate later this week.

On the other hand, the German daily Der Tagesspiegel quoted a German junior defense minister as telling a parliamentary committee two Israeli F-16 fighters had flown low over the ship, firing twice. Germany's Defense Ministry said an incident had occurred, without giving details.

The jets also activated infra-red countermeasures to ward off any rocket attack, the paper quoted him as saying, in an advance release from Thursday's edition.

Israel denied the report last Wednesday that two of its air force planes had fired twice as they flew over a German navy ship patrolling the Lebanon coast as part of an international peacekeeper force.

"There was no such incident," an Israeli military spokeswoman said.

Israeli air force patrols over Lebanon have come under international scrutiny since a U.N.-brokered truce on Aug 14 ended a month-long war between Israel and Hezbollah.

French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie last week described the overflights as "extremely dangerous" because they could be mistakenly perceived as hostile to the boosted U.N. peacekeeper force in southern Lebanon and trigger a response.

Israel has rebuffed such warnings, saying the Lebanese overflights are needed to monitor arms smuggling to Hezbollah.

The Israeli military spokeswoman said the German statements appeared to refer to an incident that took place last Tuesday.

Jets were scrambled when a helicopter took off from a German aircraft carrier close to Israeli waters without identifying itself. The pilots of the planes realized the mistake, did not engage the helicopter and returned home, the spokeswoman said.

Israel's Channel Two television said that, in a separate incident off the Lebanese coast, Israeli warplanes deployed chaff and this may have been detected by the German navy.

Germany assumed command of a U.N. naval force off Lebanon 10 days ago, and has sent eight ships and 1,000 service personnel to join the international peace operation in the region.

The naval force is charged with preventing weapons smuggling and helping maintain a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz's office said he telephoned his German counterpart, Franz Josef Jung, to reassure him that the air force did not and would not carry out any hostile fire or manoeuvres around German naval vessels.

Peretz called for improved military coordination between Israel and Germany's forces in Lebanon. Jung is due to visit Israel next week for high-level talks, Peretz's office said.

Die Sueddeutsche Zeitung and Die Welt said in previews of their Thursday editions the U.N. had agreed with Lebanon that the German vessels' movements should be limited to areas at least six nautical miles away from the Lebanese coast.

The papers cited a U.N. document showing an agreement had been struck with the participation of German diplomats that the German forces would only be allowed to operate within the six mile zone with Lebanon's permission.

Moreover, German forces could only board other ships in the presence of their Lebanese counterparts, it said.

On another development Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan yesterday received Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, who arrived on a short visit to the UAE.

Congratulating Sheikh Khalifa on the occasion of Eid Al Fitr, Siniora also extended the gratitude of the Lebanese people and government to the UAE for its steadfast support to Lebanon, in the presence of Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Sheikh Khalifa reiterated the UAE's keenness to support the Lebanese people and expressed his hope to see a stable Lebanon once again playing its role in different spheres.

Other issues discussed by Sheikh Khalifa and Siniora included the latest developments in the region.

"The UAE project for the reconstruction of Lebanon, coupled with the initiative of President Khalifa to clear mines and cluster bombs, all stand out as testimony to the depth of relations between Lebanon and the UAE," Siniora said.

The Lebanese official also briefed Shaikh Khalifa on the efforts being exerted towards the reconstruction of Lebanon.

Present at the meeting were Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, General Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, in addition to other sheikhs and senior officials.

Later Siniora was seen off at the airport by Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, and other senior officials.

On the other hand China prepared a lavish ceremonial welcome for French President Jacques Chirac at the formal start of a state visit capping a decade of improving ties with one of Beijing's strongest Western allies.

Chirac arrived in the Chinese capital to be briefed by French business leaders at the start of a four-day visit seen as the last major foreign trip of his mandate, and during which he is expected to sign a number of business deals.

Chirac was set to hold talks with President Hu Jintao following a military parade and 21-gun salute in Tiananmen Square, site of a bloody crackdown on protesters in 1989 that led to a European arms export ban which Chirac now wants lifted.

The French leader's vocal, though so far unsuccessful, support for an end to the EU ban earned him tributes in China's official press at the start of the visit, his fourth to China since he was first elected president in 1995.

Chirac, whose term in office ends next May, was also due to meet Premier Wen Jiabao and other top officials on a day set aside for diplomacy and economic and cultural deals as well as a question forum with local students.

French and Chinese negotiators held talks late on the possible sale of Airbus aircraft to China, as well as the completion of plans to build an assembly site for single-aisle Airbus jets in Tianjin, eastern China.

Political talks between the two permanent U.N. Security Council members were expected to focus on the nuclear ambitions of North Korea and China and instability in Lebanon.

Chirac has welcomed China's recent decision to increase its peacekeeping presence in Lebanon to 1,000 extra troops as a sign of its increasing global engagement.

French diplomats said Chirac would stress the importance of international unity on U.N. moves to sanction North Korea in talks with Hu.

Paris believes it is important to send a clear message to North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, in part to avoid sending misleading signals to Iran over its own nuclear ambitions.

North Korea's nuclear test on October 9 drew U.N. sanctions backed by China, the reclusive state's long-time supporter.

Beijing fears any over-reaction could risk North Korea's collapse, creating instability and a wave of refugees into China.

Diplomats said Chirac would raise rights issues including Western concerns over foreign media curbs in China, though it was unclear whether he would do so directly with Hu.

China rejects Western efforts to link rights with trade, which has improved sharply with France since Paris angered China by selling frigates and warplanes to Taiwan in the early 1990s.

After Beijing, Chirac's visit will take him to the inland city of Wuhan, where French car firm Peugeot Citroen plans a second factory, and the imperial heritage site of Xian.

In New York the new U.N. presidential statement, which has stressed its support for a "comprehensive implementation" of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559, was reportedly to be released on Monday. The draft statement, which was presented by the United States, France and Britain, reasserts the Security Council's support in maintaining Lebanon's sovereignty, independence and regional security.

It said the draft statement has also confirmed that a "great progress" has been made in the implementation of 1559, especially towards the Lebanese army deployment in south Lebanon for the first time in 30 years following the end of the Israel-Hezbollah war.

Resolution 1559, which was adopted by the Security Council in September 2004, calls for the disarmament of Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias, including Hezbollah, the withdrawal of foreign troops from Lebanon as well as free and fair presidential elections.

The statement, however, has "regretfully noticed" that some articles of the resolution have not been carried out, particularly on the matters of the disarmament of the militias, free and fair elections and full respect to Lebanon's sovereignty, An-Nahar newpaper reported.

It said that the draft statement has repeated its call on the Security Council for the complete implementation of 1559 and has urged all concerned states and parties for "comprehensive cooperation with the Lebanese government and the U.N. Security Council and the U.N. Secretary-General to achieve this goal."

On the Palestinian arena President Mahmoud Abbas vehemently condemned Israeli troops for their " massacre" against Palestinians in northern Gaza Strip earlier in the day.

Abbas made the condemnation after Israeli soldiers reportedly shot and killed at least six Palestinians and wounded 20 others while operating in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun on Monday morning.

In his remarks, the Palestinian president considered what happened in Beit Hanoun as a "dreadful crime" against the Palestinians at the first day of the Lesser Bairam, or Eid A-Fitr marking the end of Muslims holy month of Ramadan.

He called for an immediate halt for Israeli aggressions and urged the international community to promptly intervene to prevent any further deterioration in the situation.

Israel has launched a widespread military campaign in Gaza since June 25 when Palestinian militant groups captured an Israeli soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit.

The offensive has been expanded to target Palestinian militants ' rocket-launching operations and weapons-smuggling tunnels.

President Mahmoud Abbas held talks in Amman with King Abdullah II of Jordan.

The two leaders discussed the possible ways to solve economic crisis in the Palestinian territory due to the suspension of the international aid, the Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people and the efforts to form a new government.

The King reiterated Jordan's consistent support to Palestinian brethren to ease the siege imposed on them and help them overcome the tough situations they are passing through.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya and Israel said they saw progress towards a prisoner swap that would free an Israeli soldier captured four months ago and Palestinian detainees held in the Jewish state's jails.

The optimism emerged with news that Khaled Meshaal, was expected soon in Egypt for talks on the matter with Egyptian officials who have been the main broker in the crisis.

The soldier's release is linked to "Israeli responses to Palestinian demands and I think there is progress as the Egyptian brothers told us. They are the ones following the matter," Haniya told AFP after Friday prayers.

Nevertheless the premier, head of the Hamas-led government said he had no details about Meshaal's visit to Cairo.

"There is no more information on Khaled Meshaal's visit but contacts with the Egyptian brothers have not been interrupted," he said.

Hamas has demanded the release of some 1,000 Palestinians held in Israel in exchange for Corporal Gilad Shalit, whose capture sparked a prolonged Israeli offensive in Gaza where more than 250 Palestinians have since been killed.

In Gaza, a Hamas spokesman said an agreement on a prisoner swap was almost ripe and that Meshaal was expected to go to Cairo soon to meet Egyptian officials with a view to an agreement on Shalit.

"I think that an agreement is almost ripe and that Khaled Meshaal's visit to Cairo is concrete proof of that," Fawzi Barhum told AFP.

"Israel has agreed to release (Palestinian) prisoners in exchange for the Israeli prisoner after having refused and having wanted Shalit's release without conditions," Barhum added.

In Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel reached a deal lastMonday to broaden his shaky coalition by adding a far-right party that seeks to annex parts of the West Bank and to eventually reduce Israel's Arab population.

Mr. Olmert's coalition has been struggling for months, and the latest move was seen as an attempt to stabilize the faltering government. But the new right-wing partner Israel Beiteinu, or Israel Is Our Home strongly opposes concessions to the Palestinians.

Mr. Olmert overrode opposition from some liberal members of his coalition to bring in Israel Beiteinu, a party led by Avigdor Lieberman, 48, a Soviet immigrant who advocates annexing Jewish settlements in the West Bank and transferring most Arab citizens of Israel to a future Palestinian state.

The prime minister said he planned to make Mr. Lieberman a deputy prime minister responsible for "strategic threats" against Israel, a portfolio that would include monitoring Iran, which Israel regards as its most dangerous enemy.

The alliance agreed to by Mr. Olmert and Mr. Lieberman was expected to be formalized with cabinet and parliamentary approval in the next several days, though it could still face some opposition, particularly from the left-leaning Labor Party. Mr. Lieberman reaffirmed his opposition to territorial concessions, saying that the right has been in power for most of the past three decades in Israel, but, "We were unable to prevent withdrawals."

Mr. Olmert's centrist Kadima Party was elected just seven months ago. His center-left coalition government has not only been reeling since the summer's inconclusive war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, but also cannot point to any significant achievements.

Mr. Olmert's coalition has consisted recently of four parties that hold 67 of the 120 seats in Parliament. While this provides a working majority, it would evaporate if any of the coalition partners left, something that happens with regularity in Israel's volatile politics.

Mr. Lieberman's party holds 11 seats, which would give the governing coalition 78 seats, or nearly two-thirds of the Parliament. By bringing a far-right party on board, Mr. Olmert also hopes to neutralize the other right-wing factions that account for much of the opposition in Parliament.

The left-leaning Labor Party has expressed the strongest opposition to Israel Beiteinu's inclusion in the coalition.

In recent weeks, Mr. Lieberman has pushed a proposal that would change Israel's government from a parliamentary system to a presidential system, similar to that of the United States.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is apparently expected to leave for Qatar on Sunday. Livni was invited to attend a United Nations event. Her trip is expected to last a day or two. The visit has diplomatic significance, due to Qatar's involvement in the axis of moderate Arab states in the Middle East.

Israel has no official relations with Qatar, but has an economic delegate in the principality.

Livni is now looking into the possibility of meeting officials in Qatar. A discussion was expected to be held at her office Tuesday afternoon in order to decide whether she should accept the invitation.

Meanwhile, the visit has been approved by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

In Gaza City the abducted Spanish photographer was freed after President Mahmoud Abbas issued firm instruction to security apparatus to safely guarantee his release.

The photographer of AP, Emilio Morenatti, who was abducted at gunpoint in Gaza City was taken by security officials to the Presidency office in Gaza.

The photographer said he was tired but unharmed.

In Washington acknowledging painful losses in Iraq, President Bush said he is not satisfied with the progress of the long and unpopular war, but he still insisted the United States was winning and should not think about withdrawing.

Thirteen days before elections in which Republicans fear Iraq could cost them control of the House or Senate, Bush expressed unwavering confidence in Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, the U.S. generals running the war and Iraq's prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, despite new strains between Baghdad and Washington.

"The ultimate accountability rests with me," Bush said of Iraq. "If people are unhappy about it, look right to the president." He spoke in the East Room at an hour-long news conference dominated by Iraq questions.

Now in its fourth year, the war is the top campaign issue. A majority of Americans are opposed to Bush's handling of Iraq, and increasing numbers of Republican candidates have signaled impatience with the president's policies as U.S. deaths have climbed above 2,800. Bush indicated he shared the public's frustration even as he pushed back against calls for troop withdrawals.

"I know many Americans are not satisfied with the situation in Iraq," he said in a lengthy statement before taking questions. "I'm not satisfied either." October has been the deadliest month this year for American forces, and the war soon will have lasted longer than U.S. involvement in World War II.

"The events of the past month have been a serious concern to me and a serious concern to the American people," the president said.

Bush said the United States was changing tactics to deal with circumstances in Iraq but shouldn't change the overall direction of the war.

"Absolutely we're winning," the president asserted.

Bush voiced confidence in al-Maliki, calling him "the right man" for Iraq now.

In Baghdad, Al-Maliki also criticized the top U.S. military and diplomatic representatives in Iraq for saying his government needed to set a timetable to curb violence in the country. "I affirm that this government represents the will of the people and no one has the right to impose a timetable on it," he said.

Bush said he had asked for a transcript of al-Maliki's remarks before coming into the East Room. Al-Maliki was correct in saying mandates could not be imposed on Iraq, Bush said. He suggested there had been a miscommunication between U.S. and Iraqi officials.

Despite criticism that al-Maliki has failed to stop sectarian violence, Bush said, "We'll push him, but we're not going to push him to the point where he can't achieve the objective." At the same time, Bush said Iraq's government "must respect the fact that we've got patience, but not unlimited patience."

Bush rejected Democratic calls for a timetable for troop withdrawals. Currently there are 144,000 U.S. forces in Iraq.

"We cannot allow our dissatisfaction to turn into disillusionment about our purpose in this war," the president said.

He said a fixed timetable for withdrawal "means defeat. You can't leave until the job is done." Bush said he would send more troops if Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Baghdad, said more were needed to win. A day earlier, Casey said he might need an increase in U.S. forces in Baghdad to stop the rising bloodshed.

"We're winning and we will win, unless we leave before the job is done," Bush said. He said Rumsfeld whose resignation has been urged by some Democrats and Republicans had done everything asked of him. "He is a smart, tough, capable administrator," the president said.

Bush said he looked forward to a report after the election from a blue-ribbon commission exploring U.S. options in Iraq. Bush said he would consider any option but cautioned, "The road to victory will not be easy. We should not expect a simple solution."

On another development Iran has doubled its capacity to enrich uranium by successfully executing the process with a second network of centrifuges, a semi official news agency reported.

Council members are working on a draft resolution that would impose limited sanctions on the Islamic republic because of its refusal to cease enrichment, a process that can produce fuel for a civilian nuclear reactor or fissile material for a warhead.

The Iranian Students News Agency quoted an anonymous official as saying Iran has successfully begun injecting gas into a second network of centrifuges.

"We are injecting gas into the second cascade, which we installed two weeks ago," the official said, according to ISNA.

The news agency said the second cascade had doubled Iran's capacity to enrich uranium.

The State Department said it was up to the International Atomic Energy Agency to assess the reports. "I cannot confirm those reports. We are not on the ground," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

President Bush said that regardless of the accuracy, it was "unacceptable" for Iran to have a nuclear weapon and the report underscored the need for the United States and its allies to redouble its effort to stop Iran from developing nuclear ambitions.

The U.N. Security Council has demanded that Tehran cease all enrichment-related activities amid fears by the U.S. and its allies that Iran is seeking to develop a program that can make weapons-grade uranium for nuclear warheads.

France's Foreign Ministry called Iran's expansion of its nuclear program a "negative signal" that should be taken to account at U.N. talks over possible sanctions.

A spokesman for the ministry, Jean-Baptiste Mattei, said the Iranian announcement was not a great surprise because the IAEA, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, had said in August that Iran was developing new nuclear capacities.

"The door to negotiations is always open, but at the same time the priority goes to the negotiations for a U.N. Security Council resolution," Mattei said at a news conference.

French President Jacques Chirac, meanwhile, expressed support for sanctions against Iran but insisted that they be temporary and reversible.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said he didn't "share concerns" about the launching of a second network of centrifuges, expressing confidence that the new centrifuges "are under the complete control of the International Atomic Energy Agency, for scientific research purposes."

He also said the centrifuges were "completely empty, so to talk about enriched uranium or uranium for military use, is at the very least premature."

Russia and China, which can veto Security Council resolutions and have close economic ties with Iran, are reportedly pushing for continued dialogue with Iran instead of punishment.

In Washington's Georgetown university the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said. North Korea's Oct. 9 nuclear test was a cry for help from a frightened regime,

"It's a cry for help, in my view," Mohammed El Baradei said. "I think from the North Korean perspective it's a cry for help. It is the only trump card they have, which is the nuclear issue. The feel, rightly or wrongly, that they are isolated. They feel that they are not getting the security assurance they would like to see. They see that from their perspective it is a question of regime survival, and for them the test is to say, 'We could be -- we could do more harm, you know, if you don't come and talk to us.'"

"North Korea is saying, 'We have neighbours who are either nuclear weapon states or either -- sitting under a nuclear umbrella, and why can't we do the same? Maybe that would be our way to protect ourselves, to provide ourselves with a shield,' and then to start negotiating from a position of (strength)," he said. "We might think that their perception of their security or insecurity is misplaced, but it's ...either a question of security or it's a question of trying to influence or project influence. In the case of Korea, it's a question of security."

El Baradei said nuclear non-proliferation in Asia can hold unless it is diplomatically bungled, but warned that a second North Korean nuclear test could compel Japan and South Korea to develop their own nuclear weapons rather than rely on American assurances for deterrence. They now face a nuclear China and North Korea, as well as Pakistan and India.