Extracts. DPRK Backs Russia's Stand on ABM Treaty: Ambassador Pyongyang backs Moscow's proposals on further radical reduction of strategic offensive arms and on preserving the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty, DPRK Ambassador to Russia Pak Ui Chun said here Thursday. The ambassador made the remarks at a meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Mamedov on international and regional security, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Last Saturday, at a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell in Cairo, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov offered a proposal on creating an open non-strategic missile defense system in Europe, instead of a Washington-desired national missile shield. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) supports Russia's position on the ABM issues. A pan-European missile defense system can become a "pilot" project in compliance with the 1972 ABM treaty and the 1997 Russian-U.S. agreements on strategic arms reduction, Pak said after Mamedov briefed him on the Cairo meeting. The Russian and DPRK diplomats agreed that "it is necessary to solve any even the most complex problems by political and diplomatic methods on a non-discriminatory basis and with the participation of all interested sides," the statement said. Mamedov and Pak also discussed the results of Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Seoul this week, noting that "Russian- Korean talks in Seoul focused on ensuring peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the Asia-Pacific region as a whole." Mamedov said Russia appreciates DPRK leaders' efforts for easing tension on the Korean Peninsula and will strengthen cooperation with Pyongyang to prepare an international space conference due in April 2001. **** Two Bombs Explode at Pasto Airport in Colombia Two high-powered bombs exploded Thursday at Pasto airport in the southeastern Colombian province of Narino, damaging the landing strip and caused the airport to close. Norberto Ortega, director of the Civilian Aeronautics of Pasto (AEROCIVIL), said the explosion didn't damage the tower or terminal structures or cause injuries to persons. According to the official, one of the bombs exploded at the southern end of the runway, leaving a hole about five meters deep and 40 meters in diameter. The device was placed half a kilometer from the end of the runway, he said. The second bomb, he added, blew up at the airport's fire station, and destroyed half of the building and a vehicle. Operations at the airport terminal were suspended by an order of the AEROCIVIL head office, the official said, adding that local authorities hoped the airport would reopen soon. So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the bombing. **** Arms Sales to Taiwan Hurt US Interests, Chinese Official Warns Continuous arms sales to Taiwan will cause damage to China-US relations and put at risk US interests in east Asia, where the American businesses have grown fast in the past 10 years, a Chinese official warned Wednesday in Washington. "Arms sale is a political issue. It would not only hurt US- China relations, but also hurt US interests in that region... To plough in such a hot spot could be explosive at any time, eventually hurt bilateral relations as well as US interest itself," said Zhou Mingwei, deputy director of the Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) under the State Council of the People's Republic of China. Zhou, who is leading the first cabinet-level delegation to visit the United States since President George W. Bush took office in January, said that the present situation is quite different from that of 10 years ago as a great number of American companies have taken roots in China to set up local corporations or joint ventures. With China going to enter into the World Trade Organization, a growing number of American business corporations will make long-term investments in the country, and therefore a more "peaceful and stable" climate in the whole region is needed, Zhou told a press conference at the Chinese embassy. He described as "cold-war mentality" the notion that provision of arms to Taiwan can keep the military balance and result in peace. "Militarization in the region will not lead to a peaceful solution... it is very counter-productive and contradictory to the long-term interest of China-US relations," he added. Zhou made the remarks just before Taiwan and the United States are to kick off their annual arms sales conference in Washington D.C. in April. The Taiwanese authorities are trying hard to secure, among many other weapons, several Aegis destroyers, which have advanced equipment capable of intercepting incoming missiles. The Bush administration, however, is still weighing the consequences and has not yet given approval to the transaction thus far. **** Heresies Are Injurious to Lives: Commentary The incident of immolation of obsessed "Falun Gong" followers happened at Tiananmen Square is not only the evil result brought about by Li Hongzhi and his heretic "Falun Gong" cult who have exercised long-term spiritual control over the practitioners, vigorously incited "going to heaven for virvana", "driven beyond tolerance" and "creating bloodshed" incidents, but also is a serious criminal case wherein diehards of the heretic "Falun Gong" cult who deliberately organized the incident which inflicted damage to others' lives and undermined social stability. A basic feature of heresy is that it preaches fallacies and exercises spiritual control over crazy followers. By resorting to cheating, hinting, rumor-mongering, intimidating and other despicable means, Li Hongzhi wantonly spread the fallacies such as "eschatology", "fatalism", "abandoning the rigid pursuance of life", "pursuing nirvana" and "going to heaven", as a result, many practitioners were deceived and possessed by the Devil, and some of them ended their valuable lives by the suicidal method. The "Falun Gong" cult did not let off even women and children, instigating them to serve as its preys. The immolation of obsessed "Falun Gong" followers happened at Tiananmen Square on the eve of the traditional Chinese New Year was a world-shocking incident created by them who had long been mentally poisoned by Li Hongzhi's fallacies and had thus lost the reason as normal people; they showed no consideration for their kinsfolk, families and studies, and abandoned their normal social life. That represents another evidence of crimes perpetrated by "Falun Gong" cult in doing harm to people and depriving them of their lives. In order to create disturbances, Li Hongzhi unhesitatingly made a show of the cult's strength with the lives of the crazy followers. Before the occurrence of the immolation incident, Li Hongzhi had made use of the Internet to dish out the murderous "scripture"-"beyond tolerance" to incite, instigate and urge the obsessed "Falun Gong" followers to go to Tiananmen Square to "defend dharma with their lives and blood", cruelly giving the signal for the crazy "Falun Gong" followers to serve the heresy with their valuable lives. Several of them left their hometown for Tiananmen Square in Beijing <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/province/beijing.html> to achieve "eternal completion" and "go to heaven". At the time of departure, there were special persons who saw them off at the railway station and made an appointment that they "would meet in heaven". At their arrival in Beijing, there were special people who greeted them at the railway station, an apartment house was arranged by someone for them to take lodge, and trials were made before the immolation. Iron-clad facts prove that the incident is a criminal case created in an organized, premeditated and planned way by the "Falun Gong" cult, as well as an irrefutable evidence of the crime committed by the "Falun Gong" cult in a vain attempt to disrupt social stability, inflict damage to the practitioners' lives and set itself against society. After the occurrence of the immolation, in order to evade people's condemnation and shirk the cult's responsibility for the offence, Li Hongzhi and his "Falun Gong" cult immediately issued a declaration, held a press conference, flatly denying that those injured and died in the immolation were crazy "Falun Gong" followers, they inhumanly abandoned the obsessed followers whom they had repeatedly regarded as the "disciples of Dafa". When facts are laid bare before the world's people, Li Hongzhi and his "Falun Gong" diehards could no longer deny, they spread the rumors, their guilty conscience was thus thoroughly exposed. The incident of several obsessed "Falun Gong" followers urged by Li Hongzhi to set themselves on fire has once again proved the great harmfulness of the anti-humanity, anti-science and anti-society "Falun Gong" cult. It is a malignant tumor of society and the scourge of humankind, which must be resolutely eradicated for the tranquility of people, families and society. We must fully understand that our struggle with the "Falun Gong" cult is complicated, acute and protracted, and we must never lower our guard, otherwise, it would mean that we leave behind the root of social disturbances. With regard to the overwhelming majority of "Falun Gong" practitioners, including those who are so obsessed that they cannot extricate themselves for the time being, we must give full play to our superiority in ideological and political work, display the humanitarian spirit, strictly implement the policy of unity, education and rescue, move them with affection, tell them the reason and make them know the law, and rescue them from the trap of heresy, bring them back to the embrace of society and their relatives, so that they can live the life of normal people and enjoy a happy life. .At the same time, we should further step up the development of socialist ethics and culture, vigorously popularize scientific and cultural knowledge, actively launch healthy and beneficial cultural and sports activities, thoroughly eradicate the soil for the survival of heresies, protect social stability and the lasting peace of the country as we do the apple of our eye, so as to ensure the smooth progress of our country's reform, opening up and socialist modernization drive. **** Australian Lawmakers, Groups Urge Government to Oppose NMD Australian Senator Vicki Bourne Thursday launched an open letter calling on the government to unequivocally oppose the development of National Missile Defence (NMD) "I am happy to be among 76 community groups, parliamentarians, church groups and union representatives who are calling on the government not to support the USA's push to give NMD the green light," Bourne told reporters. Bourne, also Australian Democrats spokesperson on defence and foreign affairs, said "if NMD does go ahead it will, without doubt, increase nuclear weapons in the world, Star Wars will be well and truly back on." In the letter, the parliamentarians and groups asked the Australian government to urge the US government to abandon its pursuit of NMD and Theater Missile Defence (TMD). They also urged the government to inform the United States that Australia will in no way cooperate and will not permit the use of joint facilities for NMD or TMD. They asked the Australian government to join with other US allies and most other nations in opposing NMD and TMD diplomatically. They said that NMD may return the world to the dark days of nuclear arms-racing that characterized the cold war and such a development would be highly dangerous. "Accordingly, the undersigned Australian NGOs (non-government organizations) and parliamentarians have committed to opposing NMD, " they said. In the letter, they said that NMD has been opposed by the secretary-general of the United Nations, the governments of most US allies, especially France and Germany, and has been very strongly opposed by the governments of Russia and China. NMD has also been opposed by 354 NGOs and parliamentarians worldwide, by 50 Nobel laureates within the United States and by a declaration of retired military personnel and religious leaders at Washington National Cathedral, they said. On his part, Senator Bourne said Australia must take a proactive role in speaking out against NMD. "We are significant players in its development through our joint facilities at Pine Gap," he told reporters. "The government must be clear that Pine Gap can not be used to develop or utilize NMD." "The stakes are high, we are at a point in time where we can choose to limit and hopefully eliminate nuclear weapons or we can shoot the starter gun for a new and more fervent arms race," he said. On September 20, 2000, 64 Australian groups and parliamentarians wrote and signed a letter, asking that the facilities at the country's Pine Gap not be used for NMD purposes. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
