Extracts.
Putin Signs Law Ratifying Historic Treaty With China.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a federal law which makes the
historic good-neighborly treaty of friendship and cooperation between Russia
and China a binding document to guide future bilateral ties, the Kremlin
press service announced Monday.
Treaty Signed in Moscow
According to the Kremlin press service, Russian President Vladimir Putin has
signed a federal law which makes the historic good-neighborly treaty of
friendship and cooperation between Russia and China a binding document to
guide future bilateral ties.
Putin and Chinese President Jiang Zemin signed the landmark treaty in Moscow
on July 16, 2001, and they agreed it would serve as the foundation of future
bilateral cooperation. Russia's State Duma, the lower house of parliament,
ratified the treaty by an absolute majority on December 26, and the
Federation Council or the upper chamber approved it on January 16.
Guide of Development of Sino-Russian Relations
The treaty is expected to guide development of Sino-Russian relations in the
new century, and have a profound and far-reaching impact on bilateral ties
in the long run.
* Main Principles, Spirit & Achievements
Summing up the history of Sino-Russian ties, it expounds the main
principles, spirit and achievements in developing bilateral relations, which
would feature "a friendship from generation to generation and never
targeting each other as enemies."
The treaty describes the friendly relations between China and Russia as a
new type of state-to-state relationship based on the principles of
nonalignment, non-confrontation and "not-against-any-third-country"
cooperation.
****
China Adopts New Policy for Faster Growth of Service Industry.
The State Development Planning Commission has decided to take new measures
to push ahead with the development of the service trade during China's 10th
five-year plan period (from 2001 to 2005).
The State Development Planning Commission has decided to take new measures
to push ahead with the development of the service trade during China's 10th
five-year plan period (from 2001 to 2005).
Altogether 12 new measures adopted
The measures include a gradual opening up of various service sectors, such
as banking, foreign trade, tourism, telecommunications, insurance and
medical treatment, to overseas investors.
Private investors are also encouraged in all the sectors that are open to
foreign investors.
*
One measure for pushing ahead with the reform of the service industry is
that large and medium-sized state-owned enterprises in the service trade are
required to turn into companies while the small state-owned enterprises are
allowed to become share-holding companies or to reform their management
systems.
The fast growth of the service trade is believed to be an important factor
for guaranteeing the rapid and sound development of the national economy.
*
The commission has also called for the restructuring of the railways,
aviation, telecommunication, food and beverage, public utilities and other
service industries.
*
According to the new measures, China is to introduce more senior personnel
from overseas and to speed up the training of personnel for the service
industry.
****
Japan's Jobless Rate at New Record High of 5.6% in Dec.
Japan's unemployment rate climbed to a record high 5.6% in December, pushing
the average jobless rate for 2001 to a record 5.0%, the government said
Tuesday.
Japan's unemployment rate climbed to a record high 5.6% in December, pushing
the average jobless rate for 2001 to a record 5.0%, the government said
Tuesday.
The seasonally adjusted jobless rate for December set a new record for the
fourth consecutive month as the stagnant economy continued to weigh heavily
on the labor market, said the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs,
Posts and Telecommunications.
The 2001 jobless rate was higher than the 4.8% posted in the United States
and it was the third straight year that Japan's jobless rate has outnumbered
that of the U.S.
In 2001, the jobless rate hit 4.9% in January, reached 5.0% in July and
remained above that threshold for the rest of the year, jumping to 5.3% in
September and rising further to 5.4% in October.
The figures for December and the 2001 average were the highest since 1953,
when the government began compiling unemployment data.
Separately, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said that the ratio of
job offers to job seekers dropped 0.02 percentage point to 0.51 in December
from the previous month.
The ratio means that for every 100 people looking for jobs, there were only
51 job offers in December.
****
Zimbabwe Invites Foreign Election Observers, But Excluding UK.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has invited foreign observers to monitor
the country's presidential elections in March but will not allow in
observers from Britain, state radio said on Monday.
Zimbabwe an President Robert Mugabe has invited foreign observers to
monitor the country's presidential elections in March but will not allow in
observers from Britain, state radio said on Monday.
President Mugabe told journalists at the State House here on Monday that in
line with tradition of holding open democratic elections in Zimbabwe, his
government would invite at least nine organizations and governments to send
observers to witness the election process and to see the people of Zimbabwe
proudly exercise their sovereign right to freely elect a president of their
choice.
He said the African Union, the Southern African Development Community
(SADC), and the Common Market for East and Southern Africa were being
invited to send observers.
The invitation was also being extended to the Economic Community of West
African States and the Non-Aligned Movement.
"We are also inviting the Commonwealth, excluding the United Kingdom (UK),
and the joint African, Caribbean and Pacific states and the European Union
delegation, again excluding the UK," said Mugabe.
He said other individuals and countries would be announced in due course,
but the SADC and Nigeria would be invited to send their observers
immediately.
Relations between Zimbabwe and former colonial master, the United Kingdom,
have not been good lately. The two have mainly differed over land
redistribution policies of Zimbabwe.
The UK has accused the southern African country of following a path of
lawlessness in its quest to resettle hundreds of thousands of landless
blacks, hitherto crammed in unproductive communal areas.
Zimbabwe has on the other hand accused the UK of leading a campaign by the
EU states to have sanctions imposed against Zimbabwe.
"My government will, as is its practice, be accrediting foreign journalists
through our embassies, to cover the forthcoming elections, on the basis of
law and regulations of the country," said Mugabe.
****
Islam Not Forbid Women From Carrying out Suicide Attack: Hamas.
Leaders of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the Gaza Strip said
Monday that no fatwa (religious decree) forbids women from carrying out
suicide bombing attacks against occupation.
Leaders of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the Gaza Strip said
Monday that no fatwa (religious decree) forbids women from carrying out
suicide bombing attacks against occupation.
Isma'eel Abu Shanab, a Hamas leader in Gaza, said that Jihad (holy war)
against the enemy "is obligatory not only for men, but also for women,
adding that "Islam has never differentiated betweenmen and women in the
battlefield."
Israeli security sources said that a Palestinian woman from the West Bank
town of Nablus carried out the suicide bombing attack in downtown Jerusalem
on Sunday, killing two and wounding more than 100 people.
Although no one had yet claimed responsibility for the attack, the sources
believed that Shahinaz El Amoudi, a student from Al Najah University in
Nablus and an active member of Hamas, carried out the attack.
It was the first time ever that Hamas recruits a woman to carry out a
suicide mission. All suicide bombers before were men.
Radical Hamas and Islamic Jihad (holy war) who oppose the peace agreements
between Israel and the Palestinians carried out dozens of suicide bombing
attacks against Israel, killing hundreds of people.
****
Premier Zhu Discusses Iraqi Issue with Aziz.
Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji said Monday during a meeting with visiting Iraqi
Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz that China is willing to continue its
efforts toward an early solution to the Iraqi issue. China also maintains
that Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity should be respected by the
international community.
China hopes Iraqi issue to be solved fairly and justly
Chinese Premier said Monday during a meeting with visiting Iraqi Deputy
Prime Minister Tareq Aziz that China is willing to continue its efforts
toward anearly solution to the Iraqi issue.
"China has been advocating that the remaining issues from the 1991 Gulf War,
including sanctions against Iraq, should be settled fairly and justly, and
at an early date, on the basis of the related resolutions of the United
Nations Security Council," the Premier said.
"China also maintains that Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity
should be respected by the international community," Zhusaid.
Zhu pointed out that China hopes Iraq will strengthen its cooperation with
the United Nations and endeavor to improve its relations with neighboring
countries to create conditions for an early lifting of sanctions against it.
On the anti-terrorism issue, the premier said that China opposes terrorism
of all forms, and it holds that in combating terrorism there should be no
double standard and targets should not be want only extended.
China is willing to continue its efforts towards an early solution to the
Iraqi issue, Zhu said.
Zhu and Aziz on Bilateral ties
The Chinese Premier spoke highly of the smooth development of bilateral ties
of friendly cooperation, noting that the strengthening of the traditonal
friendship and deepening cooperation are a common aspiration for both
nations.
Aziz said that he fully agrees with Premier Zhu's comments on bilateral
relations. He extended Iraqi leaders' greetings to Chinese leaders.
Aziz said that Iraq attaches great importance to the role of China in
international affairs. He spoke highly of China's stance on the Iraqi issue,
and expects China will make new efforts in bringing an early solution to the
Iraqi issue.
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