th th WEEKLY NEWS AND ANALYSIS FROM 30 SEP TO 6 OCT, 2015 INTERNATIONAL NEWS ‘Terror’ tag excludes Iran from UN summit The U.S. did not invite Iran to UN summit on combating the Islamic State and other violent extremist groups because it still designates Iran itself as a state sponsor of terrorism. Even if he had been invited, it is not clear if Iranian President Hassan Rouhani would have taken part. He has made clear he has different views to the Obama administration on fighting IS. However, the absence of an invitation to a critical meeting on violent extremist groups in Syria and Iraq, an issue in which Iran has a major stake, illustrates the remaining institutional and political barriers to U.S. cooperation with Iran even after the successful negotiation of a nuclear agreement on its nuclear programme in July. State department officials confirmed that Iran’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism was the reason for its exclusion from the countering IS summit being chaired by Mr. Obama. Iran was first designated a state sponsor of terrorism by the U.S. state department in 1984 and the designation has been rolled over each year. The latest state department report said: “Iran continued its terrorist-related activity in 2014, including support for Palestinian terrorist groups in Gaza, Lebanese Hezbollah, and various groups in Iraq and throughout the Middle East.” The U.S. also accused Iran of increasing assistance to Iraqi Shia militias, one of which was designated a terrorist organisation, “in response to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant incursion into Iraq, and has continued to support other militia groups in the region. Iranian officials have complained that about being stigmatised by backing militia groups fighting Isis, something the US is also attempting to do. The state sponsor of terrorism label does not present a legal barrier to negotiating with a national government, a fact that allowed the nuclear negotiations to take place, so there is an element of discretion in its application. 'Super typhoon' Dujuan kills two and injures hundreds in Taiwan ‘Super typhoon’ Dujuan killed two people and left more than 300 injured in Taiwan after it swept across the island before reaching land in eastern China, authorities said. Almost half a million people are still without electricity in Taiwan. The storm hit the Chinese coastal city of Putian, state news agency Xinhua said, but there were no immediate reports of damage. Typhoon Soudelor: deaths reported after storm hits south-east China Severe winds uprooted trees and smashed windows and the heavy rains triggered multiple landslides. More than 12,000 people have been evacuated and almost 3000 are in temporary shelters, authorities said. Taiwan’s aboriginal mountain communities are particularly at risk during typhoons, often affected by flooding and mudslides. Landslides blocked the roads into the hot spring town of Wulai, in mountains just outside the capital, Taipei. It was the latest hit for Wulai which was severely damaged by flooding and landslides in August when typhoon Soudelor hit. Dujuan was categorised as a “super typhoon” by regional forecasters, taking residents by surprise as it sped up before reaching land in the eastern county of Yilan. It was downgraded to a “moderate typhoon” by Taiwan’s central weather bureau as it crossed the island. “It’s expected the typhoon will continue to weaken and its radius to keep shrinking,” the weather bureau said. Typhoon Soudelor caused at least eight deaths in Taiwan last month and killed 21 people in China. India, U.S., Japan says interests in Indo-Pacific converge The first trilateral meeting of Foreign Ministers of India, United States and Japan minced no words in declaring that their strategic and economic interests in the Asia-Pacific were increasingly converging. In what could ruffle feathers in Beijing, statements issued by the three foreign ministries after the meeting said the Ministers “underscored the importance of international law and peaceful settlement of disputes; freedom of navigation and overflight; and unimpeded lawful commerce, including in the South China Sea.” The U.S. has in the recent past asserted rights of overflight in areas China and its maritime neighbours have overlapping claims over. The elevation of India, U.S., Japan trilateral engagement from officials level to the political level also comes weeks ahead of the Malabar naval exercise of the three countries in the Indian waters in mid-October. In 2007, China had strongly reacted to a similar exercise. “The meeting of the Foreign Ministers should not be considered as a move against China but a reiteration of rule of law that must apply to all nations of the world,” said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup. Joint cooperation with Japan has become a component in India-U.S. bilateral relations. U.N. body asks Sri Lanka to probe ‘rights abuses’ The United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva adopted a consensus resolution on accountability for the alleged human rights violations during the Sri Lankan civil war. Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 1 2015CA_030,001,002,003,004,005,006 Sponsored by the U.S., the U.K. and other countries, including Sri Lanka, the resolution called upon Colombo to establish a credible judicial process, with the participation of Commonwealth and other foreign judges, defence lawyers and authorised prosecutors and investigators, to go into the alleged rights abuses. The judicial mechanism “should include independent judicial and prosecutorial institutions led by individuals known for their integrity and impartiality,” according to the resolution. The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) will continue to assess the progress in the implementation of its recommendations and other processes related to reconciliation, accountability and human rights. The OHCHR will present an oral update to the Human Rights Council at the 32nd session (likely in June 2016) and a comprehensive report at the 34th session (March 2017). After the resolution was adopted, India’s envoy Ajit Kumar said: “We reiterate our firm belief that the meaningful devolution of political authority through the implementation of the 13th Amendment of the Constitution of Sri Lanka [adopted in 1987 as a sequel to an agreement between India and Sri Lanka] and building upon it would greatly help the process of national reconciliation.” ‘Historic opportunity for Sri Lanka’ The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said the UN Human Rights Council, by adopting a resolution on Sri Lanka, affirmed the importance of international involvement in the justice and accountability process for serious crimes of an international nature. ‘Time for action’ In a statement, Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson of the OHCHR, said: “This is a historic opportunity for Sri Lanka to address the grave human rights violations and abuses that its people suffered, at the hands of both the LTTE and the Government, during the conflict and in its immediate aftermath.” She said it was now time for action and “we look forward to advising and accompanying Sri Lanka on its path to justice, accountability and non-recurrence of past violations, including through judicial and truth-seeking processes as well as through legal and institutional reform”. She expressed the hope that the OHCHR would “engage extensively” with Sri Lanka in the implementation of the report’s recommendations. India’s envoy at UN Ajit Kumar has said India has “always supported” efforts to preserve Sri Lanka’s identity as a “multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-religious society” in which all citizens, including the Sri Lankan Tamil community, could live in equality, safety and harmony, and prosper and fulfil their aspirations within a united Sri Lanka. The adoption of the text marks the end of an episode which began in March 2014 when the UNHRC passed a resolution, through voting, requesting the OHCHR to undertake a comprehensive investigation into the alleged rights violations. The previous regime of Mahinda Rajapaksa came under criticism internationally for the way it handled the last stages of the civil war and the post-war situation. President Abbas raises Palestinian flag for first time at UN Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas raised the Palestinian flag at the United Nations for the first time with a promise that it will be raised soon in Jerusalem, “the capital of our Palestinian state.” More than 300 ministers, diplomats and well-wishers who crowded into the rose garden at U.N. headquarters where a temporary flagpole had been erected for the ceremony applauded his words. Among them were the foreign ministers of Russia, Saudi Arabia and Iran and ambassadors from many countries including France. The United States, which does not recognise the state of Palestine, did not send a representative, the U.S. Mission said. Abbas told the crowd it was an historic moment on the road to Palestinian independence. Palestine was designated as a non-member observer state at the United Nations in November 2012 and Palestinian statehood has been recognised by many countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America. The Palestinians campaigned for a General Assembly resolution that was overwhelmingly approved on September 10 allowing U.N. observer states to fly their flags alongside those of the 193 U.N. member states. The Holy See and Palestine and are the only two non-member U.N. observer states. In contrast to the Palestinians, the Holy See flag was raised outside U.N. headquarters alongside flags of the 193 U.N. member states without fanfare or ceremony just before Pope Francis arrived to address the General Assembly. The permanent flagpole for the Palestinian flag is already in place beside it. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called a day of “pride” and “hope” for Palestinians around the world that will lead to the unfurling of the Palestinian flag “in its proper place among the family of nations as a sovereign member state of the United Nations,” Ban said.