U.S., India Reach Agreement on Nuke Deal
By Deb Riechmann Associated Press
2 March 2006
Under the accord, elusive until the last minute, the United States would share American nuclear know-how and fuel with India to help power its fast-growing economy, even though India won’t sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. It would represent a major shift in policy for the United States, which imposed temporary sanctions on India in 1998 after it conducted nuclear tests.
Huge crowds in India rally against Bush visit
By Amelia Gentleman International Herald Tribune
2 March 2006
Bush will not address the Indian Parliament, as Bill Clinton did during his presidential visit to Delhi in 2000, because of concerns over the response he might receive from hostile politicians.
“We do not want Bush here, as he is the world’s biggest terrorist. He has no place in the land of Gandhi,” a Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind spokesman, Abdul Hameed Naumani, told Agence France- Presse.
Bush is scheduled to leave India for a one-day visit to Pakistan on Saturday morning.
Surprise Visit Prompts Strong Words
By Peter Wallsten LA Times
1 March 2006
Bush did not give a direct answer when an Afghan reporter asked him to comment on the “worsening situation” in Afghanistan. But the president did say that the U.S. was receiving cooperation in its search for Bin Laden and his associates. The hunt is a joint effort among several nations in the region, Bush said, while underscoring his intention to nudge Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to stop militants crossing into Afghanistan.
Defense intelligence chief warns of Afghan violence
28 February 2006 USAToday
WASHINGTON (AP) — Painting a bleak picture of U.S. military operations overseas, the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency told Congress on Tuesday that violence in Afghanistan increased 20% last year.
“We judge insurgents now represent a greater threat to the expansion of Afghan government authority than at any point since late 2001, and will be active this spring,” said Lt. Gen. Michael Maples, the DIA chief.