UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Friday highlighted the importance of a successful review conference of the landmark Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which entered into force 40 years ago.
I would like to underscore the importance of a successful review conference, next May, the UN secretary general said in a statement. Ban, who was on a tour of earthquake-hit Chile, noted that the NPT has remained the cornerstone of the nuclear non-proliferation regime, the foundation for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament, and a framework for promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Review conferences have been held every five years since the treaty was ratified in 1970. There are currently 189 signatory countries. The previous review conference in May 2005 ended in disarray, with no agreement from the participants. Israel, widely believed to have a sizable nuclear arsenal, has refused to sign the NPT, as have both India and Pakistan, two regional powers which gate-crashed the nuclear club in 1998 by conducting tit-for-tat underground tests and which have fought wars against one another in the past. North Korea, which has conducted two nuclear tests since 2006, withdrew from the NPT in 2003. Also marking the NPT’s 40th anniversary, US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice said Washington would use the May review conference to recommit itself, to reversing the spread of nuclear weapons and to building momentum for their eventual elimination. Ban, noting that the NPT also commits nuclear-weapon states to nuclear disarmament, hailed efforts by the United States and Russia to conclude a successor agreement to their START strategic arms reduction pact.

Al-Qaeda in Iraq has declared a nationwide “curfew” to try to stop Sunday’s elections, warning Iraqis they risked death if they voted.
The Islamic State of Iraq, an Al-Qaeda-led umbrella organization of insurgent groups, set the curfew from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm “throughout Iraq and especially in Sunni areas” in a message posted on its website. For the safety of our people, any of those who learn of this, report it to those who do not know and supply yourself with needs for the curfew, it said. The group added that anyone who defies the curfew will “unfortunately expose himself to the anger of Allah and then to all kinds of weapons of the mujahedeen.” Sunnis are expected to cast ballots in large numbers this weekend, in stark contrast to a 2005 boycott of the poll, despite fresh memories of bloodshed with the majority Shiites that has killed tens of thousands of people. The Al-Qaeda-linked statement came after Iraqi religious leaders ordered their fellow citizens during Friday prayers to vote in weekend parliamentary elections to safeguard the war-wracked nation’s fledgling democracy.

Defence Secretary Robert Gates will review allegations of misconduct in Afghanistan by the company formerly known as Blackwater and shares concerns raised by a top senator, the Pentagon said.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin had made a personal appeal to Gates last week for the Pentagon to consider blocking a potential $1 billion contract with Blackwater, which has changed its name to Xe, to train Afghan police. Levin cited what he called evidence of misconduct in a previous subcontract awarded to a Blackwater affiliate to conduct weapons training for the Afghan National Army. He is looking into it and he takes it seriously, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said of Gates. But Morrell played down the chances of any swift action to bar Blackwater from contracts, citing Pentagon rules and the company’s unique capabilities. Like it or not, Blackwater has technical expertise that very few companies do have. And they have a willingness to work in places that very few companies are willing to work. So they provide a much-needed service and the ability to do it well, he added. In a letter to Gates dated February 25 and released publicly on Thursday, Levin, a Democrat, said Blackwater may have used a front company for the contract, made false official statements and misled Defence Department officials in its proposal documents. There was also evidence Blackwater may have misappropriated government weapons, carried weapons without authorization and hired unqualified personnel with backgrounds that included assault and battery, as well as drug and alcohol abuse, Levin said. Levin said the Pentagon should consider Blackwater’s past “deficiencies” in deciding whether to award the new contract worth as much as $1 billion to the company to provide Afghan national police training. A US court last December threw out manslaughter charges against the Blackwater guards involved in that incident, a decision that outraged Iraq’s government. In January, two US security contractors working for Paravant LLC, a unit of Xe, which was previously known as Blackwater Worldwide, were arrested in Afghanistan on charges they murdered two Afghans in Kabul and wounded a third.

Two former Blackwater employees have been charged with the murder of two Afghans in Kabul last year.
According to Justice Department, two former Blackwater employees Justin Cannon, 27, and Christopher Drotleff, 29, have been charged with second-degree murder following the shooting deaths of the two Afghans.
They were also charged with attempted murder including the 13-count grand jury indictment. Both men could face death penalty, the Justice Department said.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Interior Minister Rehman Malik claims he will resign from the office if presence of Blackwater is proven in Pakistan. Malik said that Afghan Refugee Camps have become hub of terrorism.

Malik maintained that shifting Dr. Afia from Afghanistan was a violation of international laws. Giving statement in Senate’s Standing Committee Malik said that Afghan refugees wouldn’t be given more relaxation to return. “We will send back 1million illegal Afghan immigrants at every cost,” Malik added. He told that a plan regarding Afghan refugees’ return would be handed over to United Nations soon.

That it was correct no organization by the name of Blackwater was present in Pakistan as it had been renamed as Xe Wild which in real is Blackwater. He revealed that many other organizations were operating in Pakistan. Gul claimed that current government had made agreements like Musharraf regime. He said that the government was following the footsteps of Musharraf. “Musharraf also used to say that Pakistan is carrying out drone attacks but later he himself confessed US carried out these attacks,” he added.