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World in brief

Rice appeals for nuclear agreement with India

By wire services
Published April 6, 2006

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sought to assure a wary Congress on Wednesday that a landmark plan to share nuclear technology with India for its civilian program won't undercut efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons.

"Clearly, this agreement does not constrain India's nuclear weapons program. That was not its purpose," Rice told a House committee. "Neither, however, as some critics have suggested, does it enhance India's capability to build nuclear weapons."

In the House and Senate, Republicans and Democrats alike expressed serious reservations over the plan and criticized what they called the Bush administration's failure to explain its details to lawmakers earlier.

"It is my view that this is in trouble here," said Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y., who supports the plan but criticized how the administration has handled it.

The administration needs Congress to change, or approve an exception to, the law that bans civilian nuclear cooperation with countries that have not submitted to full nuclear inspections. India continues to refuse to sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

Despite concerns, some lawmakers from both political parties indicated they would back the plan because of an overall goal of strengthening the U.S.-India relationship.

"This is a very good bet for our country," said Sen. George Allen, R-Va.

Others weren't swayed.

"I fear that this deal could end up making our world less safe rather than more safe," said Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis.

IRAN SHAH, Pakistan - Pakistani security forces battled suspected Islamic militants Wednesday in a northwestern tribal region near the Afghan border, leaving four soldiers and five fighters dead, an army spokesman said.

Another 15 militants surrendered in the fighting in North Waziristan tribal region, spokesman Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan said. He said the battle occurred in Shawal, a rugged, forested area about 9 miles from the Afghan border.

The fighting followed a spree of bloody clashes between pro-Taliban tribesmen and Pakistani troops in recent weeks. It erupted after an overnight rocket attack on a military base in Mana, a village about 30 miles west of the main town of Miran Shah. The rocket assault killed at least two soldiers, while two others died in fighting later Wednesday.

Helicopter gunships backed ground troops that surrounded at least four compounds where militants were believed to be hiding, Sultan said.

KATMANDU, Nepal - Police detained dozens of politicians and imposed a night curfew in Nepal's capital Wednesday to thwart a planned opposition strike, while rebels killed six security troops in the southeast, officials and activists said.

Police also detained about 75 pro-democracy activists, including several journalists, who defied a ban on rallies in the capital, Katmandu. They had gathered to support a four-day strike planned to start Thursday to pressure King Gyanendra to restore democracy more than a year after he seized control of the government.

[Last modified April 6, 2006, 02:00:13]