1...Commander, U.S.

and NATO forces, Afghanistan

ans..General David H. Petraeus assumed command of the NATO International Security Assistance Force
(ISAF) and U.S.

Forces – Afghanistan (USFOR-A) on July 4, 2010 after serving for over 20 months as Commander, United
States Central

Command.

Before his assignment as CENTCOM Commander, General Petraeus commanded Multi-National Force-
Iraq where he led US and Coalition Forces during “the surge.” Prior to his tour as MNF-I Commander, he
commanded the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth, during which time he oversaw
the development of the Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Manual. Before that assignment, he
served for over 15 months as the first Commander of the Multi-National Security Transition Command-
Iraq and the NATO Training Mission-Iraq. That deployment to Iraq followed his command of the 101st
Airborne Division (Air Assault), during which he led the “Screaming Eagles” in combat during the fight to
Baghdad and throughout the first year of Operation Iraqi Freedom. His command of the 101st followed
a year deployed on Operation Joint Forge in Bosnia, where he was the Assistant Chief of Staff for
Operations of the NATO Stabilization Force and the Deputy Commander of the US Joint Counter-
Terrorism Task Force-Bosnia. Prior to his tour in Bosnia, he spent two years at Fort Bragg, North
Carolina, serving first as the Assistant Division Commander for Operations of the 82nd Airborne Division
and then as the Chief of Staff of XVIII Airborne Corps.

2..

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Admiral Michael G. Mullen, U.S. Navy

ans...

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is by law the highest ranking military officer in the United
States Armed Forces,[1] and is the principal military adviser to the President of the United States, the
National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council[2] and the Secretary of Defense.[2][3] While
the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff outranks all other officers, he does not have operational
command authority over the Armed Forces; however, the Chairman does assist the President and the
Secretary of Defense in exercising their command functions.[1]

The Chairman convenes the meetings and coordinates the efforts of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), an
advisory body comprising the Chairman, the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the chiefs of staff
of the United States Army and United States Air Force, the Chief of Naval Operations, and the
Commandant of the Marine Corps.[2] The Joint Staff is under the exclusive direction of the Chairman
GEN Martin Dempsey

since: October 1, 2011

3..Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

General James E. “Hoss” Cartwright, U.S. Marine Corps

ans...The Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (VJCS) is by law the second highest ranking military
officer in the United States Armed Forces [1] ranking just below the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The Vice Chairman outranks all respective heads of each service branch, with the exception of the
Chairman, but does not have operational command authority over their service branches.[1] The
Goldwater–Nichols Act of 1986 created the position of VJCS to assist the Chairman in excercising his
duties. In the absence of the Chairman, the Vice Chairman presides over the meetings of the Joint Chiefs
of Staff and all other duties prescribed under 10 U.S.C. § 153 and may also perform other duties that the
President, the Chairman, or the Secretary of Defense prescribes.[1]

Although the office of Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is considered to be very important and
highly prestigious, neither the Vice Chairman nor the Joint Chiefs of Staff as a body have any command
authority over combatant forces. The chain of command runs from the President to the Secretary of
Defense directly to the commanders of the Unified Combatant Commands.[2] The Vice Chairman is
nominated by the President for appointment and must be confirmed via majority vote by the Senate.[1]
The Chairman and Vice Chairman may not be members of the same armed force service branch.[1]
However, the President may waive that restriction for a limited period of time in order to provide for the
orderly transition of officers appointed to serve in those positions.[1] The Vice Chairman serves a two-
year term of office at the pleasure of the President,[1] but can be reappointed to serve two additional
terms for a total of six years.[1] In case of times of war or nation emergency, there is no limit to how
many times an officer can be reappointed to serve as Vice Chairman.[1] Historically, the Vice Chairman
has served two terms. By statute, the Vice Chairman is appointed as a four-star general or admiral.[1]

ADM James A. Winnefeld, Jr.

since: August 4, 2011

4..Director of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Center of Excellence, Central Command

Colonel Derek Harvey, U.S. Army, retired

ans..The Afghanistan-Pakistan Center of Excellence (AFG-PAK COE) is an internal think tank at the United
States Central Command focused on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Central Asian States. The AFG-PAK
COE seeks to build expertise in and provide improved intelligence for the missions in those countries
and the states around them.[1][2] The AFG-PAK COE is planning to help expand the number of U.S.
military and civilian experts on Afghanistan and Pakistan by providing them with education and training
opportunities covering the culture, language, and region, and keeping these analysts and military forces
connected to these missions in those countries when they are between deployments.[1][2]

The COE is within the USCENTCOM Directorate of Intelligence

Agency overview

Formed August 2009

Headquarters Tampa, Florida United States

Employees Classified

Agency executive Derek Harvey

5..Spokesman for General Petraeus

Colonel Erik Gunhus, U.S. Army

ans..David Howell Petraeus (pronunciation: /p?'tre?.?s/; born November 7, 1952) is the current Director
of the Central Intelligence Agency, sworn in on September 6, 2011.[1] Prior to his assuming the
directorship of the CIA, Petraeus was a four-star general serving over 37 years in the United States Army.
His last assignments in the Army were as commander of the International Security Assistance Force
(ISAF) and Commander, U.S. Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A) from July 4, 2010 to July 18, 2011. His other
four-star assignments include serving as the 10th Commander, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM)
from October 13, 2008, to June 30, 2010, and as Commanding General, Multi-National Force - Iraq
(MNF-I) from February 10, 2007, to September 16, 2008.[2] As commander of MNF-I, Petraeus oversaw
all coalition forces in Iraq.[3][4]

Assumed office

September 6, 2011

President Barack Obama

Deputy Michael Morell

Preceded by Michael Morell (Acting)

Personal details
Born November 7, 1952 (1952-11-07) (age 59)

Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York, U.S.

Alma mater United States Military Academy

Ranger School

United States Army Command and General Staff College

Princeton University

Military service

Service/branch United States Army

Years of service 1974–2011

Rank General

Commands International Security Assistance Force

United States Forces-Afghanistan

United States

6..Commander, United States Central Command

ans..The current commander is General James Mattis, USMC, who took command from acting
commander Lieutenant General John R. Allen, USMC on 11 August 2010.[1][2][3] Allen, the deputy
commander since July 2008, took temporary command when the previous commander, General David
Petraeus, USA, left to take command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan
on 23 June.[4]

NEXT

1.VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

ANS..The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States
Constitution.[1] The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly
elected by the people through the Electoral College to a four-year term of office.[2] The Vice President is
the first person in the presidential line of succession, and would ascend to the Presidency upon the
death, resignation, or removal of the President.[3]

Under the Constitution, the Vice President is President of the United States Senate.[4] In that capacity,
he is allowed to vote in the Senate when necessary to break a tie. While Senate customs have created
supermajority rules that have diminished this Constitutional power, the Vice President still retains the
ability to influence legislation (e.g. the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005).[4][5][6] Pursuant to the Twelfth
Amendment, the Vice President presides over the joint session of Congress when it convenes to count
the vote of the Electoral College.[2]

While the Vice President's only constitutionally prescribed functions aside from Presidential succession
relate to his role as President of the Senate, the office is commonly viewed as a component of the
executive branch of the federal government. The United States Constitution does not expressly assign
the office to any one branch, causing a dispute amongst scholars whether it belongs to the executive
branch, the legislative branch, or both.[7][8][9][10] The modern view of the Vice President as a member
of the executive branch is due in part to the assignment of executive duties to the Vice President by
either the President or Congress, though such activities are only recent historical developments.[7][9]

Joe Biden

since January 20, 2009

Style Mr. Vice President

(Informal)

The Honorable

(Formal)

Mr. President

(As presiding officer of the Senate)

Residence Number One Observatory Circle

Term length Four years

Inaugural holder John Adams

April 21, 1789

Formation U.S. Constitution

March 4, 1789

Succession First
Website Vice President Joe Biden

2..White House Chief of Staff

ANS..The White House Chief of Staff is the highest ranking employee of the White House Office inside
the Executive Office of the President of the United States and is an Assistant to the President.

The current White House Chief of Staff is Jacob Lew, who assumed the position on January 27, 2012,
after William M. Daley resigned

3..National Security Adviser

ANS..Gen James L. Jones (Ret.)[2] January 20, 2009 October 8, 2010 .

(NEW) Tom Donilon[3] October 8, 2010

4..Secretary of State

ANS..The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State,
concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking
cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence. The current Secretary of State is
Hillary Rodham Clinton, the 67th person, and third woman to hold the post. The specific duties of the
Secretary of State include:[3

5..United States Ambassador to Afghanistan

ANS..Ryan Crocker

since July 25, 2011

6..Secretary of Defense
ANS..Donald H. Rumsfeld

Jan 20, 2001 - Dec 18, 2006

22) Robert M. Gates

Dec 18, 2006 - Present

NEXT (AFGHANISTAN)

1..Leader, Provincial Council of Kandahar

ANS..The half brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai was shot dead at his home in Kandahar on
Tuesday, authorities said.

Ahmed Wali Karzai, the Kandahar provincial council chief, was killed during a gathering, said Tooryalai
Wesa, provincial governor. He did not know a motive.

While the governor initially said a friend killed Karzai, his spokesman later clarified that the death was at
the hands of a guard

NEXT

1............Commander of international security assistance force (ISAF) is Gen.David Petraeus.

ANS...........Commander, International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces – Afghanistan

General David H. Petraeus assumed command of the NATO International Security Assistance Force
(ISAF) and U.S. Forces – Afghanistan (USFOR-A) on July 4, 2010 after serving for over 20 months as
Commander, United States Central Command.

2..............Nato secretary General

ANS........Anders Fogh Rasmussen

3...........US Central Command

ANS........Its area of responsibility includes countries in the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia,
most notably Afghanistan and Iraq. CENTCOM has been the main American presence in many military
operations, including the Persian Gulf War, the War in Afghanistan (2001–present), and the Iraq War.
Forces from CENTCOM currently are deployed primarily in Iraq and Afghanistan in combat roles and
have bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Pakistan, and central Asia in
support roles. CENTCOM forces have also been deployed in Jordan, and Saudi Arabia in the past,
although no substantial forces are based in those countries as of 2009[update].

The current commander is General James Mattis, USMC, who took command from acting commander
Lieutenant General John R. Allen, USMC on 11 August 2010.[1][2][3] Allen, the deputy commander since
July 2008, took temporary command when the previous commander, General David Petraeus, USA, left
to take command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan on 23 June.[4]

4...........Current commander of the US central command

ANS........

The current commander is General James Mattis

5............Chairman Joint chiefs of staff committee

ANS..............Admiral James A. Winnefeld, Jr., USN, 9th and current Vice Chairman of the Joint CHIEF OF
STAFF

britian

1..British chief of the general staff

ans.............The current Chief of the General Staff is General Sir Peter Wall - having succeeded his
predecessor, General Sir David Richards in September 2010

2.....British P.M name is David Cameroon.

india

1............Indian army chief

ans...........General Vijay Kumar Singh 31 March 2010

2.........Indian chief of naval staff

ans........

The current Chief of the Naval Staff is Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma, who took office on 31 August 2009

3............Air chief marshal of Indian IAF

ans...........Air Chief Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne, also known as "Charlie" Browne, is the current
Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) of the IAF, he was Vice Chief of the Air Staff until he replaced outgoing Air
Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik on 31 July 2011

4..........Indian president

ans.........Pratibha Devisingh Patil

afghanistan

1../....Afghan army chief name

ans........... Lt. Gen. Khudaidad 1955 Chief of Staff in the Ministry of Defense ANA MoD 2011-04-18

2..........Current army commander In chief name

ans.......... NO DATA AVAL

NOTES

OBL operation

Osama bin Laden, then head of the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda, was killed in Pakistan on Monday,
May 2, 2011, shortly after 1 a.m. local time[1][2] by DEVGRU/SEAL Team 6, a United States SOF Divisi.
The operation, code-named Operation Neptune Spear, was ordered by United States President Barack
Obama and carried out in a U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operation by a team of United States
Navy SEALs from the SOF (Special Operations Forces). Participating units included United States Naval
Special Warfare Development Group (also known as DEVGRU or, colloquially, by its former name, SEAL
Team Six) and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) of the Joint Special Operations
Command, with support from CIA operatives on the ground.[3][4] The raid on bin Laden's compound in
Abbottabad, Pakistan was launched from Afghanistan.[5] After the raid, U.S. forces took bin Laden's
body to Afghanistan for identification, then buried it at sea within 24 hours of his death.[6]

Al-Qaeda confirmed the death on May 6 with posts made on militant websites, vowing to avenge the
killing.[7] Other Pakistani militant groups, including the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan also vowed retaliation
against the US and against Pakistan for not preventing the operation.[

SAARC

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is an organisation of South Asian nations,
founded in December 1985 by Ziaur Rahman and dedicated to economic, technological, social, and
cultural development emphasising collective self-reliance. Its seven founding members are Sri Lanka,
Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Afghanistan joined the organization in
2005. Meetings of heads of state are usually scheduled annually; meetings of foreign secretaries, twice
annually. It is headquartered in Kathmandu, Nepal.

ObjectivesThe objectives of the Association as defined in the Charter are:[2]

to promote the welfare of the people of South Asia and to improve their quality of life;

to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region and to provide
all individuals the opportunity to live in dignity and to realize their full potential;

to promote and strengthen selective self-reliance among the countries of South Asia;

to contribute to mutual trust, understanding and appreciation of one another's problems;

to promote active collaboration and mutual assistance in the economic, social, cultural, technical and
scientific fields;
to strengthen cooperation with other developing countries;

to strengthen cooperation among themselves in international forums on matters of common interest;

and

to cooperate with international and regional organisations with similar aims and purposes

PrinciplesThe principles are:

Respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, political equality and independence of all members states

Non-interference in the internal matters is one of its objectives

Cooperation for mutual benefit

All decisions to be taken unanimously and need a quorum of all eight members

All bilateral issues to be kept aside and only multilateral(involving many countries) issues to be discussed
without being prejudiced by bilateral issues

SAARC Youth AwardThe SAARC Youth Award is awarded to outstanding individuals from the SAARC
region. The award is notable due to the recognition it gives to the Award winner in the SAARC region.
The award is based on specific themes which apply to each year. The award recognises and promotes
the commitment and talent of the youth who give back to the world at large through various initiatives
such as Inventions, Protection of the Environment and Disaster relief. The recipients who receive this
award are ones who have dedicated their lives to their individual causes to improve situations in their
own countries as well as paving a path for the SAARC region to follow. The Committee for the SAARC
Youth Award selects the best candidate based on his/her merits and their decision is final.

Previous Winners:

1997: Outstanding Social Service in Community Welfare - Mr. Md. Sukur Salek (Bangladesh)

1998: New Inventions and Discoveries - Dr. Najmul Hasnain Shah (Pakistan)

2001: Creative Photography: South Asian Diversity - Mr. Mushfiqul Alam (Bangladesh)
2002: Outstanding contribution to protect the Environment - Dr. Masil Khan (Pakistan)

2003: Invention in the Field of Traditional Medicine - Mr. Hassan Sher (Pakistan)

2004: Outstanding contribution to raising awareness for TB and/or HIV/AIDS - Mr. Ajij Prasad Poudyal
(Nepal)

2006: Promotion of Tourism in South Asia - Mr. Syed Zafar Abbas Naqvi (Pakistan)

2008: From Himalayan glaciers to verdant plains to coral reefs – protecting the Environment in South
Asia - Ms. Uswatta Liyanage Deepani Jayantha (Sri Lanka)

2009: Outstanding contribution to humanitarian works in the aftermath of Natural Disasters - Dr.
Ravikant Singh (India)

2010: Outstanding contribution for the Protection of Environment and mitigation of Climate Change -
Ms. Anoka Primrose Abeyrathne (Sri Lanka

Secretaries General Abul Ahsan January 16, 1987 to 15 October 1989

Kishore Kant Bhargava October 17, 1989 to December 31, 1991

Ibrahim Hussain Zaki January 1, 1992 to December 31, 1993

Yadav Kant Silwal January 1, 1994 to December 31, 1995

Naeem U. Hasan January 1, 1996 to December 31, 1998

Nihal Rodrigo January 1, 1999 to January 10, 2002

Q.A.M.A. Rahim January 11, 2002 to February 28, 2005

Lyonpo Chenkyab Dorji March 1, 2005 to February 29, 2008

Sheel Kant Sharma March 1, 2008 to February 28, 2011

Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed March 1, 2011 to present

The Seventeenth Summit was held from 10-11 of November 2011 in Addu City, Maldives. The Meeting,
which was held at the Equatorial Convention Centre, Addu City was opened by the outgoing Chair of
SAARC, Prime Minister of the Royal Government of Bhutan, H.E.Lyonchhen Jigmi Yoezer Thinley.

H.E. Mohamed Nasheed was elected as the Chairperson of the 17th SAARC Summit. In his inaugural
address President Nasheed highlighted three areas of cooperation in which progress should be made;
trade, transport and economic integration; security issues such piracy and climate change; and good
governance. President also called on the Member States to establish a commission to address issues of
gender inequalities in South Asia.

The Head of States of all the SAARC Member States addressed the Meeting. The inaugural meeting was
attended by Foreign/External Ministers of SAARC Member States, the Secretary General of SAARC, the
Heads of Observer Delegation, Cabinet Ministers of the Maldives, Ministers in the visiting delegations
and other state dignitaries.

In her address Secretary General stated that the Summit being held under the theme of “Building
Bridges” provides further impetus and momentum to build the many bridges that needs to be built:
from bridging the gaps created by uneven economic development and income distribution, the gaps in
recognizing and respecting the equality of men and women, the closing of space between intent and
implementation.

In this Meeting, the Foreign Ministers of the respective Member States signed four agreements;

SAARC Agreement on Rapid Response to Natural Disasters SAARC Agreement on Multilateral

Arrangement on Recognition of Conformity Assessment SAARC Agreement on Implementation of
Regional Standards SAARC Seed Bank Agreement In addition, the Addu Declaration of the Seventeenth
SAARC Summit was also adopted

Iran-us(nuclear issue)

The nuclear program of Iran was launched in the 1950s with the help of the United States as part of the
Atoms for Peace program.[1] The participation of the United States and Western European governments
in Iran's nuclear program continued until the 1979 Iranian Revolution that toppled the Shah of Iran.[2]

After the 1979 revolution, the Iranian government temporarily disbanded elements of the program, and
then revived it with less Western assistance than during the pre-revolution era. Iran's nuclear program
has included several research sites, two uranium mines, a research reactor, and uranium processing
facilities that include three known uranium enrichment plants.

After delays, Iran's first nuclear power plant, Bushehr I reactor was complete with major assistance of
Russian government agency Rosatom and officially opened on 12 September 2011.[3] Iran has
announced that it is working on a new 360 MW nuclear power plant to be located in Darkhovin. Iran has
also indicated that it will seek more medium-sized nuclear power plants and uranium mines in the
future.[4]

In November 2011, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors rebuked Iran
following an IAEA report detailing how Iran had undertaken research and experiments geared to
developing a nuclear weapons capability.[5] For the first time, the IAEA report outlines, in depth, the
country’s detonator development, the multiple-point initiation of high explosives, and experiments
involving nuclear payload integration into a missile delivery vehicle.[6][7] Iran rejected the details of the
report and accused the IAEA of pro-Western bias[8] and threatened to reduce its cooperation with the
IAEA.[9]

Iran says that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes and consistent with the NPT.[307] The
IAEA Board of Governors has found Iran in non-compliance with its NPT safeguards agreement,
concluding in a rare non-consensus decision with 12 abstentions,[308] that Iran's past safeguards
"breaches" and "failures" constituted "non-compliance" with its Safeguards Agreement[99][309] In the
decision, the IAEA Board of Governors also concluded that the concerns raised fell within the
competence of the UN Security Council.[99]

Most experts recognize that non-compliance with an NPT safeguards agreement is not equivalent to a
violation of the NPT or does not automatically constitute a violation of the NPT itself.[310][311] The
IAEA does not make determinations regarding compliance with the NPT,[312] and the UN Security
Council does not have a responsibility to adjudicate treaty violations.[313] Dr. James Acton, an associate
in the Nonproliferation Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, has said the 2010
NPT Review Conference could recognize that non-compliance with safeguards agreements would violate
article III of the NPT.[314] Director of the Australian Nonproliferation and Safeguards Organization and
then Chairman of IAEA Standing Advisory Group on Safeguards Implementation[315] John Carlson wrote
in considering the case of Iran that "formally IAEA Board of Governors (BOG) decisions concern
compliance with safeguards agreements, rather than the NPT as such, but in practical terms non-
compliance with a safeguards agreement constitutes non-compliance with the NPT."[316]

A September 2009 Congressional Research Service paper said "whether Iran has violated the NPT is
unclear."[317] A 2005 U.S. State Department report on compliance with arms control and
nonproliferation agreements concluded, based on its analysis of the facts and the relevant international
laws, that Iran's extensive failures to make required reports to the IAEA made "clear that Iran has
violated Article III of the NPT and its IAEA safeguards agreement."[312] Testimony presented to the
Foreign Select Committee of the British Parliament drew the opposite conclusion:[318]

"The enforcement of Article III of the NPT obligations is carried out through the IAEA's monitoring and
verification that is designed to ensure that declared nuclear facilities are operated according to
safeguard agreement with Iran, which Iran signed with the IAEA in 1974. In the past four years that
Iran's nuclear programme has been under close investigation by the IAEA, the Director General of the
IAEA, as early as November 2003 reported to the IAEA Board of Governors that "to date, there is no
evidence that the previously undeclared nuclear material and activities ... were related to a nuclear
weapons programme." ... Although Iran has been found in non-compliance with some aspects of its IAEA
safeguards obligations, Iran has not been in breach of its obligations under the terms of the NPT."

The 2005 U.S. State Department compliance report also concluded that "Iran is pursuing an effort to
manufacture nuclear weapons, and has sought and received assistance in this effort in violation of
Article II of the NPT".[312] The November 2007 United States National Intelligence Estimate (NIE)
asserted that Tehran halted a nuclear weapons program in fall 2003, but that Iran "at a minimum is
keeping open the option to develop nuclear weapon".[216] Russian analyst Alexei Arbatov, said "no
hard facts on violation of the NPT per se have been discovered" and also wrote that "all this is not
enough to accuse Iran of a formal breach of the letter of the NPT" and "giving Iran the benefit of the
doubt, there is no hard evidence of its full-steam development of a military nuclear program."[319]

NPT Article IV recognizes the right of states to research, develop and use nuclear energy for peaceful
purposes, but only in conformity with their nuclear nonproliferation obligations under Articles I and II of
the NPT.

The UN Security Council has demanded that Iran suspend its nuclear enrichment activities in multiple
resolutions.[320][321] The United States has said the "central bargain of the NPT is that if non-nuclear-
weapon states renounce the pursuit of nuclear weapons, and comply fully with this commitment, they
may gain assistance under Article IV of the Treaty to develop peaceful nuclear programs". The U.S. has
written that Paragraph 1 of Article IV makes clear that access to peaceful nuclear cooperation must be
"in conformity with Articles I and II of this Treaty" and also by extension Article III of the NPT.[322]
Rahman Bonad, Director of Arms Control Studies at the Center for Strategic Research at Tehran, has
argued that demands to cease enrichment run counter to "all negotations and discussions that led to
the adoption of the NPT in the 1960s and the fundamental logic of striking a balance between the rights
and obligations stipulated in the NPT."[323] In February 2006 Iran's foreign minister insisted that "Iran
rejects all forms of scientific and nuclear apartheid by any world power," and asserted that this
"scientific and nuclear apartheid" was "an immoral and discriminatory treatment of signatories to the
Non-Proliferation Treaty,"[324] and that Iran has "the right to a peaceful use of nuclear energy and we
cannot accept nuclear apartheid."[325]

Russia has said it believes Iran has a right to enrich uranium on its soil. Former U.S. Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice suggested that there could be work toward an international nuclear fuel bank instead
of indigenous Iranian enrichment,[326] while Richard Haass, President of the Council on Foreign
Relations, has said "the United States should be willing to discuss what Iran describes as its 'right to
enrich' ... provided that Iran accepts both limits on its enrichment program (no HEU) and enhanced
safeguards".[327] Officials of the Iranian government and members of the Iranian public believe Iran
should be developing its peaceful nuclear industry.[328][329] A March 2008 poll of 30 nations found
moderate support for allowing Iran to produce nuclear fuel for electricity alongside a full program of UN
inspections.[330]

[edit] Iranian statements on nuclear deterrenceThe Iranian authorities deny seeking a nuclear weapons
capacity for deterrence or retaliation since Iran's level of technological progress cannot match that of
existing nuclear weapons states, and the acquisition of nuclear weapons would only spark an arms race
in the Mideast. According to Ambassador Javad Zarif:

It is true that Iran has neighbors with abundant nuclear weapons, but this does not mean that Iran must
follow suit. In fact, the predominant view among Iranian decision-makers is that development,
acquisition or possession of nuclear weapons would only undermine Iranian security. Viable security for
Iran can be attained only through inclusion and regional and global engagement.[331][332]

Iran's President Ahmadinejad, during an interview with NBC anchor Brian Willians in July 2008, also
dismissed the utility of nuclear weapons as a source of security and stated:

Again, did nuclear arms help the Soviet Union from falling and disintegrating? For that matter, did a
nuclear bomb help the U.S. to prevail inside Iraq or Afghanistan, for that matter? Nuclear bombs belong
to the 20th century. We are living in a new century ... Nuclear energy must not be equaled to a nuclear
bomb. This is a disservice to the society of man.[333]

And according Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation:

In matters of national security we are not timid. We will assert our intentions. If nuclear weapons would
have brought security, we would have announced to the world that we would go after them ... We do
not think a nuclear Iran would be stronger ... If we have weapons of mass destruction we are not going
to use them – we cannot. We did not use chemical weapons against Iraq. Secondly, we do not feel any
real threat from our neighbours. Pakistan and the Persian Gulf, we have no particular problems with
them, nor with Afghanistan. The only powerful country is Russia in the north, and no matter how many
nuclear weapons we had we could not match Russia. Israel, our next neighbour, we do not consider an
entity by itself but as part of the US. Facing Israel means facing the US. We cannot match the US. We do
not have strategic differences with our neighbours, including Turkey.[334]

. Palestine's bid for membership of UN

The Palestinian bid to become a full member of the United Nations headed toward certain failure on
Tuesday after the Security Council’s membership committee deadlocked on the issue, according to a
draft report by the committee

The outcome, which had been anticipated, was laid out in typically detached diplomatic language. “The
committee was unable to make a unanimous recommendation to the Security Council,” the report
concluded.
There was little likelihood from the beginning that the attempt would be successful, because the United
States had vowed to veto it.

But in submitting the bid in September, the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, appeared ready to
try to claim at least a moral victory by having yet another Palestinian initiative felled by an American
veto.

The membership committee’s report will go to the Council, where, in theory, 9 of the 15 members could
still vote in favor of accepting the Palestinians. But it has become increasingly apparent that there are
not sufficient votes to get a resolution passed, and it is possible that it may not even come to a vote.

Some members thought the Palestinians should be admitted, some thought they should not and some
questioned whether the Palestinians had met the requirements of membership at this time. Some
members focused on whether Hamas, the extremist group that controls Gaza, had accepted the terms
of membership, including the peaceful settlement of disputes.

But the main impediment is that only eight states are prepared to support the bid. Russia, China,
Lebanon, India, Brazil and South Africa have voiced outright support. Nigeria and Gabon, though hedging
publicly, were expected to vote in favor.

The United States has been firmly opposed, and Germany may also vote against membership. Britain,
France and Colombia said in a closed membership meeting last week that they would abstain, diplomats
said. That left Portugal and Bosnia. Portugal was expected to go along with its European partners, while
the tripartite presidency of Bosnia was in disagreement.

Although changes could still be made in the draft report, the Security Council is expected to accept the
report by consensus on Friday, a kind of “we agree to disagree” outcome. If no nation submits a
resolution demanding a formal vote on the issue, none will be taken.

France has been pressing the Palestinians to request that the General Assembly upgrade their current
status, as an organization, to an observer state, but it was unclear that the Palestinians would go that
route.
“It is not over yet,” said Saeb Erekat, a close aide to Mr. Abbas in Ramallah, noting that the Palestinian
Authority was weighing its options. “We may put the motion to a vote in the Security Council, and if we
fail we can try again and again and again.”

Isabel Kershner contributed reporting from Jerusalem

WHO IS WHO IN PAKISTAN

President - Asif Ali Zardari

Prime Minister - Yousaf Raza Gillani

Commerce Minister - Ameen Faheem

Minister of Communications - Arbab Alamgir Khan

Culture Minister - Khawaja Saad Rafique

Defence Minister - Ahmad Mukhtar

Minister of Defence Production - Rana Tanveer Hussain

Finance Minister - Abdul Hafeez Shaikh

Minister of Foreign Affairs - Hina Rabbani Khar

Interior Minister - Rehman Malik

Minister for States and Frontier Regions - Najmuddin Khan

Minister for Water and Power - Raja Pervaiz Ashraf

Ch. Pervez Ellahi Senior Minister

i. Defence Production

ii. Industries

2. Makhdoom Amin Fahim Commerce

3. Dr. Arbab Alamgir Khan Communications

4. Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar Defence

5. - Finance, Revenue, Planning and Development, Economic Affairs and Statistics.

6. Ms. Hina Rabbani Khar Foreign Affairs

7. Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat Housing and Works

8. Dr.Firdos Ashiq Awan Information and Broadcasting

9. A.Rehman Malik Interior

10. Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Affairs

11. Senator Moula Bakhsh Chandio Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs

12. Haji Khuda Bux Rajar Narcotics Control

13. Dr. Muhammad Farooq Sattar Overseas Pakistanis

14. - Petroleum and Natural Resources

15. Senator Babar Khan Ghauri Ports and Shipping

16. Sardar Al-Haaj Mohammad Umar Gorgeij Postal Services

17. Mr. Ghous Bux Khan Maher Privatization

18. Mr. Anwar Ali Cheema Production

19. Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour Railways

20. Syed Khursheed Shah Religious Affairs.

21. Mir Changez Khan Jamali Science and Technology

22 Engr. Shaukat Ullah States and Frontier Regions

23. Makhdoom Sahhabuddin Textile Industry

24 Syed Naveed Qamar Water and Power

25. Engineer Amir Muqam -

26. Ms. Samina Khalid Ghurki National Heritage and integration

27. Mir. Israrullah Zehri National Food Security and Research

28. Mr.Riaz Hussain Pirzada Professional and Technical Training

29. Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain Human Resource Development

30. Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani Inter-Provincial Coordination

MINISTERS OF STATES

1. Sardar Bahadur Khan Sehar Defence Production

2. Mr. Muhammad Raza Hayat Harraj Housing and Works

3. Dr. Nadeem Ehasan Overseas Pakistanis

4. Rana Asif Tauseef Privatization

5. Khawaja Sheeraz Mehmood Production

6. Mr. Akram Masih Gill National Harmony

7. Sheikh Waqas Akram Human Resource Development

8. Sardar Shahjehan Yousaf Professional and Technical Training

1. Ch. Pervez Ellahi Senior Minister

i. Defence Production

ii. Industries

2. Makhdoom Amin Fahim Commerce

3. Dr. Arbab Alamgir Khan Communications

4. Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar Defence

5. - Finance, Revenue, Planning and Development, Economic Affairs and Statistics.

6. Ms. Hina Rabbani Khar Foreign Affairs

7. Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat Housing and Works

8. Dr.Firdos Ashiq Awan Information and Broadcasting

9. A.Rehman Malik Interior

10. Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Affairs

11. Senator Moula Bakhsh Chandio Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs

12. Haji Khuda Bux Rajar Narcotics Control

13. Dr. Muhammad Farooq Sattar Overseas Pakistanis

14. - Petroleum and Natural Resources

15. Senator Babar Khan Ghauri Ports and Shipping

16. Sardar Al-Haaj Mohammad Umar Gorgeij Postal Services

17. Mr. Ghous Bux Khan Maher Privatization

18. Mr. Anwar Ali Cheema Production

19. Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour Railways

20. Syed Khursheed Shah Religious Affairs.

21. Mir Changez Khan Jamali Science and Technology

22 Engr. Shaukat Ullah States and Frontier Regions

23. Makhdoom Sahhabuddin Textile Industry

24 Syed Naveed Qamar Water and Power

25. Engineer Amir Muqam -

26. Ms. Samina Khalid Ghurki National Heritage and integration

27. Mir. Israrullah Zehri National Food Security and Research

28. Mr.Riaz Hussain Pirzada Professional and Technical Training

29. Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain Human Resource Development

30. Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani Inter-Provincial Coordination

NEWZELAND
The Prime Minister of New Zealand (in Maori: Te Pirimia o Aotearoa) is New Zealand's head of
government consequent on being the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the
Parliament of New Zealand. Since 19 November 2008, the Prime Minister has been John Key of the
National Party.

The title "Prime Minister" had made its first formal appearance in the 1873 Schedule of the Civil List Act,
but originally the Prime Minister was entitled Colonial Secretary or First Minister. This was formally
changed in 1869 to "Premier". However, this title too did not last, being informally changed by Richard
Seddon to "Prime Minister" in 1901 during his tenure in office.[1] Following the declaration of New
Zealand as a Dominion in 1907, the term "Prime Minister" has been used exclusively