Ron Synovitz is a senior correspondent for RFE/RL.
A round of peace talks just completed by the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan is being welcomed on the Asian subcontinent as a good first step toward reconciling the differences between the nuclear-capable neighbors. But as RFE/RL reports, experts in both countries say the two sides will have to remain committed to a spirit of compromise over the disputed region of Kashmir if a permanent peace settlement is to be reached.
Preliminary results show that Serbia's pro-European reformist leader Boris Tadic has defeated hard-line nationalist candidate Tomislav Nikolic in the country's crucial presidential runoff election. Supporters of Tadic's Democratic Party say they hope his victory will confirm the Balkan republic's orientation toward the European Union. But political analysts say the real test for pro-European reforms in Belgrade will be the level of cooperation between Tadic and the minority coalition government of Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica.
Did Afghan militiamen behead captive Taliban? (file photo) Prague, 23 June 2004 (RFE/RL) -- U.S. military officials in Afghanistan say they cannot confirm a claim by a senior allied commander in the Afghan National Army (ANA) that his troops beheaded four suspected Taliban fighters they captured in Zabul Province.
The deployment of some 700 Afghan National Army soldiers to the remote central Afghan province of Ghor reportedly has been delayed until tomorrow. However, the militia faction that seized the provincial capital in mid-June says it welcomes the central government's troops. Meanwhile, the top UN envoy in Afghanistan says steps must be taken quickly to improve security across the country if elections are to be held in September.
Turkish security officials say they have been facing a renewed insurgency by Kurdish separatists since the remnants of the Kurdistan Workers Party declared an end to its five-year-old unilateral cease-fire.
Pakistani President Musharraf has proposed a September meeting with the Indian PM (file photo) The foreign minister in India's newly elected government met for the first time today with his Pakistani counterpart. Islamabad is expressing hope for peace between the two nuclear capable neighbors. But Pakistan says the peace process in the divided region of Kashmir needs to move forward.
Senior UN officials say a humanitarian disaster of catastrophic proportions now appears unavoidable in Sudan's West Darfur region as the government continues to block relief workers and aid from reaching nearly 2 million needy people. In New York, the UN's humanitarian chief is calling for a new UN resolution to prevent future crises from growing into major catastrophes.
Pakistan says it has arrested a leading Al-Qaeda member along with at least eight foreign militants -- including some from Central Asia. Their previously unknown extremist group is being linked to Uzbek militants near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.
Karzai (file photo) Afghan Transitional Administration Chairman Hamid Karzai is denying reports that recent meetings with some of Afghanistan's regional warlords resulted in a political deal for governing the country after September elections. But experts on Afghanistan say they believe there may have been some agreement between Karzai and the powerful regional militia commanders aimed at enhancing the registration of voters.
Violence targeting election and aid workers in Afghanistan is causing concerns ahead of September elections. Nevertheless, the UN's chief spokesman in Afghanistan says voter registration is moving forward.
India's new government released its first policy statement to the parliament in New Delhi today. The wide range of issues in the government's program includes a pledge to open talks with key separatist groups in the divided region of Kashmir, as well as a push for economic reforms and religious tolerance.
India's newly elected government has called for Pakistan and China to join New Delhi in direct, three-way talks about a "common nuclear doctrine." The move is one of several steps taken by India's new Congress Party-led cabinet that appears aimed at moving the peace process forward with its two nuclear-armed neighbors.
Tensions are running high between Sunni and Shi'a Muslims in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi following yesterday's apparent suicide-bomb attack on a Shi'a mosque, which killed 19 people. Pakistani security forces are guarding mosques and bracing for more violence as relatives of those killed bury the victims. RFE/RL takes a closer look at the tensions between Shi'a and Sunni Muslims in Pakistan.
The Sudanese government has signed agreements with rebels in the south of the country aimed at bringing an end to their decades-old conflict. But experts say the agreement is unlikely to avert one of the world's worst humanitarian crises in Sudan's western region of Darfur, where a separate crisis continues.
Freedom House, a U.S.-based pro-democracy group, has issued its latest annual report as part of an ongoing, decade-old study on democratic transition in the former communist world. RFE/RL takes a closer look at the "Nations in Transit 2004" report.
A U.S. brigadier general is to investigate U.S.-led coalition detention centers across Afghanistan in response to allegations of abuse of Afghan detainees by their U.S. captors. Officials in Washington say they are now investigating the deaths of at least five Afghans at U.S. detention centers in the country.
Prague, 23 May 2004 (RFE/RL) -- The Arab League today adopted a broad program aimed at promoting political reform in Arab countries and fighting international terrorism.
A call by President Pervez Musharraf for a review of Islamic law in Pakistan has set off a contentious debate in the country. Human-rights advocates say the application of Pakistan's so-called Hudood Ordinance discriminates against women and non-Muslims, and also leads to violations of their basic rights. But conservative Islamists in parliament accuse Musharraf of succumbing to an "American agenda" that they say is being imposed on Pakistan.
The Congress Party of India says it obtained assurances from allies and communist legislators during the weekend that will allow Sonia Gandhi to be sworn in as prime minister as soon as this week (19 May). RFE/RL takes a closer look at the latest political developments in the world's largest democracy.
A confidential report by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is at the center of a scandal over abuses by U.S. troops at Baghdad's Abu Ghurayb facility. Senior ICRC officials say the report was meant only for U.S. authorities and was leaked to a U.S. newspaper without their authorization.
Load more
