Next Foreign Secretary Rao ready for challenges of the job

October 12th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Rangers first Sikh sub-inspector, Amarjeet Singh, has completed his training from the Pakistan Rangers Academy in Mandi Bahauddin, and is ready to take charge. Singh, who belongs to Punjab's Nankana Sahib, was among 763 officials who passed out from the academy this year, The Daily Times reports.

October 10th, 2009 LONDON - Pakistan Ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani has said that improving ties between India and Pakistan is one of the biggest challenges in front of US President Barack Obama. In an interview to a foreign news channel, Haqqani said Obama faces many challenges, including the Af-Pak strategy and resolving issues between India and Pakistan.

September 21st, 2009 WASHINGTON - The renewed architecture of India-US bilateral dialogue and preparations for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's State visit to the US in November were the focus of a day of hectic diplomacy by Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao. Rao Monday met Deputy Secretary of State James B.

September 14th, 2009 KATHMANDU - Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao who arrived here on a two-day visit, will meet President Ram Baran Yadav and Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala today. Nirupama Rao's visit is aimed at working out the strategy for implementation of the 34-point agreement between Nepal and India signed during Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal's India visit, last month.

September 11th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Indian High Commissioner Sharat Sabharwal on Friday called on Pakistan Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir at the Foreign Office to discuss the agenda for foreign secretary level talks in New York. Union External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and his Pakistan counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi in their meeting in New York are expected to discuss issues of bilateral interest, including the resumption of a composite dialogue process between the two countries and progress by Pakistan on bringing the Mumbai culprits to justice as per India's demands, The Dawn reports.

September 9th, 2009 TEHRAN - Iran Wednesday delivered a new package of proposals to the six countries involved in nuclear talks with the Islamic state, ISNA news agency reported. Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki handed the proposals to the diplomatic envoys of Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and Switzerland - the latter representing the diplomatic interests of the US in Tehran.

July 28th, 2009 Clinton: U.S.-China to cooperate on challengesWASHINGTON — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the United States and China have agreed to cooperate on difficult foreign policy challenges such as North Korea and Iran as well as counterterrorism and climate change. Clinton described as unparalleled the range of issues discussed between U.S.

July 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - On the heels of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to India, Richard Holbrooke, US special envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan, will stop in India next week on a trip to the region. The Obama administration had put "intensive focus on the challenge in South Asia," Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, Philip J.

July 15th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Aides of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have said that she is ready to articulate her own policy agenda, one that focuses in part on strengthening Americans' capacity for what has been called "smart power." According to Politico, her he speech to the Council on Foreign Relations on Wednesday is expected to serve as an explanation and framework of the administration's foreign policy and a tour of its busy first half-year. But it will sound some themes closely associated with Clinton's former life as first lady and U.S.

July 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - With India playing a "vastly more significant role" in global issues, the US looks at Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's India visit as "a tremendous opportunity" to deepen bilateral ties and expand New Delhi's role. As Clinton herself noted a couple of days ago, "relations between the world's largest democracy and the world's oldest democracy have improved significantly over the last 20 years," State Department spokesman Philip J.

June 27th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has termed his meeting with his Indian counterpart SM Krishna in Italy as a positive development, in which he called for constructive engagement and sustained dialogue to address common challenges. The Daily Times quoted Qureshi, as saying that through constructive engagement both countries could address common challenges and resolve outstanding issues.

June 26th, 2009 BRUSSELS - The year 2009 "is a crucial year" for India and the European Union (EU) to find ways to address common challenges posed by climate change, energy and terrorism, a top official of the 27-member grouping said here Friday. India and the EU are "two natural partners" and they need to find ways to fight all those challenges jointly, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the EU commissioner for external relations, said ahead of India-EU ministerial Troika meeting to be held in the Czech capital city of Prague Monday.

June 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that it is an honour to serve with President Barack Obama, especially when it comes to handling a crisis. Referring to her famous campaign ad questioning Obama's ability to handle foreign challenges during the run up to the presidential campaign, George Stephanopoulos on "This Week," asked Clinton about the scenario: "It's 3 a.m.

June 5th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's Foreign Office has said that New Delhi's pre-conditions to resumption of dialogue with Islamabad are untenable. Reacting to remarks made by the External Affairs Minister SM Krishna, spokesman Abdul Basit said the two countries were using diplomatic channels to see how the dialogue process could be resumed.

May 21st, 2009 WASHINGTON - The United States is ready to take emergency action to prevent Pakistan's nuclear arsenals falling into the hands of the Taliban. he United States said that while it is comfortable with the protocols that the Pakistani military has in place to ensure nuclear arsenal security, it also has a contingency plan to thwart challenges from the Taliban.