Clinton warns on Pakistan threat

The US secretary of state has said that a militant attack on Pakistan's army HQ is evidence of an increasing threat against the authority of the state.

Speaking in London, Hillary Clinton said that despite the attack, the US remained confident about Pakistan's control over its nuclear weapons.

The attack, which began on Saturday and turned into a siege, ended hours ago after hostages were released.

Correspondents say the attack is highly embarrassing for Pakistan's leaders.

"Yesterday was another reminder that extremists ... are increasingly threatening the authority of the state, but we see no evidence they are going to take over the state," Mrs Clinton said.

Security forces freed more than 40 hostages at the Rawalpindi base

"We have confidence in the Pakistani government and military's control over its nuclear weapons," she added.

UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Pakistan faced a "mortal threat", but there was no risk of its nuclear weapons falling into terrorist hands.

The two officials also stressed other shared aspects of foreign policy:

• Mrs Clinton warned that the international community would not wait "indefinitely" for Tehran to meet its obligations on its nuclear programme, while Mr Miliband said Iran would never have a better opportunity to establish normal ties with the rest of the world
• The US secretary of state said Washington was committed to implementation of the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland and a "lasting peace that brings the benefits of peace to the people". She said Republican dissidents were "out of step" with the peace process
• Mrs Clinton said that their joint resolve in the fight against the Taliban was "strong and clear", and that they were determined to work with the new Afghan government

Mrs Clinton also held talks with UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, before flying to Dublin for the next stage of her tour.

Major operation

On Sunday morning Pakistani security forces freed more than 40 hostages held at the base, in the city of Rawalpindi.

Military officials said three hostages and two soldiers died in the operation along with at least four militants. Four militants and six soldiers died in the initial attack.

The sound of blasts and gunfire rang out as Pakistani special forces entered the compound for the pre-dawn raid.

Army spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas said the forces had met resistance in what he described as a "very skilled" operation.

They found the hostages being held in a room "with a terrorist who was wearing a suicide jacket", he said.

Gen Abbas said the commandos had "acted promptly" and shot the suspected hostage taker "before he could pull the trigger".

The attack came as the army was preparing for a major operation against the Taliban, which officials say have claimed responsibility.

The Taliban had been threatening to carry out attacks unless operations against it were stopped.

President Hu Jintao meets ROK, Japanese leaders

BEIJING, Oct. 11 -- Chinese President Hu Jintao met with President Lee Myung-bak of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama here on Saturday, who are here to attend the second trilateral leaders' meeting.

Hailing the progress of China's relations with the two countries, Hu said China is ready to make joint efforts with Japan and the ROK to implement consensus, boost healthy development of China-ROK strategic cooperative partnership and China-Japan strategic mutually-beneficial ties.

The substantial cooperation between China and the two countries in various areas had been further expanded, he said.

Hu congratulated the success of the second trilateral leaders' meeting held in Beijing on Saturday, calling on the three nations to seize historical opportunities to further strengthen strategic trust, respect respective major interests and concerns, and make concerted efforts for mutual benefits and common development.

The Chinese president hopes the three countries to facilitate east Asian cooperation and jointly respond to regional hot issues and global challenges to unveil a new chapter for peace, cooperation and development of east Asia.

In response, Lee Myung-bak said the three countries had made great achievements in expanding cooperation in the past ten years. "China's economy is now stabilizing and turning for the better, which plays a positive role in promoting economic recovery of the ROK and Japan," he added.

Lee spoke highly of Hu's important speech on the UN climate change summit in New York last month, expressing appreciation over China's contribution to reopening the six-party talks and promoting a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.

Hatoyama extended congratulations to Hu on the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, adding he was glad to see China's great achievements.

He told Hu the Japanese government would like to cooperate closely with China to boost bilateral ties in a spirit of drawing lessons from history and facing up to the future.

Hatoyama also expressed satisfaction over the progress of trilateral cooperation, calling on the three sides to respect each other and share successful experience to promote greater achievement of trilateral cooperation.

apanese investors urge government to help resolve industrial project suspensions

BANGKOK, Oct 10 – Key Japanese investors in Thailand have been affected by the recent Central Administrative Court injunction putting 76 industrial projects in the country’s largest industrial estate on temporary hold, according to the Japanese Chamber of Commerce (JCC) in Bangkok.

JCC president Yo Jitsukata said some of the chamber’s members have been negatively affected by the order against their new investment projects and are concerned that the order will impact on other firms intending to invest in the Map Ta Phut industrial estate in the eastern seaboard province of Rayong.

Some of the firms may be forced, eventually, to close parts of their business ventures due to the shortage of components and processed raw materials they would otherwise receive from opening the new plants, Mr. Jitsukata said.

On September 29 the court ordered all 76 industrial ventures in the Map Ta Phut estate to temporarily halt operations amid local residents and NGO’s continuing concern about critical environmental and health impacts.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva earlier this week said the case is not over because the government has appealed the court’s order. He said the government wants development to proceed, to boost investor confidence, but the quality of life hardship and health concerns the people face from implementation of the projects with inadequate environmental protection must also be recognised.

Mr. Jitsukata said the JCC hoped that the problem could be resolved as soon as possible so that the halted projects could proceed.

Japanese investors, said Mr. Jitsukata, give importance to environmental protection concerns and have cooperated with the government in developing the Thai economy along with controlling environmental pollution by using their expertise and the same technologies used in Japan in this country.