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Israel-Palestine contacts key to W Asia peace : Russia

Moscow, Feb 20 (UNI) Russia today said regular contacts between Israeli and Palestinian leaders were very crucial to break the deadlock in talks on the West Asia peace process.

''It is important that Palestinian-Israeli contacts on such a level acquire a regular and substantive character,'' Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said while commenting on trilateral meeting yesterday in West Jerusalem between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

After radical Islamic group Hamas came to power in Palestine, the US and EU blocked aid to the Palestinian government over its refusal to recognize Israel's right to exist, give up violence and comply with previous Palestinian-Israeli agreements seeking a solution to the West Asian crisis.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said last week that Russia highly valued Rice's efforts to achieve a resolution on the issue, adding the earlier agreement between the Palestinian President-led Fatah movement and the Hamas paved the way for the three-side meeting.

Hamas, which won elections in Palestine, in January 2006, and Fatah reached an agreement on the structure of a new power-sharing Cabinet at Saudi-sponsored negotiations in Mecca last week.

The compromise was designed to avert a civil war and restart a constructive dialogue with Israel.

UNI

Protest In Kathmandu against King's statement

Kathmandu, Feb 20 (UNI) Following King Gyanendra's controversial statement, civil society members and student unions of different political parties organised protests here today and demended that Nepal be declared a ''republic.'' Civil society members staged a sit-in in front of Singha Durbar against the King's controversial statement, which said the takeover by him two years ago was a ''compulsion.'' They said the protest will continue until democratic republic system was not established in the country. Student unions of eight political parties.....

Cambridge to reduce study of Hindi, Sanskrit

London, Feb 20 (UNI) The prestigious Cambridge University has decided to cut down study of Hindi, Sanskrit and Portugese as there is ''little demand'' for these languages at the undergraduate level. The Faculty of Oriental Studies has already stopped offering Hindi and Sanskrit as a full BA honours degree. Academics were told last year to admit no more undergraduates for South Asian studies before the department was ''reorganised''. The move evoked sharp reactions from the Indian and Portugese communities.....

Ban Ki-moon condemns terrorist blasts in India

New York, Feb 20 (UNI) Strongly condemning the blasts aboard the Samjhauta Express yesterday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the perpetrators of the shocking attack should be punished. ''This heinous crime cannot be justified by any cause and its perpetrators should be brought to justice, '' Mr Ban said. The Secretary-General extended his deep condolences to the families of the innocent victims as well as the governments of both India and Pakistan. The Secretary-General expressed his satisfaction that the leaders of.....
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