Greece’s New Democracy seeks bailout coalition

Conservative leader Samaras starts search for alliance partners

Antonis Samaras, the conservative New Democracy leader

Athens, June 18
Greece’s conservative leader began talks to form a government on Monday after winning an election that sets him the task of imposing punishing austerity measures in a near-bankrupt economy while containing rising social tensions.

New Democracy conservative leader Antonis Samaras was due to meet Evangelos Venizelos, the head of the Socialist PASOK party, after he received a mandate to form a government from the President.

The once-mighty PASOK, now reduced to third place after the dramatic rise of the radical leftist anti-bailout party SYRIZA, said it would support Samaras but had not yet decided whether to join the government or just offer parliamentary backing.

Samaras’s narrow defeat of SYRIZA caused relief across the euro zone, where countries had said Greece’s future in the single currency depended on its meeting conditions attached to a bailout, which SYRIZA had vowed to tear up.

If SYRIZA had won, and claimed the 50 extra seats in parliament for the party that placed first, it would have been impossible to form a government supporting the bailout.

European leaders viewed Samaras’s victory as an aversion of catastrophe. But any relief in financial markets vanished within hours as a rally on Monday quickly reversed.

Samaras still wants a better deal from Europe. He said Greece would meet its bailout commitments, but added: “We will simultaneously have to make some necessary amendments to the bailout agreement, in order to relieve the people of crippling unemployment and huge hardships.”

The small Democratic Left party indicated it would be ready to support Samaras if the bailout deal could be softened. SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras again ruled out joining a pro-bailout coalition government.

Germany, the euro zone’s paymaster, gave little sign it was willing accept more than minor changes to the timing of some targets in the 130 billion euro ($164 billion) rescue agreed with the European Union and International Monetary Fund.

In deep recession, crushed under its huge public debt and forced to slash public spending and hike taxes repeatedly, Greece is struggling to restore its near-bankrupt economy. A new government could face protests soon after taking office.

What next govt hopes to change

n Greece is on track to get a new coalition government composed of the two parties that broadly back its bailout from European partners and the IMF

n The conservative New Democracy, which will lead the coalition, and its expected minority partner, the Socialist PASOK party, have both said they want to renegotiate the bailout deal to soften its impact on the country's severe recession

n The Greece's new government will want to renegotiate with the so-called "troika" of the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank.

Black Hawk eager to fly for India

Manufacturers to give presentation to Defence Ministry on June 20

Black Hawk

New Delhi, June 18
Famous American gunship — Black Hawk — is ready for sale to India. However, it is not yet clear whether this legendary flying machine is being offered with stealth technology.
Highly placed Defence Ministry sources told The Tribune that a special team of the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, which manufactures Black Hawk, will give a detailed presentation on this helicopter in the Defence Ministry on June 20.
This will be Black Hawk’s first presentation to India. It is not linked to any defence deal under consideration. “We just want to evaluate this machine as part of futuristic war scenario. We will take a call on the stealth technology after the presentation,” sources said.
Asked whether India would go for the stealth technology, the sources said, “Of course, but let us first see what actually is being offered during the presentation.”
The Americans are offering latest UH-60M Black Hawk. Despite strong military ties with Pakistan, the US has not sold Black Hawks to Islamabad.
After doing much in-house brain storming, the US Administration has permitted private sector Sikorsky to offer Black Hawk to India. Black Hawk is the world’s most expensive helicopter — primarily because of its highly classified state-of-art avionics, radars, weapons and fighting capability.
The Americans some time ago offered Black Hawk’s naval version Seahawk to New Delhi. Seahawk is in the race for the Navy’s over $1 billion deal for 16 multi-role helicopters. The naval deal is at the final stage. Tenders are likely to be opened in near future. Seahawk’s rival is NH90 chopper produced by the NATO Helicopter Industries (NHI), a European consortium of firms from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Finland and Australia.
For the June 20 Black Hawk presentation, besides top officials of the Defence Ministry associated with the procurement of weapons and equipment, senior officers of the Indian Air Force and the Army are also likely to be present.
The Defence Ministry sources said that Black Hawk has generated interest in the IAF as well as the Army, which are ready to look at it for desert as well as high-altitude operations for theatres like Siachen glacier.
Sikorsky helicopters are used by all five branches of the US armed forces, along with military services and commercial operators in many other countries. Black Hawk has become a legendary helicopter in America’s war history. It is playing an active role in Afghanistan and Pakistan in counter-terrorism operations.
n Black Hawk is the world’s most expensive helicopter, primarily because of its highly classified state-of-art avionics, radars, weapons and fighting capabilityn Manufacturers of Black Hawk, the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, will give a detailed presentation in the Defence Ministry on June 20n The US is offering latest UH-60M Black Hawk to India. Despite strong military ties with Pakistan, the US has not sold Black Hawks to Islamabad.

Kalam says ‘no’,BJP may turn to Sangma

Shiv Sena set to back Pranab, JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar calls him a capable leader

New Delhi, June 18 - In a major embarrassment to the BJP-led NDA and the Trinamool Congress, the former President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, politely turned down vociferous appeals from these parties and sections of the non-political class to stand against the UPA Presidential candidate, Pranab Mukherjee.

In a brief statement, Mr. Kalam referred to the Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee and other political parties' demand that he be their Presidential nominee and observed that he had “considered the totality of the matter and the present political situation, and decided not to contest.”

Though hopes of prevailing upon Mr. Kalam to enter the fray for another term in Rashtrapati Bhavan faded after the Samajwadi Party, which originally mooted the idea along with the Trinamool, threw its weight behind Mr. Mukherjee, constituents of the NDA, particularly the BJP, tried till the last minute to convince the “Missile Man.”

After vain efforts by Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy to persuade Mr. Kalam to contest, NDA Working Chairman and senior BJP leader L.K. Advani got into the act. Mr. Kalam conveyed to Mr. Advani his inability to accept their offer before issuing a public statement.

The decisive ‘no' from Mr. Kalam leaves an already divided NDA in the lurch.

The only option before the BJP at the moment is to line up behind the BJD and the AIADMK and back the former Lok Sabha Speaker, P.A. Sangma, for President. BJP leaders believe that it is a politically prudent option for a party which is on the lookout for potential allies in the 2014 general elections. The moot question is whether it can sell the idea to the other constituents in the NDA.

The Big Snub 

n Kalam said he didn’t aspire to serve another term though Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee and other political parties wanted him to be their candidate

n Senior BJP leader LK Advani on Monday called up Kalam thrice to persuade him to contest while his emissary Sudheendra Kulkarni called on the ex-President twice but to no avail

n The BJP is now likely to support Sangma whose candidature has been proposed by Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa and Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik to reach out to potential allies with an eye on the 20

4 Lok Sabha polls
I have considered the totality of the matter and decided not to contest the Presidential election
— APJ Abdul Kalam

Pak shelling halts trans-LoC bus service

Trade also halts

Jammu/Poonch, June 18
After taking a heavy toll on cross-LoC trade, repeated shelling by Pakistani troops on Indian forward posts in the KG sector has hit another crucial Confidence Building Measure between two nations - the trans-LoC bus service between Poonch and Rawalakote.

The Pakistani authorities today refused to open the gates for the weekly bus -“Carvan-e-Aman”- which was started to facilitate easy to-and-fro travel for divided families of Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

“There has been no cross-LoC trade via Chakan-da-Bagh since June 14 and now Poonch-Rawalakote bus service has also run into rough weather,” Abdul Hamid, custodian of the trans-LoC trade and travel told The Tribune.

The Army has been demanding a flag meeting with its Pakistani counterpart to de-escalate the border tension. “Unless it takes place, resumption of trade and travel between the two sides looks remote,” Hamid added.

The travel and trade via Chakan-da-Bagh in Poonch and Salamabad in Uri were started between the two countries in 2005 and 2008, respectively.

“Going by existing circumstances it appears the cross-LoC trade and travel will remain suspended for some more days. We have informed the passengers,” said Hamid.

Jammu-based traders have already suffered a loss of nearly Rs 1 crore due to abrupt suspension of the trade. “No trade took place last week and chances look bleak this week too,” rued president of the Poonch Cross-LoC Traders’ Association Pawan Anand.

Border Trouble

n The trans-LoC bus service between Poonch and Rawalakote has been suspended

n The Pakistani authorities on Monday refused to open the gates for the weekly bus -“Carvan-e-Aman”- which was started to facilitate easy to-and-fro travel for divided families of J-K and PoK 

Fresh message sent to Pak

Jammu: The Army on Monday again sent a message via hotline to its Pakistani counterpart to hold a flag meeting. “We have sent a message but so far haven’t received any response from the Pakistan side,” said an Army spokesperson. Uneasy calm has returned to the KG sector as guns on both sides are silent since June 17.