WASHINGTON, April 27 (UPI) -- In an echo of longstanding Pentagon policy, many Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan agree with the Conservative government's decision to ban media coverage of ceremonies commemorating the return of the remains of soldiers killed abroad.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported on April 26 that Cpl. Darrin Fudge said during an interview from Kandahar, "When troops come home, I believe that's a family matter. I mean, it's a pretty sad time for all family, and I think it should be kept private. I don't think everyone else in the world should know what that family is going through."
Master Cpl. Chris Schmidt disagreed, commenting, "In some ways, it would be good for the general public to see. It would give them an idea of what's going on over here. However, I don't know if I'd necessarily want everyone to see what my family is going through if it was me coming back in that type of plane. There's guys back home that knew these guys. Maybe that's the only way they'll be able to actually get any type of closure too."
Opposition politicians, along with some military family members, have protested the media ban, stating that it was appropriate to pay public tribute to those who had made the ultimate sacrifice.
Since Canadian forces deployed to Afghanistan in 2002, 15 Canadian soldiers and a Canadian diplomat have been killed there.
Defense lawyers have ridiculed the "terrorism manual" of defendant Faheem Khalid Lodhi, labeling it a "Boy's Own spy kit" used by the Australian Security Intelligence Organization and the police to prosecute a case relying on "speculative analysis."
The Sydney Morning Herald reported on April 27 that Barrister Phillip Boulten, SC, told the New South Wales Supreme Court that his defendant did not support "violent jihad" and that Lodhi's Australian electricity grid maps and requests for chemical prices were for legitimate business concerns rather than terrorism.
Boulten told the court, "This map would be about as much use to a terrorist who wanted to blow up part of the electricity grid as the Collins Atlas would be to a sea captain about to embark on a long voyage."
"Boy's Own" was a reference to adventure stories for youth, published in Britain starting in the late 1800s in a popular paper by the same name.
Lodhi is standing trial on four terrorism-related charges, including planning in October 2003 to blow up the electricity grid and Holsworthy Army Barracks, Victoria Barracks and HMAS Penguin.
Boulton told the court that his client had never been affiliated with terrorists and did not own and had no knowledge of two computer discs of fundamentalist doctrine that were allegedly found during a police search of his home.
Referring to the computer disks Boulton said, "The material on them was, according to his own belief, a distortion of Islam and not a part of his moral universe. Faheem Lodhi was not and never has been involved in any terrorist-related activity ... the defense is a complete and utter rebuttal of the prosecution's case."
Boulten told the jury that while his client threw away aerial photographs of the defense establishments in a park trashcan, he did so because he no longer wanted them rather than them being involved in "covert dealings."
Boulten said that while ASIO agents subsequently "swooped" on the trashcan, they undertook no subsequent surveillance. According to Boulten, while Lodhi had made inquiries about 10 chemicals, he bought the two electricity grid maps for a family export-import business, which included chemicals, electrical generators and a detergent company.
Boulten told the court, "He certainly may have collected and possessed documents, but none of them were intended to be used or in connection with terrorist acts."
The trial continues.
China and Uzbekistan are deepening their military relations.
On Tuesday Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan met Uzbek Defense Minister Ruslan Mirzayev and pledged to improve the relationship of the two nation's armed forces.
Xinhua reported on April 25 that Cao, besides being defense minister, is also vice-chairman of China's Central Military Commission and a state councilor. Cao said that over the past few years, China and Uzbekistan have exchanged frequent high-level visits and investigated cooperation in various fields, and that Beijing is prepared to work with Uzbekistan to develop relations between the two countries and their armed forces.
Prior to the events last May in Uzbekistan, Tashkent was one of the most stalwart regional allies of the United States, maintaining an airbase at Karshi-Khanabad near the Afghan border.
In Beijing to attend the security talks between the Shanghai Cooperation Organization defense ministers, Mirzayev told reporters that Uzbekistan appreciates its relations with China and intends to upgrade its exchanges and cooperation with China.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization was founded in June 2001 by leaders of Kazkahstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The SCO is primarily concerned with Central Asian security concerns, including terrorism, border disputes and battling fundamentalist Islam. In September 2003, SCO member states signed a framework agreement to deepen economic cooperation.
At the 2004 Tashkent Summit, Mongolia became the first country to receive observer status. The following year Pakistan, India and Iran received observer status at the 2005 SCO summit in Astana. The United States has also expressed interest in gaining observer status in the SCO.
Uzbekistan is also deepening its relations with South Asian nations.
On Tuesday an Uzbek diplomatic delegation headed by Minister of Justice Buritosh Mustafaev met with Pakistani Ministry of Food Agriculture and Livestock Secretary Ismail Qureshi.
The two sides agreed to improve cooperation in agriculture, livestock, marketing and technology transfer.
The Daily Times reported on April 26 that Qureshi said Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf intends to visit Uzbekistan shortly and that Uzbek President Islam Karimov intends to visit Pakistan.
Qureshi added that during Mustafaev's visit, Pakistan and Uzbekistan would sign several memoranda of understanding in the fields of agriculture and livestock.
Mustafaev's visit builds upon links developed in December 2005 during a meeting of the Pakistan-Uzbekistan Joint Ministerial Commission in Tashkent. Mustafaev said that 37 Pakistani-Uzbek joint venture projects were already underway in Uzbekistan.
Pakistani companies, along with businesses from Austria, Britain, Germany, Italy, Iran, Canada, Kazakhstan, China, Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and Switzerland, participated in March in a major international agricultural exhibition in Uzbekistan.
Uzbekistan is one of the world's largest producers of tomato paste, raisins and dried fruits.
