US will work with whoever is India's next prime minister

May 10, 2014

Washington, May 10: As India enters the last lap of its crucial parliamentary poll, the US has signalled that it will work closely with whoever emerges as the prime minister from India's "incredible national elections."

"We will work very closely with whoever is the next prime minister of India, I can guarantee you that," State Department Spokesperson Marie Harf told foreign media.

"I'm sure we will have meetings here," she said when asked if Bharatiya Janata Party leader Narendra Modi would be invited to US if he becomes prime minister.

I just don't have anything to preview for - we're going to have to wait and see what the results are of the election," she added without saying how the US planned to address the Modi visa issue. The US had revoked Modi's business visa in 2005 for his alleged role or inaction during the 2002 Gujarat riots.

However, after shunning Modi for nearly nine years, US ambassador Nancy Powell met him in February signalling a major change in US policy.

"Obviously, we look forward to continuing to work with India on a whole range of issues with whoever is in the next Indian government, whoever ends up being a part of that government," Harf said while declining to "comment on sort of internal Indian politics."

Asked about the issues the US would like to work on with the new Indian government, the spokesperson put business and people-to-people ties on the top.

Noting that India-US "bilateral trade has grown to nearly $100 billion and there's more room to keep growing," Harf said: "That helps not just India but also Americans, American businesses, American workers here at home." "So that's certainly one place we want to continue to work together. "Another is on people-to-people ties.

"We have something like 113,000 Indian students studying in the US just this year, which I think is second only to China."

"So certainly at the people-to-people level, we think there is great room to keep working together, again, which benefits both of our countries," Harf said.

"On all of these issues we're going to keep working together, whoever the winner ends up being. So we will continue watching the process and we will wait and see," she added.

Asked about BJP's reference to changing India's nuclear policy in its manifesto, Hasrf said: "Well, I think what we're doing right now is waiting to see the outcome of the election and to see what the government looks like.

"And we'll work with whoever it is, and we'll talk on the whole range of issues we always talk about, and I think we'll take issues as they come then. I don't want to get ahead of the process of the election."

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Cut all ties with Israel and impose arms, trade embargo; history will record our action: Iran to Muslim countries

News Network

May 5,2024

Iran has urged Muslim countries to cut all relations with the Israeli regime as means of pressuring Tel Aviv to end its ongoing genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.

Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks on Saturday, addressing the 15th Heads of State and Government Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Gambia’s capital Banjul.

“Beyond doubt, this time period will also pass by, despite all its hardships and adversities for the Palestinian nation,” he said.

“However, the manner and quality of the role that is played by us, Muslim states, in the face of this crisis will go down in history,” the top diplomat added.

“Undoubtedly, severance of diplomatic and economic ties and [imposition of] practical arms and trade embargo [on Israel] serves as an important means of cessation of its genocide in Gaza and atrocities in the West Bank and the Noble al-Quds.”

At least 34,654 people have died in Gaza since October 7, when the Israeli regime began the war in response to al-Aqsa Storm, a retaliatory operation by the coastal sliver’s resistance groups.

Despite the unabated campaign of bloodshed and destruction, the regime has so far fallen short of realizing its goals, including defeating Gaza’s resistance, causing forced displacement of the territory’s entire population to neighboring Egypt, and enabling the release of those who were taken captive during al-Aqsa Storm.

Amir-Abdollahian said Gaza’s developments proved that elimination of the Palestinian resistance “was nothing but an illusion.”

“Because the Israeli regime is not a legitimate government. It is only an occupying apartheid power,” he said, adding, “Passage of time is not going to lend legitimacy to an occupying power.”

The foreign minister asserted that realization of sustainable peace and security in the region was only possible through cessation of the regime’s occupation of Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon, return of the Palestinian refugees to their homeland, and manifestation of Palestinians’ right to self-determination.

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KFC closes 100 restaurants in Malaysia over boycott against pro-Zionists

News Network

April 30,2024

US fast-food chain KFC has been forced to close over 100 restaurants in Malaysia over a pro-Palestine boycott of the company.

The Straits Times reported on Monday that the American restaurant chain specializing in fried chicken had to reduce its operations across Malaysia, mostly in north-eastern Kelantan state, following calls for a boycott of the company amid protests over the US government’s backing of the Israeli regime in its genocide of the Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Nearly 80 percent, or 21 KFC outlets, in Kelantan state stopped their operations, followed by 15 outlets in Johor and 11 in Selangor, the most industrialized state in Malaysia.

Citing a local Chinese-language newspaper, the Straits Times added the local franchisor of the Louisville, Kentucky-headquartered company in the Muslim-majority Southeast Asian nation, QSR Brands Holdings Bhd, is temporarily suspending operations in more than 100 KFC outlets after about half a year of boycott movement. “QSR Brands, which owns and operates the KFC fast-food franchise in Malaysia, is suspending 108 outlets nationwide.”

In this regard, chairman of the pro-Palestinian group Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) in Malaysia, Professor Mohd Nazari Ismail, told the Singapore-based newspaper that, “KFC is not on the BDS list of targeted companies. But many Malaysians see any American fast-food operator to be related to Israel, including KFC.” The BDS has been pushing for various forms of boycott movement against Israel until it meets its obligations under international law.

KFC was also forced to shut its first branch in Algeria earlier this month, just two days after its opening, following protests over US support to Israel.

The boycott action has severely affected worldwide operations of American fast-food giants McDonald’s, KFC, Starbucks, etc., with the pro-Palestine campaign having the potential to spread further across the globe.

Boycotted US companies are either perceived by pro-Palestinians to have taken pro-Israeli stances in the genocidal war on Gaza, or have financial ties to the Israel regime and/or have made illegal investments in the occupied Palestinian lands.

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