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World
Media Watch
by Gloria R. Lalumia
BUZZFLASH NOTE: Once again, these are the views and perspectives of the individual papers, not of BuzzFlash or Gloria. They offer BuzzFlash readers a way of reading what other nations are saying about the crisis, whether we like it or not. We repeat: This is not an endorsement of their viewpoints.
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1//The Independent, UK--CABINET BIG GUNS TO DRUM UP SUPPORT
FOR WAR (Cabinet ministers are being sent around the country to try to
win over Labour activists angry over the prospect of Britain going to
war in Iraq...Party chiefs have been alarmed by surveys setting out the
strength of grassroots opposition to military action. Mr Hoon will address
activists in north Wales and south London within the next fortnight,
with more meetings to follow in February.)
2//The Moscow Times, Russia--LUKOIL TAKES ITS OIL CASE TO IRAQ (The LUKoil
executives will travel as part of a heavyweight delegation of top government
officials and businessmen seeking to secure Russia's economic interests
as the threat of a U.S.-led military strike mounts... LUKoil spokesman
Mikhail Mikhailov said the priority of the two-day Baghdad visit will
be to make sure that the oil field contract remains in LUKoil hands. "We
are going there to try and clarify the situation surrounding the contract," Mikhailov
said.)
3//TurkishPress.com, USA--IRANIAN ADMINISTRATION FEARFUL, BUT NATION HOPEFUL (However, the majority of the Iranian nation disagrees with the administration. The Iranian public is hopeful about a US operation against Iraq...Rather, the Iranian people expect the US to change the regime in Iran, one which has created economic turmoil in the region. These contrasting opinions held by the administration and the nation are actually a graphic display of Iraq's split nature.)
4//ArabNews Online, Saudi Arabia--AN AMERICAN 'WOLFOWITZ' IN BAGHDAD! (. Paul Wolfowitz sincerely believes that the upcoming strike on Iraq is "his" war; he also believes that this will be his path to the post that has eluded him due to his ethnicity. Wolfowitz has said previously among private circles that if he was not Jewish he would have been secretary of defense by now. To a great degree, the current war policy against Iraq is part of Wolfowitz's greater "vision", presented in a doctrine in 1992.)
5//The Dawn, Pakistan--NEW DELHI TO STAY WITH N-DOCTRINE (India, under considerable pressure from much of the world to mend fences with Pakistan, appeared to distance itself from a worrying hawkish proposal on Monday, declaring that it would not change its doctrine of no-first-use of nuclear weapons...The board warned that India should worry about the possible chaotic situation if Pakistan or China were to follow the US policy of targeting non-nuclear states, the newspaper said.)
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1//The
Independent 15 January 2003
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=369301
CABINET BIG GUNS TO DRUM UP SUPPORT FOR WAR
By Nigel Morris, Political Correspondent
Cabinet ministers are being sent around the country to try to win over Labour activists angry over the prospect of Britain going to war in Iraq.
Geoff Hoon, the Secretary of State for Defence, and John Reid, the party chairman, are taking the lead in setting out the case for military strikes. But Mr Reid has told colleagues they are also expected to become involved by addressing Labour members across Britain.
Party chiefs have been alarmed by surveys setting out the strength of
grassroots opposition to military action. Mr Hoon will address activists
in north Wales and south London within the next fortnight, with more
meetings to follow in February.
(SNIP)
Tony Blair is expected to face heavy criticism when he addresses the Parliamentary Labour Party today. And the Prime Minister's left-wing critics will be further incensed by a statement by Mr Hoon, confirming he is "minded" to allow the Fylingdales radar base in North Yorkshire to form part of President George Bush's "son of Star Wars" missile defence shield.
Writing in The Independent, Alan Simpson, the MP for Nottingham South, warns of the "chasm opening up in Labour's ranks". He adds: "The Prime Minister may take Britain into America's war, but he will not take the party with him."
2//The Moscow Times Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2003. Page 1
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2003/01/15/002.html
LUKOIL TAKES ITS OIL CASE TO IRAQ
By Catherine Belton
Staff Writer
As positioning for a slice of the world's second-biggest oil patch heats up, top executives from LUKoil will descend Wednesday on Baghdad to plead their case for winning back a multibillion-dollar contract to develop a vast oil field.
The LUKoil executives will travel as part of a heavyweight delegation of top government officials and businessmen seeking to secure Russia's economic interests as the threat of a U.S.-led military strike mounts. Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov will head the delegation, which will also include First Deputy Energy Minister Ivan Matlashov, Zarubezhneft president Nikolai Tokarev and Viktor Lorents, president of Stroitransgaz, the construction arm of Gazprom, LUKoil and Stroitransgaz said Tuesday.
LUKoil spokesman Mikhail Mikhailov said the priority of the two-day Baghdad visit will be to make sure that the oil field contract remains in LUKoil hands. "We are going there to try and clarify the situation surrounding the contract," Mikhailov said.
He said LUKoil still considers its contract valid despite a surprise announcement by Iraq late last year that it was tearing up the deal because the oil giant had failed to meet its obligations to develop the West Qurna field, which is thought to hold about 2.5 billion tons of reserves. He said the deal can only be voided through a decision of an international arbitration court.
(SNIP)
The Baghdad trip comes in the wake of reports that leading U.S. oil majors have been in intense talks with the Bush administration over the future of Iraq's oil reserves. The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that executives from Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Texaco Corp., Conoco Philips and Halliburton met with the staff of Vice President Dick Cheney in October to discuss a future carve-up. The Bush administration denies the meeting took place.
(MORE)
3//TurkishPress.com Tuesday, January 14, 2003
http://www.turkishpress.com/turkishpress/news.asp?ID=8520
IRANIAN ADMINISTRATION FEARFUL, BUT NATION HOPEFUL
BYEGM: Monday, January 13, 2003
STAR- Columnist Zeynep Gurcanli comments on the situation in Iran and Turkey vis-à-vis a possible attack by the US against Iraq. A summary of his column is as follows:
A possible US-led operation against Iraq is the top issue on the agenda not only in Turkey, but also across the entire region. The situation in Iran is no different. However, there are sharply contrasting opinions concerning the operation there. The Iranian administration is afraid, but the nation is hopeful. Iran's dominant administration is completely opposed to an operation. First of all, the mullahs there fear that the US will make Iran its next target. Secondly, it's afraid of the establishment of a new pro-US administration next door to it. Tehran doesn't want a new administration in Iraq that is friendly with its 'great enemy.'
The front pages of newspapers are full of pieces rallying against the war. Former Iranian President Rafsanjani said openly, 'The Iraqi nation won't and shouldn't allow an administration hat is a US puppet.' However, the majority of the Iranian nation disagrees with the administration. The Iranian public is hopeful about a US operation against Iraq. This is not due to lack of love for Saddam Hussein's administration or because they want the Iraqi nation to be saved. Rather, the Iranian people expect the US to change the regime in Iran, one which has created economic turmoil in the region. These contrasting opinions held by the administration and the nation are actually a graphic display of Iraq's split nature.
(MORE)
4//ArabNews Online 15 January 2003 / 12 Dhul Qa`dah 1423
http://www.arabnews.com/Article.asp?ID=21960
AN AMERICAN 'WOLFOWITZ' IN BAGHDAD!
By Hussein Shobokshi, Special to Arab News
JEDDAH, 15 January 2003 - The picture in the office of Paul Wolfowitz, deputy secretary in the US Department of Defense, speaks for itself. In it, he is surrounded by Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld; the former was secretary of defense during the first Gulf War and is the current vice president and the latter is the secretary of defense today. Paul Wolfowitz sincerely believes that the upcoming strike on Iraq is "his" war; he also believes that this will be his path to the post that has eluded him due to his ethnicity.
Wolfowitz has said previously among private circles that if he was not Jewish he would have been secretary of defense by now. To a great degree, the current war policy against Iraq is part of Wolfowitz's greater "vision", presented in a doctrine in 1992.
The contents of the doctrine paint a different Middle East and a different Islamic world. It also has some very familiar themes similar to the ones presented in the now infamous Rand Report on Saudi Arabia.
For thirty years Paul Wolfowitz, with some associates, has been developing and applying the world view that mainly guides the proposed war on Iraq today.
His associates include Richard Perle and Kenneth Adelman. They all made a very strong case to the American administration to extend the war on terror into Iraq.
Paul Wolfowitz has always had a strong conviction that he was destined for glory. This was made even stronger when the famous American novelist Saul Below based a character in his novel "Ravelstein" on him. The novel states the following about Wolfowitz's character: "He has a powerful mind and a great grasp of great politics" and "it's only a matter of time before he has a Cabinet rank, and that would be a damn good thing for the country."
Since then Wolfowitz has been on a mission to achieve glory and greatness for himself, but the question remains: At what cost?
(MORE)
5//The Dawn 14 January 2003 Tuesday 10 Ziqa'ad 142
http://www.dawn.com/2003/01/14/top11.htm
NEW DELHI TO STAY WITH N-DOCTRINE
By Jawed Naqvi
NEW DELHI, Jan 13: India, under considerable pressure from much of the world to mend fences with Pakistan, appeared to distance itself from a worrying hawkish proposal on Monday , declaring that it would not change its doctrine of no-first-use of nuclear weapons.
Defence Minister George Fernandes told reporters that India would stay with its stated stance of no-first-use as it had an adequate strike-back capability in place in the event of a nuclear attack.
"We have a nuclear doctrine and a Nuclear and Strategic Force Command chain in position. So we stand by the no-first-use policy," Fernandes said when asked to comment on calls by a committee advising the government on its nuclear stance to give up the no-first-use policy.
(SNIP)
The first National Security Advisory Board two years ago had supported the government's stand that India would never be the first to use nuclear weapons. But the latest report wanted this policy overturned, pointing out that India was the only nuclear weapon state that had committed itself to a no-first-use policy, the newspaper had said.
The United States had at no stage agreed to such policy and Russia abandoned the posture, which had been adopted by the Soviet Union.
(SNIP)
The NSAB, according to India abroad, said that should the United States ever resume nuclear weapons testing, India should feel relieved from its commitment on not conducting any more tests and conduct further tests.
It also discussed the US Nuclear Posture Review, which had listed nuclear and even non-nuclear countries that can be targeted with small nuclear weapons.
The board warned that India should worry about the possible chaotic situation if Pakistan or China were to follow the US policy of targeting non-nuclear states, the newspaper said.
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© 2003, Gloria R. Lalumia, insight@zianet.com
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