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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 Toronto Star, Canada--CDN-U.S. DIFFERENCES MANAGEABLE: CHRETIEN (Even as he sought to minimize differences of opinion with the U.S. president over the war in Iraq, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien acknowledged today he and George W. Bush have a lot of other differences..."Look, I don't have to speak to him every day and he doesn't have to speak to me," Chrétien said of the silence which he broke by placing the call to the White House.)
2//Turkish
Daily News, Turkey--ANKARA MAY BE ASKED TO MAKE PREFERENCES ON
IRAN ("The United States already told Turkey that the course
Ankara takes in its dealings with Tehran and Damascus will determine
whether fence mending with Washington will be possible," a military
source told the Turkish Daily News on Sunday. The source, who asked
not to be named, said it is clear that the Americans want Ankara
to tow the line on Iran and Syria and will use the current situation
to see if Turkey is prepared to cooperate...Another leading foreign
policy analyst and daily Milliyet's prominent columnist Sami Kohen
agreed with Candar and said the U.S. is unhappy that the pro-Iranian
Iraqi Shiite clergy, who have been making statements calling for
the Americans to leave the country, and seems to be serving notice
to them and the Iranian regime that this will not be tolerated.)
3//The Independent, UK--BERLUSCONI AND RIVALS CLAIM POLL VICTORIES
(The Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has emerged only
slightly damaged from municipal elections at the weekend that also
put zest into the left-wing opposition...But a resounding win in
the critical province of Rome put new life into Italy's leftist
opposition parties. It also taught them an important lesson: that
a strong candidate, identified with a vigorous and effective administration,
can trounce a centre-right coalition that in the general elections
of 2001 appeared unbeatable.)
4//The
Moscow Times, Russia--WEST QURNA STILL NO-GO FOR LUKOIL (LUKoil
spokesman Dmitry Dolgov said the company continues to consider its
West Qurna contract valid. "We will hold negotiations on the
contract when there is a sovereign, internationally recognized government
in place in Baghdad," he said. "But if we are stopped we
will take our case to the Geneva arbitration court." LUKoil
has said it would sue any new contender for the field for at least
$20 billion and ask international courts to arrest tankers with Iraqi
crude oil.)
5//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong--AWAKENING JAPAN'S SLEEPING DEFENSE
GIANT (Conservative factions in the Diet, resentful of Japan's
reliance on US sea power and strategic umbrella, have been lobbying
since 1998 for constitutional reforms that would allow Japan to
dictate its own defense framework...Reformers are pushing for the
abrogation of the 1957 Basic Policy for National Defense, which
prohibits Japan from adopting an offensive military position, or
even engaging in collective self-defense arrangements.)
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1/The
Toronto Star May. 27, 2003. 07:19 PM
[LINK]
CDN-U.S. DIFFERENCES MANAGEABLE: CHRETIEN
Canadian Press
ATHENS - Even as he sought to minimize differences of opinion with the U.S. president over the war in Iraq, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien acknowledged today he and George W. Bush have a lot of other differences.
"I am a Catholic and for abortion and he is not," Chrétien said aboard a flight to the Greek capital Athens, where he will attend the annual Canada-European Union summit today and tomorrow.
"He is right wing" and running a big deficit to add to the U.S. debt, Chrétien said, adding if Canada were spending proportionately at the same rate, it would have a $75-billion yearly deficit.
Canada has balanced its books and ensured the future of the Canada Pension Plan for the next 50 years by increasing contributions, Chrétien said.
Bush is "for capital punishment and I am not," the prime minister added.
Chrétien and Bush had their first telephone conversation in three months Monday - breaking a period of silence that began with Canada's decision not to take part in the war on Iraq.
"Look, I don't have to speak to him every day and he doesn't have to speak to me," Chrétien said of the silence which he broke by placing the call to the White House.
Chrétien said there are fewer bilateral problems between Canada and the United States today than in 1990 when the Progressive Conservatives were still in power in Ottawa.
"Check, go check and see they had beer problems, salmon, shingles - we only have two."
It was likely a reference to a continuing softwood-lumber dispute and the different stances on Iraq.
(MORE)
2//Turkish Daily News 26 May 2003
http://www.turkishdailynews.com/FrTDN/latest/for.htm#f5
ANKARA MAY BE ASKED TO MAKE PREFERENCES ON IRAN
US may put Turkey to the test on Iran after Ankara's failure to appease Washington on Iraq
Ilnur Cevik
Both Turkish analysts and authorities agree that the latest reported U.S. decision to cut contacts with Iran may lead to demands from Washington to force Ankara to make preferences in its dealings with Tehran.
Observers, however, say Ankara should not jump to any conclusions and prefer to take a "wait and see approach" on Iran as the American position becomes clear.
"The United States already told Turkey that the course Ankara takes in its dealings with Tehran and Damascus will determine whether fence mending with Washington will be possible," a military source told the Turkish Daily News on Sunday. The source, who asked not to be named, said it is clear that the Americans want Ankara to tow the line on Iran and Syria and will use the current situation to see if Turkey is prepared to cooperate.
(SNIP)
Leading foreign policy analyst and prominent columnist Cengiz Candar said the decision of the U.S. to cut contacts with Iran and move to destabilize the Islamic regime in Tehran may be designed to serve notice to the pro-Iranian Shiites in Iraq that if they continue stalling American efforts to restore normalcy in Iraq they will face Washington's wrath.
"The U.S. may be preparing the pretext of denying any power to the pro-Iranian Shiites in Iraq," Candar said.
Another leading foreign policy analyst and daily Milliyet's prominent columnist Sami Kohen agreed with Candar and said the U.S. is unhappy that the pro-Iranian Iraqi Shiite clergy, who have been making statements calling for the Americans to leave the country, and seems to be serving notice to them and the Iranian regime that this will not be tolerated.
Candar says the U.S. has already served notice to Turkey not to be too warmly linked to Iran. "Their message was clear: If you are to have any contacts with Iran, convey to them our concerns but do not be too cosy. Be sensitive to our sensitivities."
(SNIP)
Kohen said Turkey cannot afford to open a front against Iran but, on the other hand, cannot afford yet another instance where it offends Washington.
Both Kohen and Candar agreed that Turkey would not want pro-Iranian Shiite domination in Iraq but cannot say this openly not to offend the Iranians. Ankara could cooperate with the Americans to help install its secular democratic system in Iraq in cooperation with the Kurds, Turkmens, Assyrians, and Arab Sunnis.
Meanwhile, Iranian sources told the Turkish Daily News that Iran has no aim nor the means to manipulate the Iraqi Shiites. They explained the Iraqi Shiites are motivated by Arab nationalism while Iranian Shiites have a more universal approach.
3//The Independent 28 May 2003
http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/story.jsp?story=410149
BERLUSCONI AND RIVALS CLAIM POLL VICTORIES
By Peter Popham in Rome
The Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has emerged only slightly damaged from municipal elections at the weekend that also put zest into the left-wing opposition.
Mr Berlusconi - who is under threat from a corruption case that might still land him in jail with a lengthy sentence - tried to turn the elections into a personal crusade against "communist" judges.
That gambit appears to have failed: an election eve opinion poll put the justice system near the bottom of a list of subjects on voters' minds, with crime and taxation at the top of the list.
Yet neither did the local electorates, with nearly 12 million voting in 12 provinces up and down the country, punish Mr Berlusconi. His party, Forza Italia, also did well in Sicily, where it holds all the parliamentary seats, and his main coalition ally, the Northern League, made gains.
But a resounding win in the critical province of Rome put new life
into Italy's leftist opposition parties. It also taught them an important
lesson: that a strong candidate, identified with a vigorous and effective
administration, can trounce a centre-right coalition that in the
general elections of 2001 appeared unbeatable.
(MORE)
4//The Moscow Times Wednesday, May. 28, 2003. Page 7
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2003/05/28/045.html
WEST QURNA STILL NO-GO FOR LUKOIL
The Moscow Times
The U.S.-appointed acting oil minister for Iraq, Thamir Ghadhban, has quashed any small hope LUKoil might have had of beginning work soon at the West Qurna field, reminding the world that the company had already lost its contract to develop the massive oil field.
Under the terms of LUKoil's contract, the company was to begin work
on the field as soon as the UN sanctions regime against Iraq was
lifted. But even though the United Nations Security Council voted
to end sanctions last week, Iraq's acting oil minister stood firm
behind a decision taken at the end of last year by Saddam Hussein's
government to cancel the deal.
(SNIP)
LUKoil spokesman Dmitry Dolgov said the company continues to consider its West Qurna contract valid.
"We will hold negotiations on the contract when there is a sovereign, internationally recognized government in place in Baghdad," he said. "But if we are stopped we will take our case to the Geneva arbitration court."
LUKoil has said it would sue any new contender for the field for at least $20 billion and ask international courts to arrest tankers with Iraqi crude oil.
Two other Russian oil firms, Zarubezhneft and Mashinoimport, had smaller holdings in the project that were not annulled. The vice president of Mashinoimport, Nikolai Dorofeyev, said his company had not been informed of any changes to its contract. He did say, however, that up to $700 million in deals Mashinoimport had to supply equipment under the UN oil-for-food program were still in limbo without funding, even though the Security Council voted last week to keep the program going for another six months.
5//Asia Times Online May 28, 2003
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/EE28Dh01.html
AWAKENING JAPAN'S SLEEPING DEFENSE GIANT
By Alan Boyd
SYDNEY - Renewed indications that Japan may be ready to renounce half a century of pacifism and take responsibility for its own external security have unnerved Asian political leaders who lived under Imperial Army expansionism.
Upper House legislators in Japan's parliament will decide by June 19 whether to endorse three war contingency bills that would give the bristling but shorebound Self-Defense Force (SDF) more leeway in responding to hostile actions.
Yet the changes are likely to be more form than substance, and few observers expect a militarized Japan to upset the regional security balance - unless it is caught in tensions between the United States and China.
Conservative factions in the Diet, resentful of Japan's reliance on US sea power and strategic umbrella, have been lobbying since 1998 for constitutional reforms that would allow Japan to dictate its own defense framework.
(SNIP)
But first they need to confront the highly charged issue of whether Japan can maintain its non-aggression policy while simultaneously renouncing pacifism, the bedrock for decades of confidence-building since the war. This will only be possible if legislators revoke Article 9 of the 1947 constitution, with its admonition that the Japanese people "forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as a means of settling international disputes".
Under the terms of the constitution, Japan assumed unilateral responsibility for internal security but relies upon the 1960 Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security with the United States to repel attacks from abroad.
(SNIP)
There is no lack of cash or other resources to make the reforms work. The 240,000-strong SDF gets an annual budget of about US$50 billion, ranking Japan among the six top military spenders worldwide. Its naval and air capabilities match Western European standards, though they lack the operational experience that comes from actively engaging in defense alliances or contributing regularly to peacekeeping activities.
"In purely logistical terms, Japan's defense agency is a sleeping giant. They have high training standards, a very efficient command structure, access to modern armaments, technical support at the highest level," said a military attache based at an embassy in the region.
"[But] what we need to look at is the political mindset. I don't see any evidence of militarism or territorial ambition that should be setting off alarm bells in Asia or disrupting the security balance."
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©2003, Gloria R. Lalumia, insight@zianet.com
Radio for the Left at http://www.zianet.com/insightanalytical/radio.htm
