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| December 1, 2003 |
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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. * * * WORLD MEDIA WATCH FOR DECEMBER 1, 2OO3 1//The Jordan Times, Jordan--IRAQ INTERIM LEADERS REVIEW TRANSTION PLANS (Iraq's US-installed interim leadership held key talks Saturday on demands from the powerful Shiite religious hierarchy for immediate elections that have undermined the democratic credentials of the US-led coalition and left its plans for an accelerated transfer of power in tatters. The talks that opened at 10:00am (0700 GMT) lasted for about four hours and were expected to resume Sunday, but the deep divisions within the Governing Council over the matter have prompted an urgent meeting with the US overseer in Iraq Paul Bremer. "There will be a meeting with Bremer Wednesday morning or maybe before," council member Mahmud Othman told AFP at the end of Saturday's talks.) 2//The Chosun Ilbo, South Korea--WAIT UNTIL SPRING FOR IRAQ DISPATCH, OFFICIAL SAYS (The motion to send additional troops to Iraq is unlikely to be endorsed in the current regular session of the National Assembly, due to the pile of issues concerning the scandal involving the president's top aides and to a lack of deliberation with the United States. The current Assembly session ends on Dec. 9...governmental officials predict that the date for the troop dispatch would be after the 17th general elections take place on April 15, 2004.) 3//The Guardian, UK--RUSSIA ACCUSED OF PLOT TO SABOTAGE GEORGIAN OIL PIPELINE (A £2bn pipeline to carry Caspian oil to Europe through Georgia risks being damaged by Chechen mercenaries or ecological saboteurs sponsored by Russian intelligence, a senior Georgian security official and sources in Moscow claim. The GRU, the sophisticated elite of Russia's military intelligence corps, has allegedly allocated money towards hiring or training eco-warriors and mercenaries to sabotage the 1,100-mile project, which is run by a consortium headed by BP and is expected to be operational by 2005... The alleged plan exposes the continuing face-off between the west and Russia in Georgia. Because of the pipeline the geopolitical significance of the former Soviet republic now vastly outweighs its 4 million population.) 4//The Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippines--ROCO: LET'S CHANGE THIS ADMINSTRATION (At the official launching of his quest for the presidency, former senator Raul Roco Sunday fired a broadside at his rivals, targeting first President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo whose administration he said "is not up to the task and should be changed." Roco, who once served as education secretary under Ms Macapagal, accused the President of being too preoccupied with politicking, noting that she used the visits of boxing champion Manny Pacquiao and American singer Mandy Moore to gain media mileage...On Sunday, Roco told the crowd, who waved blue and yellow balloons and handed cutouts, that he expected cheating in the May presidential election.) 5//The News International, Pakistan--PAKISTAN AGREES ON OVER-FLIGHTS: MUSHARRAF (In yet another major peace initiative, President General Pervez Musharraf on Sunday announced resumption of over-flights with India. He said the recent thaw between the two countries should lead to the resolution of all disputes including Kashmir. "As a goodwill gesture to settle all disputes, we will agree to resume all flights with India at the meeting beginning in New Delhi on Monday (December 1st)," announced the president.) * * * 1//The
Jordan Times Sunday, November 30, 2003 IRAQ INTERIM LEADERS REVIEW TRANSTION PLANS BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iraq's US-installed interim leadership held key talks Saturday on demands from the powerful Shiite religious hierarchy for immediate elections that have undermined the democratic credentials of the US-led coalition and left its plans for an accelerated transfer of power in tatters. The talks that opened at 10:00am (0700 GMT) lasted for about four hours and were expected to resume Sunday, but the deep divisions within the Governing Council over the matter have prompted an urgent meeting with the US overseer in Iraq Paul Bremer. "There will be a meeting with Bremer Wednesday morning or maybe before," council member Mahmud Othman told AFP at the end of Saturday's talks. (SNIP) The controversy was sparked by a rejection by top Shiite Muslim cleric Ayatollah Ali Sistani of the arcane system of indirect selection by caucuses announced on Nov. 15 in an agreement between the US-installed council and the coalition. The plan, which was critised by Sistani, calls for putting a caretaker government in place by June next year after the drafting of a basic law by end-February 2004 and the selection of a transitional assembly by end-May 2004. Those in favour of the blueprint say deadlines will not be respected if direct elections are held instead of a gradual transfer to sovereignty. (SNIP) Iyad Allawi, of the Iraqi National Accord, for his part said that "the electoral process, which requires a census, will take 14 months at best." Allawi, a secular Shiite former exile, did not attend Saturday's meeting but had a party representative sitting in for him, council sources said. His latest declaration amounted to a rejection of Sistani's proposal that a census be momentarily bypassed and polls be held on the basis of the ration cards distributed to the population since 1991, to help cope with the impact of the UN sanctions imposed after Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait. Sistani, who wants the Iraqis to be directly and immediately involved in designating their government, rather than wait until end-December 2005 general elections as stipulated by the Nov. 15 blueprint, has threatened "real problems" if the document was not amended. Political leaders of Iraq's main Shiite religious parties, the pro-Sistani Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) headed by Abdel Aziz Al Hakim and Al Daawa led by Ibrahim Al Jaafari, also demanded that elections be held at once, including at the municipal level. (SNIP) The US-led coalition too has been caught on the hop by opposition from among Iraq's Shiite majority community and admitted it considers the complaint significant enough for a major overhaul of the blueprint. On the record, US officials said they were discussing the demands of the Shiite religious leadership with the interim leadership as part of what they described as a "healthy" debate. But off the record, a senior official told The Washington Post that the prior polls, which the coalition has so far resisted, were now a "possibility" and appeared to give Sistani a veto over their newly unveiled plans. (MORE)
WAIT UNTIL SPRING FOR IRAQ DISPATCH, OFFICIAL SAYS The motion to send additional troops to Iraq is unlikely to be endorsed in the current regular session of the National Assembly, due to the pile of issues concerning the scandal involving the president's top aides and to a lack of deliberation with the United States. The current Assembly session ends on Dec. 9. Given that discussions between governmental officials and politicians, consultations with the United States, and a period of preparation prior to the dispatch would be needed even after the bill is approved, governmental officials predict that the date for the troop dispatch would be after the 17th general elections take place on April 15, 2004. A governmental official said that after the final agreement is reached, the government will have to negotiate the details with the United States on when and where to dispatch the troops. The motion will therefore be finalized by no earlier than early next year, and if the motion is passed in an extraordinary session of the National Assembly, the government will be able to send additional troops to Iraq after the general election in April, the official said. (MORE)
RUSSIA ACCUSED OF PLOT TO SABOTAGE GEORGIAN OIL PIPELINE A £2bn pipeline to carry Caspian oil to Europe through Georgia risks being damaged by Chechen mercenaries or ecological saboteurs sponsored by Russian intelligence, a senior Georgian security official and sources in Moscow claim. The GRU, the sophisticated elite of Russia's military intelligence corps, has allegedly allocated money towards hiring or training eco-warriors and mercenaries to sabotage the 1,100-mile project, which is run by a consortium headed by BP and is expected to be operational by 2005. "We are aware of this threat," a Georgian cabinet member said. "The pipeline is a key strategic interest to Georgia and we are checking the situation very carefully." According to information obtained from Moscow security sources during two months of inquiries by the Guardian, the GRU has allocated part of its budget towards the sabotage operation. The plan is not yet believed to be active, although the GRU has allegedly begun training a cell of ecologists. The cells may also be used against foreign oil interests elsewhere in the former Soviet Union, the sources claim. Mercenaries hired in neighbouring Chechnya are considered a possible - albeit more complicated - alternative. The alleged plan exposes the continuing face-off between the west and Russia in Georgia. Because of the pipeline the geopolitical significance of the former Soviet republic now vastly outweighs its 4 million population. (MORE)
ROCO: LET'S CHANGE THIS ADMINSTRATION Fires broadside at rivals At the official launching of his quest for the presidency, former senator Raul Roco Sunday fired a broadside at his rivals, targeting first President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo whose administration he said "is not up to the task and should be changed." Roco, who once served as education secretary under Ms Macapagal, accused the President of being too preoccupied with politicking, noting that she used the visits of boxing champion Manny Pacquiao and American singer Mandy Moore to gain media mileage. "But let's not replace it (administration) with one that's not prepared," Roco said in his speech, obviously referring to actor Fernando Poe Jr., a presidential aspirant who has no experience in public office. Before a crowd of some 10,000 supporters at the Folk Arts Theater in Pasay City, Roco proclaimed his readiness to lead the country. "We need a decent leadership that is competent," said Roco, a consistent front-runner in surveys of presidential aspirants. He told business leaders on the eve of his announcement that if chosen to lead one of Asia's most vibrant democracies, he would outperform Singapore statesman Lee Kuan Yew and just-retired Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, both highly credited with modernizing their economies. "Ten years from now, they (Singaporeans and Malaysians) will all say how we wish we had a Raul Roco in Malaysia and Singapore." "That is partially aspiration, but I want to be known as the honest president, strong and (who) endeavored to excel for the Filipino and the Philippines," Roco said. On Sunday, Roco told the crowd, who waved blue and yellow balloons and handed cutouts, that he expected cheating in the May presidential election. "If they will cheat, we will charge to Malacañang on my command," he said. (MORE)
PAKISTAN AGREES ON OVER-FLIGHTS: MUSHARRAF Says recent thaw should lead to Kashmir solution; majority
in ISLAMABAD: In yet another major peace initiative, President General Pervez Musharraf on Sunday announced resumption of over-flights with India. He said the recent thaw between the two countries should lead to the resolution of all disputes including Kashmir. "As a goodwill gesture to settle all disputes, we will agree to resume all flights with India at the meeting beginning in New Delhi on Monday (December 1st)," announced the president. He was addressing the members of Young Presidents Organisation of both Pakistani and Indian chapters at a brunch he hosted for them at the Aiwan-e-Sadr. President Musharraf said let the flight of Indian members of the worldwide organisation be the first from here after the resumption of air links, which India snapped unilaterally in 2002 at the heat of tension between the two countries. "The recent confidence-building measures taken by Pakistan and India should be a starting point and not an end point of a process that must be taken to its culmination in the interest of peace, harmony and development of South Asia," stressed the president. Pakistan will formally convey its agreement on the resumption of over-flights in Monday's talks with Indian officials on resumption of air links between Pakistani and India. A Pakistani delegation led by Additional Secretary Maj Gen Ashraf Chaudhry has already reached New Delhi for the talks. Pakistan, the president said, is sincere in its efforts for peace in the region. However, he said, Pakistan wants peace with honour, dignity and sovereign equality as is the right of all nations. President Musharraf said if India shows the political will for resolution of disputes, Pakistan would not be found lagging behind. (MORE) Copyright 2003, Gloria R. Lalumia |
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