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| January 28, 2004 |
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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 JANUARY 28, 2004 1//The Guardian, UK--GOVERNMENT WINS TOP-UP FEES VOTE (The government tonight narrowly won its vote on top-up fees - giving Tony Blair a brief window of respite before he defends himself against the conclusions of the Hutton report tomorrow. After a six-hour debate, the government won the vote by minuscule margin of just five, with 316 voting for the bill and 311 against. That still means the government has turned around a seemingly unstoppable rebellion by Labour backbenchers - for which many will give the credit to Nick Brown and his namesake, the chancellor... But with a government majority of around 165, this still makes it one of the largest ever revolts by a government's backbenchers against one of its own bills. It is the smallest majority of any whipped vote under Mr Blair.) 2//The Independent, UK--TENSIONS EMERGE IN RUSSIA'S FRIENDSHIP WITH 'IMPERIOUS' US (Colin Powell, the United States Secretary of State, issued an unusually blunt criticism of the state of Russian democracy yesterday amid signs of a deepening chill between the two allies in George Bush's "war on terror"...."The relationship is not at its best," said Alexander Konovalov, director of the independent Institute for Strategic Assessments. "The Americans have become increasingly messianic and want to impose their views of democracy and strategic necessity in every situation.") 3//The Moscow Times, Russia--POWELL: NO PLAN TO ENCIRCLE RUSSIA (U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell reassured Russia on Tuesday that the United States is not planning to surround its former Cold War foe with military bases, even though the Pentagon has announced its intention to move troops in Western Europe eastward... Andrew Kuchins, director of the Carnegie Moscow Center, agreed that Powell's assurances are "genuine." He said the planned relocation of U.S. troops "is not part of any containment of Russia." He conceded, however, that the Kremlin has "grounds for skepticism," given the previous Bush administration's failure to keep a "verbal promise" not to expand NATO eastward in exchange for the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Eastern Europe.) 4//The Turkish Daily News, Turkey--KIRKUK-YUMURTALIK
OIL PIPELINE TO STAY CLOSED FOR MONTHS (Iraq's northern
oil export line to Turkey, vital to Baghdad to maximise
revenues and rebuild the country, will take months
to restart as repairs are carried out and security
is tightened, the U.S. Army said on Monday...Oil industry
officials said on Sunday that there had been 40 attacks
on the pipeline in the last three to four months, steady
with previous levels of sabotage that has hit the oil
industry since the U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam
Hussein in April.) * * * 1//The
Guardian Tuesday January 27, 2004 8pm update GOVERNMENT WINS TOP-UP FEES VOTE The government tonight narrowly won its vote on top-up fees - giving Tony Blair a brief window of respite before he defends himself against the conclusions of the Hutton report tomorrow. After a six-hour debate, the government won the vote by minuscule margin of just five, with 316 voting for the bill and 311 against. That still means the government has turned around a seemingly unstoppable rebellion by Labour backbenchers - for which many will give the credit to Nick Brown and his namesake, the chancellor. The education secretary, Charles Clarke, told Channel 4 News: "We have got an outcome which allows us to go forward with our legislative programme. I am absolutely delighted." (SNIP) But with a government majority of around 165, this still makes it one of the largest ever revolts by a government's backbenchers against one of its own bills. It is the smallest majority of any whipped vote under Mr Blair. (SNIP) However, victory for the government removes the threat of an opposition vote of no confidence, and leaves the prime minister free to concentrate on his response to the Hutton report. It also virtually guarantees that from 2006 undergraduates will be charged a maximum of £3,000 a year, repayable when they start earning £15,000. Repayment commences in the April after graduation, but is cancelled after 25 years if the full debt has not been repaid. The Tory education spokesman, Tim Yeo, called it an "utter humiliation" for the government. The Liberal Democrat leader, Charles Kennedy, warned that it could prove to be a "hollow victory" for the government. "Nobody has emerged from this shabby compromise with any credit. It took a dodgy deal between the prime minister, the chancellor and backbenchers to get this bill through," he said. "It's a poor reflection of the government of the day and will be very damaging for the prime minister."
TENSIONS EMERGE IN RUSSIA'S FRIENDSHIP WITH 'IMPERIOUS'
US Colin Powell, the United States Secretary of State, issued an unusually blunt criticism of the state of Russian democracy yesterday amid signs of a deepening chill between the two allies in George Bush's "war on terror". There were many protestations of enduring friendship as General Powell met President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin's ornate Green Room. Mr Putin hailed progress in US-Russia nuclear disarmament and said Moscow looked forward to joining in an American-sponsored bid to put men on Mars by 2020. Some Russian experts saw things differently after General Powell's outspoken comments in a front-page interview with the daily Izvestia. "The relationship is not at its best," said Alexander Konovalov, director of the independent Institute for Strategic Assessments. "The Americans have become increasingly messianic and want to impose their views of democracy and strategic necessity in every situation." Only slightly mincing his words in the interview, General Powell put his finger on America's main complaints, suggesting that under Mr Putin, Russia is becoming more authoritarian and increasingly aggressive toward its former Soviet neighbours. (SNIP) General Powell also criticised Russia's war against the secessionist republic of Chechnya, though Washington had previously seemed to accept Moscow's contention that the conflict, which has caused tens of thousands of deaths, is part of the common global war on terrorism. After the terror attacks in the US on 11 September 2001, Mr Putin called George Bush and offered Russia's support in the global war against al-Qa'ida. But the relationship began to unravel over the US invasion of Iraq last year, and has worsened amid Bush administration criticism of Kremlin policies. Moscow has rebuffed US demands that it withdraw Soviet-era military bases from Georgia and Moldova, and said that the troops represent legitimate Russian national interests. At the same time, the US has extended indefinitely the stay of a 400-man military presence in Georgia, ostensibly to protect the western-financed Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which is expected to begin carrying Caspian oil to world markets by next year. "Why do the Americans think it's OK for them to plant bases all around our borders, while they feel free to criticise every Russian military movement in the former Soviet Union?" said Mr Konovalov. Russia's Foreign Minister, Igor Ivanov, said at a joint press conference yesterday that Moscow takes no offence at General Powell's remarks, and that anything can be discussed "in a constructive atmosphere of openness". But some Russian experts said it is not so much what General Powell said but the imperious cold war tone in which he said it that causes alarm.
POWELL: NO PLAN TO ENCIRCLE RUSSIA U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell reassured Russia on Tuesday that the United States is not planning to surround its former Cold War foe with military bases, even though the Pentagon has announced its intention to move troops in Western Europe eastward. "It is not essentially moving our army closer to the Russian Federation, and people should not see it in that light," Powell told a call-in show at Ekho Moskvy radio. "The number of troops overall will be going down. Therefore, we are not trying to surround anyone." Powell said Washington will set up "temporary facilities" rather than full-fledged bases and that the U.S. military will use them for training and as transit points to hot spots. (SNIP) Moscow issued no official reaction to Powell's comments Tuesday, but Defense Ministry officials have in the past expressed concern over the planned eastward expansion. Ahead of Powell's visit, several Russian newspapers speculated that Washington might eventually establish permanent bases in Georgia and Azerbaijan and transform its temporary facilities in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan into permanent ones. Two newspapers even published maps pinpointing the locations of U.S. troops in the former Soviet Union and neighboring countries in an effort to argue that the U.S. military has already formed a half circle along Russia's western and southern frontiers. However, a retired senior U.S. military officer said Tuesday that the current and planned deployments, specifically those along Russia's southern frontiers, merely reflect Washington's efforts to root out terrorism and contain instability. (SNIP) Andrew Kuchins, director of the Carnegie Moscow Center, agreed that Powell's assurances are "genuine." He said the planned relocation of U.S. troops "is not part of any containment of Russia." He conceded, however, that the Kremlin has "grounds for skepticism," given the previous Bush administration's failure to keep a "verbal promise" not to expand NATO eastward in exchange for the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Eastern Europe. Given that failure, the Kremlin should treat Powell's assurances with a pinch of salt, said Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies. "As they say, there is nothing more permanent than the temporary," Pukhov said of the United States' existing and planned temporary military facilities. "The fact they say they don't plan any bases now doesn't mean they won't plan them in the future." In the end, though, any concerns by Russia are beside the point because it "won't be able to counter [the United States] with anything should it decide to establish a base in Georgia," Pukhov said. Therefore, Russia should focus on defining and pursuing its real interests in other former Soviet republics rather than "entering what would be false bargaining over the number and location of U.S. and Russian bases," he said.
KIRKUK-YUMURTALIK OIL PIPELINE TO STAY CLOSED FOR MONTHS BAGHDAD - Reuters "It will take months before the Iraq-Turkey pipeline can start working again because several factors have to be coordinated such as repairs and security," said Richard Dowling, a spokesman for the Restore Iraqi Oil directorate of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which works with the Iraqi oil ministry. "You can't just have partial security to the pipeline and you can't just have partial repairs," he said. Iraqi officials had hoped security along the pipeline would improve enough to allow shipments from the giant Kirkuk oilfields to restart this spring. But sabotage has not abated. The pipeline opened for a few days last year but was closed by another sabotage attack. Oil industry officials said on Sunday that there had been 40 attacks on the pipeline in the last three to four months, steady with previous levels of sabotage that has hit the oil industry since the U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein in April. (SNIP) This latest assessment is another blow to Iraq's economic recovery after years of wars, United Nations sanctions and the insurgency gripping the country. The Kirkuk pipeline has the capacity to add some 800,000 barrels per day (bpd) to current crude exports of 1.6 million bpd from its Basra Oil Terminal in the Gulf.
IRAQI FIRMS SUSPICIOUS. CONFUSED BY NEW ECONOMY American firms often choose to deal with those they have successfully worked with in the past - frustrating many local business Andrew Butters BAGHDAD: For a reminder of the challenges that Iraqi businesses face in the post-Saddam economy, the average Baghdadi need only look at the walls with which American companies and officials have fortified their hotels, compounds, and bases. "Bremer walls" - the concrete slabs that protect against explosions and obstruct car bombers - have sprung up all over Baghdad as terrorist attacks have become more frequent in the past month. One popular rumor is that the Americans have been paying up to $1,000 for each of the three-meter high walls, named after the top US overseer here. But the boom in Bremer walls hasn't been good news for Iraqi manufacturers of concrete and cement. There is little if any Iraqi cement in a Bremer wall, and many of the concrete companies that supply the walls are either foreign or from Kurdish Northern Iraq. That is hard on Iraq's three cement companies, all state-owned and internationally known for their quality product. It also galls Arab Iraqi concrete makers, who suspect that contracts given to Iraqi Kurds, who supported the US during the war, are part of the spoils. "Even if there is a better Iraqi company, the Americans would not give them the business," said Faro al-Khaffaf, the chief executive of concrete manufacturer Al-Khaffaf Co., who said he could produce a Bremer wall for $100. But is the suspicion that US contracts are unfairly out of reach of average Iraqi companies warranted? Foreign and Kurdish firms got the jump on the wall contracts after the war because the US-led temporary government, the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), needed the walls in a rush and Iraqi industry south of the Kurdish controlled regions, including all three Iraqi state-owned cement companies, was at a standstill. The actual price paid for a Bremer wall is an elusive figure. But the rushed nature of the contracts and the continued risk of fulfilling them would justify a high price tag, according to international construction experts in Iraq. And while prices have fallen substantially in the months since the invasion, truck convoys carrying the walls are often attacked by insurgents. (MORE) | |||||
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