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| February 9, 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 FEBRUARY 9, 2004 1//The Guardian, UK--BRITAIN SPIED ON UN ALLIES OVER WAR VOTE (Britain helped America to conduct a secret and potentially illegal spying operation at the United Nations in the run-up to the Iraq war, The Observer can reveal. The operation, which targeted at least one permanent member of the UN Security Council, was almost certainly in breach of the Vienna conventions on diplomatic relations, which strictly outlaw espionage at the UN missions in New York... Sources close to the intelligence services have now confirmed that the request from the security agency was 'acted on' by the British authorities. It is also known that the operation caused significant disquiet in the intelligence community on both sides of the Atlantic.) 2//The Daily Star, Lebanon--RISKS RISE FOR JOURNALISTS WORKING IN IRAQ (The International News Safety Institute has labeled the US-led invasion "one of the bloodiest events in the history of journalism." Reporters Without Borders consider Iraq to be the "deadliest part of the world." And the International Federation of Journalists warned that "journalists' safety cannot be guaranteed" there anymore..."The danger is from those who do not know you are media or target all infidels indiscriminately. If anything, it is probably safer to be media than NGOs, diplomats or simple visitors.") 3//Gulf News Online, United Arab Emirates--SAUDI SHIITES
WON'T EXPLOIT POWER GAINS IN IRAQ, SAYS CLERIC (Saudi
Arabia's marginalised Shiite minority wants fairer
treatment but will not exploit the rising power of
fellow Shiites in neighbouring Iraq for political gain,
a leading cleric said. Shiite preacher Hassan Al Saffar
said his community was loyal to Saudi Arabia and had
no ambitions for greater autonomy - even if a possible
blueprint for a looser federal state emerges in post-Saddam
Iraq...Diplomats say Saudi establishment is alarmed
by the rising Shiite influence across their border,
fearing it could embolden Saudi Shiites who say they
have faced decades of discrimination.) 5//B92, Yugoslavia--SVILANOVIC WARNS OF "GOVERNMENT OF VENGEANCE" (Civil Alliance of Serbia leader Goran Svilanovic warned today that the government program proposed by Vojislav Kostunica's Democratic Party of Serbia is planning a government of vengeance..."Do you know what's on the first page of that document? A review of the work of the Serbian Government's Bureau for Communications. "On the first of ten pages of text you would expect that the prime minister designate would talk about the inflation rate, what average salaries would be. That's what I would expect them to propose when they want to discuss the government with us or even seek support for a minority government.) * * * 1//The
Guardian Sunday, February 9, 2004 BRITAIN SPIED ON UN ALLIES OVER WAR VOTE Martin Bright and Peter Beaumont Britain helped America to conduct a secret and potentially illegal spying operation at the United Nations in the run-up to the Iraq war, The Observer can reveal. The operation, which targeted at least one permanent member of the UN Security Council, was almost certainly in breach of the Vienna conventions on diplomatic relations, which strictly outlaw espionage at the UN missions in New York. Translators and analysts at the Government's top-secret surveillance centre GCHQ were ordered to co-operate with an American espionage 'surge' on Security Council delegations after a request from the US National Security Agency at the end of January 2003. This was designed to help smooth the way for a second UN resolution authorising war in Iraq. The information was intended for US Secretary of State Colin Powell before his presentation on weapons of mass destruction to the Security Council on 5 February. Sources close to the intelligence services have now confirmed that the request from the security agency was 'acted on' by the British authorities. It is also known that the operation caused significant disquiet in the intelligence community on both sides of the Atlantic. An operation of this kind would almost certainly have been authorised by the director-general of GCHQ, David Pepper. But the revelation also raises serious questions for Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, who has overall responsibility for GCHQ. (MORE)
RISKS RISE FOR JOURNALISTS WORKING IN IRAQ Iason Athanasiadis ATHENS: Last week, on a street in Baghdad, a rust-colored Opel sidled up to a two-vehicle CNN convoy. Without warning, a gunman appeared through the open sunroof and opened fire. He killed two CNN employees, wounded another and nudged the death-toll for media workers in Iraq up to 21. The victims were local workers - a driver and a producer who had been helping CNN avoid the pitfalls of post-invasion Baghdad. "Duraid (the producer) was the backbone of the office," said a journalist in Baghdad who knew both victims. "Without him, most of the CNN people here would be lone tourists." Their deaths brought the debate over the safety measures international news networks provide for their journalists covering the ongoing US occupation in Iraq back to the fore. The International News Safety Institute has labeled the US-led invasion "one of the bloodiest events in the history of journalism." Reporters Without Borders consider Iraq to be the "deadliest part of the world." And the International Federation of Journalists warned that "journalists' safety cannot be guaranteed" there anymore. "It's not foreign media that are being targeted, as such," said Richard Galustian, an Iraqi-Armenian security adviser working for a private security contractor called ISI Iraq. "The danger is from those who do not know you are media or target all infidels indiscriminately. If anything, it is probably safer to be media than NGOs, diplomats or simple visitors." Galustian and his partner, Omar Hadi, set up their operations in Iraq during the war. Their innovative approach - hiring Iraqis trained by US and British Special Forces - earned their company a CPA security contract, the only Iraqi firm to have secured one so far. "Many potentially explosive situations are easily diffused if you have trusted Iraqis working alongside the coalition members," Galustian told The Daily Star from Baghdad. "This unfortunately is a situation that the CPA is learning the hard way. Iraqis have to be trusted in Iraq." News agencies such as Reuters, the Associated Press and Agence France Press have armored cars which their journalists can ride in when heading out to cover a story. But higher levels of security also mean greater visibility. Western reporters traveling in large GMC vans - the trademark vehicles of the CPA - stick out and may be mistaken for coalition personnel. (MORE)
SAUDI SHIITES WON'T EXPLOIT POWER GAINS IN IRAQ, SAYS CLERIC Al Qatif, Saudi Arabia-- Saudi Arabia's marginalised Shiite minority wants fairer treatment but will not exploit the rising power of fellow Shiites in neighbouring Iraq for political gain, a leading cleric said. Shiite preacher Hassan Al Saffar said his community was loyal to Saudi Arabia and had no ambitions for greater autonomy - even if a possible blueprint for a looser federal state emerges in post-Saddam Iraq. "The Saudi government knows the loyalty of the Shiite citizens to their country," Saffar told Reuters in an interview late on Thursday. "Shiites in the kingdom do not want anything special for themselves." Shiites are thought to form the majority in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province - although only 10 percent of the population as a whole - and have close ties with Shiites in neighbouring southern Iraq who have gained political muscle following Saddam Hussain's overthrow. Diplomats say Saudi establishment is alarmed by the rising Shiite influence across their border, fearing it could embolden Saudi Shiites who say they have faced decades of discrimination. The government has expressed concern that Iraq could fragment along ethnic and religious lines, triggering conflict which could spread to its neighbours. (MORE)
CHINA SETTING UP STRATEGIC OIL RESERVE SHANGHAI - In an effort to reverse the growth of its dependence on foreign oil, China - a huge oil producer and once an exporter - is establishing a 70-75-day strategic petroleum reserve in four locations, and the first phase is scheduled to be completed in 2007. By 2020, China is expected to import 60 percent of its oil. Total price tag: at least US$725 million for the four locations, scheduled to be completed by 2010 - maybe. Although China's main source of energy is coal, it also dependent on oil and it is now the world's fastest-growing importer. China is the world's fifth-largest oil producer, but its reserves would last only a week. Last May, China's State Council set up a strategic State Oil Reserves Project, but only made the decision public late last year. The State Council, an executive, cabinet-level body, has adopted a four-location blueprint and is close to approving details of the first phase of construction in Aoshan in Zhejiang province on the coast south of Shanghai. (SNIP) China is setting up the reserve for two major, related reasons. China too dependent on Middle East oil The crux of the problem is that China is becoming increasingly dependent on foreign oil as its economy booms and its own reserves dwindle. That's the economic part of the problem. The second, geopolitical part is that about four-fifths of China's oil imports come from unstable parts of the world, such as the Middle East. Last year China imported 72 million tons of crude oil during the first 10 months, 13 million more than during the same period of 2002. It is now the world's second-largest importer, despite being a net exporter until 1993. China expects to import 120 million tons in 2004 and by 2020 it will be importing 60 percent of its oil. China is experiencing a drop in production. Daqing in the northeast, the country's biggest oilfield, will see its output slide 4.3 percent to 46.3 million tonnes this year. This drop comes at a time when China already is experiencing blackouts while industrial and consumer demand is surging. A strategic reserve would enable Beijing to cope with international crises, such as political upheaval in the Middle East that could disrupt its oil supply. A reserve also would flatten domestic oil prices when there are international price hikes - an important political consideration because lower oil prices will keep down the prices of domestic manufactured goods. The fallout from unchecked rising oil prices also could mean destabilizing popular discontent. China may well see another financial advantage in establishing an oil reserve, though it would be sensitive to negotiate and implement. If China were to stock the reserves with foreign oil - a big "if" in itself, as it raises questions not just about the price of the deal but also about the politics behind it - it would be spending some valuable foreign currency to buy the oil. This, in turn, could reduce pressure on Beijing to revalue the yuan. The United States especially wants China to revalue its currency upward, arguing that the current rate of valuation is too low and thus Chinese goods are underpriced in world markets - to the detriment of competing US sellers. (MORE)
SVILANOVIC WARNS OF "GOVERNMENT OF VENGEANCE" BELGRADE -- Sunday - Civil Alliance of Serbia leader Goran Svilanovic warned today that the government program proposed by Vojislav Kostunica's Democratic Party of Serbia is planning a government of vengeance. Speaking to B92, Svilanovic, whose party is part of the Democratic Party caucus, said the party was astonished when a review of the state Communications Bureau featured as a priority of the proposed government. It was the proposed government program, says Svilanovic, which first rang alarm bells in the Democratic Party camp. "Do you know what's on the first page of that document? A review of the work of the Serbian Government's Bureau for Communications. "On the first of ten pages of text you would expect that the prime minister designate would talk about the inflation rate, what average salaries would be. That's what I would expect them to propose when they want to discuss the government with us or even seek support for a minority government. "But, there on the first page, is the one thing they are interested in!" "We were astonished when we saw that document. That's what convinced those of us in the Democratic Party caucus to say 'Wait a minute, this is a government of vengeance'," said Svilanovic. | |||||
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