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| March 26, 2004 |
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World Media Watch by Gloria R. Lalumia BUZZFLASH NOTE: WMW provides BuzzFlash readers foreign views and perspectives that are not usually available from the media here in the U.S. The presentation of these articles from these international publications is not an endorsement of their viewpoints. * * * WORLD MEDIA WATCH FOR MARCH 26, 2004 1//The Independent, UK--THE GOLDEN HANDSHAKE: BRAVE STEP OR A CYNICAL PLOY? (Tony Blair offered Muammar Gaddafi the "hand of friendship" in a desert tent outside Tripoli yesterday as he held historic talks with the Libyan leader aimed at ending the 20-year isolation of the pariah state and recruiting it as a partner in the war on terror...In an attempt to stress the value of the rapprochement, British diplomats said the two countries were already sharing intelligence on North African groups linked to Osama Bin Laden. British businesses have also begun a rush to exploit Libyan oil and gas reserves potentially worth billions...But the return of Libya to the international fold has, in some quarters, been criticised as a cynical stunt.) 2//The
Turkish Daily News, Turkey--BLAIR: TURKEY IN
EU UNDERMINES TERROR CAUSE (Europe should allow
Turkey to become a member of the EU to demonstrate
its commitment to the creation of a tolerant and
diverse Europe and to undermine cause of Islamic
extremists, said British Premier Tony Blair. "Let
us show by our willingness to bring Turkey, a proud
Muslim nation, into the EU on the same and equal
terms as all others, to show that Europe is committed
not just in word but in deed to a Europe of diverse
races, cultures and religions all bound together
by common rules and a sense of human solidarity
and mutual respect," he said...Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Turkey could
serve as a bridge between the European Union and
the Muslim world.) 3//The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia--LATHAM'S LINE 'ENCOURAGES TERRORISTS', SAYS PM (Federal Opposition leader Mark Latham's call to bring Australian troops in Iraq home by Christmas would only encourage terrorists, Prime Minister John Howard said today...Asked if there was a threat to Australian lives, Mr Howard said: "He's made a very serious mistake, it could have that consequence, but I'm not making that claim independently". Mr Howard told Melbourne radio 3AW any weakening in the United States-led coalition in Iraq would only encourage terrorists.) 4//Inter Press Service, Italy--WAR ON TERROR 'THREATENS AID' (A rush of new EU proposals seek to link aid to the fight against terrorism. Inevitably, a group of leading non-governmental organisations have objected to the moves...The new proposals cited by BOND (British Overseas NGOs for Development), a group of about 250 NGOs, openly link aid programmes to the fight against terrorism...The declaration includes proposals to increase development assistance for "targeted technical assistance" to "priority countries", and says the EU would introduce counter-terrorism concerns into "all relevant external assistance programmes.") 5//The Moscow Times, Russia--PUTIN CUTS BACK PRESIDENTIAL STAFF (President Vladimir Putin has approved radical cuts to his staff, living up to his promise to announce changes in the presidential administration within 10 days after the election..."This is not a sign of Putin's strength, but a reflection that at the beginning of Putin's second term his team is not ready to take full control of all processes," Petrov said. But Petrov warned that the compromise could end up being only a temporary measure. Another change -- the removal of the president's economic department -- could mean the administration is focusing on other issues.) * * * 1//The
Independent 26 March 2004 THE GOLDEN HANDSHAKE: BRAVE STEP OR A CYNICAL
PLOY? Tony Blair offered Muammar Gaddafi the "hand of friendship" in a desert tent outside Tripoli yesterday as he held historic talks with the Libyan leader aimed at ending the 20-year isolation of the pariah state and recruiting it as a partner in the war on terror. The Prime Minister praised Colonel Gaddafi as an example of international rehabilitation and praised his adoption of "a common cause" with the West in the fight against al-Qa'ida, extremism and terrorism. In an attempt to stress the value of the rapprochement, British diplomats said the two countries were already sharing intelligence on North African groups linked to Osama Bin Laden. British businesses have also begun a rush to exploit Libyan oil and gas reserves potentially worth billions. The Anglo-Dutch energy giant Shell signed an agreement yesterday to invest $200m (£110m) searching for fuel reserves - and the aircraft and defence contractor BAE is hoping to land multimillion-pound deals to supply civil aviation equipment. But the return of Libya to the international fold has, in some quarters, been criticised as a cynical stunt. Critics argue that Col Gaddafi's decision to give up his weapons of mass destruction is a welcome distraction from the continuing problems faced by the occupying forces in Iraq. They also point out that the country's capacity and willingness to develop and deploy WMDs has been exaggerated to make the diplomatic breakthrough appear much more significant - and that Libya never posed much of a threat. The Conservative leader, Michael Howard, said: "To give Colonel Gaddafi this huge propaganda coup and to call him courageous for giving up terrorism is quite extraordinary." (MORE)
BLAIR: TURKEY IN EU UNDERMINES TERROR CAUSE Europe should allow Turkey to become a member of the EU to demonstrate its commitment to the creation of a tolerant and diverse Europe and to undermine cause of Islamic extremists, said British Premier Tony Blair. "Let us show by our willingness to bring Turkey, a proud Muslim nation, into the EU on the same and equal terms as all others, to show that Europe is committed not just in word but in deed to a Europe of diverse races, cultures and religions all bound together by common rules and a sense of human solidarity and mutual respect," he said. Turkey, a candidate to join the EU since 1999, is still the sole candidate that has yet to start accession talks with the union. It is anxiously awaiting a go- ahead to open the talks when the EU leaders gather for a December summit this year to review Ankara's membership efforts. Britain is a supporter of the Turkish accession. (SNIP) Speaking in Lisbon, Portuguese, a day before the summit, Blair said accepting Turkey into the club was one way of defeating terrorism by using a "just and humane" agenda. Earlier this week, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw described Turkey's accession as an "acid test" of Europe's tackling terrorists' attempts to sow division. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Turkey could serve as a bridge between the European Union and the Muslim world. (MORE) Related: ERDOGAN RAILS AGAINST YASSIN KILLING Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the assassination of Palestinian Hamas group leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin by Israeli forces as an "act of terror" and said Turkish plans to mediate between Israelis and Palestinians were "ruined" by the killing. (MORE)
LATHAM'S LINE 'ENCOURAGES TERRORISTS', SAYS PM Federal Opposition leader Mark Latham's call to bring Australian troops in Iraq home by Christmas would only encourage terrorists, Prime Minister John Howard said today. Mr Howard also noted intelligence experts had warned the move could put Australian lives at risk and called on Mr Latham to reconsider. Asked if there was a threat to Australian lives, Mr Howard said: "He's made a very serious mistake, it could have that consequence, but I'm not making that claim independently". Mr Howard told Melbourne radio 3AW any weakening in the United States-led coalition in Iraq would only encourage terrorists. "The worry I have is that any equivocation, any weakening at the present time will be seen around the world as the product of terrorist intimidation," he said. "Whatever your view is on whether or not we should have been in Iraq ... it is the wrong signal to be sending to the Iraqi people, to the terrorists in Iraq. "They will see any weakening in the coalition as a sign they should try harder and that is a worry." Mr Latham said this week a Labor government would withdraw Australian troops from Iraq by Christmas. (MORE)
WAR ON TERROR 'THREATENS AID'
The EU proposals to fight terrorism risk "compromising the neutrality, impartiality and independence of humanitarian assistance," leading civil rights groups said in a joint statement Wednesday. The new proposals cited by BOND (British Overseas NGOs for Development), a group of about 250 NGOs, openly link aid programmes to the fight against terrorism. The proposals emerged at a meeting of European Union (EU) foreign ministers called Monday to discuss measures to increase cooperation between police and intelligence services across the continent. The foreign ministers warned partner countries that their relations with the economically powerful bloc will suffer if they fail to cooperate in the fight against terrorism. The ministers endorsed a draft declaration that described counter-terrorism as "a key element of political dialogue" with other countries. The declaration includes proposals to increase development assistance for "targeted technical assistance" to "priority countries", and says the EU would introduce counter-terrorism concerns into "all relevant external assistance programmes." An EU official said "aid and trade could be affected if the fight against terrorism was considered insufficient." (MORE)
PUTIN CUTS BACK PRESIDENTIAL STAFF President Vladimir Putin has approved radical cuts to his staff, living up to his promise to announce changes in the presidential administration within 10 days after the election. Major changes include the reduction of the number of deputies to the president's chief of staff from eight to two and the complete disbanding of the presidential administration's economic department. (SNIP) "The new structure [with Surkov and Sechin serving as deputies] is a sign that Putin has had to compromise in restructuring both the government and the administration," said Nikolai Petrov, political analyst with the Carnegie Moscow Center. "When Mikhail Kasyanov was fired [as prime minister in February] one could have expected that the administration and the government would be completely merged. This did not happen. Inside of both there are still checks and balances," he said, adding that the presence of some pluralism within the administration is a good sign. "This is not a sign of Putin's strength, but a reflection that at the beginning of Putin's second term his team is not ready to take full control of all processes," Petrov said. But Petrov warned that the compromise could end up being only a temporary measure. Another change -- the removal of the president's economic department -- could mean the administration is focusing on other issues. "What seems to be significant is the complete removal of the economic department," said Yury Korgunyuk, a political analyst who heads the Indem think tank. The department was born early in Yeltsin's term and became particularly important during Yevgeny Primakov's tenure as prime minister in 1998-99. "Back then the department was essential to blocking various initiatives of the government, which was not under the Kremlin's full control," Korgunyuk said. "There were quite a few stupidities coming from the government that were stopped by this department." Korgunyuk also pointed out that Putin has probably come to recognize that he cannot rely solely on the siloviki and needs a group that is more flexible. "Putin -- since he comes from the same circles -- is well aware of the siloviki's strong and weak points. They are famous for their corporate loyalty but can be pretty narrow-minded," he said. (MORE) | ||||||
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