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| March 29, 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 29, 2004 1//Expatica, Netherlands--FRENCH LEFT FLOORS RULING RIGHT IN REGIONAL ELECTION KNOCKOUT (- French President Jacques Chirac suffered a new pasting at the polls Sunday, as the electorate punished his government's policies of public sector reform and defected massively to the Socialists (PS) in the second round of regional elections. In what was seen as a key test for the president's two-year-old administration, his Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) party looked set to be almost wiped from the regional map, with the left taking control of at least 20 of the 22 regions in metropolitan France...The result made a cabinet reshuffle in the coming days a virtual certainty, with the fate of Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin hanging in the balance. Speaking on national television, the prime minister conceded that the government had to heed the message from voters, but he said the policies of economic and social reform could not be halted.) 2//The Jordan Times, Jordan--TURKMEN QUIT NORTHERN IRAQI CITY COUNCIL, SAY KURDS TAKING OVER (Six local Turkmen leaders withdrew from the city council here Sunday, exacerbating ethnic tension in the city, a week after a similar move by their ethnic Arab colleagues, one of them said. Turkmen councillor, Mustafa Yaishi, said the northern Iraqi city was being "overwhelmed" by Kurds, and called for the dismissal of Kirkuk's governor and US military intervention "to drive away armed Kurdish militias." ...That leaves the council, which at one time had up to 40 members, with only 15 Kurdish and seven Christian members..."These problems will contribute to a civil war," Yaishi warned.) 3//Xinhuanet, China--CHINA TO WRITE OFF HUGE AFGHAN DEBT ("This is also significant for our further financial assistances," the Chinese top diplomat said. "We conclude the old debt, and so we can continue to have new commercial and financial relations between us." Sun Yuxi also disclosed that at the forthcoming Berlin Conference, the Chinese government will announce new plans to provide the Afghan authorities with more aids...China and Afghanistan established diplomatic relations in 1955.After the founding of the Afghan transitional government in late 2001, China was the first country to announce a huge assistance program totaling 150 million dollars.) 4//The
Scotsman, Scotland--LOCKERBIE BOMBING INVESTIGATIONS
'DROPPED' (Further investigations into the Lockerbie
bombing have been quietly shelved despite the breakthrough
in diplomatic relations with Libya, Scotland on
Sunday can reveal...Despite ongoing investigations
into the case of police constable Yvonne Fletcher,
who was shot outside the Libyan embassy in London
in 1984, it was clear last night that ministers
have decided to let the Lockerbie issue drop...
Daniel Cohen, whose 20-year-old daughter Theodora
was killed in the crash, called Blair's initiative "obscene".
He said: "Tony Blair came from a ceremony
in Madrid - a memorial service to the victims of
the second largest terrorist attack in Europe,
and then hopped on a plane and went to Tripoli
to embrace the architect of the largest terrorist
attack in Europe.") * * * 1//Expatica
France Edition - Monday 29 March FRENCH LEFT FLOORS RULING RIGHT IN REGIONAL ELECTION KNOCKOUT PARIS, March 28 (AFP) - French President Jacques Chirac suffered a new pasting at the polls Sunday, as the electorate punished his government's policies of public sector reform and defected massively to the Socialists (PS) in the second round of regional elections. In what was seen as a key test for the president's two-year-old administration, his Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) party looked set to be almost wiped from the regional map, with the left taking control of at least 20 of the 22 regions in metropolitan France. The result made a cabinet reshuffle in the coming days a virtual certainty, with the fate of Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin hanging in the balance. Speaking on national television, the prime minister conceded that the government had to heed the message from voters, but he said the policies of economic and social reform could not be halted. "I am sure the French do not want a return to immobility. Reforms must be continued very simply because they are necessary," the prime minister said. (SNIP) The result more than confirmed the outcome of last Sunday's first round of the election, in which the centre-right took 34 percent and trailed the left by only six percentage points. The far-right fell back from 16 percent in round one. Turn-out was about 67 percent, indicating a high degree of voter motivation compared to previous regional elections. "The electorate has justly pronounced a heavy rejection of the whole of Jean-Pierre Raffarin's government. They have rejected a policy which for two years has deepened inequalities, intensified social tensions and despised the weak," said PS leader Francois Hollande. Raffarin's attempts to streamline parts of France's large public sector have provoked a wave of protests by groups including scientific researchers, lawyers, hospital staff and performing artists - while his aim of liberalising employment law has prompted the criticism that he sides with big business. (MORE)
TURKMEN QUIT NORTHERN IRAQI CITY COUNCIL, SAY KURDS TAKING OVER KIRKUK (AFP) - Six local Turkmen leaders withdrew from the city council here Sunday, exacerbating ethnic tension in the city, a week after a similar move by their ethnic Arab colleagues, one of them said. Turkmen councillor, Mustafa Yaishi, said the northern Iraqi city was being "overwhelmed" by Kurds, and called for the dismissal of Kirkuk's governor and US military intervention "to drive away armed Kurdish militias." "The six members who represent the Turkmen Front have decided to suspend their membership in the city council because of the lack of security and chaos that prevails," Yaishi told AFP. That leaves the council, which at one time had up to 40 members, with only 15 Kurdish and seven Christian members. "We are denied our legitimate rights and we are kept away from administrative positions," he said. "These problems will contribute to a civil war," Yaishi warned. Last Sunday, nine Arab ethnic council members decided to pull out of the council for the same reasons, namely accusing the Kurds of taking over the city and depriving them of their political rights. Ethnic unrest has run high in Kirkuk since the end of the US-led war last year, as the city's Kurdish majority has been pushing to be incorporated into the autonomous Kurdish region further north. (MORE) 3//Xinhuanet March 27, 2004 22:56:43 CHINA TO WRITE OFF HUGE AFGHAN DEBT KABUL, March 27 (Xinhuanet) -- The Chinese government has decided to write off a 18-million US dollars debt that the Afghan government owes to it, a Chinese envoy said here Saturday. "This is a friendly gesture from the Chinese government and the Chinese people," Chinese ambassador Sun Yuxi said at a joint press conference held with Afghan Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani. (SNIP) "This is also significant for our further financial assistances," the Chinese top diplomat said. "We conclude the old debt, and so we can continue to have new commercial and financial relations between us." Sun Yuxi also disclosed that at the forthcoming Berlin Conference, the Chinese government will announce new plans to provide the Afghan authorities with more aids. Right now, Chinese engineers and workers are working on two major assistance programs: rebuilding a major hospital in the capital of Kabul and building an irrigation system in Parwan Province to the north of Kabul. China and Afghanistan established diplomatic relations in 1955.After the founding of the Afghan transitional government in late 2001, China was the first country to announce a huge assistance program totaling 150 million dollars.
LOCKERBIE BOMBING INVESTIGATIONS 'DROPPED' Further investigations into the Lockerbie bombing have been quietly shelved despite the breakthrough in diplomatic relations with Libya, Scotland on Sunday can reveal. Foreign Office officials have dashed the hopes of bereaved families that Tony Blair's historic meeting with Colonel Gaddafi would enable them to seek more information about the destruction of Pan Am Flight 103. Sources confirmed that the bombing of the airliner in 1988, for which Libya has now accepted responsibility, had been "the most difficult issue" during the exhaustive negotiations that led to the meeting in Tripoli last week. But it did not feature in the face-to-face talks between Blair and Gaddafi. Despite ongoing investigations into the case of police constable Yvonne Fletcher, who was shot outside the Libyan embassy in London in 1984, it was clear last night that ministers have decided to let the Lockerbie issue drop. It is believed that with one man already convicted of the bombing, there are no grounds to reopen the inquiries. (SNIP) Blair's decision to travel to meet Gaddafi in person was seen as a hugely risky move, particularly as the Libyan leader is still regarded as a sponsor of terrorism by some of the families who lost relatives in the disaster. (SNIP) Blair sent ministers to consult with the families before his visit in order to win their blessing for the trip, and for the plans to do more business with the Libyans in the future. But the venture sparked criticism from some quarters, including Tory leader Michael Howard, and a number of Americans who lost family members in the disaster. Daniel Cohen, whose 20-year-old daughter Theodora was killed in the crash, called Blair's initiative "obscene". He said: "Tony Blair came from a ceremony in Madrid - a memorial service to the victims of the second largest terrorist attack in Europe, and then hopped on a plane and went to Tripoli to embrace the architect of the largest terrorist attack in Europe."
INDIA DOUBTING ITS US 'STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP' NEW DELHI - Clearing the way for close military ties, resumed sale of defense equipment and millions of dollars in direct economic assistance, United States President George W Bush has lifted the sanctions imposed against Pakistan following the bloodless military coup led by now-President General Pervez Musharraf in October 1999. The move comes a week after US Secretary of State Colin Powell announced in Islamabad that Pakistan's status was being elevated to that of a major non-NATO ally (MNNA). Sanctions related to Pakistan's nuclear tests in 1998 have already been lifted. As a result, India is questioning its own "strategic partnership" with Washington, and many influential Indians are calling US rhetoric hollow and saying it confers no benefits. Some influential Indians even are talking of economic warfare with the US "enemy". India is deeply worried, in view of Pakistan's past belligerence toward New Delhi whenever it was able to establish close military and economic ties with the US. The Sikh-majority Indian state of Punjab and Muslim-majority Kashmir became problem spots for India during the period of close Pakistan-US military ties in the 1980s when they launched a joint campaign to send Soviet troops packing from Afghanistan. Now the US and Pakistan have launched what some in India consider to be another joint jihad, this time against the same jihadis whom they had urged, trained and financed to fight the Soviet infidels in the 1980s. At that time they were referentially called mujahideen, but now the joint jihad has forged even closer ties between Washington and Islamabad. "There could be problems if Pakistan uses its MMNA tag to put up a price vis-a-vis Indo-Pak issues," a senior official in India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) told journalists. MEA officials are indicating that New Delhi will formalize its position on Islamabad's MNNA status only after getting to understand its "behavior pattern" in the aftermath of the US decision. (SNIP) But the more India thinks, the more it gets worried. Pakistan's MNNA status cannot be simply dismissed as of no great consequence. The worry is, however, not just about how Pakistan will respond and how this will affect India's relations with the US. The entire gamut of India's ties with the West, even the policy framework regarding globalization and liberalization of its economy, is coming under scrutiny. The very feasibility of the transfer of Western technology to India - the primary reason why India had decided to open up its economy in the early 1990s - is becoming questionable. Hardly any worthwhile technology transfers have taken place as of yet or are likely to take place in the foreseeable future, despite all the promises and sweet words about so-called strategic ties. One reason this is cause for serious concern for those espousing pro-globalization policies in the last few years is that from all indications, the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to increase its tally of seats in the parliament this spring. If this happens, the BJP will grow stronger in the governing alliance and its ideological mentor, the Hindu fundamentalist Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and its extended family, called the Sangh Parivar, will come to have a greater say in policy formulation. The RSS-linked Swadeshi Jagran Manch, with its pronounced anti-globalization views, is waiting in the wings to run India's economy and foreign relations, something that will not suit the US. The manch believes that the West has been able to maintain its economic pre-eminence by teaching false economics to the developing countries. While some can dismiss leftist and socialist anti-globalization campaigns as of no consequence, they cannot treat the Hindu Right in present-day India with the same contempt. So the future of US-India ties will depend largely on the election results. RSS-supported economists believe that the world has entered the era of economic warfare with the developed nations and that by kowtowing to the US, India is merely prolonging its status as a developing country. This is also the view of India's president, missile scientist Dr Abdul Kalam, whom the RSS sponsored for the post of the president, even though he is a Muslim. The ideas expressed in his books - about economic warfare - are very popular in the country. (SNIP) The US has about two months to change its current outlook. Whichever government comes to power in India following the forthcoming elections, it will insist that Washington clarify the meaning of terms like "strategic partnership", see that Pakistan does not resume its roguish behavior vis-a-vis India and transfer not only dual-use technologies, but even the much-needed defense, space, nuclear and missile technologies to India. The alternative will be strengthening the hands of those who want to take India down a different path. | ||||||
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