July 26, 2004

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 JULY 26, 2004

1//The Daily Star, Lebanon--SADR BOYCOTTS UPCOMING POLLS IN IRAQ (Radical Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr boycotted polls held here Sunday to elect participants in an upcoming Iraqi national conference that will in turn select a legislative council. Sadr, who re-emerged Friday in Kufa, near the holy city of Najaf, after keeping a low public profile for the past two months, has dismissed interim Premier Iyad Allawi as an instrument of the US-led occupation... But Sadr's camp was not the only one voicing reservations. "This process comes nowhere near the true ambitions of the Iraqis," said Hassan Abtan, a spokesman for the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), one of the largest mainstream Shiite political parties.)

2//Gulf News Online, United Arab Emirates--ISLAMABAD SETS TERMS FOR SENDING TROOPS TO IRAQ (Pakistan yesterday announced three conditions for sending its troops to Iraq - a formal request from the Iraqi interim government, troop deployment by other Islamic countries and above all approval by the national parliament...Ahmad dismissed as "baseless" opposition claims that the decision to send troops had already been made. "The opposition is trying to gain political mileage through false propaganda." The minister said the matter was still premature and there was no need to take it to the parliament at this stage, adding that national interest would be the supreme factor in making a decision.)

3//KurdishMedia.com, UK--IRAQI KURDS DEMONSTRATE FOR INDEPENDENT KURDISTAN (Around 500 intellectuals and students marched through the city of Suleimaniya on Saturday to demand an independent Kurdistan, incorporating Iraq's main northern oil centre of Kirkuk. Holding aloft banners saying "Independence for Kurdistan," and "Kirkuk: Kurdish City," the protest flouted a ban issued by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, which controls the northeastern Iraqi province of Suleimaniya...Demonstrations calling for an independent Kurdistan are rare in Iraq, where neither of the two mainstream Kurdish parties, the PUK, nor its rival Kurdistan Democratic Party, include independence as an aim in party literature.)

4//Arab News, Saudi Arabia--HRW EXAGGERATED INCIDENCE OF LABOR ABUSE IN KINGDOM, AL-GOSAIBI SAYS (Minister of Labor Dr. Ghazi Al-Gosaibi yesterday accused Human Rights Watch (HRW) of exaggerating the incidence of foreign labor abuse in the Kingdom. He described as "unbalanced " the New York based human rights group's report, released on July 15 alleging that foreign workers in Saudi Arabia were "systematically abused and exploited, some of them living in conditions resembling slavery."...He said the labor committees set up to review disputes that arise between the employees and employers handled more than 7,000 cases last year, most of which were filed by expatriate workers and during the current year more than 3,500 cases have been reviewed so far.)

5//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong--MILITARY MIGHT AND POLITICAL MESSAGES (Military exercises often have as much political use as tactical utility, and this week, China, Taiwan and the US all have conducted major exercises in or around the Taiwan Strait. These maneuvers send messages about the various countries' intentions in the Taiwan Strait...There were very clear reasons that the US would choose to conduct parts of Summer Pulse in the Western Pacific at the same time that China and Taiwan were conducting their own exercises: to demonstrate the United States' ability to project power and to show China that the US can still play a deterrent role in the region, despite its other operational commitments worldwide, as in the Middle East. In short, the exercises are being held by the US to remind China that it is still serious about its commitment to defend Taiwan.)

* * *

1//The Daily Star, Lebanon Monday, July 26, 2004
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10

SADR BOYCOTTS UPCOMING POLLS IN IRAQ
Head of committee admits procedure faulty

By Agence France Presse (AFP)

NAJAF, Iraq: Radical Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr boycotted polls held here Sunday to elect participants in an upcoming Iraqi national conference that will in turn select a legislative council.

Sadr, who re-emerged Friday in Kufa, near the holy city of Najaf, after keeping a low public profile for the past two months, has dismissed interim Premier Iyad Allawi as an instrument of the US-led occupation.

Earlier this month, Sadr's main spokesmen both in Baghdad and the southern city of Najaf said his supporters would snub the conference because of disagreements over the way the participants were being chosen.

The head of the committee charged with selecting those that will represent Najaf Province in the conference said 20 people were chosen out of 960 applications, while admitting that the process was less than perfect.

(SNIP)

But Sadr's camp was not the only one voicing reservations.

"This process comes nowhere near the true ambitions of the Iraqis," said Hassan Abtan, a spokesman for the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), one of the largest mainstream Shiite political parties.

2//Gulf News Online, United Arab Emirates Sunday, July 25, 2004
http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/World2.asp?ArticleID=1270

ISLAMABAD SETS TERMS FOR SENDING TROOPS TO IRAQ
By Shahid Hussain, Correspondent

Islamabad: Pakistan yesterday announced three conditions for sending its troops to Iraq - a formal request from the Iraqi interim government, troop deployment by other Islamic countries and above all approval by the national parliament.

Information Minister Shaikh Rashid Ahmad unveiled the conditions at a news conference following a recent conversation between President General Pervez Musharraf and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

The UN Security Council has authorised a separate force to protect UN staff in Iraq and Annan said earlier this week he had spoken to some leaders, including Musharraf, in this connection and that they had shown interest but had certain conditions.

The new UN envoy to Iraq, Pakistani diplomat Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, is expected to arrive in Baghdad towards the end of July or early August. He has said that security was the UN's "first, second and third priority".

The information minister said President Musharraf had set out the three pre-conditions for dispatching troops to Iraq.

Ahmad dismissed as "baseless" opposition claims that the decision to send troops had already been made.

"The opposition is trying to gain political mileage through false propaganda."

The minister said the matter was still premature and there was no need to take it to the parliament at this stage, adding that national interest would be the supreme factor in making a decision.

(MORE)

3//KurdishMedia.com 24/07/2004
http://www.kurdmedia.com/news.asp?id=5294

IRAQI KURDS DEMONSTRATE FOR INDEPENDENT KURDISTAN

SULEIMANIYA, Iraq, July 24 (AFP) - 11h16 - Around 500 intellectuals and students marched through the city of Suleimaniya on Saturday to demand an independent Kurdistan, incorporating Iraq's main northern oil centre of Kirkuk.

Holding aloft banners saying "Independence for Kurdistan," and "Kirkuk: Kurdish City," the protest flouted a ban issued by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, which controls the northeastern Iraqi province of Suleimaniya.

Delegates submitted a memorandum to the PUK's provincial administration.

The document, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, called for Kurdistan's independence from Iraq and for former strongman Saddam Hussein to be tried by an international court in which Kurds have a voice.

(SNIP)

Demonstrations calling for an independent Kurdistan are rare in Iraq, where neither of the two mainstream Kurdish parties, the PUK, nor its rival Kurdistan Democratic Party, include independence as an aim in party literature.

Both organisations have subscribed to the country's interim constitution, which was signed into law under the former US-led occupation authority and enshrines the principal of a federal Iraq.

4//Arab News, Saudi Arabia Monday,26 , July, 2004 (09, Jumada al-Thani,1425 )
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=48917&d=26&m=7&y=2004

HRW EXAGGERATED INCIDENCE OF LABOR ABUSE IN KINGDOM, AL-GOSAIBI SAYS
Abdul Wahab Bashir, Arab News

JEDDAH, 26 July 2004 - Minister of Labor Dr. Ghazi Al-Gosaibi yesterday accused Human Rights Watch (HRW) of exaggerating the incidence of foreign labor abuse in the Kingdom. He described as "unbalanced " the New York based human rights group's report, released on July 15 alleging that foreign workers in Saudi Arabia were "systematically abused and exploited, some of them living in conditions resembling slavery."

Dr. Al-Gosaibi said limited cases of abuse can happen anywhere in the world and that in its annual reports covering all countries of the world, the HRW usually focuses on what it considers as negative and unusual.

"The report by HRW about the Kingdom highlighted issues related to foreign labor in an unbalanced way that suggests that abuse is the norm rather than being limited to individual cases that can happen in the Kingdom or anywhere else," the minister said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency.

Dr. Al-Gosaibi stressed that the report was based on limited cases of individuals hailing from three carefully selected nationalities who work in the Kingdom and that the conclusions drawn by the group did not reflect the true picture of the conditions of expatriate workers in Saudi Arabia.

He said the Kingdom hosts many foreign workers who benefit from the work opportunities available. "Saudi Arabia participates indirectly in the economic growth of the home countries of 7 million workers who remit about SR 60 billion ($ 16 billion) annually."

He pointed out that millions of workers come more than once to the Kingdom. "This would not happen had they been abused in the exaggerated way described by the (rights) organization."

He said that most of the abuse described in the report is criminal under Saudi labor laws. As for the criticism contained in the report regarding cases of religious nature that are directly linked to Islamic teachings such as executions, he said these are derived from Shariah and that executions are carried out in many countries of the world including the United States where the death penalty is applied in several states. "Execution verdicts are opposed by HRW in principle, despite being applied in many countries including the United States. The Kingdom will always adhere to its religion as the main source for laws and regulations," he said.

"We call upon embassies and different countries (of foreign workers) to cooperate and increase awareness among their nationals brought to the Kingdom."

He said the labor committees set up to review disputes that arise between the employees and employers handled more than 7,000 cases last year, most of which were filed by expatriate workers and during the current year more than 3,500 cases have been reviewed so far.

5//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong July 24, 2004
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/FG24Ad07.html

MILITARY MIGHT AND POLITICAL MESSAGES
By Mac William Bishop

TAIPEI - Military exercises often have as much political use as tactical utility, and this week, China, Taiwan and the US all have conducted major exercises in or around the Taiwan Strait. These maneuvers send messages about the various countries' intentions in the Taiwan Strait.

China's exercises began on July 16 and were scheduled to end Friday, July 23. Meanwhile, the United States' global Summer Pulse 2004 exercises, which began in mid-July and will last until mid-August, have moved to the Western Pacific region this week. Taiwan also is holding its annual Han Kuang (Han glory) exercises, which began on Wednesday, July 21, and will last until July 28.

The fact that the exercises are being conducted virtually simultaneously is neither an accident nor coincidental. It is also no accident that former Chinese president Jiang Zemin, now the chairman of the Communist Party's Central Military Commission, was quoted in a Hong Kong daily Wen Wei Po last week as in essence promising to attack Taiwan (seen as a wayward province) before or around the year 2020. The comments were made as China kicked off a major military exercise on Dongshan Island near China's southeast coast, only 280 kilometers from Taiwanese territory.

Yet even as China was showing off its military might near the Taiwan Strait, the US was conducting its own show of force in the Western Pacific, with an exercise called Summer Pulse 2004. This exercise is one of the largest naval drills the US has conducted in years, involving seven carrier strike groups - more than 120 warships, all over the world. The Pacific aspect of the exercise was widely interpreted by Taiwanese, as well as some Chinese and US pundits, as constituting a direct challenge to China.

The commander of US Pacific Forces, Admiral Thomas B Fargo, was in Beijing on a routine regional tour, and he was warned on Friday by Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing to stop military exchanges and arms sales to Taiwan. This is precisely what Li told US National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice last week. Li said nothing about Summer Pulse 2004.

US military officials confirmed that the exercise was serving a purpose in this regard, but said it was an exaggeration to say that Summer Pulse was being held exclusively for the benefit of Taiwan and China. "It's a lie to say that the exercise is directed at China, but then again, it's a lie to say that it is not," a senior US defense source told the Asia Times Online.

Scheduling exercises no coincidence

The scheduling of these exercises is no accident, the source said, speaking on condition he not be identified further. There were very clear reasons that the US would choose to conduct parts of Summer Pulse in the Western Pacific at the same time that China and Taiwan were conducting their own exercises: to demonstrate the United States' ability to project power and to show China that the US can still play a deterrent role in the region, despite its other operational commitments worldwide, as in the Middle East.

In short, the exercises are being held by the US to remind China that it is still serious about its commitment to defend Taiwan.

(MORE)