August 30, 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.

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WORLD MEDIA WATCH FOR AUGUST 30, 2004

1//The Daily Star, Lebanon--IRAN HOSTS IRAQI OFFICIAL, EYES BETTER RELATIONS (Iraq's interim deputy prime minister, Barham Saleh, arrived in Tehran Sunday on a mission from his US-backed government to press Iran to stop interfering in its neighbor's affairs. "We have to start building clear and frank relations based on not interfering in the two countries' internal affairs," Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said in an interview broadcast by Iraqi public television late Saturday... The visit comes amid an effort to ease a recent war of words between the two neighbors, after several Iraqi officials joined the Americans in charging that Iran had been involved in a three-week-long Shiite Muslim uprising in the south and center and even armed the rebels.)

2//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong--RUSSIAN BEAR CALLS ON GRAY WOLF (The two-day state visit to Ankara starting next Thursday by Russian President Vladimir Putin, three decades after the last visit by the Soviet Union's president Nikolay Podgorny in 1973, underlines the reshuffling of strategic perceptions by major players in the region...This comes after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyep Erdogan's recent visit to Tehran, which capped warming relations between Turkey and Iran and their efforts to put aside deep-rooted historical and ideological differences, because of developments in the region. Clearly, Turkey is moving away from its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ally the United States, and its good regional friend, Israel... As one expert put it, "Turkish-Russian interactions highlight how the relationship between key regional powers in the post-Cold War context can be characterized by significant cooperation and conflict at the same time." In the short term, the security problems appear to be manageable, but they will always remain a major long-term concern. For the time being, the magnitude of Turkish-Russian trade (based on large-scale energy imports to Turkey) and the need for co-existence at the political level, works against more competitive policies.)

3//Institute for War & Peace Reporting, UK--AFGHAN RECOVERY REPORT: NEWS BRIEFS-WORKERS PROTEST (In the first known demonstration for employees' rights in Kabul, more than 500 construction workers marched on August 24 from a square in the western part of the capital toward the president's office and the labour and social affairs ministry office in the centre of the city... Khwaja Najmuddin, a spokesperson for the protesters, warned that the construction workers "will turn to committing theft, fighting and pillage if the government doesn't find employment for us because our children are dying of hunger". An IWPR investigation last month discovered widespread dissatisfaction by local labourers and construction companies with the growing presence of foreign workers and companies in the country.)

4//The Telegraph, UK--PUTIN ALLY 'IS WINNER' OF CHECHEN ELECTION (A pro-Kremlin former policeman has become president of Chechnya, according to partial results last night of an election held after a week of rebel attacks made a mockery of Moscow's claim to have pacified the republic...Although Russian soldiers and security agents continue to behave brutally in the republic, support for the rebels has fallen away. Many war-weary Chechens are now willing to accept Moscow's rule if it means more security...Many predict that the election will usher in a new, bloody phase of the Chechen war. For Mr Putin, who came to power five years ago promising to bring order to the republic, the attacks of the past week have been highly embarrassing. Renewed fighting would further erode his image as a strongman.)

5//Inter Press Service News Agency, Italy--U.N. REJECTS PRIVATE PEACEKEEPERS (As the United Nations continues to face a shortage of well-equipped, professionally trained soldiers for its growing peacekeeping operations overseas, a proposal to hire private security forces to rectify the shortfall has been greeted with scepticism. ''There is little or no support for the privatisation of U.N. peacekeeping,'' says a senior U.N. official, speaking on condition of anonymity. ''I cannot think of any member state willing to go along with the proposal,'' he told IPS...Last April, U.S. President George W Bush approved a plan to train about 75,000 soldiers, mostly from Africa, over a five-year period for peacekeeping. The Bush administration, which has called the project 'the Global Peace Operations Initiative', has committed some 660 million dollars to build peacekeeping capacity...But Peter W Singer of the Brookings Institution warns the international humanitarian community to be cautious about its dealings with private security forces.)

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1//The Daily Star, Lebanon Monday, August 30, 2004
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=7876

IRAN HOSTS IRAQI OFFICIAL, EYES BETTER RELATIONS
Visit comes amid effort to ease recent war of words

Compiled by Daily Star staff

Iraq's interim deputy prime minister, Barham Saleh, arrived in Tehran Sunday on a mission from his US-backed government to press Iran to stop interfering in its neighbor's affairs.

"We have to start building clear and frank relations based on not interfering in the two countries' internal affairs," Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said in an interview broadcast by Iraqi public television late Saturday.

Saleh will "present the facts to our brothers in the Iranian leadership and clarify some misunderstandings so that relations are based on love and brotherhood," Allawi said. "There are negative elements and tensions which run contrary to the interests of both countries."

On arrival at the foreign ministry in Tehran a day later than planned, Saleh explained the delay by saying his direct flight to Tehran from Baghdad was the first for more than 25 years.

Saleh, a Kurd from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, also politely evaded the topic of Iranian interference in Iraq, and was quoted by the state IRNA news agency as saying he was "carrying a message of friendship from the Iraqi government and nation for the Iranian government and people."

The visit comes amid an effort to ease a recent war of words between the two neighbors, after several Iraqi officials joined the Americans in charging that Iran had been involved in a three-week-long Shiite Muslim uprising in the south and center and even armed the rebels.

Iran has denied it is interfering, and foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters that officials here would focus the discussions on "Iranian nationals who are captive in Iraq."

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2//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong August 28, 2004
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/FH28Ag01.html

RUSSIAN BEAR CALLS ON GRAY WOLF
By K Gajendra Singh
(K Gajendra Singh, Indian ambassador (retired), served as ambassador to Turkey from August 1992 to April 1996. Prior to that, he served terms as ambassador to Jordan, Romania and Senegal. He is currently chairman of the Foundation for Indo-Turkic Studies.)

The two-day state visit to Ankara starting next Thursday by Russian President Vladimir Putin, three decades after the last visit by the Soviet Union's president Nikolay Podgorny in 1973, underlines the reshuffling of strategic perceptions by major players in the region.

This comes after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyep Erdogan's recent visit to Tehran, which capped warming relations between Turkey and Iran and their efforts to put aside deep-rooted historical and ideological differences, because of developments in the region. Clearly, Turkey is moving away from its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ally the United States, and its good regional friend, Israel.

(SNIP)

But now we are in the post-Cold War era after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the attacks of September 11, 2001, the US-led invasion of Iraq and the deteriorating security situation and daily bloodbath there. March last year was a watershed when the Turkish parliament rejected a government motion (with a two-thirds majority) to allow troops of its ally the US to open a second front against Iraq from Turkish soil.

Perhaps for the first time in history after centuries, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Turkey and Russia no longer shared a border. But the strategic interests of Turkey and Russia still overlap in "near abroads" - in the Caucasus and Central Asia, where some degree of geopolitical competition is inevitable.

As one expert put it, "Turkish-Russian interactions highlight how the relationship between key regional powers in the post-Cold War context can be characterized by significant cooperation and conflict at the same time." In the short term, the security problems appear to be manageable, but they will always remain a major long-term concern. For the time being, the magnitude of Turkish-Russian trade (based on large-scale energy imports to Turkey) and the need for co-existence at the political level, works against more competitive policies.

(SNIP)

While Turkish entrepreneurs and traders are active in Russia, Russian entrepreneurs are also involved in the privatization of Turkish companies, specifically Tatneft, which won a tender for Turkey's largest petrochemical company, and Europe's fourth-largest. In February, Tatneft, Russia's sixth-biggest oil producer, won final approval from the Turkish government to buy a majority stake in state oil refiner Tupras for $1.3 billion.

Russia also wants to sell arms to Turkey. In the mid-1990s, Turkey became the first NATO country to buy arms, rifles, helicopters etc from Russia, for use against Kurdish rebels, as Western nations refused to sell them. The number of Russian tourists to Turkey is also on the rise. In 2003, some 1.2 million Russians visited Turkey. This number is expected to rise to 1.7 million by the end of 2004.

The "Blue Stream" natural-gas pipeline forms the basis of higher trade and closer economic relations, increasing Turkish reliance on Russia. In 1986, Turkey signed an agreement with Russia (for 25 years) for 6 billion cubic meters of natural gas. A similar agreement was signed in 1998 for 8 billion cubic meters of "Turusgaz". Moscow wants to extend the pipeline to Israel. In 2003, the problems of supply of Russian natural gas through the Blue Stream were resolved during the visit of Erdogan to Russia, as the leader of his Justice and Development Party (AK Party). Russia's Gazprom company agreed to a lower gas price and the amount of natural gas to be purchased by Turkey.

Russian project for oil pipeline via Turkey
Now Russia is keen on a Trans-Thracian pipeline, which would allow its oil to reach the Mediterranean from the Black Sea without passing through the congested Bosporus. Oil traffic through the strait has risen by 30% to about 2.8 million barrels per day in the past two years, mainly from the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk. This figure will increase as exports to the Black Sea via the Caspian pipeline from Kazakhstan are set to grow to 67 million tons per year.

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3//Institute for War & Peace Reporting, UK (ARR No. 131, 27-Aug-04)
http://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/arr/arr_200408_131_3_eng.txt

AFGHAN RECOVERY REPORT: NEWS BRIEFS-WORKERS PROTEST

In the first known demonstration for employees' rights in Kabul, more than 500 construction workers marched on August 24 from a square in the western part of the capital toward the president's office and the labour and social affairs ministry office in the centre of the city.

The demonstrators were protesting the growing presence of foreign workers in the country whom they say are taking an increasing number of government-contract jobs.

"We don't want foreign laborers, we want work from [President Hamed] Karzai's government," the protesters chanted.

Ahmad Jalal, one of the demonstrators, accused security officials at the labor and social affairs ministry of preventing the protesters from entering the building so they could voice their demands.

(SNIP)

Khwaja Najmuddin, a spokesperson for the protesters, warned that the construction workers "will turn to committing theft, fighting and pillage if the government doesn't find employment for us because our children are dying of hunger".

An IWPR investigation last month discovered widespread dissatisfaction by local labourers and construction companies with the growing presence of foreign workers and companies in the country.

4//The Telegraph, UK Monday 30 August 2004
http://www.portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;sessionid=UDKKDDDNJ22...

PUTIN ALLY 'IS WINNER' OF CHECHEN ELECTION
By Julius Strauss in Moscow
(Filed: 30/08/2004)

A pro-Kremlin former policeman has become president of Chechnya, according to partial results last night of an election held after a week of rebel attacks made a mockery of Moscow's claim to have pacified the republic.

Alu Alkhanov had "passed the 50 per cent threshold of votes necessary to be elected", said Sergei Abramov, the interim president. But the election was widely seen as rigged and Mr Alkhanov, a relative unknown without a strong power base, is unlikely to be able to end 13 years of rebellion.

In the past week alone guerrilla raids have killed about 50 pro-Moscow security personnel in the capital, Grozny, and suicide bombers are believed to have brought down two Russian airliners, killing 90 people.

As Chechens voted yesterday, Russian television showed pictures of hundreds of relatives of those who died in one of the aircraft gathered in Volgograd to mourn. The Kremlin has made little pretence of offering the war-weary Chechens a democratic vote. The entire weight of state bureaucracy has backed the candidature of Mr Alkhanov, the interior minister.

His chief rival, Malik Saidullayev, a Moscow-based businessman who called for greater autonomy from Moscow, was disqualified from standing when he was said to have filled in a form incorrectly when applying to be a candidate.

The job of pro-Moscow president is perhaps the most dangerous in Russia. Akhmad Kadyrov, the strongman who had a personal security guard of several thousand, was killed by a bomb in May.

(SNIP)

Although Russian soldiers and security agents continue to behave brutally in the republic, support for the rebels has fallen away. Many war-weary Chechens are now willing to accept Moscow's rule if it means more security.

Khamzat Saunukayev, 76, said: "I voted because I want the republic to stabilise. This anarchy has been going on for too long and I hope it will change after this election." But others said there was little point in casting their ballots as the result had already been decided.

Isa, 36, who lives in a refugee camp in neighbouring Ingushetia, said: "Chechnya does not choose the president; Moscow appoints him."

Many predict that the election will usher in a new, bloody phase of the Chechen war. For Mr Putin, who came to power five years ago promising to bring order to the republic, the attacks of the past week have been highly embarrassing. Renewed fighting would further erode his image as a strongman.

5//Inter Press Service News Agency, Italy August 27, 2004
http://ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=25263

U.N. REJECTS PRIVATE PEACEKEEPERS
Thalif Deen

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 27 (IPS) - As the United Nations continues to face a shortage of well-equipped, professionally trained soldiers for its growing peacekeeping operations overseas, a proposal to hire private security forces to rectify the shortfall has been greeted with scepticism.

''There is little or no support for the privatisation of U.N. peacekeeping,'' says a senior U.N. official, speaking on condition of anonymity. ''I cannot think of any member state willing to go along with the proposal,'' he told IPS.

A proposal to double the current peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), from 10,800 to about 23,900, and the possibility of a new 10,000-strong U.N. mission in Sudan are expected to bolster the total number of U.N. peacekeepers from 59,000 to over 82,000.

But most western states remain reluctant to provide peacekeepers, mostly for political and security reasons, abdicating the role of peacekeeping mostly to developing nations.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan complained in 2003 that although these countries have the world's best-equipped military forces, they have refused to actively participate in peacekeeping operations.

(SNIP)

As of July, the 10 largest troop contributors to U.N. operations were from developing nations: Pakistan (8,544 troops), Bangladesh (7,163), Nigeria (3,579), Ghana (3,341), India (2,934), Ethiopia (2,863), South Africa (2,480), Uruguay (1,962), Jordan (1,864), and Kenya (1,831).

In contrast, the number of troops from western nations averaged less than 600. The largest contributors were United Kingdom (567 troops), Canada (564), France (561), Ireland (479), and the United States (427).

Of the 16 U.N. peacekeeping missions, seven are in Africa: Burundi (since June 2004); Cote d'Ivoire (since April 2004); Liberia (since September 2003); Ethiopia/Eritrea (since July 2000); Democratic Republic of Congo (since November 1999); Sierra Leone (since October 1999); and Western Sahara (since April 1991).

Last April, U.S. President George W Bush approved a plan to train about 75,000 soldiers, mostly from Africa, over a five-year period for peacekeeping.

The Bush administration, which has called the project 'the Global Peace Operations Initiative', has committed some 660 million dollars to build peacekeeping capacity.

''This is meant to expand worldwide capacity that could be used by the United Nations or by others,'' said Douglas Feith, under-secretary-general for policy at the U.S. department of defence.

Feith told reporters ''there was not enough capacity in the world to deal with the requirements. Other countries have shown an interest in building up their peacekeeping forces, but they need help.''

But Peter W Singer of the Brookings Institution warns the international humanitarian community to be cautious about its dealings with private security forces.

''The emergence of a global trade in hired military services, better known as the 'privatised military industry', is one of the most interesting developments in warfare over the last decade,'' he writes in the current issue of 'Humanitarian Affairs Review', a quarterly journal of global policy issues published in Belgium.

These firms, he says, now operate in over 50 countries, helping win conflicts in Angola, Croatia, Ethiopia-Eritrea and Sierra Leone.

From 1994 to 2000, the U.S. defence department alone entered into over 3,000 contracts with U.S.-based firms, which provided goods and services estimated at a value of more than 300 billion dollars. The Canadian military, Singer adds, recently privatised its supply chain to the British firm, Tibbett and Britten.

But the work of the privatised military industry is not limited to governments, because clients have included rebel groups, drug cartels and humanitarian non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

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