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 SEPTEMBER 10, 2004

1//The Turkish Daily News, Turkey--GROUP THREATENS TURKEY FOR AIDING US IN IRAQ (An online statement purportedly from an Islamic militant group warned Turkey and Jordan of "painful" consequences for collaborating with U.S.-led forces in Iraq and demanded that both countries close their embassies and leave Iraq...The statement also condemned senior Shiite clerics in Iraq for not issuing a religious edict calling for holy war...The online threat came amid growing security threats facing Turkish drivers and workers operating in Iraq. Close to 30 Turks have been killed in Iraq in attacks, and one Turkish worker was executed by militants for aiding U.S. forces...On Tuesday, insurgents killed a Turkish driver when they opened fire on a convoy of trucks near the northern Iraqi city of Samarra. Iraqi police sources said the insurgents had fired anti-tank weapons and rifles and that the truck belonging to the Turkish driver was destroyed in the attack.)

2//The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia--TARGETED AS U.S. ALLY IN DEEPLY DESPISED WAR (This time, there is no doubt - Australia was the target of whoever carried out yesterday's bombings. It is the first time it has been so singled out in Indonesia...Yesterday was something very different - a calculated attack on a country widely identified in Indonesia as a major US ally in a war that is deeply despised. Australia's Jakarta embassy is one of scores of foreign missions on the street called Rasuna Said, but it was the one the bombers picked even though it is among the hardest to damage. It sits behind a blast mound and has been designed with an attack in mind. Along with the innocent lives, the bombing snuffed out any lingering view that Australia's relatively small role in world affairs makes it less of a target. The debate on the bombing now could go anywhere.)

3//The Moscow Times, Russia--POLICE EMERGE AS A BIG SECURITY THREAT (Corruption and the outright recruitment of police officer by militants in the North Caucasus have emerged as a major security threat, with crooked or ideologically driven officers being linked to almost every terrorist attack from the 1999 apartment bombings and Dubrovka to the Beslan school tragedy... Even more alarming is evidence that militants may have tried to recruit an insider at a nuclear power plant. In October 2002 the Federal Security Service detained a captain of a special unit guarding the Kalininskaya nuclear power plant in the Tver region. The captain was carrying a detailed map of the plant and a list of coded telephone numbers, the Regnum news agency reported.)

4//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong--ANOTHER TALIBAN SONG AND DANCE (Exactly a year after the formation of the Jaishul Muslim in Peshawar, Pakistan, to accommodate "moderate" or "good" Taliban, and with just a month to go before presidential elections in Afghanistan, the role of the grouping has taken on added importance...The organization does not have a direct role in politics at this stage, but the idea is to win over sufficient Taliban commanders and supporters in the Afghan resistance eventually to call a truce with Hamid Karzai's Kabul government, which is backed by the United States...The Jaishul Muslim is now a year old and sits at a defining juncture. Either it will hijack the Taliban resistance movement, or it will itself be hijacked by Mullah Omar loyalists, just like the Jamiat-i-Khudamul Koran before it.)

5//The Daily Star, Lebanon--FORMER U.S. DIPLOMAT: ASSAD'S OVERTURES TO ISRAEL ARE GENUINE (Syrian President Bashar Assad is genuine in his stated desire to restart peace talks with Israel, and the United States needs to play a more active role in bringing both parties to the negotiating table, according to a former American diplomat who met with the Syrian leader last weekend. Edward Gabriel, vice chairman of the American Task Force for Lebanon and a former U.S. ambassador to Morocco, confirmed that during his meeting in Damascus Assad expressed willingness to resume unconditional peace negotiations with Israel...Also at the meeting was Martin Indyk, director of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Washington-based Brookings Institution, a former US ambassador to Israel and an assistant secretary of state for Near East affairs in the administration of Bill Clinton.)

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1//The Turkish Daily News, Turkey 09 September 2004
http://www.turkishdailynews.com/FrTDN/latest/for.htm#f5

GROUP THREATENS TURKEY FOR AIDING US IN IRAQ
The Islamic Brigades of Al-Hussein urges Turkey and Jordan to close their embassies in Iraq and leave the country, or face the 'painful' consequences

An online statement purportedly from an Islamic militant group warned Turkey and Jordan of "painful" consequences for collaborating with U.S.-led forces in Iraq and demanded that both countries close their embassies and leave Iraq.

"We in the Islamic Brigades of Al-Hussein in Iraq send this warning to the governments of Jordan and Turkey, asking them to close their embassies in Iraq and to leave and pull out," said the statement by the group reported to be Shiite. The online statement was posted on a Web site known as a clearing house for militant statements.

The statement also condemned senior Shiite clerics in Iraq for not issuing a religious edict calling for holy war.

"This is because of Jordan and Turkey's position regarding transferring aid, supplies, equipment and ammunition to the invading forces in our country, which encourages them to stay longer in Iraq," it said.

The group threatened Turkey and Jordan saying, "We in the Islamic Brigades of Al-Hussein will not stand idle with our hands tied, but we send this warning, and if it is not heeded, we will use our special ways of retaliation, and painful deterrence to these collaborating governments that sold their religion and consciousness to please the Crusaders."

A similar threat was directed at the Turkish government in a late August statement attributed to another militant group, the Martyr Omar el-Mukhtar Brigade, the military wing of the Jamaat al-Tawhid al-Islamiya. That statement warned Turkey against sending supplies and equipment to coalition troops.

The statement said it did not want to "shed blood" but would resort to "special means to deter and stop these supplies from entering Iraq."

The online threat came amid growing security threats facing Turkish drivers and workers operating in Iraq. Close to 30 Turks have been killed in Iraq in attacks, and one Turkish worker was executed by militants for aiding U.S. forces.

On Tuesday, insurgents killed a Turkish driver when they opened fire on a convoy of trucks near the northern Iraqi city of Samarra. Iraqi police sources said the insurgents had fired anti-tank weapons and rifles and that the truck belonging to the Turkish driver was destroyed in the attack.

(MORE)

2//The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia September 10, 2004
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/09/09/1094530773187.html

TARGETED AS U.S. ALLY IN DEEPLY DESPISED WAR
Australia's identity as a small player in world affairs, as well as lives, are the casualties in the bombings, writes Matthew Moore.

Jakarta: This time, there is no doubt - Australia was the target of whoever carried out yesterday's bombings. It is the first time it has been so singled out in Indonesia.

A couple of years ago, a grenade was thrown over the fence at the Australian School in Jakarta, but there were no children around and little attempt to cause serious damage.

More than five years ago, shots were fired at the embassy by people unhappy with Australia's role in East Timor's move to independence.

Shortly after Bali, there were reports the Sari Club was targeted because Australians were known to frequent the place. That theory crumbled during the many court cases that followed.

The view now is that Bali, and then the Marriott hotel attacks were on targets identified as "Western", not Australian.

Yesterday was something very different - a calculated attack on a country widely identified in Indonesia as a major US ally in a war that is deeply despised.

Australia's Jakarta embassy is one of scores of foreign missions on the street called Rasuna Said, but it was the one the bombers picked even though it is among the hardest to damage.

It sits behind a blast mound and has been designed with an attack in mind.

Along with the innocent lives, the bombing snuffed out any lingering view that Australia's relatively small role in world affairs makes it less of a target.

The debate on the bombing now could go anywhere.

It will centre on why Australia was targeted, by whom and what can and should be done about it. Australian business people here, Indonesian politicians and others will all have views.

Some will believe Australia's role in the Iraq war and its support for the US are reasons for the embassy being targeted.

In the weeks before the Australian election, such remarks could prove volatile.

(SNIP)

Until yesterday, the embassy was regarded as one of the safest places for Australians.

When the Department of Foreign Affairs issued another travel warning last Friday, the annual Australian Ball in Jakarta was moved from the Marriott Hotel to the tennis court inside the embassy compound.

Had the bombers known about last weekend, and launched their attack on Saturday, they might have killed scores of Australians at the gates where people were blown to bits yesterday.

(SNIP)

For Megawati Soekarnoputri, the attack is a disaster. It is the third major bombing on her watch as president, but the difference with this one is that it came just 11 days before the election.

She had been widely praised for bringing in anti-terrorism laws and arresting scores of JI members but the bloodied bodies on the nation's TV screens are proof it was not enough.

(MORE)

3//The Moscow Times, Russia Friday, September 10, 2004. Page 1.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2004/09/10/003.html

POLICE EMERGE AS A BIG SECURITY THREAT
By Simon Saradzhyan, Staff Writer

Corruption and the outright recruitment of police officer by militants in the North Caucasus have emerged as a major security threat, with crooked or ideologically driven officers being linked to almost every terrorist attack from the 1999 apartment bombings and Dubrovka to the Beslan school tragedy.

(SNIP)

Cases of policemen switching sides or turning a blind eye after accepting bribes indicate that corruption and the conversion of law enforcers is fueling the spread of Islamic and secular terrorist networks in the North Caucasus, analysts said.

Policemen, like other people, are vulnerable to the teachings of religious radicalism and open to recruitment -- especially "if all the authorities offer is propaganda and lies," said Ivan Safranchuk, director of the Moscow office of the Washington-based Center for Defense Information.

"A battle for the hearts and minds should be waged" to prevent law enforcers from being converted by radical Islamic militants, Safranchuk said.

While cases of police officers being converted have been mostly limited to the North Caucasus, corruption is a nationwide phenomena that allows terror groups to strike Russian cities hundreds of kilometers away from their bases.

Almost every month, officers are disciplined for letting vehicles sail through checkpoints or issuing fake passports or residence registration in exchange for a bribe.

Poorly paid police officers have been repeatedly caught trying to sell arms to rebels. Most recently, two policemen were arrested in Chechnya on charges of selling arms to rebels and their position in power to ship the arms to them.

(SNIP)

"Corruption is a major issue in fighting terror," said Louise Shelly, a leading U.S. expert on corruption and crime.

Taming corruption alone, however, will not significantly reduce the threat of terror because law enforcement agencies themselves need to re-focus their efforts on combating terrorism, said Shelly, who heads the Trasnational Crime and Corruption Center at American University in Washington.

The nationwide reach of terror that corruption facilitates is clear in tracing the movement of terror groups from the North Caucasus to central Russia.

Even more alarming is evidence that militants may have tried to recruit an insider at a nuclear power plant. In October 2002 the Federal Security Service detained a captain of a special unit guarding the Kalininskaya nuclear power plant in the Tver region. The captain was carrying a detailed map of the plant and a list of coded telephone numbers, the Regnum news agency reported.

FSB agents decode the phone numbers and found that they belonged to "natives of Chechnya," the agency said.

The arrest was made on Oct. 26, the same day special forces stormed the Dubrovka theater to end the crisis.

4//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong September 10, 2004
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/FI10Ag01.html

ANOTHER TALIBAN SONG AND DANCE
By Syed Saleem Shahzad
Syed Saleem Shahzad is bureau chief, Pakistan, Asia Times Online.

"... The first contact between the US and the Taliban in Quetta foundered over the issue of [Taliban leader] Mullah Omar. However, within a few weeks, the ISI [Pakistan Inter-Services Intelligence] came up with another batch of Taliban ... of much lower profile than the first group. They agreed to establish a forum under the name of Jaishul Muslim, and without Mullah Omar ... a last-ditch attempt by the US to establish the semblance of a sufficiently stable government so that they can pull their troops out of the country, with at least some justification that they have done their job." Tribes, traditions and two tragedies, Asia Times Online, September 12, 2003

CHAMAN, near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border - Exactly a year after the formation of the Jaishul Muslim in Peshawar, Pakistan, to accommodate "moderate" or "good" Taliban, and with just a month to go before presidential elections in Afghanistan, the role of the grouping has taken on added importance.

The Jaishul Muslim was created to split the Taliban by turning some against their leader Mullah Omar. The main purpose was to create an organization that could control those warlords and tribes siding with Mullah Omar by bringing them into the Jaishul Muslim's fold, especially in southern and southeastern Afghanistan.

The organization does not have a direct role in politics at this stage, but the idea is to win over sufficient Taliban commanders and supporters in the Afghan resistance eventually to call a truce with Hamid Karzai's Kabul government, which is backed by the United States.

Karzai is the favorite to win the October 9 presidential elections, but to do so it is necessary that the Pashtun vote not be too diluted by the Taliban, who are vigorously trying to prevent a fair and open election from being staged. Once Karzai is re-elected, and a semblance of order brought to the country, with the crucial help of the Jaishul Muslim, the US will be better placed to declare "victory" in Afghanistan, an important issue for President George W Bush in his own re-election bid in November.

Turning the Taliban
The participation of "good" Taliban in government was agreed in principle by the US and Pakistan in mid-2003, leading to the first contact with the Taliban, and finally the inception of the Jaishul Muslim by Akber Agha in September of that year. In one of his first pronouncements, he called for jihad against the US, but crucially he criticized the policies of Mullah Omar. A new face of the Taliban was born.

After the disintegration of the Taliban in the face of the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, they have remained a constant thorn in the side of the occupying forces, as well as Karzai's government, evidenced by the continued successes of the Afghan resistance.

(SNIP)

The Jaishul Muslim is now a year old and sits at a defining juncture. Either it will hijack the Taliban resistance movement, or it will itself be hijacked by Mullah Omar loyalists, just like the Jamiat-i-Khudamul Koran before it.

5//The Daily Star, Lebanon Thursday, September 09, 2004
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=8220

FORMER U.S. DIPLOMAT: ASSAD'S OVERTURES TO ISRAEL ARE GENUINE
By Nicholas Blanford
Special to The Daily Star

BEIRUT: Syrian President Bashar Assad is genuine in his stated desire to restart peace talks with Israel, and the United States needs to play a more active role in bringing both parties to the negotiating table, according to a former American diplomat who met with the Syrian leader last weekend.

Edward Gabriel, vice chairman of the American Task Force for Lebanon and a former U.S. ambassador to Morocco, confirmed that during his meeting in Damascus Assad expressed willingness to resume unconditional peace negotiations with Israel.

"President Assad was clear in stating his desire to pursue peace negotiations with Israel, without preconditions, although he was firm in stating that two requirements for negotiations were essential," Gabriel told The Daily Star in a telephone interview Wednesday.

Assad required "U.S. leadership, facilitation and involvement" as well as an "understanding of where such negotiations would lead," he said.

"In other words, not preconditions per se, but rather assurances - or an expectation - that such an effort would be serious and lead to a land-for-peace deal that included Syrian sovereignty to the 1967 border," Gabriel said, referring to the existing frontier before Israel launched its attacks on Egypt, Jordan and Syria on June 5, 1967.

But Assad's peace overtures have been dismissed by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who ruled out an imminent resumption of talks while Syria "influences the terror" against the Jewish state.

"The announcement that they want peace does not create the background for peace negotiations," Sharon told The Jerusalem Post daily Wednesday.

Gabriel, a visiting fellow at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, met with Assad in Damascus last weekend in a private visit. Also at the meeting was Martin Indyk, director of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Washington-based Brookings Institution, a former US ambassador to Israel and an assistant secretary of state for Near East affairs in the administration of Bill Clinton.

(MORE)