October 27, 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 OCTOBER 27, 2004

1//The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia--IRAQ WAR SPURS LOCAL TERRORISTS, SAYS ASIO (Australia's spy chief has directly linked the Iraq war to the rising ranks of global terrorists and says it could have inspired new followers of Osama bin Laden in Australia. The ASIO director-general, Dennis Richardson, also said in a speech last night that al-Qaeda had cased an airport in Australia before the September 11 attacks in the United States. Mr Richardson said "it is possible some new followers in Australia have been motivated primarily by Iraq", putting him at odds with the Federal Government's line on whether the war inflames terrorism.)

2//The Jordan Times, Jordan--EMIR OPENS PARLIAMENT, URGES WOMEN SUFFRAGE (Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah opened the new legislative term of the emirate's outspoken parliament Tuesday by urging MPs to pass a bill granting women full political rights and approve a package of economic reforms...Women's suffrage is essential for expanding the voter base and carrying out comprehensive political reforms, he said. The Kuwaiti Cabinet in May approved a bill to amend the elections law granting women the right to vote and run for public office. The bill was signed by the emir and sent to parliament. The bill has excellent chances of passing through the house, with the government seen more determined than ever.)

3//Gulf News Online, United Arab Emirates--ARROYO CLAIMS RECEIVING 'DIVINE' INSPIRATION (President Gloria Arroyo said yesterday 'her conversations with the Almighty' have provided her with 'the discernment to call for the formation of a Constitutional Convention'. In a breakfast forum with members of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP), Arroyo said: "I do what I believe is right. How do I know what is right? I am a person who prays. There is discernment of God's will in my actions. I try to look for the will of God in every situation," Arroyo explained. She also said that she has asked her Cabinet members to undergo sessions on discernment, adding that she wanted them to be like her, '(who has) a lot of focus by Providence'.)

4//The Moscow Times, Russia--DEFENSE MINISTER BACKS PUTIN'S PLANS (In a wide-ranging overview of military, political and even electoral issues, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov threw his support behind President Vladimir Putin's plan to nominate governors and cancel individual races in State Duma elections, and reiterated his earlier vows to strike at suspected terrorists abroad. "What the president proposed has been long overdue," Ivanov was quoted in Tuesday's Komsomolskaya Pravda as saying. Ivanov said "there is nothing undemocratic" in the plan to have the president nominate governors for approval by regional parliaments and elect Duma deputies through party lists only. Ivanov is a longtime ally of Putin and is seen as his possible successor.)

5//The Daily Times, Pakistan--Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF or reporters without borders) has announced its annual worldwide press freedom index ranking Pakistan 150th in a total of 167 countries. North Korea is at the bottom of the list for having the most restricted press...The greatest press freedom is found in northern Europe (Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, the Netherlands and Norway), which is a haven of peace for journalists. Of the top 20 countries, only three (New Zealand 9th, Trinidad and Tobago 11th and Canada 18th) are outside Europe.)

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1//The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia October 27, 2004
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/10/...

IRAQ WAR SPURS LOCAL TERRORISTS, SAYS ASIO
By Cynthia Banham, Ellen Connolly and Tom Allard

Australia's spy chief has directly linked the Iraq war to the rising ranks of global terrorists and says it could have inspired new followers of Osama bin Laden in Australia.

The ASIO director-general, Dennis Richardson, also said in a speech last night that al-Qaeda had cased an airport in Australia before the September 11 attacks in the United States.

Mr Richardson said "it is possible some new followers in Australia have been motivated primarily by Iraq", putting him at odds with the Federal Government's line on whether the war inflames terrorism.

"We cannot exclude the possibility of Iraq being a motivator for some people here in Australia who may want to do harm," he said.

Mr Richardson prefaced his comments to the Sydney Institute by saying Iraq had so far "not had a significant impact on the security environment here in Australia".

It was not known "to what extent those who have gone to fight in Iraq were already committed militant Islamists or to what extent fighting in Iraq has or will turn others, including some Iraqis, into committed militant Islamists".

But he said "the only reasonable assumption is that Iraq has added to the number of militant Islamists and will lead to the further development of international linkages between such individuals and groups".

Nevertheless, he stressed that Australia was a target before the September 11 attacks. He said that a raid in Pakistan in late 2002 uncovered details of al-Qaeda casing airports, including one in Australia, before the strikes on the US. "This does not mean that there was an actual plan to attack the Australian airport but that consideration of an attack here was within al-Qaeda's strategic vision," Mr Richardson said.

The Defence Minister, Robert Hill, rejected Mr Richardson's suggestion of a link between the Iraq war and the spurring of more extremist converts. "I haven't seen any evidence to suggest that."

(MORE)

2//The Jordan Times, Jordan Wednesday, October 27, 2004
http://www.jordantimes.com/wed/news/news7.htm

EMIR OPENS PARLIAMENT, URGES WOMEN SUFFRAGE

KUWAIT CITY (AFP) - Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah opened the new legislative term of the emirate's outspoken parliament Tuesday by urging MPs to pass a bill granting women full political rights and approve a package of economic reforms.

"It has become necessary that Kuwaiti women practice their right in voting and contesting parliamentary elections," the emir said in a speech read by Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, which is customary in Kuwait's parliament.

Women's suffrage is essential for expanding the voter base and carrying out comprehensive political reforms, he said.

The Kuwaiti Cabinet in May approved a bill to amend the elections law granting women the right to vote and run for public office. The bill was signed by the emir and sent to parliament.

The bill has excellent chances of passing through the house, with the government seen more determined than ever.

This will expand the voter base in a country where only 15 per cent of a 950,000-strong population are eligible voters. MPs have tabled bills calling for servicemen to be allowed to vote and for lowering the voting age to 18 from 21.

The opening session was the first public appearance for the emir since returning last month from New York where he underwent a successful medical check-up, according to official media.

The75 -year-old emir, who was treated for a brain haemorrhage in late 2001, was assisted into the chamber by his aides and read an opening sentence while sitting.

(SNIP)

The oil-rich Gulf Arab state is bracing for political moves at the top with reports of a debate within the ruling Al Sabah family for key changes due to health problems. Speaker Jassem Al Khorafi said performance of the government and parliament in the previous term was "far below ambitions," because of the lack of discipline and commitment.

Branding reforms an "urgent national necessity," Khorafi called on MPs to speed up "reform efforts on the basis of justice, transparency and public interests."

The emir said that after the fall of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in April last year and the improvement of the security situation, Kuwait must "start a new era of openness and modernisation."

(MORE)

3//Gulf News Online, United Arab Emirates Tuesday, October 26, 2004
http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/World2.asp?ArticleID=137120

ARROYO CLAIMS RECEIVING 'DIVINE' INSPIRATION
By Barbara Mae Dacanay, Bureau Chief

Manila: President Gloria Arroyo said yesterday 'her conversations with the Almighty' have provided her with 'the discernment to call for the formation of a Constitutional Convention'.

In a breakfast forum with members of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP), Arroyo said: "I do what I believe is right. How do I know what is right? I am a person who prays. There is discernment of God's will in my actions. I try to look for the will of God in every situation," Arroyo explained.

She also said that she has asked her Cabinet members to undergo sessions on discernment, adding that she wanted them to be like her, '(who has) a lot of focus by Providence'.

"After the last elections, I was on a series of retreats in the Carmelite Convent. They were not real retreats, but more of joining the sisters in silent prayer," Arroyo recalled.

"At that time I went to different convents that were autonomous to one another where a lot of the reflections I undertook were always on the will of God," Arroyo said. Arroyo, known for her temper and decisiveness, is also a very religious person, said her close allies.

Explaining the path to reform, she said: "My preferred mode of change in the Constitution is by Constitutional Convention in three years. There should be a one-year moratorium because we have to focus on the medium term development plan for fiscal reform."

Unfazed
Arroyo also said she is not worried about losing her popularity rating as long as she can implement much needed reforms in government.

"Under my watch, in the next six years, I will lead a struggle in which my popularity ratings will slump. My ratings will continue to slump as we suffer transient constraints and take the bitter pill to cure structural poverty and clean up the fiscal, economic, and political mess that we inherited," she said. "I am prepared to suffer the consequences of unpopular decisions needed to finance our development from our own resources, to strengthen our bureaucracy and to demand fair and legitimate sacrifices so early in my term," Arroyo said.

(MORE)

4//The Moscow Times, Russia Wednesday, October 27, 2004. Page 3.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2004/10/27/012.html

DEFENSE MINISTER BACKS PUTIN'S PLANS
By Simon Saradzhyan
Staff Writer

In a wide-ranging overview of military, political and even electoral issues, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov threw his support behind President Vladimir Putin's plan to nominate governors and cancel individual races in State Duma elections, and reiterated his earlier vows to strike at suspected terrorists abroad.

"What the president proposed has been long overdue," Ivanov was quoted in Tuesday's Komsomolskaya Pravda as saying. Ivanov said "there is nothing undemocratic" in the plan to have the president nominate governors for approval by regional parliaments and elect Duma deputies through party lists only.

Ivanov is a longtime ally of Putin and is seen as his possible successor.

The planned changes will allow "normal parties" to emerge and mature in Russia, Ivanov said. Political parties are now in an "embryonic state ... some of them are pseudo-parties," Ivanov said, adding that the current system allows "moneybags and clowns to somehow end up in power" with the dividing lines between parties of the right and left being "quite imaginary."

"The country needs elementary order. Not of Stalinist times, but a normal democratic order when in addition to freedom, there is responsibility," he said.

This is the second interview given by Ivanov that touches upon political issues in less than a year. Last November, he gave an interview to Kommersant in which he spoke of the need for the state to retain control over strategic industries and defended authorities' handling of the Yukos affair.

While foraying into politics, Ivanov also fielded questions on his professional beat to press the idea that Russia needs robust, mobile and well-equipped armed forces, invoking the oft-quoted maxim of Tsar Alexander III that the Army and the Navy are Russia's only allies.

Ivanov said NATO is neither an enemy nor a friend, but commended the alliance for meeting Russia's request to end AWACS planes' electronic reconnaissance flights along Russian frontiers and noted that both Russia and NATO "face a common threat emerging from the south."

But Ivanov lashed out at the United States and Britain for giving asylum to representatives of Chechen rebels, whom the Kremlin indiscriminately refers to as terrorists.

(MORE)

5//The Daily Times, Pakistan Wednesday, October 27, 2004
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_27-10-2004_pg7_32

'PAKISTAN HAS 17TH MOST RESTRICTED PRESS'

LAHORE: Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF or reporters without borders) has announced its annual worldwide press freedom index ranking Pakistan 150th in a total of 167 countries. North Korea is at the bottom of the list for having the most restricted press.

"Freedom of press is threatened most in East Asia (with North Korea at the bottom of the entire list at 167th place and China 162nd) and the Middle East (Saudi Arabia 159th, Iran 158th and Iraq 148th)," the RSF report said.

In these countries, the report said, either independent media does not exist or journalists are persecuted and censored daily. "Pakistan dropped about 20 places because freedom of information and the safety of journalists are not guaranteed and army pressure on the local press has increased," it said. India is ranked 120th. It is placed in the bottom half of the index despite having free and active independent media, because killings and physical attacks on journalists, along with outdated laws, prevent a full flowering of the press, said the report.

(SNIP)

The greatest press freedom is found in northern Europe (Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, the Netherlands and Norway), which is a haven of peace for journalists. Of the top 20 countries, only three (New Zealand 9th, Trinidad and Tobago 11th and Canada 18th) are outside Europe.