January 26, 2005

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 JANUARY 26, 2005

1//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong--KURDS SADDLED WITH SADDAM’S MEN (- Iraq's two main Kurdish political parties have put aside their differences for the January 30 election. Like the Shi'ites in the south, they have organized a single, sectarian ticket for which they hope all Kurds will vote. Surprisingly, that list includes some prominent members of the Ba'ath Party of Saddam Hussein's regime… As with all election lists in Iraq, the identity of the Kurdish candidates remains officially a secret for security reasons. Unlike other election lists, however, the contents of the Kurdish one became known when it was obtained by the independent Kurdish weekly Hawalti. The list revealed that about a dozen Kurdish candidates were former Ba'athists… The list of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (PDK), which controls the cities Arbil, Zakho and Dohuk, and the areas along the Syrian and Turkish border, include Namiq Raqib Mohammed Surchi, who was the head of the committee responsible for banning the Kurdish language in the Kurdish city Mosul; Jawhar Muhedin Jihangir from Mosul, who was head of Saddam's mercenaries, and Omer Khizir Hamad from Arbil, a Mustashar. Many Kurds are taken aback by the inclusion of these names, since they will be voting for the Kurdish list to put Saddam's dictatorship behind them.)

2//Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK--MOSUL YOUTH IN BOYCOTT CAMPAIGN (Dozens of young men in Mosul are distributing leaflets calling on residents to boycott Iraq’s first free elections, scheduled to take place on January 30. In addition to the leaflets, the activists, most of them in their twenties, are hanging up posters on the walls of schools and along the roadsides of Mosul, telling residents to stay at home on election day. Ahmad Faruq, a 25-year-old student of Islamic theology, said he is campaigning against the elections because participation in the vote will pave the way for the establishment of more United States military bases in Iraq. "I will celebrate holding elections but only after the withdrawal of the last US tank," said Faruq, who was distributing leaflets to people attending Friday prayers at the Omer ibn Abdul-Aziz mosque. "I can’t accept holding elections under the foreign occupation.")

3//DW-Worlde/Deutsche-Welle, Germany--SIZING UP US-GERMAN RELATIONS (German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer met his designated US counterpart, Condoleezza Rice, in Washington late Tuesday in the first high level bilateral talks since President Bush's re-election. Although Rice has a European visit planned for early February, Fischer was keen to meet with his future counterpart before she officially takes her post… Fischer has a strong hand when it comes to Iran. He was part of the three-way diplomatic team of German, British and French foreign ministers that managed to persuade Tehran to suspend uranium enrichment and to continue diplomatic relations. "Europe and the US have to work hard to find a successful diplomatic solution," Fischer told reporters after his 90-minute meeting with Rice. However, Rice likely made it very clear that such assurances from Iran mean little to the Bush administration without hard facts to back them up. With rumors of a military option being considered by the US, Fischer will need more than a promise to convince the Americans that the Europeans can handle Iran… Rice, as a staunch supporter and confidante of the president, shared the distrust of the Germans during the build-up to the Iraq war and will carry a harder line into any future negotiations than Powell. While nothing can be predicted, less cordial meetings than before are a possibility.)

4//The Daily Star, Lebanon--RUSSIA WRITES OFF $9.8 BILLION OF SYRIAN DEBT (Russia on Tuesday agreed to write off a huge chunk of Soviet-era debt held by Syria, a country at the center of Moscow's attempts to revive its influence in the Middle East. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was on his first official visit to Russia, which has long defended the Arab state against U.S. and Israeli charges of ties to terrorism. In a sign Moscow was ready to take its relations with Syria to a new level, Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said Russia had agreed to write off 73 percent - $9.8 billion - of Syria's net debts to Moscow. It was unclear what Moscow, whose influence waned in the Middle East after the collapse of the Soviet Union, would get in return, but Assad called on Russia to boost its voice in global politics. I would like to support Russia's political course and at the same time express a protest against the political course of the United States," Assad told Moscow students.)

5//Inter Press Service News Agency, Italy--ANALYSIS: INDIA SHIFTS REGIONAL GEOPOLITICAL CARDS (Within a month of the tsunamis battering 12 countries across South and South-east Asia together with East Africa, India has gained a new political foothold in the Indian Ocean region… But India's tsunami assistance rendered to its immediate neighbours can also be viewed as going beyond the humanitarian dimension. ''India's willingness to help Sri Lanka and the Maldives clearly indicates that New Delhi takes an active interest in the region,'' Betram Bastiampillai, former professor of history and political science at Colombo University, said in an interview. From the geopolitical front, New Delhi's helping hand also virtually put a stop to possible challenges from other contenders for power and influence in the region, such as China and the United States, at a time of crisis. ''India's actions were also pursued to prevent other countries trying to step in ahead of her in an area that comes under its sphere of influence,'' Bastiampillai added… ''The decision to deploy relief ships was hastened by reports of a possible large-scale U.S. deployment in the region,'' writes Saikat Datta, in the latest issue of 'Outlook.'
''The Indian response was in tune with its stated policy of looking after its strategic interests in the Indian Ocean region,'' added Datta.)

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1//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong Jan. 26, 2005
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_Ea...

KURDS SADDLED WITH SADDAM’S MEN
By Aaron Glantz

KIRKUK - Iraq's two main Kurdish political parties have put aside their differences for the January 30 election. Like the Shi'ites in the south, they have organized a single, sectarian ticket for which they hope all Kurds will vote.

Surprisingly, that list includes some prominent members of the Ba'ath Party of Saddam Hussein's regime. Ask any Kurds in northern Iraq whom they plan to vote for and they will give you the same answer as peshmerga (Kurdish paramilitary) Ali Karem Mohammed, who lives in a refugee shantytown on the edge of Kirkuk in the Kurdish north of Iraq.

Like so many refugees around Kirkuk, Ali is a victim of Saddam's brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Kurds. "I am Kurdish," he told Inter Press Service, as he cocked the pistol in his left hand. "Till I die I'm Kurdish and I vote for Kurds."

As with all election lists in Iraq, the identity of the Kurdish candidates remains officially a secret for security reasons. Unlike other election lists, however, the contents of the Kurdish one became known when it was obtained by the independent Kurdish weekly Hawalti. The list revealed that about a dozen Kurdish candidates were former Ba'athists.

"These are people who helped Saddam in his campaign against the Kurds," said Zirak Abdullah, managing editor of the newspaper's office in Arbil in northern Iraq. "Remember that 182,000 people were killed in the campaign, which was carried out by Saddam in the 1980s, including what happened in Hallabja," where 5,000 Kurdish civilians were gassed with chemical weapons, he said. "These people - they have the blood of the Kurdish people on their hands."

Among the former Ba'athists on the Kurdish election slate are people who were once known as "Rafiq Hizbi" or the "Comrades." These were high-ranking members of the Ba'ath Party. Mustashars, the heads of Saddam's Kurdish paramilitary and mercenary groups, are also on the Kurdish election slate, according to Hawalti.

The newspaper published the names of some of them along with the positions they held in the former Ba'ath Party. On the list of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), which controls the area north and east of Kirkuk along the Iranian frontier, are Faiysal Karim Khan Mahmum, a former Mustashar; Abdul-Bari Mohammed Faris from Mosul, also a former Mustashar; and Faris Younis Krido from Duhok, a former Ba'athist.

The list of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (PDK), which controls the cities Arbil, Zakho and Dohuk, and the areas along the Syrian and Turkish border, include Namiq Raqib Mohammed Surchi, who was the head of the committee responsible for banning the Kurdish language in the Kurdish city Mosul; Jawhar Muhedin Jihangir from Mosul, who was head of Saddam's mercenaries, and Omer Khizir Hamad from Arbil, a Mustashar.

Many Kurds are taken aback by the inclusion of these names, since they will be voting for the Kurdish list to put Saddam's dictatorship behind them.

(MORE)

2//Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK 25-Jan-05
http://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/irq/irq_99_3_eng.txt

MOSUL YOUTH IN BOYCOTT CAMPAIGN
Protesters say elections should only be held once the occupation is over.
By IWPR reporters in Mosul (ICR No. 99, 25-Jan-05)

Dozens of young men in Mosul are distributing leaflets calling on residents to boycott Iraq’s first free elections, scheduled to take place on January 30.

In addition to the leaflets, the activists, most of them in their twenties, are hanging up posters on the walls of schools and along the roadsides of Mosul, telling residents to stay at home on election day.

Ahmad Faruq, a 25-year-old student of Islamic theology, said he is campaigning against the elections because participation in the vote will pave the way for the establishment of more United States military bases in Iraq.

"I will celebrate holding elections but only after the withdrawal of the last US tank," said Faruq, who was distributing leaflets to people attending Friday prayers at the Omer ibn Abdul-Aziz mosque. "I can’t accept holding elections under the foreign occupation."

Abu Hatem, an imam or prayer leader at a Mosul mosque, agreed, insisting the elections will be illegitimate because they are being held in an occupied country.

"The security situation is not stabilised, and US occupation forces are continuing to raid houses and arrest people," he said. "Some people talk about sovereignty, but what sovereignty are they talking about when American tanks are roaming Mosul streets?"

Many residents say even if there was no call to boycott the ballot, they still wouldn’t vote because of the unstable security situation. Mosul, the provincial capital of Ninevah province in northeastern Iraq, is considered to be one of the most dangerous areas in Iraq.
(MORE)

NOTE: Many more current reports from around Iraq may be found at the IWPR site:

http://www.iwpr.net/iraq_index1.html

3//DW-Worlde/Deutsche-Welle, Germany 25.01.2005
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1469247,00.html

SIZING UP US-GERMAN RELATIONS

German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer met his designated US counterpart, Condoleezza Rice, in Washington late Tuesday in the first high level bilateral talks since President Bush's re-election.

Although Rice has a European visit planned for early February, Fischer was keen to meet with his future counterpart before she officially takes her post.

(SNIP)

Bush has been making almost conciliatory noises in regards to Europe in the months since his November success and Fischer's arrival in the US capital will be used by the Germans to gauge how far they can expect the transatlantic healing to go at the start of the Bush administration's second term.

"I think if we can take a step nearer in the diplomacy between Europe and the United States, then that is an important step," Fischer said before leaving for the meeting with Rice.

Iraq and Iran still need negotiating

However, the old stumbling blocks are still there. As foreign ministers, Fischer and Rice will have the Iraq debate to chew over. On Tuesday, Fischer made it clear that he did not believe Europe and Germany had to offer more financial help for Iraq, pointing out the "significant material support" Germany was already offering to stabilize the country.

Another issue in coming months will be the increasingly important Iran factor. With Europe continuing to promote diplomacy with Tehran over its alleged nuclear ambitions and with Rice an advocate of a harder line than the one taken by her predecessor, Colin Powell, over Iran, the pitfalls that so nearly damaged German-US relations beyond repair in the recent past will be there to navigate all over again.

Fischer has a strong hand when it comes to Iran. He was part of the three-way diplomatic team of German, British and French foreign ministers that managed to persuade Tehran to suspend uranium enrichment and to continue diplomatic relations.

"Europe and the US have to work hard to find a successful diplomatic solution," Fischer told reporters after his 90-minute meeting with Rice.

Bush loyalist Rice walks the hard line

However, Rice likely made it very clear that such assurances from Iran mean little to the Bush administration without hard facts to back them up. With rumors of a military option being considered by the US, Fischer will need more than a promise to convince the Americans that the Europeans can handle Iran.

(SNIP)

Rice, as a staunch supporter and confidante of the president, shared the distrust of the Germans during the build-up to the Iraq war and will carry a harder line into any future negotiations than Powell. While nothing can be predicted, less cordial meetings than before are a possibility.

(MORE)

4//The Daily Star, Lebanon Wednesday, January 26, 2005
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp...

RUSSIA WRITES OFF $9.8 BILLION OF SYRIAN DEBT
Assad encourages Moscow to reclaim lost regional influence, slams U.S. policy

Compiled by Daily Star staff

MOSCOW: Russia on Tuesday agreed to write off a huge chunk of Soviet-era debt held by Syria, a country at the center of Moscow's attempts to revive its influence in the Middle East.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was on his first official visit to Russia, which has long defended the Arab state against U.S. and Israeli charges of ties to terrorism.

In a sign Moscow was ready to take its relations with Syria to a new level, Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said Russia had agreed to write off 73 percent - $9.8 billion - of Syria's net debts to Moscow.

It was unclear what Moscow, whose influence waned in the Middle East after the collapse of the Soviet Union, would get in return, but Assad called on Russia to boost its voice in global politics.

"I would like to support Russia's political course and at the same time express a protest against the political course of the United States," Assad told Moscow students.

"Russia's role is huge and Russia is well respected by third-world countries ... These countries are really hoping that Russia will try to revive its lost positions in the world."

Moscow cultivated ties with Syria in cold war times to counterbalance the influence of U.S.-backed Israel and supplied weaponry to the Arab state. But the Soviet collapse left Russia's key Soviet-era arms client out in the cold.

Russia's burgeoning relations with Syria have rung alarm bells in the U.S. and Israel. Days before Assad's visit, Israeli media reported Syria wanted to buy powerful missile systems from Russia, a move Israel said would strengthen militant groups in the region.

While denying any such plans, Assad said the very fact that Israel opposed expansion of Damascus' military might meant that it wanted to invade Syria. "Israel's position is illogical," he said. Moscow has denied it wanted to sell arms to Syria.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking before talks with Assad, said: "Syria is a country with which the Soviet Union and today's Russia have always had particularly warm relations.

"We can base our relations today on a tradition of friendship and cooperation that is decades old."

(MORE)

5//Inter Press Service News Agency, Italy Jan.25, 2005
http://ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=27159

ANALYSIS: INDIA SHIFTS REGIONAL GEOPOLITICAL CARDS
By Marwaan Macan-Markar

BANGKOK, Jan 25 (IPS) - Within a month of the tsunamis battering 12 countries across South and South-east Asia together with East Africa, India has gained a new political foothold in the Indian Ocean region.

None captures this emerging climate better than the reception extended to India, itself a victim of the Dec. 26 tsunami, from Sri Lanka. This week, an Indian naval medical team was given a rousing farewell as it left the port town of Trincomalee, in north-east Sri Lanka, after completing its mission of mercy.

Elsewhere across the South Asian island similar scenes of gratitude are being enacted to thank the large contingent of Indian military and naval personnel who began arriving in Sri Lanka hours after the tsunami struck -- the day after Christmas -- as part of New Delhi's 'Operation Rainbow.'

''Indian assistance has had a tremendous impact across Sri Lanka,'' Iqbal Athas, a senior defence analyst at the 'Sunday Times', a Sri Lankan English language weekly, told IPS. ''People are thanking them for coming to the country's rescue despite India also being affected.''

But India's tsunami assistance rendered to its immediate neighbours can also be viewed as going beyond the humanitarian dimension.

''India's willingness to help Sri Lanka and the Maldives clearly indicates that New Delhi takes an active interest in the region,'' Betram Bastiampillai, former professor of history and political science at Colombo University, said in an interview.

From the geopolitical front, New Delhi's helping hand also virtually put a stop to possible challenges from other contenders for power and influence in the region, such as China and the United States, at a time of crisis.

''India's actions were also pursued to prevent other countries trying to step in ahead of her in an area that comes under its sphere of influence,'' Bastiampillai added.

India's commitment to help Sri Lanka - which has the second highest death toll from the natural disaster, with close to 38,000 deaths - has not been limited to aid in the form of assistance from its military and navy, supported by ships, aircrafts and helicopters.

New Delhi has also pledged 23 million U.S. dollars to help rebuild the South Asian island's coastal areas.

The collective impact of such goodwill has washed away the bitterness that lingered as a result of the two previous Indian interventions in Sri Lanka over the past two decades.

(SNIP)

India's stature in the region has gained in magnitude due to another tsunami-related policy - namely New Delhi's reluctance to accept foreign aid to help its devastated south-eastern coast, where nearly 9,000 people died due to the killer waves.

The Indian government has taken on the burden of footing the entire disaster relief bill, estimated at over 575 million U.S. dollars.

Of the 12 tsunami affected countries, only Thailand, where over 5,300 people died, ranks with India in turning away direct foreign aid for relief efforts.

Bangkok's decision was rooted in the self-confidence and pride of being able to manage its own affairs as was reflected by New Delhi.

The diplomatic edge India has gained by aiding Sri Lanka and the Maldives has also come in the way of U.S. forces being showered with all the praise for their relief efforts in Sri Lanka and the region's worst hit country, Indonesia, where over 200,000 people died due to the tsunami.

In fact, an Indian news magazine reveals that New Delhi's prompt response to be the first to send relief to Sri Lanka was largely to preempt Washington stealing a march over India in its own backyard.

''The decision to deploy relief ships was hastened by reports of a possible large-scale U.S. deployment in the region,'' writes Saikat Datta, in the latest issue of 'Outlook.'

''The Indian response was in tune with its stated policy of looking after its strategic interests in the Indian Ocean region,'' added Datta.

And in doing so, the south Asian nation has achieved a milestone. According to analysts, India's foreign relief efforts were the largest since the country gained independence in 1947.