February 4, 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 FEBRUARY 4, 2005

1//KurdishMedia.com--DISGRUNTLED TURKEY AWAITS RICE WITH GROWING CONCERN OVER IRAQ (US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrives here at the weekend facing the tough task of allaying Turkish fears that an independent Kurdish state -- Ankara’s long-standing bete noire -- is taking shape in Iraq as Washington turns a blind eye. Ties between the two NATO allies have failed to fully recover since hitting an all-time low prior to the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, when Turkey stunned Washington by denying it access to its territory to mount an attack on Iraq from the north. Analysts fear new tensions may be now looming, with Ankara increasingly frustrated over what it sees as US reluctance to rein in Kurdish moves to take control of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq as part of a suspected plot to break away from Baghdad.)

2//KurdishMedia.com, UK--NEW FREEDOM IN KURDISH AIR (The politics of freedom is very much in the air. Kurdish parties are already hinting that they have won a victory in local council elections. And already they have begun to make noises about independence…This is the third time since the start of the U.S. occupation about two years ago that Kurds have launched a petition drive for independence. On the other two occasions, more than 1.5 million Kurds stamped their thumb-print to separate from Iraq, but the impact on overall political dynamics was minimal. This time, however, the situation is different. Because Kurdish refugees were allowed to vote in last weekend’s election, Kurds were doubtless able to carry a strong majority of the vote. Now, the local government plans to organise a referendum on inclusion of oil-rich Kirkuk under the authority of Iraqi Kurdistan -- a move bitterly opposed by the city’s Arab population, which boycotted the election in protest.)

3//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong--LIVING UNDER THE BOMBS (One of the least reported aspects of the US occupation of Iraq is the oftentimes indiscriminate use of air power by the US military. The Western mainstream media have generally failed to attend to the F-16 warplanes dropping their payloads of 500-, 1,000- and 2,000-pound bombs on Iraqi cities - or to the results of these attacks. While some of the bombs and missiles fall on resistance fighters, the majority of the casualties are civilian - mothers, children, the elderly, and other unarmed civilians.)

4//The Independent, UK--BLAIR LIMITS FOREIGN TRIPS TO PRESENT ‘BRITAIN FIRST’ IMAGE (Tony Blair will limit his foreign trips until after the May general election in an attempt to repair the damage to his standing caused by the Iraq war and his "shoulder-to-shoulder" support for George Bush. The Prime Minister will try to reconnect with the public by concentrating on bread-and-butter domestic issues and pursuing a "Britain comes first" policy. Although Labour's private polling shows Iraq fading as an issue, many voters feel they have "lost" Mr Blair to foreign affairs in his second term, with some telling pollsters: "We want our Prime Minister back." …Labour's election slogan, "Britain forward not back," will be launched next weekend at Labour's spring conference, which will kick-start the party's campaign for a 5 May election.)

5//Inter Press Service News Agency, Italy--PEOPLE POWER GETS TO G7 (Nelson Mandela, 86, needed no support when he walked up to address thousands at Trafalgar Square in London Thursday. He had the support of a cheering crowd, and of one of the most powerful movements ever to gather against world poverty. Mandela spoke at Trafalgar Square -- London's traditional venue for people to make a political statement -- on the eve of the meeting Friday and Saturday of finance ministers from the G7 countries (the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan). He was carrying a message for that meeting, and succeeded before it began. Steps to counter poverty are already set to dominate the G7 meeting. Traditionally G7 finance ministers are more given to talk of exchange rates and macro multinational issues.)

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1//KurdishMedia.com, 03/02/2005
http://www.kurdmedia.com/news.asp?id=6198

DISGRUNTLED TURKEY AWAITS RICE WITH GROWING CONCERN OVER IRAQ

ANKARA, Feb 3 (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrives here at the weekend facing the tough task of allaying Turkish fears that an independent Kurdish state -- Ankara’s long-standing bete noire -- is taking shape in Iraq as Washington turns a blind eye.

Ties between the two NATO allies have failed to fully recover since hitting an all-time low prior to the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, when Turkey stunned Washington by denying it access to its territory to mount an attack on Iraq from the north.

Analysts fear new tensions may be now looming, with Ankara increasingly frustrated over what it sees as US reluctance to rein in Kurdish moves to take control of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq as part of a suspected plot to break away from Baghdad.

"The issue of northern Iraq is of vital importance for Turkey. The Americans say they understand Turkey but when it comes to action on the ground there is no reason for trust," said Bahadir Koc from the Ankara-based ASAM think-tank.

Independence-minded moves in northern Iraq, Ankara fears, will embolden separatism across the border in southeastern Turkey, where a Kurdish rebellion has already claimed some 37,000 lives.

(SNIP)

As the Kurds braced for large political gains, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed the United States this week, charging that "forces who say they came to the region to bring democracy have preferred to remain indifferent to anti-democratic ambitions."

He warned that "any step taken without consideration for Turkey’s rights will yield no result other than fanning the fire in the region."

Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said Ankara could take action if ethnic unrest erupts in Kirkuk, which is also home to a large community of Turkish-speaking Turkmens.

Turkish frustration had already been running high over US reluctance to move against some 5,000 Turkish Kurd rebels who had found refuge in the mountains of northern Iraq prior to the war and last summer ended a five-year unilateral ceasefire with Ankara.

Washington has promised to act against the rebels -- members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) which it considers a terrorist group -- but has so far failed to take military measures, arguing that its troops are swamped dealing with violence in other parts of Iraq.

"Turkish-US relations used to be called a 'strategic alliance.' To talk about this today is tragicomic," Koc said.

Still, the fact that Rice has included Turkey as a port of call on her first foreign tour as secretary of state is important, he said.

"This shows they recognize they have problems with Turkey and want to listen to it," he added.

(MORE)

2//KurdishMedia.com, UK 03/02/2005
http://www.kurdmedia.com/news.asp?id=6195

NEW FREEDOM IN KURDISH AIR
By Aaron Glantz

KIRKUK, Feb 3 (IPS) - Two members of Kurdish parties are touring a soccer stadium turned refugee camp on the southern outskirts of Iraq’s northern oil-rich city Kirkuk on a sunny morning. They are carrying a petition asking Kurds whether they want ethnic federalism in Iraq or Kurdish independence.

The politics of freedom is very much in the air. Kurdish parties are already hinting that they have won a victory in local council elections. And already they have begun to make noises about independence.

Ahmed Hassen Aziz, like everyone else in the camp, wants an independent Kurdistan.

"I feel that Kurds were under oppression," he said, "and I felt the discrimination of the former regime. Now I’m stamping my hand for Kurdistan. This way we will reach our potential and have all our rights as Kurds in independent Kurdistan."

This is the third time since the start of the U.S. occupation about two years ago that Kurds have launched a petition drive for independence. On the other two occasions, more than 1.5 million Kurds stamped their thumb-print to separate from Iraq, but the impact on overall political dynamics was minimal.

This time, however, the situation is different. Because Kurdish refugees were allowed to vote in last weekend’s election, Kurds were doubtless able to carry a strong majority of the vote.

Now, the local government plans to organise a referendum on inclusion of oil-rich Kirkuk under the authority of Iraqi Kurdistan -- a move bitterly opposed by the city’s Arab population, which boycotted the election in protest.

(SNIP)

Arabs in Kirkuk have reason to worry. A major part of the Kurdish programme is the transfer of Arabs to the south of Iraq. Many Arabs came to Kirkuk in the north during Saddam Hussein's rule. Kurds now want them to "go back to their original place" to make room for Kurdish refugees who are returning to their original place.

But Arabs do not want to go, says Sheikh Ahmed al-Ami. He was not sure whether the move would provoke armed resistance to the Kurdish plans.

"God only knows what will happen," he said. "We know that for every action there is a reaction, but we don’t know what will happen yet. It's up to the Kurds."

Elsewhere in Kirkuk, citizens go about their lives indifferent to the political machinations around them.

"We need a new life," Turkomen shopkeeper Ardu Abu Zeinab says amidst nods from his customers (Turkomens are northern Iraqis of Turkish origin). "During the 35-year rule of Ba'ath, Saddam was crushing our human rights here. Now it's no problem for us who rules -- Kurds or Turks or Arabs. We need water. We need electricity. We need someone to take care of our basic human needs."

3//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong Feb 4, 2005
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/GB04Ak04.html

LIVING UNDER THE BOMBS
By Dahr Jamail

One of the least reported aspects of the US occupation of Iraq is the oftentimes indiscriminate use of air power by the US military. The Western mainstream media have generally failed to attend to the F-16 warplanes dropping their payloads of 500-, 1,000- and 2,000-pound bombs on Iraqi cities - or to the results of these attacks. While some of the bombs and missiles fall on resistance fighters, the majority of the casualties are civilian - mothers, children, the elderly, and other unarmed civilians.

"Coalition troops and Iraqi security forces may be responsible for up to 60% of conflict-related civilian deaths in Iraq - far more than are killed by insurgents, confidential records obtained by the BBC's Panorama program reveal." As the British Broadcasting Corp reported recently, these numbers were compiled by Iraq's Ministry of Health, in part because of the refusal of the George W Bush and Tony Blair administrations to do so. In the case of Fallujah, where the US military estimated that 2,000 people were killed during the recent assault on the city, at least 1,200 of the dead are believed to have been non-combatant civilians.

"Some of my friends in Fallujah, their homes were attacked by airplanes so they left, and nobody's found them since," said Mehdi Abdulla in a refugee camp in Baghdad. His own home was bombed to rubble by US warplanes during the assault on Fallujah in November - and in Iraq today, his experience is far from unique.

All any reporter has to do is cock an ear or look up to catch the planes roaring over Baghdad en route to bombing missions over Mosul, Fallujah and other trouble spots on a weekly - sometimes even daily basis. It is simply impossible to travel the streets of Baghdad without seeing several Apache or Black Hawk helicopters buzzing the rooftops. Their rumbling blades are so close to the ground and so powerful that they leave wailing car alarms in their wake as they pass over any neighborhood.

With their ground troops stretched thin and growing haggard - 30% of them, after all, are already on their second tour of duty in the brutal occupation of Iraq - US military commanders appear to be relying more than ever on air power to give themselves an edge. The November assault on Fallujah did not even begin until warplanes had, on a near-daily basis, dropped 500-1,000-pound (227-454-kilogram) bombs on suspected resistance targets in the besieged city. During that period, fighter jets ripped through the air over Baghdad for nights on end, heading out on mission after mission to drop their payloads on Fallujah.

"Air power remains the single greatest asymmetrical advantage the United States has over its foes," writes Thomas Searle, a military defense analyst with the Airpower Research Institute at Maxwell Air Force Base in the US state of Alabama. "To make air power truly effective against guerrillas in that war, we cannot wait for the joint force commander or the ground component commander to tell us what to do. Rather, we must aggressively develop and employ air power's counter-guerrilla capabilities."

"Aggressively employ air power's capabilities" - indeed they have.

(MORE)

4//The Independent, UK 04 February 2005
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics...

BLAIR LIMITS FOREIGN TRIPS TO PRESENT ‘BRITAIN FIRST’ IMAGE
By Andrew Grice, Political Editor

Tony Blair will limit his foreign trips until after the May general election in an attempt to repair the damage to his standing caused by the Iraq war and his "shoulder-to-shoulder" support for George Bush.

The Prime Minister will try to reconnect with the public by concentrating on bread-and-butter domestic issues and pursuing a "Britain comes first" policy. Although Labour's private polling shows Iraq fading as an issue, many voters feel they have "lost" Mr Blair to foreign affairs in his second term, with some telling pollsters: "We want our Prime Minister back."

A three-hour cabinet meeting yesterday agreed that Labour's election campaign will focus on three key issues: the Government's economic record, its plans to modernise public services, and neutralising the Tory attack over crime and asylum.

Alan Milburn, Labour's election co-ordinator, said afterwards: "The public accepts the Prime Minister has a lot of foreign policy issues to deal with. Many disagreed with us on Iraq, but Tony knows the coming election is above all a fight about the future of Britain. So between now and the election the Prime Minister will be spending more time out of London than in it, but in Britain rather than overseas.

"He will continue to see the job through in Iraq, chair the G8 [group of leading industrial nations], on Africa and climate change. But Britain comes first. He will be leading the domestic debate from the front."

The Prime Minister will keep his foreign travel to a bare minimum in the next three months. Mr Milburn promised that he would "take the flak" from critics by meeting as many ordinary people as possible.

Labour's election slogan, "Britain forward not back", will be launched next weekend at Labour's spring conference, which will kick-start the party's campaign for a 5 May election.

(MORE)

5//Inter Press Service News Agency, Italy Friday, February 04, 2005 02:04 GMT
http://www.ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=27316

PEOPLE POWER GETS TO G7

LONDON, Feb 3 (IPS) - Nelson Mandela, 86, needed no support when he walked up to address thousands at Trafalgar Square in London Thursday. He had the support of a cheering crowd, and of one of the most powerful movements ever to gather against world poverty.

Mandela spoke at Trafalgar Square -- London's traditional venue for people to make a political statement -- on the eve of the meeting Friday and Saturday of finance ministers from the G7 countries (the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan). He was carrying a message for that meeting, and succeeded before it began.

Steps to counter poverty are already set to dominate the G7 meeting. Traditionally G7 finance ministers are more given to talk of exchange rates and macro multinational issues.

What Mandela says counts, and behind Mandela spoke about 220 British civil society groups who invited him to the Trafalgar Square rally. The British groups came together late last year in a campaign 'Make Poverty History'.

''Many of us realised that 2005 is going to be an important year to campaign against poverty,'' Lysbeth Holdoway from Oxfam who has been working with the Make Poverty History campaign told IPS Thursday. This year Britain has presidency of G8 (which includes also Russia) and will have presidency of the European Union (EU) in the second half of the year.

''So we have come together this year in UK and around the world to put pressure on governments to act,'' she said. The British movement is tied internationally into the Global Campaign for Action Against Poverty.

Mandela was invited to Trafalgar Square ''because he is such an important leader, and we know that if he came people would have to take action,'' Holdoway said.

The immediate result was that civil society, backed by all major trade unions and the Church of England, has managed at least in substantial measure to set the agenda for a G7 finance ministers' meeting.

''As you know, I recently formally announced my retirement from public life and should really not be here,'' Mandela said. ''However, as long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest.''

Mandela linked the new civil society campaign with his own campaign against apartheid. ''The Global Campaign for Action Against Poverty can take its place as a public movement alongside the movement to abolish slavery and the international solidarity against apartheid,'' he said.

Mandela told the wildly cheering crowd: ''I can never thank the people of Britain enough for their support through those days of the struggle against apartheid. . . . Through your will and passion, you assisted in consigning that evil system forever to history. But in this new century, millions of people in the world's poorest countries remain imprisoned, enslaved, and in chains. They are trapped in the prison of poverty. It is time to set them free.''

There was more than emotion to Mandela's appeal. ''The steps that are needed from the developed nations are clear,'' he said. ''The first is ensuring trade justice. The second is an end to the debt crisis for the poorest countries. The third is to deliver much more aid and make sure it is of the highest quality.''

(MORE)