March 9, 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 MARCH 9, 2005

1//The Independent, UK--BLAIR BROKE CODE TO KEEP WAR ADVICE FROM CABINET
(Tony Blair is facing calls for a formal investigation after it emerged that he breached the official code of conduct for ministers by failing to show the Attorney General's full advice on the legality of the Iraq war to the Cabinet. MPs demanded that Sir Andrew Turnbull, the Cabinet Secretary, launch an immediate inquiry into whether Mr Blair and the Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, flouted the code. Politicians from all parties seized on a written answer from the Prime Minister as an admission that cabinet ministers should have been given Lord Goldsmith's full legal opinion before Britain went to war.)

2//The Telegraph, UK--HUMLIATED BLAIR MAY ABANDON TERROR BILL (Tony Blair faces the humiliation today of bowing to Tory and Liberal Democrat demands to water down the Government's anti-terror proposals or risk losing the entire Prevention of Terrorism Bill only weeks before an expected general election. The Government suffered another heavy defeat in the House of Lords last night when peers voted overwhelmingly in favour of a "sunset clause" limiting the life of proposed powers to impose control orders on terrorist suspects. It was the second night running that peers had savaged the Terrorism Bill on civil liberties grounds, paving the way for the most serious trial of strength between the Government and the Lords since Mr Blair came to power.)

3//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong--BUSH MAKES A FOXY PICK (In a breathtaking victory for right-wing hawks, US President George W Bush has nominated Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security John Bolton to become his next ambassador to the United Nations… "This is like putting the fox in charge of the henhouse," said Heather Hamilton, vice president of programs for Citizens for Global Solutions, formerly the World Federalist Association (WFA), who called Bolton the "Armageddon nominee." The Armageddon allusion was to Bolton's long-time loyalty to former ultra-right Senator Jesse Helms who, on retiring from public life, described Bolton as "the kind of man with whom I would want to stand at Armageddon, if it should be my lot to be on hand for what is forecast to be the final battle between good and evil in this world.")

4//The Daily Times, Pakistan--BENAZIR WILL CONSIDER RETURNING AFTER ZARDARI
(Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Benazir Bhutto has said that she will consider returning home after reviewing the situation arising from her husband Asif Ali Zardari’s return to Pakistan. Zardari will return to Lahore from Dubai on April 16… Ms Bhutto said she wanted to know the government’s reaction to Mr Zardari's comeback before deciding about her return. She however said she was dying to be with her people to serve them as soon as possible, adding that the PPP was struggling for early elections in Pakistan for the restoration of “real” democracy.)

5//The Globe and Mail, Canada--LIBERALS SURVIVE SECOND CONFIDENCE VOTE (At zero hour, the Bloc Québécois decided against toppling the Liberal minority government in a vote on the federal budget Tuesday. The Bloc, contrary to what they had been rumoured to be mulling, did not support the Conservative Party's amendment to the budget -- thus it was defeated 205 to 85, ensuring the government's survival… Conservative Leader Stephen Harper had already said he doesn't want see another election so soon, partly because Canadians are overwhelmingly against such a move according to a number of polls… The Liberals need to survive yet one more vote on their budget on Wednesday. On Wednesday, the parties will vote whether to adopt the government's budget. The Tories will have to walk a tricky line during that vote because while they don't want to appear to be supporting the government, they don't want to topple it, either. Many Tory MPs will have to abstain or stay away from Wednesday's vote as well, in order for the Liberal minority government to survive.)

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1//The Independent, UK 09 March 2005
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/...

BLAIR BROKE CODE TO KEEP WAR ADVICE FROM CABINET
MPs clamour for inquiry as row flares again over legality of Iraq invasion

By Marie Woolf, Chief Political Correspondent

Tony Blair is facing calls for a formal investigation after it emerged that he breached the official code of conduct for ministers by failing to show the Attorney General's full advice on the legality of the Iraq war to the Cabinet.

MPs demanded that Sir Andrew Turnbull, the Cabinet Secretary, launch an immediate inquiry into whether Mr Blair and the Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, flouted the code.

Politicians from all parties seized on a written answer from the Prime Minister as an admission that cabinet ministers should have been given Lord Goldsmith's full legal opinion before Britain went to war.

The former cabinet minster Clare Short stepped into the row yesterday when she accused Mr Blair and Lord Goldsmith of flouting the code. In a letter copied to the Prime Minister and Sir Andrew, Ms Short accused Lord Goldsmith of failing "to comply with the ministerial code when giving your advice to the Cabinet."

She said: "I am afraid that it is now clear to me that by failing to reveal your full legal advice and the considerations that underpinned your final advice, you misled the Cabinet and therefore helped obtain support for military action improperly. This is a very serious matter in relation to the war in Iraq, the integrity of your office, your own integrity and the proper working of UK constitutional arrangements."

The former international development secretary added: "The logic flows to Blair but I am starting with the Attorney General. There should be a proper system of investigation of complaints under the ministerial code." The Attorney General's office said it had not seen Ms Short's letter but would respond when it arrived.

(SNIP)

Sir Menzies Campbell, the Liberal Democrats' foreign affairs spokesman, said: "On the face of it, the Prime Minister was in breach of the ministerial code. The unsatisfactory nature of events is illustrated by the fact that the guardian of that code is the Prime Minister himself."

Cabinet members were not shown the full advice before the decision was made to go to war. They were given a presentation by the Attorney General and a copy of his parliamentary answer about his advice.

Lord Goldsmith told the House of Lords that the written answer setting out his views on the legality of war was "a summary of my view of the legal position, rather than a detailed consideration of legal issues."

In his introduction to the code, Mr Blair said the code was crucial to "the bond of trust between the British people and their Government." It is the Prime Minister himself who is the watchdog and must initiate investigations into the code.

2//The Telegraph, UK (Filed: 09/03/2005)
http://www.portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml...

HUMLIATED BLAIR MAY ABANDON TERROR BILL
By George Jones, Political Editor

Tony Blair faces the humiliation today of bowing to Tory and Liberal Democrat demands to water down the Government's anti-terror proposals or risk losing the entire Prevention of Terrorism Bill only weeks before an expected general election.

The Government suffered another heavy defeat in the House of Lords last night when peers voted overwhelmingly in favour of a "sunset clause" limiting the life of proposed powers to impose control orders on terrorist suspects.

It was the second night running that peers had savaged the Terrorism Bill on civil liberties grounds, paving the way for the most serious trial of strength between the Government and the Lords since Mr Blair came to power.

The legislation has to be on the statute book by the end of this week because the present powers to hold foreign terrorist suspects without trial will expire on Sunday.

Downing Street last night backed away from reports that 10 suspects held in Belmarsh Prison or under strict bail conditions would be released on to the streets on Friday if the stand-off was not resolved.

The Home Office has a fall-back provision to enable the existing powers – which the Law Lords ruled in December were a breach of human rights – to be renewed for nine months.

The Prime Minister's spokesman said the first concern was national security. "That is what will guide the Government's actions," he said.

The Tories had protested against what they claimed were attempts to "strong-arm" opponents into backing the Bill. David Davis, the Tory home affairs spokesman, said suggestions that suspects would be set free amounted to "playing politics with terror."

Michael Howard, the Conservative leader, said the fate of the terrorism laws was now in Mr Blair's hands. "He could have his Bill with a time limit which would make sure that Parliament had the opportunity properly to discuss it or he could continue with the existing legislation," he said.

"We have made both those offers to him. So if there is no legislation on the statute book at the end of this week that will be Mr Blair's decision, not ours."

Ministers held emergency talks last night to agree concessions which could be put to MPs when the Bill returns to the Commons later today.

(MORE)

3//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong Mar 9, 2005
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/GC09Aa02.html

BUSH MAKES A FOXY PICK
By Jim Lobe

WASHINGTON - In a breathtaking victory for right-wing hawks, US President George W Bush has nominated Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security John Bolton to become his next ambassador to the United Nations.

Bolton, widely considered the most unilateralist and least diplomatic of senior US officials during Bush's first term, will have to be confirmed by the US Senate, where some Democrats, a few of whom were said to be stunned by the nomination, are expected to put up a fight.

One aide called the nomination "incredible," particularly in light of recent indications, including Bush's talks with European leaders at the end of last month, that he and his new secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, intended to pursue a more multilateralist policy in his second term and was determined to smooth the rougher diplomatic edges of his foreign-policy team.

That notion had been bolstered by Rice's choice of trade representative Robert Zoellick, a long-time pragmatist and "realist," as her deputy, despite Bolton's efforts, backed by Vice President Dick Cheney, to take the job.

The fact that Bolton failed in his quest was taken as a clear sign that Rice was indeed moving toward a more multilateralist policy, in defiance even of Cheney, the undisputed leader of the coalition of aggressive nationalists, neo-conservatives and Christian Right activists that dominated foreign policy from the September 11, 2001 attacks until after the Iraq invasion.

Rice's acquiescence, if not agreement, for Bolton to serve as her representative at the UN, however, will require foreign-policy analysts in Washington to reassess that judgment.

"This is like putting the fox in charge of the henhouse," said Heather Hamilton, vice president of programs for Citizens for Global Solutions, formerly the World Federalist Association (WFA), who called Bolton the "Armageddon nominee."

The Armageddon allusion was to Bolton's long-time loyalty to former ultra-right Senator Jesse Helms who, on retiring from public life, described Bolton as "the kind of man with whom I would want to stand at Armageddon, if it should be my lot to be on hand for what is forecast to be the final battle between good and evil in this world."

"His nomination sends exactly the wrong message to the world about the Bush administration's willingness to work with other countries and in multilateral institutions. There's no one who has a greater track record of offending other countries, including our closest allies," Hamilton said.

Despite a round, bespectacled face, ruddy cheeks and a thick, drooping blonde moustache that give him an avuncular appearance, Bolton is known to be confrontational, combative and humorless.

(MORE)

4//The Daily Times, Pakistan Wednesday, March 09, 2005
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story...

BENAZIR WILL CONSIDER RETURNING AFTER ZARDARI

WASHINGTON: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Benazir Bhutto has said that she will consider returning home after reviewing the situation arising from her husband Asif Ali Zardari’s return to Pakistan. Zardari will return to Lahore from Dubai on April 16.

Talking to an Indian television channel, Ms Bhutto said she was currently getting ‘unclear signals’ from the government on her return. The PPP leader said, "When President Pervez Musharraf says I went abroad on my own and am free to come back, I feel I should go back. But I have been told through ‘private channels’ that my comeback can affect current 'political liberty' given to Mr Zardari. And this makes me think about the return option again and again."

Ms Bhutto said she wanted to know the government’s reaction to Mr Zardari's comeback before deciding about her return. She however said she was dying to be with her people to serve them as soon as possible, adding that the PPP was struggling for early elections in Pakistan for the restoration of “real” democracy.

(MORE)

5//The Globe and Mail, Canada Tuesday, March 8, 2005 Updated at 6:13 PM EST
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/...

LIBERALS SURVIVE SECOND CONFIDENCE VOTE
By Allison Dunfield
With a report from Daniel Leblanc, Brian Laghi and Canadian Press
Globe and Mail Update

At zero hour, the Bloc Québécois decided against toppling the Liberal minority government in a vote on the federal budget Tuesday.

The Bloc, contrary to what they had been rumoured to be mulling, did not support the Conservative Party's amendment to the budget -- thus it was defeated 205 to 85, ensuring the government's survival.

The NDP joined the Bloc in voting against the amendment.

The result followed some last-minute brinkmanship by the Bloc Québécois. As roll call approached, Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe played it coy on how his 54 MPs would line up.

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper had already said he doesn't want see another election so soon, partly because Canadians are overwhelmingly against such a move according to a number of polls. A number of Tory MPs were missing in the Commons, on Tuesday.

Tuesday's Conservative amendment called for lower taxes and slams some big items in the budget, such as child care and the Kyoto Protocol measures — two items the Bloc is sympathetic toward.

(SNIP)

If the amendment had been passed, the federal budget would have been defeated and an election would have been called.

The Liberals need to survive yet one more vote on their budget on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, the parties will vote whether to adopt the government's budget. The Tories will have to walk a tricky line during that vote because while they don't want to appear to be supporting the government, they don't want to topple it, either. Many Tory MPs will have to abstain or stay away from Wednesday's vote as well, in order for the Liberal minority government to survive.