April 11, 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 APRIL 11, 2005

1//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong--REVIVAL OF THE TALIBAN (Two types of Taliban have left their leader Mullah Omar to join with Kabul: first, those organized by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in Peshawar soon after the fall of the Taliban in 2001, and second, those who were arrested in Afghanistan and subsequently cultivated. Except for a few, all are mullahs. The vast majority of Taliban commanders retreated to Pakistan or adopted a low-profile private life in Afghan villages pending Mullah Omar finalizing a new guerrilla strategy similar to that adopted by the Iraqi resistance. The results of this are expected to manifest themselves within a few months. … Thus, unlike in the past, the Taliban movement is now target-oriented rather than reliant on the random attacks it previously adopted. Asia Times Online sources say that there are only a few hundred of these small teams. Their initial targets are Khost, Ghazni, Kandahar and Jalalabad, with June earmarked for attacks in Kabul.)

2//Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran—OPTIMISTIC IRAN CALLS FOR OPEN NUCLEAR TALKS (Iran Sunday sounded upbeat ahead of planned nuclear negotiations with the Europeans on April 19, hoping that they would put reservations aside this time in order to move further ahead. The two sides are engaged in intensive talks, centering on Tehran's uranium enrichment rights, with President Mohammad Khatami announcing this week that the two sides have made significant progress in this regard. Giving his own assessment of last month's talks, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi described them as 'good,' stressing that 'although cautionary, the last round of the negotiations has been a step forward.' … Khatami said the two sides were closer to a settlement over Tehran's right to develop nuclear power. … The country, however, insists that it cannot be cajoled to sustain the suspension for good. … Iran's Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi stressed last month that economic incentives may help improve foreign relations but won't permanently stop Tehran from pursuing a peaceful nuclear program. … "Economic incentives can't replace our rights. Our legitimate rights can't be compensated through economic incentives," Kharrazi said.)

3//The Guardian, UK--BROWN LIFTS LABOUR’S HOPES FOR BIG MAJORITY (Tony Blair is back on course for a hefty election victory as disgruntled Labour supporters start rallying to Labour, according to a new poll carried out for The Observer. Today's MORI poll, putting Labour seven points ahead among people certain to vote, will be seen as evidence of a 'Brown bounce,' following the return of the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the campaign's centre stage. The boost to Labour's fortunes reflects a greater willingness among supporters to turn out and vote, but unless that is sustained victory could still slip from its grasp. … A focus group commissioned for The Observer reveals Blair has suffered badly from fading trust, while Brown is regarded as a 'safe pair of hands,' reliable, straightforward and the real power behind the throne, helping explain why he has been recalled.)

4//The Moscow Times, Russia--PUTIN FACING A BACKLASH FROM BUSINESS (President Vladimir Putin is facing a growing backlash from leading businessmen over what they see as increasing state interference in the economy, a rising tide of state corruption, paralysis in policymaking and mounting jitters over whether political stability can be maintained. … "The state is not being managed, no decisions are being made. There is no team managing the economy," said one leading businessman, speaking on condition of anonymity. "We are working from one day to the next. But business is not happy. There are not equal conditions for all. ... We need to see long-term prognoses. Business is tired of promises that are not being kept. "The state is like a big corporation and the management of it has just gotten worse. When management gets worse, normally the shareholders try to change the leadership," he said. After spending most of his five years in power unchallenged and foot-sure on the economy amid high oil prices that have filled state coffers to record levels, suddenly Putin is starting to look isolated and weak. … The Kremlin has been attempting to mend the rift. In an unprecedented interview in Expert magazine last week, chief of staff Dmitry Medvedev warned of the "monstrous" consequences if the country should collapse, which he said could occur if the elites did not join in supporting Putin's regime.)

5//The Globe and Mail, Canada--BLOC LEADER WARY OF FORCING ELECTION (The Bloc Québécois is sure it can make the Liberals pay at the polls for the federal sponsorship scandal, but that's not enough in itself to justify a spring election, says Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe. … “We're there to defend Quebec's best interests,” said Mr. Duceppe. “And we have to ask ourselves, is it in Quebec's best interests to have an election now or to wait a bit? So we'll see.” Mr. Duceppe also hinted strongly that there's no point in the Bloc trying to topple Mr. Martin's government if the Conservatives and NDP aren't onside. … Conservative Leader Stephen Harper used a Saturday rally on Parliament Hill against same-sex marriage to get in some digs at the Liberals on the sponsorship front as well. “Corruption is not a Canadian value,” thundered Mr. Harper. He sidestepped the question of how his party would vote if the Bloc decides to use an opposition day in the Commons on Thursday to present a motion of non-confidence in the Liberals.)

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1//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong Apr 9, 2005
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/GD09Ag01.html

REVIVAL OF THE TALIBAN

By Syed Saleem Shahzad

KARACHI - Two types of Taliban have left their leader Mullah Omar to join with Kabul: first, those organized by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in Peshawar soon after the fall of the Taliban in 2001, and second, those who were arrested in Afghanistan and subsequently cultivated. Except for a few, all are mullahs.

The vast majority of Taliban commanders retreated to Pakistan or adopted a low-profile private life in Afghan villages pending Mullah Omar finalizing a new guerrilla strategy similar to that adopted by the Iraqi resistance. The results of this are expected to manifest themselves within a few months.

Asia Times Online was the first publication to write about the Taliban's new strategy (see Osama adds weight to Afghan resistance, September 11, 2004), which was the brainchild of a few Taliban who were sent to northern Iraq before the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

Oriented with the Ansarul Islam in northern Iraq by al-Qaeda-linked Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, they were taught the guerrilla tactics then being successfully applied in various Iraqi cities - and which still are. The group returned to Afghanistan some time ago. One of the members was Mehmood Haq Yar, an expert in guerrilla and urban warfare.

Asia Times Online has learned that this Iraq-style resistance is to be activated in Afghanistan. The central command of the Iraqi resistance has been eliminated and various groups, mostly Islamists, are engaged in guerrilla activity on an independent basis. This decentralization is the guarantee of their security and successful clandestine operations.

An identical tactic has been adopted in Afghanistan. On the advice of Haq Yar, all prominent commanders have withdrawn from the battlefield. The most prominent ones, such as Maulana Jalaluddin Haqqani, Saifullah Mansoor and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, took refuge in tribal areas between Afghanistan and Pakistan, while the rest were asked to stay with the local population.

This caused a lull in the resistance, which was the aim. A new generation of mujahideen not known in Afghanistan, including Arabs, Pakistanis, Afghans and others, was selected and kept at remote positions. They are all familiar with the latest guerrilla tactics and oriented only for specific missions.

(SNIP)

Thus, unlike in the past, the Taliban movement is now target-oriented rather than reliant on the random attacks it previously adopted. Asia Times Online sources say that there are only a few hundred of these small teams. Their initial targets are Khost, Ghazni, Kandahar and Jalalabad, with June earmarked for attacks in Kabul.

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2//Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran 19:05 Sunday April 10, 2005
http://www.irna.ir/irnewtest/en/news/view...

OPTIMISTIC IRAN CALLS FOR OPEN NUCLEAR TALKS

Iran Sunday sounded upbeat ahead of planned nuclear negotiations with the Europeans on April 19, hoping that they would put reservations aside this time in order to move further ahead.

The two sides are engaged in intensive talks, centering on Tehran's uranium enrichment rights, with President Mohammad Khatami announcing this week that the two sides have made significant progress in this regard.

Giving his own assessment of last month's talks, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi described them as 'good,' stressing that 'although cautionary, the last round of the negotiations has been a step forward.'

"The prospects of the negotiations are more positive than the past and we hope we will take an unreserved positive step in the next meeting," he told reporters in his weekly news briefing.

Asefi also sounded optimistic over chances that the two sides 'reach a tangible outcome on giving definite guarantees' in the next round of negotiations.

"Today, almost a majority of the European countries have recognized Iran's right to having peaceful nuclear technology and the only issue is definite guarantees, on which we will reach a conclusion in the next negotiations," he said.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman refused to disclose details of a plan offered by Iran as part of the country's proposal to reach breakthrough in the standoff, but reiterated Tehran's determination to produce nuclear fuel by its own.

"Any plan offered by Iran is based on the principle that we never give up uranium enrichment and that the suspension of enrichment is temporary and voluntary," Asefi said.

Diplomats from Iran and the European Union will meet in Paris on April 19 to examine Tehran's proposal, including pilot centrifuge for uranium enrichment on a small scale.

(SNIP)

Khatami said the two sides were closer to a settlement over Tehran's right to develop nuclear power.

Uranium enrichment is the key sticking point in the negotiations, which Tehran has suspended as a confidence-building gesture since last November.

The country, however, insists that it cannot be cajoled to sustain the suspension for good.

The Europeans, represented by Germany, France and Britain, have been pressing the Islamic Republic on this in return for a package of incentives.

Iran's Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi stressed last month that economic incentives may help improve foreign relations but won't permanently stop Tehran from pursuing a peaceful nuclear program.

"Our (nuclear) rights cannot be exchanged for any economic incentives," he told a news conference.

Kharrazi said the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty allows Iran to pursue a peaceful nuclear program including enriching uranium and Tehran won't allow anybody to deny them that right.

"Economic incentives can't replace our rights. Our legitimate rights can't be compensated through economic incentives," Kharrazi said.

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3//The Guardian, UK Sunday April 10, 2005
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/politics/story/0,6903,1456219,00.html

BROWN LIFTS LABOUR’S HOPES FOR BIG MAJORITY
Gaby Hinsliff, Political Editor

Tony Blair is back on course for a hefty election victory as disgruntled Labour supporters start rallying to Labour, according to a new poll carried out for The Observer.

Today's MORI poll, putting Labour seven points ahead among people certain to vote, will be seen as evidence of a 'Brown bounce,' following the return of the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the campaign's centre stage.

The boost to Labour's fortunes reflects a greater willingness among supporters to turn out and vote, but unless that is sustained victory could still slip from its grasp.

With the mood among voters still highly volatile, cabinet minister Peter Hain launched a fierce attack on self-indulgent 'dinner party critics' among the liberal middle classes who are tempted to use the ballot box to punish Blair. He said that by doing so, they would only hurt the poorest, who were dependent on a Labour victory.

The leader had 'got the message' about their displeasure, Hain said, arguing that those who still disagreed over Iraq or civil liberties should reopen the arguments after the election.

'There's now a kind of dinner party critics who quaff shiraz or chardonnay and just sneeringly say, "You are no different from the Tories,"' he said. 'Most of the people in this category are pretty comfortably off: it's not going to be the end of the world if they get a Tory government. In a working-class constituency like mine, this is a lifeline. It's not a luxury.'

Today's poll, which projects a commanding majority of 138 for Blair and would give Michael Howard's party only two extra seats if repeated at an election, will focus attention on the power of the partnership between Blair and Brown.

A focus group commissioned for The Observer reveals Blair has suffered badly from fading trust, while Brown is regarded as a 'safe pair of hands,' reliable, straightforward and the real power behind the throne, helping explain why he has been recalled.

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4//The Moscow Times, Russia Monday, April 11, 2005. Issue 3143. Page 1.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/04/11/002.html

PUTIN FACING A BACKLASH FROM BUSINESS
By Catherine Belton, Staff Writer

President Vladimir Putin is facing a growing backlash from leading businessmen over what they see as increasing state interference in the economy, a rising tide of state corruption, paralysis in policymaking and mounting jitters over whether political stability can be maintained.

Even though Putin has attempted to reassure business leaders in recent weeks with promises of improvements to the investment climate, including drawing a line under the controversial privatizations of the 1990s, businessmen interviewed last week said his overtures fell short of what was needed.

"The state is not being managed, no decisions are being made. There is no team managing the economy," said one leading businessman, speaking on condition of anonymity. "We are working from one day to the next. But business is not happy. There are not equal conditions for all. ... We need to see long-term prognoses. Business is tired of promises that are not being kept.

"The state is like a big corporation and the management of it has just gotten worse. When management gets worse, normally the shareholders try to change the leadership," he said.

After spending most of his five years in power unchallenged and foot-sure on the economy amid high oil prices that have filled state coffers to record levels, suddenly Putin is starting to look isolated and weak. Economic reforms have stalled amid badly snarled social benefit reforms and infighting between the statist and liberal wings of the government. Even though oil prices are soaring at around $50 per barrel, economic growth is predicted to slow this year as the state increases its clout over strategic sectors of the economy, such as oil, where growth rates are expected to fall by roughly half this year. Officials at state energy companies Gazprom and Rosneft, meanwhile, have been openly bickering over control of the spoils of the state's takeover of Yukos' biggest production unit.

Although Putin has spent much of his presidency consolidating control over all levers of power, this strategy has only served to isolate him and might not be enough to shield him from the kind of popular uprisings that led to regime change in Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan, Kremlin insiders, opposition politicians and some businessmen say.

The Kremlin has been attempting to mend the rift. In an unprecedented interview in Expert magazine last week, chief of staff Dmitry Medvedev warned of the "monstrous" consequences if the country should collapse, which he said could occur if the elites did not join in supporting Putin's regime.

But amid rising fears of political instability coming from new sources of opposition, such as socialist and nationalist forces, and an arbitrary investment climate caused in large part by scares over a slew of tax probes, some major businesses appear to be sending their money to safer climes.

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5//The Globe and Mail, Canada Sunday, April 10, 2005 Updated at 7:22 PM EST
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/...

BLOC LEADER WARY OF FORCING ELECTION
By Jim Brown
Canadian Press

Ottawa — The Bloc Québécois is sure it can make the Liberals pay at the polls for the federal sponsorship scandal, but that's not enough in itself to justify a spring election, says Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe.

Speaking Sunday on CTV Question Period, Mr. Duceppe said he's confident his party can do even better in the next vote than it did a year ago, when it took 54 of Quebec's 75 federal seats and denied Prime Minister Paul Martin a majority government.

The Bloc Leader insisted, however, that electoral advantage isn't uppermost in his mind as he ponders whether to table a non-confidence motion in the House of Commons this week.

“We're there to defend Quebec's best interests,” said Mr. Duceppe. “And we have to ask ourselves, is it in Quebec's best interests to have an election now or to wait a bit? So we'll see.”

Mr. Duceppe also hinted strongly that there's no point in the Bloc trying to topple Mr. Martin's government if the Conservatives and NDP aren't onside.

“It's very clear we don't have a majority in the House by ourselves,” he said. “So we have to consider the situation of the other parties.”

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper used a Saturday rally on Parliament Hill against same-sex marriage to get in some digs at the Liberals on the sponsorship front as well.

“Corruption is not a Canadian value,” thundered Mr. Harper.

He sidestepped the question of how his party would vote if the Bloc decides to use an opposition day in the Commons on Thursday to present a motion of non-confidence in the Liberals.

Last week, however, Mr. Harper was decidedly cool to the idea of an immediate election, saying he didn't want to let the separatist Bloc dictate the national agenda.

NDP Leader Jack Layton adopted a wait-and-see attitude Sunday as he made a campaign-style swing through Saskatchewan.

“I'm putting my ear to the ground to find out what people are thinking about this,” Mr. Layton told The Canadian Press. “I've been surprised to find out that a lot of people still don't know the details.”

He was referring to the testimony of Montreal ad executive Jean Brault, who told the sponsorship inquiry headed by Justice John Gomery that his firm, Groupaction Marketing, funnelled more than $1-million to the Liberal party in exchange for federal contracts.

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