April 15, 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 15, 2005

1//Gulf News Online, United Arab Emirates--KURDS PREPARE FOR GUERRILLA WAR IN IRAN (Kurdish fighters dedicated to overthrowing the Iranian Government are hiding out in the mountains of northern Iraq, waiting for a chance to strike at Tehran. Gulf News gained exclusive access to the militiamen as they trained for a full-scale guerrilla war that could send shockwaves through the region. … The fighters are members of Komala, a group of militant socialist Kurds dedicated to bringing down Tehran. Hundreds of young men and women armed with AK47 rifles, machine guns and RPGs are training in northern Iraq for this mission.)

2//The Moscow Times, Russia--IRAQIS TALK BUSINESS IN MOSCOW (Members of the Baghdad Chamber of Commerce met Thursday with Russian business representatives in Moscow to discuss the revival of traditional Soviet-era ties that have lapsed since the Iraq war. The Russian-Arab Business Council, which helped organize the visit, said the two sides discussed ways to encourage Russian companies to return to Iraq, as well as security issues, during meetings that ended Thursday. The Iraqis arrived Monday on the first such visit to Russia since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Members of the Baghdad Chamber of Commerce advised Russian businesses to form joint ventures with Iraqi partners as a way back into Iraq.)

3//Afghan News Network, US--The poppy eradication campaign in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar was interrupted on Wednesday by an armed encounter between police and protesters, local authorities told IRIN. The clash came a day after hundreds of people in the Maiwand district, 70 km southwest Kandahar city, had showed their anger in a demonstration against a government campaign to destroy poppy fields in the troubled province, which is one of the leading poppy cultivating provinces in Afghanistan. … Hikmatullah, a poppy grower in Maiwand, told IRIN that the government had promised to provide farmers like himself with alternative livelihoods in conjunction with eradication of the plant. "But it did not happen and they came to destroy our valuable crop without any compensation or assistance to find other ways of surviving." The angry farmer said that he had tried to stop cultivating poppy in 2004, hoping to get some assistance from the government or aid agencies. "We are poor people and we cannot feed our children if the government does not support," he said.)

4//Xinhua News Agency, China--KOIZUMI CALLS FOR DIALOGUE ON OIL DISPUTE (Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said yesterday that Japan and China should resolve their oil and gas drilling dispute in the East China Sea through dialogue. The Japanese leader made the remarks a day after China's Foreign Ministry condemned the Japanese Government, saying it had committed a serious provocation against China by granting Japanese firms rights to drill for gas and oil in the disputed territory in East China Sea. … Both China and Japan have a right to claim 200 sea miles of water, in accordance with international law. However, the width of the East China Sea is less than 400 sea miles and the claims of the two sides overlap, which has led to continuing disputes.)

5//The Toronto Star, Canada--KYOTO REVERSAL SIGNALS TORY SHIFT TO CENTRE (The stunning turnaround to embrace a Kyoto Accord it once vehemently slagged is just the latest Conservative move to moderate its image for an election campaign. The newfound respect for the treaty on global warming could surprise voters who feared Tory Leader Stephen Harper would allow industry to run roughshod over the environment. Those same voters might also have heard that the Tories would gut medicare, put the iron heel to Quebec, scrap bilingualism, and send women’s reproductive rights back to the 1950s. But here’s a surprise: the Liberal and Tory positions on each of those issues is practically identical. … Other than a handful of Tories who walked around the Montreal convention wearing 'No Left Turn' lapel buttons, and a few who groused over the abortion shift, the thirst for power seemed to eclipse ideological rigidity. The Liberal response? The shift is mere public relations and we’ll continue painting Harper as an extreme conservative.)

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1//Gulf News Online, United Arab Emirates Published: 14/4/2005, 09:47 (UAE)
http://www.gulfnews.com/Articles/RegionNF.asp?ArticleID=160707

KURDS PREPARE FOR GUERRILLA WAR IN IRAN
By Phil Sands, Staff Reporter

Near Sulaimaniya, Iraq: Kurdish fighters dedicated to overthrowing the Iranian Government are hiding out in the mountains of northern Iraq, waiting for a chance to strike at Tehran.

Gulf News gained exclusive access to the militiamen as they trained for a full-scale guerrilla war that could send shockwaves through the region.

Rebel leader Ebrahim Alizada said: "Our armed struggle began in Iranian Kurdistan and will continue until we have freedom."

The fighters are members of Komala, a group of militant socialist Kurds dedicated to bringing down Tehran. Hundreds of young men and women armed with AK47 rifles, machine guns and RPGs are training in northern Iraq for this mission.

Many more are based across the border and group leaders say the rebels are already carrying out "covert actions" in Iran.

END

2//The Moscow Times, Russia Friday, April 15, 2005. Issue 3147. Page 5
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/04/15/042.html

IRAQIS TALK BUSINESS IN MOSCOW
By Alex Nicholson, Associated Press

Members of the Baghdad Chamber of Commerce met Thursday with Russian business representatives in Moscow to discuss the revival of traditional Soviet-era ties that have lapsed since the Iraq war.

The Russian-Arab Business Council, which helped organize the visit, said the two sides discussed ways to encourage Russian companies to return to Iraq, as well as security issues, during meetings that ended Thursday.

The Iraqis arrived Monday on the first such visit to Russia since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Members of the Baghdad Chamber of Commerce advised Russian businesses to form joint ventures with Iraqi partners as a way back into Iraq.

Russia saw contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars frozen in the oil, gas and power station building sectors after the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003. The future of those deals has hinged on approval from Iraq's new leaders as well as security concerns after several Russian workers were killed and kidnapped last year.

"I think contracts signed before the war are very unlikely to operate," said Alexei Chepa, a member of the coordinating commission of the Russian-Arab Business Council.

"New contracts must be concluded, as the new authorities decide their priorities, and Russia along with the rest of the world must play a role in working for peace in Iraq."

In a key deal, LUKoil's 1997 agreement to drill at the West Qurna field has yet to be given the go-ahead. The field is one of Iraq's most promising, with an estimated reserve capacity of 4 billion barrels.

Chepa said the energy sector had the greatest potential for cooperation. He said only 10 percent of Iraq's electric power requirements are now being met.

(MORE)

3//Afghan News Network, US 14 April 2005
http://www.myafghan.com/news2.asp?id=954397950

PROTEST AGAINST OPIUM ERADICATION

KANDAHAR, 14 April (IRIN) - The poppy eradication campaign in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar was interrupted on Wednesday by an armed encounter between police and protesters, local authorities told IRIN.

The clash came a day after hundreds of people in the Maiwand district, 70 km southwest Kandahar city, had showed their anger in a demonstration against a government campaign to destroy poppy fields in the troubled province, which is one of the leading poppy cultivating provinces in Afghanistan.

On Wednesday, protesters reportedly gathered in front of the district headquarters, throwing stones at police officers. According to the Ministry of the Interior (MoI), four farmers and one police officer were injured during clashes between protesters and the Central Poppy Eradication Force (CPEF).

Dozens of villagers gathered and started throwing stones at the poppy eradication force and then both sides opened fire with assault rifles, local police said.

Early reports indicated that six demonstrators and two police were injured. Local media reported that one villager was killed in the encounter, but there has been no official confirmation of the death.

The United Nations has warned that Afghanistan is in danger of turning into a narco-state after the country produced 4,600 mt of opium in 2004, which accounted for more than 80 percent of the world's illicit heroin.

Responding to keen international pressure, the Afghan government is aiming for a 50 percent reduction in illegal opium output in 2005. The government hopes to achieve this through a combination of eradication of the growing crop and assisting growers to find alternative sustainable livelihoods.

But this target will be hard to achieve in such a short space of time, Western diplomats in the capital Kabul have told IRIN.

Hikmatullah, a poppy grower in Maiwand, told IRIN that the government had promised to provide farmers like himself with alternative livelihoods in conjunction with eradication of the plant. "But it did not happen and they came to destroy our valuable crop without any compensation or assistance to find other ways of surviving."

The angry farmer said that he had tried to stop cultivating poppy in 2004, hoping to get some assistance from the government or aid agencies. "We are poor people and we cannot feed our children if the government does not support," he said.

(SNIP)

The incident in Mainwand was the first public reported protest against government poppy eradication campaigns in the east and south of the country in 2005.

In Kandahar province, Rahman admitted that the authorities had not offered poppy farmers any incentives to desist in growing the plant due to a lack of resources.

Kandahar police said the eradication operation was suspended until further talks with local people. According to the MoI, Kandahar governor Gul Agha Shirzoi has been in constant contact with community leaders in the Maiwand District to negotiate a way forward in the dispute.

4//Xinhua News Agency, China 2005-04-15 08:30:49
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-04/15/...

KOIZUMI CALLS FOR DIALOGUE ON OIL DISPUTE

BEIJING, April 15 (Xinhuanet) -- Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said yesterday that Japan and China should resolve their oil and gas drilling dispute in the East China Sea through dialogue.

The Japanese leader made the remarks a day after China's Foreign Ministry condemned the Japanese Government, saying it had committed a serious provocation against China by granting Japanese firms rights to drill for gas and oil in the disputed territory in East China Sea.

"Chinese and Japanese positions differ on the matter, but we need to continue talks from a larger point of view, without inflaming conflicts, and to turn the sea of conflict into a sea of co-ordination," Kyodo News quoted Koizumi as saying.

The Japanese Government on Wednesday initiated procedures to grant Japanese firms the right to conduct test drilling for potential gas and oil fields to the east of the so-called "demarcation line" in the East China Sea.

Following Japan's announcement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said the move was a provocation against China's rights and norms in international relations.

China had already lodged protests on the issue with the Japanese side and Qin said the nation would "retain the right to react further."

He said China has always insisted the two sides should resolve the issue through diplomatic negotiations.

(SNIP)

Japan has unilaterally demarcated a controversial exclusive economic zone along the median line. It holds that the line is determined by the two countries' coastlines.

China holds that the line is determined by the continental shelf on China's side, over which China claims exclusive rights.

Both China and Japan have a right to claim 200 sea miles of water, in accordance with international law.

However, the width of the East China Sea is less than 400 sea miles and the claims of the two sides overlap, which has led to continuing disputes.

(MORE)

5//The Toronto Star, Canada Apr. 14, 2005. 05:19 PM
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?page...

KYOTO REVERSAL SIGNALS TORY SHIFT TO CENTRE
Canadian Press

OTTAWA — The stunning turnaround to embrace a Kyoto Accord it once vehemently slagged is just the latest Conservative move to moderate its image for an election campaign.

The newfound respect for the treaty on global warming could surprise voters who feared Tory Leader Stephen Harper would allow industry to run roughshod over the environment.

Those same voters might also have heard that the Tories would gut medicare, put the iron heel to Quebec, scrap bilingualism, and send women’s reproductive rights back to the 1950s.

But here’s a surprise: the Liberal and Tory positions on each of those issues is practically identical.

“We need to become more professional, more inclusive, and more disciplined,” Harper said last August.

“In some areas, we will need to become more flexible and we need to consult more broadly before defining our policy and political priorities.”

He wasn’t kidding. Those reflections came on the heels of an election where his own Tory MPs derailed Harper’s campaign with musings against abortion, the Charter of Rights, and bilingualism.

The ensuing controversies brought a late-campaign slide in the polls as Harper lost support amongst urban voters, women, and ultimately the wider electorate.

His reaction to losing an election that had been within his grasp: never again.

He immediately stripped the authors of those untimely remarks — Cheryl Gallant, Randy White, Scott Reid and Rob Merrifield — of any prominent role in the party.

Then he withheld his support for the U.S. missile shield, saying he wasn’t sure whether Canada should sign on. That earned him a reproach from President George W. Bush.

Finally, Harper presided over a policy convention where his fledgling party narrowly voted to keep the status quo on abortion.

There was also a near-unanimous endorsement of official bilingualism, a symbolic shift for a party that’s heir to the old Reform movement.

Objection was muted within Tory ranks.

Other than a handful of Tories who walked around the Montreal convention wearing `No Left Turn’ lapel buttons, and a few who groused over the abortion shift, the thirst for power seemed to eclipse ideological rigidity.

The Liberal response? The shift is mere public relations and we’ll continue painting Harper as an extreme conservative.

(MORE)