June 27, 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 JUNE 27, 2005

1//The Daily Star, Lebanon--LEBANON’S ANTI-SYRIAN PARLIAMENT SET TO RE-ELECT PRO-DAMASCUS SPEAKER (Lebanon's newly elected anti-Syrian Parliament is set to re-elect leading pro-Damascus politician Nabih Berri as its speaker when Parliament convenes for the first time since the election on Tuesday. Saad Hariri's Future Movement bloc, the single largest opposition grouping in Parliament last night declared its intention to vote for Berri virtually guaranteeing his re-election. The appointment of a new speaker was seen as the first important test of the new Parliament's commitment to reform. Many people believe Berri is too closely associated with the former pro-Syrian regime and should be replaced. His re-election means that along with the continuation of President Emile Lahoud as head of state, two of the three main offices of state in Lebanon will remain in the hands of two men who were strong supporters of Syria's role in Lebanon.)

RELATED: HIZBULLAH CONFIDENCE GROWS WITH ITS ALLIANCES (Forming strong alliances with Lebanon's most powerful political blocs is Hizbullah's way of fending off threats of disarmament imposed by the U.S. in its push for the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1559, according to Hizbullah's assistant secretary general Sheikh Naim Qassim.)

2//Power and Interest News Report, US--INTELLIGENCE BRIEF: UZBEKISTAN (The announcement on June 16 that Uzbekistan had banned night flights into and out of the US air base in Khanabad marks the first serious geostrategic fallout from Washington's ambivalent response to the violent suppression by Tashkent of mass protests against the regime of President Islam Karimov in May in the city of Andijan. The Khanabad base, which supports US military operations in neighboring Afghanistan, is a key component in US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's redeployment policy, which envisions the substitution of large concentrations of troops in Europe and South Korea with smaller "lily-pad" deployments in weaker acquiescent states in northeast Africa and Eurasia. The aims of Rumsfeld's plan are to protect strategic energy supplies, curb destabilizing moves by Islamic revolutionaries throughout the vast region, and counter initiatives unfavorable to Washington's interests by Moscow and Beijing. … Tashkent denied on June 18 that its slap at Washington was related to Andijan and said the flight limitations had been in the works for a long time and Washington "knew why." Whatever the case, the restrictions, which are neither decisive nor final, reveal underlying weaknesses in the Rumsfeld strategy, which depends for its success on compliant governments where the lily pads are located.)

3//The News International, Pakistan--OPPOSITION GROUPS CALL FOR UNITED FRONT TO TOPPLE QADDAFI (Divisions over tactics and vision split Libyan opposition groups in exile but participants at a two-day conference agreed Sunday to unite under a "national accord" aimed at ousting Moammar Qaddafi from power. … Other opponents boycotted the conference, saying it was using unrealistic language. "How would Gadhafi step down? It’s not realistic," said leading opposition figure Ashur Shames. "They (the conference) have no mechanism to oust Gadhafi unless they seek international pressure, or by the use of force." Libya’s Muslim Brotherhood group also stayed away from the conference, claiming the only way to bring about change was to reform the regime from within. "There are people inside the government and the regime who are advocating negotiation with the opposition ... we want to encourage those people to be more dominant," Shames said. He was referring to Seif el-Islam Qaddafi, Qaddafi’s son, believed to be the one to succeed the Libyan leader. Muslim Brotherhood member Nasser al-Man’ie called opposition demands "slogans that might be exploited by some parties to put pressure on Libya.")

4//JoongAng Daily, S. Korea--NORTH TO CUT FOOD RATION, AGENCY SAYS (In an emergency report on the food crisis in North Korea, the World Food Program says the regime is expected to cut its daily food ration for individuals from an already substandard 250 grams of rice and corn to 200 grams. The ration was cut from 300 grams to 250 ― considered half of what is required for basic sustenance ― in January. … "Since North Korea's food reserve bottomed out in April, the food crisis will reach a critical point in July or August," said Nam Sung-wook, a North Korean studies professor at Korea University.)

5//The Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippines--SNAP ELECTION PERFECTLY LEGAL MOVE – ROCO (Although Malacañang has called it "absurd," a proposal for a "snap election" appeared to be gaining ground with former Sen. Raul Roco describing it as a perfectly legal move to prevent the nation from careening toward a cliff. Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said the holding of an immediate vote was a "workable and acceptable alternative" in the event President Macapagal-Arroyo resigns or is evicted from office as a consequence of an illegal gambling scandal that allegedly involves her family and a wiretap controversy that purportedly shows she cheated in last year's election. … Pimentel yesterday warned the administration was now "baiting" the opposition to file an impeachment case against Ms Arroyo on the pretext of upholding constitutional due process. "Realistically, it will be very difficult to initiate the impeachment proceedings against the President. The proadministration congressmen constitute the overwhelming majority in the House and Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. will see to it that each one of them will toe the line by saying that the resolution to impeach is noted," the minority leader said.)

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1//The Daily Star, Lebanon Monday, June 27,2005
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=16270

LEBANON’S ANTI-SYRIAN PARLIAMENT SET TO RE-ELECT PRO-DAMASCUS SPEAKER
By Majdoline Hatoum and Nafez Qawas
Daily Star staff

BEIRUT: Lebanon's newly elected anti-Syrian Parliament is set to re-elect leading pro-Damascus politician Nabih Berri as its speaker when Parliament convenes for the first time since the election on Tuesday. Saad Hariri's Future Movement bloc, the single largest opposition grouping in Parliament last night declared its intention to vote for Berri virtually guaranteeing his re-election.

The appointment of a new speaker was seen as the first important test of the new Parliament's commitment to reform.

Many people believe Berri is too closely associated with the former pro-Syrian regime and should be replaced.

His re-election means that along with the continuation of President Emile Lahoud as head of state, two of the three main offices of state in Lebanon will remain in the hands of two men who were strong supporters of Syria's role in Lebanon.

Reading from a statement following a meeting of the Future Movement Akkar MP Mustafa Hashem said the bloc had certain priorities, including the release of Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, full implementation of the Taif Accord and working on a new electoral law.

He said: "In line with this, we have decided to vote for Berri after he declared his commitment to our bloc's priorities."

Hashem added the bloc will also vote for Koura MP Farid Mekari as deputy speaker.

The Lebanese Forces, which formed part of the united opposition during the elections, is also likely to vote for Berri because of his recent commitment to freeing Geagea.

Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, another key opposition figure, had already said he would vote for Berri. He is also supported by Hizbullah, which in alliance with Berri's Amal Movement has 35 seats in Parliament.

Hizbullah's Nabatieh MP Mohammed Raad said: "Berri will be re-elected as speaker on Tuesday. This is our choice, a choice that will protect the resistance."

The other main parliamentary bloc, Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement, has not yet decided on whether it will take part in the vote. Aoun is expected to make an announcement on the issue later today.

A small group of MPs will oppose the move, headed by Christian opposition Qornet Shehwan Gathering members.

(MORE)

RELATED:

HIZBULLAH CONFIDENCE GROWS WITH ITS ALLIANCES
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1...

BEIRUT: Forming strong alliances with Lebanon's most powerful political blocs is Hizbullah's way of fending off threats of disarmament imposed by the U.S. in its push for the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1559, according to Hizbullah's assistant secretary general Sheikh Naim Qassim.

"The election alliances have developed into political alliances which will preserve the resistance movement and strengthen Hizbullah's position against international pressures that may threaten the resistance," said Qassem during a statement aired on Lebanese radio.

(MORE)

2//Power and Interest News Report, US 23 June, 2005
http://www.pinr.com/report.php?ac=view...

INTELLIGENCE BRIEF: UZBEKISTAN
By Dr Michael A Weinstein

The announcement on June 16 that Uzbekistan had banned night flights into and out of the US air base in Khanabad marks the first serious geostrategic fallout from Washington's ambivalent response to the violent suppression by Tashkent of mass protests against the regime of President Islam Karimov in May in the city of Andijan.

The Khanabad base, which supports US military operations in neighboring Afghanistan, is a key component in US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's redeployment policy, which envisions the substitution of large concentrations of troops in Europe and South Korea with smaller "lily-pad" deployments in weaker acquiescent states in northeast Africa and Eurasia. The aims of Rumsfeld's plan are to protect strategic energy supplies, curb destabilizing moves by Islamic revolutionaries throughout the vast region, and counter initiatives unfavorable to Washington's interests by Moscow and Beijing.

As an immediate result of Tashkent's action, Washington has had to move some aircraft to Afghanistan and mount resupply operations from its base in Kyrgyzstan, adding to expenses and detracting from efficiency. From a longer-term perspective, the flight limitations are a signal to Washington that the Karimov regime is prepared to sacrifice US-Uzbek relations and, perhaps, even to eliminate the US military presence in Uzbekistan, if Washington does not give it a free hand in its efforts to suppress dissent.

Tashkent denied on June 18 that its slap at Washington was related to Andijan and said the flight limitations had been in the works for a long time and Washington "knew why." Whatever the case, the restrictions, which are neither decisive nor final, reveal underlying weaknesses in the Rumsfeld strategy, which depends for its success on compliant governments where the lily pads are located.

(SNIP)

As the biggest prize in the great game, China, Russia, the European Union and the U.S. all have interests and deep involvement in Uzbekistan. The Karimov regime has attempted to play its suitors off against one another, gaining maximum autonomy, trade deals, and economic and military aid.

(SNIP)

Karimov's sources of support are alliances with sectors of Uzbekistan's regionalized clan-based society, crony capitalists, and the country's security apparatus. Up until the present, he has been able to maintain control, but the future of his regime is uncertain, putting the interests of the parties to the great game at risk.

Anxious to eliminate the U.S. military presence in Uzbekistan and to draw Tashkent firmly and unequivocally into their Central Asian strategic alliance -- the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (S.C.O.) -- -Moscow and Beijing have placed their bets on Karimov, unreservedly supporting the Andijan crackdown and affirming his account of it and his decision to reject calls for an independent international investigation into the incident. As Uzbekistan's largest export partners, Russia and China see the opportunity to further their joint quest for a comprehensive and secure sphere of influence in Central Asia.

In contrast, the E.U. has been the most forthright proponent of an independent investigation, threatening a partial suspension of cooperation with Tashkent -- if it does not acquiesce in the demand -- that would probably fall short of trade sanctions, but might include a downgrading of diplomatic relations and a travel ban on regime officials. With the least involvement in Uzbekistan of the interested parties, the E.U. states have the least to lose and the most potentially to gain if Karimov falls, especially if a reformist government takes its place.

Caught in the middle, with its military presence in Uzbekistan to protect and its general policy of promoting democratic reform in the Islamic world in jeopardy if it follows Moscow and Beijing, Washington has been unable to formulate a coherent response to Andijan, with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice saying that an "international role" in investigating Andijan is necessary, and -- according to a report in the Washington Post -- U.S. Defense Department officials blocking a proposed demand from N.A.T.O., urged by Western European states, including Britain, for an independent investigation.

The Bottom Line

With the underlying instability of the Karimov regime revealed by the events in Andijan, the parties to the new great game in Central Asia have positioned themselves strictly in terms of their perceived interests in the context of uncertainty about the future.

Banking on Karimov's ability to right his regime, Beijing and Moscow pursue their aim of a strategic, economic and increasingly ideological bloc in Central Asia. Standing to benefit from the regime's collapse, Brussels puts pressure on it. Cross-pressured by conflicting policy aims, hardened into a conflict between the State and Defense departments, Washington seems to be unable to achieve a clear reading of the priorities among its interests.

3//The News International, Pakistan Monday June 27, 2005-- Jamadi Al Awwal 19, 1426 A.H.
http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/jun2005-daily...

OPPOSITION GROUPS CALL FOR UNITED FRONT TO TOPPLE QADDAFI

LONDON: Divisions over tactics and vision split Libyan opposition groups in exile but participants at a two-day conference agreed Sunday to unite under a "national accord" aimed at ousting Moammar Qaddafi from power. In a final declaration, the groups addressed the United Nations, saying the global body was responsible for restoring Libya’s constitution. The charter was drafted in 1951 as part of a UN resolution, but Qaddafi froze it after assuming power in a military coup and replaced it with martial law.

Demonstrators apparently recruited by the Libyan embassy in London entered the hotel where opposition members were meeting to try to disrupt proceedings. Carrying the green Libyan flag and chanting pro- Qaddafi slogans, the protesters, mainly students were asked by police and hotel security to leave the hotel.

Some 200 people also rallied Sunday outside the embassy, waving Libyan flags and holding placards bearing Qaddafi’s photo. They shouted "Look for peace together" and "Work for democracy together" in Arabic. "We believe in democracy for all people," said demonstrator Mostafa Ywali. He said opposition groups were holding a meeting in London "to make trouble in Libya."

Some 600 Libyan students are expected to hold a pro-Qaddafi demonstration in front of the Libyan embassy on Monday to voice support for the regime. Conference participants said the students were being threatened with having their scholarships cut if they did not join the demonstration.

(SNIP)

Other opponents boycotted the conference, saying it was using unrealistic language. "How would Gadhafi step down? It’s not realistic," said leading opposition figure Ashur Shames.

"They (the conference) have no mechanism to oust Gadhafi unless they seek international pressure, or by the use of force." Libya’s Muslim Brotherhood group also stayed away from the conference, claiming the only way to bring about change was to reform the regime from within.

"There are people inside the government and the regime who are advocating negotiation with the opposition ... we want to encourage those people to be more dominant," Shames said. He was referring to Seif el-Islam Qaddafi, Qaddafi’s son, believed to be the one to succeed the Libyan leader. Muslim Brotherhood member Nasser al-Man’ie called opposition demands "slogans that might be exploited by some parties to put pressure on Libya."

One of Libya’s oldest Islamic group, the Brotherhood has around 90 political prisoners detained in Libya. Qaddafi’s son has promised to work to free them. But for some opposition members meeting here, it was too late for this regime to reform. "There is no other option: Qaddafi must go and the constitution must come back," said Salem Mohammed, a senior member of the National Movement.

4//JoongAng Daily, S. Korea June 27, 2005 KST 11:24 (GMT+9)
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200506/26/...

NORTH TO CUT FOOD RATION, AGENCY SAYS

In an emergency report on the food crisis in North Korea, the World Food Program says the regime is expected to cut its daily food ration for individuals from an already substandard 250 grams of rice and corn to 200 grams.

The ration was cut from 300 grams to 250 ― considered half of what is required for basic sustenance ― in January.

The United Nations relief agency said in its report Friday that many counties have confirmed that the reduction to 200 grams will go into effect at the beginning of July.

(SNIP)

The World Food Program said North Korea's chances for pulling the daily ration back up to 250 grams will depend on the outcome of the early harvest.

"Since North Korea's food reserve bottomed out in April, the food crisis will reach a critical point in July or August," said Nam Sung-wook, a North Korean studies professor at Korea University.

The regime has begun to allow the purchase of rice at some markets in Pyongyang, but people living in the country are entirely dependent on the rations.

5//The Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippines First posted 00:43am (Mla time) June 27, 2005
http://news.inq7.net/nation/index.php?index...

SNAP ELECTION PERFECTLY LEGAL MOVE - ROCO
Bunye says proposal is absurd

By Michael Lim Ubac
Inquirer News Service

ALTHOUGH Malacañang has called it "absurd," a proposal for a "snap election" appeared to be gaining ground with former Sen. Raul Roco describing it as a perfectly legal move to prevent the nation from careening toward a cliff.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said the holding of an immediate vote was a "workable and acceptable alternative" in the event President Macapagal-Arroyo resigns or is evicted from office as a consequence of an illegal gambling scandal that allegedly involves her family and a wiretap controversy that purportedly shows she cheated in last year's election.

Rep. Jacinto Paras of Negros Oriental said Ms Arroyo could seek a "fresh mandate," but Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano of Taguig said a new vote could only take place if Vice President Noli de Castro resigns.

"Calls for snap election or resignation of the President are absurd," said Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye. "All those who want to run for president will have to wait for the next presidential election" in 2010.

Also yesterday, Malacañang warned against opposition calls not to pay taxes to force Ms Arroyo to speak up on the tapped telephone conversation that indicated she had pressed then Election Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano for a one-million-vote victory.

"I don't see how you can draw a comparison between not paying taxes and the President holding her silence, at least for the time being," said Gabriel Claudio, the President's adviser on political affairs.

(SNIP)

Claudio also denounced as "dirty tricks at their dirtiest" text messages being circulated, saying that the administration was paying up to P2 million to each congressman who would vote to stop the House inquiry into the wiretap.

"There are no lobby money, inducements or pressure being used by the administration on members of Congress, and certainly no use of Pagcor, Presidential Social Fund or any government funds for this purpose will ever be contemplated or allowed," Claudio said.

In an interview yesterday, Roco contested the claim by some quarters that a snap election was unconstitutional, saying it would be legal once both Ms Arroyo and De Castro resigned.

Roco compared De Castro to the spare tire of a car being driven by Ms Arroyo which, he said, unfortunately had gone out of control and was now heading straight toward a cliff.

"Por la patria [For the country's sake], resign now," said Roco.

(SNIP)

Pimentel yesterday warned the administration was now "baiting" the opposition to file an impeachment case against Ms Arroyo on the pretext of upholding constitutional due process.

"Realistically, it will be very difficult to initiate the impeachment proceedings against the President. The proadministration congressmen constitute the overwhelming majority in the House and Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. will see to it that each one of them will toe the line by saying that the resolution to impeach is noted," the minority leader said.

On paper, there are only 15 minority representatives out of 230 House members.

Pimentel said the resignations of Ms Arroyo and De Castro remained the only viable constitutional alternative "to get out of the mess she put herself into."

Pimentel said De Castro must also resign since he, like Ms Arroyo, was elected under questionable circumstances.

Tyranny of numbers

Upon their resignation, Pimentel said Senate President Franklin Drilon would, in accord with the Constitution, become acting president who will call for new elections to fill the vacancies within 45 days.

Pimentel said the whole nation witnessed how the President's party ruthlessly and consistently used the tyranny of numbers to foil every motion of the minority to open the ballot boxes in

Congress and examine the certificates of canvass, statements of votes and election returns in the face of glaring indications of systematic vote padding for Ms Arroyo and vote reduction for her opponents.

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