October 5, 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 OCTOBER 5, 2005

1//The Daily Star, Lebanon--U.S. CONSIDERING $2 BLN IN MILITARY SALES TO SAUDIS (The Pentagon has notified the U.S. Congress of possible military sales to Saudi Arabia valued at more than $2 billion, if all options are exercised. The proposed sales include a laundry list of armored personnel carriers, command vehicles, water cannons, a variety of trucks, ambulances, ammunition and assault rifles for the Saudi Arabian National Guard.)

2//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong--OUSTING ASSAD WITHOUT A BACKUP PLAN (. … The least-contemplated aspect of a potential regime change in Syria might be the potential rise of influence and potency of pan-jihadi forces in Syria, if the Assad regime is ousted with the same lack of regard to having a stable government taking its place as happened at the time of the US invasion of Iraq. … But the Middle East as a region may not remain rosy if Assad is toppled. There is nothing pan-Jihadist forces of the Middle East wish at the current time more than seeing a widened area of chaos and turbulence. The more the powerful forces of America, or even Israel, get involved in establishing the Western (or as the Islamists would call the Judeo-Christian) version of order, the less their chances of success. A safe option from the perspectives of order and stability would be that there is no regime change in Syria. If that were to happen under unavoidable circumstances, the UN and the international community should remain in charge in securing and stabilizing Syria. Iraq has proved how bloody the battle can become in attempting to occupy it. Syria is not likely to be any less bloody or chaotic.)

3//The Independent, UK--PUTIN BOASTS OF RUSSIAN POWER AT EU SUMMIT (Against a background of increasingly frosty relations between Russia and the European Union, President Vladimir Putin took time to boast of his country's economic power during a visit to London yesterday. Russia provides one-third of the EU's oil supplies, he pointed out, and said that the country's economic growth in the oil and gas sector "has enabled the nation to lead a more independent foreign policy." There have been fears that the EU could become too dependent on Russian energy supplies. But Mr Putin said Russia was a "very reliable partner." Tony Blair said the two sides had discussed the Chechnya conflict during the EU-Russia summit talks. But he and Mr Putin made it clear at a news conference that economic relations were becoming the core of the relationship. … In the summer his previously solid personal approval faltered badly and he had to use all the charm he could muster to repair the damage. Strutting his stuff on the international stage will do his image at home a power of good. "At least we've now got someone who we can send abroad who we don't need to be embarrassed by," says Marina, a marketing executive. "He's not drunk, he looks normal and most importantly he's not Yeltsin.")

4//The Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates--TURKEY CELEBRATES EU TALKS, BUT DOUBTS LINGER OVER MEMBERSHIP (Turkey on Tuesday celebrated the long-awaited start of its membership talks with the European Union, but Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that the real slog is still in store and sceptics cast doubt on the country’s prospect of ever joining the club. … Sceptics argued that Ankara was offered a carrot that would never lead to full membership but would keep the country under pressure to make concessions. The accession terms for Ankara say the talks will be open-ended, refer to the Union’s “absorption capacity,” allow for permanent restrictions on free movement of Turkish labor and fail to guarantee full benefits from EU agriculture subsidies. The main opposition center-right People’s Republican Party (CHP) accused the EU of being insincere towards Ankara, arguing that the ”absorption capacity” provision could be used as a pretext to bar Turkey’s membership even if it meets all required conditions. What the EU has actually told Turkey is that the best Turkey is a Turkey that is forever a candidate,” CHP leader Deniz Baykal grumbled. “Envisaging permanent restrictions on such an EU pillar as free movement amounts to a special status,” which falls short of full membership, an editorial in Cumhuriyet said. Despite the doubts, the business community predicted large inflows of foreign investment.)

5//The News International, Pakistan--‘NORTH KOREA MAY NAME KIM-JONG-IL’S SUCCESSOR SOON’ (North Korea could announce this month an eventual successor to leader Kim Jong-il, Russian news agency Itar-Tass said on Tuesday, quoting a diplomatic source in Pyongyang. "An announcement about the appointment of a successor could be made as early as this month, timed for the celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the (North Korean Labour Party)," the unnamed source told Tass. The source added that the successor would be one of Kim Jong-il’s sons, all of whom had "roughly equal chances." North Korea is the world’s only communist dynasty and analysts have been speculating for years which son Kim will choose as his successor. Kim, 63, has three known sons, Jong-nam, Jong-chol and Jong-un, from two women.)

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1//The Daily Star, Lebanon Wednesday, October 05, 2005
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id...

U.S. CONSIDERING $2 BLN IN MILITARY SALES TO SAUDIS
By Agence France Presse (AFP)

WASHINGTON: The Pentagon has notified the U.S. Congress of possible military sales to Saudi Arabia valued at more than $2 billion, if all options are exercised. The proposed sales include a laundry list of armored personnel carriers, command vehicles, water cannons, a variety of trucks, ambulances, ammunition and assault rifles for the Saudi Arabian National Guard.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), which notified Congress Monday of the possible sale, valued the proposed sale at nearly $918 million.

Another proposed sale, valued around $401 million, was for a system that distributes information through data links to fighter aircraft.

(SNIP)

When combined with AWACS radar planes and ground command and control, the system "will provide allied forces greater situational awareness in any coalition operation," the agency said.

The third proposed sale, valued at up to $760 million, was for continued technical and logistical support for a wide spectrum of Saudi military aircraft, aircraft engines and missiles, the agency said.

2//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong Oct 5, 2005
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/GJ05Ak01.html

OUSTING ASSAD WITHOUT A BACKUP PLAN
By Ehsan Ahrari

There are reports in the Western media that the inquiry of special UN investigator Deltev Mehlis into the assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister, Rafik Hariri, is nearing a conclusion. Four actors, who are either interested in it or will be affected by it, are driven by varying and somewhat conflicting agendas.

The US is hoping to use the Mehlis report to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad. Lebanon wants to use it to rehabilitate its national sovereignty. The Arab states are worried about the potential instability in Syria, which is next door to Iraq, and about the erosion of another Arab state that can pose even a semblance of challenge to Israel. Israel, on the contrary, is anticipating the removal of a thorn from its side. Then, it will only have to concentrate on confronting Iran.

The least-contemplated aspect of a potential regime change in Syria might be the potential rise of influence and potency of pan-jihadi forces in Syria, if the Assad regime is ousted with the same lack of regard to having a stable government taking its place as happened at the time of the US invasion of Iraq.

It is not Syria's alleged involvement in Hariri's assassination that is bothering the Bush administration. Rather, it is Syria's role related to the rising tide of insurgency in Iraq that is immeasurably frustrating the US. America's stakes in Iraq are appearing too grim, and Syria, more than Iran, is getting the blame because the insurgency is predominantly Sunni.

Even though Assad's regime in Syria represents the rule of the Alawite sect (which is Shi'ite), Syria is a predominantly Sunni state. As such, the Sunni insurgents of Iraq are reported to be finding considerable sympathy in Syria. Since not much that happens inside its borders escapes the attention of the Syrian regime, the United States has a point in concluding that the Assad regime has kept a relaxed attitude toward the cross-border activities of the Iraqi insurgents.

What is still not clear is how the US would go about removing Assad. First of all, clear enough evidence has to come out of Mehlis' report. And Mehlis is his own man. He is not likely to be influenced or pressured by the US. What if the report provides not even a semblance of "indictment" of Assad's regime? What if only the low-level officials were involved? Finally, how credible are the Syrian "witnesses" or "whistle-blowers" who are currently talking to Mehlis and his team of investigators?

Regardless whether Mehlis' report blames the Assad regime, there is little doubt that Lebanon is a winner. Syria is already out of that country. It will be a matter of time before its sovereignty is reestablished there. And the reasons for that development have a lot to do with the current regional environment rather than just the ouster of Syrian forces.

The presence of American forces in Iraq has been making Syria quite uncomfortable. Gone are the days when it could stay put in Lebanon and drag its feet indefinitely about getting out. Gone are the days when the absence of Arab consensus about getting Syria out of Lebanon served as their tacit endorsement of its presence in Lebanon. Also gone are the days when Lebanon did not matter much in the larger Arab political picture.

The US has been quite effective in making its opposition felt about Syria's presence in Lebanon. Realizing how effective that opposition has been, Washington does not want to stop there. There is ample reason to keep Syria on a short leash: Syria may not be responsible for the assassination of Hariri but if it can be proved that Assad's regime was involved, then some way would have to be found for Assad's removal.

(SNIP)

But the Middle East as a region may not remain rosy if Assad is toppled. There is nothing pan-Jihadist forces of the Middle East wish at the current time more than seeing a widened area of chaos and turbulence. The more the powerful forces of America, or even Israel, get involved in establishing the Western (or as the Islamists would call the Judeo-Christian) version of order, the less their chances of success.

A safe option from the perspectives of order and stability would be that there is no regime change in Syria. If that were to happen under unavoidable circumstances, the UN and the international community should remain in charge in securing and stabilizing Syria. Iraq has proved how bloody the battle can become in attempting to occupy it. Syria is not likely to be any less bloody or chaotic.

3//The Independent, UK Published: 05 October 2005
http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article317215.ece

PUTIN BOASTS OF RUSSIAN POWER AT EU SUMMIT
By Andrew Osborn in Moscow and Anne Penketh

Against a background of increasingly frosty relations between Russia and the European Union, President Vladimir Putin took time to boast of his country's economic power during a visit to London yesterday.

Russia provides one-third of the EU's oil supplies, he pointed out, and said that the country's economic growth in the oil and gas sector "has enabled the nation to lead a more independent foreign policy."

There have been fears that the EU could become too dependent on Russian energy supplies. But Mr Putin said Russia was a "very reliable partner."

Tony Blair said the two sides had discussed the Chechnya conflict during the EU-Russia summit talks. But he and Mr Putin made it clear at a news conference that economic relations were becoming the core of the relationship.

"We want to work to take the relationship between Europe and Russia to a new and more intense and strengthened level," Mr Blair said. "This is a relationship in economic terms that can only grow and prosper and strengthen."

At home, Mr Putin's stock is high as the world's largest country luxuriates in record oil prices, enjoys an unusual period of political stability and holds its head high on the world stage.

The fact that the Kremlin's control of the economy and the media is getting tighter is of little concern to ordinary Russians. Their prime concern is their quality of life, and Mr Putin appears to have understood that, repeatedly telling his 144 million fellow Russians that raising living standards on the back of a strong economy is his priority. With his approval rating at around 70 per cent, no real challenger to his power has emerged and the opposition remains weak. Most Russians would like Mr Putin to stand for a third term in 2008 when presidential elections are held, regardless of the constitution limiting him to two terms.

Mr Putin has become noticeably more populist of late, pledging to increase social spending by more than £2bn, a huge figure in a country where the monthly average wage is about £200. He has also vowed that hospitals will be re-equipped, that doctors, nurses and teachers will get sharp salary increases, and that the state will pour money into new homes and a more practicable mortgage system.

(SNIP)

Why Mr Putin seems particularly anxious to keep the masses happy at this, the twilight of his second term in the Kremlin, is a matter of conjecture. Some cite his fear of Russia falling victim to a Ukraine-style orange revolution, and that is certainly a factor, but the approaching 2007 parliamentary elections and the 2008 presidential elections are likely to loom larger in his mind. Mr Putin and his advisers want to ensure they effect an orderly handover of power and pick a successor from among their own ranks. Sergey Ivanov, the Defence Minister, is a strong contender.

One damaging incident for Mr Putin was "the babushkas' revolt" which erupted earlier this year. The country's elderly took to the streets in protest after the government savagely cut Soviet-era social benefits. Mr Putin was taken aback by the strength of feeling and rounded on his own ministers, admitting the reform had been botched.

In the summer his previously solid personal approval faltered badly and he had to use all the charm he could muster to repair the damage. Strutting his stuff on the international stage will do his image at home a power of good.

"At least we've now got someone who we can send abroad who we don't need to be embarrassed by," says Marina, a marketing executive. "He's not drunk, he looks normal and most importantly he's not Yeltsin."

4//The Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates 4 October 2005
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data...

TURKEY CELEBRATES EU TALKS, BUT DOUBTS LINGER OVER MEMBERSHIP
(AFP)

ANKARA - Turkey on Tuesday celebrated the long-awaited start of its membership talks with the European Union, but Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that the real slog is still in store and sceptics cast doubt on the country’s prospect of ever joining the club.

The talks finally opened overnight in Luxembourg after hours of wrangling on the terms of accession, marked by Austrian insistence on offering Turkey an option other than full membership.

“The EU dream has come true,” trumpeted the popular daily Aksam, while the liberal Milliyet proclaimed: “A new Europe, a new Turkey.”

“Vienna has fallen,” bannered the mass-selling Hurriyet, adding: ”Turkey, repulsed twice in history from the gates of Vienna, now enters Europe through peace and integration.”

It was an oblique reference to Austria’s objections and to two unsuccessful Ottoman sieges of Vienna, which stopped the empire from advancing further west into Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries.

The pro-opposition Cumhuriyet argued that the accession terms amounted to something short of full membership, even though such an option was not openly mentioned in the text.

Erdogan acknowledged that the accession process would be hard, but insisted that ultimately membership “is not an unachievable dream” and vowed a “great struggle” to cement Turkish democracy.

“The real work has just begun,” Erdogan told members of his Justice and Development Party (AKP) in parliament.

“The implementation (of reforms) in particular will try us and there will be a great struggle to fully implement the harmonization laws -- we will pursue our path with the same determination,” he said.

Erdogan was referring to a series of laws passed over the past few years whose uneven enforcement has led the country’s many opponents in Europe to argue that Ankara is not fit to join the EU.

Turkey has been trying to join the European club since the 1960s but its bid has come increasingly into question, especially after French and Dutch voters rejected a draft EU constitution earlier this year, partly over concerns about the entry into the EU of this relatively poor Muslim country of 72 million.

(SNIP)

Sceptics argued that Ankara was offered a carrot that would never lead to full membership but would keep the country under pressure to make concessions.

The accession terms for Ankara say the talks will be open-ended, refer to the Union’s “absorption capacity,” allow for permanent restrictions on free movement of Turkish labor and fail to guarantee full benefits from EU agriculture subsidies.

The main opposition center-right People’s Republican Party (CHP) accused the EU of being insincere towards Ankara, arguing that the ”absorption capacity” provision could be used as a pretext to bar Turkey’s membership even if it meets all required conditions.

“What the EU has actually told Turkey is that the best Turkey is a Turkey that is forever a candidate,” CHP leader Deniz Baykal grumbled.

“Envisaging permanent restrictions on such an EU pillar as free movement amounts to a special status,” which falls short of full membership, an editorial in Cumhuriyet said.

Despite the doubts, the business community predicted large inflows of foreign investment.

(MORE)

5//The News International, Pakistan Wednesday October 05, 2005-- Shaaban 30, 1426 A.H.
http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/oct2005-daily/05-10-2005/world/w2.htm

‘NORTH KOREA MAY NAME KIM-JONG-IL’S SUCCESSOR SOON’

MOSCOW: North Korea could announce this month an eventual successor to leader Kim Jong-il, Russian news agency Itar-Tass said on Tuesday, quoting a diplomatic source in Pyongyang.

"An announcement about the appointment of a successor could be made as early as this month, timed for the celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the (North Korean Labour Party)," the unnamed source told Tass.

The source added that the successor would be one of Kim Jong-il’s sons, all of whom had "roughly equal chances."

North Korea is the world’s only communist dynasty and analysts have been speculating for years which son Kim will chose as his successor.

Kim, 63, has three known sons, Jong-nam, Jong-chol and Jong-un, from two women.

The eldest, Jong-nam, 34, was deported from Japan in 2001 on suspicion of trying to enter the country using a forged Dominican Republic passport.

He was sent to China from Japan and was quoted as saying at the time that he was trying to visit Tokyo Disneyland.

He reportedly fell out of favour over the incident and has since been the target of two assassination attempts, South Korean media reported citing intelligence sources.

(SNIP)

The second son, Jong-chol, was born to leader Kim’s second mistress, Ko Yong-hi, and is believed to be 24.

Kenji Fujimoto who served as the North Korean leader’s personal chef in the 1980s and 1990s wrote in a book that Kim did not think Jong-chol had the ability to lead North Korea.

The youngest of the three, Swiss-educated Jong-un, is believed to be Kim’s current choice to succeed him, analysts have speculated, adding he may be too young now for Kim to name him as his successor. Jong-chol and Jong-un had the same mother.

Kim Jong-il himself was 32 at the time he was in effect picked to succeed the Great Leader Kim Il-sung in 1974 by being elected secretary to the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the formal name of the North Korean Labour Party.

(MORE)