October 10, 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 10, 2005

1//The Independent, UK--GOLDSMITH CHALLENGES BLAIR OVER TERROR LAWS (Tony Blair's most senior legal adviser has expressed doubts about whether holding terrorist suspects for as long as three months without charge would be justified. The Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, is believed to have told the Home Secretary he is not persuaded it would be right to detain terror suspects for 90 days. The warning comes as members of the Cabinet prepare to meet police tomorrow to discuss the Government's terror Bill which is published this week. ... . The Government's official reviewer of terrorism law, Lord Carlile of Berriew, is believed to have warned there could be problems with holding suspects for up to three months. The report, due to be published this week, is expected to criticise the proposal to extend detention of terrorist suspects from 14 days to three months and recommend a fresh look at a Continental system which offers suspects greater judicial protection. ... . His report is expected to refer to a 2003 paper on terror by Lord Newton. This highlighted a French system employing a security-cleared judge and offered stronger legal safeguards.)

2//The Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippines--US EMBASSY DENIES HAND IN RP CRISIS (The US embassy in Manila has denied having a hand in the political turmoil in the Philippines and slammed as "distorted" news accounts of leaked secret files sent by American diplomats to Washington on opposition attempts to unseat President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. In the first official response to recent events in Manila, Chargé d'Affaires Darryl Johnson said relations between the Philippines and the United States remained very strong.)

3//The Daily Star, Lebanon--YEMEN REBUKES U.S. ENVOY IN DEMOCRACY ROW (Yemen has rebuked the U.S. ambassador to Sanaa for saying that the country had halted its progress toward democracy, a few weeks before Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh is due to visit Washington. Yemen is "astonished" by Ambassador Thomas Krajeski's remarks, which "are not helpful to the good relations between the two friendly countries and constitute interference in Yemen's internal affairs," an authorized source said, quoted by the official Saba news agency. ... . "We wonder what kind of democracy Mr. Krajeski wants for Yemen and what is his gauge for progress. Does he want a democracy along the lines of that established by [U.S.-led] coalition forces in Iraq?" the source said, implicitly referring to mounting violence and sectarian rifts in Iraq.)

4//Gulf News Online, United Arab Emirates--AFGHAN RULER SWAPS US BODYGUARDS (Afghan President Hamid Karzai has replaced his US bodyguards with Afghan ones, blunting accusations by critics who accuse him of relying too much on US support. Karzai asked for American bodyguards in mid-2002, not long after one of his deputies was assassinated in Kabul and one of his ministers was killed at the city's airport.)

5//The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia--NUCLEAR ARMS SUPERMARKET DOING A ROARING TRADE (The determination of Middle Eastern and Asian countries to develop nuclear arsenals and other weapons of mass destruction is revealed by a secret British intelligence document. More than 360 private companies, university departments and government organisations in eight countries, including the Pakistani high commission in London, are identified as having procured goods or technology for use in weapons programs. The length of the list, compiled by British counter-intelligence, MI5, suggests the arms supermarket is bigger than has been publicly realised. MI5 warns against exports to organisations in Iran, Pakistan, India, Israel, Syria and Egypt and to beware of front companies in the United Arab Emirates, which appears to be a hub for the trade.)

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1//The Independent, UK Published: 09 October 2005
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article318245.ece

GOLDSMITH CHALLENGES BLAIR OVER TERROR LAWS
Attorney General warns ministers. 90-day lock-up plan 'not justified'

By Marie Woolf, Political Editor

Tony Blair's most senior legal adviser has expressed doubts about whether holding terrorist suspects for as long as three months without charge would be justified.

The Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, is believed to have told the Home Secretary he is not persuaded it would be right to detain terror suspects for 90 days. The warning comes as members of the Cabinet prepare to meet police tomorrow to discuss the Government's terror Bill which is published this week.

Lord Goldsmith, who is a member of the Cabinet, has recently written to Charles Clarke giving his views on the Government's new anti-terror legislation ahead of the meeting. His failure to give the stamp of approval to the proposed terror law threatens to embarrass the Government and could throw its plans to crack down on terrorism into disarray. Lord Goldsmith's doubts are understood to be shared by several other members of the Cabinet as well as by senior figures in the Home Office.

In his note to Mr Clarke, the Attorney General is believed to have said that, although extending detention beyond 14 days would be acceptable, he is not convinced that keeping suspects incarcerated for as long as 90 days would be justified.

(SNIP)

Tony Blair is likely to confront criticism head on when he holds a press conference this week and meets Labour MPs. Tony Blair's own watchdog on terror laws has warned that proposals to hold suspects for up to three months may be unworkable, The Independent on Sunday has learnt. An official report sent to the Home Secretary has raised doubts about the plans.

The Government's official reviewer of terrorism law, Lord Carlile of Berriew, is believed to have warned there could be problems with holding suspects for up to three months. The report, due to be published this week, is expected to criticise the proposal to extend detention of terrorist suspects from 14 days to three months and recommend a fresh look at a Continental system which offers suspects greater judicial protection.

Lord Carlile, a senior QC and criminal barrister who was appointed the statutory reviewer of terrorism legislation in 2001, refused to comment on the contents of his report. But, speaking to the IoS, he reiterated the need for anti-terror laws to be compatible with human rights legislation.

(SNIP)

His report is expected to refer to a 2003 paper on terror by Lord Newton. This highlighted a French system employing a security-cleared judge and offered stronger legal safeguards.

2//The Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippines First posted 00:43am (Mla time) Oct 10, 2005
http://news.inq7.net/nation/index.php?index=1&story_id=52820

US EMBASSY DENIES HAND IN RP CRISIS
By Volt Contreras. Inquirer News Service

The US embassy in Manila has denied having a hand in the political turmoil in the Philippines and slammed as "distorted" news accounts of leaked secret files sent by American diplomats to Washington on opposition attempts to unseat President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

In the first official response to recent events in Manila, Chargé d'Affaires Darryl Johnson said relations between the Philippines and the United States remained very strong.

Johnson was asked on Friday in Cebu about allegations that Leandro Aragoncillo, a Philippine-born ex-Marine, stole documents damaging to Ms Arroyo while working for Vice President Dick Cheney in the first uncovered case of spying in the White House.

"Well, of course we would be concerned about any story of this kind that has to do with the national security of the United States," Johnson said in the Cebu interview posted yesterday on the US Embassy website.

Internal US issue

"I think that this sort of thing is very unfortunate but it is a matter for the US legal system. It is an internal issue in the US and it is not something that will affect our foreign relations. We hope and expect that the relationship between the US and the Philippines will continue to thrive as it has in the past," he said.

"Our relationship is very strong and it has been so for a long time. We have a very close relationship, and President Arroyo was in the US recently and received a very warm welcome." Johnson also brushed aside suspicions raised last week by Archbishop Ramon Arguelles of Lipa City, Batangas province, that an American hand was behind the country's political conflicts.

"The US and the Philippines enjoy very strong relations, and unfounded allegations of this kind are certainly inappropriate and absolutely not correct," Johnson said.

(SNIP)

One leaked paper that was widely used by the Philippine media concerned a US Embassy political officer's characterization of Vice President Noli de Castro as an unfit successor to Ms Arroyo in the event of a successful coup d'etat. De Castro has reacted sharply to this particular report.

Asked to comment on the Mussomeli dossiers, Johnson replied, "these alleged reports are part of the case that has been brought against these two people and at this stage it would not be appropriate to comment on the distorted portions that have been reported in the Philippine press."

Johnson replaced Mussomeli two months ago. According to the embassy, Johnson was to leave Manila this week and was handing over the post to Deputy Chief of Mission Paul Jones.

(MORE)

3//The Daily Star, Lebanon Monday, October 10, 2005
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?ed....

YEMEN REBUKES U.S. ENVOY IN DEMOCRACY ROW
By Agence France Presse (AFP)

SANAA: Yemen has rebuked the U.S. ambassador to Sanaa for saying that the country had halted its progress toward democracy, a few weeks before Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh is due to visit Washington. Yemen is "astonished" by Ambassador Thomas Krajeski's remarks, which "are not helpful to the good relations between the two friendly countries and constitute interference in Yemen's internal affairs," an authorized source said, quoted by the official Saba news agency.

"Yemen is an independent democratic country, and democracy in Yemen is a matter that concerns the Yemeni people alone," the source said over the weekend.

"We wonder what kind of democracy Mr. Krajeski wants for Yemen and what is his gauge for progress. Does he want a democracy along the lines of that established by [U.S.-led] coalition forces in Iraq?" the source said, implicitly referring to mounting violence and sectarian rifts in Iraq.

The unidentified official was responding to remarks by the U.S. diplomat to the private newspaper Al-Ayyam published last week in which he expressed concern that Yemen had halted progress toward democracy.

(SNIP)

The envoy cited "harassment and arrest of journalists" and the closure of newspapers, denying that the United States turns a blind eye to the human rights record of countries that take part in the "war on terror."

4//Gulf News Online, United Arab Emirates Published: 9/10/2005, 00:00 (UAE)
http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/WorldNF.asp?ArticleID=185878

AFGHAN RULER SWAPS US BODYGUARDS
Agencies

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has replaced his US bodyguards with Afghan ones, blunting accusations by critics who accuse him of relying too much on US support.

Karzai asked for American bodyguards in mid-2002, not long after one of his deputies was assassinated in Kabul and one of his ministers was killed at the city's airport.

Palace official Khaliq Ahmad said that only a handful of the 300-member team remained in the country. They are set to leave after completing training of their local replacements.

Officials said the president is now protected by about 600 Afghan guards trained by the US bodyguards.

(MORE)

5//The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia October 10, 2005
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/nuclea...

NUCLEAR ARMS SUPERMARKET DOING A ROARING TRADE
By Ian Cobain and Ewen MacAskill in London (The Guardian, UK)

The determination of Middle Eastern and Asian countries to develop nuclear arsenals and other weapons of mass destruction is revealed by a secret British intelligence document.

More than 360 private companies, university departments and government organisations in eight countries, including the Pakistani high commission in London, are identified as having procured goods or technology for use in weapons programs.

The length of the list, compiled by British counter-intelligence, MI5, suggests the arms supermarket is bigger than has been publicly realised. MI5 warns against exports to organisations in Iran, Pakistan, India, Israel, Syria and Egypt and to beware of front companies in the United Arab Emirates, which appears to be a hub for the trade.

(SNIP)

The MI5 document, entitled Companies and Organisations of Proliferation Concern, has been compiled in an attempt to prevent British companies inadvertently exporting sensitive goods or expertise to organisations covertly involved in weapons of mass destruction programs.

(SNIP)

The 17-page document identifies 95 Pakistani organisations and government bodies, including the Pakistani high commission in London, as having helped the country's nuclear program. The list was compiled two years ago, shortly after the security service mounted a surveillance operation at the high commission.

(SNIP)

About 114 Iranian organisations, including chemical and pharmaceutical companies and university medical schools, are identified as having acquired nuclear, chemical, biological or missile technology. The document also discusses the nuclear ambitions of Egypt and Syria: a private chemical company in Egypt is identified as having procured technology for use in a nuclear weapons program, while the Syrian atomic energy commission faces a similar charge. Eleven Israeli organisations are listed, plus 73 Indian bodies said to have been involved in nuclear programs.

The document also highlights concerns companies in Malta and Cyprus could have been fronts for weapons of mass destruction programs. The United Arab Emirates is named as "the most important" of the countries where front companies may have been used, and 24 private firms there are identified as having acquired nuclear technology for Iran, Pakistan and India.

An Emirates spokesman said it had always worked "very closely" with the British authorities to counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.