November 21, 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 NOVEMBER 21, 2005

1//The Jordan Times, Jordan--PARLIAMENTARY POLLS CLAIM 1ST VICTIM AS VIOLENCE SPREADS (The second round of Egypt's parliamentary elections was marred by deadly violence and voter intimidation Sunday as the regime appeared bent on curbing the surge of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. The month-long polls that kicked off on November 9 claimed their first victim when the driver for an independent candidate was beaten to death by thugs hired by the ruling National Democratic Party, independent vote monitors said. "What is happening today is beyond imagination. Which other country uses drugged-up thugs to beat up the sons of the nation? They are ready to use their knives to prevent citizens from voting," local Brotherhood candidate Mahmoud Attiyah told AFP. … Observers and opposition parties said the violence stemmed from a willingness on the part of veteran President Hosni Mubarak's NDP to prevent the Muslim Brotherhood from making further political gains. While the NDP's dominance is not in doubt after securing 112 out of 164 seats up for grabs in the first phase, the Brotherhood won a surprise 34 seats, twice its tally in 2000. With the second phase including many of their traditional strongholds, the Muslim Brothers could be on course for 100 MPs in the 454-seat People's Assembly.… The first phase, centred on Cairo, ended on Wednesday, amid accusations of widespread irregularities. It also signalled the demise of the secular opposition, with presidential runner-up and Ghad Party leader Ayman Nur crashing to defeat and an alliance of other parties failing to make any impact. The second phase involves close to 1,800 candidates battling it out over 144 seats. Runoffs will take place on November 26 before the final phase starts on December 1.)

2//The Independent, UK--A DEADLY LEGACY: THE CLUSTER BOMB (Tony Blair is facing fresh fury over the use of controversial munitions in the Iraq war. Campaigners lambasted the Ministry of Defence over its use of deadly cluster bombs and shells during the invasion, warning that they could contravene international law. MPs are to table a raft of new questions today over the affair amid fears that thousands of bomblets released during the war will leave a deadly legacy for Iraqi civilians. They warned that any unexploded bomblets could kill or maim civilians for years to come. The dispute over British use of cluster bombs will be intensify this week with the publication of a report by the pressure group Landmine Action, which raises questions over the efforts made to ensure that the weapons did not harm civilians. It comes as international signatories to the international convention on conventional weapons meet in Geneva this week, amid pressure for a moratorium on the production of cluster bombs and tough new limits on their use.)

Related: The Daily Star, Lebanon-- LEBANON’S INVISIBLE ENEMY LIES IN WAIT

3//Arab News, Saudi Arabia--BICKERING MARS IRAQ RECONCILIATION TALKS (Bickering marred the first day of Iraqi reconciliation talks in Cairo yesterday, amid confessional tensions which flared up when a former Baathist official accused the delegates of being US stooges. Shiite and Kurdish delegates stormed out of the conference, bringing proceedings to a halt yesterday, but were persuaded to return after a delegate apologized for a speech seen as insulting. The walkout and resumption highlighted the difficulties of trying to bridge deep divisions among the sectarian delegates at the meeting, which the Arab League called to prepare for a bigger reconciliation conference to be held later in Iraq. Hours after the meeting began, an Iraqi Christian delegate, Ibrahim Menas Al-Youssefi, took the podium and accused fellow delegates of being US stooges. He said the entire Iraqi political process was illegitimate and orchestrated by Washington. Shiite and Kurdish delegates left the closed session in disgust.)

4//The Korea Times, South Korea--RULING CAMP CONFIRMS TROOP CUT FROM IRAQ (The ruling Uri Party and the Defense Ministry confirmed on Sunday that the government plans to reduce some 1,000 soldiers from Iraq, saying reports that came out Friday are mostly accurate. Both groups agreed to phase out 1,000 of the current 3,260 troops stationed in the war-torn country as early as the first half of next year at a policy coordination meeting last Friday, according to reports. Rep. Oh Young-sik, the governing party’s vice floor leader who briefed reporters on the one-hour meeting, said the contents of the ruling party-government meeting were supposed to be confidential and the troop reduction plan would be officially confirmed when the government submits its final plan to an Assembly panel on Tuesday. … Prior to the policy coordination meeting, Minister Yoon said, “In order to maintain the purpose and meaning of the troop deployment, it’s necessary to extend the troop dispatch for another one year. However, in consideration of the Zaytun Unit’s plans for next year, other foreign countries’ troop reduction plans and improving security environments in Iraq, it might be possible to reduce the size of the deployment.”)

5//The Chosun Ilbo, South Korea--DEFENSE MEGA-PROJECTS IN SNUB TO U.S. ARMS MAKERS (An Israeli firm and a European consortium seem to have knocked U.S. firms out of the bidding for the much-delayed Korean Helicopter Project and an airborne early warning system, the so-called E-X project. It is almost unprecedented for U.S. aerospace firms to lose out to rivals from other countries in Korean arms procurement. The projects have a combined budget of W7 trillion (about US$7 billion). … Observers sense a link between the snub to U.S. manufacturers, who have had one of their most faithful customers in Korea in the last five decades, and moves toward a more independent Korean defense. But the Defense Ministry says the decision has nothing to do with the state of the alliance.)

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1//The Jordan Times, Jordan Monday, November 21, 2005
http://www.jordantimes.com/mon/news/news4.htm

PARLIAMENTARY POLLS CLAIM 1ST VICTIM AS VIOLENCE SPREADS

ALEXANDRIA (AFP) — The second round of Egypt's parliamentary elections was marred by deadly violence and voter intimidation Sunday as the regime appeared bent on curbing the surge of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.

The month-long polls that kicked off on November 9 claimed their first victim when the driver for an independent candidate was beaten to death by thugs hired by the ruling National Democratic Party, independent vote monitors said.

"What is happening today is beyond imagination. Which other country uses drugged-up thugs to beat up the sons of the nation? They are ready to use their knives to prevent citizens from voting," local Brotherhood candidate Mahmoud Attiyah told AFP.

Sources at Alexandria hospital confirmed the death of Mohammed Khalil, a 37-year-old father of three who worked as a driver for NDP renegade Hassan Hussein Hassan.

A second independent candidate, Seif Eddin Kabbari, was stabbed by unknown men in the Karmuz district of Alexandria. His condition was believed to be serious.

An AFP correspondent reporting from a polling station in Karmuz said Kabbari had been present when clashes broke out between his supporters and NDP men. The Mediterranean city is an Islamist bastion and saw most of the violence, which pitted supporters of the banned but tolerated Muslim Brotherhood against NDP supporters armed with knives and sometimes drugged or drunk.

"The situation is getting worse and worse, and the operation is deteriorating in many spots, we have a lot of examples of interference in favour of the NDP," said Sherif Mansur of the independent Ibn Khaldun Centre for Development Studies.

Observers and opposition parties said the violence stemmed from a willingness on the part of veteran President Hosni Mubarak's NDP to prevent the Muslim Brotherhood from making further political gains.

While the NDP's dominance is not in doubt after securing 112 out of 164 seats up for grabs in the first phase, the Brotherhood won a surprise 34 seats, twice its tally in 2000.

With the second phase including many of their traditional strongholds, the Muslim Brothers could be on course for 100 MPs in the 454-seat People's Assembly.

"This phase will be more tense than the first round. The government will try to interfere with the polling process in a bid to prevent the surge of the Muslim Brotherhood," prominent judge Yehya Rifai had told AFP.

"There is more fraud that the judges can cope with," he warned, stressing that the number of judges assigned to polling stations and the contingent of independent monitors would not be sufficient to prevent irregularities.

(SNIP)

The first phase, centred on Cairo, ended on Wednesday, amid accusations of widespread irregularities.

It also signalled the demise of the secular opposition, with presidential runner-up and Ghad Party leader Ayman Nur crashing to defeat and an alliance of other parties failing to make any impact.

The second phase involves close to 1,800 candidates battling it out over 144 seats. Runoffs will take place on November 26 before the final phase starts on December 1.

Legal parties need five per cent of parliament — or 25 seats — to field a candidate in presidential elections.

But independents require the approval of at least 65 members, according to a constitutional amendment which the Brotherhood says was designed to prevent it from running.

2//The Independent, UK Published: 21 November 2005
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article328300.ece

A DEADLY LEGACY: THE CLUSTER BOMB
It is feared that thousands of bomblets lie unexploded in Iraq, capable of maiming or killing innocent civilians. This week, more than two years after they were dropped, Britain is finally being held to account

By Ben Russell, Political Correspondent

Tony Blair is facing fresh fury over the use of controversial munitions in the Iraq war. Campaigners lambasted the Ministry of Defence over its use of deadly cluster bombs and shells during the invasion, warning that they could contravene international law.

MPs are to table a raft of new questions today over the affair amid fears that thousands of bomblets released during the war will leave a deadly legacy for Iraqi civilians. They warned that any unexploded bomblets could kill or maim civilians for years to come.

The dispute over British use of cluster bombs will be intensify this week with the publication of a report by the pressure group Landmine Action, which raises questions over the efforts made to ensure that the weapons did not harm civilians. It comes as international signatories to the international convention on conventional weapons meet in Geneva this week, amid pressure for a moratorium on the production of cluster bombs and tough new limits on their use.

The report, funded by the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, said British officials had failed to gather field data about the failure rates of cluster bomblets, and had done "little or nothing to gauge the humanitarian impact of these weapons".

It said that the UK had "failed to undertake any significant effort to understand better the impact of cluster munition use and has continued to use them. As was foreseeable, these cluster munitions have been a cause of civilian casualties."

Michael Moore, the Liberal Democrat defence spokesman, said: "This is a very significant report which raises some very serious issues. There is clearly a lack of information and I will be tabling questions and writing to the Secretary of State with a copy of this report seeking detailed answers to the questions it raises. The jury may be out on the political legacy of the coalition's time in Iraq but the military legacy could be absolutely devastating."

Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour MP for Islington North, also said he would raise fresh questions about the affair. He said: "My concerns about the issue of cluster bombs are as strong as they ever were. Unexploded bomblets lying around can be picked up by farmers and children in the community and can be lethal. They can be buried and can be as bad as land mines."

A report published in 2003 by the group Human Rights Watch said British forces had killed dozens of civilians in and around Basra using ground launched cluster munitions.

(MORE)

Related:

The Daily Star, Lebanon Monday, November 21, 2005
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition...

LEBANON’S INVISIBLE ENEMY LIES IN WAIT
Over half a million mines are yet to be cleared all over country

3//Arab News, Saudi Arabia Sunday, 20, November, 2005 (18, Shawwal, 1426)
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4&section=0&article...

BICKERING MARS IRAQ RECONCILIATION TALKS
Serene Assir, Arab News

CAIRO, 20 November 2005 — Bickering marred the first day of Iraqi reconciliation talks in Cairo yesterday, amid confessional tensions which flared up when a former Baathist official accused the delegates of being US stooges.

Shiite and Kurdish delegates stormed out of the conference, bringing proceedings to a halt yesterday, but were persuaded to return after a delegate apologized for a speech seen as insulting.

The walkout and resumption highlighted the difficulties of trying to bridge deep divisions among the sectarian delegates at the meeting, which the Arab League called to prepare for a bigger reconciliation conference to be held later in Iraq.

Hours after the meeting began, an Iraqi Christian delegate, Ibrahim Menas Al-Youssefi, took the podium and accused fellow delegates of being US stooges. He said the entire Iraqi political process was illegitimate and orchestrated by Washington.

Shiite and Kurdish delegates left the closed session in disgust.

“They are insulting the Iraqi people and they are insulting the constitution on which several million Iraqis have voted,” Shiite legislator Jawad Al-Maliki told reporters outside the chamber. “They want the situation in Iraq to go back to the way it used to be so that the mass graves can return.”

Arab foreign ministers, particularly Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, promptly engaged the Shiite and Kurdish delegates and urged them to return to the chamber.

Within the hour, Sunni delegate Ahmed Shehab Al-Dulaimi told reporters that the conference had resumed after the delegate apologized and Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa had ruled that Al-Youssefi’s comments would be struck from the record.

(SNIP)

The meetings are aimed at setting a date and agenda for a reconciliation conference to be held in Baghdad, but optimism over the unprecedented talks was dampened by exchanges of mutual recriminations.

“We have set a red line: There is no room for Baathists in Iraq,” Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari told the meeting, which was attended by around 100 Iraqi leaders and regional officials.

Jaafari, a devout Shiite, echoed reservations voiced by the ruling Shiite majority over the participation in reconciliation talks of former members of Saddam Hussein’s ousted Sunni-dominated regime.

Egypt and the Arab League had pressured the Iraqi government to allow former Baathists “with no blood on their hands” to be included in the talks.

(SNIP)

The head of Iraq’s leading Sunni Muslim authority reacted angrily to Jaafari’s comments.
“Jaafari’s speech was characterized by a spirit of exclusion and he painted a rosy picture of the situation in Iraq,” said Hareth Al-Dari, who heads the Committee of Muslim Scholars.

Dari described Jaafari’s opening speech as “disappointing words that do not lead us to believe we can reach a sincere understanding” and went on to accuse the Shiite-dominated regime of marginalizing the disempowered Sunni minority.

Iraq’s disempowered Sunni minority has so far boycotted much of the post-war political process and consistently demanded a timetable for the withdrawal of the 170,000 US-led foreign troops.

Vice President Ghazi Al-Yawar, a leading Sunni tribal leader, argued that the talks would have benefited from wider participation.

“All Iraqis should be here if we want our problems to be solved,” he told reporters.

(MORE)

4//The Korea Times, South Korea 11-20-2005 17:28
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/200511/kt2005...

RULING CAMP CONFIRMS TROOP CUT FROM IRAQ
By Lee Jin-woo, Staff Reporter

The ruling Uri Party and the Defense Ministry confirmed on Sunday that the government plans to reduce some 1,000 soldiers from Iraq, saying reports that came out Friday are mostly accurate.

Both groups agreed to phase out 1,000 of the current 3,260 troops stationed in the war-torn country as early as the first half of next year at a policy coordination meeting last Friday, according to reports.

Rep. Oh Young-sik, the governing party’s vice floor leader who briefed reporters on the one-hour meeting, said the contents of the ruling party-government meeting were supposed to be confidential and the troop reduction plan would be officially confirmed when the government submits its final plan to an Assembly panel on Tuesday.

“Actually, I didn’t say ‘reduction’ (in Korean), but used another term ‘adjustment.’ We still cannot officially confirm the plan in detail,’’ Rep. Oh told The Korea Times. “Besides, as Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung uttered the term `reduction’ prior to Friday’s meeting, it was difficult not to mention the troop cuts in the press briefing.”

Rep. Oh also admitted that it is true that the government and the ruling party have seriously discussed the reduction plan as reported.

Prior to the policy coordination meeting, Minister Yoon said, “In order to maintain the purpose and meaning of the troop deployment, it’s necessary to extend the troop dispatch for another one year. However, in consideration of the Zaytun Unit’s plans for next year, other foreign countries’ troop reduction plans and improving security environments in Iraq, it might be possible to reduce the size of the deployment.”

Rep. Oh suspected that classified documents with exact figures seemed to have been leaked to a news agency ahead of the meeting.

The ministry did not deny its troop reduction plan, but said the discussion was supposed to be confidential as the meeting was held a day after the summit between President Roh Moo-hyun and U.S. President George W. Bush in Kyongju, South Korea, according to a defense ministry official.

“It is true that we have discussed the troop reduction plan with working-level U.S. officials,’’ said the official on condition of anonymity. ``However, we did not intend to reveal the sensitive issue to the public last Friday. Most news reports have been mostly correct, though.”

(SNIP)

Under a bill approved by the Assembly in December last year, the South Korean troops will stay in Iraq until Dec. 31 on a humanitarian and reconstruction mission. The government plans to win parliamentary approval to extend the mandate.

South Korean troops are the third largest foreign contingent in Iraq after the United States with about 150,000 and Britain with about 8,500.

5//The Chosun Ilbo, South Korea Updated Nov.20,2005 22:46 KST
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/...

DEFENSE MEGA-PROJECTS IN SNUB TO U.S. ARMS MAKERS

An Israeli firm and a European consortium seem to have knocked U.S. firms out of the bidding for the much-delayed Korean Helicopter Project and an airborne early warning system, the so-called E-X project.

It is almost unprecedented for U.S. aerospace firms to lose out to rivals from other countries in Korean arms procurement. The projects have a combined budget of W7 trillion (about US$7 billion).

According to sources in the industry and the armed forces, Korean Aeronautics Industries wrapped up negotiations last Friday with the French-German manufacturer Eurocopter, whose product best met the qualifications for the scaled-down helicopter project. Eurocopter had been in competition with Bell of the U.S. and AWIL, a British-Italian venture, whose bids did not meet requirements.

(SNIP)

As for the E-X project for which the E-737 from Boeing of the United States and G-550 from IAI ELTA of Israel are competing, the G-550 is reported to have passed the capability tests of the ROK air force, and the government is likely to go with the cheaper project. IAI’s bid is reportedly a good $300 million to $500 million lower than Boeing’s. The Defense Ministry will make a decision after final price negotiations.

Observers sense a link between the snub to U.S. manufacturers, who have had one of their most faithful customers in Korea in the last five decades, and moves toward a more independent Korean defense. But the Defense Ministry says the decision has nothing to do with the state of the alliance.