April 5, 2006

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 5, 2006

1//The Independent, UK--BLAIR’S HOPES OF SURVIVING UNTIL 2008 MAY REST ON LOCAL ELECTIONS (The local elections on 4 May could have a big impact on national politics and will provide a test for the leaders of all three main parties. For Tony Blair, the battle for control of England's town halls will be the most important local contest since he became Labour leader in 1994. The results could decide whether his party allows him to remain Prime Minister until 2008 as he apparently wishes. Heavy losses could easily trigger demands for Mr Blair to go sooner rather than later from Labour MPs jittery about their own prospects at the general election. If the calls extend beyond the "usual suspects" who criticise him, he could be in trouble.)

2//DW-Worlde.de/Deutsche Welle, Germany--GERMANY CALLS FOR DIRECT US-IRAN TALKS ON NUCLEAR PROGRAM (German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier urged the United States' government on Tuesday to address Iran's disputed nuclear program in groundbreaking bilateral talks with Tehran on Iraq. … Steinmeier said a debate had begun in the United States about direct US-Iranian negotiations on the nuclear issue, which he and his British counterpart Jack Straw backed, but noted the US government appeared reluctant. "We are oversimplifying the situation if we say that there is European pressure on the United States, on the American administration -- this is above all an internal American discussion," he said. "But at the moment, I cannot see any signs that they are prepared to take part in such discussions.")

3//The Daily Times, Pakistan--FEWER MADRASSAS THAN BELIEVED: STUDY (A new study released here concluded that “earlier assertions about the pervasiveness of madrassas appear to [be] baseless in light of current and previous research.” The study by Christine Fair of the US Institute of Peace and Syed Rashid Bukhari, her Pakistan-based colleague, has found that the most robust estimates of the market share of madrassas suggest that less than one percent of all full-time enrolled students attend these institutions. There is also “scant evidence” that madrassas contribute substantially to the recruitment of militants, probably because militant organisations have their own quality standards and, given their relatively small recruitment missions, they likely have other options. “Similarly, most observers believe that only a very small number of madrassas are involved in the actual training of militants,” the study adds. … According to the two authors, many Pakistanis believe that education reform in Pakistan is driven by external actors, such as the United States and Britain, who explicitly seek to “de-Islamise” education in Pakistan, something that has contributed to a general dissatisfaction with the given school system and the desire to find other alternatives, which the market is providing.)

4//Expatica, Netherlands--EUROPEAN TRADE UNIONS JUMP INTO CPE DISPUTE (European trade unions are united in opposing France's contested youth employment law, the head of the main pan-European labour federation, John Monks, said on Tuesday. "It is the whole of Europe that is against this project," said the secretary general of the European Trade Union Confederation [ETUC], who was in Paris to take part in a day of mass protests against the measure. … "There is a similar system in Greece and we know that Germany and the Netherlands are interested in [Prime Minister Dominique de] Villepin’s plan," said the head of ETUC, which groups 79 trade unions from 35 countries, representing some 60 million workers. Conceived by Villepin as a tool against youth unemployment — which runs at 22 percent in France — the First Employment Contract (CPE) is a contract for under 26-year-olds that can be terminated by the employer without explanation during a two-year trial period.)

5//MosNews, Russia--VENEZUELA TO BUY 30 MORE RUSSIAN HELICOPTERS, EYES COMBAT FIGHTERS (Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Monday, April 3, that Venezuela plans to buy 30 more Russian helicopters for its military. Chavez also said that Venezuela was forced to scrap a deal to buy military planes from Brazilia’s Embraer, and would therefore look to Russia to buy combat fighters as well. Chavez was speaking at the aerial demonstration of three newly bought Russian helicopters. He suggested that new helicopters would help Venezuela if the United States were one day to mount an attack. … “We wanted to buy some Brazilian training aircraft for our pilots ... the U.S. has stopped that operation,” Chavez, who was quoted by Reuters, told an audience at the helicopter event. “It’s a pity for Brazil because it was a good deal ... we are ready to buy Russian fighters to have them here defending the skies.”)

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1//The Independent, UK Published: 05 April 2006

BLAIR’S HOPES OF SURVIVING UNTIL 2008 MAY REST ON LOCAL ELECTIONS
By Andrew Grice, Political Editor

The local elections on 4 May could have a big impact on national politics and will provide a test for the leaders of all three main parties.

For Tony Blair, the battle for control of England's town halls will be the most important local contest since he became Labour leader in 1994. The results could decide whether his party allows him to remain Prime Minister until 2008 as he apparently wishes.

Heavy losses could easily trigger demands for Mr Blair to go sooner rather than later from Labour MPs jittery about their own prospects at the general election. If the calls extend beyond the "usual suspects" who criticise him, he could be in trouble.

A total of 4,360 seats are up for grabs in 176 of England's 386 local authorities, mainly in towns and cities. In most areas only a third of the councillors come up for re-election, making London the main battleground because all 1,861 seats on the 32 boroughs are being contested. There are no elections in Scotland or Wales this year.

London could provide the biggest headache for Mr Blair. When the boroughs were last fought in 2002, Labour was in a much stronger position in the opinion polls than it is now, so the party could suffer significant losses.

Labour, which usually trumpets national issues such as health and education in local elections, will go into reverse when Mr Blair and Gordon Brown launch its campaign today. It will highlight local issues such as crime, antisocial behaviour and the environment. Independent experts believe more than 200 overall losses for Labour would be a bad performance - and enough for Mr Blair's critics to demand his early exit.

The elections will also prove a first major test for David Cameron since he became Tory leader last December. Election experts admit it will not be easy for him to make sweeping gains because the Tories are already the largest party in local government.

(MORE)

2//DW-Worlde.de/Deutsche Welle, Germany 04.04.2006

GERMANY CALLS FOR DIRECT US-IRAN TALKS ON NUCLEAR PROGRAM

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier urged the United States' government on Tuesday to address Iran's disputed nuclear program in groundbreaking bilateral talks with Tehran on Iraq.

Steinmeier said ahead of a meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that direct negotiations between Washington and Tehran held the potential to break a deadlock in the protracted crisis.

He took up the issue with White House National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley after he arrived in Washington on Monday for a two-day visit.

"Based on reports that there are apparently talks taking place arranged by the American ambassador in Baghdad with the Iranian leadership about the situation in Iraq, I advised that the topics should not be limited just to Iraq but expanded to include one of the most urgent problems confronting us all: the suspicion that Iran, the Iranian leadership, is pursuing secret atomic weapons programs," he told reporters.

US reluctant

Steinmeier said a debate had begun in the United States about direct US-Iranian negotiations on the nuclear issue, which he and his British counterpart Jack Straw backed, but noted the US government appeared reluctant.

"We are oversimplifying the situation if we say that there is European pressure on the United States, on the American administration -- this is above all an internal American discussion," he said.

"But at the moment, I cannot see any signs that they are prepared to take part in such discussions."

Until now, the United States has limited its diplomacy on the Iranian nuclear program to two forums: the UN Security Council and the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency.

Iran's charge d'affaires in Iraq, Hassan Kazemi Gomi, said Tuesday that talks between Iran and the United States on the situation in Iraq would take place in Baghdad with Iraqi participation. No date was set.

Any direct meeting would mark a break in a near three-decade pause in direct contacts between US and Iranian officials following the country's 1979 Islamic revolution and the US hostage drama.

(MORE)

3//The Daily Times, Pakistan Wednesday, April 05, 2006

FEWER MADRASSAS THAN BELIEVED: STUDY
By Khalid Hasan

WASHINGTON: A new study released here concluded that “earlier assertions about the pervasiveness of madrassas appear to [be] baseless in light of current and previous research.”

The study by Christine Fair of the US Institute of Peace and Syed Rashid Bukhari, her Pakistan-based colleague, has found that the most robust estimates of the market share of madrassas suggest that less than one percent of all full-time enrolled students attend these institutions. There is also “scant evidence” that madrassas contribute substantially to the recruitment of militants, probably because militant organisations have their own quality standards and, given their relatively small recruitment missions, they likely have other options. “Similarly, most observers believe that only a very small number of madrassas are involved in the actual training of militants,” the study adds.

Fair and Bukhari have, however, found that it is likely that madrassas may contribute to conditions that are conducive to supporting terrorism and militancy. They may likely contribute to Pakistan’s domestic security challenges and may indirectly pose challenges to regional security as well. In addition, there is evidence that density of madrassas contributes to sectarian violence, which could be probably due, at least in part, to the fact that each school teaches the superiority of its own tradition.

The madrassah system as it is currently constituted, many of those the two researchers talked to is likely producing ullema that are “irrelevant and ill-prepared to contribute to the needs of a modern Muslim state.” The authors are of the opinion given that the vast majority of students attend public schools, it seems that disproportionate efforts have been expended focusing on the madrassas. They believe that greater attention should be given to public schools and possibly to encouraging greater access to private schools. They quote an earlier study that made the point that private school students and teachers were more likely to support equal rights for Pakistan’s minorities and women and were more likely to support peaceful means of conflict resolution.

Fair and Bokhari recommend that more attention needs to be given to understanding the determinants of parental choice in educating their children. If the Pakistan government’s efforts do not adequately consider the demands of parents as well as the demands of the labour market and an evolving economy, the market will provide other options to parents. According to the two authors, many Pakistanis believe that education reform in Pakistan is driven by external actors, such as the United States and Britain, who explicitly seek to “de-Islamise” education in Pakistan, something that has contributed to a general dissatisfaction with the given school system and the desire to find other alternatives, which the market is providing. Not all of these options are expensive and poorer students can finance these alternatives through zakat.

(MORE)

4//Expatica, Netherlands April 4, 2006

EUROPEAN TRADE UNIONS JUMP INTO CPE DISPUTE

PARIS, April 4, 2006 (AFP) - European trade unions are united in opposing France's contested youth employment law, the head of the main pan-European labour federation, John Monks, said on Tuesday.

"It is the whole of Europe that is against this project," said the secretary general of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), who was in Paris to take part in a day of mass protests against the measure.

"I came with unionists from Italy and Belgium and there are demonstrators outside the French embassies in many European cities," he told a joint news conference organised by student groups and unions.

"There is a similar system in Greece and we know that Germany and the Netherlands are interested in (Prime Minister Dominique de) Villepin’s plan," said the head of ETUC, which groups 79 trade unions from 35 countries, representing some 60 million workers.

Conceived by Villepin as a tool against youth unemployment — which runs at 22 percent in France — the First Employment Contract (CPE) is a contract for under 26-year-olds that can be terminated by the employer without explanation during a two-year trial period.

It has provoked a massive popular backlash, with opponents accusing Villepin of trampling on hard-won labour rights and railroading the measure through parliament without due consultation with unions and employers.

The measure was signed into law over the weekend but immediately suspended by President Jacques Chirac while a new version is drafted in an attempt to end the crisis.

5//MosNews, Russia Created: 04.04.2006 11:36 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 12:18 MSK

VENEZUELA TO BUY 30 MORE RUSSIAN HELICOPTERS, EYES COMBAT FIGHTERS
MosNews

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Monday, April 3, that Venezuela plans to buy 30 more Russian helicopters for its military. Chavez also said that Venezuela was forced to scrap a deal to buy military planes from Brazilia’s Embraer, and would therefore look to Russia to buy combat fighters as well.

Chavez was speaking at the aerial demonstration of three newly bought Russian helicopters. He suggested that new helicopters would help Venezuela if the United States were one day to mount an attack. “The helicopters that have begun flying in Venezuelan skies are like true steel tigers,” Chavez said, quoted by Associated Press. He added that Mi-17 helicopters, mounted with rocket-launchers, will help Venezuelan troops as they train with a new emphasis on “wars of resistance, anti-imperialist war.”

Army commander Gen. Raul Baduel said the military plans to buy a total of 20 Mi-17s, 10 Mi-35s and three Mi-26T helicopters from Russia to be used in defense as well as counter-drug patrols along the border with Colombia. “This year, we should have 15 helicopters of the 33 that are expected in our country,” Baduel told state television. Baduel’s announcement was the first of plans to buy 33 Russian helicopters. Russia agreed to sell 15 to Chavez’s government last year for $201 million.

(SNIP)

“We wanted to buy some Brazilian training aircraft for our pilots ... the U.S. has stopped that operation,” Chavez, who was quoted by Reuters, told an audience at the helicopter event. “It’s a pity for Brazil because it was a good deal ... we are ready to buy Russian fighters to have them here defending the skies.”