June 30, 2006

World Media Watch

Edited 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.

Look for the next World Media Watch Wednesday, July 5th.

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WORLD MEDIA WATCH FOR JUNE 30, 2006

1//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong--IN TEHRAN, THINGS JUST GOT MORE COMPLEX (… The latest news from Tehran on the foreign-policy front is the formation of a new council on foreign affairs headed by the former foreign minister, Kemal Kharrazi, and inclusive of, among others, Kharrazi's predecessor, Ali Akbar Velayati, as well as heads of military forces. The new council was created to help the process of decision-making on foreign issues, along with the Foreign Ministry, the Supreme National Security Council and the [quasi-legislative] Expediency Council. Also, mention must be made of the parliament [majlis], which has an oversight function per the articles of the Islamic constitution. … Consequently, it is sheer error on the part of Western governments and their army of Iran experts to attribute Iran's delayed response to the nuclear package as "foot-dragging," since this interpretation overlooks the complexities of decision-making in a political system where no one wants to be blamed in the future for a major foreign-policy blunder, in light of the serious stakes in the ongoing nuclear row.)

2//Gulf News Online, United Arab Emirates--ISLAMABAD RESENTS US POLL ADVICE (The government has voiced resentment over recurring US calls for a free and fair general election in Pakistan in 2007, saying the country needed no advice from outside about its democratic process. The latest statement on the subject came from US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice when she told reporters during a visit here this week Washington had assurances from the Pakistani leadership that the next election would be free and fair. … Separately, the minister of state for information Tariq Azeem told reporters that Pakistan did not need any "certificate or dictation" from any country on its democratic system or its elections. He said Pakistan had never made any statement about American political system.)

3//Worldpress.org, U.S.--YEMEN’S PRESIDENT RENEGES ON DEMOCRACY (Last Thursday could have been a historic day. That was when President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen refused to accept his party's nomination for the presidency, declaring, "I am not a taxi to hire for a ride." It was a good line in a bad play. Saleh had spent nearly a year indignantly insisting that his sincere intention was to relinquish power in the presidential elections scheduled for September. He had made the same pledge only to renege in the 1993 and 1998 elections. Late Saturday Saleh announced, to the surprise of no one, he would keep his old crown after all, and the palace and the purse and the other accouterments of his monarchy. … The Yemeni opposition, known collectively as the Joint Meeting Parties (J.M.P.), is in some ways typical for the region, containing Islamists, reformists, Ba'athists, Socialists, and pan-Arab Nasserites. Some of these parties are not internally democratic. Leadership, platforms, and policies have often been presented to the membership as a fait accompli. Until recently, many opposition parties confined themselves to criticism and were ineffectual mechanisms of enfranchisement and opposition. Yet facing a dire economic reality, the Yemeni opposition is atypical in that they have unified [less the Ba'athists] in an effort to save the state from looming disaster. This melding together in a unity of purpose despite disparate ideologies and affiliations, whereby patriotism transcends agenda, is a positive development regionally. The J.M.P. has agreed on a single principle, equal rights for all citizens without exception or exclusion. This agreement forms the basis of the J.M.P.'s comprehensive reform platform. It is a courageous stand considering the regime's habit of attacking, threatening, kidnapping, and arresting those who call for reform or stand against corruption.)

4//Xinhua Online, China--CHINESE, AUSTRALIAN PMs UNVEIL GAS PROJECT (Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Australian Prime Minister John Howard unveiled the first ever Sino-Australian liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in south China's Guangdong province on Wednesday. The two premiers pushed the start-up button together in Dapeng Bay, Shenzhen city, in a ceremony marking the opening of the first stage of the project. The project, with a total investment of 7.12 billion yuan (890 million U.S. dollars) for its first phase construction, is the first ever project for China to import LNG from abroad. … Howard said the two countries had enjoyed sound relations despite the different cultural backgrounds. The LNG project symbolized stronger Australia-China economic ties, he said. With abundant energy resources, Australia offered China a long-term, stable and quality supply of energy, he said. Australia would like to boost cooperation with China in trade, energy and other fields, push the free trade negotiations and encourage cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy, he said.)

5//MosNews.com, Russia--RUSSIAN GUN DESIGNER KALASHNIKOV URGES TOUGH CONTROL OVER SMALL ARMS SALES (The famous Russian gun designer Mikhail Kalashnikov has called for tougher control over the small arms turnover to rule out uncontrolled weapons sales, Interfax news agency reports. “Tough procedure for registering and marking each weapon, and mutual recognition of such markings and information exchanges will help to rein counterfeit products sales. I believe that it is a realistic, efficient, and inexpensive approach to solving the problem,” Kalashnikov told participants of the UN conference on enforcing the program, aimed at curbing illegal turnover of small arms, which started in New York on June 26 and will last until July 7. … The rifle designer stressed that the main cause for the rise of uncontrolled small arms sales lies on “unprincipled businessmen,” who produce counterfeit Kalashnikov machine guns, and merchants, who sell arms to anyone willing to buy it. … According to him, the national control over small arms and specific measures aimed at toughening corresponding laws and regulations, are a must. “In addition to that, being a gun designer myself, I cannot but be outraged at the fact that my copyright is not enforced,” he said.)

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1//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong Jun 30, 2006

IN TEHRAN, THINGS JUST GOT MORE COMPLEX

By Kaveh L Afrasiabi

Iran is promising a quick response to an offer of incentives in return for suspending it nuclear program, specifically its uranium-enrichment activities, but the process of decision-making in Iran requires a consensual decision that may be hard to achieve in light of the institutional complexities of the Islamic Republic.

The latest news from Tehran on the foreign-policy front is the formation of a new council on foreign affairs headed by the former foreign minister, Kemal Kharrazi, and inclusive of, among others, Kharrazi's predecessor, Ali Akbar Velayati, as well as heads of military forces.

The new council was created to help the process of decision-making on foreign issues, along with the Foreign Ministry, the Supreme National Security Council and the (quasi-legislative) Expediency Council. Also, mention must be made of the parliament (majlis), which has an oversight function per the articles of the Islamic constitution.

The resurfacing of the cautious Kharrazi after nearly a year of public hiatus may be interpreted as a good omen in terms of the moderate drift of Iran's foreign policy, which will likely influence the current debates on the nuclear question toward compromise rather than confrontation.

But there is now the danger of "bureaucratic muddling through" of the nuclear decision-making, as the various inputs from different institutions within the government bring forth an even more complicated process aimed at balancing the multiple vested interests, above all the national-security apparatuses of the state.

The latter by all accounts have gained new prominence within the Islamic Republic since the events of September 11, 2001, and, more recently, over fears and concerns of a US and/or Israeli invasion of Iran, notwithstanding the occasional Washington leaks of clandestine activities inside Iran, particularly among the country's ethnic populations.

As Madeleine Albright, US secretary of state in the Bill Clinton administration, has pointed out, Iran's national-security concerns have greatly increased since the US invasion of neighboring Afghanistan and Iraq. Yet Albright's point about Iran's determined quest for nuclear weapons in response to these developments misses one crucial point - the old rationale of Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction is now gone. And that is a major national-security blessing that operates against the discourses in favor of proliferation.

Those discourses, more and more openly articulated by certain clerics from the holy city of Qom, often fail to contextualize the issue of regional proliferation and the net benefits to Iran by forcefully pushing for a Persian Gulf nuclear-free zone.

Currently, there is lively debate in policy circles in Iran on the merits as well as pros and cons of adopting the notion of a Persian Gulf nuclear-free zone, as a subset of the Middle East nuclear-free zone. Chances are that in the near future, as an expression of its regionalist orientation, Iran may bandwagon with the Gulf Cooperation Council and adopt this notion as a pillar of its foreign policy.

Nevertheless, the problem of bureaucratic decision-making on the nuclear question is partly internal, connected to the spirit of political factionalism and institutional diversity of the government, as much as to the external pressures and inputs.

Consequently, it is sheer error on the part of Western governments and their army of Iran experts to attribute Iran's delayed response to the nuclear package as "foot-dragging", since this interpretation overlooks the complexities of decision-making in a political system where no one wants to be blamed in the future for a major foreign-policy blunder, in light of the serious stakes in the ongoing nuclear row.

(MORE)

2//Gulf News Online, United Arab Emirates Published: 06/30/2006 12:00 AM (UAE)

ISLAMABAD RESENTS US POLL ADVICE
By Shahid Hussain, Correspondent

Islamabad: The government has voiced resentment over recurring US calls for a free and fair general election in Pakistan in 2007, saying the country needed no advice from outside about its democratic process.

The latest statement on the subject came from US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice when she told reporters during a visit here this week Washington had assurances from the Pakistani leadership that the next election would be free and fair.

(SNIP)

"We do not require advice from outside," she said, adding that these matters essentially concern the people of Pakistan.

Separately, the minister of state for information Tariq Azeem told reporters that Pakistan did not need any "certificate or dictation" from any country on its democratic system or its elections.

He said Pakistan had never made any statement about American political system. "The government will take all possible measures to ensure fair, free and transparent general election next year," Azeem said.

Responding to a question, he said the government was in touch with former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif. He did not indicate the purpose of these contacts, but observed that the two politicians were "vying" with each other to avail the opportunity to reach an understanding with the government.

3//Worldpress.org, U.S. June 28, 2006

YEMEN’S PRESIDENT RENEGES ON DEMOCRACY
Jane Novak, Worldpress.org Contributing Editor

Last Thursday could have been a historic day. That was when President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen refused to accept his party's nomination for the presidency, declaring, "I am not a taxi to hire for a ride." It was a good line in a bad play.

Saleh had spent nearly a year indignantly insisting that his sincere intention was to relinquish power in the presidential elections scheduled for September. He had made the same pledge only to renege in the 1993 and 1998 elections. Late Saturday Saleh announced, to the surprise of no one, he would keep his old crown after all, and the palace and the purse and the other accouterments of his monarchy.

Al-Sabeen Square in Sana'a filled with "spontaneous" protesters Friday and Saturday calling on Saleh to continue his reign. Undoubtedly, some were there out of affection for President Saleh, an understandable attachment considering his extended reign. Others who joined in were worried about a future without him. Some in the oligarchy feared the loss of privilege. But the vast majority of demonstrators were, "Public employees in all ministries, government institutions, joint public companies and various branches of the public sector [who were] urged to join," according to the Yemen Mirror.

In Yemen, civil service, government and military employment is highly politicized. The ministries in Yemen closed to enable their workers to go spontaneously demonstrate for Saleh. Local reports indicated that the Ministry of Religious Affairs advised mosque preachers to promote the impending spontaneous protest.

(SNIP)

Yemen, with some smattering of oil and gas, has the "resource curse." Saleh's regime, like various other petty dictatorships dependent on oil sales, has become increasingly autocratic, corrupt, dysfunctional, and cold-hearted with each passing year. Oil reserves are expected to deplete rapidly within the next 10 years, exacerbating an already substantial economic and humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Continuing water depletion is another grave concern impacting both health and stability.

The last time there were wide spread public demonstrations in Yemen was in July 2005 when thousands of citizens across the impoverished nation took to the streets to plead with Saleh to reinstate oil subsidies. There were no free soft drinks then as Saleh unleashed tanks, guns, and soldiers against the protestors. Dozens of Yemenis were killed, hundreds injured, and hundreds arrested including young children. Journalists were beaten and arrested, a common occurrence in Yemen.

(SNIP)

The Yemeni opposition meanwhile has agreed that the decentralization of political power is a required precursor for urgently needed economic reform. North and South Yemen were one party states prior to unification in 1990. The democratic system was a byproduct of compromises necessary for unity. Through fifteen years, Saleh's ruling party, the General People's Congress (G.P.C.), established and strengthened its hegemony over the political system, economy, state bureaucracies, the media and its former rivals, eventually becoming a monstrous entity thriving on corruption, intimidation, bribery and deception. Those within the G.P.C. with a conscience, courage and patriotism, and there are many, face a daily battle within the belly of the beast.

(SNIP)

The Yemeni opposition, known collectively as the Joint Meeting Parties (J.M.P.), is in some ways typical for the region, containing Islamists, reformists, Ba'athists, Socialists, and pan-Arab Nasserites. Some of these parties are not internally democratic. Leadership, platforms, and policies have often been presented to the membership as a fait accompli. Until recently, many opposition parties confined themselves to criticism and were ineffectual mechanisms of enfranchisement and opposition.

Yet facing a dire economic reality, the Yemeni opposition is atypical in that they have unified (less the Ba'athists) in an effort to save the state from looming disaster. This melding together in a unity of purpose despite disparate ideologies and affiliations, whereby patriotism transcends agenda, is a positive development regionally. The J.M.P. has agreed on a single principle, equal rights for all citizens without exception or exclusion. This agreement forms the basis of the J.M.P.'s comprehensive reform platform. It is a courageous stand considering the regime's habit of attacking, threatening, kidnapping, and arresting those who call for reform or stand against corruption.

The J.M.P. has stated they will endorse a single candidate in the upcoming elections, provided the substantially fraudulent voter rolls can be corrected and state institutions can be neutralized including the media, budget, military and employment. The deployment of state resources in support of Saleh over the weekend does not bode well for the fall elections.

(MORE)

4//Xinhua Online, China 2006-06-28 18:12:26

CHINESE, AUSTRALIAN PMs UNVEIL GAS PROJECT

BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Australian Prime Minister John Howard unveiled the first ever Sino-Australian liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in south China's Guangdong province on Wednesday.

The two premiers pushed the start-up button together in Dapeng Bay, Shenzhen city, in a ceremony marking the opening of the first stage of the project.

The project, with a total investment of 7.12 billion yuan (890 million U.S. dollars) for its first phase construction, is the first ever project for China to import LNG from abroad.

Under the contract, Australia will provide 3.7 million tons of LNG annually to China, which will supply domestic users in Shenzhen, Dongguan, Guangzhou, Foshan, Huizhou cities of Guangdong, and Hong Kong.

The project signals a deepening of China-Australia trade relations.

Wen welcomed Howard to the ceremony, saying it symbolized increasingly close China-Australia ties.

During his visit to Australia in April, the two sides agreed to develop comprehensive cooperative ties for mutual benefit in the 21st century with a series of goals and tasks, Wen said.

He told Howard that although only three months had passed since his visit, many agreements had already been actively implemented.

"China-Australia ties are regarded as an example of friendly cooperation between countries of different social systems," he said.

China-Australia exchanges and cooperation were more active than ever before, Wen said.

"We are willing to continue high-level exchanges with Australia, enhance strategic dialogues, and actively promote free trade negotiations in a bid to reach a high-quality bilateral agreement," Wen said.

China was ready to expand cooperation with Australia in the energy field, including "clean coal", new energy forms, alternative energy as well as safety of coal production, he said.

Wen called on the two countries to cooperate in the peaceful use of nuclear energy, enhance educational and cultural exchanges and strengthen coordination in regional issues.

(SNIP)

Howard said the two countries had enjoyed sound relations despite the different cultural backgrounds.

The LNG project symbolized stronger Australia-China economic ties, he said.

With abundant energy resources, Australia offered China a long-term, stable and quality supply of energy, he said.

Australia would like to boost cooperation with China in trade, energy and other fields, push the free trade negotiations and encourage cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy, he said.

5//MosNews.com, Russia Created: 29.06.2006 17:37 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 17:37 MSK

RUSSIAN GUN DESIGNER KALASHNIKOV URGES TOUGH CONTROL OVER SMALL ARMS SALES

The famous Russian gun designer Mikhail Kalashnikov has called for tougher control over the small arms turnover to rule out uncontrolled weapons sales, Interfax news agency reports.

“Tough procedure for registering and marking each weapon, and mutual recognition of such markings and information exchanges will help to rein counterfeit products sales. I believe that it is a realistic, efficient, and inexpensive approach to solving the problem,” Kalashnikov told participants of the UN conference on enforcing the program, aimed at curbing illegal turnover of small arms, which started in New York on June 26 and will last until July 7.

The Rosoboronexport press-service told Interfax-Military News Agency on Thursday that almost 100 million Kalashnkov assault rifles have been manufactured in the past 60 years.

“However, only a tenth of this figure accounts for legal arms, while the rest of such arms are unlicensed products,” Kalashnikov said.

The rifle designer stressed that the main cause for the rise of uncontrolled small arms sales lies on “unprincipled businessmen”, who produce counterfeit Kalashnikov machine guns, and merchants, who sell arms to anyone willing to buy it.

(SNIP)

According to him, the national control over small arms and specific measures aimed at toughening corresponding laws and regulations, are a must. “In addition to that, being a gun designer myself, I cannot but be outraged at the fact that my copyright is not enforced,” he said.

Kalashnikov noted that about 50 foreign states operated various modifications of the Kalashnikov assault rifle. “I hope that the weapon will always be used guard peace, security, and justice. However, I am upset to know that various counterfeit products, bearing my name, end up in terrorists’ hands more frequently,” Kalashnikov said.