World Media Watch for June 7, 2002

BUZZFLASH NOTE: Once again, these are the views and perspectives of the individual papers, not of BuzzFlash or Gloria. They offer BuzzFlash readers a way of reading what other nations are saying about the crisis, whether we like it or not. We repeat: This is not an endorsement of their viewpoints.

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//The Manila Times, Philippines--US SPECIAL FORCES ASSIGNED TO CHECKPOINTS IN BASILAN (US Special Forces in Basilan yesterday took a big step toward a possible direct encounter with Abu Sayyaf terrorists by joining Philippine soldiers in conducting "hot spot" checkpoints. A check with the office of Basilan Gov. Wahab Akbar confirmed that American soldiers had gone with 32nd Infantry Battalion troops to the dangerous areas between Lamitan and Tipo-tipo towns.)

2//Far Eastern Economic Review, Hong Kong--CANNED HEAT (Recent U.S. trade preferences for the Andean nations of Latin America have effectively increased the tariffs on tuna from Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia. Decreased demand for more expensive tuna could lead to lay-offs of thousands of Muslim workers at the same time that Washington is looking for increased support in the region for its effort to end terrorism...if Washington asks for help in tracking down terrorist-linked money launderers in Southeast Asia,..., "people won't say 'no,' but they'll say, 'it will take some time'.")

3//The Jerusalem Post, Israel--POLLS: ISRAELIS, PALESTINIANS REJECT SAUDI PLAN (...new polls of Israeli and Palestinian public opinion show that none of the proposals the US administration is currently considering enjoys support from either Israelis or Palestinians... Almost two-thirds of Israeli Jews say they would oppose a Palestinian state if they thought its creation could be prevented...The Palestinian poll also finds little support for disarming the Fatah Tanzim and other illegal militias, ..., with only 12.1% of Palestinians saying they should hand over their weapons for confiscation or destruction if the Palestinian Authority were to issue such an order.)

4//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong--JAPAN'S ANTI-NUCLEAR MOVEMENT GAINS ENERGY (Indeed, today's grassroots opposition to nuclear energy has never been more vigorous since Japan decided to boost its expensive nuclear-power development program in the 1980s. Surveys conducted by the Prime Minister's Office indicate increasing fear among the public of the dangers from nuclear plants. More than 90 percent of those polled in 1999, up from 80 percent in 1986, had serious concerns about health risks posed by nuclear power plants.)

5//The Toronto Star, Canada--WESTERN PREMIERS PUSH FOR CLIMATE DEBATE (Energy-rich Alberta wants to delay any plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Canada by at least a decade, while Manitoba believes the Canadian public wants to tackle climate change immediately... The premiers called on Ottawa to "respond to current trade-distorting practices of the United States government.")

6//The Telegraph, UK--VICTIM REJECTS BLAIR 'REGRET' (Rail crash victim Pam Warren tonight angrily rejected Tony Blair's expression of "regret" that an aide tried to gather information on her safety pressure group. Mrs Warren, former chairwoman of the Paddington Survivors' Group, said the Prime Minister must personally apologise for what Tories called the "smear" attempt..." Despite what he says, he should have knowledge of what happens in his government.")

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1//The Manila Times Friday, June 7, 2002
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2002/jun/07/top_stories/20020607top5.html

US SPECIAL FORCES ASSIGNED TO CHECKPOINTS IN BASILAN
By Roland Ramos

ZAMBOANGA CITY - US Special Forces in Basilan yesterday took a big step toward a possible direct encounter with Abu Sayyaf terrorists by joining Philippine soldiers in conducting "hot spot" checkpoints.

A check with the office of Basilan Gov. Wahab Akbar confirmed that American soldiers had gone with 32nd Infantry Battalion troops to the dangerous areas between Lamitan and Tipo-tipo towns.

However, provincial information officer Chris Puno insisted that, "the checkpoints are manned by Filipinos only."

He said there were few details other than the presence of Americans around the checkpoints, who were apparently stationed to hamper movements of the Abu Sayyaf terrorists who have held hostage American missionary couple, Martin and Gracia Burnham, and Filipino nurse Deborah Yap, for more than a year now.

Around 160 US Special Forces are in Basilan as advisers in the ongoing Balikatan 02-01 joint military exercises which end on July 3l.

Both the US and Philippine governments have rejected any direct combat role for American troops. But President Macapagal-Arroyo this week urged US officers to allow full implementation of the Balikatan Terms of Agreement (TOR), which call for the insertion of advisers into company formations.

The private intelligence provider, Strategic Forecasting, said company level movements would raise the risks of casualties on the American side.

US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Wednesday he had not decided on a proposal that could draw US military trainers into fighting between Philippine troops and the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda international terrorist network.

Rumsfeld struck the cautious note a day after acting Press Secretary Silvestre Afable said both nations had agreed to move US special forces closer to combat areas.

Rumsfeld told reporters he had asked the commander of American forces in the Pacific to give him a more detailed plan under which Mrs Macapagal-Arroyo's spokesman said US troops could begin training Philippine forces at the smaller company level.

(MORE)

2//Far Eastern Economic Review Issue cover-dated June 13, 2002
http://www.feer.com/articles/2002/0206_13/p019region.html

CANNED HEAT
New moves on the tuna trade contradict the notion that to fight poverty is to fight terrorism

By Murray Hiebert/WASHINGTON and Shawn W. Crispin/BANGKOK
with Trish Saywell/SINGAPORE

ENTHUSIASTIC HOMILIES from the United States on the virtues of free markets are growing a bit stale in the fishing villages and tuna canneries of Southeast Asia.

Recent U.S. trade preferences for the Andean nations of Latin America have effectively increased the tariffs on tuna from Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia. Decreased demand for more expensive tuna could lead to lay-offs of thousands of Muslim workers at the same time that Washington is looking for increased support in the region for its effort to end terrorism.

In Asia, the conflict is most poignant in light of U.S. President George W. Bush's comments in April that fighting poverty is key to fighting terrorism. The divergent policies strike hard on the Philippine island of Mindanao, where U.S. troops are training armed forces in the fight against Abu Sayyaf Muslim insurgents. "The U.S. is giving $5 million to look for terrorists," says former President Fidel Ramos, who heads the Ramos Peace and Development Foundation. "Yet in the very same areas they're looking at prejudicing hundreds of thousands of people" who will lose their main source of income. Compounding the irony, the U.S. Agency for International Development will direct much of this year's $70 million assistance budget for the Philippines to Mindanao.

The Philippines exported $42.6 million in tuna to the U.S. in 2001, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Indonesia, another key partner in the hunt for terrorists, sent $37 million worth.

Thailand led the pack with $167.5 million in exports, and could be hit hard by the new regime. "America has been preaching free trade, but this is not free and fair to all countries," says Thirapong Chansiri, president of Thai Union Frozen Products, Thailand's leading tuna exporter and the second-largest tuna-canning company in the world.

The Andean trade preferences will reduce the tariffs on tuna from Latin America to zero, while Southeast Asian exporters will continue to face duties of 12.5%. "It will wipe out most of the [Southeast Asian] tuna industry," says Thirapong, whose firm holds a majority stake in canned-seafood company Chicken of the Sea International. "We only make 3%-5% margins. With a 12.5% tariff, we can't compete."

Some American analysts agree. "We've lost our moral compass," Greg Rushford, editor of a monthly newsletter on the politics of international trade, says of recent moves by the Bush administration to back down on free trade in order to win the support of voters. "Asians are getting frustrated and their frustration level is higher than I've ever seen it," says Rushford, who recently visited the region.

(SNIP)

The trade economist says that the new tariffs and subsidies could damage the credibility of American officials ahead of the next round of trade talks. "They could put on a T-shirt that reads 'I'm a hyprocrite'," Hufbauer says. "People now say 'How can you talk to us when you don't do it yourself?' . . . In any negotiation, [U.S. Trade Representative Robert] Zoellick and his colleagues will have to say 'Do as I say, not as I do'."

In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, Zoellick made several impassioned speeches arguing that trade liberalization was a key weapon in the battle against terrorism.

Will recent U.S. trade moves dampen the support of Asian countries for the war on terrorism? Reinsch, a member of the U.S.-China Security Review Commission, believes these measures could "affect their level of enthusiasm." For example, if Washington asks for help in tracking down terrorist-linked money launderers in Southeast Asia, Reinsch says, "people won't say 'no,' but they'll say, 'it will take some time'."

3//The Jerusalem Post 27 Sivan 5762, Friday Jun. 7, 2002 (03:20)
http://www.jpost.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=JPost/A/JP
Article/Full&cid=1022691095311

POLLS: ISRAELIS, PALESTINIANS REJECT SAUDI PLAN
By Aaron Lerner

On the eve of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's visit to the White House, new polls of Israeli and Palestinian public opinion show that none of the proposals the US administration is currently considering enjoys support from either Israelis or Palestinians.

The polls, commissioned by Independent Media Review and Analysis and the Zionist Organization of America, published for the first time in today's edition of The Jerusalem Post, show that both Israelis and Palestinians reject the watered-down version of the Saudi plan that leaves out the right of return for Palestinian refugees to Israel.

The Smith Research poll finds that only 16% of Israeli Jews support withdrawal to the 1967 lines in return for peace with the Palestinians and Arab states, when it is specified that such a withdrawal includes the Golan Heights, Jordan Valley, and the Old City of Jerusalem.

The Palestinian poll, by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion under the supervision of its president, Dr. Nabil Kukali, finds that only 24% would support such a plan if it did not also include the right of return of refugees.

(SNIP)

Almost two-thirds of Israeli Jews say they would oppose a Palestinian state if they thought its creation could be prevented.

The Palestinian poll also finds little support for disarming the Fatah Tanzim and other illegal militias, seen as a critical issue by Israel, with only 12.1% of Palestinians saying they should hand over their weapons for confiscation or destruction if the Palestinian Authority were to issue such an order.

4//Asia Times Online June 7, 2002
http://www.atimes.com/japan-econ/DF07Dh01.html

JAPAN'S ANTI-NUCLEAR MOVEMENT GAINS ENERGY
By Suvendrini Kakuchi (Inter Press Service)

TOKYO - Japan's ambitious nuclear-power policy has entered a critical stage this year as proponents battle an increasingly antagonistic public, a situation that activists hope will lead to the final countdown on the industry.

"Japan's nuclear-power policy is at crossroads today," says Ban Hideki, spokesman for the Citizens Nuclear Information Center, a leading organization fighting against the expansion of Japan's nuclear-power program. "It's time the government acknowledge it's a losing fight," he adds.

Indeed, today's grassroots opposition to nuclear energy has never been more vigorous since Japan decided to boost its expensive nuclear-power development program in the 1980s.

Surveys conducted by the Prime Minister's Office indicate increasing fear among the public of the dangers from nuclear plants. More than 90 percent of those polled in 1999, up from 80 percent in 1986, had serious concerns about health risks posed by nuclear power plants.

Shuichi Yanagimachi, spokesman for Citizens Concerned about Nuclear Power Plants, says this fear is now being transformed into public action against the setting up of new plants. Yanagimachi points to some recent successes. In May, two-thirds of the population of Kashiwamachi, Niigata, northern Japan, voted No to a government bid to build a plutonium-recycling plant in the village.

"What is significant about that referendum, one of several across the country that ousted nuclear-power sites, was that one-third of the 4,090 people living in the village were dependent in various way on the upcoming site, " says Yanagimachi.

Activists point out that a series of serious accidents at nuclear-power plants during the past few years has shattered the official myth promoting Japan's nuclear-safety record.

(SKIP)

Despite this controversy and growing public opposition, government's nuclear policy remains firm. Officials are hitting back with new arguments highlighting the use of nuclear power to reduce global warming, backed by a stronger commitment to ensure safety. Shinichi Kawarada, general affairs director of the Nuclear Safety Commission, reports that the government has stepped up safety measures such as mobilizing police guards around nuclear-power facilities to protect them from possible attacks after the September 11 terror attacks in the United States.

The Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI) also defends national policy by pointing out that resource-poor Japan must have 52 commercial plants by the year 2010 lest it face a hike in electricity rates by 7 percent by 2025, as well as a sizable loss in gross domestic product (GDP).

But Kazue Suzuki, in charge of nuclear power at Greenpeace Japan, disputes these arguments. She says renewable energy resources are an efficient source of cheaper and safer energy to the public. "Five years ago people may have bought the official policy that nuclear energy was important for providing electricity, but not today," she says. Suzuki points to the growing increase of individuals selling solar and wind power to utility companies, citing Tokyo Electric Co's transactions of almost 20,000 in 2000, compared with only 136 in 1995.

(MORE)

5//The Toronto Star Jun. 6, 2002. 05:07 PM
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/
Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1022099912305&call_page=TS_News&call_pageid=
968332188492&call_pagepath=News/News

WESTERN PREMIERS PUSH FOR CLIMATE DEBATE
'Common-sense consensus' includes call for Alberta plan to be considered

DAWSON CITY, Yukon (CP) - Canada needs a national debate on climate change before deciding to ratify the Kyoto Protocol on reducing worldwide greenhouse gases, western premiers said today at the conclusion of their annual meeting.

A federal consultation process starting this month should include a full airing of all plans to reduce greenhouse gases, not just the four options Ottawa is considering, the premiers said.

The climate change communique issued by the western premiers appeared to satisfy both Alberta and Manitoba, who arrived in historic Dawson City this week with opposing views.

Energy-rich Alberta wants to delay any plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Canada by at least a decade, while Manitoba believes the Canadian public wants to tackle climate change immediately.

(SNIP)

The premiers called on Ottawa to "respond to current trade-distorting practices of the United States government."

A U.S. tariff on softwood lumber exports from Canada threatens thousands of forest jobs, especially in British Columbia, and Prairie farmers are being hurt by a $190-billion subsidy to U.S. farmers.

Paul Cellucci, U.S. ambassador to Canada, and the governors of Alaska and Wyoming attended closed-door meetings with the premiers today.

6//The Telegraph Friday 7 June 2002
http://www.portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/06/06/ubyers.
xml&sSheet=/portal/2002/06/06/ixport.html

VICTIM REJECTS BLAIR 'REGRET'
(Filed: 06/06/2002)

Rail crash victim Pam Warren tonight angrily rejected Tony Blair's expression of "regret" that an aide tried to gather information on her safety pressure group.

Mrs Warren, former chairwoman of the Paddington Survivors' Group, said the Prime Minister must personally apologise for what Tories called the "smear" attempt.

However, she accepted an apology from ex-Transport Secretary Stephen Byers, whose special adviser Dan Corry sent the email asking for information.

Mrs Warren, who was badly burnt in the disaster, last month accused Mr Byers of misleading MPs over the timing of his decision to pull the plug on Railtrack.

The Labour Party and members of the Transport Department were sent Mr Corry's email inquiry about the political affiliations of the group.

(SNIP)

His successor Alistair Darling distanced himself from the incident, saying he "strongly" disapproved. A Downing Street spokesman said Mr Blair had also known nothing about it and shared the Transport Secretary's view.

"It is wrong that it did happen and he shares in the regret that it happened," the Number 10 spokesman said.

However, the failure personally to say "sorry" infuriated Mrs Warren, who said: "I don't call that an apology."

(SNIP)

"It's not just me he should be apologising to, it's all the people in the survivors' group. Despite what he says, he should have knowledge of what happens in his government."

(SNIP)

"He might be the Prime Minister but he is also a politician and is supposed to be out there caring for the public. But we have had absolutely diddly-squat from him, not even when the crash happened. I can't believe that our Prime Minister can sit there and says he cares about the people he is governing, then ignores us totally."

(MORE)

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© 2002, Gloria R. Lalumia
insight@zianet.com

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