by Gloria R. Lalumia
World
Media Watch
by Gloria R. Lalumia
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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1//The Independent, UK--IRAQIS TO FLOOD UN WITH DATA TO SLOW INSPECTORS' WORK (The Iraqi regime is considering deluging the United Nations with documentation on its weapons programme, a move that could tie up the inspectors for months. At a meeting with ministers and officials, Hans Blix, the UN's chief weapons inspector, presented an exhaustive list of demands and also pointed out that any sign of withholding information could lead to an American attack.
Iraq may now "play the UN at their own game" by presenting vast amount of material about "dual-use" facilities, a stipulation under the new United States-sponsored resolution, diplomatic sources said.)
2//Arab News, Saudi Arabia--ARAB MINISTERS DEBATE ME PEACE (...Meanwhile, Lebanese Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hammoud, whose country chairs the rotating presidency of the Arab League, said Tuesday the meeting had "an exceptional character" because it would examine ways "to delay" a US-strike on Iraq.)
3//TurkishPress.com, USA--PRIME MINISTER GUL MEETS HASTERT (U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Dennis Hastert said they expected the initiatives of the U.N. regarded with Iraq to be successful, yet that they expected Turkey and the other regional countries to help providing of stability in the region in case those efforts are not successful. Prime Minister Abdullah Gul met Hastert for nearly 45 minutes. Hastert is currently in Turkey to participate in 48th NATO Parliamentary Assembly meeting.)
4//The
Dawn, Pakistan--MUSHARRAF'S SPEECH A BUNDLE OF HOLLOW CLAIMS, SAYS OPPOSITION
(President Gen Pervez Musharraf's address to the nation on the eve of
transfer of power to the elected representatives left opposition leaders
wondering as to what was the significance of the speech laden with oft-repeated
claims..."The joke is that after three years Musharraf is still asking
the nation to have patience," former deputy chairman of the Planning
Commission and a senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League (N), Ahsan Iqbal,
said in his gut reaction. The Pakistan People's Party termed the president's
speech a pack of lies.)
5//The Toronto Star, Canada--PM UNVEILS UPDATED KYOTO PLAN (Industry and
the provinces have expressed concerns about how much implementation will
cost, and have urged that a consensus be reached before the deal is ratified
by Ottawa. But Environment Minister David Anderson said Canadians want
Kyoto to go ahead now. "It's time to put the debate over ratification
behind us," he told a news conference. "The parliamentary debate
will begin shortly - next week - and we will ratify the Kyoto protocol
by the end of the year as the prime minister has said.")
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1//The
Independent 21 November 2002 03:34 GMT
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/politics/story.jsp?story=354224
IRAQIS TO FLOOD UN WITH DATA TO SLOW INSPECTORS' WORK
The Iraqi regime is considering deluging the United Nations with documentation on its weapons programme, a move that could tie up the inspectors for months.
At a meeting with ministers and officials, Hans Blix, the UN's chief weapons inspector, presented an exhaustive list of demands and also pointed out that any sign of withholding information could lead to an American attack.
Iraq may now "play the UN at their own game" by presenting vast amount of material about "dual-use" facilities, a stipulation under the new United States-sponsored resolution, diplomatic sources said.
Washington and London allege that Saddam Hussein is hiding the manufacture of weapons of mass destruction under the cloak of civil production. The Iraqis insist, however, that such claims are either false or of such a broad nature that a massive array of sites could be included.
Mr Blix told the Iraqis during his visit to Baghdad that factories producing sponge mattresses and slippers were among sites his team intended to visit. This opens the way for the Iraqis to put forward anything with a remote connection to arms manufacturing. If they do, it will delay the inspectors and make it harder for America to launch a war before the onset of hot weather in Iraq.
Apart from complaining that the sheer volume of information demanded will make it difficult to meet the first deadline of 8 December, the Iraqis have, on the surface at least, accepted the new resolution without protest, the UN said.
This includes the right of inspectors to make surprise checks on "special sites" such as Saddam Hussein's palaces. "That is settled by resolution. It wasn't even discussed," Mr Blix, 74, a former Swedish foreign minister, said.
(SNIP)
In Baghdad, the Iraqi regime seized on an attack by the US Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, against the UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, who had said Iraq's decision to fire at American and British aircraft over the "no-fly zone" did not constitute a "material breach" of the resolution.
An Iraqi foreign ministry official said: "This is another example of the Americans trying to undermine this UN mission. It is in their interest to ensure the inspections are halted over an excuse. They are re-writing the rules every day."
Though British diplomats have also said the Iraqi move was not a "breach", the Defence Secretary, Geoff Hoon, said it should be considered "part of the picture", one that the Security Council would discuss.
Iraq said President George Bush's latest call for an international coalition to be ready for war was "another provocation by the evil administration".
2//Arab News 21 November 2002 / 16 Ramadhan 1423
http://www.arabnews.com/Article.asp?ID=20532
ARAB
MINISTERS DEBATE ME PEACE
By a Staff Writer
DAMASCUS/GAZA, 21 November 2002 - Arab foreign ministers kicked off talks in Damascus last night concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the US confrontation with Iraq. Arab League chief Amr Moussa and 11 foreign ministers were set to discuss a US-backed road map for peace that looks to establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel by 2005, a League official told reporters.
The plan, drafted by the diplomatic quartet of the United States, Russia, European Union and the United Nations, has been accepted in principle by the Palestinians, Egypt and Jordan.
Israel also backed the plan, although its newly appointed Foreign Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has since said it is "not on the agenda" for the narrow extreme right-wing caretaker government that will hold power until early elections in late January.
The road map was discussed with Arab states by US envoy William Burns during a regional tour last month. The two-day meeting gathers the foreign ministers of Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen and the Palestinian Authority, who make up with Moussa a follow-up committee for an Arab peace initiative.
Tunisian Foreign Minister Habib Ben Yahia and Libya's Minister for African Unity Ali Abdel Salam Triki were also attending the meeting. Meanwhile, Lebanese Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hammoud, whose country chairs the rotating presidency of the Arab League, said Tuesday the meeting had "an exceptional character" because it would examine ways "to delay" a US-strike on Iraq.
(MORE)
3//TurkishPress.com Thursday, November 21, 2002
http://www.turkishpress.com/turkishpress/news.asp?ID=7860
PRIME MINISTER GUL MEETS HASTERT
ANKARA - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Dennis Hastert said they expected the initiatives of the U.N. regarded with Iraq to be successful, yet that they expected Turkey and the other regional countries to help providing of stability in the region in case those efforts are not successful.
Prime Minister Abdullah Gul met Hastert for nearly 45 minutes. Hastert is currently in Turkey to participate in 48th NATO Parliamentary Assembly meeting.
Pointing out that the delegation which he heads was the first foreign delegation visiting Gul, Hastert reminded that the U.S. President George Bush was the first leader who called and congratulated Gul's Prime Ministry.
(SNIP)
Responding to the questions of reports on Iraq, Hastert said they understood Turkey's concerns on a possible operation, stressing that they were aware of the trade loses and refugee problem which Turkey suffered because of Gulf War.
Hastert said the United States was resolved for the stability in the region, noting that mass destruction weapons could not be accepted. Hastert expressed hope that U.N. efforts in this respect would be successful, and noted that they expected Turkey and the other regional countries to help providing of stability in the region.
(MORE)
4//The Dawn 21 November 2002 Thursday 15 Ramazan 1423
http://www.dawn.com/2002/11/21/top4.htm
MUSHARRAF'S
SPEECH A BUNDLE OF HOLLOW CLAIMS, SAYS OPPOSITION
By Faraz Hashmi
ISLAMABAD, Nov 20: President Gen Pervez Musharraf's address to the nation on the eve of transfer of power to the elected representatives left opposition leaders wondering as to what was the significance of the speech laden with oft-repeated claims.
"We have been told these things innumerable times," Jamaat-i-Islami's Naib Amir Liaquat Baloch said in his reaction to the president's speech.
Since Gen Musharraf claimed to be the duly elected president, he should come and make such speeches before the elected National Assembly, Baloch said.
"The joke is that after three years Musharraf is still asking the nation to have patience," former deputy chairman of the Planning Commission and a senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League (N), Ahsan Iqbal, said in his gut reaction.
The Pakistan People's Party termed the president's speech a pack of lies.
"General Musharraf's several tall claims, including that of steering the country onto the democratic course is yet another self-serving untruth in the series of untruths manufactured by the regime during the last three years to advance its own political agenda," PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar said.
On the economic performance of the government, Baloch said irrespective of the claims of Gen Musharraf, the plight of the common man had gone from bad to worse in the past three years.
Commenting on the country's foreign exchange reserves, he said, the whole nation was fully aware of the fact that these had nothing to do with the government's economic policies.
Iqbal said all the development projects mentioned by Musharraf in his speech had been initiated by the previous government of the PML.
Referendum fraud, pre-poll rigging, rigging on the election day and post-poll rigging, which culminated in the rigging during the election of the National Assembly speaker, would be the legacy of Musharraf government, he added.
(SNIP)
PML-N acting president Javed Hashmi said the government had thrown merit
to the wind by inducting inexperienced and incapable retired and serving
officers of army in civilian jobs.
The president, instead of fulfilling the promise of restoring democracy in the country, had usurped the power by a fake referendum, he added.
5//The Toronto Star Nov. 21, 2002. 01:04 PM
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?GXHC_gx_session_id_=
956200a0f307a3fb&pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=
1035774712891&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154
PM UNVEILS UPDATED KYOTO PLAN
OTTAWA (CP) - The federal government presented its updated plan today to implement the Kyoto climate change treaty, assuring Canadians they won't be hurt financially by efforts to cut greenhouse gases.
The plan tabled in the House of Commons calls on individuals, industry and government to do their part to reduce greenhouse emissions.
It calls for Canadians to become "the most sophisticated and efficient consumers and producers of energy in the world."
It proposes that everyone individually reduce emissions by one tonne a year - or 20 per cent - through energy conservation and other means.
For industry, the plan promises Ottawa will work with companies to limit any financial burden they face meeting Kyoto targets. It would also give credits to firms that have reduced emissions.
Under Kyoto, Canada and other top industrialized countries must cut greenhouse emissions to an average of six per cent below 1990 levels by 2012. Canada's Kyoto targets call for total reductions of 240 megatonnes in emissions.
Industry and the provinces have expressed concerns about how much implementation will cost, and have urged that a consensus be reached before the deal is ratified by Ottawa.
But Environment Minister David Anderson said Canadians want Kyoto to go ahead now.
"It's time to put the debate over ratification behind us," he told a news conference.
"The parliamentary debate will begin shortly - next week - and we will ratify the Kyoto protocol by the end of the year as the prime minister has said."
Anderson said it's now time for Ottawa, the provinces and industry to "roll up our sleeves" and work out the remaining details on implementation.
But that likely won't be a smooth process. The new federal plan does not meet a key demand of the provinces - a guarantee they will be compensated for any economic losses due to the accord.
That left the provinces bristling.
(SNIP)
Under the plan, automakers would be required to improve the fuel efficiency of vehicles by 25 per cent by 2010.
The government would also take steps to encourage people to buy more efficient cars and appliances, and make new investments to increase use of public transit.
Home energy audits - to ensure households are running efficiently - would be "cost-shared." It's not clear whether than means consumers would pay part of the cost.
The plan was brought to the Commons as federal and provincial bureaucrats responsible for energy and environment met in Toronto.
The meeting takes the place of one Anderson had scheduled with provincial ministers. The provinces backed out of that one, saying the federal government wasn't giving them enough information to make the meeting worthwhile.
The ministers are to meet Nov. 29.
Earlier this week, Ottawa made conciliatory moves after the provinces dug in their heels and demanded action on 12 principles.
Ottawa has agreed to most of them, but on Wednesday was still balking at one in particular - that the federal government pay the cost of any Kyoto commitments.
Among the principles the federal government accepted was one saying no region will have to carry a disproportionate share of Kyoto implementation costs.
(MORE)
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©
2002, Gloria R. Lalumia
insight@zianet.com
Updated listings of Radio for Progressives on the internet at http://www.zianet.com/insightanalytical
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