August 8, 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 AUGUST 8, 2005

1//KurdishMedia.com, UK--BARZANI: KURDS ARE NOT PART OF THE ARAB NATION (In his statement to the Kurdistan Parliament, the President of Kurdistan, Massud Barzani, stated that Kurds live with Arabs in Iraq, "but we are not part of the Arab nation. Thus we cannot accept this [identity for Iraq]." Barzani's statement was broadcasted [sic] live on Kurdistan TV channel on Saturday. … "Kurdish language must be the official language with Arabic. No doubt, the currencies should have Kurdish on them. The stamps must have Kurdish on them. The passports must have Kurdish on them too. We cannot accept a constitution which does not reflect our rights. No constitution is better than one which does not satisfy our rights. If such a constitution is imposed, no doubt we have our out [sic] opinion and stance," Barzani said.)

RELATED: BARZANI: WE ARE NOT CARPET SELLERS

2//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong--BASIC QUESTIONS ABOUT BASES (… Joost Hiltermann, of the International Crisis Group (ICG), told Asia Times Online it would be strange if America didn't intend to stay in Iraq. "One of the reasons they invaded, as far as I can tell, is because they needed to shift their military operation from Saudi Arabia," he said, "and Iraq was probably the easiest one in terms of a big country to support their presence in the Gulf." The idea that the US wanted to swap Iraq for Saudi Arabia was acknowledged by then-deputy secretary of defense Paul Wolfowitz in an interview with Vanity Fair in 2003. … US Senator Gary Hart captured the inconsistencies such construction reveal in the Bush administration's rationale for its Iraq project. "If the goal ... was to overthrow Saddam Hussein, install a friendly government in Baghdad, set up a permanent political and military presence in Iraq, and dominate the behavior of the region (including securing oil supplies) then you build permanent bases for some kind of permanent American military presence," Hart wrote in May. "If the goal was to spread democracy and freedom, then you don't.")

3//The Daily Times, Pakistan--GOVERNMENT TRYING TO HOODWINK US: FAZL (The Pakistani government is deceiving the US and the West by helping militants freely enter Afghanistan from Waziristan, Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) Secretary General Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Sunday. He told a press conference that the government should give the identity of the infiltrators and its (government's) motives for helping them enter Afghanistan. "They must also give the nation the identities of the men being moved from Waziristan to militant camps in Mansehra. This is hypocrisy. The rulers are not only trying to deceive the US and the West, but also hoodwinking the entire nation," he added. Earlier, Fazl had said that if pressured he would reveal facts that would open a Pandora's box. "We ask the rulers to reveal the identity of the people being transported to Afghanistan from Waziristan via Kaali Sarak in private vehicles, reveal who is supervising their trouble-free entry into Afghanistan and reasons for their infiltration," he said.)

4//Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK--REVOLVING DOOR FOR AFGHAN GOVERNORS (The latest reshuffle of Afghan provincial governors has left many wondering whether the government of President Hamed Karzai was sincere when it promised to remove officials with questionable records from their posts. Since the same powerful warlords and mujahedin leaders have resurfaced again and again in a variety of national- and provincial-level jobs since the fall of the Taleban in 2001, some are now asking whether the cycle will ever be broken. … Some analysts disagree, and say the government's hands are tied when it comes to making such appointments. They point to the 2001 Bonn conference that served as the basis for the new government. At that meeting, rival Afghan leaders reached a deal to set aside decades of war and form a post-Taleban coalition leadership, sketching a blueprint for a new democratic Afghanistan. "The government was effectively formed in Bonn, based on consultations with these people, so they are part of the government and they cannot be left out of it," said Qasim Akhgar, a political analyst.)

5//Xinhua Online, China--ONE OF EGYPT'S OLDEST OPPOSITION PARTIES OUTLINES ELECTION PLATFORM (Egypt's al-Wafd Party, one of the oldest opposition parties in the country, outlined Sunday its platform for the upcoming presidential election, according to Egypt's official MENA news agency. Al-Wafd Party leader Noaman Gomaa, who had registered to stand in the Sept. 7 presidential election to challenge President Hosni Mubarak, told a press conference his party would pay much attention to the poor, denying claims that the party is for the elite. In terms of foreign policy, Gomaa said strong ties with Iran, a country of political significance at both regional and international levels, would top his foreign policy priorities. … The party, together with Nasserite Party and Tagamu Party, two other major opposition parties, had originally said it would boycott the presidential election. But they later decided to join the race. The Egyptian presidential elections commission, entrusted with organizing the polls, said Sunday that election campaigns will start from Aug. 17 and last until Sept. 4.)

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1//KurdishMedia.com, UK 07/08/2005
http://www.kurdmedia.com/news.asp?id=7439

BARZANI: KURDS ARE NOT PART OF THE ARAB NATION

London (KurdishMedia.com) 07 August 2005: In his statement to the Kurdistan Parliament, the President of Kurdistan, Massud Barzani, stated that Kurds live with Arabs in Iraq, "but we are not part of the Arab nation. Thus we cannot accept this [identity for Iraq]." Barzani's statement was broadcasted [sic] live on Kurdistan TV channel on Saturday.

Barzani said that Kurds agreed with Arabs on the identity of Iraq before removing Saddam Hussein from power, which is "Federal, Democratic and multiparty."

"As far as we are concerned, the identity of Iraq is vital. It is a matter of principle." And yet, Barzani added, some voices are at the moment claiming that "Iraq is part of the Arab nation." "If our Arab brothers love it so much they can state that the Arab parts of Iraq is part of the Arab nation. But it is not possible for us to accept it [to be part of the Arab nation]," Barzani added.

(SNIP)

"Kurdish language must be the official language with Arabic. No doubt, the currencies should have Kurdish on them. The stamps must have Kurdish on them. The passports must have Kurdish on them too.  We cannot accept a constitution which does not reflect our rights. No constitution is better than one which does not satisfy our rights. If such a constitution is imposed, no doubt we have our out [sic] opinion and stance," Barzani said.

RELATED:

2//KurdishMedia.com 07/08/2005
http://www.kurdmedia.com/news.asp?id=7438

BARZANI: WE ARE NOT CARPET SELLERS

… . "We are not carpet sellers. We are patriots and peshmergas. We have sacrificed our lives for the rights of our people."

2//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong Aug 6, 2005
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/GH06Ak02.html

BASIC QUESTIONS ABOUT BASES
By Ashraf Fahim

Hardly a day has gone by in the past few weeks without a new press report detailing the US military's plans to reduce its footprint in Iraq next year. First it was a leaked British memo saying that Britain would hand over southern Iraq to the Iraqis and the US would cut its troops in half. Then it was General George W Casey, the senior commander in Iraq, promising a "fairly substantial" US withdrawal by the summer of 2006. Finally, there was the announcement of a joint Iraqi-US committee to determine the "conditions" for a US exit.

The Bush administration, it would seem, is finally responding to pervasive anti-occupation sentiment in the US and Iraq. But the raft of announcements does little to address what many believe is a deeper problem - the Iraqi insurgency is likely being driven by fears that even once the large majority of US forces leave, enough will remain behind in permanent bases to allow the US to control Iraq's destiny.

There is now a growing chorus in the US arguing that it should be made clear to Iraqis that all US forces will eventually depart. As the Iraqi insurgency rages unabated, with scores of US soldiers killed in the first days of August alone, the notion that such a promise might alter the current dynamic is taking hold in the mainstream. Two members of Congress have separately sponsored resolutions calling for a declaration that the US will not maintain a long-term military presence in Iraq.

Senator John Kerry, who introduced the idea into the national discourse during last fall's first presidential debate, restated it in a recent op-ed in the New York Times. "The president must ... announce immediately that the United States will not have a permanent military presence in Iraq," Kerry wrote. "Erasing suspicions that the occupation is indefinite is critical to eroding support for the insurgency."

The proposal has also gained diverse support in policy circles. Larry Diamond, a former senior adviser to the Iraq Coalition Provisional Authority, recently wrote that the administration's refusal to declare it doesn't seek permanent military bases "has aroused Iraqi suspicions that we seek long-term domination of their country." And Anthony Cordesman of the conservative Center for Strategic and International Studies, regarded as the dean of Middle East strategic studies by the Washington establishment, said in recent testimony to the Senate that the administration should "make it clear that the US and Britain will not maintain post-insurgency bases in Iraq."

Bases built to last

It is an open question whether or not the Bush administration will be willing to give Iraqis the type of guarantee being called for. Any serious withdrawal is a long way off since, by most accounts, Iraqi troops are far from ready to take over from the US. Incoming head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Peter Pace, informed Congress on June 29 that a recent classified Pentagon report had concluded that only "a small number" of Iraqi troops could fight the insurgency unassisted. And many analysts feel that the administration wants to keep a presence in Iraq irrespective of Iraqi military preparedness in order to safeguard America's larger strategic interests in the region (chiefly oil).

Joost Hiltermann, of the International Crisis Group (ICG), told Asia Times Online it would be strange if America didn't intend to stay in Iraq. "One of the reasons they invaded, as far as I can tell, is because they needed to shift their military operation from Saudi Arabia," he said, "and Iraq was probably the easiest one in terms of a big country to support their presence in the Gulf." The idea that the US wanted to swap Iraq for Saudi Arabia was acknowledged by then-deputy secretary of defense Paul Wolfowitz in an interview with Vanity Fair in 2003.

Persistent reports that the US is constructing permanent bases in Iraq lend credence to the view that the Bush administration plans to stay. The Chicago Tribune reported in March 2004 that the US was building 14 "enduring" bases in Iraq, and the Washington Post reported in May that US forces would eventually be consolidated into four large, permanent air bases.

Erik Leaver, of the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) and a long-time proponent of a promise to close US military bases, told Asia Times Online that the kind of construction taking place belies statements from President George W Bush that the US only intends to stay "as long as necessary and not one day more," as Bush said on April 13, 2004. Not only are ammunition dumps and concrete runways and roads being built, he said, but so is long-term housing for US troops.

"We can tell by looking at the supplementals and the defense bills that they are building concrete masonry barracks," says Leaver, "And some of the justification is that tents and containers only have a life span of three to five years. The implication is that they need something longer than that." Leaver said the military did have a plausible rationale for using concrete. "If mortars are being lobbed into military bases then you want to put soldiers into concrete masonry barracks for their safety," he said, "but that's the same stuff that my house and office building are constructed from, and those things are pretty permanent."

US Senator Gary Hart captured the inconsistencies such construction reveal in the Bush administration's rationale for its Iraq project. "If the goal ... was to overthrow Saddam Hussein, install a friendly government in Baghdad, set up a permanent political and military presence in Iraq, and dominate the behavior of the region (including securing oil supplies) then you build permanent bases for some kind of permanent American military presence," Hart wrote in May. "If the goal was to spread democracy and freedom, then you don't."

Keeping Its options open

Another question, of course, is whether, even if the Bush administration declared it would pull out altogether, its guarantee would have the desired effect.

(MORE)

3//The Daily Times, Pakistan Monday, August 08, 2005
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_8-8-2005_pg1_1

GOVERNMENT TRYING TO HOODWINK US: FAZL
Staff Report

LAHORE: The Pakistani government is deceiving the US and the West by helping militants freely enter Afghanistan from Waziristan, Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) Secretary General Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Sunday.

He told a press conference that the government should give the identity of the infiltrators and its (government's) motives for helping them enter Afghanistan.

"They must also give the nation the identities of the men being moved from Waziristan to militant camps in Mansehra. This is hypocrisy. The rulers are not only trying to deceive the US and the West, but also hoodwinking the entire nation," he added.

Earlier, Fazl had said that if pressured he would reveal facts that would open a Pandora's box.

"We ask the rulers to reveal the identity of the people being transported to Afghanistan from Waziristan via Kaali Sarak in private vehicles, reveal who is supervising their trouble-free entry into Afghanistan and reasons for their infiltration," he said.

The government would have to decide whether it wanted to support jihadis or close down their camps, he said, adding, "We will have to openly tell the world whether we want to support jihadis or crack down on them. We can't afford to be hypocritical anymore," he said. Fazl also accused Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed of running a jihadi camp for Kashmiri fighters near Islamabad. He said the government was accusing clerics of promoting religious extremism and militancy although they (clerics) were playing an active role in restoring peace in the tribal areas.

Fazl, who is also the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, warned of nationwide protests over the government's crackdown against religious seminaries and a decision to expel their foreign students. He said action against madrassas was against human rights and that the MMA would protest against it in the entire country. He did not specify when the protests would start. Fazl's comments came two days after Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said a decision by President Pervez Musharraf to expel foreigners studying at madrassas was irrevocable.

Musharraf took the decision last month amid concern that Pakistan had not done enough to curb Islamic extremism in madrassas. The move also came after investigators said two suspects in the deadly July 7 bombings in London might have been to madrassas in Pakistan.

Fazl said the government had taken the decision under international pressure. "The entire world knows that this action is being taken after pressure by foreign countries," he added. Interior Ministry officials said over the weekend that visas of all foreign Islamic students would be cancelled, but it was not yet clear when the first students would leave the country.

(MORE)

4//Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK (ARR No. 181, 06-Aug-05)
http://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/arr/arr_200508_181_1_eng.txt

REVOLVING DOOR FOR AFGHAN GOVERNORS
The government is accused of shifting regional chiefs from job to job because it is too scared to fire important players.

By Mohammad Jawad Sharifzada in Kabul

The latest reshuffle of Afghan provincial governors has left many wondering whether the government of President Hamed Karzai was sincere when it promised to remove officials with questionable records from their posts.

Since the same powerful warlords and mujahedin leaders have resurfaced again and again in a variety of national- and provincial-level jobs since the fall of the Taleban in 2001, some are now asking whether the cycle will ever be broken.

In late June, with Karza's approval, the interior ministry transferred five governors from one province to another.

Agha Sherzai as governor of Nangarhar, who was shifted from his native province of Kandahar. Shirzai is a former mujahedin commander who was in charge of Kandahar until the Taleban forced him out.

In Nangarhar, Sherzai replaced Haji Din Mohammad, formerly a deputy leader in the Hezb-i-Islami mujahedin faction led by Yunus Khalis. He is now governor of Kabul province.

Eyebrows have also been raised at the selection of Haji Shir Alam as governor of Ghazni. Alam is a former militia commander most recently associated with Tanzim-e-Dawat-e-Islami, a political group set up by Abd al-Rabb al-Rasul Sayyaf on the basis of his Ittehad-e-Islami mujahedin faction. Alam was recently barred from standing in the upcoming parliamentary elections because of he was deemed to have retained ties to armed groups.

"Isn't there anyone else who can be a minister or governor in Afghanistan except for a few warlords?" demanded Hanifullah, a 60-year-old civil servant. Instead of getting rid of them, "the government is just transferring them from one post to another and in doing so it is cheating the people," he said, adding that he now regretted voting for Karzai last year.

The government defended the latest round of appointments.

"These governors have had jihadi backgrounds and their service during the [anti-Soviet] jihad and resistance is admired by the Afghan people - they have really endured a great deal [and] want to serve their people," said Abdul Malik Seddiqi, a high ranking interior ministry official.

He denied accusations that the government is unable to get rid of governors if it wants to.
Some analysts disagree, and say the government's hands are tied when it comes to making such appointments.

They point to the 2001 Bonn conference that served as the basis for the new government. At that meeting, rival Afghan leaders reached a deal to set aside decades of war and form a post-Taleban coalition leadership, sketching a blueprint for a new democratic Afghanistan.

"The government was effectively formed in Bonn, based on consultations with these people, so they are part of the government and they cannot be left out of it," said Qasim Akhgar, a political analyst.

Many of the warriors and warlords who spent years fighting against Soviet occupation and the Taleban regime now see their positions in government as just reward for their services.

(MORE)

5//Xinhua Online, China 2005-08-08 05:51:06
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-08/08/content_3322892.htm

ONE OF EGYPT'S OLDEST OPPOSITION PARTIES OUTLINES ELECTION PLATFORM

CAIRO, Aug. 7 (Xinhuanet) -- Egypt's al-Wafd Party, one of the oldest opposition parties in the country, outlined Sunday its platform for the upcoming presidential election, according to Egypt's official MENA news agency.

Al-Wafd Party leader Noaman Gomaa, who had registered to stand in the Sept. 7 presidential election to challenge President Hosni Mubarak, told a press conference his party would pay much attention to the poor, denying claims that the party is for the elite. In terms of foreign policy, Gomaa said strong ties with Iran, a country of political significance at both regional and international levels, would top his foreign policy priorities. The Palestinians must regain all their legitimate rights, he added.

With regards to Egypt's ties with Western countries, Gomaa said although al-Wafd Party is not against any European or Western state, what the Americans and British are doing in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the US backing of Israel in the Middle East peace process, had "earned them enemies."

(SNIP)

The party, together with Nasserite Party and Tagamu Party, two other major opposition parties, had originally said it would boycott the presidential election. But they later decided to join the race.

The Egyptian presidential elections commission, entrusted with organizing the polls, said Sunday that election campaigns will start from Aug. 17 and last until Sept. 4.

The commission also said if no candidate wins at least 50 percent of valid votes on Sept. 7, voters will have to choose between the top two candidates in the second round of voting on Sept. 17.