Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
235148792
label
[01/15/1998 – 04/21/1998]
core
doc
dtoType
document
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
235148792
contentType
document
title
[01/15/1998 – 04/21/1998]
citationUrl
collections
Tape Restoration Project (TRP) Emails
Tape Restoration Project (TRP) Email from the Default Bucket
imageCount
1
hasImages
yes
source
import
hasTranscription
no
Source extras
naId
235148792
levelOfDescription
fileUnit
otherTitles
[Menem]
26444833-20190157F-007-005-2022
recordType
description
ocrSource
nara-archive
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
document
mediaId
48df4071b72c70d6
ocrText
ARMS Email SystemRECORD TYPE: FEDERAL (TRP NOTES MAIL)
CREATOR: psmyke ([email protected]@INET@LNGTWY [ UNKNOWN D
CREATION DATE/TIME:15-JAN-1998 12:02:00.00
SUBJECT: Re: Requested Bilateral Meetings for Mack McLarty
TO: nelson W. cunningham (Nelson W. Cunningham@EOP [ UNKNOWN ])
READ:UNKNOWN
TEXT:
Thanks Nelson,
I can't tell if the message below was cut off or not, but we will proceed
with the following and get back to you as soon as there is news. It's
important that you let us know any commitments you all make so as to avoid
a conflict in schedule. We will base ourselves on the agenda we keep in
Geneva for Mr. McLarty's activities in Davos to set appointments.
I am copying this to my colleagues in Geneva who are handling the schedule
for the public figures from Latin America.
I was supposed to be in DC this afternoon to meet with Melanne but winter
here and there plotted against that, so instead it will be a conference
call.
Take care, Paul
[email protected]. on 01/15/98 10:32:00 AM
To: Paul Smyke/AVC
cc:
Subject: Requested Bilateral Meetings for Mack McLarty
Message Creation Date was at 15-JAN-1998 10:32:00
As promised, here is our list of requested bilateral meetings at the Davos
conference. Your assistance in helping to schedule these meetings would be
much appreciated.
President Ernesto Zedillo
Foreign Minister Rosario Green (if attending)
Trade Minister Sergio Marchi
President Eduardo Frei
Foreign Minister Jose Miguel Insulza
President Fernando Henrique Cardoso
Foreign Minister Luis Felipe Lampreia
Education Minister Paulo Renato de Souza
President Carlos Menem
Foreign Minister Guido DiTella (if attending)
Economy Minister Roque Fernandez
Vice President Jorge Quiroga
Investment Vice-
ATTACHMENT 1
ATT CREATION TIME/DATE: 0 00:00:00.00
TEXT:
RFC-822-headers:
Received: from conversion.pmdf.eop.gov by PMDF.EOP.GOV (PMDF V5.0-4 #6879)
id <[email protected]>1 for "Nelson W. Cunningham"@oa.eop.gov;
Thu, 15 Jan 1998 11:01:33 -0500 (EST)
Received: from storm.eop.gov (storm.eop.gov)
by PMDF.EOP.GOV (PMDF V5.0-4 #6879) id <[email protected]> for
[email protected]; Thu, 15 Jan 1998 11:01:31 -0500 (EST)
Received: from avcinc.avcinc.com ([208.210.252.2])
by STORM.EOP.GOV (PMDF V5.1-7 #6879)
with SMTP id <[email protected]> for
[email protected]; Thu, 15 Jan 1998 11:01:08 -0500 (EST)
Received: by avcinc.avcinc.com(Lotus SMTP MTA SMTP v4.6 (462.2 9-3-1997))
id 8525658D.005813EB ; Thu, 15 Jan 1998 11:02:02 -0500
X-Lotus-FromDomain: AVC
END ATTACHMENT 1
ARMS Email SystemRECORD TYPE: FEDERAL (TRP NOTES MAIL)
CREATOR: news-errors ([email protected]@INET@LNGTWY [ UNKNOWN ])
CREATION DATE/TIME:21-JAN-1998 04:57:00.00
SUBJECT: News - Morning Edition @ 01/21/98
TO: Michael F. Crowley (Michael F. Crowley@eop [ UNKNOWN ])
READ:UNKNOWN
TEXT:
Morning Edition for Wednesday, January 21, 1998
Need new business cards? Want to personalize your Post-It. notes?
How about dressing up your email with a FREE electronic
business card? Visit iPrint, the Discount Internet
Print Shop to create, proof, and order all your professionally
printed items online for savings up to 50% off.
Visit iPrint Today and Save: http://www.iPrint.com
U.S. Front Page Stories
*** Netanyahu offers to cede territory under conditions
*** Judge rejects N.Y. lawyer's lawsuit in JonBenet case
*** Shootout figure implicates brother in Oklahoma bombing
*** Starr probes report of White House affair
*** U.S. mulls budget surplus after decades in deficit
*** Anti-drug campaign launched in 12 U.S. cities
Crime and Catastrophe
*** 2 killed in Indianapolis day care center
*** Fla. man accused of killing wife with hatchet
*** Killer executed after 24 years on Arizona death row
*** Lawyers seek to stop Karla Faye Tucker execution
*** Philadelphia woman says boyfriend held her hostage
*** Writer's son pleads guilty to murder victim theft
The U.S. Political Scene
*** Tax-writing House panel outlines social goals
*** Feinstein steps out of Calif. governor's race
*** Congress to open hearings on Babbitt's casino role
*** Satcher faces new opposition for surgeon general
*** House Democratic leader issues tax reform plan
*** Ban genetic discrimination, Gore urges Congress
The Courts
*** Kaczynski competent; decision Thursday on counsel
*** Justice says Microsoft interferes with case
*** U.S. judge issues split decision on Bible class
*** Ex-POW sentenced for killing son-in-law
*** Jury selection begins in Texas cadet murder case
*** TV's Winfrey cheerful as Texas beef jury is chosen
World Front Page Stories
*** U.S. wants diplomatic end to Iraq crisis-Cohen
*** Northern Irish plead for end to guerrilla killings
*** UN 'fire brigade' idea splits experts
*** El Nino made 1997 record hot year - UN weather body
*** Yugo court dismisses Blaskic death threat report
*** UN Population Fund launches new worldwide campaign
The World Political Scene
*** 2 bombs hit Algiers as EU mission ends
*** West frets over countdown to crisis in Cyprus
*** UN arms talks open with Clinton plea on landmines
*** Indonesia keeps Taiwan premier visit under wraps
The Americas
*** Tears, joy, prayer in Havana before pope's arrival
*** Menem hopes Canada joins Mercosur in 6 months
*** Guatemala gang rape suspect is jailed pending trial
*** Update: Chilean court to probe Pinochet for genocide
*** Mexico Indians reject out-of-date aid in Chiapas
*** Colombian drug lord said to admit U.S. shipments
Europe and Russia
*** Carlos says 'in Libya' at time of French bombings
*** Yeltsin fears some CIS members want to quit
*** IRA martyr's sister launches hardline Irish group
*** Jospin holds his ground on Europe, jobs
*** Update: Havel re-elected Czech president
*** Yeltsin says military reform underway
Africa
*** Zimbabwe says deploying army to quell riots
*** Burundi rebels vow to press on with war
*** Zambia court orders evidence released for Kaunda
*** Opposition politician arrested in Democratic Congo
*** Libya said to regard air embargo as worst sanction
*** 3 killed, 12 wounded in Kenya tribal clash
India and the Middle East
*** Arafat 'keen' on Holocaust Museum visit
*** Turkey holds over 200 Iraqi migrants
*** Arabs decry trial of Frenchman doubting holocaust
*** PLO self-rule run as 'police state' - rights group
*** Saudis hit back over UK torture report
*** Jordanian Islamist leads prisoners home from Iraq
The Far East
*** China invites U.N. rights visit
*** Suharto seeks to stay president; rupiah falls
*** China woos Taiwan, but Taipei cool
*** UN special envoy arrives in Myanmar for talks
*** U.S. defence secretary meets Japanese prime minister
*** Cambodian king declines to meet U.S. official
Science and Medicine
*** Cows eggs used to clone other mammals
*** Don't pass bad cloning law, U.S. doctors urge
*** Technology transforms abortion, 25 years after Roe
*** Md. study questions Lyme Disease treatment
*** U.S. study questions benefits of automated Pap test
*** U.S. opposes more assessment in EU beef hormone case
Technology
*** Compaq, Intel, Microsoft in Internet alliance
*** AT&T, NCR in 3-yr wireless deal
*** Intel to unveil networking products
*** IDT offers $0.05/minute Web phone calls
*** Microsoft to ship NT 5.0 trial midyear
The Environment
*** Urgent work needed on Russian nuclear waste - BEAC
*** Rome's eco-mafia moving north
*** Bored with bungee jumping? Try swimming with a shark
*** Protest as Japan-bound N-ship docks in France
*** Bardot again fined for inciting racial hatred
*** Warm El Nino waters bleaching Galapagos corals
Human Interest
*** McDonald's Israel adopts Burger King-like cooking
*** 4 Americans jailed in Sweden for Nazi salutes
*** Americans lead world in eating ice cream
*** Canadians make legal buck out of marijuana
*** UK bad boy Marco keeps 3-star Michelin tag
U.S. Front Page Stories
*** Netanyahu offers to cede territory under conditions
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday he was
discussing with U.S. officials an agreement to cede certain territory
as the Palestinians did more to crack down on Muslim extremists. The
Israeli leader said he did not expect to stay on in Washington to
meet Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, scheduled to meet Clinton
Thursday. He said Washington's increasing impatience with Israel was
"against truth and fairness" and actually discouraged Arafat from
doing more to crack down on Muslim extremist attacks. "We're prepared
to conduct a further redeployment to advance the peace process,
provided we don't touch on Israel's basic security requirements," he
said. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7055451-10b
Clinton, Netanyahu weigh new ideas, to talk again, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cg?id=7053722-276
*** Judge rejects N.Y. lawyer's lawsuit in JonBenet case
A judge dismissed a lawsuit Tuesday by a N.Y. lawyer who wanted a
special prosecutor named in the JonBenet Ramsey murder case because
the district attorney had not arrested the child's mother. "The
courts may not ordinarily intrude into the prosecutor's sphere by
compelling him to initiate prosecution of a particular individual,"
said Boulder District Court Judge Roxanne Bailin of the case brought
by attorney Darnay Hoffman. Hoffman filed a lawsuit in Boulder Nov.
19 asking a state court judge to compel Boulder County District
Attorney Alex Hunter to explain why he has not arrested Patricia
Ramsey. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7054780-a25
*** Shootout figure implicates brother in Oklahoma bombing
A brother caught on videotape in a shootout with police told a court
Tuesday his brother was involved in the bombing of a federal
building. "At this point, I do have knowledge my brother was involved
in the bombing of a federal building," Cheyne Kehoe, 21, said before
he was sentenced to 24 1/2 years in prison. Cheyne Kehoe was
convicted this month of 1 count of attempted murder, 2 charges of
felonious assault and 1 of carrying a concealed weapon. The FBI
confirmed last week it was investigating a report Chevie Kehoe, 24,
told a motel manager he wanted to watch TV the morning of the
Oklahoma City bombing because he expected something major was about
to happen. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7053911-92b
*** Starr probes report of White House affair
Independent prosecutor Kenneth Starr is investigating if President
Clinton and his close friend, Vernon Jordan, told a 24-year-old White
House intern to lie about her relationship with Clinton, the
Washington Post and ABC News said Wednesday. The Post said a 3-judge
appeals court panel authorized Starr to expand his investigation into
the failed Whitewater land deal to examine allegations of induced
perjury, false statements and obstruction of justice involving the
president. At issue are allegations Clinton and Jordan directed
former White House intern Monica Lewinsky to testify falsely in the
sexual harassment case brought against the president by Paula Jones.
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7058668-043
*** U.S. mulls budget surplus after decades in deficit
After decades of deficits, the U.S. government is on the brink of a
budget surplus and politicians have giddily begun discussing how to
spend it. President Clinton has promised the budget he is due to send
the Republican-held Congress on Feb. 2 will be in balance. But he
also plans to open the floodgates to billions of dollars in new
spending on child care, education and medical research. That Clinton
is able to propose a balanced budget, along with new spending, three
years ahead of the schedule laid out in last year's landmark budget
agreement, reflects the booming U.S. economy that has swelled
revenues. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7048243-765
*** Anti-drug campaign launched in 12 U.S. cities
Youngsters in 12 U.S. cities will be bombarded over the next 4 months
by a $20 million anti-drug campaign unveiled Tuesday in Atlanta.
White House drug czar Barry McCaffrey outlined details of the
advertising blitz, which is part of the Clinton administration's $195
million nationwide media campaign against illicit drugs. "Drug use
among our children is alarmingly high McCaffrey said. McCaffrey
said on an average day 6,488 U.S. youngsters try marijuana for the
first time, 1,786 try cocaine and 386 use heroin. The 12 cities
chosen for the anti-drug campaign are Atlanta; Baltimore; Boise,
Idaho; Denver; Hartford, Connecticut; Houston; Milwaukee; Portland,
Oregon; San Diego; Sioux City, Iowa; Tucson, Arizona and Washington.
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7048634-11a
Crime and Catastrophe
*** 2 killed in Indianapolis day care center
2 women were shot to death in a domestic dispute Tuesday in a house
being used as a day care center for children, in Indianapolis, police
said. None of 9 children in the house at the time was injured. Police
said they arrested Robert Bigbee, 69, who lived at the residence and
was a long-time companion of one of the victims. Police said the
violence stemmed from what they called a domestic disturbance. The
names of the victims - the woman who ran the center and her helper -
were not released. It was not clear if the home was a licensed day
care center or operated informally.
*** Fla. man accused of killing wife with hatchet
A Florida man accused of hacking his wife to death with an ax as his
children and neighbors pleaded with him to stop was denied bail
Tuesday. Neighbors said Pui Kei Wong, 49, chased his wife of 20
years, Nga Seong Wong, to the screened front porch of their home in
Hollywood, Fla., Monday, knocked her to the ground with a hatchet and
hit her a number of times in the face. The couple's 13-year-old son
and 15-year-old daughter were home at the time. The son ran outside
shouting for someone to stop his father, witnesses said.
Investigators said the man suspected his wife had been unfaithful.
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7049042-e8d
*** Killer executed after 24 years on Arizona death row
Arizona's longest serving death row inmate was executed early
Wednesday for the brutal 1974 murder of a couple in their south
Phoenix home, prison officials said. Officials said Jose Jesus Ceja
died from a lethal injection at 12:05 MST at the state prison complex
in Florence, Ariz. Ceja, 42, had no last words after he received the
fatal dose. Ceja served 23 years on death row for the double murder
of Linda and Randy Leon in mid-1974. He was 18 years old at the time
of the killings. He was the 9th person to be put to death in Ariz.
since the state resumed capital punishment in 1992 after a 29-year
absence. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7059339-3c2
*** Lawyers seek to stop Karla Faye Tucker execution
Lawyers for condemned killer Karla Faye Tucker asked an appeals court
Tuesday to stop her execution because she was now a good Christian
woman. In a 150-page motion for a stay of execution filed with the
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Tucker's lawyers also charged the
state's clemency process was so flawed as to be unconstitutional.
Tucker, 38, is set to become the first woman executed in Texas since
the Civil War Feb. 3. The last was Chipita Rodriguez, hanged in 1863
for killing a horse trader. Tucker was sentenced to death for the
pickax murder of a man and woman in Houston during a 1983 burglary.
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7049877-59f
*** Philadelphia woman says boyfriend held her hostage
Police searched Tuesday for a 30-year-old man who allegedly held his
girlfriend hostage for 3 months in a north Philadelphia apartment,
repeatedly beating and raping her. The ordeal for the 25-year-old
woman ended Monday when she arrived at a police precinct office in
the city's Fern Rock section, claiming her boyfriend had kept her in
handcuffs and threatened to harm her children if she told
authorities. The woman also told police her captor was responsible
for a number of robberies in surrounding neighborhoods during her
captivity. Officers got a warrant, searched the 2nd-floor apartment
and seized evidence. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7053284-635
*** Writer's son pleads guilty to murder victim theft
The son of writer Paul Auster pleaded guilty Tuesday to stealing more
than $3,000 from the body of a Colombian murder victim, killed nearly
2 years ago. Daniel Auster, 20, was expected to get 5 years probation
when he is sentenced Jan. 30. Auster was in the apartment of Angel
Melendez the night of March 10, 1996, when Michael Alig, a former
party promoter for nightclub owner Peter Gatien, and his roommate
Robert Riggs killed and dismembered Melendez. Riggs and Alig were
first charged with murder but later pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Both men were sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7053992-2ae
The U.S. Political Scene
*** Tax-writing House panel outlines social goals
The chairman of the House tax-writing committee outlined social
policy goals Tuesday for 1998, including limiting lawyers fees under
tobacco settlements and creating a Social Security reform commission.
Bill Archer, R-Texas, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee,
said Republicans remain committed to preventing Medicare bankruptcy
and giving patients greater choice. Archer said he would introduce
legislation to set up a panel to "achieve the best possible
bipartisan solution for restoring the solvency of the Social Security
system." See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7049452-c91
*** Feinstein steps out of Calif. governor's race
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, considered the strongest Democrat to vie for
the Calif. governorship, declared Tuesday she will not be a
candidate. Not even President Clinton could persuade her to run.
Feinstein's announcement ended weeks of speculation over her
political future, and removed the Democratic front-runner from the
governor's race in an election that could determine the party's fate
in Calif. for years to come. The next governor will be presiding over
a redrawing of state and federal election districts. She said one
thing warning her off another try was the harsh nature of Calif.
campaigns. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7055181-bc1
Calif. governor race has national implications, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7055399-ed8
*** Congress to open hearings on Babbitt's casino role
A House committee opens a new round of what promise to be politically
rancorous hearings Wednesday on Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt's
role in the rejection of an application for an Indian casino in Wis.
The hearings, chaired by Ind. Republican Dan Burton, will take place
as Attorney General Janet Reno decides whether to follow last week's
recommendation by Justice Department prosecutors that she appoint an
independent counsel. The department is examining Republican claims
Babbitt's decision to reject the casino license may have been
improperly influenced by Democratic campaign contributions. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7052763-34b
*** Satcher faces new opposition for surgeon general
As Congress prepares to return to work next week, Republican Sen.
John Ashcroft of Mo. stepped up his opposition Tuesday to confirming
Dr. David Satcher as surgeon general. President Clinton nominated
Satcher last year to fill a post that has been vacant since Joycelyn
Elders had to step down 3 years ago. Ashcroft objected to his
appointment because of abortion, his backing of needle exchange
programs to fight AIDS and some controversial AIDS research in poor
countries that was backed by the CDC. A Senate panel recommended
Satcher be confirmed, but the nomination did not come before the full
Senate last fall. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7053296-47e
*** House Democratic leader issues tax reform plan
Democrats should not disparage public anger over taxes, but instead
must fully enter the debate with an alternative to Republican
proposals, House Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt said Tuesday.
"Just because Republicans have been more skillful in turning the
anger about taxes into political gain, Democrats should not devalue
that anger as selfish or unworthy of respect," Gephardt said.
Gephardt is considered a potential rival to Vice President Al Gore
for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2000. He unveiled a
revised version of his proposal for a 10% income tax for most
Americans. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7051630-1ff
*** Ban genetic discrimination, Gore urges Congress
Vice President Al Gore urged Congress Tuesday to pass laws banning
discrimination against people on the basis of their genes, which a
new study said is already occurring in hiring and insurance. Gore
said he and President Clinton would support a joint bill introduced
by S.D. Sen. Tom Daschle and N.Y. Rep. Nita Lowey, both Democrats,
that would stop employers from misusing genetic information. Progress
should not give society more weapons to use against weaker members,
said Gore. "In the whirlwind of the biotechnology revolution, we must
hold tight to our deepest values." See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7052064-c0a
The Courts
*** Kaczynski competent; decision Thursday on counsel
With Unabomber suspect Theodore Kaczynski found competent, Judge
Garland Burrell delayed deciding Tuesday if he can represent himself
until moments before his trial resumes. Burrell said the question of
counsel would be decided in court between 8 and 10 a.m. PST Thursday.
He has told jurors, who have not yet been sworn in, to be ready for
possible opening statements at 10 a.m. PST Thursday. Burrell said
Tuesday, "Currently I'm not inclined to bring in new lawyers" and
"the question centers on self- representation." Kaczynski is charged
with a 17-year bombing campaign that killed 3 and injured 29. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7055070-4e0
Kaczynski case lawyers clash over 'secret shacks,' See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7056185-f63
*** Justice says Microsoft interferes with case
The Justice Department said Tuesday Microsoft Corp.'s continued court
filings are interfering with attempts to resolve issues in the
government's case against the company. Microsoft has argued it was
unable to understand a court order requiring it to sell its Windows
95 operating system without tying it to its Internet Explorer Web
browser. Microsoft argued earlier this month the government has
failed to define how Windows 95 and Internet Explorer, which
Microsoft says are fully integrated, can be separated and said the
government must more clearly define Internet Explorer. The government
said Microsoft should step aside and let a special adviser resolve
the issues. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7055925-4c0
*** U.S. judge issues split decision on Bible class
A U.S. judge issued a split ruling Tuesday in a case involving a
controversial Bible class, allowing a Fla. school district to teach a
course based on the Old Testament but barring it from teaching one
based on the New Testament. The ruling came in a lawsuit brought by
the American Civil Liberties Union and People for the American Way
against the Lee County School Board, which voted last year to teach a
2-semester Bible history class supported by the Christian Coalition.
The ACLU suit, on behalf of parents and other residents, alleged that
the course unconstitutionally used the Bible as a history book. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7055044-c57
*** Ex-POW sentenced for killing son-in-law
A World War II veteran convicted of murdering his son-in-law was
sentenced to 35 years to life in prison Tuesday despite his claim he
was having flashbacks to a Japanese prison camp when he opened fire.
Richard Keech, 78, was convicted last Nov. of first degree murder
after jurors rejected his contention that during the shooting he was
suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and thought the victim
was a Japanese prison guard. Keech described the victim, British
immigrant Nicholas Candy, as a volatile, dangerous man of imposing
size who mounted a "campaign of terror" against the Keech family. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7055790-a1d
*** Jury selection begins in Texas cadet murder case
Jury selection began Tuesday in the trial of an ex-Naval cadet
accused of murdering a teen-age girl in a love pact with her
boyfriend. Diane Zamora, 19, faces life in prison if convicted on
charges she and high school sweetheart David Graham killed
16-year-old Adrianne Jones in Dec. 1995. Jury selection was expected
to last through next week with opening arguments to begin Feb. 2.
State District Judge Joe Drago questioned each member of the jury
pool individually because the case has received extensive publicity.
He has said if he cannot find 12 impartial jurors, the trial will be
moved out of Fort Worth. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7053619-d1d
*** TV's Winfrey cheerful as Texas beef jury is chosen
Talk show hostess Oprah Winfrey clowned and smiled for fans Tuesday
as a jury was selected in her showdown with Texas cattlemen who say a
program of hers on mad cow disease cost them $12 million. Opening
arguments in their lawsuit were to begin Wednesday after 4 men and 8
women were chosen as jurors. The cattlemen, led by feedlot owner Paul
Engler, charge Winfrey drove down prices when she swore off
hamburgers in her April 15, 1996, show. A smiling Winfrey waved at
cheering fans every time she walked in and out of the federal
courthouse. Among spectators were animal rights activists dressed in
cow suits. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7053347-9c6
World Front Page Stories
*** U.S. wants diplomatic end to Iraq crisis-Cohen
Defense Secretary William Cohen said Wednesday the U.S. wants a
diplomatic solution to the Iraqi crisis but was determined not to
allow Baghdad to threaten its neighbors with biological, chemical and
nuclear weapons. In a speech to American forces on an aircraft
carrier as she prepared to head for the Gulf, Cohen said they were to
become part of a major American force in the Gulf that would pressure
Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein into complying with UN sanctions and
weapons inspections. Surrounded on the flight deck of the
Independence by planes, Cohen called the ship's crew the "steel and
sword of freedom." See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cg/story.cgi?id=7055417-290
U.S. Catholic bishops want end to Iraq sanctions, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7053172-3eb
U.S. sure allies would back action against Iraq, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7052881-d0e
UN arms chief heads home after hard talks, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7052703-0f0
*** Northern Irish plead for end to guerrilla killings
Britain vowed Tuesday to stand firm against a wave of sectarian
killings in Northern Ireland as anxious political leaders and
relatives of the latest victim pleaded for peace. Mo Mowlam,
Britain's Northern Ireland Secretary, said pro-British and pro-Irish
factions behind the killings were trying to derail multiparty
negotiations that have been built on recent truces by the main
guerrilla forces. "I am determined not to let our will be broken by
these splinter-groups who are not interested in cease-fires, they
are just interested in breaking the peace talks," she told BBC radio.
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7049982-89d
IRA mortar attack suspect goes on trial in London, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7048289-c06
*** UN 'fire brigade' idea splits experts
When the next round of ethnic bloodletting looms in Africa or the
Balkans, a UN "fire brigade" should be ready to step in and prevent
war. That is the vision of a panel of elder statesmen led by former
U.S. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance who have spent 3 years studying
how to prevent deadly conflicts. A key recommendation, presented to
the Clinton administration and to Britain as president of the
European Union, is that the UN Security Council create a rapid
reaction force of 5,000 to 10,000 troops for emergency deployment in
crisis spots. But not all experts share their faith. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7047622-3ca
*** El Nino made 1997 record hot year - UN weather body
The United Nations weather agency said Tuesday 1997 was on average
the world's hottest year on record - largely because of the El Nino
phenomenon which also caused major disasters around the globe. But a
spokeswoman for the body, the World Meteorological Organization, said
El Nino, a mysterious warming Pacific Ocean current which disrupts
climate patterns, was not the cause of every extreme in the weather.
In an annual survey, the WMO said reports from its worldwide network
showed the average temperature last year was 0.44 degrees Centigrade
above the average for the 1961-90 base period. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7048608-ec4
*** Yugo court dismisses Blaskic death threat report
The Yugoslav war crimes tribunal dismissed a report Tuesday that
Bosnian Croat General Tihomor Blaskic has faced death threats since
his surrender to the UN court in 1996. Dutch state radio said
Blaskic, on trial in The Hague for alleged crimes against humanity,
was transferred from house arrest to Scheveningen jail for his own
safety last year. The radio said authorities were unable to guarantee
Blaskic's safety while he was under house arrest at a secret location
in the Netherlands. The report did not specify who was behind the
threats or what form they had taken. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7042830-ab6
*** UN Population Fund launches new worldwide campaign
With Western nations slacking off in contributions for family
planning, the UN Population Fund Tuesday recruited actress Linda Gray
for a "Face to Face" campaign to spread its message. Gray recently
traveled for UNFPA to Guatemala where the teen-age pregnancy rate is
the highest in the world and where family planning programs are at
their infancy. Many 12- and 13-year-old girls become pregnant, some
then forced into prostitution, she said. UNFPA officials said
developing nations have raised money for family planning but Western
nations were not coming through with expected contributions. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7054299-fb0
The World Political Scene
*** 2 bombs hit Algiers as EU mission ends
2 bombs exploded in Algeria Tuesday, killing 6 people and wounding 50
as European envoys concluded a mission to Algeria with no concession
from the government to requests for an independent inquiry into the
bloodshed. At least 3 people were killed and 20 wounded in the blast
in Ben Aknoun District, including 3 in serious condition. 2 of the
wounded died later Tuesday. Another bomb exploded in a market in the
village of Ziralda, killing 3 and wounding 30. The EU mission's
leader, British Foreign Office Secretary of State Derek Fatchett,
said the EU regretted Algeria had again rejected a UN human rights
probe but was pleased Attaf had agreed to visit London to continue
discussing the Algerian conflict. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7050112-a94
*** West frets over countdown to crisis in Cyprus
The countdown to crisis - some experts believe even to war - has
begun in Cyprus, prompting anxious Western governments to gear up
mediation efforts."I think we can't give up here," Secretary of
State Madeleine Albright said Monday. Unless a diplomatic solution is
found to stop the Greek Cypriot government taking delivery of
Russian-made missiles later this year, diplomats believe Turkey will
take military action to destroy them. That could trigger a wider
confrontation between feuding NATO allies Turkey and Greece, they
say. International mediation efforts are on hold until after the
(Greek) Cypriot presidential election Feb. 8. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7043503-142
*** UN arms talks open with Clinton plea on landmines
U.S. President Bill Clinton urged the Conference on Disarmament in
Geneva Tuesday to negotiate a worldwide ban on the export of
landmines. In a speech read by U.S. representative Robert Grey,
Clinton also proposed launching negotiations to halt production of
fissile material - plutonium and highly-enriched uranium - used in
making nuclear bombs. The U.S., China and Russia have been under fire
from members of the international community for declining to join the
121 states which signed the Ottawa Treaty banning anti-personnel
landmines. The weapons are blamed for killing 25,000 people a year.
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7043015-58f
*** Indonesia keeps Taiwan premier visit under wraps
Taiwan's Premier Vincent Siew, on a visit to Jakarta the Indonesian
government has kept under tight wraps, was due to see Science and
Technology Minister Jusuf Habibie Wednesday before leaving for home,
diplomatic sources said. The authorities whisked Siew away from the
airport, dodging waiting journalists on his arrival Monday, and
officials have refused to acknowledge his presence in Jakarta. The
visit was expected to spark protests from communist China. Diplomatic
sources said he was briefed by the Taiwan economic mission, which
serves as Taipei's de facto embassy in Jakarta. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7056966-f92
The Americas
*** Tears, joy, prayer in Havana before pope's arrival
Tears of joy, prayers and calls for reconciliation echoed in Havana
churches and at the city's airport Tuesday as pilgrims and Cuban
exiles arrived for a historic 5-day visit by Pope John Paul II. As
workers hung yellow and white Vatican flags alongside the red, white
and blue Cuban colors on the route the pontiff will follow into
Havana Wednesday, charter planes flew in from the U.S. to reunite
families separated for decades by ideology. "Thanks to the pope I
could come back," said Alba Fernandez as she hugged her father, who
she had not seen for 18 years, after arriving on a charter flight
from Fla. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7055481-5cc
Pilgrims overload Havana hotels for pope visit, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7055693-088
U.S. congressman says Pope trip will change Cuba, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7054948-970
Menem hopes Canada joins Mercosur in 6 months
Argentine President Carlos Menem told Canadian Prime Minister Jean
Chretien Tuesday he hoped to see Canada join South America's Mercosur
trade grouping within 6 months despite a dispute with Brazil.
Chretien had hoped to sign a framework deal with Mercosur - a market
of 240 million people grouping Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and
Uruguay with Chile and Bolivia as associate members - on his current
Latin American tour. But a trade row which has seen Brazil and Canada
swapping charges of unfair subsidies to aircraft manufacturers led
Brazil to call a halt to talks between Mercosur and Canada. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7050095-62d
*** Guatemala gang rape suspect is jailed pending trial
A Guatemalan judge ordered 1 of 4 men arrested Tuesday in connection
with the rape last week of 5 U.S. college students to be held in jail
pending trial. Judge Salvador Molina said the suspect, Cosbi Urias,
refused to enter a plea and cannot be formally charged until he does.
3 other suspects in custody have yet to be transferred to Molina's
court. Guatemalan authorities are under intense pressure to produce
results in the investigation of last Friday's rape of 5 women, aged
18 to 20, from St. Mary's College of Md. An armed gang of 7 men
hijacked a rented bus carrying 13 students and 3 faculty members,
robbing them and raping 5 women, on a highway in broad daylight. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7053403-305.
*** Update: Chilean court to probe Pinochet for genocide
A Chilean judge said Tuesday he would launch a formal probe into
whether former military ruler Gen. Augusto Pinochet was responsible
for mass killings during his 17 years in power. Judge Juan Guzman
said he had accepted a criminal complaint of genocide against
Pinochet, 82, who is still army commander-in-chief, presented by the
Communist Party. "Our business now is to verify if these things
happened, and decide who might be responsible for them," Guzman said.
Pinochet, who declared himself president after the army seized power
in a bloody 1973 coup, has never had to appear in court for killings
committed during his rule. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7051679-18a
Mexico Indians reject out-of-date aid in Chiapas
Indian refugees in Mexico's troubled southern state of Chiapas
Tuesday rejected Red Cross donations of medicine after finding out
that much of it had gone past its "sell by" date. The refusal by
Chenalho to accept outside aid for refugees reflected deep mistrust
of federal authorities in pro-rebel communities. Thousands of Indians
have been sent fleeing around Chiapas since paramilitaries massacred
45 Indians, mostly women and children, Dec. 22. The killers of the
Indians in the village of Acteal have been linked to the ruling
Institutional Revolutionary Party and ex-Chiapas governor Julio Cesar
Ruiz Ferro and then-interior minister Emilio Chuayffet have both
resigned. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7056898-03d
*** Colombian drug lord said to admit U.S. shipments
A former top lieutenant of Colombia's Cali drug cartel has admitted
to smuggling more than 3.3 tons of cocaine into the U.S. and
laundering more than $125 million over 10 years, authorities said
Tuesday. Helmer "Pacho" Herrera, former number 3 in the Cali cartel
who surrendered to Colombian authorities in Sept. 1996, confessed to
the latest charges of drug trafficking and money laundering as part
of a wider plea bargaining deal. The drug shipments totaling 3.37
tons were sent to the U.S. between 1983 and 1993. Last month Herrera
owned up to shipping another cargo of more than 3 tons of drugs to
the U.S. which were later confiscated in Fla. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7052978-0bb
Europe and Russia
*** Carlos says 'in Libya' at time of French bombings
Jailed urban guerrilla "Carlos the Jackal" told a judge investigating
his role in two 1983 bomb attacks in France that he was in Libya at
the time, his lawyer said Tuesday. Counsel Isabelle Coutant-Peyre
said Carlos told the judge in the 2nd Paris trial at which the
guerrilla has been present that Libyan leaders would be able to
confirm he was there. Anti-terrorist investigating judge Jean-Louis
Bruguiere is probing if Carlos should be brought to trial over the
1983 New Year's eve bombing of a high-speed train in France and of
Marseille's main train station, in which 5 people died and dozens
more were wounded. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7047544-3b2
*** Yeltsin fears some CIS members want to quit
Russian President Boris Yeltsin expressed concern Tuesday that some
former Soviet republics wanted to quit the Commonwealth of
Independent States. Defending his work with the loose grouping set up
after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, said Valery Serov, a deputy
prime minister in charge of CIS affairs. Yeltsin, who returned to
work Monday after a 2-week vacation, called for more active
development of ties within the CIS, which includes all 15 former
Soviet republics expect Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Serov said all
of the leaders of CIS countries backed Yeltsin's efforts and
dismissed the suggestion any wanted to leave. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7041973-202
*** IRA martyr's sister launches hardline Irish group
For Irish unity, IRA prisoner Bobby Sands smeared his prison cell
with excrement and starved himself to death. Now his sister is
spearheading a hardline nationalist group which says peace talks with
Northern Ireland's British rulers are fundamentally flawed.
Bernadette Sands, speaking at the first meeting of the 32 County
Sovereignty Committee Tuesday, said the IRA's political wing Sinn
Fein should pull out of talks if they cannot make all-Irish
sovereignty their agenda. While Catholic nationalists dream of a
united Ireland and the IRA has fought for it, pro-British
Protestants and loyalist guerrillas abhor the idea. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7056715-c4f
*** Jospin holds his ground on Europe, jobs
Embattled French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin vowed Tuesday there
would be no U-turn in his Socialist-led government's policies on
employment, Europe and public spending. Jospin, facing a determined
protest by the unemployed which began five weeks ago, said the
government would not raise taxes or inflate the budget deficit to
meet demands for an increase in minimum welfare benefits. Raising
minimum benefits by $244 per month as demanded would cost 70 billion
francs ($11.4 billion), Jospin said. The government was elected on a
pledge to cut joblessness which is running at a near-record rate of
12.4%. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7049791-4dc.
*** Update: Havel re-elected Czech president
Czech President Vaclav Havel, leader of the 1989 democratic
revolution which overthrew Communist rule, narrowly won re-election
to a new five-year term Tuesday after two tense rounds of voting by
parliament. Havel, a 61-year-old former dissident playwright, polled
99 lower house votes, a majority of one among the 197 deputies
present, and 47 in the 81-member upper house as the only candidate in
a second round. Havel, seeking re-election to his second and final
term allowed by the constitution, remains highly popular and trusted
by 70% of Czechs, but was seeking re-election at a turbulent time in
Czech politics. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cg?id=7051564-dc0
Havel - reticent revolutionary, lifelong dissident, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7050905-46b
*** Yeltsin says military reform underway
Russian President Boris Yeltsin said Tuesday his large-scale military
reform was marching on successfully, overcoming resistance from the
top brass and even the government's political opponents. "We managed
to overcome resistance to military reform from the military
themselves, from politicians and even the opposition Society
understands that the future of Russia's armed forces depends on
reform." Yeltsin said Russia had managed to cut its armed forces by
200,000 servicemen over the past year and had made an inventory of
all military assets. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7051215-86b
Yeltsin appoints new Russian air force chief, See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7048746-b21
Africa
*** Zimbabwe says deploying army to quell riots
The Zimbabwean government said Tuesday it was deploying troops to
quell riots that have rocked Harare, the capital of the southern
African country, for two days. Home Affairs Minister Dumiso Dabengwa
said the government had also put the entire army - which numbers
about 40,000 - on standby to deal with the riots. The army's task
would be to prevent looters from reaching the city center which
contains Harare's main business and industrial areas, Dabengwa said.
He said no deaths were reported, but four policeman were seriously
injured. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7045456-c06
Zimbabwe troops move in to stop riots, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7048934-4f1
*** Burundi rebels vow to press on with war
Burundi's main Hutu rebel group vowed Tuesday to press on with its
guerrilla war against military leader Maj. Pierre Buyoya and force a
negotiated settlement to the country's long ethnic conflict. But the
National Council for the Defense of Democracy denied at a Nairobi
news conference that its armed wing, Forces for the Defense of
Democracy, had targeted civilians. The denial followed almost daily
reports from Burundi's Tutsi-led army of killings of civilians blamed
on Hutu rebels. The army said 76 people died last week in four days
of fighting just northeast of the capital, Bujumbura. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7046562-773
*** Zambia court orders evidence released for Kaunda
Former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda's lawyers said Tuesday a
Lusaka court had ordered the state to release evidence needed to
fight his detention for alleged involvement in a coup. Kaunda's
lawyers believe the state is hiding crucial audio and video evidence
and subpoenaed the state for their release. "The court ordered that
the Zambia National Broadcasting Corp. and the police release the
relevant tapes tomorrow," Kaunda's lawyer Mainza Chona said. Kaunda
was arrested Christmas Day in connection with a failed coup against
President Frederick Chiluba's government last October. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7049983-80d
*** Opposition politician arrested in Democratic Congo
Soldiers in the Democratic Congo capital Kinshasa arrested outspoken
opposition leader Joseph Olengankoy Tuesday after breaking into his
office, his party said. The arrest follows weekend comments by
President Laurent Kabila who reaffirmed a ban on political activity
in the former Zaire during a two-year transition which ends in 1999.
Olengankoy is an ally of opposition leader, Etienne Tshisekedi, the
leading opponent to dictator Mobutu Sese Seko. Mobutu was ousted by
Kabila with Rwanda's help in May. Papers have reported Kabila sought
to meet Olengankoy, who has accused him of setting up a dictatorship.
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7048347-f50
*** Libya said to regard air embargo as worst sanction
Libya is anxious for the easing of an air embargo that is part of UN
sanctions imposed in connection with the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am
airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland, a UN report said Tuesday. The
report was drafted by a UN fact-finding mission that visited Libya
last month to study the effects of the sanctions. "It was apparent to
the mission that the Libyans consider the sanctions as 'illegal'
and unjust and want them to be lifted immediately," the report said.
The sanctions were first imposed in 1992 and later tightened because
of Libya's failure to extradite 2 men wanted for trial in Britain or
the U.S. in connection with the bombing that killed 270 people. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7054050-0b0
*** 3 killed, 12 wounded in Kenya tribal clash
3 people were killed and 12 wounded in western Kenya in clashes after
a dispute between ethnic Luos and Kisiis over land and politics,
police said Tuesday. 1 Luo was killed Tuesday and 2 Kisiis died
overnight along the border of K'Odera Bara and Nyamayah villages as
villagers clashed over a disputed piece of land. 8 houses were burned
down and 6 schools were closed as a result of insecurity. Local
Kisiis said they were attacked by Luos angered by their failure to
vote for Luo leader and presidential candidate Raila Odinga in last
month's elections. Odinga came 3rd to President Daniel arap Moi. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7048569-3cf.
India and the Middle East
*** Arafat 'keen' on Holocaust Museum visit
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said Tuesday he was anxious to visit
the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum which offered him a special tour
after earlier denying him an official welcome. Arafat canceled an
earlier plan to visit the museum in memory of 6 million Jews killed
in the Nazi Holocaust after being denied an official welcome. He is
to meet President Clinton in Washington Thursday as part of the
latest U.S. effort to revive stalled Middle East peace talks. Miles
Lerman, chairman of the Holocaust Memorial Council, was quoted as
saying he had listened to bad advice in withdrawing an initial
invitation. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7048407-358
*** Turkey holds over 200 Iraqi migrants
Turkish border guards have detained and then released scores of Iraqi
immigrants who attempted to cross illegally into neighboring Greece,
officials said Tuesday. A total of 129 Iraqis had been captured at
three separate points trying to cross the Meric river which forms the
border with Greece, the provincial governor's office in Edirne said.
Domestic law states that officials must release any migrants who have
valid passports and permission to be in Turkey. Turkey's long
Mediterranean coastline and border with Greece make it an ideal
springboard to Europe for immigrants from impoverished countries. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7045306-c02
*** Arabs decry trial of Frenchman doubting holocaust
Arab intellectuals and human rights activists have launched a
campaign in solidarity with French Muslim author Roger Garaudy, on
trial in a Paris court for trivializing the Holocaust against Jews.
They have set up funds to gather donations, issued statements and
formed a team of lawyers to defend Garaudy, a strong critic of
Israel's Middle East policies. Garaudy, 84, who denies any
wrongdoing, was brought to trial after several anti-racism groups
accused him of denying crimes committed against humanity, itself a
crime under French law, in his book "The Founding Myths of Israeli
Politics." See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7048106-30d
*** PLO self-rule run as 'police state' - rights group
A leading Palestinian human rights group, accusing the Palestinian
Authority of acting like a "police state," issued a scathing report
Tuesday detailing widespread human rights abuses in Palestinian-ruled
areas in 1997. The report said torture and extrajudicial killings in
Palestinian Authority custody were the most severe human rights
violations in self-ruled areas. It stressed, in
Palestinian-controlled areas, "more and more Palestinians are engaged
in the important work of arresting, torturing, and occasionally
killing each other, much as they did during 1996 and 1995." The
report said illegal arrests and arbitrary detentions were the norm
rather than the exception. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7048506-5f5
Christians not persecuted in W. Bank - rights group, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7046728-af5
*** Saudis hit back over UK torture report
Saudi Arabia denounced as anti-Islamic Tuesday a British
parliamentary report which accused the kingdom, a key trading
partner, of widespread torture and human rights abuses. Ambassador to
Britain Dr. Ghazi Algosaibi described the report as "a rehash of old
allegations with no proof or substantiation." He said his country
would pay no heed to people who hated Islam and its laws, adding,
"Pampering murderers, rapists, terrorists and drug smugglers is not
part and parcel of the Islamic doctrine of human rights." See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7047111-759
*** Jordanian Islamist leads prisoners home from Iraq
50 Jordanian convicts, freed by a general amnesty from Iraqi
President Saddam Hussein, left Baghdad for Amman Wednesday in a
convoy led by a prominent Jordanian opposition leader. The prisoners
danced and sang, shouting slogans in support of Saddam and waving
Iraqi flags, before setting out on the long overland journey home,
shepherded by Jordanian Islamist dissident Leith Shubeilat. The
release comes just days after Jordan's uneasy relations with
neighboring Iraq were further rattled by the stabbing to death in
Amman of a senior Iraqi diplomat and 7 other people, mostly Iraqis.
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7058896-9c2
The Far East
*** China invites U.N. rights visit
China Tuesday invited the United Nations' top human rights official
to visit in a move Western countries hoped signaled a change in
Beijing's attitude on what it has previously regarded as an internal
matter. The invitation was issued to Mary Robinson, U.N. High
Commissioner for Human Rights. There was speculation that China
issued the invitation to deflect criticism of its rights record ahead
of the start of the annual forum of the U.N. Commission on Human
Rights. The invitation came two months after China released from
prison its most famous dissident, Wei Jingsheng, on medical parole,
sending him to exile. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7047783-475
U.N. rights boss ready to start talks with China, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7044768-7d1
Britain's Cook presses China on human rights, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7045308-272
*** Suharto seeks to stay president; rupiah falls
Indonesia's President Suharto agreed Tuesday to seek re-election in
March as his country faced a renewed financial crisis, prompting
fresh calls for him to step down. Ruling Golkar party chief and
parliamentary speaker Harmoko told reporters after meeting Suharto
that the president had agreed to accept a nomination for a seventh
term to the office he has held since the mid-1960s. But the upsurge
of financial turmoil, sparked by the rupiah's fall below 10,000 to
the dollar for the second time this month, could create unrest in the
run up to the March presidential elections, analysts said. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7043422-595
*** China woos Taiwan, but Taipei cool
China offered political talks with arch-rival Taiwan Tuesday and said
there were no preconditions, but a Taipei official scorned the
invitation as old rhetoric. The major stumbling block to dialogue has
been Beijing's insistence that talks proceed on the basis of
"one-China" - the principle that Taiwan is an integral part of a
Communist-ruled state. Taipei maintains that China is split, with the
Nationalist government holding sway on Taiwan. At issue is whether
the remarks represent any softening by Beijing on a crucial point of
national doctrine, or simply a twist on the bitter polemical
argument. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7043619-02e
*** UN special envoy arrives in Myanmar for talks
A United Nations special envoy arrived in Yangon Tuesday for a
three-day visit aimed at prodding Myanmar's (Burma's) ruling junta
towards democracy and encouraging dialogue with opposition leader
Aung San Suu Kyi. Alvaro De Soto, who arrived from Singapore, was
likely to urge the ruling State Peace and Development Council to
speed up the drafting of a new constitution and to hold elections as
soon as possible, analysts said. The SPDC has repeatedly refused to
hold direct talks with Suu Kyi since she was released from six years
of house arrest in July 1995. It has also limited her politically.
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7040902-f49
*** U.S. defence secretary meets Japanese prime minister
U.S. Defence Secretary William Cohen discussed Asia-Pacific security
and bilateral defence planning with Japanese leaders on Tuesday as he
neared the end of a whirlwind seven-nation East Asia trip. Cohen
arrived in Japan's capital from Beijing, and will hold a series of
meetings with Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, before going to South
Korea Wednesday. Cohen discussed with Hashimoto his three-day visit
to Beijing and talks there with President Jiang Zemin Tuesday, during
which he assured Jiang that the close bilateral relationship between
Washington and Tokyo was not intended to threaten or isolate China.
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7044988-341
*** Cambodian king declines to meet U.S. official
Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk has declined to meet a top U.S.
foreign policy official, saying he can not play any political role
after being nastily attacked by some media in his homeland. In a
letter to U.S. officials released in Phnom Penh on Tuesday, Sihanouk
broke two weeks of silence on why he abruptly left Cambodia early
this month and apologized for turning down a request to meet U.S.
Assistant Secretary of State Stanley Roth. The letter was addressed
to senior U.S. officials Strobe Talbott and James Sasser. It was
dated Jan. 16, one day before Roth was due for a three-day visit in
Beijing, where the king is receiving medical treatment. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7043282-9a1
Science and Medicine
*** Cows eggs used to clone other mammals
While other cloning scientists dispute the ethics and possibilities
of human cloning, a team of scientists from the University of
Wisconsin-Madison has taken a giant leap forward in the cloning of
other mammals. Using the unfertilized eggs of cows, the scientists
have shown that the eggs have the ability to incorporate and,
seemingly, reprogram at least some of the genes from adult cells from
an array of different animal species, including sheep, pigs, rats,
cattle and primates. The technique illustrates the possibility of
using the eggs of one species as a "universal recipient." (EnviroLink
Network) Cow egg cloning technique said to need more study, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7049106-deb
Cloned calves roaming Texas range for research, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7049620-fed
*** Don't pass bad cloning law, U.S. doctors urge
Fertility doctors worried about bad laws that would limit research
suggested their own law for banning human cloning Tuesday. The
American Society for Reproductive Medicine said its carefully worded
legislation would ban the cloning of humans without without
restricting research that could help infertile couples and advance
other areas of medicine. The trouble with any law banning "cloning"
is that the term is widely used to mean many different procedures.
The ASRM proposal also seeks to preempt any state law banning
cloning. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7048918-14e
*** Technology transforms abortion, 25 years after Roe
25 years ago, abortion in America generally meant an agonizing wait,
a search for a doctor and an illegal, painful and dangerous
operation. Now, home pregnancy tests have eliminated the long wait,
abortion clinics have made the search for a doctor easier and new
techniques have eased the pain and danger. Before the 1973 Supreme
Court ruling that guaranteed a woman's right to choose abortion, a
woman had a nail-biting wait until she missed a period. Dr. Jerry
Edwards, a Planned Parenthood doctor in Houston, made headlines late
last year with a new approach to abortion that can end a pregnancy
less than 2 weeks after conception. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7046900-cde
Md. study questions Lyme Disease treatment
Doctors in a Md. county where infected ticks are spreading Lyme
disease were prematurely providing antibiotics to patients who
complained of tick bites, researchers said Tuesday. In a study of the
medical records of 232 patients in a county on the Eastern Shore of
Maryland where Lyme disease is a particular problem, researchers
found that tick bites alone were sometimes treated with antibiotics
before a diagnosis was made. Instead, physicians should monitor
patients and take preventive measures when early signs of the disease
appear and it can still be treated. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7050564-d5d
*** U.S. study questions benefits of automated Pap test
A device that uses computer technology to analyze Pap smears is not
much better than traditional test methods but costs much more, said a
U.S. study published Tuesday. The finding came from the Armed Forces
Institute of Pathology which said it used the device, called PAPNET,
to re-screen 5,478 Pap smears from female members of the armed forces
that had been previously identified as normal. The manufacturer of
the device disputed the study, saying other tests had come to
different conclusions. The researchers said they uncovered only 1
additional abnormal Pap smear for every 913 cases screened. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7051810-941
*** U.S. opposes more assessment in EU beef hormone case
The Clinton administration disputed a claim Tuesday by the European
Union that it has the right to do further assessments before allowing
imports of U.S. beef produced with artificial growth hormones. A
recent decision by an appellate body of the World Trade Organization
"makes it quite clear the EU must come into compliance" with
international food safety standards in the beef hormone case, an
official said. Last week the WTO appellate body ruled the EU's 9-year
ban on imports of hormone-treated beef violated global trading rules.
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7052935-919
Technology
*** Compaq, Intel, Microsoft in Internet alliance
Compaq Computer Corp., Intel Corp. and Microsoft Corp. have joined
with most of the nation's largest local telephone companies to
provide higher speed Internet access using regular telephone lines,
the New York Times reported Tuesday. Citing executives involved in
the alliance, the newspaper reported the 3 companies plan to unveil
the venture next week at a communications conference in Washington.
The executives said the 3 companies, which set much of the agenda in
the computer industry, have teamed up with GTE Corp. and 4 of the 5
baby bell companies to set standards for the next generation of
access to cyberspace, the newspaper said. The group wants to have
modems and software based on the new standards on store shelves by
Christmas, the newspaper reported.
*** AT&T, NCR in 3-yr wireless deal
AT&T Wireless Services said it has agreed with NCR Corp. to become
NCR's national provider of wireless communications and to provide an
enhanced level of communications-related management services. The
3-year, multi-million dollar contract will provide wireless service
to several thousand NCR employee subscribers based in the U.S., the
AT&T Corp. unit said. In addition, AT&T Wireless will provide
consolidated billing for all business users. This information will
allow NCR to benchmark its costs with those of similar companies. A
key element of the agreement is the program management service to be
provided by AT&T Wireless Services, it said. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7047911-37a
*** Intel to unveil networking products
Intel Corp. said it will unveil Tuesday a new line of networking
products targeted to small businesses that are affordable and easy to
install. Intel said it is introducing both hardware and software with
intelligence built in so that a company does not necessarily need a
systems manager to install the products. "The key challenge is to
make this thing (a computer network) light up without becoming an IT
(information technology) manager at a price that is affordable," said
a spokesman for the Santa Clara, Calif.-based chip giant.
*** IDT offers $0.05/minute Web phone calls
IDT Corp. said consumer and small business callers in New York City
and Chicago using its phone-to-phone Internet phone service will pay
a reduced rate of $0.05 per minute to call any phone in the U.S. The
service, known as Net2Phone Direct, is now available to consumers and
small businesses for telephone calling at a domestic rate of $0.08
per minute from local numbers in more than 50 U.S. cities. It said
the reduced rate from New York and Chicago will be available, in a
controlled introduction, at $0.05 per minute. The rate will apply 24
hours per day, 7 days per week, with no restrictions. The new rates
take effect Feb. 2.
*** Microsoft to ship NT 5.0 trial midyear
Microsoft Corp. chairman Bill Gates said he expected the Beta 2 trial
version of the company's Windows NT 5.0 operating system to be
shipped in the middle of the year, followed by the final version
within 6 to 9 months afterwards. Gates, speaking via satellite
link-up to a financial markets conference in London, did not give a
final launch date for Microsoft's long-awaited Windows NT 5.0
upgrade.
The Environment
*** Urgent work needed on Russian nuclear waste - BEAC
There is an urgent need to intensify international efforts to clear
up nuclear waste in northwest Russia and improve safety at its
nuclear power reactors, the Barents Euro-Arctic Council said Tuesday.
At the end of the BEAC's fifth ministers' meeting in Lulea, northern
Sweden, the Council said despite some positive developments, there
was not enough being done in this critical area. Nuclear safety and
pollution is a key focus of the BEAC, which was set up in 1993 to
boost cooperation in the Barents Sea region between the five Nordic
countries - - Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland - and
Russia. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7044308-295
*** Rome's eco-mafia moving north
Illegal dumping of toxic waste and constant infringement of waste
laws in the region of Lazio around Italy's capital city are damaging
the environment, endangering public health and raising remediation
costs, the environmental group Legambiente alleged last week in Rome.
Illegal practices in waste management are spreading from the south to
the center of Italy, Legambiente said in a report. The group claims
that waste management in Lazio is now characterised by "serious and
generalized environmental illegality," and other environmental laws
are also flouted. According to Legambiente's report there were 7,000
recorded infringements over the past three years. (EnviroLink
Network)
*** Bored with bungee jumping? Try swimming with a shark
There is no end of dangerous sports to try in southern Africa -
bungee jumping, skydiving, white water rafting. But, for a new
adrenalin rush, how about swimming face-to-face with a killer shark?
The public seems eager to confront its fears of the monster of the
deep and South Africa's Cape Town's aquarium has been swamped with
divers who want to swim with the ragged-toothed shark since it opened
its tanks to paying visitors last month. Conservationists say the
project should help reverse the damage done to the shark's image by
the movie "Jaws." See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7047283-01e
*** Protest as Japan-bound N-ship docks in France
Activists recalled the sinking of the Titanic Tuesday to warn about
the dangers of shipping nuclear material as a freighter docked in the
French port of Cherbourg to load reprocessed nuclear waste bound for
Japan. Some 20 Greenpeace activists displayed outside the port
terminal cut-outs of seven ships which sank with severe loss of life
or environmental damage, with the slogan: "Those shipments too were
safe." The environmental group was protesting against the voyage of
the British-registered Pacific Swan which is due to sail for Japan
Wednesday with some 30 metric tons of reprocessed nuclear waste. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7051086-933
*** Bardot again fined for inciting racial hatred
A Paris court fined former actress now animal rights campaigner
Brigitte Bardot Tuesday for inciting racial hatred in published
comments on massacres of civilians in Algeria. The court said the
former sex symbol, in criticizing the ritual slaughter of sheep for
the Aid-al-Kebir Muslim festival, had incited racial hatred by
blaming the whole Muslim community for Algeria's massacres and saying
that such mass killings would soon spread to France. Bardot, 63, was
fined $3,250. Bardot was fined $1,625 4 months ago for saying France
was being overrun by sheep-slaughtering Muslims. The court said her
condemnation of the Muslim ritual exceeded any concern for animal
welfare. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7047825-5d7
*** Warm El Nino waters bleaching Galapagos corals
Extremely warm waters in the Pacific Ocean caused by the El Nino
weather phenomenon are bleaching coral reefs in the Galapagos
Islands, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said
Tuesday. The agency said it used satellite data to identify Galapagos
"hot spots:" places where water temperatures were 3 to 5 degrees
Fahrenheit higher than the maximum temperatures normally expected.
Corals thrive as long as temperatures remain at or below 81 F -- the
normal maximum sea surface temperature there -- but a small increase
in temperatures can be deadly to these animals, oceanographers said.
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7057096-121
Human Interest
*** McDonald's Israel adopts Burger King-like cooking
Call it a Whopper of a move for McDonald's Corp. and its Big Mac. In
an apparent bow to public tastes and the cooking method long used by
arch-rival Burger King, McDonald's in Israel is junking its flat
griddles and starting to broil its hamburgers over a flame. "We're
moving to charcoal broiling. It's a world first," Omri Padan,
managing director of McDonald's Israel, said Tuesday. All the meat
used by McDonald's and Burger King in Israel is kosher but not all of
the restaurants adhere to Jewish dietary law because they mix dairy
products with meat by serving cheeseburgers. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7041290-b38
*** 4 Americans jailed in Sweden for Nazi salutes
A Swedish court has sentenced 4 Americans to 1 month in jail for
making Nazi salutes during a rock concert near Stockholm earlier this
month, a court official said Tuesday. He said U.S. citizens Eric
Dobbs, Andrew Miokovic, Danielle Reda and Lee Sugg were among a group
of 20 foreigners and almost 300 Swedes who were detained by police
for shouting racist and neo-Nazi slogans during the concert Jan. 4.
The official said one of the Americans raised his arm in the Nazi
salute while on stage. The other salutes were made in separate
incidents. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7043620-cfd
*** Americans lead world in eating ice cream
Americans are the world's greatest consumers of ice cream, eating an
average of 20 liters each per year, but the greatest growth market
for ice cream is Asia. Market research group Euromonitor said global
consumption of ice cream rose 17% from 1993 to 1997, reaching about
13 billion liters in 1997. North America accounted for 44% of all the
ice cream consumed, or 5.7 billion liters, reflecting the region's
high disposable incomes, widespread ownership of stand-alone
freezers, a well-developed retail market, and frequent eating in
fast-food outlets. Sales of ice cream in Asia, however, doubled from
1993 to 1997 to reach 1.8 billion liters.
*** Canadians make legal buck out of marijuana
Marijuana cultivation is turning a legal profit for two Canadian
developers of a board game about the illegal practice. The pair from
Victoria, British Columbia, have created "The Cultivation Game,"
which pokes fun at the multimillion-dollar marijuana industry in the
west coast Canadian province. "It represents a large part of the
British Columbia economy," said Harreson Waymen, 45, a health care
worker who designed the game. Wayman's partner, John Taylor, a
retired carpenter, devised the idea after hearing about numerous
problems with cultivating of the crop. It took the pair a year and
about C$50,000 ($35,000) to get the product to market.
*** UK bad boy Marco keeps 3-star Michelin tag
Marco Pierre White, the enfant terrible of British cooking, has
retained his coveted three stars in the latest edition of the
Michelin Guide, the food lover's bible, published Wednesday. Gourmets
had been guessing whether White, notorious for berating staff and
customers alike who displease him, would retain the top ranking after
switching from London's Hyde Park Hotel to the Meridien Hotel's Oak
Room Restaurant. White's is one of four British restaurants that win
Michelin's ultimate accolade in the 1998 guide of three stars
denoting exceptional cuisine worth a special journey. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=7051297-64c
Get the Most Out of InfoBeat News! Upgrade to Outlook Express at
http://www.oe.infobeat.com/text/[email protected].
If you'd like to subscribe to other InfoBeat products or
modify your current settings, visit our web site at
http://www.infobeat.com.
Copyright 1998 InfoBeat, Inc. All rights reserved.
InfoBeat Services are for personal use only. Commercial
use or redistribution in any form, printed or electronic is
prohibited.
ATTACHMENT 1
ATT CREATION TIME/DATE: 0 00:00:00.00
TEXT:
RFC-822-headers:
Received: from conversion.pmdf.eop.gov by PMDF.EOP.GOV (PMDF V5.0-4 #6879)
id <[email protected]> for [email protected]; Wed,
21 Jan 1998 03:58:09 -0500 (EST)
Received: from storm.eop.gov (storm.eop.gov)
by PMDF.EOP.GOV (PMDF V5.0-4 #6879) id <[email protected]> for
[email protected]; Wed, 21 Jan 1998 03:58:05 -0500 (EST)
Received: from sender2.lodo.infobeat.com ([208.146.68.34])
by STORM.EOP.GOV (PMDF V5.1-7 #6879)
with ESMTP id <[email protected]> for [email protected];
Wed, 21 Jan 1998 03:57:38 -0500 (EST)
Received: from sender2.lodo.in.merc.com ([email protected])
by sender2.lodo.in.merc.com
(version 3.32, queueup copyright InfoBeat, Inc. 1997)
with stdio id EOPA1AAGJD10506; Wed, 21 Jan 1998 01:57:03 -0700 (MST)
Errors-to: [email protected]
X-TestFile: [email protected]
END ATTACHMENT 1
ARMS Email SystemRECORD TYPE: FEDERAL (TRP NOTES MAIL)
CREATOR: economist-politics-return ([email protected]@INET@LNGTWY [ UNKNOWN ]
)
CREATION DATE/TIME:29-JAN-1998 15:36:00.00
SUBJECT: Politics This Week (January 23rd - January 29th 1998)
TO: Michael W. Williams (Michael W. Williams@eop [ UNKNOWN ])
READ:UNKNOWN
TEXT:
Welcome to Politics This Week
A summary of the world's main events from The Economist
Also available at http://www.economist.com
IN THE ECONOMIST THIS WEEK
If Bill Clinton is shown to have lied about his relationship with Monica
Lewinsky, he should go * Is Microsoft driven by strategy or by nature? *
Iraqis and their leader are rediscovering Islam * Downing Street has
interns
too * Its pending merger with UBS may bring Swiss Bank some unexpected
problems * The Disneyfication of US winter sports looks unstoppable * The
days of the hearing aid may be numbered *
You can read these articles, and many more, in the free area of The
Economist Web Edition, at http:\/www.economist.com. The free selection is
changed every Friday, Monday and Wednesday.
SELF-DENIAL
+ The United States was consumed with the allegation that PRESIDENT
CLINTON had had a sexual relationship with a White House intern, Monica
Lewinsky, and had persuaded her to lie about it on oath. The president
strongly denied it, and his wife defended his good name on the morning
television talk-shows, saying that her husband was the victim of "a
vast right-wing conspiracy". Miss Lewinsky bargained for immunity from
prosecution with Kenneth Starr, the independent counsel investigating
the Whitewater affair.
+ Without mentioning the scandal, Mr Clinton delivered his STATE-OF-THE-
UNION message to Congress. He promised that expected budget surpluses
would be used first to shore up the rickety Social Security (pensions)
system.
+ Theodore Kaczynski, the so-called UNABOMBER, agreed to plead guilty in
exchange for a life sentence rather than execution.
+ Canadians and Americans tried to cool their west-coast SALMON WAR.
+ Researchers using the Hubble space telescope reported that Proxima
Centauri, the star nearest to earth (bar the sun), has something
orbiting it -- not a planet, alas, but a BROWN DWARF, a failed star.
+ The pope concluded his visit to CUBA with a mass in Havana. He
denounced the American embargo, but called for more freedom. Parts of
the crowd burst into cries for libertad.
+ Rifts widened in ARGENTINA's ruling party, as friends of President
Carlos Menem tried to open the legal possibility of a third term for
him. His would-be successor, Eduardo Duhalde, said that would be a
"judicial coup d'etat."
SACRIFICED
+ Japan's finance minister, Hiroshi Mitsuzuka, resigned, taking
responsibility for the disgraced FINANCE MINISTRY, where two officials
were accused of taking bribes.
+ China softened towards TAIWAN, calling for a renewal of talks on
commercial links between the two countries that have been suspended
since 1995. But Taiwan appeared to reject the approach, saying that
China, which regards the island as a rebel province, had to treat it as
an equal.
+ In Madras 26 people were sentenced to death for taking part in the
MURDER OF RAJIV GANDHI in 1991, when he was campaigning to be elected
as India's prime minister again. They were said to be members of, or
connected to, Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger secessionist movement.
+ SONIA GANDHI, Rajiv's Italian-born widow, boosted the Congress party's
chances in India's upcoming general election by promising to make 100
speeches. But she again declined to stand for parliament.
+ The TAMIL TIGERS bombed the Temple of the Tooth, Sri Lanka's holiest
Buddhist shrine, killing 16 people.
PICK-ME-UP
+ Even as RUSSIA's stockmarket disintegrated, President Yeltsin announced
a 12-point plan to revive the economy. It calls, among other things,
for tax cuts and land reform.
+ Britain's prime minister, Tony Blair, announced a new inquiry into
BLOODY SUNDAY -- the day in 1972 when the British army killed 14
demonstrators in Northern Ireland. It was hoped that the announcement
would address nationalist grievances, and bolster the chances of
securing a peace settlement.
+ The European Union is to give $6.6m to a moderate new government of
Bosnia's SERB REPUBLIC, from which it had previously withheld aid.
+ SWITZERLAND and the EU agreed on the cost of tolls to be levied on EU
trucks passing through the Swiss Alps, thus making a long-sought trade
deal more likely.
+ A TURKISH government report said that agents of the state were involved
in drug-trafficking, killing Kurds, and extortion. The prime minister,
Mesut Yilmaz, used the findings to attack Tansu Ciller, one of his
predecessors.
+ The pope told GERMANY's Catholic church to stop issuing "counselling
certificates", which women need before they can have an abortion.
+ The CZECH parliament gave a vote of confidence to a new government, led
by a non-party banker, which will rule until a general election,
probably in June.
+ ROMANIA's Social Democrats walked out of the ruling centrist coalition,
but said they will support the government if it proceeds with economic
reforms.
+ SLOVAKIA's parliament seemed unlikely to elect a successor to President
Michal Kovac, due to quit in March.
STILL MEDIATING
+ In a last-ditch bid at Iraqi-UN MEDIATION, Russia sent a mission to
Baghdad. America, preparing for a military strike against Iraq, sent
its secretary of state off to talk to the British, French and Russian
foreign ministers. She will continue on to Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi
Arabia and Egypt.
+ Gro Harlem Brundtland, a former Norwegian prime minister, was nominated
to be director-general of the WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION. The Americans,
and others, look to her to revive a UN agency, once great but now long
demoralised.
+ BURUNDI's defence minister, Firmin Sinzoyiheba, was killed in a
helicopter crash. A powerful figure in the current Tutsi-dominated
regime, he had also served under the president who was deposed in a
1996 coup.
Advertisement
Oracle, the company that introduced Network Computing, invites you to
learn how to make computing easy, accessible, powerful and inexpensive.
http://nc.oracle.com
Oracle.
Enabling the Information Age through Network Computing.
If you find our summaries service useful, please tell your friends.
Invite them to subscribe by forwarding this e-mail to them.
This is a free newsletter published by The Economist newspaper.
To find out where best to direct queries to The Economist, send a
blank e-mail message to [email protected]
If you are having problems receiving this list, send an e-mail
explaining the difficulty you are having to
[email protected]
To cancel your subscription, send an e-mail with the
message "leave economist-politics" to [email protected]
To start receiving Politics This Week, send an e-mail with the
message "join economist-politics" to [email protected]
Alternatively, you can cancel your subscription (or subscribe at
any time)by visiting:
http://www.postbox.co.uk/economist.htm
ATTACHMENT 1
ATT CREATION TIME/DATE: 0 00:00:00.00
TEXT:
RFC-822-headers:
Received: from conversion.pmdf.eop.gov by PMDF.EOP.GOV (PMDF V5.0-4 #6879)
id <[email protected]> for [email protected]; Thu,
29 Jan 1998 19:24:47 -0500 (EST)
Received: from storm.eop.gov (storm.eop.gov)
by PMDF.EOP.GOV (PMDF V5.0-4 #6879) id <[email protected]> for
[email protected]; Thu, 29 Jan 1998 19:24:40 -0500 (EST)
Received: from postbox.co.uk ([194.205.1.110])
by STORM.EOP.GOV (PMDF V5.1-7 #6879)
with SMTP id <[email protected]> for [email protected];
Thu, 29 Jan 1998 19:24:13 -0500 (EST)
Received: from [195.50.91.40] by postbox.co.uk (NTList 3.03.12)
id ha464107; Thu, 29 Jan 1998 19:56:06 +0000
Received: from nobody by stingray.ivision.co.uk with local (Exim 1.62 #1)
id 0xxzks-0007mk-00; Thu, 29 Jan 1998 19:36:06 +0000
Errors-to: [email protected]
Precedence: bulk
X-ListMember: [email protected] [[email protected]]
END ATTACHMENT 1
ARMS Email SystemRECORD TYPE: FEDERAL (TRP NOTES MAIL)
CREATOR: USIA_Media_Reaction ([email protected]@INET@LNGTWY UNKNOWN
CREATION DATE/TIME:15-APR-1998 11:45:00.00
SUBJECT: Daily Digest 4/15: SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS II
TO: Laura D. Schwartz (Laura D. Schwartz@eop [ UNKNOWN D
READ:UNKNOWN
TEXT:
As President Clinton prepares to travel tonight to Santiago to pay a state
visit to Chilean President Eduardo Frei and then join heads of state from
33 other Western Hemisphere nations for the two-day Summit of the Americas
in that city, observers in the region and elsewhere did not express much
enthusiasm for this second gathering of hemispheric leaders. The
"disillusionment" with the confab evidenced by a majority of commentators
was explained most succinctly by Buenos Aires' business-oriented El
Cronista: "The disappointment which looms over politicians and
diplomats of several countries is explained by Bill Clinton's misfortune:
the failure of the U.S. president to obtain Congressional approval for fast
track trade authority.. This has diminished the goal of kicking off FTAA
[Free Trade Area of the Americas] negotiations. the key issue which had
been set for this summit." A majority of commentators contended that
with the U.S. president arriving "empty-handed" in Santiago, the viability
of the entire summit has been "reduced," leading a few to suggest that
perhaps it would have been better to postpone the meeting. Their glum view
of the summit aside, a few analysts nevertheless insisted that Latin
America remains committed to strengthening trade ties with the U.S. "The
Santiago summit has lost its importance;" o Estado de Sao Paulo stressed,
but the "trade and financial relationship with Washington has not." Other
pundits--many hailing from host country Chile--were more positive in their
outlook on the summit, noting that other pressing regional issues besides
trade, such as democracy, education, drug trafficking and Cuba, will now
take center stage. Following are salient themes in the commentary:
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT-LACK OF FAST TRACK: The dominant theme in
pre-summit editorials was the president's lack of fast track authority.
Opinionmakers agreed with the judgment that the absence of the trade
authority makes negotiation of a hemispheric trade treaty "impracticable."
Analysts expressed concern that the sentiment in the U.S. and Congress
appears to be increasingly "protectionist and isolationist." Bridgetown's
pro-government Nation lamented that a "sincere and interesting effort to
mold the Western Hemisphere into a single trading bloc has been
undermined, if not derailed, by labor unions in the U.S. and their
supporters on Capitol Hill." London's independent Financial Times issued a
warning about what Congressional skittishness over free trade might be
costing Washington. Canada, the daily noted, "has pursued an aggressive
policy to boost investment and strengthen its trade ties with Latin
America in contrast to the U.S., which is perceived to have lost
influence over Latin trade policies since Congress denied President
Clinton
'fast-track." A number of writers in Latin America and Europe suggested
that the challenge for the U.S. government will be to maintain America's
interest in the hemispheric process.
STATE VISIT TO CHILE: Stressing that the U.S. is Chile's "main trade
partner," editorialists in Chile looked forward to President Clinton's
visit. Papers outlined what would most likely be topics of discussion
between the leaders, including the possible future Chilean purchase of U.S.
aircraft and "successive problems arising with national Chilean exports"
to the U.S.
This survey is based on 27 reports from 8 countries, April 4-15.
EDITORS: Diana McCaffrey and Mildred Sola Neely
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
CHILE: "A Summit Of Historic Importance"
Government-owned, editorially independent La Nacion (4/14) carried this
comment: "One of the great challenges in the meeting will be to move
forward towards economic integration through the signing of an agreement
for the Free Trade Area of the Americas, FTAA The objective is to
reach an agreement for a potential market of over 750 million people which
will facilitate inter-regional contacts in areas such as transportation,
telecommunications, energy cooperation and investments The summit will
also deal with the strengthening of democracy and human rights. There is
consensus among American nations that it is necessary to have efficient and
impartial legal institutions to reach those goals The summit has
historic importance. As Foreign Minister Jose Miguel Insulza said, what
it is all about is to prepare ourselves collectively to face the challenges
of the new century and of the new millennium."
"Clinton Visit"
Conservative, popular Las Ultimas Noticias (4/13) carried an op-ed piece by
Senate president Andres Zaldivar: "U.S. President Bill Clinton's visit
should be noted in the framework of the summit.. His presence at the
summit is logical, very positive and will contribute to his listening once
more and reflecting on the needs, principles and social, economic and
cultural ideas of the majority of the member countries of the Summit of the
Americas. Another positive aspect is that Clinton is coming for an
official visit to our country, which will have other objectives and
purposes in benefit of both our countries, considering that the United
States is our country's main trade partner."
"Second Summit Of The Americas"
Conservative, influential, newspaper-of-record El Mercurio (4/11) carried
this op-ed by Foreign Minister Jose Miguel Insulza: "The gap which
separated the North from the South of our hemisphere is dramatically
smaller today. With all its limitations and inequities, Latin America is
an economic and political reality of much larger proportions than it was
fifty years ago.... Democratically elected leaders of the region will
meet at the summit under these new circumstances Since the last
summit, improvements have been enormous in South America, especially
through Mercosur and the revitalization of the Andean Community The
Miami proposal for a Free Trade Area of the Americas is still viable,
but has changed in orientation. The lack of authorization by the U.S.
Congress to allow the Executive Branch to negotiate an FTAA has moved the
initiative to other countries The issue, then, is to pave the way for
the new relationship established among Latin American countries based upon
the solid principles that unite us. We do not believe that all our
differences have disappeared as if through magic. But we do believe that
the basis is beginning to be set for a new hemispheric multilateralism."
"The Purpose Of Summits"
Government-owned, editorially independent La Nacion (4/10) carried this
op-ed piece by international news commentator Alberto Sepulveda: "One
must remember that in the past Latin America lacked great importance in
world affairs. U.S. hegemony was total, and that country applied the
principle of dividing in order to reign. The U.S. State Department dealt
with each country separately, thus stressing the inequity of power between
a superpower and an underdeveloped nation. Summits have changed this and
now Latin American countries have considerably improved their ability to
negotiate with the United States, the European Union and Japan Summits
are part of a process through which Latin Americans start to build up
international strategies of policies and development with a growing degree
of autonomy. Each summit is a step forward in that direction and must be
analyzed as a whole, not in an isolated form."
"Talking Things Over With U.S. President"
Influential, centrist La Epoca commented (4/9): "From a strictly bilateral
viewpoint, there are several issues that President Eduardo Frei will have
to talk over with U.S. President Bill Clinton as part of the state visit
to be held before the summit. Although up to now authorities have not
outlined the details of the reciprocal agenda, it is not difficult to
suppose that points such as the future purchase of U.S. aircraft, the
possibilities of Washington to obtain fast track authorization and
successive problems arising with national (Chilean) exports to that country
will be issues to debate. On a hemispheric level in the meantime, the
idea of putting an end to unilateral certification on the part of the
United States in the fight against drug trafficking has not only reinforced
the Latin American consensus on the matter, but has obliged that power,
the United States, to anticipate changes in its policy."
"Clinton's Significant State Visit"
Government-owned, editorially independent La Nacion observed in a special
edition article (4/9): "President Clinton's visit is significant because
the United States is the most important country on a global basis and also
particularly because, during the present year, the United States continued
to be the main investor in Chile The new condition in the relationship
that Chile has with Mercosur is also important because the perception of
U.S. authorities regarding Mercosur's potential as a market for its
exports, as well as Mercosur's future relationship with the European
Union, Canada and others, could mean competition for the United States in
those areas. This will make Washington give greater relevance to the
analysis of its relations with the region and with Chile in particular."
"Clinton Can Offer Planes, But Not Independence"
Conservative, mass-appeal Las Ultimas Noticias wondered (4/7), "What can
Bill Clinton really offer during his stay in Chile for the Chilean Air
Force to buy U.S. aircraft? In concrete terms, the U.S. president cannot
provide our country with political certainty. Thus, an offer linked to the
Chilean Air Force's interest in aquiring missiles of advanced technology is
forseen. Recent statements by Foreign Minister Jose Miguel Insulza, while
recognizing a 'political factor' in an eventual purchase of planes from the
United States, must be understood. For the first time the Foreign
Relations Ministry publicly stated what has been an open secret during the
Chilean Air Force's million-dollar negotiation to completely renew its
fleet for the next century.
"Additionally, if a U.S. plane were to be chosen, the U.S. Congress would
have to ratify the transaction, and it would not be strange for Chile to be
exposed to a political judgment it does not desire. Thus, Insulza's words
are a direct message to the White House noting that the government clearly
knows that Bill Clinton cannot offer a determining factor such as political
independence."
ARGENTINA: "Focus On Press Freedom"
Jorge Elias, Washington-based correspondent for daily-of-record La Nacion,
said (4/15): "A few hours before leaving on Air Force One for Santiago,
Chile, Bill Clinton's men keep on extolling the role of the press in
strengthening regional democracy. And it will be the president of the
United States, after his official, two-day visit to Chile starting
tomorrow, who will speak about this subject over the weekend, in the second
Summit of the Americas, according to what Clinton agreed on with other 33
presidents of the continent (all but Cuba) in the meetings held by his
advisers since over one year ago....
"As a prelude to the summit, the Interamerican Commission of Human Rights
of the Organization of American States (OAS) agreed to create the position
of special reporter/relator, in order to analyze journalists' role at the
national and continental level.
"The project, promoted by independent institutions, is supported by the
United States. The idea was in Clinton's mind since the end of his visit to
Bariloche last October... The White House talks about the advantage of an
independent officer but the OAS does not seem to agree with that. The
doubt is caused by the attitude to be adopted by countries used to blaming
journalists for everything."
"Summit With A Changed Agenda"
Jorge Sosa opined in business-oriented El Cronista (4/14): "Without the
glamour many had expected on this occasion, 34 presidents--among them
Carlos Menem--will meet Friday in Santiago, Chile, in the framework of what
will be the second Summit of the Americas. The disappointment which, at
this point, looms over politicians and diplomats of several countries is
explained by Bill Clinton's misfortune: the failure of the U.S. president
to obtain Congressional approval for fast track trade authority This
has diminished the goal of kicking off FTAA negotiations the key issue
which had been set for this summit.
"The fact that Clinton lands in Chile empty-handed forced the subsequent
change in topics. This is why the political--no less complicated--issues
began to top the agendas. Even though, formally, 'education' was selected
as the 'key issue' of the discussions which will take place at the
Sheraton Hotel, El Cronista found out that the changing relationship with
Fidel Castro's regime, which could imply a greater openness towards the
island, and the delicate political situation in Paraguay and Colombia,
will at least be part of the informal conversations among heads of state.
On the other hand, they will propose the creation of an alliance to fight
drug-trafficking. As in the first Summit of the Americas in Miami, in
1994, Cuba will be the only country without any representation Will
FTAA negotiations advance without any reference to the island? Will
Washington propose a new focus, at least a minor one, regarding the
political and commercial relationship with Castro's government? These are
some of the questions which have been clouding the minds of the members
of
several delegations since last week."
BARBADOS: "Summit Will Lack Fire Because Clinton Lacks Fast Tack"
The pro-government Nation's North American editor commented (4/13) that,
because Clinton lacks fast track authority, "the negotiating process
wouldn't have the fire that's needed to pull it off. That's not to
suggest that education isn't important. But what started as a sincere and
interesting effort to mold the Western Hemisphere into a single trading
bloc has been undermined, if not derailed, by labor unions in the United
States and their supporters on Capitol Hill who fear a loss of more U.S.
jobs to Latin America and Caribbean countries if a trade pact becomes a
reality.
"The decision to highlight education at the summit would have been hailed
if the United States, for example, was going to put some new resources
into the Caribbean and Latin America to help the countries expand their
school systems to meet the needs of an increasingly technological world.
With no additional funds, hemisphere nations will be hard pressed to
implement many of the programs which the leaders plan to agree on. Small
wonder that some of the leaders are saying privately that a postponement
of the summit would have been a good idea."
BRAZIL: "An Empty Summit"
Center-right O Estado de Sao Paulo held (4/14): "The summit in Miami was
held without any previously defined agenda. The FTAA idea surged as a
last-minute resource to avoid the failure of the summit convoked by the
U.S. president. Brazil and its partners in Mercosul will not support a
new trade treaty...that gives obvious advantage to the United States in
the trade relationship. The U.S. Congress denied President Clinton fast
track authority, which makes negotiation of a trade treaty impracticable.
"Once again, the U.S. government is dealing with an agenda (this time) in
Santiago, that does not justify the attendance of 34 heads of state. The
main theme of education could be treated equally by the ministers. Last
Friday, O Estado published an article by Secretary Madeleine Albright,
which clearly shows that FTAA had its importance reduced among U.S. foreign
policy priorities. However, it is necessary to make a distinction between
the lowering of the FTAA as a priority and the importance that the
hemisphere, especially Brazil, has for U.S. foreign trade. The FTAA lost
its momentum because President Clinton was not able to convince the U.S.
Congress of the advantages of a new and ample commercial regional accord.
The U.S. Congress has revealed strong protectionist and isolationist
tendencies, a situation that many countries in the hemisphere prefer not
to face. But trade with the countries in the area continues to be of
great importance to the United States...and it is more important than the
formality of the FTAA's creation. The Santiago summit has lost its
importance; the trade and financial relationship with Washington, has
not."
"New Initiative To Combat Narcotrafficking Expected At Summit"
Liberal Folha de Sao Paulo observed (4/11): "The summit meeting in Chile
is expected to launch a new initiative to combat narcotrafficking, which
includes the creation of a center of studies in Panama City. But it will
not be mere academic study: The American intelligence service will
support the initiative, which is incidentally a U.S. proposal. The fight
on narcotrafficking needs efforts that go beyond our borders. It is 'the
number-one threat to the security of the Americas,' says Thomas McClarty,
President Bill Clinton's representative to the Americas. The range of this
initiative will depend on overcoming resistance of many Latin American
governments present [to the issue]. They think it means interference in
their domestic affairs. That's why the draft of the text ready to be
signed in Chile by the 34 FTAA's chiefs of state is cautious."
"The Road To Santiago"
An editorial in liberal Folha de Sao Paulo stressed (4/8): "Despite teeth
grinding by protectionists and labor leaders, regional integration is
unavoidable. Actually, it is one of the most important areas where the
action of states continues to be essential at a moment when globalization
has diluted the concept of the nation. But if the FTAA is irreversible,
the road there is not a disaster... For Brazil, the priority is to give
continuity to Mercosul to transform it into a South American Free Trade
Area.
"It is crucial to differentiate between the adherence to the FTAA and
unconditional surrender to the United States. Enrollment in the FTAA can
and must be negotiated. It is necessary to gain time for the coordination
of exchange, interest and tariff policies, which are in conflict today
even within Mercosul. It is also urgent for Brazil to become
competitive.... The time for unilateral and hasty adherence to
liberalization is already over.... The force in the negotiations depend
on internal political mobilization. Unfortunately, economic diplomacy
still sounds like a remote topic for Brazilian businessmen, labor leaders
and politicians. The way to the FTAA will be more secure and legitimate
the more society participates in this intense negotiating effort."
"We Are Losing The Game In The FTAA"
CUT (Brazilian largest labor unions' federation) secretary for
international relations, Kjeld Jakobsen, wrote in liberal Folha de Sao
Paulo (4/7) on the FTAA: "It has become increasingly clearer that Brazil
has nothing to gain with a trade accord of this type. There is no sector
in the Brazilian economy capable of facing the process of economic opening
involved in the FTAA, even though it will only occur in 2005, especially
in view of the competition with U.S. multinational corporations
We
know perfectly what has represented the recent indiscriminate and
irresponsible opening of Brazil's economy: an unemployment rate of 18
percent which is still on the rise
"The government of Brazil is aware of the risks but remains silent. The
labor unions have openly said that the FTAA is an unfair and
anti-democratic process that must be fought The government's tactic
in the negotiations has been that of raising obstacles to the speed
pursued by U.S. negotiators, but without saying clearly that the FTAA does
not interest Brazil The government has tried to sell the news that
Brazil achieved important diplomatic victories in the San Jose meeting [on
FTAA]. But the reality is not that If anyone took medals home, it
was the U.S. government. It has overcome the major obstacles and pushed
the negotiations ahead, thereby jeopardizing the other nations, including
those members of Mercosul
"When I mention the United States, I am not led by anti-American feelings,
but because the United States is the one that will really gain with the
FTAA. It needs it to fight its trade deficit and does not intend to give
up the national interest in exchange for any integration process. For
example, the Americans would never accept that the free flow of products
and capital were accompanied by the free flow of manpower, respect and
fostering of migrant workers' rights on the continent as our labor
movement defends. We cannot bet only on the refusal of the fast track by
the U.S. Congress as an obstacle to the FTAA. The realistic alternative
is to say that the FTAA does not interest us. Our integration priorities
are the consolidation of Mercosul and the tightening of trade relations
with other partners in the continent and even outside it."
"Inferiority Complex"
Center-right 0 Estado de Sao Paulo's lead editorial (4/4) commented on
recent criticism by local opposition politicians regarding Brazil's
participation in the FTAA, and said that "to abandon the negotiation table
is a harebrained idea. What makes sense is to evaluate the efficiency of
Brazil's negotiating strategies. They consist of extending to the maximum
possible the negotiations deadline so that the FTAA will not be established
before 2005, and in not allowing that during the negotiations the points on
which there is consensus are immediately transformed into obligations. This
is aimed at giving time to the national industry to prepare itself for an
environment of greater competitiveness and obtain from the United States
the elimination of non-tariff barriers which would make trade conditions
even more unequal.... It is necessary that the gap be reduced, and this
will only be possible if, during the negotiations, the United States agrees
to eliminate the non-tariff barriers that prevent or burden the exports to
that nation of important products for the region's economy, as it is in the
case of Brazilian steel, footwear and juices.
"In addition to gaining time to adapt itself to the conditions of the
future integration, the Brazilian business community is actively
participating in the process by assisting the government and discussing
with business organizations of the other nations of the region, the best
ways of stimulating hemispheric trade and softening the traumas that the
broadening of the trade opening may cause to some sectors No important
business leader has dissuaded Brazil's enrollment into the FTAA
Criticism by opposition politicians is an ideological-type restriction that
reflects a morbid hate of the United States, a hate that has only increased
after the U.S. victory in the Cold War. The fear that Washington dictates
the terms of the hemispheric integration can only be explained by an
inferiority complex."
MEXICO: "Narcotics A Priority Issue"
Largely news coverage in Mexico included independent Reforma's headline
treatment (4/14): "Zedillo begins trip to South America; 34 heads of state
seek cooperation Accords on extradition and petroleum are
expected Narcotics trafficking a priority issue." A sidebar noted
"Themes of President Zedillo's trip," which include: "Creating a free trade
area of the hemisphere; Falling oil prices; Signing extradition treaties;
Hemispheric cooperation to counter trafficking in illegal drugs and arms;
Helms-Burton law; Preserving and strengthening democracy and human rights;
Economic integration and free trade; Eradicating poverty."
"The Agenda For Santiago"
Renowned novelist and essayist Carlos Fuentes observed in independent
Reforma (4/6): "The Summit of the Americas has a 'visible' and an
'invisible' agenda. Free trade and education head the topics on the
visible agenda; Cuba and the arms race the invisible one. All the heads of
state attending the summit are strong supporters of free trade. They are
convinced that a growing exchange of capital, goods and services in an
interdependent world does not represent a zero-sum game, since neither
investment nor production are fixed. The conclusion is that through free
trade, all the economies can and should prosper together, not that some can
prosper at the expense of others Clinton would make a big mistake if
he seeks in Santiago to force the pace of those agreements in order to
gain, as soon as possible, a hemispheric free trade zone 'from Alaska to
Cape Horn.' In fact, both NAFTA and Mercosur are just beginning and both
still face the risk of sailing without direction. Both trade associations
still have to discover the weight and obstacles they both have to share
and
overcome
"The heads of state attending the Santiago summit must be concerned about
the flagrant absence of the human factor from discussions on free trade.
We have wrongly become accustomed to talking only about things and never
about people. When will we start to be seriously concerned for people,
workers and the environment? It is with regard to this theme that
education becomes another star topic in the summit Latin American
countries need growth, education and employment. Fortunately, education is
a top priority for President Clinton."
EUROPE
CANADA: "Free Trade Comes At A Price"
Stephen Handelman wrote in the liberal Toronto Star (4/14): "The
relationship between trade and other issues like crime and democracy is
not often easily understood. In a simpler world, the market is all that
counts. But as leaders of the hemisphere prepare to meet Saturday in
Santiago, Chile, to discuss a landmark free trade agreement, these other
issues are going to become crucial The leaders are expected to create
a multilateral counter-narcotics alliance Also on tap are hemispheric
judicial studies center a new special office to investigate abuses
against the press education reform, urban development and small
business But we may also have to be willing to pay a higher price,
such as in lowering barriers to the mobility of the labor force and
foreign investment, or even in more foreign aid. Free trade, in other
words, can't be the end of the process. Or we may find that we've all
been sold a lemon."
BRITAIN: "Canada Ahead Of The Pack In Latin America"
In the view of the independent Financial Times from Buenos Aires (4/15):
"When 34 leaders from North and South America gather in Santiago this
weekend to negotiate the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), Canada may
find itself well ahead at the bargaining table. The hemisphere's
northernmost member has pursued an aggressive policy to boost investment
and strengthen its trade ties with Latin America This is in contrast
to the United States, which is perceived to have lost influence over Latin
trade policies since Congress denied President Clinton 'fast-track' trade
negotiating authority late last year It is an important head start for
Canada and is a position Canada has often used to its benefit, encouraging
new trade partners to work together as a counterweight to American
influence in the hemisphere."
"Widespread Feeling U.S. Has Lost Interest, Again"
According to the independent weekly Economist (4/9): "A sense of
anti-climax will hang as thickly in the air as the Santiago smog.
"One reason is simply that this is the second time around: Miami was a
giant step, the first pan-American summit since an ineffectual affair 27
years earlier whose main, American-inspired aim was to isolate Cuba. And
whereas the Miami invitations came from the leader of the world's
superpower, Santiago has been arranged by a 24-country group, more
democratic but more routine. The big reason, however, is a widespread
feeling that the United States has again lost interest in Latin America,
and that its policies in the region--whether on trade, drugs or Cuba--are
being driven by domestic politics, not broad, strategic vision. That
disillusionment has been crystallized by Mr. Clinton's failure to win
fast-track trade negotiating authority from Congress."
EAST ASIA
CHINA: "Will Summit Be In Interest Of All Peoples In Americas?"
The official, English-language China Daily's Ge Mini observed (4/15), "Not
everyone is confident that the summit will benefit the interests of the
people in both the North and South Americas. The first summit had aspired
to establish an Americas Free Trade Zone by 2005, but protectionist forces
have been stirring, and it now looks unlikely that the target will be
met."
SOUTH KOREA: "Will Clinton Bring About Constructive Results?"
Conservative Segye Ilbo (4/15) commented, "Now out of the woods with
regard to his sex scandals, and after a successful visit to Africa,
President Clinton now embarks on a 'global village tour,' starting with
the summit of the Americas in Chile The summit will discuss setting up
an Americas-wide free trade zone. Whether the president will be able to
bring about constructive results at the meeting remains to be seen, as he
is deprived of 'fast-track authority."
ATTACHMENT 1
ATT CREATION TIME/DATE: 0 00:00:00.00
TEXT:
RFC-822-headers:
Received: from conversion.pmdf.eop.gov by PMDF.EOP.GOV (PMDF V5.1-9 #22921)
id <[email protected]> for [email protected]; Wed,
15 Apr 1998 11:47:55 EDT
Received: from Storm.EOP.GOV by PMDF.EOP.GOV (PMDF V5.1-9 #22921)
with ESMTP id <[email protected]> for [email protected];
Wed, 15 Apr 1998 11:47:31 -0400 (EDT)
Received: from NOTES1.USIA.GOV ([198.67.64.251])
by STORM.EOP.GOV (PMDF V5.1-10 #22921)
with SMTP id <[email protected]> for [email protected];
Wed, 15 Apr 1998 11:46:17 -0400 (EDT)
Received: by NOTES1.USIA.GOV(Lotus SMTP MTA v1.06 (346.8 3-18-1997))
id 852565E7.00565302 Wed, 15 Apr 1998 11:42:53 -0400
X-Lotus-FromDomain: USIA
END ATTACHMENT 1
ATTACHMENT 2
ATT CREATION TIME/DATE: 0 00:00:00.00
TEXT:
WPC
2BPV`Courier 10cpi|]x?xxx,kx6X@8;X@ 3'
3'
3'
3'
X'
hp X X
XX
3'
3'
3'
3'
XX Xp X (##Xx\
P6QyXP#
X' hp X (#%O
ddx
XxX<0
X{ -X'
hp X (# #:x2PkCXP#
FOREIGN MEDIA REACTION
X{ #:,2PkCP#DAILY DIGEST #XX\ P6QyP#USIA #:Z2PkCP#U.S. INFORMATION AGENCY,
WA
SHINGTON DC 20547 OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND MEDIA REACTIONOO
XX X' hp X (#%#XP\ P6QyP#Bill Richey, Branch Chief Media Reaction, (202) 619
6511 Ann Pincus, Director
Archived at:
www.usia.gov/products/me
dreac.htm
X' hp X (##Xn\ P6Qy&P#Wednesday, April 15, 1998
X' hp X (#%
SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS II:
WITHOUT FAST TRACK, 'DISILLUSIONMENT, 'DISAPPOINTMENT" LOOMS
As President Clinton prepares to travel tonight to Santiago to pay a state
vis
it to Chilean President Eduardo Frei and then join heads of state from 33
other
Western Hemisphere nations for the twoday Summit of the Americas in
that city,
observers in the region and elsewhere did not express much
enthusiasm for this
second gathering of hemispheric leaders. The
"disillusionment" with the confa
b evidenced by a majority of commentators was
explained most succinctly by Buen
os Aires' businessoriented El Cronista:
"The disappointment which looms over
politicians and diplomats of several
countries is explained by Bill Clinton'
S misfortune: the failure of the U.S.
president to obtain Congressional approva
I for fast track trade authority.
This has diminished the goal of kicking o
ff FTAA [Free Trade Area of the
Americas] negotiations the key issue which ha
d been set for this summit."
A majority of commentators contended that with
the U.S. president arriving
"emptyhanded" in Santiago, the viability of the ent
ire summit has been
"reduced," leading a few to suggest that perhaps it would h
ave been better to
postpone the meeting. Their glum view of the summit aside,
a few analysts
nevertheless insisted that Latin America remains committed to st
rengthening
trade ties with the U.S. "The Santiago summit has lost its importa
nce;" O
Estado de Sao Paulo stressed, but the "trade and financial relationship
with
Washington has not." Other punditsmany hailing from host country
Chilewe
re more positive in their outlook on the summit, noting that other
pressing reg
ional issues besides trade, such as democracy, education, drug
trafficking and
Cuba, will now take center stage. Following are salient
themes in the comment
ary:
X' hp X (#
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTLACK OF FAST TRACK: The dominant theme in presummit
edit
orials was the president's lack of fast track authority. Opinionmakers
agreed
with the judgment that the absence of the trade authority makes
negotiation of
a hemispheric trade treaty "impracticable." Analysts
expressed concern that th
e sentiment in the U.S. and Congress appears to be
increasingly "protectionist
and isolationist." Bridgetown's progovernment
Nation lamented that a "sincere
and interesting effort to mold the Western
Hemisphere into a single trading bl
OC has been undermined, if not derailed,
by labor unions in the U.S. and thei
r supporters on Capitol Hill." London's
independent Financial Times issued a W
arning about what Congressional
skittishness over free trade might be costing W
ashington. Canada, the daily
noted, "has pursued an aggressive policy to boost
investment and strengthen
its trade ties with Latin America in contrast to t
he U.S., which is
perceived to have lost influence over Latin trade policies si
nce Congress
denied President Clinton 'fasttrack." A number of writers in Lat
in America
and Europe suggested that the challenge for the U.S. government will
be to
maintain America's interest in the hemispheric process.
STATE VISIT TO CHILE: Stressing that the U.S. is Chile's "main trade
partner,
"editorialists in Chile looked forward to President Clinton's visit.
Papers o
utlined what would most likely be topics of discussion between the
leaders, inc
luding the possible future Chilean purchase of U.S. aircraft and
"successive
problems arising with national Chilean exports" to the U.S.
This survey is based on 27 reports from 8 countries, April 415.
EDITORS: Diana McCaffrey and Mildred Sola Neely
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
X' hp X (#
CHILE: "A Summit Of Historic Importance"
Governmentowned, editorially independent La Nacion (4/14) carried this
comment
: "One of the great challenges in the meeting will be to move
forward towards
economic integration through the signing of an agreement
for the Free Trade
Area of the Americas, FTAA The objective is to
reach an agreement for a po
tential market of over 750 million people which
will facilitate interregional c
ontacts in areas such as transportation,
telecommunications, energy cooperation
and investments The summit will
also deal with the strengthening of democ
racy and human rights. There is
consensus among American nations that it is nec
essary to have efficient and
impartial legal institutions to reach those goals.
The summit has
...
historic importance. As Foreign Minister Jose Miguel Insul
za said, what it
is all about is to prepare ourselves collectively to face the
challenges of
the new century and of the new millennium."
X' hp X (#
"Clinton Visit"
X' hp X (#
Conservative, popular Las Ultimas Noticias (4/13) carried an oped piece by
Sen
ate president Andres Zaldivar: "U.S. President Bill Clinton's visit should
be n
oted in the framework of the summit His presence at the summit is
logical
, very positive and will contribute to his listening once more and
reflecting
on the needs, principles and social, economic and cultural ideas
of the majori
ty of the member countries of the Summit of the Americas.
Another positive as
pect is that Clinton is coming for an official visit to
our country, which will
have other objectives and purposes in benefit of both
our countries, consideri
ng that the United States is our country's main trade
partner."
X' hp X (# "Second Summit Of The Americas"
Conservative, influential, newspaperofrecord El Mercurio (4/11) carried
this
oped by Foreign Minister Jose Miguel Insulza: "The gap which separated
the Nor
th from the South of our hemisphere is dramatically smaller today.
With all it
S limitations and inequities, Latin America is an economic and
political reali
ty of much larger proportions than it was fifty years ago....
Democratically
elected leaders of the region will meet at the summit under
these new circumst
ances.... Since the last summit, improvements have been
enormous in South Amer
ica, especially through Mercosur and the
revitalization of the Andean Communit
y.... The Miami proposal for a Free
Trade Area of the Americas is still V
iable, but has changed in
orientation. The lack of authorization by the U.S. C
ongress to allow the
Executive Branch to negotiate an FTAA has moved the initia
tive to other
countries.... The issue, then, is to pave the way for the new re
lationship
established among Latin American countries based upon the solid prin
ciples
that unite us. We do not believe that all our differences have disappea
red
as if through magic. But we do believe that the basis is beginning to be
set for a new hemispheric multilateralism."
"The Purpose Of Summits"
Governmentowned, editorially independent La Nacion (4/10) carried this
oped p
iece by international news commentator Alberto Sepulveda: "One must
remembe
r that in the past Latin America lacked great importance in world
affairs. U.S
hegemony was total, and that country applied the principle of
dividing in ord
er to reign. The U.S. State Department dealt with each
country separately, thu
S stressing the inequity of power between a superpower
and an underdeveloped na
tion. Summits have changed this and now Latin
American countries have consid
erably improved their ability to negotiate
with the United States, the Europea
n Union and Japan Summits are part of
a process through which Latin Ameri
cans start to build up international
strategies of policies and development wit
h a growing degree of autonomy.
Each summit is a step forward in that directi
on and must be analyzed as a
whole, not in an isolated form."
"Talking Things Over With U.S. President"
Influential, centrist La Epoca commented (4/9): "From a strictly bilateral
vi
ewpoint, there are several issues that President Eduardo Frei will have to
tal
k over with U.S. President Bill Clinton as part of the state visit to be
held
before the summit. Although up to now authorities have not outlined the
detail
S of the reciprocal agenda, it is not difficult to suppose that points
such as
the future purchase of U.S. aircraft, the possibilities of
Washington to obtai
n fast track authorization and successive problems
arising with national (Chil
ean) exports to that country will be issues to
debate On a hemispheric le
vel in the meantime, the idea of putting an
end to unilateral certification on
the part of the United States in the fight
against drug trafficking has not onl
y reinforced the Latin American consensus
on the matter, but has obliged that
power, the United States, to anticipate
changes in its policy."
"Clinton's Significant State Visit"
Governmentowned, editorially independent La Nacion observed in a special
editi
on article (4/9): "President Clinton's visit is significant because
the Unit
ed States is the most important country on a global basis and also
particularly
because, during the present year, the United States continued
to be the main
investor in Chile The new condition in the relationship
that Chile has with
Mercosur is also important because the perception of
U.S. authorities regardi
ng Mercosur's potential as a market for its exports,
as well as Mercosur's fut
ure relationship with the European Union, Canada
and others, could mean compe
tition for the United States in those areas.
This will make Washington give g
reater relevance to the analysis of its
relations with the region and with Chil
e in particular."
X' hp X (#
"Clinton Can Offer Planes, But Not Independence"
X' hp X (#Conservative, massappeal Las Ultimas Noticias wondered (4/7), "What
can Bill
Clinton really offer during his stay in Chile for the Chilean Air Forc
e to
buy U.S. aircraft? In concrete terms, the U.S. president cannot provide o
ur
country with political certainty. Thus, an offer linked to the Chilean Air
Force's interest in aquiring missiles of advanced technology is forseen.
Recen
t statements by Foreign Minister Jose Miguel Insulza, while recognizing
a 'poli
tical factor' in an eventual purchase of planes from the United
States, must be
understood. For the first time the Foreign Relations
Ministry publicly stated
what has been an open secret during the Chilean Air
Force's milliondollar nego
tiation to completely renew its fleet for the next
century.
"Additionally, if a U.S. plane were to be chosen, the U.S. Congress would
have
to ratify the transaction, and it would not be strange for Chile to be
exposed
to a political judgment it does not desire. Thus, Insulza's words
are a direct
message to the White House noting that the government clearly
knows that Bill
Clinton cannot offer a determining factor such as political
independence."
ARGENTINA: "Focus On Press Freedom"
Jorge Elias, Washingtonbased correspondent for dailyofrecord La Nacion,
said (
4/15): "A few hours before leaving on Air Force One for Santiago,
Chile, Bill
Clinton's men keep on extolling the role of the press in
strengthening regional
democracy. And it will be the president of the United
States, after his offic
ial, twoday visit to Chile starting tomorrow, who
will speak about this subject
over the weekend, in the second Summit of the
Americas, according to what Clin
ton agreed on with other 33 presidents of the
continent (all but Cuba) in the m
eetings held by his advisers since over one
year ago
"As a prelude to the summit, the Interamerican Commission of Human Rights of
th
e Organization of American States (OAS) agreed to create the position of
specia
1 reporter/relator, in order to analyze journalists' role at the
national and
continental level.
"The project, promoted by independent institutions, is supported by the
United
States. The idea was in Clinton's mind since the end of his visit to
Bariloche
last October The White House talks about the advantage of an
independent o
fficer but the OAS does not seem to agree with that. The doubt
is caused by t
he attitude to be adopted by countries used to blaming
journalists for everythi
ng."
"Summit With A Changed Agenda"
Jorge Sosa opined in businessoriented El Cronista (4/14): "Without the
glamo
ur many had expected on this occasion, 34 presidentsamong them Carlos
Menemwill
meet Friday in Santiago, Chile, in the framework of what will be
the second Su
mmit of the Americas. The disappointment which, at this point,
looms over po
liticians and diplomats of several countries is explained by
Bill Clinton's mi
sfortune: the failure of the U.S. president to obtain
Congressional approval fo
r fast track trade authority This has
diminished the goal of kicking off
FTAA negotiations the key issue which
had been set for this summit.
"The fact that Clinton lands in Chile emptyhanded forced the subsequent
change
in topics. This is why the politicalno less complicatedissues
began to top the
agendas. Even though, formally, 'education' was selected as
the 'key issue' o
f the discussions which will take place at the Sheraton
Hotel, El Cronista fou
nd out that the changing relationship with Fidel
Castro's regime, which could
imply a greater openness towards the island,
and the delicate political situat
ion in Paraguay and Colombia, will at least
be part of the informal conversat
ions among heads of state. On the other
hand, they will propose the creation o
f an alliance to fight
drugtrafficking. As in the first Summit of the Americas
in Miami, in 1994,
Cuba will be the only country without any representation.
Will FTAA
negotiations advance without any reference to the island? Will W
ashington
propose a new focus, at least a minor one, regarding the political a
nd
commercial relationship with Castro's government? These are some of the
qu
estions which have been clouding the minds of the members of several
delegatio
ns since last week."
X' hp X (# BARBADOS: "Summit Will Lack Fire Because Clinton Lacks Fast Tack"
X' hp X (#
The progovernment Nation's North American editor commented (4/13) that,
beca
use Clinton lacks fast track authority, "the negotiating process
wouldn't have
the fire that's needed to pull it off. That's not to suggest
that education
isn't important. But what started as a sincere and
interesting effort to mold
the Western Hemisphere into a single trading
bloc has been undermined, if
not derailed, by labor unions in the United
States and their supporters on Cap
itol Hill who fear a loss of more U.S.
jobs to Latin America and Caribbean cou
ntries if a trade pact becomes a
reality.
"The decision to highlight education at the summit would have been hailed if
t
he United States, for example, was going to put some new resources into the
Ca
ribbean and Latin America to help the countries expand their school systems
to
meet the needs of an increasingly technological world. With no
additional fun
ds, hemisphere nations will be hard pressed to implement many
of the programs
which the leaders plan to agree on. Small wonder that some
of the leaders are
saying privately that a postponement of the summit would
have been a good ide
a."
BRAZIL: "An Empty Summit"
X' hp X (#
Centerright O Estado de Sao Paulo held (4/14): "The summit in Miami was
held
without any previously defined agenda. The FTAA idea surged as a
lastminute r
esource to avoid the failure of the summit convoked by the U.S.
president. Br
azil and its partners in Mercosul will not support a new trade
treaty...that g
ives obvious advantage to the United States in the trade
relationship. The U.
S. Congress denied President Clinton fast track
authority, which makes negotia
tion of a trade treaty impracticable.
"Once again, the U.S. government is dealing with an agenda (this time) in
Sant
iago, that does not justify the attendance of 34 heads of state. The
main them
e of education could be treated equally by the ministers. Last
Friday, O Esta
do published an article by Secretary Madeleine Albright, which
clearly shows t
hat FTAA had its importance reduced among U.S. foreign policy
priorities. Howe
ver, it is necessary to make a distinction between the
lowering of the FTAA as
a priority and the importance that the hemisphere,
especially Brazil, has for
U.S. foreign trade. The FTAA lost its momentum
because President Clinton was
not able to convince the U.S. Congress of the
advantages of a new and ample
commercial regional accord. The U.S. Congress
has revealed strong protectionis
t and isolationist tendencies, a situation
that many countries in the hemisphe
re prefer not to face. But trade with
the countries in the area continues to
be of great importance to the United
States and it is more important than th
e formality of the FTAA's creation.
The Santiago summit has lost its importan
ce; the trade and financial
relationship with Washington, has not."
X' hp X (#
"New Initiative To Combat Narcotrafficking Expected At Summit"
Liberal Folha de Sao Paulo observed (4/11): "The summit meeting in Chile is
expected to launch a new initiative to combat narcotrafficking, which
includes
the creation of a center of studies in Panama City. But it will
not be mere
academic study: The American intelligence service will support
the initiative
, which is incidentally a U.S. proposal. The fight on
narcotrafficking needs
efforts that go beyond our borders. It is 'the
numberone threat to the securi
ty of the Americas,' says Thomas McClarty,
President Bill Clinton's representa
tive to the Americas. The range of this
initiative will depend on overcoming r
esistance of many Latin American
governments present [to the issue]. They thi
nk it means interference in
their domestic affairs. That's why the draft of
the text ready to be signed
in Chile by the 34 FTAA's chiefs of state is cauti
ous."
"The Road To Santiago"
An editorial in liberal Folha de Sao Paulo stressed (4/8): "Despite teeth
gri
nding by protectionists and labor leaders, regional integration is
unavoidable.
Actually, it is one of the most important areas where the
action of states c
ontinues to be essential at a moment when globalization
has diluted the concep
t of the nation. But if the FTAA is irreversible, the
road there is not a disa
ster For Brazil, the priority is to give
continuity to Mercosul to transfo
rm it into a South American Free Trade Area.
"It is crucial to differentiate between the adherence to the FTAA and
unconditi
onal surrender to the United States. Enrollment in the FTAA can and
must be n
egotiated. It is necessary to gain time for the coordination of
exchange, int
erest and tariff policies, which are in conflict today even
within Mercosul. I
t is also urgent for Brazil to become competitive. The
time for unilateral
and hasty adherence to liberalization is already
over The force in the ne
gotiations depend on internal political
mobilization. Unfortunately, economic
diplomacy still sounds like a remote
topic for Brazilian businessmen, labor I
eaders and politicians. The way to
the FTAA will be more secure and legitimat
e the more society participates in
this intense negotiating effort."
X' hp X (#
"We Are Losing The Game In The FTAA"
X' hp X (#
CUT (Brazilian largest labor unions' federation) secretary for international
relations, Kjeld Jakobsen, wrote in liberal Folha de Sao Paulo (4/7) on the
FTA
A: "It has become increasingly clearer that Brazil has nothing to gain
with
a trade accord of this type. There is no sector in the Brazilian
economy capab
le of facing the process of economic opening involved in the
FTAA, even thoug
h it will only occur in 2005, especially in view of the
competition with U.S.
multinational corporations.. We know perfectly what
has represented the rec
ent indiscriminate and irresponsible opening of
Brazil's economy: an unemploym
ent rate of 18 percent which is still on the
rise
"The government of Brazil is aware of the risks but remains silent. The
labor
unions have openly said that the FTAA is an unfair and antidemocratic
process
that must be fought The government's tactic in the negotiations
has been
that of raising obstacles to the speed pursued by U.S. negotiators,
but witho
ut saying clearly that the FTAA does not interest Brazil The
government h
as tried to sell the news that Brazil achieved important
diplomatic victories
in the San Jose meeting [on FTAA]. But the reality is
not that If anyone
took medals home, it was the U.S. government. It
has overcome the major obst
acles and pushed the negotiations ahead, thereby
jeopardizing the other nation
S, including those members of Mercosul
"When I mention the United States, I am not led by antiAmerican feelings,
but
because the United States is the one that will really gain with the
FTAA. It n
eeds it to fight its trade deficit and does not intend to give up
the national
interest in exchange for any integration process. For example,
the Americans
would never accept that the free flow of products and capital
were accompanie
d by the free flow of manpower, respect and fostering of
migrant workers' righ
ts on the continent as our labor movement defends. We
cannot bet only on the
refusal of the fast track by the U.S. Congress as an
obstacle to the FTAA. Th
e realistic alternative is to say that the FTAA
does not interest us. Our int
egration priorities are the consolidation of
Mercosul and the tightening of tr
ade relations with other partners in the
continent and even outside it."
X' hp X (#
"Inferiority Complex"
X' hp X (#
Centerright 0 Estado de Sao Paulo's lead editorial (4/4) commented on recent
c
riticism by local opposition politicians regarding Brazil's participation in
th
e FTAA, and said that "to abandon the negotiation table is a harebrained
idea.
What makes sense is to evaluate the efficiency of Brazil's negotiating
strategi
es. They consist of extending to the maximum possible the
negotiations deadlin
e so that the FTAA will not be established before 2005,
and in not allowing tha
t during the negotiations the points on which there is
consensus are immediatel
y transformed into obligations. This is aimed at
giving time to the national in
dustry to prepare itself for an environment of
greater competitiveness and obta
in from the United States the elimination of
nontariff barriers which would mak
e trade conditions even more unequal
It is necessary that the gap be reduc
ed, and this will only be possible if,
during the negotiations, the United Stat
es agrees to eliminate the nontariff
barriers that prevent or burden the export
S to that nation of important
products for the region's economy, as it is in th
e case of Brazilian steel,
footwear and juices.
"In addition to gaining time to adapt itself to the conditions of the future
in
tegration, the Brazilian business community is actively participating in
the pr
ocess by assisting the government and discussing with business
organizations of
the other nations of the region, the best ways of
stimulating hemispheric trad
e and softening the traumas that the broadening
of the trade opening may cause
to some sectors No important business
leader has dissuaded Brazil's enroll
ment into the FTAA Criticism by
opposition politicians is an ideologicalty
pe restriction that reflects a
morbid hate of the United States, a hate that ha
S only increased after the
U.S. victory in the Cold War. The fear that Washingt
on dictates the terms of
the hemispheric integration can only be explained by a
n inferiority
complex."
X' hp X (#
X' hp X (# MEXICO: "Narcotics A Priority Issue"
X' hp X (#
Largely news coverage in Mexico included independent Reforma's headline
treatm
ent (4/14): "Zedillo begins trip to South America; 34 heads of state
seek coope
ration Accords on extradition and petroleum are expected
Narcotics t
rafficking a priority issue." A sidebar noted "Themes of
President Zedillo's t
rip," which include: "Creating a free trade area of the
hemisphere; Falling oil
prices; Signing extradition treaties; Hemispheric
cooperation to counter traff
icking in illegal drugs and arms; HelmsBurton
law; Preserving and strengthening
democracy and human rights; Economic
integration and free trade; Eradicating p
overty."
X' hp X (#
"The Agenda For Santiago"
Renowned novelist and essayist Carlos Fuentes observed in independent
Reforma
(4/6): "The Summit of the Americas has a 'visible' and an
'invisible' agenda
Free trade and education head the topics on the visible
agenda; Cuba and the
arms race the invisible one. All the heads of state
attending the summit are
strong supporters of free trade. They are convinced
that a growing exchange of
capital, goods and services in an interdependent
world does not represent a ze
rosum game, since neither investment nor
production are fixed. The conclusion
is that through free trade, all the
economies can and should prosper together,
not that some can prosper at the
expense of others Clinton would make a bi
g mistake if he seeks in
Santiago to force the pace of those agreements in orde
r to gain, as soon as
possible, a hemispheric free trade zone 'from Alaska to C
ape Horn.' In fact,
both NAFTA and Mercosur are just beginning and both still
face the risk of
sailing without direction. Both trade associations still have
to discover
the weight and obstacles they both have to share and overcome
"The heads of state attending the Santiago summit must be concerned about the
f
lagrant absence of the human factor from discussions on free trade. We have
wr
ongly become accustomed to talking only about things and never about
people. Wh
en will we start to be seriously concerned for people, workers and
the environm
ent? It is with regard to this theme that education becomes
another star topic
in
the summit Latin American countries need growth,
education and employm
ent. Fortunately, education is a top priority for
President Clinton."
EUROPE
CANADA: "Free Trade Comes At A Price"
X' hp X (#
Stephen Handelman wrote in the liberal Toronto Star (4/14): "The
relationsh
ip between trade and other issues like crime and democracy is not
often easily
understood. In a simpler world, the market is all that counts.
But as leade
rs of the hemisphere prepare to meet Saturday in Santiago,
Chile, to discuss a
landmark free trade agreement, these other issues are
going to become crucial
The leaders are expected to create a
multilateral counternarcotics allian
ce
Also on tap are hemispheric
judicial studies center. a new special of
fice to investigate abuses against
the press education reform, urban devel
opment and small business But
we may also have to be willing to pay a hig
her price, such as in lowering
barriers to the mobility of the labor force and
foreign investment, or even
in more foreign aid. Free trade, in other words,
can't be the end of the
process. Or we may find that we've all been sold a I
emon."
X' hp X (#
BRITAIN: "Canada Ahead Of The Pack In Latin America"
In the view of the independent Financial Times from Buenos Aires (4/15):
"When
34 leaders from North and South America gather in Santiago this weekend
to neg
otiate the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), Canada may find
itself well
ahead at the bargaining table. The hemisphere's northernmost
member has pursue
d an aggressive policy to boost investment and strengthen
its trade ties with L
atin America.. This is in contrast to the United
States, which is perceived
to have lost influence over Latin trade policies
since Congress denied Presiden
t Clinton 'fasttrack' trade negotiating
authority late last year It is an
important head start for Canada and is
a position Canada has often used to its
benefit, encouraging new trade
partners to work together as a counterweight to
American influence in the
hemisphere."
"Widespread Feeling U.S. Has Lost Interest, Again"
According to the independent weekly Economist (4/9): "A sense of anticlimax
W
ill hang as thickly in the air as the Santiago smog.
"One reason is simply that this is the second time around: Miami was a giant
st
ep, the first panAmerican summit since an ineffectual affair 27 years
earlier W
hose main, Americaninspired aim was to isolate Cuba. And whereas
the Miami inv
itations came from the leader of the world's superpower,
Santiago has been arra
nged by a 24country group, more democratic but more
routine. The big reason, h
owever, is a widespread feeling that the United
States has again lost interest
in Latin America, and that its policies in the
regionwhether on trade, drugs or
Cubaare being driven by domestic
politics, not broad, strategic vision. That
disillusionment has been
crystallized by Mr. Clinton's failure to win fasttrack
trade negotiating
authority from Congress."
EAST ASIA
CHINA: "Will Summit Be In Interest Of All Peoples In Americas?"
The official, Englishlanguage China Daily's Ge Mini observed (4/15), "Not
ever
yone is confident that the summit will benefit the interests of the
people in
both the North and South Americas. The first summit had aspired to
establish a
n Americas Free Trade Zone by 2005, but protectionist forces have
been stirrin
g, and it now looks unlikely that the target will be met."
SOUTH KOREA: "Will Clinton Bring About Constructive Results?"
Conservative Segye Ilbo (4/15) commented, "Now out of the woods with regard
t
o his sex scandals, and after a successful visit to Africa, President
Clinton n
ow embarks on a 'global village tour,' starting with the summit of
the Americ
as in Chile. The summit will discuss setting up an
Americaswide free trade
zone. Whether the president will be able to bring
about constructive results
at the meeting remains to be seen, as he is
deprived of 'fasttrack authority.'
"
##
X' hp X (#%#Xx\ P6QyXP#
END ATTACHMENT 2
FOREIGN MEDIA REACTION
EARLY REPORT
USIA
U.S. INFORMATION AGENCY, WASHINGTON DC 20547
OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND MEDIA REACTION
Bill Richey, Branch Chief Media Reaction, (202) 619-6511 Ann Pincus, Director
Archived at: www.usia.gov/products/medreac.htm
Wednesday, April 15, 1998
SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS WILL LACK TRADE 'FIRE' ABSENT 'FAST TRACK'
The press abroad spoke of "disappointment" and lowered expectations as President Clinton and 33 other Western
Hemisphere leaders travel to Santiago de Chile for the Saturday opening of the second Summit of the Americas.
Analysts judged that the U.S. Congress' failure to give Mr. Clinton fast-track authority had undermined the summit's
main goal: launching negotiations to create a free-trade zone, the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), from
Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. Buenos Aires's business-oriented El Cronista held that the congressional refusal "has
diminished the goal of kicking off FTAA negotiations. the key issue which had been set for this summit," and
Bridgetown's pro-government Nation lamented, "What started as a sincere and interesting effort to mold the Western
Hemisphere into a single trading bloc has been derailed, by labor unions in the U.S. and their supporters on Capitol
Hill." London's independent Financial Times issued a warning about what Congressional skittishness over free trade
might be costing Washington. Canada, the daily noted, "has pursued an aggressive policy to boost investment and
strengthen its trade ties with Latin America in contrast to the U.S., which is perceived to have lost influence over
Latin trade policies since Congress denied President Clinton 'fast-track."
Writers concluded that political and social themes would replace trade as the centerpiece of the meeting. Observers in
Santiago, Buenos Aires, Mexico and other capitals pointed out that the hemisphere leaders instead will discuss
education, democracy, press freedom, drug trafficking, Cuba and political instability in Colombia and Paraguay.
Center-right O Estado de Sao Paulo complained, as did others, that the hollowed-out summit "does not justify the
attendance of 34 heads of state. The main theme of education could be treated equally by ministers." Nevertheless, this
paper and counterparts elsewhere insisted that Latin America remains committed to strengthening trade ties with the
U.S. "The Santiago summit has lost its importance;" O Estado stressed, adding, "The trade and financial relationship
with Washington has not."
BRIEFS
--- G-7 Meeting: 'Washington Will Put Pressure On Japan'
-- Korea Talks: 'Pyongyang Taking A More Flexible Position'
-- Russia: Will Kiriyenko Make It Through Round Two In Duma?
-- Ex-Yugoslavia: 'Rebellion in Montenegro; Where Is Karadzic?
-- Breard Execution: 'Is U.S. Violating Human Rights?'
EDITORS: Mildred Sola Neely, Bill Richey and Kathleen J. Brahney
[Tape Restoration Project Hex-Dump Conversion]
SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS WILL LACK TRADE 'FIRE' ABSENT 'FAST TRACK'
CHILE: "A Summit Of Historic Importance"
Government-owned, editorially independent La Nacion (4/14) carried this comment: "One of the great challenges in
the meeting will be to move forward towards economic integration through the signing of an agreement for the Free
Trade Association of the Americas, FTAA The objective is to reach an agreement for (a potential) market of over
750 million people which will facilitate interregional contacts in areas such as transportation, telecommunications,
energy cooperation and investments The summit will also deal with the strengthening of democracy and human
rights. There is consensus among American nations that it is necessary to have efficient and impartial legal institutions
to reach those goals The summit has historic importance. As Foreign Minister Jose Miguel Insulza said, what it is
all about is to prepare ourselves collectively to face the challenges of the new century and of the new millennium."
ARGENTINA: "Focus On Press Freedom"
Jorge Elias, Washington-based correspondent for daily-of-record La Nacion, said (4/15): "A few hours before leaving
on Air Force One for Santiago, Chile, Bill Clinton's men keep on extolling the role of the press in strengthening
regional democracy. And it will be the president of the United States, after his official, two-day visit to Chile starting
tomorrow, who will speak about this subject over the weekend, in the second Summit of the Americas, according to
what Clinton agreed on with other 33 presidents of the continent (all but Cuba) in the meetings held by his advisers
since over one year ago
"As a prelude to the summit, the Interamerican Commission of Human Rights of the Organization of American States
(OAS), agreed to create the position of special reporter/relator, in order to analyze. (journalists') role at the national
and continental level. The project, promoted by independent institutions, is supported by the United States. The idea
was in Clinton's mind since the end of his visit to Bariloche last October The White House talks about the
advantage of an independent officer, but the OAS does not seem to agree with that. The doubt is caused by the
attitude to be adopted by countries used to blaming journalists for everything."
"Summit With A Changed Agenda"
Jorge Sosa opined in business-oriented El Cronista (4/14): "Without the glamour many had expected on this occasion,
34 presidents--among them Carlos Menem--will meet Friday in Santiago, Chile, in the framework of what will be the
second Summit of the Americas. The disappointment which, at this point, looms over politicians and diplomats of
several countries is explained by Bill Clinton's misfortune: the failure of the U.S. president to obtain Congressional
approval for fast track trade authority This has diminished the goal of kicking off FTAA negotiations the key
issue which had been set for this summit.
"The fact that Clinton lands in Chile empty-handed forced the subsequent change in topics. This is why the political--
no less complicated-issues began to top the agendas. Even though, formally, 'education' was selected as the 'key issue'
of the discussions which will take place at the Sheraton Hotel, El Cronista found out that the changing relationship
with Fidel Castro's regime, which could imply a greater openness towards the island, and the delicate political
situation in Paraguay and Colombia, will at least be part of the informal conversations among heads of state. On the
other hand, they will propose the creation of an alliance to fight drug-trafficking. Like in the first Summit of the
Americas in Miami, in 1994, Cuba will be the only country without any representation Will FTAA negotiations
advance without any reference to the island? Will Washington propose a new focus, at least a minor one, regarding
the political and commercial relationship with Castro's government? These are some of the
[Tape Restoration Project Hex-Dump Conversion]
questions which have been clouding the minds of the members of several delegations since last week."
BARBADOS: "Summit Will Lack Fire Because Clinton Lacks Fast Tack"
The pro-government Nation's North American editor commented (4/13) on the upcoming Santiago Summit, saying
that, because Clinton lacks fast track authority, "the negotiating process wouldn't have the fire that's needed to pull it
off. That's not to suggest that education isn't important. But what started as a sincere and interesting effort to mold
the Western Hemisphere into a single trading bloc has been undermined, if not derailed, by labor unions in the
United States and their supporters on Capitol Hill who fear a loss of more U.S. jobs to Latin America and Caribbean
countries if a trade pact becomes a reality.
"The decision to highlight education at the summit would have been hailed if the United States, for example, was
going to put some new resources into the Caribbean and Latin America to help the countries expand their school
systems to meet the needs of an increasingly technological world. With no additional funds, hemisphere nations will
be hard-pressed to implement many of the programs which the leaders plan to agree on. Small wonder that some of
the leaders are saying privately that a postponement of the summit would have been a good idea."
BRAZIL: "An Empty Summit"
Center-right O Estado de Sao Paulo held (4/14) that "the summit in Miami was held without any previously defined
agenda. The FTAA idea surged as a last minute resource to avoid the failure of the summit convoked by the U.S.
president. Brazil and its partners in Mercosul will not support a new trade treaty that gives obvious advantage to the
United States in the trade relationship. The U.S. Congress denied President Clinton fast track authority, which makes
negotiation of a trade treaty impracticable. Once again, the U.S. government is dealing with an agenda (this time) in
Santiago, that does not justify the attendance of 34 heads of state. The main theme of education could be treated
equally by the ministers. Last Friday, O Estado published an article by Secretary Madeleine Albright, which clearly
shows that FTAA had its importance reduced among U.S. foreign policy priorities. However, it is necessary to make a
distinction between the lowering of the FTAA as a priority and the importance that the hemisphere, especially Brazil,
has for U.S. foreign trade. The FTAA lost its momentum because President Clinton was not able to convince the U.S.
Congress of the advantages of a new and ample commercial regional accord. The U.S. Congress has revealed strong
protectionist and isolationist tendencies, a situation that many countries in the hemisphere prefer not to face. But
trade with the countries in the area continues to be of great importance to the United States and it is more important
than the formality of the FTAA's creation. The Santiago summit has lost its importance; the trade and financial
relationship with Washington, has not."
MEXICO: "Narcotics A Priority Issue"
Largely news coverage in Mexico included independent Reforma's headline treatment (4/14): "Zedillo begins trip to
South America; 34 heads of state seek cooperation. Accords on extradition and petroleum expected Narcotics
trafficking a priority issue." Sidebar noted "Themes of President Zedillo's trip," which include: "Creating a free trade
area of the hemisphere; Falling oil prices; Signing extradition treaties; Hemispheric cooperation to counter trafficking
in illegal drugs and arms; Helms-Burton law; Preserving and strengthening democracy and human rights; Economic
integration and free trade; Eradicating poverty."
CANADA: "Free Trade Comes At A Price"
[Tape Restoration Project Hex-Dump Conversion]
Stephen Handelman wrote in the liberal Toronto Star (4/14): "The relationship between trade and other issues like
crime and democracy is not often easily understood. In a simpler world, the market is all that counts. But as leaders
of the hemisphere prepare to meet Saturday in Santiago, Chile, to discuss a landmark free trade agreement, these other
issues are going to become crucial The leaders are expected to create a multilateral counter-narcotics alliance
Also on tap are hemispheric judicial studies center a new special office to investigate abuses against the
press education reform, urban development and small business But we may also have to be willing to pay a
higher price, such as in lowering barriers to the mobility of the labor force and foreign investment, or even in more
foreign aid. Free trade, in other words, can't be the end of the process. Or we may find that we've all been sold a
lemon."
BRITAIN: "Canada Ahead Of The Pack In Latin America"
In the view of the independent Financial Times from Buenos Aires (4/15): "When 34 leaders from north and south
America gather in Santiago this weekend to negotiate the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), Canada may find
itself well ahead at the bargaining table. The hemisphere's northernmost member has pursued an aggressive policy to
boost investment and strengthen its trade ties with Latin America This is in contrast to the United States, which is
perceived to have lost influence over Latin trade policies since Congress denied President Clinton 'fast-track' trade
negotiating authority late last year It is an important head start for Canada and is a position Canada has often used
to its benefit, encouraging new trade partners to work together as a counterweight to American influence in the
hemisphere."
CHINA: "Will Summit Be In Interest Of All Peoples In Americas?"
The official, English-language China Daily's Ge Mini observed (4/15), "Not everyone is confident that the summit will
benefit the interests of the people in both the North and South Americas. The first summit had aspired to establish an
Americas Free Trade Zone by 2005, but protectionist forces have been stirring, and it now looks unlikely that the
target will be met."
SOUTH KOREA: "Will Clinton Bring About Constructive Results?"
Conservative Segye Ilbo (4/15) commented, "Now out of the woods with regard to his sex scandals, and after a
successful visit to Africa, President Clinton now embarks on a 'global village our,' starting with the summit of the
Americas in Chile The summit will discuss setting up an Americas-wide free trade zone. Whether the president
will be able to bring about constructive results at the meeting remains to be seen, as he is deprived of 'fast-track
authority."
BRIEFS
G-7 MEETING: 'WASHINGTON WILL PUT PRESSURE ON JAPAN'
JAPAN: "Lessons Of Crisis Should Be Evident At Finance Meetings"
Top-circulation, moderate Yomiuri's editorial said (4/15): "We hope that participants in the meetings will agree that
East Asia needs a broad-based support package to end the crises and restore economic stability Prime Minister
Hashimoto needs to explain to other nations that he is serious about stimulating the weak economy by boosting
domestic demand and reducing trade surpluses through his new stimulus package. Japan must also urge the United
States and other key nations to cooperate in correcting the weak yen and the strong dollar, a factor contributing Japan's
growing trade surplus. Another important issue for the participants to take
up at the meetings is a study of the how the current crisis developed so that it never happens again Several Asian
nations have become critical of the IMF's failure to predict that such an economic crisis could hit the region. These
[Tape Restoration Project Hex-Dump Conversion]
nations also claim that the world monetary organization aggravated the crisis by forcing them to accept prescriptions
that did not reflect the conditions facing them. The IMF should take this criticism to heart the next time it considers
what sort of 'rescue package' is appropriate for any given nation or region."
BRITAIN: "U.S. Tells G-7 To Lean On Japan"
The liberal Guardian commented from Washington (4/15): "The Americans believe that placing Japan back on the
right track will be an essential component for repairing the global economic architecture Both the United States and
the IMF fear that the Japanese authorities will not act fast enough to pull Japan back from recession. A slowdown in
Japan at a time when the global economy is already weakening as a result of the East Asian crisis, could push the
international economy into stagnation."
FRANCE: "Japanese Government More Irritated Than It Says"
Left-of-center Liberation, in comment from Tokyo, judged (4/15): "On the even of the G-7 meeting, the finance
minister denies pessimistic forecasts The Japanese government is probably more irritated than it says by the critics
from its main commercial partners and affiliated organizations."
"Washington Will Put Pressure On Japan"
Jean-Louis Santini commented in wire service AFP (4/15): "At the G-7 meeting in Washington on Wednesday, the
United States will put pressure on Japan to implement lasting measures to restart the economy to make sure that the
second world economy avoids a recession At a press conference in Washington, Robert Rubin said the measures
recently announced by the Japanese prime minister were very significant. He immediately added that he wanted to see
the details of the program."
GERMANY: "IMF Global Fireman"
Centrist Der Tagesspiegel of Berlin told its readers (4/15): "The IMF may manage its task of serving as global fireman
and extinguish the world's fires at the last minute. But it should do more than this. The financial crises and turbulence
must not only be managed, they must be prevented. The early warning system, installed after the Mexico crisis,
obviously does not work. Acceptance of IMF decisions also needs to be maintained. That is only possible if the
financial donors back the IMF without any preconditions and if they support and not dismantle the IMF."
KOREA TALKS: 'PYONGYANG TAKING MORE FLEXIBLE POSITION'
AUSTRALIA: "Now Is Time For Rapprochement"
The liberal Canberra Times' editorial said (4/15): "Linking aid to family reunions and the swapping of envoys is more
like trying to buy friendship. The question is whether friendship can be bought But if the time when reunification
stops being a child's picture-book fantasy is still far away, the time for some degree of rapprochement is near. The
question for the two Koreas is whether genuine rapprochement can be traded like grain."
GERMANY: "Playing For Time Is Macabre"
In left-of-center Die Tageszeitung of Berlin (4/15), Sven Hansen noted: "Both sides need a
success in the negotiations. The North can hardly survive without help from outside The South is in severe
economic recession Instead of wishing for the collapse of the North, the South now hopes for stabilization and
detente on the Korean peninsula. The great interest of both sides to negotiate, with their unwillingness to
[Tape Restoration Project Hex-Dump Conversion]
compromise, make this such a difficult situation. In light of the starvation in the North and the millions of people who
have not seen their relatives in decades, playing for time is macabre."
"Korea's Communism Is Falling Apart"
In centrist General-Anzeiger of Bonn, Peter Seidlitz commented (4/15): "The regime in Pyongyang is finished On
the surface, the Korean dialogue is about bringing families together, food and economic assistance, political
reconciliation and a non-aggression pact. In reality, South Korean politicians are already thinking about how they can
deal with reunification."
BELGIUM: "Pyongyang Taking More Flexible Position"
Asian affairs writer Freddy De Pauw had this assessment in independent Catholic De Standaard (4/15): "In the recent
twelve months, Pyongyang has added water to its wine. The four-party consultation between North and South Korea,
the United States and China has not yielded any results yet, but the fact that it could be started last year shows that
Pyongyang is taking a more flexible position. That relative flexibility is a result not only of the pressure of the famine,
but also from neighboring China Beijing wants nothing more than calm in the nearby peninsula because the
permanent threat of war is bad for China's economic expansion plans. Moreover, Pyongyang wants to follow the
Chinese example South Korean President Kim Dae Jung shows more understanding for the situation of the North
Koreans than his predecessors. However, Kim Dae Jung is very prudent because he has to on his guard against his
opponents who always depict him as a friend of the communists."
RUSSIA: WILL KIRIYENKO MAKE IT THROUGH ROUND TWO IN DUMA?
RUSSIA: "Russia Needs Young Leaders"
Vera Kuznetsova, reporting on yesterday's meeting between President Boris Yeltsin and the Duma's Speaker Gennady
Seleznev, wrote on page one of reformist Izvestia (4/15): "The Rresident reiterated that he had no candidacy (to the
premiership) other than Kiriyenko, (saying), 'You think that only people of a retirement age can run this country,' In
Yeltsin's opinion, Russia needs young leaders. He backed that with a promise not to bid for a third term.
Seleznev had to admit, 'We need to approve him (Kiriyenko). The Duma's fate means a thousand times more to me
than Kiriyenko's does."
"New Premier In Gaidar's Shoes"
Centrist Nezavisimaya Gazeta front-paged this analysis (4/15) by Tatyana Koshkareva and Rustam Narzikulov: "A
new premier, be it Kiriyenko or somebody else, will get a monstrous economic inheritance. Dire hopelessness will
force him to use shock therapy, thereby cutting his tenure short. With the kamikaze premier gone, the political
pendulum will swing back to conservatism bringing along somebody of the Chernomyrdin type."
GERMANY: "Duma's Assessment Is Correct"
Centrist Stuttgarter Zeitung opined (4/15): "The (Russian) parliament says that the 35-year-old candidate is too
young and inexperienced. As much nonsense as the Duma has voiced, it is correct in this assessment. Not even the
candidate himself knows why the president wants him to be prime minister."
"Yeltsin's Young Man"
This was the view of centrist Sueddeutsche Zeitung of Munich's Josef Riedmiller (4/15): "That Kiriyenko is too young
and inexperienced is a stupid argument of his adversaries Many older people describe 'experience' as those things
[Tape Restoration Project Hex-Dump Conversion]
they did wrong for many years. The 'little computer,' as Kirijenko is called because of his familiarity with technology,
would have great opportunities to do good for Russia if he is elected Yeltsin dares to skip a generation, hoping that
the very young will better understand Russia's situation than those who lived under the inertia of socialism for so
long."
HUNGARY: "Czar Democracy"
Janos T. Barabas wrote this op-ed piece for influential Magyar Hirlap (4/15): "The problem with the acting prime
minister Kiriyenko is that, instead of popularity, he needs the support of the Russian parliament (but) the Russian
parliament, a 'repository' of Russian democracy, is working to old political reflexes. This meant that Kiriyenko's
appointment got vetoed in the first round because he was President Yeltsin's nominee. It is especially tragic that if the
Russian Duma represents democracy, we have to favor Yeltsin's dictatum, since the Russian parliament is a tool for the
kind of extreme political powers that we can't expect much good from at all."
CHINA: "Kiriyenko Likely To Survive Election"
Wang Xianju noted in official Guangming Daily (4/15): "Due to a series of measures adopted by President Yeltsin,
Kiriyenko's approval rating is currently on the rise. Some Russian analysts think that if Kiriyenko is rejected during
the second vote, negotiations before the third round will swing the decision. Should Kiriyenko's nomination receive
narrow approval, the opposition will maintain that it was a forced decision Another view is that the opposition
(including the Communists) are prepared for the dismissal and early election of the Duma because they are confident
that they will still constitute the majority within the new cabinet."
EX-YUGOSLAVIA: 'REBELLION' IN MONTENEGRO; WHERE IS KARADZIC?
FRANCE: "Montenegro Enters Into Rebellion"
Isabelle Lasserre cautioned in right-of-center Le Figaro (4/15): "A new threat, coming from the south, has shaken up
the fractured Balkan state. President Djukanovic of Montenegro has broken free of the policy of Yugoslav President
Milosevic criticizing him as an 'autocrat' who is taking the country 'to the bottom of the well.'. Because
(Djukanovic) believes Milosevic's blind policies will end in Yugoslavia's ruin. he has suddenly entered into
opposition."
GERMANY: "Feigned Disappearance"
In centrist General-Anzeiger of Bonn, Thomas Wittke commented (4/15): "Is Karadzic going to turn himself in at the
War Crimes Tribunal or will he continue to hide in Pale? Karadzic will only turn himself in if he sees no other
chance to escape the international troops. He knows that he is facing a life sentence for all his bloody acts. And the
War Crimes Tribunal will not allow him to negotiate the length and location of his sentence. Especially under these
circumstances, it is important to keep up international pressure and even to increase it."
BREARD EXECUTION: 'IS U.S. VIOLATING HUMAN RIGHTS?'
[Tape Restoration Project Hex-Dump Conversion]
FRANCE: "Is U.S. Violating Human Rights?"
Jean-Jacques Mevel filed from Washington in right-of-center Le Figaro (4/15): "Madeleine Albright wrote the
governor of Virginia asking him to delay the execution because she feared the case would jeopardize the safety of
Americans living abroad Behind the argument of reciprocity, a very embarrassing debate is shaping up for the
superpower which considers human rights as a vehicle for its diplomacy."
ITALY: "A Split In Clinton Administration"
Washington correspondent Ennio Caretto wrote in centrist, top-circulation Corriere della Sera (4/15): "The Breard case
has created a split within the Clinton Administration. While the Attorney General's Office claimed before the
Supreme Court that the request of the Hague International Tribunal 'has no legal basis,' the State Department urged
Virginia Governor Gilmore to accept such a request (for a stay of execution)."
SPAIN: "Albright Pleads in Vain"
Javier Valenzuela maintained in liberal El Pais (4/15): "Even the "Iron Lady' of American diplomacy, Madeleine
Albright, was ashamed yesterday when the country that postures as the world's policeman, but doesn't pay its UN
contributions, doesn't respect international law (i.e., the Vienna Convention) and turns a deaf ear to the decisions of a
prestigious tribunal, the World Court at The Hague, did little to enhance its credibility in leading crusades against
Saddam Hussein or in proclaiming its intention to detain Pol Pot [by insisting on executing Angel Francisco Breard]
The Spanish Consul in Miami, Miguel Diaz Pache, has also complained that police in Florida did not inform his
mission of the detention of Joaquin Jose Martinez, who now resides on death row at Starke Penitentiary. Martinez told
this newspaper last December that the police never advised him of his right to phone the consulate."
##
[Tape Restoration Project Hex-Dump Conversion]
ARMS Email SystemRECORD TYPE: FEDERAL (TRP NOTES MAIL)
CREATOR: USIA_Media_Reaction ([email protected]@INET@LNGTWY [ UNKNOWN )
CREATION DATE/TIME:15-APR-1998 07:54:00.00
SUBJECT: Early Report 4/15: SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS
TO: Laura D. Schwartz ( Laura D. Schwartz@eop [ UNKNOWN ])
READ:UNKNOWN
TEXT:
The press abroad spoke of "disappointment" and lowered expectations as
President Clinton and 33 other Western Hemisphere leaders travel to
Santiago de Chile for the Saturday opening of the second Summit of the
Americas. Analysts judged that the U.S. Congress' failure to give Mr.
Clinton fast-track authority had undermined the summit's main goal:
launching negotiations to create a free-trade zone, the Free Trade Area of
the Americas (FTAA), from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. Buenos Aires's
business-oriented El Cronista held that the congressional refusal "has
diminished the goal of kicking off FTAA negotiations...the key issue which
had been set for this summit," and Bridgetown's pro-government Nation
lamented, "What started as a sincere and interesting effort to mold the
Western Hemisphere into a single trading bloc...has been...derailed, by
labor unions in the U.S. and their supporters on Capitol Hill." London's
independent Financial Times issued a warning about what Congressional
skittishness over free trade might be costing Washington. Canada, the
daily noted, "has pursued an aggressive policy to boost investment and
strengthen its trade ties with Latin America...in contrast to the U.S.,
which is perceived to have lost influence over Latin trade policies since
Congress denied President Clinton 'fast-track."
Writers concluded that political and social themes would replace trade as
the centerpiece of the meeting. Observers in Santiago, Buenos Aires,
Mexico and other capitals pointed out that the hemisphere leaders instead
will discuss education, democracy, press freedom, drug trafficking, Cuba
and political instability in Colombia and Paraguay. Center-right O Estado
de Sao Paulo complained, as did others, that the hollowed-out summit "does
not justify the attendance of 34 heads of state. The main theme of
education could be treated equally by ministers." Nevertheless, this paper
and counterparts elsewhere insisted that Latin America remains committed to
strengthening trade ties with the U.S. "The Santiago summit has lost its
importance;" O Estado stressed, adding, "The trade and financial
relationship with Washington has not."
BRIEFS
-- G-7 Meeting: 'Washington Will Put Pressure On Japan'
-- Korea Talks: 'Pyongyang Taking A More Flexible Position'
-- Russia: Will Kiriyenko Make It Through Round Two In Duma?
-- Ex-Yugoslavia: 'Rebellion in Montenegro; Where Is Karadzic?
-- Breard Execution: 'Is U.S. Violating Human Rights?'
EDITORS: Mildred Sola Neely, Bill Richey and Kathleen J. Brahney
SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS WILL LACK TRADE 'FIRE' ABSENT FAST TRACK'
CHILE: "A Summit Of Historic Importance"
Government-owned, editorially independent La Nacion (4/14) carried this
comment: "One of the great challenges in the meeting will be to move
forward towards economic integration through the signing of an agreement
for the Free Trade Association of the Americas, FTAA The objective
is to reach an agreement for (a potential) market of over 750 million
people which will facilitate interregional contacts in areas such as
transportation, telecommunications, energy cooperation and investments
The summit will also deal with the strengthening of democracy and human
rights. There is consensus among American nations that it is necessary to
have efficient and impartial legal institutions to reach those goals
The summit has historic importance. As Foreign Minister Jose Miguel
Insulza said, what it is all about is to prepare ourselves collectively to
face the challenges of the new century and of the new millennium."
ARGENTINA: "Focus On Press Freedom"
Jorge Elias, Washington-based correspondent for daily-of-record La Nacion,
said (4/15): "A few hours before leaving on Air Force One for Santiago,
Chile, Bill Clinton's men keep on extolling the role of the press in
strengthening regional democracy. And it will be the president of the
United States, after his official, two-day visit to Chile starting
tomorrow, who will speak about this subject over the weekend, in the second
Summit of the Americas, according to what Clinton agreed on with other 33
presidents of the continent (all but Cuba) in the meetings held by his
advisers since over one year ago
"As a prelude to the summit, the Interamerican Commission of Human Rights
of the Organization of American States (OAS), agreed to create the position
of special reporter/relator, in order to analyze (journalists') role at
the national and continental level. The project, promoted by independent
institutions, is supported by the United States. The idea was in Clinton's
mind since the end of his visit to Bariloche last October.. The White
House talks about the advantage of an independent officer. but the OAS
does not seem to agree with that. The doubt is caused by the attitude to be
adopted by countries used to blaming journalists for everything."
"Summit With A Changed Agenda"
Jorge Sosa opined in business-oriented El Cronista (4/14): "Without the
glamour many had expected on this occasion, 34 presidents--among them
Carlos Menem--will meet Friday in Santiago, Chile, in the framework of what
will be the second Summit of the Americas. The disappointment which, at
this point, looms over politicians and diplomats of several countries is
explained by Bill Clinton's misfortune: the failure of the U.S. president
to obtain Congressional approval for fast track trade authority. This
has diminished the goal of kicking off FTAA negotiations the key issue
which had been set for this summit.
"The fact that Clinton lands in Chile empty-handed forced the subsequent
change in topics. This is why the political--no less complicated--issues
began to top the agendas. Even though, formally, 'education' was selected
as the 'key issue' of the discussions which will take place at the
Sheraton Hotel, El Cronista found out that the changing relationship with
Fidel Castro's regime, which could imply a greater openness towards the
island, and the delicate political situation in Paraguay and Colombia,
will at least be part of the informal conversations among heads of state.
On the other hand, they will propose the creation of an alliance to fight
drug-trafficking. Like in the first Summit of the Americas in Miami, in
1994, Cuba will be the only country without any representation Will
FTAA negotiations advance without any reference to the island? Will
Washington propose a new focus, at least a minor one, regarding the
political and commercial relationship with Castro's government? These are
some of the
questions which have been clouding the minds of the members of several
delegations since last week."
BARBADOS: "Summit Will Lack Fire Because Clinton Lacks Fast Tack"
The pro-government Nation's North American editor commented (4/13) on the
upcoming Santiago Summit, saying that, because Clinton lacks fast track
authority, "the negotiating process wouldn't have the fire that's needed
to pull it off. That's not to suggest that education isn't important.
But what started as a sincere and interesting effort to mold the Western
Hemisphere into a single trading bloc has been undermined, if not
derailed, by labor unions in the United States and their supporters on
Capitol Hill who fear a loss of more U.S. jobs to Latin America and
Caribbean countries if a trade pact becomes a reality.
"The decision to highlight education at the summit would have been hailed
if the United States, for example, was going to put some new resources
into the Caribbean and Latin America to help the countries expand their
school systems to meet the needs of an increasingly technological world.
With no additional funds, hemisphere nations will be hard-pressed to
implement many of the programs which the leaders plan to agree on. Small
wonder that some of the leaders are saying privately that a postponement
of the summit would have been a good idea."
BRAZIL: "An Empty Summit"
Center-right O Estado de Sao Paulo held (4/14) that "the summit in Miami
was held without any previously defined agenda. The FTAA idea surged as a
last minute resource to avoid the failure of the summit convoked by the
U.S. president. Brazil and its partners in Mercosul will not support a
new trade treaty...that gives obvious advantage to the United States in
the trade relationship. The U.S. Congress denied President Clinton fast
track authority, which makes negotiation of a trade treaty impracticable.
Once again, the U.S. government is dealing with an agenda (this time) in
Santiago, that does not justify the attendance of 34 heads of state. The
main theme of education could be treated equally by the ministers. Last
Friday, O Estado published an article by Secretary Madeleine Albright,
which clearly shows that FTAA had its importance reduced among U.S. foreign
policy priorities. However, it is necessary to make a distinction between
the lowering of the FTAA as a priority and the importance that the
hemisphere, especially Brazil, has for U.S. foreign trade. The FTAA lost
its momentum because President Clinton was not able to convince the U.S.
Congress of the advantages of a new and ample commercial regional accord.
The U.S. Congress has revealed strong protectionist and isolationist
tendencies, a situation that many countries in the hemisphere prefer not
to face. But trade with the countries in the area continues to be of
great importance to the United States and it is more important than the
formality of the FTAA's creation. The Santiago summit has lost its
importance; the trade and financial relationship with Washington, has
not."
MEXICO: "Narcotics A Priority Issue"
Largely news coverage in Mexico included independent Reforma's headline
treatment (4/14): "Zedillo begins trip to South America; 34 heads of state
seek cooperation Accords on extradition and petroleum
expected Narcotics trafficking a priority issue." Sidebar noted "Themes
of President Zedillo's trip," which include: "Creating a free trade area of
the hemisphere; Falling oil prices; Signing extradition treaties;
Hemispheric cooperation to counter trafficking in illegal drugs and arms;
Helms-Burton law; Preserving and strengthening democracy and human rights;
Economic integration and free trade; Eradicating poverty."
CANADA: "Free Trade Comes At A Price"
Stephen Handelman wrote in the liberal Toronto Star (4/14): "The
relationship between trade and other issues like crime and democracy is
not often easily understood. In a simpler world, the market is all that
counts. But as leaders of the hemisphere prepare to meet Saturday in
Santiago, Chile, to discuss a landmark free trade agreement, these other
issues are going to become crucial The leaders are expected to create
a multilateral counter-narcotics alliance Also on tap are hemispheric
judicial studies center. a new special office to investigate abuses
against the press education reform, urban development and small
business But we may also have to be willing to pay a higher price,
such as in lowering barriers to the mobility of the labor force and
foreign investment, or even in more foreign aid. Free trade, in other
words, can't be the end of the process. Or we may find that we've all
been sold a lemon."
BRITAIN: "Canada Ahead Of The Pack In Latin America"
In the view of the independent Financial Times from Buenos Aires (4/15):
"When 34 leaders from north and south America gather in Santiago this
weekend to negotiate the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), Canada may
find itself well ahead at the bargaining table. The hemisphere's
northernmost member has pursued an aggressive policy to boost investment
and strengthen its trade ties with Latin America This is in contrast
to the United States, which is perceived to have lost influence over Latin
trade policies since Congress denied President Clinton 'fast-track' trade
negotiating authority late last year It is an important head start for
Canada and is a position Canada has often used to its benefit, encouraging
new trade partners to work together as a counterweight to American
influence in the hemisphere."
CHINA: "Will Summit Be In Interest Of All Peoples In Americas?"
The official, English-language China Daily's Ge Mini observed (4/15), "Not
everyone is confident that the summit will benefit the interests of the
people in both the North and South Americas. The first summit had aspired
to establish an Americas Free Trade Zone by 2005, but protectionist forces
have been stirring, and it now looks unlikely that the target will be
met."
SOUTH KOREA: "Will Clinton Bring About Constructive Results?"
Conservative Segye Ilbo (4/15) commented, "Now out of the woods with
regard to his sex scandals, and after a successful visit to Africa,
President Clinton now embarks on a 'global village our,' starting with
the summit of the Americas in Chile.... The summit will discuss setting up
an Americas-wide free trade zone. Whether the president will be able to
bring about constructive results at the meeting remains to be seen, as he
is deprived of 'fast-track authority."
BRIEFS
G-7 MEETING: 'WASHINGTON WILL PUT PRESSURE ON JAPAN'
JAPAN: "Lessons Of Crisis Should Be Evident At Finance Meetings"
Top-circulation, moderate Yomiuri's editorial said (4/15): "We hope that
participants in the meetings will agree that East Asia needs a broad-based
support package to end the crises and restore economic stability
Prime Minister Hashimoto needs to explain to other nations that he is
serious about stimulating the weak economy by boosting domestic demand and
reducing trade surpluses through his new stimulus package. Japan must
also urge the United States and other key nations to cooperate in
correcting the weak yen and the strong dollar, a factor contributing
Japan's growing trade surplus. Another important issue for the
participants to take
up at the meetings is a study of the how the current crisis developed so
that it never happens again Several Asian nations have become
critical of the IMF's failure to predict that such an economic crisis
could hit the region. These nations also claim that the world monetary
organization aggravated the crisis by forcing them to accept prescriptions
that did not reflect the conditions facing them. The IMF should take this
criticism to heart the next time it considers what sort of 'rescue package'
is appropriate for any given nation or region."
BRITAIN: "U.S. Tells G-7 To Lean On Japan"
The liberal Guardian commented from Washington (4/15): "The Americans
believe that placing Japan back on the right track will be an essential
component for repairing the global economic architecture Both the
United States and the IMF fear that the Japanese authorities will not act
fast enough to pull Japan back from recession. A slowdown in Japan at a
time when the global economy is already weakening as a result of the East
Asian crisis, could push the international economy into stagnation."
FRANCE: "Japanese Government More Irritated Than It Says"
Left-of-center Liberation, in comment from Tokyo, judged (4/15): "On the
even of the G-7 meeting, the finance minister denies pessimistic
forecasts The Japanese government is probably more irritated than it
says by the critics from its main commercial partners and affiliated
organizations."
"Washington Will Put Pressure On Japan"
Jean-Louis Santini commented in wire service AFP (4/15): "At the G-7
meeting in Washington on Wednesday, the United States will put pressure on
Japan to implement lasting measures to restart the economy to make sure
that the second world economy avoids a recession At a press conference
in Washington, Robert Rubin said the measures recently announced by the
Japanese prime minister were very significant. He immediately added that
he wanted to see the details of the program."
GERMANY: "IMF Global Fireman"
Centrist Der Tagesspiegel of Berlin told its readers (4/15): "The IMF may
manage its task of serving as global fireman and extinguish the world's
fires at the last minute. But it should do more than this. The financial
crises and turbulence must not only be managed, they must be prevented.
The early warning system, installed after the Mexico crisis, obviously
does not work. Acceptance of IMF decisions also needs to be maintained.
That is only possible if the financial donors back the IMF without any
preconditions and if they support and not dismantle the IMF."
KOREA TALKS: 'PYONGYANG TAKING MORE FLEXIBLE POSITION'
AUSTRALIA: "Now Is Time For Rapprochement"
The liberal Canberra Times' editorial said (4/15): "Linking aid to family
reunions and the swapping of envoys is more like trying to buy friendship.
The question is whether friendship can be bought But if the time when
reunification stops being a child's picture-book fantasy is still far away,
the time for some degree of rapprochement is near. The question for the
two Koreas is whether genuine rapprochement can be traded like grain."
GERMANY: "Playing For Time Is Macabre"
In left-of-center Die Tageszeitung of Berlin (4/15), Sven Hansen noted:
"Both sides need a
success in the negotiations. The North can hardly survive without help
from outside The South is in severe economic recession Instead of
wishing for the collapse of the North, the South now hopes for
stabilization and detente on the Korean peninsula The great interest
of both sides to negotiate, with their unwillingness to compromise, make
this such a difficult situation. In light of the starvation in the North
and the millions of people who have not seen their relatives in decades,
playing for time is macabre."
"Korea's Communism Is Falling Apart"
In centrist General-Anzeiger of Bonn, Peter Seidlitz commented (4/15):
"The regime in Pyongyang is finished
On the surface, the Korean
dialogue is about bringing families together, food and economic
assistance, political reconciliation and a non-aggression pact. In
reality, South Korean politicians are already thinking about how they can
deal with reunification."
BELGIUM: "Pyongyang Taking More Flexible Position"
Asian affairs writer Freddy De Pauw had this assessment in independent
Catholic De Standaard (4/15): "In the recent twelve months, Pyongyang has
added water to its wine. The four-party consultation between North and
South Korea, the United States and China has not yielded any results yet,
but the fact that it could be started last year shows that Pyongyang is
taking a more flexible position. That relative flexibility is a result not
only of the pressure of the famine, but also from neighboring China
Beijing wants nothing more than calm in the nearby peninsula because the
permanent threat of war is bad for China's economic expansion plans.
Moreover, Pyongyang wants to follow the Chinese example South
Korean President Kim Dae Jung shows more understanding for the situation of
the North Koreans than his predecessors. However, Kim Dae Jung is very
prudent because he has to on his guard against his opponents who always
depict him as a friend of the communists."
RUSSIA: WILL KIRIYENKO MAKE IT THROUGH ROUND TWO IN DUMA?
RUSSIA: "Russia Needs Young Leaders"
Vera Kuznetsova, reporting on yesterday's meeting between President Boris
Yeltsin and the Duma's Speaker Gennady Seleznev, wrote on page one of
reformist Izvestia (4/15): "The Rresident reiterated that he had no
candidacy (to the premiership) other than Kiriyenko, (saying), 'You think
that only people of a retirement age can run this country,' In Yeltsin's
opinion, Russia needs young leaders. He backed that with a promise not to
bid for a third term. Seleznev had to admit, 'We need to approve him
(Kiriyenko). The Duma's fate means a thousand times more to me than
Kiriyenko's does."
"New Premier In Gaidar's Shoes"
Centrist Nezavisimaya Gazeta front-paged this analysis (4/15) by Tatyana
Koshkareva and Rustam Narzikulov: "A new premier, be it Kiriyenko or
somebody else, will get a monstrous economic inheritance... Dire
hopelessness will force him to use shock therapy, thereby cutting his
tenure short. With the kamikaze premier gone, the political pendulum will
swing back to conservatism bringing along somebody of the Chernomyrdin
type."
GERMANY: "Duma's Assessment Is Correct"
Centrist Stuttgarter Zeitung opined (4/15): "The (Russian)
parliament says that the 35-year-old candidate is too young and
inexperienced. As much nonsense as the Duma has voiced, it is correct in
this assessment. Not even the candidate himself knows why the president
wants him to be prime minister."
"Yeltsin's Young Man"
This was the view of centrist Sueddeutsche Zeitung of Munich's Josef
Riedmiller (4/15): "That Kiriyenko is too young and inexperienced is a
stupid argument of his adversaries Many older people describe
'experience' as those things they did wrong for many years. The 'little
computer,' as Kirijenko is called because of his familiarity with
technology, would have great opportunities to do good for Russia if he is
elected Yeltsin dares to skip a generation, hoping that the very young
will better understand Russia's situation than those who lived under the
inertia of socialism for so long."
HUNGARY: "Czar Democracy"
Janos T. Barabas wrote this op-ed piece for influential Magyar Hirlap
(4/15): "The problem with the acting prime minister Kiriyenko is that,
instead of popularity, he needs the support of the Russian
parliament (but) the Russian parliament, a 'repository' of Russian
democracy, is working to old political reflexes. This meant that
Kiriyenko's appointment got vetoed in the first round because he was
President Yeltsin's nominee. It is especially tragic that if the Russian
Duma represents democracy, we have to favor Yeltsin's dictatum, since the
Russian parliament is a tool for the kind of extreme political powers that
we can't expect much good from at all. "
CHINA: "Kiriyenko Likely To Survive Election"
Wang Xianju noted in official Guangming Daily (4/15): "Due to a series of
measures adopted by President Yeltsin, Kiriyenko's approval rating is
currently on the rise. Some Russian analysts think that if Kiriyenko is
rejected during the second vote, negotiations before the third round will
swing the decision. Should Kiriyenko's nomination receive narrow approval,
the opposition will maintain that it was a forced decision Another
view is that the opposition (including the Communists) are prepared for the
dismissal and early election of the Duma because they are confident that
they will still constitute the majority within the new cabinet."
EX-YUGOSLAVIA: 'REBELLION' IN MONTENEGRO; WHERE IS KARADZIC?
FRANCE: "Montenegro Enters Into Rebellion"
Isabelle Lasserre cautioned in right-of-center Le Figaro (4/15): "A new
threat, coming from the south, has shaken up the fractured Balkan state.
President Djukanovic of Montenegro has broken free of the policy of
Yugoslav President Milosevic criticizing him as an 'autocrat' who is
taking the country 'to the bottom of the well.' Because (Djukanovic)
believes Milosevic's blind policies will end in Yugoslavia's ruin he has
suddenly entered into opposition."
GERMANY: "Feigned Disappearance"
In centrist General-Anzeiger of Bonn, Thomas Wittke commented (4/15): "Is
Karadzic going to turn himself in at the War Crimes Tribunal or will he
continue to hide in Pale? Karadzic will only turn himself in if he
sees no other chance to escape the international troops. He knows that he
is facing a life sentence for all his bloody acts. And the War Crimes
Tribunal will not allow him to negotiate the length and location of his
sentence. Especially under these circumstances, it is important to keep
up international pressure and even to increase it."
BREARD EXECUTION: 'IS U.S. VIOLATING HUMAN RIGHTS?'
FRANCE: "Is U.S. Violating Human Rights?"
Jean-Jacques Mevel filed from Washington in right-of-center Le Figaro
(4/15): "Madeleine Albright wrote the governor of Virginia asking him to
delay the execution because she feared the case would jeopardize the safety
of Americans living abroad Behind the argument of reciprocity, a very
embarrassing debate is shaping up for the superpower which considers human
rights as a vehicle for its diplomacy."
ITALY: "A Split In Clinton Administration"
Washington correspondent Ennio Caretto wrote in centrist, top-circulation
Corriere della Sera (4/15): "The Breard case has created a split within the
Clinton Administration. While the Attorney General's Office claimed
before the Supreme Court that the request of the Hague International
Tribunal 'has no legal basis,' the State Department urged Virginia
Governor Gilmore to accept such a request (for a stay of execution)."
SPAIN: "Albright Pleads in Vain"
Javier Valenzuela maintained in liberal El Pais (4/15): "Even the "Iron
Lady' of American diplomacy, Madeleine Albright, was ashamed yesterday
when the country that postures as the world's policeman, but doesn't pay
its UN contributions, doesn't respect international law (i.e., the Vienna
Convention) and turns a deaf ear to the decisions of a prestigious
tribunal, the World Court at The Hague, did little to enhance its
credibility in leading crusades against Saddam Hussein or in proclaiming
its intention to detain Pol Pot [by insisting on executing Angel Francisco
Breard]. The Spanish Consul in Miami, Miguel Diaz Pache, has also
complained that police in Florida did not inform his mission of the
detention of Joaquin Jose Martinez, who now resides on death row at Starke
Penitentiary. Martinez told this newspaper last December that the police
never advised him of his right to phone the consulate."
ATTACHMENT 1
ATT CREATION TIME/DATE: 0 00:00:00.00
TEXT:
RFC-822-headers:
Received: from conversion.pmdf.eop.gov by PMDF.EOP.GOV (PMDF V5.1-9 #22921)
id <[email protected]> for [email protected]; Wed,
15 Apr 1998 07:53:52 EDT
Received: from Storm.EOP.GOV by PMDF.EOP.GOV (PMDF V5.1-9 #22921)
with ESMTP id <[email protected]> for [email protected];
Wed, 15 Apr 1998 07:53:43 -0400 (EDT)
Received: from NOTES1.USIA.GOV ([198.67.64.251])
by STORM.EOP.GOV (PMDF V5.1-10#22921)
with SMTP id <[email protected]> for [email protected];
Wed, 15 Apr 1998 07:53:06 -0400 (EDT)
Received: by NOTES1.USIA.GOV(Lotus SMTP MTA v1.06 (346.8 3-18-1997))
id 852565E7.00410BFB ; Wed, 15 Apr 1998 07:50:29 -0400
X-Lotus-FromDomain: USIA
END ATTACHMENT 1
ATTACHMENT 2
ATT CREATION TIME/DATE: 0 00:00:00.00
TEXT:
Unable to convert ARMS_EXT:[ATTACH.D53JARMSZZ000JF6C.001 to ASCII,
The following is a HEX DUMP:
END ATTACHMENT 2
ARMS Email SystemRECORD TYPE: FEDERAL (TRP NOTES MAIL)
CREATOR: anderson ([email protected]@INET@LNGTWY [ UNKNOWN 1)
CREATION DATE/TIME:21-APR-1998 09:33:00.00
SUBJECT: CHIP News for April 21, 1998
TO: Steven J. Ronnel ( Steven J. Ronnel@EOP [ UNKNOWN ])
READ:UNKNOWN
TEXT:
April 21, 1998
*
HEADLINE: POLICE CLOSE IN ON SCHAEFER
Officers Explore Tunnel Where They Believe German Colony
Leader Is Hiding
KEYWORDS: JUSTICE; POLITICS; HUMAN RIGHTS
SOURCE: LA TERCERA
SOURCE: EL MERCURIO
TEXT: Carabineros Police are stepping up their search for fugitive
Villa Baviera leader Paul Schaefer as the clock runs down on their
court order to occupy the grounds of the former Colonia Dignidad.
Schaefer is wanted on multiple counts of child molestation
and tax evasion, and several colonists are charged with aiding and
abetting him. Over the last three decades, many residents of the
German colony near the southern town of Parral have escaped and
later told horror stories of physical abuse and a suffocating
lifestyle. The Rettig Report on human rights abuses during the
military government concluded that the DINA secret police used
the colony as a detention and torture center.
Police have been occupying Villa Baviera grounds for nearly
a month, under a court order from Special Prosecutor Hernan
Gonzalez. The court order expires Wednesday, putting pressure on
law enforcement agents to find Schaefer now. If the final search
efforts yield further evidence but not Schaefer himself, the court
order could be extended.
Frei administration officials such as Undersecretary of the
Interior Belisario Velasco, as well as police, have long insisted that
Schaefer is hiding in secret tunnels within the colony. Dr. Hartmut
Hopp, the colony's second in command, has continually denied that
any such tunnels exist.
Police this weekend scanned the grounds with radar and
discovered in an alfalfa field what they believed to be two
interconnected, 20 X 15 meter, underground bunkers. Supposing
Schaefer could be hiding there, on Monday they brought in a
backhoe to dig up the area. Carabineros Major Pedro Caballero
announced yesterday that the operation turned up only rocks
instead of bunkers, but that police have identified other areas to
search.
Also Monday, Investigations Police in Santiago searched a
house in the community of Nunoa which belongs to the colony, but
turned up no evidence.
In related news, the Supreme Court on Monday delayed
ruling on a writ of protection filed by the residents of Villa
Baviera, who say the occupying police have been violating their
rights.
A Parral court also released without charges three people
arrested on suspicion of firing weapons at a police bus as it
headed to Villa Baviera on Sunday. Carabineros said the shooting,
which caused no injuries, was a cowardly and fruitless attempt to
threaten the officers who are occupying the colony.
Today or tomorrow the Talca Court of Appeals will rule on a
request for bail for seven colony leaders charged with aiding and
abetting Schaefer. Police arrested six of these Friday, and another
turned himself in.
*
HEADLINE: CURRENT EVENTS BRIEFS
KEYWORDS: POLITICS; ECONOMY; INTERNATIONAL; ENVIRONMENT
SOURCE: EL MERCURIO
SOURCE: LA TERCERA
TEXT: Today's other headline stories in brief:
-- JUDGE INTERROGATES CONTRERAS. The special
prosecutor investigating five criminal complaints against former
military president Augusto Pinochet on Monday interrogated
former DINA secret police chief Manuel Contreras.
Judge Juan Guzman questioned retired General Contreras in
Punta Peuco prison, where the general is serving a seven-year
sentence for planning the murder of Salvador Allende's former
Foreign Relations Minister Orlando Letelier. Letelier was
assassinated by car bomb in Washington, D.C., in 1976.
Contreras is also a suspect in at least some of the five
criminal cases filed against Pinochet for human rights abuses
committed by his regime, from 1973-1990.
The most recent of the lawsuits was filed last Friday by the
Teachers' Union. The union filed a case with the Santiago Court of
Appeals charging the general - and any accomplices - with
kidnapping, multiple homicides and illegal burials, in the case of
103 teachers detained and disappeared during his rule.
In related news, Contreras' attorney Humberto Neumann
said he is anxiously awaiting the results of his client's latest
request for early parole.
-- 33 MAPUCHES EVICTED OFF FOREST LAND. Chilean police
evicted 33 Mapuche indigenous people from the Pidenco forestry
property and arrested them on Monday, in a sign that three-way
tensions between local government officials, forestry companies
and the Mapuche are worsening.
The 33 Mapuche, including seven children, had occupied the
148 kilometer tract of land for 8 days. They claim the land
belongs to them and that the National Indigenous People Council
(Conadi) should buy it for them. Conadi has tried to negotiate with
the forestry companies, who say they refuse to sit down with the
Mapuche for negotiations until the land occupations end. Some
forestry companies announced last week they would evict the
Mapuche from the land themselves, prompting a warning from
Interior Undersecretary Belisario Velasco this weekend that, "No
group can take justice into its own hands." The government said
instead they would use local police forces to evict Mapuche
protesters.
Police forces took the 33 indigenous people to the Traiguen
Criminal Court near Lumaco. Bosques Arauco, the forestry
company that logs Pidenco, has asked that charges of illegal
occupation and trespassing be brought against the Mapuches.
The forest area around Lumaco, north-west of Temuco, has
been the site of Mapuche protest activity since last year.
Mapuches burned out a logging truck near the Pidenco property in
December.
In related news, a group of Mapuche occupying the Santa
Roe de Colpi forest, owned by Mininco, peacefully ended their
takeover yesterday. Now there are only two large Mapuche
occupations continuing in the south, at El Litre and Pangueco.
-- NAZIS FORMALIZE MEETING IN CHILE. The Organizing
Committee of the First Summit of International Nation-Socialist
Ideology formally announced Sunday its plans to hold a world-
wide meeting of Nazi groups in Chile in the year 2000.
"We do not feel responsible for any crime committed by
individuals or governments acting under our philosophy," said
organizer Alexis Lopez. "We are meeting in the name of all people
who are proud of their heritage." He also said he thought the Nazi
summit would be a good way to carry over that ideology into the
next century.
A number of Jewish groups and political groups denounced
the official summit announcement. Jewish groups have asked
President Frei to ban the Nazi meeting from Chilean soil. Political
groups, like the youth party of the Christian Democrat Party (PDC)
and the Party for Democracy (PPD), have also tried to influence
the government to crack down on Nazi activity in Chile.
Patricio Walker, president of the Young Christian Democrats
(JDC), said the planned Nazi meeting is "tragicomic, but very
dangerous." Lopez responded by saying the meeting is no more
tragicomic than the current state of the PDC. The PDC has been
divided in recent weeks over the failed constitutional accusation
against former Army Commander-in-Chief Augusto Pinochet.
-- ENVIRONMENTAL ALERT TODAY AND TOMORROW.
Government authorities announced yesterday an environmental
alert in the Metropolitan Region for Tuesday and Wednesday
because of poor air quality.
Air contamination levels in the communities of Pudahuel,
Cerrillos and La Florida topped 200, which is considered
dangerous on the Metropolitan Environmental Health's (Sesma)
ICAP rating. Indices in areas like Providencia and Independencia,
in the city's center, varied between "good" and "regular".
The environmental alert will last through Wednesday,
although authorities said they would reconsider the measure for
Wednesday on Tuesday night. Rain, which tends to clean the air
in Santiago, began falling in Santiago on Monday night.
The environmental alert means that traffic will be restricted
in the city center. Cars without catalytic converters whose license
plates in 3,6,8 and 9 cannot be driven on Tuesday, while those
that end in 4,5,2, and 0 will be restricted Wednesday.
This is the fourth environmental alert or emergency of the year
thus far.
-- RIOS TO LOSE NUMBER ONE RANKING. Chile's Marcelo
"Chino" Rios, the No.1 ranked tennis player in the world,
announced over the weekend that tendonitis in his left arm will
cause him to miss this week's Montecarlo tournament and lose his
top spot in the rankings.
Rios is the first Latin American ever to hold tennis' top spot.
He received that distinction four weeks ago by beating Andre
Agassi at the Lipton Cup in Key Biscayne, Florida. When he loses
the top spot this week, he will join a number of tennis greats - like
John McEnroe, Boris Becker and Bjorn Borg - who spent less than a
month as number one at different points in their careers.
Austria's Thomas Muster was No. 1 for just a week in 1996.
Rios will definitely be topped by Pete Sampras and Petr
Korda this week at Montecarlo and could also be surpassed by
Patrick Rafter or Greg Rudeski. Depending on the tournament
results, he could fall as low as No.6.
Rios is recuperating this week in Florida with his coach Nick
Bolletieri. He announced that he plans on returning in two weeks
for the Hamburg Open. He then plans on playing the Campionati
Internazionli d'Italia in Rome and some tournaments in Germany
on clay courts to prepare for the upcoming French Open in Paris.
*
HEADLINE: REGIONAL POLITICS DELAY MINING TREATY
Chile Says "No" Unless Agreement Is Reached On Southern Land
Dispute
KEYWORDS: MINING
SOURCE: CHIP NEWS
SOURCE: EL MERCURIO
TEXT: (The following story was written by CHIP News staff writer
Jon Gelb).
Congressional approval of the landmark Cross Border Mining
Integration Treaty between Argentina and Chile is being delayed
because of diplomatic maneuvering on other bilateral issues
between the two South American nations.
The mining treaty, signed in December 1997, would open up
the mineral-rich Andean border area between Argentina and Chile
and streamline customs duties on investment in the area. It
would also facilitate the transport of workers and cargo between
the two countries. Argentina will gain access to Chile's developed
mining sector and its Pacific ports, while Chile will have the first
shot at Argentina's nascent mining market and copper-rich
projects laying just over the Chilean border in the rugged
Argentine mountains. Around 30 projects, including Cambior's El
Pachon and Barrick's Pascua-Lama, will go forward under the
treaty, generating some US$6 billion in investment. The treaty is
awaiting congressional approval in both countries.
But Chile's Foreign Affairs Minister Jose Miguel Insulza
announced last week that Chile would not send the mining treaty
to Congress for approval until both countries approve an older
treaty regulating the southern border area known as the Campos
de Hielo.
Chile and Argentina almost went to war in the 1970s over
the vast Campos de Hielo area, in the frigid icefields of Patagonia.
An accord in 1991 brought the two countries to the brink of a
peaceful solution, but it has yet to be approved by the countries'
Congresses.
"The Argentine Congress thinks Chile will reject the Campos
de Hielo treaty, so the Menem government does not want to even
try to submit it for approval," Emilio Meneses, professor of Chilean
foreign relations at the Universidad Catolica, told CHIP News. "I
think this will continue going on for at least a year."
Meneses said Chilean leaders are reconsidering the Campos
de Hielo deal because they agreed to it hurriedly, using Argentine
geographical information and maps. He said he did not think the
Campos de Hielo treaty would pass the Chilean Senate right now.
Chilean President Eduardo Frei and Argentine President
Carlos Menem agreed at last weekend's Summit of the Americas to
appoint a special representative to the Permanent Conciliation
Commission, a joint organization dealing with diplomatic conflicts
between the two nations, to settle the Campos de Hielo dispute.
They would not release the name of the new appointee. They
vowed that they would do their best to speed up passage of the
Campos de Hielo, but the process could last much longer than the
mining community on both sides of the border wants.
"Chile and Argentina are losing out on a lot of mining
projects right now because of this delay," Christian Letelier, a
lawyer for Chile's National Mining Society (Sonami) told CHIP
News. Sonami is leading the lobby effort in Congress to pass the
mining treaty. Meneses said Argentine miners are also lobbying
their government for passage of the mining accord.
Richard LeClerc, Director of Latin American Exploration for
Cambior, which owns El Pachon, told CHIP News "we are
disappointed about the delay. Approval of the mining treaty
would really guarantee the feasibility of El Pachon in the minds of
our shareholders and legitimate it in many ways."
El Pachon already has a special Border Mining Protocol
which allows it the same benefits that the Mining Integration
Treaty will eventually provide. The project site is located right
over the Chilean border in Argentina. Company officials say they
have postponed plans for developing the copper mine because of
low copper prices, and are readying the project to begin when
market conditions improve. The mountainous mine, located 3,700
meters above sea level, is slated to produce at least 60,000 mtpy.
"I do not think it is a good idea for the government to link
the mining treaty with the Campos de Hielo treaty," LeClerc said.
"They are different issues, especially considering that the Campos
de Hielo is such a sensitive subject here and has such a long
history."
While LeClerc and other agree the mining treaty should pass
Congress easily, Meneses said Chilean Congressmen are
increasingly wary of approving the mining accord because they
think it favors Argentina too much. Meneses himself felt that
Chile has less to gain from the mining treaty with Argentina
because Chile's mining sector is already well developed. He said
the Chilean government is not willing to give any advantages
away to long-time rival Argentina.
LeClerc responded by saying he thought the mining treaty
"is beneficial for both countries."
*
HEADLINE: BUSINESS BRIEFS
KEYWORDS: ECONOMY; INTERNATIONAL; NAFTA
SOURCE: EL MERCURIO
SOURCE: EL DIARIO
TEXT: Today's top business stories:
-- BILL TO COMPENSATE PENSION READJUSTMENT. The
government yesterday sent an urgent bill to Congress proposing a
stricter control over company profits, in order to reduce tax
evasion and thereby provide an additional US$280 million for
pensions. The bill includes the following measures: equal tax
treatment of all company profits, a correction in the arrangement
of profit reinvestment, and higher taxes on company-owned
vehicles.
Authorities who designed this bill, including Finance
Minister Eduardo Aninat, estimate that better control over tax
evasion will generate US$160 million and the elimination of part
of Article 57 will generate an additional US$120 million. This
US$280 million will cover almost all of the cost of pension
adjustments, estimated at US$300 million. These funds will be
used to raise the pensions of 350,000 people by 34 percent, raise
minimum pensions by 14.5 percent starting next January, and
raise all additional pensions by 6.5 percent by the year 2000.
-- CHILEAN PRIVATE SECTOR PROFITS FALL. Analysts
expect a sharp fall in profits for most Chilean companies in the
first quarter of the year, compared to figures from the same
period last year. The fall has been principally blamed on
monetary readjustment as many companies hold a large part of
their liabilities in dollars, and the exchange rate has risen
considerably over the last year.
Bice brokers predict company profits will fall 34% in real
terms, particularly affecting electric companies Endesa, Edelnor,
Chilgener and Pehuenche.
-- WORLD BANK APOLOGIZES FOR RALCO. World Bank
President James D. Wolfensohn apologized this weekend for the
bank's alleged participation in the Ralco hydroelectric project in
southern Chile, which will displace as many as 96 indigenous
Mapuche families from their homes on the upper Bio Bio River.
Wolfensohn was visiting Chile for the Summit of the Americas.
Ralco is power company Endesa's much larger follow-up to
the Pangue dam, which the International Finance Corporation
(IFC), the credit arm of the World Bank, helped fund. The National
Environmental Commission (Conama) has approved the US$463
million, 581 MW hydroelectric power station, but the National
Indigenous Development Association (Conadi), the government
agency charged with defending the interests of native Chileans,
must approve it before it can go forward.
World Bank officials praised Chile for pioneering economic
structural reforms in the region and for its dynamic social
development strategy. Head economist Guillermo Perry said Chile
is the region's most successful case of development in the last 12
years, due to its sustained growth rate and reduction in poverty.
Nonetheless, the bank expressed some reservations about Chile's
environmental progress.
Wolfensohn said Ralco "was not one of the high points in the
bank's experience."
Endesa responded Monday that Wolfensohn's comments
were regrettable, and furthermore inaccurate - the IFC funded
only Pangue, not Ralco. The company said it fulfilled all the IFC's
social and environmental conditions for Pangue, and that Ralco is
within Chilean norms.
Wolfensohn also said Sunday that the World Bank has
changed its focus on Latin America to pay greater attention to the
poor and disadvantaged, given that inequalities persist despite the
region's economic progress. He expressed particular concern about
the rich-poor gap, and called for more multilateral cooperation to
confront it. He said the bank has also made more funds available
for education, a leading agenda item at the summit. Last week,
before the summit, Chilean Foreign Relations Minister Jose Miguel
Insulza said the bank would provide some US$20 billion to Latin
America for education.
-- CAR SALES UP. Chile's National Automobile Association
(ANAC) yesterday reported that 38,737 vehicles were sold in the
first quarter of 1998, a 1.1 percent increase in sales over the same
period in 1997. ANAC says this low growth is a result of the
expected poor behavior of Chile's economy due to the Asian
economic crisis. Growth should drop even further in the second
half of the year, meaning that there will be no overall growth in
automobile sales at the end of 1998.
Chevrolet held the largest share in the new automobile and
light commercial vehicle market with 18 percent (7,246 units),
surpassing by six points the company's market share in 1997.
Chevrolet executives explain this jump by the unification of the
Chevy and Opel car brands. This means that Opel cars are still
sold in Chile, but under the brand name Chevrolet. The Corsa
family car held fifth place in the market during the first quarter,
while the Luv pickup truck maintained first place in its category,
with sales of 3,066 units.
The Korean brand Hyundai took second place in the market
in this same period, with sales of 4,291 units and a market share
of 13.1 percent. Suzuki beat out Nissan with a share of 9.3
percent, selling 1,117 units.
-- CANNED PEACH ISSUE UNSETTLES CHILEAN PRODUCERS.
Even though Chile's canned peach export trade has been slowly
growing over the past two decades, producers in Chile say unfair
competition from Greece and other EU producers has limited their
horizons and may eventually drive them out of business.
Chile, having excellent growing and climate conditions,
currently exports only about five percent of the canned peaches
that are traded in world markets, or US$30 million of an estimated
US$550 million in sales.
"We can handle honest competition and the subsidies as
originally conceived for the EU canned peach producers," says
Alan Wilson, export director for Conserverias Pentzke, one of
Chile's oldest and most important canned peach export firms. "But
what we have now is a system which allows the EU processors,
especially the Greeks, to sell their product at prices that are below
the cost of production. The lack of control and inspections, as
described in the Diario Oficial de las Comunidades Europeas of
1996, is one of the main reasons for the fraud in peaches, as well
as other canned products such as tomatoes from Italy."
Chile's peach processors say Greece's unfair practices have
already shut them out of the U.S. and Canadian markets, and may
drive them from their Latin American neighbors, where by all
logic Chile's producers should have a strong competitive
advantage.
Wilson believes a complicated system which has Greek
producers double-dipping in state subsidies and processors doing
the same, allows them to achieve fresh prices for fresh peaches far
below the world average of US$200 per ton. The EU's Diario Oficial
publication shows that Greece throws away more than half of the
804 mt of peaches it allegedly produces each year. All other EU
nations dispose of only about 10 percent of their production in
this fashion, Wilson says.
-- NEW SHOPPING MALL FOR LA FLORIDA. Inmobilaria Las
Verbenas is expected to announce in the coming weeks plans to
build a new shopping mall for the Santiago municipality of La
Florida. The mall will set up in competition with Plaza Vespucio
and will open its doors in 2000.
The mall was to be built in phases, with the first being the
installation of a Jumbo supermarket and an Easy Homecenter, but
the mall is now going to be completed in one phase only. The
builders have 60 days to produce the new cost figures, after which
the company will make a decision. Construction could then
commence in August.
-- METROCOM SEARCHES FOR ALLIANCE. Metrogas General
Manager Juan Claro yesterday said the company's administration
is studying various development options for its
telecommunications affiliate Metrocom, which will include the
incorporation of new partners. One development option is to
transform Metrocom into an infrastructure provider for all
telecommunications companies in Chile, and another is to
transform Metrocom into a transmitter. Claro said Metrocom is in
conversations with various national and foreign companies, and
expects the company will decide its development path in the next
three months.
-- COMMISSION TO REVIEW TOMATO RESTRICTIONS. U.S.
and Chilean officials will meet next week in Washington, D.C. to
discuss permitting entry of Chilean fresh tomatoes to the U.S.
market.
Chilean Agriculture Minister Carlos Mladinic said the
meeting will be the first of a newly formed bi-national Agriculture
Committee, formed only last December, tasked with finding
solution to agricultural problems existing between the two
countries.
U.S. officials are believed to be well advanced working out
the matter, with an entry date expected to result from the
meeting.
*
-- BASIC ECONOMIC INDICATORS :
Dollar's value: Observed, 452.94; Accord, 471.60
Interbank, 452.80
Today's Unidad de Fomento, UF: $14,222.41
Copper
ATTACHMENT 1
ATT CREATION TIME/DATE: 0 00:00:00.00
TEXT:
RFC-822-headers:
Return-path: [email protected]
Received: from conversion.pmdf.eop.gov by PMDF.EOP.GOV (PMDF V5.1-9 #29131)
id <[email protected]> for [email protected]; Tue,
21 Apr 1998 09:37:32 EDT
Received: from Storm.EOP.GOV by PMDF.EOP.GOV (PMDF V5.1-9 #29131)
with ESMTP id <[email protected]> for [email protected]; Tue,
21 Apr 1998 09:37:28 -0400 (EDT)
Received: from nexus.chilenet.cl ([200.2.98.4])
by STORM.EOP.GOV (PMDF V5.1-10 #22921)
with SMTP id <[email protected]> for [email protected]; Tue,
21 Apr 1998 09:37:13 -0400 (EDT)
Received: by nexus.chilenet.cl (ЛооЛ Smail3.1.29.1 #29.17)
id <[email protected]>; Tue, 21 Apr 1998 09:33 -0400 (AST)
X-Sender: [email protected]
END ATTACHMENT 1