Voice of America, 97-06-05

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From: The Voice of America <gopher://gopher.voa.gov>

CONTENTS

[01] EURO STOCKS (S-ONLY) BY PAUL FRANCUCH (LONDON)

[02] EUROPEAN MONETARY UNION BY BARRY WOOD (PRAGUE)

[03] FRANCE CABINET (L-ONLY) BY JULIAN NUNDY (PARIS)

[04] GERMANY / EURO (L ONLY) BY KYLE KING (BONN)

[05] N-Y ECON WRAP (S & L) BY BRECK ARDERY (NEW YORK)

[06] REMEMBERING THE MARSHALL PLAN 50 YEARS LATER BY ANDREW N. GUTHRIE (WASHINGTON)

[07] THURSDAY'S EDITORIALS BY ANDREW N. GUTHRIE (WASHINGTON)

[08] UZBEKISTAN / INTERNET BY ALI JALALI (TASHKENT)

[01] EURO STOCKS (S-ONLY) BY PAUL FRANCUCH (LONDON)

INTRO: MAJOR STOCK MARKETS IN WESTERN EUROPE ALL CLOSED HIGHER IN TRADING THURSDAY. FROM OUR LONDON OFFICES, VOA'S PAUL FRANCUCH HAS THE DAY'S FIGURES.

TEXT: FRANKFURT, LONDON AND PARIS MARKETS ALL POSTED SIZABLE GAINS WHEN TRADING CLOSED THURSDAY, WITH THE "CAC 40" INDEX ON THE PARIS BOURSE ADDING A SUBSTANTIAL TWO PERCENT RISE IN VALUE, CLOSING UP ALMOST 55-AND-A-HALF POINTS.

ANALYSTS SAY FRENCH INVESTORS WERE RELIEVED BY THE MAKEUP OF THE NEW FRENCH GOVERNMENT CABINET. IN GERMANY, SIGNS OF A POSSIBLE COMPROMISE BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT AND THE CENTRAL BANK ON REVALUING GERMAN GOLD RESERVES TO HELP THE COUNTRY QUALIFY FOR THE PLANNED EUROPEAN SINGLE CURRENCY GAVE INVESTORS REASON FOR CHEER. THE "DAX 30" INDEX IN FRANKFURT GAINED JUST OVER 11 POINTS.

HERE IN LONDON, THE "FINANCIAL TIMES" 100 INDEX GAINED 19 POINTS, DRIVEN IN PART BY HIGHER PRICES ON WALL STREET.

THE DOLLAR WAS DOWN SLIGHTLY AGAINST BOTH THE POUND AND THE MARK IN EUROPEAN TRADING THURSDAY. GOLD LOST 60 CENTS AN OUNCE IN THE LONDON CLOSING FIX. IT WAS PRICED AT 341-DOLLARS-75 CENTS. (SIGNED)
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05-Jun-97 1:44 PM EDT (1744 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[02] EUROPEAN MONETARY UNION BY BARRY WOOD (PRAGUE)

INTRO: THERE ARE GROWING WORRIES THAT THE TIMETABLE MAY SLIP FOR INTRODUCING A SINGLE CURRENCY, CALLED THE "EURO, FOR EUROPE, ." POLITICAL PRESSURE AND THE POSSIBLE FAILURE OF GERMANY AND FRANCE TO MEET PRESCRIBED MONETARY CRITERIA ARE CITED AS POSSIBLE REASONS FOR THE SLIPPAGE. V-O-A'S BARRY WOOD HAS THIS BACKGROUND REPORT ON WHY MONETARY UNION IS SEEN AS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO EUROPE'S FUTURE.

TEXT: THE PLAN FOR MONETARY UNION IS AT ONCE MOMENTOUS AND HISTORIC. EUROPE HAS NEVER HAD A SINGLE COMMON CURRENCY. THE EUROPEAN UNION'S EFFORTS TO CREATE ONE HAVE BEEN UNDER WAY FOR 20 YEARS. A SPECIFIC PLAN FOR MONETARY UNION IS THE KEY COMPONENT OF THE DECEMBER 1991 TREATY E-U LEADERS SIGNED IN MAASTRICHT (NETHERLANDS).

UNDER THE TREATY'S PROVISIONS, THIS YEAR IS CRITICAL FOR DETERMINING WHICH OF THE E-U'S 15 MEMBERS WILL MEET THE STRICT CONDITIONS FOR LAUNCHING THE EURO AT THE START OF 1999. THOSE CONDITIONS ARE, FIRST, THAT BUDGET DEFICITS ARE NO MORE THAN THREE PERCENT OF ECONOMIC OUTPUT, THAT INFLATION AND GOVERNMENT DEBT ARE LOW, AND THIRD, THAT THE NATIONAL CURRENCY IS LINKED TO OTHER E-U CURRENCIES. DETERMINING ELIGIBILITY WILL BE MADE EARLY NEXT YEAR BY THE FUTURE EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK (EDS: THE EUROPEAN MONETARY INSTITUTE IN FRANKFURT), ONCE ALL THE 1997 ECONOMIC DATA IS ASSESSED.

SINCE FRANCE AND GERMANY HAVE BEEN THE MOST IMPORTANT ADVOCATES OF EUROPEAN UNITY, BOTH COUNTRIES HAVE SCRAMBLED TO GET THEIR 1997 BUDGETS UNDER THE REQUIRED THREE PERCENT OF G-D-P. TO DO SO THEY HAVE TRIED TO SLASH SPENDING AND BOOST REVENUE. NOT SURPRISINGLY, THESE BELT-TIGHTENING (AUSTERITY) MOVES HAVE BEEN UNPOPULAR, AND ARE DIRECTLY BLAMED FOR THE DEFEAT OF THE CONSERVATIVES IN THE RECENT FRENCH PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION. GERMANY, DESPITE ITS REPUTATION FOR FISCAL DISCIPLINE, HAS A RELATIVELY LARGE BUDGET DEFICIT WHICH HAS BEEN MADE WORSE BY AN ECONOMIC SLOWDOWN THAT HAS CUT INTO TAX REVENUES. FINANCE MINISTER THEO WAIGEL CAUSED A STORM WHEN HE PROPOSED REVALUING THE COUNTRY'S GOLD RESERVES IN ORDER TO GET MORE REVENUE.

BUT DESPITE SETBACKS, BOTH CHANCELLOR KOHL AND FRENCH PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC SAY MONETARY UNION WILL GO AHEAD ON SCHEDULE. THE FRENCH SOCIALISTS SUPPORT MONETARY UNION, BUT LIKE THE OPPOSITION IN GERMANY THEY FAVOR EITHER AN EASING OF THE CONDITIONS FOR JOINING THE CURRENCY OR DELAYING THE IMPLEMENTATION TIMETABLE.

STUART PARKINSON WATCHES EUROPEAN MONETARY DEVELOPMENTS FOR DEUTSCHE MORGAN GRENFEL (EDS: IN LONDON), GERMANY'S LEADING COMMERCIAL BANK. MR. PARKINSON BELIEVES THAT MONETARY UNION WILL GO AHEAD, BUT THAT THE MAASTRICHT CRITERIA WILL BE LESS RIGIDLY ENFORCED.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHAT IS HAPPENING IN PREPARATION FOR E-M-U (EUROPEAN MONETARY UNION), PEOPLE REALLY HAVE ABANDONED THE MAASTRICHT CRITERIA. THEY ARE GOING TO BEND EVERY RULE IN THE BOOK TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY JUST ABOUT MEET THE CRITERIA. //OPT// I MEAN, REALLY, THE ECONOMIC CRITERIA WERE PUT IN A COUPLE YEARS AGO TO TRY TO BRING COUNTRIES TOGETHER. //END OPT// BUT REALLY, IT IS A POLITICAL PROCESS THAT IS GOING ON. //OPT// AS WE SEE IN GERMANY NOW THEY'RE REVALUING GOLD, SELLING AIRPORTS, ANYTHING THEY CAN TO GET THIS FISCAL TIGHTENING. BUT THEY DON'T WANT IT TO BE VERY PAINFUL.

EXPERTS SAY IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT A BASIC GOAL OF MONETARY UNION IS TO TAME A REUNIFIED AND ECONOMICALLY DOMINANT GERMANY BY TYING IT TIGHTLY TO FRANCE AND ITS OTHER E-U PARTNERS. THE FEAR IS THAT IF THE PLAN FOR MONETARY UNION COLLAPSES, THE GOAL OF A UNIFIED, DEMOCRATIC EUROPE WILL BE AT RISK. AND THAT JUST AS THE GERMAN MARK CURRENTLY DOMINATES EUROPEAN FINANCE, GERMANY ALONE COULD POLITICALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DOMINATE THE EUROPEAN CONTINENT. (SIGNED)
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05-Jun-97 8:10 AM EDT (1210 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[03] FRANCE CABINET (L-ONLY) BY JULIAN NUNDY (PARIS)

INTRO: FRANCE'S NEW LEFT-WING GOVERNMENT, INCLUDING THREE COMMUNIST MINISTERS, HELD ITS FIRST CABINET MEETING THURSDAY UNDER THE CHAIRMANSHIP OF THE CONSERVATIVE PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC. JULIAN NUNDY REPORTS FROM PARIS.

TEXT: FRANCE'S THIRD TASTE OF LEFT-RIGHT POWER-SHARING IN ELEVEN YEARS IS FAR DIFFERENT FROM THE EARLIER BOUTS. ONE OF THE DIFFERENCES ARISES BECAUSE OF THE PRESENCE IN GOVERNMENT OF THREE COMMUNIST MINISTERS AND ONE ECOLOGIST.

IT IS THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE LATE CHARLES DE GAULLE RAN A GOVERNMENT OF NATIONAL UNITY WITH COMMUNIST MEMBERS JUST AFTER WORLD WAR TWO THAT A FRENCH ADMINISTRATION HAS HAD SUCH A CROSS-SECTION OF THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM.

THE CURRENT CONSERVATIVE PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC, WHO NOW FACES THE PROSPECT OF GOVERNING WITH THE LEFT FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, IS SEVERELY WEAKENED BY THE VICTORY OF THE LEFT IN LAST SUNDAY'S PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS.

IT WAS MR. CHIRAC HIMSELF, IN A BLATANT MISJUDGMENT, WHO DISSOLVED PARLIAMENT AND CALLED AN EARLY ELECTION IN THE BELIEF THAT HIS CONSERVATIVE COALITION WAS IN NO DANGER.

PRESIDENT CHIRAC TOLD THE NEW PRIME MINISTER LIONEL JOSPIN AND HIS 26 MINISTERS AT THEIR FIRST CABINET MEETING THAT HE HOPED THEIR ENFORCED COOPERATION WOULD PASS OFF IN WHAT HE CALLED "DIGNITY AND MUTUAL RESPECT, WITH A CONSTANT CONCERN FOR THE INTERESTS OF FRANCE."

THE NEW GOVERNMENT IS EXPECTED TO HALT PRIVATIZATIONS, PARTICULARLY OF DEFENSE-RELATED COMPANIES. IT ALSO PROMISES EXPENSIVE SOCIAL MEASURES. THIS PUTS IN DOUBT FRANCE'S ABILITY TO MEET THE EUROPEAN UNION CRITERIA FOR JOINING EUROPE'S NEW SINGLE CURRENCY NEXT YEAR.

PHILIPPE SEGUIN, THE SPEAKER OF THE LAST PARLIAMENT, SAID THURSDAY HE IS CHALLENGING ALAIN JUPPE, THE LAST PRIME MINISTER, FOR HIS POST AS PRESIDENT OF THE GAULLIST RALLY FOR THE REPUBLIC PARTY. MR. SEGUIN HAS BEEN POPULAR IN FRANCE SINCE HE LED AN ALMOST SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE MAASTRICHT EUROPEAN UNION TREATY FIVE YEARS AGO.

MR. SEGUIN'S BID FOR THE GAULLIST PARTY LEADERSHIP IS ALREADY BACKED BY A NUMBER OF THE PARTY'S HEAVYWEIGHTS. IF, AS EXPECTED, HIS CHALLENGE SUCCEEDS, THEN MR. SEGUIN WILL BECOME THE LEADER OF FRANCE'S OPPOSITION. WITH MR. CHIRAC NEUTRALIZED BY HIS STATE FUNCTIONS, THIS WILL EFFECTIVELY MAKE MR. SEGUIN THE COUNTRY'S LEADING CONSERVATIVE POLITICIAN. (SIGNED)
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05-Jun-97 1:50 PM EDT (1750 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[04] GERMANY / EURO (L ONLY) BY KYLE KING (BONN)

INTRO: A NEW PUBLIC OPINION POLL IN GERMANY HAS FOUND AN OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF PEOPLE THERE WANT A DELAY IN THE CREATION OF A SINGLE EUROPEAN CURRENCY. V-O-A'S KYLE KING REPORTS FROM BONN, THE (EDS: DIE WOCHE NEWSPAPER) POLL FINDINGS ARE JUST ONE OF SEVERAL SETBACKS FOR THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT, WHICH IS STRUGGLING TO REACH ITS LONG-SOUGHT GOAL OF A COMMON CURRENCY.

TEXT: THE NEW PUBLIC OPINION POLL -- INDICATING 71 PERCENT OF GERMANS WANT A DELAY IN THE LAUNCH OF THE COMMON EUROPEAN CURRENCY -- CAME AS THE GOVERNMENT WAS STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF IT WOULD EVEN QUALIFY TO JOIN.

FINANCE MINISTER THEO WAIGEL HAS AGAIN SAID THE GOVERNMENT WILL DO EVERYTHING IT CAN TO MEET THE TOUGH ECONOMIC CRITERIA. SPEAKING TO REPORTERS IN HAMBURG, HE SAID ANY DELAY IN THE 1999 LAUNCH DATE WOULD BE WRONG. BUT HIS COMMENTS COINCIDED WITH THE RELEASE OF NEW FIGURES ON GERMAN ECONOMIC GROWTH THAT SHOW A MODERATE SLOWDOWN IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE YEAR.

ECONOMISTS SAY SEASONAL FACTORS WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR LOWERING THE GROWTH RATE TO ONE-POINT-FOUR PERCENT. BUT THEY SAY IT IS NOT AT ALL CLEAR THE ECONOMY WILL PICK UP ENOUGH IN THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR TO MEET GOVERNMENT PROJECTIONS OF A TWO-POINT-FIVE PERCENT GROWTH RATE.

THE GOVERNMENT IS DEPENDING ON A GROWTH RATE OF AT LEAST THAT MUCH TO BE ABLE TO MEET GUIDELINES USED TO MEASURE WHICH COUNTRIES QUALIFY FOR THE SINGLE EUROPEAN CURRENCY.

BUT ECONOMISTS SAY WHATEVER MEASURES THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT TAKES NOW TO FIND ADDITIONAL REVENUES AND CUT SPENDING, THEY WILL HAVE LITTLE IMPACT ON THIS YEAR'S BUDGET AND DEFICIT FIGURES.

BECAUSE ECONOMIC FIGURES FROM 1997 WILL BE USED TO JUDGE WHO GETS TO JOIN THE SINGLE EUROPEAN CURRENCY, MANY EXPERTS SAY THERE MAY HAVE TO BE A REVIEW OF THE CRITERIA.

THERE IS NEARLY UNIVERSAL AGREEMENT THAT WITHOUT GERMANY, THERE WILL BE NO EUROPEAN COMMON CURRENCY. (SIGNED)
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05-Jun-97 10:45 AM EDT (1445 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[05] N-Y ECON WRAP (S & L) BY BRECK ARDERY (NEW YORK)

INTRO: STOCK PRICES IN THE UNITED STATES WERE UP TODAY (THURSDAY) AS FEARS OF HIGHER INTEREST RATES RECEDED. V-O-A'S CORRESPONDENT BRECK ARDERY REPORTS FROM NEW YORK.

TEXT: THE DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE CLOSED AT 73 HUNDRED FIVE, UP 35 POINTS. THE BROADER AND MORE REPRESENTATIVE STANDARD AND POOR'S 500 INDEX CLOSED AT 843, UP THREE POINTS.

ANALYSTS SAY TRADERS WERE MORE CONFIDENT ABOUT THE OUTLOOK FOR INFLATION AND INTEREST RATES AFTER THEY SAW NEW EVIDENCE THAT U-S ECONOMIC GROWTH MAY BE SLOWING. THAT EVIDENCE CAME IN THE FORM OF THE LATEST WEEKLY JOBLESS CLAIMS NUMBERS WHICH WERE UP TO THEIR HIGHEST LEVEL IN A MONTH.

THE NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE SAYS IT WILL START TRADING STOCKS IN DECIMALS. CURRENTLY STOCKS ARE TRADED IN EIGHTHS OF THE DOLLAR OR 12 AND ONE-HALF CENT INCREMENTS. NOW, STOCKS WILL TRADE IN HUNDREDTHS OF A DOLLAR. ANALYSTS SAY IT WILL GIVE STOCK TRADERS A BETTER DEAL BY NARROWING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OFFERS TO SELL AND OFFERS TO BUY INDIVIDUAL STOCKS.

THE DOW JONES COMPANY WILL LICENSE DERIVATIVE TRADING OF ITS WIDELY FOLLOWED AVERAGE OF THE STOCKS OF 30 INDUSTRIAL COMPANIES. TRADERS WILL NOW BE ABLE TO BUY OPTIONS AND FUTURES CONTRACTS ON THE 101-YEAR OLD INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE, SOMETHING MANY OF THEM HAVE WANTED TO DO FOR A LONG TIME. FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, THE DOW JONES COMPANY REFUSED TO ALLOW SUCH TRADING, COMPARING THE DERIVATIVES MARKET TO LEGALIZED GAMBLING. BUT DAVID MORAN OF DOW JONES SAYS TIMES HAVE CHANGED.

WE THINK THAT, OVER THE YEARS, THE EXCHANGES INVOLVED IN THE DERIVATIVES MARKET HAVE LEARNED TO COOPERATE WELL. WE ALSO THINK THE REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT IS BETTER. MOREOVER, THERE IS NOW A WIDE CLASS OF VERY SOPHISTICATED USERS WHO UNDERSTAND THE UTILITY OF THESE INSTRUMENTS.

INTERVIEWED ON THE C-N-B-C BUSINESS NETWORK, MR. MORAN SAID THE FACT THAT THE DOW JONES DERIVATIVES WILL BE TRADED ON EXCHANGES WILL ENSURE A LIQUID MARKET. TRADERS OF UNLISTED DERIVATIVES SOMETIMES HAVE TROUBLE SELLING THEM.(SIGNED) NEB/NY/BA/LSF/PT
05-Jun-97 4:59 PM EDT (2059 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[06] REMEMBERING THE MARSHALL PLAN 50 YEARS LATER BY ANDREW N. GUTHRIE (WASHINGTON)

INTRO: THIS WEEK, THE UNITED STATES AND ITS EUROPEAN ALLIES PAUSED TO REMEMBER ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT EVENTS OF THE POST WORLD WAR TWO PERIOD, THE MARSHALL PLAN. THIS WAS THE 13-BILLION DOLLAR PROGRAM SENDING FOOD, MONEY, AND MACHINERY TO 17 EUROPEAN NATIONS SHORTLY AFTER THE WAR.

OFFICIALLY CALLED THE EUROPEAN RECOVERY PROGRAM, IT WAS ANNOUNCED BY SECRETARY OF STATE GENERAL GEORGE C. MARSHALL, A FORMER U.S. ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF. HE ANNOUNCED IT AT A LITTLE-NOTED COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS AT HARVARD COLLEGE ON JUNE 5TH 1947. THIS THURSDAY, [6/5] AT THIS YEAR'S COMMENCEMENT, SECRETARY OF STATE MADELEINE ALBRIGHT HONORED THE ANNIVERSARY IN HER COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS.

FOR A SAMPLING OF COMMENT ON THE MARSHALL PLAN, WE TURN TO ______________AND TODAY'S U-S OPINION ROUNDUP.

TEXT: AT THE END OF WORLD WAR TWO, MOST OF EUROPE LAY IN RUINS. VIRTUALLY NO COUNTRY HAD REMAINED OUTSIDE THE SCOPE OF THE VASTLY IMPROVED MACHINES OF WAR; THE BOMBERS AND THE TANKS AND LONG-RANGE ARTILLERY. THE CRUCIAL QUESTION WAS HOW AND WITH WHAT THE COUNTRIES WOULD REBUILD.

PRESIDENT HARRY S TRUMAN'S ADMINISTRATION BELIEVED IT HAD THE ANSWER. PRESIDENT TRUMAN ASKED GENERAL MARSHALL TO COME OUT OF RETIREMENT AND SERVE AS HIS SECRETARY OF STATE. IT WAS IN THAT CAPACITY THAT THE FORMER GENERAL PRESENTED THE EUROPEAN RECOVERY PROGRAM FOR THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE CONTINENT. IT HAS FOREVER SINCE BEEN KNOWN AS THE MARSHALL PLAN. THE PROGRAM IS GIVEN CREDIT BY MOST HISTORIANS AS BEGINNING THE STILL-EVOLVING PROCESS OF EUROPEAN UNITY AND COOPERATION.

WE BEGIN OUR SAMPLING OF OPINION ON THE MARSHALL PLAN WITH THIS FROM USA TODAY.

VOICE: "THE IDEA FLOATED BY SECRETARY OF STATE ..,. MARSHALL ..... WAS INGENIOUS: THE U-S WOULD OFFER UNPRECEDENTED FINANCIAL AID - - 13-BILLION - - TO A PROSTRATE CONTINENT, BUT ONLY IF ITS LONG-WARRING TRIBES WOULD BURY THEIR MUTUAL SUSPICIONS ENOUGH TO WORK TOGETHER ON USING IT SMARTLY. VICTOR AND VANQUISHED, ALLY AND FOE WERE FORCED TO SIT DOWN TOGETHER AND BUILD A COMMON FUTURE. BY PUSHING BRITAIN AND GERMANY, FRANCE AND ITALY AND MOST OF THEIR NEIGHBORS INTO A MUTUAL EMBRACE IN THEIR OWN SELF-INTEREST, THE MARSHALL PLAN LAID THE GROUNDWORK FOR TODAY. THE INSTITUTIONS THAT MADE WESTERN EUROPE PROSPEROUS AND SECURE - - THE EUROPEAN UNION, NATO AND THE REST - - ALL GREW OUT OF IT."

TEXT: THE ACTUAL ANNOUNCEMENT OF HIS IDEA CAME IN A SHORT SPEECH BY GENERAL MARSHALL AT THE HARVARD COMMENCEMENT ON JUNE 5TH, 1947. JAMES GREENFIELD, A STUDENT AIDE IN THE HARVARD INFORMATION OFFICE, WHO WENT ON TO A CAREER AT THE NEW YORK TIMES, WRITES IN THE TIMES THAT, DUE TO A VARIETY OF CIRCUMSTANCES, THE MESSAGE WAS OVERLOOKED BY ALMOST EVERYONE.

VOICE: "PERHAPS IT WAS [GENERAL] MARSHALL[S MONOTONE DELIVERY, OR THE MALFUNCTIONING LOUDSPEAKERS, BUT FEW OF THOSE PRESENT REALIZED THAT [GENERAL] MARSHALL WAS LAUNCHING A PROGRAM FOR THE RECONSTRUCTION OF EUROPE SOON TO BE KNOWN AS THE MARSHALL PLAN. .... [GENERAL] MARSHALL RECEIVED AN ENTHUSIASTIC OVATION AT THE END OF HIS SPEECH, BUT IT WAS MORE FOR THE MAN THAN THE WORDS. .... NEWS ORGANIZATIONS MOSTLY MISSED THE IMPORT. ..... ALMOST ALONE, STEPHEN WHITE, AN EDITORIAL WRITER FOR THE NEW YORK HERALD TRIBUNE, REALIZED HE HAS JUST HAD A BRUSH WITH HISTORY. ACCORDING TO HARVARD MAGAZINE, [MR.] WHITE PHONED THE EDITORS IN NEW YORK AND TOLD THEM THAT [GENERAL] MARSHALL 'HAD JUST OFFERED TO REBUILD ALL OF EUROPE, INCLUDING THE SOVIET UNION.' [MR.] WHITE'S EDITORS ..... AGREED TO A FULL ARTICLE THAT OUTLINED THE ESSENCE OF THE MARSHALL PLAN."

TEXT: ON THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PLAN, AND THE UNUSUAL FACET OF A VICTOR TURNING TO AID THE VANQUISHED, THE WASHINGTON TIMES SAYS:

VOICE: "THE MARSHALL PLAN IS REMEMBERED WITH GREAT GRATITUDE BY WEST EUROPEANS, PARTICULARLY THE GERMANS, AS THE FOUNDATION UPON WHICH THEIR DEVASTATED COUNTRIES WERE REBUILT AFTER WORLD WAR TWO - - AN ACT OF STUNNING GENEROSITY FROM THE AMERICAN NATION AS WELL AS ONE OF THE MOST FORESIGHTED FOREIGN POLICY DECISIONS EVER MADE BY AN AMERICAN ADMINISTRATION."

TEXT: NOT EVERYONE, HOWEVER, IS IN AGREEMENT. IAN VASQUEZ, DIRECTOR OF THE PROJECT ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC LIBERTY AT WASHINGTON'S CATO INSTITUTE, WRITING IN THE JOURNAL OF COMMERCE, SAYS IT DID "MORE HARM THAN GOOD."

VOICE: "A CLOSE LOOK AT THE EFFECTS OF U-S AID TO POSTWAR EUROPE REVEALS THAT MUCH OF THE MARSHALL PLAN'S STATUS IS BUILT ON MYTH. A STUDY BY GEORGE MASON [VIRGINIA] UNIVERSITY ECONOMIST TYLER COWEN FOUND THAT RAPID ECONOMIC GROWTH IN COUNTRIES THAT HAD BEEN OCCUPIED BY GERMANY DURING THE WAR OCCURRED 'IRRESPECTIVE OF THE TIMING AND EXTENT OF MARSHALL PLAN AID.' [OPT] .... THE ECONOMIC RECOVERIES OF FRANCE, ITALY AND BELGIUM, MR. COWEN FOUND, ALSO PREDATED THE FLOW OF U-S AID. [END OPT] .... U-S AID FUNDS NEVER TOTALED MORE THAN FIVE PERCENT OF G-N-P OF MARSHALL PLAN COUNTRIES - - TOO LITTLE TO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL IMPACT - - AND PROBABLY CAUSED MORE HARM THAN GOOD. .....MOREOVER, THE INTERVENTIONIST BIAS OF THE MARSHALL PLAN'S ADMINISTRATORS HELPED ENTRENCH GOVERNMENT ECONOMIC PLANNING IN MANY EUROPEAN COUNTRIES - - A LEGACY WITH WHICH EUROPEANS ARE STILL STRUGGLING TODAY. ..... EUROPE RECOVERED DESPITE THE AID, NOT BECAUSE OF IT."

TEXT: LASTLY, A DIFFERENT VIEW FROM MAINE'S PORTLAND PRESS HERALD.

VOICE: "JUST AS IMPORTANT AS THE MONEY .... WAS ITS MESSAGE: AMERICA WAS NOT GOING TO RETURN TO ITS SEMI-ISOLATIONIST PAST. OUR NATION INTENDED TO REMAIN A PARTNER AND LEADER WITH EUROPE IN CONSTRUCTING A NEW, PEACEFUL CONTINENTAL ORDER ON THE ASHES OF A SYSTEM THAT HAD TWICE PLUNGED THE WORLD INTO WAR IN A SINGLE QUARTER CENTURY. THAT PLAN SUCCEEDED BEYOND EVEN ITS FOUNDERS' WILDEST DREAMS. THE NATIONS IT HELPED REBUILD SUCCESSFULLY WITHSTOOD THE SOVIET UNION AND WATCHED COMMUNISM'S COLLAPSE. TODAY, LINKED BY FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS THAT COVER THE WORLD, WE AND THEY STAND ON THE THRESHOLD OF A NEW AND PROSPEROUS CENTURY. THE MARSHALL PLAN WAS THAT TRIUMPH'S CATALYST, AND REMAINS ITS MONUMENT."

TEXT: THAT CONCLUDES THIS EDITORIAL SAMPLING OF REMINISCENCES OF THE MARSHALL PLAN OF AID TO EUROPE AFTER WORLD WAR TWO WITH THIS ONE FOOTNOTE.

THE ORIGINAL AMOUNT OF AID WAS, WITHOUT QUESTION, 13-BILLION DOLLARS. HOWEVER, WHAT THAT WOULD BE WORTH IN T O D A Y 'S U-S DOLLARS REMAINS UNCLEAR. THE JOURNAL OF COMMERCE PUTS THE FIGURE AT APPROXIMATELY 80-BILLION; THE WASHINGTON TIMES SAYS 350-BILLION; AND THE PORTLAND PRESS HERALD SUGGESTS 120-BILLION.
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05-Jun-97 2:26 PM EDT (1826 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[07] THURSDAY'S EDITORIALS BY ANDREW N. GUTHRIE (WASHINGTON)

INTRO: AS YOU SCAN THE EDITORIAL PAGES OF AMERICA'S DAILY NEWSPAPERS THIS THURSDAY, VIRTUALLY EVERY TOPIC OF ANY NEWS INTEREST THESE DAYS IS BEING DISSECTED. EVERYTHING FROM THE COUNTRY'S PROPOSED NEW AMBASSADOR TO MEXICO TO THE DEATH OF AN EXCEPTIONAL TEACHER IN NEW YORK CITY.

IN BETWEEN YOU CAN READ VIEWS ON THE TRIAL OF TIMOTHY MCVEIGH; [OPT] THE BATTLE OVER CLEAN AIR; [END OPT] THE COUP IN SIERRA LEONE; ALGERIA'S ELECTION; MURDERS ALLEGED TO BE LINKED TO MIDDLE EAST REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS, [OPT] CHINA'S MOST FAVORED NATION TRADING STATUS, [END OPT] AND TODAY'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MARSHALL PLAN.

NOW, HERE WITH A BIT MORE ON MOST OF THESE IS ___________________ AND TODAY'S EDITORIAL DIGEST.

TEXT: PRESIDENT CLINTON IS PLANNING TO NOMINATE A REPUBLICAN, THE GOVERNOR OF MASSACHUSETTS, WILLIAM WELD, TO BE AMBASSADOR TO MEXICO. THE NOMINATION HAS CAUSED A SPIRITED DEBATE NOW THAT SENATOR JESSE HELMS [R-N.C.], CHAIRMA OF THE SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE, HAS SAID HE WILL OPPOSE IT. SAYS THE WASHINGTON POST:

VOICE: "WHAT IS STRIKING ABOUT SO MANY OF SENATOR ... HELMS'S USES OF HIS CONSIDERABLE POWER AS CHAIRMAN OF THE SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE IS HIS PATENT LACK OF CONFIDENCE IN THE PERSUASIVENESS OF HIS OWN VIEWS. ONE COULD UNDERSTAND THAT THE NORTH CAROLINA LEGISLATOR WOULD HAVE POLITICAL DIFFERENCES WITH THE GOVERNOR OF MASSACHUSETTS .... WILLIAM WELD. BUT TO DENY GOVERNOR WELD A COMMITTEE HEARING ON HIS PROSPECTIVE NOMINATION AS PRESIDENT CLINTON'S AMBASSADOR TO MEXICO ON THE BASIS OF THOSE DIFFERENCES? .... GOVERNOR WELD DESERVES A HEARING SO THAT HIS FULL QUALIFICATIONS CAN BE MEASURED."

TEXT: NEWSDAY AGREES, SAYING SENATOR HELMS' OPPOSITION "DOESN'T MAKE SENSE", ADDING:

VOICE: ".... [SENATOR] HELMS .... SHOULD REMEMBER THAT, ACCORDING TO THE CONSTITUTION, IT'S NOT HIS JOB TO CHOOSE AMBASSADORS, MERELY TO ADVISE AND CONSENT ON THEIR NOMINATION."

TEXT: THE TRIAL OF CONVICTED OKLAHOMA BOMBER TIMOTHY MCVEIGH, IS NOW IN ITS PENALTY PHASE, HEARING EMOTIONAL. TESTIMONY FROM VICTIMS AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS. THE ATLANTA CONSTITUTION URGES THE COUNTRY "DON'T MARTYR MCVEIGH," AS IT PLEADS FOR HIS LIFE IN PRISON OVER EXECUTION.

VOICE: "THERE IS NOTHING IN THE NATURE OF TIMOTHY MCVEIGH'S ....SAVAGE AND CALCULATED ... CRIME THAT ARGUES FOR MERCY. .... SO WHY SHOULD [MR.] MCVEIGH BE SPARED? DOESN'T HE DESERVE TO DIE? PERHAPS. BUT ..... WHAT, IF ANYTHING, WOULD BE ACCOMPLISHED BY KILLING? ... THE DEATH PENALTY IS ESPECIALLY INEFFECTIVE IN CURBING TERRORIST ACTS, AS THE EXPERIENCE OF COUNTRIES THAT HAVE DEALT WITH TERRORISM FOR DECADES SHOWS. .... LET [MR.] MCVEIGH SIT IN A HALF-LIT CELL IN A FEDERAL PENITENTIARY FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE, REFLECTING ON HIS CRIME ... DON'T MAKE HIM A HERO."

TEXT: THE OREGONIAN IN PORTLAND HEARTILY DISAGREES.

VOICE: ".... WE CAN'T THINK OF A MORE FITTING CANDIDATE FOR THE FEDERAL DEATH PENALTY THAN TIMOTHY MCVEIGH. ....IF THIS CONVICTED COLD-BLOODED KILLER OF INNOCENTS DOESN'T QUALIFY FOR DEATH BY LETHAL INJECTION, WE'RE HARD-PRESSED TO THINK OF ANYONE WHO WOULD."

TEXT: NEW, TOUGHER CLEAN AIR REGULATIONS ARE ABOUT TO BE PROPOSED AND THE PRESIDENT HAS TO DECIDE WHETHER TO PUSH FOR THEM PASSAGE IN CONGRESS. THE NEW YORK TIMES SAYS HE SHOULD.

VOICE: "THIS IS NOT A ROUTING DECISION ..... THE NEW RULES WOULD FORCE LARGE SECTIONS OF THE COUNTRY THAT ARE NOW BARELY IN COMPLIANCE WITH EXISTING CLEAN AIR REGULATIONS TO FIND NEW WAYS TO REDUCE POLLUTION. THAT MEANS BIG INVESTMENTS IN CLEANER POWER PLANTS, FUELS AND CARS. SIMILARLY, WHILE THE RULES WILL SURELY BRING HEALTH BENEFITS, THERE IS ALSO GREAT DISAGREEMENT ON THEIR DOLLAR VALUE. DESPITE THESE UNCERTAINTIES, WE ..... SUPPORT THEM ..."

TEXT: THE PORTLAND PRESS HERALD IN MAINE AGREES:

VOICE: "THE ADMINISTRATION'S TASK IS CLEAR. ..... POLLUTING INDUSTRY LOBBYISTS ARE WORKING OVERTIME TO SEE THAT [THE NEW RULES GETTING ENACTED] DOESN'T HAPPEN. THEY MUST NOT PREVAIL. AMERICANS' RELIANCE ON UNPOLLUTED AIR IS TOO GREAT."

TEXT: TO AFRICA, AND THE COUP IN SIERRA LEONE, THE SUN IN BALTIMORE LAMENTS:

VOICE: "THE COUP UNDOES THE PROGRESS THAT THE POOR COUNTRY OF FOUR-POINT-FIVE MILLION PEOPLE IN WEST AFRICA WAS FINALLY MAKING. IT REPUDIATES THE ... ORGANIZATION OF AFRICAN UNITY'S [O-A-U] ... SLOW MARCH TOWARD STABILITY AND DEMOCRACY IN AFRICA. AND IT CHALLENGES NIGERIA'S SELF-APPOINTED ROLE AS POLICEMAN OF WEST AFRICA. .... THE LOSERS ARE THE SUFFERING PEOPLE. ..... THE O-A-U HAS BEEN TAKING MORE RESPONSIBILITY FOR AFRICA'S DESTINY. IT DESERVES A WIN ...."

TEXT: AND MUCH FARTHER NORTH, WHERE ALGERIANS ARE VOTING TODAY FOLLOWING THE MILITARY ANNULMENT OF THE LAST ELECTION, AND THE BOSTON GLOBE SAYS:

VOICE: "IN COMPARISON TO THE ONE-PARTY REGIMES IN MOST OF THE ARAB WORLD, THE ALGERIAN ELECTION MIGHT LOOK LIKE AN EXCEPTIONAL EXERCISE IN DEMOCRATIC PLURALISM. THE FLY IN THE OINTMENT [THE ONE SERIOUS PROBLEM] IS THAT THE PARTY THAT WON THE LAST ELECTIONS IN 1992 - - THE ISLAMIC SALVATION FRONT, OF F-I-S - - HAS BEEN EXCLUDED FROM PARTICIPATION. [HOWEVER] INCLUSION COULD BE THE BEST ANTIDOTE TO ALGERIA'S VIOLENT NIGHTMARE. SO FAR, NOTHING ELSE HAS WORKED."

TEXT: STILL IN THE MIDDLE EAST, PALESTINIAN LEADER YASSER ARAFAT COMES IN FOR MORE HARSH CRITICISM FROM SEVERAL DAILIES, FIRST FOR MISMANAGING THE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN AID HIS GOVERNMENT HAS RECEIVED FROM VARIOUS DONOR NATIONS, AND SECONDLY, FOR ALLEGATIONS OF CONDONING THE MURDER OF PALESTINIANS SELLING LAND TO ISRAELIS. THE NEW YORK POST COMMENTS.

VOICE: "AS YASSER ARAFAT'S HENCHMEN CONTINUE TO HUNT DOWN, KIDNAP, HARASS AND MURDER ISRAELI ARAB CITIZENS, THE UNITED STATES SHOWS LITTLE SIGN OF RECONSIDERING ITS 500-MILLION-DOLLAR AID PROGRAM TO PALESTINIANS, OF WHICH [MR.] ARAFAT AND HIS CRONIES SEEM TO BE THE MAJOR BENEFICIARY. ...THE MOST ALARMING ASPECT OF THE WAVE OF MURDERS IS THAT THEY HAVE NOT BEEN CONFINED TO PALESTINIAN TERRITORY. TWO OF THE THREE VICTIMS WERE ISRAELI CITIZENS, ABDUCTED FROM WITHIN THAT COUNTRY'S BORDERS IN A BLATANT VIOLATION OF ITS SOVEREIGNTY. THERE IS NO REASON FOR AMERICAN TAXPAYERS TO CONTINUE FUNDING AN ENTITY THAT ENGAGES IN SUCH BEHAVIOR."

TEXT: ADDS THE WASHINGTON TIMES:

VOICE: "AS FOR CHAIRMAN ARAFAT, HE HAS DEFENDED THE DEATH-FOR-LAND SALES POLICY AND ITS ENFORCEMENT, SAYING, 'WE ARE TALKING ABOUT ISOLATED TRAITORS ..... THERE IS NO PALESTINIAN STATE OR AUTONOMOUS PALESTINIAN REGION. THERE IS ONLY A KLEPTOCRACY RUN BY THUGS AND GOONS WHO ARE DESTROYING ANY HOPE THE PALESTINIAN POPULATION MIGHT HAVE HAD THAT THE OSLO ACCORDS WOULD LEAD TO FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY."

TEXT: QUICKLY TO THE QUESTION OF TRADE WITH CHINA, AND THE RECENT RENEWAL OF THAT NATION'S MOST-FAVORED-NATION TRADING STATUS, THE ORLANDO SENTINEL OPINES:

VOICE: "DEBATES ABOUT EXTENDING CHINA'S MOST-FAVORED-NATION STATUS ARE MERELY A DISTRACTION. THERE'S NO WAY TO GET AROUND A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WORLD'S MOST POPULOUS COUNTRY. .... THUS, THE UNITED STATES HAS A CHOICE: DEAL WITH CHINA OR FACE THE UGLY POTENTIAL FOR CONFRONTATION. IN THAT DIRECTION LIES CONSIDERABLE DANGER, PUNCTUATED BY NUCLEAR WEAPONS."

TEXT: TODAY MARKS THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF GENERAL GEORGE C. MARSHALL'S COMMENCEMENT SPEECH AT HARVARD AT WHICH HE ANNOUNCED THE REBUILDING OF EUROPE AFTER WORLD WAR TWO. IT CAME TO BE CALLED THE MARSHALL PLAN AND ITS BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ARE A GREAT PART OF 20TH CENTURY HISTORY, AS NOTES THE BOSTON GLOBE.

VOICE: "TODAY, EXACTLY HALF A CENTURY AFTER MARSHALL'S COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS TO THE CLASS OF '47, SECRETARY OF STATE MADELEINE ALBRIGHT WILL TELL THE CLASS OF '97 THAT, READY OR NOT, THEY ARE DESTINED TO LEAD AN INTERNATIONAL LIFE IN A MULTIPOLAR WORLD. THE COLD WAR HAS BECOME A HISTORICAL VESTIGE, BUT THE NATION'S NEED FOR COOPERATION WITH STRONG AND STABLE ALLIES REMAINS AS CENTRAL AS IT WAS 50 YEARS AGO."

TEXT: AND FINALLY, COMMENT ON THE TRAGIC TALE OF A SCHOOL TEACHER AT PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL IN NEW YORK CITY. JONATHAN LEVIN, WHO WAS IDOLIZED BY HIS STUDENTS AND PEERS, WAS FOUND MURDERED THE OTHER DAY. SAYS THE NEW YORK TIMES:

VOICE: "CHANCES ARE ... THE DEATH OF JONATHAN LEVIN, THE 31-YEAR-OLD .... SCHOOL TEACHER ... FOUND SLAIN IN HIS MODEST ... WEST SIDE APARTMENT ON MONDAY NIGHT, WOULD NOT HAVE GARNERED FRONT-PAGE ATTENTION WERE IT NOT FOR THE PROMINENCE OF HIS FATHER, GERALD LEVIN ..... CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE MEDIA CONGLOMERATE TIME WARNER. ..... AT TAFT HIGH SCHOOL IN THE BRONX ..... THE NEWS OF MR. LEVIN'S MYSTERIOUS MURDER CAUSED AN INSTANT OUTPOURING OF GRIEF. .... HE MADE LITERATURE COME ALIVE FOR POOR YOUNGSTERS .... 'HE DIDN'T CARE ABOUT MONEY,' SAID ONE STUDENT. 'HE CARED ABOUT KIDS.' THERE IS NO BETTER TRIBUTE."

TEXT: ON THAT NOTE, WE CONCLUDE THIS BRIEF SAMPLING OF EDITORIALS FROM TODAY'S U-S DAILY PAPERS.
NEB/ANG/NL
05-Jun-97 11:35 AM EDT (1535 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[08] UZBEKISTAN / INTERNET BY ALI JALALI (TASHKENT)

INTRO: UZBEKISTAN IS ACQUIRING FULL ACCESS TO THE WORLDWIDE ELECTRONIC INFORMATION NETWORK -- THE INTERNET. V-O-A'S ALI JALALI IN TASHKENT REPORTS THAT THE MOVE HAS FAR-REACHING IMPLICATIONS.

TEXT: A BRIGHTLY COLORED MAP ON THE INTERNET, SHOWS THE COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD IN DIFFERENT SHADES AND COLORS REPRESENTING THEIR LEVEL OF ACCESS TO THE NETWORK. THIS WEEK (JUNE 2) , UZBEKISTAN'S COLOR ON THE SCREEN CHANGED FROM GREEN TO BLUE, INDICATING THAT THE COUNTRY, WHICH HAD ONLY ELECTRONIC MAIL ACCESS (E-MAIL), IS NOW A FULL USER.

ACCESS TO INTERNET FOR THE CENTRAL ASIAN STATES HAS BEEN A SLOW AND CHALLENGING PROCESS. POOR TELECOMMUNICATION INFRASTRUCTURE, INADEQUATE FUNDS AND, IN SOME CASES, LACK OF POLITICAL SUPPORT FOR THE FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION HAVE BEEN THE MAIN OBSTACLES.

ALTHOUGH MOST OF THE CENTRAL ASIAN COUNTRIES ARE HOOKED UP TO THE NETWORK'S ELECTRONIC MAIL (E-MAIL) SYSTEM, THEIR ACCESS TO THE INFORMATION BASE OF THE WEB HAS BEEN MINIMAL.

UZBEKISTAN ESTABLISHED A LIMITED INTERNET CONNECTION IN 1994. BUT THE LINK WAS LIMITED TO E-MAIL SERVICE AND SOME VERY SLOW INTERNET ACCESS. IT WAS DURING THE LAST EIGHT MONTHS THAT AN UPGRADED NETWORK WITH FULL AND FREE ACCESS TO INTERNET WAS SET UP, THANKS TO U.S. GOVERNMENT FUNDING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.

THE PRESTIGIOUS UZBEK UNIVERSITY OF WORLD ECONOMY AND DIPLOMACY IS ONE OF THE MAIN BENEFICIARIES OF THE UPGRADED SERVICE. THE RECTOR OF THE UNIVERSITY, SAIDMUKHTAR SAIDKASYHMOV, SAYS THAT INTERNET ACCESS FOR HIS INSTITUTION MEANS THE ABILITY TO TAP INTO THE WORLDWIDE INFORMATION RESERVES.

THE PROJECT CONNECTS A NUMBER OF UZBEKISTAN GOVERNMENT AND NON-GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS AND A GROUP OF INDIVIDUAL USERS IN UZBEK-AMERICAN ALUMNI SOCIETY INTO A WIDE NETWORK SERVED BY THE UNITED STATES INFORMATION SERVICE (U-S-I-S) IN TASHKENT. THE USERS ARE CONNECTED TO THE SYSTEM THROUGH RADIO LINKS WITHOUT DEPENDING ON OUTDATED TELEPHONE LINES. THEY HAVE ROUND-THE-CLOCK ACCESS TO THE INTERNET AT HIGH SPEED AND CAN FREELY SURF THE NET WITH NO COST TO THEM.

THE HEAD OF THE U-S-I-S OFFICE IN TASHKENT, ANTHONY SARITI, SAYS THE PROJECT IS THE MOST ADVANCED AND UP-TO-DATE INTERNET CONNECTION IN CENTRAL ASIA AND WILL AFFECT EVERY ASPECT OF LIFE IN UZBEKISTAN.

THE MID-RANGE AND LONGER-RANGE IMPACT OF THIS ACCESS TO INFORMATION WILL OVERCOME THE SEVENTY YEARS, EIGHTY YEARS, OF INFORMATION DEFICIT THAT THEY (UZBEKISTANIS) HAVE HAD, AND (WILL) ENABLE THEM REALLY TO DEVELOP ECONOMIC AND DEMOCRATIC STRUCTURES IN THIS COUNTRY THAT WE BELIEVE WILL LEAD TO STABILITY AND A STRONGER ECONOMIC BASE FOR THE CITIIZENRY.

MR SARITI SAYS, THE SYSTEM IS NOT FOR COMMERCIAL USE AND THE SERVICE IS OFFERED FREE OF CHARGE TO SUBSCRIBERS. HOWEVER, HE SAYS, A COMMERCIAL PARTNER OF THE NETWORK WILL BE ABLE TO USE THE SATELLITE CONNECTION OF THE SYSTEM AND OFFER FOR THE FIRST TIME THE SAME SERVICE -- FOR A FEE -- TO INDIVIDUAL USERS IN UZBEKISTAN. (SIGNED)
NEB/AJ/KL
05-Jun-97 8:32 AM EDT (1232 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

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