Voice of America, 99-07-26

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

CONTENTS

[01] KOSOVO SCHOOLS BY LISA SCHLEIN (GENEVA)

[02] RED CROSS - BALKANS (L-ONLY) BY LISA SCHLEIN (GENEVA)

[03] SERBS PROTECTION (L-ONLY) BY TIM BELAY (PRISTINA)

[04] COHEN KOSOVO (L-ONLY) BY JIM RANDLE (TOKYO)

[05] CONGRESS-KOSOVO (L ONLY) BY PAULA WOLFSON (CAPITOL HILL)

[06] U-S - KOSOVO (L-ONLY) BY GIL BUTLER (STATE DEPARTMENT)

[07] US-BALKANS (L) BY DEBORAH TATE (WHITE HOUSE)

[08] N-Y ECON WRAP (S & L) BY BRECK ARDERY ()

[09] MONDAY'S EDITORIALS BY ERIKA EVANS (WASHINGTON)

[01] KOSOVO SCHOOLS BY LISA SCHLEIN (GENEVA)

INTRO: UNICEF -- the United Nations Children's Fund - finds many schools in Kosovo were either destroyed or seriouslv damaged during the fighting in the province. Lisa Schlein in Geneva reports results from a preliminary survey of nearly 400 schools carried out in 16 of Kosovo's 29 municipalities show widespread destruction.

TEXT: The results of this preliminary survey are grim. It shows more than 40 percent of the schools surveyed have been completely destroyed or severely damaged. More than 100 have been burned and 17 others have been shelled. The UNICEF survey finds many schools were mined and nearly 170 schools have not yet been cleared of mines.

UNICEF'S Executive Director, Carol Bellamy, says the dangers posed by landmines can not be underestimated. She notes that the first mine accidents in Kosovo occurred when two K-FOR peacekeeping soldiers were hurt while inspecting a school. Despite the scale of the destruction, Ms. Bellamy says UNICEF is committed to having all primary school children back in school fulltime by September.

[02] RED CROSS - BALKANS (L-ONLY) BY LISA SCHLEIN (GENEVA)

INTRO: The International Red Cross says the return to Kosovo by hundreds of thousands of ethnic Albanians has not eased the plight of many thousands of others in the Balkans who urgently need assistance. The Red Cross is appealing for an extra 77-million dollars to aid more than one-million people in the Balkans. The money will supplement nearly 120-million dollars the Red Cross has already received from an earlier appeal, as Lisa Schlein reports from Geneva.

TEXT: The Red Cross says people in Kosovo are not the only ones in need of assistance and protection. It says the international focus of humanitarian attention also has to include the hundreds of thousands of people who face a difficult and uncertain future in Albania, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro. Martin Faller is the Red Cross deputy director for Europe. He says the Red Cross has made a commitment to the governments of Albania and Macedonia to continue working there and not turn their attention exclusively to Kosovo, as some other agencies have. He says in Albania and Macedonia, the Red Cross will help the thousands of Kosovar refugees who have stayed behind.

[03] SERBS PROTECTION (L-ONLY) BY TIM BELAY (PRISTINA)

INTRO: Ethnic Serbs living in the area where 14 Kosovar Serbs were killed Friday are asking the U-N refugee agency to relocate them. Tim Belay has this report from Pristina.

TEXT: The region -- 10 kilometers south of the capital -- was a strong Serb enclave before the conflict. Since NATO moved in six weeks ago, more than one-half of the area's Serb population has left. International estimates indicate a total of at least 70-thousand ethnic Serbs have left Kosovo in recent weeks. Now the United Nations refugee agency is looking at ways to find new homes for several people who live near the village of Gracko - where the murders of the 14 farmers took place - and who say they feel unsafe in light of the incident that took place on Friday. The U-N refugee agency's Maki Shinohara says some of the people seeking help are actually refugees from the war in Bosnia. She says several would rather go back there than stay in Kosovo.

[04] COHEN KOSOVO (L-ONLY) BY JIM RANDLE (TOKYO)

INTRO: U-S Defense Secretary William Cohen says the most recent bloodshed in Kosovo underlines the need to speed deployment of peacekeepers and police there. Fourteen ethnic-Serb villagers were shot to death Friday -- exactly the sort of violence NATO'S heavily- armed peacekeepers - the troops of "K-FOR" -- are supposed to prevent. Officials in Kosovo say they are not sure who did the killing. V-O-A's Jim Randle reports (from Tokyo, the first stop on a five-nation trip by Mr. Cohen).

TEXT: NATO officials say there are a handful of U-N sponsored police and about 35-thousand troops deployed in Kosovo as part of the K-FOR peacekeeping force. Eventually, there are supposed to be several thousand civilian police and about 50-thousand troops to stop violence between Serbs and ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. Arsons and shootings are fairly common in Kosovo. Frustrated K-FOR commanders say, at the moment, they do not have enough troops to stop all the violence. Ethnic Serbs in Kosovo blame many of the killings on ethnic Albanians seeking revenge for earlier attacks by Serb troops and police on ethnic Albanians. U-S Defense Secretary William Cohen is urging nations that have pledged troops to K-FOR to get them into the field.

[05] CONGRESS-KOSOVO (L ONLY) BY PAULA WOLFSON (CAPITOL HILL)

INTRO: The first Congressional delegation to visit Kosovo since the end of the conflict is now back in Washington. V-O-A's Paula Wolfson reports the delegation was led by a senior House Republican who has been a sharp critic of President Clinton's policy in the Balkans.

TEXT: Congresswoman Tillie Fowler refuses to talk about her staunch opposition to the Kosovo conflict. In the early weeks of the Nato operation, she called on the President to end the bombing and bring U-S forces home. These days, she says it is a waste of time to look back. The Florida Republican says the focus should be on support for the troops now serving as peacekeepers in the bloodstained Serbian province. At the request of Speaker Dennis Hastert,she went to the region to get a first hand look at the damage and the task ahead. Seven other members of the House joined her in a delegation that was evenly split along party lines.

[06] U-S - KOSOVO (L-ONLY) BY GIL BUTLER (STATE DEPARTMENT)

INTRO: The United States is offering 500 million dollars to help with humanitarian needs in Kosovo. Some 50 donor countries are meeting Wednesday in Brussels to consider how much money can be raised for the Yugoslav province. VOA's Gil Butler has more from the State Department.

TEXT: The money the United States is offering would go for immediate humanitarian needs such as shelter, food, water, and basic infrastructure as well as for land mine clearing, and training of local police. Reconstruction of Kosovo is a special concern of the European Union, though, American officials say, they will be prepared to help. One special area the United States is involved in is training of a civilian police force under the sponsorship of the O-S-C-E, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Within two years 3000 person force is expected to be trained. After training the local force will be under the control of the United Nations until a civil authority is elected in Kosovo. James Dobbins, special advisor to President Clinton and Secretary of State Albright on Kosovo issues, said the police force is expected to reflect the ethnic makeup of the province, but he could not predict how many Serbs will actually join.

[07] US-BALKANS (L) BY DEBORAH TATE (WHITE HOUSE)

INTRO: The United States this week is expected to pledge up to 500 million dollars in humanitarian aid for Kosovo at an international donors conference in Brussels. Correspondent Deborah Tate reports from the White House.

TEXT: U.S. National Security Advisor Sandy Berger says the U.S. assistance will be announced at the donors conference Wednesday, on condition that other countries - particularly European Union members - also contribute.

[08] N-Y ECON WRAP (S & L) BY BRECK ARDERY ()

INTRO: Stock prices in the United States were down today (Monday) in a combination of profit-taking and interest rate concerns. VOA Correspondent Breck Ardery reports from New York.

TEXT: The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 10 thousand 863,down 47 points. The Standard and Poor's 500 Index closed at 13 hundred 47, down nine points. The NASDAQ Index lost almost three percent. Analysts say stock traders continued to worry about high valuations, especially among many stocks in the internet sector. There was also some anxiety about what U-S Central Bank Chairman Alan Greenspan will say during another appearance before Congress on Wednesday. Last week Mr. Greenspan said the Central Bank will move quickly and forcefully to head-off inflationary pressures. That could mean a further hike in short-term interest rates.

[09] MONDAY'S EDITORIALS BY ERIKA EVANS (WASHINGTON)

INTRO: Withheld funding for new U-S fighter-bombers; a possible vote for an independent East Timor; redefining the role of the United States in the Mideast peace process; and the death of King Hassan II of Morocco are all popular topics in today's U-S newspaper editorials. Now here is _________ with a closer look and some excerpts in today's Editorial Digest.

TEXT: U-S House (of Representatives) members have eliminated funding for the new F-22 stealth fighter- bomber in the federal budget for next year. This came as a surprise to Air Force officials, who had hoped to receive one-point-eight-billion dollars to build the first six `next-generation' fighter-bombers. Maine's "Portland Press Herald" says the F-22 could be valuable, but that legislators need to make a more substantial argument for maintaining the U-S edge in air forces -- especially since the U-S military envisions a new air fleet for the 21st century that would cost 350-billion dollars.

VOICE: The U-S success in Kosovo underscores the value of air superiority in a conflict. Indeed, the war showed that the United States enjoys a decisive strategic edge in this area. It would be worthwhile to maintain this advantage. . Still, Defense Secretary Bill Cohen and the rest of the military establishment have to make a persuasive case if they're to convince Congress. The nation would likely benefit from the F- 22, but 350-billion dollars for aircraft upgrades is a hard sell.

TEXT: In Boston, Massachusetts, The Christian Science Monitor is calling the halt to such funding necessary, commenting that the nation needs to take a much closer look into expensive programs like the F-22.

VOICE: This is a critical time for rethinking America's security needs and responsibilities. .Is an advanced fighter like the F-22 likely to prove crucial in future conflicts? Not likely, since there are no foreign militaries likely to challenge the current U-S fighter force in the decades ahead. .At a time of heightened debate over the allocation of federal dollars, any waste, excess, or misuse of funds at the Pentagon must be on the table. .Good for the House lawmakers who made sure of that by clipping the F-22's financial wings.

TEXT: Overseas, it is becoming clear to outside observers that despite violent intimidation, East Timor will vote for possible independence from Jakarta in late August. The Los Angeles Times in California is commenting that as an independent country, East Timor would need all the outside help it could get.

VOICE: In recent months alone, some five-thousand people have been slain by the anti-independence militias. Aside form coffee and some prospects for revenue from oil and gas in the Timor Sea, the province has no economy to speak of and no experience in governance. It will be starting from scratch.. .East Timor has paid with more that 200-thousand lives to get this far in its struggle for independence. For its bravery, it has earned worldwide respect and sympathy. It will soon need more concrete help.

TEXT: Also, in America's Northwest, The Oregonian says that as Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak embarks on a new push to improve Middle East relations, the role of the United States must be modified.

VOICE: Though the United States has a large and legitimate interest in peace in the Middle East in the end, the countries themselves must decide on how to make peace, and how to make it work. .It may be possible now for the United States to step to the sidelines in the face of Barak's demonstrated determination to make progress. .Barak is on the right course. And it's time for the United States to give him and his Arab neighbors some breathing room to see where it leads.

TEXT: And finally, in the District of Columbia, The Washington Post pays homage to the late King Hassan the Second of Morocco.

VOICE: A longtime behind-the-scenes peace broker, he (King Hassan II) facilitated Arab-Isreaeli contacts at a time when the role was crucial to drawing other, more powerful Arab states into the diplomatic game. Crucial and not without risk: King Hassan tempted high personal danger for conducting peace policy. His was an important contribution to regional stability, and not least, his ticket to the favor of Europe and the United States.

TEXT: This concludes our sampling of comment from Monday's U-S editorials.
NEB/ENE/RRM 26-Jul-1999 13:57 PM LOC (26-Jul-1999 1757 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

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