Voice of America, 99-09-22

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

CONTENTS

[01] NATO-SERBS -L (ONLY) BY JIM RANDLE (TORONTO, CANADA)

[02] NATO-WRAPUP (L) BY JIM RANDLE (TORONTO,CANADA)

[03] MONTENEGRO BUSINESS BY TIM BELAY (PODGORICA)

[04] RUSSIA - DAGESTAN (L-ONLY) BY PETER HEINLEIN (MOSCOW)

[05] FRANCE / CARS (L ONLY) BY JULIAN NUNDY (PARIS)

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

[07] WEDNESDAY'S EDITORIALS BY ANDREW GUTHRIE (WASHINGTON)

[08] WORLD ECONOMY IMPROVING (L-O) BY BARRY WOOD (WASHINGTON)

[01] NATO-SERBS -L (ONLY) BY JIM RANDLE (TORONTO, CANADA)

INTRO: Yugoslav and Russian officials are criticizing Monday's agreement between the Kosovo Liberation Army and NATO that turns the rebel force into a civilian organization, saying the `Kosovo Protection Corps' is a threat to the few Serbs who remain in the Serbian province of Kosovo. But NATO's top general says the new organization will be assigned to civilian tasks -- and closely supervised by thousands of peackeeping troops. V-O-A's Jim Randle reports.

TEXT: News accounts from Moscow say Russian officials think the lightly-armed Kosovo Protection Corps will complicate efforts to find a political settlement in Kosovo. Russian officials called for the complete surrender of all K-L-A weapons. The Yugoslav Justice ministry says the new organization will force the few remaining Serbs to flee the province. But NATO military commander, General Wes Clark calls the Serb charges and fears `groundless.' He says the Kosovo Protection Corps will be trained, equipped, and paid by the international community to handle civic projects, not warfare.

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NEB/PT 21-Sep-1999 21:41 PM LOC (22-Sep-1999 0141 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[02] NATO-WRAPUP (L) BY JIM RANDLE (TORONTO,CANADA)

INTRO: U-S Defense Secretary William Cohen says NATO nations have agreed to heed the lessons of the Kosovo conflict and buy more high tech weapons, communications equipment, and some big cargo planes. V-O-A's Jim Randle reports from Toronto, where NATO defense ministers wrapped up two days of talks on Wednesday. Text: Secretary Cohen says the Kosovo air war showed alliance nations they need to build or buy more bombs and missiles that are guided by lasers or satellite signals. U-S forces used these precision guided munitions to strike Serb targets across Yugoslavia even when darkness and cloudy weather blocked attacks by some other nations. U-S officials say the United States bore more than its share of such work, causing some political friction in the alliance and complaints from the U-S Congress. Mr. Cohen says many NATO nations can handle the complex technology needed to operate advanced weapons, but have trouble paying for these expensive systems. Mr. Cohen says U-S scientists are trying to solve that problem by finding ways to cut the cost of precision guided munitions.

[03] MONTENEGRO BUSINESS BY TIM BELAY (PODGORICA)

INTRO: Montenegro -- the only republic besides Serbia that remains a part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia -- continues to struggle with its economic future. Tim Belay reports from the Montenegrin capital of Podgorica.

TEXT: There is already a brewery here which enjoys outside support from investors in Belgium, but a much a bigger project centers on a deal which has been talked about for the last year and half. It would put companies in France and other western countries in charge of the aluminum, oil, and railroad industries in Montenegro. The aluminum factory and the other industries associated with it represent just over half of the Montenegrin economy. It is the center of a plan to privatize made difficult by trouble the region and the political problems the republic faces because it is still part of Yugoslavia. Miodrag Blahovic, an attorney who has been working for the privatization of state-owned enterprises here, says it has been impossible for Montenegro to develop regular economic ties with outside investors for the past ten years.

[04] RUSSIA - DAGESTAN (L-ONLY) BY PETER HEINLEIN (MOSCOW)

INTRO: A senior Russian security official says troops have sealed off the breakaway Chechnya region, but have no plans for a ground invasion. Instead, as V-O-A Moscow correspondent Peter Heinlein reports, the Russian strategy is based mostly on NATO-style air strikes against suspected rebel positions.

TEXT: Deputy Interior Minister Igor Zubov says Russian troops have surrounded Chechnya and are prepared to retake the region that, in effect, broke away from Moscow's rule three years ago. Media reports say anywhere from 20-thousand to 50-thousand soldiers are massed along the Chechen border, most of them in neighboring Dagestan. But General Zubov told reporters Wednesday military planners are advising against a ground invasion because of the likelihood of heavy Russian casualties.

[05] FRANCE / CARS (L ONLY) BY JULIAN NUNDY (PARIS)

INTRO: France, Italy and Switzerland tried to persuade citizens to leave their cars at home Wednesday. It was the second annual attempt to free major cities in these countries of automobiles for just one day to combat pollution. Julian Nundy reports from Paris.

TEXT: French government ministers arrived at the weekly cabinet meeting at the Elysee presidential palace on foot, by electric car, or on bicycle. Behind them were gasoline-burning motorcycles and cars carrying the television crews to record the event for the day's news programs. The French employment minister, Martine Aubry, arrived on a tandem bicycle with a male colleague. The idea, on the second annual car-less day in Europe, was to persuade citizens to leave their automobiles at home and use public transport. In France, partial bans on motor traffic were observed in 66 towns, including Paris. One of the exceptions was Bordeaux where the mayor, former conservative Prime Minister Alain Juppe, dismissed the day as just a gimmick that would have no real effect. In Paris and many of the other European cities involved, the attempt only added to the usual traffic chaos. The Paris center -- six of the city's 20 districts -- was closed off to all but official traffic or to those with special permits. The result was that the hundreds of thousands of vehicles that cross Paris daily had to skirt around the center (avoid downtown), causing serious bottlenecks elsewhere. Nonetheless, authorities said there was 20 percent less traffic than on a normal day. France has traditionally had pro-car governments since the late conservative President Georges Pompidou declared in the late 1960s that the private car was a symbol of individual liberty and should be encouraged. Now, some pro-automobile lobbies say progress has been made in controlling car emissions, noting that because of tighter controls and unleaded gasoline, pollution caused by vehicles has fallen greatly in the past decade. For the chairman of one pro-automobile group, car-less days are merely publicity-seeking events organized by an elite class of politicians who never do their own heavy shopping and who never ferry their own children to and from school. (SIGNED) NEB/JWN/JWH/ENE/BK 22-Sep-1999 12:45 PM LOC (22-Sep-1999 1645 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

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

INTRO: Stock prices in the United States were mixed today (Wednesday) although there was some bargain- hunting after Tuesday's big sell-off. V-O-A Business Correspondent Breck Ardery reports from New York.

TEXT: The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 10- thousand-524, down 74 points. The Standard and Poor's 500 index closed at 13-hundred-10, up three points. The NASDAQ index gained more than one percent. Analysts say there was some bargain-hunting, although much of that was confined to high-technology stocks which sold off heavily on Tuesday. Concerns about higher interest rates continued, with speculation that the Federal Reserve Board -- the U-S central bank -- will raise interest rates for the third time this year. However, some of that concern was eased, at least briefly, when the central bank issued a (Beige Book) report that said there are few signs of wage inflation in the United States.

[07] WEDNESDAY'S EDITORIALS BY ANDREW GUTHRIE (WASHINGTON)

INTRO: The arrival of United Nations peacekeepers in East Timor has captured the attention of several editorial writers in the U-S press this Wednesday. The other major topics commented upon include a message related to East Timor by the U-N Secretary- General, an economic recovery plan for Colombia, difficult times for Germany's leader, the deal with North Korea over missiles and the death of a former Soviet first lady. Now, here with a closer look at these issues is ___________ with today's U-S Editorial Digest.

TEXT: To the Pacific Ocean state of Hawaii first, and Honolulu's afternoon daily, The Star-Bulletin, which editorializes about the arrival of U-N peacekeepers in East Timor:

VOICE: Once again an international force has landed in a war-torn land, this time the half-island of East Timor in Indonesia. As in the case of Kosovo only a few months ago, the arrival comes too late to prevent a slaughter of civilians. The massacre could have been averted. /// OPT /// There were ample warnings that violence might follow the August 30 plebiscite on independence from Indonesia, but the world community didn't take measures to prevent it. /// END OPT /// Still, the arrival of a 75-hundred -member force is a welcome though belated effort to restore order.

TEXT: In Oklahoma, some advice for Indonesia's military from The Tulsa World.

VOICE: The commander of Indonesia's armed forces is supposedly the one person who can call off the militias in East Timor. Here's some free advice for the general: Do it-and - quickly. . Hundreds, maybe thousands, of East Timorese have been shot, beaten and hacked to death by roving bands of so-called militias .. The slaughter must end.

TEXT: We turn now to the United Nations' role in quelling violent conflicts, a role described before the General Assembly this week by U-N Secretary- General Kofi Annan. Annan's views get support from Florida's Times-Union in Jacksonville.

VOICE: This would be a better world if the United nations were to heed Secretary-General Kofi Annan's call for quick intervention in strife-torn areas to protect civilians. . It was bad enough in the past when civilians were accidental victims of warfare. But, increasingly, they are intentional targets. The United Nations should have sent troops to stop the killing fields in Cambodia, and it should have taken action against the slaughter in Rwanda.

TEXT: The New York Times, while cautious, on the use of U-S troops in situations like East Timor, nevertheless adds:

VOICE: But in today's world, civil war and genocidal conflicts can be badly destabilizing, and it is often in the American interest to be one participant among many in a well-designed U-N peacekeeping force rather than face constant pressure to lead an intervention or go in alone. /// OPT /// . When the 20th century began, civilians accounted for 15 percent of war casualties. Today the figure is 90 percent, mainly because most wars today are . internal conflicts fought in streets and villages. /// END OPT ///

TEXT: The New York Post takes strong exception to the Secretary-General's remarks, however, suggesting:

VOICE: Considering that whenever the U-N commits to an intervention, the United States inevitably bears the larger costs, both financial and logistical, [Mr.] Annan's suggestion is a recipe for disaster. ... Kofi Annan's heart is undoubtedly in the right place. But it is naive for him to believe that the United Nations should become involved in every nation's civil war. Naive and irresponsible, because he is making a promise neither he nor the organization he represents has the means to fulfill.

TEXT: Turning to the western hemisphere, there is some hope that Colombia is coming to grips with its problems, as President Andres Pastrana asks the United Nations General Assembly for what the Miami Herald calls "a breathtaking three-point-five billion dollars" over the next three years to stimulate the legitimate economy. The Herald says:

VOICE: Problems as complex and long-standing as those of Colombia clearly won't be overcome quickly or easily. Credit President Andres Pastrana for attempting a comprehensive approach to complicated issues in the strategy he unveiled Monday. But congratulations won't be in order until actions, not words, show the will to deliver results. .. As the world's biggest consumer of cocaine and heroin, the United States has a clear obligation to help Colombia fulfill this plan .

TEXT: The Los Angeles Times turns its attention to Germany, in particular, the difficulties besetting its relatively new chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder.

VOICE: German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is finding out that leading his Social Democrats to victory in general elections a year ago was the easy part .. Governing is proving much more difficult. All [Mr.] Schroeder had to do to win in last year's election was to campaign in opposition to the rule of Helmut Kohl. The formidable Christian Democrat leader had been in power for 16 years, and Germany simply wanted a change. [Mr.] Schroeder didn't stand for much then, and, a year into his term, German voters are still debating what he stands for. /// OPT /// But [Mr.] Schroeder has taken on something even the mighty [Mr.] Kohl couldn't accomplish . reforming Germany's welfare state. ///END OPT ///

TEXT: Back to Asian affairs, the deal with North Korea to suspend long-range missile testing in return for relaxation of economic sanctions by the United States continues to attract controversy. The Boston Globe calls it a "Smart tradeoff with North Korea," adding:

VOICE: Since North Korea hardly offers foreign investors the predictability or the contract law so desirable in the global marketplace, the price paid for a suspension of Pyongyang's anticipated missile launch is more symbolic than substantial. Nothing would be lost if North Korea did not keep its part of the bargain . [If] Pyongyang broke its promise, the old sanctions could be revived, new sanctions could be added and [it] could be confronted with both diplomatic and military responses to a missile launch.

TEXT: Taking strong exception to both the North Korean deal, and U-S policy toward China is Pennsylvania's Greensburg Tribune-Review.

VOICE: As expected, President Clinton has sacrificed national security in order to cozy up to [Editors: BEFRIEND]the Chinese government, easing trade sanctions against North Korea and ignoring North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms' call for sanctions against China. [Mr.] Clinton went ahead with easing restrictions administered under the Trading with the Enemy Act, even though North Korea has continued to behave as an enemy. .. Make no mistake, China and North Korea are positioning themselves to be major military threats in Asia and to extend their influence beyond the Pacific Rim. /// OPT /// [President] Clinton eased the restrictions on North Korea just over a year after North Korea fired a multi-stage rocket that flew over Japan and landed in the Pacific Ocean. Clinton rewards that aggression with trade benefits. /// END OPT ///

TEXT: The huge earthquake in Taiwan also comes in for comment, first from the earthquake-prone city of San Francisco, California, where The Chronicle notes:

VOICE: First Turkey, then Greece, and now Taiwan. Earthquakes have rumbled across the globe,/// OPT /// knocking down apartments, touching off fires and snapping bridges. Thousands have died. If it sounds familiar, it should. The quakes show the inadequacy of building codes, if the quakes are strong enough. Government services can easily be overwhelmed. /// END OPT /// . Along with a deadly human toll, earthquakes yield a cautionary reminder that the future cannot be controlled. But its dangers can be minimized by sensible precautions.

TEXT: Lastly, several newspapers, including The Chicago Tribune are bidding farewell to the former Soviet first lady, Raisa Gorbachev, who died this week of leukemia.

VOICE: Before Raisa Gorbachev appeared on the scene, the wives of Soviet leaders were rarely seen or heard from. They were colorless and without affect. They certainly did NOT play a role in their husbands' thinking processes - or nobody knew about it if they did. But she was as different and as controversial as he. She was fashionable and smart. She liked clothes. She spent money. She was an intellectual, a philosophy professor. She influenced his decisions. . She was scorned by many ordinary Russians, who considered her showy and haughty. ... But in death, Russian scorn has turned to deserved and affectionate tribute. ... Mikhail - and Raisa - Gorbachev made history and together changed the world forever. .

TEXT: On that note, we conclude this sampling of comment from Wednesday's U-S press.
NEB/ANG/JP 22-Sep-1999 12:24 PM EDT (22-Sep-1999 1624 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[08] WORLD ECONOMY IMPROVING (L-O) BY BARRY WOOD (WASHINGTON)

INTRO: The International Monetary Fund today (Wednesday) released an upbeat global economic outlook. The report reveals a steady and impressive worldwide rebound from the impact of Asia's recent financial turmoil. At the same time, I-M-F economists are concerned about a further rise in the value of the yen and want the U-S economy to slow down. VOA's Barry Wood has details.

TEXT: World output this year is expected to be up three percent and should expand by three point five percent in the year 2000. The United States continues to be the engine for these gains, with its nearly four percent growth rate pulling in imports from distressed Asian economies. Michael Mussa is the I-M-F chief economist.

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