Voice of America, 00-03-08

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

CONTENTS

[01] KOSOVO / MITROVICA (L-ONLY) BY STEFAN BOS (BUDAPEST)

[02] ALBRIGHT / BOSNIA (S L VERSION) BY KYLE KING (SARAJEVO)

[03] ALBRIGHT / BOSNIA (L-UPDATE) BY KYLE KING (BRCKO)

[04] ALBRIGHT / BOSNIA (L-ONITER) BY KYLE KING (SARAJEVO)

[05] E-U / AUSTRIA (L-ONLY) BY RON PEMSTEIN (BRUSSELS)

[06] NY ECON WRAP (S&L) BY ELAINE JOHANSON (NEW YORK)

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

[01] KOSOVO / MITROVICA (L-ONLY) BY STEFAN BOS (BUDAPEST)

INTRO: Thousands of ethnic Albanian women marched through the ethnically-divided city of Kosovska Mitrovica in Kosovo Wednesday, demanding the return of missing relatives and an end to violence in the area. As Stefan Bos reports from Budapest, the demonstration comes at a moment when NATO officials are increasingly concerned that peacekeeping troops may be unable to prevent further ethnic clashes.

TEXT: Witnesses say thousands of ethnic Albanian women, carrying photographs of missing relatives, marched through Kosovska Mitrovica demanding justice and an end to violence in the city, which diplomats have called "the most dangerous place in Europe." The silent protest focused on ethnic Albanian claims that many men and women were kidnapped when Serb troops pulled out of Kosovo province last year, after 78 days of NATO air strikes. The demonstration followed an early-morning explosion in Mitrovica, where clashes between Serbs and Albanians on Tuesday wounded at least 16 peacekeepers and more than 20 civilians. Despite the tension, U-N officials continued Wednesday to register Serbs who want to return to their homes in the town's southern, Albanian-dominated section. Barbed wire still separates Mitrovica's Serb and Albanian neighborhoods. French troops have been distributing food to ethnic- Albanian families who recently returned to their homes in a Serb-controlled area (north of the Ibar River). Continuing violence has kept the families confined to their apartments. U-N officials and leaders of the K-FOR peacekeeping force in Kosovo say they intend to unite Mitrovica, whose ethnic divisions have remained frozen since last year. Plans call for the resettlement of thousands of ethnic Serbs and Albanians.

[02] ALBRIGHT / BOSNIA (S L VERSION) BY KYLE KING (SARAJEVO)

INTRO: U-S Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has arrived in Bosnia-Herzegovina for talks on ways to bridge lingering animosities between the Muslim, Serb and Croat communities. V-O-A's Kyle King has this report from the Bosnian capital -- the third stop on Ms. Albright's ten-day European visit.

TEXT: The highlight of Ms. Albright's first day in Bosnia is a visit to the strategic Northern city, Brcko, where she will take part in a ceremony inaugurating its new multi-ethnic governing body. The once-prosperous town was the scene of fierce fighting during the Bosnian war and was in Serb hands when fighting ended in 1995. The city straddles a narrow stretch of land that connects the eastern and western parts of the Bosnian Serb entity called the Republika Srpska. Its location was so important that control was handed over to an international supervisor who ordered it to be demilitarized. Control is being turning to local officials who are expected to be independent of Bosnia's Serb and Muslim-Croat federations. A senior U-S officials hailed the arrangement as an example of progress in bringing the formally-warring factions together but acknowledged there could be lingering problems.

[03] ALBRIGHT / BOSNIA (L-UPDATE) BY KYLE KING (BRCKO)

INTRO: U-S Secretary of State Madeline Albright says the establishment of a multi-ethnic government in the strategic Bosnian city of Brcko can be a model for the country and the entire region. The secretary was in the northern Bosnian city to help inaugurate its new governing system - which will try to overcome lingering animosity between Muslims, Serbs and Croats. V-O-A's Kyle King has this report from Brcko.

TEXT: Secretary of State Albright flew to Brcko by helicopter so she could join international officials who formally inaugurated the new legal system that outlines how the strategic district will be administered. Many Serbs have bitterly resisted their loss of control in Brcko, which straddles a narrow stretch of land connecting the eastern and western parts of Bosnia's Serb Republic. Secretary of State Albright acknowledged that resolving lingering animosities between the Muslims, Serbs and Croats will not be easy. But she called the new governing statute a model for the country.

[04] ALBRIGHT / BOSNIA (L-ONITER) BY KYLE KING (SARAJEVO)

INTRO: Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is wrapping up (has wrapped up) her visit to Bosnia- Herzegovina, where she hailed recent efforts to increase cooperation between Muslims, Croats and Serbs and urged the Sarajevo government to move more quickly on reforms. V-O-A's Kyle King is traveling with the Secretary and files this report.

TEXT: Secretary of State Albright says next month's municipal elections in Bosnia can be a key step toward the goal of a multi-ethnic society. The Secretary, who scheduled talks with Bosnian Serb, Muslim and Croat officials during her two-day visit, also met with key opposition leaders from the ethnic communities. During a news conference in Sarajevo late Wednesday, Ms. Albright said it was up to elected authorities to improve the country's prospects by cracking down on corruption and acting on fundamental economic reforms.

[05] E-U / AUSTRIA (L-ONLY) BY RON PEMSTEIN (BRUSSELS)

INTRO: Austrian President Thomas Klestil has urged the European Commission to judge the Austrian government by its actions. Correspondent Ron Pemstein reports from Brussels that the Austrian leader's visit did little to change the political realities of Austria's isolation within the European Union.

TEXT: Thomas Klestil is one of the few Austrian leaders to be welcomed by the European Commission. He is credited with forcing Freedom Party leader Joerg Haider to sign a declaration committing the new center-right government to European values. Mr. Haider has since resigned as party leader, but that action has not changed the E-U policy to isolate Austria so long as the far-right Freedom Party remains in the government. European Commission President Romano Prodi says through an interpreter, the Commission will deal with Austria as a Union member but it will also defend European values.

[06] NY ECON WRAP (S&L) BY ELAINE JOHANSON (NEW YORK)

INTRO: U-S stock prices were up today (Wednesday). But gains were limited following Tuesday's big sell- off which shaved 374 points off the Dow Jones Industrials. V-O-A correspondent Elaine Johanson reports from New York:

TEXT: The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 60 points, less than one percent, closing at 98-hundred- 56. Despite the bounce, analysts say the "blue-chip" index associated now with the so-called "old economy" - continues to be haunted by an environment of rising interest rates. Investors worry that higher rates will cut into corporate profits. The Standard and Poor's 500 index rose 11 points. Meanwhile, the technology-weighted Nasdaq composite was down most of the day but rebounded for a one percent gain. Analysts attributed the reversal of fortune - albeit a modest one for the "blue-chips" - partly to a three- dollar a barrel drop in crude oil prices.

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

INTRO: Wednesday's editorial pages in the United States are filled with comment on the Super Tuesday presidential primary election returns. Both Texas Governor George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore won big, casting doubts that either Democrat Bill Bradley or Republican John McCain will continue their campaigns. Other topics include more thoughts on the Middle East peace process, President Clinton's decision to visit Pakistan on his forthcoming sub-continent trip and dealing with China on trade and human rights. Now, here is _________ with a closer look in today's Editorial Digest.

TEXT: First to the election results and the general impression in most editorials that the predicted front-runners -- Governor Bush and Vice President Gore are now the all-but-certain candidates in the general election. The New York Times notes:

VOICE: The importance of the voting ... could be seen as both Mr. Bush and Mr. Gore issued gracious compliments to the men they defeated and immediately turned their sights on each other. Given the likelihood that the vice president will be running against the son of the man defeated by President Clinton in 1992, it was interesting that both his and Mr. Bush's speeches looked back as well as forward.

TEXT: In defeat, Arizona Senator John McCain, who won four New England states, got this assessment from The Hartford [Connecticut] Courant.

VOICE: Though John McCain's bid for the Republican presidential nomination might not survive Super Tuesday's round of primaries, one thing is for certain: The Arizona senator's reform message resonated in ... much of ... New England. ... Mr. McCain has been a breath of fresh air in American politics. ... [His] character and the lodestones of his message -- cleaning up the rotten campaign finance system and rejecting the intolerance shown by many leaders of the religious right -- have appealed ... to moderates everywhere ...

TEXT: In his home state of Texas, Governor Bush's victories draw this opinion from The Dallas Morning News.

VOICE: Governor Bush must especially work fast to capture the independents who have so strongly backed Senator McCain. N-B-C News reported Tuesday that 40 percent of Mr. McCain's supporters plan to vote for Al Gore in November. Governor Bush holds an ace, however, with his strong centrist record as governor. His progressive stands on education and social inclusion should play well with independents and "McCain Republicans."

TEXT: In case anyone still has doubts that the two major candidates have already been chosen, The Atlanta Journal wants to set the record straight.

VOICE: So now we get down to the heart of the matter -- the real campaign between two major parties with two very different visions of what America is and how it should be governed. ... the voting in Super Tuesday's elections has effectively set the stage for the political combat that will take us to Election Day in November.

TEXT: Turning to international affairs, and the Middle East first, The Boston Globe sees an irony in complaints from its neighbors about Israel's newly reaffirmed decision to pull out of Southern Lebanon by July.

VOICE: Lebanese and Syrian officials had long lamented Israel's 18-year-year occupation of southern Lebanon, demanding that Israel withdraw unconditionally, in conformity with United Nations resolutions. Now that Israel has stated its readiness to stage such a withdrawal, the Syrian regime of Hafez Assad and its vassals in Beirut are complaining that a unilateral Israeli restoration of Lebanon's territorial integrity would be a dirty trick.

TEXT: The Globe concludes that complete freedom and independence for Lebanon will require not only the Israeli withdrawal, but also the pull-out of Syria's 40-thousand troops as well. On New York's Long Island, Newsday calls the Israeli decision a bold step, but wonders whether "[Mr.] Barak's Gamble [will] Bring Syria to the Peace Table?" After weeks of consideration, President Clinton has decided to include a stop in Pakistan on his forthcoming trip to the sub-continent, drawing this warning to Islamabad from The New York Times.

VOICE: President Clinton's decision ... should not be seen as an American endorsement of General Pervez Musharraf, that country's military ruler. Since seizing power last October, General Musharraf has ignored Washington's concerns in three vital areas. He refuses to cut links with international terrorist groups, resists treaty commitments to curb Pakistan's nuclear weapons program and declines to take steps toward restoring democratic rule. For these reasons, Mr. Clinton would have done better to skip Pakistan, limiting his visit to India and Bangladesh.

TEXT: In the Balkans, the on-going violence in the Kosovo city of Mitrovica, and elsewhere, suggests to Honolulu's Star-Bulletin in Tuesday afternoon's edition, that Washington's European allies should "assume a larger share of the peacekeeping burden."

VOICE: The continuing tensions should call attention to U-S policy in Kosovo and Bosnia and the dangers of being caught in another quagmire. John ... Hulsman, an analyst with the conservative Heritage Foundation, argues that the United States has borne an excessive share of the burden of the NATO operation in Kosovo. He maintains that current commitments constitute a drain that is damaging U-S military readiness to fight in other situations. ... Having shouldered most of the burden for the bombing campaign, the United States should now let its allies deal with the problems of peacekeeping, [Mr.] Hulsman says. That makes sense ...

TEXT: Moving on to Asian affairs, the yearly Congressional debate over granting China normal trading status is complicated by that nation's latest saber rattling (threats) against Taiwan, and a renewed human rights crackdown. However, The Detroit [Michigan] Free Press asserts:

VOICE: Against this backdrop, [Mr.] Clinton is asking Congress not only to renew China's trading status but to make it permanent, avoiding the annual battle and smoothing the way for China's membership in the World Trade Organization. It doesn't minimize the seriousness of China's sins to say ... the president has it right.

TEXT: The Dallas [Texas] Morning News, meanwhile, is concerned with international issues closer to home. It joins environmentalists in celebrating a Mexican government decision not to allow construction of a Japanese-owned salt plant near a breeding ground for Grey whales in Baja California. The newspaper credits the power of the increasingly global economy, and worldwide protests, in aiding the decision.

VOICE: Environmentalists had complained that the proposed salt works in a pristine desert lagoon would harm a [threatened] species of whale that uses the lagoon to [have its calves]. An exhaustive study had indicated no danger to the whales. But Mr. Zedillo canceled the project anyway on the grounds that the project would "modify the landscape of the lagoon" and thereby harm tourism.

TEXT: Still in the Western Hemisphere, the return to Chile of that nation's former dictator, General Augusto Pinochet, draws this response from the Houston [Texas] Chronicle.

VOICE: General ... Pinochet ...returned to his country a frail and much diminished figure after being detained in Britain for almost a year-and- a-half. His formal welcome by Chile's military, however, indicates that the anti-democratic flames [General] Pinochet once fanned remain bright embers. Chile has not fully recovered from the trauma of [General] Pinochet's rule. ... Unfortunately, Chile's military has shown that it does not yet accept the essential democratic principle of civilian control of the armed forces.

TEXT: Wednesday's St. Petersburg [Florida] Times is upset that the Immigration and Naturalization Service continues to treat the children of illegal immigrants caught trying to enter this country, as criminals. The newspaper points out that the children are not responsible for their parents' actions.

VOICE: The Immigration and Naturalization Service says children detained by the agency must be moved to a safe, kid-friendly environment within 72 hours of their initial detention, unless they are suspected criminals or considered a flight risk. Advocates for these children say that rule rarely is enforced. Instead, immigrant children typically are separated from their loved ones and locked in juvenile detention facilities, often before the I-N-S has a chance to determine the family's status.

TEXT: Finally, on the controversial topic of global warming and the greenhouse gases that allegedly are worsening it, The St. Louis [Missouri] Post-Dispatch, is upset. The paper says "the nation that spews the most greenhouse gases is taking small steps where a giant leap for mankind is required" to deal with the problem. And the newspaper says there is plenty of blame to go around.

VOICE: President Bill Clinton won't or can't make the leap to enact truly meaningful legislation, encouraging serious development of non-fossil fuels or reforming the "light-truck" mileage standards of S-U-Vs [Editors: sports utility vehicles] which now account for 40 percent of all new cars. Members of Congress, beholden to campaign contributors, also will not take the leap to attack a problem that is not yet burdensome in day-to-day life. As sprawl widens around St. Louis and Kansas City, the Missouri legislature will not take the leap to reform the gas tax so some of it could be spent on mass transit. Few commuters take the leap to organize car pools. Even fewer decide to move closer to work in small dwellings that are easier to heat and cool.

TEXT: That assessment concludes this sampling of editorial comment from Wednesday's U-S press.
NEB/ANG/JP 08-Mar-2000 11:34 AM EDT (08-Mar-2000 1634 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

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