Voice of America, 00-05-26

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

CONTENTS

[01] SERBIA / DEMOS BY IRENA GUZELOVA (BELGRADE)

[02] YUGO WAR CRIMES (L ONLY) BY LAUREN COMITEAU (THE HAGUE)

[03] CLINTON / EUROPE (L) BY DEBORAH TATE (WHITE HOUSE)

[04] NORTHERN IRELAND (L-ONITER) BY EVANS HAYS (LONDON)

[05] NORTHERN IRELAND (L) BY EVANS HAYS (LONDON)

[06] ULSTER / MAGINNIS BY EVANS HAYS (LONDON)

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

[08] FRIDAY'S EDITORIALS BY ANDREW GUTHRIE (WASHINGTON)

[01] SERBIA / DEMOS BY IRENA GUZELOVA (BELGRADE)

INTRO: Yugoslav authorities are proposing a new anti- terrorism law which critics say would greatly extend police powers and strengthen the government's ability to repress the opposition. Many suspect the law is aimed at opposition activists who have been taking part in protest demonstrations for the past week. But, as Irena Guzelova reports from Belgrade, many Serbs do not seem interested in the anti-government protests -- at least, not interested enough to take part.

TEXT: Serb police last week closed down the country's main opposition television station and two opposition radio stations. Thousands gathered to protest in downtown Belgrade -- a demonstration broken up by police using tear gas. One week later, the protests continue, but the crowds have dwindled. Barely one-thousand people gathered for this demonstration in front of Belgrade's city hall.

[02] YUGO WAR CRIMES (L ONLY) BY LAUREN COMITEAU (THE HAGUE)

INTRO: War crimes prosecutors in The Hague have finished their sixth week of presenting evidence in the case against Bosnian Serb General Radislav Krstic. As Lauren Comiteau reports from The Hague, General Krstic is charged with genocide for allegedly directing the murder of thousands of Muslim men and boys after the fall of the Bosnian town of Srebrenica in 1995.

TEXT: Prosecutors say they have found -- at the very least -- one-thousand-883 bodies. Most of them are men, and all were allegedly killed after Bosnian Serbs overran the U-N-declared safe area of Srebrenica. About 75-hundred people are believed to have been killed in the days that followed. The man who prosecutors say commanded the troops is 52-year old General Radislav Krstic. General Krstic listened impassively throughout the week as prosecutors brought in survivors of the massacres, forensic experts, and even an archaeologist to testify how the Bosnian Serb army carried out the executions and then attempted to cover them up. The week's first witness was a former soldier and a convicted war criminal -- Drazen Erdemovic. He had pled guilty to being part of an execution squad that murdered up to 12-hundred Muslims on a single day. Erdemovic was sentenced to five years for those crimes and, after serving part of his time in a Norwegian jail, voluntarily returned to The Hague to testify against the General.

[03] CLINTON / EUROPE (L) BY DEBORAH TATE (WHITE HOUSE)

INTRO: President Clinton is leaving Washington Monday on a week-long, four-nation trip to Europe. The highlight will be his first Moscow summit with Russia's newly-elected President Vladimir Putin. U-S officials are playing down expectations for any breakthrough on arms control at the Kremlin. White House correspondent Deborah Tate has this preview of the trip.

TEXT: Arms-control agreements traditionally have been the centerpiece of U-S - Russian summits, but U-S officials indicate this year will be an exception. Arms-control talks did get a boost in April, when the Russian Parliament approved the long-delayed START-Two agreement. START-Two aims to reduce each side's nuclear arsenal to between three-thousand and three- thousand-500 warheads. The United States would like to reduce the number of warheads further -- to between two-thousand and two- thousand-500 warheads -- under a START-Three accord. Russia is proposing even deeper cuts, but that is an idea that U-S Defense officials reject. Complicating arms-control talks is a dispute over changes the United States wants to make to the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, to allow for the establishment of a limited missile shield, to protect against potential attacks from what Washington calls "rogue states" -- including Iran, Iraq and North Korea. Russia opposes amending the A-B-M treaty, saying it would threaten decades of arms-control deals. Mr. Clinton is expected to decide on deployment of an anti-missile system later this year. But for now, the president's national security adviser, Sandy Berger, says he is not optimistic about major progress on arms control during Mr. Clinton's visit to Moscow, on June 4th and 5th.

[04] NORTHERN IRELAND (L-ONITER) BY EVANS HAYS (LONDON)

INTRO: Northern Ireland's main Protestant leader, David Trimble, and his Ulster Unionist Party are set to vote on whether to return to a power-sharing regional government with Catholics. As V-O-A's Evans Hays reports from London, hard-line Unionists oppose the move.

TEXT: In the hours leading up to the Saturday meeting of the Unionist governing council, Mr. Trimble urged party members to look to the future and vote yes on power-sharing. He rejected the hard-liners' stance, saying they have nothing new to offer. At the heart of this bitter debate is whether to accept a disarmament offer made this month by the Irish Republican Army (I-R-A). The I-R-A is putting its weapons in secure storage with international monitors checking to make sure the arms remain locked away. Mr. Trimble is in favor of putting the I-R-A's offer to the test. If the council vote goes his way, Britain will then move swiftly to restore a power-sharing regional executive that was suspended early this year. The suspension came because the I-R-A had so far failed to disarm as it had promised to do under terms of the 1998 Good Friday peace accord.

[05] NORTHERN IRELAND (L) BY EVANS HAYS (LONDON)

INTRO: Northern Ireland Protestant leader David Trimble has called on his Ulster Unionist Party to agree on plans to restore a power-sharing government to the province. His remarks came less than 24 hours before a crucial party meeting that could determine if peace and self-government can survive in Northern Ireland. As VOA's Evans Hays reports from London, Mr. Trimble was speaking after a meeting with his chief critic, hard-line Unionist Jeffrey Donaldson, who says Catholic guerrillas must first start disarming.

TEXT: Mr. Trimble wasted no time in making clear he rejected all hard-line efforts to delay a decision on this month's disarmament plan submitted by the Irish Republican Army (I-R-A). If the Unionists approve the plan, Britain is expected to move swiftly to restore a power-sharing Executive in Northern Ireland. Belfast's home-rule government was suspended in February, because the I-R-A failed to start disarming under the 1998 Good Friday peace accord. The I-R-A has since agreed to put its weapons in hidden depots that will be monitored by international observers. Mr. Trimble says this is a good start and it is time to put the I-R-A's promise to the test. Hard-liners, such as Mr. Donaldson, reject the I-R-A offer as too little. He said after Friday's meeting that power-sharing must come later, after the I-R-A proves it has truly given up its weapons. Mr. Trimble says the time for moving forward is now, not later.

[06] ULSTER / MAGINNIS BY EVANS HAYS (LONDON)

INTRO: In Northern Ireland, the largely-Protestant Ulster Unionist Party is facing the difficult choice of whether to accept an Irish Republican Army offer of disarmament, a move that will lead to restoration of a power-sharing government with Catholics. It is also a move that is bitterly opposed by hard-liners. V-O-A's Evans Hays spoke (by telephone) with Ken Maginnis, a Unionist Party spokesman and a long-time activist in the politics of Northern Ireland. Mr. Maginnis is guardedly optimistic about the future, but says deep fears in the community still must be overcome.

TEXT: Asked to predict the outcome of the Ulster Unionist Council vote Saturday in Belfast, Mr. Maginnis says he is reasonably sure that party leader David Trimble, who favors power-sharing now, will win the day. He says Mr. Trimble has worked hard to represent the entire community, a stance that he says has caused problems for those he describes as less generous. Mr. Maginnis says, while he hopes for a "yes" vote, he understands there are many people who are afraid the Irish Republican Army may still cling to violence.

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

INTRO: U-S stock prices were lower today (Friday) - though modestly - in a lackluster trading session before a long weekend. The stock market is closed Monday for the Memorial Day holiday. VOA correspondent Elaine Johanson reports from New York:

TEXT: The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 24 points, a fractional loss, to 10-thousand-299. The Standard and Poor's 500 index lost three points. The technology-weighted Nasdaq composite closed down less than a point. It has been a tough five days on Wall Street. The Dow Jones Industrials closed the week three percent lower. The Nasdaq lost over five percent. Most analysts expect the market eventually to rebound because it is fundamentally sound. So is the U-S economy.

[08] FRIDAY'S EDITORIALS BY ANDREW GUTHRIE (WASHINGTON)

INTRO: The congressional vote to normalize trade with China dominates the editorial columns of the U-S press this Friday, as the nation begins its three-day Memorial Day weekend. The holiday (on Monday), which also begins the summer vacation season here, honors those who died in U-S military service during armed conflicts. The border war in the Horn of Africa is another popular topic, as is a huge, proposed U-S airline merger. There are other editorials on the presidential debate about U-S global security; Peru's pending run-off [second-round] presidential election, which will have only one candidate; and Chile's move toward belated justice for former dictator Augusto Pinochet. Now, here with a closer look and some excerpts is __________ and today's U-S Editorial Digest.

TEXT: The U-S House of Representatives vote Wednesday afternoon to normalize trade relations with China, rather than review them annually, is drawing a good deal of comment from around the country. In the Pacific Ocean island state of Hawaii, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin says the move "will benefit U-S exports to China and could strengthen Washington's ability to influence Chinese policies."

VOICE: The wisest policy for the United States is to engage China more deeply in trade and diplomatic relations, in the hope that such engagement may help to moderate China's objectionable behavior.

TEXT: The Oklahoman, in Oklahoma City, is skeptical rather than pleased, wondering: "What's to keep China in check now?":

VOICE: We can't say for sure that giving Communist China normal trade privileges will fail to help freedom spread in that brutally totalitarian regime. Nor can we be certain it will fail to reduce the threat posed by China toward the United States and its allies, especially Taiwan. We can say we hope backers of permanent normal trade relations are right -- because Wednesday's vote in the House ... and the one likely to follow in the Senate ... will take away one of the last tools available to the U-S to leverage the Chinese.

TEXT: In Ohio, the Akron Beacon Journal is pleased the bill passed, but feels President Clinton's claims for the measure, and his support, were both hypocritical and somewhat exaggerated.

VOICE: [President] Clinton, in attempting to rally and prepare the country, has tended to over-sell the impact of a single trade agreement. The cumulative effect of wider trade is positive, the direction beneficial in the long run. ... [However,] the Chinese can be expected to be vexing. Confrontations are likely to surface over human rights and saber- rattling toward Taiwan. What is decisive is the Chinese willingness to join the World Trade Organization, to play by international rules that encourage openness and exchange.

TEXT: The Beacon Journal chides Mr. Clinton for virtually ignoring fears that human rights in China will suffer from the bill's passage. And in New Jersey's capital, The [Trenton] Times urges the Senate to follow the lead of the House and make "the right decision on China" next month.

VOICE: China has indeed been isolated for years, in an estrangement of its own making. Now, however, it is asking to join the international community. For the United States to reject that request would be a great mistake.

TEXT: We turn now to the Horn of Africa where renewed fighting has broken out between Ethiopia and Eritrea, over what appears to the U-S press as a barran swath of desert land on the two countries' ill-defined border. Today's Washington Post, noting current Ethiopian advances and the prospect of Ethiopia destroying Eritrea's military, says the West should have done more to head off this conflict.

VOICE: Perhaps it was understandable -- even wise -- to have given [Eritrean President Isaias] Afwerki and [Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles] Zenawi a chance to work things out. But it's harder to comprehend why the United States and its allies took no steps to establish an international arms embargo or to shut off some one-billion dollars in World Bank loans to these two countries during the past two years -- a time when they were spending one-billion dollars on weapons for their new war.

TEXT: The Wall Street Journal also despairs of the situation, suggesting it presents this dilemma for western policymakers: "How can they starve a war without fueling a famine?" The Journal then goes on to categorically agree with The Washington Post about the failure to stop the arms buildup.

VOICE: Western officials did nothing when satellite photos revealed that both Ethiopia and Eritrea were girding for a fight. Intelligence agencies tracked the movement of warplanes, tanks, howitzers, helicopters and shoulder- launched missiles from Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, China and North Korea. If the United Nations ever intended to impose sanctions for arms-control violations, last year's arms avalanche would have been justification enough.

TEXT: The big domestic item of discussion today is the potential airline merger between the nation's biggest carrier, United Airlines, and U-S Airways, the sixth-largest airline. Several cities served principally by one of those airlines are worried about their future service. In Pittsburgh, the Post-Gazette is concerned:

VOICE: The chairmen of both companies ... portrayed the proposed purchase in soothing terms. They said the two airlines' route systems make a perfect fit, with little overlap. ... Then they said everyone at U-S Airways would be guaranteed a job for at least two years. But then what? We're sure that most American workers want to be employed for longer than two years. ... On this key point, the chairmen of the airlines have to do better. ... In the end, which won't come for several years, Pittsburgh may well be better for United's purchase of U-S Airways. But it's difficult to be completely confident of that right now.

TEXT: In Cleveland, Ohio, much less affected because neither airline is a major carrier there, The Plain Dealer says:

VOICE: The proposed acquisition ... should invite tough scrutiny by the [U-S] Justice and Transportation departments.

TEXT: Turning to the U-S presidential campaign, the Republican candidate, Texas Governor George W. Bush, has spelled out his views on national security. Mr. Bush's comments prompted this reply from The Boston Globe:

VOICE: [Governor] Bush might be tantalizingly vague about some matters, but the issues he addressed concern the gravest responsibilities of a commander-in-chief. As [Mr.] Bush properly noted, there is a need to question premises of the nation's nuclear doctrine that have remained largely unchanged and unexamined since the sudden end of the Cold War. One Bush proposal on nuclear missiles that could greatly enhance the security of Americans is his intention to "remove as many weapons as possible from high- alert, hair-trigger status."

TEXT: The New York Times is pleased that both Governor Bush and Vice President Al Gore have begun to explore these issues.

VOICE: America's security will be best protected if the next president moves boldly to cut nuclear arms without suddenly overturning the carefully-calibrated balance between offensive and defensive weapons that has long been central to preserving the peace.

TEXT: Quickly now to Latin America, where Peruvians are to vote this Sunday in the second round of their presidential election - which the U-S press sees as an exercise in futility rather than democracy. The Hartford [Connecticut] Courant is disappointed that challenger Alejandro Toledo has dropped out of his opposition to the incumbent Alberto Fujimori, because Mr. Toledo fears the balloting will be rigged.

VOICE: Having gotten this far, one would think ... Mr. Toledo would stay in the race. But he has given up. // OPT // The challenger said he won't participate in Sunday's contest because there's no guarantee that the fraudulent tactics used in the first election won't be repeated.

TEXT: Nearby, in Chile, a Santiago court has stripped former military dictator Augusto Pinochet of his immunity from prosecution as a senator for life. In Nebraska, Omaha's World-Herald feels this will be a better solution, than a human rights trial in Spain -- the scenario that appeared likely last year, after General Pinochet was placed under house arrest for almost two years in Britain on a Spanish arrest warrant.

VOICE: A Chilean resolution, even if the result isn't globally pleasing, could be better -- indeed healthier -- for Chilean society than to have its prerogatives snatched away by Spain. [General] Pinochet, if he is to be judged at all in this life, should face his countrymen, not a court of strangers halfway around the world.

TEXT: On that note, we conclude this sampling of comments from Friday's U-S press.
NEB/ANG/WTW 26-May-2000 11:32 AM EDT (26-May-2000 1532 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

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