Voice of America, 97-04-08

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

CONTENTS

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

[02] FRANCE RUSSIA NATO (L) BY JULIAN NUNDY (PARIS)

[03] GERMAN EXTREMISTS (L-ONLY) BY THOMAS ANDERSSEN (BONN)

[04] MOLDOVA AND RUSSIA BY JOAN BEECHER (WASHINGTON)

[05] SOCCER STOCKS (L-ONLY) BY NEIL ROSENBERG (LONDON)

[06] TUESDAY'S EDITORIALS BY ANDREW N. GUTHRIE (WASHINGTON)

[07] TURKEY/ISRAEL (L-ONLY) BY AMBERIN ZAMAN (ANKARA)

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

INTRO: STOCK PRICES ON KEY MARKETS IN WESTERN EUROPE CLOSED MIXED ON TUESDAY. FOR THE CLOSING FIGURES, HERE IS V-O-A'S PAUL FRANCUCH IN OUR LONDON OFFICE.

TEXT: AFTER THE SUBSTANTIAL REBOUND IN PRICES REGISTERED ON MONDAY, ACTIVITY SEEMED MORE TEMPERED ON TUESDAY HERE IN LONDON AND ON THE OTHER BIG MARKETS IN FRANKFURT AND PARIS.

THE STRONG DOLLAR MAY HAVE BEEN A FACTOR IN DRIVING UP PRICES ON THE FRANKFURT "DAX 30" INDEX. IT CLOSED WITH A GAIN OF 17 POINTS. IN PARIS, THE "CAC 40" INDEX ADDED ALMOST SEVEN POINTS AT THE END OF TRADING. BUT HERE IN LONDON, THE "FINANCIAL TIMES" 100 INDEX OF BRITISH STOCKS LOST ABOUT TWO-AND-A-HALF POINTS FOR THE DAY.

THE GERMAN MARK FELL AGAIN IN TRADING AGAINST BOTH THE POUND AND THE DOLLAR. THE U-S CURRENCY IN LONDON TRADING GAINED A FRACTION OF A CENT AGAINST BOTH THE MARK AND THE POUND. GOLD CLOSED LOWER BY 85 CENTS, SELLING AT THE CLOSING FIX FOR 348-DOLLARS-45 CENTS AN OUNCE. (SIGNED)
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08-Apr-97 1:06 PM EDT (1706 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[02] FRANCE RUSSIA NATO (L) BY JULIAN NUNDY (PARIS)

INTRO: FRANCE SAYS IT HOPES RUSSIA WILL SOON CONCLUDE AN AGREEMENT WITH NATO TO END THE TENSION OVER THE ALLIANCE'S EXPANSION PLANS. JULIAN NUNDY REPORTS FROM PARIS.

TEXT: RUSSIA'S FOREIGN MINISTER YEVGENY PRIMAKOV HAS BEEN HOLDING TALKS WITH THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT TO DEFINE RUSSIA'S FUTURE RELATIONS WITH NATO.

AFTER HIS FIRST ROUND OF TALKS, FRENCH PRIME MINISTER ALAIN JUPPE SAID FRANCE HOPES THAT RUSSIA WILL BE ABLE TO SIGN AN AGREEMENT IN PARIS BY THE END OF MAY.

THE ISSUE OF RUSSIA'S RELATIONS WITH THE ALLIANCE HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT QUESTIONS BETWEEN MOSCOW AND THE WEST IN THE POST-COMMUNIST ERA.

RUSSIAN MILITARY COMMANDERS, BROUGHT UP ON A DIET OF OPPOSITION TO NATO WHEN THEY WERE OFFICERS IN THE FORMER SOVIET ARMED FORCES, FIND THE PROSPECT OF NATO EXPANDING TO RUSSIA'S WESTERN FRONTIERS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO DIGEST.

THE ISSUE WAS AT THE HEART OF A SUMMIT MEETING IN HELSINKI LAST MONTH BETWEEN PRESIDENT CLINTON AND HIS RUSSIAN COUNTERPART, BORIS YELTSIN.

MR. PRIMAKOV, WHO IS DUE TO SEE PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC DURING HIS TWO-DAY VISIT TO PARIS, BEGAN HIS TALKS BY SEEING FIRST MR. JUPPE AND THEN FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER HERVE DE CHARETTE. AFTER RECEIVING MR. PRIMAKOV WEDNESDAY, MR. CHIRAC IS DUE TO FLY TO BONN FOR TALKS WITH CHANCELLOR HELMUT KOHL THAT WILL COVER NATO AND A NUMBER OF OTHER EUROPEAN PROBLEMS. MR. JUPPE, NOTING THAT FRANCE FAVORS NATO EXPANSION, SAID HOWEVER THAT THE FUTURE SHAPE OF THE WESTERN ALLIANCE MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO BECOME WHAT HE CALLED THE SOURCE OF "NEW LINES OF FRACTURE."

NATO'S AIM IS TO CONCLUDE AN AGREEMENT WITH RUSSIA BEFORE THE NATO COUNCIL IN MADRID THIS JULY. FRENCH OFFICIALS SAID THAT, DESPITE MR. JUPPE'S OPTIMISM THAT AN ACCORD CAN BE WORKED OUT IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, NO DATE FOR THE SIGNATURE HAS YET BEEN SET.

THE NEW AGREEMENT IS DUE TO LAY DOWN A MECHANISM OF CONSULTATION AND CONFIDENCE-BUILDING MEASURES TO ALLAY MOSCOW'S FEARS THAT THE EXPANDED ALLIANCE, LIKELY TO INCLUDE THE CZECH REPUBLIC, HUNGARY AND POLAND, WILL NOT CONSTITUTE A THREAT TO RUSSIAN SECURITY. (SIGNED)
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08-Apr-97 2:14 PM EDT (1814 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[03] GERMAN EXTREMISTS (L-ONLY) BY THOMAS ANDERSSEN (BONN)

INTRO: EACH YEAR, A GERMAN GOVERNMENT GROUP KNOWN AS THE "FEDERAL OFFICE FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE CONSTITUTION" ISSUES A REPORT LISTING ALL THE COUNTRY'S STATISTICS ON CRIME AND EXTREMIST GROUPS. ON TUESDAY, ITS REPORT FOR THE YEAR 1996 SHOWS THAT RIGHT-WING EXTREMISM IN GERMANY IS STILL WIDELY PREVALENT, BUT THAT VIOLENCE BY LEFT-WING RADICALS IS ALSO SLIGHTLY INCREASING. REPORTER THOMAS ANDERSSEN IN BONN HAS DETAILS.

TEXT: THE WATCHDOG REPORT SHOWS THAT RIGHT-WING EXTREMISM IS STILL THE BIGGEST THREAT TO GERMANY'S INNER SECURITY. // OPT // EIGHT-THOUSAND-700 CRIMINAL ACTS BY RIGHT-WINGERS WERE RECORDED DURING 1996, COMPARED TO 930 BY LEFT-WING ACTIVISTS. // END OPT // DESPITE THE OUTCRY AGAINST NEO-NAZI VIOLENCE IN RECENT YEARS, YOUNG PEOPLE ARE CONTINUING TO MOVE INTO THE RIGHT-WING "SKINHEAD" (EXTREMIST) SCENE. OFFICIALLY, THERE ARE 64-HUNDRED NEO-NAZIS LIVING IN GERMANY, AND 55 SKINHEAD BANDS PLAYING EXCLUSIVELY HEAVY-METAL, RIGHT-WING MUSIC.

THE REPORT ACKNOWLEDGES THAT BOTH SIDES OF THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM ARE BECOMING MORE SOPHISTICATED AND USING THE INTERNET TO EXCHANGE THEIR PROPAGANDA. FOR INSTANCE, LEFT WING ACTIVISTS RECENTLY ISSUED A WEB PAGE TELLING ANTI-NUCLEAR PROTESTERS HOW TO SABOTAGE TRAINS.

ISLAMIC RADICALS HAVE BECOME MORE ACTIVE IN GERMANY. INTERIOR MINISTER MANFRED KANTHER FEARS THEIR ACTIVITIES COULD SPARK A STRONG NEGATIVE CAMPAIGN TOWARD THE COUNTRY'S LARGE TURKISH POPULATION.

THE P-D-S PARTY (PARTY OF DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM), WHICH IS A REFORMED VERSION OF OLD EAST GERMANY'S ALL-POWERFUL COMMUNISTS, IS AGAIN LABELED IN THE REPORT AS BEING ANTI-DEMOCRATIC. ALTHOUGH THERE ARE P-D-S DELEGATES IN GERMANY'S PARLIAMENT, THE REPORT CONDEMNS THE PARTY FOR ITS WILLINGNESS TO TOLERATE POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND FOR HAVING LINKS TO LEFT-WING EXTREMISTS.

SOME THINGS, HOWEVER, NEVER CHANGE. ACCORDING TO THE REPORT, RUSSIAN SPIES ARE STILL ACTIVE IN GERMANY -- A THROWBACK TO THE DAYS OF THE EAST-WEST COLD WAR. MORE SURPRISINGLY THOUGH, MR. KANTHER REVEALED THAT GERMAN POLICE EVEN CAUGHT A U-S SPY LAST YEAR. (SIGNED)
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08-Apr-97 11:46 AM EDT (1546 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[04] MOLDOVA AND RUSSIA BY JOAN BEECHER (WASHINGTON)

INTRO: ON THURSDAY, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER YEVGENY PRIMAKOV IS SCHEDULED TO VISIT MOLDOVA. AT THE TOP OF HIS AGENDA WILL BE THE DEADLOCKED TALKS OVER THE SETTLEMENT OF THE CONFLICT BETWEEN MOLDOVA AND THE DNIESTER REPUBLIC, WHICH FIRST PROCLAIMED ITS INDEPENDENCE FROM MOLDOVA IN 1990. THIS IS ONE OF THE OLDEST INTERNAL CONFLICTS IN

TEXT: THE SELF-PROCLAIMED DNIESTER REPUBLIC -- OTHERWISE KNOWN AS TRANSDNIESTER -- IS A NARROW STRIP OF TERRITORY IN EASTERN MOLDOVA, BORDERING UKRAINE, OF WHICH IT WAS ONCE A PART. IT IS MORE THAN ONE THOUSAND KILOMETERS AWAY FROM RUSSIA, AND RUSSIANS ARE A MINORITY IN THE POPULATION, COMPRISING ONLY 25 PERCENT.

YET FOR YEARS, THE ORTHODOX COMMUNIST LEADERS OF TRANSDNIESTER HAVE ADVERTISED THE REGION AS A "LITTLE PIECE OF RUSSIA," WHICH IN TURN HAS GUARANTEED IT THE SUPPORT OF ULTRANATIONALISTS BACK IN MOSCOW. AT FIRST, THEY ALSO ADVERTISED IT AS THE "CORE" OF A RECONSTITUTED SOVIET UNION, WHICH GUARANTEED IT THE SUPPORT OF THE COMMUNISTS IN MOSCOW.

FURTHERMORE, TRANSDNIESTER HAS ENJOYED THE PROTECTION OF THE RUSSIAN MILITARY, SPECIFICALLY OF THE 14TH ARMY THAT IS STILL QUARTERED THERE, ALTHOUGH IT HAS BEEN DOWNGRADED TO THE LEVEL OF AN "OPERATIONAL GROUP OF FORCES." WHEN FIGHTING FINALLY BROKE OUT BETWEEN MOLDOVA AND TRANSDNIESTER IN 1992, THE 14TH ARMY SIDED WITH THE LATTER. ACCORDING TO VLADIMIR SOCOR, A SENIOR ANALYST WITH THE JAMESTOWN FOUNDATION, THE RUSSIAN MILITARY CONTINUE TO BE CONVINCED THAT RUSSIA NEEDS TO RETAIN TRANSDNIESTER AS A BASE.

TAPE: CUT #1 SOCOR "MOLDOVA, INCLUDING TRANSDNIESTER, HAS HISTORICALLY BEEN THE STAGING AREA FOR RUSSIAN OPERATIONS IN SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE. IN THE SPECIFIC SITUATION TODAY, TRANSDNIESTER CAN BE A USEFUL STAGING AREA FOR OPERATIONS, FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE BALKAN CONFLICT THEATER. IT IS ALSO A MILITARY OUTPOST, WHICH OUTFLANKS UKRAINE....TO POSTULATE IN THIS DAY AND AGE THAT A CONVENTIONAL CONFLICT WOULD ARISE IN THE REGION, WHICH WOULD NECESSITATE USING RUSSIAN FORCES EITHER AGAINST UKRAINE OR IN THE BALKAN THEATER, I THINK IT IS VERY MUCH OLD-FASHIONED AND COLD WAR TYPE OF THINKING....BUT IT SEEMS TO BE THE THINKING THAT GOVERNS RUSSIAN MILITARY POLICY IN THE REGION."

TEXT: THAT THINKING -- WHICH HAS ONLY BEEN REINFORCED BY THE EASTWARD EXPANSION OF NATO -- IS SHARED BY A SIZEABLE SEGMENT OF THE RUSSIAN PARLIAMENT. BUT THE KEY QUESTION IS WHETHER IT IS SHARED BY THE RUSSIAN POLITICAL LEADERSHIP -- THE PRESIDENT AND THE CABINET OF MINISTERS.

PROFESSOR STEPHEN BOWERS OF JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY ARGUES THAT THE GOALS OF THE POLITICAL LEADERSHIP DIFFER FROM THOSE OF THE MILITARY LEADERSHIP. AS AN ILLUSTRATION OF THAT DIFFERENCE, PROFESSOR BOWERS CITES THE CONFLICT BETWEEN PRESIDENT YELTSIN AND FORMER 14TH ARMY COMMANDER ALEXANDER LEBED WHICH AROSE AFTER THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT SIGNED AN AGREEMENT WITH THE MOLDOVAN GOVERNMENT OF FORMER PRESIDENT MIRCEA [PRONOUNCED MIR'CHA] SNEGUR IN OCTOBER, 1994. THAT AGREEMENT PROVIDED FOR THE WITHDRAWAL OF RUSSIAN TROOPS FROM TRANSDNIESTER OVER A THREE-YEAR PERIOD. GENERAL LEBED, AT THE TIME, ACCUSED PRESIDENT YELTSIN OF BETRAYING THE INTERESTS OF ETHNIC RUSSIANS IN MOLDOVA.

TAPE: CUT #2 BOWERS "YELTSIN WAS BETRAYING RUSSIAN INTERESTS IN MOLDOVA, FIRST, BY AGREEING TO THAT DOCUMENT FOR THE WITHDRAWAL OF RUSSIAN TROOPS FROM MOLDOVA. THAT WAS PART OF IT. ANOTHER THING WAS NOT DECLARING THE GOVERNMENT IN KISHINEV [CHISINAU] UNDER SNEGUR AS BEING PRO-ROMANIAN FASCIST. LEBED SAID THAT SNEGUR SHOULD BE HANGED, BECAUSE HE WAS A CRIMINAL. SO LEBED'S POLICY TOWARDS KISHINEV WAS REALLY CONFRONTATIONAL. YELTSIN HAD A DIFFERENT INTEREST. YELTSIN WAS TRYING TO GIVE SOME LIFE TO THE COMMONWEALTH OF INDEPENDENT STATES. HE LIKED THE IDEA OF HAVING MOLDOVA AS PART OF THE C-I-S. AND IT WAS NOT VERY CONVINCING TO INVITE MOLDOVA TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY C-I-S COMPONENT WHEN YOU HAD A PROMINENT GENERAL LIKE LEBED SAYING THE PRESIDENT OF MOLDOVA OUGHT TO BE HANGED."

TEXT: VLADIMIR SOCOR OF THE JAMESTOWN FOUNDATION IS LESS CONVINCED OF THE BENEVOLENCE OF THE RUSSIAN LEADERSHIP'S INTENTIONS, DESPITE ITS RHETORIC. THE 1994 TROOP WITHDRAWAL AGREEMENT, HE POINTS OUT, INTRODUCES THE PRINCIPLE OF "SYNCHRONIZATION" -- THAT IS, TROOP WITHDRAWAL IS TO BE SYNCHRONIZED WITH THE POLITICAL SETTLEMENT OF THE MOLDOVAN-TRANSDNIESTER CONFLICT.

TAPE: CUT #3 SOCOR "THE PRINCIPLE OF SYNCHRONIZATION THEN BECAME A KEY INSTRUMENT IN RUSSIAN DIPLOMACY, IN ORDER TO POSTPONE THE WITHDRAWAL OF THE TROOPS INDEFINITELY. THE SYNCHRONIZATION PRINCIPLE IN FACT CREATED A SITUATION OF DEADLOCK. IT REMOVED ALL INCENTIVES FOR TRANSDNIESTER TO NEGOTIATE SERIOUSLY FOR A POLITICAL SETTLEMENT, IN THE KNOWLEDGE THAT THE POLITICAL SETTLEMENT WOULD OPEN THE WAY TO THE WITHDRAWAL OF RUSSIAN TROOPS. BY THE SAME TOKEN, IT CREATED THE INCENTIVE FOR MOSCOW TO ENCOURAGE TRANSDNIESTER'S INSTRANSIGENCE, IN ORDER TO CREATE A REASON FOR KEEPING THE RUSSIAN TROOPS WHERE THEY ARE."

TEXT: ANOTHER ARGUMENT ADVANCED FOR NOT IMPLEMENTING THE 1994 AGREEMENT IS THAT THE RUSSIAN PARLIAMENT HAS NEVER RATIFIED IT. BUT IN MR. SOCOR'S VIEW, THAT IS JUST A DODGE: THE DOCUMENT DOES NOT REALLY REQUIRE PARLIAMENTARY RATIFICATION.

ON THE OTHER HAND, THE FORMER 14TH ARMY STATIONED IN TRANSDNIESTER HAS IN FACT BEEN SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCED -- IT NOW NUMBERS ONLY 5 THOUSAND 5 HUNDRED, AND THERE ARE PLANS TO REDUCE IT DOWN TO 2 THOUSAND 5 HUNDRED BY THE END OF THIS YEAR. THE SEPARATE RUSSIAN PEACEKEEPING FORCE HAS ALSO BEEN REDUCED, FROM SIX BATTALIONS DOWN TO TWO.

ALTHOUGH IT HAS BEEN UNCLEAR WHAT RUSSIA'S OBJECTIVES IN MOLDOVA REALLY ARE, THE VISIT OF RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER YEVGENY PRIMAKOV TO MOLDOVA THIS WEEK MAY HELP CLARIFY THAT QUESTION. [SIGNED] NEB/JB/NES*
08-Apr-97 4:02 PM EDT (2002 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[05] SOCCER STOCKS (L-ONLY) BY NEIL ROSENBERG (LONDON)

INTRO: SOME BRITISH FOOTBALL FANS CAN NOW NOT ONLY HAVE SEASON TICKETS FOR THEIR FAVORITE TEAM, THEY CAN ACTUALLY INVEST IN THE TEAM ON THE STOCK MARKET. HOWEVER, V-O-A'S NEIL ROSENBERG REPORTS THAT JUST LIKE THE TEAMS, THESE INVESTMENTS MAY NOT BE GUARANTEED WINNERS.

TEXT: ENGLAND'S "MANCHESTER UNITED" SOCCER CLUB IS HAVING ONE OF ITS BEST SEASONS EVER, BOTH ON THE FIELD AND ON THE BALANCE SHEET. THE TEAM LEADS ENGLAND'S "PREMIER LEAGUE" AND HAS ADVANCED TO THE SEMI-FINALS OF THE EUROPEAN CUP CHAMPIONSHIPS.

AS A RESULT, IT HAS MADE A PROFIT OF OVER 30-MILLION DOLLARS IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS, AND ITS STOCK HAS MORE THAN TRIPLED ITS VALUE SINCE THE BEGINNING OF 1996.

MANY OTHER BRITISH SOCCER TEAMS HAVE TRIED TO FOLLOW IN MANCHESTER'S MARKET SUCCESS, BUT THEIR RESULTS HAVE BEEN MIXED.

MARKET ANALYST JUSTIN UQUHARK-STEWART (EDS: 'URK-HART), CORPORATE PLANNING DIRECTOR OF BARCLAY'S INVESTMENTS IN LONDON, WARNS INVESTORS AGAINST JUMPING ON A TREND, LIKE THE NEW SOCCER STOCKS.

I REGARD IT AS A "FASHION" STOCK AND FRANKLY FASHION STOCKS HAVE ALL THE ABILITY OF BECOMING NEXT YEAR'S FLAIR TROUSERS (DATED FASHIONS).

MR. UQUHARK-STEWART IS SKEPTICAL BECAUSE OF THE POTENTIAL VOLATILITY OF SOCCER STOCKS. THE STOCKS ARE HEAVILY DEPENDENT ON THE SUCCESS OF TEAMS ON THE FIELD, AND SOME STRUGGLING TEAMS HAVE ALREADY FELT THE IMPACT.

WE'RE BEGINNING TO SEE THAT NOW WITH CERTAIN CLUBS WHO ARE STRUGGLING AT THE BASE OF THE PREMIER DIVISION, AND AS THEIR RESULTS SEEM TO BE POOR, SO THEIR STOCK PRICES ARE FALLING AWAY, AND THAT WILL CREATE VERY GREAT PRESSURE INDEED.

THE OTHER WORRYING ASPECT FOR BOTH SOCCER CLUBS AND INVESTORS ARE THE EVER INCREASING PLAYER SALARIES. MR. UQUHARK-STEWART WARNS THAT EVEN MIGHTY MANCHESTER UNITED COULD ACTUALLY SUFFER A BIT FINANCIALLY IF IT WINS THE EUROPEAN CUP. THIS IS DUE TO THE LARGE BONUSES PLAYERS ARE LIKELY TO RECEIVE.

I THINK IT COULD VERY EASILY UNDERMINE THE PROFITABILITY OF THESE BUSINESSES AS THIS "PLAYER INFLATION" ERODE AWAY AT THE UNDERLYING STRENGTH, SO I'M EXTREMELY CONCERNED INDEED. HENCE MY GREAT CONCERN ABOUT PEOPLE INVESTING IN THEM.

MARKET ANALYST JUSTIN UQUHARK-STEWART BELIEVES THE FUTURE OF EUROPEAN SOCCER LIES IN MORE INTEGRATION BETWEEN ELITE TEAMS, AND A GREATER DISPARITY BETWEEN THE ELITE AND THEIR POORER RIVALS. LET THE BUYER BEWARE. (SIGNED)
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08-Apr-97 12:00 PM EDT (1600 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[06] TUESDAY'S EDITORIALS BY ANDREW N. GUTHRIE (WASHINGTON)

INTRO: THE REPORTED FAMINE IN NORTH KOREA IS JUST ONE OF A WIDE RANGE OF INTERNATIONAL AND DOMESTIC TOPICS UNDER THE SCRUTINY OF THE NATION'S EDITORIAL WRITERS THIS TUESDAY.

OTHER COMMENTS ARE DIRECTED AT THE SITUATION IN HAITI; CHARGES OF STATE-SPOSNORED TERRORISM IN SYRIA AND THE PRESIDENTIAL FUNDRAISING CONTROVERSIES INVOLVING PRESIDENT CLINTON.

NOW HERE WITH A CLOSER LOOK AND A QUOTE OR TWO IS ________________AND TODAY'S EDITORIAL DIGEST.

TEXT: THE BOSTON GLOBE BELIEVES THAT MORE ATTENTION NEEDS TO BE PAID TO AN EMERGING FAMINE IN NORTH KOREA. THE SITUATION IN NORTH KOREA IS COMPLICATED BY THAT NATION'S ISOLATION IN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS. THE BOSTON PAPER SAYS IN PART:

VOICE: "NORTH KOREA'S INABILITY TO FEED ITS POPULATION IS BECOMING A GRAVE PROBLEM NOT ONLY FOR THE 23-MILLION PEOPLE LIVING IN THE WORLD'S LAST STALINIST STATE, BUT ALSO FOR NEIGHBORS IN ASIA AND FOR THE UNITED STATES. ..... FOR HUMANITARIAN REASONS, BUT ALSO FOR SECURITY REASONS, IT IS CRUCIAL THAT THE WORLD RESPOND PROMPTLY TO THE LOOMING CALAMITY IN NORTH KOREA. THE GOVERNMENTS IN SEOUL, WASHINGTON, TOKYO, BEIJING, AND MOSCOW HAVE A PARTICULAR RESPONSIBILITY TO TREAT THE PROSPECT OF MASS STARVATION IN NORTH KOREA AS A PREFIGURATION OF PYONGYANG'S IMPENDING IMPLOSION."

TEXT: TURNING TO A TROUBLE SPOT CLOSER TO HOME, THE MIAMI HERALD PLEADS WITH THE U-N: "DON'T LEAVE HAITI YET."

VOICE: "THE SCHEDULED JULY 31 [ST] WITHDRAWAL FROM HAITI OF 13-HUNDRED UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPING TROOPS IS STILL NEARLY THREE MONTHS AWAY, BUT ALREADY THE NEED TO KEEP AT LEAST SOME OF THEM THERE IS CLEAR. SOME 50 HAITIANS,INCLUDING SEVEN POLICE OFFICERS, HAVE BEEN KILLED IN RECENT OUTBREAKS OF VIOLENCE. IN ADDITION, HAITI'S EXPERIENCE WITH DEMOCRACY IS STILL SO NEW, AND HAITI'S ECONOMY STILL SO WEAK, THAT THE RENEWAL OF MURDEROUS ARMED GANGS COULD PORTEND BOTH POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC DISASTER. ..... HAITI'S GREEN [INEXPERIENCED] NATIONAL POLICE AREN'T READY TO COPE WITH RISING VIOLENCE. THUS U-N HELP IS VITAL."

TEXT: THE LEAD EDITORIAL IN TODAY'S WASHINGTON POST CHARGES SYRIA WITH BEING A PARTY TO TERRORISM. DAMASCUS, THE PAPER SAYS, REFUSED TO COMPLY WITH A REQUEST FROM SAUDI ARABIA TO APPREHEND A MAN LIVING IN SYRIA WHOM THE SAUDIS BELIEVE WAS INVOLVED IN THE FATAL BOMBING OF FIVE AMERICANS AND TWO OTHERS.

VOICE: "THE SYRIANS, HOWEVER, WEIGHING THEIR TIES WITH SAUDI ARABIA, PUT A HIGHER VALUE ON HEZBOLLAH FOR ITS STRUGGLE AGAINST ISRAEL IN SOUTHERN LEBANON AND DECLINED. ..... SUBSEQUENTLY, A TRUCK BOMB IN THE SAUDI CITY OF DHAHRAN KILLED 19 MORE AMERICANS. THE SUSPECTED MASTERMIND: AHMED .... MUGHASSIL, [THE SAME MAN] NOW BELIEVED TO BE IN IRAN. ....... SYRIA AND IRAN ARE ALREADY BOTH ON THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT'S ANNUALLY REVIEWED LIST OF NATIONS THAT SPONSOR INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM. ..... THESE CRIMES .....ARE VIOLATIONS OF THE NORMS OF EXPECTED INDIVIDUAL AND STATE BEHAVIOR, AND CIVILIZED PEOPLE EVERYWHERE HAVE A COMMON INTEREST IN NOT BLURRING THE DIFFERENCE. "

TEXT: THE WHITE HOUSE AND THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY ARE THE TARGETS OF AN EDITORIAL IN THE WALL STREET JOURNAL THIS TUESDAY DUE TO THE PARTY'S ALLEGED IMRPROPER FUND RAISING ACTIVITIES DURING LAST YEAR'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL IS AGAIN COMPARING THE ALLEGED IMPROPRIETIES TO THE WATERGATE AFFAIR, WHICH ULTIMATELY CAUSED PRESIDENT NIXON TO RESIGN.

VOICE: "THE WAY THE INDOGATE [ALLEGATIONS THAT WEALTHY INDONESIAN BUSINESSMAN JAMES READY ILLEGALLY TRIED TO CHANNEL MONEY IN THE CLINTON RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN] HEARINGS STORY HAS DEVELOPED LATELY, IT APPEARS THE BELTWAY'S [INNER WASHINGTON'S] CAPACITY FOR INCITING PUBLIC LOATHING OF THE AMERICAN POLITICAL SYSTEM IS PRETTY MUCH LIMITLESS. .....ANYONE PAYING ATTENTION TO INDOGATE THE PAST FEW MONTHS KNOWS IT IS IN A CLASS BY ITSELF, AS PRESUMABLY AT THE TIME WAS WATERGATE. NOW, AS THEN, THERE IS A LARGE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN POLITICAL GAMESMANSHIP AND COMPROMISING THE INTEGRITY OF THE GOVERNMENT'S PRIMARY INSTITUTIONS."

TEXT: TUESDAY'S SALT LAKE [CITY] TRIBUNE IS WORRIED THAT HISTORY MAY BE ABOUT TO REPEAT ITSELF WITH THE PLANS FOR A NEW PEACEKEEPING FORCE IN THE BALKANS.

VOICE: "THE MULTINATIONAL FORCE THE EUROPEANS ARE PREPARING TO SEND INTO ALBANIA WILL NOT BE EMPOWERED TO DISARM HOSTILE CIVILIANS. IT MAY NOT EVEN HAVE AUTHORITY TO RETURN FIRE WHEN FIRED UPON. DOES ANYONE HEAR AN ECHO OF THE U-N EXPERIENCES IN SOMALIA AND BOSNIA? .... THE THREAT OF CHAOS IN ALBANIA UPSETTING THE UNEASY STABILITY IN THE BALKANS IS REAL, SO THE REST OF EUROPE AND THE UNITED STATES HAVE A CLEAR INTEREST IN BRINGING SOME KIND OF ORDER THERE. BUT PAST EXPERIENCE SHOWS THAT AN ILL-DEFINED, WEAK INTERVENTION COULD DO AS MUCH HARM AS GOOD."

TEXT: INDIA'S GOVERNMENT CRISIS OCCUPIES A PLACE IN TODAY'S EDITORIAL COLUMN IN THE HONOLULU STAR-BULLETIN.

VOICE: "NEARLY A YEAR AFTER PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN INDIA, THE GOVERNMENT THAT EMERGED ..... IS THREATENED WITH COLLAPSE. THE CONGRESS PARTY HAS THREATENED TO WITHDRAW VITAL SUPPORT FROM THE GOVERNMENT AND DEMANDED THAT PRIME MINISTER H. D. DEVE GOWDA STEP DOWN. THE RULING UNITED FRONT ALLIANCE IS SCHEDULED TO FACE A VOTE OF CONFIDENCE IN PARLIAMENT NEXT FRIDAY. WITHOUT ... SUPPORT OF THE CONGRESS PARTY THE GOVERNMENT SEEMS DOOMED TO FALL. BUT IT MAY STILL BE POSSIBLE TO MAKE A DEAL."

TEXT: THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE IS ANGRY THAT SENATOR JESSE HELMS [R-N.C., AND CHAIRMAN, SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE], IS STILL HOLDING UP SENATE RATIFICATION OF THE CHEMICAL WEAPONS TREATY. IT WRITES:

VOICE: "IF [SENATOR] HELMS DOESN'T ALLOW THE SENATE TO VOTE BY .... APRIL 29 [TH] THE UNITED STATES, THE ARCHITECT OF TREATY, WILL BE LEFT OFF THE BODY ESTABLISHED TO VERIFY AND IMPLEMENT IT. [OPT] CALLING IT A 'CLEAR TEST OF AMERICAN LEADERSHIP,' [FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE JAMES] BAKER SAID THAT FAILURE TO RATIFY IT .....'WILL ISOLATE US FROM OUR FRIENDS AND BE A CLEAR SIGNAL OF RETREAT FROM INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP. [END OPT] .....IF HE [SENATOR HELMS] SUCCEEDS, HE WILL DISCREDIT THE SENATE AND MAKE A MOCKERY OF THE TREATY RATIFICATION PROCESS."

TEXT: AND LASTLY, THERE WAS THIS TRIBUTE TO THE SO-CALLED "BEAT GENERATION'S POET LAUREATE", ALLEN GINSBERG, WHO DIED SATURDAY [4/5] AT THE AGE OF 70. THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE SAYS OF HIM:

VOICE: "[MR.] GINSBURG, WITH A PERSONALITY AS BLUNT AND FORCEFUL AS HIS POETRY, HELPED SHAPE THE CULTURAL REVOLUTIONS AND POLITICAL MOVEMENTS THAT GERMINATED IN THE 1960S. DRUGS, SEXUAL FREEDOM, VIETNAM, THE C-I-A, FREE SPEECH - - [MR.] GINSBERG WAS IN THE THICK [HEART] OF THE PROTESTS. UNLIKE SO MANY ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT FIGURES, [MR.] GINSBERG NEVER LOST HIS EDGE."

TEXT: AND ON THAT NOTE, WE CONCLUDE THIS BRIEF LOOK AT SOME OF THE EDITORIALS FROM TUESDAY'S U-S PRESS.
NEB/ANG/NL
08-Apr-97 11:05 AM EDT (1505 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[07] TURKEY/ISRAEL (L-ONLY) BY AMBERIN ZAMAN (ANKARA)

INTRO: ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER DAVID LEVY ARRIVED IN TURKEY TUESDAY FOR A TWO-DAY OFFICIAL VISIT, AIMED AT FURTHERING TIES BETWEEN THE TWO REGIONAL ALLIES. AMBERIN ZAMAN REPORTS FROM ANKARA THE VISIT IS NOT WITHOUT CONTROVERSY.

TEXT: THE VISIT OF THE ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER HAS TRIGGERED A STORM OF PROTEST WITHIN RADICAL ISLAMIC CIRCLES. ON MONDAY, HUNDREDS OF ISLAMIST MILITANTS GATHERED IN ISTANBUL TO CONDEMN MR. LEVY'S VISIT AND RECENT MOVES BY ISRAEL TO ENCOURAGE JEWISH SETTLEMENT IN EAST JERUSALEM.

WARY OF CRITICISM FROM HIS MILITANT SUPPORTERS, TURKEY'S ISLAMIST PRIME MINISTER, NECMETTIN ERBAKAN, IS BELIEVED BY MANY OBSERVERS TO HAVE BEEN FIRMLY OPPOSED TO RECEIVING MR. LEVY. WHEN HE WAS PART OF THE GOVERNMENT OPPOSITION, MR. ERBAKAN WAS A VOCIFEROUS CRITIC OF ISRAEL AND VOWED TO ABROGATE A MILITARY TRAINING AGREEMENT SIGNED BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES LAST YEAR.

BUT FACED WITH PRESSURE FROM THE PRO-SECULAR TURKISH MILITARY, ANALYSTS SAY MR. ERBAKAN WAS FORCED TO ABANDON HIS ANTI-ISRAELI RHETORIC. ANALYSTS SAY PRESSURE FROM THE COUNTRY'S TOP MILITARY BRASS PUSHED THE TURKISH PRIME MINISTER TO ANNOUNCE ONLY A DAY AHEAD OF MR. LEVY'S ARRIVAL THAT HE WOULD MEET THE ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER AFTER ALL -- A MOVE THAT WAS WIDELY WELCOMED BY ISRAELI OFFICIALS, WHO OPENLY ADMIT CONCERN THAT RELATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES MIGHT SUFFER UNDER TURKEY'S FIRST EVER ISLAMIST-LED GOVERNMENT.

ISRAELI OFFICIALS SAY TRADE BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES IS SET TO INCREASE FOURFOLD TO ABOUT FOUR BILLION U-S DOLLARS BY THE YEAR 2000, UNDER A FREE TRADE ACCORD THAT WAS APPROVED BY THE TURKISH PARLIAMENT LAST WEEK. (SIGNED)
NEB/AZ/PCF
08-Apr-97 9:53 AM EDT (1353 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

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