Voice of America, 99-09-08

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

CONTENTS

[01] RED CROSS-QUAKE (L-ONLY) BY LISA SCHLEIN (GENEVA)

[02] NATO-BOSNIA (L ONLY) BY RON PEMSTEIN (BRUSSELS)

[03] CN-109 MIDEAST-REG (TURKEY)

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

[05] E-U EXPANSION (L-ONLY) BY BARRY WOOD (WASHINGTON)

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

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

[01] RED CROSS-QUAKE (L-ONLY) BY LISA SCHLEIN (GENEVA)

INTRO: The International Red Cross says it is ready to send aid and rescue teams to help earthquake victims in Greece, if needed. But as Lisa Schlein reports, the Geneva-based agency says the Greek Red Cross appears to be coping with the emergency.

TEXT: Red Cross Official Martin Faller says 28-rescue teams are on the spot with Germany, Austria and Luxembourg ready to fly in additional rescue teams and dogs at a moment's notice. He says the Red Cross is also ready to fly in relief supplies from abroad.

[02] NATO-BOSNIA (L ONLY) BY RON PEMSTEIN (BRUSSELS)

INTRO: The international community's top representative in Bosnia, Wolfgang Petritsch, has urged NATO ambassadors to maintain the alliance's troop presence in the country to allow him to pursue civilian reforms. Correspondent Ron Pemstein reports from Brussels.

TEXT: As NATO troops build up their presence in Kosovo, there are calls to reduce the 26-thousand NATO soldiers in Bosnia. It has been nearly four-years since the Dayton Peace Agreement and the memory of hostilities there is fading. Wolfgang Petritsch was the E-U representative to the Kosovo peace efforts. He comes to NATO headquarters now as the top international representative for Bosnia. He urges NATO ambassadors to maintain their security presence there.

[03] CN-109 MIDEAST-REG (TURKEY)

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

INTRO: Russian forces are stepping up an offensive in the southern Dagestan region, one day after President Boris Yeltsin angrily demanded prompt measures to crush a Muslim insurgency. V-O-A correspondent Peter Heinlein in Moscow reports that Dagestani leaders are also expressing impatience with the slow pace of the fighting.

TEXT: Russia's Interior Ministry Wednesday reported ground combat in and around 11 villages in the Novolak region, about 50 kilometers northwest of the Dagestani capital, Makhachkala. Further south, fighter jets and artillery were said to be pounding two other villages seized by Muslim extremists nearly a year ago. The government news service, meanwhile, reported rebel fighters were advancing on Dagestan's second largest city, Khasavyurt. But the insurgents answered with a message on their internet website denying any move toward Khasavyurt or any other major population centers. The message accused Russian authorities of intentionally exaggerating the situation to frighten the local population. A flurry of upbeat assessments from the government Wednesday followed a sharp rebuke from President Yeltsin. In a televised outburst, Mr. Yeltsin accused Russia's generals of "carelessness" for being caught off guard by the rebel invasion, and by a bomb attack on a military housing complex that killed wives and children of soldiers. Dagestani leaders are also expressing impatience with the apparent stalemate in the combat zone, where a small but well-equipped band of rebels remains firmly entrenched despite air strikes, artillery shelling and ground attacks by a federal force many times its size. Dagestan's vice-premier, Gadgi Makhachev, Wednesday urged Russian forces to take the fight into neighboring Chechnya, the breakaway region used by the rebels as a base of operations.

[05] E-U EXPANSION (L-ONLY) BY BARRY WOOD (WASHINGTON)

INTRO: The European Union this week backed away from setting dates for accepting the first of several applicant countries from formerly communist Eastern Europe. V-O-A's Barry Wood reports that next month the commission of the 15 member E-U will give a progress report on how five applicant countries are doing in bringing their economies into conformity with the E-U.

TEXT: The mid-October progress report will give grades on how well Poland, Slovenia, Estonia, the Czech Republic and Hungary are doing in complying with membership conditions. A more detailed report card will be issued next year. The conditions are very specific and have to do mostly with government regulations over matters from air quality standards to subsidies to farmers. When the E-U opened negotiations with this first group of former-communist applicants in March 1998, the year 2002 was mentioned as a possible entry date. Without saying so officially, E-U officials now say that date is too ambitious and 2005 or 2006 is more realistic. At a weekend meeting in Finland (September 6), E-U foreign ministers again endorsed Eastern expansion but declined to set entry dates. An E-U official (Hans van den Broek) said it would be unhelpful to set dates without having most of the accession negotiations completed. A second wave of applicants-Romania, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia-are hopeful of joining the fist group. But experts say that is unlikely. Zbyszko Tabernacki of the Planecon Consultancy in Washington believes that while the first group will be ready to join by 2005, there could be further delays.

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

INTRO: Stock prices in the United States were mixed today (Wednesday) in erratic trading. V-O-A Business Correspondent Breck Ardery reports from New York.

TEXT: The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 11- thousand-36, up two points. The Standard and Poor's 500 index closed at 13-hundred-44, down six points. The NASDAQ index lost one percent. Stock prices bounced around in cross-currents of economic news and interest rate anxieties. The surprise move by the Bank of England to raise interest rates raised renewed concern that the U-S central bank might soon do the same. But a speech by central bank Chairman Alan Greenspan contained no reference to interest rates and Wall Street relaxed a bit. But then, central bank Governor Laurence Meyer made a speech in which he suggested it might be a good idea to raise interest rates again. Separately, the U-S Commerce Department released a report that wholesale inventories rose in July at their fastest rate in 10 months as sales fell. Analysts say that could indicate the rate of U-S economic growth is slowing on its own.

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

INTRO: As the violence in the South Pacific territory of East Timor continues, editorials in the U-S press are becoming more strident in their call for the world's powers to intervene. Other editorial topics in Wednesday's papers include: the Israeli Supreme Court decision outlawing the torture of prisoners; the rejuvenated Mideast peace process; the Puerto Rican prisoner clemency dispute;/// OPT /// more questions about the Waco, Texas F-B-I debacle; and a call for a reexamination of the case against an imprisoned Native American./// END OPT /// Now, here with a closer look and some excerpts is ______________ and today's Editorial Digest.

TEXT: Most Americans never heard of East Timor until last week, but now it's dominating editorial pages. There is a sense of outrage in many commentaries at the on-going violence by militias opposed to East Timor's independence from Indonesia, and the world's hesitant response. Newspaper readers in Philadelphia are seeing plenty about the beleaguered territory in the Philadelphia Inquirer. The lead editorial headline reads:"Send in U-N help," while on the opposite page, international affairs writer Trudy Rubin's column is headlined "In East Timor crisis, echoes of Kosovo." In California, The Los Angeles Times suggests "East Timor Needs Outside Help," adding:

VOICE: There is a strong odor of ethnic cleansing in the depredations. If the Jakarta government can't halt this outrage, others should act.

TEXT: The New York Times describes the situation in its lead editorial headline as "East Timor Under Siege," but cautions:

VOICE: An international force is clearly the last resort, to be tried only if President Habibie and Indonesia's military leader, General Wiranto, will not stop the violence. But a united, powerful threat from abroad is likely needed to persuade them to end the killings.

TEXT: Today's San Diego [California] Union-Tribune is skeptical of Indonesia's moves so far:

VOICE: The imposition of martial law by Jakarta is meaningless. Indonesian troops already on East Timor have condoned the rampage by pro- Indonesian paramilitaries for a week. Either the government of B-J Habibie has lost control of its army or is manipulating the situation in an attempt to delegitimize the independence vote.

TEXT: The [Cleveland, Ohio] Plain Dealer says at the beginning of its commentary:

VOICE: The international community must act without delay to force Indonesia to halt the murderous attacks now under way . in East Timor, or pay a price for failure to do so.

TEXT: Still in the Midwest, The [Minneapolis] Star Tribune notes:

VOICE: In the Minnesota autumn, it's easy to pretend all is right with the world. In the streets of Dili it's impossible. East Timor's capital and countryside abide in terror right now - because some people yearn for freedom and others will not let them have it.

TEXT: The St. Petersburg [Florida] Times is more cautious than most other papers on the subject of outside intervention in East Timor:

VOICE: Indonesia opposes intervention, insisting it can handle the problem itself. The United Nations should be careful. It is not an indisputable truth that East Timor should be independent. Indonesia is a series of 16- thouand-500 islands - and Timor is located among them. Also, an argument could be made that East and West Timor should be together. . If U-N troops pour into Indonesian territory against the government's will, that accommodation [a reference to Indonesia's allowing the plebiscite on independence] might end - and there could be a need to keep peacekeepers there indefinitely to prevent Indonesia from reclaiming it. /// OPT

TEXT: That's from the St. Petersburg [Florida] Times. On the other side of the world, a decision by Israel's Supreme Court regarding the torture of prisoners has caught the attention of several dailies, including Maine's Portland Press Herald.

VOICE: In a country like the United States, where the Constitution bans cruel and unusual punishment, the prospect of security forces using torture to extract information is horrifying. In some countries, however, torture is all too routine. Until Monday, Israel - a democracy and strong United States ally - permitted . Shin Bet security agents to violently coerce suspected terrorists during interrogations. No more. The Israeli Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Shin Bet . agents can no longer employ physical force to suspected terrorists. .Israel is closer than ever to peace. The Supreme Court's decision affirms that times are changing for the better.

TEXT: The New York Times says the court acted "bravely and correctly" in banning . physical coercion. . And The Washington Post exults: "[the] high court has done Israel proud by ruling out the routine violent interrogation of terrorism suspects" . adding that it is a "difficult and principled step the court has . taken."

TEXT: On the broader issue of advancing Mideast peace, The Sun in Baltimore takes note of the recent reaffirmation of the Wye River accords:

VOICE: ///OPT /// The accord signed Sunday by Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Barak and the Palestinian Authority's Yasser Arafat . restored the momentum that had been interrupted by Benjamin Netanyahu's three years as prime minister. /// END OPT /// The timetable for agreeing on "final" status within a year - possibly by postponing the most intractable issues - seems ambitious. But the momentum is back. Instead of every setback provoking another setback, every advance enlarges the possibilities.

TEXT: Today's Houston [Texas] Chronicle says even the latest car bombings in Israel will not deter the peace advance.

VOICE: Whenever a peace initiative appears to be gaining momentum in the Middle East, the world can expect violence by those bent on sabotaging it. . There are several extremist groups, whether they be the Islamic Movement, the Hamas or the Islamic Jihad, who want no peace on reasonable terms and who are willing to do everything in their power to cause havoc with any peace effort. . After many promising starts and discouraging stops along the way, peace actually does appear to be on track in the Middle East if - and it is a big if - [Mr.] Arafat and [Mr.] Barak can keep it from being derailed.

TEXT: President Clinton's clemency offer to sixteen Puerto Rican terrorists jailed since the mid-1980's for a bombing conspiracy, continues to draw attention. Many media analysts suggest the President's offer was made mainly to help his wife, who is likely to run for the Senate from New York and needs the Puerto Rican vote. But now, Mrs. Clinton has said she wants the clemency offer rescinded, outraging Puerto Rican leaders. The Wall Street Journal writes:

VOICE: That clemency for 16 Puerto Rican terrorists is looking pretty screwed up just now. . this was only the President's fourth clemency grant out of thousands requested, and all relevant federal authorities were opposed. . so before the end of the week, Mrs. Clinton did what she had to do: she denounced the deal, too. . Meanwhile, there are very sincere people who argue that the sentences for some of these people are disproportionate to their individual acts and that this clemency effort has been on- going for years. Could be. But they all belong to the Clintons' politics now. That's their problem.

TEXT: Several dailies continue to press the Senate to go around the roadblock set up by North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. One of them is The St. Petersburg Times.

VOICE: Politicians in Washington love to boast that the United States is a leader on the world stage. But an appalling lack of leadership inside the nation's capital, where the Senate has balked for years at ratifying a global ban on nuclear arms testing and the White House has failed to press the issue, is making the planet a more dangerous place. . The news that the White House and Senate Democrats are finally planning to fight for ratification of the comprehensive Test Ban Treaty is welcome but long overdue. . Perhaps public pressure will persuade . Senator Jesse helms . to get out of the way.

TEXT: The F-B-I attack and fire at a religious cult headquarters outside Waco, Texas, in 1993, that killed more than 80 people, continues to draw editorial ire. Today's Chicago Tribune says "The Time for Truth on Waco." The paper reviews all the recent revelations and contradictions of earlier F-B-I information, before noting:

VOICE: All of which makes of the utmost importance the reported naming of the highly regarded John Danforth, the former Republican U- S senator from Missouri, to lead an independent investigation of how the F-B-I handled the Waco siege and its aftermath. . [Mr.] Danforth will need to be tough, demanding and unyielding, for he will be dealing with a government agency accustomed to having great latitude and doing things its own way.

TEXT: The controversy over the F-B-I's handling of Waco has inspired some thoughts on a highly controversial killing that occurred back in 1975 at Pine Ridge, South Dakota Sioux Native American reservation and the jailing of Leonard Peltier, an Ojibwe, Indian. Mr. Peltier was found guilty of killing two young F-B-I agents on the reservation. National columnist Tim Giago, writing in the St. Paul [Minnesota] Pioneer Press, says recent revelations about F-B-I conduct at Waco, Texas, suggests that Mr. Peltier's trial needs to be reexamined.

VOICE: The F-B-I and other federal officers .. Knew little or nothing about the culture, traditions or spirituality of the people they were assigned to police. They had been accused more than once of unlawfully breaking into the homes of innocent people and terrorizing them. . Most Pine Ridge residents just wondered when this nightmare would end. Does that excuse those who .brutally murder agents Williams and Coler? Of course not. But given the volatile situation that existed on the reservation at the time, it was bound to happen. It was almost as if a state of war existed between the feds, A-I- M [The American Indian Movement, a militant Native American rights organization] and other innocent Indian people living on the reservation. . The latest revelations about the conduct and suppression of evidence by the F-B-I in the Waco standoff . does nothing to build on its [the F-B-I's] credibility. years ago I wrote that if, as many believe, [Mr.] Peltier was not given a fair trial, then for goodness' sake, give him another trial. In light of so many discrepancies . in many cases and issues involving the F-B-I, it is entirely possible that [Mr.] Peltier was a victim of an overzealous F-B-I campaign to find and convict someone, anyone, for the death of their comarades.

TEXT: That's from the St. Paul Pioneer Press in Minnesota.

TEXT: On that note, we conclude this sampling of comment from the editorial pages of today's U-S press.
NEB/ANG/BK 08-Sep-1999 12:52 PM EDT (08-Sep-1999 1652 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

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