Voice of America, 99-11-23

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

CONTENTS

[01] CLINTON - KOSOVO (S) BY DEBORAH TATE (AVIANO AFB, ITALY)

[02] CLINTON KOSOVO BY DEBORAH TATE (S) (PRISTINA)

[03] CLINTON KOSOVO (L) BY DEBORAH TATE (CAMP BONSTEEL)

[04] CLINTON TRIP WRAP (L ONLY) (AVIANO AFB, ITALY)

[05] TURKEY / ISLAM BY AMBERIN ZAMAN (GOLCUK)

[06] CZECH / SLOVAKIA BY ALENA KENCLOVA (PRAGUE)

[07] THE IRISH PEACE ACCORD REVITALIZED BY ANDREW GUTHRIE (WASHINGTON)

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

[09] TUESDAY'S EDITORIALS BY ANDREW GUTHRIE (WASHINGTON)

[01] CLINTON - KOSOVO (S) BY DEBORAH TATE (AVIANO AFB, ITALY)

INTRO: President Clinton delivered a message of tolerance to the people of Serbia's Kosovo province as he concluded a 10-day, five-nation tour of Europe. Correspondent Deborah Tate reports from Aviano Air Force Base, Italy, where the President's plane made a brief refueling stop on its way home. Text: Mr. Clinton received a rousing welcome from ethnic Albanians who see him as a liberator of Kosovo for his role in the NATO bombing campaign that forced Serb troops from the province in June. But the President brought a sober message to Kosovo - urging ethnic Albanians to halt revenge attacks against Serbs. He said the future of Kosovo depends on it.

[02] CLINTON KOSOVO BY DEBORAH TATE (S) (PRISTINA)

INTRO: President Clinton is in Kosovo for a brief visit to access how peace is taking hold five months after NATO's bombing campaign against Yugoslavia which forced Serb troops from from the province. Correspondent Deborah Tate reports from Pristina.

TEXT: Mr. Clinton is meeting with U-N officials to access the progress of the international peacekeeping operation and the effort to rebuild civil society. He is also using to hold talks with ethnic Albanian and Serb leaders who are members of a transitional council set up by U-N officials. The high point of his visit will be a speech to the people of Kosovo in a town know by its Albanian name, Ferizaj or in Serbian as Urosevac. Concerned by a series of revenge attacks against Serbs by ethnic Albanians in the aftermath of NATO's bombing campaign, Mr. Clinton's message will be one of tolerance. (signed)
NEB/ CB-T / WD 23-Nov-1999 04:22 AM EDT (23-Nov-1999 0922 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[03] CLINTON KOSOVO (L) BY DEBORAH TATE (CAMP BONSTEEL)

INTRO: President Clinton has delivered a message of hope and tolerance to the people of Serbia's Kosovo Province. The president assessed the situation five- months after the NATO bombing campaign over Yugoslavia ended with a withdrawal of Serb troops from the province. Correspondent Deborah Tate reports from the U-S military headquarters in Kosovo.

TEXT: Mr. Clinton received a tumultuous welcome from several-thousand people who had gathered to hear him speak -- in a town known by its Albanian name Ferizaj or its Serb name Urosevac, 30-kilometers south of the provincial capitol Pristina. The president came to Kosovo to highlight the progress made since Serb troops pulled out and ethnic Albanians returned home. Mr. Clinton noted schools have opened and homes are being winterized, and the international community last week pledged another one-billion dollars to fund U-N operations in Kosovo. But he said much more needs to be done. In the wake of numerous revenge attacks on Serbs by ethnic Albanians since the NATO bombing ended, Mr. Clinton underscored the need for tolerance.

[04] CLINTON TRIP WRAP (L ONLY) (AVIANO AFB, ITALY)

INTRO: President Clinton is returning (has returned) to Washington after a 10-day, five-nation tour of Europe focusing on efforts on bring peace and stability to southeastern Europe. Correspondent Deborah Tate has a look back at the trip from Aviano Air Force Base in northern Italy, where the president's plane made a refueling stop on the way home.

TEXT: Mr. Clinton flew home after a brief visit to Kosovo, where he urged ethnic Albanians - who have been blamed for a series of revenge attacks on Serbs since the end of NATO's bombing campaign over Yugoslavia - to embrace tolerance. He said the future of Kosovo is in their hands.

[05] TURKEY / ISLAM BY AMBERIN ZAMAN (GOLCUK)

INTRO: Islamists in Turkey are seeking to broaden their appeal after suffering election defeats. But Amberin Zaman reports from Golcuk that their efforts are not having much success.

TEXT: Hayriye Sezer is one of thousands of victims left homeless in the massive earthquake that devastated northwest Turkey on August 17. Mrs. Sezer says she is very satisfied by the relief efforts of the Turkish military.

[06] CZECH / SLOVAKIA BY ALENA KENCLOVA (PRAGUE)

INTRO: Seven years after splitting up, the Czech Republic and Slovakia say they will finalize the division of property from the former Czechoslovakia. Alena Kenclova in Prague reports the Czech Prime Minister travels to Bratislava on Wednesday for talks which both countries say will conclude the negotiations.

TEXT: Governments of both the Czech Republic and Slovakia say only the final touches remain to be given to an agreement, but neither nation has revealed the details. At stake is, above all, a Czech claim to the equivalent of about 750-million dollars (25-billion crowns) from the division of the former State Bank of Czechoslovakia. Prague has said it would not release nine tons of Slovak gold until the bank claim, which was never recognized by Bratislava, has been settled. Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman and his Slovak counterpart, Mikulas Dzurinda, have met several times during the last year. They indicate the decision will be a political one. Czech media expect the settlement to be based on what has been called a "zero option," in which the Czech government will take over the bank claim and transfer the gold to Slovakia. The division of Czechoslovakia on New Year's Day in 1993 was quick and peaceful. Ninety-five percent of property was divided on the basis of a special law soon after the "divorce." But as the two countries drifted apart during the governments of Vaclav Klaus in the Czech Republic and Vladimir Meciar in Slovakia, politicians were reluctant to talk about the outstanding problems. Occasionally, Slovak politicians revived the issues for their own political aims. The property settlement is seen as a proof of improved Czech-Slovak relations under the Zeman and Dzurinda cabinets. The new governments, which came to power after elections in both countries last year, committed themselves to intensify the contacts again. Restored good relations with neighbors is one reason why Slovakia is getting a favorable reaction to its requests to be considered for early NATO and European Union membership, like other Central European countries. During a visit on Monday, U-S Secretary of State Madeleine Albright promised support to the Dzurinda government in what she called its "impressive reform agenda." Last month, the Czech Republic and Slovakia signed an agreement on exchanging stocks held by a Czech and a Slovak bank since the split. In a settlement of a minor but more emotional issue, Bratislava received from Prague in 1995 a valuable 14th century ten-panel altarpiece in exchange for Gothic paintings. (Signed)
NEB/AK/JWH 23-Nov-1999 12:39 PM EDT (23-Nov-1999 1739 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[07] THE IRISH PEACE ACCORD REVITALIZED BY ANDREW GUTHRIE (WASHINGTON)

INTRO: The peace talks between Republicans and Unionists in Northern Ireland appear to be making progress again after grinding to a halt just months ago. After the renewed efforts of former U-S Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, the two sides appear closer than ever before to agreement on beginning a new, joint governing body and divesting themselves of weapons. The U-S press is being cautiously optimistic about this latest turn of events, and we get a sampling now from _____________ in today's Opinion Roundup.

TEXT: Just months ago, the talks between the two sides appeared to have broken down completely when the Irish Republican Army refused to begin what is being called "decommissioning" - that is, handing over its guns and explosives. Without that move, the mostly Protestant Unionists, who favor continued Union with Britain, refused to begin meeting in the new Northern Ireland Assembly with Sinn Fein, the I-R-A's political arm. At that point British Prime Minister Tony Blair summoned Senator Mitchell back to Stormont Castle in Belfast for new talks to avert total collapse. Mr. Mitchell had been the negotiator of the famed Good Friday accord that had brought the two sides together two years ago. This time, Mr. Mitchell was able to work through the new differences and it appears that the process is about to move forward again. Even so, several U-S papers are cautioning that, as in the Middle East, anything is possible to disrupt things at the last minute. We begin in Michigan, where The Detroit Free Press is hopeful.

VOICE: At every stage of the fitful peace process in Northern Ireland, the big problem has been who moves first. . Now former U-S Senator George Mitchell, who has been called the most patient man in Ulster, has brokered an agreement that essentially calls for both sides to walk through the door together. In one busy day, one-two-three, a new local government for Northern Ireland would be set up, the new shared-power executive body would meet, and the wickedly armed paramilitaries on both sides would name delegates to a disarmament commission. The last item is a concession by the I-R-A, which up to now has refused to talk about surrendering so much as a bullet. But it's a major risk for David Trimble, who heads the Unionists, the leading Protestant party in Ulster. . Many members of [Mr.] Trimble's own party would just as soon sack [Editors: "fire"] him as back him on the Mitchell compromise. . Once again, the question is whether political leaders are brave enough to make the peace, which is much harder . than to go on making war.

TEXT: From Texas, The Forth Worth Star Telegram is extremely cautious, in keeping with the many past failures since the Good Friday pact was signed, but, still sounds a hopeful note.

VOICE: Northern Ireland's peace process sees a startling resurrection - but it's not out of the cemetery yet. If the search for peace in Northern Ireland has long been a prime example of "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory," the province's leaders may finally be in sight of a reversal of that bitter cliche . [However] The "hard men" on both sides of Ulster's tragic divide can still win. But Ulster Unionist leader David] Trimble, Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams and other leading players in this drama - a cast in which [Senator] Mitchell certainly has had a starring role - have demonstrated a commendable hard-headedness of their own in pursuit of a palatable settlement in Northern Ireland.

TEXT: Worried about some brash statement on one side or the other, which in the past have done considerable damage, Newsday on New York's Long Island pleads: "Don't Let Rash Talk Sink N. Ireland Peace Effort."

VOICE: Thanks to the tireless mediating efforts of former Senator George Mitchell, the two warring sides in Northern Ireland last week made a significant breakthrough toward creating a lasting peace. But Sinn Fein must do more to clarify seemingly contradictory statements on disarmament that could vitiate the progress. . It would be tragic if a rash comment were to plunge the Northern Ireland peace agreement into the deep freeze once again.

TEXT: Lastly, in Hawaii, the afternoon daily, The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, is somewhat pessimistic, declaring: "Until the Irish Republican Army surrenders its weapons, the success of the peace efforts will remain in doubt." And the newspaper continues:

VOICE: As the Associated Press reported, the new compromise package calls for the Ulster Unionists . to drop their longstanding demand that the Irish Republican Army disarm before the four-party government is formed. Instead, the Ulster Unionists would accept the Sinn Fein party, the political arm of the I-R-A, as government colleagues on the same day the I-R-A started negotiations with a disarmament commission. However, David Trimble .. Who accepted this compromise, faces considerable opposition within his party. He could be ousted as party leader in a key vote late this month. If [Mr.] Trimble loses, [Senator] Mitchell said, the agreement may fall apart. .. The outcome . remains very much in doubt - and will be until the I-R-A surrenders its weapons.

TEXT: On that note, we conclude this sampling of editorial comment on the current state of peace efforts in Northern Ireland from the U-S press.
NEB/ANG/JP 23-Nov-1999 14:15 PM EDT (23-Nov-1999 1915 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

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

INTRO: Profit-taking kept stock prices in the United States down today (Tuesday), as investors took advantage of the market's recent strength. V-O-A correspondent Elaine Johanson reports from New York:

TEXT: The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 93 points, less than one percent, closing at 10-thousand- 995. The Standard and Poor's 500 index fell 16 points to 14-hundred-four. The Nasdaq Composite lost one and one-half percent. Analysts said the sell-off was not surprising during a shortened trading week. Investors locked in gains, especially from Internet-related stocks, before the U- S financial markets close Thursday for the Thanksgiving Day holiday.

[09] TUESDAY'S EDITORIALS BY ANDREW GUTHRIE (WASHINGTON)

INTRO: There is a decidedly domestic tone to many of the editorials in Tuesday's major U-S newspapers, beginning with more comments on the agreement on a federal budget, and several thoughts on the U-S presidential candidates. Other topics include a downturn in violent crime in the United States; the Middle East peace process; hopes for peace in Northern Ireland; comments on China's space program and Beijing's potential influence over the soon-to-be Panamanian Panama Canal. Now, here is _________with a closer look, including some excerpts, in today's Editorial Digest.

TEXT: The San Jose [California] Mercury News comments on last week's budget agreement between The Clinton administration and the Republican-led Congress:

VOICE: Republicans were able to thwart Bill Clinton's most ambitious proposals, but the final budget ended up with more of the traits of Clinton's centrist politics than the conservatism of the Republican leadership. . All in all, the budget, and the congressional session as a whole, essentially preserved the status quo.

TEXT: The assessment of both the budget agreement, and the Congressional term as a whole is not much different in the view of The Saint Paul [Minnesota] Pioneer Press.

VOICE: At best, the 106th is a status-quo Congress. It took six extra weeks to do the ordinary business of passing the 13 mandated spending bills by relaying on transparent, ridiculous budget gimmicks. What this Congress hasn't accomplished includes: long-term repair for Medicare, Social Security reform, gun control, ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, defense spending that cuts pork and adequately feeds (the) muscle of a 21st-century military. /// END OPT ///

TEXT: Today's Akron [Ohio] Beacon Journal says the "budget suggests little but preparing for the (election) campaign," and questions whether this was in fact, a "do-nothing Congress?" Meanwhile, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin worries that the "Huge budget surplus may be an illusion," adding: The one trillion dollar budget surplus projected over ten years depends on adherence to those [previously agreed-to] spending limits and probably will not be achieved."

TEXT: Finally on Congress, a unique view from The Record in New Jersey's Bergen County.

VOICE: It was, say . critics, a do-nothing Congress, and that, some might reply, is exactly what it should have been. Considering most of the major issues being pushed on the Republican-controlled House and Senate by a Democratic president, the worst possible outcome would have been that something would actually have been enacted . Both Democrats and Republicans seemed to be looking ahead to the two-thousand elections instead of focusing on their responsibilities to the citizenry.

TEXT: Republican Presidential candidate and Texas Governor George W. Bush comes in for a good deal of attention in the wake of his first foreign policy address. Says the Chicago Tribune of last Friday's speech:

VOICE: Frankly, the speech was underwhelming. . what one might expect from a governor dipping his toe in the turbulent sea of world politics. The true test of global leadership won't come in speeches that regurgitate the policy briefings of hired experts, but rather in applying that knowledge to world affairs honestly and consistently when it comes time to govern. . he failed to present a vision that was substantially new or different from [President] Clinton's.

TEXT: The Daily Oklahoman, in Oklahoma City saw the address differently.

VOICE: It was his first major foreign policy address and by most scorecards . the Texas governor . helped counter fears he could not speak coherently on global issues. . [Mr.] Bush underscored the need for a foreign policy that would be driven more by American interests than those of the "world community," to which [Mr.] Clinton and his foreign policy chiefs often refer. /// OPT /// . Using language not heard from [Mr.] Clinton since 1992, when he accused [Governor] Bush's father of "coddling" China's dictators, the younger Bush called the communist regime an "enemy of religious freedom" and a "sponsor of forced abortion." /// END OPT ///

TEXT: In another note on Governor Bush's campaign, The San Francisco Chronicle criticizes him for not meeting with .a group of homosexual Republicans, noting:

VOICE: It appears that foreign policy is not the only subject in which he needs remedial work.

TEXT: Turning to another Republican Party presidential candidate, Senator John McCain of Arizona, a former military jet pilot and prisoner of war in Vietnam, The Los Angeles Times is sharply critical of recent suggestions that he is too bad tempered and mentally unstable to lead.

VOICE: Personal smears have been a nasty part of American political life since the earliest days of the republic, but it's hard to recall a campaign more vicious than that being directed against . Senator John McCain .. The gist of the story is that [Senator] McCain is not just short-tempered - which he acknowledges - but mentally unstable.

TEXT: The Times concludes by saying of Mr. McCain's enemies accused of making the comments, "they have chosen an inexcusably shameful way to try to get even."

VOICE: Since it's hard to know with any degree of precision what's causing the downward spiral, let's pass the credit around. If crime rates start to rise, one thing's for sure - there certainly won't be much of a competition to take the blame.

TEXT: In Maine, The Portland Press Herald suggests that the "Lower crime [rates] reflects the strong economy."

VOICE: Next week, Israelis and Palestinians will at last begin serious and detailed talks about the most difficult obstacles standing in the way of a final peace accord between them - tough issues like the status of Jerusalem, final borders and access to water. At this delicate juncture, it is reassuring to see Prime Minister Ehud Barak's government going out of its way to maintain an atmosphere conducive to compromise. . In the short time [Mr.] Barak has served as prime minister, he has skillfully built upon his political base and displayed diplomatic aptitude unusual in a lifetime soldier.

TEXT: The New York Times was especially pleased with one of the quotations Mr. Barak used in his New York speech.

VOICE: .[he] chose the ancient words of Ecclesiastes, "there is a time for war and a time for peace." It was a particularly apt quotation. As a former general and a former foreign minister under Shimon Peres, Mr. Barak has seen his share of warmaking and peacemaking. Now, as Israel's prime minister, he well knows that the next few months offer a rare and perhaps fleeting opportunity for clinching a Middle East peace agreement.

TEXT: Turning to the subject of China, there are comments on both Beijing's space program and the alleged threat of Chinese communist influence over the Panama Canal when it reverts to Panamanian authority at the end of the year. First, The Omaha World Herald tries to put critics at ease on the Chinese space program.

VOICE: An official Chinese newspaper says China's success in testing a spacecraft meant for manned flight has implications for that nation's future ability to outwit U-S anti-missile defenses. Well, maybe. . A more positive take [EDS: "view"] on China's planned manned space program is that it could, instead, steer that nation into some sort of partnership with the West. Stranger things have happened .. /// OPT /// . if China and the United States and perhaps Russia can engage in joint ventures whose whole is greater than the sum of the parts, that could hasten the day when all of us stop obsessing about who can wreak what sort of destruction upon whom. /// END OPT ///

TEXT: The Tulsa (Oklahoma) World comments on fears that a Hong Kong-based company, hired to manage the Panama Canal after the takeover from the United States, will lead to control by China:

VOICE: The treaty [ceding control of the canal to Panama] is basic to the United States keeping peaceful relations with its neighbors in Central and South America. There is no justification whatever to try to back out of this treaty, no matter the scare tactics [Senate Majority Trent] Lott and his buddies try to drum up.

TEXT: Lastly, of the latest drive toward peace in Northern Ireland, Newsday on New York's Long Island pleads: "Don't Let Rash Talk Sink N. Ireland Peace Effort."

VOICE: Thanks to the tireless mediating efforts of former Senator George Mitchell, the two warring sides in Northern Ireland last week made a significant breakthrough toward creating a lasting peace. But Sinn Fein must do more to clarify seemingly contradictory statements on disarmament that could vitiate the progress. . It would be tragic if a rash comment were to plunge the Northern Ireland peace agreement into the deep freeze once again.

TEXT: On that note, we conclude this sampling of editorial comment from Tuesday's U-S press.
NEB/ANG/JP 23-Nov-1999 12:18 PM EDT (23-Nov-1999 1718 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

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