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FBIS3-11746_1 | Opposition to Delivery of French Food Aid Cited Sansaricq on Plan To Block French Aid | the arrival of the French food aid. Gilles says, however, that the international organizations must think in the future of purchasing those products in Haiti in order not to change the Haitian population's food habits. [Gilles, in Creole] One can not turn up his nose at 50,000 meals, but I understand the people who have reservations. However, I must be realistic because children are dying. There is no food. It is not the kind of aid that we would choose to receive, but we find it. Let us give it to the children, and let us talk with the people so that they change their aid if they give money. We do not need the money. They can set up an organization which can buy rice, beans, and oil here. It will be better for the Haitian people, for the Haitian nation. The solution lies in lifting the embargo, in international cooperation that must resume immediately, in the appointment of a prime minister, in the installation of a government with an emergency program. That is where the solution lies. Until we agree on a solution so that the embargo is lifted and international cooperation resumes rapidly, if we can distribute the 50,000 meals, let us do so. [Francois] The Senate office of Senator Sansaricq categorically opposes the landing of the French humanitarian aid ship. In a statement to Radio Metropole, Sen. Sansaricq took the opportunity to criticize the French policy in Haiti. Sen. Sansaricq announces that the Senate members will be present at the Port-au-Prince harbor to prevent the landing of the French ship. [Sansaricq] It is unacceptable. The senators will be at the Port-au-Prince harbor on 25 March, and we will take all necessary measures to prevent the landing of this ship. It is an insult to the nation. It is an insult to the Haitian people. It is an insult to our intelligence that France, which has imposed an embargo on us for 30 months, now buys food from Guadeloupe to distribute in Haiti. Twenty thousand have died in Haiti. It is a real affront. The Senate strongly stands against it, and we will be there personally to prevent the landing of this ship. We will hold Philippe Seltz personally responsible for any scratch inflicted on a senator. We will be there with all the necessary strength in order to oppose the landing of this ship. [end recording] |
FBIS3-11755_1 | Opposition to Delivery of French Food Aid Cited Groups Protest Arrival of Ship | and private school students is in good condition and that they will come with a certificate to prove the quality of the products purchased on Guadeloupe. In a communique published on Wednesday, the French mission added that the food shipment is part of the traditional assistance that several countries have been providing to Haiti. Despite the information given by the French Embassy, right-wing groups continue to voice their opposition to the ship's arrival. Constant even accused the French Government on Monday of being "cynical because it is creating hunger in the country as a supporter of the economic embargo against Haiti but is now giving alms to clean its conscience." According to Constant, the real solution is to lift the embargo so that Haitians "can satisfy their economic needs." Senator Bernard Sansaricq, president of one of the two boards of directors of the Senate, said that 13 senators will show up at the Port-au-Prince wharf on Friday to prevent the French humanitarian aid from being unloaded. "It is an insult to the nation, the people, and our intelligence that France, after imposing on us a 30-month embargo which has killed 20,000 children, is now sending us food," said Sansaricq. He added that the group of senators has the means to prevent the unloading of the food. Sansaricq blamed Philippe Seltz, in charge of French affairs in Haiti, for what may happen to the senators who will show up at the wharf to protest. Meanwhile, Serge Gilles, leader of the Nationalistic Progressive Revolutionary Party of Haiti (Panpra), said that even though this type of aid is not the most advisable thing it must be accepted to save the children. Gilles suggested that from now on the food someone may wish to donate should be purchased in Haiti. The arrival of the ship with the food has been supported by Reynold Georges, leader of the Alliance for the Liberation of Haiti (Alah). Georges, who has supported the position of FRAPH and other right-wing organizations close to the military, said it is necessary to receive the aid to prevent the deaths of children. Stanley Schrager, spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Puerto Rico [as received], said it is difficult to understand the groups that do not accept humanitarian aid in the country. Schrager said that France wants to participate in the aid given to Haiti and feels that the gesture should be appreciated. |
FBIS3-11760_1 | Presence Along Costa Rican Border To Increase | decades," the Nicaraguan foreign minister said. In mid-March Costa Rican Foreign Minister Bernd Niehaus questioned the Nicaraguan authorities about the charging of a toll in the village of La Trinidad, where the Sarapiqui River meets the San Juan River. Leal said the Nicaraguan authorities will continue to charge citizens of third countries, who sail on the San Juan River, five dollars per tourist card as in the case of tourists who are transported on motorboats operated by Costa Rican agencies. Ernesto Leal added that Costa Ricans who identify themselves as such will not be charged for sailing on the river in compliance with the border treaty signed between both countries on 15 April 1858. The treaty gave Nicaragua the exclusive right to exercise full control over the waters of the San Juan River from its head waters at Lake Nicaragua to its mouth on the Atlantic Ocean, Leal said. "This means Nicaragua exercises full sovereignty and jurisdiction over the river from source to mouth, Leal said. In addition, the border treaty grants Costa Rica the right in perpetuity to free navigation on the river for trade purposes from its mouth on the Atlantic up to a point 3 miles below Castillo Viejo. "Nicaragua respects Costa Rica's rights and will continue to respect them," according to Leal, but he noted that the treaty explicitly excludes tourism and "that is why these types of services (rendered by Costa Rica) are not covered by the treaty." The minister said that the new police stations will be installed in El Papaturro, El Castillo, El Delta, and Sarapiqui, and that there will also be new immigration offices in the aforementioned locations as well as in San Juan del Norte. The office at the mouth of the Sarapiqui River will be reinforced. The project's initial phase includes a tourist information program throughout the entire San Juan River area in addition to fishing and hunting controls to preserve the region's natural resources along that waterway. Leal added that a bill is being drafted prohibiting foreigners from purchasing lands in the border regions, which will soon be submitted to the Nicaraguan National Assembly. "We are also going to have a substantial presence in the area with health and education programs at the border," according to Leal, who also said a border landmark plan will be implemented between boundary markers 13 and 14 along the border with Costa Rica. |
FBIS3-11769_0 | Journalists Define Production Costs | Language: Spanish Article Type:BFN ["Straight Talk" program with host Carlos Santana Ojeda and guest Renato Recio from TRABAJADORES newspaper; monitored in progress -- live] [Text] [Recio] ...First of all, the workers understood clearly that cost is a basic factor in measuring efficiency. They realized that if we do not discuss and control costs, if an economic analysis on the basis of costs is not conducted, the goal of increasing profitability and reducing losses and state subsidies to enterprises is not feasible. What has to be done first is to identify and measure our expenses. These expenses, material and labor, are reflected in the cost. This concern you said the workers have, which is true, is being expressed even as a mandate. Nowadays, there is a trend which I believe is very healthy: The workers are demanding of the management that a cost system, even a minimal one, be established and made known, especially where the expenses are incurred -- the workshop, department, shift, and the smallest unit. This is based on the concept that those who can do the most to reduce costs are those who incur the expense. I believe that it is very important to analyze a phenomenon typical of our economy in the last few decades. I dare to advance the following opinion: In general, we in Cuba have underestimated the importance of the financial elements of the economy. By this I mean the following: We have worked above all on the basis of material balance. We have balanced consumption values and material values in terms of their productive function. However, we have frequently dismissed the importance of financial factors and, above all, the problem of determining, controlling, and reducing costs. [Santana] Yes, there have been other priorities. As you said, material production has been a priority. However, material production per se has not had a quality, a use value. Despite these concerns, it has not always had an appropriate use value. [Recio] There are things we cannot separate at this time. I have used this chemical image: If you separate hydrogen from oxygen, you no longer have water. Likewise, if you separate the material value of things, in terms of their utilitarian and social value, and take away the financial element reflected by that value, then you are simply canceling the entire quality of the economy. [Santana] Of course. You were referring to cost as a |
FBIS3-11770_2 | Journalists Discuss Theft, Embezzlement | provinces: in Havana and Havana City. [Santana] Nevertheless, you pointed out in your report that for some irresponsible and undisciplined people the measures taken have been bothersome. [Concepcion] Yes, logically. What was happening here was the following -- let me see if I can paint a picture for you so that the listeners can understand where the problem lies. The problem begins with the lack of control and demand by the administrative leaders of the enterprises. Some of these have been accustomed to being very generous with state resources. There is a key element here -- and later on I will talk more about the theft of products -- which is an exchange between enterprises and organizations from Havana Province and Havana City Province, which has created the philosophy of you scratch my back and I will scratch yours. In other words, one enterprise has welding rods and other resources that the agricultural enterprise, the farm, or the Basic Cooperative Production Units [UBPC] lacks. In exchange for these products that belong to the state which are diverted from the capital to that enterprise, that enterprise, which produces tubers and vegetables, gives this enterprise, which provided those resources, agricultural products. [Santana] Eloy, you were talking about a very interesting subject, the small-time peddler relationship among companies, a relationship which basically is that policy of you scratch my back and I will scratch yours. I think this emerged some time ago during those big meetings among businessmen in Havana Province and in Havana City. This is a sort of a barter, a sort of liberty adopted by some directors, which if they did this for their companies' benefit, they would be more efficient, but by doing this they are only showing that they are small-time peddlers [mercachifles], and not businessmen, and much less socialist businessmen. [Concepcion] Yes, and you know that over the past few years there has been a process of change in the treatment of man. All companies and organizations have been worried -- and they are right -- about giving better service to their workers in their cafeterias, and I think they have been classified as quality cafeterias, and there are organizations which are examples nationwide. But we must say the following: Most of these organizations and companies from the capital and nationwide have been given some self-consumption plots. And many of the self-consumption ploys of those organizations are |
FBIS3-11770_4 | Journalists Discuss Theft, Embezzlement | a bit abandoned. What happens is that one organization or company asks another agricultural company to provide a truck load of tubers for its cafeterias -- and this is good -- but in practice what is happening is that the truck load of tubers is not used just to feed the workers, but many of those products are sent elsewhere to feed the pigs, because it is easier to raise pigs than to produce vegetables and tubers in those self-consumption plots they have, it is easier than working, I would say. [Santana] Is this the embezzlement you were talking about? [Concepcion] Yes. Then they give better service to the workers at the cost of others. That is, you will probably find cafeterias giving good service but when you eat there you will realize that what is consumed there is not produced by that company or organization. So, good service is given to the men at the cost of other workers who produce, or at the cost of a product that should have been sent to the people and was not sent because of that unauthorized appropriation. [Santana] I think this is very interesting because people always talk about theft, and those who steal or swipe those agricultural products are always condemned. But you are mentioning something new that has not yet been publicly mentioned, or at least I have not heard it yet. This is an interesting element because state companies obviously have an influence on the fact that not enough food is reaching the neighborhood markets. Of course the worker is happy when in his cafeteria he can receive all those products, but of course the businessmen and the people who are involved in this type of embezzlement must be punished and sentenced severely. [Concepcion] The problem is that we have developed a bad habit, and we have had this bad habit not only during the revolutionary process but long before that, when people used to violate the country's rules and laws. There are rules about what companies, what organizations, and what cafeterias should receive these products on a priority basis, but through the established channels, that is, through the official channels. But what happens is that this has become a regular practice, that everyone is going to the fields to look for products for their cafeterias, and they do this together. Thus, a false relationship of partnership and |
FBIS3-11780_0 | Roundup of Economic Activity | Article Type:BFN [Editorial Report] The following is a compilation of fileworthy reports on economic developments in Cuba carried on Havana radio and television in Spanish between 22 and 25 March. Radio Reloj at 1500 GMT on 22 March reports that the Matanzas sugar industry has fulfilled the sugarcane planting plan for March 10 days early. The number of caballerias scheduled to be planted in March was 390, but 458 caballerias have been planted. Thus, the plan has been surpassed by 17 percent. Radio Rebelde at 1800 GMT on 22 March reports that thanks to the help of workers from Santiago de Cuba in harvesting approximately 17 caballerias planted in plantains, Ciego de Avila Province will send 200,000 quintals of plantains to the markets of Santiago de Cuba Province this year. Radio Rebelde at 0000 GMT on 22 March reports the following: Tourism sector workers in Varadero have donated to the public health sector more than $17,000 made in tips during February. A solidarity group from northern Italy has made a donation to Cuba valued at more than $15,000. The donation, which includes medicine, powdered milk, soap, and disinfectants, is earmarked for polyclinics in Camaguey Province. The German airline LTU announced that it will increase tourist flights to Cuba in 1994. LTU is one of the biggest airline companies in the world dedicated to tourism. Cuba is one of the LTU's most important long distance stops. The company markets over 850 rooms at the Tuxpan and Bella Costa Hotels in Varadero and at the Carisol and Los Corales complexes in Santiago de Cuba. Armando Puello, president of the Dominican Republic's tourism association, highlighted the increased links between Dominican companies and the tourist hub of Santiago de Cuba. Radio Rebelde at 1000 GMT on 23 March reports that after six years of work, the Cubanacan Travel Agency on 22 March was introduced in Havana City as Fantastico, the new name with which it will operate as of this date. According to Fausto Garcia Diez, manager of this agency which is subordinate to the Cubanacan Corporation, the agency aspires to receive no less than 300,000 tourists and to collect $11 million in 1994. Radio Rebelde at 1800 GMT on 24 March reports that 51 foreign and 184 national companies are participating in the commercial fair running from 22 to 27 March at the Convention Palace in Havana. The fair seeks to increase the |
FBIS3-11784_0 | Candidates React to Congressmen's Aid Retention Suggestion | Language: Spanish Article Type:BFN [From the "Up-to-Date Newscast"] [Text] A group of Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives who observed the elections in El Salvador today called for the retention of U.S. economic aid until anomalies in the voters' registration lists are overcome. Representatives from New York, Illinois, and California reported in the United States that they witnessed the courage and perseverance of Salvadorans, as well as widespread confusion and irregularities in the elections. The observers' spokesman said that the problems in electoral registries must be corrected by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal [TSE] so that the run-off election, scheduled for 24 April, can be clean and credible. In addition, the group asked that the United States link the delivery of $55 million in economic aid to the correction of errors detected in the electoral registries. Such a request prompted diverse reactions among the presidential candidates who headed Sunday's election results: Armando Calderon Sol noted that the request lacks any basis. Meanwhile, Ruben Zamora said that it was a normal reaction in view of the expectations placed on the electoral process. The discontent of certain U.S. legislators, who observed the number of errors that marred Sunday's elections, became evident today, when they asked that the economic aid to El Salvador be retained until the anomalies in the electoral registry are corrected. The presidential candidates interpreted this petition differently: [Begin recording] [Zamora] Everyone was told that this was the election of the century, and yet, 47 percent of the people could not vote. Locally, this was frustrating to many people. But, internationally, it was also disappointing for many people and thus, they are reacting. [Calderon Sol] I think that this lacks any basis. I do not know the gentlemen who made this request, but when they hear what the United Nations and the international community said, I think they will change their minds completely. [end recording] The two candidates met with TSE magistrates on Wednesday. At the meeting they explained their points of view with regard to Sunday's elections and their proposals for the correction of irregularities to speed up the final count. [Begin recording] [Zamora] There are problems that, obviously, cannot be solved in one month, such as the approximately 300,000 people without voter registration cards. However, we can again begin a period to issue cards. But there is also the problem of what to do so people can find |
FBIS3-11808_0 | More International Reaction | Article Type:BFN [Editorial Report] The following is a compilation of international reaction to the 23 March assassination in Tijuana, Baja California, of Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta, presidential candidate for the Mexican Institutional Revolutionary Party, PRI. Mexico City Radio ACIR Network in Spanish at 1600 GMT on 24 March broadcasted a one-minute report on a fax received from Nobel Prize winner Rigoberta Menchu expressing her consternation on and rejection of the attack on Colosio. Mexico City Radio ACIR Network in Spanish at 1600 on 24 March also broadcasted a one-minute report on U.N. Secretary General Butrus Butrus-Ghali repudiating the attack on Colosio. Butrus-Ghali adds that he deplores any form of violence. Panama City ACAN at 1904 GMT on 24 March carried a 150-word, Panama City-datelined report on the Christian Democratic Organization of America's, ODCA, rejecting Colosio's murder. The ODCA, which is holding a meeting in Panama, expressed in a communique their hope that "this regrettable incident will not adversely affect the electoral process and the modernization of the Mexican political system." Managua Radio Nicaragua in Spanish at 1200 GMT on 24 March broadcasted a two-minute report on a press communique issued by Violeta Chamorro's government rejecting the "brutal" murder of Luis Donaldo Colosio. The communique goes on to rule out any violent method that brings mourning to the Mexican people and to the whole world. Madrid EFE in Spanish at 1016 GMT on 24 March carried a 200-word, Havana-datelined item reporting Cuban President Fidel Castro's "consternation, pain, and repudiation" upon learning the death of PRI candidate Colosio. The item reports that Castro sent a message of condolence to Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari. Hamburg DPA at 2121 GMT on 24 March carried a 650-word, Buenos Aires/Mexico City-datelined roundup of unanimous regional consternation over Colosio's murder. According the DPA roundup, Brazilian President Itamar Franco rejected the "absurd and shocking act of violence" that led to Colosio's death. Argentine President Carlos Menem said he "was profoundly moved by the tragic death" of the PRI candidate, and he expressed hope that "acts of vandalism and terrorism will soon be overcome in our community of nations." Venezuelan President Rafael Caldera sent a message to his Mexican counterpart expressing his "total shock" upon learning of Colosio's murder, noting that Mexico is going through "sad and difficult times." The DPA roundup noted Chilean President Eduardo Frei's "condemnation and rejection" of the murder. Frei sent his expressions |
FBIS3-11809_0 | Roundup of Radio ACIR Reporting on Reaction | Article Type:BFN [Editorial Report] The following is a compilation of Mexico City Radio ACIR Network in Spanish reporting on domestic and foreign reaction to the 23 March assassination in Tijuana, Baja California, of Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta, presidential candidate for the Mexican Institutional Revolutionary Party, PRI. Radio ACIR at 0544 GMT on 24 March carries a two-minute report on a communique issued by the Revolutionary Workers Party, PRT, regretting the attack on Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta and pointing out that although "this action might open a period of grave political uncertainty, it should not be cause for a repressive atmosphere of political persecution." The PRT urges a thorough investigation of the attack, and calls on the citizens to remain calm. At 0549 GMT on 24 March, Radio ACIR reports that Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien said: "In spite of the attack against Colosio, Mexico should not stop the changes and reforms it has carried out." "This is the price of democracy, the price of seeking the people and being close to the people. I cannot find words to express the shock of this terrible tragedy," Chretien concluded. Radio ACIR carries a one-minute report at 0603 GMT on 24 March on a communique issued on 23 March by the Mexican Senate expressing condolences to the Colosio family over the "regrettable" death of Luis Donaldo Colosio. In the communique, the Senate adds that "the nation has lost a politician committed to freedom, democracy, social justice, and the sovereignty of Mexico." At 0628 GMT on 24 March, Radio ACIR reports that the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front from El Salvador has sent condolences, expressing "the strongest rejection of this criminal action that will not tarnish the democratic ideals of the Mexican people." Mexico City ACIR Network in Spanish at 1457 GMT on 24 March carries a live report by Luis Carlos Santoyo from San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas State. Santoyo reports that the death of Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta has been "shocking" to the people in San Cristobal de las Casas. The report adds that peace commissioner Manuel Camacho Solis first made a statement then withdrew to the hotel where he remained throughout the night while "security measures were increased." Radio ACIR adds that Camacho Solis "looks sad and, to a certain extent, insecure. He is very worried about what is happening. He said he did not want to make any statements |
FBIS3-11818_2 | Bank Loan Practices Hamper Production | from what is actually needed to produce a good crop. And there is something even more serious: the limited funds they have planned to disburse will be subject to availability. This means that they will approve loans whose actual disbursement is not guaranteed. The available bank funds will be subject to the funds it has recovered, realizing in advance that those recoveries are going to be low, precisely because past credit was insufficient to reach points of equilibrium in production. In other words, when the producer comes in to apply for a loan disbursement to meet some urgent and essential need, it is possible that payment will not be made because at that moment the bank does not have funds available, thus causing irreparable damage to the harvest. Recently in ADAL [Association of Leon Cotton Growers] and ANPROSOR [National Association of Sorghum Producers] we conducted agricultural experiments designed, among other things, to measure the relation between input and productivity. It is quite interesting that we found that the best harvests, and consequently, the best earnings, were produced by applying agricultural technology tables that are different from the ones used by the bank. In these experiments, the correct amounts were applied in order to produce good crops. It was possible to determine that with adequate fertilization levels, greater than those estimated, with that alone, sorghum production could be increased by 20 quintals per manzana. Obviously, the production cost of each quintal of sorghum then becomes cheaper. It was proved that the marginal cost of using more fertilizer was a very worthwhile investment: it gives us the opportunity to sell at low local prices or to export, generating sufficient earnings for us to pay off our bank loans and be left with a profit. After those experiments, which were repeated many times over on farms in different areas, using appropriate statistical analyses and good experimental designs, we were able to conclude that the best deal the bank can make is to finance production costs correctly and in sufficient amounts. And by a better deal for the bank, I mean that its portfolio of loan payments in arrears, of refinancing, deferred payments, or loan restructurings will be reduced to tolerable levels, like those in a country with a normal economy. It seems reasonable, then, that if we want to create a real economic renewal and to improve our people's standard of living, we |
FBIS3-11832_0 | Candidates React to Congressmen's Aid Retention Suggestion | Language: Spanish Article Type:BFN [From the "Up-to-Date Newscast"] [Text] A group of Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives who observed the elections in El Salvador today called for the retention of U.S. economic aid until anomalies in the voters' registration lists are overcome. Representatives from New York, Illinois, and California reported in the United States that they witnessed the courage and perseverance of Salvadorans, as well as widespread confusion and irregularities in the elections. The observers' spokesman said that the problems in electoral registries must be corrected by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal [TSE] so that the run-off election, scheduled for 24 April, can be clean and credible. In addition, the group asked that the United States link the delivery of $55 million in economic aid to the correction of errors detected in the electoral registries. Such a request prompted diverse reactions among the presidential candidates who headed Sunday's election results: Armando Calderon Sol noted that the request lacks any basis. Meanwhile, Ruben Zamora said that it was a normal reaction in view of the expectations placed on the electoral process. The discontent of certain U.S. legislators, who observed the number of errors that marred Sunday's elections, became evident today, when they asked that the economic aid to El Salvador be retained until the anomalies in the electoral registry are corrected. The presidential candidates interpreted this petition differently: [Begin recording] [Zamora] Everyone was told that this was the election of the century, and yet, 47 percent of the people could not vote. Locally, this was frustrating to many people. But, internationally, it was also disappointing for many people and thus, they are reacting. [Calderon Sol] I think that this lacks any basis. I do not know the gentlemen who made this request, but when they hear what the United Nations and the international community said, I think they will change their minds completely. [end recording] The two candidates met with TSE magistrates on Wednesday. At the meeting they explained their points of view with regard to Sunday's elections and their proposals for the correction of irregularities to speed up the final count. [Begin recording] [Zamora] There are problems that, obviously, cannot be solved in one month, such as the approximately 300,000 people without voter registration cards. However, we can again begin a period to issue cards. But there is also the problem of what to do so people can find |
FBIS3-11848_3 | EL TIEMPO Publishes Document on Havana Meeting Latin American and Caribbean Meeting for Solidarity, Self-Determination, and Life of the Peoples, held in Havana (Cuba) between 26 and 28 January 1994. | No. 2, Building D-3, Zone-7 Alamar in eastern Havana. Other subversives of the ELN and EPL also live in this building. Together with other individuals from Central and South America they receive subversive training at the international aid camp "El Caimito" located in the vicinity of Havana. 2. IVAN ROMERO and JORGE ORTEGA -- Members of the Central Committee of the PCC and officials of the CUT [United Workers Confederation] who cooperate with the FARC, supplying it information on security organizations and persons who can be kidnapped in the middle Magdalena region and Santander. 3. HERNANDO VILLATE -- Physician, sergeant-at-arms of the PCC, who in his speech criticized the Colombian Government with regard to human rights violations. [Page 2] 4. JAIME CAICEDO TURRIACO -- PCC president. 5. LUIS EFRAIN VILLAMIL -- PCC member. 6. ALBERTO SANGUINO -- Colombian worker youth. 7. CAMILO CASTELLANOS -- representative of the Cinep [Center for Research and Public Education]. 8. MARIO GIRALDO VELEZ -- for the Trotskiyite Posada Communist Party. 9. HERNAN DARIO CARDONA -- president of the Community Federation. 10. ALFONSO ROMAN -- of the Socialist Renewal Movement. 11. TERESA QUINONES -- of the International Women's League for Peace and Liberty (IMPAL). This meeting carried out a campaign to discredit Colombia, basing itself on the alleged abuses and violations of human rights by Colombian authorities. To this end, members of the "Group of Peoples Organizations of the Dominican Republic" collected signatures among the participants, denouncing tortures and mistreatment to which Dominican prisoners are allegedly subjected to in Colombia. Apparently AIDA ABELLA coordinated training for the members with the FARC. [Page 3] The Colombian subversives who travel to Cuba do not use visas. They board a plane in Caracas or Cancun, using the Viasa or Adeco airlines, on the Buenos Aires-Caracas-Cancun-Havana route. They enter Cuba with a "tourist card" given to them by the Caribbean representatives, Asisturis or Asertur, of which RICARDO BALLESTEROS ALFONSO and JOAQUIN AMARIS AMARIS, PCC members, are co- owners. This is how GUILLERMO LEON SAENZ VARGAS (alias Alfonso Cano) of the FARC and LEONEL PARDEO of the EPL traveled to Havana on 25 January to meet on 26 January with Father Nel Beltran, FIDEL CASTRO, and other unidentified persons with the intention of defining a strategy to exert pressure through organizations such as Amnesty International and human rights organizations so that the national government will establish a dialogue with the guerrillas, |
FBIS3-11861_1 | Commentary: U.S. Summit `Filled With Injustice' | the start because of the deliberate exclusion of Cuba, U.S. Vice President Albert Gore, during his quick tour of Bolivia, Argentina, and Brazil, took time to hold an equally quick meeting with several of the likely participants at the hemispheric summit to issue propaganda about the forum. Most likely, poverty will be one topic discussed at the summit. What cannot be certain, however, is whether participants will find the formula to eradicate this distressing problem because most of the region's presidents are unrelentingly applying neoliberal economic programs imposed on them by international banks, which have been a main creator of poverty, deprivation, and violence. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Burelli has said poverty represents a new scourge within society, because it poses security threats that cannot be fought with armies. He stressed poverty is connected with hunger, terrorism, drug trafficking, violence, and deprivation. Aside from other personalities who have called attention to poverty, such as the current OAS Secretary General Joao Baena Soares, everyone is fully aware that there is a close relationship between poverty and social violence. Nevertheless, no one seems ready to tackle the problem. Meanwhile, there are many bright individuals in Latin America who have not only realized that poverty is a national security risk but who have called attention to the need for the region to set up a new economic, political, and cultural integration system as the only means of salvation in the face of an increasingly competitive and isolationist world. Gradually, strong integration programs, such as Mercosur [Common Market of the South], the Andean Pact, and other treaties involving Latin American and Caribbean nations, are being implemented. These pacts are aimed at devising strategies to offset the ominous effects of structural adjustment programs. When the connection between poverty and violence is discussed, the danger this poses to the stability of democratic governments is also mentioned. This is particularly true when one understands that 50 percent of the 200 million youngsters under the age of 18 in Latin America are excluded from adequate social, economic, and cultural benefits. In turn, this undermines social equality and justice, which form the groundwork of democracy. Therefore, the only way to avoid allowing poverty to cause social catastrophe in Latin America is by expediting integration, cooperation, and solidarity among our peoples. The results may not be immediate, but in time they will resolve the problems faced by the majority. |
FBIS3-11881_2 | Editorial Assesses Relations After Gore Visit | stumbling block in bilateral relations. He commented on the possibility -- previously mentioned by Kantor -- of Argentina being included on a list of countries liable for economic sanctions. This could happen if considerable progress has not been made in this respect by 30 April. Menem also referred to another possible negative consequence in the future, namely, the indefinite postponement of Argentina's joining NAFTA, whose only current signatories are the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It would be totally erroneous to interpret the tone of these warnings as proof of a misunderstanding between both countries. The Patents Bill already has been submitted to Congress and even though some of its points -- which to some extent affect local vested interests -- have been met with opposition, there is no reason to doubt it will be approved. Argentina's stance -- like other countries in the hemisphere -- on the struggle against drug trafficking is different from that of the United States as far as the Armed Forces' possible role in this area, but both countries are totally of one mind with regard to the final objectives and the coordination of efforts. The U.S. vice president's visit enabled the Argentine Government to once again protest -- and quite understandably so -- U.S. subsidies for their agricultural exports. Once again, the answer was that Washington has no intention whatsoever of damaging "legitimate" exporters like Argentina and that subsidies are a response to EC practices. Obviously, this position does not satisfy Argentina at all, but it spells out the policy furthered by the United States, which also contends that the issue of subsidies to farmers must be discussed within the framework of GATT negotiations and cannot be settled bilaterally. The wide coverage given to the differences over these questions clouded what -- at least in speeches -- constituted the reason for the vice president's visit: the arrangement of the December presidential summit in Miami and his presentation at the World Conference on Telecommunications Development. Gore's presentation on a future "information superhighway," which will link data banks in the entire hemisphere, conjured up visions of a not far-off future on which they are working unstintingly. It would be wise to pay attention to this project and get ready for what will seemingly mark the beginning of a new era, in which communications developments will impose a new rhythm to relations between nations in the Americas. |
FBIS3-11882_1 | `Disagreements' With U.S. Over Patents Noted | can disagree. -- International trade is today the most sensitive area. Through its efforts to adjust its economy to the demands of capitalism, Argentina has become the country in the hemisphere that is most strongly committed to the neoliberal model. In order to make this bitter medicine easier to swallow, Argentina bet strongly on the still unfulfilled promises of having access to productive investment, and of a free and rational economic order with a minimum level of equitability. Based on Menem's interpretation of the international situation, the two phenomena should occur under the leadership of the United States, the only superpower that survived the old order after the collapse of the socialist alternative. The U.S. power, however, is concentrated in the military sector, while its economic power has been fragmented and has been transferred from the states to the corporations, which are ruled by the ideology of big, fast profits. Old certainties, like the ones provided by the Bretton Woods system, have disappeared. In a recently published article Godman Sachs International Vice President Robert Hormats said that the truth is that the industrialized countries have not yet made the strategic decision to incorporate the 3 billion inhabitants of Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Asia into an authentically open global economy and an authentically open international financial system. The administration of Bill Clinton last year attached strategic priority to the commercial issue by implementing the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico (NAFTA) and by signing the GATT accord. But after attaining both objectives the Clinton administration has remained on guard, lying in wait for conflict, threatening Japan with the legislation known as Super 301, which contains all the arbitrariness imaginable, as well as the political weapons for a hot commercial war. -- Also regarding the economy, the United States still has, with respect to Argentina and also to other countries of the region, additional demands concerning rules for the increasingly critical and intangible intellectual property market (in Argentina, this situation is now being reflected by the pharmaceutical patents law), and for corruption. The problem of corruption has worsened in modern democracies, because it is a feature that opposes the concept of justice in the sociopolitical system of competitive equality that the market should provide. The U.S. case itself is highly illustrative. Clinton, who adopted the fight against state corruption as an electoral campaign banner and also as a |
FBIS3-11882_2 | `Disagreements' With U.S. Over Patents Noted | is concentrated in the military sector, while its economic power has been fragmented and has been transferred from the states to the corporations, which are ruled by the ideology of big, fast profits. Old certainties, like the ones provided by the Bretton Woods system, have disappeared. In a recently published article Godman Sachs International Vice President Robert Hormats said that the truth is that the industrialized countries have not yet made the strategic decision to incorporate the 3 billion inhabitants of Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Asia into an authentically open global economy and an authentically open international financial system. The administration of Bill Clinton last year attached strategic priority to the commercial issue by implementing the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico (NAFTA) and by signing the GATT accord. But after attaining both objectives the Clinton administration has remained on guard, lying in wait for conflict, threatening Japan with the legislation known as Super 301, which contains all the arbitrariness imaginable, as well as the political weapons for a hot commercial war. -- Also regarding the economy, the United States still has, with respect to Argentina and also to other countries of the region, additional demands concerning rules for the increasingly critical and intangible intellectual property market (in Argentina, this situation is now being reflected by the pharmaceutical patents law), and for corruption. The problem of corruption has worsened in modern democracies, because it is a feature that opposes the concept of justice in the sociopolitical system of competitive equality that the market should provide. The U.S. case itself is highly illustrative. Clinton, who adopted the fight against state corruption as an electoral campaign banner and also as a U.S. foreign policy priority, is today, along with his influential first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, under the public suspicion of illegal acquisition of political funds. Even though no specific charges have yet been pressed, the matter is being investigated by a special prosecutor, and will soon be investigated by Congress. At any rate, the Republican opposition seems to have proven -- beyond all reasonable doubt -- that Clinton engaged in maneuvering to cover up the scandal that has been christened Whitewater. -- The problem of drug trafficking and its criminal consequences, such as the laundering of money in the enriched Latin American financial markets, is another matter that has yet to be harmonized by the two countries. |
FBIS3-11883_3 | Economy Minister Views Government `Pressure' | its economic program, Argentina achieved a 0.4-percent inflation rate, that's nearly zero inflation. If Argentina achieved this, why not Brazil? It must also be borne in mind that Brazil has achieved significant progress in fiscal matters. [Passage omitted] [LA NACION] Will the UCR [Radical Civic Union] continue to be the main opposition force? [Cavallo] I believe the UCR will continue to be the main opposition party despite its crisis. The UCR's great problem is that, following its wise stance on the constitutional reform issue, it must explain its change of position. I believe the UCR will overcome this situation. I believe Argentina will basically be a bipartisan country with rotating governments. One of the parties, namely the Justicialist Party [PJ] of the future, will have a more social-Christian, a more liberal approach in economic matters. The other party, namely the UCR, will have a more social-democratic approach. [LA NACION] What will be the term for this rotation? [Cavallo] Well, Argentina has struck lucky. The UCR, which is truly conservative and has great resistance to change, will again govern our country when changes are no longer necessary because we will already have the appropriate rules and be functioning well in political, economic, and social fields. So, there is nothing better than a conservative stance like that of the UCR to keep things functioning well. Right now a courageous party like the PJ, with someone like Menem -- who has a straightforward relationship with the people -- is required. Yet when great changes are no longer required, just marginal touch-ups, it will probably be time for a more conservative force with greater reluctance toward changes and risks -- like the UCR. [passage omitted] [LA NACION] There is talk of impending measures to reduce costs and encourage exports. What is the plan? [Cavallo] We announced the most significant measures at the very beginning and complemented them in early 1991. Since then, we merely implemented the announced policies. By 1 March, most agricultural, livestock, industrial, mining, and construction sectors and part of the tourism sector will have received their full tax deductions on payrolls. Within the next few days we will announce details of the car imports system for the next five years. This system was devised in 1991. It will run for eight years, until 1999 when the general rules and regulations will be implemented. We announced the import quotas for 1991, 1992, |
FBIS3-11887_1 | President Sanchez de Lozada Interviewed | to establish a raw-material processing industry (the processing of national raw materials in another country and the purchase of the finished products) that will allow us to export lines in which Argentina is no longer competitive as a consequence of its high labor costs. This way we will export products and not people. This step, along with an increased access to the U.S. markets, about which we will ask U.S. Vice President Al Gore when he visits La Paz within a few days, should allow us to voluntarily eradicate coca crops. [Solans] Is Mercosur [Common Market of the South] one of Bolivia's goals? [Sanchez] We are part of the River Plate system and we want to be closer because Argentina and Brazil are our great markets. We note that Mercosur's dynamics involves expansion, but there should me much more opening and honesty. With tariff lists that have more exceptions than uses, I believe the honest approach has been neglected. If we are allowed access, NAFTA may lead us into a dynamic situation. Bolivia wants to become a bridge between Mercosur and the Andean market. [Solans] Concerning your talks with the Argentine Government, did you receive any response on the immigrants who do not have any legal papers? [Sanchez] We talked about establishing a new period for Bolivians who already are here to gain legal status. We also talked about enforcing new restrictions on the border and making entry into Argentina more difficult. Bolivia wants to give more jobs to Bolivians and this is the goal of the free trade agreement between the two countries. We are attempting to create a relationship similar to the one existing between the United States and Mexico. Deploying more guards on the border is no solution because barriers vanish with a little corruption. The solution is to create jobs in Bolivia and gain access to the Argentine market. [Solans] And the gas sales to our country? [Sanchez] Significant progress has been achieved. We have reached agreement on an indefinite, free access in both directions of gas and hydrocarbon by-products. We are very content with having defined this market. A three-year contract has also been signed in which a price list has been established for gas because Argentina is paying less than we should receive. The United States, with a deregulated economy, is paying almost double. We understand that the Argentine economic process does not permit |
FBIS3-11901_0 | Foreign Minister Robaina's Visit to Asia Reviewed Discusses Change Process | Language: Spanish Article Type:BFN [Report by Rey Rodriguez -- all quotations marks as received] [Text] Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 23 Mar (PL) -- Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina said today that Cuba is immersed in a necessary process to change and that it requires the people's involvement so they feel they are participating in it. In a meeting with Vo Tran Chin, member of the Politburo of the Vietnamese Communist Party (PCU) and its first secretary in this city, Robaina said that changes being implemented in his country are carried out under strong pressures, a permanent threat, and a pitiless blockade by the United States. During the last stretch of his official tour covering eight countries of Asia and Southeast Asia, the Cuban foreign minister indicated that there are some risks that must be taken in every transformation process. "It would be much worse to engage in mistakes because we did not implement the needed changes," he added. In commenting on the impact on Cuba of a possible lifting of the U.S. economic blockade, Robaina emphasized that such a step would entail a new type of challenge "which would not be strictly related to problems of food and welfare, but to issues related to morals, values, and principles." The Cuban Communist Party [PCC] Politburo member stressed that Cuba is quite clear as to its final objective and will never back away from what it has accomplished so far. "In the economic sphere we are implementing many changes and there are still many more to be taken," he stated. In addition, we want to receive firsthand input from a brother country such as Vietnam to which we are united not only through economic ties, but as result of a historical, timely, and open relationship," he added. In expanding on the issue, Robaina commented that Cuba is about to start a process of recovery that depends on endeavor and work, without having to depend on one single commercial partner, by diversifying its economy as well as its foreign relations. "Cuba is asking from the world what it professes for the world, understanding and respect," he declared. The head of the Cuban diplomacy stressed that if there is something that gets his attention with respect to Vietnam's experiences, it is the manner in which the CPV controls and directs the renovation process. On other hand, Vo Tran Chin commented that currently there are |
FBIS3-11901_1 | Foreign Minister Robaina's Visit to Asia Reviewed Discusses Change Process | change and that it requires the people's involvement so they feel they are participating in it. In a meeting with Vo Tran Chin, member of the Politburo of the Vietnamese Communist Party (PCU) and its first secretary in this city, Robaina said that changes being implemented in his country are carried out under strong pressures, a permanent threat, and a pitiless blockade by the United States. During the last stretch of his official tour covering eight countries of Asia and Southeast Asia, the Cuban foreign minister indicated that there are some risks that must be taken in every transformation process. "It would be much worse to engage in mistakes because we did not implement the needed changes," he added. In commenting on the impact on Cuba of a possible lifting of the U.S. economic blockade, Robaina emphasized that such a step would entail a new type of challenge "which would not be strictly related to problems of food and welfare, but to issues related to morals, values, and principles." The Cuban Communist Party [PCC] Politburo member stressed that Cuba is quite clear as to its final objective and will never back away from what it has accomplished so far. "In the economic sphere we are implementing many changes and there are still many more to be taken," he stated. In addition, we want to receive firsthand input from a brother country such as Vietnam to which we are united not only through economic ties, but as result of a historical, timely, and open relationship," he added. In expanding on the issue, Robaina commented that Cuba is about to start a process of recovery that depends on endeavor and work, without having to depend on one single commercial partner, by diversifying its economy as well as its foreign relations. "Cuba is asking from the world what it professes for the world, understanding and respect," he declared. The head of the Cuban diplomacy stressed that if there is something that gets his attention with respect to Vietnam's experiences, it is the manner in which the CPV controls and directs the renovation process. On other hand, Vo Tran Chin commented that currently there are many aspects both countries can exchange in order to overcome the prevailing situation. Before concluding his stay in this city, the Cuban delegation will meet tomorrow with leaders of the southern city and will tour sites of economic interest. |
FBIS3-11904_1 | Foreign Minister Robaina's Visit to Asia Reviewed Interviewed on Foreign Policy | an exclusive interview for PRENSA LATINA. Cuba's economic crisis looked to me as the best option for the first question. [Robaina] It is true the situation is still difficult and that it will take big efforts to find adequate solutions to our project, but I am pleased to say the worst is over. The crisis hit rock bottom and we are now in a launch phase. We see the light at the end of the tunnel. We are moving with greater security. [Triana] In this new light, what economic options does the Cuban Government have? [Robaina] A group of measures have been adopted and other measures are being discussed to revitalize the economy without renouncing the fundamental achievements of the Revolution. Openings to foreign investments have developed, our foreign relations have been diversified, and we continue developing, in spite of the huge pressure from the U.S. blockade, which also boycotts every effort Cuba makes to initiate negotiations and pressures those who want to invest in our island. [Triana] Is there any change of attitude in the current U.S. Administration with regard to Cuba? [Robaina] The United States is now using a less aggressive language, but we know that internal mechanisms will keep Washington from changing its attitude toward our country even if it has this intention. Therefore we do not see, for example, any surprise lifting of the embargo. We are prepared to negotiate, as we have often said, on the basis of respect for our independence and sovereignty, and the right our 35-year-old Revolution gave us to speak out. [Triana] Ever since you became foreign minister, you have worked on a very intense diplomatic offensive throughout the world. What is the object of this policy? [Robaina] To explain the truth of our plan, to listen to the economic experiences of many other countries that have had successful results in that field, and to explore all the cooperation possibilities. Latin America and the Caribbean are a priority. This is the setting from which we were removed and the setting we are recovering. We are talking now in terms of a diplomatic offensive because we are tired of sitting on the defendant's bench. [Triana] What does your tour through Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, India, Malaysia, and Vietnam mean? [Robaina] In this region of the world, there have been significant economic transformations, and we are interested in analyzing and learning from |
FBIS3-11908_1 | `Analysts' Welcome U.S. Debate on Ending Embargo | ending the blockade against Cuba both within and outside the U.S. Congress . Hernandez explained that even within the U.S. Administration itself there are groups that have different ideas on the subject, and he stressed that because a group within Congress has adopted this position, greater support could be given to those arguing in favor of normalizing relations with Havana. All this makes the U.S. national outlook more complex and varied, especially on the official governmental level, he said. Writer and journalist Nicanor Leon Cotayo argued that what is taking place in Congress is symbolic of the growing U.S. awareness of the need to review the blockade policy. He recalled that Rangel's proposal is not the only one, noting that others have tried to introduce modifications on bans preventing U.S. citizens from traveling to Cuba and that there have been calls for making current limits on medicinal exports more flexible. Leon Cotayo said one cannot disregard an increasingly growing sentiment among important sectors of U.S. society regarding this issue. Leon Cotayo also mentioned the importance of the debate as a message to the White House -- a message that indicates the blockade strategy is increasingly being questioned in the United States. The Cuban writer described the congressional discussions that began the previous day as being significant in terms of the process of growing opposition to the blockade, which is felt in the heart of U.S. society. This makes one think, he concluded, that even if the lifting of the embargo is not around the corner, we see on the other hand that it is not so far away. Evelio Barrios, vice director for the Center for American Studies, said it is impossible for the U.S. Government to continue to ignore the political cost the blockade has on its international image. He said: What is most important is that this will permit the assessment of a new consensus being created within Congress on the issue, even though I do not expect any changes in the official position in the immediate future. Barrios also recalled that two UN votes favorable to Cuba opposed Washington's punitive measures, that editorials in influential U.S. newspapers have been critical of the blockade, and that several prominent people have denounced the blockade. Moreover, the United States sees the serious international problems it has caused itself by implementing the Torricelli Law and by trying to destroy Cuba's economy. |
FBIS3-11909_0 | TRABAJADORES on Rejection of U.S. Blockade | Language: Spanish Article Type:BFN [Text] Havana, 21 Mar (PL) -- The weekly TRABAJADORES today reported that rejection of the U.S. economic blockade on Cuba is increasing in the United States, but at the same time, it is meeting resistance from unknown major forces in official and unofficial circles. The mouthpiece of the Cuban Workers Federation (CTC) carried an article signed by writer and journalist Nicanor Lomplcotayt, an expert on U.S. issues, stating that the end of the siege of the island is neither in sight nor as distant as the most pessimists predicted. Since Washington lifted the blockade against Vietnam, a country in which it lost over 60,000 soldiers during the imposed war in the 1960's, many ask if now the White House will end the blockade it has implemented against Cuba for over 30 years, the article comments. It added that, when resuming the increasingly longer list of those who oppose the blockade, the Miami newspaper EL NUEVO HERALD said in its 7 March edition: "From religious and humanitarian organizations to conservative editorialists, and from civil rights groups to business managers, the different critics of the trade embargo assert it is a Cold War relic which affects U.S. businesses or contributes to the island's poverty." The situation is compounded by the start of the House of Representatives debates on the issue. Regardless of the results, it proves the extent of the internal criticism that this behavior has earned. In addition to other signs of international rejection, the UN Assembly General has issued two resolutions expressing its disapproval, TRABAJADORES emphasized. If the decision to lift the embargo against Vietnam proves the U.S. businessmen's realism managed to displace the dogmatism and mental anachronism of a group of officials and congressmen, in Cuba's case I believe they could very well play a crucial role, Leon Cotayo said. |
FBIS3-11910_0 | Report Says End to U.S. Embargo Not in Sight | Language: Spanish Article Type:BFN ["Exclusive" report by Nicanor Leon Cotayo: "Is the Embargo Against Cuba About To End?"] [Text] Havana -- Now that Washington has lifted the embargo on Vietnam, where the United States lost nearly 60,000 men during the war imposed on that Asian nation, many people have wondered whether the White House will terminate the more than 30-year-old U.S. blockade against Cuba. I believe the end of the embargo is neither in sight nor in the future, as the most pessimistic might think. The rejection of this ineffective and hostile posture toward Cuba has increased considerably. Concurrently, this U.S. position meets the determined resistance of important forces both in and outside government circles. Summing up the opinions of the increasingly large number of those who oppose the embargo, the Miami newspaper the NEW HERALD reported on 7 March: "From religious and humanitarian organizations to conservative editors and from civil rights groups to business managers the various groups that criticize the commercial embargo say it is a Cold War relic that harms U.S. business or contributes to poverty on the island." To this must be added the beginning of the embargo debates in the House of Representatives. Apart from the final results, the internal pressure has reached a point where, in addition to many expressions of international repudiation, two UN resolutions have been issued on the issue. To all this could be added the powerful movement the organization Pastors for Peace coordinates in the United States against the embargo. An increasing number of U.S. church people are participating in this crusade, which picks up followers in other countries and Europe as well. The fact the most influential U.S. newspapers, including THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, have criticized the embargo as the best way to deal with Cuba is another very meaningful indication of the trend which will prevail gradually and "step by step" [previous three words in English] in the United States. If, with the lifting of the blockade against Vietnam, the realism and levelheadedness of U.S. businessmen has managed to do away with the dogmatism and anachronism of a group of officials and legislators, I believe, concerning Cuba's, they would not be too far away from playing a significant role. That is, of course, if they are not forced to arrive too late to an event where businessmen from the American and European continents, among other areas, are already |
FBIS3-11911_1 | U.S. View of `Russian Danger' Questioned | to European security" is the potential danger that Russia might try to recover control over the territories of the "former Soviet empire." Has anyone ever said that is one of Russia's intentions? Rifkind said such signals come not only from nationalist leader Vladimir Zhirinovskiy but also from Russian Foreign Minister Andrey Kozyrev and other "moderate" officials. Are they real signals or are they unfounded fears leading to a search for pretexts for doing what they do in practice? Following the Clinton-Boris Yeltsin summit in Moscow last January, both sides agreed on the need to move on to new stages of cooperation, including a U.S. promise to grant the Russian Government relatively modest assistance of $2.5 billion. New obstacles to relations emerged suddenly. One of them was the conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina, with the ultimatum announced by NATO, led by the United States, to initiate air attacks on Serb positions if they did not withdraw their artillery. The carrot comes before the stick; it was always that way. Later a Russian initiative gave an important boost to a solution to the controversy, at least temporarily, to avoid further air attacks. Russia achieved a victory with this measure. Then something emerged by chance as if pulled out of a magician's sleeve: the famous case of alleged spy Aldrich Ames, a CIA official accused of working for special Soviet services since 1985 and later for similar Russian agencies. Was it discovered now or was it saved for the proper moment? Tempers flared. It seems unreal that the friendship reached after so much "sacrifice" in the Cold War years (some people are already speaking of a "Cold Peace") [words indistinct]. It is not known how many they may have stored away in the drawer for a proper moment. A Russian general said he was surprised by the U.S. reaction, arguing that the CIA does worse things in Moscow. But let's not fool ourselves. These are not fortuitous incidents. It is just that the huge propaganda machinery is cranked up when the system needs it. (That is how freedom of the press works in that country). At least that is how the directors of the Russian agency ITAR-TASS think. A recent dispatch stated: "...attempts to give a political character (to the case) have shown once again that the intelligence service is a policy tool that can be efficiently used at the appropriate moment." Perhaps at another |
FBIS3-11912_2 | Article Views CIA's Future Role, Goals | in action in enemy territory, according to Woolsey's explanations. Most likely the files can attest to a greater number of agents killed. According to the charges filed against Ames by a special FBI commission, he is suspected of having provided Moscow with the names and identities of 10 CIA agents infiltrated into the then Soviet KGB; moreover it is believed they were all executed for high treason. Certain experts believe Ames is now being used as a "scapegoat," because he provides the U.S. intelligence community with a reason to implement a witch-hunt with the self-evident goal of somehow justifying the predicaments through which it has gone, its lack of clear direction, as well as interagency rivalries. Now more than ever, the CIA is confronting fierce competition from other U.S. intelligence services, which include the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the FBI, the National Security Council, which is attached to the Presidency, and the State Department's External Operations Unit. Woolsey seeks to establish more cooperation between these agencies, an objective which, according to some analysts, is difficult to accomplish. The CIA was created, supposedly, to gather information abroad, though it tends to invade the privacy of certain individuals' homes. What will it do now in the absence of concrete adversaries? In the past, the agency ordered the assassination of foreign world leaders and well-known figures, in addition to conspiring to topple "hostile" governments. With the end of an open East-West confrontation, the "company" lacks a concrete perspective of its real mission. It is walking blindly behind confusing and unpredictable objectives and goals, such as regional tensions developing in different geographical areas. Democrat Oklahoma Senator David Boren, chairman of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee, said recently it is time to define this agency's role. The agency's greatest problem is it mistakenly targets numerous objectives, which include drug trafficking, nuclear proliferation, or transshipments of missile technology, activities which it purports to control, as proclaimed by President Clinton himself, in an attempt to redefine the role of U.S. espionage. Another objective on which it focuses includes stressing intelligence gathering on the latest technological, industrial, and economical trends, even from some of the country's own Western allies. Before the collapse of the European socialist system, Washington assigned 65 percent of the CIA's budget to clandestine operations in the USSR and its Eastern allies. It presently earmarks 40 percent of the same budget to the same purpose. |
FBIS3-11929_1 | Article Views `Shaken' Democratic Process | of the crisis under the perspective of elections and the constitutional reform. They are unable to answer questions that are being discussed in Congress, like: Although part of the military is willing to stage a coup with the discreet support of some important civilians, would a "strong" government have any legitimacy following an armed intervention? Apparently, the military chiefs are more intent on exerting governmental tutelage -- like betting on the future (presidential succession) -- than on trying to establish the conditions for a dictatorship based on a model instituted 30 years ago. The domestic and international scenario, apparently, would not look favorable on them under either possibility. They could lack legitimacy at home. A poll conducted in Sao Paulo by Toledo and Associates was published yesterday by O ESTADO. It shows that only 1.1 percent of those interviewed believe "military action" is necessary to solve the crisis. The main international obstacle to intensifying military intervention in Brazilian politics would be the U.S. Government's alleged desire to prevent nationalist movements in the Southern Hemisphere from taking power because they could eventually oppose the development of U.S. strategic interests in emerging Latin American economies. At the beginning of the week -- with the crisis in full swing -- U.S. Vice President Al Gore visited President Itamar Franco to confirm his government's Another issue shared by foreign analysts and Brazilian congressmen -- to which no one has yet found an answer -- is as follows: If the hypothesis of a coup is unrealistic, what possibility is there for Brazil to make its democratic process logical and functional during the closing stages of the Franco administration with a strong military presence at the epicenter of political decisions? Also highlighted among the common points of the evaluation by foreign embassies in Brasilia as well as Congress was the level of frustration felt by middle-ranking military officers who were aroused by demonstrations of force by the Army, Navy, and Aeronautics commanders last week, and which was publicly endorsed by the president of the Republic. The consensual conclusion is that the "coup" -- in other words, military intervention in the political decisions process -- tends to become consolidated in the day-to-day routine under President Franco's sponsorship. This domestic atmosphere would be favorable because we are witnessing a virtual dismantling of the institutions. Itamar Franco -- The president's feeling has been in keeping with that of the |
FBIS3-11940_2 | Lt. Col. Explains New Anti-Theft Measures | have been activated at places dealing with the fields, that is to say where the product is harvested, taken out of the ground, SUVP groups belonging to the miscellaneous crops enterprise, the Basic Cooperative Production Units [UBPC], or the community, that is, all SUVP groups that, through residency or organization, have anything to do with watching over and protecting the product in the fields. That vigilance is maintained 24 hours a day until the product is loaded onto trucks. They have to guarantee the vigilance and protection of those products at the site with their personnel and resources and with the methodological help of the comrades from the Ministry of Interior. Thieves must not be allowed to go there and carry things off and then go and do all the wheeling and dealing that they do with these products. [Alemany] Lt. Col. (Geronez) also said that during these months of harvesting tubers, vegetables and other products in Havana Province, strict controls have been established, among these, establishing fixed routes for the trucks. [(Geronez)] Once the product is loaded onto the truck or trucks, a set of measures has been taken, measures that cover the vehicles' entire travel itinerary, all the way to the cold-storage facility or the product-concentrating site. The basic elements of the measures are that basic fixed routes are established for the trucks to follow. Because of the number of product-producing municipalities we have, we have established five basic fixed routes in the province. We have given each of these fixed routes a particular identification. This identification appears on the documentation that every truck carries. For every itinerary, we have chosen a color and a number, and this color and number appear on the documentation that the driver carries. This permits the checkpoints that we have set up to quickly determine when a truck is not following the proper itinerary, is off the fixed route it should be following. And, precisely, when a truck is found to be out of its fixed route, an investigation is conducted by the police, to determine the reasons, the causes, to see why the truck is deviating from its set route. [Alemany] The second part of this interview with Lt. Col. (Octavio Geronez) will be given tomorrow on Radio Progreso's "First Thing in the Morning" program, at this same time. This is reporter Alemany, on the "First Thing in the Morning" program. |
FBIS3-11942_1 | ANPP May Not Adopt All Controversial Measures | to a minimum during this fourth year of the so-called Special Period. The measures being considered include a new taxation system, the end of subsidies for consumer goods and services, price increases, and a reduction in the size of the government apparatus with the resulting increase in unemployment. Since the disappearance of the USSR and the Socialist regimes in Eastern Europe, with which it carried out 85 percent of its commercial trading activity, Cuba has been experiencing a strong recession. This is worsened by an increase in the U.S. trade embargo. Regarding the more significant issues of the policies to be chartered by the ANPP, Barredo believes that although these decisions cannot be postponed for very much longer, the legislature should neither build false expectations or address the matter lightly. The former vice president of the Union of Cuban Journalists and current member of the ANPP said that "if the measures were capable of immediately solving the difficult situation which we have been thrown into, they would have been adopted a long time ago." Therefore, he added, it would be extremely naive to believe that by discussing and adopting decisions made by the ANPP, the country's problems will disappear like magic. Besides the partly paralyzed state of industry and the drop in agricultural production levels, Cuba faces a budget deficit of over $4.2 billion. There is also an excess of currency of over $11 billion circulating in the economy. The measures are more closely related to the labor situation, more specifically, the possible closure of approximately 69 percent of the country's enterprises due to inefficiency and the expense caused by Cuban workers, who are accustomed to receiving constant subsidies from the state. According to Barredo, almost 11 million Cubans are faced with a dilemma without precedent anywhere in the world: how to solve the budget deficit and the excess currency problem while upholding the decision to continue with free social services, such as education and health. The essay recognizes that the island is facing a necessary reorganization process. The process will necessarily and inevitably affect the habits, customs, and way of thinking of the country's inhabitants. Barredo flat out said that it is impossible, under the present conditions, to expect to work on the country's economic recovery without getting the domestic cash flow situation under control and within manageable limits first. "Everything must be carefully studied. It is clear that |
FBIS3-11946_0 | Workers Conclude Discussions of Economic Measures | Language: Spanish Article Type:BFN [Commentary by Miguel de la Guardia; from the "Commenting on the News" section of the "Evening Information Review" newscast] [Text] The elaborate discussions of the economic measures that Cuba plans to apply to pull out of the deep crisis produced by the collapse of the socialist camp have concluded. The crisis has been augmented by the tightening of the economic blockade the United States has exerted on Cuba for the past 32 years. More than 80,000 workers' meetings were held throughout the country to discuss and debate the main economic measures the revolutionary government will gradually and in a timely manner impose to heal the nation's finances and bring normalcy to the people. It cannot be said that even the most humble workers of the cities and the countryside discussed the measures because in Cuba there are no humble or forsaken workers. In Cuba, workers are the most important citizens, the main factor of society. It is also true that in Cuba they represent the absolute majority of society, a society of workers. Because of this, workers have the right to fully participate in the adoption of decisions that could affect them, and they fully exercise this right. At the workers' meetings, which were called the Workers Parliament, they discussed regulations, taxes, savings, and losses and earnings, just as executives interested in having a profitable, productive, efficient, and dynamic enterprise do. This is what is needed at this critical moment and this will be the basis of the country's social and economic life. The Cuban leaders already have in their hands the ideas, suggestions, and observations provided by the workers and this will be, undoubtedly, an important contribution to the work to be carried out in the next few days by the National Assembly of the People's Government which will draft laws defining the steps that will be adopted to pull out of the current crisis and embark on a true economic takeoff. The people already know that the measures that have been discussed and announced will mean severe adjustments and corrections that will impose sacrifices on the citizens, but the people also know that the revolutionary leadership that led them to social levels almost unique in the world because it thinks about the people and work for the people, will know how to lead them based on their most legitimate interests and aspirations. All Cubans |
FBIS3-11964_2 | Candidate Zamora Interview on Runoff Elections | not use the right words about a runoff election. I believe just the opposite is true. Elections are a democratic exercise by the people. They are an opportunity for the Salvadoran people. We should welcome every opportunity the people have to express their will and choose a government. That is the essence of democracy. The very thought that elections are somehow unfortunate could be very dangerous and end democracy in the country. I would say that we must hold the runoff elections with the attitude that they are an opportunity to broaden our political knowledge and the information given to the people and to truly try to involve more Salvadorans in the decision. You must remember that 49 percent is percentage data, but half of the population has not voted. In other words, 49 percent in terms of the voting population is less than one-fourth of the Salvadoran electorate, and it might not be a good idea to believe that an election should be decided by less than one-fourth of the people who should be making the decision. It is to our advantage to have another opportunity to correct all the serious deficiencies of the first election so we can broaden the spectrum and allow more Salvadorans to decide their future. [Funes] The distribution of support demonstrated in the presidential elections was practically predicted by the public opinion polls. All polls indicated that ARENA was the top force, followed by the leftist coalition and the Christian Democratic Party [PDC] in third place, approximately six months ago. They did not, however, predict the percentages and the way they would change. For example, the UCA's [Central American University] Public Opinion Institute gave the coalition a certain percentage that was way below the ARENA figure. Do you think the 49.20 percent is a solid ARENA vote? [Zamora] It is not a solid ARENA vote because I think the polls were showing something different. I think a lot can be attributed to the occasional vote, due in part to the fear instilled in voters by a campaign carried out toward the end. In fact, it was a campaign held on a day when campaigning was no longer allowed. Certain media, like EL DIARIO DE HOY, continued a harsh campaign against us. I believe it was outside the boundaries permitted by law or that it bent the law over backwards. All of this had some |
FBIS3-11974_1 | Incoming Foreign Minister Views U.S. Ties | with the United States. However, according to experts, the situation started when the administration of President Calderon Fournier endorsed former U.S. President George Bush in the election won by Democrat Bill Clinton. Moment of Tension Tensions soared in February of last year, when the United States threatened to block a package of credits from the Inter-American Development Bank because of delays in settling land expropriation payments for U.S. citizens, particularly those related to the Santa Elena Farm. Additionally, in July 1993, the U.S. Commerce Department ruled it would process a suit filed against the Costa Rican Government over alleged labor rights violations. The litigation was suspended because of a visit to Washington, D.C., by Presidency Minister Rolando Lacle, during which he pledged to fulfill a series of demands presented by the powerful AFL-CIO. This year, the threat of economic reprisals continues because of the legal dispute involving cellular telephones and the Millicom Corp., as well as the resumption of the lawsuit by national unions over alleged noncompliance with proposed legislation. Anticipating a scenario that could turn critical for the national economy, Naranjo stressed: "We are going to work with different ministries. If there is a labor problem, the Foreign Ministry will work with the Labor Ministry. If there is a commercial problem, we will work with the Foreign Trade Ministry. Also, we will analyze any problem concerning intellectual property rights with the Ministry of Justice or the Ministry of the Presidency." Naranjo added: "We are not trying to replace other ministries, but these coordination efforts must be led by the Foreign Ministry." The strategy to be implemented with the United States will be one of improving political ties, because "people settle their differences by talking to each other. If one speaks and makes proposals, there will be an understanding, while if no discussion is held and one's arguments are not explained, there will be disagreement and relations between the nations will tend to deteriorate," Naranjo asserted. Naranjo said that along with improved relations with the North Americans, he will promote a national dialogue on the impact of Costa Rica's possible integration into NAFTA. He said: "We have to think seriously about whether or not we should join the trade agreement, because it would mean seriously reforming the environment, labor laws, and the property system." He added: "I have the impression that some people are nonchalantly recommending we join NAFTA without |
FBIS3-11984_10 | Treasury Secretary on Budget, Foreign Debt | that the new system should produce, so that the Treasury will not lose out during a period of transition. [PRESENCIA] The announcements about the composition of the budget and the structural measures the government intends to initiate are already causing social conflict. Although your office is essentially technical, what political factors are there to weaken or to negotiate with the various sectors? [Cossio] There is a large margin for negotiation, and to explain that not only the government is going to benefit by these changes but the entire country. That is the essential element of a transformation. Transformations do not occur in a calm environment. There are going to be conflicts because a transformation brings with it a change in things, and people normally do not like change. I believe that, while not entering areas that are not my responsibility, there is a broad margin for negotiation and for becoming convinced of the need for these reforms. [PRESENCIA] Do you believe in force? [Cossio] In the force of ideas, yes. [PRESENCIA] In the context of what you have said, would you hazard a forecast of what the government is going to do in the next four years? [Cossio] It would be very pretentious of me to do that, in general, but I believe that if we are successful in the capitalization process, if we carry out the law on popular participation--which is really going to change the country's roots in the allocation of resources--and if there is greater and massive private investment, the conditions will exist to see a new Bolivia in four or six years. These are long processes and no one can say that the country will be totally changed by 1997, but if we leave the seed well planted in fertile soil, I believe.... I am very optimistic. [Box, p 2] My Beloved Buenos Aires [PRESENCIA] What is the situation with Argentina at the moment? [Cossio] I can cite only two facts, because the subject is outside my area. First, only $20 million remains of the special payment made by Argentina last year, which will be paid in January and February. Unfortunately, this special payment of $110 million is finished. Second, new sales contracts--because there might be more than one--are being negotiated. [PRESENCIA] Has provision been made for these contracts in the 1994 budget? [Cossio] We have made provision in the budget for a volume similar to |
FBIS3-11984_14 | Treasury Secretary on Budget, Foreign Debt | of spending, and the domestic debt increased spectacularly. They were contracting projects, buying goods and services, and not paying for them. This is why we received an accumulated domestic debt of almost 180 million bolivares. [PRESENCIA] Is this the problem with the construction companies? [Cossio] With everyone. Construction companies, providers of goods and services, payments to the social communication media, for example. They continued to accumulate debts. One way of financing was to increase the domestic debt. They stopped paying the complementary funds; there too we received a significant floating debt. These are the reasons they lost control in 1993 and this is why they could not reach an agreement with the IMF. [PRESENCIA] How are you negotiating the payment of these debts? [Cossio] We know that we cannot pay it all in one year and we are making a payments plan. For example, we have already proposed to the Bolivian Chamber of Construction that we pay them with Treasury bonds redeemable in four years. We think we can comply in that period, with all due precaution and beginning with the oldest debts. That is one possibility. Some companies have accepted, others no, but the dialogue is open. [Box, p 2] The Endless Foreign Debt According to figures provided by Treasury Secretary Fernando Cossio, the foreign debt on 31 December 1993 was $3.788 billion, of which $2.478 is owed by the Treasury. Of the total debt, 55 percent "is of multilateral origin, the principal creditors being the IDB and the IBRD [International Bank for Reconstruction and Development], with 46 percent of the debt. The remainder are crumbs: 3 percent to the CAF [Andean Development Corporation] and 3 percent to FONPLATA [River Plate Basin Development Fund]." "Then, 42 or 43 percent is bilateral, and the two principal creditors, with 22 percent, are Germany and Japan," he said, adding that 1.6 percent of the debt is owed to private banks. Cossio said that being in debt to the multilateral organizations is an advantage and a disadvantage. An advantage because "most of the credits were made on concessionary terms, for a term of 40 years at 2 percent interest and a 10-year grace period. The disadvantage is that it is not renegotiable. We cannot go to the Club of Paris and renegotiate the multilateral debt." He explains that the Treasury's debt was incurred primarily for roads, but in addition, when a state enterprise, |
FBIS3-11995_0 | Official Outlines Strategy To Monitor Human Rights | Language: Spanish Article Type:BFN [Report by Camilo Chaparro] [Text] With a new approach, the Attorney General's Office is beginning to develop the monitoring of human rights and maintaining checks on the Armed Forces. Traditionally, the Attorney General's Office has only exerted disciplinary control over servicemen and policemen, punishing almost exclusively flaws in service and abuse of power. Based on a critical self-analysis, the office concluded this is not sufficient. That is why now, under the guidance of Deputy Attorney General Mauricio Echeverri Gutierrez, the Public Order Commission [Comission de Orden Publico] of that office is beginning a new strategy to try to exert a more preventive and immediate control. The bases of this new control program are the regional diagnostics on the public order situation in specific zones and the performance pacts in which citizens, the Armed Forces, and watchdog organizations participate directly. At the disciplinary level, the novelty of this program is that the Attorney General's Office is not only going to punish those responsible for an illegal action but also those who by omission allowed the illegal action to take place. So far, the Attorney General's Office has analyzed the public order situation in Santander's Middle Magdalena region, Uraba, south of Cesar, and Arauca. In Middle Magdalena, for example, said office conducted a study of the complaints against the police and found that most of them are related to irregularities during raids, arbitrary arrests, abuse during interrogations, flaws in intelligence reports, and harassment of civilians. "That analysis allows us to identify problems and recommend solutions to the police and Army so no more complaints are filed. The guarantee that our observations are heeded is that we do a follow-up every three months on the police in specific zones," Echeverri indicated. Among the recommendations suggested by the Attorney General's Office to the Armed Forces are: not to touch the scenes of battles where there are dead or wounded; notify immediately the appropriate authorities about the arrest of alleged offenders and raids; and allow the control corps to inspect the operations log. In the medium-term, the Attorney General's Office is going to insist that a national statute to conduct intelligence reports be drafted. "We cannot continue to conduct military or police operations based on rumors. That is why we must establish clear guidelines to prepare these kinds of documents," the official added. According to Echeverri, the new human rights protection |
FBIS3-11999_1 | Unemployment Statistics, Predictions Reported | in an article in the periodical CORREO POBLACIONAL of the lack of planning of a political and industrial nature that would lead to the creation of jobs. "It is hoped that the market, on its own, will generate businesses and jobs, but there is no structural policy oriented toward this goal." He notes that the lack of reliable information on the employment factor is an indication that those responsible for economic management regard it as a second-category variable. And on the basic level, there is further symptomatic lack of concern about the errors being committed in the training of professional workers. The result has been serious difficulty in securing job placements. On the basis of these predictions and the current economic determinations, it is estimated that it will be necessary to absorb an additional labor supply of 981,000 workers in the cities and 257,000 in the rural sector in the next 10 years if the rates of open unemployment (14.7 percent) and underemployment (55 percent) are to be prevented from increasing. These figures show that 124,000 jobs, 79 percent of them in the cities, will have to be created every year. The International Labor Organization recommends that the increases in social allocations and consumption subsidies be reduced, while investments in human capital and training must be increased. This organization also regards the establishment of subsidies to improve nutrition and preventive medical care as necessary. According to the International Labor Organization, the trend toward increased unemployment rates, even in the industrialized countries, is alarming because of the magnitude of the risk it entails. In fact, this factor leads to many consequences, including the erosion of national income and the citizens' standard of living, thus aggravating the problems of promoting development and alleviating poverty. Unemployment also increases the public-budget deficit and macroeconomic instability, and it absorbs resources that could otherwise be allocated for the purchase of productive equipment, education, training, and the provision of aid services to the most neglected sectors. Many are of the opinion that the state is no longer the main force in the battle against unemployment, poverty, and underdevelopment, but rather the basic cause of these problems because of the distorting effect of its interventions on the market. However, the philosophy oriented toward the market economy that gained ground in the decade of the 1980's still has not, in practice, produced convincing solutions, at least on a large |
FBIS3-12001_1 | Fertility, Infant Mortality, Literacy Rates | burden of more than $1,000 (2 million sucres) in foreign debt. Perhaps for this reason, among many others, the citizens of Ecuador today want fewer children than was the case in the past. The decline in population growth from 3.1 percent in 1974 to 2.1 percent per year in 1992 is the most important change in the demographic development of the country. About 300,000 children are born in Ecuador every year, and approximately 15,000 die before they reach the age of one year. Both the mortality rate and the birthrate have been gradually declining for about 10 years. According to the figures of the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC), the birthrate is 18.2 per thousand inhabitants on the national level. Ecuador is among the countries with average birthrates, although it continues to have a high rate of infant mortality, at 37.9 per thousand live births. According to Plutarco Naranjo, the former minister of health, respiratory and gastrointestinal infections are the leading causes of infant deaths, followed by diarrhea, infectious diseases, and parasitic diseases. Naranjo expressed regret that there is no serious long-term plan in the country to begin as of now to resolve the major problems of infancy. He expressed the view that under the present circumstances in Ecuador, there is neither enough time being devoted, nor enough other resources such as experience, capability, and adequate projections for the future being allocated, to be able to plan for the future over the long run. But not everything is gloomy. The successes achieved in Ecuador in the realm of education place it in a vanguard position among the Andean nations. The illiteracy rate (10 percent) is the lowest in this subregion, and public expenditure on education as a segment of the gross domestic product (GDP) (3.5 percent) ranks second only to the figure for Venezuela. To this progress one must add the approval of the new Minors' Code, which introduces the concept developed in the Convention on the Rights of Children that imposes greater responsibility for children on society and the family. Despite the advances made, the children in Ecuador will enter the 21st century at high risk in terms of mortality and malnutrition. The basic reasons for this situation are the level of poverty in which their mothers are living and the unsatisfactory quality and quantity of the health, environmental protection, and educational services being offered. [passage omitted] |
FBIS3-12002_0 | Article Reviews `Increasingly Isolated President' | Language: Spanish Article Type:BFN [Article by Carlos Martini] [Text] Some blunders like appointing Bacon Duarte Prado as an adviser or avoiding the implementation of serious measures at the IPS [Social Security Institute] are factors that reduce the credibility of the executive branch's political management. If we add to this Decree No. 2780 on promotions and transfers in the judicial branch, the lack of enthusiasm with which [Colorado Party Deputy] Bernardino Cano Redil -- the government's main intellectual operator -- champions some government positions, and the Colorado Party's sensible silence last month, we recognize an increasingly isolated president at Lopez Palace. Even [Colorado Party Senator] Juan Carlos Galaverna seemed out of place this week. It is not possible to ask the government to solve in less than one year of administration the problems of the oligarchic agrarian structure bequeathed by numerous decades of wealth concentration. It is also not possible to ask the government to work a miraculous economic swap that will allow a large GDP growth rate. It is not possible to ask the government to affect the international prices for soybean or cotton, and, with the assistance of a saint, conclude the military's reform within eight months. It is not possible to ask the government to abruptly improve the quality and scope of education. No one is asking Engineer Wasmosy to perform these miracles. The problem is that there are not even favorable signs of a political line allowing us to guess that we have a government management that seeks to overcome these and other serious social and economic deficits. The Social Development Council represents an attempt to find a solution to the growing social crisis. And, as a general framework, we must mention a policy of basic agreements sought through discussions among various parties or directly through agreements on concrete issues. And the "democratic compromise" is a sign of the latter method. Bearing in mind the new political arena, involving an increased balance of forces, a broad conciliatory policy has been sought. And even though the National Encounter, the [Colorado Party leader Luis] Argana supporters, and the [Hermes and Miguel] Saguier supporters uphold a critical stance toward [opposition leader] Domingo Laino, they are actually implementing a moderate opposition and have signed the "democratic compromise." In a nutshell, President Wasmosy has a potentially favorable arena to achieve a broad spectrum of basic agreements that might represent a contribution to |
FBIS3-12004_6 | Fujimori Interviewed on Relations With Chile, Economy, `95 Election | recessionary level, because of the dollar being underrated -- not because of economic problems, but because of drug trafficking -- and because of the relatively high interest rates. We want to uproot those problems. Concerning the exchange rate, we are doing more efficient work, concentrating in antinarcotics actions all the efforts that were previously made in the antiterrorist fight. We hope to significantly stem the flow of narcodollars. Some $1 billion might be currently entering Peru, and this is far too much to be absorbed. Concerning interest rates, we hope privatization of Interbanc and Continental Bank -- two sound enterprises -- will make interest rates drop. [ESTRATEGIA] What reforms do you expect to implement to modernize the economy even further? [Fujimori] Over the next few months there will be no major measures. We will promote farming with measures aiming at stabilizing farm product prices. This entails the adoption of flexible tariffs, so that Peruvian food products like wheat, rice, corn, and milk -- which are also the main imported food items -- remain stable. We want farmers to capitalize. At the same time, we will take care of pacification. Even though it is true that no liberal policy has yet been enforced for the agricultural area, we hope to design one in 1996. [ESTRATEGIA] In a hypothetical case, if you do not run for reelection, don't you think the economic program might be endangered? [Fujimori] (Smiles.) It would be difficult to go backward after the progress we have made. Even though there are always risks, all social sectors support the government policy -- especially the economic policy. The entire reform program that we enforced over a record period has had massive support in the poorer zones of the country. What the government should now do is enforce a social program to end poverty, in order to consolidate all the reforms. This will then guarantee that people will not choose a president who will bring retrogression. [ESTRATEGIA] Some analysts believe that your country is very well, but they wonder: What will come after Fujimori? [Fujimori] The best guarantee is the position of the Peruvian people, who will not agree to retrogression or to a populist or paternalistic policy in the style of previous administrations. [ESTRATEGIA] But if we consider the results of the previous plebiscite, in which the government position won by a small margin... [Fujimori] There were distorting factors that |
FBIS3-12008_9 | Interview With 200 Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement Leader | Special Powers Law will assure that the most appropriate measures will be taken. We must recall that a Special Powers Law was available to Carlos Andres Perez, and all he did with it was cut off all of Venezuela's chances -- despite all the resources available to him -- to be led into a true national project. Subsequently, what was implemented was the Great Venezuela plan, which led us to the most tragic chapter in Venezuelan history. [Fernandez] Commander Chavez, I would like to talk about the ideological inspiration of the Bolivarian movement. Obviously, great national inspiration permeates from the thoughts of Bolivar and other heroes, but is there, in any way, an international inspiration to the Bolivarian movement? [Chavez] Well....[pauses] [Fernandez] I am asking you this because at some time, around 4 February, a series of speculations and conjectures arose. Namely, Bolivar was compared to Argentina's Painted Faces and other military movements all over Latin America. You did respond to those speculations, but there are some who still believe that there is somewhat of an international inspiration involved. [Chavez] Yes, unavoidably, there are people who believe and will continue to believe that. We have been linked to extreme rightist sectors -- that is where I believe the Argentine Painted Faces came up -- and we have also been linked with extreme leftist sectors such as the [words indistinct], the Third Path, and Cuba's Castroism. In other words, this association depends on who is making the associations, their ideologies, and the interests involved in establishing links between us and other movements. We have talked about the reemergence of an ideology, which indeed has international undertones, or, as I prefer to say, it has international repercussions. At this moment, I believe that the ideological weight represented by the Mayan Indians in Mexico.... [Fernandez, interrupting] [Words indistinct] of the Zapatist National Liberation Army? [Chavez] That is right. There is a relation there that we would have to take apart carefully and analyze with documents regarding the proclamations and the demands behind the discourse of the Zapatists. However, my instinct tells me that an ideological connection exists there, without the existence of a previous agreement. Now, I want to reiterate the essence of our national project. Currently, what we have is a national [word indistinct] Bolivar-Zamora-Rodriguez. This is not about us putting a hundred -- just to give a figure -- national heroes |
FBIS3-12019_12 | Former Interior Secretary Interviewed | [Pages] There are three candidates from three, let us say, strong political parties, who will face each other in the presidential race. In general terms, what does each one represent to the nation? [Gutierrez] They represent a historic opportunity. Partisan institutions are the expression of democracy. They will have to debate with civility and discuss the alternatives and programs each contender has to offer. Mexico gains by this. Debate is the best way to put the strength of any political party's ideals to the test. The Mexico of today comprises a pluralistic society that brings together various ideologies and trends represented by the different political parties. The unchanging nature of democracy is that the majority rules, but the minorities also have their place in the country's everyday life. That is the country's future. [Pages] What is your view regarding the role played by the media in the elections? [Gutierrez] The media are the loyal conveyors of the political situation. The media will play a pivotal role in the 1994 electoral process. They will allow society to obtain information on the candidates, their programs, and leadership capabilities. That is exactly what the new Mexico implies. Once more, the media's responsibility will be decisive, and this can only be achieved in a country such as ours, where freedom of expression is respected. [Pages] The opposition has indicated that there could be a popular uprising if the election results are not respected. What do you think about violence? [Gutierrez] I am convinced that social peace is based on respect for the individual, life, and liberty, without allowing the exercise of our rights to impinge on other people's rights. The Mexican people reject violence. No one can live amid anarchy and chaos just as peace cannot be imposed with authoritarian measures. The Mexican Government, in addition to the legal norms that rule the institutions, wields one of the best weapons: dialogue, reason, and law, because moving away from it would be the worst path to follow. The political parties, even with their ideological differences and their projects, have a common goal -- to achieve the advancement of Mexico and the benefit of the majorities as well as to preserve the de jure state. Even when the debates are at times harsh, which is normal considering the emotions political campaigns can stir, today a higher level of maturity on the part of the parties and |
FBIS3-12019_14 | Former Interior Secretary Interviewed | society as a whole is perceived. This higher maturity, combined with a respect for electoral laws and the individual right to vote, will lead to a peaceful transfer of power. [Pages] Do you believe that what has been called the Mexican political system is still in effect? [Gutierrez] The Mexican political system is still in effect; it is on its own a revolutionary project and not a rhetorical abstraction. It constitutes a project that includes all political trends -- left, right, and center; professional groups from the social and business sectors; organizations of young people, women, and intellectuals; political parties; urban popular movements; and so on, all of whom participate in the political arena in the manner they deem most appropriate. It is fundamental to point out that all of the country's political parties have freedom of expression. No one is denied the right to fight for Mexico. We are not a monolithic society. The revolution has given birth to several trends, and it welcomes those who represent them. Nevertheless, excessive pluralism is not desirable because it divides and ideologically confuses the population. I believe the course for Mexico is that of a moderate pluralism with the respectful coexistence of our current political and ideological groups so that they can contribute to the country's progress. [Pages] What is your view regarding the dialogue taking place in San Cristobal de las Casas? [Gutierrez] As I told you before, this dialogue is positive. A mature dialogue leads to peace and harmony. While a dialogue is held, the cannon remains silent, but what is important is to move from dialogue to negotiation. A negotiation could become stagnant if it lacks the will and understanding of all to seek solutions with honesty and realism. This stage is a civilized and worthwhile chance to find peace. The deliberate confusion between politics and the spiritual aspect must be avoided. The baseless presumption that the "Zapatist National Liberation Army" can be maintained as a pressure group until the August elections and is allowed, because of this, to assume a higher role than the de jure state to supervise the legality and the purity of the elections must be overcome through dialogue and negotiation. In turn, it is vital to separate the Chiapas conflict from the presidential elections; strive to make the latter trustworthy, convincing, and irreproachable; and prevent the post-electoral period from becoming troublesome. [Pages] According to |
FBIS3-12020_0 | Article Views Effects of Stagnant Domestic Savings | Language: Spanish Article Type:BFN [Article by Marcos Chavez M.] [Text] Although in the current six-year term, financial savings [ahorro financiero] increased in an extraordinary manner -- it went from 31 percent to about 45 percent of GNP between 1988 and 1993 -- such resources have not produced a significant increase in domestic savings and capital accumulation as was expected. Domestic savings are stagnant at 6.5 percent of GNP, that is, 10 percent under the highest level reached in 1979. This has become a serious structural obstacle to achieving self-financing [financiamiento autonomo] of the economy. This will demand a growing foreign debt to reach high growth rates as long as financial reform does not mature. Although investment as a ratio of GNP recovered slightly between 1986 and 1993, it is still about 7 percent under the 1982 figure, according to information issued by the Bank of Mexico and Nacional Financiera and the Fifth Government Report, which EL FINANCIERO reviewed. Jose Luis Calva, researcher for the Economic Research Institute of the UNAM [National Autonomous University of Mexico], thinks that the launching of the neo-liberal model was based on the diagnosis that insufficient domestic savings was among the "main causes" of the foreign debt crisis. This was provoked by the so-called "financial repression" that limited the expansion of investment, maintained negative real interest rates, promoted the inefficiency of local intermediaries, and restricted an efficient allocation of resources. It was argued that domestic financial deregulation and the opening of foreign markets would promote domestic savings and investment. Calva thinks that the problem was that only financial savings (M4 minus bills and coins in circulation) grew while domestic savings "collapsed" and investment, which has not managed to return to the levels reached in the early 1980's despite a heavy inflow of foreign capital. [sentence as published]. Thus, at present there is heavy dependence on foreign savings [ahorro externo] to maintain the rhythm of expansion with the risks that financial dependence entail. Financial savings increased from 32 to about 45 percent of GNP between 1982 and 1993. This situation stemmed from the fact that real interest rates were unusually higher than foreign interests rates. This and increases in the value of assets in the stock market afforded foreign investors significant profits in the money market. Financial savings, however, are not in line with domestic savings and investment because -- paradoxically -- part of the foreign capital |
FBIS3-12021_6 | Discussion on Makeup of Meeting With Emigres | the son and grandson of emigrants. My grandparents came from Spain to Cuba. Part of my family, especially my parents, emigrated after the triumph of the Cuban Revolution; I know the mechanics and the nature of the emigrant because I learned about it from my own family. My grandparents never talked about returning to Spain. I believe that my relatives who left Cuba at the beginning of the Revolution have never expressed the desire to reestablish themselves in Cuba. Therefore, I believe that the majority of Cuban emigres during these 35 years -- because there was emigration in Cuba prior to the Revolution, and in the 50's there was growing emigration -- I believe that in some years, such as 1956, more than 25,000 Cubans went to the U.S. Interests Section to ask for visas to enter the United States, to live and work there. The phenomenon of emigration is a bit old in Cuba. It was not caused by the Cuban Revolution. It reached its peak with the Revolution. Therefore, the majority of economic emigrants who live in the United States and other countries around the world, those who will come to talk with Cuban authorities, will come to converse on how to establish a line of communication with what we could call the Cuban diaspora. How to achieve stable and firm ties, despite the world situation, with their native land. That is what they will come to discuss and that is all that the conference will allow to be discussed. [Rodriguez] Yes, and in the political sense, I believe the United States will no longer be able to use that portion of the emigres as a political weapon or as a hostage to its policy. [Sexto] The United States politicized emigration and we did too, as a reflection or as a rejection. As an imposition of the struggle, we also helped politicize emigration. There was a time when we thought that a person who left the country was taking sides against the Cuban Revolution and the country; that is not true. Practice and experience have demonstrated that that is not true and it is time to refocus and change our point of view. [Rodriguez] Why is it those who were not invited to the upcoming meeting in Havana on the nation and emigration were not invited? Luis Sexto from BOHEMIA magazine has spoken to us on this topic. |
FBIS3-12025_2 | Incoming Foreign Minister Discusses Goals | cultural activities, education, labor unions, and professional associations who want to occupy the various foreign mission posts abroad. The sole purpose of this assignment is to "send only the best." These efforts are not limited to the area of personnel selection alone. "I am worried our diplomatic installations abroad are poorly equipped," he said. "Many do not have a facsimile machine or a computer, and communications systems are outdated." The second grand mission will be to procure the elements the corps will need to do the job properly. The initial expense for these purchases and the salary improvements that must be made will come from the cuts to be made in the payroll. Each mission will have no more than four members. The ministry will create the post of "shuttle ambassador" for Central Europe and Africa who will visit each country three times a year. Regarding payroll distribution, Naranjo said he will make every effort to ensure if the ambassador is a politician, the second in command will be a specialist in the economic and trade fields. For the Leadership To reach the goals he has set, Naranjo announced the creation of several new institutions. First he will establish the Human Development Agency. This agency, he explains, will coordinate more efficiently the international cooperation Costa Rica receives and will introduce the country as a model to promote regional democracy and human rights. The need for the agency emerged because the cooperation currently received "is very fragmented, as many countries help us in a variety of sectors. We are going to ask them for more cooperation but will attempt to concentrate our efforts to specific geographical areas and to channel the cooperation to the most depressed places," Naranjo said. Furthermore, it will help open a front of cooperation with the remainder of the Central American and Caribbean countries in areas where the country has advantages, such as in the fields of education, health, environmental protection regulations, and telecommunications. "And, of course, in fields where Costa Rica, due to its tradition, can help other nations, such as any situation related to the democratic system," Naranjo said. Concurrently, a documentary center will be established in San Jose to gather updated information on Costa Rica's actions in the international sphere. The Figueres Olsen administration will also establish a diplomatic department to evaluate the work done and to help diplomatic missions carry out their assigned |
FBIS3-12033_0 | Commentary Notes Report on U.S. Military Force | Language: Spanish Article Type:BFN [Commentary by Roberto Morejon from the "Evening Information Review" newscast] [Text] The U.S. Pentagon keeps offensive war materiel near Cuba. The naval base in Guantanamo illegally occupied by Washington, located in the eastern part of the island, is not the only source of aggression. The Cuban Parliament's International Relations Department has issued a report on the extent of U.S. military strength maintained near the island of Cuba. The document, publicized by PRENSA LATINA, notes that Cuba endures a partial military blockade and that the decision to restore the U.S. Homestead Air Force Base in Florida is an important part of this. In addition to this installation, which has been refurbished after being razed by a hurricane, there is an increased presence of airplanes and growing air and naval activities in Key West, only 180 km from Cuba. On the pretext of closely following the crisis in Haiti, the Pentagon deployed approximately 60 warships near Cuba's eastern tip. During the first two months of 1993 [year as heard] there has been increased military surveillance of the island. The U.S. military deployment near Cuba has been going on since the triumph of the Revolution. But it is strange that it has continued in spite of the events that climaxed in the collapse of the Soviet Union. The allegation that Cuba represented a threat because Moscow has become as anachronistic as the economic blockade, which Washington also maintains in spite of much criticism from both within and outside the United States. Well-known analysts have recommended an easing of the military pressure on Cuba. One of these is (Donald Shultz), a national security policy scholar who lectures at the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army's War College. Last year, an inter-American magazine that researches global affairs published an article in which (Shultz) recommends that the White House distance itself from extremist elements of the Cuban immigrant community and promote measures, even military measures, that display trust. (Shultz') advice has gone unheeded, at least as far as the Pentagon is concerned. The same is true of the economic blockade, which has been sustained and toughened, in spite of growing criticism. No wonder a Cuban parliamentary commission recently declared that the way to resolve differences with the United States is to create external conditions conducive to the freehanded realization of the Cubans' social model. |
FBIS3-12046_0 | Russia Agrees To Trade Oil for Sugar | Language: Spanish Article Type:BFN [Text] The INTERFAX press agency reported today that the Russian Government has reduced the amount of oil earmarked for countries of the former Soviet Union in order to send it to Cuba. The source added that due to a request by the Russian Foreign Economic Relations Ministry, this year, 2.5 million tons of oil will be earmarked for Cuba in exchange for 1 million tons of sugar, which will serve partially to meet national needs. On 24 December 1993 in Moscow, Russian and Cuban delegations agreed to exchange 2.5 million tons of petroleum for 1 million tons of sugar through a joint enterprise in charge of carrying out the transaction. |
FBIS3-12056_0 | Roundup of Economic Activity | Article Type:BFN [Editorial Report] The following is a compilation of fileworthy reports on economic developments in Cuba carried on Havana radio and television in Spanish between 26 and 29 March. Radio Rebelde at 1800 GMT on 26 March reports that Guantanamo Province has been one of the most outstanding provinces in harvest emulation during the period between 11 and 20 March. Guantanamo has been cited in 7 of the 14 aspects rated in the harvest emulation, and it also intends to increase sugar production and fulfill its plan. In the same newscast, Radio Rebelde reports that approximately 13,000 low-cost houses will be built in Sancti Spiritus Province by 1996 using local resources. This will help triple the number of houses built per year in this province, which is experiencing a tremendous shortage of energy, cement, and steel. Approximately 2,000 houses are under construction, most in 40 high-priority zones. Rebelde adds in the same newscast that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has donated 7 tons of medicines worth $2.5 million to Cuba. Tele Rebelde and Cuba Vision at 0100 GMT on 28 March report that Camaguey canecutters are engaged in a campaign to increase production and efficiency. In 80 days they cut 2 million arrobas of cane and are talking about cutting another million, if necessary. In the same newscast, Tele Rebelde and Cuba Vision report that as the water shortage continues, farmers are resorting to old techniques to provide water to their cattle. One said he is using a mule to draw water from a deep well for his milk cows because bringing in water tanks costs an arm and a leg. Radio Rebelde at 1000 GMT on 28 March reports that a new system for selling medicines has been implemented with positive results in Holguin Province pharmacies. The pharmacies "have been linked" to polyclinics and assistance centers, and "pharmaceutical products that used to disappear off the shelves in a single day now last up to a month....Doctors at polyclinics and assistance centers now know daily what products are available." In the same newscast, the radio reports that only 326 of the 6,751 pieces of medical equipment at Matanzas Province assistance centers are currently out of service because they are broken. This constitutes a praiseworthy achievement by the workers of the provincial electromedical technical services center. Radio Progreso at 1200 GMT on 28 March reports that specialists and technicians |
FBIS3-12062_1 | Article Views U.S. Trade Official's Visit | several ministers to promote the interests of U.S. enterprises, particularly those in the areas of telecommunications, intellectual property rights, and supplying equipment for the Sivan/Sipam project for monitoring the Amazonas -- whose deadline for presentation of financial proposals by the international community expires on 5 April. Garten, who will arrive in Brazil on 27 March, on 28 March will meet Strategic Affairs Secretary Mario Cesar Flores, who runs the Sivan project; President Franco; the ministers of industry, commerce, and tourism, and science and technology; and Jose Arthur Denot Medeiros, Itamaraty's official in charge of economic affairs. The objective of Garten's visit -- he also will visit Sao Paulo to meet entrepreneurs and then will leave for Argentina and Chile -- is to promote U.S. enterprises' interests within the framework of the large emerging markets, like those in the countries he will visit. Garten's visit will be made after that of U.S. Vice President Al Gore, who reiterated to Communications Minister Djalma Moraes his country's concern over the alleged difficulties that U.S. telecommunications and informatics enterprises face when trying to enter the Brazilian market. Garten's visit also will be made within the framework of a recent exchange of letters between Science and Technology Minister Jose Israel Vargas and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown, who complained about alleged restrictions in the Brazilian telecommunications market. Garten recently provoked a diplomatic incident when he made negative references to Brazil. The Brazilian Embassy in the United States immediately sent a letter to Garten expressing "surprise" over his statements, because the next day the World Bank announced that "Brazil has made significant progress in his commercial reform." Garten recently announced that the United States is designing a new commercial strategy aimed at 10 specific developing countries: Brazil, China, Mexico, Indonesia, India, the Republic of Korea, Argentina, South Africa, Poland, and Turkey. According to Garten, the new commercial policy with those countries, which are grouped under the label of "big emerging markets," [preceding three words in English] was designed in proportion to their economies, to their capacity to expand over neighboring economies, and to their potential for U.S. exports. Garten recently said that within the next few years, most of the U.S. commercial expansion will come from the emerging economies, even if Europe and Japan remain the U.S.' main commercial partners. U.S. exports to those countries amounted to $102 billion in 1992, one-fourth of U.S. exports. |
FBIS3-12075_0 | Roundup of Economic Developments | Article Type:BFN [Editorial Report] The following is a compilation of reports on Mexican economic developments monitored through 29 March. In January, the combined effects of more imports and a new decline in petroleum revenues generated a 26.9 percent increase in the trade deficit over the January 1993 figure, according to preliminary reports from the Bank of Mexico. In January, the Mexican foreign deficit trade balance -- without including figures from assembly plants -- was $1.831 billion, that is, 29.9 percent higher than January 1993. The Bank of Mexico also indicated that imports for January totalled $5.551 billion, that is, 20.3 percent higher than same period in 1993. (Mexico City LA JORNADA 21 March 94 p 39) The Mexican Employers Confederation has said Mexico is currently experiencing its "highest unemployment in history and that no immediate solution to this problem seems near." Meanwhile, the Private Sector's Center for Economic Studies has assured that the drop in employment was practically across the board in all activities in 1993, when over 200,000 jobs were lost. (Mexico City UNOMASUNO in Spanish 22 March 94 pp 1, 10) Mexican Petroleum (PEMEX) has begun renegotiating credit with banks in Japan, Europe, and the United States for a total of $1.1 billion that will be used to help pay a debt contracted in 1979. This debt totalled $1.5 billion at the end of 1993. For PEMEX, the payment of this debt is of great importance as it equals 90 percent of the financial obligations contracted before the so-called "debt crisis." (Mexico City EL FINANCIERO in Spanish 22 March 94 p 8) The Bank of Mexico's international monetary reserves increased to $27 billion in January, that is, $4 billion more than in December 1993. The Banorte Financial Group indicated that the current turbulence in financial markets is locally generated by political and not economic factors and from abroad, due to the hike in interest rates in the United States and the trade conflict in Japan. (Mexico City EL FINANCIERO in Spanish 22 March 94 p 5) On 9 March, outstanding government securities held by foreign investors totalled 80.3 billion new pesos, a 11.5 billion increase over the end of 1993. These figures, according to the Bank of Mexico, indicate that foreign participation in the purchase of government securities continues to rise, adding that the turbulence in the exchange and stock markets is short term. (Mexico City EL FINANCIERO |
FBIS3-12079_0 | Mob Attacks U.S. Citizen for `Stealing Babies' | Language: Spanish Article Type:BFN [Report by Julio Amilcar Nuila] [Text] There is still tense calm here. Many people are outside the local office of the justice of the peace. Hours of heavy tension were experienced here. Everything began in the morning hours, about mid-morning, when people here accused a U.S. citizen of being presumably linked to gangs that are stealing babies. There was no special or legal basis on which to make such an accusation; however, the rumor was disseminated and the population united and tried to lynch the woman on the street. Local authorities intervened and managed to give her refuge at the local court building. A large number of people surrounded the building. We must note that they all used children and teenagers as shields to prevent the public forces from using greater coercive measures to calm down the people. The situation worsened by the moment. Everyone was demanding that U.S. citizen (June Diane Weinstock), 51, come out. She is an editor for a U.S. magazine who hails from Florida and is residing in Alaska. The woman said she entered the country through Huehuetenango, toured El Quiche, arrived in San Cristobal Verapaz, and was about to board a bus to head for Coban -- she said she had come to see the beautiful carpets of the solemn processions that are made here -- but she did not imagine what was awaiting her. The situation, I repeat, turned red-hot. I was, from the very beginning, the first local reporter covering the situation from the courthouse here at San Cristobal Verapaz. We all tried to mediate. The volunteer firefighters showed up. They were attacked as they pushed their way through the mob. The departmental Red Cross also showed up, and its members were attacked. The assistant human rights official also tried to intervene. The crowd listened to no one. They said they wanted blood and that they would not be pleased until they saw blood. After trying to mediate, the police -- in an attempt to calm down the population that started to smash glass windows and make the situation more violent -- threw a can of tear gas, and this, instead of achieving the calm that was desired, actually infuriated the mob even more. The situation turned much more difficult. All of us who were inside the courthouse gathered in an extremely small room. We took refuge there while |
FBIS3-12083_0 | Roundup of Economic Developments | Article Type:BFN [Editorial Report] The following is a compilation of reports on Guatemalan economic developments monitored through 29 March. Six days after trading at the foreign exchange market began, the price of the U.S. dollar price has stabilized. On Monday, the exchange rate stabilized at an average of 5.81 quetzales to the dollar. The supply of U.S. dollars is exceeding the demand. Ana Lucrecia Montes Granai, head of Granai Bank's foreign exchange department, has reported that the new flexibility in the exchange policy has made it possible for the productive sector to buy as many dollars as it wants. (Guatemala City PRENSA LIBRE in Spanish 23 March 94 p 88) Antonieta de Bonilla, vice president of the Bank of Guatemala, has reported that the system's liquidity increased more than 200 million quetzales after the action last week by the Bank stopped the public sale of foreign exchange and established a flexible bank market. She said that as a result of the authorities' decision to decentralize the purchase and sale of foreign exchange, the bank no longer needs to put Guatemalan currency into circulation. Measures to lower interest rates and make the exchange policy more flexible are part of the Monetary Board's strategy to keep inflation at 8 percent and the economic growth rate at 4.5 percent this year. Prices and exchange rates have stabilized, she reported. (Guatemala City SIGLO VEINTIUNO in Spanish 24 March p 121) |
FBIS3-12089_0 | U.S. Tobacco Restrictions Prompt GATT Protest | Language: Spanish Article Type:BFN [Text] Chile and seven other countries have made a presentation within GATT against the United States. The presentation contained claims against U.S. measures affecting the sales of tobacco on the U.S. market. This information was released by the Foreign Ministry through an official communique stating that the Chilean Government and the governments of Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Thailand, and Zimbabwe have made a joint presentation. The presentation was made before the GATT panel, which has canceled the kinds of measures adopted by the United States, which affect the import, sale, and use of tobacco on the U.S. market. The measure adopted by the United States, the Chilean Foreign Ministry states, is based on the U.S. budget law, which imposes several restrictions on imported tobacco, among them that cigarettes should contain at least 75 percent of tobacco produced in the United States. Failure to comply with this regulation will prompt the imposition of heavy fines, the U.S. law sets forth. The U.S. law was approved on 10 August 1993. The Chilean Foreign Ministry states that such regulations violate GATT agreements, particularly Article No. 3, which forbids the enforcement by countries of local regulations, that is, regulations compelling the total or partial use of local raw materials for any product. Considering that this regulation affects the importation of Chilean tobacco, the Foreign Ministry adds, the Chilean Government supported the presentation to the respective panel, awaiting a favorable decision, which should be made within the next few months. |
FBIS3-12100_0 | Roundup of Economic Developments | Article Type:BFN [Editorial Report] The following is a compilation of reports on Venezuelan economic developments monitored through 29 March. The possibility that the U.S. Federal Reserve may tighten its monetary policies and increase interest rates in the short term once again made the prices of Venezuelan foreign debt bonds decrease to the same level reached on 27 November 1992, a coup day. Chemical Bank reports indicate that the price of foreign debt bonds fell by four points and closed at 53.50 points. There is also a possibility that U.S. T-bills, whose profitability registered 6.97 percent, will continue to decrease. On 21 March, all these scenarios combined made the Caracas Stock Exchange index lose 3.6 percent and close at 24,654.82 points, which is a level similar to that reached on 16 August 1992. (Caracas EL NACIONAL in Spanish 22 Mar 94 p E-1) The Central Bank of Venezuela, BCV, is offering a record amount of 50 billion bolivares worth of zero-coupon bonds. About 40 billion bolivares will mature in 90 days, and the remaining 10 billion bolivares will mature in 182 days. The 90-day-zero-coupon bonds registered a 52.13 percent return-on-equity, ROE, rate, which in turn will make fluctuating interest rates increase. (Caracas EL REPORTE DE LA ECONOMIA in Spanish 23 Mar 94 p 9) Ferrominera Orinoco and Edelca, subsidiaries of the Venezuelan Guayana Corporation, CVG, will not be included in the privatization process that the Executive Branch is promoting. CVG President Francisco Layrisse said Caroni Aluminum Inc. is the only subsidiary that in six months, at the latest, will sell 55 percent of its stock to private companies. As for Ferrominera Orinoco, the private sector will only have access to invest in the iron transformation process. Ferrominera Orinoco President Andres Caleca said the law stipulates that only the state has the right to tap iron. (Caracas Venezolana de Television Network in Spanish 1550 GMT 23 Mar 94) The BCV's Board of Directors has decided to modify the mechanisms that control interest rates on loans. For instance, it decreased the ceiling rate that banks can charge with fluctuating interest rates from 20 to 15 points above the ROE rate on zero-coupon bonds. It is worth mentioning that the six largest banks currently charge an average fluctuating interest rate of 63.8 percent. (Caracas EL UNIVERSAL in Spanish 24 Mar 94 p 1-1) The European Union's Nomenclature Committee recently decided to categorize Orimulsion as |
FBIS3-12151_0 | Rioting, Clashes Throughout Country Cause Casualties 9 Killed in Clashes | Language: English Article Type:BFN [Text] Hebron, Occupied West Bank, Feb 25 (AFP) -- Fifty-two Palestinians were slain and dozens wounded at a Hebron mosque Friday while another nine Palestinians were shot dead in ensuing clashes, doctors told AFP. In the aftermath of the firing by one or more settlers at the Tomb of the Patriarchs, Israeli troops shot dead three Palestinians in Hebron, three in the Gaza Strip, one in Nablus, one in Jerusalem and a settler killed another man in the Bethlehem area, Palestinian sources said. Police said a Palestinian hacked to death an 80-year-old Israeli with an axe near Tel Aviv and made off with his gun. Maurice Eisenstadt was patrolling the streets of Kfar Saba as a volunteer in the civil guard. Several Palestinians in the vicinity were arrested. Doctors in Hebron and Jerusalem hospitals reported 113 people treated for bullet wounds, most of them hurt in the mosque carnage. The killer either turned his automatic rifle on himself or was shot by someone else, the army said. About 100 Palestinians were shot and wounded by soldiers in the Gaza Strip, about a dozen them seriously, as trouble erupted throughout the occupied territories. In the Old City of Jerusalem hundreds of Palestinians staged running battles with police and soldiers. Palestinian sources said 47 were injured, most by rubber bullets or tear gas inhalation. Police said 13 members of the security forces were hurt by the showers of rocks which rained down on them from the walls and Temple Mount after some 80,000 Moslems attended prayers at Al Aqsa mosque. |
FBIS3-12152_0 | Rioting, Clashes Throughout Country Cause Casualties Update on Casualty Toll | Language: Hebrew Article Type:BFN [Text] According to unofficial figures 39 people were killed in the Cave of the Patriarchs yesterday. Fifteen residents were killed by IDF [Israel Defense Forces] gunfire in Hebron and its environs during the riots which erupted following the massacre. Another four were killed in similar circumstances -- three in Gaza and one in Nabulus. IDF spokesmen say they do not have accurate figures regarding the number of casualties in Hebron, adding that the issue is still being examined. The number of wounded rose yesterday to more than 250 people. Approximately 100 cartridge cases fired by Barukh Goldstein were found in the Cave of the Patriarchs' Yitzhaq Hall. The security forces are preventing Qiryat Arba' residents from entering Hebron. They can reach Jerusalem only in military escorted convoys going through Bet Shemesh. Our correspondent Mira Amsalem reports from Hebron that car traffic in Qiryat Arba' is extremely limited. |
FBIS3-12153_0 | Rioting, Clashes Throughout Country Cause Casualties Incidents Continue | Language: Hebrew Article Type:BFN [Report by correspondent in the territories Moti Amir -- live] [Excerpt] The unrest in the territories continues, although the scope of the riots does not match the incidents yesterday following the Hebron massacre. In Gaza, a youth was killed a short while ago by IDF [Israel Defense Forces] soldiers' fire during severe clashes with the security forces. Early this morning, a curfew was clamped on the al-Shaykh Radwan and al-Shaja'iyah neighborhoods of Gaza, where the most extensive riots took place yesterday. Curfews were also imposed on the refugee camps of Jabalyah, al-Shati', al-Nusayrat, and Dayr al-Balah. IDF patrols came under fire four times in Dayr al-Balah last night, and miraculously no one was hurt. There were no other shooting incidents in the Gaza Strip, and last night was quite quiet there. In Judaea and Samaria, incidents started early this morning, mostly stone-throwing. According to the reports, stones were thrown at cars on the Bet Horon-Ben Shemen road, and four Israelis, including a baby, were injured by stones and glass debris. Two of the wounded were taken to the Hadassah Hospital, and another two were treated by medical teams on the site and refused to go to hospital. Riots took place in the village of Yattah, south of Hebron. One person was seriously injured in the head in clashes there with the soldiers, and was taken to al-Maqasid Hospital in East Jerusalem. Just now we are receiving additional reports from the field: In the Tulkarm refugee camp another youth was killed and six people were injured by IDF soldiers' fire. Four additional Palestinians were injured in the Qabatiyah refugee camp, near Janin. These last reports have not yet been confirmed by the security forces. [passage omitted] |
FBIS3-12202_0 | Minister Assails Reports on Marshland Flooding | Language: Arabic Article Type:BFN [Text] Baghdad, 28 Feb (INA)--In reply to what the British BBC and the U.S. NBC television networks have screened about alleged flooding in the marshlands, Irrigation Minister Nizar Jum'ah al-Qasir has said that the water resources in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers this year are lower than the usual average, and this does not at all allow releasing large quantities of water into the southern region of Iraq. In a statement to the IRAQI NEWS AGENCY, he said that more than two months ago we began storing water in the dams in the upper parts of the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers in anticipation of a water shortage during the next summer and winter seasons. The minister of irrigation emphasized that Iraq's water resources from outside the country, through the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, have substantially been reduced as a result of the dams constructed by Turkey. It is known that 75 percent of Iraq's water resources come from outside the country. The minister said the scenes screened by BBC and NBC show floods in the marshland during the Tigris flooding in 1988. The objective of showing these scenes within the framework of a television program on the marshlands is to mislead public opinion in Britain and the United States in the course of a misinformation campaign about Iraq. Sometimes they say the Iraqi Government is draining the marshlands, now they are saying the Iraqi Government is flooding the marshlands at a time when Iraq is suffering from a water shortage. This only indicates the failure and confusion of the U.S. and British quarters in their hostile campaigns against Iraq. |
FBIS3-12233_0 | Paper Blames U.S., Israel Blamed for Attack | Language: Arabic Article Type:BFN ["Issue and Opinion" column: "Israel and U.S. To Blame for the Bloody Dawn Massacre", by Salamah 'Ukur] [Text] It should be quite obvious now -- both to the Palestinians and the whole world -- that cohabitation between the Palestinians and Jewish settlers in Gaza and the West Bank is unthinkable. Accordingly, there is a need to rethink the Oslo, Davos, and Cairo agreements, as well as the Gazaz-Jericho accord itself. The proposed phased settlement on the Israeli-Palestinian track -- envisaging an interim five-year period followed by a final settlement, the outlines of which are by no means clear -- also needs to be reexamined. Inevitably, then, the Palestinian leadership will have to back out from a stage-by-stage settlement that it concluded with Israel under U.S. pressure. Having done that, the Palestinian leadership will have to push for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, as well as Resolution 181, which calls for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. The Palestinian leadership has a strong case to advance to the U.S. sponsor of the peace process and the international community; namely, that the U.S. initiative and the Madrid conference were launched on the basis of UN resolutions, the land-for-peace formula, and the Palestinian people's national legitimate rights. The international community, including the powerful, permanent members of the UN Security Council, are now all too aware that Palestinians in the occupied territories are being subjected to a genocidal effort. Hence, it is not reasonable to act as if nothing has happened and carry on with the negotiations with Israel while the physical liquidation of the Palestinians continues, especially since there is not a single piece of evidence for an Israeli willingness to pull out from the entire Gaza Strip and the West Bank and Jerusalem. Nor is there any indication that Israel is willing to entertain the idea of an independent Palestinian state -- now or in the future. All of which is not lost on the Palestinian President Yasir 'Arafat, who has indicated that he is not pursuing an independent Palestinian state, but a confederation with Jordan! That being the case -- in other words, since the Palestinian leadership has renounced the right to self-determination and an independent state as stipulated by UN resolutions -- why not walk out of a sham peace exercise holding no promise of fulfilling Palestinian rights? The Palestinian |
FBIS3-12316_0 | Paper Blames U.S., Israel Blamed for Attack | Language: Arabic Article Type:BFN ["Issue and Opinion" column: "Israel and U.S. To Blame for the Bloody Dawn Massacre", by Salamah 'Ukur] [Text] It should be quite obvious now -- both to the Palestinians and the whole world -- that cohabitation between the Palestinians and Jewish settlers in Gaza and the West Bank is unthinkable. Accordingly, there is a need to rethink the Oslo, Davos, and Cairo agreements, as well as the Gazaz-Jericho accord itself. The proposed phased settlement on the Israeli-Palestinian track -- envisaging an interim five-year period followed by a final settlement, the outlines of which are by no means clear -- also needs to be reexamined. Inevitably, then, the Palestinian leadership will have to back out from a stage-by-stage settlement that it concluded with Israel under U.S. pressure. Having done that, the Palestinian leadership will have to push for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, as well as Resolution 181, which calls for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. The Palestinian leadership has a strong case to advance to the U.S. sponsor of the peace process and the international community; namely, that the U.S. initiative and the Madrid conference were launched on the basis of UN resolutions, the land-for-peace formula, and the Palestinian people's national legitimate rights. The international community, including the powerful, permanent members of the UN Security Council, are now all too aware that Palestinians in the occupied territories are being subjected to a genocidal effort. Hence, it is not reasonable to act as if nothing has happened and carry on with the negotiations with Israel while the physical liquidation of the Palestinians continues, especially since there is not a single piece of evidence for an Israeli willingness to pull out from the entire Gaza Strip and the West Bank and Jerusalem. Nor is there any indication that Israel is willing to entertain the idea of an independent Palestinian state -- now or in the future. All of which is not lost on the Palestinian President Yasir 'Arafat, who has indicated that he is not pursuing an independent Palestinian state, but a confederation with Jordan! That being the case -- in other words, since the Palestinian leadership has renounced the right to self-determination and an independent state as stipulated by UN resolutions -- why not walk out of a sham peace exercise holding no promise of fulfilling Palestinian rights? The Palestinian |
FBIS3-12323_0 | Rioting, Clashes Throughout Country Cause Casualties Over 40 Casualties in Incidents | Language: Hebrew Article Type:BFN [Text] Five people have been killed in the territories since the murder in Hebron this morning: two in the al-Burayj refugee camp, one in Gaza, one in Nabulus, and one in Bayt Jala. Four were killed in incidents with IDF [Israel Defense Forces] soldiers and one by fire directed by a settler whose vehicle was stoned. Over 40 people were wounded in the incidents in the territories throughout the day. Also, 13 soldiers and border policemen were lightly wounded in the incidents. An IDF officer was injured in his head during a stoning incident in Halhul. The team from a Palestinian ambulance treated the wounded. Moods on Temple Mount have calmed after large police forces curbed the stone throwers with gas grenades and rubber bullets. Our correspondent Aviv Bushinsky reports that several hundreds of the Muslim worshipers who were at the Temple Mount at noon remain, but they are not rioting. Stones were thrown at the Western Wall plaza during the riots, and Border Police jeeps evacuated the Jewish worshipers there. About a dozen Jews are praying there now. Thirteen policemen were lightly injured in the clashes on Temple Mount. |
FBIS3-12351_0 | 8 dead, 25 Injured | Language: Arabic Article Type:BFN [Text] Just in from the editor's desk: According to a report by the Security Forces, there are so far eight dead and 25 injured in the church explosion. The security forces reported that another explosive charge that was planted inside the church did not go off. A military expert was summoned to defuse it. This is the latest report from the security forces. Naturally, after the explosion there was commotion and the situation is worrisome there. That is why we have been unable to obtain accurate information, because the security forces are touring the hospitals to report on the death toll and names of the casualties. To repeat: There are eight dead and 25 injured as of now and the security forces are defusing another explosive charge that did not go off. The other charge was certainly planted to cause a large number of casualties. The explosive charges were placed in the church to explode. This was reported by the security forces. The confirmed report is that there are eight dead and 25 injured so far. |
FBIS3-12374_0 | Iran's Velayati To Visit; Opposition Acts Curbed | Language: Arabic Article Type:BFN [Report by 'Adnan Husayn: "With Announcement of Velayati Visit to Baghdad, Tehran Puts Pressure on Iraqi Opposition To Freeze Its Activities"] [Text] London -- Iraqi opposition sources have said that the Iranian Government has in recent weeks intensified pressure on the Iran-based Iraqi opposition movements to freeze their activities in preparation for a visit Iranian Foreign Minister 'Ali Akbar Velayati is scheduled to make to the Iraqi capital soon. The sources -- which are close to Iraqi Shiite movements which have offices and camps in Iran -- revealed that the Iranian authorities have banned these movements from carrying out any military activities across the border. They added that the measures included the movements' main offices in Tehran, Ahvaz, and Khorramshahr in the Khuzestan region (Arabistan) along the border with Iraq. The sources in question told AL-SHARQ AL-AWSAT that the Iranians have substantially reduced the facilities they have provided to these movements over the past 15 years. In this connection they cited the withdrawal of 23 Iranian vehicles placed at the disposal of the Tehran-based Supreme Assembly of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, which is led by Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim. The sources say that al-Hakim is alarmed at Iranian actions designed to put pressure on the Iraqi opposition to freeze its activities, while Baghdad openly continues to support the Iranian opposition operating from inside Iraqi territory. Baghdad announced that early in the month Mojahedin-e Khalq carried out military exercises, using heavy weapons, in Iraqi areas bordering Iran. And Iraqi media services published a report -- with pictures -- about a meeting between Iraqi President Saddam Husayn and Mas'ud Rajavi, leader of the Iranian opposition movement. Sa'd 'Abd-al-Majid al-Faysal, under secretary at the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, visit the Iranian capital last week. He held five days of talks with Iranian Foreign Ministry officials. The talks centered on the outstanding problems between the two countries from the eight-year war (1980-1988) between them. Especially the issues of prisoners, border demarcation, and regulating navigation in Shatt al-'Arab, in addition to the problem of the Iraqi aircraft that flew to Iran during the Kuwait liberation war in 1991 and which Tehran has refused to return to Baghdad. Meanwhile press reports published in Baghdad and Tehran spoke of the two sides' failure to secure solutions to these problems during the Iraqi official's visit to the Iranian capital. The announcement by Iranian Deputy Foreign |
FBIS3-12393_1 | Officials, Commentaries React to Hebron Massacre NATO Strike To `Distract' Muslims | the implementation or violation of these resolutions form the most important pillar in the West's cooperation with Russia. The flood of Russian arms to Serbia and the dispatch of similar Western arms to Croatia--despite the international sanctions--are examples of how the resolution on the arms embargo was violated by the belligerent sides in the Bosnian crisis, with mutual connivance by the West and Russia. The arms embargo on the Muslims, which was pursued under the strong control of the West and Russia, is another example of this cooperation, which shows how the world powers have a uniform political inclination in their hostility toward the oppressed Muslims in Bosnia. This cooperation between the West and Russia recently adopted the character of a political transaction. Russia's political support for the Serbs after the NATO ultimatum and its preventing the NATO air strike against the Serbs' heavy gun bases were among the concessions that the West granted to Moscow so that Russia's President Yeltsin could use these for domestic consumption against his rivals. Yesterday's support by Russia for the NATO air strike on the Serb fighters is a concession that Russia is giving to the West. Although Russia supports the Serbs, it cannot agree with their impudence in violating the resolution on the no-fly zone and in their air strike on two Muslim-inhabited cities, especially when Moscow voted for this resolution. Next to the cooperation between the West and Russia in the former Yugoslavia, there is also rivalry between the two, which has recently become more visible. Russia's powerful entry onto the scene toward the end of the period specified in NATO's ultimatum two weeks ago, gathering the hostile side's heavy guns from around Sarajevo, and Moscow's overt support for the Bosnian Serbs form one of the clearest examples of the rivalry between Russia and the West in the Balkans. It recalls the Cold War era's bloc system. The U.S. proposal to form a type of confederation with the Republic of Croatia on the one side and the Bosnian Muslims and Croats on the other and the two sides' [as heard] call on Washington to examine the situation are considered to form a reciprocal step by the West, which is trying to place the Bosnian Muslims within an irreversible new framework and under the umbrella of Western support and political influence. Political analysts believe that while cooperation and rivalry rule relations between the |
FBIS3-12396_1 | Commentary Predicts More `Criminal Acts' by Israel | from such acts. It seized miles of Palestinian land, with the inhabitants forced to flee under pressure by Zionist gangs. Zionist operations in Palestine began with the well-known Dayr Yasin massacre, only to be followed by atrocities in Nasr al-Din, Bayt al-Khuri, al-Zaytun, and Bayt Dras. Al-Aqsa mosque was not spared. Monasteries were not immune to attacks by Israeli gangs. Some of these gangs attacked the Greek Orthodox monastery in April 1990, occupied it, and converted it into barracks for Jewish settlers. The number of settlers has been constantly on the rise, particularly since Israel succeeded in obtaining $10 billion in loan guarantees from the Bush administration. The loan was used to help settle the new immigrants who flocked to Israel from the former Soviet Union following the collapse of communism, as well as from poverty-stricken East European countries. There is no doubt that the thousands who live in the settlements built by successive Israeli governments represent a source of continued tension in the occupied Arab territory. It is in these settlements that acts of aggression carried out by the armed Jewish settlers against the unarmed native population are planned. It is from these settlements that these acts are mounted. Therefore, we categorically conclude that the massacre at the Ibrahimi Mosque against the Palestinian people will not be the last criminal act carried out by the settlers. This is because the settlers knew beforehand that reaction to their aggression would not exceed a strongly or even mildly worded resolution or statement, words that will have no perceptible mark on the political or economic life of Israeli citizens or governments. As long as the international community fails to assume its required duty vis a vis this steady stream of aggression, such attacks will persist. We must say that the timing of this ugly crime cannot be lightly taken. Muslim worshipers were mowed down as they stood in piety before God. The fasting martyrs did not have stones in their hands for Israel to use as a pretext for carrying out its aggression. Most were elderly people who simply showed up for prayers at the prescribed time and place. Israel's masks have fallen. Its unconvincing pretexts, which it routinely cites following every aggression against innocent Palestinians, have been invalidated. This time, the attacked Palestinians were not engaged in resistance against the occupation or pelting Israeli armored vehicles with stones. Yes, all the |
FBIS3-12398_1 | Reports View U.S. Embassy's Reaction to Terrorism | awareness and remain alert because `the situation may change.' "The first meeting was held at the embassy headquarters in Garden City last Sunday. The second was held at the American School in al- Ma'adi on Tuesday amid strict security measures and with a request by officials of the Embassy Media Office that nothing be published about what takes place in these meetings. "What is peculiar is that the number of Americans who cared to attend the first embassy meetings did not exceed 50-60 people. This means that the embassy is more afraid than the community. Furthermore, many of those who came to the meeting were journalists who were eager to get a briefing about the situation. "U.S. Embassy Security Official Robert O'Brien, who headed the meeting, said: `This place is safe to live in, but this situation may be about to change.' Despite his assurances that the embassy does not advise U.S. nationals to leave Egypt or not to visit it, he pointed to the seriousness of the three recent terrorist statements, signed by the Islamic Group-Egypt." The report summarizes the statements recently issued by the Islamic Group and goes back to the remarks made to the U.S. community by the U.S. Embassy security official, this time identified as "O'Brien Lee." It says that the U.S. official "expressed particular concern over the second statement by the Islamic Group, `because it was the most specific' regarding the threat against foreigners." The U.S. official added "that they (the terrorists) will not have any credibility unless they carry out their threats, which is particularly worrying." The report cites the U.S. official as warning U.S. nationals to be alert to changes in their environment, avoid calling attention to themselves, and alter their daily routines. The report says: "The meeting also brought the revelation that the Americans, even prior to the latest terrorist threats, were running `vehicled patrols' involving 11 roving cars carrying patrols of U.S. security men in al-Ma'adi and downtown." The report then discusses the reactions of the UK, German, and French Embassies to the threat. UK Press Spokesman Martin Day is cited as saying that, "Of course, these threats have to be taken very seriously." Day notes that a meeting of representatives of the UK community in Egypt was held "last week." The purpose of that meeting was "to inform the community of the content of the recent statements by the extremists." |
FBIS3-12405_2 | Qaddumi Discusses Hebron, `Decisive Measures' | settlements must be eliminated. They have become time bombs. You demanded that they be dismantled. Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhaq Rabin said that settlements will stay, that you agreed to this, and that they insist on that agreement. [Qaddumi] First, we did not say we agree with maintaining the settlements. The political solution should be based on international legitimacy. Second, international legitimacy is represented by the UN Security Council resolutions. There is Resolution 465, which calls for eliminating the settlements. The United States approved that resolution. Besides, the United States said the settlements constitute an obstacle to peace and Europe said they were illegal. Rabin is a liar and he prevaricates. He agreed with the army to carry out this filthy job. Had Rabin wanted peace, he would have withdrawn on 13 December. But, as Peres said, we have been talking or negotiating with ourselves in Cairo. The controversy has concerned the means to (?perpetuate) their presence. This is what they have been discussing. Why then do they arm the settlers? Isn't the Israeli army occupying our land? Yet they want to tell the world that they are not responsible for these crimes, which they plan in the dark. ['Abd-al-'Aziz] There is a question that arises concerning participation in the new round of bilateral peace talks between you and Israel, is there not? [Qaddumi] On what do we negotiate now? What does Clinton want us to tell him at these negotiations? Why does he call the negotiators? First, decisive measures must be taken if the United States is eager for security and peace and not biased toward Israel. By these quick negotiations, it seems that the United States wants to absorb international indignation. But international indignation is overwhelming and the United States cannot absorb it. Israel will indeed encounter numerous afflictions in the future because of its terrorist behavior. It has been proven to the world, particularly the countries that supported Israel, that Israel is the cause of tension in the region. It is the hotbed of tension. So, on what do we negotiate? Let Clinton tell Rabin frankly and clearly to withdraw from the Palestinian land. We have accepted peace and the U.S. conditions. Now they want us to negotiate following this tragedy. The United States is asking the impossible. The Palestinian nation can stand fast and sacrifice. It will not surrender, no matter how big a power supports Israel. |
FBIS3-12410_0 | `Alliance' Forces Statement Denounces 'Arafat | Language: Arabic Article Type:BFN [Statement issued by the Alliance of Palestinian Forces in Jordan in Amman on 27 February] [Text] Masses of our Palestinian people, and of the Arab and Islamic nation, the mosque martyrs and all the bereaved Palestinians curse 'Arafat and his traitorous gang, wash their hands from them, and appeal to the nation, its youth, men, women, and children to rise up to bury the treason and the traitors, and from the positions they occupy, to protect the relatives, pursue the revolution, escalate the heroic intifadah, mete double retaliation against the enemy, and terminate its crimes against our relatives and nation. The revolution is our guarantor and the struggle is the means with which to protect our people and regain our rights. The mosque massacre and all the enemy's massacres, practises, and policies explicitly prove it is impossible to coexist with this enemy, and that our people's only option is that of the revolution and struggle to defend our existence and rights. These crimes exposed for the umpteenth time the wretchedness and futility of the settlement course, and the suspect peace calls. More than this, these crimes offer new evidence as to the catastrophic dangers posed by this course and these venomous calls not only to the security of the nation and the people but to the personal safety of the defenseless citizen who is prostrated in prayer in God's places of worship. Masses of our Arab and Islamic nation, in wake of all this, will the supporters of the negotiations and of what is falsely termed peace repent, or do they relish telling lies, forging the people's will, conceding rights, reneging the martyrs, tampering with the nation's destiny under claims of rationalism and waging a struggle on the negotiations table, and competing to submit to the enemy under the excuse that there is no other alternative? Faced with the enemy's massacres and its plan to destroy us, can there be any other option than self-defense? Has treason and the course of capitulation protected anyone, even those who are performing prayers in God's places of worship? We call on the nation's masses and the Palestinian people to cling to the intifadah and armed struggle option, and to escalate, protect, and support the intifadah in a manner that would topple the Gaza-Jericho agreement and its symbols, led by traitor 'Arafat. Glory and immortality to the righteous martyrs of |
FBIS3-12440_1 | Commentaries Examine Israel, Hebron Massacre Israeli Government Role Viewed | to Arabs and the world that racist, expansionist Zionism and its characteristically blood-thirsty savagery are still there, and that peace rhetoric is so much lip service. Zionism and criminality are natural twins. Zionism cannot possibly be a peaceable movement, since it would thus be at cross purposes with it own psyche and objectives. Right from the beginning of the peace process and the Washington talks, the Arab negotiating teams sought an end to Israeli settlement activity and Israeli withdrawal from occupied Arab territories, with the Israeli Government consistently offering a negative response to these basic demands. Indeed, Israel has put up hundreds of millions of dollars of U.S. loan guarantees to expand existing settlements, build new outposts, and arm settlers. The Israeli Government went even further and introduced joint military-settler patrols. Furthermore, leaders of the settler community have issued threats to carry out massacres against Arabs in the occupied territories. It came to light recently that Zionist settlers have started an armed organization. Rabbis have been urging Israelis to commit murder and drive Arabs from their homes. Only a couple of days ago, the Zionist settlers in the occupied Golan Heights declared their full confidence in Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhaq Rabin for his support and encouragement. They are known to make it a habit to provoke our people in the Golan and to stage violent demonstrations in order to send the message that Israel is not about to vacate the occupied Syrian territories. All these acts of aggression culminated in the monstrous crime against the peaceful worshipers. They point to the Rabin government's involvement in this murderous episode. They prove beyond a shadow of doubt that any bargain with Israel that does not provide for the withdrawal of the Israeli military and settlers from the occupied territory is not worth the ink in which it is written. Peace and occupation and settlements are strange bedfellows. The ABC's of Middle East peace require an Israeli pullout from all occupied Arab territories and their devolution to their rightful owners' control. Yesterday's massacre must be directly or indirectly laid at the door of the Oslo and Cairo agreements and whatever other pact may follow. Talk about Palestinian self-rule while Israeli occupation and armed settlements remain is a waste of time and a stab in the back of the Palestinian people's struggle. It legitimizes a state of affairs rejected by U.N. resolutions and whets |
FBIS3-12448_0 | SAIRI Condemns Hebron Massacre | Language: Arabic Article Type:BFN ["Text" of statement issued by the External Relations Department of the Supreme Assembly of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SAIRI); date not given] [Text] Once again, the Israeli Zionists have committed a bloody massacre, carried out this time in the sacred al-Ibrahimi Mosque. Hundreds of Palestinian faithful were victims of this massacre while praying at dawn on Friday last week during the month of Ramadan. This crime is a manifestation of the constant violations the Muslim Palestinian people are being subjected to. It also brings to mind the Dayr Yasin massacre and other methods of killing and oppressing Palestinians, which reveal Israel's true morality. This crime, which has shaken humanity's conscience, is a warning to the Palestinian people not to feel at ease with their enemies, not to give in to the imposed existing reality, and to continue their struggle until victory. This horrible crime exemplifies the inability of the Israeli enemy to stop the intifadah. It also shows that the Israeli enemy is upset about the heroism and steadfastness of the Palestinian people and the stone-throwing generation, and wants to take revenge for the Muslims' persistence in bearing sacrifices in order to maintain the state of jihad and reject capitulation as 'Arafat and his followers are doing. The Israeli entity is fully responsible for this crime. Those who protect this entity, including the forces of arrogance, are also jointly responsible because they continue to support this entity fully. The Muslim nations and peoples must shoulder their responsibilities toward what the Palestinians are being subjected to, such as humiliation and aggression, by putting pressure on those with decision-making influence, providing moral and material support for the Palestinian people's jihad, demanding protection for the Palestinian civilians through any means, and boosting morale in the Islamic world to continue Muslim resistance to the status quo policy which forces them to accept the legitimacy of the usurping entity in Palestine. The Iraqi people, who are also being subjected to the policy of extreme oppression by Saddam's murderous regime, share the sorrows of their brothers in Palestine over this tragedy. The belief in sacrifice is the correct course for regaining one's rights. The Iraqi people also believe that the foolishness of Saddam Husayn and his regime in Iraq are in part responsible for the current disintegration and weakness of the Islamic countries' stands and duties toward the holy cause in |
FBIS3-12453_1 | 'Arafat Urges UN To Dispatch Troops for Protection | between the French Secret Army Organization and the Algerian settlers, as if history were repeating itself in both Algeria and in Palestine. I asked the president for Algeria's support in the Security Council and in international circles in order to confront this hideous conspiracy, which is an attempt to obstruct the peace process and the Israeli withdrawal from our land and our homes. It is obvious that this conspiracy had many objectives. It aimed at undermining the safety of the Palestinian national. Hence, our insistence at the Security Council on rapid international protection for the Palestinian people, for our children, our women, and our Islamic and Christian holy places. I would like to remind everyone that this is the second massacre inside our holy places. Let me remind you of the massacre which occurred inside al-Aqsa mosque in holy Jerusalem some time ago, and now this massacre in al-Ibrahim mosque in Hebron, in addition to other Islamic and Christian holy places. Therefore we asked at the Security Council--we insist on it--for an international commission to investigate the crime and for the dispatch of international troops to protect our people from these conspiracies in which elements and units of the Israeli Army are involved with armed settlers. This has now become of paramount importance. I also put the president in the picture about the atmosphere which is ablaze inside our occupied land. There is a sweeping revolution and there are continuous clashes between us and the Israeli Army and also between us and Israeli settlers. It is noticeable, as is clear on all TV networks, that the patrols walking the streets are from the Israeli Army and Israeli settlers. On this very point, I would like to make clear that the Israeli cabinet meeting produced only empty words, and it would be appropriate to quote the saying, what a great to-do with precious little to show for it. It was nothing more than that. Therefore, I call on the world community, the Russian and U.S. peace conference co-sponsors, the European Union and all of the European states, the nonaligned states, the Islamic states, and the Arab countries to assume their responsibility to protect the Palestinian people and to force the Israeli Government to withdraw immediately from our Palestinian territories, starting with Gaza and Jericho and followed by the remainder of our occupied territories so that we can effectively establish our independent |
FBIS3-12460_0 | Further Reports on Zuq Mikha'il Church Bombing Fadlallah Comments | Language: Arabic Article Type:BFN [Text] 'Allamah Muhammad Husayn Fadlallah has stated that the bombing of the Sayyidat al-Najat Church in Zuk is a grave development that aims to push Lebanon into very dangerous and negative security and political problems. He accused Israel's intelligence service of arranging the crime, which was meant to divert attention from the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre and involve Lebanon again in the cycle of violence. He added that this requires more vigilance, caution, and unity to confront such grave challenges. In an interview with AL-SHARQ, Fadlallah said: In the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre, we cannot help but see the ugly American face, because the United States has provided Israel with every means of protection against international moves to condemn it. He said the U.S. President's call to the Palestinians and Israelis to move the negotiations to Washington is meant to save the Palestinians' face and to insinuate that the Palestinians have broken down the Zionist barrier placed by Israel between the United States and the Palestinians. This gives the impression that the U.S. President's direct sponsorship of the negotiations might give the Palestinians the unrealistic dream that Washington will pressure the Jews to accept what they have rejected in Taba. But the issue is this: The United States will exert more pressure on the Palestinians by claiming to discuss the need for peace and for opposing the extremist Jews. Fadlallah said there should be a Palestinian stance that reflects respect for the blood of the Palestinian people and there should also be a firm Arab stance mobilizing all the Arab factors of strength that will confront this massacre and its implications so that the world can know that the Arabs have broken the mold of ineffectiveness. On what prompted Clinton to meet Syrian President Hafiz al-Asad, Fadlallah said: It was the feeling that President al-Asad has highlighted Syria's Arab role. This success enabled him to make the Syrian stance rebel against all the internal and foreign factors of weakness. Syria was meant to remain weak in the post-Gulf war changes. But the political surprise was President al-Asad's success in benefiting from all the Islamic, Palestinian, and Arab strengths and exploiting them to highlight the Syrian stance. Syria emphasized its strength in its recent position and this made the Americans feel that the Syrian role was indispensable. This role has remained strong despite all the pressures on it. He |
FBIS3-12465_0 | League Secretary Comments on Lockerbie Issue | Language: Arabic Article Type:BFN [Text] Cairo, 1 Mar (MENA)--Arab League Secretary General Dr. 'Ismat 'Abd-al-Majid has reaffirmed the League's stance on how to properly solve the Libyan-Western dispute over the Lockerbie issue through negotiations, mediation, and judicial settlement in line with Clause 33 of the UN Charter's Chapter 6. In an exclusive statement to MENA, Dr. 'Abd-al-Majid explained the circumstances of the crisis, noting that in its legal aspect, several countries--the United States, Britain, and France--are asking another country, Libya, to hand over two of its citizens for trial by the authorities of those countries on charges attributed to them. Dr. 'Abd-al-Majid said that in this case the dispute is over a well-known phenomenon in international law called "the extradition of criminals". He explained that international law places certain controls on extradition, including the stipulation that handing over criminals is a sovereign matter which cannot be imposed on any country. Also, he pointed out, there must be a treaty or agreement among the concerned countries according to which a country is committed to handing over its citizens to the country requesting the extradition. 'Abd-al-Majid told MENA that the most recent international trend permits a country to refuse to extradite its nationals. He pointed out that the eighth UN conference on the prevention of crime and the treatment of criminals which was held in Havana in August 1991 approved a model draft agreement for the extradition of criminals, the fourth article of which stated that a country can refuse to extradite an individual who is one of its citizens. He added that although the Arab League fully condemns the blowing up of the plane in question and the death of innocent victims, yet it believes that, from a purely legal perspective, the United States, Britain, and France have transferred the issue from the legal and judicial sphere to the political sphere, something that is contrary to the original character of the case. He explained that the U.S. and British judicial systems stipulate that in order to extradite criminals there should be an extradition treaty between the country requesting the extradition and the country which is asked to hand over the wanted individuals. Also, these judicial systems require that a court verdict be issued permitting an act of extradition. He further explained that according to the system applied in France, the Libyan Government can legally hand over the wanted individuals but on |
FBIS3-12490_0 | Editorial Says NATO Action in Bosnia Due to `Shame' | Language: English Article Type:BFN [Editorial: "First Action in Bosnia"] [Text] The shooting down of four Serb ground attack planes by NATO may have been prompted to demonstrate that it really means business by enforcing UN Resolution 816 on the Bosnian no-fly zone. Repeated violations by both Serb aircraft and helicopters have been taking place since April 1993 when the UN first enforced the ban. NATO showed little inclination and even less resolve to punish the violators. Now that they have done so, one has some ground to conclude that it was due to either a sense of shame or guilt at allowing the Serbs to continue with their massacre of the Muslims, as the world media looked on. Whatever the reason, the NATO action, belated though it has been needs to be commended in the hope that this will not turn out to be just a solo exception to Europe's consistent policy of turning a blind eye to whatever the Serbs were doing in Bosnia. The reason why this reservation has to be articulated is that both the UN and the NATO have by their inaction, through default or design, helped the Serbs, steeped as their hands are in Muslim blood. [sentence as published] The latest manifestation of that is NATO's reluctance to bomb those heavy weapons of the Serbs which have neither been pulled back from around Sarajevo nor handed over to the UN peacekeepers as specifically stipulated in the UN ultimatum. Canadian General Aikman on duty with the UN forces, has revealed to the international press that six Serb tanks deployed round Sarajevo were taken out by the Serbs in clear violation of the terms of the ultimatum. And these are now likely to be used by them on other fronts. No reason has so far been given by the UN for allowing Serbs to continue their bombing of other Muslim enclaves, most notably Tuzla. Tuzla and half a dozen other Muslim enclaves are surrounded by the Serbs with their heavy guns just as Sarajevo was. The UN must now take next logical step and save those cities too -- that is, if it is really interested in restoring its credibility in the international community. |
FBIS3-12492_0 | Minister Briefs Parliament on Relations With U.S. | Language: English Article Type:BFN [Text] The Lok Sabha was informed today that the government has categorically conveyed to the U.S. Administration that negative pronouncements by its authorities on issues such as Kashmir, human rights and Punjab will have a negative impact on India-U.S. bilateral relations. Answering a question, the minister for external affairs, Mr. Dinesh Singh, said government constantly monitors developments having a bearing on India's national interests. He said government remains committed to policies in consonance with India's national interests and to take all steps necessary to safeguard the country's territorial unity and integrity. Mr. Dinesh Singh said all the recent developments in the United States regarding India have been discussed with the Clinton administration, both in Washington and Delhi. He said the response has been that these constitute and should not be construed to imply any change in U.S. policy. The minister said Kashmir is and will remain an integral part of India and no mediation will be allowed. He expressed the hope that the U.S. Administration will recognize that the Pakistan sponsored terrorism is a major obstacle in restoring peace and tranquility in Jammu and Kashmir. Answering supplementaries, the minister of state for external affairs, Mr. R.L. Bhatia, informed the Lok Sabha that a lobbyist firm is engaged in United States to project India's viewpoints on several issues and to neutralize anti-India propaganda. Mr. Bhatia said the firm is asked to project India's record as a secular democracy, irreversibility of its liberalization, need for new technologies and investments. The brief provided to the firm also include education of U.S. policy makers about the institutional framework provided in India to protect human rights. |
FBIS3-12517_0 | Kurds Protest `Deteriorating Living Conditions' | Language: Arabic Article Type:BFN [Text] Baghdad, 2 Mar (INA)--The towns and villages of the Autonomous Region of Kurdistan are witnessing immense and massive indignation due insecurity and instability, increasing crime, and deteriorating living conditions. The newspaper AL-'IRAQ reported today that the people of Rawandoz in the Irbil Governorate recently staged demonstrations to express their resentment and to protest their deteriorating living conditions. They also protested their intense suffering as a result of the services, administrative, and health problems they have been experiencing for the past two years due to the corruption of the agent and subversive cliques and their theft of the economic, health, and service infrastructures in the Kurdistan region, which were built by the 17-30 July revolution. The paper said that the demonstrators chanted slogans about the Kurds' poverty and inability to obtain their food requirements, saying: "We want bread. We want freedom." This prompted the agent and subversive cliques to open fire on the demonstrators to frighten and disperse them, the paper added. |
FBIS3-12582_0 | Editorial Examines U.S. Aims in Region | Language: English Article Type:BFN [Editorial: "Asia, Unite!] [Text] The trade dispute between Malaysia and Britain has once again underlined the need for a united Asian front to take on the trade warriors of the West. The decision by Kuala Lumpur to ban British firms from government contracts worth billions of dollars has set a trend for the rest of the Third World countries to follow. Though these underdeveloped countries have not modern technology for which they depend on the West, they have huge markets which can be used as leverage against the coercive policies of the West. In the past Europeans had used trade as a launching pad for the furtherance of their imperialistic ventures. But the West should understand that this is not the 17th century. The East is now quite capable of protecting its hard earned freedom. The Malaysia-UK row started when the British Press alleged that top government officials in Kuala Lumpur including Prime Minister Mahatir Mohamad had received kickbacks form British firms and the revolation of connections between arms and aid donations. The British Government argues that it has been using aid donations to boost weapons sale in order to salvage British ailing arms industry. The Malaysian decison to stop dealing with British should serve as a beacon for the rest of the Asian countries. This should be specially so in case of major nations such as China, India, Indonesia and Pakistan who may not have as sound a technological base at present but are rapidly catching up with the West. China can provide the leadership that is vitally needed in a world where regional trade groups such as European Community are increasingly becoming cartels to protect the interest of its members. It may not be out of place to refer to the EC trade representative's statement warning that his organisation will not allow any country to isolate one of its members for discriminatory trade ban on political grounds. He was commenting on China's threat to impose sanctions on Britain because of the latter's policy on Hong Kong. With the West now realising that its economy and military power is steadily but surely declining, it is desperately searching for new markets. Europe is already united under the banner of European Economic Community and Africa has not enough purchasing power. Thus Asia remains the only continent whose huge markets can save the sinking economy of the West |
FBIS3-12617_0 | Khamene'i, Rafasanjani `Power Struggle' Noted | Article Type:BFN [All Iranian names as published] [Editorial Report] London AL-WASAT in Arabic in its 21-27 February issue publishes on pages 17-19 an approximately 2,500-word report by Hasan 'Awwad on the current "power struggle" in Iran. The report says that Iranian President 'Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani "received a painful blow a few days ago" when Ayatollah 'Ali Khamene'i, leader of the Islamic revolution, dismissed the president's brother Mohammad Rafsanjani, chief of the Iranian Radio and Television establishment. The report adds that this decision, which took the president and his brother by surprise, was welcomed by hardliners inside and outside the establishment. The report says: "The Iranian institution considered Khamene'i's decision and its timing -- one day after the revolution anniversary celebrations which ended on Friday [11 February] -- a painful blow to Mohammad Rafsanjani and the president, who tried to benefit from the assassination attempt which took place at the beginning of the celebrations at the Khomeyni tomb. The president wanted to strengthen his popularity and influence, which began to decrease around the time of the presidential elections last summer." The report then reviews the assignment of Mohammad Rafsanjani as the chief of the Iranian radio and television establishment, his dealing with establishment officials, the "deviation" that prevailed in the establishment, and the conflict he waged with Murtada Awini, former official in charge of the Islamic Art and Culture Center. The report says that Khamene'i wanted to dismiss Mohammad Rafsanjani before this date, however, he sought to maintain internal balances. However, the report adds, Khamene'i instructed a parliamentary committee to prepare a report on the radio and television, its negative points, and deviations. This prompted Mohammad Rafsanjani to commit deadly mistakes, which resulted in his dismissal. The report cites "sources" as saying that Khamene'i wants to prevent the establishment of any dictatorship in the country and to institutionalize Iran. The sources added that when the parliamentary committee issued its report on the radio and television, Mohammad Rafsanjani reacted emotionally and leveled "severe accusations" against the members of the committee. The supporters of the committee staged demonstrations in Asfahan and called for the officials in charge of the radio and television to be punished. What exacerbated the situation, according to the report, is that Mohammad Rafsanjani banned live coverage of the parliament's discussions and the speeches of its members. Consequently, the parliament supported Khamene'i and called on him to send more inspection |
FBIS3-12620_0 | Deputy Minister Views Status of Iraqi Relations | Language: Persian Article Type:BFN [Report on remarks by Dr. Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iranian deputy foreign minister in charge of international affairs; place and date not given; from the "World of Politics" program--recorded] [Excerpts] [Unidentified announcer] [passage omitted] A group of our listeners have asked us to provide some information about the present nature of our country's relations with Iraq, the exchange of Iraqi and Iranian delegations, and finally the POW issue. We invite all these dear listeners to pay attention to remarks made over the telephone by Dr. Mohammad Javad Zarif, deputy foreign minister in charge of international affairs. [Mohammead Javad Zarif] In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate. The Islamic Republic -- on the basis of its general policy of seeking relations based on peaceful coexistence with all its neighbors -- has been trying to normalize its ties with Iraq. A number of meetings were held in Karachi and New York between the foreign affairs ministers of Iran and Iraq during the course of last year. During these meetings, the two sides decided that delegations should be exchanged between the two countries at the ministerial level, so that bilateral ties may improve and develop by resolving the problems that exist on the path of relations between the two countries. In order to prepare the ground for the first visit by a minister -- that is to say, the visit by His Excellency Dr. Velayati -- to Baghdad, and in order to lay down the agenda of work for the ministers, it has been decided that an Islamic Republic delegation should visit Baghdad and an Iraqi delegation should reciprocate the visit. It is hoped that the visits may pave the way for the resolution of the two countries' outstanding problems, as far as possible. [passage omitted] The basis of our approach to Iraq is our emphasis on that country's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and on peaceful coexistence on the basis of the 1975 accord and UN Security Council Resolution 598. In order to attain these goals, the remaining problems that surround relations between the two countries should be essentially resolved. In particular, the POW issue, with its humanitarian dimensions, should be dealt with as a first step toward reaching an all-embracing solution. The Islamic Republic has always been ready to cooperate fully to resolve this humanitarian issue. However, right from the outset and during the course of the |
FBIS3-12621_1 | Jordanian Diplomat Comments on Relations | To what do you attribute the problems that cropped up in Iranian-Jordanian relations? [Istanbuli] The current relations between Iran and Jordan are based on the two countries and peoples being Muslim, having a fundamental role in the Islamic world, and being part of the great Islamic ummah. You should not ignore the role of the mass media. The West has adopted two policies with regard to the Islamic world: One concerns principled leanings [osul-gera'i--euphemism for fundamentalism] and the dangers and the second is the issue of human rights regarding which the Western countries have concentrated their propaganda on particular Islamic countries. In this manner, they claim that these countries do not adhere to democratic principles and violate human rights. They cover up human rights violations in other countries. The victims in both cases are Muslims. The mass media in Islamic countries should defend the Islamic culture and civilization more than ever so that they can combat the Western media's propaganda. You should strive to eliminate obstacles and replace them with common denominators and muster every resource against such onslaughts. This should be a common strategy for all Muslim countries. On the effective role played by the mass media in raising the level of bilateral relations, he said: Much material is published in Jordanian newspapers regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran. A few weeks ago, the Iranian ambassador in Jordan was interviewed in the press. Similarly, articles and reports on elections and other important issues in Iran are published in Jordanian newspapers, all of which are geared toward broadening bilateral relations. The Jordanian ambassador then referred to the publication of articles in Iranian newspapers that tend to project Jordan's stance as servile to the United States, opposed to the Islamic Republic of Iran, and anti-Islamic and added: This is not true. Jordan wants to have cordial relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Referring to the past record of historic, cultural, and Islamic relations between Iran and Jordan, the ambassador called for greater contacts between the two countries and the two nations and said that despite the problems, bilateral relations are on a favorable level. He added: We are living in a region in which we should bring our stances and ideas closer together and eschew discord. [KEYHAN] The Islamic al-Tahrir party was formed many years ago in Jordan but why has it never participated in the political process with other |
FBIS3-12630_0 | * Discussion Continues on IRI's GATT Membership | Language: Persian Article Type:CSO [Text] While it has been more than two months since the successful conclusion of the eighth round of international trade talks known as the "Uruguay Round" in the framework of the GATT organization, the question of whether the Islamic Republic of Iran should or should not join this organization is still one of the hottest topics of debate in Tehran's economic circles. The public relations office of the Ministry of Commerce reports that based on a joint proposal from the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a committee will soon be formed to study the Islamic Republic of Iran's membership in GATT. This committee's duties include a careful study of the pros and cons of GATT membership and its likely consequences, appropriate recommendations, proposals and policies to reduce the negative consequences of membership or nonmembership, identifying the political and legal obstacles and problems with membership or nonmembership in GATT and coordinating the utilization of GATT's technical and specialist resources. Some of Tehran's newspapers have recently vigorously opposed Iran's membership in GATT, and have seen it as a factor in the destruction of the nation's production units. In a series of harshly critical articles under the title "Consequences of the GATT Agreement for Developing Nations," the newspaper RESALAT questioned this organization's goals and wrote: "It appears that ultimately GATT has targeted the economic independence of the developing nations. If these nations submit to the GATT agreement, it will damage their economic independence, which is the foundation of their political independence and sovereignty, and the developing nations will become second-class members of the global village." On the other hand the Institute for Trade Studies and Research recently published a book called Understanding the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and a Study of the Consequences of the Islamic Republic of Iran Becoming a Member. Esfandiar Omidbakhsh and Mas'ud Taromsari, the book's authors, write concerning the long-term consequences of membership: "Iran's economy is in a state of transition and we are in the phase of testing the effects of structural adjustments on the nation's overall economy and trade. We are still a long way from reaching an established and fully formed economic system. Yet membership in GATT is basically a long-term cycle and every nation desiring membership in this organization must make decisions in this regard in terms of its long-term economic and trade objectives. |
FBIS3-12637_2 | Columnist Blames Saudis for U.S. Airline Deal | the oil wealth into a scourge for the Arab nation. He is no longer part of the Arab nation. In fact, he is not concerned about the nation's interests and economic, security, and development needs. Here he is rushing to prove his loyalty to the United States by offering it services which no other agent regime can give. It suffices to say that he has contributed, and is contributing, toward the drop in oil prices to their lowest level in five years for insisting not to cut his production. It is obvious the Al Sa'ud regime has no need for all those airliners. It is also obvious that a similar deal could have been concluded with other companies at lower cost. But what could Fahd do when it was the U.S. President who ordered him to sign the deal and the one who intervened, pressured, and also announced that he will intervene whenever necessary in order to secure commercial deals for his country? Despite this intervention, it is only fair to say that Fahd was also concerned about securing job opportunities for 100,000 Americans now and at any time in the future, and that he was not less concerned than Clinton about the U.S. economy and society, despite the fact that this concern and subservience to the United States is at great financial and political cost to his regime. There are many signs and evidence of the bankruptcy and financial crisis facing the regime. Furthermore, there are indications of a growing religious and civilian opposition to the regime's policies and open subservience to the imperialist West, despite all the stop-gap political methods to limit and absorb this opposition. It may be said that Fahd is behaving this way because he counts on the United States to protect his regime and its security and future. But such talk is meaningless, since many other regimes had once given their loyalty and subservience to the United States only to discover later that the United States did not guarantee anyone's security except its own security and interests. In fact, it helped overthrow those "allied" regimes when they were no longer useful and when it was convinced that its interests would be served better by an alliance with other regimes. But the problem with Al Sa'ud is that they have not learned and they are not willing to learn any lesson from what has happened. |
FBIS3-12662_1 | * Rumor of Hashemi-Rafsanjani's Resignation Reheard | is said that with the change in the Constitution Rafsanjani wants to eliminate from this law the provision that one person can serve only two consecutive terms as president of the republic, in order to be able to serve a third term in that office. However, in the Islamic Republic the procedure for revising or changing the Constitution has not been specified in legal terms. There is only the fact that in 1368 [21 March 1989-20 March 1990] Khomeyni appointed a council of his own choosing and arrangement to revise the Constitution, and the new Constitution is the result of that revision. The most important changes made in the first Constitution are separating the position of the leader of the revolution from that of source of emulation, and the other is eliminating the position of prime minister and designating the president of the republic as the government's highest executive officer. `We Have No Problem' Our sources in Iran write that if the Khamene'i-bazaar-clergy group had not tied Rafsanjani's hands by ousting his colleagues and close associates such as Mohsen Nurbakhsh, Mohammad Hashemi and others, Rafsanjani would probably have begun a battle to revise the Constitution and open the way for a third term of his presidency. However, with the repeated defeats Rafsanjani has suffered, the likelihood of his resignation is now much greater than the likelihood that he will open the way for a third term as president of the republic (see also our report under the headline "God Willing It Is a Cat" on page 12 of this issue. See also the column "Obvious and Between the Lines.") Rafsanjani, who has fallen into difficulties on all sides, spoke at those meetings of "relative resolution of problems" in the country and added that the gains under the First Five-Year Plan were "positive." He said: "Infrastructure problems such as water and electricity, shipping and transportation, raw materials, reconstruction of factories and the growth of employment have been relatively solved. Conditions are completely normal and we have no problem with the reconstruction of the country. We are producing more than ever. For example, cement production has grown 5 percent over last year. If there is stagnation, where is this cement going? Rafsanjani said the recent changes are "nonpolitical" and said the main reason for these changes was that "some officials" have remained in the same position since the beginning of the revolution. |
FBIS3-12666_1 | * Two Law Enforcement Agents Killed in Zahedan | a complete war zone and the scene of heavy fighting. Several residents of the city told news correspondents that the windows of their homes had been broken by bullets. IRNA gave no further details, but it insisted that the demonstrators are counterrevolutionaries and that these incidents mostly take place on the days of the anniversary of the revolution, and it added: The hezbollah nation resisted the counterrevolutionaries, and despite the situation that developed, the ceremonies were held. Figures on the numbers killed and wounded have not yet been published. Reliable reports from the province of Khuzestan also tell of an atmosphere of unrest that is worrisome for the regime. Last week a group making contact with news agencies and Iranian and foreign publications reported mass arrests of their friends and associates. On the other hand, the Islamic Republic Government published a statement according to which national and army officials have the direct permission of the president of the republic to leave the country at any time. The issuance of such an order by the government, in view of the existing circumstances in Iran, indicates various kinds of problems. Based on reports received from Iran, the unrest in Zahedan began when a report was received from Mashhad that the regime intended to destroy the Sunni mosque in Mashhad. The protest against this began initially with a gathering that took political sanctuary in Zahedan's Maki Mosque, and then it led to a demonstration where attacks were made against the decorations, lamps, and placards, which were made to mark the beginning of the Ten Days of Dawn celebration. In this attack two revolutionary guardsmen were killed and several of them were wounded. According to the newsletter of the expatriate organization HEZB-E MELLAT-E IRAN, Mowlavi 'Abdolhamid, Friday Imam of Zahedan, is one of the wounded. His wounds are said to be "severe." Talks with Mowlavi 'Abdolhamid by the Islamic Republic's representatives, who had come from Tehran to calm the unrest, ended with no result. In the midst of this, 'Ali Khamene'i, commander in chief of the armed forces, appointed 'Ali Mohammad Basharati to replace him for three years on the police force so the regime will be better able to resist uprisings. The Islamic government also staged a demonstration on its own behalf in Zahedan. In this demonstration the regime's mercenaries chanted slogans in favor of the government and against what they called counterrevolutionaries. |
FBIS3-12669_1 | * Capital Flight Reached $8 Billion in 1993 | the flight of capital as a normal phenomenon and have attributed its increase in the years since the revolution to the ill will of those affiliated with the monarchy regime and to the consequences of the war. In its issue of 17 Mehr 1372 [9 October 1993], the newspaper RESALAT wrote: Based on the estimates that were made, the volume of capital leaving Iran between the years 1352 [21 March 1973- 20 March 1974] and 1365 [21 March 1986-20 March 1987] was more than $27 billion, or about $2 billion per year. The peak was in the years 1357 [21 March 1978-20 March 1979] to 1359 [21 March 1980-20 March 1981], when agents and affiliates of the former regime played the basic role. However, the end of the war and the beginning of Hashemi-Rafsanjani's policy of "reform" was only able to halt temporarily the massive flight of capital from Iran. This halt ended months ago and has resumed at a more rapid rate with the weakened position of those who supported "economic adjustment" and the terror of the economic crisis. In the view of foreign and domestic experts, the expedited flight of capital is caused by four factors, the decline in value of the rial, increased insecurity for investors, disorder in economic policy making, and Iran's increased foreign debt. 1. The drop in value of the rial: Heightening inflation and the irresistible erosion of the value of Iran's national currency against international currencies is one of the main reasons for the flight of capital. In view of the nation's empty foreign exchange stocks, the drop in the price of oil, factory shutdowns and the unprecedented increase in the demand for foreign exchange, Iranian public opinion is convinced that the price of the dollar on the free market, which is already hovering around 212 tomans, will not remain at its current level and that the rial will continue to fall (late in the week a report was received that the price of the dollar on the Tehran foreign exchange market reached 219 tomans). The long-term outlook for Iran's national currency is especially dark in view of the fact that all the Islamic Republic's experts expect a significant increase in the inflation rate in the coming months. 'Ali Taqi-Khamushi, deputy from Tehran and chief of the Iran Chamber of Commerce and Industries, recently discussed the 1373 [21 March 1994-20 March 1995] budget |
FBIS3-12670_8 | * Reduction of Foreign Debts by Cutting Imports Fails | have positioned themselves here and there in government organizations as specialists and are making the analysis that our national currency should fall even further to reach real parity." The experts the newspaper refers to are in the Central Bank. As was mentioned, they put the parity rate of the rial and the dollar at 280 tomans. `Ruinous' Policies On the other hand, in its 24 Azar [3 November] issue the newspaper JOMHURI-YE ESLAMI published a very harshly worded editorial accusing Hashemi-Rafsanjani's government, without mentioning the president of the republic's name, of implementing "ruinous" economic policies. This newspaper wrote: The unjustifiable silence of the nation's economic officials has reached an intolerable point, and it is still unclear whether this silence is a specific policy or whether our economic officials really have nothing to say. In its editorial, the newspaper JOMHURI-YE ESLAMI adds: Even those who defend the policy of unifying the foreign exchange rate, even those who consider it necessary at this time to implement the policies of economic adjustment, and even those who approve of simultaneous implementation of all these programs, fully acknowledge the truth that there is no economic justification of any kind for the instantaneous jump in the foreign exchange rate. This newspaper says "unbridled imports" are the main cause in the drop in the value of Iran's national currency. It wrote: Even if we did not have the self-sufficiency slogan, even if we did not think in revolutionary terms, even if we were not thinking about deprived people and the owners of this revolution, we should not tolerate such ruinous decisions and economic policies, which open the country's doors to imports of everything. Today we are like someone who has drained the water out of his pond and is wondering why the fish do not have any water. Today we are aligning our national currency with foreign currencies at a time when our national economic and banking system are not ready and do not have the capacity to make such a change. With the water drained out of the pool, we still want to see the fish living and in the water. Exports by Industrial Nations To Iran(Figures in Millions of Dollars) 1989 1990 1991 1992 Germany 1300 2350 4000 5300 Japan 922 1617 2525 2650 Italy (first 10 554 1100 1800 1850 months) England 411 690 920 1022 France 360 600 915 770 America 0 166 |
FBIS3-12670_9 | * Reduction of Foreign Debts by Cutting Imports Fails | at 280 tomans. `Ruinous' Policies On the other hand, in its 24 Azar [3 November] issue the newspaper JOMHURI-YE ESLAMI published a very harshly worded editorial accusing Hashemi-Rafsanjani's government, without mentioning the president of the republic's name, of implementing "ruinous" economic policies. This newspaper wrote: The unjustifiable silence of the nation's economic officials has reached an intolerable point, and it is still unclear whether this silence is a specific policy or whether our economic officials really have nothing to say. In its editorial, the newspaper JOMHURI-YE ESLAMI adds: Even those who defend the policy of unifying the foreign exchange rate, even those who consider it necessary at this time to implement the policies of economic adjustment, and even those who approve of simultaneous implementation of all these programs, fully acknowledge the truth that there is no economic justification of any kind for the instantaneous jump in the foreign exchange rate. This newspaper says "unbridled imports" are the main cause in the drop in the value of Iran's national currency. It wrote: Even if we did not have the self-sufficiency slogan, even if we did not think in revolutionary terms, even if we were not thinking about deprived people and the owners of this revolution, we should not tolerate such ruinous decisions and economic policies, which open the country's doors to imports of everything. Today we are like someone who has drained the water out of his pond and is wondering why the fish do not have any water. Today we are aligning our national currency with foreign currencies at a time when our national economic and banking system are not ready and do not have the capacity to make such a change. With the water drained out of the pool, we still want to see the fish living and in the water. Exports by Industrial Nations To Iran(Figures in Millions of Dollars) 1989 1990 1991 1992 Germany 1300 2350 4000 5300 Japan 922 1617 2525 2650 Italy (first 10 554 1100 1800 1850 months) England 411 690 920 1022 France 360 600 915 770 America 0 166 527 748 Source: MEED Imports by Industrial Nations From Iran(Figures in Millions of Dollars) 1989 1990 1991 1992 Germany 610 783 900 750 Japan 1792 3460 5870 2600 Italy (first 10 809 1540 1688 1450 months) England 400 500 285 295 France 1035 1600 1370 1090 America 9 7 260 1 Source: MEED |
FBIS3-12693_0 | Opposition Comments on 1992 Plane Crash | Language: Arabic Article Type:BFN [Unattributed report: "Libyan Opposition Once Again Highlights Plane Incident"] [Text] London, AL-HAYAH -- The Libyan opposition has once again highlighted the incident of the crash of the Libyan plane which was flying from Benghazi to Tripoli in December 1992. In a statement issued by Bashir al-Rabiti, head of the Libyan National Organization, the opposition held the Revolutionary Committees responsible for blowing up the plane with a view to killing three people who had important information about the Lockerbie explosion. The statement quoted "eyewitnesses" as saying that elements from the Revolutionary Committees "arrived one hour before the plane took off from Baninah airport and issued stern orders to airport security officials not to search the elements that had entered the plane with three suitcases [haqa'ib] containing explosives." The statement added that "the information available indicates that the three targeted people tried first to travel via the seaport of Benghazi but were prevented from doing so, and their movements were put under observation for fear of their releasing information about Lockerbie. Then it was decided to liquidate them." The statement pointed out that Interior Minister Ibrahim al-Bakkar, who ordered the formation of a committee to investigate the explosion of the plane and begin its work after the Arab interior ministers' conference, met his death [laqiya hatfuh] while on his way back from the conference in Tunis. |
FBIS3-12696_2 | King Hassan Views Middle East, EU Issues | affection and support without hesitation and reap the benefits. The Arab-Israeli negotiations are still continuing and are going through difficult times, in which it is difficult to disentangle the intricacies. Nevertheless, it will reach its aim. The whole world wishes for this and works toward it. [passage omitted] We arrive now at the issues of our relations with our foreign partners and allies. Primary among these problems, naturally, is that of the ties that we are trying to ensure between us and the EEC. The proposals made to us in December 1993 were not to our liking. They did not please us. For this reason, we presented to our partners a document containing our reaction to these proposals, and recalling, in particular, the decision made by the ministerial meeting of the 12 states aimed at concluding a new agreement with Morocco based on four main foundations: political dialogue; economic, technical, and cultural partnership in the sectors of common interest; the gradual establishing of a free trade zone; and financial cooperation. We insisted, in particular, on the need for Moroccan products to enter the EEC market, particularly our agricultural products. As for the European program, it is, regrettably, characterized by caution and ambiguity. It is contenting itself with maintaining the usual monetary machine. Without clear commitment, it makes promises that there will be a discussion in the future about financial matters. Pending the early implementation of a new agreement--soon, hopefully--Morocco believes that beginning now it has become necessary to reexamine the current agreement so that it may be in accord with the effects of the Uruguay round and the requirements of the European Union market. Morocco also urges its partners to be more understanding and more open and to treat Morocco the way it is treating them. My dear people: Neither the challenges of the issues we have just raised nor their priority could make us forget the essential issue that comes at the top of our concerns--namely, the issue of our territorial unity. We are, as far as our Sahara is concerned, still committed to organizing a confirmatory, self-determination referendum under UN control that will lead to the final joining together of our southern provinces with the motherland. Despite the dilatory ambiguities and tricks of our opponents, we are certain that the international community will know how to impose its commitments and implement the various decisions that have been agreed |
FBIS3-12721_0 | 'Aziz Reacts to FOREIGN AFFAIRS Article | Language: Arabic Article Type:BFN [Text] Baghdad, 4 Mar (INA) -- Deputy Prime Minister Tariq 'Aziz has stressed that the bad advisers to the U.S. President, who are pushing the U.S. Administration into taking rancorous and illogical stands and are preventing the UN Security Council from fulfilling its obligations toward Iraq, will reap the results of their shallow and rancorous positions. Reacting to a recent article by U.S. National Security Adviser Tony Lake in FOREIGN AFFAIRS magazine, in which Lake discusses what he calls the double containment policy, 'Aziz told INA that these advisers are involving their president in incorrect positions and pushing U.S. policy in the region to a dead end. Tariq 'Aziz added that the position announced by U.S. National Security Adviser Tony Lake -- in which he adopts the views of his professional Zionist assistant, Martin Indyk -- reflects a rancorous, hostile, colonialist attitude, as well as the shallow thinking of U.S. President Bill Clinton's advisers. 'Aziz said: Tony Lake speaks of peoples and nations as if he is playing a computer game. He forgets the facts of history and the will of the peoples, which, in the end, is the decisive factor that determines results. Tariq 'Aziz explains that this adviser, who lacks sufficient knowledge of history, the social and political facts of the region, and conditions inside Iraq, cannot provide any convincing evidence to prove the policy he is promoting has achieved any of its objectives. He noted that the insistence on maintaining the blockade against Iraq is not only a hostile and evil course, but is also the wrong course and will not achieve any of the declared objectives stated by the U.S. policy planners. He stressed that Iraq is a deep-rooted country that has a superb ability to stand fast and that its people are strongly behind their national leadership and have proved this on the ground. He also said the reports Tony Lake mentions about the domestic situation inside Iraq are silly and are based on sources with no credibility whatsoever. This information, 'Aziz added, is given to the U.S. Administration by elements who are paid for their worthless services by U.S. intelligence services and the governments of Jabir [Kuwait] and Fahd [Saudi Arabia]. Tariq 'Aziz said the game of containing peoples and states by applying pressure and extortion is a losing game that will lead to a dead end. He said the |
FBIS3-12721_1 | 'Aziz Reacts to FOREIGN AFFAIRS Article | explains that this adviser, who lacks sufficient knowledge of history, the social and political facts of the region, and conditions inside Iraq, cannot provide any convincing evidence to prove the policy he is promoting has achieved any of its objectives. He noted that the insistence on maintaining the blockade against Iraq is not only a hostile and evil course, but is also the wrong course and will not achieve any of the declared objectives stated by the U.S. policy planners. He stressed that Iraq is a deep-rooted country that has a superb ability to stand fast and that its people are strongly behind their national leadership and have proved this on the ground. He also said the reports Tony Lake mentions about the domestic situation inside Iraq are silly and are based on sources with no credibility whatsoever. This information, 'Aziz added, is given to the U.S. Administration by elements who are paid for their worthless services by U.S. intelligence services and the governments of Jabir [Kuwait] and Fahd [Saudi Arabia]. Tariq 'Aziz said the game of containing peoples and states by applying pressure and extortion is a losing game that will lead to a dead end. He said the correct way to build security and stability in the region and the world is to show respect for the will of the peoples and their legitimate interests, and to deal with them in a civilized manner. Regarding Iraq's position on issues of security and stability in the region that were discussed by Tony Lake, the deputy prime minister said: Iraq was, and will remain, a principal factor influencing security and stability in the region. The policy of weakening Iraq that the United States has been following will not improve the state of security and stability, as suggested by Lake. Instead, it has led to increasing tension and chaos, and led, in effect, to indirect U.S. occupation of the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf. It also led -- and this is clearly a fact -- to the impoverishment of the states of the Peninsula and the Gulf and the squandering of their wealth. These states were very rich before the aggression against Iraq, but are now in debt and have lost all their reserves. Their future is no longer guaranteed. This reality is one of the factors threatening security and stability in the region. These facts also refute this shallow and |
FBIS3-12723_0 | Turkey Protests Kurdish Request for Moscow Ties | Language: Arabic Article Type:BFN [Text] A Kurdish conference sponsored by the Russian authorities has sent a message to Russian President Boris Yeltsin asking Moscow to establish official relations with the Kurdish movement based on their mutual interests. Reporting this yesterday, the London-based AL-HAYAH newspaper said the Ankara government forwarded a protest to Moscow and asked for an explanation. In this context, it has been announced in Ankara that the Turkish deputy foreign minister left for Moscow the day before yesterday to demand an official explanation. The conference organized by numerous Kurdish groups in Moscow last week was held in cooperation with the Russian Ministry of Nationalities and Regional Policy Affairs under the theme "Kurdistan at a Historical and Political Crossroads." |
FBIS3-12736_0 | Rights Group Protests Force Used to Quell Riots | Language: English Article Type:BFN [Text] The Israeli human rights organization, Betzelem, has sharply criticized the lethal gunfire used by the army to quell Palestinian riots. At a news conference in Jerusalem today, Betzelem said soldiers killed 21 Palestinian since the Hebron massacre. In response, the government said soldiers were under orders to be restrained but found themselves in life-threatening situations. Steve Linde reports: [Begin recording] [Linde] Betzelem says after the mosque massacre the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] (?streamed) large numbers of troops into heavily populated Palestinian areas and permitted them to use live fire against Palestinian demonstrators. Betzelem research director Yuwal Ginbar: [Ginbar] It was found that during less than a week 21 Palestinians and one Israeli were shot to death by Israeli security forces. This is an extremely large number. This stems from the fact that, right after the massacre, the army--instead of being moderate, instead of being tolerant, instead of letting the population express its anger and grief--went in with force to all the population centers, used heavily live ammunition in order to disperse crowds. And the result was the deaths, so many deaths. [Linde] In response, the government says soldiers opened fire only when their lives were threatened. Government Press Office Director Uri Dromi: [Dromi] Those soldiers were under danger for their life, and they had to open fire in order to rescue themselves from the situation. Needless to say, there were orders given to the soldiers in the beginning to try and restrain themselves--use the minimum fire possible--because we were all aware of the anger and the pain and the agony of the people. But, unfortunately, in this kind of loaded situation and strained environment, law and order must be maintained, and it is the duty of the army to do so. [Linde] Betzelem called on the authorities to refrain from augmenting forces in Palestinian population centers and introducing troops not trained in riot control, and it urged the government to immediately halt all forms of collective punishment, such as curfews and closures. Steve Linde reporting. [end recording] |
FBIS3-12754_1 | Continued Commentaries, Reports on Church Bombing Syrian Position is `Main Question' | the case of a good number of states in the region such as Algeria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt. Such an argument appears to be solid and logical, but what is required is an understanding of the Lebanese situation, which must be viewed from a special angle because that small country is in the process of rebuilding itself after its government moved it out of the intensive care unit to pave the way for laying the foundations of a state and institutions that would take it healthily to the year 2000 and beyond. Lebanon is currently in labor. The Zuq Mikha'il church explosion cannot be isolated from the attempt to assassinate Christian clergy on their way to the al-Balamand monastery, the explosion at the Phalangist headquarters in al-Sayfi in the heart of Beirut on new year's eve last year, or the sectarian leaflets distributed at the time and the explosions which accompanied that in stores in various areas. All that was in the context of undermining the process of redrafting an integral national plan for Lebanon taking into consideration the fact that there is a need to rectify matters, particularly the injustice inflicted on the Christians in general after they were dragged into a "suicidal" plan and then into boycotting the latest parliamentary elections. That does not mean that other parties, such as Syria, do not bear any responsibility in the context of settling scores with certain leaderships to the point of deliberately humiliating them even if that means making a large number of Lebanese people feel that they are the "oppressed" group indeed. It is easy to accuse Israel of being the party behind the church explosion to divert attention from the al-Ibrahimi mosque massacre, but it is difficult to admit that certain groups in Lebanon, while pretending to be fighting Israel, actually in practice serve the policy of the Jewish state. They do so by seeking to sabotage the national basic program being implemented by the Lebanese Government at all levels beginning with the reconstruction of Beirut and reviving it as a civilized city in which people enjoy living together, not just a place of coexistence between the Lebanese themselves and Arab brothers and foreigners, and by pursuing a policy of terrorizing the Christians to block any attempt to restore political balance in the country. The main question remains: What is the position of the Syrian leadership on everything |
FBIS3-12759_1 | Deputies Criticize Turkey's `Undeclared War' Against Kurds | Tansu Ciller. It was handed to the Turkish ambassador in Damascus at the embassy premises. In that memorandum, the deputies said that reports carried by news agencies and the Turkish media about the military operations carried out by the Turkish Army in the east and southeast of Turkey (Kurdistan) confirm that "what the Army is doing is tantamount to an undeclared war against the Kurdish people and that the police and gendarmerie forces are imposing an unbearable situation of terror in the Kurdish areas where patriotic and social figures are liquidated in broad daylight in public." The memorandum added that "this chauvinistic military and political campaign by the Turkish Government is producing terrifying results for the Kurdish population, a matter which arouses extreme concern among members of the Syrian People's Assembly and all peace- and justice-loving people. It runs contrary to the principles of democracy and human rights which Turkish officials claim to respect and abide by." The memorandum urged Turkey to stop the military operations and work for a peaceful solution because that would save it money and blood and would enhance the links of coexistence between the two peoples, and it would also place Turkey among the civilized states and strengthen its role and position in the eyes of the world public opinion. The deputies added: "The only way to resolve peoples' issues is dialogue and mutual understanding on the basis of recognition of the national rights of the oppressed people." It is worth noting that Syrian-Turkish relations often passed through political crises because of the position of the Kurdish fighters and the water issue which is still pending between the two countries. Turkey has always hinted at using the water weapon because of what Turkey claims to be Syrian support for the fighters of the Kurkish Workers Party, but Syria has repeatedly and categorically denied these charges. In their official statements, however, the two countries reaffirm their satisfaction with the rapid and positive development of their relations and their intention to further expand these relations in all fields. The two sides have also expressed satisfaction with the positive developments over the past months regarding security issues pertaining to the long borders between them, as a result of the spirit of cooperation which has been confirmed and enhanced by the exchange of visits between the interior and foreign ministers of the two countries during which it was reaffirmed |
FBIS3-12759_2 | Deputies Criticize Turkey's `Undeclared War' Against Kurds | that reports carried by news agencies and the Turkish media about the military operations carried out by the Turkish Army in the east and southeast of Turkey (Kurdistan) confirm that "what the Army is doing is tantamount to an undeclared war against the Kurdish people and that the police and gendarmerie forces are imposing an unbearable situation of terror in the Kurdish areas where patriotic and social figures are liquidated in broad daylight in public." The memorandum added that "this chauvinistic military and political campaign by the Turkish Government is producing terrifying results for the Kurdish population, a matter which arouses extreme concern among members of the Syrian People's Assembly and all peace- and justice-loving people. It runs contrary to the principles of democracy and human rights which Turkish officials claim to respect and abide by." The memorandum urged Turkey to stop the military operations and work for a peaceful solution because that would save it money and blood and would enhance the links of coexistence between the two peoples, and it would also place Turkey among the civilized states and strengthen its role and position in the eyes of the world public opinion. The deputies added: "The only way to resolve peoples' issues is dialogue and mutual understanding on the basis of recognition of the national rights of the oppressed people." It is worth noting that Syrian-Turkish relations often passed through political crises because of the position of the Kurdish fighters and the water issue which is still pending between the two countries. Turkey has always hinted at using the water weapon because of what Turkey claims to be Syrian support for the fighters of the Kurkish Workers Party, but Syria has repeatedly and categorically denied these charges. In their official statements, however, the two countries reaffirm their satisfaction with the rapid and positive development of their relations and their intention to further expand these relations in all fields. The two sides have also expressed satisfaction with the positive developments over the past months regarding security issues pertaining to the long borders between them, as a result of the spirit of cooperation which has been confirmed and enhanced by the exchange of visits between the interior and foreign ministers of the two countries during which it was reaffirmed that any activity on the territory of either of them harmful to the security of that country would not be allowed. |
FBIS3-12773_1 | Continued Reports, Commentaries on Hebron Incident 'Arafat `Cooperation' With Israel, U.S. Cited | sprayed Muslim worshippers at the tomb of the Patriarch in Hebron killing more than 30 Palestinians and injuring dozens more. Israeli security force also did their bit by killing at least another 18 Palestinians and wounding many more when they fired into the crowds gathered at hospitals to donate blood and show support for their fellow countrymen. The U.S.-brokered agreement between the Zionists and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) for an autonomous Palestinian administration in Gaza and Jericho, is now christened in blood. The PLO Chairman Yasir 'Arafat issued a statement saying the massacre could have "very serious fallout... at all levels," and his organization declared a 3-day strike in Gaza in memory of the dead. 'Arafat is not the only party to blame for this massacre, nevertheless he must take the major share of responsibility for this tragedy because his cooperation with the Zionist entity and its American handlers gave some Palestinians the impression that the usurper Zionists could be trusted and that peace may be achieved simply by taking the Zionists and the Americans on face falue. Throughout their 45 years of occupying Palestine, the Israelis have claimed that their security agencies are the best in the world and have often criticized other countries' security systems. It would take a great deal of faith to believe that this massacre was purely a coincidence and the work of a "lone" crazed Jewish fanatic. Hopefully, later investigations will clarify questions regarding the slow response of the Zionists to this massacre, as well as the reason why nearly 20 more unarmed Palestinians were slaughtered by Israel's security officers. Israel is just buying time until its lobby in U.S. Congress can once again convince congressmen of Israel's strategic value to America. After the fall of Communism the American Israel Political Action Committee (AIPAC) lost some credibility among Americans. AIPAC's perennial argument that Israel, as the "only democracy in the region," and as a bastion of anti-Islamic ideology in Muslim Middle East is no longer valid due to the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the gradual realization by the U.S. that Islam can not be defeated by Israeli conspiracies and lies. It is for the people of Palestine to draw their own conclusions from this latest Zionist atrocity. But logic, common sense, and the past behavior of Zionists tell us that the Israelis, despite their peaceful utterances, have no desire for peace. |
FBIS3-12777_0 | Reza'i Denies DPRK To Test Missiles in Country | Language: English Article Type:BFN [Report by staff correspondent] [Text] Tehran -- Major General Mohsen Reza'i scoffed at Western media reports that claim Iran is for nuclear weapons saying "Political logic, morality, our own culture and above all the situation in today's world does not allow us to have such deadly weapons. [quotation marks as received] The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps head said, "Political wisdom asks us not to go for weapons which could cause devastation for humanity." "Of course, we are for traditional weapons and that too just for self-defense...and that's all," he said. The eight-year Iraqi imposed war is proof of the real nature of our combatants who never violated the internationally recognized norms concerning war Major Gen. Reza'i recalled. He was referring to the Iraqi forces who left no stone unturned violating the basic tradition of war using chemical bombs against both civilians and military personnel. The Iraqi forces also frequently bombed purely civilians areas during their 1980-88 imposed war. "That Iran is trying to acquire nuclear weapons...is just baseless rumor," Reza'i refuted. Western media repeatedly say Iran will or has already provided the necessary facilities to Communist North Korea for testing missiles with ranges up to 1,000 kilometers. What is Reza'i's explanation? "No, a firm no," Major Gen. Reza'i told the TEHRAN TIMES in an exclusive interview at his office. "By now the entire world should know that Iran is very sensitive as far as our soil and military facilities are concerned and we will never allow others to use it...no matter how friendly `others' are," he said referring to the friendly ties with North Korea. "As long as I'm talking about the real nature of the Islamic combatants and the officials of the Islamic Republic, it will not be out of place to mention the Russian requests which Iran turned down without a second thought,: Reza'i, 41, said. "Despite our animosity and enmity against the United States we rejected repeated requests from Moscow to deliver to them the F-14 fighter plane and the wire-guided anti-tank missile, TOW," he said. He disclosed that even the U.S. through various channels tried to obtain a Soviet-made T-72 tank which we seized from the Ba'thist forces during the Iraqi-imposed war. The United States once more received `a firm no' from the Islamic Republic despite a number of tempting offers from the Pentagon, he said. Maj. Gen. Reza'i, head the IRGC |
FBIS3-12777_2 | Reza'i Denies DPRK To Test Missiles in Country | for the last 13 years, comes from Masjed Soleyman, Khuzestan Province. In answer to another question, Reza'i said the Kuridish problem in Iraq is under our observation and our forces are ready to counter any sort of terrorist activities launched from there. Referring to the agreement signed by Iran and Turkey he said "It has eased the situation." He denounced Iraq for sending terrorists and taking undue advantage from the present situation in the region underlining the fact that that itself was a violation of the 1988 ceasefire and against the traditional practice of friendly neighbors. Reza'i is married with five children and currently studying economics at the post-graduate level. He has a glorious record of revolutionary activities against the now defunct Shah's regime. Commenting on the Persian Gulf he said, "The geographical situation of the waterway is such that the deep water is on Iran's side which enables the Islamic forces to keep alien warships under observation." Without going into details he said there was a plot engineered by Britain, Israel and the United States designed to keep regional tensions high. "I think," he said, "the plot proved to be a mouse trap for the United States. "It's my view that no country should think that they can take undue advantage from the differences between Iran and another Persian Gulf country," he warned. He pointed out that the Iraqi regime made the same mistake in 1980 and "we all know the consequences of that." "I tell my friends in the UAE to listen to my advice as Iran wants to continue friendly relations with all the shaykhdoms there," Reza'i said. The IRGC played a vital role during the Iraqi-imposed war and received compliments from the Leader of the world's deprived, the late Imam Khomeyni. Commenting on the post-war era Reza'i said the IRGC is busy with extensive construction projects in the country. He said IRGC personnel, popularly known in Iran as `Sepahis,' are constructing a major dam, Karkheh, in Khuzestan Province. For the last two years, the Sepahis have been building the dam which is 3 kilometers long, 150 meters high with a capacity of 7 billion cubic meters of water. So far Rls. 600 billion have been spent on the project and it is estimated that Rls. 1 trillion will be spent before it is completed. The IRGC personnel are also working on the 100-kilometer Tehran-Saveh highway to |