Voice of America, 97-06-15

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

CONTENTS

[01] EUROPE FRANCE SUMMIT (L ONLY) BY JULIAN NUNDY (PARIS)

[02] TURKEY/SUMMIT (L ONLY) CQ BY AMBERIN ZAMAN (ISTANBUL)

[03] COMPUTER ACCESS MONITORING (L) BY STEVE NORMAN (WASHINGTON)

[01] EUROPE FRANCE SUMMIT (L ONLY) BY JULIAN NUNDY (PARIS)

INTRO: FRANCE'S CONSERVATIVE PRESIDENT AND SOCIALIST PRIME MINISTER MET DURING THE WEEKEND TO TRY TO REACH AGREEMENT ON FRANCE'S POSITION AT THIS WEEK'S EUROPEAN UNION SUMMIT IN AMSTERDAM. A CHANGE IN FRANCE'S POSITION SINCE ITS NEW LEFT-WING GOVERNMENT WAS ELECTED TWO-WEEKS AGO THREATENS THE SUCCESS OF THE SUMMIT. JULIAN NUNDY REPORTS FROM PARIS.

TEXT: PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC AND HIS NEW SOCIALIST PRIME MINISTER LIONEL JOSPIN HAVE BEEN WORKING ON A NEGOTIATING POSITION FOR THE AMSTERDAM SUMMIT. A MEETING FRIDAY WITH GERMAN CHANCELLOR HELMUT KOHL FAILED TO OVERCOME DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PARIS AND BONN ON THE APPROACH TO THE PROPOSED SINGLE EUROPEAN CURRENCY.

MR. JOSPIN, ELECTED JUST TWO-WEEKS AGO, WANTS TO ADD A PLEDGE TO CREATE JOBS TO THE SO-CALLED STABILITY PACT. THE PACT LAYS DOWN STRINGENT ECONOMIC CONDITIONS FOR THE COUNTRIES THAT JOIN THE SINGLE CURRENCY WHICH IS TO INTRODUCED NEXT YEAR.

MR. JOSPIN SAID DURING LAST MONTH'S ELECTION CAMPAIGN A SOCIALIST GOVERNMENT WOULD NOT ACCEPT NEW AUSTERITY MEASURES BEING IMPOSED ON FRANCE. HE WANTS A PLEDGE TO CREATE JOBS -- FOR EXAMPLE, BY ACCELERATING MAJOR PUBLIC WORKS PROJECTS -- TO BE INCLUDED IN THE STABILITY PACT.

THE PACT WAS ORIGINALLY NEGOTIATED LAST YEAR AND IS DUE TO BE APPROVED BY THE EUROPEAN UNION HEADS OF GOVERNMENT AT THE AMSTERDAM SUMMIT THIS WEEK.

CHANCELLOR KOHL TOLD FRANCE HE DOES NOT WANT ANYTHING THAT WILL COST MORE MONEY OR THAT WILL GIVE MORE POWERS TO THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION IN BRUSSELS. AT WORST, THE ISSUE THREATENS TO CAUSE A BREAKDOWN OF THE SUMMIT. BUT, FRENCH AND GERMAN OFFICIALS HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT TO RESOLVE THE DIFFERENCES.

PRESIDENT CHIRAC, WHOSE POSITION HAS BEEN VERY MUCH WEAKENED BY THE ELECTION OF A SOCIALIST GOVERNMENT, IS IN SOMETHING OF A DILEMMA. HE WAS ONE OF THE ORIGINAL NEGOTIATORS OF THE STABILITY PACT, BUT FINDS HIMSELF HEADING A COUNTRY CHALLENGING THE PACT.

TO GET AROUND THE PROBLEM, MR. CHIRAC HAD TALKS WITH PRIME MINISTER JOSPIN AND OTHER SENIOR MINISTERS WHO WILL BE IN AMSTERDAM TO ENSURE -- AS HE PUTS IT -- FRANCE SPEAKS WITH ONE VOICE. IN ESSENCE, THIS MEANS HE WILL BACK THE SOCIALIST GOVERNMENT'S POSITION.

AFTER SEEING MR. CHIRAC, PRIME MINISTER JOSPIN DESCRIBED HIMSELF AS NOT PESSIMISTIC ABOUT THE CHANCES FRANCE AND ITS PARTNERS WILL FIND A COMPROMISE AND AVERT A CRISIS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION. (SIGNED)
NEB/JWN/DW/RAE
15-Jun-97 11:39 AM EDT (1539 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[02] TURKEY/SUMMIT (L ONLY) CQ BY AMBERIN ZAMAN (ISTANBUL)

INTRO: TURKISH PRIME MINISTER NECMETTIN ERBAKAN MOVED A STEP CLOSER TO HIS VISION OF ISLAMIC UNITY SUNDAY WHEN HE LAUNCHED A NEW GROUPING OF ISLAMIC NATIONS KNOWN AS THE DEVELOPING-EIGHT ECONOMIC COOPERATION GROUP, CALLED D-EIGHT FOR SHORT. AMBERIN ZAMAN IS IN ISTANBUL FOR THE SUMMIT AND SENDS THIS REPORT.

TEXT: THE TURKISH PRIME MINISTER TOLD THE ASSEMBLED LEADERS THE GOAL OF THE NEW GROUPING IS TO GAIN THE PLACE IT DESERVES IN WORLD TRADE AND ECONOMIC PLATFORMS.

PRIME MINISTER ERBAKAN STRESSED THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THE D-EIGHT IS TO PROMOTE SOCIAL-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AMONG ITS MEMBERS. HE SAID IT IS NOT INTENDED AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR OTHER INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL GROUPS TO WHICH MEMBERS BELONG.

THE PRESIDENTS OF IRAN, AND INDONESIA ATTENDED THE ISTANBUL MEETING, ALONG WITH PRIME MINISTERS FROM MALAYSIA PAKISTAN, BANGLADESH AND EGYPT, AND THE INDUSTRY MINISTRY OF NIGERIA.

MR. ERBAKAN AND OTHER LEADERS STRESSED THE NEW GROUPING IS NOT RESTRICTED TO MUSLIM COUNTRIES. HE SAID ALL DEVELOPING COUNTRIES MUST COME TOGETHER IN CLOSE COOPERATION.

THE NEED TO DEVELOP TRADE AMONG DEVELOPING NATIONS WAS ECHOED BY PRIME MINISTER MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD OF MALAYSIA.

IT IS BELIEVED THAT POOR COUNTRIES ARE NOT GOOD TRADING PARTNERS. BUT WHAT IS A FACT IS THAT THE RICH HAVE ALWAYS TRADED WITH THE POOR. OBVIOUSLY THEY BENEFITED FROM THIS TRADE. IF THEY CAN EXTRACT SOME BENEFIT FROM THE POOR, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO THE SAME FROM EACH OHTER. ONLY WITH US THE EXTRACTION AND BENEFITS SHOULD BE MUTUAL.

PRESIDENT AKBAR HASHEMI RAFSANAJANI OF IRAN CALLED ON THE D-EIGHT TO TAKE -- WHAT HE CALLED -- APPROPRIATE REACTION TO THE DECISION OF THE U-S HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES LAST WEEK TO MOVE THE AMERICAN EMBASSY FROM TEL AVIV TO JERUSALEM -- IN EFFECT, RECOGNIZING JERUSALEM AS THE CAPITAL OF ISRAEL.

THE OPENING MEETING OF THE DEVELOPING-EIGHT WAS OVERSHADOWED BY DOMESTIC TENSIONS IN TURKEY. IN THE 11-MONTHS SINCE HE BECAME PRIME MINISTER, THERE HAS BEEN A POWER STRUGGLE BETWEEN THE ISLAMIST MR. ERBAKAN AND THE SECULARIST TURKISH MILITARY ESTABLISHMENT WHICH WANTS TO KEEP TURKEY'S STRONG TIES TO THE WEST. IT HAS WEAKENED HIS COALITION GOVERNMENT TO THE POINT WHERE HE HAS HAD TO CALL AN EARLY ELECTION. (SIGNED)
NEB/AZ/DW/RAE
15-Jun-97 3:12 PM EDT (1912 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[03] COMPUTER ACCESS MONITORING (L) BY STEVE NORMAN (WASHINGTON)

INTRO: AS BUSINESSES INCREASE THEIR USE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMPUTER NETWORKS, EMPLOYEES WHO WORK ON THESE SYSTEMS ARE BEING MORE CLOSELY SCRUTINIZED. STEVE NORMAN REPORTS NEW COMPUTER PROGRAMS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED WHICH ALLOW BUSINESSES TO MONITOR WHAT EMPLOYEES ARE DOING WHEN THEY ARE LOGGED ONTO THE COMPUTER NETWORKS.

TEXT: EVERYONE IN THE OFFICE LOOKS PRODUCTIVE, BUT HOW CAN A BUSINESS MANAGER TELL IF EMPLOYEES BUSILY WORKING ON THEIR COMPUTERS ARE WORKING OR JUST SCANNING THE INTERNATIONAL COMPUTER NETWORKS, ALSO CALLED THE INTERNET?

COMPUTERS MAY INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY, BUT DISTRACTIONS ARE EVERYWHERE ON THE INTERNET -- COMPUTER GAMES, ELECTRONIC MAIL, AND A MULTITUDE OF LIBRARIES IN WHICH COMPUTER NETWORK USERS CAN GET INVOLVED.

COMPUTER PROGRAMMING DEVELOPER CHRIS BANNON SAYS HE AND HIS COLLEAGUES HAVE COME UP WITH A NEW COMPUTER SYSTEM WHICH ALLOWS EMPLOYERS TO FIND OUT WHAT WORKERS ARE DOING WHILE THEY ARE WORKING ON THEIR COMPUTERS.

SIXTY-PERCENT OF BUSINESS MANAGERS BELIEVE EMPLOYEES WASTE AT LEAST AN HOUR A DAY ON THE INTERNET. SURVEYS ALSO INDICATE WORKERS PLAYING COMPUTERS GAMES COST COMPANIES 50-BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR IN LOST EMPLOYEE WORK TIME.

WHILE NEW COMPUTER PROGRAMS ALLOW CLOSER MONITORING OF COMPUTER ACCESS BY EMPLOYEES, BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ANALYST DEE LAURENCE SAYS ALLOWING THIS KIND OF SCRUTINY CAN BE DANGEROUS.

POTENTIAL IN THIS SOFTWARE (COMPUTER PROGRAMS) TO BE INVASIVE TO EMPLOYEES IS EXTREME. IT IS NOT THE TECHNOLOGY OR THE SOFTWARE ITSELF, BUT HOW IT IS IMPLEMENTED. TAKING SNAP SHOTS OF (MONITORING) WHAT IS ON SOMEONE'S (COMPUTER) SCREEN WHEN THEY DO NOT KNOW YOU ARE EVEN DOING THAT IS NOTHING MORE THAN SPYING.

THERE IS NOTHING ILLEGAL ABOUT EMPLOYEES BEING MONITORED BY THE BUSINESSES FOR WHICH THEY WORK, BUT MANAGEMENT EXPERTS SAY THE RESULT COULD FURTHER STRAIN RELATIONS BETWEEN WORKERS AND THEIR EMPLOYERS. (SIGNED)
NEB/SRN/RAE
15-Jun-97 9:11 AM EDT (1311 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

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