Voice of America, 99-11-22

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

CONTENTS

[01] CLINTON - BULGARIA (S&L-OVERNITER) BY DEBORAH TATE (SOFIA)

[02] BULGARIA REACT - CLINTON (L ONLY) BY DEBORAH TATE (SOFIA)

[03] CLINTON - BULGARIA (L-WRAP) BY DEBORAH TATE (SOFIA)

[04] CLINTON - KOSOVO (S-ONITER) BY DEBORAH TATE (SOFIA)

[05] CLINTON / KOSOVO (L ONLY) BY TIM BELAY (TIRANA)

[06] RUSSIA / CHECHNYA (L) BY PETER HEINLEIN (MOSCOW)

[07] RUSSIA AND THE WEST BY PETER HEINLEIN (MOSCOW)

[08] MONDAY'S EDITORIALS BY ANDREW GUTHRIE (WASHINGTON)

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

[01] CLINTON - BULGARIA (S&L-OVERNITER) BY DEBORAH TATE (SOFIA)

INTRO: President Clinton has arrived in Sofia, Bulgaria - becoming the first U-S President to visit the former Soviet bloc nation. Economic and democratic reform top his agenda. Correspondent Deborah Tate reports from the Bulgarian capital.

TEXT: A military band and honor guard met Mr. Clinton at the airport Sunday night. The President came to Sofia to encourage the government to continue on the path of reform. Bulgaria - which had one of the closest relationships to Moscow of any of the East bloc nations during the Cold War - has had some difficulty on the road to economic reform since it broke with its Communist past 10 years ago. But two years ago, it stabilized its currency, got inflation under control, and has begun to see evidence of economic growth. The President is also expected to use his visit to praise Bulgaria for its support of NATO's bombing campaign over Yugoslavia earlier this year. In return for that support, Bulgarians want their country to be compensated for trade lost as a result of sanctions on Serbia.

[02] BULGARIA REACT - CLINTON (L ONLY) BY DEBORAH TATE (SOFIA)

INTRO: Bulgarians say they hope President Clinton's visit to Sofia marks a turning point for their country. Correspoundent Deborah Tate spoke to a number of them as they awaited Mr. Clinton's speech in Nevsky Square Monday night.

TEXT: Ten years after massive protests in Nevsky Square paved the way to democratic reform, history again was being made at the site. Never before had an American President come to the former Soviet bloc nation - a fact that brought tens of thousands to the square to hear Mr. Clinton speak.

[03] CLINTON - BULGARIA (L-WRAP) BY DEBORAH TATE (SOFIA)

[04] CLINTON - KOSOVO (S-ONITER) BY DEBORAH TATE (SOFIA)

INTRO: President Clinton makes a brief trip to the Yugoslav province of Kosovo Tuesday -- the last stop on his five-nation tour of Europe, and a visit that promises to be a high point of the trip. Correspondent Deborah Tate, who has been traveling with the president, has a preview (from Sofia, Bulgaria, where the president spent Monday night).

TEXT: Mr. Clinton will meet with Kosovar leaders, including ethnic Albanians and Serbs who serve on a transitional council in the province, and he will deliver a speech to the people of Kosovo. The president told reporters (Monday) he will call for tolerance among the Kosovars, hoping to bring an end to a series of revenge attacks by civilians that followed NATO's bombing campaign earlier this year. Most of the attacks have been carried out by ethnic Albanians against Kosovo's Serb population.

[05] CLINTON / KOSOVO (L ONLY) BY TIM BELAY (TIRANA)

INTRO: Kosovo's ethnic Albanians are expected to give President Clinton a warm welcome when he visits Tuesday. Tim Belay reports from Tirana, in neighboring Albania.

TEXT: Mr. Clinton's visit to Serbia's Kosovo province is the last scheduled stop on his 10-day visit to Turkey and nations in southern and southeastern Europe. Kosovo is still plagued by violence between ethnic Albanians and Serbs -- more than five-months after a U-S-led bombing campaign forced Serb troops to withdraw from the province. But a repeat of the protests that accompanied the President's visit last week in Greece is considered highly unlikely. Mr. Clinton is hugely popular with the ethnic-Albanians in Kosovo -- who now make up nearly the entire population of the province. While in Kosovo, the President is expected to speak to some of the six-thousand U-S troops taking part in the NATO-led peacekeeping force in the province. Mr. Clinton's visit to Kosovo comes after a number of other high-level Western officials have journeyed to Kosovo. They include Secretary of State Madeline Albright and U-S Ambassador to the United Nations, Richard Holbrooke. In Albania, many people say they feel left out. They say U-S officials praised Albanians for their response to the Kosovo refugee crisis earlier this year. But they say the U-S officials -- Secretary Albright, Ambassador Holbrooke, and now President Clinton -- all have bypassed Albania when they visit the region. (SIGNED)
NEB/TB/JWH/RAE 22-Nov-1999 10:51 AM EDT (22-Nov-1999 1551 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[06] RUSSIA / CHECHNYA (L) BY PETER HEINLEIN (MOSCOW)

INTRO: Russia's army chief of staff says he expects federal troops to capture the Chechen capital, Grozny, without a fight. Moscow Correspondent Peter Heinlein reports Russian military planners are predicting that Grozny will be surrounded by the middle of next month.

TEXT: Russia's semi-official Interfax news agency quotes military command sources as saying federal troops will have the Chechen capital encircled by mid- December. The cordon around the city is said to be 80-percent complete, with only the southern approach remaining open. Grozny has been heavily bombed and shelled for weeks. The population is said to have dwindled from 300- thousand before the latest fighting to less than 30- thousand.

[07] RUSSIA AND THE WEST BY PETER HEINLEIN (MOSCOW)

INTRO: Russia's defiant rejection of foreign criticism of its military offensive in Chechnya has sent East-West relations plummeting to their lowest levels since the Cold War. V-O-A Moscow correspondent Peter Heinlein reports Russia's leaders are taking an increasingly confrontational stance toward the West.

TEXT: The world saw an angry Boris Yeltsin at last week's European Security summit in Istanbul.

[08] MONDAY'S EDITORIALS BY ANDREW GUTHRIE (WASHINGTON)

INTRO: Editorial writers are busy commenting on the U-S federal budget that passed last week after a long delay. Other topics popular in today's Editorial Pages include a guilty plea by the United Nations over mishandling of the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina; the threshold of peace in Northern Ireland; the China trade deal; a hard truth for Ukraine and more criticism of the International Monetary Fund. Now, here is _________with a closer look, including some excerpts, in today's Editorial Digest.

TEXT: About seven-weeks into the U-S government's fiscal year 2000, the White House and Congress finally agreed on a budget. There is a good deal of comment on the spending plan, and in the New Jersey capital, "The Trenton Times" calls the total package flawed and gimmicky, but says:

VOICE: . it is better than might have been expected, given the deep antagonism between the two sides and they are opposing partisan agendas. The most important element of the agreement was the Republicans' abandonment of their campaign to cut taxes by 792-billion dollars over the next 10-years. The timing of such a cut, in the midst of an economic boom, would have been atrocious.

TEXT: In Georgia, "The Atlanta Journal" is not enthralled either:

VOICE: Unfortunately, this year's budget process seemed to be little more than a collection of campaign slogans designed to bolster the campaigns of presidential contenders. And despite a supposedly conservative majority in Congress, the budget again reflected Washington's chronic inability to eliminate wasteful spending and outmoded programs.

TEXT: And as for the method by which the White House and Congress finally agreed on the spending plan, "The Detroit News" fumes:

VOICE: The compromise was reached in the usual fashion: a frenzy of log-rolling that boosted spending at least 30-billion [dollars] above the "budget caps" established several years ago in the hopes of keeping the federal leviathan under control. It proves once again that the best way of restraining spending is simply to cut taxes. . Once the money is removed from Congress' hands, it can not be spent. If politicians want more money, they must make an honest case for the taxpayers forking over more.

TEXT: Turning to international affairs, a report by the International Criminal Tribunal, a U-N agency, has drawn apologies from the world body on its handling of the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and says "The Chicago Tribune":

VOICE: If you want to put a grimace on the face of a United nations official, just say "Srebrenica." For those with short memories, that is the town in eastern Bosnia-Herzegovina that, despite its status as a U-N safe area, was overrun by the Bosnian-Serb army in July 1995. [The] report . described what happened next: "The evidence tendered by the prosecutor describes scenes of unimaginable savagery: thousands of men executed and buried in mass graves, hundreds of men buried alive, men and women mutilated and slaughtered, children killed before their mothers' eyes, a grandfather forced to eat the liver of his own grandson." . Last week the U-N added 155-pages to that grim tale, publishing an exhaustively compiled, brutally frank chronology and appraisal of its role in the Srebrenica massacre. Two words sum it up: mea culpa.

TEXT: "The Washington Times" is equally horrified by the report's contents, and U-N mismanagement, adding:

VOICE: The United Nations has taken a positive first step by its public account of the Srebrenica atrocities, but as Mr. [U-N Secretary General Kofi] Annan so aptly states, "The tragedy of Srebrenica will haunt our history forever." More than anything it should stand as a warning to those who would place too much reliance on the United Nations as a tool for peace enforcement. The Serbs did the killing, but the U-N stood by and watched the murders unfold.

TEXT: On a more hopeful note, the prospect of a lasting peace in Northern Ireland between Unionists and Republicans, draws this comment from Hawaii's "Honolulu Evening Bulletin", in its last edition [Saturday 11/20]:

VOICE: As the Associated Press reported, the new compromise package calls for the Ulster Unionists, the province's major Protestant party, to drop their longstanding demand that the Irish Republican Army disarm before the four-party government is formed. Instead, the Ulster Unionists would accept the Sinn Fein party, the political arm of the I-R-A, as government colleagues on the same day the I-R-A started negotiations with a disarmament commission. . the outcome of these efforts remains very much in doubt - - and will be until the I-R-A surrenders its weapons.

TEXT: In Texas, "The Fort Worth Star-Telegram" is pleased, and considers this latest agreement a very hopeful sign, but adds warily:

VOICE: The "hard men" on both sides of Ulster's tragic divide can still win. But [Unionist leader David] Trimble, Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams and other leading players in this drama .l have demonstrated a commendable hardheadedness of their own in pursuit of a palatable settlement in Northern Ireland.

TEXT: In Asian affairs, the recently completed trade deal with China is drawing reaction, and it is not all favorable. "The Greensburg, Pennsylvania, Tribune- Review" suggests:

VOICE: Amid all of the gushing over the supposed wonderful benefits that this nation's new . agreement with China will bring, a few of those silly, pertinent details of what is really going on are getting list in the effusion. There are the standard items, such as China's abhorrent record on human rights and concerns that it's setting up the prototypical communist expansionist shop in Panama. There is also that troubling little scenario of the Chinese stealing nuclear weapons technology (or did they merely buy it?) from the United States. . And, oh, by the way, the Chinese government has just announced a new initiative to take over and, if necessary, destroy the Internet. Yes, you read that right. Our future friendly trading partner is preparing to carry out high-technology warfare over the Internet and could develop a fourth branch of the armed services.. Devoted to the same, the "Liberation Army Daily", China's military newspaper reported November 11th. .. And these are the kinds of no-less-than- international highbinders (thugs) we want to partner with?

TEXT: "The St. Petersburg [Florida] Times", calls the deal "An "important step" and says:

VOICE: The . agreement . isn't perfect and will not be painless for every sector of the U-S economy. . but far more American industries will be poised to take advantage of anew access to the world's most populous market. . The opportunity has been a long time coming, and it should not be dismissed lightly by critics in Congress.

TEXT: There is a frustrated reaction from today's "Atlanta Constitution" to various reports of Chinese communist control, when the Panama Canal reverts to Panamanian supervision on December 31st.

VOICE: It all started earlier this year with Panama's award of a contract to manage two parts at either end of the canal . [to] a Hong Kong company, Hutchinson Whimper Ltd., which the conspiracy theorists assert is in league with, if not controlled by, Beijing. .The not-so- threatening truth is, Hutchinson Whimper has operated ports for years, managing 19 of them around the world.it is a publicly treaded firm with no more than one- percent Mainland Chinese ownership. .. If there is a threat to the canal's smooth operation, it is more likely to be a result of neglect -- for instance, failure to maintain the locks or prevent silting in the channels.

TEXT: The "Chicago Tribune is mourning the re-election victory of Ukraine's president Leonid Kuchma which, the paper says has led his country to a sorry state after disaffiliation from the Soviet Union.

VOICE: . [Mr.] Kuchma's five-year reign was marked by a failure to crack down forcefully on rampant government corruption and by a lackluster record in reviving a dismal economy. At best, [Mr.] Kuchma's election - - by 56- percent to 38-percent for [Communist Party chief Petro] Symonenko, in a runoff -- should be hailed as a victory for the lesser of two evils.

TEXT: With that comment on the world funding body, we conclude this sampling of editorial comment from Monday's U-S press.
NEB/ANG/RAE 22-Nov-1999 11:24 AM EDT (22-Nov-1999 1624 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

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

INTRO: Stock prices in the United States were mostly higher today (Monday), surprisingly, as a shorter trading week got off to a sluggish start. The U-S financial markets are closed Thursday for the Thanksgiving Day holiday. VOA correspondent Elaine Johanson reports from New York:

TEXT: The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 85 points, three-quarters of one percent, to close at 11- thousand-89. The Standard and Poor's 500 index fell one point to 14-hundred 20. And the Nasdaq Composite gained six-tenths of one percent for another record closing. With no economic news to propel the market, traders focused on rising oil prices, which reached a nine- year high at one point during the day. Higher crude oil cut into bond prices, which tend to reflect concern over inflation. However, investors in blue-chip (big Dow companies) and technology stocks were able to shrug off the oil factor. Many analysts believe the U-S stock market, in general, has strength and can go higher.

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