Voice of America, 00-03-21

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

CONTENTS

[01] KOSOVO / DEPLETED URANIUM (L-ONLY) BY LISA SCHLEIN (GENEVA)

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

[03] CROATIA / WAR CRIMES (L ONLY) BY LAUREN COMITEAU (THE HAGUE)

[04] TURKEY / KURDS (L-ONLY) BY AMBERIN ZAMAN (ANKARA)

[05] TURKEY / DERVISH BY AMBERIN ZAMAN (USKUDAR DISTRICT, TURKEY)

[06] E-U SUMMIT (L-O) BY RON PEMSTEIN (BRUSSELS)

[07] NORTHERN IRELAND BY LAURIE KASSSMAN (BELFAST)

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

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

[01] KOSOVO / DEPLETED URANIUM (L-ONLY) BY LISA SCHLEIN (GENEVA)

INTRO: The United Nations Balkans Task Force says NATO has confirmed for the first time that it used weapons made from depleted uranium during the Kosovo conflict. Lisa Schlein in Geneva reports, a group of scientific experts says the information it has received is not sufficient to assess the health impact on people in the area.

TEXT: The Balkans Task Force says NATO fired about 31-thousand rounds of depleted uranium against Yugoslav tanks and other armored vehicles. It says the ammunition was used in 100 missions flown by United States fighter planes. Some specialists believe as many as nine-and-one-half tons of depleted uranium - a by-product produced when natural uranium is "enriched for use in nuclear reactors -- may have been used during the 78-day bombing campaign. The head of the Balkans Task Force, Pekka Haavisto, welcomed NATO's data, but he says it is not enough to assess the environmental and health impacts in Kosovo.

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

INTRO: NATO is marking this Friday (March 24th) as the first anniversary of its air strikes against Yugoslavia. The alliance's secretary-general, George Robertson, is marking the occasion with a visit to Kosovo (on Friday). Mr. Robertson has issued an assessment of the air strikes and NATO's nine-month- old presence in Kosovo. Ron Pemstein reports from Brussels, NATO is warning the Kosovo Albanians they could be losing international good will.

TEXT: Secretary-General Robertson believes NATO was right to intervene in Kosovo, but he says it is time for the majority Albanian population there to set ethnic hatred aside.

[03] CROATIA / WAR CRIMES (L ONLY) BY LAUREN COMITEAU (THE HAGUE)

INTRO: A former Bosnian Croat paramilitary leader has been flown to the U-N war crimes tribunal where he is wanted on charges of leading an ethnic cleansing campaign against Muslims in the southern Bosnian city of Mostar. Lauren Comiteau in The Hague reports the move is being hailed as a sign of cooperation between Croatia's new government and the tribunal.

TEXT: The extradition of the suspect -- Mladen Naletilic, also known as Tuta -- ends months of legal wrangling between the tribunal and Croatian government officials in Zagreb. Although Mr. Naletilic was indicted more than one year ago, the government of the late Croatian President Franjo Tudjman refused to hand him over. That was one reason the tribunal reported Croatia to the U-N Security Council for failing to cooperate with the court. Croatia eventually agreed to the extradition, but delayed the transfer because of Tuta's poor health. Last month, tribunal doctors found Mr. Naletilic fit to travel. Tribunal spokesmen say the flight to The Hague went smoothly, and Tuta is now at the prison hospital undergoing medical tests. At the tribunal, Mr. Naletilic joins his co-accused -- Vinko Martinovic, or Stela -- who also is charged with the murder, persecution, and torture of Muslims in Mostar in 1993 and 1994. Prosecutors had demanded the extradition of Tuta all the more strenuously since Stela was handed over last August. Stela has pleaded not guilty to all the charges, and prosecutors want the two men tried together. Tribunal spokesman Jim Landale is calling the extradition of Mr. Naletilic a "good sign." The new Croatian government has pledged to cooperate fully with the tribunal. But officials say there is still no sign that Croatia is ready to hand over documents the court is seeking regarding the so-called "Operation Storm." That was the 1995 Croatian military offensive which took back Serb-held land in Croatia and led to the expulsion of at least 200-thousand Serbs. (Signed)
NEB/LC/JWH/KL 21-Mar-2000 10:04 AM EDT (21-Mar-2000 1504 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[04] TURKEY / KURDS (L-ONLY) BY AMBERIN ZAMAN (ANKARA)

INTRO: Tens of thousands of Kurds in Turkey have gathered around bonfires, singing Kurdish songs to celebrate their New Year, called Newroz [pron: nev- `ROOZ]. As Amberin Zaman reports from Ankara, Turkey's government has officially permitted the festivities for the first time in years.

TEXT: In the largest Kurdish city, Diyarbakir, men and women gathered in a huge open space designated by local authorities to celebrate the Kurdish New Year, amid tight security measures. The city's popular young mayor, Feridun Celik, helped light a huge bonfire and called for peace, brotherhood, and freedom, as hundreds of police -- backed by armored personnel carriers -- looked on impassively. Elsewhere across the country, similar scenes were repeated. Newroz, which means "new beginning" in Kurdish, marks the start of the spring season. Until recently, it also marked the beginning of the spring offensive by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, the P-K-K, against government security forces in the forbidding mountain ranges of Turkey's largely Kurdish southeastern region. As the 15-year rebellion raged on, Newroz became a platform for nationalist Kurds to express their sympathy for P-K-K rebels. In 1992, at least 80 demonstrators died in two southeastern towns (Cizre and Sirnak) in a showdown with the security forces. Ever since, local government officials have banned Newroz celebrations. But the capture last year of P-K-K leader Abdullah Ocalan, followed by his call for an end to his supporters' armed separatist campaign, has led to a dramatic decline in rebel violence. Buoyed by the budding climate of peace, Turkish officials have begun to relax some of the security measures. And this year's Newroz celebrations are the first to be officially sanctioned in a long time.

[05] TURKEY / DERVISH BY AMBERIN ZAMAN (USKUDAR DISTRICT, TURKEY)

INTRO: With their flowing white robes, conical hats and mystical dances, the whirling dervishes are one of the better known symbols of Turkey. Amberin Zaman recently traveled to Istanbul's Uskudar district to visit a tekke, or dervish convent, which has provoked heated debate by including women in the ritual dancing.

TEXT: /// ACT CHANTING, FADE UNDER /// An ode to Allah and to the Muslim prophets Muhammed and Ali, and also to Ataturk, the founder of modern, secular Turkey. To millions of Turks, Kemal Ataturk is a deity in his own right. At the ancient dervish convent in Uskudar, scores of faithful offer their devotion.

[06] E-U SUMMIT (L-O) BY RON PEMSTEIN (BRUSSELS)

INTRO: European leaders are to meet this week in an effort to match the United States in employment and new technologies by the end of the decade. Ron Pemstein reports from Brussels on some of the targets the Europeans are setting for their meeting Thursday and Friday in Lisbon.

TEXT: They are calling this European Summit meeting the "dot.com summit" because the leaders are looking to make the Internet accessible to all European schools by next year. They plan to have all teachers trained to use the Internet by 2002 and all European citizens able to cope with the Internet by 2005. If Europe adapts to these new technologies, the long- term goal is to match the United States in employment and competitiveness by the end of the decade. The European Commission is telling the leaders the first step to be taken this year is to start competition among telephone companies to bring down the high local-access charges that Europeans have to pay to get on the Internet. Commission President Romano Prodi showed reporters a graph illustrating that 51-percent of Americans have access to the Internet, while only 23-percent of Europeans in the 15 E-U countries are connected. Speaking through an interpreter, Mr. Prodi says these charges must come down.

[07] NORTHERN IRELAND BY LAURIE KASSSMAN (BELFAST)

INTRO: Northern Ireland's peace process can make or break business prospects for its population of one- and-one-half million. The economy is growing, but as we hear from Correspondent Laurie Kassman in Belfast the future will depend on securing political stability and improving Northern Ireland's international image.

TEXT: Construction cranes dominate the skyline of Belfast. Six new hotels are planned and several communications centers are relocating to the city. The region's manufacturing output topped six-percent last year. Revenue from tourism has increased 15- percent since the Good Friday Peace Agreement was signed two-years ago. That is the good news. Deputy Editor of the "Nationalist Irish News", Noel Doran, says it could be a lot better.

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

INTRO: U-S stock prices closed sharply higher today (Tuesday), despite an announcement by the Federal Reserve Board of a 25-basis-point increase in short- term interest rates. V-O-A correspondent Elaine Johanson reports from New York:

TEXT: The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 227 points, about two percent, to close at 10-thousand- 907. The Standard and Poor's 500 index went up 37 points. The technology-weighted Nasdaq composite struggled most of the day but turned around in the last hour for a two percent gain. Analysts said market reaction to the expected interest rate hike was very subdued. Investors just kept right on doing what they've been doing since last week - adding strength to the long-neglected Dow Jones "blue- chip" stocks. The U-S central bank has signaled repeatedly that interest rates will keep going up until the U-S economy slows. The latest on the economy shows the U-S trade deficit grew to a record 28-billion dollars in January as oil prices soared.

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

INTRO: The election on Taiwan continues to draw comment from papers around the United States this Tuesday. The popular domestic topic is a move by the nation's largest gun producer to increase safety devices on pistols. More violence in Nigeria, and the latest developments in the Mideast are also noted; as is the problem of violence in Yugoslavia's Kosovo province. Rounding out the editorials are thoughts about dealing with Iran, and telling the truth about the Waco cult fire. Now, here is ____________ with a closer look and some excerpts, in today's Editorial Digest.

TEXT: The loss of the presidency by the Nationalist Chinese Party, the Kuomintang, in Taiwan's weekend election draws comment from the nation's regional dailies today. Calling it "truly historic," the Providence Journal says:

VOICE: This display of the electorate's free will should be a source of great pride for citizens of Taiwan. Unfortunately, the election is also causing tensions in Taiwan itself, where the Nationalists' unprecedented electoral defeat is stirring anger and anxiety.

TEXT: In South Carolina, the Charleston Post and Courier calls the election result a "rebuff to China and a welcome signal that the island will not willingly submit to coercion from the mainland."

TEXT: Far out in the Pacific, one of this nation's largest Asian dailies, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin says:

VOICE: Overshadowed by concern about China's threats to attack Taiwan in response to the election of opposition candidate Chen Shui-bian is the significance of his victory as a triumph of democracy. This may be the first democratic election of an opposition figure as a national leader in China's long history. ...If the crucial test of a democracy is the ouster of the ruling party by peaceful, democratic means, Taiwan has passed that test.

TEXT: From Florida, we get this view in the St. Petersburg Times.

VOICE: The Clinton administration has a vital role to play in calming the tensions between China and Taiwan that followed the election of a new Taiwanese president. China has reason to cooperate, too. ... The "one-China" policy that has allowed Taiwan to coexist with China is a fiction that Taipei, Beijing and Washington have agreed to share as a way of buying time - - time measured in decades, not days or weeks. Powerful forces at work within China and around the globe are systematically prying loose the Beijing regime's grip on power, and approval of the W-T-O [World Trade Organization] agreement would be an important step toward opening China to the world. Taiwan crossed a historic democratic milestone with the election of Chen Shui-bian. With a bit more patience, the mainland may continue evolving to the point that a genuine "one China" can be re-established based on shared principles of openness, honesty and democracy.

TEXT: Two large regional dailies, the Boston Globe and the Dallas Morning News are both calling for restraint in the war of words between the two Chinese entities. The Globe suggests:

VOICE: Because of Beijing's belligerent and foolish attempts to intimidate voters on Taiwan, the victory of Chen Shui-bian in the island's presidential election Sunday creates a security crisis for the leaders of mainland China, Taiwan, and the United States. All three governments will have to act sagely, avoiding the temptation to indulge in bravado. Difficult as it may be to place the pragmatic need for restraint above a show of principle, this is precisely what the current perilous situation calls for.

TEXT: The Dallas Morning News adds that "despite [the] election, moving closer is [the] key to progress," and it urges:

VOICE: China and Taiwan need to stop the operatic posturing and to start ... talking about improving relations. The U-S is rightly concerned about the testy turn of events between the two, America's fourth- and-seventh-largest trading partners respectively, and needs to encourage their talks.

TEXT: The top domestic topic of the day is a decision by Smith and Wesson, the nation's largest firearms makers, to place safety locks on all the new pistols the company makes. Boston's Christian Science Monitor calls the company's agreement with the federal government "a cause for hope."

VOICE: The deal struck by the British-owned company ... should serve as a model for other firms inclined to follow suit. Notably, Smith & Wesson agreed to exercise tighter oversight of dealers and distributors. The company's "code of conduct" will demand that dealers complete background checks on gun purchasers no matter how long that takes.

TEXT: The Los Angeles Times is also pleased with the agreement, calling it a "crack in the gun wall."

VOICE: Two things are clear in Smith & Wesson's agreement ... to a wide array of handgun restrictions. The action by one of the nation's oldest and largest handgun makers should be broadly applauded and quickly emulated. But, make no mistake, it was bottom-line fears stemming from pending lawsuits - - not a change of heart - - that led the company to take this step. Lawsuits that pose the threat of millions of dollars in liability have a way of getting businesses to act responsibly, something the current well-bought Congress apparently can't do.

TEXT: Florida's Miami Herald is also pleased, calling the agreement "a watershed event."

VOICE: It's a praiseworthy victory for federal and local officials ... With its decision, Smith & Wesson breaks ranks with the gun industry's myopic view that it is powerless to do anything about handgun violence in America.

TEXT: Back to international topics, the New York Times is watching the violence in Nigeria with concern, fearing it:

VOICE: ... threatens to unravel a year-old experiment in democracy in Africa's most populous nation. The crisis was years in the making and underscores the difficulty of forging a stable, accountable government after decades of rapacious military rule. ... President Olusegun Obasanjo has failed to provide the leadership needed to resolve this dangerous situation.

TEXT: Turning to the Middle East, the Washington Post has this comment on the latest round of Israeli- Palestinian talks getting under way in Washington today. The paper expresses the hope that the crisis in Israeli / Palestinian relations has eased:

VOICE: The crisis was overstated, just as the new timetable for the talks - - one under which a framework agreement on final status is to be completed by May and a full agreement by September - - may be overly ambitious. The dynamics of the Israeli- Palestinian track, in which both parties are committed to the process yet also need to display toughness to domestic constituencies, tend to encourage hyperbole.

TEXT: As for the Balkans, today's Wall Street Journal notes an anniversary that is otherwise going unheeded, and wonders whether there is anything worth celebrating.

VOICE: This week marks the first anniversary of the start of NATO's bombing campaign over Kosovo. And as with many anniversaries, there's some difference of opinion over what - - or even whether - to celebrate. A year on, Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic remains in power. The northern Kosovar city of Mitrovica has become a microcosm of Balkanization, where KFOR peacekeepers do little more than try to separate ethnic factions bent on the other's destruction. Still further to the north, ethnic Albanian guerrilla forces have been making raids into Serbia proper in an effort to incur a harsh Serb reaction, presumably on the thesis that NATO will intervene on the Albanians' behalf. ... All this, it has been argued, should give those of us who jaw-jawed for NATO intervention last year cause to reconsider our original view. So we have reconsidered. But we see little reason to revise that view. Kosovo's troubles do not mean the West shouldn't have waged war.

TEXT: Back in the Middle East, today's Atlanta Constitution talks of the difficulty in dealing with Iran, riven as it is by the opposing forces of reform and orthodoxy. It praises Secretary of State Madeleine Albright's speech signaling what it feels is a "welcome course correction" in Clinton administration policy toward Teheran.

VOICE: The Clinton administration is right to encourage the reform movement in Iran, demonstrated last month by the third straight election in which the hard-liners lost seats in parliament. The relaxed trade sanctions announced by [Secretary] Albright may seem modest, but they mean a lot to entrepreneurs in Iran who are in the forefront of those seeking change.

TEXT: Lastly, there is yet another call, this time from the Fort Worth Star Telegram, for the U-S government to tell the truth about the attack, in the early nineties, by federal agents on the Branch Davidian religious cult outside Waco, Texas. Almost 90 people, including about two dozen children, died in the fire that resulted from the attack.

VOICE: It's time to lift the veil of secrecy surrounding [the] Branch Davidian standoff. ... From the onset of those last fatal hours until this day almost seven years later, the involvement by F-B-I personnel has been shrouded in secrecy. ... the perception hanging over this investigation isn't good. it gets no better when judges and government officials move to keep information away from the people.

VOICE: On that note, we conclude this sampling of editorial comment from Tuesday's U-S press.
NEB/ANG/KL 21-Mar-2000 12:31 PM EDT (21-Mar-2000 1731 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

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