Voice of America, 99-12-21

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

CONTENTS

[01] RUSSIA / CHECHNYA (L) BY EVE CONANT (MOSCOW)

[02] RUSSIAN ELECTION BY ANDREW GUTHRIE (WASHINGTON)

[03] BRITAIN/DEBT RELIEF (L-O) BY LAURIE KASSMAN (LONDON)

[04] EUROPE / CHINA / SUMMIT (L-O) BY STEPHANIE HO (BEIJING)

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

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

[07] YEARENDER: NATO / KOSOVO BY RON PEMSTEIN (BRUSSELS)

[08] YEARENDER: U-S FOREIGN POLICY - ONE BY ED WARNER (WASHINGTON)

[09] YEARENDER: U-S FOREIGN POLICY - TWO BY ED WARNER (WASHINGTON)

[01] RUSSIA / CHECHNYA (L) BY EVE CONANT (MOSCOW)

INTRO: Russian troops are battling Chechen fighters along the foothills of the republic's southern mountains and on the edges of the capital, Grozny. Moscow Correspondent Eve Conant reports Chechen commanders say they have surrounded a Russian unit in a Grozny suburb.

TEXT: Heavy fighting is reported between Russian forces and an estimated 500 Chechen rebels near the village of Serzhen-Yurt, on the edge of Chechnya's mountainous south. Chechen fighters have set up military bases in the mountains and Russian forces say the village, 30-kilometers southeast of Grozny, lies along a strategic rebel transit route. Russian warplanes also hit targets across southern Chechnya, including the towns of Shatoi and Vedeno. Clashes are reported on the outskirts of Grozny as troops move forward toward the city center. But Russia's Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev is dismissing reports that federal troops are planning to storm Grozny within days.

[02] RUSSIAN ELECTION BY ANDREW GUTHRIE (WASHINGTON)

INTRO: American daily papers are filled with comment about Russia's parliamentary elections (12/19), but are divided over what the results mean. We get a sampling of these divergent views now from _________ in today's U-S Opinion Roundup.

TEXT: Summarizing U-S press reaction to the parliamentary voting in Sunday's Russian election, you might refer to that old adage about the glass being half full or half empty. The returns showed Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's newly created Unity Party scoring a strong showing against the Communists, who got the most seats, but fewer than in prior elections. The papers, and an array of guest columnists, are interpreting those facts quite differently. We begin with the opinion of New York Times correspondent Michael Gordon, trying to make sense out of it all from his post in Moscow. In a front-page analysis, he ties support for the war in Chechnya to the results:

VOICE: ... millions went to the polls and demonstrated their support for the war ... despite its apparent brutality, by voting for candidates backed by Vladimir Putin, the hawkish prime minister closely associated with the war. Western governments, especially the United States have run into many difficulties in trying to deal with the new Russia: corrupt tycoons, die-hard Communists and an enfeebled president. But now they have found themselves squarely at odds with the Russian public. The widespread backing for the war ... not only reduces the already minuscule chance for a political accommodation in Chechnya. It also suggests a broad shift in Russian public sentiment toward a more nationalist, if pro-capitalist, stance.

TEXT: On the Pacific coast, The Oregonian in Portland sees the results somewhat more optimistically, judging a political shift away from the extremes of the Communist left and the Nationalist right, toward the center. But the paper also holds out a caution.

VOICE: /// OPT /// That he [President Boris Yeltsin] and his inner circle did not [try to cancel the election] ... and opted instead to back a coalition of centrist parties - - should be reassuring to Russian democrats and their supporters abroad. [Mr.] Yeltsin's administration may have a cooperative legislature for the first time since the demise of the Soviet Union, which is good news for economic reforms. /// END OPT /// From the standpoint of the United States, though, all of this will be a mixed blessing. If the new Duma is more committed to the economic principles embraced by the United States, it is likely to be far more critical of almost every other aspect of American foreign and security policy.

TEXT: The Wall Street Journal in New York City also sees progress in the very fact that the vote took place at all, and on schedule, and had a good turnout despite bitter cold. The Journal adds:

VOICE: More than sixty percent of the Russian electorate came out in frigid weather to cast a ballot, and the election appears to have been relatively clean. Preliminary results, moreover, show 54 percent of this vote going to centrist or economically liberal parties. In striking contrast, the ultra-nationalist party of Vladimir Zhirinovsky saw its share of the vote fall by nearly half. Indeed, reform-minded parties such as Grigori Yavlinsky's Yabloko Party and Anatoly Chubais's Union of Right Forces (S-P-S) scored some surprising gains. Though obscured by the financial shenanigans of Russia's politicians and the prominence of its oligarchs ... an emerging Russian middle class does exist, and its interests lie in honest government, low taxes and transparent regulatory policies. Sunday's vote was a clear indication of the growing influence of this new generation.

TEXT: However the Journal goes on to worry that the increasingly hawkish Mr. Putin, may "pursue further military adventures instead of tackling the much- needed economic reforms." The business daily concludes that it is possible the future shape of Russia could well be molded on the battlefields of little Chechnya. Taking a more positive view is the Chicago Tribune, which calls Sunday's Duma election a "milestone" in Russia's transformation toward a democracy.

VOICE: What is emerging from this election of 450 members to Russia's Lower House of parliament is encouraging indeed. Half of Russian voters rejected extremes - - the communists on the left and the nationalists on the right - - in favor of moderate, pro-democratic parties and candidates who favor continuing market reforms. This central core wants a government that isn't paralyzed by turmoil and conflict.

TEXT: USA Today, the national daily published in a Washington, D-C suburb, agrees with the Chicago Tribune that the Russian vote as a victory for Boris Yeltsin's heir apparent, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. But USA Today feels Americans may not be comforted by the results.

VOICE: Clearly, the election outcome cuts two ways: There are signs of reform, but, more ominously, there are strong portents that Russia's leaders may retreat even further into anti-democratic methods and hostile nationalism. ... Until elections become expressions of voters' free, unmanipulated choices, hopes for bringing Russia firmly into the capitalist, democratic club will remain as tenuous and uncertain as the results of Sunday's election.

VOICE: The San Francisco Chronicle sees the vote more positive than negative, suggesting:

VOICE: The results ... showed that Russian voters were determined to move forward on reform despite the long stretch of tough years that can fan the passions of extremists on the right and left. The previous two elections were dominated by Communists and right-wing nationalists. This time a majority of voters supported centrist parties for [the] Duma for the first time since the Soviet collapse. ... The positive aspect of the results is that it could produce pragmatism and progress on economic matters. The unsettling side of the elections is that the strong showing for Unity, the main centrist party, could be interpreted as support for Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his management of the war in Chechnya. .....

TEXT: The Washington Post quotes two political scientists as suggesting one of the most remarkable features of the vote is that relatively free elections are now commonplace in what was until very recently a totally totalitarian state. The New York Times sees "several distinct messages" in the voting, "some more encouraging than others," with the most heartening:

VOICE: ... a clear preference for centrists, [with voters] selecting what may turn out to be the first reform-minded Duma majority since the Soviet collapse.

TEXT: The Times however, frets about the ability of the reformist parties to form a parliamentary alliance, a less than clean campaign, and the lack of objective media coverage, which it wants to see improved for the Presidential election in six months.

TEXT: On that note, we conclude this sampling of comment on Russia's parliamentary election. NEB/ANG/gm 21-Dec-1999 14:49 PM EDT (21-Dec-1999 1949 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[03] BRITAIN/DEBT RELIEF (L-O) BY LAURIE KASSMAN (LONDON)

INTRO: The world's richest nations earlier this year pledged to help the world's poorest countries and cut world poverty in half by 2015. The World Bank and International Monetary Fund (I-M-F) are preparing the global debt relief strategy. London Correspondent Laurie Kassman reports that Britain has announced its contribution to the strategy, including a billion- dollar debt write-off for the world's 41 poorest states.

TEXT: Britain's top finance official, Gordon Brown, says the aim of the debt relief program is to help developing countries help themselves. He says eliminating foreign debts means government funds now can pay for much-needed reforms and development programs.

[04] EUROPE / CHINA / SUMMIT (L-O) BY STEPHANIE HO (BEIJING)

INTRO: European leaders expressed optimism they will soon resolve all outstanding issues on China's entry into the World Trade Organization. V-O-A's Stephanie Ho reports the issue of human rights also figured prominently in a summit meeting Tuesday with Chinese leaders in Beijing.

TEXT: Finnish Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, first outlined the E-U's worries.

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

INTRO: Stock prices in the United States were higher today (Tuesday) as the U-S central bank announced no change in short-term interest rates. V-O-A correspondent Elaine Johanson reports from New York:

TEXT: The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 56 points, one-half of one percent, closing at 11- thousand-200. The Standard and Poor's 500 index went up 15 points. Meanwhile, the technology-led Nasdaq composite soared three and one-third percent to another record high, one of its best gains ever. Telecommunications company, Qualcomm, led the Nasdaq climb, as fund investors bought stocks that have gained the most this year, before reporting to investors. Qualcomm is up over one-thousand-seven- hundred percent year-to-date. The U-S central bank's decision to leave interest rates unchanged boosted the market generally. The Federal Reserve Board, however, was not expected to take action just four days before Christmas and, more importantly, before the changeover to the year 2000.

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

INTRO: Russia's parliamentary elections are a major topic in the editorial columns of many U-S daily papers this Tuesday. Also prominent in the commentaries are concerns about terrorism. Other topics include the latest Gore Bradley debates in the presidential race; the flooding in Venezuela; Israel and Syria giving peace talks another chance; and a woman who lived for two years in a tree. Now, here is ___________with a few excerpts in today's Editorial Digest.

TEXT: The U-S press has some good things to say about Sunday's parliamentary elections in Russia. The Chicago Tribune, for example, calls the elections a "milestone" in Russia's transformation toward a democracy. The paper writes:

VOICE: What is emerging from this election of 450 members to Russia's lower house of parliament is encouraging indeed. Half of Russian voters rejected extremes - - the communists on the left and the nationalists on the right - in favor of moderate, pro- democratic parties and candidates who favor continuing market reforms. This central core wants a government that isn't paralyzed by turmoil and conflict.

TEXT: USA Today, the national daily published in a Washington, D-C suburb, considers the vote a victory for Boris Yeltsin's heir apparent, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, but says Americans may not be comforted by the results.

VOICE: Clearly, the election outcome cuts two ways: There are signs of reform, but, more ominously, there are strong portents that Russia's leaders may retreat even further into anti-democratic methods and hostile nationalism. . Until elections become expressions of voters' free, unmanipulated choices, hopes for bringing Russia firmly into the capitalist, democratic club will remain as tenuous and uncertain as the results of Sunday's election.

VOICE: The San Francisco Chronicle sees more positive than negative, suggesting:

VOICE: The results . showed that Russian voters were determined to move forward on reform despite the long stretch of tough years that can fan the passions of extremists.

TEXT: Today's Washington Post quotes two political scientists as suggesting one of the most remarkable features of the vote is that it was n o t a remarkable event, that is, relatively free elections are now commonplace in what was until very recently a totally totalitarian state. The New York Times sees "several distinct messages" in the voting, "some more encouraging than others," with the most heartening:

VOICE: . a clear preference for centrists, [with voters] selecting what may turn out to be the first reform-minded Duma majority since the Soviet collapse.

TEXT: The Times however, frets about the ability of the reformist parties to form a parliamentary alliance, a less than clean campaign, and the lack of objective media coverage, which it wants to see improved for the presidential election in six months.

VOICE: Terrorism directed at Americans both inside and outside the United States is a popular topic, following the arrest of two more people crossing the border from Canada, who may have been on a criminal mission. The Boston Globe strives for a balanced view.

VOICE: As always, there is philosophical wisdom in the advice from government officials that Americans should not hand terrorists a victory by ceding to anxiety about recent warnings of terrorist attacks. Nonetheless, the capture of an Algerian transporting bomb-making materials . from British Columbia last week has properly set off alarm bells among intelligence and law-enforcement professionals.

TEXT: The Detroit Free Press is also alarmed, but warns that home-grown terrorists may also pose a threat.

VOICE: The F-B-I says two militia-types arrested in California this month had been storing up explosives to detonate huge propane storage tanks for the new year, hoping for a national declaration of martial law that would lead to the overthrow of the government. Such plans don't seem as farfetched as they once did.

TEXT: Lastly on this subject, Nebraska's Omaha World- Herald says prudence is called for, but not panic.

VOICE: Of course, everyone could just stay home, safe and scared. But that [hands] any evil-doers, real or imagined, a victory by forfeiture. This is the height of the holiday season .Part of the idea is to have fun, within . sane limits . while at the same time watching our backs [Editors: slang for: "being more cautious than usual"].

TEXT: There is a good deal of comment on the Democratic presidential race between Vice President Al Gore and former Senator Bill Bradley. In Ohio, the Akron Beacon Journal ends a lengthy editorial on the pair's most recent television appearances, chiding the vice president for failing to match Senator Bradley in respect for the electorate.

VOICE: "'The point is, Al,' [Mr.] Bradley said in the Sunday debate, `and I don't know if you get this, but a political campaign is not just a performance for people . but . rather a dialogue with people.'" A "dialogue" indicates a level of respect, and that is what is missing from the Gore campaign. The maneuvers, the feints, the fakery, all invite the question: Who is Al Gore? When [Mr.] Bradley and [Arizona Republican Senator John] McCain got together in New Hampshire, the suggestion was plain: Here were two men who seemed genuine about reform, about reaching across party lines to find compromise. Isn't that a style of leadership in short supply in Washington?

TEXT: Turning to the flooding and mud slides in Venezuela, The Sun in Baltimore laments that man-made conditions are worsening the inevitable natural calamities.

VOICE: Shantytowns perched on mountainsides [are] no match for nature and her furies. . Between Caracas and the sea rises Mount Avila, picturesque until covered in recent decades by the shantytowns of squatters who poured into the metropolitan capital in desperate search of jobs and opportunity. Shacks of tin, tar paper and mud lack foundations to withstand the mudslides. . It may be that natural disasters are not increasing, only that the population in their path is.

TEXT: To the Middle East now, and the renewed peace effort between Syria and Israel, which draws cautious optimism from the Chicago Tribune.

VOICE: The fact is that [Syrian President Hafez] Assad and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak have found the wisdom to compromise and the courage to resume - with open minds - the peace talks that broke off four years ago. . For Israel and Syria, officially at war for over a half century, this was the highest-level summit ever - - and a remarkable achievement in itself.

TEXT: Still in the region, today's Detroit News is angry about what it believes is another victory for Iraq's Saddam Hussein at the U-N.

VOICE: Saddam Hussein won another round in his effort to weaken economic sanctions imposed against his country after the Gulf War. A divided United Nations Security Council approved removal of the ceiling on Iraq's oil sales to the outside world, even as Saddam was [ignoring] U-N demands that he accept a new round of weapons inspections. It would appear that the world appetite for oil is proving more durable than hostility to the Iraqi dictator.

TEXT: From Oklahoma comes support in the Tulsa World, for a new plan by NATO's new secretary general, George Robertson, to establish a rapid reaction military force of 60-thousand European troops to deal with the Bosnias and Kosovos of the future, without necessarily calling in NATO. Says the Tulsa daily:

VOICE: Right now, only the United States has the military and political might to keep rogue countries in line. /// OPT /// [Mr.] Robertson presented a plan . to create a rapid reaction force . to give Western Europe the capability to solve its own problems. /// END OPT /// In the end, such a move was necessary for Europe. The less the United States has to become involved militarily in Europe's smaller problems the better.

TEXT: And finally, a long and highly unusual protest in the United States has ended, drawing comment from the San Francisco Chronicle. Julia "Butterfly" Hill, a young woman who lived in the branches of a California redwood tree for two years to keep it from being cut down by the lumber company that owned it, has won a concession, and climbed down. The tree and the redwoods surrounding it will be spared. Says the Chronicle:

VOICE: [Ms. Hill's] protest drew news reporters from around the world, and helped draw attention to the plight of the redwood groves owned by the Pacific Lumber company. . It was illegal, to be sure, but it was nonviolent and actually added a touch of levity and wit to the long-running timber wars of the Redwood Empire. Charles Hurwitz, president of the parent company Maxaam Corporation, and a notoriously hardball negotiator, ultimately blinked[ Editors: gave in.] Score one for butterfly.

TEXT: On that note, we conclude this sampling of comment from Tuesday's U-S editorial pages.
NEB/ANG/KL 21-Dec-1999 12:20 PM EDT (21-Dec-1999 1720 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[07] YEARENDER: NATO / KOSOVO BY RON PEMSTEIN (BRUSSELS)

INTRO: For the first time in its 50-year history, the NATO alliance went to war with a sovereign country. For 78 days, NATO airpower pounded Yugoslavia to force that government to withdraw its military from Kosovo province. Correspondent Ron Pemstein reported from NATO headquarters during the war and reviews the reasons and the lessons of the Kosovo campaign.

TEXT: NATO had five objectives for going to war in Kosovo. Secretary-General Javier Solana made those goals clear in the first days of NATO's bombing campaign, which started March 25th.

[08] YEARENDER: U-S FOREIGN POLICY - ONE BY ED WARNER (WASHINGTON)

INTRO: Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, America has been searching for a new foreign policy. During the Cold War, containment was generally the U-S response to Soviet expansionism. Though that policy was often criticized by both the left and right, it served as a rough guide, and in time, it succeeded. What can replace it now in a much more complicated world? V-O-A's Ed Warner asked four leading analysts for their views on the foreign policy the United States should pursue in the post-communist era.

TEXT: We are still trying to find a post-communist strategy to deal with the world, says Michael Mandelbaum of the Council on Foreign Relations:

[09] YEARENDER: U-S FOREIGN POLICY - TWO BY ED WARNER (WASHINGTON)

INTRO: As U-S officials try to develop a post-Cold War foreign policy, many foreign policy experts debate what they see as the need to reconcile two sometimes conflicting needs - the desire to do good in the world and the requirement to defend U-S national interests. V-O-A's Ed Warner asked four leading foreign policy analysts for their views of this continuing dilemma.

TEXT: There is always tension between the national interest and humanitarian impulses in American foreign policy, says Joseph Nye, Dean of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University:

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