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FBIS3-18585_0 | EU Approves Aid To Boost N. Ireland Peace Efforts | Language: English Article Type:BFN [Unattributed report: "36 Million Pound EU Boost for North Peace Fund Over Three Years"] [Text] A 36 million pound contribution to peace efforts in the North was approved by the European Commission yesterday. The cash will go the International Fund for Ireland [IFI] over the next three years, on top of 72 million pounds the EU [European Union] has provided since 1989. The IFI was set up by the British and Irish Governments in 1986 to promote reconciliation as well as providing social and economic aid for the North. But the latest money from Brussels is being billed as a special response to the efforts of the two Governments to end violence. Commission President Jacques Delors said yesterday's initiative should be seen as "an expression of practical support for the peace process in Northern Ireland" in the wake of the Downing Street Declaration. The 36 million pounds will be used for projects aimed at bridging the religious divide. The Commission emphasised that the 36 million pounds was in addition to assistance to Northern Ireland already assured under the EU's regional and social funds. The IFI is managed by an independent board appointed by the two Governments. It also receives contributions from America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. |
FBIS3-18594_0 | Chisel Reportedly Caused Fire | Language: German Article Type:BFN [Text] Biblis -- According to the management of the Biblis nuclear power plant in Hesse (Bergstrasse district), an approximately 12-cm-long steel chisel caused the fire at the plant on Friday [4 March]. During the assembly of the motor of one of the main cooling pumps, which was taken apart for examination purposes, the instrument was probably left between the casing and the winding, the director of the power plant, Klaus Distler, announced today. "We believe that the matter has now been settled," he stated. Preparations for a startup of the plant, which has been idle for about three months, will continue. Currently, a spare motor is being prepared for installation. For the assembly, however, the approval of the Environment Ministry in Hesse is required. Hesse's Environment Minister Joschka Fischer (Greens) viewed the fire as confirmation of his concerns regarding the safety of the nuclear power plant, which was built 20 years ago. He asked Environment Minister Toepfer to withdraw his approval for the renewed operation of the reactor. Toepfer's ministry announced that it wants to wait for the report by the Hesse Nuclear Supervisory Board. |
FBIS3-18599_0 | Bundestag Condemns Human Rights Violations in Sudan | Language: German Article Type:BFN [Text] Bonn (DPA) -- On Thursday [3 March], the Bundestag discussed the horrible human rights violations in the "forgotten war" between northern and southern Sudan and condemned them unanimously. In a discussion, which was agreed on by all parliamentary groups, it was made clear that at least 1.5 million people have been killed since 1983 in the war between the Islamic government in Khartoum and the south, which is primarily inhabited by Christians and followers of other religions. In a statement for the Bundestag debate, the Society for Endangered Peoples in Goettingen cited the figure of 150,000 Nubians who have been kidnapped; many of them have been virtually enslaved. The Society calls for UN protection zones. The United Nations has warned against an acute famine. Helmut Schaefer, state minister in the Foreign Ministry, called for a lasting peace and not just a cease-fire. Possibilities for pacification are to be searched for together with the European partners. The constant hindrances of humanitarian aid are "unbearable," Christian Democratic Union Deputy Alois Count of Waldburg-Zeil noted. Speaking on behalf of Alliance 90/Greens, Konrad Weiss recalled the constant bombing attacks by the Sudanese Air Force on refugee camps, which are continuing even now. |
FBIS3-18606_0 | U.S. Economic `Aggressiveness' Noted | Language: Italian Article Type:BFN [Ugo Stille Commentary: "Clinton Gets Tough on Economy"] [Text] New York -- "For too long we have allowed the economy to be the poor relation of foreign policy. The time has come to change." This was one of the first statements made by Secretary of State Warren Christopher after Clinton came to the White House. His remarks reflected the thinking of the President, who was convinced that since the end of the Cold War economic rivalry has taken the place of the ideological kind in relations between nations. Indeed, in his international strategy Clinton has been as vague and contradictory on geopolitical problems as he has been steadfast and resolute on economic matters. Thus, while American foreign policy still lacks a guiding principle and a coherent sense of direction., U.S. international economic policy is regulated by a very precise premise: The world, Clinton says, has now entered the era of "the globalization of the economy" and America must adapt its conduct to this fact. Trade policy thus becomes an essential component of foreign policy and represents the point of contact between domestic economic development and expansion in the foreign markets. These two issues, the President stresses, cannot be separated but must be viewed from the same angle. The latest examples of this change of course in America's trade strategy came with Clinton's personal intervention to guarantee the U.S. aeronautics industry a giant $6 billion order from Saudi Arabia and his breaking off of the negotiations with Japan following the threat of economic reprisals. Although these issues are different in nature, they have in common the "aggressiveness" of the White House, which contrasts with the passive line pursued by previous Washington governments. The stakes were high with Saudi Arabia -- a $6 billion order to renew the entire Saudi commercial fleet (50 aircraft). The choice was between the offers submitted by two giants of the American aeronautical industry, McDonnell and Boeing, and the European Airbus consortium. Clinton intervened personally with King Fahd to ensure that the order went to the American firms, pointing out to the Saudi monarch that it was only Washington's intervention that saved his country from Iraq's aggression. The outcome is that this giant order will save the jobs of tens of thousands of people and will have positive repercussions on many activities connected with the aeronautics industry. To those who accuse him of |
FBIS3-18607_0 | Taxation Polemic Entering Election Campaign | Language: Italian Article Type:BFN [Enrico Marro report: "War Over Taxation"] [Text] Rome -- Everyone has entered the arena for the battle of the taxes that is enlivening the election campaign. On the one hand, there is [Forza Italia leader] Berlusconi, promising to have "everyone pay less," and, on the other, the progressive forces, Mario Segni's Pact, and Mino Martinazzoli's Popular Party, who accuse him of demagoguery and of wanting to empty the state's coffers. In Italy too, as in the United States and Britain, this time votes will be gained partly on the basis of tax promises. Forza Italia has proposed a single income tax rate of 30 percent for all. But how are we to ensure that the rich pay proportionately more than the poor? By means of allowances on taxable income, Silvio Berlusconi's experts say. "In order to cancel out the negative impact on lower incomes," PDS [Democratic Party of the Left] economist Vincenzo Visco said, "the present deductions would have to be at least doubled. This would entail a frightening loss of revenue. It is easy to conduct propaganda in connection with taxation, but it is much more difficult to introduce reforms." According to Pact for Italy leader Mario Segni, Forza Italia's proposal "is clearly demagogic and would not achieve the progressive nature of taxation envisaged by the Constitution." This is a "nonexistent conjecture," according to Martinazzoli. The PRI [Italian Republican Party] daily, LA VOCE REPUBBLICANA, points out that Alan Ford's cartoon features a character called "Superchuk, a bizarre character who robs the poor to give to the rich. Is there perhaps a Robin Hood in reverse among the advisers of the magnate of Arcore [Berlusconi]?" According to the CGIL [Italian General Confederation of Labor], these "extravagant promises" are "neo-Reaganite." Yesterday evening Berlusconi replied in an interview on television channel four news: "The progressive forces are still distorting the facts. First, our proposal envisages exemption from taxation for all the poorest families. Also we want to introduce an allowance for each family member, so that larger families will pay less." Lowering the rate to 30 percent, he added, will "ensure that those with higher incomes have less incentive to evade taxation and more incentive to invest." According to Forza Italia's economist, Antonio Martino, "poor people will no longer have to pay income tax." In an interview he said: "Those leveling charges against us are in fact defending |
FBIS3-18613_0 | Nationalrat President Decries Turkish Arrest of Kurds | Language: German Article Type:BFN [Text] Vienna -- In view of the actions taken by the Turkish Government against freely elected deputies, Nationalrat President Heinz Fischer suggests that the Interparliamentarian Union (IPU) deal with the arrests of the Kurdish parliamentarians. The arrest of the Kurdish Democracy Party (DEP) parliamentarians has caused great concern all over the world. It is a violation of principles that also have to be observed by Turkey as a member of the Council of Europe, Fischer said. The Kurdish problem in Turkey cannot be solved by arresting deputies and by using the military, but only by looking for political solutions and by means of negotiations, Fischer stressed and came out once again against the use of force -- no matter by which side -- in solving the problems of the Kurds. |
FBIS3-18614_0 | Consequences of Not Joining EU Analyzed | Language: German Article Type:BFN [Unattributed report: "A `No' to EU Membership Would Lead to Wage Losses"] [Text] Vienna -- If the Austrian people said "no" to the European Union [EU], this would lead to a lower per-capita income in the medium term, Bernhard Felderer, head of the Institute of Higher Studies (IHS), said on the "Press Hour" television program yesterday. The disadvantages for some groups, for instance in agriculture and in the foodstuffs industry, are far surpassed by the advantages of EU membership for the overall economy, Felderer said. Just the abolition of waiting times at the borders and of customs administration will produce annual savings of 8 to 20 billion schillings for the companies. If one adds the abolition of certificates of origin, the end of the discrimination in the processing trade and the no-longer-necessary import turnover tax, this results in a massive growth of 30 to 60 billion schillings or 2 to 3 percent, the IHS head said. These are only the advantages that can be calculated relatively easily; one also has to take the dynamism of the single market into account. However, it is difficult to put the specific effects into figures. Felderer thinks that a common European currency will "not" be introduced "in this century." The dates set down in the Maastricht Treaty will be negotiated once again because of the difficulties of individual member countries, the IHS chief believes. End of Anonymity Felderer said that the abolition of anonymous savings accounts and securities accounts is already "decided" -- which was, however, rejected by the Finance Ministry yesterday. Because of the "extremely attractive" final taxation within the framework of the tax on capital gains, one no longer needs anonymity; in case of the abolition of anonymity, he does not expect any negative effects on Austria as a financial location and on the savings quota. |
FBIS3-18624_0 | Spring Stresses Unionists' Role in Ireland's Future | Language: English Article Type:BFN [Jimmy Walsh report: "Spring Hoping To Allay Unionist Fears"] [Text] Tanaiste [deputy prime minister] Dick Spring hopes it will be possible to convince Northern Unionists that they have nothing to fear from working with the Government. Expressing regret at recent comments by James Molyneaux, Mr Spring, leader of the UUP [Ulster Unionist Party], told the Dail [parliament] yesterday he did not believe a strictly internal solution to the Northern problem would work. The most likely result of such an approach would be to marginalise the role and influence of the leaders of the Unionist community, at a time which could be of considerable importance for the future of the island. He hoped those leaders would reflect very carefully on their position. "Their rightful place is at the negotiating table. Recent opinion polls suggest that is where their own electorate, as well as the two Governments, wish to see them." Replying to Fine Gael leader John Bruton, the Tanaiste stressed that no party had a veto on the resumption of the three-stranded talks process. Both Governments were working towards a framework to set out a basis for these talks. He hoped very sincerely that electoral considerations would not prompt any modification of the generally constructive line the Official Unionists had taken over the Downing Street Declaration. This agreement was far too important to allow it to be exploited by political manoeuvering in the context of the European elections. Mr Bruton stressed the importance of the Government making contact with the Unionists to dissuade them from pursuing what the Taoiseach [prime minister] had aptly called a cul-de-sac. The Government should table proposals on strands 2 and 3 of the talks process to dispel suspicions -- wrongly held, he believed -- in the North that Dublin was not really serious about these strands. The Tanaiste replied that efforts had been made over the last year to build up a relationship with the Unionist parties because of the important role they had to play in determining the future of this island. The Government would do everything possible, including the handing over of papers setting out their ideas for solution to the problem, to ensure that any doubts on the part of those in the Unionist community were ended. He would be holding further discussions soon with the Northern Secretary on how the talks process could be advanced. Mr Spring will |
FBIS3-18625_0 | Juppe Comments Further on Iraqi Compliance | Language: Arabic Article Type:BFN [Report by Leon Barkhu: "Paris Expects Blockade on Iraq To Be Lifted Through Compliance With Resolutions"] [Excerpt] Paris, Baghdad -- French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Wednesday [2 March] evening that Iraq has achieved "progress" by accepting the UN resolution stipulating the imposition of long-term inspection of its armament programs. He did not rule out the lifting of the oil blockade if "Baghdad complies with its international obligations." During a dinner banquet Juppe said: "I believe that Iraq has achieved progress" by accepting UN Resolution 715, which stipulates that "its weapons of mass destruction be subjected" to UN inspection. The minister said that "at another level, we have achieved major progress in the work of the special (UN) committee entrusted with supervising the elimination of its war arsenal. And we are now in a six-month trial period to ascertain whether Iraq is complying with its obligations." Baghdad recently stressed that it now has no weapons of mass destruction and is no longer capable of producing them. Juppe said: "This development should be taken into account step by step," pointing out that, if that proves to be the case, it will be possible to "use 22" [as published] of Security Council Resolution 687, which stipulates that the oil blockade imposed on Iraq be lifted if the country implements the Security Council resolutions relating to its disarmament. However, Juppe pointed to the existence of other Security Council resolutions with which Baghdad has not complied, like the resolution on the inviolability of the border between Iraq and Kuwait. He said it is a "necessary condition" for Iraq's return to the international community. Furthermore, it was learned yesterday from an Arab diplomatic source that Riyad al-Qaysi, director of international affairs at the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, will arrive in Paris today to hold talks with French officials. The Iraqi diplomat's arrival has been confirmed by a spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry. He pointed out that al-Qaysi, who visited Paris last July, "will hold talks with officials at the ministry." The spokesman added that "we will discuss with him Iraq's position on its international obligations stipulated in the Security Council resolutions in the light of the contacts made by the special committee entrusted with disarming Iraq" under the chairmanship of Rolf Ekeus of Sweden. [passage omitted] |
FBIS3-18640_0 | Parties' Positions on Income Tax Viewed | Language: Italian Article Type:BFN ["m.p." report: "Everyone Is Fighting on the Personal Income Tax Front"] [Text] Perhaps the most significant part of the parties' electoral programs are those relating to taxation. The signals of increasing intolerance of fiscal pressures, which the League has gathered and ridden in recent years, have been picked up by everyone, and everyone has taken a stance on taxes. In many cases positions are fairly well defined, with programs on fiscal decentralization, tax pressure, the distribution of revenues between direct and indirect taxes, the reduction in the number of taxes, and tax policies to stimulate investment and employment. Among them, the topic which has suddenly become a hot potato is income tax, the famous and infamous 740. This is the electorally most sensitive tax, the one people notice the most because it affects their pocketbook. The Right The proposal which opened the debate on this topic is that of Forza Italia, which intends to apply a single income tax rate of 30 percent regardless of people's income, thereby radically changing the present system with its so-called "progression," by which the rate rises with the level of earnings. However, Forza Italia completes its proposal with a series of deductions and exemptions (not detailed in the electoral program), which would effectively lower to well below 30 percent the amount which those in the lowest brackets would have pay. According to a purely rationalistic calculation, this system, which would reduce the revenue coming from the highest tax brackets and maintain more or less unchanged that coming from the medium and lower brackets, would lead to an overall reduction of taxation. Forza Italia's economists believe that the reduction would be more than compensated for by receipts from taxable income from many of those people who have until now evaded, owing to, among other things, excessively high rates. Among the parties of the right, the League's program, which devotes a large amount of space to tax federalization, limits itself, on the issue of personal income tax, to proposing a reduction in the levy, without further details. The National Alliance's program proposes "lightening the tax pressure on citizens and on companies, while adopting special forms of protection for families in general and for single-income families in particular." The Center The Pact for Italy lists seven "pacts" which Italy's citizens need to make with the state. The first of these is the "tax |
FBIS3-18670_0 | PKK Official Warns Candidates To Withdraw | Language: Turkish Article Type:BFN [Text] With the approaching local elections, the colonialist Turkish regime has infinitely escalated its violent genocidal and oppressive actions. Our people cannot have the opportunity to express their free will in the elections in such an atmosphere of violence. We will not permit elections to be held in an atmosphere of genocide, intimidation, and special warfare measures put into effect by the colonialist regime. Yes, dear listeners, in a statement issued on 1 March, our PKK [Kurdish Workers Party] announced its policy on elections [words indistinct] in a statement on behalf of our party, Kani Yilmaz, ERNK [National Liberation Front of Kurdistan] representative in Europe, said that we do not regard the elections to be held in Kurdistan as legal, and for this reason we are boycotting the elections. Therefore, in our view, the DEP [Democracy Party] decision is the one preferred by the Kurdish people. It is a correct decision that must be supported. Had there been democratic conditions, the will of the people in Kurdistan would have been revealed. Our leader stated this fact many times. To prevent the expression of the people's will, the Turkish state is using its army and its crime syndicate, the counterguerrilla [words indistinct] as long as the war continues in Kurdistan, we will take a clear stand against an election to be held outside the will of the Kurdish people. We will not accept these elections. Our people will definitely not go to these elections. I am particularly stressing: The candidates from the other parties must immediately withdraw from the elections. I repeat: They must immediately withdraw from the elections. If they do not withdraw, as of today they are ARGK [People's Liberation Army of Kurdistan] targets and will be shot dead. The fascist Turkish state is detaining and (?torturing) those persons and candidates who do not share its ideology. Those engaged in election propaganda are being shot dead, the mayors are being removed from their posts, and party headquarters are being bombed. The ballot boxes will be opened at military garrisons. These boxes are being handed over to the special teams and village guards. There cannot be any talk of elections under these conditions. This is a complete farce [words indistinct] our ERNK spokesman in Europe added: The political parties must immediately withdraw their candidates; otherwise, the candidates will be punished by our ARGK [words indistinct] he |
FBIS3-18671_0 | Government Troops Kill 30 `Terrorists' in Agri | Language: Turkish Article Type:BFN [Announcer-read report over still of map] [Text] Thirty terrorists were killed in operations started on Agri Mountain two days ago. Five soldiers were martyred in the clashes and six soldiers were injured. During the operations, the security forces uncovered a mass grave in a cave containing the bodies of 41 terrorists. Igdir Governor Semsettin Uzun has said that in shelters uncovered during the operations, the security forces seized four Kalashnikov rifles, seven hand grenades, 75 gas bottles, 20 snow suits, large amounts of food, medicine, and first aid material. Operations in the area continue. |
FBIS3-18675_1 | Divisions Over Creation of N. Ireland Select Committee | the spot as it opposes the legislation. Ever since direct rule was imposed in 1972, Unionists have objected to the way Northern Ireland business is handled at Westminster without any effective monitoring by MPs. The Government had resisted a select committee for Northern Ireland, fearing it would degenerate into a sectarian squabble. But ministers have judged the time is now right to establish the group to bolster recent efforts to broker a settlement among the political parties. Nationalists have long harboured suspicions about a select committee, which they see as an attempt to tie Northern Ireland closer to the Union and cutting across efforts to win an agreed settlement among all the parties. Mr Seamus Mallon deputy leader of the SDLP [Social Democratic and Labor Party], said in the Commons yesterday that the committee was being imposed against the wishes of a substantial group of MPs. Ministers, however, do not anticipate any boycott of the committee, though they envisage fierce arguments over the composition. The Government wants an overall majority, in keeping with the convention that select committees should reflect the balance of power in the Commons. But with none of the main parties represented in Northern Ireland, the issue has become complicated. The committee is to have 13 members -- six Conservatives two Labour, two Ulster Unionists, one Democratic Unionist, one Nationalist SDLP and Sir James Kilfedder, the lone Popular Unionist, who could be chairman and would ordinarily vote on the Government side. Labour is unhappy with such a balance, arguing that it breaches all the rules of select committee composition set down since 1979. They also want the chairmanship. A possible compromise could be a 15-strong committee, retaining an overall Government majority but giving Labour more seats. The Government disputes any suggestion that the select committee cuts across the three-strand talks process it is still pursuing despite recent setbacks. Earlier this week, Mr James Molyneaux, Ulster Unionist leader, said that he did not see any future in talks involving Dublin and that he wanted to concentrate on winning agreement for new forms of government in the province. However, he has not broken off contact with the Government and further meetings are planned between the Unionists and Mr Michael Ancram, Northern Ireland Minister, who is trying to find common ground. Realistically, ministers do not expect any movement on the talks process until after the European election on June 9. |
FBIS3-18679_1 | Commentary Views Use of `Super 301' on Japan | Japanese that they cannot ruin the poor but honest U.S. and European industries with dumping prices in the sphere of cars, computers, and chips! Clinton, the hero who fights for free and fair trade against Hosokawa, the sinister protectionist: "Super 301" is the miracle weapon, the bomb designed to safeguard world trade peace, with which the United States can control the evil without having to use the weapon. This is the most skillful way of selling the world a trade war. The U.S. Administration even remained honest and announced that the weapon is not explicitly directed against Japan. It is aimed at the whole world. Japan's import barriers are only the topical cause. In the United States, which made free trade a dogma after World War II and defended it worldwide in numerous GATT rounds, a tendency toward protectionism began to spread during the most recent recession. When Japan's economy was more successful than the U.S. competition in numerous areas at the end of the 1980s, and when threshold countries were able to offer competitive products in the world markets, the Republican U.S. Administration started to consider trade to be the government's business. Bush traveled with representatives of the ailing U.S. automobile industry to Tokyo to ensure a larger market share through negotiations. Three weeks ago, Clinton tried to achieve the same thing for all future-oriented industries and services -- again without success. Unlike in Japan, however, the U.S. Administration was much more successful in safeguarding U.S. interests in other parts of the world. At the end of the 1980s, the full impact of "Super 301" was not felt in Japan, but in Brazil and India. Exactly one year ago, U.S. Trade Representative Mickey Kantor forced better access for U.S. telephone producers to the European Community. His main argument was that the U.S. market was completely open for every competitor -- a simple lie. To fend off unpleasant foreign competitors, the richest country in the world created a sophisticated set of rules for the fight against price dumping and export subsidies in other countries. The U.S. side alone decides what is to be denounced as "unfair trade practices." In the case of Japan, Clinton's reproach of unfair and discriminatory trade practices is even justified. However, if he were really interested in fairness, he would chose a different, even if a bit longer path: That of the GATT world trade agreement. |
FBIS3-18680_0 | Ministers Brief Bundestag on Bosnia Kinkel Calls Russian Efforts `Decisive' | Language: German Article Type:BFN [Report by "mes": "Kinkel Praises Moscow's Influence on Serbs"] [Text] Bonn -- Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel emphasized that Russia's participation in the effort to achieve a negotiated settlement in Bosnia-Herzegovina was decisive. Russia's influence on the Serbs in the conflict is of considerable importance. Without Moscow's participation there will not be a solution, Kinkel said in a short debate in the Bundestag on Thursday [3 March]. As a result of the Russian efforts, the chances for the reopening of the airport of the beleaguered city of Tuzla have increased. The foreign minister said that his hope for a peaceful solution has increased since NATO's combat mission. Deputy Peter Glotz of the Social Democratic Party of Germany [SPD] conceded that the West was recently pursuing a serious political approach to solutions. |
FBIS3-18684_5 | Kinkel Reviews Role of Baltic Republics | of association. We want to help these states quickly and generously to find their rightful place in Europe. As advocates of the Baltic states, we would like to see European agreements concluded with them before the end of this year. The EU would remain incomplete without the three Baltic states becoming members -- just like the other states in Central and East Europe with which Europe agreements have been concluded. At the same time, we are using the Baltic Sea Council as an instrument of cooperation to keep the peace and create prosperity. The Baltic Sea has always been a sea that connects states instead of separating them. At the moment, Estonia chairs the Baltic Sea Council. A high degree of flexibility, an ambitious agenda, and northern pragmatism have led to enormous successes for the Baltic Sea Council. Russia's participation in this organization emphasizes the country's belonging to Europe. The Partnership for Peace offered by the NATO summit in early January has been welcomed by all Baltic states. All three states are already partners in the Western European Union's consultation forum. This way, the security of the Baltic states is increasingly linked with the security in the rest of Europe. We consider this to be part of an interlocking strategy where security will be increasingly based on cooperation. The Baltic states in particular need comprehensive security structures that are based on transparency and trust. This is why the CSCE has an important role to play there. Through its minority envoy and long-term missions of observers, it has helped defuse conflicts on minority issues in the past. The forum for cooperation in security issues offers all countries in that area a framework for future security arrangements. The Baltic region has had cultural relations with West Europe for centuries. These relations must be revived. This revival will range from language courses, to students and teacher exchange programs, and assistance with joint projects. We have to make up for decades of neglect during the time of isolation between the blocs. In 1992, German universities had 25 times more students from Ethiopia than from the three Baltic states together. We must make special efforts to achieve a greater balance in the future. I referred to this problem back in early February, when I proposed a European education initiative for the eastern part of Europe, a "Marshall Plan for the Mind." Europe is not just |
FBIS3-18686_0 | Two Kurds Sentenced for Terrorist Offenses | Language: German Article Type:BFN [Text] Dusseldorf (DDP/ADN) -- In the marathon trial of members of the terrorist Workers Party of Kurdistan (PKK), the Dusseldorf Higher Regional Court today sentenced two of the four accused to life imprisonment. They were charged with attempted joint murder, several counts of joint murder, and in one case of being the ringleader of a terrorist organization. Another defendant was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment for three counts of joint unlawful detention and membership of a terrorist organization. The fourth defendant received a six-year prison sentence for membership of a terrorist organization. The charges of joint murder against these two defendants were dropped by the court. The trial began in October 1989. |
FBIS3-18689_0 | Arms Export Regulations Discussed in Bundestag | Language: German Article Type:BFN [Report by "Stue": "How Can Illegal Arms Exports Be Prevented?"] [Text] Bonn, 4 Mar -- In the Federal Government's view, telephone surveillance by the Customs Criminal Investigation Office has proved an efficient tool in preventing illegal exports of defense products. The parliamentary state secretary in the Economics Ministry, Kolb, said in a Bundestag debate on Friday [4 March] that a major German supplier "of a foreign country's nuclear program" was detected with the help of telephone surveillance. Since October 1992, the Customs Criminal Investigation Office has applied for telephone surveillance in 11 cases. Five cases led to criminal procedures. In an amendment to the Foreign Trade Law, which went through its first reading in the Bundestag on Friday, the authorization -- limited to 31 December 1994 -- to partially circumvent the secrecy of letters and telephone conversations to allow persecuting severe offenses against the arms trade and export laws, is to be extended by two years. This was criticized by Social Democratic Party of Germany [SPD] deputy Bachmeier. He said that the new regulation would entail permanent telephone surveillance being granted to the Customs Criminal Investigation Office, which must, however, not be given intelligence service authorities. Activities involving the secrecy of postal and telephone services should only be carried out by the federal prosecutors. In the government's view, the regulation will have to be tried out over a longer period of time. Other amendments to the Foreign Trade Law are mainly aiming at harmonizing German regulations with European Union [EU] rules on the control of dual-use products. They will enable the Federal Exports Office to continue granting export licenses under future EU regulations. The powers of the authorities controlling the observance of the regulations will also be extended to comply with European directives. The SPD considers this measure a "misleading signal" that does not serve the aim of introducing the high German control standards in Europe. Kolb said that in the fields of controlling conventional arms, services, and know-how transfer, the EU partners would not implement the strict German regulations. New EU directives would require German regulations to be changed. The draft law also extends the possibility of exchanging data between the Federal Exports Office and other authorities. So far, the office was allowed to pass data to the customs and criminal investigation authorities. This is to be extended to include the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), |
FBIS3-18700_5 | Derijcke on Foreign Development Aid Reforms | This group runs counter to the two big powers. Britain tries to sublimate its cooperation policy by a nonpolicy. Its recent adventure with the supply of arms to Malaysia is significant at this level. Finally, the French have great problems. Even for such a powerful country it is impossible to try to solve the economic problems in the CFA franc area countries single-handedly. The political change in the thinking of the French politicians is significant. They are obliged to call on their partners. [Grogna] This collaboration probably also would enable better use to be made of financial resources. [Derijcke] Indeed we do need international cooperation to avoid paying for the same problems several times over. Economic destabilization and industrial backwardness lead to political destabilization. As a result, we have to intervene with humanitarian aid, take part in the demobilization of the army, and think of cooperation. When that does not succeed, we have to intervene with emergency aid. It would be more useful to follow the same paths to achieve the same objectives. [passage omitted] [Grogna] There is sometimes an impression that Belgium is currently moving toward the regions which it knows least well, like Southeast Asia, at the expense of Africa. Even if you refuse to talk of historical ties, we have expertise in those countries. Would it not be more effective to concentrate on them? [Derijcke] Contrary to a widespread idea, Belgium has not abandoned Africa. More than 80 percent of our aid is still devoted to it. Belgium is the biggest per capita provider of aid to Africa. Our presence on the other continents is more limited. In Latin America, we devote our attentions to three countries (Ecuador, Bolivia, and Suriname) where we are achieving good results. In Asia, we have strongly reduced our aid to Indonesia and Thailand, but we have started cooperation with countries of the future like Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. We are also resuming cooperation with the Philippines -- a country which is making great efforts and which is important for our small- and medium-sized enterprises. [Grogna] Is it not a mistake to associate democracy and human rights with development? The Asian countries are not models of democracy and yet they are developing. [Derijcke] I have worked a great deal at the European level for the integration of human rights in cooperation policies. I attach importance to the problem of respecting human rights. |
FBIS3-18722_0 | CDU Pension Plan Law Revisions Assessed | Language: German Article Type:CSO [Article by "na": "Demographic Trends Demand More Adjustments in the Pension Law"] [Text] The Christian Democratic Union [CDU] rejects a general provision for all citizens. The draft of the new CDU basic program states that it contradicts the basic principle of making one's own provisions through contributions and makes the individual unreasonably dependent on decisions by the state. The program is to be approved at the Fifth All-German CDU Party Congress, which will take place in Hamburg from February 20 to 23 (HANDELSBLATT of 9 February 1994). The petition commission for the party congress meanwhile has discussed the petitions and made its recommendations. In the version of the basic program recommended for approval by the party congress, it is explicitly pointed out that earned income remains the basis for determining contributions. The CDU wants to maintain the graduated social security. It combines solidarity and subsidiarity. To preserve the functioning capability of the social benefits systems in the long term and to be able to ensure social security of the individual, fundamental revisions must be made. Not every risk in life can be safeguarded collectively. The CDU goal is not expansion of the social security systems, but rather their restructuring. In addition to greater promotion and demand of self-responsibility, self-provisions, and self-participation, the CDU wants to strengthen the insurance principle. The draft states that our social insurance must gradually be freed financially of those tasks which are national in nature and must be financed with tax money. The CDU supports preserving the several-generations contract as the regulative principle of the pension insurance system. To secure this, it supports a family-friendly society and family-friendly measures, particularly in the tax and social insurance law. It wants to balance the extra burdens on parents because of child rearing, and recognize more strongly than before in the pension law, the time spent in child rearing as a pension contribution. In the opinion of the CDU, pension insurance must remain contribution-related, and hence performance-related. However, the CDU leaves no doubt that, due to demographic developments, further adjustments in the pension law will become necessary. Pension entitlements already earned will remain secure. The economic development and the number of employed will determine what contribution the present pension system will provide to the next generation for old-age security. Private old-age provisions, among them company provisions, are of growing importance. The CDU means to promote |
FBIS3-18733_3 | Pasqua Forms Special Immigration Police Force | which fell from 58 percent in 1987 to 18 percent in 1993.[.sup]1[/] One solution to the difficulties considered by Place Beauvau was the merger of DICILEC with the Directorate of Public Freedoms and Legal Affairs (DLPAJ), but the plan was abandoned. Modeled after the American immigration office, the merger would have posed problems of liberties by bringing together the DLPAJ "jurists" responsible for drafting regulations with the DICILEC police officers responsible for applying them. The Interior Ministry therefore rejected the option, going instead for increased coordination between the new police directorate and the regulatory departments under the DLPAJ which are responsible in the prefectures for individual followup on deportation measures. Within DICILEC and in coordination with the DLPAJ, a deportation office will oversee the "implementation of material means (transportation, escorts, and so on) making it possible to effectively carry out administrative and legal deportation measures ordered against undocumented foreigners or those disturbing law and order," the ministry states. Schengen Space Concerning the mission traditionally performed by PAF--overseeing border traffic--the new directorate must fit into a Europe of immigration. The interior minister is therefore asking DICILC to step up its control of crossborder traffic, "particularly at the future external borders of the Schengen space." Originally scheduled in February 1994 but constantly postponed, the implementation of the agreements signed in Schengen by nine European countries (the Twelve, minus Great Britain, Ireland, and Denmark), provides for the free circulation of nationals within the space common to the territories of their nine countries. As a result, DICILEC police officers are to be assigned to the outer borders (the Oder-Neisse line, for example) of the Schengen space. The Interior Ministry is therefore also entrusting DICILEC with the task of intensifying "inspection and training action above the (common) border (with signatories of the Schengen) and, in sensitive countries, in liaison with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs." If the 6,000 PAF police officers are to be reassigned to the new directorate, no increase in personnel is planned in the near future (except to staff the teams exercising surveillance over the Channel tunnel). Pasqua has personally deplored the "unstandardized" presence of the PAF. In the initial period, DICILEC will therefore have territorial detachments worthy of the name only in departments in which the PAF had established its own presence. In addition, the new directorate is expected to suffer from a lack of personnel necessary for its new missions, |
FBIS3-18754_0 | KKE Leader Warns Against NATO Actions in Balkans | Language: Greek Article Type:BFN [Excerpts] "Our national independence is not threatened by any propaganda, even though it may falsify history, as much as it is threatened by NATO's presence and actions in the Balkans." This was stressed yesterday by KKE [Greek Communist Party] General Secretary Aleka Papariga following her meeting with Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou. During the meeting with the prime minister, Papariga outlined the KKE views on the Balkan crisis, of which Greece has become a part due to its dispute with FYROM [The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia]. She also expressed the party's opposition to the nationalist rallies, which "introduce the poison of nationalism and chauvinism to the Greek people," especially to the younger generation that is urged to participate. Finally, the KKE general secretary stressed the need for the formation of a front of various peoples against the so-called foreign protectors to defend against their intervention and deal with any differences among these peoples. Following her meeting with the prime minister, Papariga said: "As you know, the meeting took place following our own initiative to be briefed on developments in the Balkans and to officially express our views. ``I want to stress the issues I raised with the prime minister on behalf of the KKE. ``We consider that our country and our national independence is not threatened by any propaganda, even though it may falsify history, as much as it is threatened by NATO's presence and actions in the Balkans. ``The new element that concerns us is the downing of the planes. NATO is now carrying out relatively autonomous actions.'' [passage omitted] "Therefore, we are concerned about NATO and the situation in the area and believe that it is a danger and a continuous threat to Greece. Greece is already part of the crisis in the Balkans, and the government's countermeasures have further involved our country." [passage omitted] |
FBIS3-18756_0 | Additional Troops Sent to Southeast | Language: Turkish Article Type:BFN [Text] The approaching Nevruz [Kurdish new year] and local elections are aggravating the already existing tension. PKK [Workers Party of Kurdistan] leader Abdullah Ocalan ordered his organization to turn the region into a hell on the eve of the elections. The Turkish Armed Forces are sending an additional 50,000 troops in view of the approaching Nevruz and local elections. [Begin Fatih Yilmaz recording] According to available information, Ocalan ordered high-ranking PKK leaders to escalate terrorist activities in southeastern Anatolia before 21 March. Ocalan also called on the organizations' militants to organize Nevruz celebrations on 21 March in the form of a popular uprising. Ocalan, the leader of the separatist terror organization, had made a similar call before the Nevruz celebrations in 1992. That time, 103 people died in the ensuing incidents. The PKK has also called for the boycott of the local elections to be held a week after the Nevruz celebrations. A series of new security measures are being taken in the region to ensure that Nevruz and the local elections are held without any incident. In this framework, 50,000 additional troops are being sent to southeastern Anatolia. With this, the number of troops deployed in the region will reach 150,000. To start with, units from the Bolu and Kayseri commando schools have already been sent there. The 65th Infantry Division stationed in Marmara region also left for the region. The A and B teams of the Special Forces Command will also be sent to the region to ensure border and road security. There is also a plan to send a F-16 squadron to Diyarbakir. [end recording] |
FBIS3-18757_0 | PKK Radio Reports Clashes With Turkish Army | Language: Turkish Article Type:BFN [News Headlines] [Text] 1. The operation launched by the colonialist enemy forces in Kabar was thwarted by our [words indistinct] army ARGK [People's Liberation Army of Kurdistan]. Some 11 enemy soldiers were killed and 45 were injured gravely. 2. The oil pipeline between Idil-Cizre was again bombed by ARGK. 3. The colonialist regime's plan to establish bandit groups is failing. It took back 300 guns given to the (Yulke) clan. 4. ARGK is continuing to deal deadly blows to the enemy. 5. A major blow was dealt to the fascist enemy units in the center of Dersim. Some 30 soldiers were killed and as many were injured. 6. The fascist Turkish state, which is gasping its last breath, is continuing its attacks against our defenseless and patriotic people. 7. The [word indistinct] enemy commando forces were defeated at [place name indistinct]. Some 30 soldiers were killed and many were injured. 8. Many countries condemned colonialist fascist Turkey, which lifted the immunity of DEP [Democracy Party] deputies. 9. And finally, an item on the intensive operations being carried out all over the country by ARGK. |
FBIS3-18758_0 | Oil Pipelines Bombed to Halt `Pillaging' | Language: Turkish Article Type:BFN [Text] On 4 March our People's Liberation Army of Kurdistan [ARGK] forces once again bombed the BOTAS [Turkish pipelines company] oil pipeline between Idil-Cizre. It was learned that the fire that resulted from the bombing is still raging and the enemy's economy has suffered a major loss. As is known, our recent attacks on oil pipelines have occurred near Idil, Cizre, Batman, Silopi, and Diyarbakir. So far, numerous pipelines have been bombed by our army units. The ARGK press service announced after the latest operation that the pillaging of the oil, which is the most important wealth of Kurdistan, will not be allowed. Our attacks against oil [words indistinct] will continue until the fascist [words indistinct]. Our guerrilla forces fired a (?rocket) at enemy forces who came to repair the (Rufet) bridge, which had been destroyed by our guerrillas. Four enemy tanks and two armored vehicles were hit, and they were forced to retreat without repairing the bridge. Our army attacked [words indistinct] station. Four soldiers were killed during the attack. The colonialist regime's lackeys bombed [placename indistinct] for one and a half hours [words indistinct]. [Place name indistinct] was bombed by the warplanes of the colonialist fascist forces. [passage indistinct] |
FBIS3-18776_1 | EU Condemns U.S. Reintroduction of `Super 301' | Database] [Text] Brussels, 7 Mar (BELGA) -- On Monday [7 March], Belgium and France urged their partners in the European Union (EU) to go to Marrakech, where the final agreement concluding the Uruguay Round is to be signed in April, armed with a draft joint declaration stressing the importance of the environment and social protection within the future WTC [World Trade Organization]. "France and Belgium are thinking along the same lines on this matter," a Belgian diplomatic source stated. The question of a ministerial declaration to be added to the final document establishing the agreement of the 117 GATT members on greater liberalization of world trade has yet to be settled. Several signatory countries are opposed to it and the European Trade Commissioner, Sir Leon Brittan, who negotiated on behalf of the Twelve, is reportedly in favor of a general declaration which they would all support. "The EU must submit a text offering a broader vision of links between trade and the environment, and between trade and social protection," a Belgian source indicated. These questions "received too little attention during the Uruguay Round," Robert Urbain, the Belgian European affairs minister, told his colleagues at the Council of Ministers. "We must make the most of the Marrakech conference to make up for this shortcoming, and in sufficiently broad terms to lay down genuine avenues for future thought rather than simply listing the most flagrant excesses such as slavery or forced labor," he added. Belgium therefore recommends the drawing up of "an agenda for the future" in order to strengthen "the link between social rights, the environment and trade," Mr. Urbain stated. France and Belgium head the "maximalists" who favor a declaration by the Twelve "making it clearly known that the EU intends to see the World Trade Organization launch a global debate on the environment and the social question," explained a senior Belgian civil servant. The Twelve have unanimously condemned the American decision to reintroduce the so-called super 301 procedure which allows the United States to take retaliatory measures against countries which fail to sufficiently open up their markets to U.S. products. "This measure does not directly affect us for the moment, but the Twelve believe that the use of this section sends out a bad signal just before the signing of an agreement that is supposed to commit everyone to a multilateral settlement of trade differences," stressed a Belgian source. |
FBIS3-18779_1 | Meeting of EU, Hungary Association Council | in their relations, but also as a practical step towards achieving the goals set out in the agreement including, ultimately, the common goal of Hungary's future membership of the Union which guides the co-operation between the parties. The Association Council welcomed the entry into force of the treaty on European Union as a further impetus to the process of co-operation and integration in Europe. 4. The parties discussed a number of political issues and confirmed the importance of maintaining a bilateral political dialogue in accordance with the provisions of the Europe Agreement. The parties noted with satisfaction that a multilateral framework for a strenghtened political dialogue and consultation on matters of common interest has been set up by the Copenhagen European Council; they looked forward to its full implementation. On this basis, the Association Council also welcomed the fact that at the initiative of Foreign Ministers Hurd and Andreatta the Council is currently considering modalities to further intensify multilateral political dialogue with the associated countries. The Association Council is deeply concerned by the continuing crisis in the former Yugoslavia. Both parties welcomed recent promising developments on Sarajevo and the agreement between the Bosnian and Croat sides as important steps towards ending the war throughout Bosnia-Herzegovina. They expressed their full support for an early negotiated settlement between all the parties involved in the conflict on the basis of the European Union action plan. During the discussion, the Hungarian side described its special situation and sacrifices in connection with the crisis in the former Yugoslavia. The European Union side expressed its understanding in this context. The parties agreed on the utility of sustained and concerted efforts in order to preserve the peace and stability and to enhance mutual understanding and peaceful relationships on the European continent. In this context, they looked forward to continuing consultations on the preparation of a conference launching the stability pact, which is the subject of a joint action of the European Union. 5. The Association Council welcomed the success of Hungary in establishing stability of democratic institutions, the rule of law and the respect of human rights. It welcomed also the progress made towards completing the process in transition to a functioning market economy. It recalled the Community's commitment, expressed most recently by the European Council in Copenhagen last June, to assist in that process. The Association Council agreed that the implementation of the Europe Agreement should |
FBIS3-18780_0 | EU-ASEAN Committee Calls For Better Trade Links | Language: English Article Type:BFN [Unattributed article: "EU/ASEAN: Cooperation Committee Seeks Better Trade Links"; as released by Brussels Euroscope EIS Database] [Text] An appeal for stronger and more diverse links between the European Union [EU] and the six-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), as well as for the abolition of trade barriers between the two regions, was launched by the on January 23 at the close of its three-day meeting in Davao (Philippines). The Committee, a consultative forum which meets every 18 months and involves essentially economic experts from the Union and ASEAN, spent much of its latest meeting hammering out ways of improving trade, industrial cooperation and the possibilities of direct European investment, technology transfer and financing. The meeting agreed that market access should be widened in areas such as intellectual property and services, a point on which EU officials had voiced particular concern, as they did over the lack of progress made by the members of ASEAN in reducing their nontariff barriers despite the commitment the latter made to do so during the Uruguay Round multilateral trade negotiations. The Europeans are also keen to see a more concerted ASEAN approach on tariff reductions, which vary widely from one country to another. On the ASEAN side, much was made of the difficulties of access to the European market for products such as tinned tuna. "These concerns could be lessened by regular consultations designed to clarify specific problems, coupled with assurances from the EU that its market would remain open to ASEAN products," declared the ASEAN spokeswoman, Delia Albert. Things may not prove as straightforward as ASEAN would like, as one of the main obstacles to market access for ASEAN products is EU quality requirements, according to the European Commission's Director-General for North-South Relations, Juan Prat. The EU, which is ASEAN's third largest trade partner after Japan and the United States (bilateral trade amounted to 54 billion dollars in 1993), nonetheless remains committed to supporting the 15-year free trade programme just launched by the six members of the Association (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand). |
FBIS3-18797_0 | Kinkel: Arrests in China May `Disturb' Relations | Language: German Article Type:BFN [Text] Bonn (DPA) -- On Tuesday [8 March] FRG Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel (Free Democratic Party of Germany) expressed concern about the wave of arrests in China. He called on the government in Beijing to release the representatives of the democracy movement, as the Foreign Ministry reported. In addition, the Ministry announced that the Chinese Government had been "approached" on this matter already last week. The arrests could "clearly disturb" German-Chinese relations, it was said. |
FBIS3-18798_0 | PKK Not Banned Because of Turkish Pressure | Language: German Article Type:BFN [Text] Bonn (DPA) -- Before the ban of the Workers Party of Kurdistan, PKK, the Federal Office of Criminal Investigations (BKA) did not request any information or documents on PKK associations from the Turkish Directorate General of Security. Nor was there a promise to Turkey to put an end to the party's activities in Germany, states the government response to a parliamentary inquiry of the Party of Democratic Socialism, which was published on Tuesday [8 March]. Even though Turkey had "repeatedly expressed" the desire for a PKK ban in Germany since the mid-1980's, the measure ordered by FRG Interior Minister Manfred Kanther (Christian Democratic Union) on 26 Noveber 1993 was "not" implemented "upon the desire or request of other governments." The ban was based "exclusively on German laws as well as on the principles of necessity and reasonableness," the government response stresses. |
FBIS3-18805_0 | Economics Ministry Wants Lower Wages for Certain Jobs | Language: German Article Type:BFN [Text] Bonn (DPA) -- The FRG Economics Ministry is in favor of clearly reducing wages for relatively unskilled work and improving them with subsidies from unemployment insurance or other social benefits. This proposal was made by Economics State Secretary Johannes Eekhoff in Bonn on Tuesday [9 March] with a view to the employment conference of the seven leading industrial states [G-7] in Detroit on 14-15 March. Eekhoff, who is preparing the conference for the German side, pointed to experiences in the United States. Unemployment benefits there are only 35 percent of the previous salary and is paid for only half a year. This exerts massive pressure on the unemployed to accept any job that pays less. "We do not want that," Eekhoff said. However, in Germany, too, one must have a more sensible combination of lower wages and social benefits. This need not necessarily be a citizen's money [Buergergeld], which unites all social benefits. Eekhoff does not expect any specific decisions from the conference of the economics, finance, and labor ministers of the G-7 countries United States, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy,and Canada in Detroit. There will not be a joint communique. The point is to learn from each other. Thus, the conference can provide stimuli for a new dynamism for growth and employment, he said. For the German side it is interesting to hear how the United States has created many jobs over the past years despite a relatively low growth and why unemployment in Japan is still relatively low in international comparison. Germany has been asked for a report about dual vocational training, which is seen as a reason for the relatively low youth unemployment in Germany. The G-7 conference is to be opened with a speech by U.S. President Bill Clinton, who suggested the conference at the G-7 economic summit in Tokyo in summer 1993. Then there follow five two-hour rounds of talks of the ministers about all aspects of the labor market crisis, from tax polity to technology issues to wage policy. These topics are also to be discussed further at the next economic summit in Naples in July. |
FBIS3-18839_0 | Authorities Expect Political Violence To Increase | Language: German Article Type:BFN [Peter Scherer report: "Office for the Protection of the Constitution Fears Political Murders"] [Text] Berlin -- The Berlin security authorities are preparing for a "hot and bloody" spring. According to a confidential analysis of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, an escalation of violence is imminent in the German capital. Above all an increase in the number of political murders has to be expected, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution warned the Berlin Senate and the police. The background of the alarming assessment of the situation is the formation of a new "trend" in the autonomous scene in Berlin. According to DIE WELT information, it "is offensively advocating that the killing of fascists be deliberately accepted now when they are attacked." The authorities fear massive riots, particularly in connection with the international soccer match between Germany and England. It is supposed to take place in Berlin on 20 April, Adolf Hitler's birthday. In the scene paper INTERIM (No. 274) it is stated that the match planned "on the Fuehrer's birthday in the stadium built by the Fuehrer in the capital of the Fuehrer's Reich" is a provocation. INTERIM takes the view that the politically responsible persons want to use the opportunity to provoke riots "for the benefit of the `law-and-order' policy in the election year." As the homes of refugees had to burn after the abolition of the asylum-law, Berlin has to burn now. It continues literally: "There must not be such an unspeakable alliance with a concentration of fascist groups of thugs, hooligans from the FRG and England who are prepared for violence, thousands of heavily armed cops, and riots in the surroundings of the stadium and far beyond it: Let us prevent the match!" Independently of these calls, extreme-left "groups of migrants" are currently also canvassing for an FRG-wide demonstration in Berlin on 20 April. They want to "strike back" against the "Nazis." And this is the definition of their terrorist position: "We are living in hostile surroundings.... It is not surprising that a fascist might also be killed in a climate that it politically heated by racist pogroms and oppression." The authorities estimate the number of autonomous persons who are prepared for violence at more than 5,000 in the FRG. They continue to be concentrated in the conurbations of Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt/Main, and the Ruhr area. |
FBIS3-18845_1 | Budget Minister Explains Position on Taxation | -- which aims to introduce a single 30 percent income tax rate. "At present tax rates of up to 30 percent of taxable income apply to 95 percent of taxpayers," Spaventa said, "while higher rates apply to only the remaining 5 percent. If the aim were, by means of a number of allowances, to maintain the present tax burden on those paying less than 30 percent, while at the same time reducing the higher rates, there would be an immediate loss of revenue of 3.5-4 trillion lire. This presents two alternatives: Either we forego this large slice of revenue, which the state coffers cannot allow, or this burden is placed on the medium taxpayers, those declaring incomes of 40-80 million lire, penalizing them still further." Having finished with figures, Spaventa went on to tackle the issue of fair taxation: "Ronald Reagan included in his program the introduction of a single rate of income tax, but then the problem of ensuring neutrality for federal funds and for taxpayers by means of allowances in such a reform became a nightmare for him. He never found the solution, and indeed a single tax rate was never introduced in the United States." "The problem," Spaventa added, "is that in order to avert enormous waste, the system of allowances must be extremely detailed, in which case the regulations would fill a whole book." Having dismantled his adversary's proposals, Berlusconi's progressive rival went on to present his own proposal, which has three points: "What can be done is to reduce the number of tax rates, to lower the higher ones and to raise the lower ones, and to operate a simple system of deductions for personal income tax. In the case of legal entities, my proposal is to reduce the tax rate, which is officially very high, and to revise the entire taxation system, which at present favors indebtedness rather than the increase of risk capital. Last, there is investment income, and in this regard I very much like the proposal made by Finance Minister Gallo." Franco Gallo's proposal which was not pursued because of the early election, envisages the incorporation of taxation on all financial income (interest received, yield from bonds and government stock, dividends, and so forth) so as to make the tax aspect neutral in the choice of how savings will be employed. Tax would in any case be deducted by intermediaries at |
FBIS3-18847_2 | Forza Italia Economist Justifies Program | that of other investments." And yet, Bertinotti's idea has raised ferocious opposition in the "pole of freedoms," a war on the communists who wish to annihilate government securities. "No, not from me. And then, if one looks behind all the various positions, the absurd fact is this: In Italy, two citizens enjoying the same income are treated in two totally different ways. The person earning it from working is punished with a confiscatory tax system. The other, whose income comes from interest on public debt securities, pays not one lira of tax." The war cry, which fires off applause from the elegant audience and the rostrum (all the Rome candidates: Fabrizio del Noce, Gustavo Selva, Publio Fiori, etc.), is the war on taxes: The raising of deductions and the single personal income tax rate of 30 percent are the "two pillars" of the program, which have unbridled the "most uncivilized, heedless, disorderly reaction by the left, evidently short of arguments, against us." One reason more not to abandon the confrontation. By the way, Professor Martino, is it true that you refused a face to face interview with Budget Minister Spaventa in front of the "Milan, Italia" TV cameras? "No. First of all, they told me that yesterday evening there would be Spaventa, then Visco [in charge of Democratic Party of the Left tax policy]. But I do not suit them and the job went to someone else." Is this not a wish to escape confrontation, following Berlusconi's line? "Nothing of the kind. We have been confronting Spaventa for a very long time. Maybe, if he did not insult me, it would be more pleasant." Forza Italia's economist confesses having been tempted to impose a blackout on those newspapers which ill-treated him worst. ("One cannot run the headline `Come Forward Martino,' that is the limit...") but he quickly changed his mind. Is he offended if one talks of a magic wand for those million jobs which are promised? He replies with the numbers: "If we manage to obtain the detaxation of fiscal burdens, the three-year extension for the net creation of new jobs -- and not the entrepreneur who dismisses and then rehires, this is fraud -- I believe that this would represent an enormous stimulus for employment." In just two years, as Berlusconi guarantees, a million new people brought into the workforce? "Well, perhaps this was an objective thrown out..." |
FBIS3-18856_0 | * Russian Official Sees Refugee Tide * Warns Nordics, Germany | Language: Danish Article Type:CSO [Article by Flemming Rose: "Big Migration Threatens Scandinavia"] [Text] Russia is anticipating 8 million refugees from the former Soviet republics. These millions of refugees will pose a far greater threat to Scandinavia than asylum-seekers from Africa or Southeast Asia who try to get into Denmark via Moscow and the Baltic states. Moscow -- The Scandinavian countries and Germany should make every effort to set up a cooperation with Russia to enable the world's second-largest nuclear power to accommodate the 6-8 million refugees from the former Soviet republics who will inundate the country during the next couple of years, according to Russian authorities. In the long run this task will be far more important for the security of the Scandinavian countries than the problems posed by the thousands of asylum-seekers from Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East who are currently using Moscow as a way station en route to Denmark and other countries. We were told this by a spokesman for the Russian refugee aid system. "Since the breakup of the Soviet Union accelerated and the republics were hit by internal ethnic conflicts and economic problems, 2.5 million refugees have come to Russia from the former Soviet republics. All forecasts indicate that another 6-8 million will come here from the former republics within the next three years," said Guran Sanikidze of the international division of the Russian refugee authority. Room for 150,000 Sanikidze added that Russia will probably have room for the maximum of 150,000 potential refugees from Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia who come to Russia as long as the country manages to deal with the reception of 6-8 million refugees from the former Soviet republics. "The 6-8 million represent a far greater threat to the Scandinavian countries and Germany than the thousands who come from countries outside the former Soviet Union. One can only guess at the social explosions this will lead to unless the economic and political situation becomes more stable and it will be much simpler for these millions of people to go to Scandinavia than it is for refugees from Africa or Southeast Asia," Sanikidze continued. Sanikidze said the Scandinavian countries could learn something from the agreement that Germany has reached with Poland and the Czech Republic on returning asylum-seekers to those nations. "One of the reasons why Poland and the Czech Republic signed the agreement was that Germany |
FBIS3-18857_0 | * Russian Official Sees Refugee Tide * Danish Justice Minister Comments | Language: Danish Article Type:CSO [Article by Bent Winther: "Minister: Barricading Europe No Solution"] [Text] Pressure from large numbers of people from the former Soviet Union could become very dramatic. The solution is to help them at home, according to Justice Minister Erling Olsen (Social Democrat). Justice Minister Olsen fears intense pressure on the Danish borders as a result of emigration from the former Soviet Union. "It is the nightmare of the entire western world," he said against the background of the statements made by the Russian refugee authorities that BERLINGSKE TIDENDE's Moscow correspondent talked to. They estimate that 6-8 million refugees from the former Soviet republics will inundate Russia in the next couple of years. At present the Russians cannot accommodate the many refugees who will put increasing pressure on the Scandinavian borders. "The pressure could be enormous. It will require very stringent border control and it could be very unpleasant," Olsen said. Foretaste "A real migration could be a threat to the entire western world. Television tells them about our living conditions. The boat people who drifted ashore near Koge gave us a small foretaste of what lies ahead. It is an enormous problem that we have been warned about for some time. ``And the solution is not to build a fortress around all of Europe but to give them so much assistance that they would rather stay at home. This will require economic sacrifices on our part,'' said Justice Minister Olsen. The Russian refugee authorities are urging the Scandinavian countries and Germany to devote all their energy to a cooperation with Russia that will stem the tide. Olsen admitted that there are no concrete proposals for warding off the pressure, but referred among other things to the Nordic Council, which will take the matter up next month. |
FBIS3-18912_0 | Minister Wants Suriname Aid To Bypass Government | Language: Dutch Article Type:BFN [Unattributed article: "Pronk Wants More Aid To Bypass Surinamese Cabinet"] [Text] Amsterdam -- Minister of Development Cooperation Pronk wants the development treaty between the Netherlands and Suriname to be changed. The continuing bad policies of the Surinamese Government are the cause of the country's deplorable state, the minister said on Sunday [6 March] on the "Meer op Zondag" NOS [Netherlands Broadcasting Foundation] television program. The time has come to review the entire development relationship with Suriname, Pronk said. Aid should be directed to a far greater degree toward combating poverty via private organizations, he said. Direct support to the Surinamese Government has proved ineffective, Pronk said in a frank examination of Surinamese politics. He said he was aware that there were still innumerable politicians and civil servants with good will in the country, "but they simply cannot get through." The development relationship which Pronk wants would bypass the Surinamese Government for a large part of the aid, the minister said. However, the current development treaty between the Netherlands and Suriname does not allow that. The minister wants to spend part of the money to which Suriname is entitled under the development treaty via nongovernmental organizations (NGO's, like the Novib [Netherlands Organization for International Development Cooperation] and its foreign partners). "Private organizations do not carry out the most work," Pronk said. "But they do the best work when it comes to combating poverty, providing health care, organizing activities for women, etc." "When we drew up the development treaty we said: You have many good groups who could do this work," Pronk said. "But it was pulled into the political field. The organization's political and ethnic background was examined, and that means sometimes waiting for years. That is not necessary, because in Suriname there is a structure which is separate from politics." Very recently the minister was far more positive about the resumption of aid to the Surinamese Government. Last November Pronk visited Paramaribo to discuss the matter with the Venetiaan government. The talks took place "in such an open and constructive atmosphere that I am optimistic about the possibility of finding a solution in the foreseeable future," he told Parliament three months ago. Pronk made it clear on Sunday that he no longer feels such optimism. "Suriname had a fantastic opportunity, but has made little of it," he said. "There has been a democratic regime for a |
FBIS3-18924_0 | Poland To Apply for `Partial' EU Membership | Language: English Article Type:BFN [Unattributed article: "Poland: Mr. Olechowski Will Recommend a Request for `Partial Membership' When Hungary Applies"; as released by Brussels TEXTLINE database] [Text] The Foreign Minister of Poland, Andrzej Olechowski, has announced his intention to recommend that his government submit an application for membership in the European Union at the same time as Hungary. He nevertheless said the solution of "partial membership" would be more realistic for his country because complete adherence to the Union's economic pillar (the first) would involve "costs and delays." In contrast, he hopes Poland can be integrated into the two other pillars (CFSP [Common Foreign Security Policy] and Home Affairs) as soon as possible so as to "prepare for subsequent full membership." At a restricted press conference the day after the first session of the EC/Poland Association Council, Mr. Olechowski underscored the favourable and rapid development of the country's main economic indicators, which today makes it possible for Poland to envisage "giving tangible form to its desire for membership in the European Union." Following a period of recession, the Polish economy registered growth of 4.5 percent in 1993, i.e. the highest in Europe (East and West alike), due to growth in the industrial sector (7 percent to 10 percent) which is itself based on a sharp rise in productivity. Poland has also managed to slash inflation from 600 percent in 1990 to 30 percent. The country has some two million private companies and 60 percent of the workforce is employed in the private sector. The most striking development may be the shrinking of the public sector, which provided the earnings of 60 percent of Polish households two years ago, compared to only 35 percent today, he noted. Political developments are also encouraging. Mr. Olechowski said that Poland's democratic institutions are "surprisingly mature." These promising signs make it possible for Poland to aspire to "political membership" enabling it to participate in the development of the common foreign and security policy and intergovernmental cooperation in home and justice affairs. "This would certainly be a much more convincing and effective solution than, for example, a partnership or another form of relations," he told the Association Council. With respect to the Union's economic sphere, Mr. Olechowski said that "waiting periods and derogations" would be necessary, in particular for the integration of Polish agriculture and participation in EMU [European Monetary Union]. Regarding agriculture, he recalled that this |
FBIS3-18942_0 | Argentine Minister Urges German Investment | Language: German Article Type:BFN [Report on interview with Argentine Economics Minister Domingo Cavallo by "bag": "Buenos Aires Is Waiting for Hermes Relief"] [Text] Bonn -- Until now, German investors "have shown only a mild interest in our country," Argentina's Economics Minister Domingo Cavallo said. The Spanish, Italians, and British, on the other hand, have realized that the changes going on in the South American country are promising. In an interview with HANDELSBLATT, Cavallo said that during his visit to Germany, which ends on Thursday [10 March], he discussed more favorable conditions for Hermes export guarantees with Economics Minister Rexrodt and Finance Minister Waigel. Currently, involvement in Argentina is considered "especially risky," similar to involvement in Brazil, for instance. Hermes credit guarantees are accordingly expensive. A double taxation agreement with Germany is being worked out. Cavallo is optimistic that the German side will be persuaded by developments in Argentina: The national budget has been in surplus since 1992. By linking the peso to the dollar, inflation could be cut from 5,000 percent (in 1989) to 4-5 percent this year. Over the last three years, annual economic growth has been 6 to 9 percent. The Menem government has so far privatized over 100 companies. Among European countries, Spain is particularly active in the telecommunications sector. France (water, gas, electricity), Italy (telecommunications as well), and Great Britain (gas, petroleum) have made substantial investments. Mentioning Germany, Cavallo could only think of a satellite project by Dasa. There will be further privatization of airports, nuclear power stations, and the electricity and water supply outside Buenos Aires. Cavallo hopes that German interest will be greater this time than it has been in the past. He sees good opportunities for German companies in the traditionally private sectors. In the car industry (Mercedes and Volkswagen) the economics minister hopes for higher production with a simultaneous reduction in the number of models, in order to increase productivity. Other models and parts could be increasingly imported from Germany -- not least because of the significant cut in customs duties. Involvement in the food sector is also worthwhile, according to the economics minister. Thus, a German brewery has become active in Argentina. Apart from that, Cavallo mentioned catering, tourism, and the pharmaceutical industry. MERCOSUR, whose members are Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay, offers a large domestic market for investors. On 1 January 1995, a free trade area will be completed. Argentina's |
FBIS3-18946_0 | Saxony Interior Minister Reports on Political Extremism | Language: German Article Type:BFN ["afk"-signed report: "Right-Wing Extremists Move Closer Together in Saxony"] [Text] Dresden, 8 March -- In Saxony, there is evidence of links between the neo-Nazi scene and the Republikaner, as well as between the German People's Union (DVU) and the National Democratic Party (NPD). That is what Saxony Interior Minister Eggert, Christian Democratic Union, said in Dresden on Tuesday [8 March] when he presented the Office for the Protection of the Constitution report for 1993. According to the report, functionaries and members of the National Offensive and German Alternative in the meantime have become members of the DVU and the NPD. The former functionaries of extreme right-wing parties also have established links with new circles. An employee of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution reported on a meeting in Dresden attended by NPD members and neo-Nazis after which Republikaner leaflets were distributed. The number of criminal offenses of an extremist right-wing nature fell by 60 percent compared to 1992, said Eggert. A total of 84 crimes of violence and 389 other offenses, mainly the painting of swastikas, were registered. They were usually "spontaneous actions," mainly involving skinheads who were not members of extremist right-wing organizations. As Eggert said, there are 3,400 right-wing extremists in Saxony, of whom 900 are considered militant. Approximately 300 people belong to neo-Nazi organizations. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution noted that among the Republikaner, who have 700 members in Saxony, there are "indications of efforts directed against the basic liberal democratic order." Leaflets show "that the political ideas of the party in Saxony are based not on a democratic but on a nationalist ideology." The DVU is reported to have 1,500 members in Saxony, but is "still not very active" as far as public events are concerned. The NPD has approximately 250 members. The organizational development of these parties has still not been completed, but one can expect them to participate in this year's elections, said Eggert. Last year, 57 crimes of violence were committed by left-wing extremists. The militant left-wing extremist "scene" in Saxony consists of about 500 people. Compared to extremist left-wing circles in western Germany, the "scene" has developed ideas of its own. There is little support for "internationalism" or imprisoned members of the Red Army Faction. Extremist positions are held on such issues as unemployment, "west German colonization of the east," and coming to |
FBIS3-18946_1 | Saxony Interior Minister Reports on Political Extremism | report, functionaries and members of the National Offensive and German Alternative in the meantime have become members of the DVU and the NPD. The former functionaries of extreme right-wing parties also have established links with new circles. An employee of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution reported on a meeting in Dresden attended by NPD members and neo-Nazis after which Republikaner leaflets were distributed. The number of criminal offenses of an extremist right-wing nature fell by 60 percent compared to 1992, said Eggert. A total of 84 crimes of violence and 389 other offenses, mainly the painting of swastikas, were registered. They were usually "spontaneous actions," mainly involving skinheads who were not members of extremist right-wing organizations. As Eggert said, there are 3,400 right-wing extremists in Saxony, of whom 900 are considered militant. Approximately 300 people belong to neo-Nazi organizations. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution noted that among the Republikaner, who have 700 members in Saxony, there are "indications of efforts directed against the basic liberal democratic order." Leaflets show "that the political ideas of the party in Saxony are based not on a democratic but on a nationalist ideology." The DVU is reported to have 1,500 members in Saxony, but is "still not very active" as far as public events are concerned. The NPD has approximately 250 members. The organizational development of these parties has still not been completed, but one can expect them to participate in this year's elections, said Eggert. Last year, 57 crimes of violence were committed by left-wing extremists. The militant left-wing extremist "scene" in Saxony consists of about 500 people. Compared to extremist left-wing circles in western Germany, the "scene" has developed ideas of its own. There is little support for "internationalism" or imprisoned members of the Red Army Faction. Extremist positions are held on such issues as unemployment, "west German colonization of the east," and coming to terms with the Stasi past. The DKP [German Communist Party] and the KPD [Communist Party of Germany] have not been able to develop any organizations in Saxony so far. On the other hand, the extremist left-wing Communist Platform (KPF) is trying to increase its influence within the PDS [Party of Democratic Socialism]. Eggert does not believe that the activities of the KPF faction within the PDS justify having the entire party monitored by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. |
FBIS3-18947_0 | High Potential for Right-Wing Violence | Language: German Article Type:BFN [Report signed "kat./les": "New Dimension of Violence"] [Excerpts] Magdeburg/Dresden -- Extremism in the new laender is increasing. The Land Office for the Protection of the Constitution said that the potential for extreme-right violence is "alarmingly high" in Saxony-Anhalt. Last year, there were 328 violent acts with an extreme-right connection, Interior Minister Walter Remmers (Christian Democratic Union) said when he presented the 1993 report of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Magdeburg. The centers of extreme-right activity are above all the big cities of Halle and Magdeburg. According to the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the violent confrontations between right-wing and left-wing extremists have assumed a new dimension. The threshold for brutal violence has been lowered on both sides. With 70 violent acts against leftists motivated by right-wing extremism in 1993, the number of these offenses has doubled. [passage omitted] Right-wing extremism did not come to the old FRG from the former GDR only after unification. With this opinion, Saxony Interior Minister Heinz Eggert (CDU) contradicted statements to this effect made by Federal Prosecutor General Nehm. It is true that the propensity for violence has increased significantly in the east, "but this is connected with the police's inability to act at this stage," Eggert told DIE WELT. Criminal offenses by the extreme-left (57) in the Free State of Saxony remained constant compared with 1992. |
FBIS3-18954_4 | PR Spokesman Cautious on Use of Primaries | already is a kind of primary. This would usher in another kind of logic. If we want to continue down this road, we also need to confront the issue of the first round in parliamentary elections. Because in a way, the notion of "primaries" calls into question the principle of selecting the president of the Republic in a two-round election. Also, if the bill goes through in the spring session -- and go through it will -- and if we hold primaries in January 1995, the campaign will take place right in the middle of the budgetary session. That will hardly make for a healthier political climate! To sum things up, I think this is an excellent idea because primaries are a way to avoid a dogfight between majority leaders -- but there are both benefits and drawbacks to the exercise. I do not mind going through with it, but I do have a few qualms, as some potential candidates may be tempted not to play by the rules, arguing that the spirit of the Constitution calls for a vote from the whole population. Therefore there may be a "boomerang" effect. Once the bill has been voted, the political game will not be any calmer, and this will inevitably extend the electoral campaign. [Huet] What if primaries should prove impossible to organize? [Vasseur] If we do not succeed, we will have no choice but to have two candidates. There is an obvious risk that the two presidential candidates may be at each other's throat before the first round of voting. The other risk is that once elected, a candidate might hoard all the "spoils," that is, appropriate every single position to be filled, allocate himself all the seats up for election. To avoid this, it is essential that the two men enter into a veritable "contract" before the presidential election. Such a contract would include a "minimum-service" clause, a code for good electoral behavior, so that the two men are unable to attack each other overtly, to criticize each other's policies, and so as to ensure that the rule of reciprocal withdrawal works properly. The way I see it, such a contract must go even further: It must delineate the way the potential president of the Republic intends to govern the country and with which men. I would also like this contract to be made public before the first round. |
FBIS3-18967_0 | PKK Reportedly Vows to Escalate `Violence' | Language: English Article Type:BFN [Text] Diyarbakir/Ankara--Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) [Workers Party of Kurdistan], has vowed to upgrade violence in Turkey's Southeast in mid-March and said the region "will turn into hell." According to a reliable source with well-placed connections to the PKK Central Committee, Ocalan said this in a recent meeting with his commanders in charge of terrorist activities against Turkey. Ocalan's instructions to the commanders were to upgrade violence in the region until the celebrations for the March 21 Kurdish new year of Nevroz and beginning as of that day, "start a people's uprising." His instructions, said the source, were similar to those in 1992 and implied that the consequences of the Nevroz this year could be similar as well. In March 1992, Ocalan ordered a Kurdish uprising in Turkey and called for the establishment of "liberated zones." A total of 103 demonstrators were killed in clashes with security forces. Local sources in Diyarbakir said, meanwhile, that the PKK's instructions related to Nevroz celebrations had not yet been relayed to anyone but heightened activity and public demonstrations were possible. They note that the recent troop buildup in the region is not only a measure to maintain electoral security but also to insure peace on March 21. According to one security source who asked not to be identified, "if the PKK decides to do anything this year, there will be much bloodshed. But it will be the loser." The general concern among political party executives in Diyarbakir is that Turkey may be preparing for an all-out showdown with the PKK and that any terrorist activity in late March could trigger this "operation." |
FBIS3-18971_0 | UNCHR Rejects Resolution on PRC Human Rights | Language: French Article Type:BFN [Article signed SM/VF: "Human Rights Situation in China: The Commission Decides `Not To Adjudge'"; as released by Bern ATSA/SDAA database] [Text] Geneva, 9 Mar (ATS) -- The UN Human Rights Commission decided on Wednesday [9 March], with 20 votes for, 16 against, and 17 abstentions, not to pass a resolution on human rights violations in China. This resolution had been proposed by 16 countries, including Switzerland. The resolution specifically cited an "inadequate protection" of Tibetan identity and the identity of other Chinese minorities. The Commission declared itself to be very worried by the continuous reports on violations of fundamental rights; on torture; and on serious restrictions on freedom of expression and religion as well as on the right to a fair trial. The resolution finally asked the Beijing government to take "new steps" to improve this situation. Before the vote, the United Kingdom suggested rejecting the "nondecision" motion proposed by China in order to "preserve the credibility" of the Commission, which is often accused of "harassing small countries." The United States took the same attitude, and emphasized that China did not have to be treated differently from other countries "just because of its economic potential and its size." On the other hand, Pakistan, which supported the Beijing motion, stated that China had "accelerated its reform process" in the past year. Sri Lanka declared that the best road toward improving human rights was not through the resolution proposed at the Commission, but through persuasion and a real dialogue. |
FBIS3-18972_2 | Kinkel Addresses Bundestag on EU Expansion Issues | Gentlemen, the acceptance of the three Nordic countries and of Austria into the European Union is an essential step on the path toward reestablishing the balance in Europe. The Federal Government has never identified itself with the concept of a western or southwestern union. It has always committed itself to the entire Europe. [applause] Just as in the 1980's, we acted as the advocate of the expansion to the south and emphatically -- I stress the term emphatically for a special reason -- came out in favor of membership for Spain, Portugal, and Greece. From the very beginning we have energetically supported the desire of Austria, Sweden, Finland, and Norway to become members. The current round of negotiations is not taking place at the cost of Europe's southern countries. [applause] Just like all other member states and the new members, they also will benefit from the fact that the European Union will be strengthened in political, economic, and cultural terms by the addition of four tested democratic states with efficient national economies that are committed to free world trade. It is correct that the new members will better balance the European Union within itself, and it is obvious -- and we said this in Brussels during the negotiations and I am saying this here again -- that for Germany, in its central location, this is a not an unimportant benefit. Ladies and Gentlemen, during the current negotiations, the Federal Government has primarily been guided by the interest in strengthening the European Union and the stability of the entire Europe. German and European interests are identical on these questions. Germany's future is in Europe. Security and the prosperity of our country are linked inseparably with European unification. A failure of these negotiations, a stalling of the European unification somewhere in the middle, would harm all Europeans. [applause] Membership negotiations began on 1 January 1993, and in Norway's case on 1 April 1993. It is a really great achievement of all governments involved and of the Brussels Commission that these negotiations have practically been concluded with three states in approximately one year and that we are on the verge of a breakthrough with Norway. If the Council session next Tuesday [15 March] achieves this goal -- and the Federal Government will once again do everything possible to achieve this goal -- then there is a good chance that all four countries will |
FBIS3-18988_0 | OECD Head Views Unemployment, Upcoming Detroit Summit | Language: German Article Type:BFN [Interview with OECD Secretary General Jean-Claude Paye by Ruth Berschens; place and date not given: "Increase in Value-Added Tax"] [Text] [Berschens] Mr. Paye, the economics and finance ministers of the seven most important industrialized states will meet in Detroit next weekend to discuss what can be done against unemployment. Do you expect the special summit to be more than just a big media spectacle? [Paye] I think it is very good that President Clinton has convened this conference. The special summit is useful just because it directs public attention to a problem, for which the alarm bells have been ringing here in Europe for years. The governments increasingly now are trying to find recipes against unemployment. [Berschens] So far, they, particularly in Europe, have not had a lot of ideas. [Paye] We in Europe are paying the bill now for the fact that politicians and partners to the wage negotiations believed in growth far too long. Until the end of the 1980's, it was assumed that the high growth rates of the 1950's and 1960's could be reached again. As a result, one continued to be generous with wage raises, with pensions, and with the services of health insurance. The expansion of the social net has made the European economies increasingly inflexible, even though they should be more flexible than ever -- in view of the racing technological progress and the rising pressure of international competition. [Berschens] What do the Europeans have to do? [Paye] They must abolish negative developments in the tax system and in social security. In some countries, excessive ancillary wage costs prevent the employers from hiring people. It also happens that an unemployed person earns more in net terms than if we were working. Why should he then look for a new job? In addition, there is the abuse of social services. The labor exchange office, for instance, would have to cancel unemployment benefits if the recipient refused to accept an appropriate job. [Berschens] Your proposals harbor the danger that the poor will get even poorer. [Paye] There is no doubt that the necessary structural reforms require great sacrifices from parts of the population. Certainly, those affected must not be simply dropped. If these people get the feeling they are hopeless losers, then we will be facing a social explosion sooner or later. Therefore, state and society must help the people to |
FBIS3-18998_0 | Heathrow Attack `Eloquent' Response to Peace Efforts | Language: English Article Type:BFN [Editorial: "The IRA's Answer"] [Text] Last night's mortar attack on Heathrow airport was the most eloquent response that the IRA is likely to make to the peace initiative launched with the Anglo-Irish declaration. The five mortars, apparently aimed from a vehicle in a hotel car park at one of the runways, instantly threw the world's largest international airport into chaos. A week and a half after the specious rhetoric of the Sinn Fein conference in Dublin, the Republican movement was once again speaking the language it knows best. The immediate effect of the blast was to help secure the renewal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act by a majority of 86, after Labour forced a vote on an issue traditionally governed by bipartisan consensus. Yet its political significance was much broader. Since John Major and Albert Reynolds, the Taoiseach, signed their declaration in December, Sinn Fein has sought to nurture an atmosphere of suspense and uncertainty. Having already won the offer of exploratory talks after a 12-week ceasefire, the IRA's political wing has encouraged the view that with more diplomacy, more concessions, and more attention to the Republican agenda it may be willing to lay down its arms. Its leaders Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness have called for "clarification," "demilitarisation" and British "persuasion" of the Unionists. Last night, this deplorable tactic of studied indecision was shown for the mockery it always was. The IRA revealed that its true strategy is still one of attrition, an indefinite assault upon the weak points of the British political and economic system. This was its message in February 1991 when it launched a mortar attack upon the Gulf War Cabinet in No 10 [Downing Street]; in its bombing of the City in April 1992 and a year later; and now in its assault upon Heathrow. That the attack was thwarted will not concern the movement's military leaders unduly. Their purpose was to show the world that they could smuggle their artillery into the heart of an airport which is still the hub of the European network and a vital entrepot for transatlantic flights. To disable Heathrow is to strike a serious blow to the nation's economic credibility and reputation as a centre of tourism and trade. The Government must now consider its own response. Those in Whitehall who argued last year that the IRA had become arthritic and was in |
FBIS3-19017_0 | Visiting UN Official on Violations of Serbian Embargo | Language: German Article Type:BFN [Interview with Richardt Vork, head of the customs investigation troop "Sanctions Assistance Mission" is responsible for the UN embargo against Serbia, by unidentified correspondent in Vienna; date not given: "Mafia-Like Structures"] [Text] [Correspondent] Your international investigation troop "Sanctions Assistance Mission" (SAM) has been controlling the embargo against the Serbs since 5 October 1992. How do are you proceeding? [Vork] Our people -- a total of 240 men from over 20 states -- have been positioned at all important border crossings into Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia [FYROM], Hungary, Romania, and Ukraine. They monitor all deliveries to and from Serbia and Montenegro. In 19 months, we have discovered several thousand violations of the embargo. [Correspondent] Who breaks the embargo most frequently? [Vork] The large European states are mostly involved because the majority of businesses with Serbian participation are located in Germany or Italy. Many of them claim to have subsidiaries in FYROM. Our investigations usually reveal two things: Either these businesses do not exist, which means that they have been invented by criminals. Or the business exists, but it never issued the consignment documents. [Correspondent] This applies to the export of goods from Serbia. What about imports? [Vork] Since the adoption of UN Resolution 820... [Correspondent] ...which was adopted in May 1993 and also bans the transit of goods through Serbia... [Vork] ...the number of attempts to import goods has declined. Yet the number is still very high. In addition, false UN documents are being used. Instead of applying for permits with the Sanctions Committee in New York, perfect fakes are used. The biggest problem continues to be attempts to smuggle crude oil into the country. [Correspondent] You are facing strong criticism because ships on the Danube have succeeded to this very day in smuggling tanker-loads of oil products on the Danube before the eyes of the controllers. [Vork] It is right that there are logistic shortcomings. The Romanian customs authorities, for example, had no fast boat. We have now acquired one, but we cannot be everywhere at the same time. In the Black Sea, a Ukrainian 5,000-tonne steamer recently ignored all requests to stop. A Bulgarian warship finally stopped it. The ship wanted to unload oil for the Serbs at a small Romanian port. The local authorities decide whether ships are stopped or not. [Correspondent] What is coming from other directions, that |
FBIS3-19019_5 | Serbian Business Activity Detailed | Job Dusan Petrovic is in Vienna at precisely this bank. The head of the information office of Beogradska Banka laments about his sad job: "In 1990 our bank alone opened credit lines of 30 billion shillings at Creditanstalt in Vienna. Today there is not a single schilling moving anymore." In February 1993 the 62-year-old banker thought he had found a way out when he founded his own trading company, Beofinex Trading Company, to stay in the game via third-country business and on his own account. However, only a few months later, this kind of business was banned by the decree of the Vienna National Bank. As representative of Beogradska Banka, Dusan Petrovic regularly consults with Adria Bank in Vienna, where his employer from Belgrade still holds 21 percent of the shares. (footnote 1) (The main Austrian shareholders of Adria Bank are Bank Austria--24 percent--and Creditanstalt 12 percent. A total of 24 percent is held by the Slovene Lubljanska Banka and 21 percent by the Croatian Zagrebacka Banka.) After the outbreak of the military conflict, Adria Bank had to put considerable sums into reserves. Promptly, inspectors of the National Bank turned up, who investigated the institute for weeks, "but did not find any reason for complaints," as Director Alfred Scherhammer notes with satisfaction. At the meetings of the board of governors in Vienna time seems to stand still: Slovenes and Croats are still peacefully facing Serbian shareholders, who come from Belgrade. Forced to do nothing, since the imposition of the embargo Petrovic has been dealing with comparably smaller sums and with individual cases such as the pensioners in Serbia and Montenegro who get a pension in Austria as former guest workers and have involuntarily gotten between the frontlines of the trade war. Petrovic: "This applies to a total of more than 30,000 inviduals. Because transfers to Yugoslavia are banned, they must come to Austria. Among them there are people who get 1,000 schillings per month. The trip alone costs that much." Borislav Kosanov, the highest-ranking diplomat of Milosevic's regime in Austria, says: "This is extremely inhuman." While Kosanovic sees good prospects for an end of the UN blockade in June, Combick chief Ristic is already packing. Ristic has found an interesting tenant to succeed him on half of his 400 square meters of office area. It is the Viennese Oweka Trading Company of Montenegrin Petar Ivanovic. While all his compatriots in |
FBIS3-19028_0 | Further Commentary on 9 Mar Heathrow Attack Bombing Coincides With Political Activity | Language: English Article Type:BFN [Report by Robert Shrimsley: "Alert Comes as Committee on Ulster Is Voted In"] [Text] Last night's attack coincided with the start of 24 hours of significant political activity on the future governance of the Province. Not only did it take place during a debate on the renewal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act but it came just hours before MPs voted to set up a select committee on Northern Ireland for the first time in Parliamentary history -- a move bitterly opposed by Nationalists. It also came on the eve of today's Anglo-lrish Conference talks in London between Sir Patrick Mayhew, Northern Ireland Secretary, and Mr Dick Spring, the Irish deputy premier. The two men will consider the best way to move forward from the Downing Street Declaration after its effective rejection by Sinn Fein. MP's were speculating that the attack -- the most serious on the British mainland since the Downing Street Declaration -- will increase the pressure on Mr Major to end all efforts to bring Sinn Fein to the negotiating table. One said: "This just boosts the need to turn the screw on the terrorists." However, senior sources said last night that they would not allow the attack to "deflect" them from their search for peace. Last night's vote to establish the select committee, which was passed by 324 to 221 votes, met a key Unionist demand and is seen by them as an important step towards closer ties between Britain and Ulster. While all other departments have a select committee to monitor their work, ministers had resisted establishing one for Northern Ireland, arguing that without Nationalist support it could damage the peace process. |
FBIS3-19039_1 | Visiting Human Rights Activist Notes Oppression in Kosovo | close down is not regarded as a coincidence by Adem Demaci. Belgrade is systematically "Serbianizing" the Albanian province of Kosovo. Writer Adem Demaci considers the fact that deaf-mutes are now living in the building where the freedom of the Albanian word used to be fought for as "cynicism, a way of humiliating the Albanians." For his conviction, Demaci spent 28 years in prisons and work camps. He is a symbol of the Kosovo Albanians' resistance to Serb oppression, and he is a winner of the Sakharov Prize for Human Rights awarded by the European Parliament. Demaci, who came to Frankfurt at the invitation of the International Society for Human Rights, talked to FRANKFURTER RUNDSCHAU about the situation of the oppressed province of Kosovo, whose population includes 2 million Albanians and 200,000 Serbs. "Anything that looks a bit like independence, individual spirit, and initiative, is wiped out." As the latest link in a long chain, the Institute for Albanology in the province's capital Pristina was closed this week and the scientists beaten up. The oppression is getting increasingly comprehensive, arrests and interrogations with torture are the order of the day. Demaci complains that Europe does not care enough for the situation of the Kosovo Albanians. "The Serbs can tell the Albanians, look, we can do with you whatever we want, the world does not react, does not protect you." For Demaci, the fact that the German Government and the laender want to send Kosovo Albanians back to their country in the planned mass deportations is "as if you throw somebody out of a train speeding through the country at 100 kilometers per hour." All those deported are likely to be interrogated by Serbian police in Kosovo, who quite often beat and torture them to get supposed confessions out of them. The human rights activist: "If they flee Kosovo because they were politically persecuted, prison is waiting for them; if they flee recruitment into the army, the court-martial awaits them; and if they flee because they had nothing to eat, death from starvation awaits them." Kosovo very much suffers from the embargo on the FRY; there is no fuel, no food, and medical supplies are very poor. If the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina ends with Serbia being allowed to keep its occupied territories, oppression in Kosovo will become even more brutal, "then Serbia can play the master of the entire Balkans," Demaci fears. |
FBIS3-19042_2 | Commentaries View U.S.-China Relations, Issues Arrest of Dissidents | divided. This conclusion can be drawn from the present to-and-fro regarding arrests, releases, statements, and denials. While party leaders who are prepared for reforms are in favor of releasing selected dissidents and other gestures of goodwill, the conservatives take action against dissidents. However, the behavior of the government can also be explained by domestic policy pressure. China is facing a change in leadership. Judging from the latest pictures, old Deng Xiaoping is no longer able to determine policies. One believes that his days are numbered. In the critical transition period, differences of opinion within the party are hushed up according to the old-communist pattern to present a picture of unity to the outside. At the same time, it is intended to prevent opposition right from the start. In the party leadership, which fears every political movement in China, however small it may be, there is a general nervousness that goes beyond parliamentary groups. The three arrested dissidents had planned to send a petition to the National People's Congress in which they advocated, above all, workers' rights. When they were arrested, signatures for the petition were collected. So far, it has not become known whether the arrests are only connected with the petition or whether the three men whose arrests were confirmed by the Chinese Government are also accused of other things. The petition does not make any revolutionary demands. The activists are saying that they are not doing anything that violates Chinese laws. However, the party leadership points out that in 1989 the protests also started with open letters and a petition at the time of the convention of the National People's Congress. One month later, the students were demonstrating in the streets of Beijing. It is unlikely that a political movement might currently meet with such a response. However, the party does not want to take any risk. Then considerations regarding international repercussions of oppression recede into the background. Moreover, the Chinese Government doubts the U.S. determination to really push through their conditions. China knows that there is a strong economic lobby in the United States that advocates the prolongation of most-favored-nation status. The U.S. Government also gives different signals. While the human rights commissioner discussed political oppression in Beijing last week, an envoy of the U.S. Department of Commerce tried at the same time to procure Chinese orders valued at billions [currency not specified] for the U.S. economy. |
FBIS3-19047_0 | RPR-UDF Joint EU Election Platform Summarized | Language: French Article Type:BFN [Report by Eric Zemmour: "Majority: Deniau (Probably) Head of List"] [Text] A four-part plan for two parties, and a few taboos. In the European plan which the RPR [Rally for the Republic] and UDF [Union for French Democracy] unanimously adopted yesterday, some words are prohibited: Maastricht is one of them, but also federal and single currency. It is the RPR which had these reservations but it did not find it difficult to persuade its UDF partner. The campaign on the Maastricht Treaty was recalled and the threat of Philippe de Villiers' [anti-Maastricht] list is taken very seriously, especially in the Republican Party. Of course, fundamentally the situation is still the same: The Maastricht Treaty, even rechristened "Treaty on Union," has been adopted by the French people. It it therefore binding on everybody, particularly with the single- currency objective which lies at the heart of it. At the UDF yesterday, some people still expressed surprise at the change in an RPR which accepts without flinching an expression such as: "The strengthening of economic union will precede the full implementation of monetary union which establishes the transition to the third stage in 1997 or 1999." The same rapid agreement was reached with regard to combating the Brussels Commission's encroachments on the rights of hunters or placing a series of safeguards on the implementation of the Schengen accord -- the establishment of a reliable computer system, the coordination of immigration control policies, and the harmonization of legislation on illegal drugs. Similarly, a European trade policy could not ruin the edifice. Having given unanimous approval to the conclusion of the GATT agreement by the Balladur government, the RPR and UDF would have looked ridiculous if they had allowed disagreements on this subject to appear. They therefore developed a balanced concept of "free trade" which does not mean "laxness and indifference." A perusal of the document even reveals a discreet but deliberate tribute from Giscard to Juppe on "the favorable conclusion of the GATT negotiations." This had all been settled back on 8 February, the date of the last meeting between the RPR and UDF delegations. Two subjects remained to be discussed in the last two negotiating sessions: military affairs and institutional matters. The RPR finally obtained its 100,000-strong European intervention force while the UDF gained acceptance for the idea, so dear to Giscard, of a president of the European Council |
FBIS3-19050_1 | `Failure' in EU Negotiations Criticized | regard to the decisionmaking process in the expanded Union. The latter threatens to endanger the current timetable, in other words, to postpone enlargement beyond the planned date of 1 January 1995. The British and the Spanish, intent on a better protection of their national interests, want a blocking minority that can more easily be reached than today; the other 10 member states, including France, have an opposite viewpoint and want to avoid a more cumbersome decisionmaking process in the expanded Europe. The failure, which is indicative of EU [European Union] frictions, is not yet definitive: A new meeting has been planned on 15 March and, if the Twelve find back to path of compromise, everything may still work out well. This dispute, however, indicates how hazardous it is to pursue an enlargement of the Union without having previously defined its goals and operational procedures. This precipitance was deliberate on the part of the EU heads of state and government, who are not really inclined to foment a difficult debate at home until the contrary winds emanating from public opinion as a result of the Maastricht Treaty have dropped. The Commission did not have the courage to oppose this procrastination which plays into the hands of the opponents of a federal Europe. Thus, the British rather favor an enlargement -- including the four European Free Trade Organization countries today, and the central European countries at a later date -- which would virtually annihilate the political links provided for in the Rome and Maastricht treaties and thrust the Union into the direction of a free trade zone. France did not want to oppose enlargement. It first advocated institutional reforms to accompany the enlargement process, but it renounced them in face of its partners' opposition, thus giving the impression that it did not know where it was going nor even were it wanted to go. Thus, the playing ground is now open to those, especially in Germany, who do no longer believe in the possibility of a political union in Europe. For 40 years, the French have orchestrated European construction -- sometimes maybe in a way irritating others. Their current failure creates a malaise, all the more so since it is suspected to be due to conceptual impotence. Political determination is often necessary, and, as we have seen during the GATT negotiations and the Bosnia issue, no only at the implementation the level. |
FBIS3-19075_0 | Demirel, Kohl Discuss Reaction to Lifting Immunity | Language: Turkish Article Type:BFN [Announcer-read report over still photographs of President Demirel and German Chancellor Kohl] [Text] President Suleyman Demirel has said that even sympathizing with the separatist terrorist organization means indirect support. Therefore, he added, western countries must be careful about this point when they comment on lifting the immunity of certain deputies in Turkey. Demirel received (Mark Gali), the European Union special envoy and cochairman of the Turkish-European joint parliamentary committee. A statement issued by the Presidential Press Office says Demirel recalled at the meeting that as recently as 1993 the separatist terrorist organization killed 1,800 persons, of whom 1,100 were civilians. The president stressed that no state can allow the foundations of its constitutional order to be destroyed or its country to be divided. He pointed out that the Turkish Grand National Assembly resisted lifting immunities until very recently, but the attitude of some Democracy Party [DEP] deputies toward the recent incidents infuriated the public. That is why, Demirel said, the Assembly had to take certain measures to open the way for the independent judiciary in order to prevent certain deputies from using their legislative immunity as armor. Demirel pointed out that the deputies in question have full means of defense under the guarantee of the Constitution, the protection of the law, and before independent judicial courts. Nobody should doubt the independence of the Turkish courts of justice, the president stressed. German Chancellor Helmut Kohl telephoned President Demirel today, saying that the detention of some deputies has led to a negative campaign against Turkey in Europe. Kohl told Demirel that incorrect information and erroneous reports about the issue are circulating that are tarnishing Turkey's image. Kohl said he has absolutely no intention of interfering in Turkey's internal affairs, and he only wants to express certain ideas as a friend of Turkey and of the president. During the telephone conversation, Demirel told Kohl that certain circles in Europe are trying to portray Turkey as unjustified in many cases where it is justified. Demirel pointed out that the DEP deputies and party leaders were acting as a branch of the PKK [Workers Party of Kurdistan] terrorist organization. We have the documents to prove it, Demirel said, adding that he repeatedly asked the DEP deputies to openly denounce the terrorist acts perpetrated by the PKK. They always refrained from doing that, he added. Demirel recalled the remarks by the DEP |
FBIS3-19076_0 | DEP Candidate Among Nine PKK Captured in Ankara | Language: Turkish Article Type:BFN [Announcer-read report over video] [Text] Nine members of the PKK [Workers Party of Kurdistan] terrorist organization, among them a Democracy Party [DEP] candidate for the Adana mayorship, were captured in Ankara. Among the captured is also the organization's responsible for the provinces of Ankara, Yozgat, Kirsehir, Konya, Kirikkale, and Kayseri. It was determined that the persons, who were captured in operations conducted by teams belonging to the Ankara and Kirsehir Security Directorates, were preparing to perpetrate actions in Ankara, Kirikkale, and Kirsehir. Ensuing the suspects' interrogation, it was determined that they participated in the following acts: burning the forest opposite the Turkish Grand National Assembly lodges in Ankara and throwing bombs at the Nationalist Action Party provincial headquarters in Ankara and True Path Party District headquarters in Cankaya. It was also reported that the suspects perpetrated actions such as throwing bombs, attacking, and extorting money on behalf of the organization in Kirsehir, Diyarbakir, and Bingol. In searches conducted of the safe houses and work places indicated by the suspects, two long-range automatic rifles, six magazines for these automatic weapons, 156 flares, three revolvers of various calibers and four magazines belonging to them, material used in the manufacture of bombs, and organizational documents were seized. According to a statement issued by the Ankara Security Directorate, the head DEP official for Ankara Province is being sought. Meanwhile the captured answered reporters' questions and stated that they were penitent, calling on everybody to resist violence. The suspects further explained that the terrorist organization is planning on transferring its violent perpetrations to metropolitan areas and for that reason they were also transferring their cadres to big cities. |
FBIS3-19078_0 | Meeting on Operation `Provide Comfort' Ends | Language: English Article Type:BFN [Text] Ankara, Mar. 10 (A.A.) -- The four-way meeting between Turkey, France, Britain and the United States on the multinational force concluded here today. A statement after the four-and-one-half-hour meeting said that the officials from the four countries reviewed the implementation of Operation Provide Comfort II and the situation in northern Iraq. Representatives to the meeting were Deputy Foreign Minister Ozdem Sanberk, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs Stephen Oxman, British Assistant Undersecretary for Middle East Affairs Michael Burton and French Foreign Minister for North Africa and Middle East Affairs Denis Bauchard. "The sides expressed satisfaction with their ongoing cooperation, which deters the renewal of fighting and provides a framework in which humanitarian needs of the Iraqi people in the north can be met," the statement said. The statement read by Sanberk called on the Iraqi Government to remove all the economic restrictions and embargoes it imposed on the northern Iraqi people. "The participants reiterated their governments' commitment to the preservation of the independence, unity and territorial integrity of Iraq -- principles on which relevant UN Security Council resolutions are based, and which reflect the common stand of the international community," it said, also stressing that they "reaffirmed their determined opposition to all acts and efforts that may lead to the division and dismemberment of Iraq." The parties in the meeting repeated their strong condemnation of terrorism and their "full support for Turkey's right of self-defense against the acts of violence of separatist terror organization PKK [Workers Party of Kurdistan]." The statement added that the sides also emphasized that the territory of Iraq should not be a safe haven for the terrorists. Concerning the economic losses Turkey suffered because of the embargo on Iraq, the statement said France, Great Britain and the United States reitrate their appreciation for Turkey's attitude during and in the aftermath of the Gulf crisis and recognized the continuing heavy economic burden on Turkey. "They will consult further for ways and means for alleviating that burden," the statement said. |
FBIS3-19080_0 | UK Demands Obstruct Adoption of EU Expansion Treaty | Language: English Article Type:BFN [Christopher Lockwood report: "Hurd Votes Row Threatens To Sink EC Treaty"] [Text] Strasbourg -- Euro-MPs [Members of the European Parliament] from all parties threatened yesterday to block a treaty expanding the EC from 12 members to 16 if British demands to preserve its power to block directives are met. Speaker after speaker at the Strasbourg parliament stated during a debate on the enlargement talks that it would be impossible for the treaty to be ratified by the 518-member chamber if the British position were adopted. There was support for Britain from only one MEP, a Spaniard. The problem arises because of British fears that the admission of Austria, Finland, Norway and Sweden next year will dangerously dilute Britain's ability to block measures it disapproves of. During two days of talks in Brussels this week, Mr Douglas Hurd, Foreign Secretary, told his European counterparts that Britain did not want the number of votes needed to block decisions increased when the Council of Ministers, the EC's decision-making body, gains in size. Britain now faces either a humiliating climb-down or the rancour it will cause by delaying the expansion of the EC. Currently, two large countries and a small one can stall legislation by assembling a "blocking minority" of 23 votes out of a total of 76. Fifty-four votes out of a total of 76 are needed to approve an EC proposal in the present 12-member Council. The number of votes are allocated to each country roughly according to population size, but small countries enjoy a disproportionate weighting. Britain has 10 votes, or roughly one for each five million people; the new members will get a vote for roughly every three million. Mr Hurd argues that, if the blocking minority is raised to 27, it would be possible for countries with 41 percent of the EC's population to be outvoted. Britain, with limited support from Spain, wants to keep the blocking minority at 23 after the enlargement. The remaining members, led by Belgium and the Netherlands, want it raised to 27 to make it harder to veto majority decisions. Herr Klaus Kinkel, the German Foreign Minister, opposed keeping the blocking minority at 23 for fear that the European Parliament would refuse to ratify the treaty. "Britain has no chance of getting its position approved. It is a mystery why they have dug themselves into such a hole," a senior |
FBIS3-19095_1 | UN Official on Italian Involvement in Somalia | part in a convention on UN reforming. True, the countries already involved in operations in the former Yugoslavia are saying that they already have done enough. Unless we find another solution fairly quickly, in the end we may have to drop that rule which so far has excluded Italy, Austria, and Turkey. This possibility is being discussed in New York. [Santevecchi] It has also been suggested that Italians could be sent to take over from other forces in hot spots that are not affected by the prohibition? [Annan] This would make no sense. Reinforcements are needed in Bosnia as soon as possible. Consider, for example, replacing forces deployed in Cyprus, Somalia, or Mozambique, with Italian troops. It would take too long and, besides, you cannot change a unit's operational area from one day to the next. At the most, we could send replacements to Croatia in order to be able to transfer units which are already incorporated in UNPROFOR [UN Protection Force] from Croatia to Bosnia. [Annan ends] It sounded somewhat strange to discuss the possible deployment of Italian troops under the UN flag with a man who was one of the protagonists of last summer's "hot days," when he asked for, and obtained, the sacking of General Bruno Loi, who was guilty of having predicted, and stated, that by following a hard line and giving [Somali General] Aidid no quarter, Mogadishu would become an uncontrollable battlefield. This, of course, is exactly what happened. Moreover, today Kofi Ann will be sitting beside the "rebel" officer, since they will both be speaking at the meeting organized in Rome by the Disarmament Archive. [Santevecchi] Mr. Under Secretary, only yesterday Robert Oakley, former U.S. envoy to Mogadishu, admitted that "Italy, with its profound knowledge of Somalia, had understood the dangers involved in the operation much earlier than the Americans, who unfortunately only realized this too late." Oakley also asserted that the United Nations proved to be incapable of coordinating its efforts with the countries already involved in field operations. [Annan] (The Ghanaian diplomat nodded affirmatively, and then replied with frankness about the summer crisis between the United Nations and Italy and the brutality) No doubt some mistakes were made. Attention has focused too much on Aidid's personality, and on North Mogadishu. The fact that in the rest of Somalia the operation was largely successful, and that nobody is dying of starvation any longer |
FBIS3-19097_0 | EP Condemns Arrest of Kurdish Parliamentarians | Language: French Article Type:BFN [Article signed RHR: "European Parliament Comes To Aid of Kurdish Parliamentarians Detained in Turkey"; as released by Brussels BELGA Database] [Text] Strasbourg, 10 Mar (BELGA) -- The European Parliament (EP) denounced Thursday [10 March] the arrest of Kurdish Parliamentarians in Turkey and asked that they be released immediately. On 2 March, the Turkish Parliament decided to waive the parliamentary immunity of eight Kurdish deputies, six of whom belong to the Party of Democracy (DEP). Most of these deputies subsequently were arrested. Belgian socialist deputy Marc Galle (of the Flemish Socialist Party) made an emergency trip to Turkey on 7 March in his capacity as chairman of the interparliamentary delegation for Turkey, it was learned on Thursday. Mr. Galle has the task of collecting information in Ankara from the Turkish president and Government. He must make his report next week in Brussels before the EP's Committee on Foreign Affairs and Security. In its resolution, the Parliament denounces the "Turkish Government's attack on pluralist democracy" and says that the "only crime" of those arrested was "defending the interests of the Kurdish people in Turkey who are the victims of a bloody military repression." The policy of repression and the ban on elected representatives expressing themselves freely "could only encourage the members of the Turkish minority to support the PKK [Workers Party of Kurdistan]." The EP concluded by asking the Turkish Government "to finally recognize the right to autonomy of the Kurdish people in Turkey." |
FBIS3-19100_0 | Industry Leader on Inequality in British Society | Language: English Article Type:BFN [Larry Elliott article: "CBI Attack on Unequal Britain"] [Text] Howard Davies the director-general of the Confederation of British Industry [CBI], called on the Government and employers last night to face up to the consequences of deep-seated economic changes that had transformed Britain into a more unequal and poverty-stricken society. In a hard-hitting lecture to Manchester Business School, Mr Davies said the dramatic upheaval over the past decade required better training, a radical shake-up of the tax and benefits system and policies to help the long-term unemployed back into work. The leader of the employers' organisation distanced himself from the laissez-faire approach followed in the 1980's and urged action to cope with the sharp increase in joblessness among unskilled men. He said the widening gulf between rich and poor had not been matched by a universal increase in living standards. Over the past 10 years "the poorest 10 percent and some others have become absolutely poorer." The Government has always argued that all income groups have become better off in the past 15 years. Mr Davies said the 1.3 million increase in jobs during the 1980's was entirely accounted for by part-timers, mostly women. Mr Davies canvassed the idea of a negative income tax, which would top up the pay of those on low wages and thereby drag them out of the poverty trap. Despite giving guarded support to the Chancellor's attack on excessive boardroom payouts, Mr Davies concentrated on the changes lower down the income scale. "It is clear that, for a combination of reasons not by any means all under our control, British society is becoming more unequal," he said. The CBI chief said society was being transformed in four distinct ways -- a greater prevalence of divorce, increased participation in the workforce of part-time women from generally better-off households, widening income distribution and higher poverty. "These four changes have occurred quite rapidly and the cumulative effect of them is enormous." As a result, Mr Davies said Government and industry needed to rethink their attitudes to training, child care, benefits and working practices. "We must try to upskill workers displaced from traditional industries. And we start from a long way back, with a workforce which is endowed, on average, with significantly lower skills than our competitors." In his 18 months at the CBI Mr Davies has been no stranger to controversy, causing a flurry in |
FBIS3-19117_0 | Lubbers Views Eastern Integration, The Hague's Role | Language: Czech Article Type:BFN [Interview with Netherlands Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers by Vladimir Plesnik in The Hague on 3 March: "East Europe Is Transforming Itself and the West"] [Text] Netherlands Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers (55) granted an interview to Czech reporters in The Hague on 3 March. Prior to the visit to the Czech Republic by Netherlands Queen Beatrix on 22-24 March, the prime minister outlined his country's views on the issues affecting present-day Europe. [Plesnik] Many leading Czech politicians believe that the integration of the countries of Central and East Europe will mean far-reaching changes not only for the postcommunist countries, but also for West Europe itself. [Lubbers] This is already happening. I will not only refer to the Association Agreements with the East European countries -- they are certainly opening the gates, and not just to one-way traffic. The current world is characterized by the globalization of the economy; in this new and changed situation, new pressure is coming from those seeking membership to the European Union, not only from the former communist countries, but also from countries such as Austria and Scandinavia. What is the result? Greater competitiveness, tougher competition, and new impulses. Let me give you an example: How do we stimulate investments in the financially demanding most modern technologies so that we stay abreast of Japan or the United States? Until recently, our financial system preferred direct taxation, because it guaranteed progressive taxes and, consequently, higher revenue for the state and the possibility of higher social benefits. Now, everything has changed quite substantially. Even the left-wing Greens, who were successful in the local elections on Wednesday [2 March], have beseeched us: Support indirect taxation; it could release funds for ecological projects, for other sources of energy. [Plesnik] Do you share the view of some politicians in the postcommunist Central European countries that the vision of a united Europe along the lines of Maastricht was premature and naive? [Lubbers] No, I do not think this at all. I look at the Maastricht Treaty on two levels: On the one hand, as a specific vision following the culmination of which the Community should shift as a whole to a higher level and, on the other hand, as something that contains the resources for fulfilling this vision. This is not a stiff, rigid strategy, but one that can be modified relatively flexibly. I have in mind, for instance, |
FBIS3-19124_0 | Britain To Review Nuclear Waste Disposal | Language: English Article Type:BFN [Report by Charles Clover: "Nuclear Waste Review Likely To Delay Sell-off"] [Text] Plans for disposing of nuclear waste, much of it in temporary storage at sites around Britain, are to be reviewed, possibly delaying privatisation of the nuclear power industry. The plans were strongly criticised by the Government's chief safety adviser last year. Mr Michael Heseltine, President of the Board of Trade, who has indicated that he wanted to see privatisation before the next election, has been pressing for what some officials call a "short and dirty" review. This would focus narrowly on the potential commercial viability of privatised Pressurised Water Reactors and would report by the summer. But Mr John Gummer, Environment Secretary, is adamant that the review should cover both long-term liabilities from decommissioning nuclear plants -- costing an estimated 20 billion pounds -- and plans for disposing of nuclear power waste. A remit for the waste review, to be carried out by the Department of the Environment, has been long delayed but is now expected within weeks. The review would be expected to take until the end of the year. Yet some industry observers say Mr Heseltine must take a decision this summer on the sell-off of Nuclear Electric and Scottish Nuclear if privatisation is to happen before the next election. It was uncertainty about the scale of long-term liabilities that led to the nuclear industry being dropped from privatisation in 1989. The waste review is likely to focus on plans of the nuclear waste agency, Nirex, for a 3 billion pound national nuclear waste dump at Sellafield -- and how realistic these are. These plans have slipped from around 2003 to after 2010 while waste continues to mount at Magnox power stations. The review is also likely to look at costs and strategies for decommissioning nuclear power stations, many of them closing in the next 10 years. This alone will cost up to 10 billion pounds. Other liabilities, including disposing of Atomic Energy Authority sites and British Nuclear Fuels, bring the total closer to 20 billion pounds. Final disposal of waste, which environmentalists say has never been properly planned, is expected to cost more than that but has never been fully costed. The recent approval given for the British Nuclear Fuels Thorp plant will probably mean that a lot of extra waste is likely to be generated, with nowhere for it to |
FBIS3-19131_0 | Berlin Terrorist Group Announces New Attacks | Language: German Article Type:BFN [Unattributed report: "Kreuzberg: Danger of New Attacks"] [Text] Berlin -- In an anonymous letter sent to BERLINER ZEITUNG, the Kreuzberg terrorist group "Class Against Class" has announced new attacks. Several shops were mentioned by name. The group, which has already committed several attacks on supposed luxury shops and prestigious cars, said that teachers, social workers, and tenants' advisers are also opponents. A special commission is conducting investigations -- so far, without success. |
FBIS3-19135_3 | Rexrodt Discusses Economic Trends | the kind of approach that we use. It is a mistake to pretend that the state can decide what kind of research should or should not be pursued. It can do that in its basic research institutions and universities, but not in industry. The end result is like the Kalkar plant, a disaster. Billions have gone into microelectronics in Germany! We possess first-rate technology, and Germany can produce microchips of the most advanced kind! As for research in our institutes, universities, and many companies, we are among the world leaders. Our problem is turning research into products: Frequently, we cannot produce in a quantity and with a cost structure that would make us competitive internationally. This is an area in which we have to catch up. [Neuschwander] Statistics on patents show that we are not even leaders in basic research. Between 1987 and 1992, there were 216 German patents in the microelectronics field compared to 12,688 Japanese ones. [Rexrodt] Statistics on patents are only an indication and not proof of the technological maturity of an economy. We register patents differently than in other countries. In the United States and especially Japan, every second- and third-rate invention is registered. That does not say anything. However, in our country, registering patents is too expensive and takes too long. [Neuschwander] It is regularly argued that Germany is in danger as a center for business, because of a costs crisis. Is the pressure of costs one reason why innovations cannot be translated into products? [Rexrodt] The costs crisis would not be so pronounced in certain areas if we had high-tech products above all. However, an economy cannot just produce high-tech products. Most products and processes are standardized, but we can still produce a standard product, an armchair or a table, using high-technology processes. As far as the costs crisis is concerned, the facts are that we are a high-wage country with wage increases that exceed the growth in productivity. Ancillary wage costs are a very heavy burden on our companies and our unit labor costs are the highest among all developed countries. [Neuschwander] If one lowers ancillary wage costs, that affects the social welfare safety net, and if one lowers wages, it affects what the employee has in his pocket. You can expect to encounter considerable resistance. [Rexrodt] It is precisely our policy to overcome rigidity and change structures. We do not want to |
FBIS3-19141_0 | Cofmmentary on U.S.-Russian Foreign Policy Competition | Language: German Article Type:BFN [Fritz Wirth commentary: "At the Mercy of Others and Partners"] [Text] The ice-cold diplomatic shower to which the Chinese subjected U.S. Secretary of State Christopher was not necessary to make it clear that U.S. foreign policy missions no longer have the aura of being dominating visits, during which superpower United States places its stamp on conflicts. For some weeks now the international crisis-management scene has become tangibly more lively, more active, and thus more complicated. The main reason: Moscow has started to gain profile as a new foreign policy figure. This can be seen from Russian Foreign Minister Kozyrev's virtually hectic activities in the Bosnian conflict and in the crisis between Israel and the PLO. This new role of Russia's already has obvious consequences. It has made the United States give up its so far very passive foreign policy role under Clinton and pursue a constructive policy. It has become visible in the Bosnian conflict and in the efforts to restart the negotiations between Israel and the PLO in the Middle East. No matter how limited Yeltsin's possibilities may be because of his serious domestic problems, this new foreign policy dualism has positive aspects for international affairs. Competition is the best means on the international political scene for overcoming budding isolationist trends in Washington. Therefore, today's meeting between the two foreign ministers, Kozyrev and Christopher, in Vladivostok is of particular importance. One can expect important decisions on the course and progress in the Bosnian conflict and in the Middle East. For the Europeans there is good reason to reconsider their own role in view of this development. It is high time for them to develop their own predictable foreign policy position. If this is not done, they will remain at the mercy of others instead of being partners in the new game of international political forces. |
FBIS3-19163_0 | Opposition Voiced to Turkish Participation in Bosnia | Language: Greek Article Type:BFN [From the "Views" column: "Disastrous Mistake"] [Text] It would be a disastrous mistake by the international community to decide to dispatch Turkish troops as Blue Helmets [UN forces] to Bosnia-Herzegovina. Enough mistakes have been committed thus far, the primary mistake being the breakup of Yugoslavia. Europeans played a pioneering role in this breakup, which opened the road to bloodshed and the current deadlocks. It would be a disastrous mistake, because in no case should any other Balkan country become involved in the Balkan crisis and, moreover, a country which had a historic involvement and expansionist designs. It is obvious that Turkey does not seek a peacemaking role in the Yugoslav crisis. It seeks to be present and exert influence in the former provinces that were enslaved by the Ottoman Empire. Therefore, it would be a provocation for all the Balkan peoples if their former oppressor returned allegedly as peacemaker. Turkey is seeking a role in the Balkans and without any loss, as is always the case. It seeks this role at a time when the Turkish economy is threatened with a collapse since all its exchange reserves have been exhausted. In addition, Turkey is also facing a lot of internal problems with open fronts in the Kurdish areas. The United Nations and, above all, the European Union cannot ignore the elements of the Yugoslav crisis and throw oil on the Bosnian fire when the danger of a more general conflagration is obvious. It is precisely because of this danger that there is an unwillingness by many countries to send the Blue Helmets to Bosnia-Herzegovina. In spite of this, there is an offer sufficient to cover the needs by countries that have no connection with the Balkans. Greece ought to persist firmly on its stance and prevent by all means the dispatch of Turkish or other troops from any Balkan country. Lack of forethought by the international community could turn back the clock of history and cause a conflagration with unpredictable consequences. So, they must study history and the peculiarity of the Balkan region before making any offhand decision. They have done enough that is not to their credit regarding the bloodshed and deadlocks in the former Yugoslavia. |
FBIS3-19167_0 | DEP Launches Diplomatic Initiative in Europe | Language: Turkish Article Type:BFN [Report by Hakan Akpinar and Kadir Ercan: "They Went To Appeal to Mitterrand"] [Text] Ankara--The Democracy Party [DEP] has launched a diplomatic initiative in Europe after six of its deputies, including party leader Hatip Dicle, were placed in custody. Sedat Yurtdas and Mehdi Zana, DEP deputies from Diyarbakir, left Turkey for France for that purpose yesterday. They will appeal to the international organizations, including the Human Rights Court [as published], to launch initiatives to have the detained deputies released and their legislative immunity returned. It has been ascertained that the French Government has been informed on Yurtdas' and Zana's visit to Europe to appeal to President Mitterrand and Mrs. Mitterrand to take action to support them. The officials will begin to interrogate Hatip Dicle, Orhan Dogan, Ahmet Turk, Leyla Zana, Sirri Sakik, and Mahmut Alinak today. Dicle and Dogan have been in custody for six days and Turk, Zana, Sakik, and Alinak have been held in custody for five days. They will be interrogated by a group of officials under Nusret Demirel, chief prosecutor of the State Security Court. The group is made up of Major Ulku Coskun, Kemal Ayhan, and Talat Salk, who are prosecutors affiliated with the State Security Court. The deputies will be isolated in separate rooms during the interrogation. Meanwhile, an anonymous person called the Directorate General of Police on behalf of the Kurdish Workers Party yesterday and warned that the PKK will assassinate several officials if the deputies are not released from custody. A special operations team armed with M-16 automatic rifles was instructed to guard the building that houses the antiterror department after the call was received. The DEP deputies are being held in that department. |
FBIS3-19172_0 | Tuzla Train Station Bombers Captured | Language: Turkish Article Type:BFN [Announcer-read report over video] [Text] The members of the PKK [Workers Party of Kurdistan] terror organization who bombed the Tuzla train station in Istanbul, killing five noncommissioned officers and injuring 36, have been captured. Cumali Karsu, one of the terrorists who placed the bomb at the Tuzla train station on 12 February, along with his friend Enver Ozek, explained how they carried out the attack. Istanbul Security Director Necdet Menzir said that the suspects were captured as a result of the work by the police, who believed that resolving the issue was a matter of honor. According to a statement issued by the Istanbul Security Directorate, 37 persons were captured in operations directed against the PKK. The PKK coordinator for the Anatolian sector was among those who were captured. Enver Ozek, one of the terrorists who placed the bomb at the Tuzla train station, was captured in Malazgirt District in Mus. He is being brought to Istanbul. It is reported that those who were captured were involved in the murder of two persons last year. Two Kalashnikovs, 10 revolvers, seven hand grenades, nine dynamite sticks, electronic equipment used in manufacturing explosive devices, clothing ready to be sent out to the rural regions, and forged identity cards and documents were seized in searches conducted in the terrorist hideouts. |
FBIS3-19193_0 | Kurds Hold International Conference in Brussels | Language: English Article Type:BFN [Excerpt] Brussels, March 13 (A.A) -- The "international Kurdish conference" held here for two days, with doubts that it produced the expected results for its organizers. The biggest disillusion of separatists who organized the meeting was the fact that the Turkish society living in Belgium showed no reaction to the meeting and did not enter any dispute, despite the provocations the conference made. Since the beginning of the conference Saturday [12 March], separatists kept on saying that they were facing danger and Turks can attack any time. However, there was neither an attack nor an interest towards the meeting. The Belgian police took intensive measures around the Sheraton Hotel which the meeting was held. A gendarme official in site was saying, "the danger does not come from the Turkish society, but from the PKK [Workers Party of Kurdistan] militants inside." The Belgian media did not cover the conference and the small number of audience included Pakistanis invited to the conference, who were not listening to the conference but drawing pictures. None of the separatists in the meeting were speaking Kurdish. All the addresses, excluding former True Path Party member Abdulmelik Firat, were speaking Turkish. After PKK head Abdullah Ocalan's message, which claimed that the terror organization was not intending to divide Turkey, was read, a naive British participant who said "I did not know that he was not a terrorist and did not aim at dividing Turkey" was evaluated by the other participants as "the only person who took the message at face value." Meanwhile member of Democracy Party Remzi Kartal took the floor to say that "they had been forced to carry an armed fight against Turkey." The Democracy Party, which hold 13 seats at the Turkish Grand National Assembly denies that it has links with separatist terror organization PKK which claims nearly 11,000 lives in Turkey in a decade of its bloody campaign against the Turkish state and people. [passage omitted] |
FBIS3-19208_0 | Commentary on U.S. Report | Language: German Article Type:BFN [Commentary by Hans Rauscher: "Waldheim Affair: Seven Years Later -- Nothing New"] [Text] "U.S. Report Links Waldheim With Atrocities" -- this is the headline in THE WASHINGTON POST. The secret report by the U.S. Justice Department, which was the basis for putting the then Austrian president on the Watch List and isolating him internationally, has now been published (because of a court ruling). The world, which by this time is only moderately interested, and Austria itself now can examine what excited us seven years ago, what caused a rift right through the country, but also forced us for the first time to deal with the Nazi past that had been pushed away. A first examination of the essence of the 204-page report provides certainty: The differing assessment that had to be reached seven years ago by any serious observer, including the author of these lines, remains correct. As an intelligence officer in the Balkans, Kurt Waldheim dealt with war crimes in a clerical manner, so to speak; he collected, summarized, and signed reports about them. Thus, he knew about them. He was not involved in them in the sense of having any authority to give orders. However, the report by the U.S. Justice Department interprets this work massively to Waldheim's disadvantage. Waldheim was certainly a small cog, but he was located in an important place in the German military machine, contributing to the functioning of this machine. But he did not commit any crimes. For the U.S. Watch List decision, however, it was unimportant whether Waldheim had only collected reports about atrocities or had provided the "logistical conditions" for them. The corresponding law is so flexible that he had to be covered by it. The political assessment is something quite different. Today, as in the past, one can say: Waldheim suffered an injustice because his work in the Balkans was assessed too harshly, too ignorantly, and probably also too maliciously by the U.S. authorities and the U.S. public. It is also a fact, however, that he kept silent about this work and covered it up -- and this made him untenable as Austrian president. |
FBIS3-19210_3 | UN Calls For Rationalization of World Fishing Industry | More than 25 percent of all fish consumed in the EU are caught by EU-registered boats fishing in unpoliced Third World waters." Uncontrolled fishing by foreign fleets off Sierra Leone has led to a serious decline in the catch of traditional fishermen, who supply 75 percent of their country's consumption of animal protein. Developing countries, backed by international loans, have invested heavily in fishing to earn foreign exchange via exports, says Peter Weber, a researcher with the Worldwatch Institute in Washington. Much of their catch is denied local consumers and threatens the inshore fisheries. The FAO estimates that almost 40 percent of the fish caught in the world are exported, 90 percent of it to Japan, the United States and the EU. New technology, including satellites, is used to locate fish and has boosted world catches 6.6 percent a year from 22 million tons in 1950 to a record high of 100 million tons in 1989. Fishing became a boom industry in the 1980's, increasing a third in size and doubling its economic value. In the last three years the world catch has declined to about 97 million tons largely because of declining catches and the confusion in former Soviet fleets. Twenty countries, led by China, Japan, Peru, Chile, the United States and India catch almost 80 per cent of all fish. Not all the over-exploitation of the oceans can be explained by overfishing. Coastal waters contain the richest sources of food for fish but are also the most polluted and vulnerable to development. Almost two thirds of all commercially valuable fish spend the first, vulnerable stages of their life in these waters where 90 percent of the world's marine catch is caught. Tourist industry pressures have depleted many wetland, mangrove and estuary habitats in the Far East and the Mediterranean. Pacific salmon have largely disappeared, says the Worldwatch Institute, because the freshwater streams where they spawn have been soiled or are blocked by dams. Restoring the streams may cost more than $2 billion (1.3 billion pounds) in the United States alone. The only hope of maintaining stocks at present levels, says the FAO, is through better management. This could yield approximately 20 million more tons. The second source of additional food could come from the 30 million tons of fish presently converted into fishmeal for pigs, chicken, shrimp and salmon. Ten million tons could be saved from discarded fish. |
FBIS3-19227_0 | Iraq Seeks Medical, Humanitarian Assistance | Language: Spanish Article Type:CSO [Article by Georgina Higueras] [Text] Iraq's dramatic situation has led its government to approach certain "friendly countries" to supply it with food and medical supplies. The bill would be paid at the end of the embargo decreed by the United Nations after the invasion of Kuwait on 2 August 1990. "For the moment, importing Spanish medical supplies in the amount of 1.45 billion pesetas would be sufficient to meet our needs," said Iraqi Minister of Health Umid Midhat Mubarak in an interview with this newspaper. "We are optimistic with respect to Iraq's future, but now we need our friends. As the Orientals that we are, we never forget those who are with us in difficult moments," Mubarak added. Although the UN embargo allows Iraq to import medicines and other civil goods essential for the population, the prohibition against oil exports leaves Iraq without the hard currency needed to pay for such imports. The funds that were frozen in several Western countries under the embargo--with the exception of those related to oil and its derivatives, which were transferred into a UN account--have been slowly unfrozen to pay for exports of goods of humanitarian nature, and in many cases these funds have been exhausted. According to Mubarak, there are more than 1.5 billion pesetas still frozen in Spain. The Iraqi Embassy in Spain reduces that figure to "some 300 million pesetas," belonging to two Iraqi banks. And Jose Ramon Baranano, assistant director of the Spanish Foreign Ministry's International Economic Relations Section, asserts that Iraq "now has not a single frozen peseta left in Spain." Searching for Formulas With or without funds, what the Iraqi government suggests is that Spain "find formulas, because they do exist, to prevent suffering by the Iraqi population." "We do not want to manufacture weapons, we want to keep people from dying," asserts the minister of health. Data compiled by UNICEF are hair-raising: Infant mortality has tripled; 80 percent of the children are born with less than normal weight because of the mother's malnutrition. Hospital occupancy has dropped to approximately 30 percent. "Without medical supplies, people do better remaining home." And of the 200 ambulances existing in 1990, only 37 throughout the country are in operation. "We have run out of tires and batteries, and as one breaks down, we use its parts to fix another." The Spanish Government says that it "understands" Iraq's |
FBIS3-19245_0 | Subsidiarity Questioned on Western Border | Language: German Article Type:CSO [Article by Dieter Wenz: "People of Baden, Swabians, and the Rhine Boundary--The `Europe of Regions' Is an Icon"] [Text] Freiburg, Feb -- Everybody talks about Europe and hardly anyone knows exactly what he is talking about. This is even the case along the Rhine between eastern France and southwestern Germany. "Meaningful regional politics here must be politics that transcend the border," says Lord Mayor Boehme of Freiburg. The western limits of this city in Baden extend to within three kilometers of the Rhine and France. Stuttgart, the capital city in the Swabian part of the land, is located 80 kilometers by road to the east, already far enough, it appears, for estrangement and indifference to have set in. "Still today, I feel that it is a gift of history and a great stroke of luck," Boehme writes, that he is received "as a friend" in the department store in Colmar or in the city hall in Mulhouse or Strasbourg, and that he is able to discuss "our problems here without official posturing." Again and again, however, agency heads in Wuerttemberg, including some very capable ministers, have interfered with their friends' efforts. "Why should we give the French money to boot?" one of them said recently. Also the blissful coexistence of the German and French neighbors will suffer if a price is put on it. Municipal leaders and representatives from the German Upper Rhine region and Alsace recently held another of their periodic meetings. At issue was a project affecting both these regions which was to have cost 50,000 German marks [DM]. According to the notes taken by the lord mayor of Freiburg, the German side was represented by members of the land government in Stuttgart and their responsible officials, important people, since they administer the finances "and in the final analysis decide on the fate of the projects." Representing the French side were, above all, Alsatian mayors and their employees, in many cases "intelligent and distinguished" men, "fluent in both languages and at home in both cultures." "Well now, Mister Mayor!" Cautiously, at first, the pros and cons of the project had been discussed. At some point, however, senior public servant Mueller from Stuttgart could not remain seated any longer--he jumped up, fixed his eyes on the aged mayor of Colmar, Gerrer, and bellowed out: "Wouldn't just 30,000 do the trick?" The reference was to German |
FBIS3-19256_0 | Theorist Says Long-Term Growth Cycle Missed | Language: German Article Type:CSO [Article by Erik Haendeler: "Germany Has Missed the Boat; Thoughts on Kondratieff's Theory of Long Economic Cycles"] [Text] Munich, 20 Feb--Anyone who believes we merely need to wait for the next upswing in order to deal with the economic crisis will have a long wait. Germany will not be able to cope with recession and mass underemployment for some time because it has reacted to new challenges with old recipes and is continuing to do so. It has been resting on the laurels of the economic miracle and has failed to adapt to the rules of the new growth industries even as the its old industries are getting rid of more and more workers while production figures remain virtually the same. These are the views of Leo Nefiodow of the Society for Mathematics and Data Processing in Bonn who traces the recession to the theory of long economic cycles, the so-called Kondratieff cycles, named after Nicolai Kondratieff who stated his concept in a 1926 article in the ARCHIV FUER SOZIALWISSENSCHAFT AND SOZIALPOLITIK [Archives of Social Science and Social Policy]. The Dynamics of Growth According to this theory the economy is not only governed by short or medium-term cycles but also by growth cycles lasting some 50 years. They are the result of basic innovations such as the steam engine, electrical engineering, the automobile, or information technology which penetrate all areas of society. They sustain economic growth for decades and alter the ways in which societies organize themselves. Economies which were best at adapting to new rules and formulas for success and at making use of these fundamental innovations were able to offer good social services because of their leading technological position and to support large armies--such as 19th century England with the help of the steam engine, cotton, and steel. But because Great Britain held on to the coal and steel success formulas after 1890 and failed to adapt to the new challenges of the third Kondratieff cycle (electrical engineering and chemistry) and the fourth cycle as of 1950 (automobiles and petrochemicals) it was overtaken by the United States and Germany, Nefiodow says. Doubling Every Six Years Now it is the Japanese who are technologically and thus economically ahead and will probably be forging ahead politically as well because they have made the best use of the causes of the reorganization process which the industrial nations |
FBIS3-19258_0 | Papers View U.S.-China Relations, Human Rights Human Rights Situation | Language: German Article Type:BFN [Henrik Bork report: "China Presents Dissidents Like Pandas in the Zoo"] [Text] Beijing -- He was arrested, sentenced, and forgotten. However, all of a sudden, China's rulers found Liu Gang, the 38-year-old former activist of the 1989 students' protests, useful to a certain extent again. Relations between Beijing and Washington are slightly strained because President Clinton is taking aim at human rights violations in China. A conciliatory gesture vis-a-vis the United States was needed. Thus, Beijing's propaganda experts remembered Liu Gang. On Thursday of last week [3 March], Beijing selected five U.S. correspondents, picked them up from their homes in a minibus, and put them on the train from Beijing to Lingyuan. On Friday morning, they were allowed to visit the work camp Lingyuan Number Two -- one of six retraining camps in the godforsaken village 300 km northeast of Beijing. "Through a tinted window on the second floor, we were allowed to see Liu Gang, who crossed the courtyard once with a guard," one of the reporters stated. "It is impossible to say anything about the state of his health." In a letter smuggled out of the camp about one year ago, Liu Gang mentioned torture and a festering rash on his face. When the U.S. journalists wanted to speak to Liu, his guard, Xin Tingquan, stated: "We are not afraid of your seeing him. Yet Liu Gang tells lies. For this reason, he is not allowed to meet with anybody." Thus, it was only possible to see Liu from a distance, like a panda in the zoo. The propaganda show culminated in the presentation of a prisoner dance group that hopped to Michael Jackson's pop song "Bad." Liu Gang's presentation was the most tasteless example of what the human rights organization Asiawatch describes as China's new "hostage policy" -- the release or the presentation of well-known political prisoners at important political moments that promise the greatest possible journalistic effect. The largely anonymous majority of prisoners of conscience is being forgotten, Asiawatch complains. U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher will certainly expect some gesture, no matter how dubious it may be from a moral viewpoint, when he arrives in Beijing this Friday. "Human rights are a priority on the agenda of my visit to China," Christopher announced a few days ago. U.S. President Clinton has linked the extension of the most-favored-nation status, which is renewed |
FBIS3-19262_1 | Papers View U.S.-China Relations, Human Rights U.S. Concern Over European Competition | diplomat broached in Beijing. In fact, however, this is not true. By publicly insisting on the observance of international norms also in dealing with dissidents, the U.S. secretary of state mainly had an eye on his own audience in Washington. Congress and the Senate have linked trade and customs preferences via the most-favored-nation clause with better treatment of political prisoners, with visits to prisons, with stopping the production of goods for the U.S. market manufactured by prisoners in labor camps, with questions of the immigration of Chinese refugees, and with improvements in the situation in Tibet. The U.S. Administration, which has landed in a dead end with its policy toward China, is now desperately trying to sell the skeptical Congress the claim that, at least in some areas, the human rights situation in China has improved over the previous year--because the United States needs China as a market. In China, Boeing is struggling against Airbus, the powerful U.S. telecommunications corporations are struggling against Siemens. Mercedes-Benz and Chrysler are competitors for a planned truck factory in Guangdong. Mercedes-Benz has even involved Chancellor Kohl in this project. Unexpectedly, German Foreign Minister Kinkel will soon go to Beijing again and, as one has heard, prepare a trip to Germany by head of government Li Peng, because the Chinese head of government will come to Bonn as the chancellor's guest before the Bundestag elections. Japan's Prime Minister Hosokawa has announced his visit to Beijing for next week, and France's Balladur will visit China in April. Thus, the Americans rightly fear that Europeans and Japanese might compete with them for positions in China. This is particularly the case if the abolition of the most-favored-nation clause leads to a boycott of U.S. companies. However, the United States also needs the government in Beijing as a global player in the conflict settlement in the UN Security Council and as a security partner in Asia. In addition, the U.S. consumer would be punished if Chinese goods were burdened with penal duties. From the U.S. point of view, there are far more important issues than human rights. It is just that they are not mentioned so much. "Common global and regional interests" determine the U.S. relationship with China. This is how Christopher summed up his talks in China. Regarding the way it deals with dissidents, China is prepared only for cosmetic corrections. It is unrealistic to expect anything else. |
FBIS3-19264_2 | Intelligence Service-Arms Industry Relations Viewed | with his American counterparts on a different basis. Although the documents, some of which had been doctored from what were initially authentic elements, did not emanate from the DGSE directly, everything led French agents to believe that the sending of the material to American interlocutors was the work of industrial sources that either blundered or acted out of spite. Whatever the case, the DGSE began to distrust the French industrial world, particularly the aeronautics and arms industry, which stands accused of not being able to hold its tongue and of being too lax in its exchanges with other countries, when not openly taxed with imprudence at best and a deliberate intent to do harm at worst. From this arises the current limitations placed on the transmission of certain "sensitive" intelligence to manufacturers who want to know the position of their rival exporters across the Atlantic and, in particular, the secrets of their proposals compared with French bids. From this the discontent of major firms in the face of what seems to them to be a deliberate and discriminatory retention of its information by the DGSE has also developed. Reorientation of Missions The whole affair would be no more than an anecdote if it did not actually reveal how difficult it will be to handle the transformation which most intelligence services in the world undertook at the end of the Cold War between the East and West. Like its foreign counterparts, the DGSE works less and less on military intelligence strictly speaking and now gives priority to gathering information of a more political, economic, financial, banking, scientific, industrial or commercial nature. Today, the quest for so-called defense intelligence makes up only 20 percent of the DGSE's overall activities. This reorientation of missions poses the problem of knowing to whom to transmit information obtained in these new "niches." When the DGSE intercepts documents on GATT, as it did during the recent trade negotiations between Europe and the United States, there is little uncertainty about the final destination of the dossier in question. But when the DGSE reads a message on the long-term strategy of a foreign firm that might threaten the activity of its French rivals, who should be informed? The State, meaning the Elysee and the government through the agencies directly involved? Or certain specially designated ministries? Or, more directly, the national or private enterprise in the sector involved, provided that |
FBIS3-19266_1 | * U.S. Trade Law Reactivation Seen `Inopportune' | President Clinton exhumed by reestablishing on 3 March and for a two-year duration the dispositions of the trade law called "Super 301" with a view to reducing the gigantic Japanese trade surplus with the United States. Applied for the first time between 1988 and 1990 to force Washington's trade partners to open their markets to U.S. products, it proved its efficiency, particularly against Japan which, at the time, was already in Washington's line of sight. Recommended by congressional officials, its re-establishment through a presidential decree will please a U.S. public opinion that is sensitive to a measure which, according to Mr Clinton, will "create jobs" on the other side of the Atlantic. The escalation tactics that Washington decided to adopt toward Japan are nevertheless inopportune. They create an impasse in the very unequal state of health of the two principal economic powers of the world. The United States' strong growth stimulates imports, while Japan, faced with a recession unprecedented since the end of the war, is applying the brakes on imports. Part of the U.S. deficit ought to be ascribed to the present gap. It is also inopportune for President Clinton to take it out on a Japanese prime minister already seriously weakened domestically, especially at a time when the Japanese Government promises to open significantly the Japanese market to foreign competition, against the opinion of part of the administration. Japan is not alone in having to worry about U.S. actions. This is true also of Mexico and Canada, now linked to Washington by a free-trade agreement. It is equally true of the Europe of the Twelve. Beyond the fact that the Americans would sell more to Japan to the detriment of the European Union, it is the edifice that was laboriously constructed thanks to the GATT during the Uruguay Round negotiations that appears threatened. The EU [European Union] countries--and France more than others--have insisted on the major advance represented by the creation of a World Trade Organization to replace the GATT. Responsible for smoothing out future trade conflicts, this organization is supposed to mark the end of "bilateralism," and thus deprive the United States of the right to impose its law on less powerful partners. A month and a half away from the official signing of the final act of the Uruguay Round, the reestablishment of "Super 301" proves that Washington intends to preserve its full freedom of action. |
FBIS3-19272_0 | Trade Ministry Report Cites EU Membership Advantages | Language: Finnish Article Type:BFN [Excerpts] According to studies commissioned by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the advantages of Finnish membership in the European Union [EU] would outweigh the disadvantages. A strengthening of the Finnish economy is mentioned as an advantage of EU membership, while the adaptation of farming is regarded as a disadvantage. [passage omitted] Only now is a special working group going to start drafting a detailed study on the effects of the EU settlement on Finnish farming. [passage omitted] The other studies published today see the advantages of Finnish EU membership as greater than the disadvantages, which is probably no great surprise. The advantages mentioned are an increase in investments, participation in the EU's joint trade policy and other decisionmaking processes, and a strengthening of the foreign and security policy. But the latter is also linked with great problems, in addition to farming, depending on whether Europe is moving toward integration or division and on what Russia's position in Europe will be. With EU membership, Finland would say farewell to the policy of neutrality. According to a study commissioned by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, as a member of the EU, Finland could not pursue the policy of neutrality as it did in earlier years. According to the same study carried out by the Foreign Policy Institute, outside the EU, the only alternative remaining for Finland would be a policy of neutrality, whose pursuit, however, would be more difficult than in the Cold War era. The study stresses that as a member of the EU, Finland could expect support for the security policy and solidarity from the other member countries. |
FBIS3-19278_1 | Ankara Views Possibility of Turkish Troops in Bosnia | to information available at the Foreign Ministry and the National Defense Ministry, the United Nations will accept the Turkish proposal for the dispatch of Turkish troops as Blue Helmets [UN forces] in Bosnia. Referring to this possibility, Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias said yesterday that a new situation is developing with pressure by Turkey, which the Greek Government has to address. The Greek Government has been intensely preoccupied since yesterday with the new developments. Our diplomats have already put pressure on UN officials so that the Turkish proposal will not be accepted because Turkey falls within the guidelines of international conventions that define which states cannot participate in the peace forces. Along with the diplomatic moves, the competent departments of the National Defense Ministry are also vigilant. A number of meetings have been held at the National Defense Ministry and officials of the [Greek] Pentagon said that Greece is prepared to address any eventualities. Government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos also stressed in a statement the requirement that no Balkan country should participate in the UN peace forces in Bosnia. Mr. Venizelos said that Greece is following the developments with particular attention and makes a joint appraisal of all the facts. The spokesman stressed: What is of primary importance is that Balkan countries and countries that have historically been involved in the problem must not participate in the UN military forces in Bosnia. Responding to a question on convening the party leaders' council under the chairmanship of the president, the government spokesman said that the government does not oppose the principle of such meetings but it does not seem that there is a specific reason now for a party leaders' meeting under the president. Besides, he added, the basic options of the government's foreign policy cover a broad political spectrum and move within the framework that was formulated at the recent meetings of the party leader under the president. Deputy National Defense Minister Nikolaos Kouris, in a statement to a private radio station, said: The Greek position on the participation of military forces from other Balkan countries in the former Yugoslavia is firm. However, if there is a case of military involvement by other Balkan countries in the situation that now prevails in the Balkan region, then the government might find itself in need of reconsidering its position. This is something that we will see in the course of things, Mr. Kouris concluded. |
FBIS3-19279_0 | Iraqi Ambassador Calls For Lifting Embargo | Language: English Article Type:BFN [Text] Ankara, Mar. 11 (A.A.) -- Iraqi Ambassador to Turkey Raf i'Dahham Mujjawil al-Tikriti said Friday [11 March] that Iraq has abided by the conditions to lift the economic embargo imposed by the United Nations (UN) after the Gulf war. "However," he said, "the United Nations has failed to lift the embargo." Speaking to the Anatolian News Agency al-Tikriti said the economic embargo including the closure of the Turkish-Iraqi pipeline should be lifted. "Western countries again use a double standard as they are doing in Bosnia-Herzegovina," he said. Al-Tikriti said the closure of the pipeline negatively affected Turkey and Iraq adding, "Turkey calls for the lifting of the economic embargo, why does the West fail to take this into consideration." "Iraq cannot have pre-conditions for the opening of the pipeline as we are not the ones who closed it," he said. "However we always support the continuation of bilateral talks with Turkey." Referring to the four-way meeting between Turkey, the United States, Britain, and France which centered around the future of the multinational force, al-Tikriti said such meetings meant the intrusion into Iraq's internal affairs. "Iraq is an independent country and Turkey is our neighbor and friend, but we cannot accept the United States, Britain, and France making decisions for the region," he said. Al-Tikriti also claimed that the Kurdish problem in northern Iraq was created by the West. The ambassador said the Iraqi administration did not impose a blockade on northern Iraq. "But the UN-imposed economic embargo affects the whole country," he said. |
FBIS3-19280_0 | PKK's Ocalan Proposes Cease-Fire, Talks | Language: Arabic Article Type:BFN [Text] The Workers Party of Kurdistan [PKK] leader Abdullah Ocalan has proposed to the Turkish Government a cease-fire by both parties and the start of a dialogue to peacefully resolve the Kurdish issue in Turkey. According to reports, Ocalan declared that the PKK is prepared to accept any formula for a dialogue with Ankara that aims at finding a peaceful political solution to the Kurdish issue, provided a general amnesty is issued to all PKK members and there is a recognition of the Kurdish identity in Turkey. He called on international and European organizations, such as the European Parliament, the European Union, and the United Nations, to play a mediation role and supervise the dialogue for a peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue. It is worth noting that Turkish Government officials have turned down this peaceful overture. |
FBIS3-19281_0 | Cetin: Accident Shows Straits `Great Danger' | Language: Turkish Article Type:BFN [Announcer-read report over video] [Text] Foreign Minister Hikmet Cetin has declared that the request to use the Turkish straits as an oil route poses a great danger to Istanbul -- with its population of 10 million -- and the accident that occurred last night has once again demonstrated this. Cetin stated that the most appropriate route for the safe transportation of the oil from the Caucasus and Central Asia is an oil pipeline via Turkey. Cetin replied to questions by TRT correspondent Ersin Kucukbarak. [Begin recording] [Kucukbarak] Two foreign ships collided in the Bosporus last night and the population of Istanbul was again faced with great danger. Given the fact that there are requests to use the Istanbul strait as an oil route, how do you evaluate last night's incident? [Cetin] Istanbul, which has a population of 10 million, was really faced with great danger as a result of the collision of two ships last night. This shows that the passage of flammable and explosive substances, such as oil, from the Bosporus will create problems, especially from a safety viewpoint. For the past few years, we have been trying to explain to both our neighboring countries and to transporters using the route the safety problems entailed in this. Last night's incident demonstrated once again how justified we are in our sensitivity to the matter. Turkey believes that the passage from the straits should be regulated by certain rules. To this end, a statute was drawn up with the contribution of my ministry. This statue is due to come into effect on 1 July 1994. The arrangements stipulated in the statute comply with the Montreux Treaty. When the statue is implemented, such accidents will be reduced to a minimum, but I do not believe that this will constitute a total solution. The Istanbul strait is one the most dangerous sea routes in the world. At certain points, this strait becomes as narrow as 700 meters. Given the tonnage of today's ships, even their ordinary passage becomes highly dangerous. Transit traffic through the straits has become increasingly intense in recent years. More than 50,000 ships pass through Istanbul every year. Turkey cannot remain indifferent to such an important issue. This is unthinkable. The Bosporus is extremely important because of the people around it. The Istanbul strait cannot be utilized for long to serve such a purpose from the |
FBIS3-19282_0 | Mentese Warns Against Nevruz Provocations | Language: Turkish Article Type:BFN [Announcer-read report over video] [Text] Interior Minister Nahit Mentese has stated that Nevruz will be celebrated freely throughout the country on 21 March but that nobody will be allowed to use it as a tool for provocation. Answering reporters' questions in Ankara, Mentese said that Nevruz celebrations have been held for years and that the state will take the necessary measures to prevent it from being used as a tool for other goals. Asked to comment on the latest resolution passed by the European Parliament in connection with Turkey, Mentese pointed out that there is no discrimination between Turks and Kurds in Turkey. He said that such unfounded allegations are made by circles that want to divide Turkey. Our Kurdish brothers in Turkey are not a minority, he said, adding: It seems that the European Parliament does not know Turkey. They must come and see for themselves how the Kurds benefit from all rights. The interior minister also said that the necessary measures are being taken to ensure that the local elections are held in security. |
FBIS3-19283_0 | * Possible Prosperity Party Government Scenario | Language: Turkish Article Type:CSO [Text] Prosperity Party [RP] General Chairman Necmettin Erbakan, in Adil Ekonomik Duzen [Just Economic Order], the book he wrote in 1991, proposed "miraculous prescriptions" in explaining the economic system they would use if they assumed power. He included solutions peculiar to socialist economies in the system, in which everyone would have retirement insurance without making payments, interest is described as oppression, and prepaid vouchers and low prices are promised. The book contains radical changes in everything from taxation to unemployment prevention without mentioning where the resources would come from to do it. Some of Erbakan's economic prescriptions follow: --How the slavery system exploits us: Our diagnostic brochure explains clearly that the slavery system exploits us through the five germs of interest and capitalism. These germs are: the interest germ, the unfair taxation germ, the mint germ, the exchange rate germ, and the credit system germ. --Basic principles of the Just Economic Order: As known, a mathematical system is expressed in basic terms that describe the system. For example, Euclidean geometry is based on three fundamental axioms, whereas Lobachevski geometry is based on three different axioms. Numerals, of course, are based on four axioms. Likewise, there are basic principles that allow a game of checkers to be played, just as there are basic principles exclusive to chess that allow that game to be played. (These two kinds of geometry are different from each other from the standpoint of the postulates -- accepted basic truths -- that comprise their foundations. This is especially clear in the "parallel postulate": Euclid--In the ancient Greek geometry of 4 BC, only one parallel may be drawn to a straight line from a point outside it. Lobachevski--In the geometry of the 18th [as published] century Russian Academy of Science, it is possible to draw an infinite number of parallels to a straight line from a point outside it.) --Regulatory services: In the Just Economic Order, the state also provides regulatory services for basic economic goods. In the Just Economic Order, for example, a Wheat Foundation would take the place of today's Soil Products Office. This organization is renamed as a foundation because it renounces any goal of profit and becomes an organization solely for the service of the citizen. This foundation would be organized at the city level throughout the entire country. Anyone who had wheat and wished to sell it would give |
FBIS3-19295_1 | Summit on Iraq; Oxman's `Inflexibility' Viewed | from the Karkuk-Yumurtalik pipeline, saying that that would breach the embargo. Oxman was informed that Ozdem Sanberk, under secretary of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will visit Baghdad to hold talks with Iraqi officials on the issue. The Turkish side informed the U.S., French, and British officials of the existing problems and suggested that the world should move to normalize its relations with the Baghdad administration with a view to solving these problems. Sadi Calislar, Turkey's charge d'affaires in Baghdad, explained his observations in Iraq and stressed that the view that the embargo would remove Saddam Husayn from power is wrong. But Oxman clearly said that the adopting of a moderate approach toward Saddam Husayn by Washington was out of the question. The Turkish side responded by explaining that the problems relating to the Hammer Force, northern Iraq, and the embargo cannot be solved if the current approach to the Saddam administration is not relaxed. Turkish officials also explained that Ankara upholds that view, not because it supports Saddam Husayn, but because the embargo and the confusion it has created have seriously affected Turkey's economy and security. The Turkish side listed its views in the summit as follows: 1. The confusion in northern Iraq must be removed quickly. The Hammer Force cannot remain in the region indefinitely. New clashes may occur as a result of the confusion. That could affect the entire region. 2. Turkey cannot allow the establishment of an independent Kurdish state in northern Iraq. The West is inclined to favor the establishment of a Kurdish state, something that has caused anxiety in Turkey. Extending the flight region of the Hammer Force aircraft to the southern sector of the 36th parallel in Iraq is out of the question. Make no decision to encourage the Kurds on that issue. Instead, encourage them to establish a dialogue with the Baghdad administration. Ankara is convinced that the effort to be made in that direction will yield a result. 3. The problem must be solved by the peoples in Iraq through democratic methods and on the basis that Iraq's territorial integrity is maintained and Baghdad is recognized as the central authority. 4. The embargo on Iraq still creates problems for Turkey. It must be lifted. It has been established that the embargo cannot be a solution. The Baghdad administration must be encouraged to fully comply with the UN Security Council resolutions. |
FBIS3-19297_0 | PKK's Ocalan Proposes Cease-Fire at Brussels Conference | Language: Turkish Article Type:BFN [Excerpts] Brussels--Speaking during the international conference on the Kurdish problem in Brussels, Kani Yilmaz, Workers Party of Kurdistan [PKK] representative in Europe, criticized the West's approach to the Kurdish problem in a threatening tone. Yilmaz attacked European countries' stance on the problem in southeast Turkey and accused them of maintaining double standards "particularly on issues relating to human rights." He said: "The approach maintained by several countries against the PKK, including their move to ban the PKK after ridiculously accusing it of being a `terrorist organization' indicates that they support the tyrannical country that maintains an unjust approach and that is responsible for bloodshed. We know of the sources that provide arms and economic support to Turkey in the unjust war against the Kurds. That is unacceptable. I want to stress that the effort to solve the problem in the absence of our party [not further specified] will be an interference in our people's will. That will not be allowed. We won't remain inactive in the direction of the governments and international organizations that maintain that approach while claiming that they want to take initiatives or steps toward solving the Kurdish problem. Several friendly countries know our position in that regard." [passage omitted] Ocalan Sends Message to the Conference PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan conveyed a message to the conference in Brussels. It listed his views as follows: 1. We will remain open to every proposal for a solution. We will also remain open to initiatives by foreign countries and organizations to solve the problem. 2. I want to point out that we do not want to divide Turkey and that the propaganda against us conflicts with our approach. 3. I want to point out that we will agree to be a side to any democratic dialogue that the Turkish Government may want to establish, a dialogue in which we can outline the legitimate demands of our people and achieve a result. We have neither rejected nor opposed any concrete proposal for a solution since the problem began. Within that framework, we are prepared to discuss all the alternatives, including the establishment of a federation. 4. We won't try to avoid and we won't try to impose our views if an initiative is taken for a cease-fire agreement and talks to solve the problem under international supervision. 5. Most importantly, I want to stress that we guarantee |
FBIS3-19316_0 | Study Profiles Average Election Candidate | Language: English Article Type:BFN [Unattributed article: "Average Candidate Is Well-Off Professional, Says Censis"] [Text] Rome, 14 Mar (ANSA) -- The average candidate in the race for the Lower House or Senate which will be voted in March 27 and 28, in Italy's first general election with a mainly majority voting system in place, is a professional aged between 40 and 50, enjoys a declared gross income of 125 million lire (75,000 dollars) and is already active in public life. The outlines of a middle-aged, well-educated Rotarian with a good income were pencilled in today by Giuseppe De Rita, the director general of the Center for Social Investment Studies (CENSIS) who also reported that 61 percent of the hopefuls are "second string" politicians, with records of service as members of municipal, provincial and regional governments. As a result of the devastation wrought on the nation's political scene by more than two years of investigations into business and public works corruption, illegal political party funding and other wrongdoings, candidates who are former MPs account for only 17.5 percent of the 4,352 in the running. The head of CENSIS said, on the basis of interviews of 535 candidates, the uninominal system adopted "will not renew the leadership class." In the place of front-rank politicians are those arriving from the second and third ranks, lowering the Parliament to a super-provincial council. "But even more worrying is the barrier to access, which is of two types, on the basis of the census and profession," De Rita continued. "Future members of parliament will form a nobility which will not be easy to replace. There will be a niche, a segment of society which is not the general class, without an ability to govern. I think we will still have to have Ciampi governments which can interpret general interests," said the CENSIS secretary general with reference to the premier, former Bank of Italy government Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, not a member of parliament or a party. According to CENSIS, the arrival to parliament of a "multitude" elected in small electoral districts from along "low-level leaders" will mean a wealth of "micro-lobbies of the old nobility." Back on the figures, CENSIS said 35.9 percent of the candidates vaunts degrees in law and another 17.4 percent degrees in medicine for a line of "total continuity with the tradition in which an elite formed almost exclusively of these disciplines always prevailed." |
FBIS3-19323_0 | OeMV Plans Projects With Iran, Turkey, Libya | Language: German Article Type:BFN [Report by Hans V. Haumer: "OeMV: Great Prospects, High Risks"] [Text] Vienna -- Within the framework of international consortia, the OeMV [Austrian Petroleum Corporation] currently is examining two projects that might yield much but which are, at the same time, fraught with high political risks. The construction of a gas pipeline to Europe is being discussed with Iran and Turkey. In Libya, on the other hand, the issue is participation in the gigantic Murzuk oil field, which contains more than 110 million tonnes, according to the OeMV. The technical journal ARAB OIL & GAS reports on estimates of up to 280 million tonnes. The Iranian gas pipeline project is supported by the rising demand for natural gas in Europe. In the year 2000 West Europe will face a deficit of 33 billion cubic meters, according to today's (changeable) state of affairs. The proposal that is being discussed involves an annual supply capacity of 5 billion cubic meters. In addition to the National Iranian Gas Corporation, the consortium also includes Gaz de France, Ruhrgas, the Spanish Enagas, the Czech and Slovak corporations, as well as the OeMV. Iran currently produces about 110 million cubic meters per day. Its own consumption in the 1993-94 business year will probably be 38.9 billion cubic meters. The economic and political framework presents a problem. Tensions between Iran and Turkey have risen strongly over the past months -- to such an extent that troops have been transferred to the joint border. The problems arise, on the one hand, because of the Central Asian area (Azerbaijan, Tajikistan), where both countries want to expand their influence. On the other hand, the conflicts of the Turkish state with its Kurdish minority are far from being settled. Libyan Hopes In the Libyan Sahara the OeMV might expand its own oil production considerably. As of 1997-98 7.5 to 8 million tonnes of oil per year could be produced from the Murzuk field. The Libyan National Oil Corporation [LNOC] is looking for international partners and is holding discussions with a consortium. This consortium consists of the French company Total, which is the leader of the consortium, holding 40 percent. The OeMV and the Spanish Repsol Exploracion hold 30 percent each. Experts of this industrial branch estimate the consortium's capital need for the entire project at 6 billion schillings. However, what benefits the investors at first glance also makes |
FBIS3-19329_3 | High Cost of Scrapping GDR War Materiel Noted | while trucks were even sold to Vietnam and Ecuador. Experts suspect that, via dealers, stocks even reached the international arms trade -- thus reaching conflict areas such as Bosnia. According to former Minister Christian Schwarz-Schilling (CDU) [Christian Democratic Union], the civil-war-stricken area in the Balkans would at least be a rewarding destination for arms supplies. "Instead of destroying them here at enormous cost, using them there would at least make sense." The Bundeswehr received a total of 150 ships, including 90 larger ones, from NVA stocks. Selected vessels went to the Verwertungsgesellschaft fuer Besatzungsgueter mbH (Vebeg) [Exploitation Corporation for Military Equipment] in Frankfurt/Main, which sells off discarded NVA and Bundeswehr materiel on behalf of the Federal Government. The Vebeg, meanwhile, has been able to sell most of its Navy and Air Force stocks. Long-distance aircraft provided the highest return -- up to DM1.5 million per unit. Three went to Egypt, three were bought by a German businessman who managed to resell one in Russia, and one was given away to Estonia (which is said to have led to irritation with Russia). Some 50 combat aircraft of the former GDR were donated to German museums. Of the more than 60,000 NVA vehicles, from Trabant cars to large Russian vehicles, Vebeg has sold about 33,000 in the past three years. One major item went to the United Nations as humanitarian aid. In Germany, Vebeg mainly sold motorcycles and passenger cars, mostly to small businesses and farmers. Yet, a total of 6,000 vehicles could only be sold at scrap value. Another 15,000 cars are still stored in seven facilities in eastern Germany where they can be bought at auctions. More than 110,000 tonnes of the 300,000 tonnes of ammunition that have so far been found still have to be disposed of. Most large-caliber stuff has meanwhile been almost completely destroyed: Hartmut Krone, manager of the Buckinpar GmbH in Pinnow (Brandenburg), has said that his company will complete the scrapping of all NVA missiles -- 360,000 units altogether -- by May. The deputy chairman of the Bundestag Defense Committee, Steiner, has meanwhile called for "conceptual restructuring." To speed up the dissolution, entire stocks should be sold in the future in "one package." Karsten Voigt, security policy spokesman for the SPD, however, would prefer that arms exports be stopped altogether in the future: "I would rather scrap everything, even if it were to cost more." |
FBIS3-19342_1 | Industry Minister on Trip to Japan, Trade Prospects | overcome the initial barrier and are now developing everyday trading relations. [LE FIGARO] Do you have the feeling that this country is opening up its market to a greater extent? [Longuet] My visit came at a time when Japan is experiencing a political upheaval while another upheaval, an economic one, is looming on the horizon. It is clear that the new government is displaying its intentions of opening up to the outside world, and it is up to us to seize the opportunity. Moreover, there is a significant desire to deregulate on the domestic level, especially in trade and distribution. It is good that French companies are getting a foothold. Lastly, my role has been to make it clear to the Japanese authorities that we condemn any kind of unilateralism, such as, for example, the reimplementation of the "Super 301" provision by the United States. We should give priority to dialogue. Thus, Europe will be very careful to ensure that the settling of the U.S.-Japanese trade dispute does not have adverse effects on our exports. [LE FIGARO] You caused a bit of a stir in France when you said that there was no limit to NEC's stake in Bull. Should we understand by that that you are ready to sell Bull to a Japanese company? [Longuet] The government wants to make Bull an autonomous company in which the state will no longer have a majority shareholding. Thus we are making each of the possible partners face up to their responsibilities. That goes for the Europeans as well as NEC and IBM. This implies our saying to NEC that we view it with no suspicion and that all offers are welcome. It is unlikely that NEC is a candidate for an absolute majority stake. Quite simply, when you throw the thing open, there is no reason to restrict the rules. [LE FIGARO] Do you not prefer, however, the majority stake to be held by Europeans? [Longuet] Yes. I believe that Europeans will remain the majority shareholders in Bull. If they want to take a stake, they should do so now. They will not be able to accuse us later of not having made them face up to their responsibilities. [LE FIGARO] Have the NEC managers you met with made any proposals? [Longuet] No, and what is more, I never asked them to make any. It is simply a question of confirming |
FBIS3-19372_3 | PKK Viewed as U.S. `Best Friend' in Region | and Iraq's help to contain Iran. The Shiite opposition groups in Iraq, like al-Da'wah, are Iranian time-bombs that can go off if Iraq gets too weak. So Iraq cannot be "over contained." But, again, if the power balance gets tilted too much against Tehran, then radical factions like Hezbollah would get a blank check for stepping up terrorist activities and would damage the substantial business interests the U.S. oil and aircraft companies (e.g. Boeing) have in Iran. The second weak point of this line of thinking, as Indyk himself also recognizes, is the fact that dual containment -- just like the anti-USSR containment -- has to be "multilateral" in nature. The support of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states is crucial yet problematic. GCC states like Bahrain, Qatar and Oman, for example, insist that Iraq's territorial integrity must be protected at all costs because an unchecked Iran is as great a threat for the Arab monarchies as Saddam's tanks. Turkey, in this regard, occupies a curious position on the U.S. State Department's chessboard. Turkey by now made it abundantly clear that it does not want to contribute to the containment of Iraq because the U.N. embargo hurts Ankara more than it does Baghdad. Both Prime Minister Tansu Ciller and Deputy Prime Minister Murat Karayalcin in their recent visits to Washington made it clear that, if it were up to Turkey, it would be back to business as usual with Iraq, and that is, of course, not the best way to contain anybody. The recent warm overtures made by Iran to Turkey, as reported in the TURKISH DAILY NEWS by Adnan Caglayan, also makes it clear that if the United States wants to contain Iran, seeking Ankara's voluntary cooperation is probably not the most efficient way to attain it since, for Ankara, stopping the PKK [Workers Party of Kurdistan] is much more vital an issue than making sure Tehran or Baghdad never get nuclear weapons -- an American concern. In this context, it is curious that the party that contributes to the containment of both Iraq and Iran by jeopardizing their ties with Turkey is the PKK, which the United States officially labeled a terrorist organization. The oil pipeline between Iraq and Turkey that Ciller wants to keep open, for example, has been sabotaged three times within the last six months by the PKK. By turning |
FBIS3-19372_4 | PKK Viewed as U.S. `Best Friend' in Region | embargo hurts Ankara more than it does Baghdad. Both Prime Minister Tansu Ciller and Deputy Prime Minister Murat Karayalcin in their recent visits to Washington made it clear that, if it were up to Turkey, it would be back to business as usual with Iraq, and that is, of course, not the best way to contain anybody. The recent warm overtures made by Iran to Turkey, as reported in the TURKISH DAILY NEWS by Adnan Caglayan, also makes it clear that if the United States wants to contain Iran, seeking Ankara's voluntary cooperation is probably not the most efficient way to attain it since, for Ankara, stopping the PKK [Workers Party of Kurdistan] is much more vital an issue than making sure Tehran or Baghdad never get nuclear weapons -- an American concern. In this context, it is curious that the party that contributes to the containment of both Iraq and Iran by jeopardizing their ties with Turkey is the PKK, which the United States officially labeled a terrorist organization. The oil pipeline between Iraq and Turkey that Ciller wants to keep open, for example, has been sabotaged three times within the last six months by the PKK. By turning the buffer border zones between Turkey, Iran and Iraq into an uninhabitable no-man's-land, the PKK inadvertently created the conditions of isolation that contribute to the containment of both Iraq and Iran. One can argue that by evacuating over 700 villages in the Southeast, the Turkish security forces contributed indirectly to the dual containment of Iran and Iraq as well. Washington's "take-no-prisoners" approach toward Baghdad and Tehran precludes Turkey from developing normal ties with Iraq and Iran. Turkey, spending 6 percent of its Gross National Product to combat the PKK (according to official figures), is not in a position to champion dual containment by hardening its already-fragile relations with Iran and Iraq. But the United States can probably do better, especially in the case of Iran. By normalizing its trade relations with Vietnam, and continuing to treat China as a Most Favored Nation despite China's embarrassing human rights record, the United States has already shown that it can be quite pragmatic when it wants to in its dealings with adversarial nations. Showing that sort of flexibility will free Turkey's policy planners to go ahead with normalizing their relations with both Iran and Iraq. Otherwise, the PKK will continue to be Washington's |
FBIS3-19376_1 | `Liberal Movement' Launched; Leader Comments | Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) should be separated from the Kurdish problem, the movement's principles urge active struggle against terrorism and complete observance of human rights. Kabatepe said that the Kurdish issue could be solved through "national consensus." Stressing that the terrorists should be treated the way they deserved, Kabatepe said that it should not, however, be forgotten that those who lived in Turkey's Southeast Anatolia region were Turkish citizens. "They also have the right to live in peace like everyone else. Dialogue is a must. However dialogue is only meaningful in an up- to-date democratic system in which every one is represented," he said. He went on to say that he and his colleagues did not think that the removal of the legislative immunity of six Kurdish based Democracy Party (DEP) deputies and two other independent deputies was appropriate. "Freedom of expression should be made a genuine right in Turkey," he said. "There should be no need for lifting immunity for freely expressed opinions. There should be no difference between the members of parliament and the ordinary citizens." Emphasizing that the main principle of the Liberal Movement was to reduce state interference in the economy to a minimum, Kabatepe said that the state should only assume a guiding role. He said while the state should be very active in the fields of security, defense, justice and social assistance, it should play a lesser role in the fields of infrastructure, education, health and social security. He also said that the and his colleagues believed in the complete autonomy of the Central Bank. Kabatepe claimed that Turkey was missing important opportunities to become stronger in a world that would no longer have super-powers but where a balance of powers would prevail. In this situation, Turkey had a major part to play. He declared that Turkey, which has not yet been accepted into the European Union, would not become a full member in the near future. NATO had entrusted Turkey with the role of "guard" in the Middle East, while it remained a mere spectator itself to the real danger emerging in the north. Even, he said, it was giving its support to Russia's expansionism. He said Turkey should review its policy regarding the Turkic republics and reinforce its commercial and economic cooperation with those countries. Emphasizing that the new balances in the Middle East should be carefully assessed, Kabatepe said Turkey should |
FBIS3-19384_0 | Turkes Says PKK Linked With ASALA | Language: English Article Type:BFN [Text] Malatya, March 15 (A.A) -- National Action Party leader Alparslan Turkes said today that the separatist terror organization PKK [Workers Party of Kurdistan] was collaborating with Armenian terror organization ASALA [Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia]. Speaking at a rally in southeastern Turkey, Turkes said that the PKK was receiving foreign support in its terror actions. "The PKK says that it will make Turkey a bloodbath on the March 21 Nevruz haliday. It will not be able to do so. ``All of us are brothers, come from the same ancestors. The terrorists are trying to force our citizens in east and southeastern Turkey to flee to other regions, so as to realize their dreams of greater Armenia,'' he said. |
FBIS3-19394_0 | FYROM Leader Speaks on European Integration | Language: Macedonian Article Type:BFN [Nevenka Mitrevska report: "Europe Must Not By-Pass the Balkans"] [Text] Bonn, 15 Mar -- "The Balkans today is a European anachronism, burdened with the consequences of postcommunism, with the war problem in the region, but also with repetitions of the Cold War. A part of the relations among the Balkan countries is far from today's European reality, burdened with historical motives, frustrations, and striving to be the top state. Because of all that it is necessary to Europeanize the Balkans with a specific European project. By contrast, the threat of the Balkanization of the other European regions is not to be underestimated." A Working Visit With All Official Elements This is what, among other things, President Kiro Gligorov of The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia [FYROM] stated in his address to about a hundred politicians, ambassadors, and journalists, at the rally called "Europe-Dialogue" that is being held in Bonn for the third time. The subject of this year's meeting was "The road to Europe -- too many conflicts." Its participants, among whom were President Gligorov and Slovene President Milan Kucan, tried to contribute by explaining their own perspectives, geopolitical positions, and the development of their own states, to find the roads leading to further development of Europe, which has been meandering about in the effort to shape its role, and place, after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the disappearance of the bloc division. President Kiro Gligorov arrived in Germany last night, at the invitation of the Europe-Dialogue Association, chaired by Madame Rita Suessmuth, president of the German Bundestag. By its nature, the visit is in the category of so-called working visits. However the hosts did their best to give it all the elements of an official state visit. This afternoon President Gligorov had a 45-minute talk with German President Richard von Weizsaecker. For tomorrow morning, meetings and discussions with Minister-President Johannes Rau and Wolfgang Clement, head of the State Office of the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia, to which Bonn belongs, are planned. On Thursday [17 March], the last day of the visit, President Gligorov will have a meeting with Klaus Kinkel, federal vice chancellor, in charge of all the foreign political activities in this preelection period in Germany, since Chancellor Helmut Kohl is fully engaged in domestic affairs. Aside from these three central meetings, the program for President Gligorov comprises a series of |
FBIS3-19400_2 | Study Sees Right Extremism More Rooted in West | which is greater in eastern Germany, he believes. In the opinion of two Bielefeld sociologists there is no scientific proof for Nehm's statement. Youth researcher Klaus Hurrelmann says that the east-to-west spillover thesis is simply "bizarre and historically incorrect. If anything did spill over," Hurrelmann says, "then it was west to east." He thinks the reason for the sharp rise in the proneness to violence in eastern Germany is the "sudden radical change into a capitalist society." Many people were unable to cope with insecurity and the lack of familiarity with foreign cultures. Hurrelmann believes the threshold has now been reached at which the spontaneous protest movement has turned more and more distinctly into a political movement with leaders which organizes and solidifies itself. "That is the real danger," he says. Wilhelm Heitmeyer, a colleague of Hurrelmann's, characterizes the Nehm thesis as an "institutional way of looking at things which is inaccurate in this form." Heitmeyer, the head of the youth research center at Bielefeld University, believes that the logistic base of right-wing extremism is situated in western Germany while the greater potential for violence is situated in the eastern part of the country. His studies have shown that neo-Nazis with a proneness to violence are more numerous in the new laender whereas the corresponding political parties such as the Republikaner are less popular. 2,000 Activists at the Time of Unification For a long time the GDR denied that there was such a thing as right-wing extremism among young people. Even an attack by 30 skinheads on the Zion Church in East Berlin in October 1987 was downplayed as an example of "rowdyism." And yet, the fact of the matter is that internal Stasi documents set the date of the start of the right-wing extremist movement as 1982. In the late eighties, the Stasi estimated that there were some 800 neo-Nazis in 38 different groups, including "Zyklon B" in Berlin and "SS Division Walter Krueger" in Rostock. According to a study by the then-Joint Land Criminal Police Office (GLKA), just under 2,000 persons belonged to the hard core of right-wing extremist groups in eastern Germany at the time of unification, with another 15,000 persons characterized as sympathizers. "The road to right-wing extremism frequently leads to social and political contradictions via a decidedly emotional way of looking at things," said Bernd Wagner, the head the extremism/terrorism department of GLKA in 1991. |
FBIS3-19444_0 | Demirel Rules Out Dialogue With PKK | Language: Turkish Article Type:BFN [Report by Mustafa Kinali: "No Bargaining Talks"] [Text] President Suleyman Demirel, who remained in Istanbul during the religious festival, has responded to Workers Party of Kurdistan [PKK] leader Abdullah Ocalan's latest call for a conditional cease-fire agreement by saying that "the PKK is a criminal organization. The government will not address it as a party to negotiations." Regarding Ocalan's statement that he is prepared to discuss all the alternatives, including the possibility of the establishment of a federation, Demirel said: "That is a nonsensical statement." On the occasion of the religious festival Demirel received citizens in his house in the Etiler quarter of Istanbul at 1500. He later met with a group of journalists. Stressing that the PKK is a criminal organization that has killed 1,800 citizens, including several members of the security forces, he said: They Must Surrender PKK members have taken up positions on the heights in Igdir, Ardahan, and Kars provinces. They have turned the caves into arms depots. The state will continue to struggle. It must render that organization ineffective; no other alternative exists. Ocalan may have said this or that, but the state will not listen to him. We have called on the PKK members to agree to surrender, and I wish to reiterate that call. They must surrender to the state's judicial organs. They must come down from the mountains. No one must try to test the capabilities of the republic. I wish to inform everyone both inside and outside Turkey that the government will safeguard Turkey's unity and territorial integrity. I Congratulate the Security Forces The culprits responsible for the massacre at the railway station in Tuzla have been arrested. I congratulate the security forces. Their search uncovered the culprits whose action cut five young people to pieces. Their arrest makes us happy during this religious festival. Europe's Squint-Eyed Approach The European Parliament's decision [on the lifting of the immunity of Democracy Party deputies] is biased. It indicates that the European Parliament looks at the matter with half-closed eyes; they look at it from the wrong angle. I believe that it is shameful for them to applaud the developments in Turkey while they deem it inappropriate to even mention the word Corsica to France [sentence as published]. Foreign Currency Will Not Be in Short Supply The question of terrorism is the only problem in Turkey. We can find everything |
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