Gloria R. Lalumia's World Media Watch for December 28, 2007

WORLD MEDIA WATCH

Summaries are excerpted from the source articles; the featured article follows the summary section.

1//Inter Press Service News Agency, Italy
IRAQ: SADDAM PROVIDED MORE FOOD THAN U.S.

The Iraqi government announcement that monthly food rations will be cut by half has left many Iraqis asking how they can survive. The government also wants to reduce the number of people depending on the rationing system by five million by June 2008. Iraq's food rations system was introduced by the Saddam Hussein government in 1991 in response to the UN economic sanctions. Families were allotted basic foodstuffs monthly because the Iraqi Dinar and the economy collapsed. The sanctions, imposed after Saddam Hussein ordered the invasion of Kuwait, were described as "genocidal" by Denis Halliday, then UN humanitarian coordinator in Iraq. Halliday quit his post in protest against the U.S.-backed sanctions. The sanctions killed half a million Iraqi children, and as many adults, according to the UN. They brought malnutrition, disease, and lack of medicines. Iraqis became nearly completely reliant on food rations for survival. The programme has continued into the U.S.-led occupation. But now the U.S.-backed Iraqi government has announced it will halve the essential items in the ration because of "insufficient funds and spiralling inflation." ... According to an Oxfam International report released in July this year, "60 percent (of Iraqis) currently have access to rations through the government-run Public Distribution System (PDS), down from 96 percent in 2004." The report said that "43 percent of Iraqis suffer from absolute poverty," and that according to some estimates over half the population are now without work. "Children are hit the hardest by the decline in living standards. Child malnutrition rates have risen from 19 percent before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 to 28 percent now." ... Many fear the food ration cuts can spark unrest. "The government will commit a big mistake, because providing enough food ration could compensate the government's mistakes in other fields like security," a local physician told IPS. "The Iraq will now feel that he, or she, is of no value to the government."

AN EXPANDED EXCERPT OF THIS FEATURED ARTICLE FOLLOWS THE SUMMARIES

2//The Times of India, India
PAK UNSTABLE, INDIA ON EDGE

With Pakistan tottering on the brink of uncertainty after Benazir Bhutto's assassination, the Indian security and foreign policy establishment promptly went into a huddle on Thursday evening to discuss the implications for India. The first reading of the situation was there would be "no immediate repercussions" for India in terms of a jihadi or any other spillover from across the border. The Pakistan Army as well as the nefarious ISI, as it is, are getting increasingly bogged down within their own borders to create major mischief across their eastern flank in India. The mid-term to long-term estimate, however, held that the emerging situation with fundamentalists pushing the jihadi envelope from the frontier areas to well-fortified garrison towns in Pakistan, was fraught with serious consequences for India. ... Far more serious is the fear that the threat of a fundamentalist takeover is not just a wargame scenario, but a possibility getting stronger by the day. "Groups of terrorists enjoying state patronage are worrisome enough. But the cost that we may have to pay if they get to control the state apparatus, the army and nuclear arsenal can't even be comprehended," said an intelligence officer.

3//Today's Zaman, Turkey
CORNERED BY ARMY, PKK MAY TARGET CITIES

Experts have stated that a number of arson attacks and attempted bombings over the last month may suggest that the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) organization is focusing on urban attacks instead of guerilla warfare. Although the terrorist organization has not claimed responsibility, the recent arsons in Istanbul seem to be directly related to the PKK, said Nihat Ali Özcan, a researcher at the Ankara-based Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV). "It is the PKK members who perpetrate such crimes to reduce pressure on the terrorist organization. We all know that the separatist organization lost members in recent cross-border operations as Turkey drove terrorists into a corner in the mountains," Özcan said. Turkish warplanes have been hitting terrorist targets in northern Iraq for the past 10 days. The third cross-border air assault was on Wednesday, when the warplanes struck in an "effective pinpointed operation," targeting eight caves and other hideouts being used by the terrorists, the military said.

Stating that the PKK will continue similar urban attacks in the coming days to mitigate the damage caused by Turkey's cross-border offensives, Özcan said: "It is clear that these attacks are devised and waged by the PKK. But they will not claim responsibility for such assaults in order not to spark negative reactions toward the terrorist organization in the international arena. Instead, they will attribute them to proponents and sympathizers of the separatist organization." ... However, some point out focusing attention on the PKK in the investigations of the recent arsons might be misleading. There might be foreign powers behind the recent incidents trying to hinder Turkey from stamping out members of the terrorist organization, they claim. Mahir Kaynak, a terror and intelligence specialist, said: "I don't believe that recent attacks are directly linked to the PKK. They may have been perpetrated by circles who wish to spark a wave of agitation and indignation within Turkish society to block the passage of a planned amnesty law, which will allow members of the terrorist group to return home without receiving punishment if they have not been involved in terrorist activities." Noting that the passage of an amnesty bill would accelerate the breakdown within the terrorist organization, Kaynak said some foreign powers might hope to foment Turkish public opinion against a planned amnesty.

4//Xinhuanet, China
FUKUDA'S CHINA VISIT TO BOOST TIES BETWEEN JAPAN, CHINA

The past 14 months, since former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's "ice-breaking" visit to China, have witnessed a turn from long-chilled to warmer ties between China and Japan. Japan's Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's visit to China, starting from Thursday, is expected to further boost the relations between two of Asia's most important countries. A Japanese government spokesman said here on Thursday that Japan hopes the visit will "bring spring to Japan-China relations". ... "Prime Minister Fukuda's visit is another high-level trip to wrap up the year 2007, which marked the 35th anniversary of the normalization of Japan-China diplomatic ties," the Japanese spokesman said, declining to be named. Experts say Fukuda's visit will serve to warm political climate over bilateral relations, and further boost the already close economic ties between the two countries. Japan is already China's third-largest trade partner and the second-largest source of foreign direct investment. China is Japan's largest trade partner and one of Japan's fastest growing export markets. In an interview with Chinese media before departure, Fukuda said he wants to take the visit as an opportunity to "raise relations with China to a new level". ... Analysts say one of the events on Fukuda's agenda -- a live-broadcast speech at the prestigious Peking University -- signals warm and high-profile reception of the Japanese leader extended by China. "If Abe and Wen's trips were ice-breaking and thawing, Fukuda's trip will serve to 'warm the water'", said Yang Bojiang, director of the Institute of Japanese Studies under the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, extending the metaphor. "Fukuda's China visit is a heavy-weight chapter in his diplomacy, and it demonstrated strong political will from the Japanese side to advance relationship with China," he said.

5//Kommersant, Russia
MEDVEDEV OUTPACED PUTIN IN PRESIDENTIAL RATING

Some 79 percent of the nation is ready to vote for First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who is the United Russia's candidate at presidential elections, Vedomosti reported with reference to the poll of December 21 to 25. If the elections were held this Sunday, Medvedev would get more votes than Putin had in 2004 (71.31 percent). ... But only 35 percent favored Medvedev in mid-December. Medvedev's popularity gained momentum once Russia's President Vladimir Putin publically favored him December 10. The analysts don't think Medvedev will win by 79 percent in the presidential elections of March 2. But he may repeat the result that Putin achieved in 2004. In the lack of serious competitors, this popularity of Russia's first deputy prime minister isn't surprising. The baggage of other candidates, Zhirinovsky and Zyuganov, is heavy and negative, while the democratic parties failed to put forward a single candidate. The polls of All-Russia's Center of Public Opinion Studies confirm the surge in Medvedev's popularity. Judging by the latest survey, some 52 percent of respondents will vote for him now vs. 27 percent in mid.-December and 17 percent in November.

FEATURED ARTICLE

1//Inter Press Service News Agency, Italy December 27, 2007

IRAQ: SADDAM PROVIDED MORE FOOD THAN U.S.

By Ahmed Ali and Dahr Jamail*

BAQUBA, Dec 27 (IPS) - The Iraqi government announcement that monthly food rations will be cut by half has left many Iraqis asking how they can survive.

The government also wants to reduce the number of people depending on the rationing system by five million by June 2008.

Iraq's food rations system was introduced by the Saddam Hussein government in 1991 in response to the UN economic sanctions. Families were allotted basic foodstuffs monthly because the Iraqi Dinar and the economy collapsed.

The sanctions, imposed after Saddam Hussein ordered the invasion of Kuwait, were described as "genocidal" by Denis Halliday, then UN humanitarian coordinator in Iraq. Halliday quit his post in protest against the U.S.-backed sanctions.

The sanctions killed half a million Iraqi children, and as many adults, according to the UN. They brought malnutrition, disease, and lack of medicines. Iraqis became nearly completely reliant on food rations for survival. The programme has continued into the U.S.-led occupation.

But now the U.S.-backed Iraqi government has announced it will halve the essential items in the ration because of "insufficient funds and spiralling inflation."

The cuts, which are to be introduced in the beginning of 2008, have drawn widespread criticism. The Iraqi government is unable to supply the rations with several billion dollars at its disposal, whereas Saddam Hussein was able to maintain the programme with less than a billion dollars.

"In 2007, we asked for 3.2 billion dollars for rationing basic foodstuffs," Mohammed Hanoun, Iraq's chief of staff for the ministry of trade told al-Jazeera. "But since the prices of imported foodstuff doubled in the past year, we requested 7.2 billion dollars for this year. That request was denied."

The trade ministry is now preparing to slash the list of subsidised items by half to five basic food items, "namely flour, sugar, rice, oil, and infant milk," Hanoun said.

The imminent move will affect nearly 10 million people who depend on the rationing system. But it has already caused outrage in Baquba, 40 km northeast of Baghdad.

"The monthly food ration was the only help from the government," local grocer Ibrahim al-Ageely told IPS. "It was of great benefit for the families. The food ration consisted of two kilos of rice, sugar, soap, tea, detergent, wheat flour, lentils, chick-peas, and other items for every individual."

Another grocer said the food ration was the "life of all Iraqis; every month, Iraqis wait in queues to receive their food rations."

According to an Oxfam International report released in July this year, "60 percent (of Iraqis) currently have access to rations through the government-run Public Distribution System (PDS), down from 96 percent in 2004."

The report said that "43 percent of Iraqis suffer from absolute poverty," and that according to some estimates over half the population are now without work. "Children are hit the hardest by the decline in living standards. Child malnutrition rates have risen from 19 percent before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 to 28 percent now."

(SNIP)

"The food ration still represents a big part of the domestic budget," Muneer Lafta, a 51-year-old employee at the health directorate told IPS. Without the ration, she said, families have to go to the market. Because Iraqi families are large, usually six to 12 people, shopping for food is simply unaffordable.

(SNIP)

People in Baquba, living with violence and joblessness for long, are now preparing for this new twist.

"No security, no food, no electricity, no trade, no services. So life is good," said one resident, who would not give his name.

Many fear the food ration cuts can spark unrest. "The government will commit a big mistake, because providing enough food ration could compensate the government's mistakes in other fields like security," a local physician told IPS. "The Iraq will now feel that he, or she, is of no value to the government."

Copyright 2007, Gloria R. Lalumia

WORLD MEDIA WATCH