World Media Watch for September 8, 2006

WORLD MEDIA WATCH

1//The Daily Times, Pakistan--WAZIRISTAN PEACE DEAL RAISES CONCERN IN KABUL (Pakistan's peace deal with pro-Taliban tribes along the Afghan border in North Waziristan has raised concern with analysts in Afghanistan asking if the militants could be trusted to halt the cross-border movement of insurgents. They also questioned the timing of the accord in North Waziristan on Tuesday, on the eve of a visit to Kabul by President Pervez Musharraf who said "the deal was an achievement." The deal aims to end two years of violence in the semi-autonomous tribal zone of North Waziristan. ... Musharraf insisted at a media briefing with Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday the deal meant that there would be "no Taliban activity on our side of the border or across the border in Afghanistan." Karzai, desperate to end an increasingly deadly insurgency that many say is being fed by rebels trained in Pakistan, said "we will wait and see." Afghan analyst Waheed Mujda, however, said the deal was "absolutely not good for Afghanistan." The Pakistani Army's presence would be reduced, and there was no guarantee the tribal area would actually stop militants from crossing into Afghanistan to wage insurgency, he added. "How will it work and who will monitor the implementation of all the terms?" Mujda questioned. ... There are misgivings even in Pakistan. "On the face of it, the agreement can be seen as a breakthrough, but if one reads the finer print, it appears that the government has all but caved into the demands of the militants," said a Pakistani newspaper.)

2//AKI-Adnkronos International, Italy--TERRORISM: MEP URGES BUSH TO TESTIFY IN PROBE OF CIA SECRET JAILS (US president George W Bush's recent campaign speech admittance of the existence of secret CIA detention centres has been welcomed by the head of a European Parliament committee probing allegations of such CIA 'black sites' in Europe and of CIA secret flights allegedly transferring abducted terror suspects to such facilities inside and outside Europe. "President Bush would be the best possible witness to appear before our committee, if this were within the realm of possibility," said Italian centre-left MEP Claudio Fava. "We no longer need to ask ourselves if such secret CIA jails, but rather where these are - in which countries, and with the complicity of which governments, how many prisoners were taken there and above all, what has become of them," Fava continued. "The hearings the committee plans to hold over the coming months in Britain, Poland and Romania will be critical to establish the truth about what happened in Europe and elsewhere on the pretext of the terror threat," Fava added. His comments echoed calls on Thursday from MEPs across the political spectrum for countries to come clean about alleged secret CIA facilities on their territory following Bush's remarks on Wednesday.)

3//The Independent, UK--WHAT DIFFERENCE WOULD A BROWN GOVERNMENT MAKE? (What would Gordon Brown do as Prime Minister? It is the biggest unknown in British politics. Critics claim the inscrutable Mr Brown has deliberately concealed his agenda. Although he has said little about some issues, notably foreign policy, he wants to make maximum impact in his first 100 days if he becomes Prime Minister. But his speeches and statements do provide plenty of clues. ... There are signs that Mr Brown is looking for a landmark announcement like his decision days after the 1997 election to hand control of interest rates to the Bank of England. It could be a raft of reforms to rebuild the voters' trust in politicians, perhaps through a modern written constitution setting out basic rights and responsibilities for all citizens and the roles of parliament, judiciary and government. ... To try to draw a line under allegations of "sleaze," an independent watchdog would investigate complaints that ministers have breached their code of conduct. The independence of Whitehall could be safeguarded by a new Civil Service Act and the powers of spin doctors curbed. ... Atlhough an Atlanticist rather than a Europhile by instinct, Mr Brown is expected to drop the "hug them close" strategy under which Mr Blair refuses to differ in public with Washington. In an attempt to draw a line under the Iraq war, Mr Brown may acknowledge that mistakes were made and will be anxious to ensure British troops return home as soon as possible.)

4//The Chosun Ilbo, South Korea--BEIJING EYEING N. KOREAN TERRITORY: LAWMAKER (China is pursuing the so-called Northeast Project to co-opt Korean history with an eye on claiming North Korean territory when the regime there collapses, a senior lawmaker quoted a Chinese leader as saying. Former National Assembly speaker Kim Won-ki quoted the remarks in the Unification, Foreign Affairs and Trade Committee on Thursday, saying they were made in a frank meeting with the high-ranking Chinese official. The Chinese leader also reportedly said Beijing finds the Kim Jong-il regime and the political situation in North Korea very unstable. In any emergency, the U.S and allied army would move to North Korea's border with China and face the Chinese People's Liberation Army there, a situation Beijing would not tolerate, he said.)

5//MosNews, Russia--LUKOIL ANNOUNCES $100BLN AMBITIOUS INVESTMENT PLAN (Russia's biggest private oil producer Lukoil said it will spend $100 billion over 10 years to double its output and invest in refineries abroad, including in Europe. Lukoil's plans were revealed by the company's vice president Valery Golovushkin on Wednesday, Sept. 6. Golovushkin was at Singapore at the 22nd Asia-Pacific Petroleum Conference, when the news were announced. Lukoil's overseas expansion plans include buying and building refineries in the United States, Turkey, Kazakhstan and the Netherlands. The oil giant's spokesman Dmitry Dolgov said in Moscow that the company will spend 35 percent of the planned investments on refining and marketing. Lukoil is stepping up expansion outside Russia as the government increases taxes on crude output and exports and increases its presence in the industry. While the plan to spend $10 billion a year pushes Lukoil into the league of the largest oil companies, it is still only half as much as Exxon Mobil wants to invest annually through 2010. ... The company said it would disclose details at a meeting for investors in New York on Oct. 18. Lukoil, which is 18 percent owned by ConocoPhillips, has a chain of gasoline stations in the United States.)

1//The Daily Times, Pakistan Friday, September 08, 2006

WAZIRISTAN PEACE DEAL RAISES CONCERN IN KABUL

* Deal with Taliban does not end fears of militants crossing into Afghanistan
* Misgivings on the deal even in Pakistan

KABUL: Pakistan's peace deal with pro-Taliban tribes along the Afghan border in North Waziristan has raised concern with analysts in Afghanistan asking if the militants could be trusted to halt the cross-border movement of insurgents.

They also questioned the timing of the accord in North Waziristan on Tuesday, on the eve of a visit to Kabul by President Pervez Musharraf who said "the deal was an achievement".

The deal aims to end two years of violence in the semi-autonomous tribal zone of North Waziristan.

Crucially for Afghanistan, the Taliban said militants would not be allowed to move across the border to carry out attacks. In turn, the government will drop check posts, consult locals before carrying out attacks and pay compensation for losses during the military operations.

The government has already released the 132 people it had arrested, and returned seized vehicles and weapons.

Soldiers will continue to operate in the area "against the terrorists", including Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, said Pakistani Defence Minister Rao Sikandar Iqbal.

Musharraf insisted at a media briefing with Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday the deal meant that there would be "no Taliban activity on our side of the border or across the border in Afghanistan".

Karzai, desperate to end an increasingly deadly insurgency that many say is being fed by rebels trained in Pakistan, said "we will wait and see".

Afghan analyst Waheed Mujda, however, said the deal was "absolutely not good for Afghanistan". The Pakistani Army's presence would be reduced, and there was no guarantee the tribal area would actually stop militants from crossing into Afghanistan to wage insurgency, he added.

"How will it work and who will monitor the implementation of all the terms?" Mujda questioned.

"Obviously it gives more sanctuary for the Taliban, who are coming to Afghanistan for attacks. Local militants have clearly said it can't stop them fighting against foreign troops based in Afghanistan," he said.

The key concern for Afghanistan was whether the agreement would lead to more insurgents crossing the long and porous border between the neighbours, a Western diplomat said.

"If this agreement makes it easier for insurgents to move into Afghanistan, that is obviously going to give us a problem," the diplomat added. The White House said on Wednesday the deal "did not provide great concern", but a director of the Asia programme at the Washington-based Centre for International Policy said the pact showed a conflict of interest between Pakistan and the US over the Taliban. The deal made it "very foolish to think we could make Pakistan an ally against the Taliban," said Selig Harrison.

There are misgivings even in Pakistan. "On the face of it, the agreement can be seen as a breakthrough, but if one reads the finer print, it appears that the government has all but caved into the demands of the militants," said a Pakistani newspaper.

There were also suggestions that forces in Afghanistan should consider a similar deal.

(MORE)

2//AKI-Adnkronos International, Italy Sep-08-2006 01:03 am

TERRORISM: MEP URGES BUSH TO TESTIFY IN PROBE OF CIA SECRET JAILS

Brussels, 7 Sept. (AKI) - US president George W Bush's recent campaign speech admittance of the existence of secret CIA detention centres has been welcomed by the head of a European Parliament committee probing allegations of such CIA 'black sites' in Europe and of CIA secret flights allegedly transferring abducted terror suspects to such facilities inside and outside Europe. "President Bush would be the best possible witness to appear before our committee, if this were within the realm of possibility," said Italian centre-left MEP Claudio Fava.

"We no longer need to ask ourselves if such secret CIA jails, but rather where these are - in which countries, and with the complicity of which governments, how many prisoners were taken there and above all, what has become of them," Fava continued.

"The hearings the committee plans to hold over the coming months in Britain, Poland and Romania will be critical to establish the truth about what happened in Europe and elsewhere on the pretext of the terror threat," Fava added. His comments echoed calls on Thursday from MEPs across the political spectrum for countries to come clean about alleged secret CIA facilities on their territory following Bush's remarks on Wednesday.

In June, Europe's top human rights watchdog, the Council of Europe delivered a report that did not find hard proof for the existence of secret CIA jails on European soil, but said there were "grounds for suspicion" that these existed.

Poland, and European Union candidate, Romania, are the European countries on whom most suspicion has fallen, although both have persisently denied the existence of such jails on their soil.

As many as 14 Council of Europe countries - including Italy, Britain and Germany - colluded in a "spider's web" of disappearances, secret detentions and "unlawful inter-state transfers" by allegedly allowing the CIA to use their airports, the report claimed.
(MORE)

3//The Independent, UK Published: 08 September 2006

WHAT DIFFERENCE WOULD A BROWN GOVERNMENT MAKE?
By Andrew Grice, Political Editor

What would Gordon Brown do as Prime Minister? It is the biggest unknown in British politics.

Critics claim the inscrutable Mr Brown has deliberately concealed his agenda. Although he has said little about some issues, notably foreign policy, he wants to make maximum impact in his first 100 days if he becomes Prime Minister. But his speeches and statements do provide plenty of clues.

THE BIG BANG?
There are signs that Mr Brown is looking for a landmark announcement like his decision days after the 1997 election to hand control of interest rates to the Bank of England.

It could be a raft of reforms to rebuild the voters' trust in politicians, perhaps through a modern written constitution setting out basic rights and responsibilities for all citizens and the roles of parliament, judiciary and government.

Mr Brown has called for parliament to be given a veto over sending British troops to war. The House of Lords could be reformed, with the 92 remaining hereditary peers removed and at least half of the second chamber being elected by the voters.

To try to draw a line under allegations of "sleaze", an independent watchdog would investigate complaints that ministers have breached their code of conduct. The independence of Whitehall could be safeguarded by a new Civil Service Act and the powers of spin doctors curbed.

Mr Brown may show a surprisingly open mind to reform of the voting system at general elections, possibly by backing the "alternative vote" under which people list candidates in order of preference and the bottom candidate drops out until one has majority support.

(SNIP)

SECURITY
Mr Brown would want to reassure voters that he would not be soft on crime or terrorism. He may attempt to increase from the present 28 days the time for which police can hold suspected terrorists without being charged. Mr Blair's proposed 90-day limit was rejected last year. The Chancellor has already angered left-of-centre MPs by pledging to keep Britain's independent nuclear deterrent.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Atlhough an Atlanticist rather than a Europhile by instinct, Mr Brown is expected to drop the "hug them close" strategy under which Mr Blair refuses to differ in public with Washington.

In an attempt to draw a line under the Iraq war, Mr Brown may acknowledge that mistakes were made and will be anxious to ensure British troops return home as soon as possible.

4//The Chosun Ilbo, South Korea Updated Sep.7,2006 21:06 KST

BEIJING EYEING N. KOREAN TERRITORY: LAWMAKER

China is pursuing the so-called Northeast Project to co-opt Korean history with an eye on claiming North Korean territory when the regime there collapses, a senior lawmaker quoted a Chinese leader as saying. Former National Assembly speaker Kim Won-ki quoted the remarks in the Unification, Foreign Affairs and Trade Committee on Thursday, saying they were made in a frank meeting with the high-ranking Chinese official.

The Chinese leader also reportedly said Beijing finds the Kim Jong-il regime and the political situation in North Korea very unstable. In any emergency, the U.S and allied army would move to North Korea's border with China and face the Chinese People's Liberation Army there, a situation Beijing would not tolerate, he said.

Meanwhile, Chinese attempts to distort ancient Korean history have this time taken it to the point of trademarking as their own the spot of the birth of the Korean people according to the Dangun mythology, Mt. Baekdu, by attaching the Chinese name, "Changbai shan."

On Wednesday, China's torch-lighting ceremony for the 2007 Asian Winter Games that start on Jan. 28 in Changchun, took place at Cheonji, one of the highest crater lakes in the world on the summit of Mt. Baekdu. Holding an international ceremony there has the PR effect of giving the impression that the landmark is Chinese -- which it technically is, since Beijing took the northern part of Mt.Baekdu centered on the crater lake as the heavy price for joining the Korean War.

(MORE)

5//MosNews, Russia Created: 07.09.2006 14:11 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 14:11 MSK

LUKOIL ANNOUNCES $100BLN AMBITIOUS INVESTMENT PLAN

Russia's biggest private oil producer Lukoil said it will spend $100 billion over 10 years to double its output and invest in refineries abroad, including in Europe. Lukoil's plans were revealed by the company's vice president Valery Golovushkin on Wednesday, Sept. 6. Golovushkin was at Singapore at the 22nd Asia-Pacific Petroleum Conference, when the news were announced.

Lukoil's overseas expansion plans include buying and building refineries in the United States, Turkey, Kazakhstan and the Netherlands. The oil giant's spokesman Dmitry Dolgov said in Moscow that the company will spend 35 percent of the planned investments on refining and marketing.

Lukoil is stepping up expansion outside Russia as the government increases taxes on crude output and exports and increases its presence in the industry. While the plan to spend $10 billion a year pushes Lukoil into the league of the largest oil companies, it is still only half as much as Exxon Mobil wants to invest annually through 2010.

"It's a really ambitious investment program," Jeffrey Woodruff, an energy analyst with Fitch Ratings in Moscow, told Bloomberg News. "Strategically, it's the right thing, but it's a hefty price tag and I'm not sure how they'll finance it."

The company said it would disclose details at a meeting for investors in New York on Oct. 18. Lukoil, which is 18 percent owned by ConocoPhillips, has a chain of gasoline stations in the United States.

Dolgov said: "It's clear the money won't come from our profits. Of course, we'll use mechanisms available on the financial markets."

Lukoil denied media reports that it had agreed to buy a stake in Motor Oil Hellas, a major Greek refiner. Motor Oil's chief financial officer, Petros Tzannetakis, also denied the reports.

Lukoil already has refineries in Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine. It can tap into a total reserve base of 19.7 billion barrels of oil equivalent, close to Exxon's 21.6 billion barrels.

"We have the reserves and the production" to help Russia increase supplies to Asia," Golovushkin said in Singapore. "The main problem we're facing is logistics."

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Copyright 2008, Gloria R. Lalumia

WORLD MEDIA WATCH

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