France, Spain to Set Up Joint Police Corps To Combat Terrorism/New WMW

[Gloria]

And take a dig at Rumsfeld's "old Europe" comment...they're still pissed over that!!!

Up now at http://www.zianet.com/insightanalytical
Tomorrow at Buzzflash.com


WORLD MEDIA WATCH FOR SEPTEMBER 17, 2004

1//The Independent, UK--OFFICER WHO RALLIED UK TROOPS CONDEMNS ‘CYNICAL’ IRAQ WAR (Colonel Tim Collins, the British commander whose stirring speech to his troops on the eve of the Iraq invasion was reportedly hung on a wall in the Oval Office by George Bush, has criticised the British and US governments over the war. The officer, who has now left the Army, condemned the lack of planning for the aftermath of the conflict and questioned the motives for attacking Iraq. He said abuses against Iraqi civilians were partly the result of "leaders of a country, leaders of an alliance" constantly referring to them as the "enemy ... rather than treating them as people". This attitude was inevitably adopted by some soldiers on the ground, he said.)

2//The News International, Pakistan--FRANCE, SPAIN TO SET UP JOINT POLICE CORPS TO COMBAT TERRORISM (France and Spain are to set up a joint police corps to combat terrorism by Islamic extremists, Spanish Justice Minister Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar said following a meeting with his French counterpart here on Thursday. "Today we are going to take a very important step in the anti-terrorist fight within the European Union in signing the first accord for a joint Spanish-French inquiry corps," Aguilar announced after conferring with French Justice Minister Dominique Perben…Spanish Defence Minister Jose Bono and his French counterpart Michele Alliot-Marie meanwhile hailed an initiative announced Wednesday to create a five-nation gendarmerie covering France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands. Bono estimated the para-military force would be "operational in a maximum of 30 days.")

3//The Daily Star, Lebanon--POWELL PLAYS DOWN REPORT ON SAUDI RELIGIOUS PRACTICES (U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell says he hopes to be able to remove Saudi Arabia from the State Department list of religiously intolerant countries… In remarks translated into Arabic, Powell paid tribute to the Saudi leadership in terms that contrasted strongly with the State Department's report on the kingdom's policy toward religion. "Freedom of religion does not exist" in Saudi Arabia, the State Department said Wednesday, adding the government was responsible for "particularly severe violations" of religious liberty… The report comes as U.S.-Saudi relations, strained by the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, continue to come under scrutiny in the United States. But Powell said the State Department report was a response to American legislation that requires a review of religious freedom around the world. He said the report's finding did not mean Washington would punish Saudi Arabia…However, some Saudis pointed skeptically to the timing of the report. Democrats accuse President George W. Bush of ignoring Saudi Arabia's rights record until now for fear of causing any backlash from the world's biggest oil supplier that could affect the U.S. economy.)

4//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong--CHINA TAKES THE LEAD IN STRATEGIC CENTRAL ASIA(While China moves to assert its power in Central Asia by growing closer to its neighboring states, the US has largely focused its relationship with China on issues in the Taiwan Strait and the Korean Peninsula. Russia's concerns in Chechnya will drive its approach to the region, but with limited recourse and domestic concerns taking a priority in President Vladimir Putin's response, Moscow is likely to be content with the existing structure of the SCO, and allow China to consolidate its influence in the region. This environment provides China with an opportunity that it will not miss to prevent the US encirclement of its western border. Washington will be reassessing the deployment of its diplomatic and military resources in Central Asia after the elections in Afghanistan; the size of the withdrawal of resources will signal how serious Washington is in controlling events in Central Asia and how concerned it is with the situation in Xinjiang.)

5//The Moscow Times, Russia--GOVERNORS LOOK FOR THE SILVER LINING (Moreover, analysts said, the shakeup is all part of the run-up to the 2008 presidential election, when Putin will have to hand the reins to a successor. To make sure the presidency goes to the right person, Putin is trying to stamp out any opposition in the regions, they said. Regional bosses, of course, are not putting it so bluntly, and their comments in interviews this week indicated that they are looking for the silver lining. Many said the move will not only give the Kremlin more power, but them as well, including eventual control of local law enforcement and security agencies.)

[Joanne98]

1. Good for them. I hope they build up their military's too.........