Local Communities Take Security into Their Own Hands--Lebanon

[Gloria]

Full excerpts and links up now at http://www.zianet.com/insightanalytical
Tomorrow at Buzzflash.com



WORLD MEDIA WATCH FOR APRIL 4, 2005

1//The Scotsman/Scotland on Sunday, UK--THE ENDGAME – HAS IRAQ’S INSURGENCY RUN OUT OF STEAM? (Two years after the huge statue of Saddam Hussein was toppled in the centre of Baghdad, the tide could finally be turning against the country’s insurgents. Although the euphoria that accompanied the demolition of the statue has long since evaporated, some observers are beginning to wonder whether the insurgency in Iraq is at last running out of steam. … . But there is much to be cautious about. CNN, which publishes detailed analyses of casualties in Iraq on its website, including the identities of all those killed, says: "The fatality trend line is at 8.3 this week - the lowest level for a year. However, both fatalities and the number of wounded, while reaching low levels, have increased in each of the past three weeks. The recent increases may be indications of the start of a new second anniversary insurgency.")



2//KurdishMedia.com, UK--COMMENTARY: EVERYBODY’S BUSINESS IS NOBODY’S BUSINESS IN KIRKUK (. … . The governor of Kirkuk, Abdul-al-Rahman Mustafa, attributes the problems and ethnic tension in the city to the refusal of the central government to implement Article 58 of the interim Iraqi Administration Law. The article calls for the reversal of the effects of the ethnic cleansing project of the former regime, in particular the return of the displaced Kurdish families to Kirkuk and the return of the Arab settlers in Kirkuk to their original homes and places. In my opinion, the implementation of the article may greatly contribute to the normalization of the situation in Kirkuk, it will undoubtedly reduce intercommunal tension and redress most of the concerns of the Kurds. However, the article can offer very little help to bring the two sides, the Kurds and the central government, together. There is no provision in the article to address the issue of the identity of the city, the main demand of the people of Kurdistan. But there are rumours circulating among in some quarters in Kirkuk to the effect that the Kurdish leadership has again deferred the issue of Kirkuk. If this is proved to be true then it is a major blow to the hopes and dreams of the Kurdish people throughout Kurdistan.)

3//The Daily Star, Lebanon--LOCAL COMMUNITIES TAKE SECURITY MATTERS INTO THEIR OWN HANDS (Lebanon's recent string of bomb attacks directed against the country's Christian heartland has resulted in a weary population taking security matters into its own hands. . … . In a bid to protect their neighborhoods and assist overstretched security forces, local residents have come together to form security vigils. From Achrafieh to Ain al-Roumaneh, Bourj Hammoud to Hadath, groups of young men can be seen patrolling the streets and alerting the army of any suspicious activity. . … . A confrontation reportedly emerged Friday night between the army and residents of Dora who had set up their own security checkpoint. The groups were eventually ordered home. Nevertheless, officials readily acknowledge the need to beef up the security apparatus and complain of lack of resources.)



4//The Daily Times, Pakistan--DICTATORSHIP REAL THREAT TO PAKISTAN, SAYS IMRAN KHAN (The real threat facing Pakistan is from dictators who consider themselves above the law, Imran Khan, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) chairman, said on Sunday. He was addressing a public meeting as part of PTI’s public mobilisation campaign to restore constitutional rule in the country.He said the threats facing the country emanated from unconstitutional rulers who acted as demigods. As long as there was no rule of law, he said, political uncertainty and instability would continue to threaten the very survival of the country. . … . The PTI chief said that Pakistan had a long list of military dictators who, in an attempt to cling on to power, professed and justified policies that suited the US. He said by charging the US $70 million dollars per month for conducting military operations in the Tribal Areas, the military rulers were acting like mercenaries.)



RELATED: BENAZIR SAYS NATION WANTS HER AS PREMIER DESPITE BAN



5//The Independent, UK--HOME FIRES IN INDIA HELP TO MELT ARCTIC ICECAP HALF A WORLD AWAY (Poor women cooking family meals in India are helping to melt the Arctic icecap, startling new studies show. Soot from their fires gets wafted into the atmosphere to fall out on the ice thousands of miles away, hastening its disappearance. In a vivid demonstration of interconnectedness, Nasa scientists have found that one-third of the soot affecting the Arctic comes from South Asia. And Indian studies show that nearly half of the soot emitted in the region comes from cooking fires. Last November a major study by some 300 scientists found that the icecap had thinned by nearly half over the past 30 years. It is expected to disappear altogether by 2070, leaving open water all the way to the North Pole.)