sipila
Thu, 29 Mar 2001 19:40:54 -0800
Extracts. Europe Warns Bush of Repercussions Over Global Warming Stance European officials warned President Bush on Thursday that U.S. relations with the rest of the world could suffer if he sticks by a decision to pull out of an agreement on reducing global warming. "This isn't some marginal environmental issue that can be ignored or played down," European Union Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstroem said at a news conference. "It has to do with trade and economics." Bush administration officials announced Wednesday that they would not implement the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, under which countries agreed to legally binding targets for curbing heat-trapping "greenhouse" gases, which are mainly carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels. The move reversed a position Bush took during last year's presidential campaign. While stressing it was too soon to discuss "tactics to punish the United States," Wallstroem said she will go to Washington next week with an EU delegation to seek clarification of the Bush administration's position. Dutch Environment Minister Jan Pronk, chairman of the last U.N. climate conference, left Thursday on an unscheduled trip to Washington to try to salvage the Kyoto agreement. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, in Washington on a previously scheduled visit, also pressed the EU case in a meeting with Bush on Thursday. Bush defended his stance by saying stricter limits now on greenhouse gas emissions could further weaken the U.S. economy and worsen energy shortages plaguing parts of the country. European officials, however, expressed annoyance that Washington would risk wrecking an agreement thrashed out over years by more than 100 nations because of its current domestic woes. British Environment Minister Michael Meacher also warned of repercussions, although he ruled out the threat of sanctions. Others are already suggesting countermeasures, ranging from an e-mail blitz of the White House to pickets outside Exxon, Texaco or Chevron gas stations. Some have suggested the EU could hold up resolution of trans-Atlantic trade disputes. Critics contend that a U.S. withdrawal would probably doom the pact, since the United States emits about a quarter of the greenhouse gases warming the planet. **** China "Seriously Concerned" Over Israel-Palestine Conflicts China is "seriously concerned" over the escalation of violent conflicts between Israel and Palestine, said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Sun Yuxi. Sun made the remark at a regular press conference Thursday afternoon when asked to comment on the recent explosions in Jerusalem which brought about deaths and injuries and Israeli military forces' revenge attacks on Palestine-controlled areas. Noting that the current Middle East peace process faces severe challenges, Sun said that China hopes the two sides exercise restraint so as to avoid further escalation of conflicts. China also hopes that Israel and Palestine would resume their peace talks at an early date on the basis of related UN resolutions and agreements reached between the two sides. **** DPRK Condemns US for Attempt to Reverse Positive Trend on Korean Peninsula An official newspaper of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/dprk.html> ) on Thursday condemned the US administration for carrying out hostile policies toward the DPRK, in an attempt to reverse the trend of positive development on the Korean Peninsula. US President George Bush is openly calling for the use of force against the DPRK, saying the DPRK's military might "still remains a threat," the official newspaper Rodong Sinmun said in an editorial. It pointed out that US warmongers are trying to reverse the trend of positive development on the Korean Peninsula by escalating their anti-DPRK moves to an extreme pitch. It is the invariable intention of the United States <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/usa.html> to realize their wild design to invade the whole of Korea, which they failed to do in the 1950s, at any cost, even by bringing the Korean nation into the scourge of a nuclear war, it added. **** Chinese, Sudanese Leaders Hold Talks Chinese Vice-President Hu Jintao <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/leaders/vpresident.html> hold talks with visiting Sudanese First Vice-President Ali Osman Mohamed Thursday. **** China to Conduct Strategic Adjustment of Economic Structure Wang Chunzheng, vice-minister of the State Development Planning Commission, delivered a speech entitled "China's Economic Adjustment in the Process of Economic Globalization" at the China Development Forum on March 26. Wang said that China's economic restructuring is a strategic adjustment of major effect on the overall economic situation and long-term development, which is conducted under the impetus of new technological revolution. It is an all-round adjustment that covers industrial, regional and urban and rural structures. Wang said that the Outline of the "10th Five-Year Plan", passed at the 4th Session of the 9th National People's Congress, set forth the main anticipated goals for economic restructuring in the coming five years as follows: industrial structure will be optimized and upgraded, international competitiveness will be largely enhanced. By 2005, the added-value of China's primary, secondary and tertiary industries will respectively account for 13 percent, 51 percent, 36 percent of China's GDP. The national economy and social informationization level will be remarkably raised. Infrastructure will be further improved. The trend of widening development gap between regions will be brought under effective control. The urbanization level will somewhat rise. To this end, we must tackle the following fields of work: First, to speed up adjustment of industrial structure and improve tertiary industrial structure. Strengthening primary industry, improving secondary industry and developing tertiary Industry are the focus of China's economic restructuring as set in the "10th Five-Year Plan". We should put information service, banking and insurance, information and other modern service industries in an important position of structural adjustment while developing the tertiary industry. Second, to vigorously boost national economic informationization and integrate structural adjustment with inforamtionization. Third, to raise the urbanization level and optimize the urban and rural economic structure. During the "10th Five-Year Plan" Period, along with the rise in China's agricultural productivity level and the quickening industrialization process, China will lose no time to carry out urbanization strategy, develop small towns in selected areas and vigorously develop small and medium-sized cities, improve the functions of regional key cities, and give play to the radiating and activating role of big cities. Fourth, to adjust the distribution of productive forces, promote a coordinated development of regional economies. Speeding up the development of central and western regions and continuing to give play to east coastal regions' promotional role in system innovation, science and technology innovation, opening-up program and economic development are the important component parts of the endeavor to boost economic restructuring and a vital strategic move. China is striving to achieve breakthroughs in the construction of infrastructure and ecological environment in the western region, and to record significant development in science and technology and education in 5-10 years' time. **** Hard Ice Melts in Spring Breeze and Rain "We are wrong, we must cease doing harm to our country!" On the morning of March 12, two crazy "Falun Gong" followers and their families embraced each other weeping in the reception room of the third brigade of the Henan <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/province/henan.html> Women Reformatory. These two "Falun Gong" followers are He Haihua and Wang Juanjuan, wife and daughter of Wang Jindong, the chief organizer and plotter of the immolation incident at Tiananmen Square on January 23. More than a month ago when they learned of the news about Wang Jindong setting himself on fire, they still clung to their obstinate attitude, saying, "He is very great, we are proud of him!".. Now, thanks to the patient and painstaking help from the reformatory staff, they have become aware of their errors and turned back from the wrong path, expressing their feeling of shame and uneasiness. "Spiritual Control" Makes One Suffer In 1996, the three-member family of Wang Jindong, He Haihua and Wang Juanjuan began to be infatuated with "Falun Gong". On December 19 last year, they participated in trouble-making at Tiananmen Square in gross violation of laws and decrees, holding a banner bearing the words "the universe Dafa (abhidharma) of truthfulness, benevolence and tolerance". On January 23 this year, Wang Jindong, instigated by Li Hongzhi, participated in the immolation at Tiananmen Square, causing immense harm to his own body and also damaged his originally very happy family. On February 27, He Haihua and Wang Juanjuan were sent to the Henan Women Reformatory for violating laws and decrees. He Haihua, after being transformed, said, "During that period of time, I suffered greatly in my heart, but I wanted to let people outside know I was very firm and steadfast, I could not cry though I wanted to." After He Haihua began practicing "Falun Gong" for feeling physically unwell, she was gradually being deceived by Li Hongzhi and the lies he fabricated, but since she watched the TV program showing the pitiful sight of her husband who set himself ablaze, she had begun to doubt about Li Hongzhi who guided his followers onto the path of death. She recalled the days when she enjoyed the happiness and harmony between her family members who got along with each other day and night, tears ran down her cheek unnoticed many times. But when she thought of Wang Jindong who left behind a slip of paper written with the words "My respected wife, you're really terrific, the Master is on your side, I congratulate you with my palms held together.", He Haihua, with a regretful mind, began to suffer mental torment again. She, bogged down in a dilemma, kept thinking over these questions: If "Falun Gong" were correct, then why couldn't I answer the persuasive questions put to me by the reformatory staff? Something she was sure to be wrong and wanted to confess her mistake, but she was afraid of "dropping to a lower level". At the same time, her husband was suffering from the pain of ailment She feared that admitting her mistake would bring harm to her husband. Since she followed her father in practicing "Falun Gong", Wang Juanjuan who knew little about the ways of the world had been pursuing "nirvana" with blind passion and her mind was thus deeply poisoned. She had once been one of the best students in the Japan <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/japan.html> ese language class of Kaifeng University. Turning a deaf ear to persuasions from her teachers, elderly and her boy friend's family, she continued practicing "Falun Gong", and for this she even gave up the opportunity for advanced study in Japan. Indeed, she had abandoned much, and her relatives and friends had also suffered a great deal because of the "Dafa" On the afternoon of February 27, He Haihua and Wang Juanjuan came to the Henan Women Reformatory. Since the mother and daughter came here, the reformatory staff have tried to find out their main real thoughts through the method of chitchat in order to make their ideological work fruitful. After dispelling Wang Juanjuan's precautionary psychology, the staff members asked her to contrast Li Hongzhi's "truthfulness, benevolence and tolerance" with his instigation of the practitioners to create disturbances at Tiananmen Square and think over the question whether a "good man" would disrupt social security. These incisive remarks enabled Wang Juanjuan to see the light. That same night she wrote, "Through our talks, I was overcome by their sensible way of thinking, I've come to realize that "Falun Gong" is a heresy." Wang Juanjuan has made up her mind to break with Li Hongzhi and his "Falun Gong" cult. Using Sentiment to Shift One's Affection from "Turing Falun (the Wheel of the Law)" The reformatory staff told He Haihua the news about the conversion of Wang Juanjuan, she was rather dubious of this, but she expressed her wish to meet with her daughter. Using sentiment, the staff arranged a meeting between mother and daughter. Wang Juanjuan, who had been ideologically converted began to help her mother to untie her ideological knot. After returning from her daughter's lodging place, He Haihua was greatly touched. She made a clean breast of her mind, saying, "My husband set fire on himself, my daughter and I are put in the reformatory, what a great contribution we've made to 'Falun Gong!', some of our fellow practitioners regard my husband as a monster. I feel I sustain great pressure in my heart. Hearing these, the staff asked her, "What kind of Dafa you are protecting?". In the light of her family condition, the staff persuaded He Haihua to make an early transformation of herself, so that she could go to save Wang Jindong. He indicated that she had understood this truth, but in feeling she could not accept this all of a sudden. In the evening, He Haihua and other former fellow practitioners sat together to watch TV program that exposes and criticizes the "Falun Gong" cult, the tragic figure of her husband pricked her heart. She said as she recalled, that night I simply could not fall into sleep till the wee hour of two o'clock, "my heart is bleeding". On March 1, seeing that He Haihua had somewhat changed her attitude, the reformatory staff decided to transfer He to the third brigade where Wang Juanjuan was in. That same day, the reformatory organized all the personnel serving reform-through-education to watch video tapes, such as "Li Hongzhi the Man and His Deeds", "The Truth about April 25", "Falun Gong Harming People and Killing Their Lives", as well as CCTV programs. Through watching TV programs and studies, He Haihua had taken a gratifying step forward. That night, she made up her mind to say goodbye to the "Falun Gong" cult. Thereafter, she also persuaded other obsessed "Falun Gong" followers not to go too far in the queer circle of the "Falun Gong" cult, instead they should repent and mend their ways. He asked herself: I had practiced "Falun Gong" for so many years, what had I brought for the country and my family? She thought to herself: I had only myself in my heart, to pursue "Nirvana", I did not care about the death or danger of others, what I had gained in practicing "Falun Gong" was the term "selfishness".She appealed: "Wake up, all obsessed followers, we must cease harming our own country, and must not do anything that sadden our friends and gladden our enemies¡-." When One Jumps Out of the "Falun Gong" Circle, One Finds the Vastness of the World He Haihua and Wang Juanjuan who had said goodbye to "Falun Gong" cult felt a sense of relief, now they have renewed their personal experience of their long-forfeited true feeling of the human world. On March 10 when learning about the conversion of He Haihua and Wang Juanjuan, Wang's boy friend immediately took a long-distance bus to come to the reformatory, the young man's father also asked him to bring 100 yuan for Wang Juanjuan. Unfortunately since it was not visiting time, he could not see her, still, Wang was very glad when she learned about this matter. On March 12, the reformatory made an exceptional arrangement for the mother and daughter to meet with their relatives-sisters and niece of He Haihua, they had all came. Holding their relatives' hands, they chatted endlessly. Let the bygone be bygone, only after repented and mended their ways that the mother and daughter felt the beauty of love and affection. Wang Juanjuan said: "In the past I was really too selfish, for the impossible thing of "going to heaven", I did not hesitate to do harms to the country and my relatives. As we have changed, our relatives laugh, people who show concern for us also laugh. It was not until now that I discover that the true feeling in the man's world is most beautiful." He Haihua said: Members of my family all took to the evil ways, this is because we slacked off in my studies and had a fading awareness of the law. >From now on I'll start afresh and earnestly remold myself." The reformatory staff told the reporters that Wang Juanjuan had brought her Japanese teaching materials to the reformatory, she would study while she was remolding herself there. She was prepared to work herself up to be a person useful to the country. He Haihua also ceaselessly strengthened studying, trying as far as possible to shake herself off, from the depth of her mind, the yoke of "Falun Gong" cult. She would try her best to help more people bogged down in the mire. She also expressed the hope to go to Beijing <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/province/beijing.html> together with her daughter when opportunity arises, so that she would do ideological work with Wang Jindong in the hope that he would transform himself at an early date. **** China Appreciates Arab Summit Meeting's Positive Efforts China appreciates the positive efforts made at the just-concluded Arab summit meeting to safeguard and strengthen unity and cooperation among Arab states, push forward a peaceful resolution to the Middle East and Gulf issues, and accelerate economic integration. Chinese Foreign Ministry <http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/> Spokesman Sun Yuxi made the remark when asked to comment on the meeting here Thursday afternoon at a routine press conference. Noting that this is an important meeting convened under new situations by Arab states,), Sun pointed out that China has always supported the just cause of Arab states and all their efforts for realizing regional peace and development. He also voiced the sincere hope of China to further promote friendship and cooperation in various fields with Arab states. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________