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What U.S. newspapers are saying |
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Thursday, 6 December
2001 11:09 (ET)
What U.S. newspapers are saying New York Times
Before Zimbabwe's parliamentary elections last year, government thugs
terrorized opposition activists for months, killing dozens. Now Zimbabwe
is due to go to the polls again, possible as early as February, to elect a
president. Robert Mugabe, the country's ruler for 21 years, is once again
inciting violence and distorting the election laws.
Mr. Mugabe, Zimbabwe's independence leader, has become erratic,
tyrannical and indifferent to the problems of ordinary people. Because of
hyperinflation and soaring unemployment, many Zimbabweans now can afford
to eat only one meal a day. Mr. Mugabe has tried to recapture public
support by demonizing white farmers, encouraging the violent takeover of
hundreds of their farms. Not surprisingly, food production has faltered.
In large part because of Zimbabwe's economic troubles, recent polls
show Mr. Mugabe losing his presidency to Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the
Movement for Democratic Change, a respected umbrella opposition group. A
panicked government has proposed laws banning foreign and domestic
election observers, obstructing the ability of likely opposition
supporters to vote, barring foreigners from working as correspondents and
restricting domestic journalists.
In a recent speech, Mr. Mugabe called the opposition party and white
farmers "terrorists," using the word at least 20 times. Many worry it is a
signal that he is preparing to ban the opposition, or step up the
violence. This month in Zimbabwe's second-largest city, Bulawayo, thugs
burned down the opposition headquarters while police watched. Police
arrested 14 opposition members on trumped-up murder charges. Two activists
have asserted that the police tortured them to make them confess. ...
Zimbabwe's political and economic woes have discouraged investment in
South Africa and threaten to overwhelm the region with refugees. But while
leaders of Malawi and Mozambique have spoken out against Mr. Mugabe's
policies, South Africa's president, Thabo Mbeki, has only recently begun
to criticize Mr. Mugabe in public. This is welcome, as South Africa's
quiet diplomacy has failed. Last March, Zimbabwe, along with its
neighbors, signed a pledge to hold free and fair elections. Those
neighbors, led by Mr.. Mbeki, must now hold Mr. Mugabe to this promise.
-0-
Chicago Tribune
Despite some intricate footwork in the past few days by Argentina's
economic minister Domingo Cavallo, the country appears headed for a
default on its $132 billion debt -- one of the largest in history.
Argentines are in for pain. If they're lucky, this donnybrook will
finally force government officials to tackle the country's core economic
problems rather than tinker around the edges.
Argentina's economic plight has worsened inexorably during the past 18
months, as debt payments loom that the government can't pay. In the past
few weeks, Cavallo offered to renegotiate the debt, but skeptical lenders
hardly jumped at a package backed mostly by future tax collections. The
unraveling situation then triggered a rush to withdraw dollar deposits
last week, as rank-and-file Argentines panicked. ...
So far, the International Monetary Fund, the United States and other
lenders have ignored Argentina's bleating for another bailout. That is as
it should be. Argentina's economic woes are way beyond fine-tuning or
additional bailouts. Just a year ago, Argentina received a $40 billion
loan package from the IMF that only delayed facing up to the country's
fundamental problems.
One problem is that the government spends far more than it takes in.
...
In the short term, Argentina's choices include a default, abandoning
the dollar-parity system and devaluating the peso, or even adopting the
dollar as the official currency as Ecuador and El Salvador have done.
Those are options, each with serious economic and political
repercussions. But until Argentina fixes its fundamental problems, they
will only be stopgap measures waiting for real reforms.
-0-
Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Efforts to keep track of foreign visitors have been so lax that U.S.
immigration officials have no idea how many are in this country illegally.
The Sept. 11 attack on America revealed the dangerous consequences of such
a lapse, and the Bush administration has tightened immigration policies
since then. However, legislation is needed to provide more safeguards
without building a wall around the country.
Sens. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif.; Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.; and John Kyl,
R-Ariz., last week introduced what is likely to be the legislative vehicle
for closing loopholes in the immigration laws. The 19 terrorists who
carried out the attack entered the United States on temporary visas; at
least two entered the country as students but violated the terms of their
visas.
Attorney General John Ashcroft has issued rules barring the entry of
foreigners belonging to groups that endorse terror and is requiring more
biographical and other information from visa applicants. However, the main
problem is tracking the visitors after they enter the country. The
proposed bill would provide for an interagency database of aliens with
more detailed information and accessibility to all law-enforcement
officials. ...
The bill would prohibit routine issuance of visas to students from
countries that the Department of State regards as sponsors of terrorism --
Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria. However, the bill
would allow exemptions for individuals who are not considered threats to
the United States, a provision that David Ward, president of the American
Council on Education, calls "a good compromise."
Similar compromises may be needed in constructing a comprehensive
reform of the nation's immigration laws to deal with the new threat of
terrorism.
-0-
Washington Times
Russian President Vladimir Putin couldn't be doing better. For the past
three months, he has basked in the revitalized relationship with the
United States as Russia has increased cooperation with America on fighting
terrorism. Now British Prime Minister Tony Blair is proposing to create a
Russia-North Atlantic Council in which Russia would be granted many of the
rights of a NATO member without having to meet the preconditions for being
one. As the NATO foreign ministers meet today in Brussels, both they and
the Bush administration should make clear their skepticism toward the
proposal. Russia's expanded role would not only be a recipe for bringing
disunity into the alliance, but would cause NATO to compromise its
objectives.
While Moscow should be commended for its support of the United States
since September 11, rewarding Russia with virtual NATO membership is not
appropriate. First, there is little need to create a new council. In 1997,
the NATO-Russia Permanent Joint Council was created, setting up the
perimeters for joint action and increased cooperation between NATO and
Russia. That council already allows for consultation on issues from
security, to conflict prevention, to arms-control and exchange of
information -- the same subjects that Mr. Blair's new council would
address. ...
Russia is not ready for the Russian-North Atlantic Council, and its
expanded role at this time would harm NATO's role as a consensus-builder
within Europe. The Bush administration must not compromise the democratic
and security values of the alliance in a quick-fix political move to
please Russia.
-0-
New Orleans Times-Picayune
The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote (Thursday) on whether
to give President Bush fast-track authority to negotiate trade treaties,
but free-trade advocates are still scrambling for the votes needed to pass
the measure.
It shouldn't be this hard. Fast-track authority, also known as trade
promotion authority, allows the president to submit trade treaties to
Congress for a single up-or-down vote, and it is the only way to guarantee
that trade talks will go forward. Such talks are crucial because free
trade is good for the American economy and is a force for modernization
around the world.
The fast-track bill deserves unanimous support from the Louisiana
delegation. ...
Labor unions and other anti-globalization groups are trying to depict
free trade as an issue that pits workers against businesses and rich
countries against poor ones. This is nonsense. The world economy is not a
zero-sum game. In a state that is home to some of the nation's most
important ports, there's no denying the benefits of international trade.
-0-
(Compiled by United Press
International.) |
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