Extracts.
Monday, December 18, 2000, updated at 12:11(GMT+8)
Human Rights Watch's Report Unfair, Irresponsible:
Article
The Human Rights Watch's World Report 2000,
regardless of China's constant progress in the human
rights field, is extremely unfair and irresponsible
in its wanton distortion and attacks against China.
The annual report, which was issued this month, cites
lots of so-called facts, including over 30 fabricated
cases, to depict China, where the human rights
situation has been improving steadily, as a country
with a very poor human rights record, according to a
signed article by Xiao You.
It criticizes the report for its parallel ranking of
China and Tibet, saying that Human Rights Watch shows
no respect for China's state sovereignty and
territorial integrity and is attempting to separate
China under the pretext of human rights.
The article calls it a internationally recognized
fact that since the 13th century, Tibet has been an
inalienable part of China and has been effectively
ruled by Chinese governments of different dynasties.
The report also attacks China for its lawful control
on the Internet business for security factors, which
the article says is an international practice.
According to the article, many human rights bodies in
China are acting freely across the country, but the
report distorts the fact, saying that the Chinese
government bans "public activities by any human
rights groups in China's mainland and Tibet."
The Chinese people have the final say on the status
of human rights in the country, the article stresses,
citing official statistics to prove that China has
achieved a sustained, fast and healthy economic
development, with the best human rights status in its
history.
China ensures the people's basic freedom in press and
publication with its Constitution, and since 1979,
the country has promulgated thousands of national and
regional laws and regulations on the guarantee of
human rights, and a legal system for this purpose has
been established, according to the article.
It points out that no country in the world can boast
a perfect human right status that leaves nothing to
be desired. China still has many problems concerning
its human rights situation due to natural and
historic factors as well as the level of development.
However, these problems have to be resolved through
constant reforms and development with stability as a
prerequisite, the article says, noting that China's
efforts to accelerate its economic and political
reforms will bring fundamental improvement to the
country's human rights situation.
The article reiterates that China welcomes goodwill
criticism and constructive proposals on its human
rights status by foreign and international human
rights organizations, based objective facts.
The Chinese people firmly oppose and resist all
vicious attacks against China under the pretext of
human rights and in an attempt to alter the course of
China's development and interfere in the country's
internal affairs, the article says.
****
Monday, December 18, 2000, updated at 08:27(GMT+8)
Turkey Extends Mandate of Operation Northern Watch
Against Iraq Again
Turkish Parliament on Sunday, December 17, once again
approved to extend by another six-month the mandate
of Operation Northern Watch, a force of U.S. and
British warplanes that patrol a no-fly zone in
northern Iraq, reported the Anatolia News Agency.
Defense Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu asked members
of Parliament to adopt the bill for the sake of what
he called "Turkey's national interests" before voting
began.
Cakmakoglu argued that the operation was a useful and
necessary task at the moment saying that uncertainty
was going on in Iraq.
He said that the operation was important because it
could prevent new waves of illegal immigration that
could come from northern Iraq.
Code-named Operation Northern Watch was set up by the
United States and Britain in 1991 after the Gulf War
to contain Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and prevent
Iraqi army from extending its hold over the
Kurds-populated oil-rich north.
Under this operation, U.S. and British military
aircrafts fly from the Incirlik Air Base, south
Turkey, to enforce a so-called " no-fly zone" in
northern Iraq.
The term of Operation Northern Watch has been
extended by Turkish Parliament every six months since
it began. The current term will expire on December
31.
Baghdad last week urged Turkey not to prolong the
term of Operation Northern Watch for the sake of
improving good bilateral relations between the two
neighbors.
The Iraqi Embassy in Ankara issued a written
statement asking the Turkish government to put an end
to the term of the " aggressive" Operation Northern
Watch.
Although it has in recent months accelerated its
diplomatic efforts to improve relations with
neighboring Iraq, Turkey, a NATO ally of the United
States, had to comply with Washington's pressure to
allow continuation of Operation Northern Watch.
****
Chinese Vice President on Party Building
Chinese Vice President on Party Building
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hu Jintao, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the
Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Saturday, December 16,
urged Party organizations and officials all over the country to apply
successful experience in tri-emphasis to CPC building in the new century.
Hu, also the vice president of China, made the remark at a national summary
meeting on tri-emphasis education of CPC members. Tri-empahasis consist of
an emphasis on study, political awareness and healthy ethics that were put
forward by General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Jiang Zemin.
Hu said that the education work has been done smoothly and effectively
during the past two years. Officials have received a profound education of
Marxism, which has helped promote an improvement in working style and
consciousness to refuse corruption.
The tri-emphasis education will have a significant influence over the
trans-century development of the Party and the nation as well, Hu said.
He noted that the tri-emphasis education can not solve all the problems.
CPC local committees should realize that it would be a long-term task to
cement and expand the achievement of the tri-emphasis education.
Hu called on local Party committees to continue their efforts in the
Party's construction so as to promote economic development as center task.
Wei Jianxing, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of
the CPC Central Committee, presided over the meeting.
****
DPRK, S. Korea Reach Agreements on Cooperation The Democratic People's
Republic of Korea (DPRK) and South Korea, after five days of talks, reached
eight agreements Saturday, December 16, on cooperation in the fields of
power, fishery, tourism and sports, DPRK Central TV station reported.
During the talks, which were from December 12-16 at the Koryo Hotel in
Pyongyang, the two sides also signed four agreements on the prevention of
double taxation, trade, investment guarantee and disputed settlements, the
Korean Central News Agency said.
Pyongyang and Soul agreed to set up an inter-Korean committee for promoting
cooperation, so as to bring about the balanced development of the national
economy on the Korean Peninsula. The first meeting of the committee will be
held on December 26 in Pyongyang.
The two sides also agreed to hold the third inter-Korean reunion of 100
separated families in February next year, and affirm addresses, lives and
deaths, as well as exchanging letters.
The two sides decided that the fifth inter-Korean ministerial level talks
will be held in March.
Pyongyang and Seoul have held three rounds of ministerial level talks since
June, when a joint declaration was signed following the historic visit to
the DPRK by South Korean President Kim Dae-jung.
****
US, DPRK Agree to Expand Efforts to Find American MIAs The United States
and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) have agreed to expand
joint operations to recover the remains of Americans listed as missing in
action (MIA) in the Korean War, a US official said Saturday.
The two sides agreed to significantly expand the size of the U. S.teams,
increase the length of U.S. activities and add areas of operations, Alan
Liotta, who led the US delegation at the four-day talks with the DPRK here,
told reporters at the end of the talks.
He said next year's operations, which begin in April, would now include
areas around the Chosin Reservoir and areas near Kaechon in addition to the
current areas in Unsan and Kujang counties which are about 100 kilometers
north of the DPRK capital, Pyongyang.
He described this year's negotiations, the sixth since 1996 and the second
held here this year, as "pleasing."
The U.S. official said this year's negotiations also agreed that U.S.teams
would be expanded to 28 members and be allowed to conduct 10 operations in
three areas, each lasting 32 days as compared with 26 days this year.
The repatriation of remains would follow immediately after that, he said.
The official said 65 sets of remains were recovered in the five joint
operations conducted this year in Unsan and Kujang to add to the 42 sets
recovered in the previous four years.
The two countries also agreed to establish a procedure for sharing records,
data related to witness interviews, potential burial locations and other
information not previously made available by the Koreans, he said.
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