Extracts. Xinhua Commentary on Dalai's Abortive Plot Xinhua News Agency published a commentary titled "Hypocritical Face and Bloody Nature" Friday, condemning the Dalai clique for its conspiracy to coerce a young Tibetan lama into committing suicide through self-immolation. This situation has once again exposed the hypocritical nature of the Dalai Lama as a "guardian of human rights" and his belief in "nonviolence," comments an unnamed Xinhua reporter. It is common knowledge that in old Tibet, under the reign of Dalai, serfs, who made up 95 percent of the Tibetan population, did not own any farmland, grazing land or property. Of these serfs, five percent were slaves who had no personal freedom, according to the commentary. The old Tibet was a place with few human rights in the world, while the Dalai Lama was the most powerful serf-owner, who not only had deprived the masses of serfs of their personal freedom but also was free to deprive serfs and slaves of their lives, the commentary says. In 1959, the Dalai clique led an armed rebellion and carried out activities to split the motherland in order to safeguard serfdom, which was a practice similar to that in the Middle Ages in Europe, the commentary says. Since then, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama and his separatist group have used various means and ways to spread a succession of rumors aimed at splitting the motherland, it notes. The commentary said that in recent years, the Dalai Lama and his separatists have been trying to sway international opinion and influence well-meaning people, disguised as a "guardian of human rights" and waving the banners of "peace" and "nonviolence" in the international arena. But rumors can't cover up the facts, it stressed. The Dalai Lama and his group have never considered the peace and welfare of the Tibetan people or the development of Tibet; on the contrary, they have tried every way possible, even sacrificing the life of a Tibetan compatriot, to cling to their rule over Tibetan people and to once again deprive Tibetan people of their basic human rights, the commentary noted. The bloody, abortive self-immolation incident masterminded by the Dalai Clique has once again made the public clearly see that underneath the hypocritical face of the "guardian of human rights, " the fourteenth Dalai Lama is hiding his savage nature that allows him to cruelly waste human life, endanger society, trample on human rights and split the motherland, it said. The Xinhua commentary warned that it is absolutely impossible for the Dalai and his separatist clique to succeed in their attempts to curb the development of Tibet and split the motherland, no matter what masquerade they try to play. **** Cuba's Castro Welcomes US Plan to Bankroll Foes Cuban President Fidel Castro joked on Thursday that a US plan to channel millions of dollars to dissidents inside Cuba was "excellent" and would help the embargo-hit communist-run island. Two influential US senators on Wednesday proposed legislation to fund internal opponents to Castro, who has dominated Cuban government since leading a revolution which ousted former dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959. "Excellent!" Castro told a news conference in Lisbon when asked for his opinion about the US plan. "The more mistakes they make, the weaker the US position will be," added the 74-year-old Castro after meeting with Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres. "(The) better for us, who grow in the mistakes that they constantly make." The US plan, proposed by Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Jesse Helms and former vice presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman, would provide $100 million over four years in cash, food, medicine and other supplies to opposition and non-government groups in Cuba. The plan, marking the first time the United States has directly supported internal groups in Cuba in more than four decades, is modelled on US support for Poland's Solidarity movement in the 1980s. Castro was on a brief stopover in Portugal, having previously visited Libya, Algeria, Iran, Malaysia and Qatar, but avoiding Spain, a country he has often visited in the past. He denied that relations had soured with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar after the Cuban leader refused to sign a motion condemning Basque separatist group ETA at an Ibero-American summit in Panama last November. "We have proposed motions against much stronger terrorism than that of ETA, in the United Nations and at international conferences," Castro said, adding he could not sign a motion that specifically condemned ETA while omitting to mention "terrorists" he said had plotted to kill him in a bomb attack. "They were going to kill hundreds of students, because the place chosen was a university. The amount of explosives would have killed hundreds," he said. Castro said Luis Posada, one of four men arrested in Panama on charges of trying to kill him, had US support and had committed many violent crimes over decades, including an aircraft attack in 1976 which killed 73 people. He doubted that Panama was a suitable place to hold Posada and the other suspects, whose extradition to Cuba has been denied. "Panama is a small country and has been under pressure. It cannot guarantee the security for them not to be rescued, or to escape," Castro said. **** U.S., Russian Presidents to Meet in Slovenia Next Month U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in Slovenia at the end of Bush's first European trip in mid-June, Secretary of State Colin Powell announced in Washington Friday. Powell said he and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov just had a meeting with Bush in the Oval Office. "I might take this opportunity to announce, however, that we have agreement that the two presidents will get together next month, either on the afternoon of the 16th or the morning of the 17th of June," Powell said. "We are working that out now, and it will be in Slovenia, at the capital, Ljubljana. The presidents are looking forward to their meeting," Powell told reporters. "I'm sure it'll be a very, very productive meeting between these two leaders who have a very full agenda that they will pursue on that occasion." Ljubljana is Bush's last stop on a five-nation trip that also includes a visit to Spain, meeting with NATO leaders in Belgium, with leaders of the European Union members in Sweden and talks in Poland. On his part, Ivanov said that "I've conveyed to President Bush a personal letter from President Putin, and this letter expresses a readiness and desire of the leaders of the Russian Federation to pursue and continue a constructive dialogue with the United States. " "The president of the United States has stressed that he is prepared to continue cooperation and dialogue with the Russian Federation, and together we are prepared to lay a foundation for a more secure future for the entire world," he said. **** Russia Stresses Necessity of Dialogue on Missile Defense Russia and the United States should maintain a constructive dialogue on strategic issues, in particular, on anti-missile defense, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said Saturday. Moscow and Washington have "obviously different views" on most problems, but both sides agreed that "dialogue be maintained between Russia and the U.S. and we act not as rivals but as partners in discussing these problems," Ivanov told the Russian TV channel on the results of his visit in Washington. The U.S. says that the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty is outmoded and should be replaced, although "it does not offer any specific formulas that could replace the 1972 treaty," the foreign minister said. "In our view, the 1972 ABM treaty and everything the two sides have worked out to develop it provide a very broad set of instruments for preserving and improving strategic stability," he said. "It is important that we have begun a constructive dialogue, a constructive discussion on all these issues with experts, representatives from defense and other structures involved," the foreign minister said. "There are grounds to hope that there will not be unilateral moves but moves taking into account each other's interests," he said. **** Chinese Military Delegation Visits Tanzania A high-ranking delegation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) arrived in Dar Es Salaam Saturday for an official goodwill visit to Tanzania. The delegation, headed by General Qian Shugen, deputy chief of PLA General Staff, is visiting the east African state at the invitation of the People's Defense Forces of Tanzania (TPDF). Accompanied by TPDF Major General G. M. Waitara, Qian reviewed a guard of honor before he proceeded to a dinner held in his honorby the TPDF top brass. During his six-day visit, Qian is expected to meet with Minister of Defense Philemon Sarungi, Zanzibari President Amani Karume and President of the Union Benjamin Mkapa. Qian was accompanied by Lieutenant General Gong Gucheng, deputy commander of the PLA Guangzhou Military Area, Major General Gui Quanzhi, chief of staff of the PLA Chengdu Military Area and other senior officers. _________________________________________________ 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] __________________________________________________
