New World Media Watch---Kuwait Women on verge of voting??

[Gloria]

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



WORLD MEDIA WATCH FOR MARCH 16, 2005



1//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong--AN OFFER THAT CAN BE REFUSED ( … Thus, no matter how urgent the European desire to heal the trans-Atlantic rift with Washington, vividly demonstrated in President George W Bush's recent charm offensive in European capitals, the fact remains that in agreeing to bandwagon with the US on the next steps toward Iran, Europe has potentially bargained away its diplomacy and, worse, put at risk its carefully-cultivated nuanced approach toward Iran; already, Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Dr Hassan Rowhani, has warned that in light of Iran's full compliance with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections, Iran will immediately cease negotiations with Europe and resume nuclear fuel production if Iran's dossier is sent to the Security Council. … But, this aside, the US and Europe cannot possibly overlook the role and influence of Iran's national character and collective psyche, which will be badly bruised if Iran bargains away its NPT rights to nuclear technology for such modest incentives. Without doubt, the political backlash inside Iran will be tremendous, and Rowhani and others involved in such a humiliating bargain will be the immediate political casualties, sure to be replaced with more hawkish politicians more apt to emulate North Korea's path - of exiting the NPT and excluding any outside inspection of their nuclear facilities.)



2//The Independent, UK--STRAW PLEDGES CURB ON £15bn ARMS TRADE (Jack Straw has vowed to lead a global drive to force the world's arms exporters to sign a treaty controlling the £15bn-a-year trade in conventional weapons. Warning that a person is shot dead every minute in the world, the Foreign Secretary said "more misery and destruction" was caused by smallarms than by tightly controlled weapons of mass destruction. But British defence contractors may be more than happy with such a global treaty because that would put them on a "level playing field" with firms based in countries with a less stringent approach to monitoring arms exports. … Mr Straw said legally binding controls could be drawn up on conventional arms exports to match those on nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. He promised to put the issue on the agenda of the June meeting of the foreign ministers of the G8 group of politically powerful nations, which he will chair.)



3//The Daily Times, Pakistan--PAKISTAN WANTS TO JOIN NUCLEAR SUPPLIERS GROUP (Amid a widening investigation into a nuclear black-market run by its own disgraced top scientist, Pakistan on Tuesday announced that it wants to join a group of countries working to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons. The offer by Pakistan to join the 44-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) comes amid charges by diplomats and nuclear experts that Pakistan had developed new illicit channels to upgrade its nuclear weapons programme, despite efforts by the UN atomic watchdog to shut down all illegal procurement avenues. … Nuclear experts said these channels involved new middlemen who had not played a role in earlier deals which came to light last year. “These are not the same people. They’re new, which is worrying,” said one Western diplomat.)

4//NewsVOA.com (Voice of America), US-- U.S.—TURKISH TENSIONS (Turkey is in flames. A U.S. air attack has leveled Istanbul and Ankara, and now American tanks are rolling in to occupy the country. In desperation, the Turks call on Russia and the European Union for help, and these onetime enemies of Turkey stall the U.S. advance and end the war – but not before an enterprising Turkish agent has destroyed much of Washington with a nuclear device. … The stuff of fantasy, to be sure, in a best-selling Turkish novel titled “Metal Storm.” … What is going on? How can two erstwhile allies, cooperative in so many areas, go to war? At the moment, there is certainly a war of words. A BBC survey indicates Turkey is now the most anti-American nation on earth. In this atmosphere, no monstrous act is considered beyond America or its Israeli partner in crime who are even compared to the German Nazis. Columnist Arnaud deBorchgrave says some Turks may be outvenoming Osama bin Laden.)



5//The Daily Star, Lebanon--NEW FATWA WILL ENABLE KUWAITI EMIR TO RULE ON WOMEN’S RIGHTS (Kuwait's minister of Islamic affairs said Monday his ministry would shortly issue a new fatwa, entrusting the emir to rule on a controversy over whether to give women political rights. … He said the fatwa would be signed and released next Saturday. The new fatwa would replace one issued in 1985 which clearly stated that Islam forbids women from voting and contesting parliamentary elections. … The new edict is expected to boost chances of Kuwaiti women winning political rights in the face of stiff opposition by a majority of Kuwaiti Islamists and conservative tribal lawmakers. Emir Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmed al-Sabah favors giving women the vote. In 1999, he issued a decree granting women full political rights but it was narrowly rejected by Parliament the same year.)