New year, new hopes

New year, new hopes

A dull year is past, and new hopes are emerging. However, we
foresee many problems, as 2004 is a political year highlighted
not only by political strife, but also by a gloomy economy as a
result of continuing political instability.

The optimistic would see the 2004 elections as a momentum to
awaken this nation from its prolonged crisis. However, whether we
would really arise or be buried would depend on how we elect our
representatives and leaders.

Meanwhile, our hopes for economic improvement would vanish if
we fail to use the upcoming elections as a momentum for change --
that is, if we fail to elect representatives and leaders who have
the moral commitment to fight corruption, collusion and nepotism
down to their roots.

Unfortunately, there is already a sign that the elections will
be unsuccessful. Many "black", or dishonest and tainted,
politicians have been included in the list of legislative
candidates. Meanwhile, our laws still allow for money politics to
influence the candidacy process at every step.

Thus, money politics might also influence the presidential
election, prompting the nation to make another mistake in
choosing its next president.

We, of course, do not want to have a leader who will take part
in corrupt customs, and this is what we should prevent.
Otherwise, our hopes for a better economy will remain a dream.

-- Republika, Jakarta

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On mad-cow disease

News of the first apparent case of mad-cow disease in the
United States couldn't have come at a worse time: right in the
middle of the holidays and with increasing demand for beef having
recently set record-high prices.

Now, the question is how to best protect consumers and the
cattle industry. The government should address concerns quickly
and more comprehensively than it has.

Experts say the chance of any one person developing mad-cow
disease is very small, should beef from an infected animal reach
grocery stores. But that is only somewhat reassuring.

The brain, spinal cord and lower parts of the small intestine
are considered the high-risk materials, not the muscle meat, such
as steak and roast. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman has
said meat is safe because of measures taken to keep nerve tissue
out of the food supply - following the crisis in Great Britain
that began in 1986 - but other countries take even more stringent
precautions.

Among changes to consider here:

More testing and using tests that provide results faster.

-- The Des Moines Register, Des Moines, Iowa

On illegal immigrants

The administration is again moving on an initiative President
Bush promoted during his campaign, but dropped once in office.
And that is to find a way to legalize the status of the millions
of illegal immigrants - primarily from Mexico - who fill crucial
jobs across the country.

What's needed is a formal guest worker program that allows
Mexican workers to cross the border legally and fill jobs here
legally. It would slash illegal immigration - saving countless
lives - provide a stable source of workers for companies that
depend on immigrant labor, and provide needed protection for
immigrants whose status as illegals today leaves them vulnerable
to abuses by employers who use their illegal status as a form of
control.

Critics of legalizing this immigration contend that it is a
security problem since 9/11. But they are blind to the facts.

These illegals are here, in great numbers, and despite massive
increases in border security the United States is unable keep
them out. ...

It is time to recognize reality. If the immigrants are going
to come, let them come openly, with the government's official
blessing. Only then can this problem be turned into a solution
that meets needs on both sides of the border.
-- Pensacola News Journal, Pensacola, Florida

Diplomatic fallout
of Iran's earthquake

In times of disaster, the world shows its good side.

People stand together in need - everyone is offering Iran help
after the devastating earthquake. ...

Of course rich countries can do so particularly effectively,
all problems aside.

Even the Americans are taking part, although for two decades
they have had no diplomatic relations with the country, which
President Bush counts among the 'rogues' - and their military
aircraft are being allowed to land.

In an emergency tensions are forgotten, so it seems.

Moderate tones can be heard from Tehran too. The military says
help from everywhere is welcome. President (Mohammad) Khatami
says Iran can't cope alone with the disaster.

But not every difference has been swept away, of course. Even
in this crisis, the interior ministry in Tehran says help from
Israel isn't wanted.

Still, maybe the momentum from the aid can be used to calm
tensions further.

If the aid continues into preparing the quake-prone areas for
the future, for example through a joint rebuilding of Bam, that
could contribute to opening up the country.

That will help everyone - far beyond the current disaster.

-- Tagesspiegel, Berlin

Palestinian-Israeli
conflict

The recurrence of the cycle of violence between Israel and the
Palestinians after a period of relative calm does not augur well
for the Middle East peace roadmap on which all sides have been
pinning great hopes.

In retrospect, in the absence of serious peace talks, the
prospects for the return to violence become imminent.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has also been doing
everything possible under the sun to undermine the efforts to get
the two sides back to the negotiating table.

This is the time for the U.N. Security Council to deal with
the Palestinian conflict in a more determined way and take
appropriate steps and measures to impose a real cease-fire or
armistice in a bid to enforce a solution of its own on both the
Israelis and Palestinians alike on the basis of its own
Resolution 242 and the roadmap which it has recently endorsed.

The council has the means to enforce its own resolutions on
the Palestinian situation. It should exercise its authority
without hesitation. Otherwise, the conflict between Israel and
the Palestinians would continue to fester and deteriorate to an
extent that it could become unmanageable."

-- The Jordan Times, Amman, Jordan

The United States
and Iraq

The lasting impression of the war in Iraq is that it showed
the Bush administration's new foreign policy put into practice.

A decisive question during the coming year is therefore of
course if the policy will last.

In November, there is a presidential election, and the
Democratic candidates are to a varying degree representing
another view of the role of the only superpower in the world.

But the question is whether not a re-election of George W.
Bush would have the most important consequences for the world's
political climate. His re-election will, at least by their own
standard, be interpreted as a clear acceptance of the foreign
policy that has been conducted.

Then we can expect another four years of the same kind - and
the question is how many international institutions will survive
that. -- Dagens Nyheter, Stockholm, Sweden

Heading off al-Qaeda

We may never know if U.S. officials actually prevented al-
Qaeda from carrying out a terrorist attack against the United
States last week, but their ability to react to a perceived
threat was certainly encouraging.

Counterterrorism agents, armed with what they say was credible
evidence that terrorists affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Taliban
were planning to launch an attack from France, convinced their
French counterparts to cancel six Air France flights scheduled to
leave Paris for Los Angeles.

The fear was that terrorists were planning a dramatic
Christmas Eve attack against the United States. Reports have
varied on whether Los Angeles or Las Vegas was the intended
target.

Had terrorists hit either city, it would have been awful. Even
if they hadn't struck a city, but instead hit a military
installation, a power plant or a dam, a successful attack during
the Christmas holidays would have been a major psychological blow
- in addition to whatever physical destruction the attackers
might have been able to cause.

Two years ago, various law enforcement and security agencies
in this country seemed incapable of communicating with one
another. The levels of incompetence and bureaucratic insularity
were so high that the Immigration and Naturalization Service
approved a student visa for Mohammed Atta six months after he
died carrying out one of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Yet, last week, in anticipation of al-Qaeda's next move, U.S.
officials were able to work with French officials and keep the
six French jetliners grounded.

-- The Times-Picayune, New Orleans

The double standard
of U.S. border control

As debate continues over the government's proposed border-
crossing program, one aspect of the current policy deserves
closer scrutiny - different treatment of our neighbors, depending
on whether they come from north or south of U.S. borders.

Under the current system, guests from Canada with proof of
Canadian citizenship are allowed to remain in the United States
for up to six months without any visa. Visitors from Mexico,
however, are limited to a 72-hour stay unless they apply for a
tourist or business visa. Not only that, but Mexican citizens
can't go more than 25 miles from the border, while Canadians are
free to travel throughout the United States. ...

If homeland security were a concern, the restrictions should
also apply to Canadians. After all, some of the Sept. 11
hijackers entered the United States from Canada, but as far as we
know, none came in from Mexico.

Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, has introduced
legislation to eliminate this unfair treatment. His bill would
give Mexican citizens entering with visas the same six-month stay
Canadian citizens enjoy. ...

This treatment of our southern neighbors doesn't stem from any
security reason. It's based on the decades-old fear that visitors
from Mexico will abuse the system and remain here illegally. But
the current system doesn't stop those looking for work. It merely
curtails tourism among Mexico's middle- and upper-class citizens
and engenders ill will between the United States and Mexico. Our
system is downright unneighborly.

-- The Gazette, Colorado Springs, Colorado

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The Lima News, Lima, Ohio, on attempts to limit cigarettes in
movies:

In what might be one of the most egregious misuses of elected
office, several states' attorneys general went to Hollywood last
week to meet with movie industry executives in an attempt to
limit the use of cigarettes in movies. While many state attorneys
general made names for themselves with the 1998 tobacco
settlement, we fail to see how the officials have any business
telling Hollywood what it should or should not put in movies, at
least not in their official capacities.

Smoking is an unhealthy habit and it's best for people if they
never start smoking. Years of studies and common sense tell us
these things are true. But how is it the government's
responsibilities to be sure children get the message? In earlier
times, parents made sure their children knew what was good and
what was bad. Have we really come so far from that ideal that we
need Hollywood to impart those messages?

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GetAP 1.00 -- JAN 2, 2004 01:55:01
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By The Associated Press=

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By The Associated Press=

A selection of excerpts from editorials in newspapers
worldwide:
---
The Daily Telegraph, London, on George Bush and the war on terrorism:

Following September 11, 2001, George W. Bush warned that the
war on terrorists and their sponsors would be long and of global
reach. Persistent pursuit of such a goal was always going to be
hard to maintain, whether because of the softer options offered
the electorate by the political opposition or through
bureaucratic inertia. Sensing this, two neo-conservatives, David
Frum and Richard Perle, have issued a renewed wake-up call in a
book to be published tomorrow.

"We can feel the will to win ebbing in Washington," they write
in An End to Evil. "We sense the reversion to the bad old habits
of complacency and denial." They remind their readers that the
likes of Osama bin Laden require another spectacular act of mass
murder to justify their propaganda, and conclude that there is no
middle way between victory and holocaust. ...

It is, perhaps, best to see the Frum and Perle book as the
opening shot in a bid to set the agenda for a second Bush
presidential term. The issues they discuss will be as relevant
then as they are now, and their bold solutions will still deserve
a reasoned response. For both men have fully grasped the seismic
change in world affairs that September 11 represented.

---

Corriere Della Sera, Milan, Italy, on criticism of Italy in
the European media:

Two European papers, the Financial Times and Le Monde, speak
of Italy and of its government in spitefully negative terms, in
their editions of Monday and Tuesday.

The first asks if the laws asked for by Italian Premier Silvio
Berlusconi (in particular the one on false accounting) have not
contributed to the seriousness of the Parmalat case.

The second lists Berlusconi's mistakes during his tenure as
European Union president.

It is certainly true that the conflict of interest and the
tailor-made laws passed by the Berlusconi government represent an
ugly page in Italy's history.

It is also true that the boasting, the jokes and the pats on
the back belong more to the style of a salesman and a soccer
supporter than to that of a statesman.

But (we) have the impression that some of the liberal
newspapers of Europe are inventing an Italian scapegoat in order
to mobilize the indignation of their moralist readers.

If (the newspapers) want to do Berlusconi a favor they should
continue in this way. They will guarantee him the support of the
little nationalism that still exists in this country.
---
La Razon, Madrid, Spain, on greater airline security:

The nature of the Sept. 11 attacks and the terrorist threats
and plans that have since come to light amply explain the demands
by U.S. authorities that foreign airlines should have armed
police among their passengers. ... The U.S demand is reasonable
not only because it boosts security but also because it comes
from a country which is known to be a preferred target of
international terrorism. ...(Spain's) Interior Ministry would do
well to heed the request as it would also benefit Spanish airline
passengers. ... But neither should we ignore warnings by Spanish
pilots and crews who roundly reject firearms on planes. We must
not forget that a shot from a gun in a pressurized cabin
thousands of meters up in the air could have disastrous effects.
But this should spur the search for an equally effective
alternative to conventional firearms with which to arm the agents
so as to avoid an attack and overcome those who would try to
cause another firestorm like that of Sept. 11.

---

---

Asahi Shimbun, Tokyo, on mad-cow disease in the United States:

The repercussions from the first case of bovine spongiform
encephalopathy in the United States have been felt around the
world, with many countries suspending imports of U.S. beef.

In Japan's case, the United States is a chief beef supplier
along with Australia. U.S. beef accounts for 30 percent of all
beef consumed in Japan. If the import ban continues, beef prices
will likely soar. ...

It will not be possible to resume U.S. beef imports while
consumer anxiety lingers.

It had long been said there was no reason to worry about BSE
in North America. But earlier this year, BSE infection was
confirmed in Canada. When we consider how BSE that originated in
Europe spread to Asia and North America, it has to be
acknowledged that containing BSE within borders is extremely
difficult.

What kind of an inspection system is required to allow beef
imports and exports? Isn't it about time for governments to start
international discussions about inspection systems, presenting
their individual screening standards?

There is no need to fear BSE excessively. But in order to
eradicate consumer anxiety, each country needs to establish a
stringent inspection system. Retailers, too, should display
reliable information about where and how the meat was produced.
---
Aamulehti, Tampere, Finland, on the Serbian elections:

Voters in countries that were born from the ruins of former
Yugoslavia don't seem to have learned a thing from the dismal
history of the region, but are again ready to throw matches into
the powder keg of chauvinism.

In a short space of time extreme nationalists won elections in
Bosnia, Croatia and, most recently on Sunday, in Serbia where the
largest parliamentary group is turning out to be the greater-
Serbia Serbian Radical Party led by Vojislav Seselj who stands
accused in the war crimes tribunal in The Hague.

Another Serb, also on trial in The Hague is former Yugoslav
President Slobodan Milosevic who was elected to Parliament even
though the socialist party he leads didn't do well otherwise.

The Serbian election result was a harsh protest against the
Hague process. However, despite their election defeat the
democratic Serbian parties cannot bend to the will of the public
but must be allowed to rectify the bloody past of the country.

---

---

Berlingske Tidende, Copenhagen, Denmark, on the Serbian
elections,

What is worrisome is that the largest party in the country has
a leader, the nationalist Vojislav Seselj, who has been jailed by
the U.N. tribunal at The Hague. And that the former president,
Slobodan Milosevic, who is charged with war crimes, could appear
on the ballots...

The outcome of the election can possibly be interpreted as the
electorate punishing the government because it has not lived up
to (the voters') expectations. In such case, the punishment is
inappropriate because it points directly back at a policy that
has brought nothing good for either Serbia or any of the
countries in the Balkans.
---
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GetAP 1.00 -- JAN 2, 2004 01:54:39