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Voice of America, 99-11-11

Voice of America: Selected Articles Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Voice of America <gopher://gopher.voa.gov>


CONTENTS

  • [01] CLINTON - KOSOVO (L) BY DEBORAH TATE (WHITE HOUSE)
  • [02] CLINTON - KOSOVO (L-UPDATE) BY DEBORAH TATE (WHITE HOUSE)
  • [03] NATO / KOSOVO (L ONLY) BY STEFAN BOS (BUDAPEST)
  • [04] TURKEY'S VIRTUE PARTY BY YONCA POYRAZ DOGAN (WASHINGTON)
  • [05] YUGO WAR CRIMES (L ONLY) BY LAUREN COMITEAU (THE HAGUE)
  • [06] ITALY / BUILDING COLLAPSE (L ONLY) BY SABINA CASTELFRANCO (ROME)
  • [07] NY ECON WRAP (S & L) BY LARRY FREUND (NEW YORK)
  • [08] THURSDAY'S EDITORIALS BY RALPH ECKHARDT (WASHINGTON)

  • [01] CLINTON - KOSOVO (L) BY DEBORAH TATE (WHITE HOUSE)

    DATE=11/11/1999
    TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
    NUMBER=2-256055
    CONTENT=
    VOICED AT:

    INTRO: President Clinton will travel to Kosovo during his upcoming trip to Europe. Correspondent Deborah Tate reports from the White House. Text: Mr. Clinton is expected to make a brief visit to Kosovo at the end of his 10-day European tour. Administration officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, say the president will use the stop - expected to last just a matter of hours - to praise the work of U-S peacekeepers there and to address tensions between Serbs and Kosovar Albanians. It is a visit the president has been eager to make following the U-S - led NATO bombing campaign over Yugoslavia earlier this year, which helped force Serb troops out of Kosovo, In a speech commemorating Veteran's Day Thursday at Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington, Mr. Clinton paid tribute to the US forces that took part in the mission.

    /// Clinton actuality ///

    In Kosovo, we had zero combat fatalities, and only two planes shot down, though our pilots took heavy enemy fire every single day, and put their lives repeatedly at greater risk, to avoid hitting civilians on the ground. That is a tribute to the professionalism we see every day from our military forces all around the world. (applause)

    /// end act ///

    Mr. Clinton leaves for Europe Sunday. His first stop will be Turkey, followed by Greece, Italy, Bulgaria and then the Yugoslav province of Kosovo. He was initially scheduled to begin the trip in Greece on Saturday, but the visit was delayed and shortened because of anti-American demonstrations. (signed) Neb/DAT/JP 11-Nov-1999 13:04 PM EDT (11-Nov-1999 1804 UTC)
    NNNN
    Source: Voice of America

    [02] CLINTON - KOSOVO (L-UPDATE) BY DEBORAH TATE (WHITE HOUSE)

    DATE=11/11/1999
    TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
    NUMBER=2-256059
    CONTENT=
    VOICED AT:
    /// EDS: UPDATES CR 2-256055 WITH FORMAL ANNOUNCEMENT, CLINTON ACTUALITY ///

    INTRO: President Clinton has announced that he will travel to Kosovo during his trip to Europe, which begins next week. Correspondent Deborah Tate reports from the White House.

    TEXT: Five months after the U-S - led Nato bombing campaign forced Serb troops from Kosovo, President Clinton will make his first trip to the Yugoslav province to assess how peace is taking hold. Administration officials say Mr. Clinton will make a brief visit to a U-S military facility in Kosovo at the end of his 10-day European tour. The President, confirming the trip in an appearance before reporters, says he wants to thank U-S peacekeeping troops, and assess the progress toward peace and humanitarian needs -- particularly the need for warm shelter for Kosovars who returned home after the conflict and are now living in tents.

    /// CLINTON ACT ///

    It is a problem, but I think we will deal with it, and I think the Kosovars know it is a problem because they got to go home so fast, and we will just have to work it through and find out whatever is necessary to get them through the winter.

    /// END ACT ///

    U-S officials say Mr. Clinton will also use the opportunity to underscore the need for tolerance in Kosovo, which, in the aftermath of NATO's bombing mission, has seen repeated attacks on Serbs by ethnic Albanians, angry over what they feel were years of repression. Mr. Clinton leaves Sunday on his European trip, which also takes him to Turkey, Greece, Italy and Bulgaria. His first stop is the Turkish capital of Ankara, although he had initially been scheduled to begin the trip in Athens. Anti-American demonstrations in the Greek capital prompted Mr. Clinton to postpone and shorten that visit. (Signed)
    NEB/DAT/WTW 11-Nov-1999 15:06 PM EDT (11-Nov-1999 2006 UTC)
    NNNN
    Source: Voice of America

    [03] NATO / KOSOVO (L ONLY) BY STEFAN BOS (BUDAPEST)

    DATE=11/11/1999
    TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
    NUMBER=2-256047
    CONTENT=
    VOICED AT:

    INTRO: NATO Secretary-General George Robertson has acknowledged that the number of Albanians killed in Kosovo by Serbian forces may be lower than previously reported. Stefan Bos reports Mr. Robertson made the comment to reporters after talks in Budapest with Hungarian officials.

    TEXT: Mr. Robertson said he realizes that the number of people killed in Kosovo by Serbs may be much lower than previously thought. The NATO leader cited a United Nations report showing that investigators so far have discovered just over 21-hundred bodies in mass graves scattered across the province. During the air campaign against Serb targets in Yugoslavia, NATO and U-N officials spoke about at least 10-thousand deaths. But Mr. Robertson said that despite the lower number, NATO military action against Serb forces was justified.

    /// ROBERTSON ACT ///

    The United Nations mission has said that they have exhumed at least two-thousand bodies of what they expect will be at least four-thousand bodies that are buried inside that country of people who died as a consequence of the violence inside Kosovo. That is a very large number of people to have been butchered by the Serb forces. There was violence of a scale and nature we thought had been eliminated after the Second World War. And these figures are proving that this is the case. It may well be that the information that was coming out via the refugees indicated higher numbers. But I am not willing to regret or apologize for the numbers (we have reported) until we know the final proof or evidence. We are not at that point yet.

    /// END ACT ///

    Mr. Robertson discussed the situation in Kosovo and the region with government officials in Hungary. He said he urged Hungary to continue to reform and update its military forces.

    /// ROBERTSON ACT TWO ///

    The reforms of the military here are, I hope, going to be a guiding standard for other countries moving from the structures of the past to what is required for the future. Because without major reforms to military structures we will not be able to face the challenges that will face our military in the future.

    /// END ACT ///

    The NATO Secretary-General is on a trip to Hungary, Poland, and the Czech republic -- the three newest members of the alliance. (Signed)
    NEB/SB/JWH/KL 11-Nov-1999 09:45 AM EDT (11-Nov-1999 1445 UTC)
    NNNN
    Source: Voice of America

    [04] TURKEY'S VIRTUE PARTY BY YONCA POYRAZ DOGAN (WASHINGTON)

    DATE=11/11/1999
    TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
    NUMBER=5-44751
    CONTENT=
    VOICED AT:

    INTRO: Nearly two years ago, Turkey imposed a ban on its Welfare Party, an Islamist group that held the largest bloc of seats in parliament. The Turkish Supreme Court said the Welfare Party's support for Islamic teachings in the formation of laws violated the constitution, which mandates a secular political system in Turkey. Welfare was reborn in the name of the Virtue Party [Fazilet in Turkish], and the new group now faces a similar challenge to its existence. In advance of a court decision (due in January) that could shut down the party, members of the Virtue Party visited the United States recently [Oct. 30-Nov. 7] to stress their moderate policies. V-O-A's Yonca Poyraz Dogan [pron: `YUN-dzha `POY-rahz doe-`AHN] talked to members of the Virtue group and analysts of Turkish affairs, and has this report.

    TEXT: Recai Kutan, the leader of the Virtue Party, said his group came to the United States to explain clearly what they stand for. He said the party has been misrepresented. During his week-long trip, Mr. Kutan emphasized the party's commitment to democracy and Western-style secularism in Turkey. The founding director of the Center for Muslim- Christian Understanding at Georgetown University, John Esposito, met with the Virtue Party delegation in Washington. Professor Esposito says the party appears to be committed to democratic principles.

    /// 1st ESPOSITO ACT ///

    That is a party concerned with issues that deal with culture, democratization, a party that understands what I believe is the true meaning of secularism, which is not secularism as anti- religion, but secularism that allows for the space for people to believe or not believe as they wish within a society.

    /// END ACT ///

    The Virtue Party, which attracted most of the Welfare Party's cadre after it was banned, has aroused suspicions. Many people believe Virtue is simply an extension of former Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan's Welfare Party (-- Refah, in Turkish). A military-led secularist campaign brought about the downfall of Mr. Erbakan's coalition government two years ago, amid a growing dispute over the party's Islamist line. Mr. Kutan did his best to distinguish the Virtue Party from Welfare. In his first public speech in Washington, he said Turkey should join the European Union in the shortest possible time. He also said there is nothing wrong with Turkey's cooperation with Israel. The members of the delegation indicated they firmly believe in a free market economy. The U-S delegation included two female parliamentarians, who did not wear headscarves and professed moderate policies. But some observers are skeptical. Turkish Studies Director Alan Makovsky of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy questions the sincerity of the Virtue Party (which he refers to by its Turkish name, Fazilet).

    /// 1st MAKOVSKY ACT ///

    Did this party change just for the sake of trying to remain open, trying to stay within the limits of Turkish law? Its position regarding membership in the E-U seems fairly convincing, because I think some members of Fazilet came to see the E-U as a sort of a democratic protective shield that, were Turkey to be a part of it, it would prevent Fazilet from being banned. So, it's natural for people to be suspicious. Time will tell.

    /// END ACT ///

    Mr. Makovsky says many people think Virtue is part of the Turkish political system and should not be banned. Even so, they are not certain about its motives. In addition, some observers do not know how seriously they should take the Virtue Party, he says, because the Turkish establishment is not likely to allow its ascent to power. However, Mr. Makovsky says Virtue, or Fazilet, managed to get some sign of support from the U-S government by meeting with the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian affairs, Marc Grossman.

    /// 2nd MAKOVSKY ACT ///

    The fact that they met with someone as high ranking as Marc Grossman probably sent a signal back to Turkey that United States considers Fazilet very much part of the political spectrum.

    /// END ACT ///

    Nevertheless, Georgetown University's Professor Esposito says the U-S government has a strong relationship with the Turkish establishment. That is why Washington did not object more strenuously to the banning of Mr. Erbakan's Welfare Party.

    /// 2nd ESPOSITO ACT ///

    At times, [the United States'] national interest has been so primary that it has looked the other way. I think the U-S did express its concerns about what happened to Mr. Erbakan and the way it happened, but clearly, I think it could have been expressed stronger.

    /// END ACT ///

    Turkey's constitutional court will decide whether or not to ban the Virtue Party in January. Virtue's leader, Recai Kutan, who remains optimistic, predicts democracy will prevail, and he expects the party will not be shut down.
    NEB/YPD/WTW 11-Nov-1999 10:11 AM EDT (11-Nov-1999 1511 UTC)
    NNNN
    Source: Voice of America

    [05] YUGO WAR CRIMES (L ONLY) BY LAUREN COMITEAU (THE HAGUE)

    DATE=11/11/1999
    TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
    NUMBER=2-256045
    CONTENT=
    VOICED AT:

    INTRO: Judges at the Yugoslav War Crimes Tribunal have sentenced a Bosnian Serb to 25 years in prison. Former cafe owner Dusko Tadic had already been handed a 20-year sentence for persecuting and beating non- Serbs in northwestern Bosnia seven years ago. But as Lauren Comiteau reports from The Hague, his sentenced was increased by five years after he was found guilty of additional murders.

    TEXT: Dusko Tadic's defense lawyer says he has never seen his client so close to tears in the courtroom where he has been in and out of legal proceedings for more than three years. The 25-year sentence Tadic was handed Thursday is for five additional killings of which he was originally acquitted. In determining his sentence, Presiding Judge Gabrielle Kirk McDonald says it was held against him that he knew the crimes he was committing were part of a systematic attack against non-Serbs. But in his favor, said Judge McDonald, was the report on his behavior in prison.

    /// MCDONALD ACT ///

    To which, and I will quote, "during the past 18 months, Dusko Tadic has behaved as a model detainee."

    /// END ACT ///

    Model prisoner or not, Judge McDonald said retribution and deterrence of future war crimes are the main considerations behind Thursday's sentence. But in that context, says Tadic's lawyer John Livingston, 25 years is too harsh. Mr. Livingston says his client is a low-level war criminal, more of a tadpole in a pool of sharks.

    /// LIVINGSTON ACT ///

    If you bear in mind that there may be people who are regarded in the shark category still to be tried, one has to ask what sentence they will get, and if there's a proper differentiation between those people and someone in Mr. Tadic's position.

    /// END ACT ///

    Tadic will get credit for the five years he has already been in custody. But his lawyer says he will appeal this latest sentence, making this case -- the tribunal's first -- far from over. (Signed)
    NEB/LC/JWH 11-Nov-1999 06:50 AM EDT (11-Nov-1999 1150 UTC)
    NNNN
    Source: Voice of America

    [06] ITALY / BUILDING COLLAPSE (L ONLY) BY SABINA CASTELFRANCO (ROME)

    DATE=11/11/1999
    TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
    NUMBER=2-256051
    CONTENT=
    VOICED AT:
    /// EDS: WATCH C-N WIRE FOR UPDATES ON DEATH, INJURY TOLL ///

    INTRO: In Italy, emergency workers are searching frantically for survivors in the ruins of a six-story apartment building that collapsed at dawn in the southern city of Foggia. Sabina Castelfranco in Rome reports the mayor of Foggia suspects bad construction caused the disaster, which has killed at least 11 people.

    TEXT: Many of the residents of the collapsed building are still trapped under the rubble. Ambulances are at the scene of the disaster and rescue workers are working as fast as they can to try to dig out survivors from under the mountain of rubble. More than 70 people are estimated to have been in their apartments when the tragedy occurred and authorities fear the death toll could rise significantly. Residents had little warning. It was very early in the morning when one family heard strange creaking noises, then saw a hole open up in their kitchen floor, and ran for their lives. They attempted to warn their neighbors by ringing their doorbells but in vain. There was no time to explain. The building collapsed in a few minutes. Authorities say people are still alive under the ruins. Rescuers are in contact with one boy stuck under the rubble and are fighting against time in the hope of bringing him out alive. The Italian prime minister and interior minister immediately traveled to the site of the disaster. They then visited the injured in hospitals, including two young children. Pope John Paul sent his condolences to the families of the victims. It is still not clear what caused the tragedy. The building was relatively new, dating to 1971. The city's mayor has said he suspects the building collapsed due to structural problems. And he said he is planning the evacuation of a neighboring apartment block constructed around the same time. This type of tragedy is not new to Italy. Less than one year ago, a similar incident occurred in Rome, where a building collapsed because of structural failure, killing 27 people. (Signed)
    NEB/SC/JWH/KL 11-Nov-1999 11:30 AM EDT (11-Nov-1999 1630 UTC)
    NNNN
    Source: Voice of America


    [07] NY ECON WRAP (S & L) BY LARRY FREUND (NEW YORK)

    DATE=11/11/1999
    TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
    NUMBER=2-256064
    CONTENT=
    VOICED AT:

    INTRO: Stock prices in the United States were mixed today (Thursday), as the Nasdaq index continued to make impressive gains, in heavy trading. V-O-A correspondent Larry Freund reports from New York.

    TEXT: The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down almost three points, closing at 10-thousand-595. The Standard and Poor's 500 index was up eight points. And the Nasdaq composite index was up more than one percent, the ninth record high set by the technology- heavy index in the past 10 sessions. The bond market was closed because of the Federal Veterans Day holiday. Analysts say traders continue to be apprehensive in advance of the meeting next week by the policy-setting committee of the Federal Reserve Board, the U-S central bank. There is concern that the Federal Reserve - the Fed - will raise interest rates to slow the U-S economy and control inflation. The experts are divided over the likelihood of a rate increase.

    /// REST OPT ///

    But William Dudley, an analyst at the Goldman Sachs investment firm, says the logic of tightening - raising interest rates - is good.

    /// DUDLEY ACTUALITY ///

    The labor markets are extraordinarily good. The economy is still pretty strong. There is some evidence of slowing. But since this is the last opportunity for the Fed to tighten for a while, we think they'll probably take it. The Fed has to believe that even though we haven't seen wage pressure yet, that we're likely to see it.

    /// END ACTUALITY ///

    There was active interest in semi-conductor stocks Thursday after the Merrill Lynch investment firm issued a report raising its forecast for revenues in the industry. In other business news, the Microsoft computer software company announced plans to install mini- stores in as many as seven-thousand of the Tandy Corporation's Radio Shack retail stores. The arrangement is part of a deal calling for Microsoft to invest 100-million dollars in Tandy's new computer Internet online store, radioshack-dot-com. And in a separate mini-store deal, the Starbucks Corporation signed an agreement to open coffee bars in more than 100 Albertson's supermarkets at various U-S locations. The Gap, the second-largest U-S clothing chain, announced that its third quarter profits were up 32 percent. The firm attributes its healthy balance sheet to sales at its Old Navy chain, which sells popular low priced clothing, such as the ubiquitous cargo pants. But Lands' End, the fifth-largest catalog retailer, warned that it expects its fourth quarter sales will fall, as it reduces the number of pages in its catalogs and concentrates more on selling over the Internet. (Signed)
    NEB/LSF/TVM/JP 11-Nov-1999 17:00 PM EDT (11-Nov-1999 2200 UTC)
    NNNN
    Source: Voice of America

    [08] THURSDAY'S EDITORIALS BY RALPH ECKHARDT (WASHINGTON)

    DATE=11/11/1999
    TYPE=U-S EDITORIAL DIGEST
    NUMBER=6-11553
    EDITOR=ASSIGNMENTS
    TELEPHONE=619-2702
    CONTENT=
    VOICED AT:

    INTRO: With the World Trade Organization summit in Seattle approaching, U-S newspapers continue to look at trade issues and the world economy in their editorial pages. Also drawing comment are an Israeli arms sale to China and Cuba's status in the war on drugs. This is also the Veterans Day holiday in the United States, the anniversary of the armistice that ended World War One, and editorial-page editors want to remember those who have served their country. Now, here is ______________ with a closer look and some excerpts in today's editorial digest.

    TEXT: China has been working to be admitted to the World Trade Organization in time for the summit later this month. The Washington Post says the issue is not whether China belongs in the organization, it is whether China's communist, and what it calls corrupt, system will reshape the W-T-O.

    VOICE: The World Trade Organization ... both sets rules and adjudicates disputes. China is one of the world's largest trading economies... To have it on the outside weakens the W-T-O. Bringing it inside the organization could influence China to more often follow rules, honor contracts, and in other ways speed the transition from an arbitrary, party-run economy to a system of laws and openness. ... What is to lose? The answer is potentially the W-T-O itself. ... The trade organization ... is young and still fragile. ... Many rules remain to be written, such as in areas where trade intersects with antitrust law, government subsidies or labor and environmental protection. What would be the effect of adding an influential new member to help draft these rules, one whose economy operates according to principles inimical to those of the W-T-O?

    TEXT: The New York Times marks a decade of economic transition for former Communist countries in Europe. The newspaper says in the 10 years since the Berlin Wall fell, the world has learned some important lessons about reform, including why it works in some places and not in others.

    VOICE: ... However remarkable the march of democracy has been across Eastern and Central Europe, economic progress has been uneven and often disappointing. // OPT // Poland's economy is 20-percent larger than it was a decade ago. The economies of Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Hungary are about as large today as they were in 1989. But some of the former Soviet republics continue to shrink, leaving many of their people desperately poor. Ukraine's output is 60 percent below its 1989 level; Russia's economy has been cut in about half. Incomes in Kazakhstan and Moldova are falling from already low levels. // END OPT // These disparities can be traced to a handful of important factors. ... Roughly speaking, the closer a country is to Western Europe, the faster it has grown. ... Many countries that have adopted text-book versions of liberalization and stabilization are growing, even if only modestly. ... Countries like Hungary and Estonia that have created safe havens for foreign and domestic companies are growing. Countries like Russia that have imposed confiscatory taxes or tolerated organized crime are fighting to keep their economies afloat.

    TEXT: In a view of another issue involving China, the Boston Globe says Israel's sale of advanced AWACS [pron: `AY-wax] radar technology to China may upset the delicate balance of military power in Asia.

    VOICE: ... The principal effect will be to diminish the considerable superiority that Taiwan's air force has enjoyed over its mainland counterpart. ... [and] may enhance the mainland's ability to conduct offensive operations against Taiwan. The first ... plane ... with AWACS technology will be delivered before the end of this year, and three more ... when Beijing is better able to pay for them. The cost is 250-million dollars per plane. ... Beijing's inability or unwillingness to spend the money required for a high-tech modernization of its military remains the best guarantee against a projection of main-land China's power across the Taiwan Straits or elsewhere in Asia.

    TEXT: In an issue closer to U-S shores, the Washington Times newspaper criticizes the Clinton administration for not keeping a closer eye on alleged illegal drug activity in Cuba.

    VOICE: The White House has decided to keep Cuba off the list of major drug transit countries. The countries included on the "majors" list are subject to a yearly review of their drug- fighting efforts -- a process known as certification. By not being included, Cuba's counter-narcotics efforts will not come under that level of close scrutiny. As the Clinton administration well knows, including Cuba on the "majors" list does not mean that Cuba has been tried and convicted. It would merely put the Castro regime under close review, which White House officials, keen to normalize relations, are trying to avoid.

    TEXT: Finally, the Houston Chronicle wants its readers to observe today's U-S Veterans Day holiday by giving heartfelt thanks to the men and women who have served in the armed forces.

    VOICE: Some were professionals, but most were citizen soldiers or sailors or airmen. Few had any interest in or intention of making the military a career. But when their nation called, they served, and with honor. ... Historian Stephen E. Ambrose observed ... the American citizen soldiers knew the difference between right and wrong, and they did not want to live in a world in which wrong prevailed. So they fought, and won, and we all of us, living and yet to be born, must be forever profoundly grateful.

    TEXT: That concludes a small sample of U-S newspaper editorial comment for Thursday, November 11th, 1999.
    NEB/RAE/WTW 11-Nov-1999 12:04 PM EDT (11-Nov-1999 1704 UTC)
    NNNN
    Source: Voice of America


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