Libya Denies Responsiblity For Lockerbie--Independent,UK--New WMW

[Gloria]

Full excerpts, links up now at www.zianet.com/insightanalytical
Tomorrow at Buzzflash.com

WORLD MEDIA WATCH FOR FEBRUARY 25, 2004

1//The Daily Star, Lebanon--BRITAIN’S MUSLIMS FEEL VULNERABLE UNDER COUNTRY’S HARSH ANTI-TERROR POLICIES (For over three years Britain’s Muslim community has been campaigning to get the country’s harsh anti-terror laws rolled back. So they were taken aback when Labor Secretary of State for the Home Office David Blunkett announced earlier this month that even tougher legislation is in the pipeline…In short, UK citizens will be subject to some of the same strict measures that already applied to noncitizens…Blunkett’s proposals come in the context of a general diluting of civil liberties that began before Sept. 11, but have been hastened after it. Even before Sept. 11, says Zilli, “the UK had the most draconian anti-terrorist position in Western Europe.”)



2//The Independent, UK--LIBYA DENIES RESPONSIBILITY FOR LOCKERBIE AND EMBASSY MURDER ("We thought it was easier for us to buy peace and this is why we agreed to the compensation," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme…The unexpected move came on the day that the White House said that President George Bush planned to lift travel restrictions on Libya and to authorise other steps to normalise relations. Dr Ghanem's statements will also be an embarrassing setback for Tony Blair, who has led the highly publicised reconciliation moves between Libya and the West.)



3//The Japan Times, Japan--U.N. FORCES MAY GO TO IRAQ AFTER POWER TRANSFER: ANNAN (The United Nations Security Council may send multinational forces to Iraq to help stabilize the security situation after sovereignty is transferred to a provisional government at the end of June, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said Tuesday in Tokyo. "I do foresee the Security Council deciding to maintain an international force in Iraq, even after the handover, to be able to assist with the security," Annan told the Japan National Press Club. His remark apparently is aimed at involving France and Germany in the reconstruction process to help improve the security situation.)



4//The Daily Yomiuri, Japan--PREMIER TO GET SDF DISPATCH AUTHORITY (The prime minister will be empowered to order at his own discretion the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces in the event of an attack on Japan or large-scale terrorist incident, according to the outline of a bill to protect the public, approved by a government panel Tuesday…On Tuesday, the panel also endorsed the outlines of six other bills concerning contingencies, including a bill to aid U.S. forces in Japan in the event of an attack on this country. The measures include supplying goods to U.S. forces during such a contingency.)



5//The Moscow Times, Russia--4 CANDIDATES MAY OPT TO WITHDRAW (Two challengers to President Vladimir Putin, Irina Khakamada and Sergei Glazyev, said Tuesday that they might pull out of the race, claiming that biased coverage by state-run television and rule violations were discrediting the election…The possible withdrawal of these four candidates would leave Putin facing just two challengers: the Liberal Democratic Party's Oleg Malyshkin, a former boxer and bodyguard to ultranationalist LDPR leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky, and Federation Council Speaker Sergei Mironov. Both have so far run ineffectual campaigns, with Mironov saying he is only running to support Putin. "This would not so much discredit the elections as make it crystal clear to everyone that the elections are good only for boxers and stooges," said Vladimir Pribylovsky, head of the Panorama think tank.)

[madrchsod]

1. the Libya thing was reported on

just after bush took credit for taming big mo. "people in the know" are looking at Iran. they have claimed the Iranians did it in retaliation for the usa shooting down an Iranian airliner... sounds plausible to me...