Wanted in Africa, Needed in Iraq-IPS ("merchant of death")/New WMW

[Gloria]

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


WORLD MEDIA WATCH FOR MAY 21, 2004

1//Inter Press Service News Agency, Italy--WANTED IN AFRICA, NEEDED IN IRAQ (Arms dealer Viktor Bout was the merchant of death wanted for feeding conflicts in Africa - until Iraq happened.
Today the United States and Britain are using his extensive mercenary services in Iraq. The condemnation of his role in the diamond wars and other conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa over the past ten years is being silently erased. The Tajikstan-born Bout would be an embarrassing ally to acknowledge publicly. But the coalition partners are showing him exceptional favours as he does some of their job for them.)



2//The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia--CORRUPTION STENCH AS COMPANY LOSES IRAQ CONTRACT (One of Australia's largest postwar contracts in Iraq has collapsed, with the partners embroiled in a multi-million-dollar legal battle and allegations of corruption in the awarding of contracts by a leading Pentagon supplier. Morris Corporation, a Queensland catering company that has delivered meals to the armed forces in hot-spots from Somalia to Cambodia, was dumped last year by the giant US military contractor Halliburton, losing a $100 million contract to supply meals to US troops in Iraq…Now an insider involved in the deal alleges that the Australian-Kuwaiti joint venture was approached by a Halliburton employee seeking kickbacks worth up to $3 million during the contract negotiations. "We're not talking about a paper bag. This guy was after a percentage of your sales every month.")



3//The Turkish Daily News, Turkey--KURDS WANT TO BE GATEWAY FOR IRAQ FOREIGN INVESTMENT (As Western nations urge their citizens to leave Iraq after a surge of kidnappings and violence, Kurds in the north are promoting their largely peaceful region as a gateway for foreign investment. Apart from suicide bombings in February which killed more than 100 people in Erbil, the three Kurdish governorates have been remarkably calm, a far cry from the uprisings and hostage-taking which are driving some companies out of Baghdad… Companies from Turkey, Iran, France and India are already involved in projects to rebuild Erbil and Suleimaniya airports, construct luxury hotels, and various infrastructure schemes. Foreign businessmen working in the Kurdish region said they were alert to "conceivable" risks because of its proximity to restive central and southern Iraq, but felt secure thanks to tightened border checkpoints and increased security after the Erbil bombings.)



4//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong--THE BUSH FAMILY: MIDDLE KINGDOM RAINMAKERS (China policy has been a hot-button issue in US presidential campaigns for more than half a century. This time around, many politicians are linking US job losses to the country's exploding trade deficit with China, leaving the family trade in promoting US-China commerce with the potential to embarrass President George W Bush in his 2004 re-election drive… There are no publicly disclosed figures on how much the family has made overall in the last three decades as China brokers. But the deals continue to add up…Bush Sr has sidestepped questions on how much he's talked to his son about China during his presidency. Outside the family, Bush Jr counts among his biggest campaign donors two businessmen deeply invested in China, Hank Greenberg of AIG and Sam Fox of the low-profile Harbour Group.)



5//Times of India, India--LOOK BEYOND DOC, INDIA’S WORLD BIGGER THAN U.S. (Within days, PM-designate Manmohan Singh will be confronted with a number of urgent foreign policy issues demanding virtually immediate attention. Apart from the composite dialogue with Pakistan - scheduled to kick-off with foreign secretary-level discussions on Kashmir and 'peace and security' in "May/June" - the deteriorating situation in Iraq is making it inevitable that the US will again approach India with a request for peacekeeping troops. How the new government responds to the US over Iraq and its aggressive agenda on nonproliferation will be key litmus tests for the future of the 'strategic partnership' between New Delhi and Washington.)