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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Karen Lawrence who wrote (41968)	9/4/2002 4:52:51 PM
From: Karen Lawrence	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Posted on Wed, Sep. 04, 2002 Activists mar Powell's summit talk By ALEXANDRA ZAVIS Associated Press A shouting delegate is taken from the hall by U.N. police after interupting the speech of U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. Karel Prinsloo, Associated Press JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - Unfurling banners and shouting "Shame on Bush," dozens of activists at the World Summit heckled Secretary of State Colin Powell on Wednesday as he defended America's record on the environment and helping the developing world. Thirteen activists were dragged from the room. Boos from the rear of the summit's main hall repeatedly interrupted Powell's five-minute speech to an audience of 1,500 government leaders and delegates ranging from youth activists to environmentalists. "The American soul has always harbored a deep desire to help people build better lives for themselves and their children," Powell said. "We have always understood that our own well-being depends on the well-being of our fellow inhabitants of this planet Earth." The United States joined 190 other nations on the summit's last day Wednesday in adopting an action plan aimed at improving the lives of the poor and reversing the destruction of the planet. But Washington was widely accused in 10 days of tough negotiations of shirking past commitments and trying to avoid new ones. Government officials and activists have strongly criticized the United States for rejecting the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which sets cuts on emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. Many countries view the accord as crucial for reversing global warming blamed for cataclysmic storms, floods and droughts. President Bush has said the United States is taking other actions to fight climate change, but the international agreement's strictures are inappropriate and too costly for the U.S. economy. Washington has also been hammered by some here for opposing binding targets to increase the use of solar and wind power and other renewable energy sources, and for Bush's decision not to attend. During Powell's speech, dozens of American, Australian and other activists in the audience jeered and shouted "Shame on Bush." Some held up banners reading "Bush: People and Planet, Not Big Business." South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who was chairing the session, banged her gavel and yelled at the hecklers to stop. Security forcibly removed 13 people from the hall. Powell looked annoyed, answering back at one point: "I have now heard you," before going on. The heckling started when Powell criticized Zimbabwe for pursuing land reform policies that have exacerbated the food crisis there and pushed "millions of people to the brink of starvation." The comments brought some cheers from the audience as well. He also criticized Zambia, which is also facing widespread hunger, for rejecting genetically engineered corn that Americans eat every day. However, much of his speech focused on America's commitment to the developing world and the environment. "We have reaffirmed the principle that sound economic management, investment in people and responsible stewardship of our environment are crucial for development," he said. Powell also repeated the U.S. explanation for opposing specific targets in the summit's action plan, saying projects were more important than paper agreements. Summit Secretary-General Nitin Desai said he understood the concerns of the protesters but felt the main hall was not the right place to express them. "The United States was very engaged in this conference," Desai said, noting the $2.4 billion America has committed to programs aimed at addressing the summit's goals. Powell's spokesman, Richard Boucher, told reporters afterward that the secretary wasn't upset and had told him that "this kind of thing happens." He said Powell was confident the hecklers did not represent widespread opinion. Many activists said they were disappointed with Powell's speech. American officials "say they are committed to sustainable development, but at the same time have been so obstructionist (during) the process," said Leslie Fields, an official with Friends of the Earth. "I really think he's in another world on this." The conclusion of the summit was delayed by a couple of hours as delegates negotiated the wording of a political declaration to accompany the plan. "We declare our responsibility to one another, to the greater community of life and to future generations," it said. Commitments to focus attention on issues including foreign occupation, terrorism and HIV were added at the 11th hour before the declaration was adopted with applause. The 10-day summit was envisaged as a landmark opportunity to refocus the world's attention on the plight of the poor and the destruction of the environment. "Sustainable development is firmly back on the agenda," U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said. "We realize we need to maintain that delicate balance between development and the environment." But many activists slammed the summit's final agreement as inadequate. The 70-odd page document is intended to turn commitments made 10 years ago at the Rio Earth Summit into reality. While there were a few achievements - mainly on protecting fisheries, promoting corporate accountability and bringing sanitation to the poor - activists charged that much of the summit was a desperate fight to stop governments from weakening already existing agreements. "We're running on a treadmill. We are running just as fast as we can to prevent ourselves from moving backward," said Andrew Deutz, an official with the World Conservation Union, or IUCN. "It's a missed opportunity." Annan warned against expecting "conferences like this to bring miracles." He said governments, businesses and other groups had agreed on "an impressive range" of commitments and actions "that will make a real difference for people in all regions of the world."

To: Karen Lawrence who wrote (41968)	9/4/2002 4:55:41 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 281500

Germany rebuffs Britain on Iraq Associated Press Wednesday, September 4 Berlin — German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder rebuffed calls by Britain for Europe to help the United States against Iraq, insisting on Wednesday that Germany remains opposed to military action and will not "submit" to Washington. In blunt comments, Mr. Schroeder said British Prime Minister Tony Blair does not speak for all Europe, a day after Mr. Blair declared Iraq "a real and unique threat" to world security and said the United States "should not have to face this issue alone." Bush may face tough Iraq questions Mr. Blair's comments appeared to be an attempt to rally support for action against Iraq amid strong reservations by many leaders, including those of Germany and France. At the World Summit in Johannesburg, top EU leaders met with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell on Wednesday to urge against any unilateral U.S. attack on Iraq, saying Washington should work through the United Nations for a return of weapons inspectors. Mr. Schroeder defended his outspoken opposition to an attack on Iraq, which he has said could hurt the war on terrorism and cause chaos in the Middle East. "Friendship cannot mean that you do what the friend wants even if you have another opinion," he told a news conference in Berlin. "Anything else would not be friendship, but submission — and I would consider that wrong." "With all respect for Tony Blair: Just like anyone else, he will not speak for Europe alone on this issue or on others," he said. "We have absolutely no reason to change our well-founded position. Under my leadership, Germany will not take part in an intervention in Iraq." Mr. Schroeder also confirmed that Germany would withdraw six armoured personnel carriers equipped to detect nuclear, chemical and biological warfare from Kuwait if the United States launched an attack on Iraq. The vehicles were deployed as part of the U.S.-led war on terrorism. U.S. President George W. Bush says ousting Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is a priority of his administration, because of the Iraqi leader's alleged drive to develop weapons of mass destruction. But Mr. Bush says he has not made a decision on what action to take. Vice-President Dick Cheney and others in the U.S. administration have called for a pre-emptive attack on Iraq. German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer warned that the United States faces a decision of similar importance to entering the Vietnam war. "I urgently advise thinking things through," he said in an interview published Wednesday by the Mittelbayrische Zeitung daily. "In the United States itself, this is being viewed as the riskiest decision since the Vietnam war." The best way to isolate Mr. Hussein would be to bring about a breakthrough in Middle East peace efforts, Mr. Fischer said. In his talks with Powell in South Africa, Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that while there is "no doubt" that Mr. Hussein is dangerous, Washington should not try to deal with the Iraqi leader alone. "It is vitally important to pursue the UN track," said Mr. Fogh Rasmussen, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency. Mr. Powell has said the United States should first try to force a return of UN weapons inspectors to Iraq before deciding the next step, though Mr. Cheney has said making inspections a priority would be counterproductive. Mr. Fogh Rasmussen said the EU and United States agree that "here and now, we should concentrate our efforts on ensuring that international weapons inspectors can get free and unhindered access." He said it was "premature" to say what "will or should happen" if Saddam continues to refuse the UN Security Council's demands. He said Mr. Powell in their talks underlined that "the United States attaches the strongest importance to the involvement of the international community in this Iraq case" and stressed the "importance of international coalition building." Javier Solana, the European Union's top foreign policy official, also called on the United States not to act alone. "We oppose a preventive war against Iraq," he said in an interview in Wednesday's edition of the Berliner Zeitung newspaper. "Such action would not be covered by international law." globeandmail.com