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Politics : Clinton -- doomed & wagging, Japan collapses, Y2K bug, etc -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: SOROS who wrote (51)	9/2/1998 1:40:00 PM
From: SOROS	Respond to of 1151

Washington Post - 09/02/98 KUWAIT (AP) -- The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait said today an attack was possibly being planned against it, and a note found on a plane warned of a bomb attack on the U.S. mission in the Philippines. Washington has closed some of its diplomatic missions around the world and maximized security at others since the Aug. 7 bombings of its embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, which killed 258 people and injured more than 5,500. A message on the embassy's telephone line for U.S. citizens in Kuwait said: ''The U.S. government has received information indicating that a similar attack may be being planned in Kuwait.'' The message said the embassy was taking ''appropriate security precautions.'' Embassy spokesman Claud Young told The Associated Press that the mission does not plan to close down. He would not say how or where the threat was received. The embassy in this oil-rich state has received several bomb threats since the end of the 1991 Gulf War. A handwritten note threatening the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Philippines, was found Tuesday in the toilet of a plane that arrived in Kuwait from Dubai, said Interior Ministry spokesman Col. Bader Saleh. He quoted the note as saying in English: ''The American Embassy in the Philippines will be bombed on Sept. 4, 1998.'' In Manila, embassy spokesman Michael Korff said the mission was aware of the threat. He would not comment further. Manila police chief Virtus Gil said more men would be added to improve security at the seaside embassy. On Monday, the United States closed its embassies in the West African countries of Ghana and Togo because of security threats. The one in Togo reopened today and Ghana's is expected to reopen Thursday. The East African embassy bombings led to U.S. missile strikes on suspected terrorist training camps in Afghanistan and a pharmaceutical plant in Sudan that the U.S. government accused of making materials for chemical weapons.

To: SOROS who wrote (51)	9/2/1998 1:44:00 PM
From: SOROS	Respond to of 1151

Russia Today News Aleksander Lebed, a likely candidate for the Russian presidency, said in an interview published on Monday there was growing discontent among Russian soldiers. In an interview with the French daily Le Figaro, Lebed cautioned that the army, much of which has not been paid for months, is in "revolutionary mood." Lebed said Prime Minister-designate Victor Chernomyrdin was the only politician with a chance to slow down the country's collapse.

To: SOROS who wrote (51)	9/2/1998 1:53:00 PM
From: SOROS	Respond to of 1151

Citing a "highly positioned source at the Defense Ministry," the Russian newspaper "Komsomolskaya Pravda" reported Monday that commanders of the Tamanskaya and Kantemirovskaya Divisions and the Tyoplyi Stan Brigade, all stationed near Moscow, as well as the Tula, Ryazan, and Tver Divisions, have been ordered to "prepare themselves for extraordinary situations." Officers have reportedly had their leaves canceled, and the units have been ordered to increase their guard on ammunition, food, and fuel stockpiles. Komsomolskaya Pravda also reported that acting Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev had assured Russian President Boris Yeltsin of the troops' loyalty during a recent meeting. Additionally, the newspaper reported that the Interior Ministry had been ordered to prepare to "act under extraordinary circumstances" in Moscow, should civil unrest arise. Finally, the newspaper reported that Russia's Federal Security Service, the successor to the KGB, is monitoring the situation in Moscow and the Far East for any signs of destabilization. Despite Sergeyev's alleged assurances of loyalty, the idea that Yeltsin can rely on the military to come to his aid as it has twice in the past is far from certain. Others are calling for the army's support as well. On Monday, Russian Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov called on the army and law enforcement agencies to defend against any attempt by Yeltsin to disband the parliament. In a speech before the Duma, Zyuganov said, "I am appealing to all people, especially those who wear uniform. The last island of little legality which still exists in the country is here in the Duma and the Federation Council. If it is finished and destroyed, then chaos and gangs will prevail." Still another possibility was posed by retired General Alexander Lebed, who declared in an interview published Monday in the French newspaper "Le Figaro," that "The army is in a revolutionary mood." "In what mood do you think the army is when officers have not been paid for five months?" he asked. Lebed concluded that "The government could collapse in 24 hours. Everybody is fed up." He urged support for acting Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, who he insisted was the only person with even the slightest chance of averting Russia's collapse. The Duma later rejected Chernomyrdin's appointment. The Russian Army has been as battered by the country's economic decline and collapse as has the rest of the population, and has been reduced to scavenging in preparation for the coming winter. Soldiers are frequently seen begging in Russia's cities, as months can pass between paychecks, which are as inadequate as they are rare. More than 150,000 discharged soldiers await promised housing, and Komsomolskaya Pravda has reported that worthless housing vouchers issued to Baltic Fleet officers have driven them to the brink of mutiny. Isolated acts of rebellion have already occurred. In one incident in July, a major in central Russia reportedly took to the streets in a commandeered tank to protest unpaid salaries. Despite promises by Chernomyrdin to pay overdue military salaries, acting Defense Minister Sergeyev has ordered all ranks of commanders to "look for additional sources [of sustenance for the winter] and assume personal control." Orders have reportedly been issued to all soldiers and officers to take to the fields to harvest mushrooms, berries, and other sources of food for the winter. During the failed coup attempt in 1991 against then-President Gorbachev by hard-liners, and again in the standoff between Yeltsin and hard-liners in the Duma in 1993, the Russian Army either stood aside or stood by Yeltsin. However, in both cases, popular opinion was largely on Yeltsin's side. If asked to defend Yeltsin against overwhelming civilian opposition, the army this time is likely to step aside. With almost no support for Yeltsin, either in or outside of Russia, the army has little to gain by turning Red Square into a Tienanmen Square for him. Furthermore, as the army rank and file share the economic grievances of masses, the Russian General Staff will wish to avoid situations that could force divisions in the ranks.

To: SOROS who wrote (51)	9/2/1998 1:55:00 PM
From: SOROS	Respond to of 1151

archive.abcnews.com

To: SOROS who wrote (51)	9/2/1998 2:14:00 PM
From: SOROS	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1151

ULIAN BORGER: The arrival of a Palestinian state 1998 Scripps Howard JERUSALEM (August 31, 1998 11:02 a.m.) In just over eight months' time another explosion is primed to go off in the Middle East. Clear warnings have been issued giving the precise time and place, but so far very little is being done to prevent it. The West's current policy is to hope it doesn't go off with too much of a bang. The bomb in question is the declaration of a Palestinian state planned for May 4, 1999. Yasser Arafat insists that -- barring a miraculous turnaround in the state of Israeli-Palestinian relations -- such a state will come into being in Gaza and the West Bank, with its capital in Jerusalem. The target date marks the expiry of the transitional period laid down in the Oslo peace accords. After that date, Arafat argues, Oslo rules cease to apply and the Palestinian people will be free to pursue self-determination. The Palestinian state is Israel's unborn twin. The thinking behind peace efforts stretching from the U.N.'s 1947 partition plan to the 1993 Oslo accords is that both siblings must claim a separate existence in order for a lasting peace to settle on the Middle East. In practice, Palestine will probably be born in confusion. Arafat's Palestinian Authority currently has full control over only two-thirds of the slender Gaza Strip and 3 percent of the West Bank. In these tiny enclaves, flags will be raised, honor guards will march up and down, stamps will be issued. But the lightly armed Palestinian police force (numbering 30,000 or 40,000 depending on whose figures you believe) will be in no position to wrest control of the rest of the occupied territories in the face of resistance of Israel's formidable army. If Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition is still in power, it will be tempted to annex the lion's share of the occupied territories, in response to the inevitable cries for help from the settlers. Past experience suggests Netanyahu would exploit Oslo's demise by channeling even more funds to the settlers and sealing the Palestinians up inside their Bantustan-style enclaves. In areas currently under joint Israeli-Palestinian control, clashes would be virtually inevitable. Whichever way it plays out, a unilateral declaration of statehood is likely to cause blood to flow, most of it Palestinian. The rest of the world would then be presented with the problem of recognition. The hope commonly expressed by U.S. and British diplomats is that Arafat can be bullied into putting off his declaration, sparing them the quandary of a decision next May. That hope is not entirely groundless. Palestinian officials say that Arafat would willingly defer statehood if there were signs of serious progress in handing over the West Bank in accordance with Oslo, and some hope of compromise over the main outstanding issues -- the fate of Jerusalem, the Palestinian refugees and the Jewish settlements. Failing such a dramatic turnaround, Arafat would have little hope but to make good on his pledge. But the drift of current events is not encouraging. Even if there is formal agreement in the next few days over troop withdrawals, their implementation will no doubt be a drawn-out and painful affair. Meanwhile the accelerating spread of West Bank settlements, spurred on by government subsidies, makes a final territorial agreement increasingly unlikely. Public-opinion surveys consistently show a majority of Israelis would willingly cede Gaza and the West Bank, even witness the creation of a Palestinian state, in return for a stable peace. But few want to watch fellow Jews forcibly removed from their homes to make way for such a state. A viable Palestine gets further away with each new settler home. Probably more than half the 160,000 Jewish settlers are in the occupied territories simply because they are cheaper than Israel. They would probably move if compensated. The rest are led by a hard core of right-wing ideologues. This motley group is pinning Israel down in the territories against the national will, and -- through the deployment of its extremely effective lobby -- Israel, in turn, has tied Washington's hands in the pursuit of a balanced Middle East policy. This is the real tail wagging the White House dog, with hugely damaging consequences for the United States and its allies. It is a primary reason why the United States and Britain are at the top of every Islamic terrorist's list of targets. If the Oslo agreements are to survive another year, they need a show of muscular international support now to counteract the influence of the settlers, even if backing Oslo necessitates the threat of sanctions against the Netanyahu government. The alternative is the premature and bloody delivery of a half-formed Palestine next May.

To: SOROS who wrote (51)	9/6/1998 2:25:00 PM
From: SOROS	Respond to of 1151

Associated Press - 09/06/98 SALZBURG, Austria (AP) -- The 15 European Union governments said Sunday they are ready to help Russia climb out of its financial and economic crisis but offered no fresh money or even a reprieve on its debt repayments. Ending a two-day meeting, the EU foreign ministers urged Moscow to stay the course on economic reforms and not ''revert to a command economy.'' ''We see a continued reform process as an expression of Russia's commitment to democracy and market economy and the integration into the world economy,'' the statement said. ''The responsibilities for these reforms lies with Russia.'' The statement underscored the EU's wish to help Moscow financially through aid programs of the EU and the International Monetary Fund. ''We stand ready to cooperate further with the Russian authorities in support of sustained efforts towards stabilization and reform.'' In a nudge to international money lenders to show some heart, the EU statement called on the IMF to consider the impact the Russian crisis has on social conditions in the country, especially on the eve of winter. ''Against this background the existing programs of the international financial institutions should be reviewed,'' said the statement, criticizing the conditions the IMF and others want to see fulfilled before they open their wallets to those in need. The statement made no mention of a moratorium on Russia's debts or even a rescheduling of repayments. Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini said Saturday such a possibility ''was inevitable,'' but German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel ruled out a reprieve for cash-strapped Russia. ''We must do all we can to think about how we can help Russia through these difficult times, but we must not rush into a debt moratorium,'' Kinkel said. German banks have about $30 billion in Russian loans, most of them guaranteed by the government. Kinkel said ''those debts must be repaid'' if Moscow wants to continue to count on German government support for such lending. Senior officials of the G-7 nations -- the United States, Canada, Japan, Germany, Italy, Britain and Germany -- are to meet in London this week to discuss how the international community can help Russia. Officials declined to speculate on what action would be taken but acknowledged that a rescheduling or freeze of Russian debts would be a possibility. On Kosovo, Kinkel -- concerned that after Bosnia, the United States is again grabbing the wheel in Balkan peacemaking -- proposed the EU appoint a special envoy to the Serb province where ethnic Albanians are fighting for independence. The idea is meant to balance the shuttle diplomacy of Christopher Hill, the American envoy who has cobbled together a tentative peace deal. ''The role of Europe in Kosovo must be reinforced,'' Kinkel said. The foreign ministers of Britain, Austria and Germany plan to go to Moscow this week to show the EU's political support for Moscow in its times of crisis. The EU is not worried that the Russian crisis will curb economic growth in Western Europe. Russia makes up only 4 percent of the 15-nation EU's overall economy. However, EU governments have granted $1.6 billion in development aid programs to Russia since 1991 with mixed results. The EU head office in Brussels has suggested that these be ''retargeted'' to focus on areas crucial to reform of the economy such as know-how in restructuring companies and developing sound banking laws.