In this issue:

Leaders of India Call on World Leaders To Preserve Peace

Unilateral U.S. War Is 'Inconceivable' Following UN Meeting, Says Fernandes

China Youth Daily: Inspectors Showed No Reason for Imminent War

Mbeki Says Non-Aligned Mission Is 'Anti-Unilateralism'

Non-Aligned Movement Summit Opens in Malaysia

North and South Korea Open Second Road Across the DMZ

Scowcroft Says U.S. Should Meet North Korea and 'Offer a Clear Vision'

U.S. Plans Troop Reduction in South Korea

Powell Attending Inauguration of South Korea President

DOD Leaks on Philippines Combat Mission Provoke Chaos

Philippines Leaders Say U.S. Military Operation Is Treasonous

U.S. Ambassador Sees Indonesia Upheaval in the Event of Iraq War

From Volume 2, Issue Number 8 of Electronic Intelligence Weekly, Published Feb. 24, 2003
Asia News Digest

Leaders of India Call on World Leaders To Preserve Peace

India's former President K.R. Narayanan, former Prime Minister I.K. Gujral, and three eminent Indian jurists have called on world leaders to preserve peace. A formal statement issued by the former President and Prime Minister, and jurists Fali S. Nariman, A.H. Desai, and K.K. Venugopal, says: "People who guide the destinies of the world must work together to preserve the peace: by helping to formulate and to actively propagate all steps that would avoid a war.

"How that is best achieved must be left to the collective wisdom of the majority of the members of the UN Security Council, and not to any one of them, howsoever powerful." Their statement continues, "If world leaders keep thinking and talking only about war, then war will be inevitable—with disastrous consequences for the people of the world. Lives of thousands of innocent men, women and children will be lost and hundreds of thousands more will be rendered homeless."

The Indian leaders' statement deplored the casual manner in which the war option is being talked about, The Hindu newspaper reported.

They recalled the UNESCO constitution, which reads: "Wars begin in the minds of men and it is in the minds of men (and women) that the defenses of peace must be constructed." The five also answer U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, who had asked: "How much longer are we to wait?" The answer, the Indians say, is "so long as it is necessary to keep the world out of a full-scale war."

Unilateral U.S. War Is 'Inconceivable' Following UN Meeting, Says Fernandes

Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes said that it would be "inconceivable that United States should take any action, after what has been submitted to the UN Security Council yesterday"—referring to Hans Blix's report of Feb. 14—"by all those who were concerned with the search, and also by the stand that has been taken by the members of the Security Council like France, Germany, Russia, and China and other countries that have been associated with this opposition [to war]."

Fernandes was speaking in Bangalore on Feb. 15, reported the Times of India, after the report to the UN Security Council of the weapons inspectors. Fernandes also made clear that India could not support the United States' present position on the Iraq issue, and it could not be part of "anything where the United Nations is not involved."

Fernandes said his point of view was not "opposition for opposition's sake," but because, "It is an obvious situation where Iraq has been found to be without any weapons of mass destruction." Asked if the United States had looked for Indian support against Iraq, Fernandes retorted: "India cannot support. How can India support?" India has consistently said that the matter had to be resolved amicably and "it can be resolved amicably."

China Youth Daily: Inspectors Showed No Reason for Imminent War

The United States has no reason to imminently launch war on Iraq, and there is no reason for a war "within weeks," wrote Beijing University Prof. Zhu Feng in the popular China Youth Daily of Feb. 18. This is the case, due to the anti-war efforts by the world community, and the latest reports by the UN weapons inspectors. The article noted that the arms inspectors' reports to the UN of Feb. 14 "may have embarrassed the United States, because they resulted in an agreement to continue the inspections in Iraq, instead of disarming the Arab country with a U.S.-led military action."

The reports by UN inspectors Hans Blix and Mohamed El-Baradei "also refuted U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's allegation that Iraq is cheating the United Nations," Prof. Zhu wrote. However, the reports have provided "excuses" for the pro-war U.S. and allies to push their policies. Zhu wrote that military pressure on Iraq is needed, "but military pressure cannot replace the work of inspection." Baghdad is becoming more and more cooperative with the UN. "Under the current situation, the United States has no reason to arbitrarily decide to launch a war."

Also on Feb. 18, the Chinese People's Daily reported on Iraq, saying that the U.S. policy of war is intended to re-draw the political and economic map of the Middle East. There is "widespreading suspicion in the Arabian world" after Colin Powell's speech, that the U.S. purpose in launching a war on Iraq, is not only to topple Saddam, but also to restructure the Middle East for its own interests, People's Daily wrote.

Mbeki Says Non-Aligned Mission Is 'Anti-Unilateralism'

South African President Thabo Mbeki has defined the mission of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) as "anti-unilateralism," overturning talk that the NAM is "irrelevant," since it was founded in opposition to the bipolar world of two blocs, which no longer exists. Mbeki insists that the institution is just as relevant as during the Cold War, and it is needed to defend the concept of multilateralism as essential for the peaceful alliance of sovereign states, and "to insist that countries should not, because they are strong and powerful, just act unilaterally any way they like."

The New Straits Times of Kuala Lampur pointed out in a Feb. 17 article that Malaysia's Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad, who takes over the chairmanship of the NAM this year from South Africa, strongly supports this mission for the NAM.

Non-Aligned Movement Summit Opens in Malaysia

The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Kuala Lumpur opened on Feb. 20, with a blast at racism and globalization. The 114 nations of NAM began the six-day meeting with a two-day "senior officials" meeting keynoted by Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar. Syed said that while the rich nations' governments and NGOs lecture about human rights, "racial discrimination, xenophobia, and other forms of related intolerance" are growing across the West. "It would seem that the fight against terrorism has brought out the worst racial impulses in these countries," he said. Globalization, he added, had been a "bane" for most members of the NAM, whose debt forces them to "put ourselves under their direction or tutelage. Those who do not do so, are castigated as pariahs."

With Iraq as a member state, the NAM intends to conclude with a "KL Declaration" which strongly opposes the U.S. threat of war, aiming at revitalizing the movement.

North and South Korea Open Second Road Across the DMZ

Following the opening of the East Coast road across the DMZ (De-Militarized Zone) between North and South Korea on Feb. 5, the West Coast road was opened on Feb. 20, allowing a pilot inspection tour from the South of a planned industrial complex in the Northern city of Gaeseong. Korea Land Corp. and Hyundai Asan are involved in the tour, along with officials from the South's related ministries.

Meanwhile, 461 separated families had reunions at Mt. Geumgang, on the Northern side of the East Coast road.

Scowcroft Says U.S. Should Meet North Korea and 'Offer a Clear Vision'

Former National Security Adviser Gen. Brent Scowcroft, who served under President Bush "41," has challenged the Bush "43" Administration to end its refusal to meet with North Korea, and to "offer a clear vision." In a Washington Post op-ed co-authored with Daniel Poneman, who served on the National Security Council under President Bush "41" and President Clinton, Scowcroft, who often speaks for circles around the elder Bush, ridiculed the Administration's insistance on international discussions, rather than bilateral talks, as demanded by Pyongyang.

"Pressing Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo, and Moscow to act is no surrogate for U.S. leadership," Scowcroft and Poneman wrote. To persuade others to apply pressure on the North to end their nuclear program, "the U.S. needs to show a serious effort to resolve the situation through diplomacy. If the U.S. offers a clear vision of the diplomatic solution it favors—and a road map to get there—it can mobilize an international consensus on the North Korean challenge." The U.S. must "be willing to provide the kind of security assurances North Korea seeks, as well as other steps to bring North Korea into the community of nations," or face an arms race in Asia.

U.S. Plans Troop Reduction in South Korea

Confirming statements made to the Senate by Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Thomas Hubbard told a panel at the Seoul National University that U.S. troops in South Korea will be re-positioned, and that some may be withdrawn, reported the Korea Herald in Seoul on Feb. 18. Rumsfeld had told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Feb. 13: "I'd like to see a number of our forces move away from the Seoul area, and from the area near the DMZ, and be more oriented toward an air hub and a sea hub, with the ability to reinforce," and added the possibility that "some of those forces [could] come back home."

Hubbard, a former Admiral, in a reference to a statement by Korean President-elect Roh Moo Hyun regarding the need for the bilateral relationship between the U.S. and South Korea to be "rebalanced," said, "There is definitely room for changes in our alliance. Our alliance not only should be balanced, it must be seen as being so."

Powell Attending Inauguration of South Korea President

Secretary of State Colin Powell is attending the inauguration of Roh Moo-Hyun in South Korea, and visiting Tokyo and Beijing, in a week-long tour that began Feb. 21. He was in Tokyo on Feb. 22 and 23; in Beijing on Feb. 23 and 24; will be in Seoul Feb. 24 and 25 for the inauguration.

There was press speculation that Powell might hold another private meeting with a North Korean representative (as he did earlier at an APEC meeting), either in Seoul or Beijing, thus breaking the deadlock of the U.S. claiming they are willing to meet the North bilaterally, but rejecting every effort of the North to meet. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher refused to speak to that possibility, but repeated that "the U.S. is willing to talk directly to the North Koreans," while reiterating that the U.S. prefers a multilateral setting.

DOD Leaks on Philippines Combat Mission Provoke Chaos

On Feb. 21, the U.S. Defense Department leaked a story to the front pages of most U.S. newspapers that the U.S. military is launching a direct military assault on terrorists in the Philippines, provoking chaos in that country. Although there has been talk of expanding U.S.-Philippines "exercises" to allow U.S. soldiers to join in combat operations against the Abu Sayyaf, this "anonymous" leak escalates the plan to that of a "lovely little war": 3,000 troops, including 1,700 ground troops in Mindanao, of which 750 are for combat patrols; another 1,000 or more Marines will be on two ships offshore, deployed from Okinawa, with Cobra attack helicopters and Harrier AV-8B attack planes. Troops will be under U.S. command, according to the reports. The first troops have already arrived, and operations are to commence Feb. 24.

The combat deployment of foreign troops is in total violation of the Philippine Constitution, and the country has exploded politically. The government is denying the report. Presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye said it was "wrong information," and that U.S. troops would not engage in "offensive operations," except in self-defense (as in the exercises last year).

However, the New York Times quoted an unnamed Pentagon official saying that "one reason for telling reporters ... about the new mission was that Mr. Bunye had mischaracterized the scope of an operation that had already been agreed upon in private," implying that the utopians are trying to undercut the Philippine President.

Philippines Defense Secretary Gen. Angelo Reyes (former Army chief) refused to comment on "leaks," but said the deployments would be constitutional—then announced he would travel to the United States on Feb. 23 for a week of meetings with Rumsfeld and others.

Philippines Leaders Say U.S. Military Operation Is Treasonous

Philippines leaders are calling the Philippines government's permission for the announced U.S. military combat operation "treason," and calls for impeachment of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo are spreading.

Following the massive coverage of U.S. combat missions in the Philippines, Senator Pimentel accused Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes of "treason in its basest form" for turning the Philippines into a "deadly laboratory for the testing of the effectiveness of U.S. troops, tactics and weaponry against so-called terrorists." He and other Senators may call Reyes to the Senate to explain the operation. Vice President Teofisto Guingona, who was fired as Foreign Minister after opposing the U.S. role in last year's "exercises," said the United States is "overstepping its bounds." Congresswoman Imee Marcos said a U.S. defense official had confirmed to her that the U.S. plan was to use the southern Philippines as a "forward presence in Southeast Asia for operations against Islamic fundamentalist groups."

Sources in the Philippines told EIR that plans for impeachment proceedings against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo are likely to move forward rapidly, unless she denounces this U.S. operation.

Meanwhile, as U.S. troops were arriving on Feb. 21, the previous two days had seen an escalation of terror and violence across Mindanao. Three bombs were exploded in the area of Cotabato, a town was attacked by the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front), while eight power towers of the National Power Corp. were attacked, with one destroyed and two damaged. Sixteen people are dead. The violence is considered related to the renewed government war against the MILF over the past weeks, raising the potential that U.S. military operations against the Abu Sayyaf could easily spill over to the Moro liberation forces.

U.S. Ambassador Sees Indonesia Upheaval in the Event of Iraq War

Behind the scenes in Washington, it is well known that there exists a danger of a global political explosion against the United States, resulting from the unilateral war that the Bush Administration "Chickenhawks" are pushing. However, Washington sources tell EIW that there is an atmosphere of terror not seen since the "days of Joe McCarthy," that is being imposed by Attorney General John Ashcroft and the warmongers.

Dramatic evidence of the concern over the risks involved in a U.S. war on Iraq, emerged Feb. 17, when a letter to diplomats obtained by the New York Times was published. In the letter, the U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia, Ralph Boyce, praised the Indonesian efforts in combatting domestic terrorism, but warned: "The prospect of war with Iraq casts a cloud of uncertainty on our situation that warrants extreme caution. Previously friendly, moderate leaders have warned that war might unleash an enormous anger against the American community that could turn violent."

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