U.N. Rights Commission Shirks Chance to Redeem Itself--New WMW

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

WORLD MEDIA WATCH FOR MAY 7, 2004

//The Independent, UK--BLAIR ACCUSED OF APPOINTING SCARLETT TO HEAD MI6 AS ‘PAY-OFF’ FOR DODGY DOSSIER’ (Tony Blair was under fire from all sides last night after appointing John Scarlett, who approved the "dodgy dossier" on Iraq, as the head of the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6. Senior Labour backbench MPs joined Liberal Democrats and Tory leaders in accusing the Prime Minister of appointing Mr Scarlett as "the pay-off' for his support for the Government over the allegations that No 10 had "sexed up" the September 2002 dossier on weapons of mass destruction.)



//The Jordan Times, Jordan--‘RED CROSS DEMANDED CORRECTIVE ACTION ON DETAINEES’ (The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Thursday that it had repeatedly asked the United States to take "corrective action" at the US-run Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq following visits carried out since August 2003. "The ICRC, aware of the situation in Abu Ghraib and based on its findings, has repeatedly requested the US authorities to take corrective action," the humanitarian agency said on its Internet site…"We had the feeling that our reports were taken seriously by the Americans. Even if they might not have had an effect immediately, they did not fall on deaf ears," Notari added…However, Notari flatly rejected proposals from the new US prison commander in Iraq, General Geoffrey Miller, for a permanent ICRC presence at Abu Ghraib. "We have a role in checking, but it's not up to us to ensure that the rights of prisoners are respected," she added.)



//Inter Press Service News Agency, Italy--U.N. RIGHTS COMMISSION SHIRKS CHANCE TO REDEEM ITSELF (The United Nations Commission on Human Rights, which during its April sessions kept mum on the abuses committed in Iraq, will once again avoid the issue in late May when it is to receive a report on the Iraq situation, say sources close to the matter…The United States blocked debate on the human rights situation in Iraq during the Commission's annual six-week sessions, which ended Apr. 23, and ”there is little chance now, after recent incidents, that they would agree to any attempt at monitoring,” said a diplomat from a developing country, speaking on condition of anonymity.)

//The Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippines--RP MILITARY AS FRACTURED AS SOCIETY IT DEFENDS (Whoever wins Monday's presidential contest, the military lurks in the background, a Jekyll and Hyde force that has both protected democracy and been its most serious threat. Throughout the campaign, rumors have swirled of plots to destabilize the administration of whichever candidate wins…The problem, however, goes beyond the military. Since the overthrow of Marcos, many officers have gone on to run revenue-generating public agencies and government-owned corporations while others such as charismatic coup leader Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan swapped his fatigues for a suit and entered politics. According to Glenda Gloria in her study, "Out of the Barracks," many officers have become embedded in the patronage system, blurring the line between civil and military institutions.)


//The Moscow Times, Russia--PUTIN SWORN IN FOR 2ND TERM (President Vladimir Putin will be sworn in for a second term Friday in an elaborate ceremony whose invited guests will include lawmakers and foreign ambassadors -- but apparently not liberal politicians… The inauguration has already attracted some criticism, with a leader in the liberal Yabloko party accusing the Kremlin of using it to reward Putin supporters and snub the opposition…"The protocol department has its own perception of who should be invited, and political loyalty probably plays a big role," Mitroikhin told Ekho Moskvy radio.)