26 April - 2 May 2001
Issue No.531
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 26 April - 2 May 2001 Issue No.531 |
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End of the affair
THE FUTURE of Yugoslavia hung in the balance on Sunday when Montenegrins went to the polls for parliamentary elections charged with the question of independence for the small Balkan republic. The last vestige of communist leader Marshal Tito's six-nation Yugoslav Republic, the union of Montenegro and its hulking neighbour, Serbia, has faltered in recent years as the Montenegrin leadership sought to distance itself from former Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic. Though the ruling coalition -- gathered under the banner "The Victory is Montenegro's" -- failed to grab the sweeping victory it had counted on, incumbent President Milo Djukanovic has promised a referendum on independence as soon as possible.
While Serbia has expressed its wishes to hold on to this small republic of 650,000, it has said it would respect the outcome of a referendum. But Western powers are nervous that should Montenegro secede -- as many believe will be the long-term outcome of Sunday's vote -- it could be the catalyst for further secessionist unrest in the Balkans. The anti-independence coalition "Together for Yugoslavia", led by Predrag Bulatovic, has argued that Montenegro cannot survive as a nation on its own and claim that their surprising success in Sunday's vote is proof that Montenegro is divided on the issue.
Crouching tiger
HE'S BEEN called a "troublemaker" and a "saboteur of stability" by China, but former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui says all he wants is to undergo a post-operation check-up in Japan. The Chinese have been busy issuing a flurry of angry statements following the announcement on Friday night that Lee would be granted a visa to enter Japan. The agonising decision -- probably outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's last move in Sino-Japanese relations -- was hailed in Taiwan as a "diplomatic coup" for Japan, which has not recognised Taipei since 1972, but the jab comes at a tense moment in the tangled web that connects China, Taiwan, Japan and the ever-present US, who also issued Lee a tourist visa to visit his alma mater in May.
While in Japan for his five-day visit, Lee's movements are strictly limited, so as to prevent him from undertaking any political activities. A strong opponent of Chinese, Lee has been accused by Beijing of using his heart condition as a stunt to disrupt relations with Japan and promote independence for Taiwan, which China sees as a breakaway province. But Lee stuck to the rules and withheld any comment after arriving in Osaka on Sunday.
Crunching the rules
US OFFICIALS have laid the blame for a botched military manoeuvre that led to the Peruvian Air Force shooting down a civilian plane carrying a family of American missionaries on Friday squarely on Peruvian authorities. The plane, on a routine flight over the Amazon jungle, was brought to the attention of Peruvian forces by a US surveillance plane, but despite the protest of US officials, a Peruvian fighter jet shot the plane down. The incident, which resulted in the death of Veronica Bowers and her seven-month-old adopted daughter, has raised further questions about the US's controversial programme to combat drug trafficking in Latin America. Bower's husband and their son survived the crash, but the pilot was shot in both legs.
Peru has expressed its deep regret that the Cessna 185 was mistaken for a drug plane, but US authorities have condemned the decision to open fire without first attempting to determine the nature of the flight. Peru claims that the pilot did not file a flight plan and ignored attempts to make contact (both claims are denied by survivors), but the US says the Peruvian air force circumvented established rules of engagement, failing to make visual contact with the plane and motioning it to land peacefully.
Bump in the road
ARMY sources in the east central African country of Burundi said that the main perpetrators of last Wednesday's curiously bungled coup attempt could face the death penalty for attempting to oust President Pierre Buyoya in a tactically poor operation that involved taking over the state radio. Baffled Burundians were treated to a message aired by the state radio declaring that President Buyoya -- who was in Gabon for peace talks with rebel Hutus -- had been toppled by Lt Gaston Ntakarutimana, of the hitherto unknown Patriotic Youth. The 30 junior army officers were soon besieged by military forces and gave themselves up the next day. It seems that many of them didn't even know they were taking part in a coup.
The attempted takeover, which passed without bloodshed, served merely as new fodder for speculation in Bujumbura, the nation's capital. A weary President Buyoya condemned the attempt as a step backward in a country that is moving forward -- progressive talk from a man who has twice seized power in the last 14 years, most recently in 1996. The Tutsi-dominated military opposes the president's attempts to woo Hutu rebel groups.
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