Al-Ahram Weekly | International

		Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 3 - 9 May 2001 Issue No.532
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Talking tough
US PRESIDENT George Bush stepped up the icing over of Sino-US relations last week with a threat that the US is prepared to do "whatever it takes" to ensure Taiwan's safety. The remark, which stunned Chinese authorities and sparked chatter in Washington of a change in US policy, is the most candid declaration from a US president on the murky standoff between Taiwan and China. Bush's claim that military force is "certainly an option" in the event of an outright invasion of Taiwan -- which China maintains is a wayward province -- brought forth the ire of China, already sizzling over last month's spy plane crisis and a decision by the US to grant a visa to former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui.
The Bush team has noted that the tough talk is contiguous with campaign promises to take a "resolute stand" on Taiwan, but while Bush's remarks could have signalled a clarification of the US's long-time ambiguity over Taiwan, it seems that the haze has only grown thicker. Bush, who last Wednesday approved the sale of advanced weaponry to Taiwan, still contends that his administration is behind the "one-China" policy and peaceful negotiation. What seems likely is some backpedalling on the part of Bush, who is bound to see that his unprecedented language is not just rhetoric, but implies a commitment that the US is not really prepared to make.
The dynamic duo

RIDING an unprecedented wave of post-election popularity, new Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is hoping that his maverick style will continue to win over a weary populace and usher in an era of reform. Koizumi, who was sworn in last Thursday, emerged as the leading contender for the top post late in an inner-party vote that was thought to favour former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto -- an old guard power in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
After his election, the 59-year-old leader showed the nation he meant business and pulled together a strong cabinet bent on reform. One daring move was to tap Makiko Tanaka, the enormously popular daughter of former Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka, for foreign minister. Tanaka, who supports stronger ties with the US, is Japan's first female foreign minister.
Koizumi's rise to power on the backs of the party's lower ranks shattered the closed-door politics that have shrouded the LDP in secrecy and led to the appointment of Koizumi's unpopular predecessor, Yoshiro Mori, who stepped down amid dismal approval ratings. With pledges to disarm old-style party politics, tackle the country's debt and even change the constitution, Koizumi has his work cut out for him, but will sour conservatives play ball?
Looking backward
AS TALKS between Philippine government negotiators and communist rebel group the National Democratic Front (NDF) kicked off on Friday in the Norwegian capital of Oslo, tensions were rising back home amid mass protests by supporters of deposed President Joseph Estrada in Manila. The Oslo talks are a major coup for new Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, whose attempts to reopen negotiations with the country's numerous rebel insurgencies have borne fruit in the early months of her presidency.
But while Arroyo is desperate to move ahead, hundreds of thousands of Filipinos are not yet ready to close the Estrada chapter. Pro-Estrada protesters stood vigil this week in objection to the incarceration of the disgraced former leader, who was arrested for the second time on 25 April, this time on the charge of economic plunder, which is not subject to bail -- a crime punishable by death. Estrada, who swears his innocence, cheered the demonstrations, but warned his supporters to keep their protest peaceful. Arroyo, who came to power herself in a sweeping "people power" revolt in late January has pledged to show "maximum tolerance," but has padded her soft image with the tough assurance that all the country's armed forces are behind her.
Neutrality ignored
FOLLOWING the brutal slaying of six of its workers on Thursday, the Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has suspended activities in northeastern Congo. ICRC representatives have expressed confusion over the incident, both as to the perpetrators and the reason. Though the area had seen intense fighting between local Hema and Lendu farmers, peace talks had calmed the region down and the area, in Ituri province, was not considered particularly sensitive.
The murdered group, which included one Swiss, one Colombian and four Congolese staff members, were ambushed while bringing medicine to an isolated health centre in vehicles marked with the Red Cross emblem. It was the worst attack on ICRC staff since 1996, which saw the killing of aid workers in Chechnya and Burundi.
Congo has spent the last two and a half years embroiled in a bitter civil war that has drawn in neighbouring nations seeking a stake in the country's rich resources. The government has pounced on the incident as an example of destruction wreaked by the Ugandan-backed rebel group, the Congolese Liberation Front, who are said to control the area. But the group's leader, Jean-Pierre Bemba, has denied responsibility and denounced the attack.
Compiled by Nyier Abdou

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