US SENATORS SEEK SAUDI SANCTIONS-ATimes--New WMW

[Gloria]

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


WORLD MEDIA WATCH FOR NOVEMBER 26, 2003

1//The Independent, UK--BLAIR’S SHOW OF UNITY WRECKED AS CHIRAC GOES ON OFFENSIVE OVER IRAQ (Tony Blair and Jacques Chirac clashed over the future of Iraq yesterday, despite making a concerted joint effort to "move on" from their bitter dispute over the war…M. Chirac's intervention again pushed Mr Blair into the awkward position of trying to bridge the gap between the US and Britain's European Union partners.)



2//The Chosun Ilbo, South Korea--PENTAGON DENIES PLAN TO MOVE TROOPS OUT OF KOREA (…The Pentagon said that no discussion or decision was made on a U.S. troop reduction in Korea, and that any realignment of U.S. troops here would be made under close consultation with the Korean government. For several practical reasons, however, it is becoming more likely that some of the U.S. forces in Korea are to be sent to Iraq. The U.S. Army currently has 485,000 troops in 10 Infantry divisions. Of the U.S. Army forces, nine divisions have been or are scheduled to be sent to Iraq or Afghanistan…Only the U.S. Army’s 2nd Infantry Division is being excluded from the assignment, because the United States takes the North Korean military threat seriously, and has no wish to compromise its promise of security for South Korea. Yet it remains unclear how long the United States will be able to keep its promise, at a time when more troops are urgently needed in Iraq.)



3//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong--US SENATORS SEEK SAUDI SANCTIONS (After targeting both Syria and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, some pro-Israel United States senators have tabled a bill in Congress that would impose sanctions on Saudi Arabia for its alleged ties to international terrorism. But some observers say the bill might not pass because of the special economic and strategic ties between Washington and the oil-rich Arab kingdom. The Saudi Arabia Accountability Act for 2003 was sponsored late last week by a group led by hawkish pro-Israel Republican Senator Arlen Specter, a senior member of the US Senate Judiciary Committee. Two other members of President George W Bush's Republican Party and four opposition Democrats also sponsored the bill.)



4//Gulf News Online, United Arab Emirates--MEDIA BATTLE RAGES ON AIR TO WIN OVER ARAB MINDS (Three foreign powers are engaged in an airwaves war in the UAE and the Arab world. BBC Arabic of the UK, Radio Sawa of the US and Radio Monte Carlo, France's Arabic radio station, are slugging it out to win over hearts and minds in the region. BBC Arabic and Radio Monte Carlo have been on the airwaves longer, mostly in low-quality AM and shortwave frequencies. But Radio Sawa's entry two years ago with clear digital radio technology has led to an industry shake-up… While BBC has established a reputation for fair reporting among Arab listeners, some critics slam Radio Sawa for being nothing but a mass-produced US propaganda machine…"Sawa's music is good. But listening to its news bulletins is like listening to Israeli radio," said Amin M., 21, a student.)



5//The Moscow Times, Russia--OPINION: YUKOS AND THE STATE OF U.S.-RUSSIAN RELATIONS (…For the past few weeks President Vladimir Putin and the Russian government have been busy with damage control. The Kremlin has confirmed its commitment to a liberal economic policy and to economic reform. It has sought to calm investors and to explain its actions to foreign leaders. Russia will be judged not by its words, however, but by its deeds…A number of influential leaders in the United States have already drawn their conclusions, however.)