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WORLD MEDIA WATCH FOR JULY 23, 2004
1//The Scotsman, UK--BEAMING BLAIR VOWS HE WILL ‘GO ON AND ON’ (Tony Blair yesterday stamped his authority on the government and pledged he would lead it all the way through a third term from the front. The Prime Minister’s remarkably outspoken comments - which pointed towards him staying in Downing Street until 2009 - will further frustrate Gordon Brown, whose ambition to occupy No 10 remains undimmed. Mr Blair’s declaration that he would "go on and on" came during a wide-ranging press conference to mark the last day of term at Westminster before the summer recess.)
2//The Independent, UK--NO RESPITE FOR BLAIR AS MPs REOPEN INTELLIGENCE INQUIRY (The inquiry into the flawed intelligence which led Britain to war in Iraq on false claims that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction is to be reopened by a Labour-led select committee… The Independent also learnt that the Prime Minister's Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) agreed at a separate private meeting yesterday to look into the revelations in the Butler report that MI6 had withdrawn the intelligence underpinning the WMD claims… Mr Straw revealed on Tuesday that he was told of the withdrawal in September last year. Mr Blair refused yesterday to give details about when he was told, but insisted it was "as a result of the Butler inquiry" into the intelligence mistakes. Bob Marshall-Andrews QC, a Labour MP opposed to the war, tabled a further question to Mr Blair demanding the date on which Mr Blair was told. Mr Marshall-Andrews said: "This is the silver bullet. Someone is going to come out of the shadows and say, 'I did tell the Prime Minister before he went before the Hutton inquiry'. That would be fatal for Tony Blair. Politically, he would be dead.")
3//Radio Netherlands Wereldomroep, Netherlands--AUSTRALIA’S “GENTLE” REPORT(Along with its American and British allies, Australia has also held an inquiry into the information used to back the country's involvement in last year's military campaign in Iraq. Presented on Thursday, the report prepared by Philip Flood cleared Australia's politicians of "sexing up" the intelligence to justify the war, and its tone appears less critical than the recent Butler report in the United Kingdom…Australian terrorism expert David Wright-Neville gives his view of the main points of the report…”…the author Philip Flood had a distinguished career as a diplomat but also served briefly as the head of one of these intelligence agencies, so there was some suggestion from the very beginning that he'd probably err on the side of a positive assessment. And he's certainly fulfilled those expectations.")
4//The Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippines--ERMITA: US ENVOY WANTED ARROYO TO REVERSE DECISION (Defense Secretary Eduardo Ermita revealed Thursday that US Ambassador Francis Ricciardone had asked him to help convince the government to reverse its decision to pull out the 51-man Philippine contingent from Iraq…For some allies who have pulled out, Rumsfeld's consternation was thinly veiled: "Sovereign nations make sovereign decisions just as people do. If you want more of something you reward it, and if you want less of it you penalize it."…Rumsfeld's remark was not as well taken...The lawmakers led by Lakas-CMD Rep. Prospero Pichay Jr. of Surigao del Sur and Nationalist People's Coalition Rep. Benasing Macarambon Jr. of Lanao del Sur reminded Rumsfeld that it was his defense department that provided the faulty intelligence about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, which precipitated the war…Now Iraq has become a "dangerous place for all nationalities," he pointed out. "At the very least ... Rumsfeld should be a man and admit he is at fault for this whole fiasco."
5//The Moscow Times, Russia--YUKOS: WE’LL BE BANKRUPT IN WEEKS (A looming liquidity crisis brought on by court marshals' asset freezes could force Yukos to halt its operations and exports and plunge it into bankruptcy as soon as mid-August, company executives warned Thursday. The announcement by the country's embattled No. 1 oil producer sent shock waves through both rattled domestic trading floors and international oil markets, causing shares to fall across the board and world oil prices to soar on fears of supply shortages from Russia…"We will essentially run out of cash and not be able to fund our business operating expenses and obligations at some time in the first half of August," Yukos CEO Steven Theede told journalists in Moscow…"What the government really wants? That is exactly the question," Theede said…"It clearly can't be good for the business investment climate," said Edward Parker, director at Fitch sovereign group, Reuters reported. "We would expect it to reduce investment, to increase capital flight, slow down GDP growth and diversification.")
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