Military

DATE=11/02/99

TYPE=WORLD OPINION ROUNDUP

TITLE=AFGHAN CONFLICT REACT

NUMBER=6-12529

BYLINE=ANDREW GUTHRIE

DATELINE=WASHINGTON

INTERNET=YES

EDITOR=ASSIGNMENTS

TELEPHONE=619-3335

CONTENT=

INTRO: Newspapers around the world continue to focus on the U-S-led military campaign against terrorist forces in Afghanistan. Some papers are beginning to question the effectiveness of the mainly air campaign against the Taleban and Osama bin Laden's people.

We get a sampling from V-O-A's ____________ in this week's World Opinion Roundup.

TEXT: Some newspapers in Europe are reminding their readers of the depth of American feeling in the wake of the September 11th attacks. Others are concerned that the U-S bombing campaign may not be as effective as it appears, and that ground operations may be needed. And, others counsel patience for people who have long forgotten the length of previous wars.

Middle Eastern papers are feeding on reports of a secret meeting between a C-I-A representative and Osama bin Laden earlier this year, reports totally denied by the Central Intelligence Agency. In the subcontinent, the popular sub-theme is a U-S magazine report that should the government in Pakistan fall, the U-S plans to seize that nation's nuclear weapons and production facilities. With that background, we turn first to Europe, and London's Financial Times.

VOICE: It is in Europe that we see the fuzziness (about the war). There are differences of perception, though, only partly due to the fact that Europe was an observer rather than victim on September 11th. ... Those opposed to any military action ... are relatively few. More important, they have no answers. Then... we have the armchair strategists. They are for the war but have already concluded ...the U-S is making a hash of it (handling it ineptly)... But then, no one said it would be easy. Wars require a patience we have forgotten.

TEXT: Also in Britain, the Independent offers these editorial thoughts.

VOICE: Carpet bombing is not a phrase calculated to help persuade the skeptics that the United States is exercising proportionate force in its campaign to eliminate ... al-Qaida. It may be that ...bombing ... the Taleban's front line ... is based on a sound understanding of military balance on the ground ... It is equally possible, however, that the tactic is born out of the very impatience with the lack of results from the campaign so far, of which British ministers have accused the media.

TEXT: In France, Le Figaro suggests:

VOICE: The Pentagon is anxious to score points before the winter and Ramadan... Everyone knows ...the U-S will have to become more militarily involved. Whether they want to or not, this marks the end of the proxy war.

TEXT: In the French communist daily Humanite, one columnist commented: "The U-S military slate is still void of any successes... Already the international coalition built on the sole idea of a war on terrorism is hanging by a thread...

In Germany, the Frankfurter Rundschau also is skeptical.

VOICE: Hardly anyone in Berlin believes anymore that the United States is following a carefully considered strategy. Voices in the country are moving in the direction of skepticism.

TEXT: In Berlin, Die Welt, another writer comments:

VOICE: Americans and the British are once again learning that all military victories mean nothing if the media war is lost. That is why they are now setting up three information centers ... to counter (Osama) bin Laden's and the Taleban's information war authoritatively and around the clock. Better late than never.

TEXT: In Italy, La Repubblica published this assessment of American plans.

VOICE: The U-S ... is certain that neither ...winter nor ... Ramadan will stop the military offensive against Afghanistan. ...From a merely military point of view ... optimism is not completely justified: the bombings won't bend the Taleban, the Northern Alliance won't make progress, the commandoes have problems intervening. ...President Bush's advisors want to prepare public opinion (for)... the idea that it may have to live with a long war...

TEXT: In Moscow, the weekly Zavtra concludes:

VOICE: The Kremlin is treacherous, frantic, and fickle as a courtesan. At first it stated ...it would under no circumstances join the U-S military operation. Later, on reflection, it said it didn't mind if Uzbek and Tajik airfields were used for humanitarian purposes. Still later, it agreed to provide air corridors for planes with "humanitarian cargoes." And finally, it allowed the recruitment of Russian soldiers of fortune.

TEXT: In Turkey, newspapers commented on the offer from Ankara for Turkish special forces troops to join the allied assault in Afghanistan. The Istanbul daily newspaper Hurriyet says:

VOICE: This is an international war with an international front. Turkey has suffered a lot from terrorism, and will take part in the war to dry up the resources of international terrorism ... No devout human being, no Muslim in the world would send toxic envelopes to people...Prime Minister Ecevit and his government have made an historic decision, and it is our duty as a nation to support our troops there.

TEXT: The Turkish newspaper Aksam published this column:

VOICE: This is not a war against Muslims, but one to get (Osama) bin Laden, a lunatic terrorist who has murdered thousands of innocent people. ... Turkey will be proven right and will profit in the long term.

TEXT: In the Middle East, Egypt's Al Ahram newspaper accuses the U-S media of bias.

VOICE: American mass media continue their vicious campaign against Egypt because of her position on what the American Administration is calling (a) "campaign against terror" and this despite Egypt's (policy of) ... constantly confirming her full support in combating terrorism "on principle." However, Egypt has strong reservations against the killing of innocent Afghani.

TEXT: Several newspapers published reports suggesting a U-S C-I-A agent met Osama bin Laden in Dubai last July -- a report totally denied by the C-I-A. The French-language Le Temps in Tunisia commented:

VOICE: This information ... blurs a situation that is already murky. The fact that it is qualified as absurd, ungrounded and nonsensical by the C-I-A, does not reduce its impact. ... (it) sows doubts about the ins and outs of this crisis.

TEXT: In Australia, the Canberra Times says:

VOICE: It is now seven weeks since the attack on the World Trade Center ... and the Pentagon ... Some trends in the ill-conceived response by the U-S are emerging, and they are not very encouraging. The U-S has not managed to capture, or even kill, any major terrorist or Taleban leader. To that extent is has not "brought to justice" any of the perpetrators of the attacks. ... Even in Australia, the majority of public opinion is not in favor of the war.

TEXT: In Tokyo, the business newspaper Nihon Keizai, publishedthis comment from its Washington correspondent.

VOICE: ... There are growing views of "diminished prospects" for an early conclusion of the on-going military campaign. ... The Bush administration describes the campaign as a long-term affair and day-to-day air strikes as "smooth" and "satisfactory," voices of concern and skepticism have been raised over (their) ... effectiveness...

TEXT: In Pakistan, the Dawn national daily from Karachi says:

VOICE: There is no evidence yet that the world coalition is anywhere near relaxing its war aims. Both militarily and politically, the air strikes have failed to yield results... In the midst of all this, the humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan is assuming catastrophic proportions.

TEXT: On that note, we conclude this sampling of world newspaper reaction to military campaign against terrorists in Afghanistan.

NEB/ANG/JWH