Military

DATE=01/24/02

TYPE=WORLD OPINION ROUNDUP

TITLE=GUANTANAMO DETAINEES

NUMBER=6-125544

BYLINE=ANDREW GUTHRIE

DATELINE=Washington

INTERNET=YES

EDITOR=Assignments

TELEPHONE=619-3335

CONTENT=

INTRO: The treatment of Afghan prisoners at the U-S Naval base at Guantanamo Bay Cuba continues to rank high as an editorial topic in the world's major dailies.

Many papers are critical of the American treatment, while other papers suggest the Taleban and al-Qaida fighters could be faring much worse with a less principled adversary. We get a sampling now from V-O-A's _______________ in this week's World Opinion Roundup.

TEXT: The U-S treatment of the prisoners is drawing especially blunt criticism from some European papers and even from members of the British Parliament. There are concerns that this country may be applying international law selectively. Many papers feel the men should be granted the status of Prisoners of War, which gives them certain rights under the Geneva Conventions, including legal representation.

The U-S is steadfastly refusing that designation, referring to the men as illegal combatants. Members of the International Red Cross and the British government have visited the camp. The Red Cross has recommended some changes and the British officials said the three British citizens had no complaints.

The Pentagon temporarily suspended flights of prisoners to the base on Thursday to avoid overcrowding. Nevertheless, some papers in Europe are not satisfied. The famed French daily Le Monde in Paris says in part:

VOICE: In war as in politics, the victor's behavior towards the vanquished is of the essence: it is a question of values . America's attitude towards the prisoners . is very much a denial of the values, which guided Washington's intervention in Afghanistan.

TEXT: However in the weekly Le Point, we read a more sympathetic analysis:

VOICE: [The prisoners] could have been quietly executed, without warning, in some backwoods by commandos. But, the U-S is, whatever anyone says, a nation that respects the law. . the questions posed [by critics] are valid ones [however]: the treatment of detainees, the haziness of their legal status, not to mention the . notion of habeas corpus.

TEXT: In England, London's Evening Standard suggests:

VOICE: The United States is exercising the full weight of its power against people whom it considers . as dangerous as a cornered bear . And Washington is in no mood to listen to lectures about this from anyone .

It is not that the prisoners deserve more humanity . It is that the United States deserves better of itself than to treat them in this way. It is deeply dismaying for the rest of us, who want to stand . with the greatest of all democracies . to find ourselves witnessing American actions which cause us to recoil.

TEXT: Turning to Berlin for German reaction, Die Welt asks pointedly:

VOICE: If the alliance is fighting a war . why are the detainees not granted the status of P-O-Ws? And if the reason why the alliance took up arms is the defense of human rights, why are the detainees not granted the legal protection that goes hand-in-hand with human rights?

TEXT: Moving along to Italy, Milan's Corriere della Sera is not very sympathetic with Secretary Rumsfeld's description.

VOICE: Furious because of the accusations coming from all over the world about mistreatment of the . detainees, [Mr.] Rumsfeld has stated that in Cuba 'many have no air conditioning' and that 'beautiful Guantanamo' does not expose the prisoners to the rigors of Afghanistan. [Secretary] Rumsfeld's wild performance did not convince the journalists.

TEXT: In Rome, La Repubblica says in part:

VOICE: . the 158 prisoners, locked in . hencoops [Editors: American slang would instead translate that "chicken coops"] in Guantanamo Bay, represent the first, important split within the anti-terror coalition.

TEXT: For its part, the big Belgian daily Le Soir in Brussels says:

VOICE: The United States wants to be reassuring. But uneasiness remains because of the vagueness about the status of its 'Afghan' prisoners. An official mission . by the British government . has confirmed that there was no problem. But doubt has spread in people's minds.

TEXT: In Denmark, Copenhagen's Berlingske Tidende suggests:

VOICE: Photographs of prisoners kneeling chained to the ground have gone around the world . but we should be careful not to jump to conclusions . Despite the media storm . the U-S government has underscored the fact that the detainees are being treated reasonably well. We should accept this .

TEXT: In the Irish Republic, Dublin's Irish Times is also upset, running this from Ireland's director of Amnesty International.

VOICE: What is most alarming about the shackled and blindfolded Afghan prisoners. is the secrecy surrounding their detention. We presume these people are prisoners of war. If there is any doubt about their status, it should be determined by a proper tribunal .

TEXT: Turning to Spain, Madrid's El Pais comments:

VOICE: The first lesson to learn is that we all need allies, friends, and help. In order to have them, there needs to be reciprocity. And to have [that] Washington needs to understand the sensitivities of others . Judicial limbo such as [that in which] these men in orange outfits find themselves . is dreadful.

TEXT: In the Middle East, the Saudi Arabian controlled al-Hayat, in Arabic, published in London, complains:

VOICE: The picture released by the Pentagon of [the] detainees was quite enough to provoke international public opinion. This is the same public opinion, which had categorically deplored the attacks on New York and Washington, and strongly condemned those who committed them. . the photos . [point] to something worse: that a group of terrorists were able to make a superpower lose its wisdom and judgment.

TEXT: Turning briefly to Asia, South Korea's Hankook Ilbo from Seoul comments:

VOICE: Given that the Taleban and the al-Qaida are military entities, their members should be treated as prisoners of war.

TEXT: Lastly, we check in with our northern neighbors, Canada, where the National Post states.

VOICE: al-Qaida and Taleban prisoners are being treated humanely, as reports now emerging from Cuba reveal, and as the Red cross will doubtless conclude . Some of the prisoners have vowed to kill their captors before they leave Guantanamo, so the U-S military is justified in the measures it is taking: if it is legal to kill in self-defense (as it is), then it is also legal to use shackles and blindfolds when transporting your would-be killers.

TEXT: For a French-Canadian view, we consult with La Presse from Montreal where this editorial excerpt appeared this week.

VOICE: .there is an uneasy feeling even among the closest allies of the war on terrorism. This is due to the fact [that] the Americans have given themselves total discretionary power over these prisoners. The U-S government calls them 'unlawful combatants' a status that does not exist in international law. . The legal status of the prisoners must be established as soon as possible.

TEXT: With that comment from Montreal's La Presse, we conclude this week's World Opinion Roundup on the detention of Afghan prisoners at the U-S naval base in Cuba.

NEB/ANG/MEM