OFFICIALS KNEW OF DODGY IRAQ FILE (Australia, too!)--New World Media Watc

[Gloria]

Full excerpts, links up NOW at http://www.zianet.com/insightanalytical

Tomorrow at Buzzflash.com


WORLD MEDIA WATCH For July 11, 2003

1//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong--DIGGING FOR DIRT ("If the American people conclude that American soldiers have died because the administration has lied, it will be extremely serious," according to Joseph Cirincione, an arms control specialist at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "American public opinion is clearly shifting on this issue." He said that he didn't see how the Republicans and the administration could avert a major investigation… Thielmann was particularly dismissive of some Republican attempts to defend the administration. The Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Tom DeLay, told reporters on Tuesday in response to the White House admission that the uranium story was false that it was "very easy to pick one little flaw here and one little flaw there". "A little flaw here, a little flaw there," said Thielmann, "and pretty soon you've fostered a fundamentally flawed view of reality".)



2//The Independent, UK--DUNCAN SMITH REJECTS BLAIR’S ACCOUNT OF SHARING INTELLIGENCE WITH TORIES (Tony Blair faced repeated calls to apologise to Iain Duncan Smith yesterday after claiming that intelligence upon which the "dodgy dossier" was based had been shared with the Conservatives. In a series of strongly worded letters, the Tory leader urged Mr Blair to withdraw his "false allegation" and demanded an apology. But a stand-off developed when the Prime Minister insisted on the veracity of his comments and refused to withdraw them.)



3//The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia--FILEOFFICIALS KNEW OF DODGY IRAQ (The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) admitted last night that it knew intelligence on Iraq's nuclear program was questionable shortly before the Prime Minister, John Howard, presented it to Parliament to build a case for war…The department claims it did not tell Mr Howard or the Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, of information from the American State Department in January that cast doubt on claims that Iraq was seeking uranium from Africa.This follows the extraordinary admission yesterday by Australia's peak intelligence agency, the Office of National Assessments (ONA), that it received the same information but had also failed to pass it on to Mr Howard.)



4//The Mail and Guardian, South Africa--ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER PHOTO OPPORTUNITY (The last stage of US President George Bush's first tour of Africa will be a politically risky foray into the troubled world of Africa's number one oil producer: Nigeria. His visit is seen as an endorsement of President Olusegun Obasanjo, just three months after he was re-elected in a poll which US observers said was marred by "obvious premeditated electoral manipulation"… Already opposition supporters have held a minor demonstration outside the US embassy in Abuja, accusing Bush of endorsing a "stolen election". The International Republican Institute (IRI), set up by Bush's predecessor and ideological stablemate Ronald Reagan, was scathing about Obasanjo's tainted re-election… Earlier this year the United States delivered the US Navy two recently refurbished warships. Their role? To protect oil fields in the Niger Delta from unrest.)


5//DW-World.de/Deutsche-Welle, Germany--EUROPEAN CONVENTION CONCLUDES WORK(With agreements to maintain veto rights on issues dealing with immigration, labor markets, cultural trade and foreign policy, the European Convention completed its historic work of drafting a constitution on Thursday…However, there were some issues over which countries failed to find unity. In the areas of foreign and tax policy, the veto right of member states will remain in place despite pressure from Germany to place those policy areas under the control of EU qualified majority voting. Eliminating the veto would have been politically impossible for Britain.Also entailed in the draft is an official motto of the EU, which will be "United in Diversity," an official EU song, which is to be Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" and an official holiday on May 9 to celebrate European unity.)

[Gloria]

1. Kick for the overnight crowd....