Iran to Adopt Gradual Privatization Program--(guess which sectors)

[Gloria]

Full excerpts, links at http://www.zianet.com/insightanalytical
Tomorrow at Buzzflash.com


WORLD MEDIA WATCH FOR OCTOBER 20, 2004

1//The Independent, UK--BRITISH FORCES ‘WILL BE TARGETED BY IRAQI INSURGENTS’ (Iraqi insurgents are likely to target British troops if they redeploy, trying to drive a wedge between Britain and America and force a British withdrawal, independent military experts warned yesterday… People in Fallujah and military sources in Baghdad say militants who escaped the American encirclement of the city have fanned out into the farmlands around Latifiyah, where the British contingent is expected be. The IISS reports: "With Osama bin Laden's public encouragement, up to 1,000 foreign jihadists may have infiltrated Iraq." Christopher Bellamy, professor of military science and doctrine at Cranfield University, said the redeployment "opens up the opportunity for elements of the insurgency to attack the British, knowing there is concern about the deployment". He said the tactical aim of the insurgency was to drive a wedge between the US and Britain, and added: "We are advertising this in advance. It is like saying, 'Stick the chisel in here'.")



2//The Daily Times, Pakistan--TALIBAN INSURGENCY MAY BE WANING (Hit-and-run ambushes and sporadic rocket attacks is all the Taliban could muster in the weeks before and after Afghanistan’s landmark election, raising hopes that the Islamist hardliners’ insurgency is waning…“We are confident that the Taliban are no longer the threat that they used to be,” said Defence Ministry spokesman General Zaher Azimi. “In all areas we are patrolling with confidence. There are attacks, but this is small – like bandits.” Analysts say that while it is clear attacks by the Taliban and their Al Qaeda allies have diminished, it would be foolhardy to say the threat was over.)

3//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong--CEMENTING RUSSIA’S CENTRAL ASIAN CLOUT (In the immediate aftermath of Russia's unprecedented deal to exchange debt relief for military facilities in mountainous Central Asia, Moscow has joined a purely Central Asian grouping, indicating the Kremlin's continued determination to sustain its influence in this geopolitically competitive zone.
At a regional summit on Monday in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, Russia formally joined the Central Asian Cooperation Organization (CACO), which includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It is a move that further boosts Russia's already significant clout in the region.)

4//The Daily Star, Lebanon--IRAN TO ADOPT GRADUAL PRIVATIZATION PROGRAM (Iran's top legislative arbitration body, which earlier this month paved the way to major privatizations in the Islamic state, said on Monday it is proposing a gradual approach to the sale of state assets. The Expediency Council this month overturned a key plank of the constitution to allow large-scale privatizations in a bid to overhaul the country's lumbering economy…In a move that could signal the end of Iran's state-dominated economic model, the Expediency Council earlier this month gave the green light to privatization of major sectors. The ruling allows privatization of downstream oil and gas sectors, mines, banking, insurance, telecommunications, railway, roads, airlines and shipping.)



5//Gulf News Online, United Arab Emirates--EU AND SYRIA SET TO INITIAL KEY DEAL (Syria and the European Union will initial a key trade and political agreement today, paving the way for closer ties after talks were stalled for a year over disagreements over weapons of mass destruction…The pact, which would give Syria greater access to EU markets in exchange for progress on human rights and other core EU values, highlights the European policy of engagement in contrast to the US use of sanctions against Damascus…A spokesman for the Dutch EU presidency said the Syrian agreement would not be on the agenda at a foreign minister's meeting on November 2, but could appear at the next meeting in late November, or in December.)