<a href=www.cascfen.org>cascfen.org Posted on Thursday, April 17 @ 14:36:20 CDT by admin

17 April 2003, CASCFEN - UN High Commission on Human Rights welcomed the abolition of death penalty while remained critical to the situtaion with other human rights issues including freedom of press and expression. This was expressed in the press release of UN HCHR dated April 16, 2003: "In a resolution on the situation of human rights in Turkmenistan, adopted by a roll-call vote of 23 in favour to 16 against, with 14 abstentions, the Commission expressed its appreciation at the country's recent abolition of the death penalty, but expressed grave concern, among other things, at the persistence of a governmental policy based on the repression of all political opposition activities and on the abuse of the legal system through arbitrary detention, imprisonment and surveillance of persons who tried to exercise their freedoms of thought, expression, assembly and association, and through harassment of their families.

A Representative of Turkmenistan said the text was harshly worded, was based on a one-sided assessment and arbitrary interpretations of decisions taken by the Government and judicial bodies, and had been drawn up without any consultation with the Government of Turkmenistan, which was struggling to promote human rights.

Under a resolution on the situation of human rights in Turkmenistan (E/CN.4/2003/34/Rev.1), adopted by a roll-call vote of 23 in favour to 16 against, with 14 abstentions, the Commission expressed its appreciation at the recent announcement by the Government of Turkmenistan to uphold the decision by the Turkmen Peoples' Congress to abolish the death penalty; expressed grave concern at the persistence of a governmental policy based on the repression of all political opposition activities and on the abuse of the legal system through arbitrary detention, imprisonment and surveillance of persons who tried to exercise their freedoms of thought, expression, assembly and association, and harassment of their families; called upon the Government of Turkmenistan to ensure full respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms; to put an end to forced displacements and guarantee freedom of movement inside the country; to fulfil its responsibility to ensure that those responsible for human rights violations were brought to justice; to cooperate fully with all the mechanisms of the Commission on Human Rights; urged the Government of Turkmenistan to immediately and unconditionally release all prisoners of conscience; called on the Special Rapporteurs on the independence of judges and lawyers, on the question of torture, on extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary executions, and on freedom of opinion and expression, as well as the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on internally displaced persons, to seek invitations from the Government of Turkmenistan to visit the country; and decided to continue its consideration of this question at its sixtieth session.

The results were as follows:

In favour (23): Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, France, Germany, Guatemala, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States, and Uruguay. Against (16): Armenia, Bahrain, China, Cuba, Gabon, India, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Ukraine, Viet Nam, and Zimbabwe.

Abstentions (14): Algeria, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Thailand, Togo, Uganda, and Venezuela.

A Representative of Pakistan, speaking on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), said the draft resolution on Turkmenistan had been submitted without any prior consultation with the country itself. So far, the situation of human rights in Turkmenistan had not been considered by any human rights mechanism, or under the Commission's 1503 procedure. The Organization of the Islamic Conference was therefore bewildered as to the reason for this draft resolution, especially given the willingness of the Government of Turkmenistan to cooperate with European Union. This had not even been reflected in the draft resolution. The submission of resolutions without the prior knowledge of the country in question set a dangerous precedent and would no doubt lead to further politicization of the Commission. For these reasons, the Organization of the Islamic Conference would call for a roll-call vote and would urge that for these reasons other countries should vote against the resolution.

A Representative of China said Turkmenistan had been added to the list of countries which had fallen victim to interference in their internal affairs under the pretext of human rights. Turkmenistan had acceded to several international human rights instruments and had undertaken efforts to promote and protect human rights. All this attested to the positive attitude of Turkmenistan. China found no reason to support this resolution and would therefore vote against it.

A Representative of Cuba said Cuba shared the views expressed by the representative of Pakistan, speaking on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Such resolutions were being used more and more by the European Union, including in the Latin American region. There was no clear human rights consideration in the draft resolution concerning Turkmenistan. The Cuban delegation would vote against the draft resolution.

A Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic said the draft resolution on Turkmenistan was another example of how developing countries were targeted by an obvious political agenda, preventing the Commission from concentrating on human rights. There must be an end to the targeting of developing countries under agenda item 9. This targeting did not meet the objective of greater cooperation in achieving human rights for all. Syria would therefore vote against the draft resolution.

A Representative of Turkmenistan said that in the short course of its independence, Turkmenistan had become deeply integrated into the international community and had taken upon itself all corresponding obligations and had complied with them on the basis on international law. It valued its independence and sovereign rights. Turkmenistan was the first in Asia to abolish the death penalty, it gave special attention to the creation of a secular society and put equal emphasis on rights and duties. However, it needed time and cooperation from the international community. The emergence of the draft resolution on the human rights situation in Turkmenistan was an unpleasant surprise. The harshly worded text was based on a one-sided assessment and arbitrary interpretations of decisions taken by the Government and judicial bodies. Furthermore, the draft had been drawn up without any consultation with the Government of Turkmenistan. Moreover, Turkmenistan had never been the subject of any special procedures of the Commission, including the1503 procedure."

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<a href=www.dailyherald.com>Suburban Chicago Daily Herald By Scot Gregor Daily Herald Sports Writer Posted April 17, 2003

There was security meeting after security meeting after security meeting Wednesday at U.S. Cellular Field.

While the White Sox and Major League Baseball came up with some potential solutions to stop the increasing number of fans from running onto the playing field and attacking players, coaches and umpires, nothing is guaranteed.

Well, almost nothing.

In his native Venezuela, Sox right fielder Magglio Ordonez said there is very effective crowd control.

"They have police at the games with machine guns,'' Ordonez said. "And they have dogs in the bullpen. Pit bulls, Rottweilers, German shepherds. All kinds.''

One night after first-base umpire Laz Diaz was attacked by a fan who jumped over the railing, identified as 24-year-old Eric Dybas of Bolingbrook, the White Sox announced several changes in their stadium security policy.

Last Sept. 19, a father and son ran onto the field at Comiskey Park and assaulted Royals first-base coach Tom Gamboa.

"To have to deal with this yet again is really a black mark on the city and, frankly, the organization,'' said Sox general manager Kenny Williams. "For it to happen twice in our city is unconscionable.''

Beginning with Wednesday night's game against Kansas City, the White Sox added two security guards to each foul line, instructed ushers to check ticket stubs more frequently, and aired a video message from first baseman Paul Konerko urging proper conduct.

The Sox also are talking to local public officials about increasing the fines and jail terms for individuals who enter the playing field. The White Sox said they are making some additional covert changes in security.

"They'll be more effective from an operations standpoint if we keep them to ourselves,'' Williams said.

Three other patrons also ran on the field in Tuesday night's game. And, like Dybas, alcohol appeared to play a major role.

While the White Sox announced no changes in alcohol sales - they serve beer and other beverages until the top of the eighth inning - Major League Baseball is aware that problems exist.

"Alcohol management is something we take very, very seriously,'' said MLB security director Kevin Hallinan, who along with operations director Sandy Alderson met Wednesday with the White Sox and the Royals.

Said Alderson: "If you look at (Tuesday) night, I don't think it's a coincidence that these events took place late in the game.''

But after all the meetings ended, potential problems still exist.

"Hopefully, we can solve this and look at these two cases as aberrations,'' Williams said. "But it is what it is. The feeling I had in the pit of my stomach (Tuesday) night, it was disbelief along with embarrassment for the city as well as the organization.''

Before reaching Diaz, Dybas jumped over the railing on the right-field line where a security guard was stationed.

"(The guard) was looking left for one split second, and that's when the young man decided to jump on the field and attack the umpire,'' Williams said. "I don't know if you can do better than that unless you put snipers on the roof. And we don't want to do that.''

White Sox relief pitcher Kelly Wunsch agrees with Williams.

"It's a baseball game; it's not a communist state,'' Wunsch said. "I've played in Venezuela over the winter, and they have guard dogs and security guys with machetes. It's ridiculous. It didn't even feel like baseball. Who wants to take their kids to a place where they have guard dogs all over the place?''

The White Sox are scheduled to host the All-Star Game on July 25, and Twins first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz said the event should be moved due to safety concerns.

"That (ticks) me off,'' Wunsch said. "But everyone's entitled to their opinions, however stupid they may be. He sees a clip on SportsCenter and says we shouldn't get the All-Star Game.

"Come on, dude. Get real. I know you don't like the White Sox, but mind your own business.''

Alderson said the Mid-Summer Classic is still coming to U.S. Cellular Field.

"The All-Star Game will be played in Chicago,'' he said. "It will be played in a safe environment for players, coaches, umpires and fans, and it will be a great event.

"Given the fact it has happened twice here, are we concerned? Yes, as we have discussed with the White Sox.

"But sometimes preparation and execution can't eliminate these kinds of incidents. We are going to go cross the board throughout baseball to reduce the number, if not eliminate them.''

forbes.com-Reuters Reuters, 04.17.03, 3:23 AM ET

SINGAPORE, April 17 (Reuters) - Oil prices crept higher on Thursday in quiet trade ahead of the long weekend holiday and an emergency OPEC meeting next week where producers will discuss possible supply restraints to avert a supply glut.

In the run up to the ministerial talks in Vienna on April 24, Iran warned an oversupply would lead to a collapse in oil prices if not checked, while Indonesia said it would ask OPEC to remove 1.5 to two million barrels of daily production.

U.S. light crude rose 22 cents to $29.40 a barrel, while London's Brent crude was up 23 cents at $25.25 a barrel.

Traders said dealings were expected to be muted ahead of the Easter holiday weekend. The New York Mercantile Exchange and the International Petroleum Exchange (IPE) will be closed on Friday and the IPE will remain shut on Monday.

Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh on Thursday called on OPEC to reduce official production limits.

"We (OPEC) should consider cutting production to balance supply and demand in the market, especially in the second quarter," Zanganeh told reporters at an industry conference.

He said any reduction in supplies should be made from the group's official 24.5 million barrels per day (bpd) output ceiling. The 10 OPEC members bound by quotas are now pumping close to two million bpd above the official limits.

"There is an oversupply in the market, which if not controlled, will lead to a sharp price collapse in the long term," Zanganeh said.

Indonesian Mines and Energy Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said he would request that OPEC remove 1.5 million to two million bpd from the world market.

The International Energy Agncy, the energy watchdog for 26 industrialised nations, has urged OPEC to be cautious in any supply cut, saying that prices are still too high for firms to rebuild low stocks.

BUSH WANTS IRAQ U.N. SANCTIONS DROPPED

Oil demand usually dips in the second quarter after the winter heating spurt and before consumption of gasoline hits a peak during summer vacations.

The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries sharply ramped up production this year to cover supply disruptions from Venezuela, Nigeria and Iraq.

But officials now fear that prices, which fell 30 percent in one month, could come down further as demand drops off in the second quarter by about two million bpd.

Venezuelan and Nigerian output have largely recovered, while Iraqi crude exports could start to resume within a month, much earlier than expected if legal and administrative issues are ironed out at the United Nations.

U.S. President George W. Bush, who led the military campaign to oust Saddam Hussein, on Wednesday urged the United Nations to lift economic sanctions on Iraq.

But U.N. diplomats said an end to the embargo should depend upon the world body certifying that Iraq is free of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, one of the reasons Washington gave for launching the war.

U.N. sanctions were slapped on Iraq after its invasion of neighbouring Kuwait in 1990. Its oil sales have been governed since 1996 by the U.N. monitored oil-for-food programme, which allows Baghdad to sell oil and use the proceeds to buy food, medicine and other civilian goods.

The U.S. military reckons it could get Iraqi oilfields pumping at two-thirds of pre-war levels within weeks, although resuming exports depends on creation of a political authority in the country.

Colonel Michael Morrow, adviser to U.S. forces chief Tommy Franks at Central Command in Qatar, said on Wednesday that output capability from Iraq's northern oilfields was expected to restart at 800,000 bpd in about four weeks.

Production from southern fields, where some sabotage took place, was expected to restart at 800,000 bpd in eight weeks.

Iraq was producing about 2.5 million bpd before the war.

Detroit Free Press April 17, 2003

APPLIANCES

Maytag to cut 500 jobs

Maytag Corp. announced plans to cut 500 jobs as the appliance maker reported a 39-percent drop in first-quarter earnings.

Benton Harbor-based Maytag said earnings for the three months ending March 31 were $34.5 million, or 44 cents per share, down from $56.8 million, or 73 cents per share in the first quarter of 2002. The consensus among analysts surveyed by Thomson First Call was for first-quarter earnings of 57 cents per share.

AUTOS

Lear earnings up; outlook poor

Lear Corp. said Wednesday its quarterly earnings jumped 46 percent, but it slashed its full-year outlook due to U.S. automakers' production cutbacks.

Lear, which makes seating, instrument panels, electrical components and other interior systems, is among the suppliers that have benefited most from an industry trend toward outsourcing the assembly of larger modules and systems.

The Southfield-based supplier said its first-quarter net income climbed to $67.9 million, or $1.01 a share, from $46.4 million, or 70 cents a share, in the same period a year ago, boosted by new business, a stronger euro and better operating efficiencies.

Analysts' consensus estimate was $1 a share, according to Thomson First Call.

Delphi profit rebounds

Delphi Corp. posted a quarterly profit of $127 million Wednesday, reversing a year-earlier loss due to restructuring charges.

Troy-based Delphi boosted its earnings despite an increase of about $120 million in employee benefit costs, including pension and health care, Delphi Chief Financial Officer Alan Dawes told Reuters.

A stronger-than-expected rise of 19.2 percent in sales to customers other than former owner General Motors Corp. helped results. Non-GM sales of $2.6 billion accounted for a record 37 percent of its total revenues of $7.2 billion.

5 vehicles pass crash tests

Five newly designed cars and sport-utility vehicles performed well in high-speed crash tests by the insurance industry, including a Cadillac sedan that was redesigned after it failed to win the highest rating.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which released the test results Wednesday, tested three SUVs and three luxury sedans by crashing each vehicle into a barrier at 40 miles per hour. The vehicles were angled so the driver's side got the brunt of the force.

Five vehicles that were newly designed for the 2003 model year received the highest rating. Those were the midsize Volvo XC90 SUV, the smaller Honda Element and Mitsubishi Outlander SUVs and the Cadillac CTS and Infiniti Q45 cars.

The sixth vehicle tested, the 2002 Acura RL, which was designed several years ago, received the second-highest rating of "acceptable." Insurance Institute President Brian O'Neill said the front of the Acura collapsed too far into the vehicle, damaging the legs of the crash-test dummy.

Environmental group targets Ford

An environmental group is urging the U.S. Justice Department to launch a criminal investigation of Ford Motor Co., accusing the automaker of hiding safety-related information from regulators and the courts.

The Environmental Working Group says its request is bolstered by a South Carolina case alleging that Ford paid an expert witness to change his testimony in a 1993 suit involving the Bronco II sport-utility vehicle.

Monday, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that the plaintiffs in that original case could sue Ford again because of the expert witness' testimony.

Kathleen Vokes, a Ford spokeswoman, rejected the Environmental Working Group's claims, saying they are based on incomplete information from court papers.

BANKS

Comerica profit declines 18%

Comerica Inc. said first-quarter profit fell 18 percent as the company wrote off more bad loans and lending income fell.

Net income dropped to $176 million, or $1 a share, from $214 million, or $1.20, a year earlier, the Detroit-based company said in a statement. That beat the 99-cents a share average estimate of analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial.

Comerica is writing off more bad loans and increasing its loan-loss reserve at a time when rivals such as Bank One Corp. and Wells Fargo & Co. recorded fewer loan losses. Comerica's customers are struggling through a weak economy and are having difficulty keeping up with loan payments, triggering more defaults.

BEVERAGES

Coke revenue up; stock falls

Soft-drink giant Coca-Cola Co. posted a jump in first-quarter revenue and a net profit Wednesday but reported weaker-than-expected sales in North America and many other markets, sending its shares down by more than 6 percent.

The world's No. 1 soft drink maker said it had been hurt by the war against Iraq, a lengthy national strike in Venezuela, a shift in the timing of the Easter holiday and other problems in its more than 200 markets around the world.

MANUFACTURING

Loss widens at Champion

Champion Enterprises Inc., the nation's leading builder of prefabricated homes, posted a wider net loss for the latest quarter Wednesday and said it doesn't expect to be profitable this year due to industry uncertainties.

Sales fell 21.5 percent to $209.2 million from $266.6 million. Champion said its quarterly revenue was off 64 percent from its peak in 1999.

The Auburn Hills-based company reported a net loss of $24.4 million, or 52 cents a share, for the first quarter that ended March 29, compared with a narrower loss of $11.8 million, or 25 cents a share, a year ago.

TECHNOLOGY

Apple not bidding for music unit

Apple Computer Inc. Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs said the company has never made any offer to buy a big music company.

Vivendi Universal SA, the world's second-largest media company, said Apple might bid $6 billion for its Universal Music Group unit. Vivendi director Claude Bebear said in an interview that Apple "will probably make an offer for the music business, for about $6 billion."

Meanwhile, Apple said its net income fell 65 percent from a year ago as revenue was little changed. For its fiscal second quarter ended March 29, Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple said it had net income of $14 million, or 4 cents a share, compared with year-ago net income of $40 million, or 11 cents a share.

Revenue fell to $1.48 billion from $1.50 billion.

Analysts polled by tracking firm Thomson First Call had forecast Apple to post a profit, on average, of 2 cents a share, within a range of 1 cent to 4 cents, on revenue of $1.46 billion.

All content © copyright 2003 Detroit Free Press and may not be republished without permission.

By SHAWN McCARTHY From Thursday's Globe and Mail

Ottawa — Canadian citizens are expected to gain a long-sought exemption from new U.S. entry and exit controls that threaten to disrupt border traffic, U.S. Ambassador Paul Cellucci said yesterday.

In an interview at the embassy on Sussex Drive, Mr. Cellucci sought to allay fear that recent tensions over Iraq will have an adverse impact on economic or business relations between Canada and the U.S.

The outspoken ambassador, who raised Canadian hackles recently when he talked about the U.S. being "upset" at Ottawa's refusal to join the war, said the two governments continue to work normally on a number of fronts, from energy to trade to border security.

Mr. Cellucci said the Bush administration is planning to exempt U.S. and Canadian citizens from a law that will require a system to track all entries to and exits from the United States by 2005.

The Chrétien government has lobbied hard for such an exemption, saying it is needed to keep people and commerce flowing freely across the border.

"We still have some more legal work to do, but it looks like U.S. and Canadian citizens would not be subject to the entry-exit," Mr. Cellucci said, adding that non-citizens who are permanent residents of the two countries would be affected.

He said the administration is taking the view that the law requires registration only of people who require secure documents to cross the border — and that does not include American or Canadian citizens.

Applied across the board, the new system could cause huge backlogs at busy U.S-Canada border points, hampering trade and tourism. Under the system, ordered by Congress after the terrorist attacks of Sept, 11, 2001, the aim was to have the United States register every person entering and leaving the country.

The Chrétien government is considering a plan that would have Canada Customs officials collect exit information on non-citizens and pass it to U.S. authorities.

Mr. Cellucci said the work on the border is just one area where Canada-U.S. relations are proceeding normally, despite the recent strain over this country's decision not to support the war in Iraq.

In fact, he said he was forwarding an invitation to Natural Resources Minister Herb Dhaliwal to meet with U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham later this spring.

In his complaints about Canada's stand on Iraq two weeks ago, Mr. Cellucci singled out Mr. Dhaliwal after the minister criticized George W. Bush as lacking statesmanship.

He said the Canadian decision has kept Ottawa on the sidelines in the initial planning for reconstruction in that country.

The U.S. President cancelled a state visit to Ottawa on May 5; his officials said he needed to concentrate on reconstruction in Iraq. A day after announcing the cancellation, the White House said that Australian Prime Minister John Howard would visit Mr. Bush's Texas ranch May 2 and 3 to discuss reconstruction and global security.

"Australia was an ally," Mr. Cellucci said. "That doesn't mean we don't want to bring Canada and other countries in because we do, but in the first instance, the coalition partners have the responsibility to get this [reconstruction] off the ground."

He said Mr. Bush still intends to visit Canada later this year, but added that no date has been set. He confirmed that the Prime Minister's Office had offered "a couple of dates" but that they were not acceptable.

The ambassador said such a meeting would be useful even though Mr. Chrétien will be only a few months from retirement.

One scenario being discussed — Mr. Cellucci would not comment on it — is to schedule the meeting after the November Liberal leadership convention, to give Mr. Bush an opportunity to meet with both Mr. Chrétien and his successor.

Despite his earlier warnings about "short-term consequences," the ambassador rejected suggestions by some businesspeople, provincial premiers and opposition MPs that tension over Iraq would cause an economic backlash.

"I think on a lot of the issues we're working on — defence, energy, secure borders, even softwood lumber — I don't think it has had any impact," he said.

He said he didn't expect any backlash from American consumers or business people over the decision or over anti-Bush comments by Liberal politicians.

"There's some awareness, but it's not like how people are feeling about France and Germany. I don't think it's going to have much effect at all on trade or tourism or anything like that."

Mr. Cellucci said the U.S. is particularly eager to work with Canada — and with Mexico — on securing a North American market for electricity, natural gas and oil.

"We require the reliable transmission of energy in North America so we're not dependent on Venezuela — that switched off the spigot a couple months ago — and the Middle East."