MIKE KING <a href=www.canada.com>The Gazette; CP contributed to this report Thursday, April 03, 2003

Softer approach Ambassador tells Montreal audience our relationship 'remains very strong'

What Canada lacks in official support for the U.S.-led war in Iraq it makes up for in supplying its southern neighbour with resource-based energy, U.S. ambassador Paul Cellucci suggested yesterday.

"We already get more energy - oil, natural gas and electricity - (from Canada) than anywhere else," Cellucci told about 250 members of the Association de l'industrie électrique du Québec in a brief lunch-hour speech in downtown Montreal.

He compared Canada's contribution to such "unreliable sources" as the Middle East and Venezuela.

The ambassador emphasized the long-standing partnership between the United States and Canada, "our most important relationship in the world."

And while Cellucci said the long-term relationship he recalls from his stint as governor of Massachusetts "remains very strong," he acknowledged during a news conference after his talk that "there may be some short-term strain relative to the war in Iraq."

But referring to the energy factor as an example, Cellucci said "there are just too many things that benefit the peoples of both countries that we need to continue to work on together."

It was a softer approach than he had March 25 with an audience in Toronto, where he expressed how much U.S. President George W. Bush's administration was "disappointed" and "upset" with Ottawa's unwillingness to support the war in Iraq.

"I had a message to deliver last week and I did it," Cellucci said of the harsh criticism of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and the federal government.

"There is still a lot of support here in Canada ... a deep reservoir of goodwill between these two countries," he noted - some of it indirect.

"It is ironic that because of the ships in the Persian Gulf and the naval vessels and the military personnel assigned to U.S. and British units, the Canadian military is providing more help to the war in Iraq indirectly than the vast majority of the 49 countries who are part of the coalition supporting the war in Iraq," Cellucci said. "We're grateful for that support."

He finds that "an odd situation when two countries who are as close as we are, that we would be fighting a war, losing men and having prisoners of war taken, not to have Canada with us."

In the meantime, Cellucci stressed "the need to make sure our border remains open to business and closed to terrorists."

After his speech, Cellucci said anti-U.S. incidents in Canada sparked by the war are "unfortunate" but isolated, though he cautioned that the incidents might not go over well south of the border.

"Unfortunately, it's the kind of thing that gets reported back in the United States and kind of gives a somewhat false image."

Cellucci is scheduled to address the Institute for Research on Public Policy, a Montreal think tank, at a breakfast meeting this morning and further discuss the state of Canadian-U.S. relations.

TCPalm.com By Ike Crumpler staff writer April 3, 2003

Well before he ever heard a drill instructor yell, Stuart resident Eugenio Caceres exhibited the sprit of the Marine Corps motto sempre fi. His "always faithful" attitude was evident in his eager determination to serve.

"He graduated (from high school) on a Thursday night and he left for the Marines in the morning," says his mother, Livia. "He said he didn't want to lose the momentum."

A 2002 graduate of South Fork High School, Lance Cpl. Eugenio Caceres grew up in Stuart after his family immigrated from Venezuela in 1987. Now the 19-year-old is in the infantry in Iraq, fighting with the 2nd Division.

An avid follower of history who also loves to dance, he has two brothers, Samuel, 16, and Israel, 14. Though he stands over 6 feet tall, he's known as "Little Eugenio" to family. His father's name is Eugenio as well.

The Caceres practice a timeless Venezuelan ritual. Children -- regardless of age -- request a blessing or benediction from their parents each time they greet and before exchanging good-byes. Livia Caceres bestowed the honor on her son -- when he called from half a world away, two days before the invasion.

"He said, 'Mom, would you bless me? We are being given the ammunition and we are going in. Would please pray for me? 'Cause this is different,' " she recalls. "That was the last time I heard from him."

The Marine Corps made all the difference in transforming Eugenio Caceres from an aimless teen to an admirable man, his mother says.

"We'd say, 'Pick up your room'; 'Pick up your shoes'; 'Do your homework,'" she says. "Now he's the one who keeps us in shape."

Recognizing how rudderless he was, Eugenio Caceres knew the military would provide his life with a strong foundation. Even more, he saw an opportunity to express his gratitude to America for allowing him a better life. His mother is certain that realization is the result of the principles he was taught in his youth taking root.

"When we first came to this country, we always tried to instill in him good values, the ones that respect the American people," she says. "He chose the Marines, that's what we've been standing for all these years. He has seen the way this country has blessed us. That is why he joined the Marines, as an act of love. Many love by birth. We love by choice."

Source NEW DELHI (AFP) Apr 03, 2003 The Iraq war has shrivelled India's mango exports to the Gulf but has created a bonanza for the domestic market where top brands of the "king of fruits" are now easy picking.

India accounts for almost 65 percent of the world's mango production but it exports less than one percent of its yield compared to four percent by smaller rivals such as Mexico, the Philippines and Venezuela.

"Now we are doomed as two-thirds of our mangoes are exported to the Gulf, where our Alphonso reigned as the king of fruits for decades," said Nasiruddin Jesani, secretary of India's Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Association (FVFA).

The Alphonso is the most expensive variety of mango in India with a dozen priced at more than 900 rupees (18.75 dollars), compared to other popular strains which sell for just over two dollars for 12.

FVFA president Babu Ramchandani, who is also one of India's largest fruit exporters, said the US-led war in Iraq came just at the beginning of the mango season.

"And so between 40 to 50 percent of our mango trade is now affected both in terms of value as well as in volume and we cannot say whether we will regain our market after this war ends there," he said.

India exported 22,793 kilograms (50,144 pounds) of mangoes worth 438 million rupees (9.12 million dollars) in the fiscal year ended March 1993 and the figure nearly doubled to 809 million rupees (16.85 million dollars) in the year ending 2002.

Officials from the India's Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) said they had expected a 20 percent jump in overseas sales this year because of particularly good crops.

"But now we have to re-write these targets because people are returning from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states where mango was a popular dessert among the region's four million Indian community," an APEDA official said.

India's mango exports are mostly confined to the Gulf, although some of the produce reaches Britain and Russia.

Both FVFA chief Ramachandani and Jesani said the trade could not turn to European markets as foreign airlines are demanding steeper freight rates from products from India compared to Bangladesh, Pakistan, Kenya or South Africa.

"The freight charges we are now paying are the world's highest. We pay 135 rupees (2.8 dollars) for one kilogram (2.2 pounds) from Bombay to Canada while Pakistani exporters have to pay almost half, so who will buy from us?" Jesani asked.

"We are at the mercy of the airlines and they are exploiting the situation." He said South Africa's national carrier slashed its freight charges to India which meant the India market was flooded with foreign produce.

But the rates have tumbled by half to between 350 and 400 rupees per dozen, bringing the Alphonso for the first time within the reach of India's domestic consumers, according to United News of India news agency.

D.V. Parkar of the privately-run Parkar Fruit Products company said growers were now forced to sell locally what had been marked for export.

Indian consumers welcomed the windfall.

"Now we don't have to watch with envy those rich Arabs sinking their teeth into our Alphonsos... It is time we too got a taste of the mango," said fruit retailer Gulab Das from New Delhi's fruit wholesale Azadpur Market.

<a href=www.financialexpress.com>The Finnantial Express

The war on Iraq has raised many questions about fairness, the human cost, international norms and the impact on the global economy as well as our own economy. Director General of The Energy And Resources Institute (Teri) and chairman of the inter-governmental panel on climate change RK Pachauri says war portends ill not only for Iraq but also for oil dependent countries like India. In an interview with RAMESH MENON, he says that strategic interests propelled the United States to launch an attack on Iraq. If the war continues for long, oil prices would shoot up and the war’s environmental impact would go beyond Iraq’s borders. Excerpts:

If the war in Iraq continues, what are its implications for India? The implications are serious for India which imports 70 per cent of its crude oil requirements. A prolonged war will affect inflation and the government’s budgetary deficits. We may be in for a difficult situation.

Why do you think the US was so keen to go into Iraq? The United States has several strategic interests behind this move. There is no denying the fact that Iraq is a different society in that region. Iraq is secular. The level of education and literacy there is very high. There is a gender balance. Women and men are employed in various organisations. There is significant agricultural activity. It has a fair amount of water resources. Having a democratic government there could further US interests. More importantly, there is a possibility of Iraq becoming a much larger repository of hydrocarbons than it is today. Already, it has the second largest oil reserves in the world. That makes it a very attractive area to have some area of influence in. But more than that it has more to do with the Middle East as a whole. So there is a larger strategic interest which has to do with the politics of the region. It is also a fact that the United States is going to become a much larger importer of oil than it is today. The imports are going to go up rapidly and they are concerned over where the oil is going to come from in future.

Is its Iraqi policy not dictated by its desire to control oil reserves in the Gulf? Well, oil is certainly an important component of the policy. But not the only one.

What does this mean for the rest of the world? That is difficult to say at the moment. One will have to see how political developments take shape in that part of the world. You might have instability to begin with, but later you might get stable regimes. But it is very speculative. But one can safely predict that we are going to have an uneasy period. That really means that oil prices would fluctuate a bit. They may go up sharply. The world would be seriously hit. Another aspect is the impact it is going to have on the US economy. If the US economy does not recover, it certainly has implications for the rest of the world that will not be favorable.

The United States is no more as comfortable with Saudi Arabia, which also has large reserves. Yes, they are uneasy with their relationship with Saudi Arabia. I have got this through conversations with several people in the US government. They are very nervous about the fact that a large part of the funding that has gone into terrorist activities worldwide seems to have emanated from Saudi Arabia. If you talk to officials in the United States you will get the feeling that the regime in Saudi Arabia is either ineffective in curbing the outflow of money for such activities or has perhaps not been strong enough to put it down... Therefore, they feel that a presence in Iraq would give them additional leverage with countries in the region, particularly Saudi Arabia.

Is India more vulnerable to oil price rise than many other countries? Unfortunately, it is. India’s percentage of imports has gone up significantly and even the magnitude is going up even if we are able to hold up the percentage of imports related to our total consumption. Projections by the International Energy Agency show that by 2030 India will be consuming five million barrels of oil a day. That puts us in the big league. We need an aggressive, integrated forward looking energy policy that reduces our dependency on oil imports. I am afraid I do not see any signs of that now.

How do you see the politics of oil taking shape in the years to come? It will get murkier in the years to come. Everyone thought OPEC would be finished. But it has come to life again. OPEC today produces more quantities of oil than in the past. It is about 27 million barrels a day. If OPEC is going to have a larger share of the global oil market, it also gives them more clout in deciding oil prices. The kind of excess capacity that existed during the Gulf war 12 years ago, is not there now. At that point of time, Saudi Arabia substantially increased its output calming the prices in the oil market. In the future if you have disruptions like the type you have in Venezuela, then that could have a serious impact on global oil prices. Fluctuations in oil prices today would be more serious than in the past.

As far as strategic oil reserves are concerned, is India in a comfortable position? We have a month’s supply. The government has been taking steps to increase its storage of oil. I do not see any emergency in the near future.

How difficult will it be to reduce our dependence on oil imports? It is very difficult because it will take imagination. It will take coordinated action between several ministries. More importantly, it will require major reforms in the power and energy sector.

There are fears of large scale environmental damage that the war in Iraq would lead to. Those fears are justified. But as we do not know how long the war would last, we do not know now how the war is going to unfold and what kind of weapons will be used as it escalates. It is a little too early to figure that out.

<a href=www.abs-cbnnews.com>ABS-CBN Today News Phillipines

By ESTRELLA TORRES and MIA GONZALEZ TODAY Reporters

In an effort to fully destroy the regime of Saddam Hussein, Washington is pressing foreign governments to expel all Iraqi diplomats stationed in their countries and freeze their bank accounts.

In Manila, Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople said his department will study Washington’s request, noting that the Philippine government exercises sovereignty on the matter of expelling diplomats.

“We are not going to be stampeded into acquiescing to any request of a friendly foreign state. We have to study this in the light of our own interests,” Ople said in an interview with Malacañang reporters before the oath taking of newly appointed ambassadors at the Palace Ceremonial Hall.

In a separate interview with diplomatic reporters, Ople recalled that, “I expelled an Iraqi diplomat. Nobody requested it but in the interest of national security, it had to be done.”

He added, “It is the prerogative of a sovereign country to do so.”

President Arroyo said in an ambush interview that she was “leaving that [US request] for Secretary Ople to handle.”

Karen Kelley, first secretary and press attaché of the US Embassy in Manila, said the US State Department has requested foreign countries hosting Iraqi missions to expel the Iraqi diplomats.

“There is a worldwide request [from the US] where there are Iraqi missions. We have a formal request to have Iraqi diplomats suspended on a temporary basis and to take steps to assure their prompt departure [from those countries],” said Kelley in a telephone interview Friday.

Washington also plans to seize all the documents and records of the Iraqi officials located in the foreign governments.

“But the US State Department asks foreign governments to respect and protect property of the Iraqi diplomats and prevent destruction of records and documents of the Iraqi mission,” Kelley said.

The US government has also asked the foreign governments to freeze the bank accounts and assets of Iraqi diplomats being kept in the name of the Iraqi government.

Kelley said the request was made to foreign governments, including the Philippines, because of Saddam’s refusal to disarm and withdraw its weapons of mass destruction.

According to an earlier report from Washington, the US wants to expel some 600 Iraqi diplomats deployed in 30 countries, including the Philippines.

Relatedly, Ople said the DFA has not been directed to make a position on the possible US military use of Philippine airspace during war in Iraq, as there has been no request.

He indicated that the request, if it is ever made and granted, is not likely to draw opposition from Congress, as it had been done during the attack on Afghanistan.

He said the likelihood of such a request “is not great because all of their assets appeared to be already massed in the Persian Gulf in the vicinity of Iraq.”

Fearing retaliatory attacks, around 22 US embassies and consulates all over the world have shut down while 12 other posts have authorized their staff and their families to return home.

Kelley said the closure of the embassies and consulates were not based on the directive of the US State Department but decided upon by the respective ambassadors in every post.

“As a result of military action in Iraq, there is a potential for retaliatory actions to be taken against US citizens and interests throughout the world,” stated the US Worldwide Caution dated March 20, 2003.

According to a report on CNN website, the US embassies and consulates that closed down their operations are located in the cities of Almaly, Khazakstan; Amman, Jordan; all posts in Australia; Bucharest, Romania; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Cairo, Egypt; Caracas, Venezuela; Damascus, Syria; Istanbul, Turkey; Kabul, Afghanistan; Lagos, Nigeria; Paris, France; Nairobi, Kenya; Oslo, Norway; all posts in Pakistan; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Savanna Yemen; Skopje, Macedonia; all posts in South Africa; Surabaya, Indonesia; Tel Aviv, Israel and Jerusalem.

In Manila, the embassies of Canada and United Kingdom renewed travel advisories for their traveling citizens.

“The travel advisory is necessary because of the history of many incidents that travelers should be aware of,” said Paul Dimond, British ambassador to Manila.

“Heightened tensions as a result of the Iraq situation, together with increased threats globally from terrorism, put Canadians at greater risk. Canadians should maintain a high level of personal security awareness at all time as the security situation could deteriorate rapidly without notice,” stated Canada’s travel advisory dated March 21.

As for the Filipino workers in Kuwait, an area nearest to Iraq, Ople said they are already out of harm’s way.

He said some have crossed the border to Saudi Arabia, where they were received by a special team created by the Philippine foreign affairs department in Riyadh.

“The Filipino workers are more concerned about the panic reactions of their relatives in the Philippines,” Ople said.

Ople said the President has decided to retain Ambassador Bayani Mangibin in Kuwait “by popular demand.”

The President earlier disclosed a plan to send Mangibin to Iraq after the conflict because of his expertise in after-war construction.

“We have an excellent foreign service and we have a very deep bench in the Department of Foreign Affairs. So, if we send an ambassador to Baghdad, you can be sure that he will be very first class. He doesn’t need to be Ambassador Mangibin,” he said.

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