Press Review

All the papers report today on the opening of a new permanent Dutch exhibition in Auschwitz, the Nazi extermination camp in Poland that is now a museum. "The result is a beautiful, lucid exhibition that does more justice to the painful truth," says the ALGEMEEN DAGBLAD. "More Jews were deported from the Netherlands, in proportion to the total population, than in most other European countries" As the AD explains, the Netherlands has had the reputation of putting up brave resistance to the deportation of Jews during the German occupation but, says the AD, "the Netherlands was not entirely that well-behaved. In 1937, our borders were closed to Jewish refugees from Germany. More Jews were deported from the Netherlands, in proportion to the total population, than in most other European countries. 102,000 of the 140,000 Dutch Jews were murdered, 57,000 of them in Auschwitz." The AD also points out that it is a myth that Dutch people did not know what happened to the deported Jews: "Quotes from diaries at the time prove the opposite." "Those who grow up in the Netherlands must know Dutch history." Greatest crime against humanity Several papers print photographs of Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and his wife Princess Maxima at the official opening of the new Auschwitz pavilion, and Trouw reports what Willem-Alexander wrote in the guest book: "A very impressive monument to commemorate the greatest crime against humanity that has ever been committed. Never again Auschwitz." We read in the Telegraaf that the deputy minister for Public Welfare, Clemence Ross-Van Dorp, said on the occasion that Dutch school children should perhaps be required in the future to visit Auschwitz. In an apparent reference to immigrant children, the Telegraaf adds that the minister was referring here to "all pupils, including those who are not of Dutch origin," saying, "those who grow up in the Netherlands must know Dutch history." "Fortuyn would surely have won the election" Assassinations In today's Volkskrant, we read two new takes on the assassination of political candidate Pim Fortuyn in 2002 and of filmmaker Theo van Gogh last November. In a new book about the political career of Wim Kok, who was outgoing prime minister when Fortuyn was assassinated, Kok himself says, "Fortuyn would surely have won the election" and become the new Dutch prime minister had he not been shot dead by an environmental activist just days before voting took place.   As for the more recent assassination of filmmaker Theo van Gogh by a radical Muslim, the Volkskrant reveals today that the Dutch intelligence service received information that there were plans afoot to murder him. The source - a young Moroccan friend of the suspected murderer - is regarded as "one of the few witnesses close to the suspect who is fully cooperating with the investigation into the filmmaker's murder."   The man charged with the murder of Theo van Gogh, Mohammed Bouyeri, was a member of the so-called Hofstad group, a cluster of radical Muslims. Today, we read in the ALGEMEEN DAGBLAD that a Syrian man believed to be the driving force behind the Hofstad group was smuggled out of the Netherlands only a few hours before the murder. "This reinforces the conviction of investigators that Van Gogh's murder was not a solitary action by Mohammed Bouyeri but a premeditated plan by a group of fanatical Muslims," says the AD. "People are shot dead by the police every day" Goldmine the size of 250 football fields The papers feature two in-depth reports from Brazil today. In the NRC Handelsblad we read in detail about the death squads of policemen who murder slum children for money. In late March, 29 children were shot dead by masked gunmen in Rio de Janeiro, and investigators have established that the killers were policemen. "People are shot dead by the police every day," says the NRC, pointing out that some of the recent killings are linked to a power struggle within the police force and rivalry between police death squads. The NRC's correspondent says, "only a reform of the police can save the children of Rio de Janeiro." We read more positive news from Brazil in the Volkskrant, which reports on Bandeirantes, a rubbish dump on the edge of Sao Paolo that covers an area equal to 250 football fields and is some 90 metres high. It is one of the largest garbage sites in Latin America and now also the world's biggest bio-fuel power plant. A joint project by two Dutch companies and a Brazilian partner "can produce 20 Megawatts, enough to provide a town of 50,000 households with electricity". The paper refers to the project as "a potential goldmine" for Brazil and for the companies, which are profiting from the Kyoto agreement on climate change and its "CO2 credits". "One cannot underestimate the importance of such a psychological factor to a developing country" Hope gets wings In the Volkskrant today we read of the success story of Kenya Airways, which has just taken its latest shiny new Boeing 777 into service. "KLM Royal Dutch airlines bought shares in KQ (as the airway is often referred to), the company was thoroughly reorganised, profits were made, and the staff gained new-found enthusiasm while the number of passengers grew," says the paper's correspondent in the region. In an editorial entitled "Africa's hope gets wings", he points out that although Kenya is a country where more than half the population lives below the poverty line and where most people cannot even dream of buying an airline ticket, "the success of Kenya Airways shows them that things not only have to be done differently, but also can be done differently. Carmen with wings The Telegraaf features a different success story on wings, about a black vulture, one of the world's largest birds of prey. We see a picture of one taking off in the Netherlands, where it is normally rarely seen. This particular vulture is a well-known bird named Carmen, found poisoned in Spain, hospitalised in Mallorca, set free again in the Pyrenees and now testing the skies above the Netherlands. The vulture has a wingspan of 3 metres, and the photo shows Carmen strutting her stuff.

While all the papers report on the discovery of more than 50 bodies in the River Tigris south of Baghdad on Wednesday, believed to be hostages taken by Sunni rebels in the city of Madain last week, several papers look at the broader picture of death in Iraq. The NRC Handelsblad writes, "American leaders express optimism about the situation in Iraq, based on the statistics of US losses, but the general situation is still very sombre."

"American leaders express optimism about the situation in Iraq [...] but the general situation is still very sombre"

According to the NRC , "The death toll among Iraqis is not going down." The paper reports that the number of attacks on foreign troops has indeed declined from an average of 140 per day before the parliamentary elections to about 30 to 40 now, but according to an organisation called Iraq Casualties Count, the number of deaths among Iraqis - including soldiers, policemen and civilians - has not gone down.

An angel in hell
Today's Algemeen Dagblad also calls attention to the number of civilian dead in Iraq and says, "civilian victims are neglected and sent off with a pittance in compensation". The AD looks at the brief life and work of 28-year-old American peace activist Mala Ruzicka, who founded and ran a one-woman organisation called CIVIC (Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict), which sought individual compensation for the victims of military violence in Iraq. She was killed in a suicide bomb attack last Saturday on her way to see a three-month-old baby whose parents had been killed in a US rocket attack. 

"She was a rare angel in the Hell of Iraq"

Next to a photograph of Ruzicka together with an Iraqi family, the AD writes, "It would be easier to imagine her on a California beach than in a country where violence dictates daily life. Long blond hair, petite, uncomplicated, full of energy and 28 years old. But she was not remotely a surfer girl. She was a rare angel in the Hell of Iraq."

'Breezer' culture
Quite a few articles today are devoted to health issues. Several papers report on the latest conclusions of the National Drug Monitor, which has discovered that more and more Dutch girls under the age of 15 are drinking alcohol. The Volkskrant quotes an expert who says, "Alcohol consumption is extremely high in the Netherlands, compared with other European countries. Young people in the Netherlands drink most and most often. It has become much easier for school kids to drink."  

"It has become much easier for school kids to drink"

The NRC says this is due chiefly to the 'Breezer culture which has school kids in its grip". The heaviest drinkers in Holland are to be found among young men between the ages of 18 and 24. In 2003, the Netherlands was estimated to have 1.2 million problem drinkers, says the NRC . At the same time, we read that there has been a significant drop in smoking and the use of drugs among young people.

Gym class
Trouw devotes two pages to the need for kids to get more exercise, and writes, "Many school children do not meet the Dutch norms for healthy physical exercise" - that's one hour a day, plus two additional hours a week of intensive exercise. 

Trouw also mentions that in school gym classes, overweight children are often ignored. Health inspectors say "this is because they underestimate the percentage of children with a weight problem," but gym teachers are disappointed that their work is only getting more attention because of the new focus on childhood obesity. 

"Health care providers refuse to look for the most suitable solution"

Recycled pacemakers
The Telegraaf also opens with a major health story, namely the claim that health providers are buying the cheapest possible pacemakers, recycled reading glasses of dead people and other bargain-basement medical supplies in places like China in order to save costs. "Health care providers refuse to look for the most suitable solution… and purchasing departments at insurance companies are run by economists and not by specialists who can judge the quality of the goods."

The Telegraaf reports that health providers say they cannot win this "race to cut costs", and they feel the government has not done enough to supervise insurers.

Unease
The Volkskrant reacts today to a comment made by the health minister a few days ago, to the effect that people who lead unhealthy lives should not be given unlimited access to health care. The left-of-centre daily criticises the statement, which it sees as yet another manifestation of "the gospel of personal responsibility".  

"A climate of potato chips, beer and cigarette smoke"

The Volkskrant points to income differences as a factor in health, and wonders how responsible you can be if you grow up "in a climate of potato chips, beer and cigarette smoke." The paper adds, "It is becoming increasingly clear that addictions have a strong hereditary component."  

The paper goes on to suggest that the minister should also take a look at the food industry: "the government could take stronger action, for example by banning relatively harmful fats." Yet, the Volkskrant also admits to having "a certain unease about the state meddling with our lifestyles in such an intrusive fashion." 

Rightwing games
The Volkskrant reports that the film “Submission” is once again at the centre of a controversy, this time in the European parliament. The rightwing Italian party Lega Nord had requested that the film be shown in parliament, but the plan was rejected, because it was felt certain parties had political motives for showing it.

“Submission” criticises Islam’s alleged subjugation of women and was made by Theo van Gogh shortly before his murder by a Muslim radical. A Dutch Labour party Euro-parliamentarian agrees with the decision not to show the film. In the Volkskrant she is quoted as saying that she “knew Van Gogh well enough to know that he would have been disgusted with this base attempt at political gain by the radical right.”

"He would have been disgusted with this base attempt at political gain by the radical right"

No home of their own
The Somali-born member of the Dutch parliament who worked with Van Gogh on the film and who is noted for her outspoken criticism of Islam, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and fellow member of parliament Geert Wilders received death threats at the time of Van Gogh’s murder and went into hiding. They have been living at various secret addresses ever since. The NRC Handelsblad prints photographs of the rooms at a military base in which Wilders and his wife have been living. Wilders has just published a book about his recent experiences and took the photographs himself to prove that, contrary to what some people have said, he has indeed been living behind bars. 

Desperate wives
Trouw calls attention once again to the problem of “dumped spouses”, the immigrant wives whose husbands leave them behind without papers in the country of origin and then go back to the Netherlands. “This is so reprehensible that cabinet measures are needed,” Trouw reports.

"A divorced woman is not accepted there, not even by her family"

The paper says dozens of cases occur every year. “The women are often unaware of their residence rights”. The paper says research shows that men use abandonment or the threat of abandonment in order to exercise control over their wives here in the Netherlands.

Trouw tells the story of one woman who was left behind in her native Moroccan village during a vacation. “A divorced woman is not accepted there, not even by her family… Everyone thinks the divorce is your fault. It is never the man’s fault.”

Earning too much
Several editorials and today’s opening headline in the Algemeen Dagblad - “Sharp exchange over top salaries” - indicate that excessive managerial incomes continue to fire a lively discussion.

The latest development concerns one generously paid executive at the Essent power company who is refusing to accept a lower salary. A Telegraaf story entitled “Energy giant angry at prize winner’s comment” shows how high sensitivities are on both sides.

The article tells how 47-year-old Jos Looman and his wife were called by Essent to tell them they had won a 2,000-euro state-of-the-art home alarm system. But when Jos made a remark about the salary of Essent’s chief executive, he was promptly told that he had NOT won the prize. Jos went public and did receive an apology from Essent, although the company then said that he had not won the alarm system, but a trip to Paris.

Syrian troops back on the road to Damascus

The last of the Syrian troops remaining in Lebanon are withdrawing, ending almost three decades of military and political domination from Damascus.

At the same time, the pro-Syrian head of General Security, Jamil al-Sayyed, has also stepped down. He declared his intention to resign last week, during a UN investigation into the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. His departure follows the de facto resignation last week of police chief Ali Hajj, who put himself at the disposal of the interior minister.  

Bowing to pressure
Mr Hariri’s death on 14 February this year provoked a wave of protest against the continued presence of troops from Syria, the country which many blame for Mr Hariri’s killing. Damascus bowed to both Lebanese and international pressure when it ordered the gradual withdrawal of its forces from Lebanon.

A token presence will remain in the country until tomorrow, when a symbolic farewell takes place at Rayak; after that the military road linking the countries will be closed and Lebanese troops will take over the Syrian intelligence HQ. Just hours after the ceremony, the United Nations is scheduled to report on Syria’s compliance with Security Council demands for withdrawal, and a second UN team – to investigate Rafiq Hariri’s killing - is due to arrive in Beirut on Wednesday.

Pointing the finger
Radio Netherlands asked George Asseily, Chair of Oxford University’s Centre for Lebanese Studies, what he made of the resignations in the light of the Syrian withdrawal: This was one of the prerequisites that the opposition asked from the new government. When the new prime minister-designate was appointed, one of the promises he made was he would ask the security chiefs to take a long leave. This was a prerequisite in order to get the UN commission to come and investigate. Obviously, there are many people in Lebanon who are pointing a finger of accusation at these security chiefs, but only the investigation will tell.”

The UN says there were serious flaws in the initial investigation into the killing of Mr Hariri, and now two senior officers have stepped down.  Mr Asseily is encouraged by this: 

“What’s hoped is that the removal of the chiefs will [allow] other people to speak who weren’t allowed to speak before.”

Getting the people together
Some commentators are against the complete withdrawal of Syria from Lebanon, arguing that this will only increase divisions within Lebanon further. But George Assaily sees the withdrawal as something that can unite the Lebanese people:  

“In Lebanon today, we have a clear majority of Lebanese who are for a redefinition of the relationship with Syria. Nobody in Lebanon is against the Syrians. What the Lebanese are against are the security arrangements that Syrian and Lebanese security chiefs have imposed on the political and the economic life of Lebanon. The removal of the security chiefs – if it’s accompanied by the removal of the dominance of Lebanese security by
Syria – would only get the Lebanese together and nobody in Lebanon is opposed to that.”

He sees the UN investigation as a crucial step towards healing wounds in Lebanese society:

“It is very important because this is what everybody in Lebanon is asking for. Everybody in Lebanon wants to know the truth – the truth being who is behind the killing of the ex-prime minister, and who committed it? The moment some truth comes out, then obviously it will defuse that very unhappy situation.”

Time will tell
And, despite scepticism from many sources, Mr Asseily is, in fact, optimistic about the UN investigation proving successul:

“If one has to base one’s conclusions on the past, one would be very sceptical: because up to now, nobody has ever discovered who killed the ex-prime minister or who attempted the murder of minister Hamadi. But hopefully things will have changed, and all we have to do is to hope and to be optimistic that things will change. Whether this will prove right or not only time will tell.”

 

 

After Gutiérrez: fearing the 'Ecuador Effect' Almost a week after the chaotic transfer of power in Ecuador, the government of new President Alfredo Palacio had still not been recognised by any other nation. However, by Monday evening there were some tentative signs that the outside world might be about to accept the removal of his predecessor, Lucio Gutiérrez. The European Union's foreign policy coordinator, Javier Solana, spoke somewhat ambiguously of 'the recognition of the government of Ecuador, just like that of the previous government.' Later on Monday, the US ambassador to Quito, Kristie Kenney, said her country 'will cooperate with the new government to strengthen democracy in Ecuador.' "What is needed now is calm in Quito and in Ecuador more generally. What is needed is a path to maintain a constitutional framework on anything that happens there"  Condoleezza Rice, speaking on 25 April 2005 Doubts and reservations Earlier on Monday, Spain's Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos - chairman of the Ibero-American Summit - made it known that he still had doubts about the legality of the ousting of President Gutiérrez. He also announced that Ecuador would be high on the agenda for the meeting of ministers to be held in Santiago, Chile, at the end of the week. That meeting will also be attended by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who expressed reservations about the change of power in Ecuador last week, and called for new elections to be held there soon. Meanwhile, the Organization of American States (OAS) is very concerned about the situation in Ecuador, but - as is customary with this body - it has been slow to take action. The planned OAS mission to the country to investigate whether Mr Gutiérrez had been removed from office in accordance with the constitution, had still not arrived on Monday. The OAS has said that the mission's aim is to help and not to point an accusing finger. However, the new government in Quito says the OAS has little to say about the country's internal affairs. "The OAS is not competent to call Ecuador to order," was the comment from Foreign Minister Antonio Parra Gil, "We are a sovereign nation." Ecuador's new President Alfredo Palacio Neighbourly concerns Concern about what's happened in Ecuador is particularly strong in neighbouring countries such as Peru and Bolivia, whose leaders fear the onset of an 'Ecuador Effect'. If mass demonstrations, possible meddling with the constitution and intervention by the armed forces result in an internationally-accepted toppling of a president, then Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo and his Bolivian counterpart Carlos Mesa have reason to fear for their own positions; both are unpopular at home and have, for some time, been the target of mass protests. It would appear that Alfredo Palacio appreciates the need to make some concessions in order to gain the backing of the outside world, and of the United States in particular. On Monday, he announced that his government intends to respect all existing international agreements. This includes the deal whereby US forces are allowed to make use of the Manta military base in connection with the Plan Colombia. "Our ambassador was due to meet with the president and effectively recognise the new government arrangement by establishing a working relationship at the highest level"  US State Dept spokesman, speaking on 26 April 2005 Referendum This announcement came in the wake of an earlier comment by one of his ministers to the effect that this agreement would be cancelled. However, President Palacio has so far not conceded to demands - backed by the US and Brazil - for new elections to be held, although he is considering the possibility of putting the legitimacy of his government to the test in a referendum.       r Democracy with - or without - Islamists   An informal gathering of European foreign ministers met in Luxembourg last weekend, reportedly to discuss a policy paper advocating dialogue with moderate Islamic movements to promote reform in the Middle East. Such a European approach would mirror similar steps which have been considered by the United States. The reports have led to a lively debate in the Arab media. Ever since President Bush launched his democratic reform agenda for the Middle East, the US has faced a dilemma: how to promote genuine democracy without simultaneously allowing the supposed enemies of democracy - Muslim fundamentalist movements - to come to power through the ballot box, then confiscate it under the guise of ‘one person, one vote, one time’. At least, that’s the fear of those opposed to any rapid opening up of the political system of authoritarian regimes in the Middle East.  Dilemma The dilemma is largely one of the US' own making. For the sake of stability, the US has, over the years, supported autocratic Middle Eastern regimes, so long as those regimes assured the free flow of cheap oil (as with Saudi Arabia), or supported the peace process with Israel (as with Egypt). September 11 changed all that; it proved that the stifling stability in the Middle East had produced a whole generation of violent Islamist Jihadists, with al-Qaeda as the most extreme example. But the changeover from condoning autocracy to promoting democracy isn’t that easy. For too many years in the Middle East, all platforms for open dissent - including that from secular and liberal forces - were suppressed or sidelined. But, since you can’t close down mosques, this has left the field open to various Islamist movements, which have now emerged as the most organised and vital forces on the political scene. They are certain to play a major role in any credible election. Dialogue The US and the EU have, apparently, come to realise that any campaign for democracy seeking to exclude the entire Islamic trend, would lack credibility and is bound to fail. So now Europeans and the US are looking for dialogue with what are called ‘moderate Islamic’ organisations. These accept the rules of the game in the democratic process, and renounce violence. The hope is that engaging with these movements will help to moderate their demands even further - for example about the adoption of Sharia, or Islamic Law - in any future elected regime. More importantly, they hope that working with credible, moderate Islamists will help isolate and defeat violent radical Jihadists of the al-Qaeda variety. The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt - oldest among the fundamentalist movements – is a case in point. It has a violent past, yet has evolved a great deal over the years. It’s still illegal and its leaders are subject to periodic arrest, but it’s built up a large, popular base by providing social services to the needy and working with an array of professional syndicates, trades unions and a network of charity foundations. Suspicion It’s clearly unnerving to the Egyptian regime that the US and EU are now seeking contact with such a formidable rival force. President Hosni Mubarak will most likely do all he can to nip that contact in the bud. But it’s not only the Egyptians who are in a quandary about the new approach: so are the moderate Islamists. Because, for all their moderation, they are still very much opposed to US policies in the region, be it Palestine or Iraq. And, while demands for democratic reform are genuine and home-grown, they are very wary of cooperating with the US, for fear of being seen as part of a US agenda to impose reform from outside. The same applies to Arab nationalist, leftist and liberal secular forces, who are also very suspicious of the US’ agenda and afraid of the Muslim Brothers, who are expected to easily defeat them in any election. Perhaps the approach from the EU will arouse less suspicion, because Europe is seen as more balanced than the US in its dealing with the Arab and Islamic world. But even then it won't be easy: the ideal European and US scenario is that the main Arab Islamist movements will go the way of Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's Islamist party, becoming a kind of Islamic version of Europe's Christian Democratic parties. A similar development in the Arab world is certainly not impossible. For now, however, the gap between theory and practise remains large.