by LLOYD RUNDLE and RONALD GROVER
In the balance
The uncertainty of the American elections continues to rumble on in the major US dailies, with many reports focusing on the current debate before
the US Supreme Court, the case of Bush v Gore.
The LA Times contends that Supreme Court Justices remain sharply divided, with the slim conservative majority "inclined to preserve George Bush's
lead." This maintains the 5-4 conservative-liberal split, which earlier voted to suspend manual recounts in Florida.
Both the New York Times and the Washington Post note how the liberal bloc in the Court has been visibly
labouring towards a compromise which would allow recounts to continue, but, in the words of the NY Times, "there was a sense now that time was really
running out." The newspapers expect a decision within the next two days.
As a sign of anxiety in the USA about the political system, according to an ABC/Washington Post poll 49 per cent of Americans now believe the mechanism for electing the President is seriously flawed.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the British dalies focus on the uncertainty of the proceedings. The Independent says the legitaimacy of the presidency and the authority of the Supreme Court are both on the line in this case. The Indy also says Al Gore's public face has been one of "optimism," but that behind the scenes he is preparing for the worst. His
advisers have already conceded that should the court rule against him then it would pretty much be the end of the road.
The Financial Times says the balance of expectation on Monday was that the Court would decied in favour of Mr Bush. The Gore legal team's only hope is in swaying the votes of the two swing judges, Anthony Kennedy and Sandra Day O'Connor.
The Times reports that, with the finale now in sight for perhaps the first time, Mr Bush's advisers have already begun working on his belated acceptance speech.
But, in a report on the Florida's Legislature's special session to select the state's electors, the Times says Republicans in the state's senate house are no longer sure they can muster the 21 votes needed
to pass a resolution giving the electors to Mr Bush because of a series of defections.
In an aside to the Election, the LA Times has found that in 1995 Mr Bush signed a bill in Texas, where he is Governor, ending a 125 year ban on concealed handguns. This was supposed to maintain a safer environment by enforcing rigorous checks on gun licence applications, but the state has continued to licence "hundreds of people with prior criminal
convictions and histories of violence, psychological disorders and drug or alcohol problems."
Nice adieu
With the Nice Summit now over, the British dailies splash on Prime Minister Tony Blair's demands for drastic changes to the EU's decision making process following 5 days of shambolic wrangling. The Independent says Mr Blair denied he was criticising President Jacques Chirac of France, who hosted the summit, in particular. However his unprecendented criticism cannot fail to be seen as a veiled attack on what became the longest summit in EU history.
On the inside the Indy says the winners of the summit were the big 4 member states - Britain, France, Germany, and Italy - who embedded their dominace of the European decsion making at the expense of the EU's smaller members.
The big 4 also enhanced the power and influence of the next biggest nation, Spain.
The Financial Times says the big winner was in fact Germany. The Nice deal includes, as a bonus to Berlin, the recognition of demographic factors as
an additional "safety net" in voting and a relative rise in Germany's representation in the European parliament. Since reunification, the German population has increased to be almost 40 per cent larger than France.
The Guardian says Mr Blair has effectively neutralised the Tories' main weapon in an early election, with a compromise treaty that is good enough to meet all his political objectives.
Taking the opposite stance, the Telegraph says Mr Blair has effectively signed away 30 of Britain's EU vetoes, handing the Tories the ammunition they need at the next election.
In the USA, the LA Times realises the summit's achievements, but suggests an "undertone of disappointment" because accomplishments fell short of
expectations.
The New York Times goes further by stating that EU leaders "seemed unable to lift their heads above their own national political agendas" and thus real reform "went by the wayside."
The Washington Post concentrates on the implications of the EU for regions seeking independence, such as Scotland and Wales in Britain, Spain's Basque
Region, and Germany's Bavaria. The newspaper suggests that the long-term logical outcome of the EU would result in a kind of regional autonomy within Europe for such areas.
No shame for Israel
The Independent reports that, as the American led inquiry into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict arrived in the region for the first time on Monday, Israel announced it had "nothing to be ashamed of" after ten weeks of conflict in which its troops have shot dead more than 250 Palestinians.
The Financial Times has an interesting report on Bejamin "Bibi" Netanyahu's return to politics. Following Prime Minister Ehud Barak's resignation on
Sunday, Mr Netanyahu has returned from political exile to topple the man who beat him. The FT says the public loves Mr Netanyahu even though his policies remain unclear, but that the reason he is riding high in the polls is based on negative voting - Mr Netanyahu is not Mr Barak, as Mr Barak won the last election precisely because he was not Mr Netanyahu.
The Telegraph says Mr Netanyahu faces an uphill struggle in his efforts to stage a political comeback. Not only does he have to contend with the legal
obstacles barring his candidacy as the main challenger in the upcoming elections for the premiership, he also has to contend with political opponents within and outside the Likud Party, who would rather see "Bibi"
fade away.
Struck down
The Independent reports on the decision by a Chilean Appeals Court to strike down the indictment and house arrest of Augusto Pinochet, who ruled Chile for 17 years. He was arrested on charges of kidnapping and murder, but the court ruled that he was denied due process.
The Washington Post is explicitin mentioning the fact that the decision "was based on technical grounds."
The NY Times says that the decision "falls far short of ending [Pinochet's] legal problems" for an appeal has
already been lodged with the Supreme Court.
No more Don Corleone
The Independent reports that the Sicilian town of Corleone, long a byword for the Mafia, is promoting itself as a symbol of the fight against organised
crime by hosting a research centre on the Mafia and anti-Mafia movements.
The Guardian says that, according to a leaked report from the Palermo prosecutor's office, la cosa nostra is reclaiming Sicily. The island's capital, Palermo, is currently hosting a UN conference on the fight against
organised crime.
Mori and Fujimori in trouble
The Guardian reports that after all the scandal, bluster and then flight, the former-president of Peru, Alberto Fujimori, has sought sanctuary in the
confirmation that he is, and has always been, Japanese.
The Guardian also reports that Japan's unpopular Prime Minister, Yoshiro Mori, has suffered another setback following the publication of a photo of him having a cosy drink with an alleged right-wing extremist and convicted murderer.
Having a chat
With relations between the USA and Cuba still tense following the Elian Gonzalez case, officials from the two countries began talks on immigration issues on Monday.
The New York Times reports Cuban charges that US policies encourage the smuggling of illegal immigrants from Cuba through its borders. The US counters with accusations that Cuba puts up barriers to "legal and orderly" migration to America. The two nations have been holding periodic talks on migration since 1994, the year Cuba briefly relaxed constraints and allowed over 30,000 people to leave for the US on boats and rafts.
La vache qui rit
The LA Times reports on the scandal of BSE-contaminated beef in France. It calls it "a Gallic version of hell". It counterpoints the material effect of the scare with another story concerning a "sane cow" barbecue in a Paris park on Sunday. Here, a giant spit roast was held by Parisian butchers to convince their countrymen that they do not sell "mad cow" beef.
- INDEPENDENT
World news monitor
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