News & Reports 2010-10-10

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World finance leaders at the IMF-World Bank semi-annual meetings in Washington hope to secure a sustainable world economic recovery and global financial stability.

The Arab league decided 1 to give the United States another month to try to persuade Israel to renew the freeze on West Bank settlement construction.

The United Nations Climate Change Conference concludes in Tianjin with gaps still wide in approaching a balanced agreement between industrialized nations and emerging economies.

And the clean-up continues in Hungary three days after a torrent 2 of toxic 3 sludge from an alumina plant tore through three villages 160 km west of Budapest.

Hot Issue Reports

Chinese premier 4 calls for more cultural exchanges between China and Turkey

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has left for home after concluding his visit to Turkey, the last leg of his four-nation tour.

During his stay in the country, Wen Jiabao held talks with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan and witnessed the signing of eight bilateral 5 agreements in sectors 7 such as trade, infrastructure 8, and cultural exchanges.

The Chinese premier also called for more people-to-people exchanges between China and Turkey when speaking to representatives from cultural circles in Istanbul.

"The foundation of friendly cooperation between countries lies in the people. And exchanges among peoples are realized through culture. The foundation of friendship and cooperation will not be solid if countries conduct no cultural exchanges. So I attach great importance to Sino-Turkish cultural exchanges. Although China and Turkey have different civilizations, we can still learn from each other."

The premier said China and Turkey, both enjoying deep-rooted cultures, should make joint 9 efforts to implement 10 measures on cultural exchanges and boost bilateral friendship.

He also revealed that China and Turkey had decided to add 21 more flights between the two countries to facilitate people-to-people exchanges.

During the past eight days, Wen's four-nation tour also took him to Greece, Belgium and Italy.

Finance Leaders Meet at IMF-World Bank Semi-Annual Meetings

World finance leaders at the IMF-World Bank semi-annual meetings in Washington hope to secure a sustainable world economic recovery and global financial stability.

World Bank President Robert Zoellick said emerging markets bounced back from the financial crisis with strong growth and are now the key to economic recovery worldwide.

"The emerging markets are helping 11 global demand. So the message is that the developing world is part of the solution both today and for the future."

IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said the future of the global economy remained uncertain, but he did not think it would slip into another recession.

"In Europe, as we all know, the recovery is sluggish 12. And in the United States, it remains 13 subdued 14. But nevertheless, we in the IMF are rather on the optimistic side and we don't believe in the possibility of a double dip."

The IMF expects emerging markets to grow at three times the pace of advanced economies next year.

The reform in IMF voting power is a main focus at the meeting. It is expected that China will surpass France and Germany to take the third place in quota 15 share after the reform.

Chinese central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan expressed optimism towards the reform.

"By now, we can not say that there is no uncertainty 16, but generally speaking, we are all making efforts toward that end. I'm very optimistic that the shift in IMF voting power will be completed by January 2011 as it was stated at the Pittsburgh G20 summit, and there will be reforms in the management structure of the fund."

In the mean time, the governor says that recent attempts by some countries to relate quota reforms and currency issues are not mainstream 17 opinions, stressing that the voting power should be shifted from over-represented economies to developing ones.

The semi-annual meetings are scheduled to conclude on Sunday.

Hamas Leader: Steadfast 18 Decision Needed for Stalled Mid-East Talks

The leader of the Hamas government in Gaza says the Arab League will remain steadfast against Israel's Gaza construction, amid stalled mid-east talks.

Ismail Haniyeh made the comment after the Arab league decided to give the US another month to try to persuade Israel to renew the freeze on West Bank settlement construction.

"We need clear, definite decisions; we need active policies to exit from the political paralysis 19 and barren situation. Palestinians are looking to strengthen their steadfastness 20 to face the policies of occupation in West bank, Jerusalem, Gaza strip and wherever there are Palestinians."

The Palestinians have said they won't return to the negotiating table unless Israel renews its moratorium 21 on new construction in West Bank settlements, which expired at the end of September.

Israel has refused to reinstate the moratorium, though it is considering compromises.

Foreign ministers of Arab League meeting in the Libyan town of Sirte have warned Israel of dangerous consequences for continuing settlement construction.

But the ministers also said they would resume meetings in a month to study alternatives and decide on the next steps, giving the United States some breathing room.

Direct US-backed negotiations 22 between Israel and the Palestinians began in early September, but stalled over the settlement issue.

China Urges Rich Countries to Stick to Kyotol Protocol 23 in Climate Change Talks

The United Nations Climate Change Conference has concluded in Tianjin. The week-long meeting has partially 24 achieved its targets of laying the groundwork for the year-end summit in Cancun, Mexico and rebuilding the trust between industrialized and developing counties.

But as Su Yi reports, the talks have not seen a clear consensus 25, leaving more uncertainties 26 for the next round of meetings in November. The major parties still have wide gap in approaching a balanced agreement.

The UN talks on climate change in Tianjin are designed to be the precursor 27 to the world's next big attempt in fighting climate change in Cancun, Mexico.

The clock is ticking as the end of the first commitment period of the current key treaty on climate change nears. The Kyotol Protocol will expire in 2012.

But parties in Tianjin have been divided into two camps on whether the world only needs an amendment 28 for the Protocol or a new legally binding 29 document to replace it.

Huang Huikang, special representative for climate change negotiations from China's Foreign Ministry 30, points out that some industrialized countries are trying to get away from their commitments by replacing the Kyotol Protocol.

He says China has called for industrialized players to meet their pledges, especially on emissions 31 reductions and offering developing countries funding and technological 32 aid.

The Chinese envoy 33 says the Tianjin meetings have advanced some of the climate change talks, but has not resolved any major problems.

Some delegates, such as Edvardo Calvo with the Peruvian delegation 34, are more optimistic.

"Tianjin has been very helpful for all the parties to get clarity on the different options that have been submitted. The connections and implications are now clearer. And for sure, Tianjin is a very important milestone 35 on the road to Cancun."

Marcelo Theoto Rocha from the Brazilian delegation says that the UN talks are not stalled.

"At least something shows the thing is moving. I think it is the right message for Cancun. This meeting is very important, because we have the chance to narrow down the differences and exchange views."

China's negotiator, Huang Huikang, says he hopes more agreements can be reached when environment officials and ministers meet in Cancun. But he says his expectations for the major summit are not high.

For CRI at the Tianjin UN climate change conference, I'm Su Yi.

Kyrgyzstan Gears up for Parliamentary Elections

Kyrgyzstan is gearing up for parliamentary elections with local ethnic 36 minorities concerned for their future in the turbulent Central Asian country.

Voters will choose from 29 parties competing for 120 seats in a new legislature, which was given expanded powers following a constitutional referendum in June.

But the excitement of a possible democratic breakthrough is dampened by persisting chaos 37 and uncertainty.

In the multi-ethnic village of Tok Mok, a member of the Dungan minority said he felt unsafe.

"Practically nothing is guaranteed, security for the population is non existent, in the evening it's a mess."

Kyrgyzstan is a rich blend of diverse ethnic groups plagued by ethnic tensions.

Earlier this year, devastating 38 ethnic clashes broke out between Kyrgyz and minority ethnic Uzbeks.

The deadly clashes also installed the government of interim 39 President Roza Otunbaeva after ousting 40 former President Kurmanbek Bakiev from power.

The violence claimed hundreds of lives, mainly among Uzbeks, and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes.

Floods Plague China's Hainan Island and Central Vietnam

Heavy downpours have continued to pound China's southern island of Hainan for the eighth consecutive 41 day, flooding more than one thousand villages.

The floods, caused by the heaviest rains in Hainan since 1961, have left at least one person dead and three missing.

In Wenchang city, more than six thousand people have been forced to evacuate 42 after a reservoir overflowed 43 its banks.

Zhu Yunneng, a deputy chief of Jinshan Town, says rescuers are now working tirelessly to stave off flooding and possible landslides 44.

"We have carried sandbags and stones to reinforce the cracks and cave-in spots in an effort to prevent landslides in the mountainous area."

Officials estimate that the downpours in Hainan have caused at least 160 million US dollars in economic losses.

More rainstorms are expected, according to local meteorological office.

Meanwhile, officials say the death toll 45 of the devastating floods in central Vietnam has risen to 62 as authorities rushed aid to about 100,000 people facing food shortages.

The Vietnamese floods and storms control committee says authorities are still searching for another 20 missing.

The committee has revealed that the floods have caused an estimated damage of 110 million US dollars to crops and infrastructure.

Hungarian Villages Turn into Red-stained Wasteland Due to Toxic Sludge Spill

The clean-up continues in Hungary three days after a torrent of toxic sludge from an alumina plant tore through three villages 160 km west of Budapest.

Hungarian officials said on Friday that pollution levels from the spill had subsided 46 in the Danube and there was no risk of a biological or environmental catastrophe 47 in the river.

But while the spill's impact on the Danube may be limited, western Hungarian villages that bore the brunt of the sludge torrent could suffer in the longer term.

The villages nearest the burst reservoir have turned into a red-stained wasteland, with walls and lamp posts stained red to a height of three meters. Fences have been torn down, trees uprooted 48, and objects as heavy as cars swept away in the mess.

A spokesperson for the rescue teams said cleaning the villages was an almost impossible task.

"The biggest challenge is to clean these villages, to gather the red sludge from the streets, from the houses, to make a decision on which houses are good for living in in the future and which are not."

At least seven people were killed and more than 150 injured in the disaster, mainly as a result of burns and eye ailments 49 from the caustic 50 and corrosive 51 sludge.

All water life died in the smaller Marcal River, first struck by the spill. There were also reports of sporadic 52 fish death in the Raba and Mosoni-Danube rivers. There were no reports of major damage to the main branch of the Danube.

Arrested German Militant 53 linked to 9/11 Plotters

Security officials say an arrested militant whose disclosures triggered the latest travel alert in Europe had connections with those behind the 9/11 attacks in 2001.

Ahmad Wali Siddiqui, a 36-year-old German of Afghan descent, was arrested by the U.S. military in July in Afghanistan.

Intelligence officials believe Siddiqui was part of the Hamburg militant scene in the Taiba mosque 54 also known as al-Quds mosque that included key plotters involved in the 9/11 attacks.

Ahmet Yazici, deputy head of the Alliance of Islamic Communities in Northern Germany, confirms that some militants 55 have used the mosque as a cover.

"In general, I certainly don't have any influence on the way the Muslims behave in Hamburg, but I know that there are only a handful of mad people who act outside the Islamic communities. And what they had -the Taiba mosque- was not a mosque, but it was basically a reconstructed office building."

US officials say Siddiqui provided details on the alleged 56 al-Qaida-linked plots against European capitals that had prompted Washington to issue a travel alert for Europe.

German authorities say Siddiqui left Hamburg in March 2009 with a group of 10 other jihadis to seek paramilitary training in Pakistan's border region with Afghanistan.

The group, which included two women, met in the Taiba mosque before they decided to leave for Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Authorities say the prayer house had also served as gathering 57 point for some of the September 11 attackers.

Hamburg security officials shut down the Taiba mosque in August because of fears it was becoming a magnet for home grown extremists.

UPU Chief Economist 58 Says Opening of China's Postal 59 Market Proceeds in Appropriate Manner

Anchor: The chief economist of the Universal Postal Union, or UPU, says the opening of China's postal market is proceeding 60 at an appropriate pace. Jose Anson made the comment in an exclusive interview with CRI's Europe correspondent Tu Yun in Copenhagen.

Reporter: There are only 3 months to go before 16 of the 27 European Union member states open their domestic postal markets to full competition. Though the change is considered beneficial to the consumers, Anson says developing countries need to be cautious before following suit.

"It's much more difficult to liberalize, to introduce competition in least developed countries, where the market is almost non-existent or with very low volumes. Where there are very small volumes of mails, the first concern is to create the market. At the very initial stage, you cannot have many, many players. Because when you have many players, you cannot achieve economies of scale, you cannot make necessary investment to create a network that's going to attract enough volumes. It really depends on what's your stage. There's no one-size-fit-all solution."

He cites Argentina as an example.

"In Argentina, they had many posts in the country. This didn't help to develop the mail volumes. Once they introduced higher requirements to get a license 61 to become an operator, a lot of operators couldn't operate any more. This has helped a lot to stabilize 62, even develop the postal market in Argentina."

In China, as the online shopping business booms, its postal market, the express delivery sector 6 in particular, is soaring. Latest statistics from China's State Post Bureau show the country's daily express items have surpassed 100 million, making China the third country to reach the mark after the U.S and Japan.

Since China's WTO accession, the country has been gradually loosening its control over the express delivery market in line with its WTO commitment. But there has been criticism that China is still keeping too much of its postal market closed to private and foreign courier service providers. Some even push China to an early full opening of the market.

But Anson says China's pace is reasonably controlled.

"As far as I understand from the State Post Bureau, they're not pursuing competition policy for the sake of competition. They have a very realistic approach. Actually they gave licenses 63 to other operators than China Post Group, but in a very controlled manner, because if you allow too many players, at the beginning, to be simple, you create a mess. I think they have a pragmatic approach and our economic analysis would tend to show their policy might be appropriate in their circumstances."

Given China's huge market potential, Anson expects some local Chinese operators would grow into internationally competitive firms like their western peers.

Tu Yun, CRI news, Copenhagen.

Corruption 65 in Real Estate

An editorial in the China Daily says corruption is one of the major problems seriously affecting the healthy development of the real estate industry and market.

Nearly 2,000 cases of corruption have been found in this area between August last year and August this year. Almost 200 officials above the county governor level were found to be involved in these cases.

The article says the abuse of power has resulted in a series of problems in the real estate market.

With a lot of money going into the pockets of these corrupt 64 officials, real estate developers don't spend as much as they should on the construction of their buildings. They then bribe 66 the supervisors 67 into turning a blind eye to the poor quality of the houses. As a result, some new buildings have quality problems.

The editorial says there is enough reason to believe in the central government's unwavering determination to fight corruption. Yet, the complexities 68 of the anticorruption battle, particularly in the real estate area, should never be underestimated.

The article also says in addition to further intensifying 69 the crackdown, the government must act to improve the transparency of business deals and to tighten 70 supervision 71, in order to make the abuse of power much more difficult.

Global Times: Debate over Sichuan's Draft Allowing Local Govts to Seize Private Property

A recently issued draft regulation allowing local governments in Sichuan Province to take over civilians 72' private property for use in dealing 73 with emergencies has raised concerns over the possible infringement 74 of personal rights.

The draft stipulates 75 that governments at and above county-level in the province are entitled to acquire properties from organizations or individuals in order to handle emergencies. These include natural disasters, accidents, and incidents that could affect public health or social order.

Forcible acquisition is allowed when local governments have no other means of handling the emergency.

The draft also says that requisition certificates should be issued and "reasonable compensation" given if private property is damaged or lost.

However, some observers noted 76 that the obscure definition of the term "emergency" could create loopholes in the regulation's application.

A commentary on southcn.com noted that there is no clear definition of what constitutes an event that affects social order, a shortfall that could be used by local governments to silence civilians who try to protect their legal rights.

Another opinion piece in the Beijing Times says the requisition could safeguard the public's interests while handling emergencies, but the problem of how the system could guarantee the legitimacy 77 for the requisition remains.

The article calls for a clear definition for the term "emergency" as well as detailed 78 punitive 79 measures for violations 80.