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Page 1 Daily News
by Gail Helmer
Friday, March 30, 2001
Jane's News Briefs
Jane's Defence Weekly
Beijing concern over US move to sell weapons to Taiwan
In a move that could shape the course of US-Chinese relations over the next few years, the administration of US President George Bush is preparing to make, by late April, its determination on possible new weapon sales to Taiwan.
Charles de Gaulle carrier to take part in exercise
The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle will take part in the multi-national Exercise 'Golden Trident' in the Mediterranean between 21 May and 1 June alongside around 70 vessels from 10 nations.
UAE F-16 weapons contest opens
United Arab Emirates Air Force & Air Defence (UAE AF&AD) officials have opened a contest for the weapons systems for the 80 F-16 Block 60 Desert Falcons due for delivery from 2004-08. The procurement, announced in March 2000, included providing about $2.2 billion for weapons.
Thales wins $159m French radio deal
France has awarded the communications division of Thales, formerly Thomson-CSF, a E173 billion ($159 million) contract to supply the French Army with an upgraded version of the company's PR4G battlefield radio.
Taiwan deploys Sky Spear extended-range missile
The Republic of China (Taiwan) has made advances in its development of the Tien Chi (Sky Spear) surface-to-surface ballistic missile (SSBM), according to the Taipei Times newspaper.
Foreign minister will head Indian MoD for now
Indian Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh, a former army officer, has been given additional charge of the Ministry of Defence following the resignation of George Fernandes in an arms bribery scandal (Jane's Defence Weekly 21 March).
US Air Force pushing Predator UAV envelope
Although recent efforts to weaponise the General Atomics Predator unmanned air vehicle (UAV) have been visible, the US Air Force (USAF) is also involved in activities to expand the capabilities of the drone beyond its current intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, according to service officials.
UK focuses on exports
The UK parliamentary joint committee that currently scrutinises completed arms exports made renewed demands to have prior scrutiny and put forward a modified plan for a system to accommodate it.
Oman expresses interest in buying Lynx and F-16
The Royal Air Force of Oman has announced a requirement for a major procurement package to include combat aircraft and helicopters.
Macedonia erupts again
As the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) bolstered its presence along the border with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), NATO and EU diplomats urged the FYROM government not to escalate the conflict with ethnic-Albanian rebels.
MoD's procurement partnerships get mixed results
According to the UK's National Audit Office (NAO) the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has had mixed success in co-operating with other countries in defence procurement.
Jane's Foreign Report
Another Balkan war? Will the fighting in Macedonia spread?
The clashes between ethnic Albanians and the Macedonian authorities have sent Nato and European Union planners back to the drawing board. Nobody is in any serious doubt about the gravity of the situation. If violence between Albanians and the Macedonian government spreads from the border region of Tetovo, where it was contained on March 26th, to Skopje, the Macedonian capital, it will provoke a backlash from the Slav majority population in the republic.
Aung San Suu who?
AFTER a decade of sermonising, India has sacrificed the cause of democracy in Burma (Myanmar) on the altar of crude national interests. It has all but abandoned its support for Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, embracing the military junta which grabbed power after her party had won a freely contested general election.
Speed is travelling faster
THEY called it the 'Golden Triangle', and it was famous during the Vietnam war for its production of opium, heroin and marijuana. These drugs are still made there, in an area encompassing parts of China, Burma, Laos and Thailand. Recently, however, the region has also become known for the rapid production and distribution of metamphetamines - also known as 'speed'.
Asian triangle changes shape
ON JANUARY 9th, Li Peng, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, arrived in India for a week-long visit. His main aim was to "develop stable and good neighbourly ties". However, as usual when Chinese officials cross the Himalayas, Li spent much of his stay denying that his government had supplied nuclear and missile technology and sophisticated arms to Pakistan, India's neighbour, with which it has been to war three wars over the past 50 years. The two countries' disputed border was also on the agenda.
Hizbullah and the Palestinians
ON HIS return to Israel from talks in Washington with President Bush, the prime minister, Ariel Sharon, confirmed for the first time Israeli intelligence information that the south Lebanese Hizbullah guerrillas were active in the West Bank and Gaza (as revealed by Foreign Report on February 6th). Sharon said: "I plan to restore the security to the citizens of Israel as a result of the upgrading of the Palestinian terror assisted by Hizbullah."
Jane's Intelligence Watch Report and Jane's Terrorism Watch Report
Saddam calls for war
As JID has been warning for months, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein has been increasingly successful in re-positioning himself as the champion of the Arabs against the West and Israel. This week he addressed the Arab summit, held in Jordan's capital Amman, calling for Arab unity and a war to "liberate Palestine". Ominously, his audience of Arab leaders gave him a respectful hearing. JID analyses the speech and its worrying implications.
China
- China has accused US-based scholar Gao Zhan of spying after having arrested her on 11 February at the airport in Beijing just as she was departing for the US with her husband and son after a holiday, CNN reported on 27 March. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi said that evidence had shown that Gao accepted missions for foreign intelligence agencies and took funds for spying activities. Gao's husband and son were detained separately and released on 8 March. Gao worked as an unpaid fellow at American University in Washington DC.
United States - Central Intelligence Agency (CI
A)
- The CIA is using "data mining" technologies to process information from video and audio signals pouring in from around the world to the tune of a million new pages on the Internet every day, Washington Post reported on 26 March. Computers are programmed to automatically transcribe audio signals and translate web pages in Chinese, Russian and numerous other languages. There is also a system that alerts an analyst any time a new page goes up on a website of interest. Although "machine translation" has been around since the 1950s, CIA officials said that it is becoming increasingly accurate and more powerful when combined with web-based search capabilities
Colombia - Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia [Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC)]
- The El Tiempo newspaper reported on 25 March that since the FARC rebels announced an extortion policy in April 2000, the group has made about US$110 million in ransoms. Under the policy, individuals and corporations with assets of over US$1 million must pay 10 percent to the rebels or risk being kidnapped. Victims are informed of the policy when stopped at rebel roadblocks. Some are also notified by mail or telephone and many have travelled into the FARC-controlled demilitarised zone in the south of the country to pay.
Israel - Islamic Jihad
- Two bomb explosions in Jerusalem killed an alleged Palestinian suicide bomber and wounded 27 people, CNN reported on 27 March. The first bomb, hidden in a car the authorities believe was stolen, went off as a bus passed by. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place near a busy shopping centre at 7:40 a.m. local time. The second bomb went off near a bus as well when the terrorist carrying it stepped off in the French Hill section of the city. There were no immediate claims of responsibility. The Israeli government strongly condemned the attacks, warning that such actions would do little to bring peace to the region.
The Philippines - Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF
)
- MILF rebels have agreed to declare a ceasefire and hold peace talks with the government, BBC reported on 27 March, citing President Gloria Arroyo. A preliminary peace agreement was signed by presidential adviser Eduardo Ermita and rebel leaders in Kuala Lumpur. A MILF spokesman confirmed the report and stated that peace talks are due to start in April in Malaysia. It is expected that observers from the Organisation of Islamic Countries will be present. Further details of the accord will be made public later this week when Ermita returns to the Philippines.
United States - Chechen Rebels
- Russia has condemned as "immoral" a meeting between a senior US State Department official and Chechen Foreign Minister Ilyas Akhmadov, CNN reported on 27 March. Akhmadov had a meeting with acting US Special Adviser for Newly Independent States John Beyrle. A State Department official told CNN it had met with Akhmadov previously in October 2000 at the UN General Assembly meeting in New York. The official said that the US wanted to get Akhmadov's "insights and inputs" on the current situation in Chechnya, and had met him as an individual and not as a minister.
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