Bush's visit to Europe
The US President George W. Bush, who was on a farewell tour of Europe, warned Iran of new sanctions if Tehran refuses to halt a nuclear programme. Bush's rhetoric is nothing new and Iran responded to it by saying that the US would not be able to touch even a centimetre of its "holy soil". Truckers in Spain and some other European countries went on a strike over rising oil prices. And in China, the authorities are imposing restrictions on journalists who will visit the country to cover the summer Olympics. These issues were contemplated, analysed and commented on. We present here excerpts of editorials from the regional and the international press.
President Bush visited Germany, Italy, the Vatican, France and Britain to meet with his trans-Atlantic allies before he steps down from office in November. Basically, this is an exercise carried out by most US presidents in search for a legacy.
Commenting on the visit and his legacy, The Telegraph said that Bush may well hope to emulate his Republican predecessor Ronald Reagan, who was lampooned by many in Europe as a witless buffoon for much of his presidency but is now, rightly, hailed as the Cold War's triumphant victor. That seems unlikely.
It listed some of his "positives" such as "the military surge in Iraq has restored some semblance of order to that benighted country, and Al Qaida's operational effectiveness has been severely diminished by Washington's unrelenting assault on its terrorist infrastructure, whether in Iraq or Afghanistan".
However, it remarked: "Yet throughout his presidency, Bush made little effort to persuade America's allies to work with him, as is now the case with Iran, rather than against him... As a result, he will not be missed in Europe - where the focus has already switched to the question of who will succeed him in the White House."
Oil prices
Oil prices which have been rising too high and too fast are a matter of concern throughout the world. It has effected the cost of living and has given rise to inflation. Hauliers and transport companies are the worst effected and to highlight their plight, truckers went on a strike in Spain and other countries. The Organisation of Oil Exporting Countries (OPEC) too is apprised of the situation and its member countries are likely to meet next on June 22 in Saudi Arabia to discuss the issue.
Interestingly, there are charges that the rising oil prices is due to speculation in oil stocks.
Arab News remarked that "Market forces are not working as usual. Because of the extra production, supply in fact now exceeds demand and commercial inventories are growing. Still the price goes up. Alexei Miller, head of the Russian energy giant Gazprom, has just warned that the prices are headed for $250 a barrel.
"That is because of speculators who have seized control of the market. The problem started because a weak dollar forced investors to look elsewhere for profits; they latched on to oil futures."
It added: "OPEC will help if extra production is required but that has to be part of a larger package of price-calming measures. Producers cannot do it all themselves. Thus the need for consumers and producers to get together. The target has to be the speculators. The use of hedge funds and massive financial reserves to push up the price of oil is immoral. Economies - people's livelihoods and their hopes of prosperity - are at risk."
It asked: "But can the genie be forced back into the bottle?"
Rights record
China's has tightened its restrictions on journalists who will cover the forthcoming summer Olympics in the country. The move has further dented China's image which had already taken a beating due to its action against human rights demonstrators and hundreds of parents demanding construction of school buildings that were destroyed in last month's earthquake.
The New York Times said: "To win the right to host the Games, China promised to improve its human-rights record. It keeps moving mostly in the opposite direction ... There's an inherent contradiction between China's desire to invite the world to the Olympics and its effort to deny those visitors - and its own people - the most basic freedoms."
