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BBC Monitoring Quotes From Australian Press 9 Jan 05

Posted on: Sunday, 8 January 2006, 12:00 CST

The following is a selection of quotes from editorials and commentaries published in 7-9 January editions of Australian newspapers available to BBC Monitoring:

Ariel Sharon

"Sharon departure leaves Israel's cards in air"

Melbourne's The Age: www.theage.com.au "... Given Palestinian suspicions of Mr Sharon's motives, including concerns about his plans for Jerusalem, and with the militant Islamic Hamas organization looming large on the political horizon, the 25 January election could well serve up a hard-line Palestinian Authority. Israelis might mirror this with their own turn to the right with the obvious beneficiary, Mr Netanyahu, likely to halt the disengagement programme... His [Sharon's] legacy might well be a more secure Israel, if only in the interim, but it will be up to others to deliver peace. Whatever the outcome of the wrangling post-Sharon, the message remains the same: a lasting peace will be achieved only through trust and talk, when terrorism is renounced and bloodied recriminations cease." (Editorial) (7)

"People led Sharon out of Gaza, not the other way"

The Sydney Morning Herald: www.smh.com.au "... One should not underestimate Sharon's pivotal role in removing Israel from Gaza... Nonetheless, it was not Sharon who led Israelis out of Gaza, but vice versa, just as two years earlier it was Israeli public opinion that forced him to erect Israel's security barrier in the West Bank. The internationally maligned security wall was, in many ways, the progenitor of the wildly popular withdrawal from Gaza: both reflect an Israeli public that has relinquished the dream of holding on to the territories captured in the 1967 war, given up hope of reaching a peace agreement with the Palestinians any time in near future, and thus opted for a unilateralist 'third-way' approach reflected both in the fence and in disengagement... If Olmert and Kadima stand a fighting chance [in the 28 March elections], it is because of the growing Israeli impatience to end 38 years of occupation, by any means available - a sentiment first opposed, then adopted, and finally embodied and personified in Ariel Sharon." (Chemi Shalev, associate editor, Australian Jewish News) (9)

"Rockets into Israel fuel the jihad"

The Sydney Morning Herald: "... The rocket attacks were the answer from the Palestinian side to Ariel Sharon's gamble to unilaterally begin a series of strategic withdrawals from the occupied Palestinian territories. The gamble has failed... Among the Palestinians, Islamic fundamentalism is exploiting the conditions created by Arafat. He never wanted peace with Israel. He wanted Jerusalem, and he was engaged in a long-horizon war to get it... Now Arafat's great adversary, Ariel Sharon, has gone, but it should be remembered that Sharon was not the first Israeli warrior-politician to survey the West Bank and Gaza and decide, like a shrewd general, that the position was untenable for long-term occupation. In 2000, Prime Minister Ehud Barak, the most decorated combat veteran in the history of modern Israel, after coming to the same conclusion, offered more than 90 per cent of the West Bank, all of Gaza, and part of Jerusalem itself, to the Palestinian side. Arafat's counteroffer was nothing. He made no counteroffer. He chose war, and the stillborn nation of Palestine has since liquified into chaos, corruption, and a culture of death, exactly the conditions on which the medievalist perversion of holy war feeds and prospers." (Paul Sheehan) (9)

"Closing the Iraq account"

The Sydney Morning Herald: "... The Bush administration will not seek new funds from Congress for reconstruction when the current 18.4bn US dollars runs out in mid-2007. Iraq is now likely to be left with neither the best infrastructure in the region, as promised by President George Bush in 2003, nor a stable democracy in place. The funding decision fuels speculation the US is preparing for a partial withdrawal this year. In Iraq this weekend Britain's foreign secretary, Jack Straw, said a British pullout could begin within six months. There is little to be gained in condemning the decision to invade. But the question of ongoing responsibility and planning is crucial. The legal and moral obligation to rebuild Iraq is unambiguous... Opposition to the Iraq war in the US, and anti- Western sentiment in Iraq, does not absolve Washington and its allies of the responsibility to fund reconstruction... Iraq makes a powerful argument for invasion as a last resort. The test is not moral certainty; in unseating a despot that can be easily met. It is the reasonable prospect that the consequences of military action will prove better than doing nothing. Packing up before the job is done would leave Iraq with no such possibility." (Editorial) (9)

US Congress lobbying case

Sydney's The Australian: www.theaustralian.news.com.au "... The Abramoff case shows that the American political system is still failing to strike the difficult balance between allowing legitimate lobbying by individuals and companies affected by federal government decisions, and the need to ensure that politicians make those decisions only on their merits. In Australia, opportunities to corrupt federal politicians are much more limited because the discipline enforced by political parties makes it extremely difficult for any individual to change a law. In the US, the potential influence of individual legislators is much greater, as is the cost of running a campaign... Democrats, who have also abused the system, have little to crow about. But Republican leaders need to ask their own questions and act quickly." (Editorial) (9)

Melbourne's The Age: "... The case illustrates the extent to which, for decades, big business and special interest groups have been hopelessly enmeshed with US politicians, blurring the lines between lobbying and influence-peddling... It is a timely reminder to Australian politicians who will soon be debating a federal government bill that seeks to increase the disclosure limit for political donations from 1,500 dollars to 10,000 dollars, indexed yearly... The US example shows what happens when there is a lack of transparency about just who is paying whom for what... Let's not go down the US path." (Editorial) (9)

The Sydney Morning Herald: "... While cynicism about Australian politics will always be rife (in itself a check on the system), there are several structural differences that keep the functioning of democracy here relatively healthy. First, parties in Australia are stronger... Second, compulsory voting reduces the need for money in political campaigns. In the US, with voluntary voting, unlimited funds are required to push your voters to the polls... Third, sunshine is the best disinfectant... as corporate contributions are legal, parties and recipients have to report their receipt, and do so cleanly... Maintenance of a rigorous and timely disclosure regime is critical. For nearly two decades, there has been a growing convergence of the American and Australian political cultures, from a premium on telegenic candidates to the 24-hour-a-day news cycle to attack ads to push polling. But while Australia's political system is cleaner, and will require vigilance to keep it that way, the stench that is choking Washington won't erupt here." (Bruce C. Wolpe, formerly US congressional aide and Washington lobbyist, now director, corporate affairs, for Fairfax, publisher of The Sydney Morning Herald) (7)

"New year, new start for Bush"

Melbourne's The Age: "... While the controversy over the wiretaps is still to be played out in congressional hearings when Congress returns at the end of the month, it's doubtful that most Americans will be quite as outraged about this alleged threat to civil liberties and presidential disdain for the law and congress as are some Democrats and the American Civil Liberties Union... The fact is that despite his myriad political woes and bad polls, on the issue of keeping America safe from terrorist attacks, Bush still has the support of a majority of Americans... The scandal involving the lobbyist Jack Abramoff that will inevitably ensnare congressional Republicans and perhaps even a few Democrats could work in Bush's favour. A discredited Congress, widely seen as riddled with corruption, is less likely to be able to mount a serious challenge to Bush's determination to fight the war on terror without too much congressional oversight or interference. There's something else Bush has going for him: a politically inept and hopelessly divided Democratic Party in which it is never clear who speaks for it on any issue... Of course everything could change depending on what actually happens in Iraq, which no amount of new Bush rhetoric and political stage management can control. But for now, Bush starts 2006 in better shape than seemed possible three months ago." (Michael Gawenda, US correspondent) (9)

"America: the cost of alliance"

Melbourne's The Age: "Increasingly, the alliance with the United States is not in Australia's strategic best interests... There are major political, financial, and military costs from Howard's closeness to the Bush administration and his government's imitation of American ideology and policies. These positions restrict Australia's capacity to express its own international priorities, have weakened Australia's independence and its standing with regional neighbours and at the UN. If it has any significance, Howard's obedience is reinforcing the aggressive, unilateral American policies. The likelihood of pressure to participate in further expeditions is increased. Opportunities to act as a catalyst and supporter for conflict resolution, peacekeeping, and development are lost. Integration of defence force structure and procurement adds to defence costs, as do additional military expeditions. The risk of becoming a terrorist target increases... Australia should affirm the value of the multilateral framework and urge US multilateral engagement and adherence to international norms, treaties and law. Australians can also support the majority of Americans who want their country to be an honourable participant in the multilateral system." (John Langmore, former Labor MP) (9)

China and Japan: "One mountain, two tigers"

The Sydney Morning Herald: "Australia has found itself in an increasingly uncomfortable position perched on the East Asian geopolitical fence. As tensions intensify between the region's two great powers - China and a US-allied Japan - that diplomatic balancing act will just get harder... Next week's security dialogue involving Australia, the US and Japan suggests Canberra is leaning Washington's way - an impression which could unnecessarily ruffle Beijing's feathers. On China, the US and Australia diverge: Canberra has carefully and sensibly avoided the kind of alarmist rhetoric emanating from Washington and, more recently, Tokyo. The US may be Australia's most important ally, but our national interests do not always coincide. Our regional diplomacy must continue to reflect this truth..." (Editorial) (7)

"Plan to license clerics is absurd"

Melbourne's The Age: "The prime minister's Muslim Advisory Council has proposed a radical solution to the perceived problem of domestic extremism: the establishment of a licensing and monitoring regime for Muslim clerics, school teachers and academics... The creation of such a system would create two classes of Islamic workers: government-approved and independent. Any imams or clerics who had the good sense to remain outside the proposed system would find their position and credibility bolstered. They would be viewed as independent and trustworthy by a community that already has a tremendous distrust of the government and those Muslims it has hand- picked to ostensibly represent Muslim interests... Demand for clerics and leaders outside the 'system' would increase; and genuine extremists would draw legitimacy from their exclusion from a system that many Muslims would see as an attempt by government to influence Islamic thought in this country." (Amir Butler, Australian Muslim Civil Rights Advocacy Network) (9)

Sources: As listed

Source: BBC Monitoring Newsfile

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