By The Associated Press=

2009-06-25 20:58:04 -

Here are excerpts from editorials in newspapers around the world
June 23
Helsingin Sanomat, Helsinki, Finland, on Greenland's home rule
... Greenland _ massive in size but with a miniature population _ took a new turn when it strengthened its autonomy. A significant portion of the population has even begun to believe that by resolutely developing their own economy they could become independent in less than a generation.
The idea of an independent state sounds surprising as the population numbers 60,000 and most of the budget is still financed by Denmark. But the drive for independence has been spurred by climate change. The melting of the northern polar regions makes the extraction of natural resources much easier.
Greenland now has the possibility of deciding on independence in a future referendum. The decision will not be easy. It still has strong ties to Denmark; like the free education that is provided and the Nordic welfare state model. But for indigenous peoples worldwide the Greenlanders, at any rate, provide a promising precedent on the possibilities of progress.
On the Net
www.helsinginsanomat.fi/english
June 23
London Telegraph, on Britain and Iran
The tit-for-tat expulsion of two Iranian diplomats from London yesterday marked the abandonment of the cautious policy hitherto adopted by Britain towards the post-election crisis in Tehran. The Government had been reluctant to engage in a slanging match with the theocratic regime after Ayatollah Khamenei, its Supreme Leader, denounced Britain as «the most evil of foreign powers». David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, was anxious to avoid giving President Ahmadinejad any excuse to mobilize anti-Western sentiment to deflect criticism of the way the regime handled the elections and their aftermath. The Iranian religious leadership has been confounded by President Barack Obama's overtures to the Muslim world, which have made America a less convenient target than it once was; so they have decided to excoriate Britain instead. They have also been angered by the superb role played by the BBC's Persian service in broadcasting images of the violence on the streets back to people in Iran who would not otherwise have seen them.
After Tehran ordered two British diplomats out of the country for no reason, Britain could not stand idly by and do nothing. None the less, these are unsettling developments. In the current, volatile climate, unjustified attacks on Britain could endanger embassy staff in Tehran, and Gordon Brown was right finally to voice the concerns already expressed by other leaders about the way the recent elections were conducted. Even the regime has acknowledged that there were «irregularities»: in 50 cities, more votes were cast than there were eligible electors. So far, Britain's response has been measured in the face of a provocative, bellicose regime. Whether this approach can be sustained if relations continue to deteriorate is another matter.
On the Net
tinyurl.com/n6dyk7
June 18
Asahi Shimbun, Tokyo, on President Barack Obama and his South Korean counterpart, Lee Myung Bak
In response to the increased security threat posed by North Korea's recent round of missile and nuclear tests, U.S. President Barack Obama and his South Korean counterpart, Lee Myung Bak, vowed to enhance the bilateral security alliance in their meeting ... in Washington.
The United States has demonstrated a strong commitment to defending South Korea with its «nuclear umbrella» and other military forces inside and outside the country. Lee said his country was prepared to respond firmly to North Korea's military action. ...
Clearly, it is important to act calmly and rationally when planning responses to the scenarios that could play out in North Korea. Japan, the United States and South Korea need to work together to decide how to respond and expand a common base for cooperation.
They should also cooperate with China and Russia. ...
What needs to be done now is to ensure the sanctions adopted by the United Nations Security Council against North Korea are implemented rigorously to pressure the regime into abandoning its nuclear program.
For many years, Pyongyang has been placated, even rewarded for its saber rattling and bluster. In their joint news conference, Obama and Lee pledged to put an end to that pattern.
The success of international efforts hinges on whether Washington can find an acceptable way to re-engage Pyongyang in negotiation. ...
On the Net
www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200906190095.ht ml
June 22
Jerusalem Post, Israel, on France-Israel relations
When Nicolas Sarkozy moved into the Elysee Palais in 2007, France-Israel relations took a dramatic turn for the better. ...
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is scheduled to leave today for France, where he is to meet with Sarkozy ... to discuss Iran's quest for nuclear weapons, upgrading relations with the European Union, and how to convince the Palestinian Authority to return to the negotiating table. Sarkozy and Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner will welcome Netanyahu with warmth. In recent years, not only have diplomatic relations improved; economic ties have strengthened, cultural ties have blossomed, and France has become a popular destination for vacationing Israelis.
While French foreign policy and public sentiment is no longer unthinkingly pro-Arab, neither is it yet where we would wish it to be. A recent poll by The Israel Project confirmed that the French public remains generally more sympathetic toward the Palestinians than to Israel, with only 21 percent viewing us favorably.
France's policymakers remain under the erroneous impression that they facilitate peacemaking by pressing Israel to make concessions while basically giving the Palestinians a free ride. ...
Netanyahu arrives in Paris having articulated a position that reflects an Israeli consensus: Yes to a two-state solution, so long as one of those states is recognized as the national state of the Jewish people and the other is demilitarized.
France's settlement obsession is misplaced. It can best help resolve our conflict by urging the Palestinians to internalize Israel's legitimacy and to adopt positions, now championed by Netanyahu, that meet both peoples' essential needs.
On the Net
tinyurl.com/kn2qdz
June 22
Los Angeles Times, on health care reform
Legislation to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system hasn't emerged from congressional committees, yet it has gained enough momentum for the demonization of the reform effort to start in earnest. ...
There are three fundamental and interrelated problems with healthcare in this country: It's too expensive, the results aren't as good as in other countries, and the insurance provided by government and the private sector leaves too many people uncovered. ...
The cost, quality and coverage problems are intertwined. Healthcare providers pass along the expense of caring for the uninsured and underinsured, raising costs for those who have insurance. Insurers respond by raising prices, which leads more employers and individuals to drop coverage. The low reimbursement rates prompt physicians to move into more lucrative careers as specialists, reducing the supply of the primary-care doctors who are vital to timely, high-quality care. And the perverse financial incentives in the system deter doctors and hospitals from aligning their interests with those of their patients. After all, the healthcare industry profits more from treating ailments than from preventing them. ...
The U.S. healthcare system isn't a failure. It's extraordinarily good at some things, such as developing new treatments. But its inefficiencies and gaps have created flaws so deep, the system cannot be sustained for long. ...
On the Net
tinyurl.com/l8y5q9
June 21
The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Virginia, on President Obama, public records and transparency
President Barack Obama, who made a pledge to bring greater transparency to government during his administration, needs to implement that philosophy at the door to his new home.
In a disturbing echo of his predecessor's approach to public records, the Obama administration recently rejected two requests for access to White House visitor logs maintained by the Secret Service.
MSNBC had asked for a list of all visitors since Jan. 20, and the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington had requested logs of visits by coal company executives. In response to the rejection, CREW has filed a lawsuit in federal court.
Administration officials say they're reviewing the policy on visitor logs but, for now, they're adhering to the Bush-era stance that the official record of visitors is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act.
There's no need to review the policy. A federal judge has twice rejected claims by the Bush administration, laid out in a 2006 memo to the Secret Service, that the visitor logs are off-limits to public view. ...
Transparency, as Obama has said many times, enhances public understanding of government actions and serves as a safeguard against corruption. The concept applies to the White House. It is the people's house, and the people have a right to know who's inside.
On the Net
hamptonroads.com/2009/06/white-house-hides-comings-an d-goings
June 21
Durango Herald, Durango, Colorado, on President Obama and Iran
President Barack Obama is being derided for not speaking out more forcefully about the situation in Iran. With the streets of Tehran full of protesters angry about last week's obviously fraudulent election, his critics say the president's response should be a full-throated denunciation of the oppressive regime and strong support for what they see as a potential revolution.
The critics are wrong. ...
They are pushing an extension of the neo-conservative thinking behind the invasion of Iraq. They see an opportunity for «regime change» that could lead to a democratic Middle East.
And that would be a fine vision were it not predicated on a complete overestimation of the ability of the United States to influence circumstances that are clearly beyond its control. Besides watching events unfold, about the only path open for Obama is to lecture the Iranians.
That could easily backfire. As anyone who has ever shot pool or raised children understands, sometimes energy applied in one direction can send things spinning off in an entirely different way. ...
Americans too easily mistake patience for passivity and action for accomplishment. But Obama is right to play this low-key. Greater U.S. involvement would likely do more harm than good. ...
On the Net
tinyurl.com/m8hnxw
June 23
The Miami Herald, on hurricane aid for Haiti
As of last week, when Haitian Prime Minister Michele Pierre-Louis visited Miami and this editorial board, Haiti still had not received a penny of the $300 million in hurricane aid promised to the storm-ravaged island by the international community at a donors conference in April.
This is an unacceptably slow response to Haiti's critical needs. With June almost over, the most dangerous part of the hurricane season will soon be upon us. If aid is not received soon, it will be too late to prevent a repetition of the series of disasters that occurred last year when Haiti was hit by four consecutive storms within a matter of weeks, inflicting death, misery and enormous economic damage.
Haiti has barely begun to recover from the trauma of last year's punishing storms, but its needs are vast and its resources are scant. Without international help it cannot reasonably hope to be ready for this year's Caribbean storms, which strike with regularity at this time of year on Hispaniola and other islands in Hurricane Alley.
Ms. Pierre-Louis rightly expressed frustration with the international community's failure to deliver on its promises. This is not just about building up the nation's infrastructure, but about enabling Haiti to make reasonable plans for a viable economic future.
It's time for the donors to pony up. A promise made should be a promise delivered, particularly for a country where the needs are great and millions live in poverty. ...
On the Net
www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/1109353. html
June 22
The Leaf-Chronicle, Clarksville, Tennessee, on soldiers and substance abuse
In May, the Army's vice chief of staff, Gen. Peter Chiarelli, issued a memo urging commanders to treat and, when necessary, punish soldiers who are found to test positive for substance abuse or who fail blood-alcohol tests.
There were good reasons for this stand. Chiarelli, who also has headed a suicide task force and visited Fort Campbell this past spring, said he has found hundreds of cases in which soldiers failed those tests _ sometimes more than once _ but they didn't receive either treatment or discharge.
He told USA Today that alcohol and substance abuse problems may not be addressed when top staff officers are trying to keep up their numbers for deployments.
Ultimately, however, such a strategy is counterproductive. If alcohol and substance abuse problems aren't treated, they fester. They contribute to mental health problems and can, in some cases, lead to suicide.
Moreover, a soldier who isn't mentally, physically or emotionally fit due to abuse can put his fellow soldiers at risk. ...
Although the American involvement in Iraq appears to be winding down, U.S. troop strength is increasing in Afghanistan. In other words, the stresses with ongoing cycles of deployments that can trigger abuse aren't going away any time soon.
The military, then, must continue to work with the soldiers to develop stress coping mechanisms that do not include abusing substances and ending up impaired at the very time they need to be at their sharpest.
On the Net
tinyurl.com/l9m4om
June 21
Poughkeepsie Journal, Poughkeepsie, New York, on regional airlines
It's terrible that it took the deaths of 50 people aboard a regional airline that crashed near Buffalo to bring about proposed changes in federal safety regulations that apply to the smaller carriers. The changes proposed now are either voluntary or require new rules that could take years to adopt. The Federal Aviation Administration needs to find ways for tough enforcement.
Using frank language, new FAA chief Randy Babbitt said last week safety among smaller airlines is not always equal to the major carriers. He called for immediate changes regarding the hours pilots are allowed to work _ and the ways pilot training and flying records are reviewed. Regional airlines, which often operate under contract to major carriers, fly half of all flights and carry about 20 percent of passengers, according to USA Today.
Pilot fatigue and the captain's failure of five piloting skills tests were brought up during recent federal hearings into the Feb. 12 crash of Continental connection Flight 3407, which was operated by regional commuter airline Colgan Air Inc. of Virginia. ...
Babbitt promised the FAA will pressure carriers to make the changes. At a time when more air travelers may find themselves booked on a regional airline for at least part of their trip, the FAA is going to have to stay on top of this.
On the Net
tinyurl.com/lx638x