SWITZERLAND

SWITZERLAND
Der Bund, Berne, July 30: A chief prosecutor for each of the tribunals in Arusha and The Hague -- this does not seem like luxury given the complexity of the tasks. The exhausting arguments about the complicated wars in ex-Yugoslavia should alone be enough to occupy Carla Del Ponte. But the ambitious Swiss wants more: she also wants to go on playing the role of top prosecutor in Arusha.
She's probably going to lose this job soon. United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan is inclined to ask the Security Council to split the post into two -- apparently because of pressure from the United States.
Criticism from human rights organizations -- which accuse the tribunal of insensitive handling of rape victims -- is of course not decisive. Women's groups are not usually taken that seriously.
Rwanda's sniping
Rather, lobbying by the government of Rwanda seems to have borne fruit. It has been sniping against Del Ponte for a long time, painting her as responsible for all the tribunal's defects.
Behind the criticism lies the indignation that Del Ponte wants to put some Tutsis on trial too -- members of the "victim group," which has been in power since the end of the genocide.
There might be good arguments for separating the two functions. Kigali's criticism is not one of them. Making high level enemies is part and parcel of the job of the chief prosecutor. Del Ponte faced hate in Belgrade and Zagreb, but nobody wanted to remove her.
SWEDEN
Dagens Nyheter, Stockholm, July 29: Many Americans have believed, above all because of the White House's insinuations, that Saddam Hussein in one way or another was involved in the attacks against New York and Washington. With that there was a link to terrorism, internal security and Iraq. Without the events of Sept. 11 the war would have been much more difficult to justify.
But now the mood is changing. It has become difficult to trust the president. Where are the weapons of mass destruction? How long are the troops staying? Why are Americans dying every day in Iraq?
Secrets and lies
No, it's not like the Vietnam War. But the very experiences from that time, when secrets and lies played a central role, is to a great extent applicable to today's situation. When the developments in Iraq become complicated, the political leadership is tempted to deny unpleasant facts. And soon they are on a slippery slope that leads to lies and crises.
We are not there yet. But George W. Bush should soonest, out of a self-preservation instinct, study a few of his predecessors' colossal and tragic mistakes.