BRITAIN
BRITAIN
The Times, London, April 13: The Olympics in Athens this summer were always going to be a difficult enterprise. The city was selected for the 2004 Games in part out of guilt that it had been rejected in favor of Atlanta for the centenary event in 1996, more than absolute confidence that it could manage efficiently.
As we report today, the worst-case scenario is very bad. Delays in construction threaten to compromise safety and security. Of the 39 major building projects, 15 have been completed, nine are running to time and 15 more are behind schedule. This latter group includes some of the most important venues, including the main Olympic stadium which has been plagued by problems ranging from the roof installation to the discovery of archaeological artifacts in the area that was supposed to be the main car park. ... The biggest worry, nonetheless, is that the inevitable rush job will lead to corners being cut on security measures.
Security challenges
The mere perception that security might be anything less than watertight could undermine the entire occasion. Some of the more excitable international superstars, apparently including Serena Williams, have suggested they may not travel to Greece if they do not feel completely assured by the arrangements. The games should and must go on. The authorities in Athens would be well advised, however, to look for more assistance from abroad to ensure that they meet the contemporary security challenges.
JAPAN
The Japan Times, Tokyo, April 14: Patience is running thin as efforts to have three Japanese hostages in Iraq freed drag on with no apparent progress.
At this stage, one can only guess about the abductors' real aim. One theory is that they are demanding a troop pullout as a matter of principle and that money -- ransom or something similar -- is what they really want. That is not surprising since monetary gain is the usual objective of kidnapping. In this case, though, it is unthinkable that the government would agree to such an underhanded deal.
A more reasonable view may be that Saraya al-Mujahideen is waiting for a chance to release the hostages, perhaps in response to calls from religious leaders, while watching progress in peace talks between Muslim militants and U.S. forces engaged in fierce fighting in Fallujah. It is believed that the three hostages are held near this city west of Baghdad.
Law and order
The current cease-fire provides a good opportunity to restore law and order in this former stronghold of Saddam Hussein loyalists. There is nothing to be gained from a cycle of bloody violence that has already claimed hundreds of innocent lives. If the peace talks -- which also involve political leaders and Fallujah residents -- succeed, as they must, then prospects for the hostages' release will likely improve as well.
INDIA
The Hindu, Chennai, April 14: The Iraqis have risen en masse against the neocolonial occupation of their country by the United States and its smattering of allies. Washington deceives itself and seeks to deceive the world when it claims that the forces of the occupation are dealing only with small groups of miscreants who are determined to thwart the democratic aspirations of an Iraqi majority.
In its hubris the Bush administration refuses to acknowledge the reality that an overwhelmingly large proportion of the Iraqi people sympathize with the resistance and provide assistance whenever able to do so. Even those who welcomed the ouster of the regime of Saddam Hussein and those who fear that conditions in the country will become chaotic if foreign troops depart have expressed their opposition to the occupation.
Common cause
Hearteningly, sectarian differences did not block the Iraqis from uniting behind a common cause. Shias collected and ferried food and medicines to Sunnis besieged in the town of Fallujah. Warriors belonging to both sects fought shoulder to shoulder, setting aside conflicts over the future leadership of their country. The quisling Governing Council set up by the neocolonial powers has begun to unravel; its members denounced the brutal methods used to suppress the resistance and the security forces under its command melted away whenever they were confronted by the masses. The solidarity demonstrated by the Iraqi people as they fiercely fight for freedom is all the more remarkable since they do not have a united leadership.