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May 25, 2004

The President's Speech

f President Bush had been talking a year ago, after the fall of Baghdad, his speech at the Army War College last night might have sounded like a plan for moving forward. He was able to point to a new United Nations resolution being developed in consultation with American allies, not imposed in defiance of them, and to a timetable for moving Iraq toward elected self-government. He talked in general terms of expanding international involvement and stabilizing Iraq. But Mr. Bush was not starting fresh. He spoke after nearly 14 months of policy failures, none of them acknowledged by the president, which have left Iraq increasingly violent and drained Washington's credibility with the Iraqi people and the international community. They have been waiting for Mr. Bush to make a clean break with those policies. He did not do that last night. The speech reflected the fact that Mr. Bush has been backtracking lately, but he did not come close to charting the new course he needs to take. His "five steps" toward Iraqi independence were merely a recitation of the tasks ahead.

(Se il Presidente Bush avesse parlato un anno fa, dopo la caduta di Baghdad, il suo discorso all'Army War College sarebbe sembrato un piano per andare avanti. Egli è stato in grado di puntare su una nuova risoluzione delle Nazioni Unite che deve essere sviluppata in consultazione con gli alleati Americani, non imposta senza tenerne conto, e su un programma per portare l'Iraq verso un autogoverno eletto. Ha parlato in termini generali di espandere il coinvolgimento internazionale e di stabilizzare l'Iraq. Ma Mr. Bush non ha appena cominciato. Lui ha parlato dopo circa 14 mesi di fallimenti politici, nessuno dei quali ammessi dal presidente, che hanno lasciato l'Iraq sempre più violento e la credibilità di Washington logorata presso il popolo Iracheno e la comunità internazionale. Loro aspettavano che Mr. Bush avrebbe facesse una chiara rottura con quelle politiche. Non l'ha fatto la notte scorsa. Il discorso ha riflettuto il fatto che Mr. Bush stava tornando indietro tardi, ma non si è avvicinato al programma del nuovo corso che ha bisogno di prendere. Questi "cinque passi" verso l'indipendenza dell'Iraq sono stati soltanto un resoconto dei lavori in vista.)

Mr. Bush plans a series of addresses on Iraq before June 30. It was impossible not to wonder last night why he had waited until the security situation in Iraq had become disastrous, until Americans had begun losing faith in his leadership and, indeed, until just 37 days before a crucial new phase begins the transition to Iraqi sovereignty.

(Mr. Bush pianifica una serie di raccomandazioni sull'Iraq prima del 30 Giugno. E' stato impossibile la scorsa notte non meravigliarsi del perché abbia aspettato fino a quando la situazione della sicurezza in Iraq è diventata disastrosa, anzi, fino ad appena 37 giorni prima di una cruciale nuova fase che dia inizio alla transizione verso la sovranità dell'Iraq.)

It's regrettable that this president is never going to admit any shortcomings, much less failure. That's an aspect of Mr. Bush's character that we have to live with. But we cannot live without a serious plan for doing more than just getting through the June 30 transition and then muddling along until the November elections in the United States. Mr. Bush has yet to come up with a realistic way to internationalize the military operation and to get Iraq's political groups beyond their current game of jockeying for power and into a real process of drafting a workable constitution.

(E' deplorevole che questo presidente non arrivi ad ammettere delle manchevolezze, ancor meno dei fallimenti. Ma noi non possiamo vivere senza in serio piano per fare di più che superare la transizione del 30 Giugno e quindi arrabattarci fino alle elezioni di Novembre negli Stati Uniti. Mr Bush deve ancora arrivare a una realistica via per internazionalizzare le operazioni militari e portare gruppi politici dell'Iraq oltre il gioco corrente delle manovre per il potere e verso un reale processo di stesura di una costituzione realizzabile.)

The draft of the United Nations resolution that circulated yesterday was disappointingly sketchy on these points. It contains the phrases of international support — like references to a "multinational" military force — without committing the Security Council to do anything in particular. The draft endorses a continued American-led military presence in Iraq for at least a year beyond June 30, but it does not ensure expanded international participation. The resolution envisions that after the United Nations names the interim government leaders, it will proceed cautiously, and only when it deems it safe to do so.

(Il disegno della risoluzione delle Nazioni Unite che è circolata ieri era spiacevolmente approssimativa su questi punti. Contiene espressioni di supporto internazionale - come accenni a una forza militare "multinazionale" - senza affidare al Consiglio di Sicurezza nulla da fare in particolare. Il progetto riporta a una ininterrotta presenza militare a guida Americana in Iraq per almeno un anno oltre il 30 Giugno, ma assicura un'allargata partecipazione internazionale. La risoluzione prevede che le Nazioni Unite nomini i leader del governo a interim, procederà cautamente, e soltanto quando ...)

There are ways Mr. Bush can achieve the clean break that is so essential.

A good start, first put forward by the Center for American Progress in Washington, is to go much further in internationalizing the next phase of the Iraq operation. Mr. Bush could convene a summit meeting to create a multinational group to oversee the transition. The U.N. Security Council could step up its participation by appointing an international high representative who would actively supervise the interim Iraqi government until the first round of elections. Senator John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic nominee, has proposed restructuring the military force in Iraq under NATO, with an American commander. Mr. Bush should pursue that at the NATO summit meeting next month.

The president still has a number of speeches left to deliver before June 30. We hope he will use them to come up with a more specific plan, to stop listing the things we already knew needed to be done and to explain to us how he intends to do them. An acknowledgment of past mistakes would be nice.

lavori (modestissimi) in corso

Una notizia positiva. Questione di equilibrio.

TASHI DELEK!

French Parliamentary Group for Tibet Dedicates  2005 to Tibet

Paris, 26 May: Tibet Group, the French Parliamentary Group for Tibet in French Lower House of Parliament, declared the year 2005 a ‘Year of Tibet’. It would organise various activities to promote awareness and gather support for Tibet during the year 2005, said Mr. Lionel Luca, the President of the group and a member in the Lower House of French parliament. It would call upon the various TSGs, parliamentarians, mayors, and regional authorities to take part in its activities to dedicate the year to Tibet. He was speaking after Kalon Tripa addressed the press on the issue of Tibet. 8 members of parliament from the Tibet Group also attended the meet held in the National Assembly.

Earlier, Mr. Lionel Luca and former Tibet Group President Mr. Richard Cazneve hosted a luncheon reception in the Assembly in honour of the visiting Kalon Tripa of the Central Tibetan Administration. Mr. Tashi Phuntsok, the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, accompanied Rinpoche.

Later in the day, Rinpoche was invited for a public talk at the Salle Victor Hugo in the Parliament. Speaking to over 200 people, Kalon Tripa said that the problem between China and Tibet is not of ideology, race or power but of truth and untruth, justice and injustice. Rinpoche also pointed out that the problem of last 50 years between the two parties would not overshadow the friendly relations both peoples enjoyed over a 1000 years ago. He believed the Tibetan struggle based on truth, non-violence and democracy will triumph.

Rinpoche spent most of his day talking to media and touring the French Parliament. Kalon Tripa will travel to London later today.

A report by OoT, Paris

http://www.tibet.net/