DATE=10/31/02

TYPE=U-S EDITORIAL DIGEST

TITLE=THURSDAY'S EDITORIALS

NUMBER=6-12694

BYLINE=ANDREW GUTHRIE

DATELINE=WASHINGTON

TELEPHONE=619-3335

CONTENT=

INTRO: There are early editorial reactions in Thursday's U-S press to the collapse of Israel's coalition government. Other commentaries focus on Iraq, the murder of a U-S diplomat in Jordan and Russia's Chechnya policy. Now, here with a closer look is V-O-A's ____________ and today's U-S Editorial Digest.

TEXT: Israel's Labor Party has withdrawn from the ruling coalition, creating a political crisis as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon struggles to form a new government and avoid early elections. The New York Times comments:

VOICE: After 19 months of trying in vain to act as a moderating force on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Israel's Labor Party walked out of his government on the right issue -- the indefensibly high priority he gives to the Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. If …early elections are called, Labor should keep to its current course, and offer the electorate a real alternative to existing policy.

… When Mr. Sharon declared his candidacy some two years ago … he seized the public's frustrations and fears over Palestinian violence. He has not, however, brought security, and his humiliation of Yasser Arafat has set back reform efforts among the Palestinians. This offers Labor an opening to set a new path.

TEXT: In New England, The Boston Globe says -- quote: "Even if the latest imbroglio leads to new elections in Israel, peace remains the imperative." Elsewhere in the region, the recent killing of a U-S diplomat in Amman draws this commentary from The Corpus Christi [Texas] Caller-Times.

VOICE: … It wasn't just a killing. It was overkill: The killer or killers pumped eight bullets into … Laurence Foley's head, chest and stomach. It was a message of pure hatred, and one that could not be mistaken: The war continues, and our enemies choose the time and … place.

TEXT: As for U-S policy on Iraq, Florida's Saint Petersburg Times says of President Bush's efforts to win support on the U-N Security Council for a tough resolution:

VOICE: Although the president still sounds too eager to go it alone … The Bush administration has done a more effective job in recent days of building international support for its plans to dismantle Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. The White House shouldn't jeopardize that progress by setting an artificial deadline for approval of a new … Security Council resolution. It's clearly worth spending a few more days or weeks … to win broad support…

TEXT: In Michigan, The Detroit Free Press comments:

VOICE: If President … Bush is as concerned as he professes to be about the relevance of the United Nations, then he should stop calling the international body "foolish" and questioning the courage of its members. … A modicum of respect might go further.

TEXT: Moving to another conflict, the war in Chechnya. Oklahoma's Tulsa World feels that in the aftermath of the Moscow hostage-taking by Chechen rebels, now is the time to negotiate.

VOICE: … It must be clear that although the attack at the Moscow music hall by Chechen rebels was a terrorist attack, it might very well have little real connection to the war in Chechnya. The conflict between Russia and Chechnya is far more complicated than a terrorist attack. … There are violent separatist Muslim factions within Chechnya that are mostly to blame for the terrorist operations originating there. It is this group, with its ties to groups such as al-Qaida, that is believed to be responsible for the Moscow tragedy. ... But unlike the United States and al-Qaida, there is a political solution to the Russia-Chechnya problem. ... A settlement between Russia and Chechnya could ultimately be a help in the war on terrorism.

TEXT: Analysis by The Tulsa [Oklahoma] World. Moving to Haiti and reaction to a group of would-be immigrants rounded up as their boat grounded off Miami, Florida. The Chicago Tribune comments:

VOICE: The sad spectacle Tuesday of hundreds of Haitian refugees jumping off a boat and scrambling across a Miami highway was more than an obligatory bit of video drama … It was an urgent reminder that conditions in Haiti not only are abysmal but - - incredibly enough - - worsening, and that the fate of that tiny, beleaguered country indeed does affect the United States. …Frustrated as the U-S may be, it cannot afford to walk away from Haiti.

TEXT: In Miami, The Herald talks about the fate of the arrested Haitians.

VOICE: These Haitians should be treated the same as people from other countries: The Immigration and Naturalization Service's Miami District routinely releases asylum seekers once it determines that they have a credible fear of persecution if they are returned to their homeland. …This hasn't been the case for Haitians since last December … Since then the Miami I-N-S District has applied an inhumane and discriminatory policy toward Haitian boat arrivals - - one not applied to Colombians, Cubans, Venezuelans or any other nationality. … Those who prove a credible fear should be released from … custody…

TEXT: And in Palm Beach, The Post is concerned about how this rickety freighter filled with Haitian refugees was able to slip past the U-S Coast Guard on its eight day voyage and sail right into downtown Miami -- quote -- "with little resistance… What if among the Haitian asylum-seekers it had carried terrorists and weapons?"

Turning to Asian developments, Ohio's Columbus Dispatch has this comment on North Korea's recent acknowledgment that it has a nuclear weapons program.

VOICE: Above all, South Korea, Japan and the United States should stop paying what amounts to protection money to the thuggish North Korean regime. Humanitarian assistance for North Korea's hungry and deprived population should continue, but it should be clear to all nations involved that offers of additional trade and aid will not guarantee good behavior by North Korea.

TEXT: Domestically, the memorial service for Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone, killed in a plane crash last week, turned into something more akin to a Democratic political rally. The Wall Street Journal comments:

VOICE: Those who watched the service … know that it had to be seen to be believed. … It used to be that the tragic deaths of American political figures served as a reminder … that there is a drama to life above mere politics … But Tuesday night's spectacle inverted that understanding.

TEXT: On that note, we conclude this editorial sampling of Thursday's U-S press.

NEB/ANG/TW