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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 1, No. 149, 97-10-30Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>RFE/RL NEWSLINEVol. 1, No. 149, 30 October 1997CONTENTS[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[C] END NOTE
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA[01] GEORGIA, UKRAINE TO FORM JOINT PEACEKEEPING UNITMeeting in Tbilisi on 29 October, Georgian Defense Minister Vardiko Nadibaidze and his Ukrainian counterpart, Aleksandr Kuzmuk, agreed to create a joint peacekeeping battalion, CAUCASUS PRESS reported. Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, who is also on an official visit to Tbilisi, told journalists that the peacekeepers' primary task will be to safeguard transportation routes through Abkhazia, according to "Nezavisimaya gazeta" on 30 October. The two defense ministers also signed a protocol on developing military-technical cooperation. ITAR-TASS reported that Ukraine intends to purchase an unspecified number of modernized Su-25 military aircraft from Georgia.[02] RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTER IN KAZAKHSTANIgor Sergeev has met with his Kazakh counterpart, General Muhtar Altynbaev, and President Nursultan Nazarbayev to discuss the terms under which Russia will continue to lease the Baikonur space complex. and other military bases. Russia's owes some $486 million for the use of Baikonur, according to "Kommersant-Daily" on 29 October. Last year, Russia undertook to pay $28 million a year for the use of Kazakh defense facilities, but Sergeev had suggested that Moscow instead supply Kazakhstan with military equipment and train Kazakh officers. Visiting Almaty in early October, Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin failed to reach an agreement with Nazarbayev on Baikonur. Meanwhile, Sergeev and Kazakh leaders agreed Russia will give Kazakhstan four Su-27 military aircraft as partial compensation for Soviet military hardware withdrawn after 1991.[03] KAZAKH OPPOSITION PARTIES TO JOIN FORCESRepresentatives of several opposition parties and movements met in the Kazakh capital on 28 October to discuss forming an opposition alliance that will be called the National Front, RFE/RL's Almaty bureau reported the next day. Azad, Azamat,. the Communist Party, and the Workers' Movement of Kazakhstan announced their readiness to join such a grouping.[04] KYRGYZ PARLIAMENT REJECTS DRAFT BUDGETIgnored an appeal by President Askar Akayev, the upper chamber of the parliament has unanimously rejected the 1998 draft budget, the Russian press reported. The draft almost doubled funding for the country's bureaucracy while slashing funds for agricultural projects. Deputies called on the government to submit a new draft budget by 1 January 1998.[05] TURKMENISTAN, UKRAINE TRY TO RESOLVE GAS DEBTSUkrainian Deputy Prime Minister Anatoly Holubchenko is in Ashgabat for talks with his Turkmen counterpart, Rejep Saparov, on resuming Turkmen natural gas exports to Ukraine, RFE/RL's Ashgabat bureau reported on 30 October. The two deputy ministers are also trying to determine exactly how much Ukraine owes for gas received in 1996-1997. Turkmenistan cut gas supplies to Ukraine in March 1997 because of Kyiv's failure to pay. A spokesman for the Itera company, which acted as an intermediary to export and sell Turkmen gas to Ukraine, said a large share of that debt, which is believed to exceed $300 million, would be settled by means of barter trade.[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE[06] HAGUE COURT CANNOT SUBPOENA STATESThe Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia ruled on 29 October that the tribunal has no right to issue injunctions threatening sanctions against a state or an official of a state. The Appeals Chamber said that the tribunal must ask the UN Security Council to issue such injunctions if it feels that a state or its officials are not cooperating with it. The tribunal had threatened to impose sanctions on Croatia and its defense minister, Gojko Susak, for their refusal to provide the court with documents related to the case of General Tihomir Blaskic, who is on trial in connection with war crimes against Muslims in 1993. Observers said the ruling is a setback for the tribunal in its efforts to make governments comply with their obligations under the Dayton agreements.[07] U.S. WARNS BOSNIA OVER ARMS...A spokesman for the State Department announced on 29 October that the army of the mainly Croatian and Muslim federation must destroy 100 older artillery pieces before the U.S. delivers a similar quantity of new howitzers under the "Train and Equip" program (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 29 October 1997). The spokesman stated that Washington strictly adheres to the arms limits set down in the Dayton agreements.[08] ...AND OVER INCIDENTS AGAINST CROATSAlso on 29 October, the State Department issued a written statement noting that Washington "strongly condemns and is deeply concerned by the growing number of violent incidents...targeted at Bosnian Croat individuals and cultural institutions." The statement followed the recent killing of a Croatian man near the Muslim-held town of Travnik (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 29 October 1997). Meanwhile in Sarajevo, Interior Minister Mehmed Zilic said three men have been arrested in the case. He described one of the three as a well-known criminal, an RFE/RL correspondent reported from the Bosnian capital.[09] OSCE TELLS CROATIAN JOURNALISTS TO APOLOGIZEThe Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe's Sarajevo office sent letters on 29 October to Croatian Mostar Television and Radio Livno to demand that they publicly apologize for having "failed to meet even the minimally acceptable standards for accurate, complete, fair, equitable, and unbiased broadcasting." The OSCE requested that Mostar TV anchormen read a letter on the air saying, "We deliberately wanted to divide the peoples of Bosnia and spread national hatred." An anchorman for the Croatian station in Mostar refused to read the statement. He said that if he admitted spreading national hatred, he could be tried for war crimes in The Hague.[10] KARADZIC'S WIFE SAYS SFOR IS STALKING HERLiljana Zelen-Karadzic told the Belgrade daily "Vecernje Novosti" of 29 October that NATO peacekeepers have recently begun following her as she goes about her daily activities. She called their alleged actions an invasion of privacy. Meanwhile, a spokesman for SFOR said in Mostar the previous day that SFOR military police have arrested seven peacekeepers suspected of smuggling cigarettes and alcohol. News agencies identified the men as Ukrainians whose activities had attracted the attention of local Croatian police.[11] PRISTINA PROTESTS PASS OFF PEACEFULLYSome 15,000 ethnic Albanian students demonstrated in Pristina on 29 October. There were no incidents, and protesters dispersed when the police told them to do so. Student leaders warned, however, that they may abandon peaceful protests in the future if their demands for Albanian-language education continue not to be met (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 23 October 1997).[12] SERBIAN POLICE HARASS DIPLOMATS, JOURNALISTKosovo police forced their way into the office of the independent Albanian- language daily "Koha Ditore" in Pristina on 29 October, BETA reported. The police demanded identification papers from editor Ylber Hysu and from two U.S. diplomats who were visiting the newspaper's offices. The police left after checking the diplomats' passports as well as their diplomatic passes.[13] MONTENEGRIN COURT REJECTS ELECTION CHALLENGESThe Constitutional Court on 29 October dismissed five more complaints filed by outgoing President Momir Bulatovic over the validity of the 19 October presidential vote (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 October 1997). In Bijelo Polje, up to 10,000 Bulatovic backers demanded that the legislature declare the elections invalid. The parliament is slated to meet in Cetinje on 30 October to discuss tensions in the wake of the presidential vote.[14] MACEDONIA, POLAND FAIL TO AGREE OVER NAMEPolish President Aleksander Kwasniewski and his visiting Macedonian counterpart, Kiro Gligorov, failed on 28 October in Warsaw to agree on a formulation for Macedonia's name in a cooperation agreement. Gligorov wanted his country to be referred to as the Republic of Macedonia. The Poles insisted on the name under which Macedonia was admitted to the UN: the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.[15] ALBANIAN POLICE ARREST TWO ASSASSINATION SUSPECTSPolice on 29 October arrested two unidentified people who were allegedly preparing to shoot Socialist Party legislator Gafurr Mazreku as he left the court where his trial is taking place, "Shekulli" reported. Mazreku is charged with the attempted murder of Democratic Party legislator Azem Hajdari in the parliament (see "RFE/RL Newsline" 19 September 1997). Mazreku claims he did not want to kill Hajdari but only injure him.[16] PESTICIDE SCANDAL HITS ALBANIAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRYA cement factory in Fushe Kruja, north of Tirana, has in recent years mixed some 25 tons of the highly toxic pesticide lindane into concrete used for buildings and roads throughout central Albania, "Dita Informacion" reported on 30 October. Construction workers using the materials told the newspaper that they were offered extraordinarily good wages. They added that trucks transporting the lindane were accompanied by two chemists who monitored the production of the concrete. During the communist era, Albania produced large amounts of lindane. Some 500 tons remain stored under unsafe circumstances.[17] BREAKTHROUGH IN ROMANIAN-RUSSIAN TREATY TALKSRomania is no longer insisting that condemnation of the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact be included in the basic treaty with Russia, an RFE/RL Romanian service correspondent reported from Moscow on 29 October. Romanian and Russian delegations at expert level are meeting in the Russian capital to discuss the treaty. A Romanian Foreign Ministry spokesman in Bucharest said it is hoped the parleys will be concluded "in the first half of next year." Also on 29 October, visiting President Michal Kovac met with his Romanian counterpart, Emil Constantinescu, and other top officials. Kovac told journalists he is particularly interested to learn how Romania has improved its image abroad. He is the first Slovak head of state to visit Romania.[18] ROMANIAN PARLIAMENT REJECTS COMPROMISE WITH 'REVOLUTIONARIES'The Standing Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies on 29 October rejected Senate Chairman Petre Roman's appeal to postpone the debate on amending the law on benefits granted to the 1989 "revolutionaries." Roman made the proposal after talking to those "revolutionaries" staging a hunger strike following an attempt by one striker to set himself ablaze (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 29 October 1997). Chamber of Deputies Chairman Ion Diaconescu said that, under house regulations, the government must officially withdraw the proposed amendments. The "revolutionaries" are threatening that, each day, one of their number will set himself ablaze.[19] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT ON FOREIGN INVESTMENTAddressing a two-day conference in Bucharest on foreign investment, Constantinescu said the reform process in Romania encounters bureaucratic resistance and suffers from unfamiliarity with modern forms of management. He added that the Romanian legislation on both domestic and foreign investment must be simplified and investors must receive guarantees that the amended legislation will not change. Nonetheless, he urged investors to display the same courage as the government has in pursuing reform, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported.The conference was organized by "The International Herald Tribune."[20] SELEZNEV WRAPS UP MOLDOVAN VISITAt a press conference in Chisinau on 29 October, Russian State Duma speaker Gennadii Seleznev said Russia will not sell the weapons belonging its military contingent in the Transdniester to either Moldova or the Tiraspol separatists. He added that some of those weapons may be sold to third countries, RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. Given the continued conflict between Chisinau and Tiraspol, the presence of Russian troops in the Transdniester ensures peace and stability, Seleznev commented. Interfax quoted the Russian leader as saying that "the more constructive...and efficient [Chisinau's dialogue with Tiraspol...], the louder the voices of Russian deputies who favor ratification" of the 1990-initialed basic treaty with Moldova.[C] END NOTE[21] WHAT LIES BEHIND SERBIAN SKINHEAD VIOLENCE AGAINST ROMA?by Patrick MooreAn RFE/RL correspondent reported from Belgrade on 29 October that incidents of violence between skinheads and Roma are continuing unabated and that police have stepped up patrols of a working-class district in an attempt to prevent further clashes. On 27 October, a group of skinheads severely beat Dragan and Dragica Sisic, a Romani brother and sister, in Belgrade. Later that day, groups of Roma assaulted skinheads, two of whom had to be taken to hospital. The preceding days also had witnessed several incidents between Romani and Serbian teenagers. Romani spokesmen told RFE/RL on 28 October that police agreed to cancel a rock concert slated for 1 November because of Romani fears that the bands' lyrics might incite teenagers to violence against Roma. The spokesmen added, however, that many members of the Romani community are anxious for revenge against skinheads. They warned there might be more violence in Belgrade in the near future. The attack on the Sisices came 10 days after Belgrade skinheads killed Dusan Jovanovic, a Romani teenager, in what observers called the first hate crime in which Serbian skinheads killed a Rom. On 20 October, some 2,500 people turned out for a silent march through Belgrade and Jovanovic's funeral. Leading clergy of the Serbian Orthodox Church were present and strongly condemned skinhead violence against Roma. Romani spokesmen say skinheads have harassed Roma in Yugoslavia for years. They charge that skinheads regularly taunt or beat Roma and sometimes set fire to their victims' hair. Romani organizations estimate the number of Roma in federal Yugoslavia at 140,000. Other observers say there are 2,000 skinheads in the country. Political opposition groups and non-governmental organizations condemned the attacks on Jovanovic and the Sisices. They blamed the government of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic for creating what they called a growing atmosphere of intolerance. They also called on the government to take a clear stand against racism and hate crimes. Janja Bec, a Serbian sociologist from Novi Sad, told RFE/RL on 28 October that she believes the government could do more to combat intolerance. She noted that no major figure from the Serbian government was present at Jovanovic's funeral, while similar anti-racism demonstrations in France draw top government personalities. Bec added that Serbian society as a whole showed little solidarity with the Roma and that most of the people at the funeral were themselves Roma. The sociologist stressed, however, that the skinhead attacks are the result of what she called the radicalization of society and the conditioning of the population to accept violence and racism as normal. That process has been going on for some 10 years--since the rise to power of President Slobodan Milosevic. Many Serbs have thus been conditioned to believe that problems can be solved through violence and that there is no need for discussion or compromise. Bec added that Serbia's wars against its neighbors and its eventual defeat have intensified those trends. The war not only led to the impoverishment of most of the population; it also "taught" young people, in particular, that violence is normal. Belgrade's defeat, moreover, fostered feelings of inferiority, especially among young people. Such inferiority complexes can lead, in turn, to aggression, not least against those whom the aggressors regard as weak and as different in some way or another. For this reason, Bec concluded, the Roma have been targeted by the skinheads. Social psychologist Borivoje Kuzmanovic agreed with her observations. He told RFE/RL, moreover, that under Milosevic, Serbian society has ceased to make a clear distinction between right and wrong or between that which is permissible and that which is not. Skinheads are a typical product of such an environment, he concluded. A spokesman for an NGO stressed that the skinheads are not the only manifestation of aggressive intolerance in Serbian society. He argued that the impressive showing of the ultra-nationalist Vojislav Seselj in the recent Serbian presidential election is evidence of the widespread acceptance of nationalist bigotry. And a statement by the opposition Serbian Renewal Movement warned that the violence now directed against ethnic minorities may soon be directed against anyone who opposes intolerance. 30-10-97 Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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