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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 2, No. 53, 98-03-18Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>RFE/RL NEWSLINEVol. 2, No. 53, 18 March 1998CONTENTS[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[C] END NOTE
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA[01] WAS ARMENIAN VOTE FAIR AND FREE?Candidates, officials, and observers continued to disagree on 17 March over whether the Armenian presidential poll was conducted properly. While seven of the 12 candidates-- including Soviet-era communist party leader Karen Demirchyan and current communist leader Sergei Balayan, two of the three front-runners-- condemned the elections as irregular (see "RFE/RL Newsline, " 17 March 1998),three other candidates have publicly disagreed. Aram Sarkisyan, the chairman of the Armenian Democratic Party, decried the condemnation as "untimely and dangerous." Former Soviet dissident Paruyr Hayrikian said that the election is a major step forward for Armenia, despite some irregularities. And Prime Minister and acting President Robert Kocharyan's spokesman said the elections were in general "normal, free, and fair throughout the republic." That conclusion was echoed by the Central Election Commission. Russian deputies observing the vote said the ballot went smoothly, without serious irregularities. The Council of Europe noted some violations, as did the OSCE monitoring team, which said that the election is valid but that measures to prevent violations should be instituted before the second round. PG[02] KOCHARYAN, DEMIRCHYAN HEAD TOWARD RUNOFFWith 92 percent of the vote counted in the first round of the Armenian presidential elections, Kocharyan had gained 38 percent support and Demirchyan 32 percent, ITAR-TASS reported on 18 March. Sergei Badalyan had 12 percent, with the other nine candidates dividing the remainder. Overall participation was approximately 65 percent. Because no candidate received the required 50 percent of the vote, there will be a run-off between Kocharyan and Demirchyan on 30 March. PG[03] AZERBAIJAN RESTRAINED IN MEETING WITH IRANIAN OFFICIALAzerbaijani Foreign Ministry officials gave a relatively cool reception to Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Murtaza Sarmadi on 17 March, ITAR-TASS reported. While Sarmadi argued that there are historical, spiritual, and religious reasons for the two countries to cooperate, newly appointed Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Tofik Zulfugarov would say only that relations between Baku and Tehran are "developing." The two countries disagree over the division of the Caspian Sea, Iran's support for Armenia, and the involvement of Western companies in Azerbaijan. PG[04] MORE VIOLENCE IN CENTRAL TAJIKISTANFive members of the Tajik police and one civilian were killed on 17 March when an armed group attacked another road check-point in central Tajikistan, RFE/RL correspondents reported. The attack, which occurred 5 kilometers east of the town of Kofarnikhon, has been blamed on a group loyal to Ishan Daroz. It is the such third incident in central Tajikistan so far this month. BP[05] TURKMENISTAN REACHES AGREEMENT WITH UZBEKISTAN ON DEBTTurkmen President Niyazov has discussed with Uzbek President Islam Karimov by telephone the cooperation agreements reached by the Turkmen-Uzbek commission, ITAR-TASS reported on 17 March. The commission agreed that Uzbekistan's debt of $24 million would be repaid by means of $15 million worth of mineral fertilizers, machine oils, electrical appliances, and medicines. The remaining $9 million will be paid in hard currency. BP[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE[06] MILOSEVIC TELLS PRIMAKOV KOSOVO IS 'INTERNAL AFFAIR'At a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Yevgenii Primakov in Belgrade on 17 March, Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic stressed that the situation in Kosovo is Yugoslavia's internal affair, which, he said, can be resolved only within Serbia by political means. Tanjug quoted Milosevic as saying there can be no justification for the refusal by representatives of the Albanian minority to show up for talks with Serbian government representatives. Tanjug says Primakov expressed his support for Yugoslavia's sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as for Belgrade's determination to resolve within Serbia, and by political means, the problem of the Albanian minority's rights in Kosovo. JN[07] DJUKANOVIC CALLS ON PRIMAKOV TO EXERT MORE PRESSURE FOR DIALOGUEMontenegrin President Milo Djukanovic and Russian Foreign Minister Primakov said in Belgrade on 17 March that Montenegro and Russia have "identical" views on Kosovo, BETA and Radio B92 reported. Djukanovic told journalists after the talks that he had asked Primakov to "exert additional pressure" on the Serbian and Albanian sides to start a dialogue on Kosovo "in the interest of peace, democracy, Serbia, and Yugoslavia" as soon as possible. Djukanovic says the two agreed that Kosovo must remain part of Serbia and Yugoslavia and that it is in Serbia's best interest to start talks with the Albanian side on the future of Kosovo as soon as possible. JN[08] KOSOVARS DEMONSTRATE IN PRISTINA...At least 40,000 Kosovars took to the streets of Pristina on 18 March to protest against the Serbian government and its repression ahead of a visit to the Kosovo capital by U.S. special envoy Robert Gelbard. There was no police presence at the rally, which took place without incident. JN[09] ...CONTINUE TO BOYCOTT TALKS WITH SERBSFor the fourth consecutive time, political representatives of Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority on 17 March refused to attend talks in Pristina with Serbia's Deputy Prime Minister Ratko Markovic. However, members of the province's Turkish, Romani, and Muslim minorities did attend the meeting. The Kosovars are demanding that the dialogue with the Serbian leadership be held in the presence of an international mediator. Markovic said no party or ethnic group in Kosovo has a monopoly on human or civic rights issues. "The most numerous ethnic group cannot assume the role of ethnic dominator, the role of leading nation--all nationalities here are equal," he commented. JN[10] KOSOVO STUDENTS SAY RUGOVA NOT AUTHORIZED TO CALL ELECTIONSThe Independent Union of Albanian Students of the University of Pristina on 17 March called for the postponement of the simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections by the Kosovo Albanians, BETA reported. The union released a statement saying Kosovo Albanian leader Ibrahim Rugova "is not authorized to call those elections." With the agreement of the coordinating committee of the Albanian political parties, Rugova scheduled the parallel elections for 22 March. The students said the elections should be postponed "until better times arrive," adding that the vote cannot be held while "a part of Kosovo is under a police siege". Similarly, the Muslim Party of Democratic Action of Kosovo said it would be "inappropriate" to hold parallel elections in Kosovo at present. JN[11] VOJVODINA PARTIES CALL FOR INVESTIGATION OF DRENICA INCIDENTSNenad Canak, the leader of the League of the Social Democrats of Vojvodina, and Ratomir Svircevic, the deputy leader of the Reformist Democratic Party of Vojvodina, proposed in Novi Sad on 17 March that the Serbian parliament set up a board of inquiry into the Drenica incidents. Svircevic told reporters that the board should examine whether Interior Ministry agencies abused their authority during the intervention. Meanwhile, Dragan Veselinov, the chairman of the Party of Vojvodina, called for unity among all political forces in the province in order to use the "historical moment" to raise the autonomy issue. He said whatever Kosovo gains, Vojvodina must also gain, "Nasa Borba" reported on 18 March. JN[12] TURKEY MAKES PROPOSALS FOR HALTING KOSOVO UNRESTTurkey on 16 March outlined a concrete proposal for halting unrest in Kosovo and warned that the unrest may expand into a Balkan-wide crisis unless a compromise is reached, the "Turkish Daily News" reported. State Minister Ahat Andican summarized Turkey's proposal as: a comprehensive dialogue to be launched immediately between Yugoslav officials and Kosovar representatives aimed at reaching agreement on a specific country or organization that would agree to work on facilitating a resolution. The dialogue should also be aimed at restoring the rights of all ethnic groups in Kosovo and should be open to solutions other than autonomy. The Turkish proposal says ultimately that the rights of Kosovo's Albanians and all ethnic minorities, including the Turks, should be guaranteed. It also calls on the international community to take effective measures to deal with violent incidents in Kosovo. JN[13] IZETBEGOVIC OPTIMISTIC ON SOLUTION FOR BRCKOBosnian Presidency chairman Alija Izetbegovic said he is not entirely dissatisfied with a decision postponing a solution for Brcko. In an interview in the Sarajevo daily "Dnevni Avaz" published on 18 March, Izetbegovic said a careful reading of chief arbiter Roberts Owen's 15 March decision discloses many important messages. Of those messages, he said, the most interesting is that Bosnian Serb Prime Minister Milorad Dodik must allow the return of Croats and Muslims to Brcko, establish a multi-national authority and police force, eliminate war criminals from the town, and create a free-trade zone. Izetbegovic predicted that Dodik will be unable to comply fully, resulting in Brcko not remaining in the Bosnian Serb entity. "The final outcome will see Brcko in the (Croatian-Muslim) Federation or Brcko as a state district," Izetbegovic commented. JN[14] TALBOTT RULES OUT ADDITIONAL NATO TROOPS TO BALKANSU.S. Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott said in Sofia on 17 March there is no immediate need to send additional U.S. or NATO troops to the region and that diplomacy should be given a chance to solve the Kosovo crisis, an RFE/RL correspondent reported from Sofia. Speaking in Skopje earlier the same day, Talbott warned that the Kosovo crisis could escalate into a full-scale war worse than the one in Bosnia. JN[15] YUGOSLAVIA'S NEIGHBORS OPPOSE SANCTIONSBulgarian Foreign Minister Nadezhda Mihailova told the Berlin daily "Der Tagesspiegel" that a "comprehensive economic embargo against Serbia, such as the one imposed during the Bosnian war," would have a very negative impact on Bulgaria itself and would "take us back 10 years, signifying the end of our hopes of joining the EU and NATO," AFP reported. Romanian Foreign Minister Andrei Plesu said on 17 March that new sanctions against Yugoslavia would be ineffective in ending violence in Kosovo. He added that "East Europeans have learned to live with an embargo, which to Westerners may seem fatal." He proposed coming up with other ways that are more "flexible and imaginative" since "punitive measures do not always work in [solving] regional troubles." MS[16] ALBANIAN GROUP SETS UP NATIONAL DEFENSE COUNCILAn unknown group sent letters to several Tirana dailies on 17 March announcing the creation of a National Defense Council, "Gazeta Shqiptare" reported. The group says that its "main objective is the creation of armed forces and structures that are needed for the liberation and independence...of Kosovo." The group appealed to political parties, police, and the army to show solidarity. FS[17] ALBANIAN DEMOCRATS CHARGED OVER 'ILLEGAL' RALLYProsecutor-General Ariston Puka on 17 March filed charges against 28 Democratic Party leaders for "organizing an illegal demonstration." Democratic Party Secretary-General Ridvan BodeIf faces up to three years in prison if convicted, "Dita Informacion" reported. The Democrats had held a demonstration on 25 February in central Tirana's Skanderbeg square, even though police ordered the rally to be held outside the city center (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 26 February 1998). FS[18] ROMANIAN SENATE CREATES NEW CONSTITUTIONAL STALEMATEThe Senate on 17 March rejected an amendment to the local administration law enabling members of government to be also mayors or local government councilors. The amendment was made by government regulation in May 1997 and had legalized the premiership of Victor Ciorbea, who is also the elected mayor of Bucharest. If the Chamber of Deputies approves the Senate's decision, Ciorbea will have to opt for one of the two functions. The Democratic Party voted with the opposition, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. The Senate's decision also nullifies the right to use bilingual street signs and the mother tongue in dealings with local authorities. MS[19] ROMANIAN GOVERNMENT APPROVES DRAFT BUDGETFinance Minister Daniel Daianu on 17 March said the government has approved the draft law on the 1998 budget, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. Daianu said that if the parliament rejects the budget, he will resign. But referring to the Senate decision on the local administration law, Democratic Party leader Petre Roman said his party "will not vote to back a budget submitted by a mayor." MS[20] PLESU ON TREATIES WITH RUSSIA, MOLDOVAForeign Minister Andrei Plesu on 17 March said that the pending basic treaty with Russia will not include a condemnation of the Ribbentrop- Molotov pact, because " the Russian Federation and the Soviet Union are two different states" and because Romania had not insisted on such an inclusion when it concluded a treaty with Germany. Plesu said that the dispute over the World War I Romanian state treasury held in Moscow will not be resolved in the treaty but a joint commission of experts will attempt to "trace the fate" of the treasury. With regard to the pending treaty with Moldova, Plesu said Romania is insisting on formulations emphasizing the "special ties" between them, while Chisinau wants a "classic treaty of good neighborly relations." MS[21] MOLDOVAN SUPREME COURT VOIDS GAGAUZ-YERI REFERENDUMThe Supreme Court on 17 March nullified the decision of the Popular Assembly of the Gagauz Yeri autonomous region to hold a referendum on a constitution for the region at the same time as the 22 March elections to the Moldovan parliament, RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. Following that decision, the Central Electoral Commission revoked its earlier decision to allow the referendum. A spokesman for the commission said the Popular Assembly failed to bring the draft regional constitution into line with Moldova's basic law. MS[22] BULGARIAN PREMIER SAYS OFFICERS AGAINST REFORMS MUST RESIGNIvan Kostov on 17 March told journalists that the "fairest way for all officers who do not accept the reform of the army is to resign." He said the government "will be uncompromising to everyone who sabotages the reform in the armed forces, which means disciplinary dismissal." The previous day, President Petar Stoyanov officially dismissed the commander of the missile force, General Angel Marin, for having criticized cuts in the army and the "rush" to join NATO. (See "RFE/RL Newsline," 12 March 1998). In other news, Bulgarian train drivers on 17 March decided to end a series of one-hour strike following threats from the government to dismiss the strikes organizers. MS[C] END NOTE[23] TRAPPED BY DEMOCRACY?by Paul GobleThe escalating war of words between Riga and Moscow over the Latvian government's handling of a demonstration by elderly ethnic Russian pensioners earlier this month highlights the way in which politicians in more open societies can threaten governments' efforts to reach agreements. During the past six months, relations between Latvia and the Russian Federation had been improving. Not only had the two presidents exchanged what both sides described as positive letters, but their respective Foreign Ministries had been making progress on various fronts. There was even talk that Latvian President Guntis Ulmanis would visit Moscow to sign an agreement demarcating the border between the two countries. Such an accord would have eliminated one of the biggest obstacles to ties between the two countries and also one of the brakes on Latvian integration into Western institutions. But that progress has been put on hold and may have even been reversed in the aftermath of the 3 March demonstration in Riga. At that time, local police used batons to break up an unsanctioned demonstration by 1,000 elderly and predominantly ethnic Russian residents of the Latvian capital protesting increases in utility rates. The Moscow media and members of the Russian Duma immediately denounced that Latvian action as anti-Russian, a plausible claim in the minds of many Russians, particularly because of past Russian media coverage of conditions in that Baltic country. Some Latvian politicians dismissed these Russian claims out of hand, arguing that Moscow was simply exploiting the rally to promote a broader policy agenda. Others went so far as to suggest that the demonstration against higher utility prices was, in fact, a Russian provocation staged by Moscow. Such statements fanned the flames of anger in both the Russian and Latvian capitals Moreover, it had the effect of tying the hands of those government officials in either country who had been seeking better ties. No Russian government official could afford to appear "soft" on Latvia after the 3 March demonstration and especially after the sometimes tendentious discussions of it in the Russian media and the Russian parliament. And no Latvian official could afford to appear to be backing down to Russian criticism, to be willing to acknowledge that Latvian officials might bear some responsibility for what had taken place. In one sense, the responsiveness of government officials to parliamentary and popular pressure is a triumph of democracy. A decade ago, the authoritarian regime in Moscow would not have had to worry about what either its media or its parliamentary deputies would say since it had control over both. But in another sense, their responsiveness to such popular and parliamentary outbursts reflect both how far both societies have yet to travel in the direction of institutionalized liberal democracy. It also highlights some of the difficulties inherent in conducting diplomacy among more open societies. Some newspapers and political figures in either country have adopted a more careful and nuanced approach to the handling of the demonstration. Several Latvian newspapers have pointed out that the police may have used excessive force, while some Russian commentators have noted that the demonstration was first and foremost an economic one. But both the press and the politicians have largely played to the crowd, drawing on stereotypes about the other country and its leaders rather than considering what actually happened. Such a populist response to events abroad is always possible in more open political systems, but it seems to be an especially dangerous one in countries that are making the transition from authoritarianism to democracy and lack the sophistication that a longer experience with democracy can often provide. Moreover, this latest Latvian-Russian standoff calls attention to the problems political leaders face in conducting diplomacy when popular passions have been stirred. As Riga and Moscow had moved toward a rapprochement over the last few months, few people in either country seemed to care passionately one way or the other. Now, people and politicians in both do, and that makes it more difficult for the two governments to find their way toward agreement. It would be a misfortune if the path to better relations between Latvia and Russia were blocked not by genuine obstacles but by a hindrance created by the media and populist politicians. 18-03-98 Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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