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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 2, No. 166, 98-08-28Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>RFE/RL NEWSLINEVol. 2, No. 166, 28 August 1998CONTENTS[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[C] END NOTE
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA[01] TAJIK GOVERNMENT ACCUSES FORMER COLONEL OF MURDERS IN TURSUNZADE...The Tajik government claims former army Colonel Mahmud Khudaberdiyev ordered the murder of six people in Tursunzade on 27 August, including the mayor (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 August 1998), Interfax reported. Tajik presidential spokesman Zafar Saidov said one of the attackers killed in the shooting has been linked to Khudaberdiyev's group. Khudaberdiyev was commander of the presidential guard's rapid reaction force but, dissatisfied with the terms of the Tajik peace accord, he came into armed conflict with the government in the second half of 1997. Khudaberdiyev, speaking with RFE/RL's Tajik service on 27 August, denied having any part in the attack on the Tursunzade mayor's office. BP[02] ...ASKS UZBEKISTAN FOR HELPThe Tajik government claims the group that attacked the mayor's office in Tursunzade fled toward the Uzbek border and is now in the village of Toshteppe in the Uzbekistan's eastern Uzun Region, ITAR-TASS reported on 27 August. It has also asked the Uzbek government for help in apprehending the group. The Uzbek Interior Ministry refuted the claim that the group is on Uzbek territory and called the events in Tursunzade "an internal affair of Tajikistan." The ministry also said attempts to connect Uzbekistan with those events "plant the seeds of discontent between the Uzbek and Tajik peoples." BP[03] TAJIKISTAN TO RECEIVE MORE LOANSThe World Bank will lend Tajikistan $5 million to help repair damage caused by recent flooding, ITAR-TASS reported on 28 August. The Asian Development Bank has also promised Tajikistan a $20 million loan for technical assistance. BP[04] U.S. SENATOR IN KAZAKHSTANRichard Lugar arrived in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on 26 August to discuss financing of special projects, RFE/RL correspondents reported. Those projects include converting military installations to civilian use, the disposal of weapons of mass destruction, and the non-proliferation of nuclear arms. RFE/RL correspondents report that 600 kilograms of enriched uranium is due to be shipped to the U.S. for disposal this year. Lugar held discussions with Kazakh Prime Minister Nurlan Balgimbayev on further uranium shipments to the U.S. BP[05] KAZAKHSTAN TO EXPORT MANUFACTURED GOODS RATHER THAN RAW MATERIALS?During a tour of a steel plant in Karaganda, President Nursultan Nazarbayev said that he favors exporting manufactured goods instead of mostly raw materials, Interfax reported on 27 August. Such a move was outlined in the so-called Snow Leopard program for economic transformation by 2030. Nazarbayev said that while emphasizing domestic production of such goods, he will not bar imports as "we [do not want to] encourage the production of poor quality goods by our plants." The Kazakh president added, "We should develop small and medium-sized businesses, which should number tens of thousands." Nazarbayev also took the opportunity to comment on unemployment, saying everyone should be able to find a job. "If there is no work here, then take land, breed livestock, engage in private business, and feed your family, " he said. BP[06] ARMENIAN ELECTION LAW COMPROMISE PROPOSEDUnion of Self-Determination chairman and presidential adviser Paruyr Hayrikian told journalists in Yerevan on 26 August that his party will appeal to the Constitutional Court to rule on the optimum correlation in the new election law between the majority and proportional systems, Noyan Tapan reported the following day. The Yerkrapah union of war veterans, which forms the majority within the present parliament, wants most seats in the next legislature to be allocated in single-mandate constituencies. Other parties advocate allocating all but 30-40 seats on the basis of party lists. LF[07] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT MEETS WITH AZERBAIJANI JOURNALISTSRobert Kocharian on 26 August met with Azerbaijani and Georgian journalists visiting Armenia to participate in a seminar organized by the Yerevan Press Club, Noyan Tapan reported the following day. Outlining Armenia's foreign policy priorities, Kocharian again rejected as unacceptable the OSCE guidelines for resolving the Karabakh conflict. He proposed the Dayton agreement on Bosnia as a possible alternative that would preclude the subordination of Karabakh to Azerbaijan, Turan reported. Kocharian also warned against any attempt by Azerbaijan to "privatize" the TRACECA transport corridor project, adding that Armenia intends to participate in that project. LF[08] FINLAND TO BACK AZERBAIJANI MEMBERSHIP IN COUNCIL OF EUROPEMeeting on 26 August in Baku with Azerbaijani President Heidar Aliev, a visiting Finnish parliament delegation pledged that when Finland assumes the chairmanship of the Council of Europe in 1999, that country will support Azerbaijan's acceptance into full membership of that body. At present, the three Transcaucasus states have special guest status with the Council of Europe. LF[09] AZERBAIJANI POLICEMAN FIRED FOR BEATING JOURNALISTAzerbaijani Interior Minister Ramil Usubov has ordered the dismissal of a police officer who assaulted an opposition journalist on 22 August, Turan reported on 27 August. Hajji Zamin, a correspondent for the Azerbaijan Popular Front newspaper "Azadlyg," was assaulted and subjected to verbal abuse at a Baku metro station. The independent journalists' union Yeni Nesil lodged a protest at the incident. LF[10] GEORGIAN PRESIDENT CRITICIZES SECURITY MINISTRYEduard Shevardnadze has condemned the failure of the Georgian National Security Ministry to improve its anti-terrorist activities in the wake of two attempts on his life, according to Interfax. Shevardnadze pledged to apprehend the perpetrators of the 25 August bombing in the west Georgian town of Zugdidi, which killed two fugitives from Abkhazia and wounded several dozen more. The Abkhaz Foreign Ministry has expressed condolences to the families of the victims, Caucasus Press reported on 26 August. Abkhaz parliament-in-exile chairman Tamaz Nadareishvili has blamed the bombing on ethnic Georgian fugitives recruited by Gali Raion administrator Ruslan Kishmaria into a special military formation that is to patrol the internal border between Abkhazia and the rest of Georgia, according to Interfax. LF[11] RETURNING GEORGIAN FUGITIVES HARASSED IN GALIA Georgian official told Caucasus Press on 27 August that the Abkhaz authorities are detaining ethnic Georgian fugitives from Gali Raion who attempt to return to their homes to harvest their hazelnut crop. The agency had earlier reported that members of the Russian peacekeeping force deployed in Gali are assisting the local Abkhaz authorities in harvesting hazelnuts. The Georgian fugitives are otherwise totally dependent on humanitarian aid. The Georgian authorities can provide them with only a half loaf per person per day. LF[12] ADJARIA TO DEFY TBILISI OVER LOCAL ELECTIONSValerii Gelbakhiani, who advises Adjar Supreme Council chairman Aslan Abashidze on legal affairs, told Caucasus Press on 27 August that the Adjar parliament has drafted a law on local elections that provides for local mayors and other authorized representatives to be elected, rather than appointed, as is the case under Georgian legislation. Gelbakhiani said that the Adjar Constitution gives that republic the right to adopt its own legislation on elections. He added that he hopes the Georgian legislation will be amended to allow for the election of local officials before the 15 November local elections. LF[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE[13] SHELL KILLS ELEVEN IN KOSOVASerbian forces southwest of Prishtina killed eight children and three women with a mortar shell that Serbs fired at the tractor- trailer on which the ethnic Albanian family was riding. Three other family members were badly wounded in the attack on 27 August. The Kosova Information Center, which is close to the government of the shadow-state, reported from Prishtina that Serbian artillery continued to pound 14 ethnic Albanian villages near Suhareka. A spokesman for the center appealed to the international community to send monitors to that region. And near Prishtina airport, Serbian forces refused to allow a UN humanitarian aid convoy to leave the capital. AP reported that a shipment of anti-aircraft missiles may have been leaving the airport on trucks at that time. PM[14] UCK SAYS FIGHT WILL GO ONThe Prishtina daily "Koha Ditore" on 27 August published a statement by the Kosova Liberation Army (UCK) in which the guerrillas promised to "continue the liberation struggle" and appealed to the people for support. The UCK called on unidentified moderate politicians to "abandon empty rhetoric and verbal messages [and instead] make more concrete contributions to its nation and homeland." AP reported that this appeal may be directed at some politicians based outside Kosova, whom the UCK suspects are wavering in their support for the guerrillas. PM[15] MORE U.S. AID FOR KOSOVAAssistant Secretary of State Julia Taft visited Kosovar refugees near Peja on 27 August and said that she is "trying to find a way to catalyze all the [international relief] actions in some kind of [joint] strategy." Taft warned that the advent of cold weather in about six weeks could lead to a "catastrophe" unless refugees receive adequate food, clothing, and shelter. She said that the Serbian authorities have agreed to set up 11 aid distribution centers in various parts of Kosova. Taft added that she will ask President Bill Clinton to authorize additional "millions of dollars" in relief for Kosova in addition to the $11 million in aid that Washington has already approved. PM[16] U.S. TO SEND FACT-FINDING MISSION TO KOSOVAAn unidentified State Department official said in Washington on 27 August that John Shattuck, who is assistant secretary of state for democracy, labor and human rights, will go to Kosova shortly. The official added that the Yugoslav embassy is continuing to delay issuing a visa for David Scheffer, who is Secretary of State Madeleine Albright's special representative for war crimes issues, Reuters reported. Commenting on the reason for the new missions, the official said that Washington wants to "get the facts and make sure people understand our interest and our desire to do the right thing there." He regretted, however, that "repeated promises from Belgrade to do more, to do better, to allow humanitarian access, really have not been met." PM[17] ALBANIA HOLDS MANEUVERS NEAR KOSOVA BORDERThe Albanian army held military exercises at Helshan, near the border with Kosova's Gjakova region, on 27 August. Taking part in the "Drini '98" maneuvers were 650 soldiers, who fired live ammunition. The exercises also involved 10 tanks and numerous anti-aircraft guns, mortars, and heavy artillery. Defense Minister Luan Hajdaraga told the soldiers that "with the bloody Kosova conflict becoming more dangerous every day, such exercises have a special value in strengthening our country's stability and security." A NATO official told Reuters that the soldiers practiced "defensive tactics." Albanian General Kudusi Lama said the exercises demonstrated the readiness of his troops to repel any attack. But he added that "we stay calm in the face of the increasing number of [border] incidents in order to avoid being provoked." FS[18] EU CONCERNED ABOUT SERBIAN TREATMENT OF JOURNALISTS...On 27 August in Vienna, the EU Presidency, which is currently held by Austria, issued a statement objecting to "the pattern of denial of access" to foreign journalists in Kosova. "We are also especially concerned about the recent expulsion of journalists," the text continued. The statement reminded Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic that freedom of expression is a basic human right, adding that the government should help create favorable working conditions for journalists, Reuters wrote. PM[19] ...AS IS OSCEElsewhere in the Austrian capital, Freimut Duve, who is the OSCE's spokesman on media affairs, said on 27 August that his office has "received several reports of harassment of journalists by Serbian police, specifically an attack on Kurt Schork of Reuters and Anthony Lloyd of 'The Times' of London." He added that in June, a Danish TV crew's vehicle was fired on by Serbian forces and that other foreign journalists have been denied visas or expelled. Duve suggested that the Belgrade authorities have particularly negative feelings toward German journalists. In response, Yugoslav Ambassador to Austria Dobrosav Veizovic said that the OSCE should concern itself with promoting what he called "free, responsible reporting." He charged that those to whom the authorities denied visas had written "sensationalist lies" about Kosova. Veizovic added that the UCK "has ill- treated Serbian journalists and made it difficult for them to report." PM[20] BELGRADE DAILY SUSPENDS PUBLICATIONThe independent daily "Nasa Borba" stopped publication for two weeks on 27 August, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. The move comes in the wake of months of financial problems and disputes between the staff and the newspaper's owner. Many journalists left "Nasa Borba" earlier this year to help found the independent daily "Danas." In unrelated news, the Serbian government announced that all Serbian motorists must register their cars in Serbia. Hundreds of thousands of Serbs have registered their cars in Montenegro, where fees are hundreds or thousands of dollars lower than in Serbia. PM[21] TUDJMAN BOWS OUT OF OWN MEETINGCroatian President Franjo Tudjman did not attend a meeting in Zagreb on 27 August to which he had invited Croatian political leaders from Bosnia- Herzegovina to discuss the upcoming elections there. His top aides Franjo Greguric and Ivic Pasalic represented him in talks with the leaders of the Croatian Democratic Community (HDZ) and the Croatian Party of [Historic] Rights instead. Leaders of the other Bosnian Croat parties turned down Tudjman's invitation on the grounds that he and his state-run media allegedly favor the HDZ. Observers noted that the refusal of most Bosnian Croat leaders to attend his meeting was a major embarrassment to Tudjman. PM[22] POLICE CLASH WITH PROTESTERS IN ALBANIAProtesters injured a policeman when they tried to break through police cordons outside the residence of Prime Minister Fatos Nano on 27 August. Some demonstrators threw stones at the police when marching toward the residence from central Skanderbeg Square. Police arrested several protesters. The authorities had earlier banned the demonstration and warned residents of the capital to stay indoors in order to avoid "terrorist attacks" should the rally take place. Police nonetheless did not intervene when the estimated 3,000 protesters gathered at the square prior to the clashes. The opposition supporters were protesting the arrest of six former Democratic Party government officials, accused of committing crimes against humanity during the unrest in 1997 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 August 1998). At an earlier demonstration, Democratic leader Sali Berisha had called on his supporters "to use all means" to overthrow the Socialist- led coalition government. FS[23] MOLDOVAN DEPUTY PREMIER IN ROMANIAIon Sturdza, on a two-day visit to Romania, met with Foreign Minister Andrei Plesu on 27 August and discussed bilateral cooperation, particularly in the economic sphere, and the situation in the Transdniester, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. Sturdza said Moldova may be interested in setting up a "joint energy pool" with Romania, but he added that his country would have difficulty finding funds to participate in the financing of a second nuclear reactor at Cernavoda. MS[24] BULGARIA DENIES EXTRADITION OF ISLAMIC EXTREMIST TO EGYPTAn Interior Ministry spokesman on 27 August denied that Bulgaria has recently detained and extradited to Egypt a member of the Jihad group who had been condemned in absentia to life imprisonment, BTA reported. Citing the London-based "Al-Hayat" Arabic daily, AP earlier reported that Issam Abdel-Tawab Abdel-Aleem had been handed over to Egyptian authorities. The report said he entered Bulgaria from Albania last November with his Albanian wife and asked for political asylum. It also said his wife had been handed over to the Albanian authorities. MS[C] END NOTE[25] RUSSIA'S NEIGHBORS ON RUSSIA'S PROBLEMSby Paul GobleThe leaders of Russia's immediate neighbors--the 11 former Soviet republics and the three Baltic States-- appear confident that the ongoing political turmoil in Moscow will not have a negative impact on either their internal development or their bilateral relations with the Russian Federation. Some even have suggested that the return of Viktor Chernomyrdin might bring Russia some stability, allow it to recover from its current crisis, and thus make it possible for relations between Moscow and their countries to improve. But a few have indicated that they are concerned that Moscow's problems could become theirs either directly, if Russian politicians try to exploit nationalist themes, or indirectly, if Western governments and investors decide that the entire post-Soviet region is now at risk. Such a range of judgments would not surprise anyone if it came from the neighbors of any other major country going through difficulties. But it undoubtedly will surprise many who still think of the post-Soviet region as a single unit and who believe that the leaders of all the countries there still focus first and foremost on Moscow. Across the region once occupied by the USSR, presidents, prime ministers, and foreign ministers reacted calmly to Boris Yeltsin's decision to bring back Chernomyrdin as prime minister and the latter's willingness to cooperate with Communists in the Russian parliament. The statement of the Kyrgyz presidential press secretary earlier this week was typical. Kanybek Imanaliyev said the change is "Russia's internal affair," a statement echoed in Tajikistan and other Central Asian capitals. Latvian President Guntis Ulmanis reflected the views of most when he said the change in government in Moscow will have no impact on Russia's relationship with his country. The return of Chernomyrdin, the Latvian leader said, is "in no way linked to relations with Latvia." And he pointed out that at the present time, whatever some citizens of his country may think, "Moscow is least of all thinking about Latvia." Most leaders were inclined to put an even more positive interpretation on developments in the Russian capital. Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze said he hopes Chernomyrdin's return will enhance stability in Russia, which, he said, is now "crucial for everybody" but "especially for Georgia." Moldovan President Petru Lucinschi said he believes that Chernomyrdin's "experience and influence will help overcome the severe financial crisis" in Russia. He expressed confidence in the future of Russian-Moldovan relations on the basis of their development during Chernomyrdin's earlier tenure as Russian prime minister. And Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus said he is confident Chernomyrdin has the skill to "stabilize the situation" in Russia, which, he added, would promote the continued expansion of bilateral ties "in the right direction for the benefit of our peoples." But in the midst of this generally upbeat set of assessments, there were some who indicated that the problems in Russia might spread to their own countries. In contrast to his president, Latvian Foreign Minister Valdis Birkavs was one such person. He suggested that the deepening of the economic crisis in Russia could lead to problems for Latvia. That conclusion, Birkavs said, reflects the fact that "Russia unfortunately uses Latvia in its domestic political games." But even he said that Moscow now faces so many domestic problems that it is unlikely to focus its attention on any of its neighbors anytime soon. Others expressed concern that Russian political and economic problems could have a serious impact on Western assessments of their countries. Estonian President Lennart Meri, for example, said he does not believe that Chernomyrdin's appointment will have a negative impact on Estonian-Russian relations. But he indicated that the devaluation of the ruble and the declines in the Russian stock markets could lead some in the West to draw more sweeping conclusions about the region. In every case, at least some of the confidence reflects the requirements of diplomacy. But equally, if not more, important, this confidence also reflects the extent to which these are 14 independent and very different countries, significantly less dependent on Russia now than they were only a few years ago. 28-08-98 Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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