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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 3, No. 156, 99-08-12Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>RFE/RL NEWSLINEVol. 3, No. 156, 12 August 1999CONTENTS[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[C] END NOTE
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA[01] KARABAKH DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS GOVERNMENT CRISIS OVERGeneral Seyran Ohanian, who was named defense minister of theunrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic last week, told RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau on 11 August that his appointment marked the end of a serious government crisis in Stepanakert. He said his candidacy was acceptable to both rival factions in the Karabakh government, including that of his powerful predecessor, General Samvel Babayan. He added that the political situation in Karabakh is "quiet" at the moment and will remain so. Ohanian rejected speculation that Yerevan sought to weaken Babayan's influence in a bid to neutralize his hard line on how to settle the conflict with Azerbaijan. LF [02] ARMENIAN, GEORGIAN DEFENSE MINISTERS MEETVagharshakHarutiunian and David Tevzadze held what was described as a "secret" meeting in Akhalkalaki on the evening of 10 August, Caucasus Press and ITAR-TASS reported. No details of the talks were divulged. LF [03] AZERBAIJAN TIGHTENS SECURITY ON BORDER WITH DAGESTAN...Azerbaijan National Security Ministry spokesman Araz Gurbanovtold Interfax on 11 August that Azerbaijan is introducing unspecified additional security measures on its border with Dagestan. The previous day, National Security Minister Namig Abbasov told Reuters that the Lezgin separatist movement Sadval is taking advantage of the destabilization in Dagestan to intensify its operations in Azerbaijan. Nasyr Primov, leader of the radical wing of Sadval, which is campaigning for an independent Lezgin state composed of northeastern Azerbaijan and southern Dagestan, was arrested in southern Dagestan last month, according to "Nezavisimaya gazeta." LF [04] ...AS GEORGIA PREPARES TO ADMIT UNARMED REFUGEESLieutenant-General Valerii Chkheizde, the head of Georgia's border guard service, said in Tbilisi on 11 August that orders have been given to allow refugees fleeing the fighting in western Dagestan to enter Georgia provided they are unarmed, Reuters reported. LF [05] FIRST KURDISH-LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED IN GEORGIAThefirst issue of a monthly newspaper for Georgia's 60,000 strong Yezidi Kurdish community was published on 12 August, Caucasus Press reported. For decades, Georgia has provided Kurdish-language education for that minority, primarily in Tbilisi. LF [06] MORE FALLOUT FROM KAZAKH ARMS SALE SCANDALKazakhstan'sNational Security Committee appointed a special commission on 11 August to investigate the circumstances of the controversial sale of obsolete MiG fighters, Interfax reported. The scandal resulting from that botched deal prompted President Nursultan Nazarbaev to dismiss Defense Minister Mukhtar Altynbaev and National Security Committee Chairman Nurtai Abykaev earlier this week (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 10 August 1999). Altynbaev told the press the following day he had been "called to account for someone else's mistakes." President Nursultan Nazarbaev also issued a decree removing the Defense Industry Committee from under the aegis of the Ministry of Defense and subordinating it to the Ministry of Energy, Industry, and Trade, "Nezavisimaya gazeta" reported on 12 August. LF [07] FORMER KAZAKH PREMIER TERMED ELIGIBLE ELECTION CANDIDATEAta press conference for foreign journalists in Almaty on 11 August, Kazakhstan's Central Electoral Commission chairwoman Zaghipa Balieva said that the new election law does not prohibit persons found guilty of an administrative offense from contending the upcoming parliamentary elections, RFE/RL's correspondent in the former capital reported. Former Premier Akezhan Kazhegeldin was barred from participating in the January 1999 presidential elections because of such an offense. But Balieva added that persons convicted of a criminal offense, including tax evasion, may not run for election. Kazhegeldin, who is currently abroad, has been charged with tax evasion. His lawyer said Kazhegeldin will return to Kazakhstan only if President Nazarbaev guarantees his personal safety and only after he has registered as an election candidate. Balieva said she believes the new election law is acceptable to the OSCE, which criticized the January presidential poll as undemocratic. LF [08] RUSSIA MAKES FIRST CASH PAYMENT FOR BAIKONUR RENTKazakhstan's Deputy Premier and Finance Minister OrazDzhandosov told journalists in Astana on 11 August that the previous day Russia paid the first $12.5 million installment of the $165 million annual fee for the lease of the Baikonur cosmodrome, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reported. Dzhandosov said Russia will pay a further $50 million in cash in November and the balance in commodities. Since the signing in 1994 of a bilateral agreement allowing Russia continued use of the Soviet-era facility, Moscow has not paid a single penny for the lease. That failure and the explosion last month of a Russian Proton rocket launched from Baikonur led the Kazakh government to threaten to ban future launches from Baikonur. LF [09] KAZAKH DEPUTY PREMIER SAYS NEW TALKS WITH IMF DUE INSEPTEMBERDzhandosov also said on 11 August that an IMF delegation will visit Kazakhstan in September to discuss the terms for a new three-year loan, RFE/RL's Astana correspondent reported. The fund recently expressed regret that the Kazakh government has refused to meet its demand to expedite reforms and reduce the current 3.7 percent budget deficit in order to qualify for a new Extended Fund Facility loan (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 11 August 1999). But Interfax on 11 August quoted Dzhandosov as saying that no further budget cuts will be made. LF [10] NO PROGRESS IN KYRGYZ HOSTAGE CRISISNegotiations arecontinuing on securing the release of four Kyrgyz officials taken hostage in southern Kyrgyzstan last week by ethnic Uzbek guerrillas, Interfax and RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported on 11 August. Members of the Kyrgyz presidential administration declined on 11 August to comment on unconfirmed reports that the guerrillas are demanding a ransom. LF [11] TAJIK COURT LIFTS BAN ON OPPOSITION PARTIESIn compliancewith the 1997 agreement that ended the civil war in Tajikistan, the Tajik Supreme Court on 12 August lifted its 1993 ban on four opposition parties, ITAR-TASS reported. Those parties are the Democratic Party, the Islamic Revival Party, and the Rastakhez and Lali Badakhshan movements. The lifting of the ban was conditional on the disarming of military formations subordinate to the United Tajik Opposition. That process was completed last week (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 4 August 1999). LF [B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE[12] U.S. SOLDIERS RESCUE RUSSIANS FROM ANGRY KOSOVARSA crowd ofethnic Albanians armed with rocks and sticks attacked Russian peacekeepers in a village near Gjilan on 11 August, Reuters reported. The Russians needed help from U.S. troops to fend off the mob, but no injuries were reported. U.S. Brigadier- General John Craddock suggested that the protests were in response to the 9 August murder of an ethnic Albanian man in the nearby village of Koretin. Craddock said that local ethnic Albanians earlier spread the rumor that the killers were Russians, but he stressed that there is no evidence to support the charge. He added that "there appears to be a significant disinformation campaign against the Russian unit. There is a preconceived Albanian notion that the Russians will favor the Serbs." Craddock stressed that the Russians "have shown restraint and control. They have been executing their duties in a...professional way." FS [13] KOSOVARS PROTEST ARREST OF ARMED UCK SOLDIERSAbout 200ethnic Albanian protesters confronted U.S. soldiers in Gjilan on 11 August and demanded the release of 10 men whom KFOR had arrested the previous day, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. The protest ended peacefully. Those arrested belonged to a group of 60 ethnic Albanians whom U.S. soldiers rounded up in a school where peacekeepers found an arms cache. Some of those arrested were armed and wearing uniforms of the Kosova Liberation Army (UCK). On 10 and 11 August, KFOR arrested a total of 78 crime suspects throughout Kosova. FS [14] KFOR KEEPS MITROVICA BRIDGE SHUTA KFOR spokesman toldan RFE/RL South Slavic Service correspondent in Prishtina on 11 August that "KFOR soldiers prevented in a very professional way an escalation [of tensions in Mitrovica] by closing the main bridge to all traffic. They thereby prevented 200 Albanians from crossing over to [confront] the 200 waiting Serbs on the other side." A spokeswoman for the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) said that "it is clear...to us that extremists and outsiders are playing a dangerous role in Mitrovica." FS [15] LDK COUNCIL PLEDGES REFORMSThe General Council of theDemocratic League of Kosova (LDK), the highest body of that party between party congresses, met on 11 August in Prishtina after a break of more than a year. Spokesman Melazim Krasniqi told an RFE/RL South Slavic Service correspondent that the council decided that the LDK "must consolidate [and] develop a profile as a political party [rather than] that of a movement." He added that the delegates pledged to "cooperate with UNMIK and KFOR at all levels [to help] rebuild Kosova." They also agreed to "cooperate with all political and military factors in Kosova," a formulation referring to the rival UCK and its provisional government. The correspondent noted that some party members harshly criticized the leadership for doing little during the recent conflict. The correspondent added that the LDK will organize a party congress in October. FS [16] UCK MINISTER PLEDGES TO RESPECT KFORRexhep Selimi, who isinterior minister in the UCK's provisional government, issued a statement in Prishtina on 11 August saying that his government "will not stand in the way of KFOR." He declared void the illegal permits he had given some UCK officials to carry out arrests, confiscate property, and carry arms. Selimi said that "we recognize the need to revise our identification permits." Last week, KFOR seized an arms cache at Selimi's headquarters. Peacekeepers also confiscated illegal identity cards stating that the holder of the card has the right to make arrests and confiscate property (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 August 1999). FS [17] ARTEMIJE CHARGES THACI WITH HYPOCRISYBishop Artemije, whois the leading Serbian Orthodox cleric in Kosova, said in Gracanica on 11 August that UCK leader Hashim Thaci is encouraging the ethnic cleansing of Serbs. Artemije said that Thaci "tells one story for the international public, while he has another story for his followers. When speaking publicly, he says he is for a multi-ethnic [Kosova], while at the same time he has another message for his followers. [That message is] to continue with ethnic cleansing," AP reported. Following Artemije's remarks, UN Balkan envoy Carl Bildt said that if Thaci is unable to control his followers, then the international community should reconsider whether he is "the right person to talk to." PM [18] U.S. GENERAL CALLS VIOLENCE AGAINST SERBS 'ORGANIZED'General Craddock also said in Prishtina on 11 August that"rogue elements" of the UCK or "disaffected former members" of that organization have been at the center of recent violence against Serbs. He added that "there appears to be a pattern [of intimidation]. It is organized. It's more than just the neighbors...getting upset at each other," Reuters reported. He noted that the UCK is meeting its disarmament deadlines but only with KFOR prodding. Craddock added: "There is another element out there among the [UCK] and other parties and factions we deal with. It may be criminal, political, or military, we're not sure. We know there are disaffected people who have left the [UCK and insist on] bearing arms." He noted that the UCK has sometimes sought to acquire police prerogatives for itself in violation of the June peace agreement. Craddock added, however, that it is not his soldiers' job to carry out police duties until the UN police arrive. PM [19] UNHCR CRITICIZES 'TERROR' AGAINST KOSOVA SERBS...UNHCRspokesman Ron Redmond told an RFE/RL South Slavic Service correspondent in Prishtina on 11 August that some ethnic Albanian Kosovars are systematically intimidating local Serbs. He said that most Serbs who stayed in Kosova are elderly or handicapped, adding that "it is highly unlikely that these people were involved in the persecution of Albanians. But that does not seem to matter to the thugs who are now terrorizing them." Redmond said that many Serbs received anonymous letters ordering them to leave their homes. Later, ethnic Albanians intimidate them personally and sometimes kill them, he noted. "We are sure that the vast majority of the Albanian population...wants nothing to do with those who terrorize and shoot old women and employ some of the same disgusting tactics that were used against the Albanians themselves just a few weeks ago," he concluded. FS [20] ...SAYS MOST KOSOVAR SERBS HAVE LEFTUNHCR spokesman DennisMcNamara said in Prishtina on 11 August that only about 2,000 Serbs remain in Kosova out of the 40,000 or so who lived there before the recent conflict. He added that about 170,000 Serbs have fled Kosova in recent months. Serbia is now host to some 700,000 people who fled their homes as a result of Milosevic's wars in Croatia, Bosnia, or Kosova, Reuters reported. PM [21] DJINDJIC PREDICTS SERBIAN GENERAL STRIKESerbian DemocraticParty leader Zoran Djindjic told Vienna's "Die Presse" of 12 August that the Serbian Renewal Movement's "Vuk Draskovic expects that after [the planned demonstration in Belgrade on] 19 August, Milosevic's Socialist Party, or important elements of this party, will be prepared to accept our transition government." Should that fail to happen, Djindjic added, he will lead a second phase of the protest to force Milosevic from office. The opposition's tactics will include a general strike as well as protests and acts of civil disobedience, Djindjic added. PM [22] CALL UP OF SERBIAN STUDENTS?Many university students inSerbia have recently received letters ordering them to report for military duty, VOA's Croatian Service reported on 12 August. Yugoslav students are normally exempt from military service until they have finished their studies. PM [23] SERBIAN TELEVISION BLASTS U.S. 'MEDIA TERRORISM'...State-runtelevision (RTS) said on 11 August that the U.S. jams its broadcasts and seeks to "enslave Serbia and its people" by installing a "puppet government." According to RTS, "NATO countries, led by the U.S., have prepared a project called Ring Around Serbia in order to jam RTS's programming and broadcast Western Serbian-language programs in their place." RTS added that the alleged U.S. plan violates international norms in telecommunications and constitutes a "classic form of state terrorism." Observers note that Ring Around Serbia is a Western response to Serbia's restrictive media laws that date from October 1998. Transmitters in several countries bordering Serbia broadcast programs of RFE/RL, VOA, BBC, Deutsche Welle, and Radio France International. PM [24] ...WHILE WASHINGTON REJECTS CHARGESState Departmentspokesman James Rubin said in Washington on 11 August that RTS's charges are false. "In the future we may expand transmissions using new wavelengths," he commented. "If we do so, we will do so only if we can identify frequencies not officially registered by public and private entities in Serbia. We have taken great care not to jam [Serbian] broadcasts and will continue to do so." Rubin observed that "if the Serbian authorities were to overturn their draconian media law and allow real independent media inside Serbia, there would be much less of a need for the international community to broadcast into Serbia from adjoining areas. I think the Serbs would probably do well to focus a little bit more on what's going on inside of Serbia," he added. PM [25] SECURITY COUNCIL APPROVES DEL PONTEThe UN's highest bodyunanimously approved Switzerland's Carla del Ponte to succeed Louise Arbour as the Hague court's chief prosecutor. Del Ponte takes up her duties on 15 September. PM [26] OSCE CONCERNED OVER KILLING OF SERB IN CROATIAA spokesmanfor the OSCE said in Zagreb on 11 August that his organization is concerned about several "politically motivated incidents" in the village of Berak in eastern Slavonia in recent months. On 9 August, he noted, a group of four or five Croats beat a Serb to death there. The spokesman stressed that the OSCE expects the Croatian police to arrest those responsible and thoroughly investigate the incidents. PM [27] ROMANIAN ANTI-TRUST COUNCIL PROBING RENAULT DEALThe Anti-Trust Council on 11 August said it is probing the terms under which the government granted the French Renault company tax breaks and other advantages that may unfairly strengthen the company's position on the Romanian car-maker market, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. Renault had demanded such advantages in the July deal whereby it acquired a 51 percent stake in the Pitesti Dacia car maker. The Daewoo company, which took over the Craiova Olcit car maker, last week demanded that it be granted the same advantages as Renault, threatening to otherwise terminate its activity in Romania. The council said the government did not consult it over the Renault deal. The council has 30 days to examine the terms of the deal. MS [28] EXTREME NATIONALIST ROMANIAN SENATOR INDICTED AGAINTheProsecutor-General's Office on 11 August said it has indicted Greater Romania Party leader Corneliu Vadim Tudor for "offending the authorities" and the spread of libelous information, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. The indictment, which is the latest in a series of accusations that Tudor has faced since being deprived of his parliamentary immunity, follows Tudor's allegation on a television program that President Emil Constantinescu was a U.S. agent during communist rule (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 July 1999). MS [29] ROMANIAN SOCCER OFFICIAL DENIES ACCUSATION OF ANTI-SEMITISMDumitru Dragomir, deputy chairman of the Romanian Soccer Federation, has denied allegations that he is involved in anti-Semitic activities as publisher of the "Atac la persoana" weekly (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 10 August 1999). In an interview with the daily "Cotidianul" of 11 August, Dragomir said he could not be involved in the activities of anti-Semitic groups in Romania "for the simple reason that such groups do not exist" there. Dragomir also said "Atac la persona" was "not an anti- Semitic but a scandal publication." He also commented that "no one can touch me" because "to convict me of anti- Semitism could take up to eight years" owing to lengthy court procedures preceding a final verdict. MS [30] ECLIPSE BLACKS OUT TV SCREENS IN BULGARIABulgarianTelevision on 11 August failed to broadcast live pictures of the total eclipse owing to a technical fault. Faced with a black screen at the crucial moment, astronomy experts were asked to describe what the event normally looks like, while producers hurriedly dug out pictures of the last eclipse in Bulgaria, in 1961, AFP reported. For several weeks, the television network had urged Bulgarians to watch the eclipse "in the safest possible way, on your television screen." MS [C] END NOTE[31] HOW WILL MACEDONIA'S PRESIDENTIAL BALLOT AFFECT THE RULINGCOALITION?by Stefan Krause Earlier this year, it seemed a foregone conclusion that the presidential elections scheduled for this fall would hold few surprises. The ruling coalition reportedly intended to field a joint candidate who, it was believed, would win hands down. But strife within the coalition has made this scenario increasingly unlikely, raising questions about the consequences for the coalition itself. When the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization- Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE) and the Democratic Alternative (DA) formed an electoral alliance ahead of last year's parliamentary elections, the parties' leaders were thought to have struck a far-reaching deal. It was believed that VMRO-DPMNE leader Ljubco Georgievski would become prime minister and DA chairman Vasil Tupurkovski the parties' joint presidential candidate. While Georgievski went on to became prime minister of a coalition of those two parties and the Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA), Tupurkovski's chances to succeed veteran politician Kiro Gligorov as the country's president look increasingly slim. Tupurkovski, Macedonia's last representative on the collective presidency of socialist Yugoslavia, reemerged on the political scene in March 1998 when he formed the DA. Ostensibly a centrist party with a civic orientation, the DA is primarily a vehicle to promote its leader's presidential ambitions. Its platform for the 1998 parliamentary elections was little more than a plan for distributing the $1 billion in foreign aid and investment that Tupurkovski assured would be forthcoming if his party went into government. When he masterminded the diplomatic recognition of Taiwan in January 1999, it was assumed that this would be the source of "Cile's billion" (Cile is Tupurkovski's nickname). But thus far, little money from Taipei has reached Macedonia, and Taiwanese officials have made it clear that their government never pledged to give Macedonia such a huge sum with no strings attached. Sizeable foreign investment, they argue, depends mostly on whether the Macedonian government creates favorable conditions for investors, something it has so far failed to achieve. As a result, Tupurkovski's rating plummeted. The poor performance of some of his party's cabinet ministers, his absence from Macedonia during the Kosova crisis, and a host of minor political blunders also contributed to the weakening of his position. According to the latest opinion polls, Tupurkovski would lose against almost any other potential presidential candidate. But an even more serious threat to Tupurkovski's presidential ambitions is posed by the VMRO-DPMNE's attitude toward him. Although Georgievski may still be keen to contest the elections with a joint coalition candidate, his party is less than enthusiastic about Tupurkovski. At a meeting of the party's Executive Committee in late July, all members except for Georgievski reportedly wanted the party to field its own candidate. Georgievski has the final say within the VMRO- DPMNE, and he is expected to announce later this month who his party will support. Under the current circumstances, the lesser evil for Georgievski would be to alienate Tupurkovski rather than his own party. Thus, all the indications are that VMRO-DPMNE will field its own candidate. That candidate will most likely be Deputy Foreign Minister Boris Trajkovski, who is popular among the public and gained prominence during the Kosova crisis. According to opinion polls, Trajkovski has the best chance of all presidential hopefuls to win the presidency. The main question is what Tupurkovski will do if he fails to get the support of VMRO-DPMNE. With regards to the presidential elections, he has three options, none of which is very attractive for him. First, he could run without the backing of his bigger coalition partner. In such a case, he would almost certainly fail to reach the second round since no other major party is likely to support him. Second, he could support the VMRO-DPMNE candidate, but he would then have to write off his ultimate political ambition of becoming Macedonian president. Third, he could decide neither to run in this year's presidential elections nor endorse any candidate. Again, this would probably spell the end of his presidential ambitions. Equally interesting, however, is what the impact will be on the ruling coalition. If Tupurkovski decides to keep his party in the government, little will change superficially, although the DA and its leader will doubtless lose political influence and frictions will mount. Tupurkovski could threaten to pull his party out of the government, but his partners would remain largely unimpressed by such threats for a number of reasons. First, VMRO-DPMNE and the DPA alone hold 60 of the 120 seats in the parliament. Second, the Liberal Democrats, who are represented in the government although they are not a formal part of the coalition, have already nominated former speaker of parliament Stojan Andov as their presidential candidate. Nonetheless, they could decide to continue supporting the government, which would then command 64 seats in the assembly. And third, VMRO-DPMNE has a good chance of winning over some of the DA's deputies if that party leaves the government. Such a development would also secure a parliamentary majority for what would be left of the coalition. Meanwhile, all that would be left to Tupurkovski would be the one presidency he currently holds, namely that of the Macedonian Olympic Committee. The author is a Skopje-based political analyst with the International Crisis Group (ICG). 12-08-99 Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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