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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 3, No. 185, 99-09-22Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>RFE/RL NEWSLINEVol. 3, No. 185, 22 September 1999CONTENTS[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[C] END NOTE
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA[01] ARMENIA MARKS INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARYThousands of Armeniantroops, accompanied by tanks and new artillery systems, paraded through the streets of Yerevan on the eighth anniversary of the referendum on declaring the country's independence from the Soviet Union, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. It was the first such military parade since 1996, when the independence anniversary fell one day before the presidential elections. President Robert Kocharian said in an anniversary address that Armenia "is pursuing an active policy of economic reforms, promoting democracy and promoting regional and global cooperation," according to Interfax. Among the world leaders who sent messages of congratulation were Pope John Paul II and the presidents of the U.S., Russia, France, Poland, and Greece. Russian President Boris Yeltsin noted the importance of the "strategic partnership" between Russia and Armenia for stability in the South Caucasus, ITAR-TASS reported. LF [02] NEW POLITICAL PARTY FORMED IN NAGORNO-KARABAKHMuratPetrosian, a deputy to the parliament of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, told a press conference in Stepanakert on 21 September that a new nationalist political party, the Armenian National Democratic Party, will soon hold its founding congress, RFE/RL's Stepanakert correspondent reported. Petrosian said the new party will strive to "consolidate" opposition forces in Karabakh and Armenia with a "pan-national" agenda. The party's tentative platform calls for an elected "pan-national parliament" representing ethnic Armenians from around the world. It is likely to oppose the policies of the enclave's present leadership. Petrosian is a key supporter of recently ousted Karabakh Defense Minister Samvel Babayan. Like Babayan, he takes a harder line than either Yerevan or the Karabakh Armenian leadership over resolving the Karabakh conflict. LF [03] GEORGIAN, ABKHAZ OFFICIALS DISCUSS SECURITY CONCERNSAbkhazPrime Minister Sergei Bagapsh and Security Minister Astamur Tarba met with Georgian officials in Tbilisi on 21 September, Caucasus Press and ITAR-TASS reported. The talks were held at the initiative of Abkhazia's President Vladislav Ardzinba, who had expressed concern at the prospect of Georgian guerrillas' committing terrorist acts in Abkhazia in the runup to the 3 October Abkhaz presidential election (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 15 September 1999). Georgian Minister of State Vazha Lortkipanidze said after the talks that no such threat exists. He admitted that "certain forces" are interested in destabilizing the region prior to the Abkhaz poll and the 31 October Georgian parliamentary elections, but he said the Georgian authorities will do everything possible to preserve stability. A senior member of the UN Observer Mission in Georgia who attended the talks described them as "important." Bagapsh said they "proved that Georgia and Abkhazia can work out a constructive and civilized approach" to resolving problems. LF [04] FOUR ARRESTED IN GEORGIA FOR SMUGGLING RADIO-ACTIVEMATERIALSSecurity officials apprehended four Georgian citizens on 21 September at the Sarpi border crossing between Georgia's Adjar Autonomous Republic and Turkey, AP and ITAR- TASS reported. The four were trying to smuggle 1 kilogram of a radio-active substance, possibly uranium, into Turkey. LF [05] CONTROVERSIAL KYRGYZ NEWSPAPER EDITOR STEPS DOWNAleksandrKim, who is owner and editor of the independent daily "Vechernii Bishkek," has resigned as editor following disputes with the Kyrgyz tax police and other members of the newspaper's staff, RFE/RL's bureau in the Kyrgyz capital reported on 21 September, quoting acting deputy editor Sergei Stepanov (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 24 and 26 August 1999). Stepanov said that the tax police continue to examine the newspaper's financial records and have begun a court case in which "Vechernii Bishkek" is accused of not paying a fair price for the purchase of its premises. LF [06] TAJIK OPPOSITION PARETY APPLIES FOR RE-REGISTRATIONTheIslamic Renaissance Party has applied to the Ministry of Justice to be re-registered, Asia Plus-Blitz reported on 21 September. The party's deputy chairman, Muhammedsharif Himmatzoda, told the news agency that he was assured that provided the documents submitted are in order, the registration process will be completed within three or four days. Re-registration is a necessary precondition for the party to nominate a candidate for the 6 November presidential elections. The deadline for doing so is 6 October. LF [07] TAJIK, UZBEK PRESIDENTS SPARDuring a "traditionally frank"telephone conversation on 21 September, Imomali Rakhmonov and Islam Karimov discussed a recent statement by the Uzbek Foreign Ministry accusing the United Tajik Opposition of supporting the ethnic Uzbek guerrillas currently holding 13 hostages in southern Kyrgyzstan, ITAR-TASS reported, citing unidentified "confidential sources." They also discussed bilateral economic and trade ties as well as possible joint measures to combat organized crime. In addition, Karimov reportedly affirmed his support for "Tajikistan's policy of democratic transformations," Asia Plus-Blitz reported. LF [B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE[08] THOUSANDS IN SERBIA DEMONSTRATE AGAINST GOVERNMENT...Tens ofthousands of people took part in protests on the evening of 21 September calling for the resignation of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. Some 20,000 people in Belgrade protested in the capital's Republic Square. Crowds of some 10,000 were reported in Novi Sad, Nis, and Kragujevac, and smaller crowds were reported in 14 other towns and cities. The Beta news agency reported that police blocked roads in Vojvodina in an effort to prevent people from traveling to the protest in Novi Sad. Earlier that day, the Association of Independent Trade Unions declared a general strike to protest Milosevic's rule. The union claims some 150,000 members in Serbia and invited other labor groups to join in the protest. PB [09] ...AS DJINDJIC CALLS MILOSEVIC 'EVIL'Opposition leaderZoran Djindjic told the crowd in Belgrade that "we must finish our task this time. Who is stronger: the people or evil? Is it Serbia or Milosevic?" Djindjic exhorted the crowd to encourage others to take part in protests, and he vowed to continue the daily demonstrations until Milosevic resigned. He said "if there are 2 million people on the streets of Serbia after 10 days, it will mean that Serbia has cured itself," B2-92 reported. Dragoslav Avramovic, former head of the Central Bank, who has been nominated by one opposition movement to lead an interim government, said a leadership change is needed quickly to avert power and heating shortages this winter. The protests were organized by Djindjic's Alliance for Change and the Alliance of Democratic Parties. Vuk Draskovic's Serbian Renewal Movement did not take part. PB [10] SERBIAN POLICE SEIZE COPIES OF WEEKLY PAPER, CLAMP DOWN ONINDEPENDENT RADIOSerbian border police on 21 September confiscated a truck that was carrying copies of the independent Banja Luka weekly "Reporter," Beta reported. Perica Vucinic, the publisher of "Reporter," said the entire circulation for the Serbian market was on the truck, which is being held at the border crossing town of Sremska Mitrovica. She said this issue of the weekly, which is often critical of the Milosevic regime, included an article on Serbian tycoons that have allegedly robbed the country of state funds. In Belgrade, the Association of Independent Electronic Media in Yugoslavia reported that Radio Pancevo was asked by the Yugoslav Ministry of Communications to pay 800,000 dinars ($72,000 at the official exchange rate) to continue using its frequency. PB [11] MONTENEGRO SAYS SERBIAN REFUSAL TO HOLD TALKS 'UNACCEPTABLE'Montenegrin Prime Minister Filip Vujanovic said on 21September that his Serbian counterpart, Mirko Majanovic, has refused to hold direct talks with Podgorica on the nature of the two republics' relations, Reuters reported. Vujanovic, in a statement to the media, said Majanovic's decision to try to move the talks to the Yugoslav parliament because they may involve changes to the federal constitution is "unacceptable to us." He added that Montenegro is prepared to negotiate only "at the level of the two republics. Any agreement must be reached at that level." But he said the Montenegrin government is patient because "there is no need to increase tensions." Montenegro sent a proposal to Belgrade on 5 August requesting a new relationship between the two republics that would give Podgorica control over its economic, military, and foreign affairs (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 6 August 1999). Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic has threatened to hold a referendum on independence if the republics' relationship is not redefined. PB [12] MOSCOW, BELGRADE DENOUNCE NEW KOSOVA CORPSThe RussianForeign Ministry said on 22 September that the transformation of the Kosova Liberation Army (UCK) into the civilian Kosova Protection Corps is a "thoughtless political act," AP reported. In a statement, the ministry said the arrangement "is a graphic attempt to legalize part of military attachments of Kosovo gunmen" and goes "against the spirit" of UN Security Council resolution 1244 on Kosova. The Yugoslav Justice Ministry said the agreement will "only serve to perpetuate...the Serb exodus from Kosovo...and jeopardize the integrity of Yugoslavia." It added that the agreement threatens peace in Yugoslavia and violates the part of resolution 1244 that calls for a demilitarization of the UCK. In the divided Kosovar town of Mitrovica, Serbs said on 21 September that they will organize their own defense force in response to the formation of the new Kosovar Albanian corps. PB [13] UN LEADER WARNS OF DESTABILIZATION ATTEMPTS BY SERBSTheUN's special representative in Kosova, Bernard Kouchner, said on 21 September that there are organized efforts by Serbs to destabilize Kosova, Reuters reported. Kouchner said "a lot of unofficial people are coming [to Kosova from Serbia]" and that some of the incidents "have been organized." He said "each attack, attempt, murder is a success for Milosevic." He added, however, that he has no proof of official Serbian or Yugoslav security personnel returning to Kosova. NATO Supreme Commander Wesley Clark said one of the three Serbs killed recently by Russian soldiers was carrying an identity card from the Serbian Interior Ministry police. PB [14] CHILDREN KILLED BY UNEXPLODED CLUSTER BOMBNATO peacekeepersin Kosova said on 21 September that four children were killed and two wounded when an unexploded cluster bomb blew up in a field in eastern Kosova. The bomb had been dropped by NATO forces during its air strikes on Yugoslavia. PB [15] NATO MINISTERS AGREE TO CUT TROOPS IN BOSNIANATO Secretary-General Javier Solana said at a 21 September conference of alliance defense ministers in Toronto that it will be possible to reduce NATO forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina by one- third, dpa reported. Solana said a vote on the proposal, under which 10,000 of the 30,000 troops in Bosnia would be sent home, would take place at a meeting in Brussels in December. In other news, the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the canton of Sarajevo confirmed on 21 September that an associate of wanted terrorist Osama Bin Laden who was arrested in Turkey had been carrying a valid Bosnian passport issued in 1997. PB [16] CROATIAN PROSECUTORS SEEK 20-YEAR SENTENCE FOR CONCENTRATIONCAMP COMMANDERState prosecutors asked a Zagreb court on 21 September to sentence Dinko Sakic, a commander of a World War II concentration camp in Croatia, to 20 years in prison. Sakic, who was extradited from Argentina last year, is accused of crimes against humanity in his capacity as head of the Jasenovac camp from 1941-1945. Prosecutors said he was aware of the crimes being committed under his command and that he occasionally took part in the murders and torture of inmates. A verdict is expected by October. PB [17] ALBANIAN MINISTER PROPOSES SEPARATING POLICE, MILITARYTheAlbanian minister for pubic order, Spartak Poci, proposed on 20 September that the country's police force no longer be part of the armed forces, ATA reported. Poci said a bill on the change will be sent to the cabinet as well as to the parliament. The move is seen as a main step in a program to reform the Albanian police. In other news, Albanian President Rexhep Meidani sent a letter to the president of the European Radio and TV Broadcasting Union, Albert Sharf, asking for greater technical and material assistance for Albanian Radio and Television as well as for broadcast media in Kosova. PB [18] IMF TEAM ENDS TALKS IN ROMANIAThe IMF team of experts willwrap up on 22 September its talks with Romanian officials on the implementation of the agreement reached earlier this year. The team will report its findings to the fund's executive board, which is to decide next month whether to release the second tranche of the $547 million stand-by loan. The Finance Ministry said the previous day that during the talks the team "appreciated some favorable results" achieved so far but noted that there are still "problems" deriving from wage policies and the restructuring of the banking system, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. Media reports said the team refused to accept a Romanian request to raise the budget deficit from 3.9 percent to 4.9 percent of GDP. MS [19] HUNGARIAN CONSUL IN ROMANIA DENIES NATIONALIST ALLEGATIONSHungary's new consul in Cluj, Laszlo Alfoldi, toldjournalists on 21 September that Mayor Gheorghe Funar is "a very interesting personality" but his actions represent "only a fraction of the Cluj political spectrum," Mediafax reported. Alfoldi denied allegations by Funar and the Greater Romania Party that he had engaged in spying in the late 1980s and was declared "persona non grata" in 1988 for that reason. Meanwhile, Cluj Prefect Alexandru Farcas has extended until 27 September the ban on demonstrations in Cluj. The ban was prompted by Funar's intention to call mass protests against Alfoldi (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 September 1999). MS [20] BULGARIA, MACEDONIA SLAM SLOW START OF BALKAN STABILITY PACTMeeting in the southwestern Bulgarian border town ofBlagoevgrad on 21 September, the premiers of Bulgaria and Macedonia, Ivan Kostov and Ljubco Georgievski, criticized the West for being slow in implementing the Balkan Stability Pact agreed on in July, Reuters reported. Georgievski said that Macedonia and Bulgaria "have several joint projects to be implemented under the pact" but they noted that the pact is not functioning yet. Kostov said "skepticism of the Bulgarian government over the pact's actual implementation is growing," adding that "if there are no new developments soon, skepticism will change into disappointment." The two premiers pledged to continue promoting understanding between their countries, and Kostov said that this policy "will be our reply to both nationalists and Bulgarophobes." BTA reported that on 21 September Bulgaria delivered the second shipment of decommissioned tanks and howitzers to Macedonia. MS [21] EU COMMISSIONER SAYS BULGARIA MAY SOON BEGIN ACCESSION TALKSEU Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen, speakingon Fenix television on 20 September, said the EU could decide at its December summit in Helsinki to begin accession talks with Bulgaria, BTA reported the next day. Verheugen said that "politically, Bulgaria has recently registered very positive achievements," but he added that economic development has been held up by the conflict in the Balkans. That is why Bulgaria must be helped to overcome these consequences, "which is exactly what we are doing," he said. At the same time, Verheugen warned that even if a decision on starting accession talks with Sofia is made, the parleys "will be long." "It would not be right to raise hopes that Bulgaria will become a full member in three, four, or five years," he commented. MS [C] END NOTE[22] FLY THE SCARY SKIESby Julie A. CorwinIt's hard to pinpoint exactly when the reputation of Russian passenger air travel hit its nadir, but perhaps it was when the story first broke in the spring of 1994 about the downing of an Aeroflot passenger flight over Siberia. The 15-year old son of the plane's pilot was reported to have accidentally disengaged the plane's autopilot controls during a "lesson." Or, perhaps it was in March 1997 when the fuselage of a passenger jet was so rusted that it fell apart in the air over Stavropol. Also that year, the Tupolev-154, a mainstay of the Russian airline industry, was involved in five major accidents, and the International Airline Passengers Associations advised travelers to avoid flying to or within Russia. More recently, Aeroflot has launched a new slick advertising campaign in major international cities and even banned smoking on short flights. But some recent news report suggest that a few kinks in airline safety remain. Last week, Russian Air Force Commander Colonel General Anatolii Kornukov declared that if more funding for the country's aging air traffic control system is not found, within 10 years flying in Russia could become four times more dangerous than in the West. Kornukov's comments followed advice from the U.S. State Department to avoid flying in Russia and other CIS countries around 1 January 2000 because of possible computer glitches caused by the so-called millennium bug. My own recent experience flying on four of the baby flots that sprang up since the break-up of the USSR-- Donavia, Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Pulkovo--suggests that safety culture on Russian airlines at least seems more laissez faire than on Western carriers. On four out of five flights, I observed during take-off some passengers' seatbelts remaining unfastened, trays unlocked, and seats tilted. Only on Pulkovo did I witness a flight attendant ask a passenger to adjust her seat before take-off or give instructions on where the emergency exits were located. On Donavia, flight attendants continued selling food and drinks in the aisle during take-off. They kept one hand gripped on the back of a passenger seat and the other on the rattling metal cart. And they had to yell because of noise of the engines inside the cabin after take-off. In theory, smoking was prohibited on all of the flights I was on, but in practice--at least on the nine-and-a-half hour flight from Moscow to Vladivostok--smoking occurred but was confined to the bathrooms. The safety issue aside, the good news about the baby flots was that the level of comfort was comparable to that on most Western airlines, the food better than anything I have ever eaten on KLM or Malev Airlines, and the cost remarkably cheap. For example, a one-way ticket from Moscow to Vladivostok cost only 4,900 rubles ($193), while a one- way ticket from Ulan Ude to Moscow, a six-hour flight, cost only 3,460 rubles. While 4,900 rubles is several times the average monthly wage in Primorskii Krai, for example, the fare nonetheless compares favorably with similar long distance hauls across Europe or North America. The attendants, on the whole, were polite--sometimes even friendly--but always terse. It was probably just a coincidence, but it was on Vnukovo, the airline with the most serious labor problems, that I witnessed a stewardess sacked out during the flight from Ulan Ude to Moscow, stretched across several seats on which small black flight bags had earlier been placed. Curiously, my travel agent had told me some weeks earlier that I had gotten the last seat available on that flight. In mid-August, Russian media reported that a strike at Vnukovo was imminent because workers had not been paid for four months. At the beginning of the year, one of the workers' strike leaders was murdered. Perhaps the real drawback to flying within Russia is not the airplanes but the airports, where seats are a relatively rare phenomenon and where having to pay to use the bathroom is no guarantee that it will be remotely clean. Adding to the discomfort is the screeching noise of packing tape being wound around each piece of luggage. Not everybody tapes up their bags. Some people wrap them in paper, like a package that is going to be mailed, with a flimsy string or thin rope handle attached; others have it encased in plastic wrap by a man at the airport who charges 60 rubles for the service. But worst of all is the endless number of lines. First, there is one to check your luggage, one to get your ticket back, and then, if you're unlucky, one to pay a special airport tax. Then, once "boarding" begins, you must line up to enter one of the preliminary boarding areas, line up to go through security, line up to be herded to some area outdoors, and then line up for a bus to take you to the airplane, where you will line up to get on. By that point, you're happy to finally sit down in any kind of seat regardless of whether the tray in front of you remains perpetually open at quarter-mast. And once you land safely--without the fuselage falling off somewhere over Stavropol, let's say--you happily conclude that overall the flight was a pleasant, repeatable experience. 22-09-99 Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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