RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 3, No. 215, 99-11-04

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From: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>

RFE/RL NEWSLINE

Vol. 3, No. 215, 4 November 1999

CONTENTS

[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA

[01] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT NAMES NEW PREMIER...

[02] ...PLEDGES ECONOMIC CONTINUITY

[03] MORE ARRESTS IN CONNECTION WITH ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT

[04] AZERBAIJAN'S OPPOSITION DEMANDS CLARIFICATION OF KARABAKH

[05] GEORGIA EXPRESSES CONCERN AT RUSSIA'S VIOLATION OF CFE

[06] TALKS ON CLOSURE OF RUSSIAN BASES IN GEORGIA DEADLOCKED

[07] KAZAKH OFFICIAL PREDICTS CANCER CASES WILL DOUBLE AS RESULT

[08] KAZAKH LEADERSHIP WANTS TO EXPAND ECONOMIC COOPERATION WITH

[09] HEAD OF KYRGYZ PRESIDENTIAL STAFF NAMED TO HEAD AUDIT

[10] OSCE DECIDES AGAINST MONITORING TAJIK PRESIDENTIAL POLL

[11] DEFENSE MINISTERS REVIEW CENTRAL ASIAN JOINT MANEUVERS

[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

[12] U.S. TO LIFT SOME SANCTIONS IF FREE ELECTIONS HELD IN

[13] DJINDJIC EXPRESSES SATISFACTION...

[14] ...WHILE YUGOSLAV OFFICIAL SCOFFS

[15] DRASKOVIC'S PARTY TO CALL FOR EARLY ELECTIONS

[16] OSCE WARNS VIOLENCE IN KOSOVA COULD DISCOURAGE DONORS

[17] THACI GIVES AWARD TO U.S. DIPLOMAT

[18] YUGOSLAV GENERALS MEET MONTENGRO'S INTERIOR MINISTER

[19] UN SPECIAL ENVOY ASSESSES BALKAN SITUATION

[20] DODIK SAYS WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL CAN OPEN OFFICE IN BANJA LUKA

[21] PETRITSCH INSISTS THAT CROATIAN SERBS GET FAIR CHANCE TO

[22] WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL AGREES TO DELAY EXTRADITION OF 'TUTA'

[23] CROATIAN PRESIDENT STILL RECOVERING IN HOSPITAL

[24] MACEDONIAN PREMIER ANNOUNCES CABINET RESHUFFLE

[25] ALBANIAN SOCIALIST PARTY PAPER CALLS BERISHA A 'CRIMINAL'

[26] U.S. SENATE VOTES TO GRANT NORMAL TRADE STATUS TO ALBANIA

[27] MOLDOVAN CONSTITUTIONAL COURT REBUKES PRESIDENT

[28] MOLDOVAN PREMIER THREATENS TO QUIT

[29] BULGARIA PROTESTS AIR POLLUTION FROM ROMANIA

[C] END NOTE

[30] WHEN 'SALVATION' IS DAMNATION

[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA

[01] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT NAMES NEW PREMIER...

November appointed Aram Sargsian to succeed his murdered

elder brother, Vazgen, as prime minister, RFE/RL's Yerevan

bureau reported. Sargsian's candidacy was proposed by the

majority Miasnutiun parliamentary faction, one of whose

leaders, Andranik Markarian, said there will be no changes in

Armenia's economic policy or its approach to resolving the

Karabakh conflict. Sargsian, who is 38, is a construction

engineer who, like his brother, fought as a volunteer in

Nagorno-Karabakh in the early 1990s. Since 1993, he has been

employed at the Ararat cement plant and became its director

in 1998, according to Noyan Tapan. A member of the Republican

Party, Sargsian was elected a deputy to the parliament in May

but has no other political experience. LF

[02] ...PLEDGES ECONOMIC CONTINUITY

group of Armenian bankers, President Kocharian vowed that

last week's murders of senior officials will not affect the

country's commitment to economic reform, RFE/RL's Yerevan

bureau reported. "We are able to overcome the existing

problems and continue the country's development in a

constitutional way," he said. Central Bank Chairman Tigran

Sarkisian told the gathering that the IMF and World Bank have

expressed their readiness to discuss possible additional

economic and technical assistance to help Armenia recover

from the aftermath of the shootings. The national currency

continues to strengthen gradually against the U.S. dollar,

but some analysts have expressed concern that the killings

may deter potential foreign investors. LF

[03] MORE ARRESTS IN CONNECTION WITH ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT

Military police have detained an unspecified

number of people in connection with the 27 October shootings

in the parliament, Noyan Tapan reported on 3 November, citing

an unnamed source close to the country's law enforcement

agencies. The five gunmen directly responsible for the

killings were taken into custody after surrendering on 28

October. LF

[04] AZERBAIJAN'S OPPOSITION DEMANDS CLARIFICATION OF KARABAKH

Members of the opposition parliamentary

Democratic Bloc called on parliamentary speaker Murtuz

Alesqerov on 2 November to answer questions related to the

ongoing negotiations with Armenia on a settlement of the

Karabakh conflict, Turan reported. Those questions include

which precise concessions the Azerbaijani leadership is

prepared to make; whether the degree of self-government given

to Nagorno-Karabakh includes the right to a separate

constitution, legal system, and national army; whether the

peace agreement under discussion provides for the return of

displaced persons to Shusha, Lachin, and Kelbadjar; and

whether the Azerbaijani leadership has taken into

consideration the possibility that concessions could spark

massive protests among the country's population. LF

[05] GEORGIA EXPRESSES CONCERN AT RUSSIA'S VIOLATION OF CFE

Shalva Pichkhadze, who is foreign policy adviser to

President Eduard Shevardnadze, said on 3 November that if

Russia continues its arms buildup in Chechnya in violation of

the limits imposed by the CFE treaty, then Georgia will

intensify its campaign for NATO membership, AP and Interfax

reported. Shevardnadze said last week that he hopes for

Georgian accession to the alliance by 2005. Also on 3

November, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Vladimir

Rakhmanin told journalists in Moscow that Russian will

withdraw from the North Caucasus military equipment in excess

of its CFE quotas as soon as the situation in Chechnya is

"under control," according to Interfax. LF

[06] TALKS ON CLOSURE OF RUSSIAN BASES IN GEORGIA DEADLOCKED

Chairman Revaz Adamia told Interfax on 3 November that Moscow

and Tbilisi are at odds over the timeframe for the closure of

Russia's military bases in Georgia. Adamia said that Georgia

wants those bases to be closed within six to 18 months, while

Russia insists they should remain for 25 years as provided

for under the terms of a 1995 bilateral treaty, which the

Georgian parliament has not ratified. LF

[07] KAZAKH OFFICIAL PREDICTS CANCER CASES WILL DOUBLE AS RESULT

A senior medical official predicted on 2

November that the incidence of cancer in the regions of

central Kazakhstan affected by the 27 October explosion of a

Russian Proton rocket will double over the next two or three

years, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reported the following day.

Russian scientists have claimed that the adverse consequences

of the blast will be minimal (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 3

November 1999). LF

[08] KAZAKH LEADERSHIP WANTS TO EXPAND ECONOMIC COOPERATION WITH

President Nursultan Nazarbaev and Prime

Minister Qasymzhomart Toqaev met separately on 2 and 3

November, respectively, with a visiting German delegation

from Sachsen-Anhalt, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reported.

Delegation head Gerhard Glogowski told both Kazakh officials

in response to their plea for greater German investment in

Kazakhstan that the country should enact legislation

protecting foreign investors. Germany is one of Kazakhstan's

main trade partners, with annual trade turnover estimated at

$650 million. Also on 3 November, Toqaev told a visiting

delegation from Japan's Marubeni Corporation that Kazakhstan

considers expanding economic relations with Japan "a

priority," Interfax reported. Marubeni is interested in a

$300-400 million project for reconstructing the Atyrau oil

refinery. A feasibility plan for the plant's reconstruction

is nearing completion. An agreement on the project is likely

to be signed during Nazarbaev's visit to Japan at the end of

the year. LF

[09] HEAD OF KYRGYZ PRESIDENTIAL STAFF NAMED TO HEAD AUDIT

President Askar Akaev on 3 November named Medet

Sadyrkulov to head the Auditing Commission, a post that Akaev

said entails coordinating the activities of all public

organizations that support reform in the runup to the

February 2000 parliamentary elections, RFE/RL's Bishkek

bureau reported. Interfax quoted Akaev as saying that those

elections are crucial to Kyrgyzstan's image as a democratic

country. He told Sadyrkulov to ensure that criminal elements

are prevented from entering the new parliament and that

governors and ministers do not use budget funds to finance

their associates' election campaigns. LF

[10] OSCE DECIDES AGAINST MONITORING TAJIK PRESIDENTIAL POLL

spokesman for the OSCE has said that organization will not

send a delegation to Tajikistan to monitor the 6 November

presidential poll, an RFE/RL correspondent reported on 3

November. The spokesman said that given the restrictions on

candidates and the activities of political parties, the

election process does not meet the standards set by the OSCE

for a democratic poll. Economics and Foreign Economic

Relations Minister Davlat Usmon, whom the Central Electoral

Commission has registered as a candidate, despite his failure

to submit the required 145,000 signatures in his support,

said on 3 November he will not formally withdraw his

candidacy as it is illegal, ITAR-TASS reported. The Central

Electoral Commission has confirmed that Usmon has not

withdrawn from the poll and that his name is on the ballot

sheet together with that of incumbent Imomali Rakhmonov. LF

[11] DEFENSE MINISTERS REVIEW CENTRAL ASIAN JOINT MANEUVERS

defense ministers of Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,

Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan have assessed the five-day joint

exercises held in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, Interfax and

Asia Plus-Blitz reported. Those maneuvers, which ended on 1

November, were aimed at coordinating measures to repulse a

terrorist attack. Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeev told

his colleagues that Russian and Uzbek forces will be ready by

next spring to launch cross-border attacks into Tajik

territory in order to preempt an anticipated strike by Uzbek

Islamist forces. Sergeev added that Russia will extend

assistance to Kyrgyzstan within the framework of the CIS

Collective Security Treaty if those guerrillas launch a

further incursion into Kyrgyzstan. Meanwhile in Astana, a

Kazakh Interior Ministry press secretary denied that

unidentified gunmen have crossed into southern Kazakhstan

from neighboring Uzbekistan, Interfax reported on 3 November.

LF

[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

[12] U.S. TO LIFT SOME SANCTIONS IF FREE ELECTIONS HELD IN

Flanked by members of the Serbian opposition,

U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said on 3 November

the U.S. will lift a ban on oil sales and flights to Serbia

if free elections are held there, AP reported. Members of the

Serbian opposition Alliance for Change were in Washington for

talks with Albright. They also met with U.S. National

Security Adviser Sandy Berger. Albright said the strategy is

aimed at assisting the opposition's struggle "for the right

of people to choose their own leaders." Albright dismissed

the possibility that Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic

would win such an election, saying "I find it really, really

hard to believe that Milosevic might win a free and fair

election." VG

[13] DJINDJIC EXPRESSES SATISFACTION...

Djindjic said in Washington he is pleased with Albright's

announcement. "It was more than we expected because we got a

clear message about lifting sanctions after elections." He

added that the opposition will continue their protests and

work toward the ouster of Milosevic from power. VG

[14] ...WHILE YUGOSLAV OFFICIAL SCOFFS

Federal Information Minister Goran Matic said the opposition

leaders would win "less than 1 percent of the vote in

Serbia." He added: " It seems that Washington is trying to

prepare a jackass to win the horse races." The government

also said there is no need to hold elections earlier than

those that are scheduled for 2001. VG

[15] DRASKOVIC'S PARTY TO CALL FOR EARLY ELECTIONS

Draskovic's Serbian Renewal Movement on 3 November announced

that it will officially demand early elections at the next

parliamentary session on 9 November, Reuters reported. The

party also demanded talks with the government on what

measures can be taken to ensure that the elections are fair.

Earlier, the Serbian Renewal Movement said that it would not

make a call in the parliament for early elections, arguing

that such a call was sure to be rejected. VG

[16] OSCE WARNS VIOLENCE IN KOSOVA COULD DISCOURAGE DONORS

OSCE on 3 November warned that recent violence against ethnic

Serbs and other minorities in Kosova could discourage

potential donors from financing reconstruction projects in

the province. The OSCE statement said the violence

"jeopardizes the international reputation and standing" of

Kosova. It called on Kosova's political leaders to join the

international community in efforts to stop the violence. VG

[17] THACI GIVES AWARD TO U.S. DIPLOMAT

Hashim Thaci on 3 November awarded a gold plate and honorary

Kosova citizenship to U.S. diplomat William Walker, Reuters

reported. Thaci thanked Walker, who is on a visit to Kosova,

for alerting the world to the Serbian atrocities against

ethnic Albanians in Kosova last winter. Walker said he is

glad to have played a role in ridding Kosova of Milosevic

"and his gang." However, he stressed his dismay at a recent

spate of attacks against ethnic Serbs in the province (see

"RFE/RL Newsline," 3 November 1999). VG

[18] YUGOSLAV GENERALS MEET MONTENGRO'S INTERIOR MINISTER

of generals from Yugoslavia's Army on 3 November met

Montenegro's Interior Minister Vukasin Maras in Podgorica.

The two sides pledged to work together to remove any barriers

to future cooperation. Maras said that the situation in

Montenegro is "very complex" but that the Montenegrin police

will work to maintain good relations with the Yugoslav

military. Yugoslav chief of staff Dragoljub Ojdanic, who

visited military units in Montenegro the same day, did not

attend the meeting. VG

[19] UN SPECIAL ENVOY ASSESSES BALKAN SITUATION

envoy Jiri Dienstbier has submitted a report to the UN

arguing that the current international presence in Kosova

should not be restricted to a mere "holding operation," AP

reported on 3 November. Dienstbier said Kosova should be

viewed in the "overall context of the violent disintegration

of Yugoslavia." He praised the expanded approach of the

Stability Pact initiative for the Balkan region and noted

that the primary goal in Bosnia-Herzegovina remains the

creation of a multiethnic police force and judiciary. He also

criticized the delays and "lack of transparency" in Croatian

judicial proceedings as well as discrimination against

Muslims in Republika Srpska and Serbia. VG

[20] DODIK SAYS WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL CAN OPEN OFFICE IN BANJA LUKA

November said the Bosnian Serbs will allow the Hague-based

war crimes tribunal to set up an office in Banja Luka.

Dodik's comments came after a meeting in Banja Luka with the

tribunal's chief prosecutor Carla del Ponte. He described the

opening of the office as the first step in the Republika

Srpska's cooperation with the tribunal. He added that "all

those who have committed war crimes have to stand trial.

There is no collective guilt, crimes are individual," AP

reported. VG

[21] PETRITSCH INSISTS THAT CROATIAN SERBS GET FAIR CHANCE TO

The international community's envoy to Bosnia, Wolfgang

Petritsch, urged officials in both Bosnia-Herzegovina and

Croatia to ensure that displaced Croatian citizens have equal

and fair access to Croatia's parliamentary elections, Reuters

reported. Petritsch said he wants to ensure that there will

be an "equal chance for all those eligible to vote,"

especially ethnic Serbs originally from Croatia and now

living in Bosnia. Petritsch made the statement after a

meeting with Croatian Prime Minister Zlatko Matesa in Zagreb.

VG

[22] WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL AGREES TO DELAY EXTRADITION OF 'TUTA'

delay extradition proceedings against indicted war criminal

Mladen "Tuta" Naletilic on the grounds that he is "unfit to

travel to The Hague." The tribunal has received a report from

two Dutch doctors who confirmed that his health problems will

prevent him from travelling to the Netherlands for some two

to three weeks (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 1 November 1999). VG

[23] CROATIAN PRESIDENT STILL RECOVERING IN HOSPITAL

Tudjman was still in hospital on 3 November recovering from a

recent intestinal operation, Hina reported. Doctors said he

is in "good" condition. VG

[24] MACEDONIAN PREMIER ANNOUNCES CABINET RESHUFFLE

Georgievski on 3 November announced plans to reshuffle his

cabinet, AP reported. The announcement comes after the

presidential candidate of Georgievski's Internal Macedonian

Revolutionary Organization (VMRO), Boris Trajkovski, finished

second in the first round of voting on 31 October (see

"RFE/RL Newsline," 2 November 1999). The VMRO has 13

ministers in the coalition government, while Vasil

Tupurkovski's Democratic Alternative has eight and the

Democratic Party of the Albanians five. Georgievski also

replaced nine local VMRO heads in municipalities where

Trajkovski failed to win a majority of the vote. VG

[25] ALBANIAN SOCIALIST PARTY PAPER CALLS BERISHA A 'CRIMINAL'

Popullit" ran an editorial on 3 November comparing former

President Sali Berisha to a "criminal." The editorial accused

the leader of the opposition Democratic Party of gathering

support from a group of "well-known criminals" and plotting

to overthrow the government of Prime Minister Ilir Meta. The

editorial also warned that the authorities might arrest

Berisha. Berisha has said the Democratic Party will boycott a

parliamentary session this week that is expected to give a

vote of confidence to the new government. VG

[26] U.S. SENATE VOTES TO GRANT NORMAL TRADE STATUS TO ALBANIA

Normal Trade Relations status to Albania, citing that

country's progress on setting up a free market economy. VG

[27] MOLDOVAN CONSTITUTIONAL COURT REBUKES PRESIDENT

Constitutional Court on 3 November ruled that President Petru

Lucinschi cannot order a referendum on changing the country's

basic law. The court said that the holding of such a

plebiscite must be approved by a two-thirds majority in the

parliament and that therefore the president must submit his

proposal to the legislature, RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau

reported. It added that before submitting to the parliament a

proposal that envisages changing the constitution, the

president must receive the approval of the Constitutional

Court. Lucinschi responded that "the court's decision is

final and we are obliged to abide by it." MS

[28] MOLDOVAN PREMIER THREATENS TO QUIT

said the cabinet will resign "within 10 days" if the

parliament fails again to approve the laws on privatization

and on amending this year's budget (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 3

November 1999). Sturza said the laws will be re-submitted to

the legislature this week and "if they are not approved, this

will be tantamount to a vote of no-confidence and...the

government will resign," Reuters reported. MS

[29] BULGARIA PROTESTS AIR POLLUTION FROM ROMANIA

November protested air pollution in Nikopol that is produced

by a Romanian chemical plant in Turnu Magurele, located on

the opposite bank of the River Danube. Environment Minister

Evdokia Maneva said that after Nikopol was shrouded in a

cloud of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, she sent a protest

letter to the Romanian authorities. Ammonia concentration in

the air around Nikopol was 20.4 times above safety levels and

hydrogen sulfide exceeded those levels by 2.3 times, AP

reported, citing the daily "Trud." Maneva said she has

received no response from her Romanian counterpart, Romica

Tomescu. However, the Romanian Environment Agency said on 2

November that over the previous 48 hours, pollution levels in

Romania were "normal." MS

[C] END NOTE

[30] WHEN 'SALVATION' IS DAMNATION

It hardly matters whether the neo-Nazi group in Russia

that calls itself Spas (Salvation) managed to have its list

approved by the Russian Central Electoral Commission (CEC)

for the 19 December State Duma elections as a result of

official incompetence or because its leader, Aleksandr

Barkashov, has cunningly calculated his moves. The second

scenario would be nothing more than yet another example of

the ongoing exploitation by extremist leaders of the

weaknesses of the system they want to destroy--democracy.

On 18 October, the CEC registered the list of Spas,

which thereby became one of 31 organizations to submit

registration documents before the 24 October deadline. On 25

October, the Justice Ministry appealed to the Supreme Court

to bar Spas from running on the grounds that the group has

violated the law on public association. The ministry argued

that Spas provided false information about the number of its

regional branches. The law requires that nationwide movements

have organizations in at least half of the 89 federation

subjects, and Spas submitted data on 47 such organizations. A

check carried out by the ministry, however, failed to locate

such organizations in at least 10 of those regions, according

to "Kommersant-Daily" on 2 November. That begs the question

as to what the ministry was doing up to 25 October.

It was certainly not in the dark about Barkashov's lack

of scruples. His Russian National Unity (RNE) party had been

set up in 1990, and if it acquired some notoriety, it was

precisely because it played "the democratic game" and at the

same time undermined democracy by, among other things,

setting up illegal paramilitary formations. Spas was

registered one year ago, to include RNE and two other small

and unknown groups. Those facts again raise the question as

to what Justice Ministry was doing until now.

Justice Minister Yurii Chaika told Interfax on 2

November that Barkashov must be stopped because "people

sharing Nazi ideology cannot run for elected government

bodies in Russia." But Barkashov's identification with that

ideology is nothing new. In accordance with the law, the

ministry should have warned Spas twice before asking for the

organization to be outlawed. It failed to do so even once,

however. Had it taken those steps, appealing to the Supreme

Court to cancel Spas's registration might have been rendered

unnecessary. Hence the question: what has the ministry been

doing until now?

After all, it could have followed the example set by

Moscow Mayor Yurii Luzhkov, who last December prevented RNE

from holding a congress in Moscow and, in response to

Barkashov's threats to stage a march by 100,000 sympathizers,

complained to the Prosecutor-General's Office. That agency

pressed charges against Barkashov for instigation to

violence. Furthermore, a court outlawed the Moscow branch of

RNE, and another court in the capital annulled the

registration of one of Barkashov's publications. While

Luzhkov is hardly the personification of democracy, in this

instance he acted correctly.

To make matters even worse, the Russian Federation

Supreme Court on 1 November refused to examine the ministry's

appeal against the group's registration, referring it to a

raion court. But the lower court did not rule by 3 November,

meaning that the list approved by the CEC remains valid. Does

this mean that the bureaucrats at the Justice Ministry are

unaware of how justice is administered in their country?

The name "Spas," chosen by Barkashov for his group,

speaks volumes about what he himself stands for. Roger

Griffin, a leading scholar on the history of fascism, defines

that movement as "a genus of political ideology whose mythic

core in its various permutations is a palingenetic form of

populist ultra-nationalism". The unusual term "palingenetic,"

according to Griffin, expresses "the myth of rebirth,

regeneration." This myth is common to all fascists--old and

new, eastern or western, southern or northern. What it

amounts to is a belief that democracy is a form of social and

moral decay and that "regeneration" or "revival" not only

justifies "drastic means" but is achieved by using such

means. And thus it is no accident that a recently published

book by Vladimir Tismaneanu, a Romanian-born political

scientist, dealing with this phenomenon in the post-communist

world, is called "Fantasies of Salvation."

Spas is not the only dangerous fantasy to haunt Russia.

Among the no fewer than 81 parties, movements or associations

with extremist postures, there are groups called the Russian

Party of Spiritual Revival, the Union for the Revival of the

Fatherland, the Union of the Fatherland, and, of course, the

Front of National Salvation. Post-communist Poland has its

own National Rebirth of Poland party. In all likelihood,

there are more.

And thus the final question: Do officials at the Russian

Justice Ministry understand that there comes a point in

history at which "salvation" almost certainly leads to

damnation?

04-11-99

Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
URL: http://www.rferl.org

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