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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 3, No. 229, 99-11-24Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>RFE/RL NEWSLINEVol. 3, No. 229, 24 November 1999CONTENTS[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[C] END NOTE
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA[01] ARMENIAN, RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTERS MEETVagharshakHarutiunian and Igor Sergeev, meeting in Moscow on 23 November, signed a plan for cooperation between their ministries in 2000, Noyan Tapan reported. Sergeev stressed after the signing ceremony that the ongoing intense defense cooperation between the two countries is not aimed against a third party but intended to underpin security and stability in the South Caucasus. Azerbaijani Defense Minister Safar Abiev is to join his Russian and Armenian colleagues for talks in Moscow on 24 November on strengthening the May 1994 Karabakh cease-fire agreement. LF [02] ANOTHER GEORGIAN MILITARY CARGO IMPOUNDED IN MOSCOWCustomsofficials at Domodedovo airport have impounded some 300 kilograms of Georgian ammunition that was being returned to Georgia from a defense industry exhibition in Bucharest, arguing that the consignment is intended for militants fighting in Chechnya, Caucasus Press reported on 24 November, quoting Georgian Defense Ministry spokesman Koba Liklikadze. The head of the ministry's technical department, Gogi Tavadze, expressed concern lest Russian military specialists steal unique Georgian technology. Russian customs officials impounded military uniforms donated to Georgia by the U.S. earlier this month on the pretext that they were allegedly being sent to Chechnya (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 15 November 1999). LF [03] GEORGIAN PARAMILITARY ORGANIZATION MARKS TENTH ANNIVERSARYMembers of the Mkhedrioni paramilitary organizationcongregated at the Saburtalo cemetery in Tbilisi on 23 November to commemorate the 840 members of that organization killed while defending Georgia's territorial integrity, Caucasus Press reported. Mkhedrioni's political secretary Tornike Berishvili said the organization now numbers 5,000 members, compared with 45 when it was founded. Also on 23 November, Caucasus Press reported that President Eduard Shevardnadze has given permission for the release from jail after next year's presidential elections of Mkhedrioni leader Djaba Ioseliani. Ioseliani, who is 73, was sentenced in November 1998 to 11 years' imprisonment on charges of banditism and attempting to assassinate Shevardnadze. He has appealed that sentence with the European Court. LF [04] MOSCOW DOWNPLAYS ARRESTS OF SEPARATISTS IN KAZAKHSTANRussian Premier Vladimir Putin told journalists in Moscow on23 November he does not believe that the arrest last week in Kazakhstan of 12 Russian citizens on suspicion of planning to declare an independent Russian Altai Republic poses a serious threat to bilateral relations, Interfax reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 23 November 1999). Foreign Ministry spokesman Vladimir Rakhmanin similarly said that Russia "does not meddle in Kazakhstan's internal affairs" and respects Kazakhstan's sovereignty and territorial integrity. On 24 November, "Nezavisimaya gazeta" reported that for the past two months the alleged ringleader of the group, Vladimir Kazimirchik, had openly sought support in eastern Kazakhstan for proclaiming the secession of part of the region. Local officials had repeatedly warned local security officials about his activities, the paper said. LF [05] KAZAKHSTAN'S CHIEF OF STAFF DENIES INVOLVEMENT IN MIG SALESMajor General Bakhytzhan Ertaev said on 23 November that hedid not play any role in the illegal sale to North Korea of some 40 obsolete MiG-21 fighter aircraft, Interfax reported. Ertaev is expected to be called as a witness in the trial of unnamed Kazakh officials suspected of having arranged that deal (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 23 November 1999). LF [06] KAZAKHSTAN'S PRESIDENT VISITS MONGOLIAVisiting Ulan-Batoron 22-23 November, Nursultan Nazarbaev met with his Mongolian counterpart, Natsagiyn Bagabandi, Prime Minister Rinchinnyamiin Amarjargal and parliamentary speaker Radnaasumbreliin Gonchigdorj, according to "Nezavisimaya gazeta" on 24 November. The talks focused on developing bilateral economic cooperation, security issues, and repatriation of ethnic Kazakhs from Mongolia. The two presidents signed a joint declaration pledging to expand cooperation in prospecting for and mining precious metals and to build highways and an electric power line linking the two countries. LF [07] KAZAKHSTAN CONCERNED ABOUT CHECHEN INFLUXKazakhstan'sInterior Minister Kairbek Suleimanov told journalists in Astana on 23 November that his forces are establishing additional checkpoints at ports and railway stations to screen Chechens fleeing the fighting in the North Caucasus. Interfax-Kazakhstan reported. Suleimanov estimated the number of Chechens who have entered Kazakhstan since the start of the fighting at 2,064, while presidential chief of staff Sarybai Kalmurzayev told another press conference the same day that the figure could be as high as 10,000. LF [08] KAZAKHSTAN, EU DISCUSS COOPERATIONCornelius Wittebrood, whois chief of the European Commission department for relations with the CIS, Central Asia, and the Caucasus, told journalists in Almaty on 23 November that the EU plans to expand trade with Kazakhstan and investment in that country's economy, Interfax reported. EU countries are among Kazakhstan's main trade partners. Wittebrood said his talks in Astana the previous day with Kazakhstan's Prime Minister Qasymzhomart Toqaev focused on Kazakhstan's admission to the WTO and cooperation under the recent partnership agreement between the EU and Kazakhstan. He also stressed the EU's support for the diversification of pipeline routes to transport Caspian hydrocarbons to international markets. He specifically mentioned Kazakhstan's Caspian Pipeline Consortium, the Trans-Caspian pipeline to export Turkmen gas, and the Baku-Ceyhan export pipeline for Caspian oil. LF [09] TAJIK GOVERNMENT RESIGNSIn accordance with the Tajikconstitution, the entire cabinet on 23 November submitted its resignation to President Imomali Rakhmonov at its first session following his inauguration, Asia Plus-Blitz reported the next day. Ministers and their deputies will, however, continue to perform their duties until a new government is formed. LF [10] TURKMEN PARLIAMENT APPROVES DRAFT BUDGETLawmakers on 23November approved the draft budget for 2000 which envisages revenues of 26.6 trillion manats ($5.03 billion) and expenditures of 29.05 trillion manats, Interfax reported. Some 67 percent of budget spending will go on social needs. The $86.15 million budget deficit is equal to 2.08 percent of GDP. Finance Minister Matkarim Radzhabov predicted that industrial output next year will increase by 12 percent to 17 trillion manats and that investments will total 14.4 trillion manats or double this year's level. LF [B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE[11] TUDJMAN'S CONDITION 'GRAVE'Doctors treating CroatianPresident Franjo Tudjman said on 24 November for the first time that the president's condition has become "grave." They did not elaborate, except to say that he remains in intensive care. Tudjman has been in a Zagreb hospital since 1 November and is widely believed to be dying of cancer. The authorities have released no photographs of him since he entered the hospital. The sparse official statements on his condition have become increasingly less optimistic. PM [12] CONSTITUTIONAL DEADLOCK IN CROATIA...Representatives of thegoverning Croatian Democratic Community (HDZ) and of six opposition parties failed during the night of 23-24 November to reach agreement on a constitutional amendment to enable the parliament to declare Tudjman incapacitated and transfer at least some of his powers to parliamentary speaker Vlatko Pavletic (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 22 November 1999). The HDZ wants such a declaration to be limited to 30 days and extensions to be decided by the Constitutional Court, where the HDZ has a majority, the VOA's Croatian Service reported. The opposition wants him to be declared permanently incapacitated and for the parliament to retain the last word in matters regarding his continuing in office. The opposition also demands that the parliament receive a detailed report on the state of Tudjman's health. PM [13] ...AS SEKS SEEKS TO FUDGE THE ISSUE...Deputy parliamentaryspeaker and HDZ leader Vladimir Seks said he will introduce a measure in the legislature on 24 November to enable the parliament to declare Tudjman temporarily incapacitated without passing a constitutional amendment, the BBC's Croatian Service reported. He did not say how he will try to legislate the change without an amendment. The constitution provides for the president to be declared incapacitated only permanently, not temporarily. The HDZ says that it would be "disrespectful to the founder of the state" to declare Tudjman permanently incapacitated. The HDZ has a simple majority in the legislature but not the two-thirds majority necessary to change the constitution. PM [14] ...AND ELECTIONS COMPLICATE ISSUEAn additional reason forthe collapse of the negotiations on 23-24 November was the opposition's insistence that any agreement include a fixed date for parliamentary elections, which the HDZ does not want. Opposition leaders Drazen Budisa and Ivica Racan told the BBC's Croatian Service on 24 November that the issues of the presidency and the elections are inseparably bound up with each other. Seks, for his part, accused the opposition of trying to mix unrelated issues. PM [15] MONTENEGRIN PARTY DENIES ROLE IN PARAMILITARIES...ZoranZizic, who is a spokesman for Yugoslav Prime Minister Momir Bulatovic's Socialist People's Party (SNP), told RFE/RL's South Slavic Service in Podgorica on 23 November that his party has no knowledge of any paramilitary forces loyal to Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic in Montenegro. Zizic added that recent charges by former General Momcilo Perisic that the SNP helped set up such paramilitary formations are "absolutely untrue" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 23 November 1999). The spokesman stressed that the SNP wants Perisic to explain his accusations in court. PM [16] ...GOVERNMENT NOT 'ALARMED'Unnamed officials ofMontenegro's Interior Ministry told RFE/RL's South Slavic Service in Podgorica on 23 November that they will not comment on Perisic's charges until the ministry takes an official position on the matter. It is unclear when that will be. Deputy Prime Minister Dragisa Burzan, for his part, said he is not "alarmed" by Perisic's remarks. Burzan added that the Montenegrin authorities are aware that recently Belgrade has been increasing the strength of some individual army units in Montenegro. Paramilitary police formations, however, remain at a "low level," Burzan said. The Montenegrin minister stressed that Milosevic is no longer in a position to do as he pleases in Montenegro. RFE/RL's South Slavic Service noted, however, that Milosevic remains in command of the army in all parts of Yugoslavia. The Montenegrin authorities, moreover, have no control over the shipments that arrive daily in Podgorica for the army. PM [17] CLINTON MEETS WITH U.S. TROOPS...U.S. President Bill Clintonspoke to U.S. troops at Camp Bondsteel on 23 November following his enthusiastic reception by ethnic Albanians in Ferizaj (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 23 November 1999). He told U.S. troops that they can set an example of how people from different ethnic and religious backgrounds can work together (see also "End Note" below). PM [18] ...AND REPRESENTATIVES OF KOSOVA SERBSBishop Artemije, whois one of the two main leaders of the Kosova Serbs, told Clinton in an open letter on 23 November that he believes the current violence in Kosova against Serbs and other non- Albanians is not in keeping with U.S. policy. He appealed to Clinton to do what he can to enable all peoples in Kosova to live in peace, "Vesti" reported. Artemije condemned the polices of Milosevic and of "Albanian extremists" and urged the Hague-based war crimes tribunal to investigate all atrocities in the province. A spokesman for Artemije told the BBC that he is convinced that Clinton appreciated the bishop's plea. Momcilo Trajkovic, who is the second principal leader of the Kosova Serbs, said, however, that the Serbs will not return to the UN's Transitional Council as long as violence continues against Serbs, "Vesti" reported. PM [19] MILOSEVIC MEDIA CONDEMN CLINTON VISIT TO KOSOVAState-runSerbian Television said on 23 November in a commentary on Clinton's visit to Kosova that the U.S. president's arrival in the province proves that "the criminal always returns to the scene of the crime." The Milosevic government regards NATO's campaign in the spring of 1999 to halt the ethnic cleansing of Kosova as "aggression." Belgrade also argues that foreign officials should not visit the Serbian province without the Yugoslav government's permission. PM [20] SERBIAN POLICE INJURED NEAR KOSOVA BORDERThe private Betanews agency reported from Belgrade on 23 November that two Serbian policemen were injured in an "armed attack" in Konculj, an ethnic Albanian village in southern Serbia. No details are available. The alleged incident follows the death of two Serbian police in a mine explosion near the border with Kosova (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 22 November 1999). PM [21] KOSOVARS TRIED FOR 'TERRORISM'The trial opened in Belgradeon 23 November of six ethnic Albanians on charges of "terrorism." The six each face sentences of up to 20 years in prison. PM [22] 'ENERGY FOR DEMOCRACY' OIL HEADS FOR SERBIAAn initialconvoy of trucks carrying fuel oil supplied by the EU left Skopje on 23 November for the opposition-controlled cities of Nis and Pirot. The EU and the Serbian opposition hope that the Energy for Democracy Program will show ordinary Serbs that the opposition is able to bring them concrete benefits even before parliamentary elections take place. Local and independent media are giving extensive coverage to the oil deliveries in the hope that such publicity will discourage the Belgrade authorities from interfering with the shipment. If the pilot project to Nis and Pirot is successful, it will be extended to additional municipalities. PM [23] ALBANIAN AID MONEY FOR ROAD TO KOSOVAAn Albanian governmentspokeswoman said in Tirana on 23 November that some $12 million in foreign aid for the government budget will be spent on building a key road linking the port of Durres with Prishtina. The government has attached great importance to the project since announcing it in September. A spokesman for Prime Minister Ilir Meta argued that it is more important to construct a small number of major projects than a larger number of smaller ones, "which often melt away like salt in water," dpa reported. PM [24] GUNMEN ATTACK ALBANIAN JOURNALISTUnidentified gunmenseriously injured Vjollca Karanxha while she was filming in Pogradec on 22 November, dpa reported. She is a reporter for the local radio and television station and has often written about the role of local officials in smuggling and corruption. PM [25] OSCE ISSUES REPORT ON BOSNIAN CORRUPTIONThe OSCE's RobertBarry made public a report that shows that corruption linking business, political, criminal, and police elites is rife in many parts of Bosnia. He stressed that corruption is the "life-blood" of one-party rule in most parts of the republic. Barry noted that many governments work "hand-in-glove with organized crime and remnants of old security services...to maintain control of citizens' lives," AP reported. He did not provide specific examples. PM [26] LABOR PROTESTS MOVE TO BUCHARESTSome 5,000 workers marchedthrough Bucharest on 23 November calling for the government to resign, Reuters reported. The protest, organized by a bloc of labor unions, came on the heels of one in the northern town of Iasi calling for the sacking of Premier Radu Vasile amid worsening economic conditions (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 23 November 1999). Union leader Pavel Todoran said "people have lost confidence in this government...a new [one] might defuse tensions and help us weather the expected harsh winter ahead." PB [27] ROMANIA TRIES TO STABILIZE CURRENCYThe National Bank ofRomania on 23 November intervened to prop up the country's flagging currency, Mediafax reported. The bank sold some $20 million in hard currency after the leu fell to 18,000 to $1. One week earlier, the exchange rate was 17,410 lei to $1. After the bank's intervention, the leu strengthened to 17,910 to $1. In other news, the Romanian Senate and the Chamber of Deputies approved at a joint sitting on 22 November President Emil Constantinescu's request that Dutch and U.S. military hardware and materiel for Kosova be allowed to transit Romania by train, Rompres reported. PB [28] ROMANIA HAS MOST AIDS INFECTED CHILDREN IN EUROPERomaniahas some 8,700 children suffering from AIDS, the largest total number of any one country in Europe, Mediafax reported on 22 November. Adrian Streinu-Cercel, the head of the National AIDS Committee, said most of the children became infected through the use of unsterile needles. PB [29] WAS INTERIOR MINISTER CANDIDATE RESPONSIBLE FOR MOLDOVANCABINET'S NON-APPROVAL?Iurie Rosca, the leader of the Christian Democratic Popular Front, said the candidacy of Nicolae Alexei as interior minister was the reason why Premier-designate Valeriu Bobutac's government was not approved, BASA-press reported on 23 November. Bobutac's government failed by four votes to receive a simple majority from the parliament (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 23 November 1999). Rosca claims that any government including Alexei will not be approved by the parliament. Alexei was sacked as head of the Department Against Organized Crime and Corruption after bringing corruption allegations against several members of the previous government. Moldovan President Petru Lucinschi is set to name a new candidate for premier later this week. PB [30] BULGARIA SEEKING INVITE TO EU TALKS WITHOUT PRECONDITIONSForeign Minister Nadezhda Mihailova said on 23 November thatBulgaria is close to being invited to start talks on EU accession without having to fulfill preconditions, Reuters reported. Mihailova said Bulgaria "is in the last phase of negotiations at all levels, from experts to heads of states, on getting an invitation for accession talks." The European Commission recommended last month that the EU invite Bulgaria and five other countries to join the six countries already negotiating their union membership. The sticking point for Bulgaria is the EU demand that the four oldest reactors at its controversial Kozloduy nuclear power plant be shut down early. PB [C] END NOTE[31] U.S. TROOPS IN KOSOVA: IN FOR THE LONG HAUL?by Michael J. JordanThe amber waves of grain that once covered the rolling hills two miles east of Urosevac, in south-central Kosova, are no more. They have been replaced with sprawling Camp Bondsteel. The heavily fortified, 755-acre military base is the largest the U.S. has built from the ground up since the Vietnam War. As U.S. President Clinton visited on 23 November to spend an early Thanksgiving with the troops, some observers here were wondering: Why is Bondsteel so big? Soldiers at this $36.6 million U.S. base say it's strictly about safety and comfort. If nothing else, it sends a direct message to Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, who already has provoked four wars this decade and may be capable of more mayhem. "The base is a response to the perceived need for a presence in the Balkans for years to come," says Bryan Hopkinson, Kosova director of the International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based think-tank. "It shows the U.S. means business." One day it could mean even more. Some say Camp Bondsteel will smooth the logistics of a future U.S. military intervention. Others see it yielding benefits in terms of Balkan geopolitics and trade. Perhaps with this in mind, says Hopkinson, U.S. planners are shrewdly "taking advantage of favorable circumstances" to build a base spacious enough to accommodate any future needs. Those "favorable circumstances" are the key. Three months of NATO air strikes this spring ended a Serbian campaign of "ethnic cleansing" that unleashed a wave of some 1 million refugees in the Yugoslav province. So ethnic Albanians here are thrilled to have 47,000 international troops--6,300 of them from the U.S.--protecting them, even if assistance has so far fallen short of their goal of independence. This contrasts starkly with Macedonia and Hungary, Yugoslavia's neighbors to the south and north. During the air strikes, both countries were uneasy about being drawn into NATO operations. Hungary, unlike Macedonia, is a NATO member. But the country only rid itself of Soviet troops nine years ago. "Albanians are the only people who embrace NATO with all their heart," says Sevdije Ahmeti, a human-rights activist in Kosova. "America will find no better allies in the Balkans, or in Europe, than the U.S." Allies may be needed with Milosevic still holding the reins in Belgrade. A slew of destabilizing scenarios are possible: secession by tiny Montenegro, leaving landlocked Serbia the lone Yugoslav republic; conflict with ethnic Hungarians in northern Serbia; civil war between pro- and anti-Milosevic factions; or upheaval in Macedonia, which has its own restive Albanian minority. With soldier-safety high on the Clinton administration's agenda, nothing is left to chance at Camp Bondsteel. The troops are ensconced behind miles of barbed wire and countless earthen and concrete barriers. Eleven guard towers keep watch. The base has a large helipad for nearly 55 transport, reconnaissance, and attack helicopters, including a dozen of the vaunted Apaches. There is no runway for fixed-wing fighter aircraft, although Hopkinson and other analysts speculate that the base may be big enough to accommodate a runway in the future. U.S. officials reject this possibility, pointing to the area's undulating terrain. They also have tried to quash rumors that Camp Bondsteel eventually may replace Aviano, Italy, as one of the prime European airfields of the U.S. Air Force. Still, observers suggest Camp Bondsteel would serve several geostrategic functions. Though Kosova is a diamond- shaped province smaller than New Jersey, it has proximity to the Black Sea to the east, the Mediterranean to the south, and the Adriatic to the west. As NATO expands eastward, perhaps even into the Balkans, some say Bondsteel could underpin security for the alliance's southeastern flank. It's not only Russia that considers the Balkans within its sphere of influence. The Arab world is also looking to make inroads between the Bosnian Muslims and the predominantly Muslim but highly secular populations of Albania and Kosova, "Kosova can be treated as a small spot in the ocean, or a very important spot in Europe," says Ahmeti. "The Near East also tries to put U.S. [in] their sphere, so we're sandwiched." But some Western diplomatic sources scoff at the idea of Kosova having any real strategic value. "The notion that the U.S. is interested in forward bases and extending its international presence is fundamentally paranoiac and fundamentally wrong," says one diplomat, who asked not to be identified. "On the contrary, the U.S. would prefer to let countries conduct their own defense and not have to intervene around the world." And while President Clinton and others talk of a Marshall Plan-style reconstruction of the Balkans, ethnic Albanians hope that the mere sight of Camp Bondsteel may soothe jittery foreign investors. Ardian Arifaj, news editor of Kosova's leading daily paper, "Koha Ditore," says, "There's a perception here that there are American bases all over the world, and all those countries have prospered with them." The author is a Budapest-based journalist (michaeljjordan@csi.com). 24-11-99 Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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