RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 4, No. 35, 00-02-18

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

RFE/RL NEWSLINE

Vol. 4, No. 35, 18 February 2000

CONTENTS

[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA

[01] ARMENIAN NUCLEAR PLANT TO OPERATE UNTIL 2010

[02] DASHNAKS SELECT NEW LEADER IN ARMENIA

[03] AZERBAIJANI REFUGEES DEMONSTRATE IN BAKU

[04] AZERBAIJANI PROSECUTOR-GENERAL DENIES CHARGING RUSSIAN

[05] SHEVARDNADZE SAYS PUTIN PLEASED BY GEORGIA'S APPROACH TO

[06] ADJAR LEADER TO RUN FOR GEORGIAN PRESIDENCY

[07] ASTANA WARNS AGAINST CALLS FOR KAZAKHSTAN TO JOIN RUSSIA-

[08] NGO COALITION WINS CASE IN KYRGYZSTAN

[09] KYRGYZSTAN INCREASES BORDER DEFENSES

[10] TAJIKISTAN SAYS BOMBING DESIGNED TO UPSET ELECTIONS

[11] TURKMENBASHI WARNS AGAINST FOREIGN INTERFERENCE

[12] UN ENVOY IN TASHKENT TO DISCUSS AFGHANISTAN

[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

[13] MESIC INAUGURATED AS CROATIA'S PRESIDENT

[14] 'LARGEST GROUP OF FOREIGN REPRESENTATIVES IN CROATIAN

[15] WILL CROATIA, ALLIES MEET MUTUAL EXPECTATIONS?

[16] MILOSEVIC RE-ELECTED PARTY LEADER

[17] CLARK: U.S. TROOPS NEEDED IN BALKANS UNTIL MILOSEVIC GONE

[18] ROBERTSON: NATO WILL NOT TOLERATE KOSOVA VIOLENCE

[19] EUROPEAN MONEY FOR BOSNIA'S RAILROADS

[20] HERZEGOVINIAN TV STATION OFF THE AIR

[21] DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION OF ROMANIA LEADERS REACH COMPROMISE

[22] MOLDOVAN PARLIAMENT DISMISSES DEPUTY SPEAKER

[C] END NOTE

[23] THE RETURN OF POLITICAL ANTI-SEMITISM

[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA

[01] ARMENIAN NUCLEAR PLANT TO OPERATE UNTIL 2010

Movsesyan, the head of Armenia's energy commission, said in

Yerevan on 17 February that the country's nuclear power plant

will remain in operation until 2010, ITAR-TASS reported. He

added that it will do so despite an agreement between Armenia

and the EU that calls for its closure by 2004. At present,

the plant provides approximately half of the electricity

generated in Armenia. PG

[02] DASHNAKS SELECT NEW LEADER IN ARMENIA

Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) on 17 February

selected parliamentary deputy Armen Rustamian to replace

Hrant Markarian as its representative in Armenia, RFE/RL's

Armenian Service reported. Markarian was recently promoted to

head the party's worldwide bureau. PG

[03] AZERBAIJANI REFUGEES DEMONSTRATE IN BAKU

official interference in their commercial activities as

street vendors and by the failure of the government to

provide them with additional assistance blocked several

streets in Baku on 16 February, "Yeni Musavat" reported.

Police were able to restore the flow of traffic after two

hours but refused to give any details to the media. PG

[04] AZERBAIJANI PROSECUTOR-GENERAL DENIES CHARGING RUSSIAN

Eldar Hasanov rejected as false a report in the 15

February issue of Moscow's "Nezavisimaya gazeta" saying that

Baku has opened a legal case against the Baku correspondent

of that newspaper, the Turan news agency reported on 17

February. PG

[05] SHEVARDNADZE SAYS PUTIN PLEASED BY GEORGIA'S APPROACH TO

Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze said

acting Russian President Vladimir Putin told him by telephone

that he was pleased with the actions Georgia have taken to

control its border with Chechnya, Interfax reported on 17

February. The call came as OSCE representatives arrived to

monitor that border, Russia's TV6 reported the same day. PG

[06] ADJAR LEADER TO RUN FOR GEORGIAN PRESIDENCY

Aslan Abashidze on 17 February filed his application to run

for the presidency of Georgia, ITAR-TASS reported. Abashidze

is the 14th candidate to do so and is widely viewed as the

strongest challenger to the incumbent, Shevardnadze.

Meanwhile, the Georgian parliament agreed to work on

amendments to the country's election law, Georgian radio

reported. The deputies have already agreed to require a two-

thirds vote for any major decisions by the Central Election

Commission. PG

[07] ASTANA WARNS AGAINST CALLS FOR KAZAKHSTAN TO JOIN RUSSIA-

The office of the Prosecutor-General

circulated a statement on 17 February warning against any

calls for Kazakhstan to join the Russia-Belarus Union, Khabar

TV reported. Such calls, the prosecutor's office said,

"constitute interference in state affairs by public

organizations and are a gross violation of the constitution

and laws of Kazakhstan." The statement was issued after the

Slavic Communities of Kazakhstan announced they favor a

referendum on the issue and after the country's communist

leader, Serikbolsyn Abdildin, said that Kazakhstan must take

its time before making a decision on this issue, Interfax

reported on 17 February. PG

[08] NGO COALITION WINS CASE IN KYRGYZSTAN

with an appeal by a coalition of non-governmental

organization that the Central Election Commission has

violated the constitution by reducing the number of people

who must sign precinct balloting reports, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz

Service reported on 17 February. But Feliks Kulov, an

opposition candidate, told "Delo" the same day that the

authorities are doing everything they can to reduce the

chances of the opposition to win. "Slovo Kyrgyzstana"

pointedly asked, "Will there remain a democratic oasis in

Central Asia, or can we following the example of neighboring

countries, expect a return to authoritarianism?" Officials in

Bishkek said they are increasing security in advance of the

20 February vote. PG

[09] KYRGYZSTAN INCREASES BORDER DEFENSES

attacks from groups based in Tajikistan, Bishkek has

increased its border defenses, Reuters reported on 17

February. Bolot Dzhanuzakov, the secretary of the country's

security council, said that "we estimate that there are some

400-700 men in Tajikistan" who are "gathering strength" to

move against Kyrgyzstan. He added that the groups are not

only promoting Islamic fundamentalism but are also engaged in

the drug trade. PG

[10] TAJIKISTAN SAYS BOMBING DESIGNED TO UPSET ELECTIONS

government spokesman told Reuters on 17 February that "the

leadership of Tajikistan considers the explosion... a

terrorist act with a clear political motive aimed at

sabotaging the parliamentary election." He was referring to

the bomb attack that killed Shamsullo Dzhabirov on 16

February. Elections in Tajikistan are scheduled to take place

on 27 February. PG

[11] TURKMENBASHI WARNS AGAINST FOREIGN INTERFERENCE

President Saparmyrat Niyazov told diplomats accredited to

Ashgabat that "foreigners should not interfere in

Turkmenistan's judicial affairs, just as Turkmenistan does

not interfere in the judicial affairs of other countries,

Turkmen radio reported on 17 February. "Some people see

democracy as confrontation," Niyazov said, "and they are

ready to call on any destructive forces as a real

opposition." PG

[12] UN ENVOY IN TASHKENT TO DISCUSS AFGHANISTAN

Vendrell, the chief of the UN Special Commission for

Afghanistan, met with Uzbekistan's Foreign Minister Abdulaziz

Kamilov to discuss the next steps for the Six Plus Two group

that is trying to resolve the conflict in Afghanistan,

Interfax reported on 17 February. PG

[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

[13] MESIC INAUGURATED AS CROATIA'S PRESIDENT

the oath of office on Zagreb's historical St. Mark's Square

on 18 February. He became Croatia's second president since

the country gained independence in 1991. In his inaugural

address, he stressed the need for Croatia to join Euro-

Atlantic institutions and to promote democracy and the

decentralization of political power at home. Mesic planned

the inauguration to underscore his intention to break with

many of the practices of his predecessor, the late Franjo

Tudjman. Accordingly, the ceremony was much shorter and less

formal than the public spectacles that Tudjman favored. Mesic

addressed his listeners as "citizens," whereas Tudjman

preferred to say "Croats." PM

[14] 'LARGEST GROUP OF FOREIGN REPRESENTATIVES IN CROATIAN

This is how "Jutarnji list" on 18 February

described the 72 foreign visitors who arrived for President

Mesic's inauguration. The dignitaries include 12 heads of

state from Central and Southeastern Europe, as well as U.S.

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and German Foreign

Minister Joschka Fischer. Albright is slated to have dinner

with Mesic and Prime Minister Ivica Racan, while she and

Fischer will meet with several Serbian opposition leaders,

including Zoran Djindjic and Vladan Batic, to discuss the

situation in Serbia. Albright has also scheduled a private

meeting with Austrian President Thomas Klestil. Croatian and

foreign media noted the contrast between the impressive

foreign presence at Mesic's inauguration and the more modest

one at Tudjman's funeral in December, where Turkey's Suleyman

Demirel was the only foreign head of state present. Most

countries sent only their ambassador. PM

[15] WILL CROATIA, ALLIES MEET MUTUAL EXPECTATIONS?

list" noted on 18 February that the "honeymoon" between

Croatia's new government and its Western allies has been long

and harmonious. The daily suggested that Racan will seek some

quick successes in foreign policy because it might take him a

very long time before he achieves successes at home. Reuters

quoted unnamed Croatian officials as saying that foreign

governments have praised the new administration but "there

has been no reaction [from abroad] on the financial level."

Foreign Minister Tonino Picula said recently that Croatia

wants ethnic Serbian refugees to return but that it will

require money to prepare housing and infrastructure for them.

"Slobodna Dalmacija" on 18 February quoted Defense Minister

Jozo Rados as telling foreign military attaches that he wants

a smaller and more professional army. He added, however, that

he must consider unspecified "economic and social aspects of

a reduction in size of the armed forces." PM

[16] MILOSEVIC RE-ELECTED PARTY LEADER

Slobodan Milosevic was reelected head of his Socialist Party

in Belgrade on 17 February (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17

February 2000). He was the sole candidate and received 2,308

votes from the 2,314 delegates. Five delegates abstained and

a sixth person cast an invalid ballot. In Washington, State

Department spokesman James Rubin said that Milosevic's ouster

is long overdue. He added, however, that the U.S. has only

limited possibilities to help bring about change in Serbia,

RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. PM

[17] CLARK: U.S. TROOPS NEEDED IN BALKANS UNTIL MILOSEVIC GONE

members of the House Armed Services Committee in Washington

on 17 February that "the key to a peaceful resolution and a

successful exit from the region for U.S. forces and the

forces of NATO is democratization in Yugoslavia and

Milosevic's appearance at the international criminal tribunal

in The Hague. Until he is taken to trial, until democracy is

taken into Serbia, we're not going to see a resolution of the

problem," Reuters reported. PM

[18] ROBERTSON: NATO WILL NOT TOLERATE KOSOVA VIOLENCE

Secretary-General Lord Robertson said in Skopje on 17

February that the Atlantic alliance "will not stand for

violence against our own soldiers or against the citizens of

[Kosova], whatever their ethnic background." In a warning to

those who might doubt this commitment, he added: "Don't

meddle with NATO!" He added that "we intend to finish the

job. We came to [Kosova] to create a durable and sustainable

peace." He also appealed to the citizens of Serbia to look to

Macedonia as a model of "democratic and humane values," AP

reported. PM

[19] EUROPEAN MONEY FOR BOSNIA'S RAILROADS

Reconstruction and Development has approved a $40 million

credit to repair and develop Bosnia's railways, AP reported

from Sarajevo on 17 February. PM

[20] HERZEGOVINIAN TV STATION OFF THE AIR

engineers from the international community's Independent

Media Commission (IMC) closed down the broadcasting

facilities of Erotel in Mostar on 17 February at the request

of the international community's Wolfgang Petritsch and the

IMC, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. The station had

been broadcasting without a license. Petritsch's spokesman

said in Sarajevo that the move frees up a frequency for the

new public television station for the mainly Croatian and

Muslim federation. Croatian state-run television will

continue to broadcast to Bosnia, "Oslobodjenje" reported.

Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula recently discussed

the future of Erotel and the Croatian state broadcasts with

Petritsch. PM

[21] DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION OF ROMANIA LEADERS REACH COMPROMISE

the National Liberal Party agreed on 17 February to have a

chairman from one party and a deputy chairman from the other

coordinating both groups' election lists for the fall

parliamentary elections. The party that has the largest

backing, to be determined on the basis of several opinion

surveys and the results of the local elections, will have the

chairmanship of the alliance. In other news, PNTCD Senator

Corneliu Turianu on 17 February announced he is leaving the

party and joining the Christian Democratic National Alliance.

MS

[22] MOLDOVAN PARLIAMENT DISMISSES DEPUTY SPEAKER

initiated by the Democratic Convention of Moldova (CDM) and

backed by the Party of Moldovan Communists (PCM), the

parliament on 17 February dismissed Christian Democratic

Popular Party (FPCD) leader Iurie Rosca as parliamentary

chairman, RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. The vote was 69

to 11. Communist leader Vladimir Voronin said the move must

not be interpreted as signifying the "emergence of a new

alliance" and that his party's interests "simply coincided

with the interests of other parliamentary groups." Last year,

the FPCD left the CDM, on whose lists Rosca and his

supporters were elected to the parliament. Voronin also said

that this ended the "strange" situation in which the PCM,

which has a 40-strong faction in legislature, has no

parliamentary deputy chairman and the FPCD, which has only

nine deputies, had one, namely Rosca. MS

[C] END NOTE

[23] THE RETURN OF POLITICAL ANTI-SEMITISM

When a leading Hungarian politician spices his speech

with ominous references to "cosmopolitans" and "Communist

Jews"--as did Deputy Prime Minister Laszlo Kover on 29

January--he cannot expect that it will be taken lightly. In

Hungary, similar rhetoric half a century ago spurred a

genocide that killed more than half a million Hungarian Jews.

But speeches like Kover's and various anti-Jewish

provocations have become increasingly common in Hungary over

the past year, causing unease among Central Europe's largest

Jewish community.

Jewish observers say the increasing use of "political

anti-Semitism" is more than a hate-mongering ploy. Instead,

they contend it is a cynical strategy by Hungary's crafty

prime minister, Viktor Orban, and his advisers. Orban, 36,

seems intent on carving out a future for himself as the "Man

of the Right." While no one suggests that he is an anti-

Semite, some of his allies are skillfully employing

nationalist Christian-conservative symbols and Holocaust

revisionism.

"These are deeply coded messages to the far right to

show that this is where their hearts beat," says writer

Miklos Haraszti, an ex-dissident and former liberal

parliamentary deputy. "They want these voters, even if they

lose some sympathy from moderates and earn contempt from

journalists and liberal opinion-makers."

Since last summer, a number of Jewish-related issues

have made headlines, even though the country's 100,000 or so

Jews constitute just 1 percent of the population. First came

a government attempt--dropped after Jewish experts protested-

-to rewrite the text of the Hungarian exhibit at Auschwitz,

which was installed in 1965. The new version would have

shifted all blame for the Hungarian Holocaust onto Germany,

which occupied the country in March 1944, and made no mention

of Hungary's role.

Then, in the fall, officials unveiled a plaque

commemorating the Hungarian gendarmerie while ignoring the

fact that it was these same police who, for seven weeks in

the spring of 1944, enthusiastically carried out Nazi orders

to round up and deport 437,000 Jews from the Hungarian

countryside.

Hungarian Jews says these moves are part of an

orchestrated campaign to whitewash Hungary's past. But Maria

Schmidt, a key adviser to Orban and frequently criticized as

one of Hungary's leading revisionists, argues that after four

decades of Communism, in which historical documentation was

indeed ideologically skewed, there is a need to relate

history from a new perspective.

"For 40 years they were lying about everything," Schmidt

told RFE/RL. "I'm glad that now there's competition in the

telling of history, because no one should have a privileged

position or monopoly. We all live in this country; we all

have our own history and our own point of view."

Schmidt says she backs the unrestricted publication and

distribution of "Mein Kampf," "The Protocols of the Elders of

Zion," and other anti-Semitic tracts now available in new

Hungarian-language editions in many Budapest bookstores.

More worrying for Hungarian Jews, according to Haraszti,

is that Orban appears to welcome the parliamentary support of

Istvan Csurka and his far-right Hungarian Justice and Life

Party (MIEP). Csurka was kicked out of the first post-

Communist ruling party, the Hungarian Democratic Forum, in

1993 for his extremist views. He returned to the parliament

in July 1998, when MIEP squeaked past the 5 percent

threshold, winning 14 seats out of 386.

Csurka and his minions are notorious for conspiratorial

talk about "alien elements" and "liberal traitors." They also

have questioned the "disproportionate" number of Jews in the

media, in leading symphony orchestras, and in the delegation

of Hungarian authors to last year's Frankfurt Book Fair.

Moreover, Csurka is virtually the only Central European

politician to hail the rise of Joerg Haider in Austrian

politics.

Orban, meanwhile, remains silent and above the fray.

After all, Hungary is clamoring for full integration into the

West. Analysts suspect that Orban is searching for the fine

line between how far to the right Hungarian society is

willing to move and how much Hungary's Western partners are

willing to tolerate. Compared with some of its neighbors

(Yugoslavia, Croatia, Romania, and Ukraine), Hungary

currently seems an oasis of economic and political stability.

So the West does not trouble itself with Hungarian domestic

politics. But international pressure--such as a scathing

report by the Anti-Defamation League last December--may force

Orban to change his ways.

The same month as the report appeared, the government

announced it will fund a Holocaust museum and documentation

center. And on 18 January, in a ceremony to commemorate the

Soviet liberation of the Budapest ghetto, Education Minister

Zoltan Pokorni suggested that Hungary have an annual

Holocaust remembrance day.

Hungarian Jews, however, tend to view these gestures as

half-hearted attempts at damage control and public relations.

Many Jews were among the several thousand Hungarians who

attended an anti-fascist demonstration in Budapest on 13

February. "You won't be any better off by hiding or avoiding

conflict; to them you'll still be the 'budos zsido' [stinking

Jew]," says Balint Molnar, 25, who attended the rally and who

has just completed a degree in international relations at the

Hebrew University in Jerusalem. "My grandfather, an 84-year-

old Holocaust survivor, curses and swears and sometimes spits

at the television set. But I think we should deal with anti-

Semitism more dynamically. We should confront these people

and make more noise about it."

The author is a freelance journalist based in Budapest

(michaeljjordan@compuserve.com].

18-02-00

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

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