RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 4, No. 80, 00-04-21

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RFE/RL NEWSLINE

Vol. 4, No. 80, 21 April 2000

CONTENTS

[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA

[01] TRIAL OF FUGITIVE ARMENIAN MINISTER ADJOURNED

[02] AZERBAIJAN'S FOREIGN MINISTRY CONDEMNS PLANNED KARABAKH POLL

[03] EU CRITICIZES CONDUCT OF GEORGIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

[04] GEORGIAN PRESIDENT ANNOUNCES AMNESTY FOR POLITICAL OPPONENTS

[05] AMNESTIED PARAMILITARY LEADER TO CLAIM DAMAGES

[06] GEORGIA, RUSSIA FAIL TO REACH AGREEMENT ON VISAS

[07] KAZAKHSTAN'S PRESIDENT SAYS MEDIA LACK OBJECTIVITY

[08] KAZAKHSTAN'S PREMIER REJECTS CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS

[09] KYRGYZ OPPOSITION HOLDS UNSANCTIONED DEMONSTRATION

[10] TAJIK EX-PREMIER CALLS FOR DIALOGUE WITH LEADERSHIP

[11] UZBEK, KAZAKH PRESIDENTS MEET

[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

[12] BAJUK FALLS SHORT IN SLOVENIAN VOTE

[13] CROATIAN INTELLIGENCE CHIEF QUITS

[14] TUDJMAN AIDE DENIES CHARGES IN 'VECERNJI LIST' AFFAIR

[15] HAGUE PREPARING BIGGER THINGS FOR CROATIA?

[16] FINAL RESULTS IN BOSNIAN VOTE CONFIRMS NATIONALIST STRENGTH

[17] HDZ PURGE IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA

[18] SERBIAN REGIME CONTINUES TO HARASS OPPONENTS

[19] DEMONSTRATIONS FOR KOSOVA ACTIVIST BROVINA

[20] SERBIAN PRESIDENT LEAVES HOSPITAL

[21] AN OLIVE BRANCH FROM DJUKANOVIC TO BELGRADE?

[22] MONTENEGRIN LEGISLATURE APPROVES PRIVATIZATION PLANS

[23] ROMANIAN GOVERNMENT APPROVES MILITARY STRATEGY

[24] ROMANIAN INTELLIGENCE SERVICE DENIES PACEPA 'RE-ACTIVATED'

[25] ROMANIAN INDUSTRIAL MAMMOTH TO BE PRIVATIZED

[26] UN REPORT SAYS ROMANIAN POLLUTION DUE TO FAULTY DESIGN,

[27] MOLDOVAN STUDENTS 'SUSPEND' STRIKE, DEMONSTRATIONS

[28] WORLD BANK FOLLOWS IMF ON MOLDOVA

[29] BULGARIAN PREMIER ADMITS 'MISTAKES' IN STRUGGLE AGAINST

[C] END NOTE

[30] Former Slovak Premier Arrested, Released

[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA

[01] TRIAL OF FUGITIVE ARMENIAN MINISTER ADJOURNED

district court on 20 April suspended the ongoing trial of

former Interior Minister Vano Siradeghian, RFE/RL's Yerevan

bureau reported. Siradeghian, who is accused of ordering

several contract killings in the mid-1990s, is believed to

have fled the country early this month after a court ruled

that he be taken into custody for the remaining duration of

the trial (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 4 and 7 April 2000). At the

same time, the court separated Siradeghian's case from that

of 11 co-defendants charged with plotting or committing

murder at his behest. LF

[02] AZERBAIJAN'S FOREIGN MINISTRY CONDEMNS PLANNED KARABAKH POLL

Foreign Ministry charged that the planned 18 June

parliamentary elections in the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh

Republic constitute "a crude violation of Azerbaijan's

territorial integrity," and "another attempt on the part of

the Armenian separatists to legitimize the occupation of...an

inseparable part of Azerbaijan," Interfax reported. The

statement said that fair elections in Karabakh can be held

only on the basis of proposals put forward by the OSCE Minsk

Group, and only after a solution of the conflict and the

repatriation to Karabakh of ethnic-Azerbaijani displaced

persons. Also on 20 April, NKR parliament chairman Oleg

Yesaian rejected as "completely groundless" an 18 April

statement by Azerbaijan's Central Electoral Commission

arguing that the planned poll violates Azerbaijan's

territorial integrity and creates new obstacles to a peaceful

settlement of the Karabakh conflict. LF

[03] EU CRITICIZES CONDUCT OF GEORGIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

EU on 20 April expressed "regret" that the 9 April Georgian

presidential poll, in which incumbent President Eduard

Shevardnadze was re-elected for a second five-year term, "did

not take place in accordance with the commitments given by

Georgia as a participating state of the OSCE and the Council

of Europe," Reuters reported. It specifically deplored

"serious irregularities," including ballot stuffing, media

bias, and lack of transparency in the vote count. The OSCE

observer mission noted similar procedural violations (see

"RFE/RL Newsline," 11 April 2000). The EU nonetheless

extended congratulations to Shevardnadze on his re-election

and expressed the hope that his tenure in office will

contribute to the stability and the furthering of political,

economic, and judicial reforms, with a view to establishing a

democratic and market-oriented society in Georgia," the

statement said. LF

[04] GEORGIAN PRESIDENT ANNOUNCES AMNESTY FOR POLITICAL OPPONENTS

President Shevardnadze announced on 20 April an amnesty for

279 prisoners, including 69 supporters of former President

Zviad Gamsakhurdia and members of the Mkhedrioni paramilitary

found guilty of the car bomb attack on Shevardnadze in August

1995. It had been widely rumored during the runup to the

presidential poll that he would do so. Shevardnadze also

called, as he had done in the summer of 1992, for "national

reconciliation," Reuters reported. In a unanimous vote,

deputies also adopted a resolution designating Gamsakhurdia's

ouster in January 1992 as "the illegal overthrow of [the

country's] legitimately elected authorities." LF

[05] AMNESTIED PARAMILITARY LEADER TO CLAIM DAMAGES

leader Djaba Ioseliani, who played a key role in

Gamsakhurdia's ouster, said on 20 April that he will demand

$2 million in compensation from the Georgian authorities for

his trial and imprisonment, Caucasus Press reported.

Ioseliani, who is 72, was arrested in November 1995 while he

still theoretically had immunity as a parliament deputy. He

was sentenced in 1998 to 11 years' imprisonment for his

alleged role in masterminding the 1995 attempt to assassinate

Shevardnadze (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 11 November 1998). His

request last year for clemency on the grounds of ill health

was rejected (see "RFE./RL Caucasus Report," Vol. 2, No. 24,

17 June 1999). LF

[06] GEORGIA, RUSSIA FAIL TO REACH AGREEMENT ON VISAS

and Russian working groups held consultations in Tbilisi on

18-19 April, but failed to reach any concrete agreement on

the introduction of visas for citizens of the two countries,

Caucasus Press reported. The talks focused on whether

Moscow's insistence on visas for Georgian citizens violates

the CIS agreement on visa-free travel; on the visa regime for

Russian military servicemen stationed in Georgia; and the

regime of visas for residents of conflict zones and the legal

status of refugees from Georgia in Russia and from Russia in

Georgia, according to ITAR-TASS. Georgia considers the

introduction of visas "inexpedient," while Moscow is

reportedly insisting upon it, according to Interfax. Then

Russian Premier Vladimir Putin proposed introducing a visa

regime for Georgia and Azerbaijan in November 1999 in order

to prevent Chechen fighters entering the Russian Federation

from those countries (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 4 November

1999). LF

[07] KAZAKHSTAN'S PRESIDENT SAYS MEDIA LACK OBJECTIVITY

Nursultan Nazarbaev accused the media in Kazakhstan of

depicting the situation in the country as far worse than in

really is, and of exacerbating interethnic tensions, Reuters

and Interfax reported the following day. Nazarbaev said that

freedom of the press is sacrosanct, but warned that the right

to freedom of speech "must not be turned into an instrument

for settling personal scores, misinforming society, and

discrediting the state." He called for an investigation into

the ownership and financing of individual media outlets,

which, he suggested, could reveal "interesting" connections

with unspecified hostile organizations abroad. LF

[08] KAZAKHSTAN'S PREMIER REJECTS CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS

spokesman for Qasymzhomart Toqaev on 20 April rejected

allegations of corruption leveled against the premier by

parliament deputies, Reuters reported. He denied that Toqaev,

who served for five years as foreign minister before being

appointed premier last October, has any connections with

business circles either in Kazakhstan or abroad. Toqaev's

dismissal had been rumored two months ago (see "RFE/RL

Newsline," 9 February 2000). LF

[09] KYRGYZ OPPOSITION HOLDS UNSANCTIONED DEMONSTRATION

supporters of opposition Ar-Namys party chairman Feliks Kulov

staged a demonstration in Bishkek on 20 April to demand his

release, RFE/RL's bureau in the Kyrgyz capital reported. They

also called for the annulment of the 12 March parliamentary

runoffs in Kara-Buura, where Kulov was defeated, and in

Issyk-Kul. Meanwhile opposition representatives have agreed

to convene a roundtable discussion under the aegis of the

OSCE to discuss internationally accepted norms for the

conduct of the presidential elections to be held later this

year. The roundtable will take place before 5 May, but the

opposition has not yet decided whether to invite President

Askar Akaev to attend. Akaev, for his part, told participants

in a media conference on 20 April that his administration

will hold a round table with the opposition in the next two

weeks. The opposition had earlier refused to participate in

such a gathering unless it was held under OSCE aegis. LF

[10] TAJIK EX-PREMIER CALLS FOR DIALOGUE WITH LEADERSHIP

Abdulladjonov, who is believed to be in exile in Uzbekistan,

has addressed an appeal to the heads of the Central Asian

Union states on the eve of their Tashkent summit to

facilitate a dialogue between the Tajik leadership and exiled

opposition figures, "Nezavisimaya gazeta" reported on 20

April. Abdulladjonov said such a dialogue should focus on

ways to enable opposition members to return to Tajikistan and

participate in building a civil society there. LF

[11] UZBEK, KAZAKH PRESIDENTS MEET

Nazarbaev met in Tashkent on 20 April on the sidelines of the

Central Asian summit to discuss bilateral relations and

regional security issues, Interfax reported. Government

delegations from the two countries met simultaneously to

discuss economic cooperation. LF

[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

[12] BAJUK FALLS SHORT IN SLOVENIAN VOTE

center-right candidate to become prime minister, received 44

out of 90 possible votes in the Slovenian parliament on 20

April (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 April 2000). Since he fell

short of the necessary 46-vote minimum, his supporters said

they will select a different candidate for a second round.

Should no one gain a majority in that vote, a third round

will take place in which only a simple majority of

legislators is necessary to select a prime minister. Center-

right leaders are confident that they can win in the third

round, Reuters reported. A spokesman for the Liberal Party of

outgoing Prime Minister Janez Drnovsek said, however, that

those legislators who did not vote for Bajuk favor early

elections, AP reported. President Milan Kucan also wants an

early ballot in order to provide a government with a clear

mandate. PM

[13] CROATIAN INTELLIGENCE CHIEF QUITS

of Croatia's key intelligence services (HIS), resigned on 20

April after complaining that appointees of President Stipe

Mesic are interfering with his work (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"

12 April 2000). He stressed that Mesic's people are blocking

his attempts to institute necessary reforms in the HIS,

"Globus" reported on 14 April. The dispute reflects a deeper

conflict between Mesic and Prime Minister Ivica Racan over

the powers of the president and the control of the

intelligence agencies. Racan believes that the government

must control the services. Mesic holds that the president

must ensure that the agencies remain independent of the

government. Under late President Franjo Tudjman, some

elements in the governing Croatian Democratic Community used

the intelligence services against their political rivals. PM

[14] TUDJMAN AIDE DENIES CHARGES IN 'VECERNJI LIST' AFFAIR

Pasalic, who was chief domestic affairs adviser to President

Tudjman, told "Slobodna Dalmacija" of 21 April that Mesic is

trying to subject him to a "public lynching" (see "RFE/RL

Newsline," 19 and 20 April 2000). Pasalic denied having ever

discussed with Tudjman the sale of "Vecernji list," which is

the daily with the largest circulation in Croatia. He

stressed that any charges to the contrary are a

"fabrication." Referring to an alleged recording of Tudjman

and Pasalic discussing the sale of the newspaper--which Mesic

said he found in Tudjman's offices--Pasalic said that

Tudjman's recordings are private property and that their

publication or use by others is illegal. PM

[15] HAGUE PREPARING BIGGER THINGS FOR CROATIA?

Dalmacija" of 21 April quoted Paul Risley, who is a spokesman

for the Hague-based war crimes tribunal, as saying that the

ongoing exhumations at Gospic are "only the beginning" of the

court's investigations of war crimes committed in Croatia

against ethnic Serbs and others (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18

April 2000). The tribunal will give priority to finding

evidence about atrocities that were systematically planned

with the involvement of the central authorities, the paper

added. Elsewhere, Mesic said that recent protests by war

veterans against the Gospic exhumations were much smaller

than the organizers had hoped for. He argued that the poor

turnout showed that the opponents of war crimes

investigations are a spent force and that most Croats want to

discover the truth. PM

[16] FINAL RESULTS IN BOSNIAN VOTE CONFIRMS NATIONALIST STRENGTH

Sarajevo that the outcome of the 8 April local and municipal

elections "reflected an increased plurality throughout

Bosnia-Herzegovina," Reuters reported. She apparently sought

to draw attention to the fact that the multiethnic Social

Democrats won in 15 municipalities, up from only one in the

previous vote. The Social Democrats did particularly well in

Sarajevo, Tuzla, and Gorazde. But elsewhere, the nationalist

parties remain firmly in control. Radovan Karadzic's Serbian

Democratic Party won in 49 municipalities, while the Croatian

Democratic Community (HDZ) took 25. The Muslim Party of

Democratic Action won in 23 by itself and in 11 more in

coalition with the more moderate Party for Bosnia-

Herzegovina. PM

[17] HDZ PURGE IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA

party chairman Marko Tokic announced the sackings of several

local HDZ officials in areas such as Siroki Brijeg and

Mostar, where many voters stayed away from the polls on 8

April. Tokic suggested that several thousand people who had

voted for the HDZ in previous elections did not vote this

time in order to show displeasure with officials "who misused

their positions," Hina reported. He said that many unnamed

officials at higher levels will also lose their posts soon.

Since the routing of the HDZ in the Croatian elections

earlier this year and the party's subsequent split, the

Herzegovinian HDZ has begun to prepare for a future without

the active support from Zagreb that it enjoyed in the past.

PM

[18] SERBIAN REGIME CONTINUES TO HARASS OPPONENTS

court on 20 April conducted a hearing in the libel suit

brought by Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Milovan Bojic

against Alliance for Change leader Milan Protic, "Danas"

reported. Elsewhere, officials of the mass-circulation

private daily "Blic" said that they will help the private

Beta news agency pay its fine in a gesture of solidarity (see

"RFE/RL Newsline," 19 April 2000). Finally, former General

Momcilo Perisic, who heads the small Movement for Democratic

Serbia, called for mass meetings in towns and cities across

Serbia that would constitute a "referendum" on behalf of

early elections and against the regime. PM

[19] DEMONSTRATIONS FOR KOSOVA ACTIVIST BROVINA

place in Prishtina and Belgrade on 20 April to demand freedom

for imprisoned Kosovar poet and rights activist Flora

Brovina, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported (see "RFE/RL

Newsline," 9 November 1999). PM

[20] SERBIAN PRESIDENT LEAVES HOSPITAL

Belgrade hospital on 21 April, Tanjug reported. Independent

media recently noted that he had a triple-bypass operation on

10 April and was originally scheduled to leave the hospital

some time ago. The Hague-based war crimes tribunal indicted

him in May 1999 along with Yugoslav President Slobodan

Milosevic and three other top Belgrade leaders in conjunction

with atrocities committed in Kosova. Persistent but

unconfirmed reports have suggested that he has meanwhile had

a falling-out with Milosevic and has spent at least some time

under house arrest. The regime media have denied such

reports. PM

[21] AN OLIVE BRANCH FROM DJUKANOVIC TO BELGRADE?

President Milo Djukanovic said in Podgorica on 20 April that

he has not been to Belgrade since early 1999 because the

authorities there showed no serious interest in discussing

the future of the federation. He stressed, however, that he

would be willing to go to Belgrade if there were a political

reason to do so. He is fully aware of "all the dangers that

such a move would involve," RFE/RL's South Slavic Service

reported. PM

[22] MONTENEGRIN LEGISLATURE APPROVES PRIVATIZATION PLANS

parliament in Podgorica voted on 20 April to proceed with the

voucher privatization of some 242 firms in the course of

2000. Among those companies affected are Telekom,

Elektroprivreda, Montenegrin Railways, and the Port of Bar.

The legislature is still debating a separate proposal to set

up a committee to oversee the privatization process (see

"RFE/RL Newsline," 20 April 2000). PM

[23] ROMANIAN GOVERNMENT APPROVES MILITARY STRATEGY

on 20 April decided to raise military spending from $710

million in 2000 to $1.19 billion by 2006 as part of Romania's

NATO accession quest, Reuters reported. The decision is part

of the military strategy endorsed at the meeting. The

strategy provides for reductions of armed forces personnel

from 180,000 at present to 112,000 troops and 28,000 civilian

employees by 2000. It still has to be approved by the

parliament before becoming law. MS

[24] ROMANIAN INTELLIGENCE SERVICE DENIES PACEPA 'RE-ACTIVATED'

(SIE) told the parliamentary commission overseeing the

activities of the service on 20 April that a general recently

re-integrated in the service by presidential decree is not

Ion Mihai Pacepa (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 April 2000).

Vasioiu told the commission that general Pacepa, now 72,

cannot be re-integrated, since the law mandates a maximum age

of 64 for those in service. He also said opposition leader

Adrian Nastase had "unfortunately done a great disservice to

SIE" by spreading "press speculations." The commission,

however, decided to summon SIE chief Catalin Harnagea for

further clarifications. Opposition members on the commission

said Vasioiu had been unable to confirm that Pacepa is not

working for SIE "as a civilian," Mediafax reported. MS

[25] ROMANIAN INDUSTRIAL MAMMOTH TO BE PRIVATIZED

Mugur Isarescu on 20 April told a meeting of the cabinet that

the huge communist-era steel maker SIDEX is in a "very

difficult financial situation" due to both its debt and

"management errors" and that the government must "make a

political decision" that would make possible the

privatization of the giant as early as possible, RFE/RL's

Bucharest bureau reported. State Property Fund chief Radu

Sarbu told the cabinet that SIDEX, which now employs some

28,000 workers, owed some $1 billion at the end of 1999. He

said that two foreign companies have expressed an interest in

SIDEX's privatization and that the "optimist" outlook is for

the company to be privatized by September 2000, while the

"pessimist" one is to conclude the deal by spring 2001. MS

[26] UN REPORT SAYS ROMANIAN POLLUTION DUE TO FAULTY DESIGN,

A UN Environment Program report says the

January spill of cyanide from the Aurul gold mine in Romania

that polluted the Tisa and Danube rivers was due to "a

combination of inherent design deficiencies in the industrial

process involved, inadequate operating conditions, and bad

weather," Reuters reported on 20 April. The report also

warned of possible "chronic health impacts" from the spill,

in view of the fact that it occurred in an area "already

contaminated with heavy metals due to a long history of

mining and metal processing." It said that the region's

"large number of poorly maintained and operated plants and

flotation ponds containing dangerous substances--many of

which continue to leak--are the source of a chronic pollution

problem." MS

[27] MOLDOVAN STUDENTS 'SUSPEND' STRIKE, DEMONSTRATIONS

in Chisinau on 20 April decided to "suspend" their protest

demonstrations and strike while delegating a few

representatives to continue negotiations with the

authorities. They said the demonstrations will resume on 24

April if their demands are not met by then, RFE/RL's Chisinau

bureau reported. Among those demands are the nullification of

fines imposed on students detained during the demonstrations,

the abrogation of an April 1999 government decision to reduce

the number of scholarships, and a 50 percent cut in fees paid

by students for interurban public transportation. Meanwhile,

the authorities announced that 149 persons were detained

during the violent three days of demonstrations. All of those

arrested were released except for two who have previous

criminal records. MS

[28] WORLD BANK FOLLOWS IMF ON MOLDOVA

"suspended" delivery of a second $20 million tranche from a

structural adjustment loan, Infotag reported. The bank's

Chisinau representative, Carlos Elbirt, said Moldova has

failed to meet some of the conditions linked to the loan,

above all the privatization of its wine and tobacco

industries. Also on 20 April, the international rating agency

Moody's downgraded Moldova's foreign currency country ceiling

for bonds and the rating for a $75 million Eurobond due to

mature in 2002, from B2 to B3. MS

[29] BULGARIAN PREMIER ADMITS 'MISTAKES' IN STRUGGLE AGAINST

Prime Minister Ivan Kostov, speaking on national

television on 20 April amid the growing scandal on corruption

among his party and government officials (see "RFE/RL

Newsline," 20 April 2000), said "I know that I have made

mistakes, but I also know that you [i.e. the people] will

forgive me." Kostov said he does not intend to "drop my

responsibilities as prime minister" and resign, AP reported.

He denied that his Union of Democratic Forces is about to

split and cause a governmental crisis, but spoke of "evident

errors" having been made in local and central administration

and of "insolence in our ranks." A poll recently conducted by

Gallup International shows that 52 percent of Bulgarians do

not trust the government--more than double the 25 percent

figure of May 1997. MS

[C] END NOTE

[30] Former Slovak Premier Arrested, Released

Former Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar had resisted

efforts by Slovak authorities to question him for months,

repeatedly refusing to accept a subpoena. On 20 April,

members of a masked special police unit used explosives to

gain entry to Meciar's villa in the western Slovak spa town

of Trencianske Teplice. Meciar, who was expecting the arrest,

had invited Slovak TV reporters to record the event from

inside the villa.

"The police, to violate my freedom, have to find some

way of getting in here. It is for them to decide what means

to use. As for me, I don't expect I'll attack the police, but

if they try to take me away, I'll resist."

In the end, Meciar surrendered without a struggle and

was taken in a convoy of 10 vehicles to Bratislava for

questioning.

The chief investigator, Interior Ministry General

Jaroslav Ivor, says Meciar has been charged with abuse of

power and fraud for having made illegal payments to members

of his cabinet despite repeated warnings by Slovakia's

Supreme auditing office.

Meciar had not left his villa, a former trade union

hotel, since March 26, when police tried but failed to serve

him a summons after a television debate with Prime Minister

Mikulas Dzurinda in Bratislava.

That summons was to answer questions in connection with

the 1995 abduction to Austria of the son of then-President

Michal Kovac.

Ivor says Meciar is also suspected of having committed

"sabotage" in connection with a secret annual report in 1995

of the Slovak Intelligence Service, or SIS.

For his part, Dzurinda says police did not consult with

him before picking up Meciar. He says the law must be applied

equally to all regardless of position or party affiliation.

Meciar's populist party, the Movement for a Democratic

Slovakia, or HZDS, has issued a statement saying Meciar's

detention is an unprecedented, illegal act that "confirms

[that] the Slovak Republic has become a police state with

elements of state terror."

The deputy chairman of the Party of the Democratic Left,

Peter Weiss, rejects the HZDS reaction as "inappropriate."

In recent days, Meciar has said that if he were detained

he would not answer investigators' questions. He has insisted

the investigation into the Kovac abduction is illegal and

unconstitutional.

Meciar, while serving as interim head of state,

amnestied those who were allegedly involved in the abduction.

Dzurinda subsequently repealed those amnesties, a move that

Meciar rejected. The Slovak Constitutional Court has also

ruled that repealing amnesties is unconstitutional.

Nevertheless, Slovak authorities have continued to

investigate Meciar and his former secret police chief.

Meciar remains simultaneously the most popular and the

most unpopular politician in Slovakia. Slovaks either love

him or hate him. His populist opposition party HZDS continues

to lead in the opinion polls.

Since losing parliamentary elections in September 1998

and presidential elections last year, Meciar has largely

remained out of the public eye. However, in recent weeks, he

has launched a petition campaign to force early elections, a

move that does not guarantee him a fourth return to office

but does put him back in the public eye. So does getting

detained in one's own home.

21-04-00

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

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