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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 4, No. 161, 00-08-22Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>RFE/RL NEWSLINEVol. 4, No. 161, 22 August 2000CONTENTS[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[C] END NOTE
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA[01] KARABAKH PRESIDENT APPEALS TO PARLIAMENTARY OPPOSITIONIn an interview published in "Azat Artsakh," Arkadii Ghukasian, president of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, called on the opposition Armenian Revolutionary Federation-- Dashnaktsutiun (HHD) faction in the enclave's parliament to desist from "intolerance, denial, and confrontation" and become "a constructive opposition," Noyan Tapan reported on 21 August. That appeal was made in response to a statement the HHD faction released late last month criticizing the Ghukasian leadership for authoritarian tendencies and appealing for popular support to reverse what it termed a retreat from democratization (see "RFE/RL Armenia Report," 28 July 2000). LF[02] OFFICIALS DENY CHECHEN PRESIDENT CURRENTLY IN AZERBAIJANThe Azerbaijani National Security Ministry on 21 August issued a statement denying an Interfax report earlier that day that Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov is currently in Azerbaijan, Interfax and Turan reported. It also denied that Chechen rebels come to Azerbaijan to recuperate from fighting. "There is not a single Chechen rebel on the territory of Azerbaijan," the statement said. Azerbaijani Presidential administration official Ali Hasanov similarly dismissed the Interfax report as "unfounded rumors." An unidentified Chechen representative in the Azerbaijani capital told Turan that Maskhadov is in Chechnya. LF[03] FORMER PRESIDENT'S BODYGUARD ARRESTED IN AZERBAIJANI HIJACK CASE...Ilgar Sayidoglu, a member of the Azerbaijan Popular Front (AHCP) who heads former President Abulfaz Elchibey's personal bodyguard team, was arrested with three other AHCP members in a teahouse in the Ordubad Raion of Nakhichevan on 18 August, Turan reported on 21 August. He is suspected of complicity in the unsuccessful attempt by Mehti Huseynli, a member of the Nakhichevan branch of the opposition Musavat Party, to hijack a passenger aircraft en route from Nakhichevan to Baku (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 August 2000). Sayidoglu's lawyer Ramiz Hadjiev told Interfax that although his client knows Huseynli personally, there is not even any circumstantial evidence to link him with the thwarted hijack. AHCP first deputy chairman Ali Kerimov termed Sayidoglu's arrest an attempt to discredit the AHCP, adding that Sayidoglu intended to run as the party's candidate in the Julfa-Ordubad electoral district in the 5 November parliamentary elections. LF[04] ...WHILE OPPOSITION PARTY LEADER CONDEMNS ARRESTMusavat Party leader Isa Gambar told Turan on 21 August in Baku that his party issued a statement on 18 August condemning the abortive hijack by one of its members. He attributed the authorities' attempt to incriminate AHCP members in the crime to a desire to discredit the election alliance formed by Musavat and the AHCP (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 7 August 2000). LF[05] GEORGIAN PRESIDENT RULES OUT DIRECT RULE FOR SVANETI...Speaking at a press briefing in Tbilisi on 21 August, President Eduard Shevardnadze said he will not introduce direct presidential rule in the northwestern region of Svaneti, the scene of repeated abductions, Caucasus Press reported. Shevardnadze admitted that the situation in Svaneti gives grounds for concern, but he added that it is no worse than elsewhere in Georgia. He blamed one family for the high crime rate in the remote mountain region but declined to give its name. The former governor of the region last week suggested granting Svaneti autonomy and imposing direct presidential rule (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 August 2000). LF[06] ...SAYS KAZAKHSTAN COMMITTED TO EXPORT OIL VIA GEORGIAShevardnadze said during his traditional Monday radio broadcast on 21 August that during last week's informal CIS summit in Yalta he discussed with his Kazakh counterpart, Nursultan Nazarbaev, exports of Kazakh oil via the planned Baku-Ceyhan pipeline, BS-Press and Interfax reported. Shevardnadze said Nazarbaev made a commitment to export a minimum of 20 million metric tons of crude per year via that pipeline and also to increase to 10 million tons the amount of oil it exports annually by rail through Georgia. LF[07] KYRGYZ PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES ALLEGE OFFICIAL HARASSMENTEight of the 17 registered candidates in the 29 October Kyrgyz presidential poll convened a press conference in Bishkek on 21 August at which they accused government and local officials of illegally obstructing their efforts to collect signatures in their support, Interfax and RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported. Parliamentary deputy Dooronbek Sadyrbaev, deputy parliamentary speaker Omurbek Tekebaev, and former parliamentary deputy Yuruslan Toichubekov all said that members of their campaign staff have been harassed or beaten. Toichubekov also alleged that members of the Kyrgyz government are actively campaigning for President Askar Akaev and that Premier Amangeldy Muraliev is acting as the chief of Akaev's campaign staff. The candidates stressed Akaev's responsibility for ensuring that the poll is held in accordance with the country's laws and constitution. LF[08] SPORADIC CLASHES CONTINUE IN SOUTHERN KYRGYZSTANKyrgyz government troops and Islamic militants continue to clash on the border between Kyrgyzstan's Osh Oblast and Tajikistan, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported on 21 August, citing the Defense Ministry. A Kyrgyz military commander in Osh told RFE/RL that numerous groups of 10-15 militants are deployed on the Tajik side of the border. No further casualties have been reported. LF[09] TAJIKISTAN EXTRADITES ALLEGED TERRORIST TO RUSSIAThe Tajik authorities on 21 August extradited to Russia a man wanted on charges of organizing a series of explosions in Tatarstan, ITAR-TASS reported. The Tajik police had arrested the man at the request of the Russian Interior Ministry. LF[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE[10] HAGUE PROSECUTOR FRUSTRATED, OPTIMISTIC ON BOSNIAN SERB ARRESTSCarla Del Ponte told the "Financial Times" of 22 August that she is not happy about the "lack of communication" between U.S. and French peacekeepers in Bosnia, which she blames for NATO's failure to arrest indicted war criminal Radovan Karadzic. She also expressed concern that "the Americans want zero risk, which is impossible if you want to arrest a criminal." Del Ponte nonetheless said that she is "certain" that NATO has the political will to bring war criminals to justice, adding that she hopes to have Karadzic, General Ratko Mladic, or Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic behind bars in The Hague within 12 months. Del Ponte noted that the tribunal needs more money and judges to handle even its current case load. PM[11] BOSNIAN NGOS TO PROMOTE REFUGEE RETURNFour non-governmental organizations have joined the initiative by the International League of Humanists (ILH) to form "an expert group of professionals to monitor the return process [of refugees to Bosnia] independent of local authorities and Western peace agencies," Reuters reported from Sarajevo on 21 August. The NGOs will also inform would-be returnees about what to expect when they go home. Several NGO officials said that Bosnian Serb Prime Minister Milorad Dodik has not kept his promise to promote the return of Croatian and Muslim refugees to the Republika Srpska. Roman Catholic Bishop Franjo Komarica, who remained in Serb-held territory during the 1992-1995 conflict, noted that only 1,090 Croats have gone back to the Banja Luka area since the war ended. He added that "here we see a tendency to cement a crime against humanity," by which he meant ethnic cleansing. Komarica himself has not been able to return to his own pre-war apartment. PM[12] MESIC SACKS CROATIAN AMBASSADOROn the recommendation of Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula, President Stipe Mesic fired Davorin Rudolf as ambassador to Italy, where he had served since 1993, "Novi List" reported on 22 August. Mesic told reporters in Dubrovnik that Rudolf's recent behavior gave him no choice. In an interview with "Slobodna Dalmacija," Rudolf recently criticized the government's decision to recall some 35 diplomats as politically motivated. Rudolf added that he knew he would be sacked because he was close to the late President Franjo Tudjman. PM[13] THACI: VIOLENCE WILL NOT AFFFECT KOSOVA ELECTIONS...Hashim Thaci, who is a former leader of the Kosova Liberation Army and now a politician, said at the UN on 21 August that recent violent incidents against Serbs will not affect the 28 October local elections. "We are firm in organizing the elections and developing these new democratic institutions. It is in the Serbs' interests and our interests to build a new life together," AP reported. Referring to the recent bombing of the building housing OSCE offices in Prishtina, Thaci said: "This is an attack on elections and the political process in Kosova. The groups that are not interested in stability and order in Kosovo are doing these actions" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18 August 2000). The former guerrilla leader defended KFOR's recent take-over of the Trepca mining complex: "This act is not anti- Serbian. Trepca must be administered by international forces and Kosova, including the Serbs. We will engage them," he argued. PM[14] ...BUT GERMAN MINISTER NOT SO SUREDefense Minister Rudolf Scharping said in Prizren on 21 August that he is concerned about the security situation in Kosova in the runup to the local elections. "There are some concerns, especially in relation to the preparation of elections in a few weeks, and we have to make sure that there's no risk for those who represent democratic values and power," AP reported. He paid a one-day visit to German troops, whose headquarters are in Prizren (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 August 2000). PM[15] ARTEMIJE CALLS FOR PROTECTION FOR KOSOVA SERBSSerbian Orthodox Archbishop Artemije visited the village of Crkvena Vodica, where nine children were recently injured in a grenade attack, "Danas" reported on 22 August (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 August 2000). Artemije and his aides called on the family of each child and distributed money collected by believers. Artemije said later in Gracanica that local residents told him that Norwegian peacekeepers only occasionally pass through the village and do not guard the children's playground. He added that some residents of the village told him bitterly that they would prefer even Arab peacekeepers to the Norwegians, who, they said, show no interest in defending the Serbs. PM[16] MILOSEVIC'S GENERAL: YUGOSLAV MILITARY DOCTRINE AGAINST DOMESTIC FOESGeneral Nebojsa Pavkovic, who heads the General Staff and has increasingly become Milosevic's chief spokesman on military affairs, has indicated that the new defense doctrine is primarily directed against Milosevic's internal enemies (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 August 2000). He told state-run media recently that the doctrine's goal is to "prevent and eliminate internal crises, [and] deter potential foes from aggression.... [It] is based on the determination of the Serbian and Montenegrin people to preserve and defend their sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence, and the constitution...from all forms of military threats to the nation's security," AP reported on 21 August. Pavkovic argued that "endangering the country's stability could be achieved from abroad and from within the country as well, both in armed or nonviolent means." He referred to Milosevic as the "supreme commander," even though that title is not mentioned in the Yugoslav Constitution. PM[17] BRITAIN SUMMONS YUGOSLAV ENVOYThe Foreign Office on 22 August summoned Rade Drobac, who is Belgrade's chief envoy in London, Reuters reported. A spokesman said that Foreign Office Minister Peter Hain wants the two Britons held in Belgrade to be either charged or released (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 August 2000). "In effect, they have already served three weeks in prison," the spokesman noted. PM[18] CANADIANS ALSO MISTREATED IN YUGOSLAV CAPTIVITYA Canadian diplomat said in Belgrade on 21 August that the two Canadian citizens now held in a Belgrade jail were "roughed up" by their captors during the first days of their captivity in Montenegro, Reuters reported on 21 August (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 August 2000). Charge d'affaires Angela Bogdan added that the two have since been treated "exceptionally well" in Belgrade. PM[19] SERBIAN OPPOSITION LIKELY NOT TO RUN CANDIDATES IN MONTENEGROZoran Djindjic, who is campaign manager for the Democratic Opposition of Serbia, said in Belgrade on 21 August that the opposition's priority in the campaign leading up to the 24 September Yugoslav elections is Serbia, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. He added that the opposition is unlikely to run slates in Montenegro because of the Montenegrin authorities' opposition to the ballot, which President Milo Djukanovic regards as illegal and unconstitutional. Djindjic appealed to supporters of Vuk Draskovic's Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO) to vote for the Democratic Opposition's presidential candidate, Vojislav Kostunica, "Vesti" reported. Elsewhere, the SPO leadership decided that Draskovic will head the party's electoral lists, "Blic" reported. PM[20] ROMANIAN PARTY SAYS PREMIER MUST RESIGN IF HE RUNS FOR PRESIDENTNational Liberal Party deputy Vasile Mandroviceanu called on Prime Minister Mugur Isarescu to resign from his post should he decide to run for president, Romanian media reported. Mandroviceanu said the premier would have to resign to prevent any suspicion that government facilities would be used in his campaign for president. The same opinion is held by the main opposition Party of Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR), although there are no legal provisions that force the premier to step down. In an open letter addressed to Isarescu, the PDSR also asked the premier to set 12 November as the date for parliamentary elections. ZsM[21] MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT ON CIS MEETING IN YALTAPetru Lucinschi said on 21 August that the CIS will "never become a viable, efficient organization" unless it creates a free-trade zone with a "mutually acceptable tariff policy," Infotag reported. Lucinschi made his comments three days after the 18 August summit in Yalta. He said that the other CIS member presidents realize the need for the free-trade zone and "are ready to work hard to deepen the integration processes." Lucinschi said that he held meetings with the presidents of Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Georgia during last week's summit. PB[22] BULGARIA TO EXPEL MORE FOREIGN BUSINESSMENBulgaria's National Security Service (NSS) said on 21 August that it will expel seven or eight foreigners in addition to the five banned last week (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 August 2000), Reuters reported. Atanas Atanassov, the director of NSS, said all those "who threaten the country's security with their actions will be deprived of their right to remain [in Bulgaria]." He said the five banned last week had "introduced into Bulgaria's economy great amounts of money of unclear origin. This creates preconditions for compromising Bulgaria's image internationally." Atanassov said the expulsions cannot be appealed in court but added that businessmen can continue to operate their businesses in Bulgaria from abroad. PB[23] BULGARIA, TURKEY TO ACCELERATE PROJECTS TO PROMOTE TIESTurkish Deputy Premier Mesut Yilmaz said on 21 August that Ankara will speed up work on infrastructure projects in Bulgaria to boost bilateral relations, Reuters reported. Yilmaz, speaking after a meeting in the Black Sea town of Evksinograd with Bulgarian Prime Minister Ivan Kostov, said that delays on construction of the Maritsa highway and the Gorna Arda hydroelectric power station need to be overcome. He added that Ankara views Bulgaria as "a future partner in NATO--and together we regard ourselves as future full members of the EU." Turkey is the 10th largest investor in Bulgaria and a large importer of electricity. PB[24] TOMB OF THRACIAN RULER DISCOVERED IN BULGARIAArcheologists said on 21 August that they have discovered the tomb of an ancient Thracian ruler, BTA reported. The find is next to the biggest Thracian-era remains ever found in Bulgaria, near the village of Starosel, some 160 kilometers east of Sofia. PB[C] END NOTE[25] RUSSIAN BISHOPS REJECT KUCHMA'S PLEA FOR UKRAINIAN AUTONOMOUS CHURCHBy Jan MaksymiukLast week in Moscow, some 150 bishops convened for the four-day Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church. The situation of Orthodoxy in Ukraine was one of the topics discussed by that forum. Before the Russian bishops' meeting, President Leonid Kuchma had sent a telegram to Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Aleksii II asking the patriarch and the Council of Bishops to consider the possibility of granting autonomy to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (subordinated to the Moscow Patriarchate). Kuchma's request was reportedly considered on 15 August and backed by "a number of bishops from western Ukraine led by Bishop of Vyshhorod Pavel." The forum, however, refused to consider the petition, saying that secular authorities should not interfere in Church affairs. The situation surrounding Ukrainian Orthodoxy remains very difficult. Currently, Ukraine has three Orthodox Churches: the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kyiv Patriarchate), and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. The Moscow Patriarchate recognizes the Church subordinated to itself as the only canonical Orthodox Church in Ukraine, viewing followers of the other two Churches as "schismatics." The official status of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) is unclear, however. In 1992 the Russian Orthodox Church granted its Ukrainian branch the right of self-governance. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) has its own Synod of Bishops; it is empowered to consecrate new bishops without any special authorization from Moscow; and it can also canonize its own saints. Technically speaking, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) is an autonomous structure. But in this case it appears that names do matter: the word "autonomous" does not appear in the Church's name or in any of the documents related to that Church. According to the Moscow-based "Segodnya," most members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)-- particularly from Ukraine's eastern regions and Odesa--think that granting autonomy to their Church will encourage those in Ukraine who want the full independence of Ukrainian Orthodoxy from Moscow. And this, the newspaper maintains, is what those believers fear. Official Kyiv, on the other hand, has repeatedly voiced the opinion that it wants Ukraine's three Orthodox Churches to be united into a "Ukrainian Local Orthodox Church." Judging by the reaction of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kyiv's striving is strongly supported by Constantinople Patriarch Bartholomew I, who traditionally enjoys a special status among the world's Orthodox patriarchs. Ukraine's Metropolitan of Odesa and Izmail Agafangel (Moscow Patriarchate) told journalists on 17 August that the Moscow forum condemned the Constantinople patriarch's "unprecedented interference" in the canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox Church, meaning Estonia and Ukraine. (In 1996 some members of Estonia's Orthodox Church pledged juridical subordination to the Constantinople Patriarchate, but the Moscow Patriarchate has refused to acknowledge Constantinople's canonical rights over Estonia.) "Patriarch Bartholomew declared Ukraine to be his canonical territory which is a gross violation of Church canons," ITAR-TASS quoted Agafangel as saying. According to Agafangel, the "dissenters" (followers of the Kyiv Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church) are planning to convene an All-Ukrainian Council of Bishops at which Metropolitan Volodymyr (Moscow Patriarchate) will be forced to resign and his powers will be passed to the Constantinople Patriarchate's representative. Agafangel expressed his regret that Bartholomew is depending on the support of "Ukrainian nationalists and politicians who, in violation of the law, meddle in Church affairs." Some Ukrainian media reported earlier this month that talks on the unification of Ukrainian Orthodoxy were expected to take place in Chambessy, Switzerland, on 20 August, with the participation of representatives from Ukraine's three Orthodox Churches, government officials, and Constantinople Patriarch Bartholomew. But this report has not been officially confirmed. Judging by the Russian Orthodox Church's position on Ukraine, which was reaffirmed at its Council of Bishops last week, such talks would be highly unlikely to yield any results. To put it bluntly, the Moscow Patriarchate would allow the unification of the Ukrainian Churches only under one condition--namely, the "return of schismatics" under the wing of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which itself would continue to be in "canonical unity" with the Russian Orthodox Church. 22-08-00 Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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