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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 4, No. 164, 00-08-25
RFE/RL NEWSLINE
Vol. 4, No. 164, 25 August 2000
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT GIVES PREMIER GREEN LIGHT TO RESHUFFLE CABINET
[02] ARMENIA DENIES LINK WITH MOSCOW BOMBING
[03] GENERAL SAYS ARMENIAN TANKS NOT REPAIRED IN GEORGIA
[04] ARMENIAN CAPITAL TO ERECT MONUMENT TO SLAIN PREMIER
[05] MORE AZERBAIJANI POLITICAL GROUPS CONDEMN EDITOR'S ARREST
[06] TBILISI DENIES CHECHEN FIGHTERS ENTERED INGUSHETIA FROM GEORGIAN
TERRITORY
[07] WEAK POINTS IN GEORGIAN CONSTITUTION HIGHLIGHTED
[08] KYRGYZSTAN TO ASK KAZAKHSTAN FOR HELP TO COMBAT MILITANTS
[09] KYRGYZ POLITICAL PARTIES CALL FOR ABOLITION OF LINGUISTIC COMMISSION
[10] KYRGYZ PREMIER DENIES HE WILL RUN FOR PRESIDENT
[11] TURKMEN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR INCREASED UN ROLE IN GUARDING PIPELINES
[12] RUSSIA OFFERS TO ASSIST UZBEKISTAN IN FIGHT WITH ISLAMIC MILITANTS
[13] UZBEK CLERGYMAN RISKS EXTRADITION...
[14] ...AS UZBEKISTAN PUBLISHES DATA ON PRISON POPULATION
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[15] MONTENEGRIN GOVERNMENT: LOCAL AUTHORITIES HAVE NO OBLIGATIONS IN
FEDERAL ELECTIONS
[16] TENSIONS BETWEEN MONTENEGRO, YUGOSLAV ARMY CONTINUE
[17] BOSNIAN SERB PRIME MINISTER BLASTS BELGRADE'S BLOCKADE
[18] ALBANIAN PRIME MINISTER WARNS OF MILOSEVIC'S WARMONGERING
[19] BRITAIN SLAMS YUGOSLAVIA IN HOSTAGE CRISIS
[20] MS. MILOSEVIC TO RUN FOR YUGOSLAV PARLIAMENT
[21] YUGOSLAV REGIME TO 'RESPECT' ELECTION RESULTS
[22] GREEK ANARCHISTS SET FIRE TO YUGOSLAV DIPLOMAT'S CAR
[23] 'ROAD RAGE' IN KOSOVA
[24] KOSOVARS SLAM KFOR
[25] CROATIA UPBEAT ON TOURIST SEASON
[26] ROMANIAN LIBERALS DEMAND FINANCE MINISTER'S DISMISSAL
[27] PRICE HIKES IN ROMANIA
[28] FBI OPENS BUCHAREST OFFICE
[29] FORMER BULGARIAN KING MEETS WITH PRESIDENT
[30] RUSSIA REQUESTS INFORMATION ON EXPELLED BUSINESSMEN
[C] END NOTE
[31] There is no end note today.
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT GIVES PREMIER GREEN LIGHT TO RESHUFFLE CABINET
Robert Kocharian said on 24 August that he will not oppose changes in the
composition of the cabinet if those changes ensure that the government has
strong backing in the parliament, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. Prime
Minister Andranik Markarian had warned the previous day that he may
sack government members aligned with the People's Party of Armenia if that
party moves closer to the parliamentary opposition (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
24 August 2000). Kocharian made clear that, contrary to rumors circulating
in Yerevan, he does not intend to sack Markarian, whose track-record
during his 100 days as premier was described by Kocharian as "positive."
"Today I can't say anything negative [about the government]. I think that
our cooperation has been positive, effective, and sincere. I have no reason
to be unhappy," Kocharian said. LF
[02] ARMENIA DENIES LINK WITH MOSCOW BOMBING
An Armenian Embassy official in Moscow rejected as "inadmissible and
groundless" Chechen State Council Chairman Malik Saidullaev's claim that
the 8 August explosion in the Russian capital was the result of a feud
between Armenian traders, according to Snark on 23 August, cited by Groong.
Saidullaev claimed that Armenians control trade in the capital's
underground pedestrian precincts. Saidullaev has offered $100,000 for
information on the perpetrators of the blast. He has frequently made
unsubstantiated statements in the past. LF
[03] GENERAL SAYS ARMENIAN TANKS NOT REPAIRED IN GEORGIA
Armenian armed forces chief of staff General Mikael Harutiunian told
RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau on 24 August that Armenia does not have its
military hardware repaired at the Russian military base at Vaziani, near
Tbilisi. He said Armenia has its own facilities for such repair and
maintenance work, which he said are "not inferior" to Russia's. Caucasus
Press had suggested on 22 August that the imminent closure of the
Vaziani base could deprive Armenia of access to repair facilities. LF
[04] ARMENIAN CAPITAL TO ERECT MONUMENT TO SLAIN PREMIER
The Yerevan city authorities have decided to rename one of the city's
streets after Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsian, who was among the eight
victims of the 27 October parliament shooting, Noyan Tapan reported on 24
August. A monument to Sargsian, who was a former defense minister, will be
erected near the Yerevan House of Officers. Yerevan Mayor Albert Bazeyan is
a former comrade-in-arms of Sargsian and a member of the Yerkrapah Union of
veterans of the Karabakh war, which he founded. LF
[05] MORE AZERBAIJANI POLITICAL GROUPS CONDEMN EDITOR'S ARREST
Three small political parties issued a statement in Baku on 24 August
condemning what they termed a campaign of repression against the opposition
Musavat Party and the 22 August arrest of Rauf Arifoglu, editor of the
party's newspaper "Yeni Musavat," Turan reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 23
August 2000). Also on 24 August, Shayin Abbasov, who heads the opposition
Azerbaijan Popular Front's Ordubad (Nakhichevan) branch, told Turan that
claims by the Azerbaijani authorities that Mehti Huseynli maintained
regular contacts with Popular Front member Ilgar Sayidoglu are untrue.
Huseynli had tried unsuccessfully on 18 August to hijack an Azerbaijani
Airlines flight. Abbasov said Huseynli met with Seyidoglu only once, on 16
August, to discuss the 5 November parliamentary poll. Sayidoglu has been
arrested on suspicion of complicity in the hijack attempt (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 22 August 2000). LF
[06] TBILISI DENIES CHECHEN FIGHTERS ENTERED INGUSHETIA FROM GEORGIAN
TERRITORY
The Georgian Border Guard Department on 24 August denied Russian media
reports that a group of Chechen fighters intercepted by Russian forces
earlier that day in Ingushetia had entered that republic from Georgia,
Interfax reported. Russian military spokesmen said the Chechens were
spotted the previous day in northern Georgia and subjected to air and
artillery bombardment. Those spokesmen said that almost all the estimated
100 Chechen fighters were killed in a battle with Russian forces on 24
August. Russian presidential aide Sergei Yastrzhembskii said in Moscow the
same day that the Chechen detachment was "likely" to have been part of
field commander Ruslan Gelaev's force, according to Interfax. LF
[07] WEAK POINTS IN GEORGIAN CONSTITUTION HIGHLIGHTED
Speaking on 24 August at a conference in Tbilisi pegged to the fifth
anniversary of the adoption of the Georgian Constitution, U.S. Ambassador
Kenneth Spencer Yalowitz suggested that the basic document could be amended
to provide stronger guarantees of freedom of religious belief, Caucasus
Press reported. Yalowitz called for greater democratization of local
government, specifically the election of local district officials, who are
currently appointed by Tbilisi. He also reportedly advocated the
"immediate" clarification of Georgia's territorial structure. The
constitution does not define the relationship between the central
government and the former autonomous formations of Abkhazia, Adzharia, and
South Ossetia. Yalowitz termed the adoption of the constitution "a positive
step toward a democratic society." Georgian Popular Front chairman Nodar
Natadze, however, was more negative, saying the constitution "was written
to ensure the functioning of a police state," according to Interfax. LF
[08] KYRGYZSTAN TO ASK KAZAKHSTAN FOR HELP TO COMBAT MILITANTS
Kazakhstan's Defense Minister General Sat Tokpakbaev told a press briefing
in Almaty on 24 August that Kyrgyzstan will formally request military
assistance from Astana to counter the Islamic threat to the south of
Kyrgyzstan, Interfax reported. He said that the fighting in Bostanlyk in
eastern Uzbekistan is close to the border with Kazakhstan but does
not pose a threat to Kazakhstan's security as Kazakhstan has been
strengthening its southern borders since late last year and has moved
additional troops into Dzhambyl Oblast. LF
[09] KYRGYZ POLITICAL PARTIES CALL FOR ABOLITION OF LINGUISTIC COMMISSION
The leaders of seven Kyrgyz political parties appealed on 24 August to the
Central Electoral Commission to annul its June ruling setting up a
commission to assess the Kyrgyz language proficiency of potential
presidential candidates, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported. Earlier this
week, nine presidential candidates asked the Kyrgyz Constitutional Court to
rule on the legality of the commission, which has so far barred three
candidates on the grounds of insufficient knowledge of the vernacular (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 23 August 2000). Meanwhile President Askar Akaev, who
was to have sat the mandatory tests on 22 or 23 August, has still not done
so. Presidential spokesman Osmonakun Ibraimov said on 24 August that Akaev
will take the language tests only after he formally announces his intention
to run in the 29 October presidential poll. LF
[10] KYRGYZ PREMIER DENIES HE WILL RUN FOR PRESIDENT
Amangeldi Muraliev told a cabinet meeting on 24 August that he does not
intend to contest the presidential poll, nor has his Unity Party formed an
election campaign staff, Interfax and RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported.
Masaliev said he will back President Akaev's bid for re-election. LF
[11] TURKMEN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR INCREASED UN ROLE IN GUARDING PIPELINES
In an article pegged to next month's UN Millennium Summit in New York,
Saparmurat Niyazov called for the UN to play a greater role in mediating a
solution to the war in Afghanistan, determining the international status of
the Caspian Sea, and providing for the safe functioning of international
oil and gas pipelines, "Nezavisimaya gazeta" reported on 24 August. The
"Wall Street Journal" reported on 18 August that Niyazov is now again
favoring the U.S.-backed Trans-Caspian pipeline route. That pipeline would
cross the territory of Azerbaijan and Georgia. Both those countries
belong to the GUUAM grouping, whose members have discussed creating their
own security force to guard the planned Baku- Ceyhan oil export pipeline.
LF
[12] RUSSIA OFFERS TO ASSIST UZBEKISTAN IN FIGHT WITH ISLAMIC MILITANTS
The first deputy chief of the Russian army general staff, Colonel General
Valerii Manilov, told journalists in Moscow on 24 August that Russia is
ready and willing to offer assistance to Uzbekistan to neutralize fighters
from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan who have twice invaded that
country this month, Russian agencies reported. Manilov characterized the
present situation in Uzbekistan as "under control." Uzbek Deputy Prosecutor-
General Azimzhon Ergashev told Interfax on 24 August that the Islamic
militants "are criminals and cannot be regarded as opposition members."
Uzbek government troops have orders to kill the militants rather than take
them prisoner. Also on 24 August, Tashkent police chief Shurakhim Rasulov
told Interfax that Interior Ministry and army troops have surrounded the
area where the Islamist gunmen who infiltrated from neighboring Tajikistan
earlier this week are believed to be located. LF
[13] UZBEK CLERGYMAN RISKS EXTRADITION...
Uzbek Imam Khadji Khudjaev was arrested by Russian police in Omsk last
weekend, apparently at the request of the Uzbek authorities, and may
be extradited to Uzbekistan, where he faces charges of involvement in the
February 1999 Tashkent bombings, according to an Amnesty International
press release of 23 August. Khudjaev fled Uzbekistan three years ago to
escape Uzbek police harassment of people thought to belong to independent
Islamic congregations. He then settled in the city of Ishim in Tyumen
Oblast. LF
[14] ...AS UZBEKISTAN PUBLISHES DATA ON PRISON POPULATION
Uzbekistan's official government newspaper "Pravda Vostoka" published in
its 24 August issued an Interior Ministry report that puts the total number
of people in the country's 47 prisons at 63,900, Reuters and AP reported.
Thirty-six percent of those were said to have been jailed for theft, and
24 percent for unspecified "serious crimes." The report said that there are
no political prisoners in Uzbekistan's jails. Unconfirmed reports say that
persons sentenced on political charges or for their religious beliefs are
generally incarcerated in a vast prison camp (not a jail) southwest of
the Aral Sea. LF
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[15] MONTENEGRIN GOVERNMENT: LOCAL AUTHORITIES HAVE NO OBLIGATIONS IN
FEDERAL ELECTIONS
The Justice Ministry has sent a letter to the heads of local governments,
informing them they are not legally obliged to play any role in the
Yugoslav federal elections on 24 September, Montena-fax reported on 24
August. The letter said that the local officials have a duty to maintain
voter registration lists and confirm that individuals are registered to
cast ballots in local and republican elections, but not in federal ones.
Prime Minister Filip Vujanovic said in Podgorica that the authorities will
not hinder citizens from casting their ballots, RFE/RL's South Slavic
Service reported. He added, however, that the government will wage a strong
campaign to convince Montenegrins that voting is tantamount to
participating in a project harmful to Montenegrin interests. PM
[16] TENSIONS BETWEEN MONTENEGRO, YUGOSLAV ARMY CONTINUE
Zarko Rakcevic, who heads Montenegro's Social Democratic Party, said in
Podgorica on 24 August that the army's recent blockade of the Montenegrin-
Bosnian border is just one more example of how the army works against
Montenegrin interests, Montena-fax reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 24
August 2000). He added that the army has lost its Yugoslav character. In
related news, shipyard director Stanko Zlokovic said in Bijela that
officials of the Yugoslav navy tried to create bureaucratic difficulties
for a ship that recently arrived from Cyprus for repairs. Zlokovic demanded
a meeting with Montenegrin authorities and Yugoslav military officials to
put an end to military practices that, Zlokovic argued, could deter
potential customers from having work done in Montenegrin shipyards. PM
[17] BOSNIAN SERB PRIME MINISTER BLASTS BELGRADE'S BLOCKADE
Milorad Dodik said in Banja Luka on 24 August that the Yugoslav army's
blockade of the border between Montenegro and the Republika Srpska is an
attempt to isolate Yugoslavia from positive political trends in the Bosnian
Serb entity, "Vesti" reported. The Frankfurt-based Serbian daily added that
its own unnamed sources in the Yugoslav military say the reason for the
blockade is to break up a smuggling ring. PM
[18] ALBANIAN PRIME MINISTER WARNS OF MILOSEVIC'S WARMONGERING
Ilir Meta said in Washington on 24 August that the international community
must continue to support the democratic government of Montenegro in order
to preserve peace in the Balkans. Meta told Reuters: "It is very important
that the government of Montenegro be patient and determined to develop
democracy. And it is very important for the international community to
follow with great concern and care the developments in Montenegro in order
not to be unprepared if Milosevic were to provoke another conflict
there, as it looks [like he will]." Meta charged that the Yugoslav leader
is a man "who cannot stop in his criminal course [of action].... He could
kill for a certain period the hopes of the Serbs and Montenegrins for
democratic change in Yugoslavia, [leaving] the international community
without a party in existing Yugoslavia for working for democracy, for
peace, stability and for regional cooperation." PM
[19] BRITAIN SLAMS YUGOSLAVIA IN HOSTAGE CRISIS
British deputy UN representative Stewart Eldon sharply criticized the
behavior of the Belgrade authorities in the ongoing crisis over Western
detainees in the Serbian capital (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 22 August 2000).
Eldon told the Security Council on 24 August: "The delay of 10 days between
arrest [of two Britons] and the permission of consular access was
unacceptable. The conditions under which the detainees are being held are
also unacceptable. They are in solitary confinement," Reuters reported. The
diplomat added that "these irregularities are inhumane and unjustifiable.
The current situation is a sad comment on the state of the regime
in Belgrade." Eldon repeated Britain's previous demand that the Yugoslav
authorities "immediately release the men or bring charges." PM
[20] MS. MILOSEVIC TO RUN FOR YUGOSLAV PARLIAMENT
Mira Markovic, who heads the hard-line United Yugoslav Left (JUL) and is
the wife of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, is running for
a seat in the parliament in the 24 September elections. She will seek to
represent the couple's hometown of Pozarevac at the head of a joint slate
that includes Milosevic's party as well as JUL. This is the first time that
she has run for that office, AP reported on 24 August. PM
[21] YUGOSLAV REGIME TO 'RESPECT' ELECTION RESULTS
Milosevic aide and indicted war criminal Nikola Sainovic said in Belgrade
on 24 August that the authorities will "respect the will of the citizens"
as expressed in the upcoming ballot, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service
reported. In other election news, the Yugoslav government decided to put
aside $18 million in foreign exchange reserves to purchase crude oil and
refined oil products to ease shortages in the runup to the elections,
Reuters reported. And leaders of Vuk Draskovic's Serbian Renewal Movement
decided to take part in the federal elections, thereby ending their
previous threat of a boycott. PM
[22] GREEK ANARCHISTS SET FIRE TO YUGOSLAV DIPLOMAT'S CAR
Members of an anarchist group calling itself Anarchist Struggle set
fire to the car of the Yugoslav military attache in Athens in the early
hours of 25 August, Reuters reported. Nobody was injured. The news agency
said that the incident seems to be the latest in a series of apparently
random attacks on cars with diplomatic license plates and was not
necessarily directed against Yugoslavia. Most diplomats in Athens drive
cars with ordinary Greek license plates to avoid being targeted by
terrorists. PM
[23] 'ROAD RAGE' IN KOSOVA
A crowd of ethnic Albanians set fire to a vehicle belonging to the
International Organization for Migration in Skenderaj on 25 August. The
vehicle had blocked a road for three hours while police checked it for a
bomb that was alleged to be in the vehicle. The bomb threat turned
out to be a hoax, AP reported. An IOM spokeswoman said in Geneva that the
driver of the vehicle was forced to seek safety from the angry Kosovars in
a nearby UN building. She added: "The IOM, which has been working for over
one year towards the rebuilding of Kosovo, is outraged at this event
and has turned the matter over to the criminal authorities." PM
[24] KOSOVARS SLAM KFOR
Some 200 angry mourners attended the 24 August funeral in Svinjare of two
ethnic Albanians recently killed by peacekeepers from the United Arab
Emirates (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 24 August 2000). The local mufti said:
"This is a nasty killing and especially because it comes from a Muslim
brother. Those responsible should receive the deserved punishment," AP
reported. A relative of the dead men added: "They resisted Serbian
oppression only...to be killed now, in their own land. No one ever imagined
that KFOR soldiers would shoot and kill the people of Kosova." PM
[25] CROATIA UPBEAT ON TOURIST SEASON
Despite a heat wave that has led to numerous fires, the Croatian government
believes that this year's tourist season will be a success, RFE/RL's
South Slavic Service reported on 24 August. Total tourist revenues are
expected to reach $3.2 billion , and the total number of overnight stays by
tourists is up 47 percent compared with 1999. PM
[26] ROMANIAN LIBERALS DEMAND FINANCE MINISTER'S DISMISSAL
In a 24 August press release, the National Liberal Party (PNL) asked Prime
Minister Mugur Isarescu to distance himself from Finance Minister Decebal
Traian Remes's political support, "Adevarul" reported. The demand comes one
day after Remes and seven other PNL leaders announced they are leaving the
PNL and setting up a "true" liberal group. The eight protested Theodor
Stolojan's endorsement as the PNL's presidential candidate. The PNL,
meanwhile, announced that it will analyze the possibility of withdrawing
its political support for Remes as finance minister. ZsM
[27] PRICE HIKES IN ROMANIA
The Romanian government has approved a 25 percent increase in thermal
energy prices, Romanian media reported on 24 August. The increase will have
a negative impact on the already high inflation rate, estimated by the
government to reach 32-35 percent this year, higher than the initial
government projection of 27 percent. The measure comes as an IMF mission in
Bucharest reviews the country's economic performance, including the higher-
than- expected inflation rate. The government also issued a decree
announcing that parliamentary and presidential elections will take place on
26 November. ZsM
[28] FBI OPENS BUCHAREST OFFICE
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) opened a Legal Attache's
Office in the Romanian capital on 24 August, Romanian media reported. The
bureau will facilitate an information exchange between the FBI and Romanian
secret services in the spheres of combating economic crime, flesh peddling,
child pornography, and organized crime. The office, which is staffed by two
FBI special agents and an assistant, will also offer training and
modern equipment for combating cross-border crime. ZsM
[29] FORMER BULGARIAN KING MEETS WITH PRESIDENT
The deposed king of Bulgaria, Simeon II, held talks with President Petar
Stoyanov in Sofia on 24 August, dpa reported. Simeon, who was accompanied
by his wife, Margarita, and his son, Prince Kardam, declined to comment on
the meeting. There is some speculation that Simeon, who fled to Spain after
he was deposed by the Communists in 1946, may be nominated as a candidate
for president in elections scheduled to take place next year. PB
[30] RUSSIA REQUESTS INFORMATION ON EXPELLED BUSINESSMEN
The Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry announced on 23 August that it has
asked Bulgaria's National Security Service to provide information on its
decision to expel four Russian businessmen (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21
August 2000), Bulgarian Radio reported. The same day, Deputy Foreign
Minister Marin Raykov met with Russia's ambassador in Sofia, Vladimir
Titov. The Russian side indicated that it is interested only in the
cases of three of the Russians, not that of Michael Chorny, who also has
U.S. and Israeli citizenship. The Financial Intelligence Service reported
the following day that it has launched a probe into the origin of the money
that Chorny invested in Bulgarian businesses (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 24
August 2000). PB
[C] END NOTE
[31] There is no end note today.
25-08-00
Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
URL: http://www.rferl.org
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