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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 5, No. 22, 01-02-01
RFE/RL NEWSLINE
Vol. 5, No. 22, 1 February 2001
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] PROSECUTOR DEMANDS 15-YEAR SENTENCE FOR FORMER KARABAKH DEFENSE
MINISTER
[02] SENIOR AZERBAIJANI OFFICIAL SLAMS WAR INVALIDS' DEMANDS
[03] AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT NAMES NEW BAKU MAYOR
[04] AZERBAIJANI JOURNALISTS PROTEST INCREASED VAT ON NEWSPRINT
[05] IRAN SENDS HUMANITARIAN AID TO AZERBAIJAN
[06] UN SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS GEORGIAN OBSERVER MISSION'S MANDATE...
[07] ...AS RUSSIA DOES LIKEWISE FOR PEACEKEEPING FORCE
[08] GEORGIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH, JEWISH COMMUNITY SIGN COOPERATION AGREEMENT
[09] KAZAKH PRESIDENT CREATES NATIONAL FUND
[10] PRIVATE TV CHANNELS SUSPEND BROADCASTS TO PROTEST DRAFT KAZAKH MEDIA
LAW
[11] ONE KAZAKH OPPOSITION POLITICIAN STEPS DOWN...
[12] ...AS ANOTHER IS STABBED
[13] JAILED KYRGYZ OPPOSITION LEADER'S FAMILY TO SEEK POLITICAL ASYLUM
ABROAD...
[14] ...AS HIS PARTY OUTLINES FUTURE PLANS
[15] TAJIK PRESIDENT, UN ENVOY DISCUSS AFGHAN FUGITIVES
[16] MORE ISLAMISTS DETAINED IN TAJIKISTAN
[17] TAJIK ALUMINUM OUTPUT UP 30 PERCENT
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[18] UN DISMISSES URANIUM THREAT IN KOSOVA
[19] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT PORTRAYS SERBIA AS VICTIM
[20] DOZENS INJURED IN KOSOVSKA MITROVICA
[C] END NOTE
[21] There is no end note today.
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] PROSECUTOR DEMANDS 15-YEAR SENTENCE FOR FORMER KARABAKH DEFENSE
MINISTER
Prosecutor Vartan Avagian on 31 January called on the Supreme Court of the
unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic to hand down a 15-year prison
sentence on the enclave's former Defense Minister, Samvel Babayan, RFE/RL's
Stepanakert correspondent reported. He also said that Babayan's property
should be confiscated, and that he should be barred from holding any senior
government position for five years after his release. The prosecution
argues that Babayan master-minded the attempt last March to assassinate
Karabakh President Arkadii Ghukasian with the aim of seizing power. Babayan
has denied any involvement in that attack (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14
December 2000). LF
[02] SENIOR AZERBAIJANI OFFICIAL SLAMS WAR INVALIDS' DEMANDS
Presidential administration head Ramiz Mekhtiev told Turan on 31 January
that the Azerbaijani leadership considers the hunger-striking Karabakh war
invalids' demands for increased benefits "illegal," "groundless" and
"politically motivated" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 24 and 31 January 2001). He
said that the government already provides them with the maximum financial
assistance possible given the size of the state budget, adding that "It is
inadmissible to put in groundless claims on behalf of invalids, demonstrate
disrespect for the laws, and use the language of ultimatums and pressure in
conversation with state institutions." Police in Baku on 1 February again
surrounded the building where the headquarters of the society representing
the invalids is located, Turan reported. Police have also expelled hunger-
striking invalids from premises in Khachmas, Guba and Hadjigabul. LF
[03] AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT NAMES NEW BAKU MAYOR
President Heidar Aliev appointed Hajibala Abutalibov as mayor of Baku on 30
January, Turan reported the following day. Abutalibov had served as mayor
of Surakhany from 1994-1999, when he was named a deputy prime minister. He
succeeds Rafael Allakhverdiev, a long-time ally of President Aliev who
submitted his resignation and split with the present leadership last fall
(see "RFE/RL Caucasus Report," Vol. 3, No. 40, 13 October 2000 and No. 42,
27 October 2000). Allakhverdiev had identified Abutalibov as his probable
successor. LF
[04] AZERBAIJANI JOURNALISTS PROTEST INCREASED VAT ON NEWSPRINT
A group of Azerbaijani journalists picketed the State Customs Committee on
31 January to protest the recent 100 percent increase in VAT on imported
newsprint, Turan reported. They accused the Azerbaijani authorities of
trying to bankrupt independent newspapers and said they will conduct
further protest actions unless the increase is rescinded. Turan reported on
1 February that the Azerbaijani Commodity Exchange has announced as auction
of newsprint to be held the following day, for which the initial bid is
fixed at 3 million manats ($627) per ton, plus a currency exchange duty of
1 percent. The registration fee for participation in the auction is 30,000
manats. LF
[05] IRAN SENDS HUMANITARIAN AID TO AZERBAIJAN
A consignment from Iran's Imam Khomeini Charity Fund that includes 60 tons
of rice, 20 tons of dates, and cooking oil arrived in Baku on 31 January,
the Islamic Republic News Agency reported the next day. The foodstuffs are
to be distributed among needy families by the Fund. According to Bahram
Kazemzadeh, who heads the Fund's Baku office, his branch supports more than
10,000 families. Ahmad Qazi, Tehran's Ambassador to Baku, said that
provision of such a donation is in line with the goals of Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini, the father of Iran's Islamic Revolution. AWS
[06] UN SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS GEORGIAN OBSERVER MISSION'S MANDATE...
The UN Security Council voted unanimously on 31 January to prolong for a
further six months the mandate of the UN Observer Mission in Georgia
(UNOMIG), RFE/RL's UN correspondent reported. Noting that "the situation in
the conflict zone remains very volatile," the Council adopted a resolution
calling on Georgia and particularly Abkhazia to embark on immediate talks
aimed at reaching a political settlement of the conflict that would define
Abkhazia's status within Georgia. Georgian Ambassador to the UN Petre
Chkheidze objected to a provision of that resolution that called on Georgia
to sign a draft agreement on peace and the non-resumption of hostilities
that has been under discussion for over two years, terming it
"unacceptable" and "dubious in several respects." He said insistence on
signing that agreement could jeopardize Abkhaz-Georgian talks on confidence-
building to be held in Yalta in March. LF
[07] ...AS RUSSIA DOES LIKEWISE FOR PEACEKEEPING FORCE
Also on 31 January, the Federation Council complied with a request from
Russian President Vladimir Putin and voted by 116 to three to extend for a
further six months the mandate of the 3,000-strong Russian peacekeeping
force deployed under the CIS aegis along the border between Abkhazia and
the rest of Georgia, Russian agencies reported. LF
[08] GEORGIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH, JEWISH COMMUNITY SIGN COOPERATION AGREEMENT
Representatives of the Georgian Orthodox Church and Georgia's Jewish
community signed an agreement on 31 January at the Georgian parliament
pledging mutual respect and support, Caucasus Press reported. The two
denominations also vowed to cooperate in furthering democratization and
peace and stability in Georgia and the entire South Caucasus. The Georgian
Orthodox Church has signed similar agreements with the Armenian Apostolic
Church, the Catholic Church in Georgia and the All-Caucasus Muslim
Religious Board. LF
[09] KAZAKH PRESIDENT CREATES NATIONAL FUND
Nursultan Nazarbaev has used the $660 million that Kazakhstan received from
the sale last year to Chevron Overseas of a further 5 percent stake in the
Tengizchevroil joint venture to create a national fund, Reuters and
RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reported on 31 January. The fund is intended to
offset losses to the national budget resulting from fluctuations in the
world market prices for raw materials. Nazarbaev will head the governing
board of that fund, of which the prime minister and national bank governor
will be ex officio members. LF
[10] PRIVATE TV CHANNELS SUSPEND BROADCASTS TO PROTEST DRAFT KAZAKH MEDIA
LAW
Private television stations in Qaraghandy, Aqtobe, Shymkent, Oskemen,
Ekibastuz and Temirtau suspended broadcasts for one day to register their
objections to the draft media law currently under discussion in the lower
chamber of Kazakhstan's parliament, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reported on 31
January (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 29 January 2001). Further discussion of
that draft was scheduled for 31 January but has been postponed. LF
[11] ONE KAZAKH OPPOSITION POLITICIAN STEPS DOWN...
Gaziz Aldamzharov announced his resignation as deputy chairman of the
opposition Republican People's Party of Kazakhstan on 29 January, RFE/RL's
Almaty bureau reported on 31 January. Aldamzharov told RFE/RL he had done
for the sake of his family and friends. He explained that his eldest son
has been unemployed for three years and his youngest son for two years, and
that both his wife and brother have repeatedly been unable to find work.
Friends of his in Aqtau and Atyrau have also been sacked from their jobs
because of their connections with him. The Republican People's Party of
Kazakhstan is headed by former Prime Minister Akezhan Kazhegeldin, who
currently lives in the U.S. LF
[12] ...AS ANOTHER IS STABBED
Azamat Party Deputy Chairman Platon Pak was hospitalized in Almaty late on
30 January after unknown persons broke into his apartment and stabbed him,
RFE/RL's bureau in the former capital reported. LF
[13] JAILED KYRGYZ OPPOSITION LEADER'S FAMILY TO SEEK POLITICAL ASYLUM
ABROAD...
Marsel Kulov, the younger brother of jailed former Vice President Feliks
Kulov, told journalists in Bishkek on 31 January that he and his other
three siblings, together with their families, want to leave Kyrgyzstan for
either Germany, the U.S. or Australia to escape political persecution,
Reuters and RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported. The total number of family
members involved is over 100. A former police colonel, Marsel Kulov was
constrained to resign from the Interior Ministry last year. LF
[14] ...AS HIS PARTY OUTLINES FUTURE PLANS
Emil Aliev, a leading member of Feliks Kulov's opposition Ar-Namys Party.
told journalists in Bishkek on 31 January that the party is continuing with
preparations to participate in a round-table discussion proposed by
President Askar Akaev, which government, opposition and NGO representatives
will also attend, Interfax reported. Aliev said Ar-Namys has a total
membership of 10,000, and will not yield to harassment and pressure from
the Kyrgyz authorities to abandon its activities. LF
[15] TAJIK PRESIDENT, UN ENVOY DISCUSS AFGHAN FUGITIVES
Imomali Rakhmonov met in Dushanbe on 31 January with UN Representative
Francesc Vendrell to discuss the plight of the estimated 10,000-12,000
displaced persons camped on the Afghan side of the Afghan-Tajik border.
Vendrell admitted that those fugitives include many persons who are armed,
but called on "the entire world community" to provide assistance to them,
characterizing their plight as a "humanitarian catastrophe." It is not
clear whether Vendrell tried to persuade Rakhmonov to allow the fugitives
to enter Tajikistan as the UNHCR has requested. Tajikistan has said it
cannot do so, first because some of the displaced persons are armed and
second because doing so would destabilize the domestic political situation
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 8 and 25 January 2001). The Russian government on
31 January dispatched some 200 tons of humanitarian aid for the Afghan
fugitives, ITAR-TASS reported. Rakhmonov again argued that there can be no
military solution to the ongoing civil war in Afghanistan and called on the
UN Security Council to intensify mediation efforts by the "Six-Plus-Two"
group of countries. LF
[16] MORE ISLAMISTS DETAINED IN TAJIKISTAN
Police in Dushanbe arrested 11 members of the banned Hizb-ut-Tahrir party
on 30 January, Reuters and Asia Plus-Blitz reported. They had reportedly
been engaged in spreading banned Islamic propaganda over the past two
years. Eight members of Hizb-ut-Tahrir were sentenced to various prison
terms on 14 January and two more were arrested in Dushanbe on 24 January.
LF
[17] TAJIK ALUMINUM OUTPUT UP 30 PERCENT
Tajikistan's Aluminum Plant produced 300,000 tons of that metal in 2000, an
increase of 30 percent over the previous year, the plant's director,
Abduqodir Ermatov, told Asia Plus on 31 January. He added that it is
planned to increase annual production to 430,000 tons by 2005. Aluminum
accounts for some 55 percent of the country's exports. LF
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[18] UN DISMISSES URANIUM THREAT IN KOSOVA
A four-member UN scientific team has concluded that there is no proven link
between weapons containing depleted uranium and cancer in Kosova, AP
reported from Prishtina on 31 January (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 9
January 2001). The WHO team stressed that the main dangers to health in the
province are from lead and other forms of industrial pollution, as well as
traffic-related accidents. German Defense Minister Rudolf Scharping
recently told the weekly "Focus" that "those who were against the Kosovo
war are talking about risks [from depleted uranium] which do not exist at
all, and overlooking real risks such as from burned refineries. The goal
[of the campaign] is to subsequently destroy the legitimacy of the war. But
no one will forget about the thousand-fold murders and mass deportations
that we, along with NATO, stopped." PM
[19] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT PORTRAYS SERBIA AS VICTIM
Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson, who represents the EU Council of
Ministers during the Swedish presidency, told visiting Yugoslav President
Vojislav Kostunica in Stockholm on 31 January that former President
Slobodan Milosevic must be sent to The Hague. Kostunica was non-committal
in his reply, adding that Milosevic is "under a kind of voluntary house
arrest." Kostunica stressed that "a much more important question to my mind
is the survival of our country. Montenegro and terrorism in southern Serbia
are dangerous issues," dpa reported. He repeated his familiar message that
Serbia has been a victim of sanctions, NATO air strikes, and depleted
uranium, and that donor countries should keep this in mind when considering
aid programs, Reuters reported. The Milosevic regime also sought to portray
Serbia as a victim and thereby absolve itself of the lion's share of
responsibility for destroying former Yugoslavia and starting four wars. The
new leadership is seeking to cultivate Western feelings of guilt in order
to speed Belgrade's reintegration into the international community and to
obtain a reversal of the Kumanovo agreements. PM
[20] DOZENS INJURED IN KOSOVSKA MITROVICA
French-led peacekeepers clashed on 31 January with a crowd of some 1,000
ethnic Albanians in the divided town of Kosovska Mitrovica (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 31 January 2001). Some members of the crowd hurled Molotov
cocktails, stones, and at least one grenade at the troops, injuring at
least 20. KFOR soldiers used tear gas and percussion grenades to disperse
the Albanians, at least 40 of whom were injured in a melee that lasted most
of the afternoon. KFOR commander General Carlo Cabigiosu said that he will
not tolerate casualties among his troops. He called on the local
communities to admit their respective shares of responsibility for the
violence. He appealed to local Serbian leaders to express regrets for the
death of an Albanian teenager that triggered angry protests by local
Albanians. Hans Haekkerup, who heads the UN civilian administration, said
that "it is unacceptable that the frustration and anger at ethnic killings
is directed at the international community. The precondition to taking any
concrete steps..
force. PB
[C] END NOTE
[21] There is no end note today.
01-02-01
Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
URL: http://www.rferl.org
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