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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 5, No. 40, 01-02-27
RFE/RL NEWSLINE
Vol. 5, No. 40, 27 February 2001
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] ARMENIA OPENS EMBASSY IN BAGHDAD
[02] ARMENIA FREES TWO MORE POWS
[03] FORMER KARABAKH DEFENSE MINISTER SENTENCED
[04] AZERBAIJANI, KARABAKH OFFICIALS ISSUE STATEMENTS ON MASSACRE
ANNIVERSARY
[05] CHARGES BROUGHT AGAINST SIX AZERBAIJANI WAR INVALIDS
[06] AZERBAIJAN, RUSSIA TO STUDY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF RADAR INSTALLATION
[07] GEORGIA TO GIVE ZHIRINOVSKY COLD SHOULDER?
[08] GEORGIAN POLICE CONCERNED BY RISING VIOLENCE AGAINST FOREIGNERS
[09] GEORGIAN AIRLINE STAFF POSTPONE PLANNED PROTEST
[10] DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF TAJIKISTAN SEEK TO REUNITE
[11] PLANNED CASPIAN SUMMIT IN TURKMENISTAN POSTPONED
[12] UZBEKISTAN PLEDGES TO RESUME GAS DELIVERIES TO KYRGYZSTAN
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[13] GUNFIRE EXCHANGE ON MACEDONIAN-KOSOVAR BORDER
[14] CIVILIANS FLEE MACEDONIAN BORDER AREA
[15] MACEDONIAN PRESIDENT WARNS TROUBLE-MAKERS
[16] RUSSIA CALLS FOR BALKAN BORDER GUARANTEES
[17] EU, U.S. WARN KOSOVARS...
[18] ...TAKE UP PRESEVO ISSUES
[19] EU COOL ON KOSOVA ELECTIONS...
[20] ...AND MONTENEGRIN SELF-DETERMINATION
[21] PATTEN UNDERSCORES SOLANA'S MESSAGE TO MONTENEGRO...
[22] ...BUT MONTENEGRIN PRESIDENT HOLDS FIRM ON INDEPENDENCE
[23] YUGOSLAVIA PASSES AMNESTY LAW
[24] HAGUE COURT SENTENCES BOSNIAN CROAT LEADER
[25] ZAGREB NOT TO FINANCE HERZEGOVINIAN ARMY
[26] ROMANIAN GOVERNMENT TO RELAUNCH NATO ACCESSION CAMPAIGN
[27] FINAL SENTENCES IN ROMANIAN CIGARETTE-SMUGGLING TRIAL
[28] OSCE DESCRIBES MOLDOVAN ELECTIONS AS FREE AND FAIR
[29] BRAGHIS ALLIANCE WILL GO INTO OPPOSITION
[30] BULGARIA TO WITHDRAW LICENSE FROM BALKAN AIRLINES
[31] EU GROUP TO MEASURE POLLUTION ON ROMANIAN-BULGARIAN BORDER
[C] END NOTE
[32] There is no End Note today.
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] ARMENIA OPENS EMBASSY IN BAGHDAD
An Armenian government delegation headed by Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskanian and accompanied by a group of Armenian businessmen flew to Baghdad
on 25 February, Interfax and RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. Oskanian
attended the ceremonial opening of Armenia's embassy in Baghdad on 25
February and met the following day with President Saddam Hussein to discuss
the prospects for bilateral cooperation, ITAR-TASS reported. Oskanian
discussed trade and economic cooperation with Vice President Taha Yassin
Ramadan and Deputy Premier and Finance Minister Hikmat Ibrahim al-Azzawi.
He also discussed with Oil Minister Amer Mohammed Rashid the participation
of Armenian businessmen in the "oil for food" program. The two countries
established formal diplomatic relations a year ago. Iraq has an Armenian
minority estimated at 10,000 people. LF
[02] ARMENIA FREES TWO MORE POWS
Armenia released two Azerbaijani prisoners of war on 26 February as "a
gesture of good will," Noyan Tapan and Turan reported. The two men were
reportedly taken prisoner several years ago after straying across the
Armenian-Azerbaijani frontier. LF
[03] FORMER KARABAKH DEFENSE MINISTER SENTENCED
The Supreme Court of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic on 26
February handed down a 14 year prison sentence on the enclave's former
Defense Minister Samvel Babayan, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported.
Babayan was founded guilty on charges, which he denies, of master-minding
an attempt to
assassinate Karabakh President Arkadii Ghukasian in March 2000 in order to
seize power. Presiding judge Suren Aleksanian said the verdict was based on
pretrial testimony in which Babayan confessed to the charges against him.
Babayan later retracted that admission of guilt, saying it was extracted
from him under duress (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 December 2000). Two men
found guilty of opening fire on Ghukasian's armored limousine were
similarly sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment. One of them, Sasun
Aghadjanian, has admitted his guilt, while the other, Levon Mirzoyan,
pleaded not guilty. Two other Babayan associates received sentences of ten
and 13 years respectively, while 11 other men charged in connection with
the attack on Ghukasian received short suspended sentences. LF
[04] AZERBAIJANI, KARABAKH OFFICIALS ISSUE STATEMENTS ON MASSACRE
ANNIVERSARY
In a statement to mark the anniversary of the massacre of several hundred
Azerbaijanis in the Karabakh village of Khodjaly in 1992, Azerbaijan's
President Heidar Aliev criticized then President Ayaz Mutalibov for failing
to take measures to prevent those deaths, Interfax and dpa reported. Aliev
also criticized the international community for what he termed its failure
to condemn the killings. Meanwhile Vahram Atanesian, chairman of the
Standing Foreign Relations Commission of the Karabakh parliament, issued a
statement which Noyan Tapan circulated on 26 February. Atanesian said that
the Karabakh Armenian authorities had given Mutalibov advance warning that
they intended to try to neutralize Azerbaijani weapons emplacements in
Khodjaly and had announced that a corridor would be opened to allow the
civilian population to leave Khodjaly before that offensive began.
Atanesian said that it was armed detachments of the Azerbaijan Popular
Front who killed the Khodjaly villagers, not Armenian and Russian troops as
Baku claims. LF
[05] CHARGES BROUGHT AGAINST SIX AZERBAIJANI WAR INVALIDS
Six members of the Society for the Protection of War Invalids who were
arrested during the clashes in Baku last week between invalids and police
remain in detention and have been charged with violating public order,
inciting public unrest and resisting the police, Turan reported on 26
February (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 February 2001). The six men have been
refused access to their lawyers and were transferred on 26 February from an
investigation center to Baku's notorious Bailov jail. LF
[06] AZERBAIJAN, RUSSIA TO STUDY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF RADAR INSTALLATION
Acting on an agreement reached with Russian President Vladimir Putin during
the latter's visit to Baku in early January, President Aliev on 26 February
ordered the creation of a joint Azerbaijan-Russian commission to assess the
impact on the environment and the health of the local population of the
Gabala radar facility, ITAR-TASS reported. That radar station, the only
remaining Russian military facility in Azerbaijan, was built in the early
1980s. Within a couple of years, Azerbaijani experts claimed that it was
causing an increase in deaths from cancer and a fall in the birthrate in
the surrounding areas. LF
[07] GEORGIA TO GIVE ZHIRINOVSKY COLD SHOULDER?
Georgian Television reported on 26 February that a visit to Georgia by
Liberal Democratic Party of Russia leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky scheduled to
begin that day has been postponed until 1 March, ITAR-TASS reported. No
reason was given for the delay. Zhirinovsky was scheduled to meet during
his two-day stay in Tbilisi with Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze and
the leaders of parliament factions. Georgian Justice Minister Mikhail
Saakashvili told a press conference in Tbilisi on 26 February that if
Zhirinovsky does visit Georgia, parliament leaders and government officials
will refuse to meet with him, ITAR-TASS reported. Parliament speaker Zurab
Zhvania declined comment on Saakashvili's statement, according to Caucasus
Press. LF
[08] GEORGIAN POLICE CONCERNED BY RISING VIOLENCE AGAINST FOREIGNERS
Tbilisi police chief Soso Alavidze told journalists on 26 February that he
believes the recent wave of attacks on foreign visitors to the city is
coordinated with the aim of "sowing panic," Caucasus Press reported.
Alavidze noted that foreigners are increasingly attacked on the street and
subjected to severe beatings even after they surrender their valuables to
the assailants. Several Western governments have recently advised their
citizens to exercise special caution when visiting Georgia. LF
[09] GEORGIAN AIRLINE STAFF POSTPONE PLANNED PROTEST
Some 150 pilots and ground staff of Georgia's Airzena airline decided after
talks on 26 February with Georgian Transport and Communications Minister
Merab Adeishvili to postpone their planned protest against the recently
imposed visa requirement for Georgians travelling to Russia, Caucasus Press
reported. They argued that the airline is losing custom and money because
its staff need two weeks to provide Georgian travelers with Russian visas,
while Russian airlines are able to do so within two days. The protesters
warned that unless measures are taken to expedite the issuing of visas to
Airzena passengers, they plan to block the runway at Tbilisi airport on 1
March. LF
[10] DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF TAJIKISTAN SEEK TO REUNITE
A meeting took place in Dushanbe on 24 February between members of the two
factions of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan that formerly constituted
that party's so-called "Almaty faction" to discuss terms for a
reconciliation, Asia Plus-Blitz reported on 26 February. Originally formed
in 1991 and banned in 1993, the DPT split in 1995. At that time, Djumaboy
Niyozov was elected chairman of the so-called Almaty faction, while the
party's leader Shodmon Yusuf remained in exile in Tehran until the Iranian
authorities yielded to pressure from the Tajik government and expelled him.
Yusuf is now in Vienna where he has applied for political asylum. The ban
on the DPT and several other opposition parties was lifted in August 1999
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12 August 1999), after which the DPT Almaty faction
split. Former field commander and Minister of Emergency Situations
Makhmudruzi Iskandarov, who was elected the party's chairman, incurred
criticism from Niyozov's supporters and other party members for cooperating
with the ruling authorities. The move towards reconciliation emanated from
Niyozov and his supporters. LF
[11] PLANNED CASPIAN SUMMIT IN TURKMENISTAN POSTPONED
The summit of Caspian littoral states planned for 8-9 March in the Turkmen
port city of Turkmenbashi has been postponed until early April at Iran's
request, Reuters reported on 26 February quoting an unnamed Turkmen
government official. It had been hoped that summit participants would adopt
an agreement on the division of the sea into national sectors. Russian
Deputy Foreign Minister and special envoy for the Caspian Viktor Kalyuzhnyi
said on 23 February that at a meeting in Tehran on 21-22 February, deputy
foreign ministers from the five littoral states had reached agreement on
part of the draft declaration to be endorsed at the summit, Interfax
reported. Kalyuzhnyi also said that Iran had made clear that it wants the
summit postponed until after President Mohammad Khatami's planned visit to
Moscow in mid-March and the venue changed. LF
[12] UZBEKISTAN PLEDGES TO RESUME GAS DELIVERIES TO KYRGYZSTAN
Following talks in Bishkek on 26 February with his Kyrgyz counterpart
Kurmanbek Bakiev, Uzbek Prime Minister Utkir Sultanov told journalists that
Uzbekistan will resume natural gas deliveries to Kyrgyzstan "soon,"
RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported. Sultanov said that the cause of the 25
January cutoff of supplies was damage to the Uzbek sector of the gas
pipeline. He denied speculation in both Kyrgyzstan and the West that
Uzbekistan had suspended gas deliveries in an attempt to wrest concessions
from Bishkek on the demarcation of the frontier between the two countries
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 16 and 21 February 2001). LF
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[13] GUNFIRE EXCHANGE ON MACEDONIAN-KOSOVAR BORDER
Spokesmen for Macedonia's Defense and Interior Ministries said in Skopje on
27 February that the border with Kosova is quiet following an exchange of
machine gun fire lasting about three hours the previous day. Macedonian
officials said that "Albanian terrorists coming mostly from Kosovo and some
Macedonian citizens" fired from the Kosova side of the border at a
Macedonian army and police patrol near Tanusevci (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21
February 2001). The Macedonians returned fire, Reuters reported. Some 100
KFOR troops soon arrived in Debelde on the Kosovar side and imposed a night
curfew. A Macedonian Interior Ministry spokesmen said that the Albanians
might be from "a new organization called the National Liberation Army. We
understand it was formed in Switzerland in 2000, and it could be active in
Macedonia in the near future." Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski called the
incident "a serious provocation" and criticized the performance of KFOR. He
warned that although he wants to end the border tensions "through peaceful
and diplomatic means, radical measures are not excluded." He did not
elaborate, AP reported. PM
[14] CIVILIANS FLEE MACEDONIAN BORDER AREA
An OSCE spokesman said in Skopje on 26 February that most women, children,
and elderly have left the Tanusevci area for Kosova, Reuters reported. A
UNHCR spokeswoman in Prishtina told AP that the refugees number about 300.
PM
[15] MACEDONIAN PRESIDENT WARNS TROUBLE-MAKERS
Boris Trajkovski said in Skopje on 26 February that "there is a tendency
toward a worsening of the situation in southern Serbia, which can have a
negative effect on the stability of Macedonia. No one should doubt our firm
commitment to maintain the territorial integrity and sovereignty of
Macedonia," Reuters reported. An unnamed "senior Western diplomat based in
Skopje" told the news agency that both sides are hardening their positions
"to see the reaction of the international community." Ethnic Albanians
account for some 23 percent of Macedonia's total population. Unlike in
President Slobodan Milosevic's Yugoslavia, they are well integrated into
national political life and some hold cabinet positions. PM
[16] RUSSIA CALLS FOR BALKAN BORDER GUARANTEES
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on 27 February that the
international community should guarantee borders in the region to
discourage "extremists." The statement noted that "the actions of the
gunmen are aimed at provoking a crisis situation and destabilizing the
internal political situation in [Macedonia]... The continuation of such a
situation threatens the security and stability of the whole region. Russia
believes an effective hurdle to extremists' actions would be confirmation
by the international community of the territorial integrity and sovereignty
of all the states of the region in question," Reuters reported. The
statement also said that the clashes are aimed at realizing unspecified
Albanian nationalist plans. Observers note, however, that no mainstream
ethnic Albanian party anywhere in the Balkans calls for setting up a
greater Albania as a realistic goal (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 23
February 2001). The Russian call for border guarantees may be an attempt to
preclude eventual independence for Kosova. Moscow is a staunch supporter of
Belgrade's political goals in the region. PM
[17] EU, U.S. WARN KOSOVARS...
The EU and U.S. said in a statement in Brussels on 26 February that the
recent bombing of a full bus near Podujeva and "incidents of this kind
gravely undermine our publics' and parliaments' political and financial
support for Kosovo's democratic transition and economic recovery," AP
reported (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report, 20 February 2001). The statement urged
Kosova's political leaders to "condemn these heinous attacks in the
strongest possible terms and to work with the authorities to bring these
criminals to justice. We further call on the people of Kosovo to
demonstrate that they will not tolerate this violence," the statement
added. PM
[18] ...TAKE UP PRESEVO ISSUES
EU foreign ministers agreed in Brussels on 26 February to lift most of the
remaining sanctions against Belgrade except those directly affecting the
Milosevic family and ruling elite. The ministers also agreed to raise the
number of EU monitors in the Presevo Valley from nine to 30. NATO foreign
ministers are slated to meet on 27 February, with Presevo high on the
agenda. Reuters quoted unnamed NATO officials as saying that the ministers
are expected to reduce the length of the five kilometer-wide safety zone on
the Kosova-Serbian border from 400 kilometers to 300, Reuters reported. It
is not clear to what extent the size of the zone in the Presevo Valley will
be affected, if at all. In Bratislava, Yugoslav President Vojislav
Kostunica said that "we generally have the acceptance of NATO and KFOR for
solving this problem according to [our] plan. I believe it will not be
necessary for the Yugoslav Army and the Serbian police to use force [to
stop violence in the region]. The coming days will give a definitive answer
to this question." PM
[19] EU COOL ON KOSOVA ELECTIONS...
Speaking as EU chair, Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh said in Brussels
on 26 February that "we cannot have general elections in Kosovo before time
is ready. First, we have to have an administration. First, we have to have
prepared the elections and we also have to make very careful preparations,
and that is also the conclusion of [UN Kosovo administrator] Hans
Haekkerup. So, we cannot have too early elections in Kosovo," RFE/RL
reported. It is not clear what she meant by "early" (see "RFE/RL Balkan
Report," 16 January and 23 February 2001). Some observers argue that the
international community's failure to move ahead on the question of Kosova's
status is a major source of regional instability. PM
[20] ...AND MONTENEGRIN SELF-DETERMINATION
In the latest in a series of EU statements "advising" Montenegro on how to
plot its political future, Javier Solana said in Brussels on 26 February
that he told Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic that "we are not going
to [break] off relations with him. He has been a good friend in moments of
difficulty and, therefore, I will continue seeing him when he needs it and
when I need it," RFE/RL reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12 February 2001).
Solana stressed that the EU wants Montenegro and Serbia "to find a change
in the constitution that can accommodate both. We are not for the
separation of Podgorica from Belgrade, we are, on the contrary, for an
accommodation with a change in the constitution, so that they can continue
living together in the federation." Solana also warned Montenegro against
unspecified "unilateral measures." PM
[21] PATTEN UNDERSCORES SOLANA'S MESSAGE TO MONTENEGRO...
Also speaking in Brussels on 26 February for the EU, Chris Patten added
that "we want to see a democratic Montenegro within a democratic and
reformed Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Our position is absolutely clear.
We don't agree with President Djukanovic [on independence], but that is not
a reason for the Commission and High Representative for not seeing him." In
January, several Montenegrin officials made it clear that they regard such
EU statements as arrogant and inadmissible, particularly when coming from
officials who themselves represent small countries (see "RFE/RL Balkan
Report," 23 January and 23 February 2001). PM
[22] ...BUT MONTENEGRIN PRESIDENT HOLDS FIRM ON INDEPENDENCE
Djukanovic said in Brussels on 26 February that "we do expect that the
European Union and the democracies of the world will support our endeavors.
The greatest assistance we could get would be the appreciation of our
democratic goals," AP reported. He added that "making references to
Montenegro in connection with Kosovo and [Bosnia] is wrong both politically
and historically... Our goal is to stabilize our political scene. By doing
so and by our rehabilitation of the unhealthy relationship with Serbia, we
are also making our biggest contribution to regional security." He noted
that an unspecified "part of public opinion in Belgrade" is trying to
convince the international community otherwise. Djukanovic stressed that
"Montenegro was, is, and will be a state." PM
[23] YUGOSLAVIA PASSES AMNESTY LAW
The Yugoslav parliament approved an amnesty law on 26 February that will
affect some 28,000 young men who fled abroad to avoid serving in the army
in Milosevic's wars. It will also cover some 450 of the 650 Kosovar
political prisoners. Only the 200 jailed for "terrorism" are not affected,
but Justice Minister Momcilo Grubac said he will appeal to Kostunica to
consider each of their cases, arguing that in many instances "the real
terrorists escaped" and police rounded up ordinary citizens, the "New York
Times" reported. Ethnic Albanians will be watching to see how quickly
Kostunica acts on those cases as a sign of whether he is willing to redress
past wrongs to Yugoslav citizens of Albanian nationality. PM
[24] HAGUE COURT SENTENCES BOSNIAN CROAT LEADER
In the second landmark ruling in less than a week, the Hague-based war
crimes tribunal on 26 February convicted Bosnian Croat leader Dario Kordic
and former army commander Mario Cerkez of war crimes and crimes against
humanity, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. Kordic received a 25-year
sentence and Cerkez a term of 15 years. The time each man has already spent
in custody will be subtracted from his sentence. The sentencing of Kordic
in connection with the "ethnic cleansing" of Muslims in the Lasva Valley in
1993 affirms the principle that civilian leaders are responsible for crimes
they helped plan or encourage. In Bosnia, many Muslims agreed with the
court prosecutors, who regarded the sentences as too light, AP reported. PM
[25] ZAGREB NOT TO FINANCE HERZEGOVINIAN ARMY
President Stipe Mesic said that Croatian financing for the ethnic Croat
component in the Bosnian army is at an end, "Jutarnji list" reported on 26
February. Funding currently stands at about $500,000 per month, dpa
reported. PM
[26] ROMANIAN GOVERNMENT TO RELAUNCH NATO ACCESSION CAMPAIGN
Premier Adrian Nastase on 26 February announced the government's decision
to launch a campaign supporting the country's accession into NATO, Mediafax
reported. Meeting with government members involved in preparing for
Romania's admission to NATO and the EU, Nastase said the Defense Ministry's
budget will be supplemented by over 30 percent of the original sum
allocated for this year. The money will be obtained by external loans
guaranteed by the government. The premier also announced that next week the
government intends to obtain the support of all parliamentary parties for a
joint declaration on supporting efforts to join NATO. The government will
also look for support from the media and non-governmental organizations.
According to a February opinion poll, if a referendum on the issue were
held, 85 percent of Romanian citizens would vote in favor of joining NATO,
while 80 percent believe Romania was left out from the first round of
enlargement because it did not fulfill the required criteria. The former
center-right government launched a media campaign aimed at boosting NATO
accession chances in early 1997, ahead of the July NATO summit in Madrid.
ZsM
[27] FINAL SENTENCES IN ROMANIAN CIGARETTE-SMUGGLING TRIAL
In the final ruling in the April 1998 cigarette smuggling case, the
Romanian Supreme Court on 26 February sentenced 16 people involved to
sentences of between three and a half and 15 years in prison, Mediafax
reported. The toughest conviction, a prison term of 15 years, was given to
Lieutenant Colonel Ioan Suciu, the former commander of Bucharest Military
Airport, where the tobacco was smuggled into the country. Two other
defendants were acquitted and a third person received a suspended sentence.
In the case of Valentin Vasilescu, former deputy commander of the airport,
currently a Greater Romania Party parliament deputy, the court decided that
further investigation was needed. The cigarettes were brought into the
country by plane in so-called "special operations" that often involved high-
ranking military officials. The men sentenced will also have to pay a total
of 3.6 billion lei (some $134,000), representing the value of smuggled
cigarettes. ZsM
[28] OSCE DESCRIBES MOLDOVAN ELECTIONS AS FREE AND FAIR
According to a member of the OSCE mission that monitored Moldova's 25
February parliamentary elections, Dr. Kimmo Kiljunen, the Central Electoral
Commission administered the elections in a nonpartisan, transparent,
efficient, and timely manner, Infotag reported on 26 February. The head of
the mission, Charles Magee, noted, however, that elections did not take
place in the Transdniester region due to a lack of cooperation from
authorities there. He said polling stations had been set up on the banks of
the Dniester River for residents of the region to vote, but that a very
small percentage had done so, and in some cases buses carrying voters had
not been allowed to cross the river from Transdniester. DW
[29] BRAGHIS ALLIANCE WILL GO INTO OPPOSITION
Despite reports that the Communist Party, overwhelming victors in the 25
February elections, would keep him on as Moldova's prime minister, Braghis
Alliance leader Dumitru Braghis told Infotag on 26 February that his party
will go into opposition. "There are simply no other variants," he said. He
added that his party will "promote the ideas and reforms we consider as
correct. And the Communists have no other option but to shoulder the entire
responsibility for the future government's work." DW
[30] BULGARIA TO WITHDRAW LICENSE FROM BALKAN AIRLINES
Transport and Communications Minister Antoni Slavinski said on 26 February
that the ministry will revoke the operations license of the country's main
carrier, Balkan Airlines, whose planes have been grounded for more than a
week due to a financial dispute between the government and the airline's
majority owner, Reuters reported. Slavinski said the license was not
withdrawn earlier because doing so "would have jeopardized the rescue
activities that concern the [stranded] passengers and the charter flight
schedule." The airlines is in receivership, and a court will rule on an
insolvency claim against it on 6 March. PB
[31] EU GROUP TO MEASURE POLLUTION ON ROMANIAN-BULGARIAN BORDER
An EU commission will be appointed to measure the level of air pollution in
the Bulgarian town of Nikopol and the Romanian town of Turnu Magurele, the
countries' environment ministers, Evdokia Maneva and Aurel Constantin Ilie,
said on 26 February, BTA reported. Ilie said after a meeting with Maneva in
Sofia that "if the international arbitration establishes that the Romanian
chemical plant gases Nikopol, we shall close the plant." The Romanian
Environment Ministry has ruled that pollution in Nikopol does not exceed
acceptable levels, although the Bulgarian official data show that the
chemical plant deposits grossly excessive amounts of pollution on the town.
Neither country will accept the other's findings. People in Nikopol have
long complained of occasional chemical clouds settling on the town. PB
[C] END NOTE
[32] There is no End Note today.
27-02-01
Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
URL: http://www.rferl.org
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