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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 5, No. 47, 01-03-08
RFE/RL NEWSLINE
Vol. 5, No. 47, 8 March 2001
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] RUSSIA SEEKS TO MEND TIES WITH ARMENIA'S MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
[02] GEORGIAN OPPOSITION RALLY CALLS ON PRESIDENT TO RESIGN
[03] RUSSIA CONDEMNS ABKHAZ LOCAL ELECTIONS, ATTACKS ON PEACEKEEPERS...
[04] ... AS GEORGIA ACCLAIMS UKRAINIAN MEDIATION IN ABKHAZ CONFLICT
[05] RUSSIAN ENVOY VOICES OBJECTIONS TO KAZAKHSTAN'S PARTICIPATION IN BAKU-
CEYHAN PIPELINE
[06] KAZAKH PARLIAMENT APPROVES CAPITAL LEGALIZATION
[07] CHARGES AGAINST INDEPENDENT KYRGYZ PAPER DROPPED
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[08] KOSOVA PEACEKEEPERS ON ALERT AFTER CLASH WITH GUNMEN
[09] SERBIA REPORTS FIGHTING IN LUCANE AREA
[10] WHAT ROLE FOR PEACEKEEPERS ON MACEDONIA'S FRONTIERS?
[11] NATO TO ALLOW SERBIAN FORCES BACK INTO BUFFER ZONE
[12] HERZEGOVINIAN CHIEF SACKED FROM BOSNIAN PRESIDENCY
[13] CROATIA WITH ITS OWN PLAN FOR BOSNIA?
[14] ROMANIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES LAW ON STATE SECRETS...
[15] ... AND LAW ON STATUS OF FOREIGNERS
[16] ROMANIAN PARTIES BACK NATO MEMBERSHIP QUEST
[17] ROMANIAN PREMIER RECEIVES NATO DELEGATION
[18] ROMANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER IN U.K.
[19] PUTIN REACTS TO MOLDOVAN ELECTIONS
[20] MOLDOVAN PARTY LEADERS RESIGN
[21] BULGARIA DISPATCHES MILITARY HARDWARE TO MACEDONIA
[22] BULGARIAN PARLIAMENT AGREES TO REVISE POLITICAL PARTIES LAW
[23] BULGARIA TOUGHENS NATURALIZATION LAWS
[C] END NOTE
[24] There is no End Note today
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] RUSSIA SEEKS TO MEND TIES WITH ARMENIA'S MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
A Russian government delegation arrived in Yerevan on 6 March to assess the
prospects for restoring ties between the two countries' military-industrial
complexes, which were ruptured following the demise of the USSR, RFE/RL's
Yerevan bureau reported. Delegation head Vladimir Simonov told RFE/RL that
Russia is particularly interested in the "Mars" enterprise, which is headed
by People's Party of Armenia leader Stepan Demirchian. Although the Russian
delegation was officially said to have been invited to Yerevan by the
Armenian government, political analyst Andranik Markarian said at a lecture
in Yerevan that it traveled to Armenia on Russian President Vladimir
Putin's initiative. LF
[02] GEORGIAN OPPOSITION RALLY CALLS ON PRESIDENT TO RESIGN
Several hundred people attended a protest demonstration in Tbilisi on 7
March, the ninth anniversary of Eduard Shevardnadze's return to Georgia to
head the country's provisional leadership, Caucasus Press and AP reported.
Speakers blamed Shevardnadze for precipitating the loss of Georgian control
over the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and called on him
to resign before he destroys the country completely. The protest was
jointly organized by supporters of deceased President Zviad Gamsakhurdia,
the Revival Union and "Industry Will Save Georgia," which are the second-
and third-largest parliament factions, and the Labor Party. Those parties
are considering either forming a new alliance, or working together to force
the president and government to step down and the dissolution of
parliament. LF
[03] RUSSIA CONDEMNS ABKHAZ LOCAL ELECTIONS, ATTACKS ON PEACEKEEPERS...
Moscow "has always supported" Georgia's territorial integrity and for that
reason will not recognize as valid the local elections to be held in
Abkhazia on 10 March, Interfax reported on 7 March quoting unidentified
Russian Foreign Ministry officials. Also on 7 March, Russian Foreign
Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Yakovenko expressed "extreme concern" both at
the upsurge in attacks by Georgian guerrillas on Russian members of the CIS
peacekeeping force deployed in western Georgia (see "RFE/RL Caucasus Report,
" Vol. 4, No. 9, 2 March 2001), and at allegations in the Georgian press
that members of the peacekeeping force have engaged in reprisals and
genocide against the Georgian civilian population of Abkhazia. Yakovenko
noted that the Georgian government has signed several protocols undertaking
to curtail the guerrillas' activities, but has taken no concrete measures
to do so. LF
[04] ... AS GEORGIA ACCLAIMS UKRAINIAN MEDIATION IN ABKHAZ CONFLICT
After meeting in Tbilisi on 7 March with visiting Ukrainian Foreign
Minister Anatolii Zlenko, President Shevardnadze characterized Kyiv's
participation in international efforts to resolve the Abkhaz conflict as
equally important as those of the "Friends of the UN Secretary-General"
group of countries, ITAR-TASS reported. He said that during their talks
Zlenko had made "interesting proposals" on how to resolve the conflict.
Zlenko said that during its chairmanship this month of the UN Security
Council, Ukraine will devote special attention to the Abkhaz conflict, to
which a special session will be devoted on 21 March. Shevardnadze further
expressed appreciation for Ukraine's willingness to host a confidence-
building meeting between Abkhaz and Georgian delegations in Yalta on 16-18
March. After his meeting with Shevardnadze, Zlenko traveled with UN Special
representative for Abkhazia Dieter Boden to Sukhum, where the two met with
Abkhaz Prime Minister Vyacheslav Tsugba. LF
[05] RUSSIAN ENVOY VOICES OBJECTIONS TO KAZAKHSTAN'S PARTICIPATION IN BAKU-
CEYHAN PIPELINE
Viktor Kalyuzhnyi, who is Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and presidential
envoy for the Caspian, told journalists on 6 March that he opposes
Kazakhstan's plans to export oil via the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline, Interfax
reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 2 March 2001). Kalyuzhnyi said that
instead, Moscow and Astana should work out a common transit policy, noting
that such a policy would obviate the need for Kazakhstan to use the Baku-
Ceyhan pipeline. Also on 6 March, Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbaev
said that when Baku-Ceyhan first goes into operation (which is scheduled to
be in 2004), Kazakhstan could export some 10 million tons of crude per year
via that route. Nazarbaev repeated that his country remains committed to
the use of multiple export pipelines. LF
[06] KAZAKH PARLIAMENT APPROVES CAPITAL LEGALIZATION
The lower house of Kazakhstan's bicameral legislature on 7 March approved
in the first reading a draft law that would waive punishment for persons
who legalize illegally exported capital, Interfax reported (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 7 March 2001). Under the draft, capital accumulated in
Kazakhstan is not subject to tax, while a 12 percent tax would be imposed
on capital brought back to Kazakhstan from abroad. If that capital is
subsequently deposited for one year in a Kazakh bank, the tax is reduced to
6 percent, and after two years the initial 12 percent tax would be
refunded. LF
[07] CHARGES AGAINST INDEPENDENT KYRGYZ PAPER DROPPED
Kyrgyzstan's prosecutor general has closed the criminal case brought
against the independent Kyrgyz newspaper "Delo Nomer" in November 2000 on
charges of divulging state secrets, the paper's editor, Viktor Zapolsky,
told RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau on 7 March. The case had been brought at the
insistence of the National Security Service, which argued that the paper
had divulged state secrets in its coverage of the trial last summer of
former National Security Minister Feliks Kulov (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 1
December 2000). LF
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[08] KOSOVA PEACEKEEPERS ON ALERT AFTER CLASH WITH GUNMEN
The Macedonian Defense Ministry said in a statement on 8 March that its
troops and ethnic Albanian gunmen exchanged fire that morning in the tense
Tanusevci region. A spokesman for the ministry provided few details, but
said no Macedonian soldiers were injured, AP reported from Skopje.
Macedonian authorities have banned journalists from the area, so no
independent accounts of developments are available. Across the border in
Kosova, KFOR troops entered the area of Tanusevci that lies within Kosova,
but found no guerrillas or equipment, AP reported. Elsewhere along the
Kosova side of the border, international peacekeepers are on alert after
their first clashes with armed ethnic Albanian rebels in the area (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 7 March 2001). KFOR troops wounded two rebels and took
one of them prisoner during the fighting. KFOR subsequently took control of
Mijak, a town in Kosova not far from Tanusevci, where three Macedonian
soldiers died recently in exchanges of gunfire with the rebels, about whom
little is known. PM/NCA
[09] SERBIA REPORTS FIGHTING IN LUCANE AREA
There is also tension in the buffer zone between Serbia and Kosova after
three Yugoslav soldiers died in a land-mine explosion on 7 March. Serbian
authorities said in a statement the following day that one additional
policeman was injured when he stepped on a land mine in the Lucane area and
that Serbian forces and Albanian fighters exchanged fire that morning, AP
reported. There is no independent confirmation of the Serbian account.
Meanwhile in Sofia, Dragoljub Micunovic, speaker of the Yugoslav parliament
and leader of the Democratic Center, said the danger of a new war breaking
out in the Balkans is "minimal," AP reported. PM/NCA
[10] WHAT ROLE FOR PEACEKEEPERS ON MACEDONIA'S FRONTIERS?
At the United Nations, Macedonian Foreign Minister Srdjan Kerim asked the
Security Council on 7 March to support the deployment of KFOR peacekeepers
along a stretch of his country's border with Kosova to prevent further
attacks by gunmen. He wants troops deployed in a 5 kilometer-wide zone
inside Kosova, from which arms, "soldiers," and "large gatherings of
people" will be excluded, Reuters reported. The council issued a statement
condemning the attacks by "ethnic Albanian armed extremists" and welcoming
steps by KFOR to tighten security along the frontier. It did not, however,
take a stand on Macedonia's request. PM
[11] NATO TO ALLOW SERBIAN FORCES BACK INTO BUFFER ZONE
NATO foreign ministers agreed in Brussels on 8 March to allow an
unspecified number of Serbian forces to return to at least part of the 5
kilometer-wide safety zone along Serbia's border with Macedonia, Reuters
reported. The ministers did not specify what kinds of weapons the Serbs
will be allowed to use, but the news agency said the Serbs will probably be
allowed to use tanks and helicopters. This section of the zone is believed
to be a source of supply for gunmen in the Tanusevci area. NATO's decision
is the first step in the phased return of Serbian forces to the zone, which
NATO has been discussing for some weeks (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 6 March
2001). Belgrade regards the move as a first step toward the return of its
forces to Kosova (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 1 March 2001). The UNHCR has
warned that the return of Serbian troops to the zone could lead to
instability in Kosova (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 2 March 2001). PM
[12] HERZEGOVINIAN CHIEF SACKED FROM BOSNIAN PRESIDENCY
High Representative Wolfgang Petritsch fired Ante Jelavic as the Croatian
representative on the joint Bosnian presidency on 7 March. Petritsch said
Jelavic's recent moves aimed at setting up a Croatian "self-administration"
in Bosnia-Herzegovina constitute a violation of the 1995 Dayton peace
agreement, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. The Austrian diplomat
told a news conference in Sarajevo that he "decided to remove Ante Jelavic
and three other HDZ [Croatian Democratic Community] officials -- Ivo Andric-
Luzanski, Marko Tokic, and Zdravko Batinic -- from their public offices,
and barred them from holding any party positions." Petritsch added that the
decision was not easy, but that he had "no choice" (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
6 March 2001). PM
[13] CROATIA WITH ITS OWN PLAN FOR BOSNIA?
Prime Minister Ivica Racan said in Zagreb on 7 March that his government
had previously warned Jelavic and the Herzegovinian HDZ against "hasty
moves," AP reported. "Unfortunately, that's exactly what they did, and the
international community reacted this way." Racan stressed that the cabinet
will not discuss the Herzegovinian developments at its 8 March session
because "our duty is to bring a better life for people in Croatia, and
nothing will distract us from working on that." He added, however, that
Croatian officials will work with all concerned for a reduction of tensions
in the neighboring republic. He declined to comment on a recent proposal by
his coalition partner Drazen Budisa, who suggested that Bosnia become a
federation of 12 to 14 ethnically based cantons without ethnically based
entities, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. "Jutarnji list" wrote on
8 March, however, that Racan has endorsed Budisa's proposal and spoke to
Petritsch on the telephone about it. PM
[14] ROMANIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES LAW ON STATE SECRETS...
The two chambers of the parliament, meeting in joint session, on 7 March
approved a law on the protection of state secrets, RFE/RL's Bucharest
bureau reported. Prime Minister Adrian Nastase said the law is in line with
the NATO requirement that member states pass legislation to safeguard NATO
secrets, but critics say the provisions are open to controversial
interpretation and that the law could negatively impact freedom of
information and of expression. Under the bill, anyone found guilty of
publishing state secrets can face a sentence of up to 10 years in prison,
and those trying to procure state secrets can be sentenced to up to seven
years. The law makes the guarding of state secrets the "civic duty" of all
citizens and an expression of their "national fidelity." The Romanian
Intelligence Service is entrusted with overseeing respect of the law. MS
[15] ... AND LAW ON STATUS OF FOREIGNERS
Parliament also approved a law on the status of foreigners in Romania.
Among the more controversial articles in this law is one reminiscent of the
Ceausescu legislation, which requires that Romanians notify police if they
have foreign guests staying with them for longer than 15 days. Nastase said
the law is in line with EU requirements aimed at combating illegal
immigration. The law also makes it illegal for foreign citizens to set up,
or be members of, Romanian political parties or to "initiate, organize, or
participate in demonstrations or public meetings affecting public order or
national security." MS
[16] ROMANIAN PARTIES BACK NATO MEMBERSHIP QUEST
Leaders of all the parties represented in parliament on 7 March issued a
joint declaration backing the government's quest to secure access to NATO
membership, making that quest a priority of Romanian foreign policy while
pledging to increase funds allocated to the military to continue reforms
and make the army compatible with NATO requirements. Nastase said Romania
must step up efforts to join the alliance in 2002, and should "under no
circumstances miss this chance," RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. MS
[17] ROMANIAN PREMIER RECEIVES NATO DELEGATION
Premier Nastase on 8 March received a NATO delegation led by the
organization's deputy secretary-general, Edgar Buckley. The delegation has
been in Romania for two days and has reviewed Romanian military reforms and
preparation for NATO accession. According to Mediafax, Buckley told Nastase
that Romania has made progress, adding that progress must also be evaluated
in terms of the country's legislation on security and information
protection, as well as in terms of its economic capability to sustain
membership. Nastase told the guests that Romania can be a "reliable NATO
partner" and is ready to participate "within its resources and
capabilities" in solving regional crises. MS
[18] ROMANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER IN U.K.
Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana is meeting on 8 March in London with his
British counterpart Robin Cook, Romanian Radio reported. On 7 March, Geoana
met with European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Chairman Jean
Lemierre, urging the launching of new projects financed by the bank in his
country. Geoana told a Romanian Radio reporter that the U.K. has been
Romania's "most solid partner" in helping the country's military undergo
NATO-required reforms. In response to a journalist's question on the
negative reactions in his country to the controversial appointment of
Ristea Priboi as chairman of the parliamentary commission overseeing the
activity of the Foreign Intelligence Service, Geoana replied that "11 years
after the fall of communism, such matters should be evaluated with some
detachment." MS
[19] PUTIN REACTS TO MOLDOVAN ELECTIONS
During his first online press conference on 6 March (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
7 March 2001), Russian President Vladimir Putin said the victory of the
Party of Moldovan Communists (PCM) in the February elections is "above all,
an internal affair" of a "friendly state that is member of CIS." He said he
can only "welcome" the friendly attitude displayed by the PCM toward Russia,
and that the Russian-Belarus Union "is open to all countries that agree to
the union's objectives and statutes." The decision to join the union or not,
he commented, is however, "largely Moldova's own domestic affair." MS
[20] MOLDOVAN PARTY LEADERS RESIGN
The leadership of the Moldovan National Liberal Party (PNL) on 7 March
resigned, following the poor performance of the PNL in last month's
parliamentary elections, RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. The party
garnered only 2.8 percent and failed to gain parliamentary representation.
On similar grounds, National Peasant Party Christian Democratic leader
Valeriu Muravschi, whose formation was backed by 1.7 percent, submitted his
resignation on the same day. PNL leader Mircea Rusu said a party congress
will be conveyed within three months to elect a new leadership, but did not
rule out that the outgoing leaders may run again. Rusu also said the PNL
will initiate negotiations with "anti-communist formations" to create an
"anti-communist alliance." He said the party's urging to do so before the
elections had not been heeded, and that such an alliance would have polled
15 percent in the February ballot. MS
[21] BULGARIA DISPATCHES MILITARY HARDWARE TO MACEDONIA
Prime Minister Ivan Kostov, speaking in the parliament on 7 March, said
Bulgaria will supply military hardware to Macedonia to help it halt
incursions by ethnic Albanian militants from Kosova, AP and AFP reported. A
Defense Ministry spokeswoman later clarified that the supplies will consist
of munitions. Kostov also said he is traveling to Macedonia on 8 March for
a two-day visit to discuss the situation with the neighboring country's
leaders. He told lawmakers that the "destabilization of Macedonia and its
government is completely unacceptable for Bulgaria and creates risks for
our interests," calling on NATO and KFOR forces to "block the terrorists'
supplies of munitions and armed forces." The premier also called on the
Macedonian government to "use all means" to solve the conflict, "which can
have no military solution." MS
[22] BULGARIAN PARLIAMENT AGREES TO REVISE POLITICAL PARTIES LAW
The parliament on 7 March voted 103 to 78 in favor of accepting President
Petar Stoyanov's veto of a new law on political parties, the English-
language service of the Sofia daily "Monitor" reported. Stoyanov vetoed the
law, saying it would curb pluralism and allow dubious funding of
politicians. He particularly objected to an article in the law under which
parties would be disbanded if they failed to run in two consecutive
elections. The president also called for the abolishment of the requirement
that parties garnering less than 1 percent of the vote must renew their
legal registration after the elections and prove they are backed by at
least 500 supporters. He also urged legislators to ban anonymous donations,
saying the provision opens the door to "funding of dubious origins." The
parliament has not yet established when the law will be debated again. MS
[23] BULGARIA TOUGHENS NATURALIZATION LAWS
"Monitor" also reported on 7 March that the parliament passed on first
reading legislation toughening rules on acquiring Bulgarian citizenship by
naturalization. Under the new law, acquiring Bulgarian citizenship will be
conditioned on renouncing one's previous citizenship. Foreign citizens of
Bulgarian origin who wish to restore their citizenship will be exempt from
this provision. The new legislation also toughens requirements for refugees
to acquire Bulgarian citizenship. The changes are aimed at bringing
legislation in line with that of the EU. MS
[C] END NOTE
[24] There is no End Note today
08-03-01
Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
URL: http://www.rferl.org
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