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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 5, No. 73, 01-04-13
RFE/RL NEWSLINE
Vol. 5, No. 73, 13 April 2001
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT WANTS INCREASED ECONOMIC COOPERATION WITH RUSSIA
[02] ARMENIAN DESERTERS SENTENCED FOR KILLINGS
[03] AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT DELAYS RETURN FROM U.S.
[04] GEORGIAN PARLIAMENT HOLDS HEARINGS ON ABKHAZIA...
[05] ...AS GEORGIAN OFFICIAL CLAIMS ABKHAZ PRESIDENT IS CRIPPLED BY DISEASE
[06] GEORGIAN MINISTERS AT ODDS OVER PLANNED PRIVATIZATION
[07] KAZAKH OPPOSITION PAPER RESUMES PUBLICATION
[08] KYRGYZ DEPUTY PARLIAMENT SPEAKER AGAIN SUBMITS RESIGNATION
[09] RUSSIA EXPRESSES REGRET AT POSTPONEMENT OF CASPIAN SUMMIT...
[10] ...ARGUES THAT BAKU-CEYHAN INITIALLY UNPROFITABLE
[11] TURKMEN COURT UPHOLDS CONFISCATION OF PENTECOSTAL CHURCH
[12] UZBEKISTAN, CHINA REAFFIRM MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[13] POWELL PLEDGES BACKING FOR MACEDONIAN UNITY, DIALOGUE...
[14] ...CANCELS TRIP TO KOSOVA DUE TO 'BAD WEATHER'
[15] KOSOVA'S CEKU SUSPENDS OFFICER FOR GUERRILLA LINKS
[16] ALBANIAN SOCIALISTS: NO GREATER ALBANIA
[17] KILLING OF RUSSIAN PEACEKEEPER IN KOSOVA CONDEMNED
[18] DID MILOSEVIC FAKE HEART PROBLEMS?
[19] DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATION IN MONTENEGRO GROWS
[20] UN SECRETARY-GENERAL CRITICIZES CROATIA, YUGOSLAVIA OVER PREVLAKA
[21] BARRACKS SHARED BETWEEN BOSNIAN ARMY AND CROATIAN REBELS?
[22] ROMANIAN PARLIAMENT ADOPTS BUDGET FOR 2001
[23] ROMANIAN GOVERNMENT RETURNS CONFISCATED PROPERTIES TO FORMER KING
[24] ROMANIA'S LIBERALS DENOUNCE COOPERATION AGREEMENT WITH RULING PARTY
[25] MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT CALLS ON SMIRNOV TO RELEASE THE ILASCU GROUP
[26] OSCE MISSION CHIEF HAILS RESTART OF CHISINAU-TIRASPOL NEGOTIATIONS
[27] BULGARIAN POLL SHOWS SOLID SUPPORT FOR KING SIMEON AS PREMIER
[28] BULGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS WITH U.S., YUGOSLAV COUNTERPARTS
[29] OSCE MAY SEND MONITORS TO BULGARIAN ELECTIONS
[C] END NOTE
[30] There is no end note today.
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT WANTS INCREASED ECONOMIC COOPERATION WITH RUSSIA
Meeting in Yerevan on 12 April with a group of visiting Russian journalists,
President Robert Kocharian called for increasing trade between the two
countries, Russian agencies reported. At present, Russia accounts for only
one-fourth of Armenia's annual trade turnover, a share that Kocharian said
was not solely due to the transport blockade imposed by Azerbaijan and the
disruption of rail communication via Georgia as a result of the Abkhaz
conflict. He specifically advocated increased cooperation in the mining and
metallurgical sectors. Kocharian gave a positive assessment both to
bilateral military cooperation and within the framework of the CIS
Collective Security Treaty. Also on 12 April, Kocharian discussed with
Russian President Vladimir Putin by telephone last week's OSCE-mediated
talks in Key West on resolving the Karabakh conflict, ITAR-TASS reported.
LF
[02] ARMENIAN DESERTERS SENTENCED FOR KILLINGS
An Armenian court handed down the death sentence on 12 April on three
soldiers who deserted last July from the Armenian army and subsequently
killed eight people, AP reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 July 2000). As
Yerevan has imposed a moratorium on capital punishment, the sentences are
likely to be commuted to life imprisonment. LF
[03] AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT DELAYS RETURN FROM U.S.
President Heidar Aliev has postponed his planned return from the U.S.,
where he is undergoing a medical examination at the Cleveland Clinic, ITAR-
TASS reported on 12 April, quoting Azerbaijani Embassy spokesman Elin
Suleymanov. Turan had quoted Suleymanov earlier on 12 April as saying that
Aliev would leave that day for Azerbaijan, stopping over in London en
route. Aliev underwent coronary bypass surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in
April 1999 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 30 April and 11 May 1999). LF
[04] GEORGIAN PARLIAMENT HOLDS HEARINGS ON ABKHAZIA...
Gia Baramidze, chairman of the Georgian parliament's Defense and Security
Committee, said during hearings on 12 April that the committee will ask
President Eduard Shevardnadze to take "urgent measures" to bring the
unrecognized Republic of Abkhazia back under the control of the central
Georgian authorities, Caucasus Press reported. Georgian State Border Guard
Chairman Valeri Chkheidze similarly proposed that the military draft its
plan for doing so, while politicians and economists should concentrate on
drafting a program for economic reconstruction in Abkhazia. But Interior
Minister Kakha Targamadze, a close Shevardnadze associate, argued that it
is "unrealistic" to hope to restore control over Abkhazia before Georgia
becomes both politically and economically stronger. "Akhali epokha"
reported on 13 April that the parliament majority intends to ask
Shevardnadze to raise the issue of withdrawing the CIS peacekeeping force
that has been deployed in the conflict zone since mid-1994. LF
[05] ...AS GEORGIAN OFFICIAL CLAIMS ABKHAZ PRESIDENT IS CRIPPLED BY DISEASE
Georgian Intelligence Service head Avtandil Ioseliani told the parliament
Defense and Security Committee hearing on 12 April that Abkhaz President
Vladislav Ardzinba is undergoing "intensive" treatment for an ailment that
has "disabled" him, according to Caucasus Press. Georgian media reported
earlier this year that Ardzinba is suffering from Parkinson's disease (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 22 February 2001). Interviewed by an RFE/RL
correspondent in New York last month, UN special representative for
Abkhazia Dieter Boden, who had met with Ardzinba in Sukhum in February,
refused to comment on the rumors of his illness. LF
[06] GEORGIAN MINISTERS AT ODDS OVER PLANNED PRIVATIZATION
Georgian Justice Minister Mikhail Saakashvili on 12 April accused his
government colleague Vano Chkhartishvili, who is minister for the economy,
industry and trade, of furthering Russian economic interests by advocating
the merger of two metallurgical enterprises in western Georgia, Chiatura
Manganese and Zestafon Ferro-Alloy works, and their subsequent
privatization, Caucasus Press reported. President Shevardnadze recently
signed and submitted to various government agencies an edict, which
Saakashvili rejected as "unacceptable," on merging the two enterprises and
rescheduling their debts. Chkhartishvili for his part rejected
Saakashvili's argument that the sale of the two enterprises to Russian
investors would make Georgia economically dependant on Russia, and denied
that he has a personal financial interest in seeing them sold to a Russian
investor. He said that if Saakashvili can prove he has a personal interest
in the sale, he is ready to resign, but if Saakashvili's allegations prove
unfounded, he will demand the justice minister's dismissal. LF
[07] KAZAKH OPPOSITION PAPER RESUMES PUBLICATION
The opposition newspaper "SolDat" resumed publication on 12 April after an
eight-month interval, one week after its editor in chief, Ermurat Bapi, was
released under an amnesty after having been sentenced to a one-year
imprisonment for publishing an article allegedly insulting the honor and
dignity of Kazakhstan's president, Nursultan Nazarbaev, RFE/RL's Almaty
bureau reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 30 March 2001 and "RFE/RL Kazakh
Report," 7 April 2001). Bapi said, however, that publishing houses in
Kazakhstan still refuse to print "SolDat," which is being produced on an
improvised press. For that reason, the next issue is not likely to appear
until 25 April. LF
[08] KYRGYZ DEPUTY PARLIAMENT SPEAKER AGAIN SUBMITS RESIGNATION
Omurbek Tekebaev again submitted his resignation from the post of deputy
speaker of the lower house of Kyrgyzstan's parliament on 12 April, RFE/RL's
Bishkek bureau reported. His fellow deputies had rejected an offer he made
on 3 April to resign (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 11 April 2001). Tekebaev said
he would rather participate in an opposition protest action planned for 13
April than remain in his official post. LF
[09] RUSSIA EXPRESSES REGRET AT POSTPONEMENT OF CASPIAN SUMMIT...
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and special envoy for Caspian issues Viktor
Kalyuzhnii told journalists in Moscow on 12 April that he regrets the
postponement until an unspecified date in the fall of the planned summit of
leaders of the five Caspian littoral states. He said the postponement was
requested by Azerbaijan's President Aliev who said the 14-15 April date was
inconveniently close to that of his visit to the U.S. (see above).
Kalyuzhnii added that the delay in resolving the legal status of the
Caspian has created "a certain amount of tension," between the five
countries, and predicted that "the more we delay, the deeper the cracks"
between them will become, according to Reuters. He said the delay "holds up
investments which are important to all of us." But Interfax on 12 April
quoted Elizabeth Jones, who is Kalyuzhnii's U.S. counterpart, as saying
during a linkup news conference that the absence of an agreement on
dividing the Caspian does not constitute an obstacle to energy projects in
the region. Interfax on 12 April quoted unidentified diplomatic sources in
Moscow as stating that deputy foreign ministers of the five Caspian
littoral states will meet in Baku in May. LF
[10] ...ARGUES THAT BAKU-CEYHAN INITIALLY UNPROFITABLE
Kalyuzhnii told the same Moscow news conference on 12 April that Russian
officials doubt whether the Caspian will produce enough oil before 2015 to
render the planned Baku-Ceyhan pipeline economically viable, Interfax and
Reuters reported. Interfax reported that Jones was unable to specify how
large proven Caspian oil reserves should be to guarantee the economic
viability of the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline, because she does not know the
results of the trial drilling by the OKIOC consortium in two offshore
Kazakh oil fields that are believed to contain huge reserves. LF
[11] TURKMEN COURT UPHOLDS CONFISCATION OF PENTECOSTAL CHURCH
The Ashgabat City Court on 4 April upheld a 14 March decision by the
Kopetdag District Court that the home of Pentecostal Pastor Viktor
Makrousov, which is used as a Pentecostal church, be confiscated without
compensation, Keston News Service reported on 12 April. In January, the
Ashgabat City Court had ordered the district court to review its initial
ruling on the issue, terming it "flawed" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 5 January
and 2 February 2001). Makrousov told Keston News Service on 12 April that
he plans to appeal the City Court ruling in Turkmenistan's Supreme Court.
LF
[12] UZBEKISTAN, CHINA REAFFIRM MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING
A Chinese government delegation headed by Deputy Premier Li Lanqing held
talks in Tashkent on 11-12 April with President Islam Karimov, Prime
Minister Utkir Sultanov, Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Komilov, and parliament
speaker Erkin Khalilov, Russian agencies reported. Both sides expressed
satisfaction with bilateral relations, which they characterized as being
based on mutual understanding and trust, but said they should be
intensified. An intergovernmental accord was signed under which China will
provide Tashkent with an interest-free credit of 30 million yuan ($18
million) and a 5 million yuan grant for developing the country's
telecommunications system. LF
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[13] POWELL PLEDGES BACKING FOR MACEDONIAN UNITY, DIALOGUE...
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell met with regional foreign ministers in
Skopje on 12 April and gave them "a solid expression of support from
President [George] Bush," Reuters reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12 April
2001). He told Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski that "you are facing a
challenge which you must meet. That is to show to the rest of this region --
to show to the world -- that people of different backgrounds, different
ethnicities, can come together in peace and find the way to resolve
differences through political dialogue and a common commitment to a single
state," AP reported. Powell told reporters that "I did not have a magic
solution for the various problems that Macedonia has to solve. It is a free
nation, and the government actually can make choices." Ethnic Albanian
leader Arben Xhaferi said that he used his meeting with Powell "to explain
the roots of the crisis in Macedonia. The roots are, I think, in the
concept of the state which created a lot of frustration among the
Albanians." PM
[14] ...CANCELS TRIP TO KOSOVA DUE TO 'BAD WEATHER'
Powell decided against a 55-minute helicopter trip from Macedonia to Kosova
on 13 April, citing hazardous low-cloud conditions. International, Kosovar
Serbian, and Albanian leaders will instead meet him in Macedonia. It is not
clear how they will make the trip. Reuters reported from Skopje that "there
was no mention of any security reasons for the cancellation of his visit."
PM
[15] KOSOVA'S CEKU SUSPENDS OFFICER FOR GUERRILLA LINKS
Agim Ceku, who is a former general and now commander of the civilian Kosova
Protection Corps (TMK), has suspended the corps' chief of staff, Gezim
Ostreni, for his alleged links to the ethnic Albanian guerrillas in
Macedonia. Ceku said in a letter to KFOR in Prishtina on 13 April: "I am
concerned over allegations that some of my [staff] members are involved in
illegal activities in the border areas of [Macedonia]. I condemn this. If I
receive any concrete evidence that any of my members are engaged in these
illegal activities they will be dismissed from the TMK," Reuters reported.
Ceku is a professional military officer. He began his career in the former
Yugoslav army and went on to become a decorated general in the Croatian
army before going to Kosova to command the former Kosova Liberation Army
(UCK). The TMK is a civilian work force based on a French model. Most
Kosovars regard it as the nucleus of the army of a future independent
Kosova. PM
[16] ALBANIAN SOCIALISTS: NO GREATER ALBANIA
The governing Socialist Party said in a statement on 13 April that it
remains opposed to the idea of a Greater Albania (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report,
" 13 April 2001). The party stressed that "the government is against the
change of borders, and it supports the building of a free, democratic, and
European Kosova." The statement came in response to a call by Justice
Minister Arben Imami's Democratic Alliance Party for the unification of
Kosova and Albania. AP reported from Tirana that "most Kosova Albanians
want independence, but the majority is opposed to union with Albania.
Although they share a common language, the two Albanian communities are
divided by history and different paces of economic development." PM
[17] KILLING OF RUSSIAN PEACEKEEPER IN KOSOVA CONDEMNED
The UN Security Council, the EU presidency, NATO Secretary-General Lord
George Robertson, KFOR, and top Russian officials have all condemned the
killing of Russian KFOR peacekeeper Sergeant Mikhail Shuitsev, RFE/RL's
South Slavic Service reported from Prague on 12 April (see "RFE/RL Newsline,
" 12 April 2001). PM
[18] DID MILOSEVIC FAKE HEART PROBLEMS?
Serbian Justice Minister Vladan Batic said in Belgrade on 12 April that
former President Slobodan Milosevic does not have a heart condition,
London's "The Independent" reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12 April 2001).
He is suffering from a case of high blood pressure that is "not alarming."
Milosevic is expected to return to prison from Belgrade's elite military
hospital soon. Government political leader and parliamentary deputy Cedomir
Jovanovic stressed that "justice will be served." Some observers have
suggested that Milosevic may be claiming to have health problems in order
to secure release from prison or even a suspension of legal proceedings. PM
[19] DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATION IN MONTENEGRO GROWS
The Macedonian government has appointed a consul general for Montenegro,
RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported from Podgorica on 12 April. Italy,
Russia, Croatia, and Greece already have consuls general in Montenegro.
China, Germany, Romania, and Slovenia have declared their intention to
follow suit. PM
[20] UN SECRETARY-GENERAL CRITICIZES CROATIA, YUGOSLAVIA OVER PREVLAKA
Kofi Annan said in a letter on 12 April that Croatian and Yugoslav
officials have failed to take advantage of the "prevailing calm" in both
countries to settle the dispute over the Prevlaka peninsula. He added that
both sides have introduced police patrols and checkpoints in the area
despite an agreement not to do so, AP reported. Prevlaka is Croatian
territory but controls access to Kotor Bay, which is Yugoslavia's only deep-
water naval base. UN monitors have been present there since 1992 under a
negotiated agreement. Part of the problem is that Belgrade uses the
Prevlaka dispute to assert its sovereignty in the area at the expense of
the Montenegrin government. Podgorica would like to settle the dispute as
soon as possible. Zagreb is caught between the two. PM
[21] BARRACKS SHARED BETWEEN BOSNIAN ARMY AND CROATIAN REBELS?
Croatian hard-liners declared victory in Orasje after soldiers loyal to
them reached an agreement with Bosnian government forces to use three out
of eight barracks in the town, Reuters reported on 12 April. A spokesman
for SFOR said that "in Orasje there are eight barracks and weapons stores.
At three they agreed to co-locate with former members" of the army who have
switched allegiance to the self-proclaimed Croatian "self-administration"
of the Croatian Democratic Community (HDZ). The spokesman stressed that
Bosnian authorities remain in charge, adding that pro-HDZ soldiers were
"turned away" from the headquarters of Croatian forces in the region, the
Fourth Guard Brigade. He noted that the pro-HDZ troops will not be allowed
to remove weapons from the barracks where they "cohabit." PM
[22] ROMANIAN PARLIAMENT ADOPTS BUDGET FOR 2001
The Romanian Parliament approved the country's 2001 budget on 12 April by a
tally of 315 for and 62 against, Mediafax reported. Besides the ruling
Party of Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR), the Democratic Federation of
Hungarians in Romania and the Greater Romania Party also supported the
budget. National Liberal Party and Democratic Party deputies opposed the
adoption of the budget and announced that they will ask the Constitutional
Court to rule on the law's constitutionality. PDSR deputy Florin Georgescu
said the budget will stop the economy's downfall and reduce inflation from
48 to 25 percent. He added that the budget will ensure external financing,
allow access to EU and World Bank sources, and stimulate small- and medium-
sized enterprises. ZsM
[23] ROMANIAN GOVERNMENT RETURNS CONFISCATED PROPERTIES TO FORMER KING
Premier Adrian Nastase announced on 12 April that the government will not
appeal court decisions by which two buildings formerly belonging to former
Romanian King Michael I would be returned to him, Romanian media reported.
Nastase said a reconciliation with the past is "absolutely" necessary at
this time. As a result, Michael I will reobtain possession of a building in
central Bucharest and a castle in the western town of Arad. President Ion
Iliescu admitted on television on 9 April that he "might have been wrong"
in his relations with Michael I. During Iliescu's 1990-96 presidency,
Michael I, now a Swiss citizen, was denied entry into the country on
several occasions. ZsM
[24] ROMANIA'S LIBERALS DENOUNCE COOPERATION AGREEMENT WITH RULING PARTY
National Liberal Party (PNL) Chairman Valeriu Stoica announced on 12 April
that his party is canceling its cooperation agreement signed four months
ago with the ruling Party of Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR), Romanian
media reported. PNL leaders accused the PDSR several times of breaching the
agreement by removing PNL representatives from public administration posts
and by not accepting their amendments to the law on the budget. Premier
Nastase replied he was happy the PNL broke the agreement, as it showed
"duplicity" in relations with the PDSR. Observers note that the PNL's
cooperation agreement was initiated and up until now enthusiastically
supported by Stoica. ZsM
[25] MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT CALLS ON SMIRNOV TO RELEASE THE ILASCU GROUP
Vladimir Voronin sent a letter to the leader of the breakaway Transdniester
region on 12 April asking for the release of the Ilascu group, Flux
reported. Voronin said he lodged his request to Igor Smirnov on
"humanitarian" grounds, but added that the release of Ilie Ilascu, a
Moldovan citizen and parliamentary deputy who was elected to the Romanian
Senate last year, and the three other detainees would contribute to the
final solution of the Transdniester conflict. The four, who have been
detained since 1992, were sentenced by Tiraspol authorities on charges of
terrorism under which Ilascu was given the death penalty, and the others
handed heavy prison terms. Romanian President Ion Iliescu on 12 April
announced that he replied to Voronin's request to support his initiative of
releasing Ilascu by sending the Moldovan leader a letter encouraging him to
act in order to free "Romanian citizen and Romanian senator Ilie Ilascu."
ZsM
[26] OSCE MISSION CHIEF HAILS RESTART OF CHISINAU-TIRASPOL NEGOTIATIONS
William Hill, OSCE mission chief in Chisinau, said on 12 April that a
recent meeting between Voronin and Smirnov was "a good start" to finding a
solution to the conflict, Flux reported. Hill said the OSCE hails the
renewal of negotiations, but was disappointed that the parties did not
agree to a planned Bratislava conference on solving the conflict. He added
that the OSCE wants to continue its participation in the process by
mediating between Chisinau and Tiraspol. Commenting on Voronin's request to
Smirnov for the Ilascu group's release, Hill said the gesture will add to
the mutual trust of the parties in the conflict. ZsM
[27] BULGARIAN POLL SHOWS SOLID SUPPORT FOR KING SIMEON AS PREMIER
A new poll shows that some 38 percent of Bulgarians support King Simeon II
as the next prime minister, BTA reported on 13 April, citing the daily "24
Chasa." The poll, which was conducted by the MBMD agency, shows that 9
percent of those polled would like current Premier Ivan Kostov to remain in
his post. Among those receiving less than 9 percent support were Sofia
Mayor Stefan Sofiyanski and Socialist Party leader Georgi Purvanov. Simeon
has not yet said if he would serve as premier should his party win the 17
June elections. The deposed king's popularity has surprised most observers,
with political polls before his return to politics showing that only some
10 percent of the electorate were willing to vote for him. In an analysis
in the daily "Trud" on 12 April, Krustyu Petkov, the leader of the United
Labor Bloc, commented that the previous political order in Bulgaria has
been changed because "the bipolar system is now gone." PB
[28] BULGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS WITH U.S., YUGOSLAV COUNTERPARTS
Nadezhda Mihailova held talks in Skopje on 12 April with U.S. Secretary of
State Colin Powell and Yugoslav Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic, BTA
reported. Mihailova, in Skopje for the foreign ministerial meetings of the
Southeast European Cooperation Process, said that she and Svilanovic mainly
discussed the process of transformation going on in Yugoslavia. Mihailova
said Powell reemphasized the U.S. commitment to democratization and
maintaining security and stability in the Balkans. She said: "Our key task
now is to strengthen peace, stability, and ethnic coexistence in Macedonia.
This cannot be achieved by making extreme political demands or by denying
the need for changes in the political system." PB
[29] OSCE MAY SEND MONITORS TO BULGARIAN ELECTIONS
The OSCE said on 12 April that it is considering a request by opposition
parties in Bulgaria to send monitors for the 17 June parliamentary
elections, Reuters reported. OSCE Ambassador Charles Magee said at the end
of a five-day visit to the country that the organization will make a
decision by the end of next week. The request for monitors was made by the
mainly ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms, which said it
feared that excessive violations could "tarnish" the country's image. Magee
said the ruling Union of Democratic Forces did not object to the sending of
monitors. PB
[C] END NOTE
[30] There is no end note today.
13-04-01
Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
URL: http://www.rferl.org
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