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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 5, No. 107, 01-06-06Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>RFE/RL NEWSLINEVol. 5, No. 107, 6 June 2001CONTENTS[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[C] END NOTEDISSOLVED[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA[01] SPOKESMAN SAYS ARMENIAN PRESIDENT READY TO CONTINUE KARABAKH TALKS...The Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents reached agreement during their talks in Paris in March on unspecified principles for resolving the Karabakh conflict and elaborated on those principles in Florida in April, Armenian presidential spokesman Vahe Gabrielian told journalists in Yerevan on 4 June, Noyan Tapan reported the following day. Gabrielian said President Robert Kocharian is ready to continue talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart Heidar Aliev "within the framework of those principles." Gabrielian denied that the peace process is deadlocked, or that differences have emerged between the French, Russian, and U.S. co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group that is engaged in mediating a solution to the conflict. LF[02] ...AS LOCAL ARMENIAN OFFICIALS PROTEST ANTICIPATED LAND CORRIDOROfficials from Armenia's southern Meghri region have drafted a statement protesting two anticipated components of a final settlement of the Karabakh conflict, according to Snark on 5 June, as cited by Turan. They oppose both opening a land corridor across the region giving Azerbaijan access to its exclave of Nakhichevan and the deployment in Meghri of international peacekeeping forces that would protect that transport corridor, which they argue would pose a threat to the self-government and national security of Armenia. The officials say they could safeguard the functioning of a transport corridor without outside help. LF[03] GUUAM MEMBERSHIP NOT A PRIORITY FOR ARMENIAGabrielian also said in Yerevan on 4 June that accession to the GUUAM alignment (Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Moldova) is not a priority for Armenia, Noyan Tapan reported. Georgian Foreign Ministry spokesman Kakha Sikharulidze had suggested on 31 May that Russia and Armenia could acquire observer status within GUUAM (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 4 June 2001). LF[04] AZERBAIJAN HOSTS OIL AND GAS EXHIBITIONOver 330 companies from 25 countries are participating in the eighth Caspian oil and gas exhibition, which opened in Baku on 5 June, ITAR-TASS and AP reported. In an address to the opening session read by U.S. Caspian envoy Steven Mann, U.S. President George W. Bush underscored the U.S. commitment to "a commercially viable east-west energy corridor" as part of a broader effort to strengthen the independence and prosperity of the Caspian states. Azerbaijan's President Aliev delivered a 90-minute address in which he highlighted the importance to regional security of developing Caspian hydrocarbon resources. Aliev also affirmed that Azerbaijan's strategy of inviting foreign companies to invest in developing its oil and gas deposits is correct. LF[05] GEORGIAN FINANCE MINISTER DENIES WITHHOLDING DEFENSE MINISTRY FUNDINGZurab Nogaideli has rejected claims by Georgian Defense Minister Davit Tevzadze that the Finance Ministry is to blame for the financial problems experienced by the Georgian armed forces, Caucasus Press reported on 5 June. Delayed salaries and inadequate food were among the factors that contributed to the 25 May mutiny by National Guard troops (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 25 and 29 May 2001). Nogaideli said his ministry has provided 75 percent of the amount earmarked for army salaries and 99 percent of the amount for army food supplies. LF[06] GEORGIAN CONSTITUTIONAL COURT REJECTS COMPLAINT AGAINST PRESIDENTThe Georgian Constitutional Court on 5 June rejected a suit initiated by opposition Socialist Party Chairman Vakhtang Rcheulishvili, who claimed that by combining the posts of president and leader of the Union of Citizens of Georgia, Eduard Shevardnadze is violating two articles of the Georgian Constitution, Caucasus Press reported. Ninety-one parliament deputies pledged support for Rcheulishvili's suit. LF[07] FRENCH DELEGATION VISITS ABKHAZIAA French diplomatic delegation traveled to Sukhum for talks on 5 June with Abkhaz President Vladislav Ardzinba and outgoing Prime Minister Vyacheslav Tsugba on the ongoing search for a political solution to the Abkhaz conflict, Caucasus Press reported. Also discussed was the political situation in Abkhazia following the Tsugba's resignation last week. The daily "Rezonansi" on 5 June quoted Georgian Foreign Ministry spokesman Kakha Sikharulidze as saying his ministry was not informed in advance of the planned visit. But he said it was not directed against Georgia, describing France as one of the most active participants in the Friends of the UN Secretary-General for Georgia group that is seeking to resolve the conflict. LF[08] KAZAKH, RUSSIAN PREMIERS RESOLVE CASPIAN PIPELINE DISPUTEFollowing talks in Moscow on 5 June with a Kazakh government delegation headed by Prime Minister Qasymzhomart Toqaev, Russian Premier Mikhail Kasyanov said that the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) pipeline via which Kazakh crude will be exported to Novorossiisk will become fully operational on 6 August. That statement suggests that the two sides have resolved the dispute that arose due to the lack of an agreement between the consortium and the Russian State Customs Committee that forced the suspension last month of the process of filling the pipeline with oil (see "RFE/RL Newsline, " 27 March and 11 May 2001). An official for Chevron, which has a 15 percent stake in the CPC pipeline, told Interfax in late May that the CPC has submitted the required documentation to the Russian government, and that consortium members have also unanimously agreed to set up an oil- quality bank that will provide for the export of a blend of Kazakh and Russian oils to be known as CPC Blend. LF[09] KYRGYZSTAN, CHINA BEGIN BORDER DEMARCATIONKyrgyz and Chinese experts have begun demarcating those sections of their common border specified in the 1996 agreement signed by Kyrgyzstan's President Askar Akaev and Chinese leader JIang Zemin, Kyrgyz government department head Salamat Alamanov told RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau on 5 June. That agreement covers some 900 kilometers of the total 1,100-kilometer border. The experts will not mark those sections of the border covered in 1999 amendments, which the Kyrgyz parliament has not ratified, to the 1996 agreement. Also on 5 June, the Kyrgyz parliament began debating the possibility of calling for an annulment of both the 1996 agreement and the 1999 amendments, but postponed further debate until 8 June because the full texts of the two documents are not yet available. LF[10] TWO ARRESTED FOR MURDER OF TAJIK OFFICIALTwo suspects in the 24 May killing of Sobir Begidzhonov, the administrator of Dzhabborasulov district in northern Tajikistan's Sughd Oblast, have been detained on the Uzbek-Kazakh border, Asia Plus-Blitz and Vavorud reported on 5 June. Both suspects are from Sughd Oblast. Reports that former Sughd Oblast Governor Abdujalil Homidov has also been arrested have not been confirmed. Homidov has lived in Uzbekistan for several years. LF[11] U.S. TO HELP ELIMINATE CHEMICAL WEAPONS SITES IN UZBEKISTANUnder a treaty signed in Washington on 5 June, the U.S. will assist Uzbekistan in eliminating Soviet-era chemical and biological weapons facilities in Uzbekistan, dpa reported. A U.S. delegation that visited Tashkent two years ago signed an agreement on that issue (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 26 May 1999). LF[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE[12] RUMSFELD HAILS U.S. ROLE IN THE BALKANS...U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said in Thessaloniki on 6 June that U.S. troops in Bosnia and Kosova are making a "very substantial contribution" to the stability of the Balkans, AP reported. He told a press conference: "There is no question but that the SFOR and KFOR forces in the Balkans are making a very valuable contribution to stability in the region, and our interest is peace and stability in the region." He added, however, that "obviously the hope and goal and intention of all the nations that have troops in the Balkans is that over a period of time the parties on the ground will sort through their differences in a peaceful and constructive way and find the kind of civil structures that will enable them to have the stability that would be necessary for them on a more durable basis." He also pledged to work closely with "our friends and allies" regarding the nature and scope of the Western military presence in the Balkans (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 29 May 2001). PM[13] ...AS 'TRULY A NOBLE CALLING'Rumsfeld told U.S. troops at Camp Bondsteel in Kosova on 5 June that KFOR's job is "truly a noble calling," Reuters reported. He added that maintaining a strong military is necessary and "no economic burden" for the U.S. Earlier in Skopje, Rumsfeld stressed Washington's support for the Macedonian government in its fight against ethnic Albanian insurgents. Macedonian SiTel television reported that Rumsfeld told his hosts, however, that Washington is not happy with Skopje's intention to purchase Russian helicopters and military aircraft. Macedonian military officials say they badly need additional equipment and have appealed to friendly countries for help. PM[14] LORD OWEN SEEKS PEACE CONFERENCE FOR THE BALKANSIn an interview with the "Berliner Zeitung," former British Balkan diplomat Lord David Owen said on 5 June that it is necessary to hold a peace conference modeled on the Berlin Congress of 1878. "The difference will be that the then-European powers could simply decide about a region," he said. "Today the Balkan states must be included [in the decision-making]." In conjunction with the future independence of Kosova, Lord Owen maintained that the redrawing of existing borders should not be excluded from the agenda of any conference. UB[15] MACEDONIAN, BULGARIAN PRESIDENTS CALL FOR PEACEFUL CHANGEMacedonian President Boris Trajkovski and his Bulgarian counterpart Petar Stoyanov said in Sofia on 5 June that "ensuring lasting peace, stability, and prosperity in the entire region is possible only by solving all existing problems peacefully, through political dialogue," AP reported. The added that they "categorically condemn the terrorist acts committed by armed groups of Albanians, which jeopardize Macedonia's peace, security and stability." The previous day, the two presidents called on their Albanian colleague Rexhep Meidani to join them in new rounds of talks aimed at promoting east-west infrastructure and economic projects in the Balkans, including a highway linking Burgas with Vlora. "This would be a strong signal to the people of the three countries, but also to the international community, that we are looking for a common European perspective," Stoyanov said. "Our relations will develop further according to our common movement towards the European Union and NATO." Most roads and trade routes in the region run in a north-south direction, making Macedonia heavily dependent on Serbia and Greece. PM[16] MACEDONIAN REPRIEVE FOR TAIWAN?The Macedonian cabinet has decided to put off a decision on breaking relations with Taipei and reestablishing ties with Beijing, dpa reported from the Taiwanese capital on 6 June (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 4 June 2001). A Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said, however, that "although Macedonia's cabinet meeting vetoed discussing resuming ties with Beijing and cutting ties with Taipei, our embassy will continue to monitor developments." Macedonian Foreign Minister Ilinka Mitreva is championing the switch in relations, while Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski is opposed. PM[17] FIVE MACEDONIAN SOLDIERS KILLEDIn the night of 5-6 June, five Macedonian reservists were killed and three soldiers and three police wounded in a firefight with the ethnic Albanian guerrillas of the National Liberation Army (UCK) in the Sar Planina region above Tetovo. One of the six men killed was an ethnic Albanian. Interior Minister Ljube Boskovski said that "there is a group of terrorists who have no intention of withdrawing from Macedonian soil. They are continuing to gather and are now in the Sar mountains above Tetovo," dpa reported. Meanwhile in the Kumanovo region, fighting continued in and around Matejce, Slupcane, and Orizare. The daily "Die Presse" described the political and military situation in Macedonia as "chaos" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 4 June 2001). PM[18] KOSOVA SERB ARRESTED FOR WAR CRIMESPolice in Kosovska Mitrovica arrested Radoslav Krstic on 5 June on the suspicion that he took part in mass killings of Albanians during the Kosova conflict, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. PM[19] SERBIAN PRIME MINISTER DETERMINED TO PASS HAGUE LAWZoran Djindjic said in Vienna on 6 June that he is determined to see a law on cooperation with The Hague-based war crimes tribunal enacted soon, with or without the support of the Socialist People's Party (SNP) of Montenegro, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 5 June 2001). He warned that the SNP's stonewalling tactics could threaten the continued existence of the federal Yugoslav state. PM[20] MONTENEGRIN LEGISLATORS TOO TALKATIVE TO VOTEDeputies from the SNP secured on 6 June an adjournment of the parliament until the following day, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. The SNP charged that legislators were not taking their work seriously after failing for a third day to elect a speaker, and that the legislators have been too busy making speeches to vote. There is only one candidate for the speaker's post, namely Vesna Perovic of the Liberal Alliance. PM[21] BOSNIAN SERB WEEKLY PUBLISHES STAMBOLIC'S DECISIVE LETTER TO MILOSEVICIn its latest issue, the Banja Luka weekly "Reporter" has published a letter written by former Serbian President Ivan Stambolic in the late spring of 1991 after he was purged by his successor and former protege Slobodan Milosevic. In the letter to Milosevic, Stambolic called on him to resign, predicting that he would create "Balkan apartheid" in Kosova while leaving Yugoslavia "a ruin" and Serbia "an abandoned martyr" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 5 April 2001). PM[22] ELECTION VIOLENCE IN NORTHERN ALBANIAA series of politically motivated violent incidents has taken place in the northern town of Tropoja, which is in a region long known for its lawlessness, dpa reported from Tirana on 6 June. In one incident, gunmen opened fire on the car of a Socialist candidate in the 24 June elections. In two other incidents, police fought off armed attackers. The Democratic Party (PD) blames the police for attacking its supporters. The region of Tropoja and Bajram Curri is the birthplace of PD leader Sali Berisha and a stronghold of his party. Public Order Minister Ilir Gjoni has often said that the police are working to ensure a peaceful and quiet election campaign. This campaign has indeed been relatively peaceful by Albanian standards. PM[23] ROMANIAN ECONOMY SHOWS HIGH GROWTH RATERomanian Prime Minister Adrian Nastase said on 5 June that the economy grew by 4.8 percent in the first quarter of 2001 on a 12-months basis, considerably more than the 4.1 percent growth forecast by the government, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. On the same day, talks with an IMF delegation on a new standby loan were resumed in the Romanian capital. The National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies said the 1 January- 30 April monthly inflation rate was 2.7 percent, considerably lower than the 3.3 percent registered for the same period last year. The opposition National Liberal Party said the statistics are inaccurate and that the institute has ceased publishing reliable data since its subordination to the government. The outcome of the negotiations with the IMF depends partly on parallel negotiations with the World Bank on the acceleration of privatization. MS[24] PROTESTING ROMANIAN WORKERS LOCK U.S. MANAGER IN...Workers in Resita protesting arrears in wage payments and the intention to fire 49 members of the staff, including 20 union leaders, on 5 June locked in the U.S. manager representing Noble Ventures, the owner of the local steel mill plant, an RFE/RL correspondent in Resita reported. The manager later annulled the decision to dismiss the workers but the protest is continuing, according to Romanian radio on 6 June. MS[25] ...WHILE PEERS PROTEST LACK OF SAFETY EQUIPMENT AFTER FATAL EXPLOSION IN CONSTANTATen workers were killed in the Black Sea port of Constanta on 5 June after an explosion on board the Maltese "Adrianopolis" tanker that was undergoing repairs in the Constanta shipyard. Workers at the shipyard are staging protests against the lack of safety equipment and the violation of safety procedures by the management. A governmental delegation headed by Privatization Minister Ovidiu Musatescu has been dispatched to the shipyard for talks between the workers and the management, Romanian radio reported on 6 June. MS[26] ROMANIAN JUDICIARY: ALL IN THE FAMILYRomanian President Ion Iliescu on 5 June appointed Serban Viorel Stanoiu as a judge on the country's Constitutional Court, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. He is the husband of Justice Minister Rodica Stanoiu. Viorel Stanoiu said he sees "no conflict of interests" emerging from his appointment. Democratic Party Deputy Emil Boboc said the appointment proves Romania's governmental system is "based on the family clan." On the same day, Judge Lucian Mihai, who resigned from the Constitutional Court, said at his farewell ceremony that his experience on the bench of the country's highest court shows that Romania is "still a partially totalitarian country." Mihai said his conclusions are drawn from experience accumulated both under the former and under the current governments. He said the executive and the legislative branches of government display "arrogance" toward the judiciary and handle it "as if it were merely a decorative artifact." MS[27] CLUJ LOCAL COUNCIL CONFLICT INTENSIFIESFive town councilors representing the extremist Greater Romanian Party resigned from the council on 5 June in an attempt to bring about its dissolution and enforce new elections, Mediafax reported. They said they were resigning in a sign of solidarity with Mayor Gheorghe Funar (see "RFE/RL's Newsline," 5 June 2001). MS[28] RULING MOLDOVAN PARTY WANTS TREATY WITH ROMANIA RATIFIEDThe ruling parliamentary majority of the Party of Moldovan Communists (PCM) "insists" on the need to finalize the negotiations on the basic treaty with Romania and to have the treaty ratified by the two countries' respective parliaments, PCM Parliamentary group leader Victor Stepaniuc told Romania's new Ambassador to Chisinau Adrian Balanescu on 5 June, BASA-press reported. The treaty was initialed by the two countries' then-foreign ministers, Nicolae Tabacaru and Petre Roman, in April 2000 but neither parliament has ratified it thus far. MS[29] MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT SAYS TRANSDNIESTER PROBLEM 'WILL SOON BE SOLVED'Speaking on national television on 4 June, Vladimir Voronin said he will soon be undertaking "active steps" to solve the Transdniester problem, Infotag reported the next day. A new round of negotiations between Voronin and separatist leader Igor Smirnov is scheduled for 20 June in Chisinau. Voronin said that if the five documents he signed in Tiraspol on 16 May "are called concessions, then I am prepared to make more concessions, until the conflict is finally settled." Moldova's chief negotiator with Tiraspol, Vasile Sturza, on 5 June told journalists that the authorities in Tiraspol have received Moldovan proposals on the "main principles of the future status" of the Transdniester. He hinted that the region will be granted autonomy. The problem must find a solution that "avoids both extremes -- that of a unitary state and that of two separate states," Sturza said, according to a Flux report. MS[30] MOLDOVAN PREMIER ON EURASIAN CUSTOMS UNION MEMBERSHIPPrime Minister Vasile Tarlev, briefing journalists on last week's Minsk CIS summit, on 5 June said that Moldova can join the recently established Eurasian Customs Union only if and after Ukraine does so, because the union's members are linked territorially, Infotag reported. Tarlev also said that he agreed with his Russian counterpart Mikhail Kasyanov to draft an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in energy supplies. Tarlev said it is "not quite logical" that hitherto agreements were signed with the Russian energy giant Gazprom. A detailed audit of Moldova's debt for energy deliveries will be worked out. Tarlev added that Chisinau will raise with the Paris Club, of which Russia is a member, the possibility of restructuring Moldova's external debt. "If we fail to receive approval...we shall have to spend 70 percent of the 2001 budget on servicing the foreign debt," he said. MS[31] BULGARIA'S FORMER KING VOWS TO RAISE INCOMES AFTER ELECTORAL VICTORYFormer King Simeon II pledged on 5 June to raise the per capita income if his National Movement wins the 17 June parliamentary elections, dpa and Reuters reported. He said his goal is to "improve living standards for every Bulgarian, regardless of ethnic heritage." Simeon said he wants to "guarantee economic freedom in Bulgaria by imposing a new morality in the economy, business, and politics." He said he aims to cut unemployment, improve the struggle against crime and corruption, and fight tax evasion. Simeon said savings gained from reducing state bureaucracy would go into financing higher pensions and salaries for teachers, policemen, and people working in the medical professions. Small- and medium-sized businesses would get cheap credits, and a financial amnesty aimed at returning capital taken out of the country would be considered. MS[32] BULGARIAN POST-COMMUNIST PREMIERS WORKED FOR SECRET POLICETwo former premiers after 1989 were involved with the communist secret services, according to media reports cited by BTA on 6 June. The reports cite Metodi Andreev, chairman of the parliamentary commission that checked the records of politicians who held positions in the parliament and in the government and the records of candidates in the forthcoming parliamentary elections. The names of the two premiers were not disclosed. The commission is about to release the names of candidates on lists of smaller parties currently running in elections whose records show they were linked to the security services before 1989. MS[C] END NOTE[33] RUSSIA'S ENVIRONMENTAL WOES GROW ONE YEAR AFTER WATCHDOG GROUPS DISSOLVEDBy Sophie LambroschiniOn the occasion of World Environment Day, Russian ecologists warned on 5 June that the May 2000 move to dissolve the country's two main environmental bodies -- the State Environment Committee and the State Forestry Committee -- has already cost Russia both ecologically and economically. They say the committees' replacement, the Natural Resources Ministry, has failed in its mandate to act as an independent monitor and block potentially harmful industrial projects. The measure was presented as an effort to streamline state structures and cut costs. But many environmentalists protested the move, saying it reflected the government's lack of interest in protecting the ecology more than any desire to conserve state funds. They also warned the Natural Resources Ministry would be a poor substitute, with neither the means nor the objectivity to analyze industrial contracts and monitor some 300,000 businesses a year. Today, Russian environmentalists say their fears were justified. They say that plummeting control standards will compromise even further Russia's already imperfect environmental protection legislation. "Some people think we had a good-for-nothing State Environment Committee," Lev Fyodorov, a Russian environmental specialist on chemical weapons plants, said at a 4 June press conference. "It's true, it wasn't good for much. But say we tried to eliminate the traffic police. Who likes the traffic police? No one. But what would happen if you took them off the street?" As a result of the dissolving of the environment and forestry committees, Fyodorov said, "environmental legislation can't work, because there isn't a single state organ left that can come to the defense of the average person, elk, or nature reserve." Last year, the former head of Russian ecological affairs, Viktor Danilov- Danilyan, called the decision to dissolve the environment and forestry committees "a signal to thieves that they were now free to destroy and steal Russia's environmental wealth." He claimed that the move to transfer responsibility for environmental matters to the Natural Resources Ministry had been lobbied by powerful oil and gas companies eager to lift state controls on their projects. Many environmentalists agree with Danilov-Danilyan's claim. World Wildlife Fund representative Igor Chestin says caviar and fish poaching are also on the rise as state controls dwindle. The number of oil and gas leaks has also increased since last year, as the Natural Resources Ministry, citing lack of personnel, dropped some 40,000 companies from its yearly checklist. The ministry admits that its environmental facilities have been stretched to maximum capacity. Viktor Kutsenko, the deputy head of the ministry's ecological control department, says the number of inspectors was reduced by one-third in just a year. While inspectors were once responsible for no more than 50 projects, a single inspector may now have as many as 80 companies or contracts to oversee in a single year. But Kutsenko claims the ministry is still managing to do its job, albeit with some compromises. He told RFE/RL it has reduced systematic annual control to cover only what he called "ecologically very dangerous enterprises," leaving those that are "less dangerous" to operate for over a year at a time without being monitored. "We first and foremost try to control the [dangerous companies]," Kutsenko said, "but of course we can't check all 250,000 to 300,000 companies every year. Neither the number of inspectors, nor the [financial] means, are sufficient for such controls." He did not specify which enterprises the ministry classifies as "very dangerous" or "less dangerous." Kutsenko added that the ministry is also in the process of handing over some control of environmental issues to local public organizations -- like Cossacks in Rostov and Volgograd -- to help alert the ministry to specific regional environmental hazards. Even with such measures, however, Kutsenko admitted that his department could not withstand any more cuts. The Natural Resources Ministry has also been the object of criticism from environmentalists who say its other activities -- like issuing licenses for oil drilling and mining of gold and other precious materials -- make it a poor choice for the nation's ecological watchdog. When the State Environment Committee was still in operation, it often worked against the ministry to fight drilling licenses and other extraction processes that were profitable for the government but dangerous for the environment. Now that the two natural opponents are housed in a single ministry, critics say environmental issues will inevitably be given short shrift. One example of this, according to Greenpeace-Russia representative Ivan Blokov, is the ministry's recent issue of a license to mine gold on the territory of a nature preserve in the Komi Republic. The State Environmental Committee had previously blocked the project eight times. Ministry official Kutsenko admits that conflicts of interest can arise in the ministry's new dual role, but declined to address the Komi case, saying he didn't know the precise details. However, he claims that in a similar case, when a Kalmyk company was looking to drill for oil in a protected area in the Astrakhan region, the ministry refused to issue the license. 06-06-01 Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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