 |
Compact version |
|
 |
        |
|
 |
||
|
Monday, 18 November 2024
|
||
 |
 |
|
|
|
RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 5, No. 110, 01-06-11Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>RFE/RL NEWSLINEVol. 5, No. 110, 11 June 2001CONTENTS[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[C] END NOTE
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA[01] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT MEETS WITH SOLANARobert Kocharian met in Brussels on 8 June with EU Commissioner for Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana, RFE/RL's Yerevan Service reported. The two men discussed Armenian-EU relations, the situation in the South Caucasus and the prospects for resolving the Karabakh conflict. LF[02] RUSSIAN STATE DUMA SPEAKER ENDS ARMENIA VISITGennadii Seleznev met with Kocharian on 10 June, the final day of the latter's three-day visit to Yerevan, ITAR-TASS reported. Seleznev told journalists after that meeting that "we are quite satisfied" with the current state of bilateral relations, which he characterized as "a strategic partnership," noting especially the importance of the Russian military base in Armenia. Seleznev added that any attempt to violate Armenia's sovereignty would be construed in Moscow as an attack on Russia's sovereignty. Seleznev said he raised with Kocharian the possibility of Armenia's accession to the Russia-Belarus Union, but that Kocharian responded that it is premature to discuss that possibility and that Armenia prefers to develop bilateral relations with both countries, according to Interfax. On 7 June, Seleznev had said he does not envisage Nagorno- Karabakh joining the Russia-Belarus Union as an independent state, according to Armenian National Television, as cited by Groong. Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markarian said on 9 June that during their talks the previous day, Seleznev did not raise the issue of Armenian membership of the Russia-Belarus Union, but that he proposed Russian be given the status of a second official language in Armenia, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. Markarian said he rejected that suggestion, adding: "No one has the right to tell or kindly advise us how we should amend our language legislation." Russians account for less than 5 percent of Armenia's estimated population of 3.8 million. LF[03] ARMENIA SEEKS ALTERNATIVE FUNDS TO OPERATE NUCLEAR POWER PLANTThe Armenian government is seeking new sources of funding to purchase nuclear fuel for the Medzamor nuclear power station that provides up to 40 percent of the country's energy needs, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported on 8 June. Moscow has apparently reneged on an earlier agreement under which it undertook to release the final $11.7 million tranche of a credit agreed upon in 1999 despite Armenia's repayment of $17 million of earlier debt on which the release of that tranche was contingent. Medzamor is scheduled to suspend operations in early July for refueling and maintenance. LF[04] HHD WARNS ARMENIAN LEADERSHIP AGAINST KARABAKH CONCESSIONSHrant Markarian, a leading member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation- Dashnaktsutiun (HHD), told a press conference in Yerevan on 8 June that the HHD will oppose any concessions in the Karabakh peace process it considers to be "a danger," Noyan Tapan and RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. But he said that the party, which has hitherto supported President Kocharian, will do nothing that could undermine political stability. Specifically, Markarian argued against withdrawing Armenian troops from some of the Azerbaijani territories currently being occupied, which the Nagorno- Karabakh leadership may be prepared to trade for de facto independence. He argued that the Karabakh leadership should declare its sovereignty over those districts to strengthen its negotiating position. Markarian also appealed to the Armenian authorities to make public all details of the continuing peace talks. The HHD issued a similar warning to President Kocharian in late March (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 March 2001). LF[05] TWO RUSSIAN MINISTERS VISIT AZERBAIJANDuring talks in Baku on 8 June, Azerbaijan's President Heidar Aliev and visiting Russian Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu discussed the establishment in Azerbaijan of a comparable ministry, a move Aliev characterized as "belated," ITAR-TASS reported. Several Azerbaijani rescue squads have already undergone training in Russia. Also on 8 June, Russian Railways Minister Nikolai Aksenenko met in Baku with President Aliev, who agreed in principle to Aksenenko's proposal to build a 355-kilometer railway linking the Azerbaijani border town of Astara with the Iranian city of Qazvin, Interfax reported. That project would be cofinanced by Russia and Iran and could transport 13 million tons of freight per year, yielding an annual estimated profit of $260 million, Aksenenko said. LF[06] AZERBAIJANI OFFICIAL SAYS NATO TROOPS NOT NEEDED TO PROTECT OIL EXPORT PIPELINERauf Huseinov, the deputy head of the presidential administration, told journalists in Baku on 8 June that Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey should be able jointly to ensure the security of the planned Aqtau- Baku-Ceyhan oil export pipeline, Turan reported. He said there is no need either to create a special force to do so, or to establish a NATO base in the South Caucasus that would undertake that task. Turkey reportedly proposed to NATO earlier this year the creation of a regional rapid reaction force, to be based in Istanbul, whose duties would include protection of the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline. LF[07] ABKHAZ PREVENT RUSSIAN WITHDRAWAL FROM MILITARY BASELocal Russians and Abkhaz have been blockading the Russian military base in Gudauta since 6 June in order to protest the planned withdrawal from that facility of all Russian troops and materiel, Caucasus Press reported. The protesters reportedly say the Russian presence is the sole guarantee of the nonresumption of hostilities between Georgia and Abkhazia. The blockade may prevent Russia meeting the 1 July deadline for the withdrawal agreed on in November 1999 at the OSCE Istanbul summit. Meeting on 8 June in Sukhum with the deputy commander of the Russian air-borne troops, General Aleksandr Popov, newly appointed Abkhaz Premier Anri Djergenia said he understands that Russia must comply with its pledge to close the base by the 1 July deadline, and proposed resorting to the "Transdniester scenario," whereby the Russian troops would leave behind in Abkhazia at least part of their equipment. LF[08] GEORGIA OFFERS TO EXTRADITE BORDER VIOLATORSGeorgian Border Guard commander Colonel General Valeri Chkheidze told journalists in Tbilisi on 8 June that he has assured his Russian counterpart Lieutenant General Konstantin Totskii that Georgia is prepare to extradite to Russia the 13 men apprehended earlier that day after illegally crossing the Russian-Georgian frontier, ITAR-TASS reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 8 June 2001). The following day, the Interior Ministry of the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria informed Tbilisi that a check of the men's identity showed that they are not, as initially presumed, residents of that North Caucasus republic. Six of them are residents of the Republic of Karachaevo-Cherkessia, while identity of the remaining seven has not been determined. LF[09] KAZAKHSTAN SEEKS TO IMPROVE MILITARY PILOTS' SKILLSLieutenant General Sat Toqpaqbaev told journalists in Almaty on 8 June that the general level of professionalism in the armed forces is "very high," RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reported. But he also added that particular attention is currently being paid to honing the air combat skills of Kazakh Air Force pilots, especially in overflying neighboring countries, Caspian News Agency reported. He said the role of the air force in low-level local conflicts in recent years is increasing. The Uzbek air force bombed villages in Tajikistan in 1999 when trying to destroy militants of the banned Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 August 1999). LF[10] PRESSURE ON KYRGYZ MEDIA INTENSIFIESThe state-controlled Uchkun publishing house refused to print the 7 June issue of the opposition weekly "Res Publica" because it contained a translation of an article earlier published in "The Guardian" claiming that Mairam Akaeva, the wife of the Kyrgyz president, has a stake in the Bishkek Hyatt Regency hotel, "Res Publica" Editor Zamira Sydykova told RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau on 8 June. Akaeva told RFE/RL that the "Guardian" article is incorrect. She expressed disapproval of the independent newspaper "Asaba," which she claimed only publishes negative reports of developments in Kyrgyzstan and "regularly insults" former Communist Party of Kirgizia First Secretary Turdakun Usubaliev. Also on 8 June, the editor of the biweekly "Tribuna" told RFE/RL that Uchkun has ordered him not to submit for publication any criticism of either President Askar Akaev or any members of his family. LF[11] UZBEKISTAN CUTS GAS SUPPLIES TO TAJIKISTANSenior Tajik energy sector official Mirzo Qulov told Asia Plus-Blitz on 11 June that Dushanbe is negotiating with Tashkent for a resumption of natural gas supplies from Uzbekistan that were suspended last week due to nonpayment of debts totaling 8 million somonis ($3.4 million). He said limited supplies of gas will resume "soon." LF[12] OSCE SECRETARY-GENERAL VISITS TURKMENISTANContinuing his tour of the Central Asian states, Mircea Geoana held talks in Ashgabat on 8 June with Turkmenistan's President Saparmurat Niyazov, Russian agencies reported. In a reference to Niyazov's insistence that democratization in Turkmenistan should be adapted to national traditions, Geoana told him that economic and democratic transformations and the observation of human rights must be pursued regardless of such specifically local factors, Interfax reported. The two also discussed regional security and the situation in Afghanistan. LF[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE[13] MACEDONIAN FORCES LAUNCH ATTACK DESPITE REBEL ULTIMATUMThe army launched an offensive with artillery and other weapons in the Kumanovo area in the direction of the villages of Slupcane and Matejce early on 11 June. The move came despite an ultimatum to Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski the previous day by Commander Hoxha of the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army (UCK) to end the assault or risk a UCK campaign against Skopje. The guerrillas referred specifically to Skopje Airport, the oil refinery, police stations, government buildings, and other unspecified areas as potential targets. The ultimatum was slated to expire on the morning of 11 June, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. A government spokesman said the authorities are taking "all necessary measures for maximum security. He "reminded" the UCK that President Boris Trajkovski, and not Georgievski, is commander in chief. The government, which refuses to speak to what it calls "terrorists," has not officially responded to the UCK's ultimatum. Commander Hoxha told AP on 11 June that the guerrillas' "artillery is in place" and that any response will come later in the day. PM[14] REBEL MOVE TOWARD MACEDONIAN CAPITAL LEADS TO REFUGEE WAVEOn 9 June, the UCK occupied the 90 percent ethnic Albanian community of Aracinovo near Skopje, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. Ethnic Albanians and Macedonians alike sought to move families out of the area. Some adult males returned to their homes to defend their property. Many Albanian men of military age were turned back at the Kosova border by Macedonian border guards. Some Albanians were told to go home because they might face a military call-up, while others were told that they are suspected of links to the UCK or that their papers are not in order. Some 7, 000 persons had fled their homes over the weekend as of the evening of 10 June, UNHCR officials said in Skopje. PM[15] HOPES DIMMING FOR PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT IN MACEDONIATrajkovski announced a peace plan on Macedonian television on 8 June (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 8 June 2001). It provides for the proportional representation of ethnic Albanians in government at republican and local levels and increased use of the Albanian language in official dealings, as well as a partial amnesty for UCK fighters, unspecified confidence-building measures, and the gradual return of Macedonian forces to their barracks. It is not clear whether Trajkovski's proposal includes changes to the constitution to give the Albanians and their language full equality with the Slavs and the Macedonian language, which are minimum Albanian demands. Ethnic Albanian political leader Arben Xhaferi criticized the proposal as vague. EU security policy chief Javier Solana visited Skopje on 9 June, saying afterward that "all political leaders support [Trajkovski's] plan," Reuters reported. He has given the political leaders until a 25 June EU meeting in Luxembourg to improve the Albanians' legal status. PM[16] IS MACEDONIA'S PRIME MINISTER THE PROBLEM?Several British journalists over the weekend of 9-10 June described the government as "dysfunctional," suggesting that all parties share in the blame for the turmoil and impasse. Observers note that the political environment is becoming increasingly polarized and will likely become more so as election day draws nearer, possibly as early as September. But one "senior government official," speaking on condition of anonymity, told "The Observer" of 10 June that Georgievski is responsible for hamstringing the government. "With that man in charge, we are going to have civil war," the official argued. UCK Commander Hoxha told Reuters on 9 June that "I can injure the government of Ljubco Georgievski [militarily], but it is him who wants war. We don't want war." PM[17] A ROLE FOR SERBIA IN THE MACEDONIAN CONFLICT?Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Nebojsa Covic, who has been widely hailed as instrumental in bringing about the successful end to the crisis in the Presevo valley, told Reuters on 9 June that "the same basic principles could be used in Macedonia, bearing in mind the country's specifics." He noted that the main difference is that ethnic Albanians inhabit only "3 to 5 percent" of Serbia's territory, whereas in Macedonia they can be found throughout "almost the entire country and [make up about] 30 percent of the population." He said that he will make the final decision as to whether he personally will become involved in the Macedonian dispute. He called upon the ethnic Albanian parties to show their dedication to peace by exercising influence over the UCK. Covic stressed that Serbia can provide "experience, advice, logistics, [in short,] everything but selling arms because we want that crisis to end peacefully." The "Sunday Times" nonetheless reported on 10 June that NATO is investigating reports that Macedonia is "leasing" an unspecified number of Su-25 fighter-bombers from Serbia to attack UCK positions. PM[18] AIRLINES CUTTING FLIGHTS TO MACEDONIABritish Airways and Serbia's JAT have suspended flights to Macedonia in view of the worsening security situation there, AP reported on 11 June. Swissair has diverted its flights from Skopje to Ohrid. PM[19] KFOR INTERCEPTS UCK FIGHTERS ON KOSOVA BORDERNATO peacekeepers arrested 12 suspected members of the UCK in the night of 10-11 June as they attempted to cross from Kosova into Macedonia, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. The peacekeepers also confiscated an unspecified quantity of weapons. PM[20] SERBIAN CURRENCY REMAINS FIRMMladjan Dinkic, the governor of the Yugoslav National Bank, said in Belgrade on 10 June that he has no intention of devaluing the dinar. He argued that, if anything, the dinar is undervalued at present. He noted that inflation is under control, and that the only reason to devalue the dinar would be if inflation picked up again, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. Elsewhere, the UN's World Food Organization released a study on 8 June showing that 12 percent of the Serbian population lives below the poverty level with an income of about $53 per month or less. PM[21] RASPBERRY FROM SERBIAN FARMERSSerbian raspberry farmers blocked the Belgrade-Podgorica road near Pozega in western Serbia on 10 June to demand a higher price for their produce, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. PM[22] YUGOSLAV AND CROATIAN PRESIDENTS ISSUE JOINT DECLARATIONMeeting with a group of 14 Central European leaders in Verbania, Italy, on 9 June, Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica and Croatian President Stipe Mesic joined their 12 colleagues in expressing backing for Trajkovski's peace plan. Kostunica and Mesic said in a joint declaration of their own that neither of them has any territorial ambitions in Bosnia and that a stable Bosnia is in the interests of both Belgrade and Zagreb. The two presidents added that they want the complete normalization of bilateral relations, including guarantees of minority rights, the return of refugees, and the clarifying of the fates of missing persons, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. The two leaders called for the free exchange of persons, goods, and ideas. "Slobodna Dalmacija" reported on 11 June, however, that Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan is unhappy that Mesic did not discuss the declaration with him before making it. PM[23] MAIN RAIL LINE REOPENS BETWEEN BOSNIA AND CROATIAA four-car train traveled from Zagreb to Sarajevo on 10 June for the first time since September 1991, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. The train, which used to be full to overflowing during the summer months, was only 10 percent full. Stops included Banja Luka and Doboj in the Republika Srpska. The BBC reported recently that Serbian railway buffs have reopened a line running from Uzice into Bosnia -- powered by steam locomotives. The railway buffs hope to promote tourism and an interest in rail travel. PM[24] MASS GRAVE FOUND IN BOSNIAAmor Masovic, who heads the Bosnian government's commission for missing persons, said in the Malusa region on 10 June that the authorities have exhumed the bodies of 15 persons there, all apparently victims from the Serb-run labor camp at Foca during the 1992-1995 war. Masovic added that the authorities learned about the grave from an anonymous letter received from a Serb, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. PM[25] ROMANIAN JOURNALISTS PROTEST INTENTION TO POLITICIZE RADIO, TELEVISIONSome 160 radio journalists on 8 June signed a letter protesting what they perceive as an attempt by the ruling Party of Social Democracy in Romania to exercise control over radio and television broadcasts, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. On 6 June, the parliamentary commissions for culture, arts, and mass media of Romania's two-chamber parliament voted to reject the report of the two institutions' administrative boards. The parliament's plenum now has to approve the commissions' recommendations, after which the administrative councils can be dismissed and new councils appointed. Romanian Radio General Director Andrei Dimitriu appealed to the authorities to forego their intention, warning that "under the present circumstances, having [an emulation of the December-January events in] Prague will not improve the regime's international credibility." MS[26] ROMANIAN GOVERNMENT APPROVES DRAFT ON DECRIMINALIZATION OF SAME-SEX RELATIONSThe cabinet on 8 June approved a draft amending the stipulations in the Penal Code that criminalize same-sex relations, Mediafax reported. Last year the Senate approved amending the code's infamous Article 200, but the Chamber of Deputies has not yet passed the amendment and there have been reports that the Justice Ministry intends to again designate such relations as a criminal offense. MS[27] FITCH DOWNGRADES MOLDOVA'S RATINGThe International rating agency Fitch announced on 8 June that it is downgrading Moldova's risk grading from B-minus to CCC-plus for long-term hard-currency loans and from B to C for borrowing in local currency, RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. The agency said the new Party of Moldovan Communists administration has slowed down reforms, as a result of which the IMF, the World Bank, and the EU stopped lending to Moldova. It said this could create a $70 million deficit in the 2001 budget, and that the deficit is likely to grow to $100 million in 2002. Also on 8 June, the parliament voted to establish an ad hoc commission to investigate the reasons for the collapse of nine commercial banks over the last few years. MS[28] BULGARIAN PARTIES REMOVE CANDIDATES FROM ELECTORAL LISTSThirty-two candidates in Bulgaria's upcoming parliamentary elections were removed from their parties' lists because their names appeared in the recently scrutinized files of the communist secret service, AFP reported on 10 June. The National Movement Simeon II excluded 15 candidates, seven of whom figured in the secret services' files but whose work as agents for the service could not be proven. A statement published by former King Simeon II said his National Movement "has taken a very difficult step in separating itself from people it greatly values." The Socialist Party removed 10 people from its lists and the ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms removed seven. MS[29] BULGARIAN ROYALIST MOVEMENT FEARS ELECTION RIGGING...Emil Koshlukov, the campaign manager of the National Movement Simeon II, on 8 June said he fears the outcome of parliamentary elections scheduled for 17 June will be rigged, dpa reported. He said campaign posters bearing the portrait of the former monarch and names similar to those of the movement are causing confusion among the electorate. Koshlukov alleged that the intention is to get members of the public to cast votes for insignificant groups in the belief that they are voting for the National Movement Simeon II. He also said the movement has little chance of monitoring the voting, as almost none of its officials are represented on local electoral commissions. Koshlukov also urged the ruling United Democratic Forces alliance to have the courage to accept the outcome of the elections and be ready to give up power "calmly and peacefully." Most public opinion polls show the National Movement Simeon II winning the ballot. MS[30] ...AS GUN SHOTS ARE FIRED OUTSIDE ITS SOFIA OFFICESA spokesman for the National Movement Simeon II on 10 June said gun shots were fired outside its Sofia offices on the same day, AFP reported. The spokesman said a man fired two shots from an automobile before driving off. No damage or injuries were reported. MS[31] BULGARIAN CONVOY TAKES WATER TO MACEDONIABulgarian trucks carrying 24,000 tons of water left on 10 June for the Macedonian city of Kumanovo, where taps went dry after ethnic Albanian rebels took control of local reservoirs, AFP reported, citing a Defense Ministry spokesman. The operation was agreed upon at a meeting in Plodviv between Prime Minister Ivan Kostov and Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Joseph Ralston. MS[C] END NOTE[32] AZERBAIJANIS INCREASINGLY CONCERNED ABOUT KARABAKH CONFLICTBy Paul GobleEver more Azerbaijanis view the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute as the most important problem facing their country, a trend that may make it more difficult for Baku to reach an agreement on that issue with Armenia. According to a poll conducted in Azerbaijan for the U.S. State Department's Office of Research after the publication in February this year of three failed OSCE Karabakh peace plans, 55 percent of Azerbaijanis say that the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute is the single most serious problem Azerbaijan faces. That figure is up from 41 percent in a poll the same office carried out a year ago. Furthermore, an additional 19 percent this year said that other aspects of that conflict -- including displaced persons and territorial integrity -- are the next most serious problem. These figures are striking for three reasons. First, Nagorno-Karabakh dwarfs all other issues in Azerbaijan. Fewer than one-third as many in the sample named any other issue, with 18 percent saying that unemployment is the most serious problem and 14 percent reporting that economic problems are the most significant issue. On the one hand, this means Azerbaijanis care more about what their government does on this issue than they do even on the bread-and-butter concerns that drive the politics of most countries the majority of the time. That pattern may allow Baku to devote less attention to those matters than would otherwise be the case. And on the other hand, the overwhelming importance of Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijanis means that the government's ability to pursue new departures in negotiations over the future of that region are limited. To put it simply, too many Azerbaijanis care about the outcome for the Azerbaijani government to ignore their views. Second, increasing concern about Nagorno-Karabakh, an area within Azerbaijan's borders with an ethnic Armenian majority that is now under the control of Armenians, does not appear to reflect changes on the ground. Rather, it appears to be the product of increased public attention to efforts by the OSCE Minsk Group led by France, Russia, and the United States to promote an accord between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Azerbaijanis have become more sensitive to this issue precisely because it has become the subject of more intense discussion. And that points to one of the paradoxes of negotiations by governments that must rely on the support of the people: If outside powers seek to promote a settlement by highly publicized meetings such as the Key West summit earlier this year, these countries may unintentionally make it more difficult for the parties to reach a settlement. In short, dictatorships may be able to ignore the views of their own people, but the governments of democracies and of countries that aspire to become democracies cannot do so except at the risk of massive instability or even collapse. And the leaders of such countries are very aware of these dangers. And third, at least some Azerbaijani politicians may exploit increasing popular concern about Nagorno-Karabakh to promote their own agenda or even to advance their own positions in the future. The likelihood of such actions also acts as a constraint on the government's maneuvering room. Indeed, it is worth noting that many Azerbaijani opposition parties have staked out far less flexible positions than has President Heidar Aliev. But in addition, the exploitation by such groups of these popular attitudes will only intensify the concerns of the Azerbaijani population, thus further reducing the possibility of any movement in negotiations and creating the specter of possible violence should conditions on the ground in and around Nagorno-Karabakh take a turn for the worse. Unless these possibilities are taken into account by the negotiators, little progress appears to be likely in the short term, and enormous dangers appear to be possible over the longer term. 11-06-01 Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
|
|
 |
|
 |
 |
|
All Rights Reserved.