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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 5, No. 132, 01-07-16
RFE/RL NEWSLINE
Vol. 5, No. 132, 16 July 2001
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] ARMENIAN MILITARY PROCURACY ACCUSED OF HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES
[02] ARMENIAN COALITION PARTNER ON VERGE OF SPLIT?
[03] IMPRISONED FORMER ARMENIAN MINISTER RELEASED
[04] AZERBAIJAN DISAPPOINTED BY MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS' VISIT
[05] AZERBAIJAN'S WAR INVALIDS STAGE DEMONSTRATIONS
[06] BORDER GUARD OFFICIAL ABDUCTED IN EASTERN GEORGIA?
[07] GEORGIA CONDEMNS ABKHAZ REFUSAL TO ATTEND TALKS
[08] KAZAKHSTAN, U.S. PREPARE SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL FOR STORAGE
[09] ARRESTED KYRGYZ HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST APPEALS FOR HELP
[10] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT SEEKS TO DISPEL CRITICISM OF BORDER AGREEMENT
[11] TWO TAJIKS SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR CHURCH BOMBING
[12] TAJIK TROOPS STILL IN PURSUIT OF FIELD COMMANDER'S SUPPORTERS
[13] UZBEKISTAN APPEALS FOR DROUGHT RELIEF
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[14] CROATIAN GOVERNMENT WINS CONFIDENCE VOTE
[15] SERBIAN PRIME MINISTER: WEST HAS LET ME DOWN
[16] SERBIAN PRIME MINISTER SEEKING TO 'PLAY KOSOVA CARD'?
[17] U.S. PRESSURES SERBIA ON DEATHS OF THREE AMERICANS
[18] BUSH TO VISIT KOSOVA
[19] KOSOVA PEACEKEEPERS FIND MACEDONIAN ARMS DUMPS
[20] MACEDONIAN REBELS: 1,100 'TROUBLEMAKERS'
[21] MACEDONIAN ARMY, INSURGENTS PREPARE FOR A NEW ROUND OF VIOLENCE
[22] GOVERNMENT RESHUFFLE IN MACEDONIA
[23] MACEDONIAN ALBANIAN LEADER SEES 'PROGRESS'
[24] MACEDONIANS PROTEST AGAINST 'CONCESSIONS' TO ALBANIANS
[25] DID NATO BOTCH CHANCE TO CATCH KARADZIC?
[26] ROMANIA, HUNGARY STILL DISAGREE OVER STATUS LAW
[27] ROMANIA, UKRAINE SPAR OVER CONTINENTAL SHELF BORDER DEMARCATION
[28] PACE RAPPORTEUR PRAISES ROMANIAN GOVERNMENT...
[29] ...AND NASTASE SLAMS U.S. REPORT
[30] ROMANIAN REPORT SHOWS POVERTY, 'GRAY ECONOMY' GROWING
[31] ROMANIAN COMMUNIST STEELMAKING MAMMOTH TO BE PRIVATIZED
[32] ROMANIAN PEASANTISTS EXPEL FORMER DEPUTY LEADER
[33] MOLDOVAN FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS TRANSDNIESTER MAY FACE ECONOMIC
SANCTIONS...
[34] ...HAS HOPES REBUKED BY RUSSIAN DUMA
[35] OSCE MISSION CHIEF SAYS TRANSDNIESTER CONFLICT NEGOTIATIONS 'SLOWED
DOWN'
[36] MOLDOVAN PARLIAMENT REJECTS DRAFT RESOLUTION ON LEAVING CIS
[37] SIMEON SAXECOBURGGOTSKI FORMALLY ASKED TO FORM NEW BULGARIAN
GOVERNMENT
[38] NORWAY TO EXPEL BULGARIAN ASYLUM-SEEKERS
[C] END NOTE
[39] There is no End Note today.
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] ARMENIAN MILITARY PROCURACY ACCUSED OF HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES
A special commission of seven senior prosecutors has been formed to
investigate allegations by the Presidential Human Rights Commission that
the military procuracy headed by Gagik Djahangirian engaged in "brutal"
mistreatment of servicemen taken into custody by military police, Armenian
Prosecutor-General Aram Tamazian told journalists in Yerevan on 13 July,
RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. Djahangirian was earlier widely
criticized for his handling of the investigation into the October 1999
Armenian parliament shootings. LF
[02] ARMENIAN COALITION PARTNER ON VERGE OF SPLIT?
Parliament speaker Armen Khachatrian on 14 July accused the People's Party
of Armenia (HZhK), of which he is a member, of betraying the legacy of its
founder, his predecessor Karen Demirchian, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau
reported. The previous day, the HZhK's political council had demanded the
dismissal from their posts of both Khachatrian and deputy speaker Gagik
Aslanian. Khachatrian advocates continued cooperation with the HZhK's
coalition partner, the Republican Party of Armenia headed by Prime Minister
Andranik Markarian, while the HZhK leadership under Demirchian's son Stepan
opposes such cooperation. LF
[03] IMPRISONED FORMER ARMENIAN MINISTER RELEASED
Former Education Minister Ashot Bleyan, who was sentenced last year to six
years in prison on embezzlement charges (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18 December
2000), was released on parole from a Yerevan jail on 13 July, RFE/RL's
Yerevan bureau reported the following day, citing "Haykakan zhamanak." He
said he will appeal the sentence in a higher court. LF
[04] AZERBAIJAN DISAPPOINTED BY MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS' VISIT
Senior Azerbaijani politicians and opposition activists alike reacted with
displeasure to the communique released on 12 July by the OSCE Minsk Group
co-chairmen expressing concern at calls for a resumption of hostilities to
resolve the Karabakh conflict (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 13 July 2001).
Foreign Minister Vilayaet Quliev complained that the co-chairmen should try
to dissuade Armenia from its "unconstructive" position instead of
condemning militaristic rhetoric, according to ANS on 14 July, as cited by
Groong. The previous day, "Zerkalo" had quoted Quliev as denying rumors
that he will resign to protest Baku's readiness to sign a "defeatist" peace
agreement. Presidential administration official Novruz Mamedov argued that
Azerbaijan should not betray its national interests in order to reach a
solution to the conflict, adding that "the position of Azerbaijan does not
necessarily coincide" with that of the co-chairs. Independent Journalists'
Union Chairman Arif Aliev argued that the co-chairs' calls to avoid
bellicose statements "are misdirected" and could hinder the peace process,
Turan reported on 13 July. Opposition Azerbaijan National Independence
Party Chairman Etibar Mamedov and Azerbaijan Popular Front Party
(reformers' wing) Chairman Ali Kerimov both said they do not think the co-
chairs' visit brought any positive results. LF
[05] AZERBAIJAN'S WAR INVALIDS STAGE DEMONSTRATIONS
Some 1,000-1,500 people attended an officially sanctioned rally in Baku on
14 July organized by the Society of Karabakh War Invalids to demand the
resignation of President Heidar Aliev and the release of six invalids on
trial for their participation in a hunger strike earlier this year (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 20 and 21 February 2001). A prosecutor last week
demanded they be jailed for between four and six years. Fourteen invalids
who were detained on 13 July after an unsanctioned demonstration to attract
attention to the planned 14 July rally were released after paying a fine of
110,000 manats (approximately $20) for allegedly violating public order. LF
[06] BORDER GUARD OFFICIAL ABDUCTED IN EASTERN GEORGIA?
Following Georgian media reports that border guard official Mamuka Arabuli
was abducted late on 12 July by Chechens in the Pankisi gorge in eastern
Georgia, on 13 July local Georgians took hostage seven Georgian Chechens
with the aim of exchanging them for Arabuli. The Georgian authorities
imposed a state of emergency throughout the Kakheti region of eastern
Georgia the same day. Georgian Interior Minister Kakha Targamadze has
traveled to eastern Georgia to supervise the operation to secure Arabuli's
release. Georgian parliament's Committee for Human Rights Chairwoman Elene
Tevdoradze said on 14 July that Pankisi residents deny that Arabuli is
being held there, Caucasus Press reported on 14 July. LF
[07] GEORGIA CONDEMNS ABKHAZ REFUSAL TO ATTEND TALKS
Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze has advised Abkhaz Premier Anri
Djergenia to "reconsider calmly" his written refusal to participate in the
session of the UN-sponsored Coordinating Council scheduled for 17 July,
Caucasus Press reported. Following the murder last week, allegedly by
Georgian guerrillas, of four Abkhaz civilians (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12
and 13 July 2001), Djergenia had said Sukhum will not participate in that
meeting to protest the Georgian leaderships support for what he termed
"international terrorism." Georgian Minister for Special Assignments
Malkhaz Kakabadze condemned Djergenia's statement as "not serious." LF
[08] KAZAKHSTAN, U.S. PREPARE SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL FOR STORAGE
Kazakh, U.S., and International Atomic Energy Agency officials attended a
ceremony in western Kazakhstan on 12 July to mark the successful completion
of the retrieval and packing of spent nuclear fuel from the decommissioned
nuclear reactor at Mangyshlak, Interfax reported. The 2 1/2 year program to
do so cost an estimated $40 million. LF
[09] ARRESTED KYRGYZ HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST APPEALS FOR HELP
Noomanjan Arkabaev, the coordinator in Kyrgyzstan's southern Osh Oblast for
the Kyrgyz Committee for Human Rights, has appealed to the international
community to intercede on his behalf, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported on
14 July. Arkabaev was arrested in Osh on 27 June and charged on the basis
of leaflets allegedly found in his office with appealing for public
disorder and the overthrow of the constitutional system. The leaflets,
which he claims no knowledge of, call for the resignation of President
Askar Akaev. Arkabaev began a hunger strike on 3 July. LF
[10] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT SEEKS TO DISPEL CRITICISM OF BORDER AGREEMENT
Answering viewers' questions during a 2 1/2 hour phone-in on state
television on 12 July, President Akaev spent 20 minutes praising the
controversial 1996 and 1999 border agreements with China, RFE/RL's Bishkek
bureau reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 6, 14, 20 and 22 June 2001). He
denied that they are detrimental to Kyrgyzstan's national interests. Akaev
also said that Kyrgyzstan will have no problems in repaying its foreign
debt, which he estimated at $1.3 billion. Other officials recently said
that debt has reached $2 billion (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 2 July 2001). He
further affirmed that the country's armed forces are fully capable of
repulsing an anticipated new incursion by Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
militants. LF
[11] TWO TAJIKS SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR CHURCH BOMBING
Tajikistan's Supreme Court on 13 July handed down the death penalty on two
men identified as Islamic militants who were found guilty of the bomb
explosion last fall at a Christian Korean Mission in Dushanbe that killed
nine people and injured a further 30, Reuters and ITAR-TASS reported (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 2 October 2000). LF
[12] TAJIK TROOPS STILL IN PURSUIT OF FIELD COMMANDER'S SUPPORTERS
Tajik army troops reportedly killed two members of field commander Rakhmon
Sanginov's force in a mountain village east of Dushanbe on 15 July, ITAR-
TASS reported. On 7 July, a Tajik Interior Ministry official claimed for
the second time that Sanginov's band had been "neutralized" (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 25 and 26 June and 9 July 2001). Earlier reports said that the
operation to round up members of that force was being carried out by Tajik
Interior Ministry, not army troops. LF
[13] UZBEKISTAN APPEALS FOR DROUGHT RELIEF
Senior Uzbek environmental official Khalilulla Sherimbetov said on 12 July
that the Uzbek government has appealed to the international community for
aid to overcome this summer's drought, which he described as worse than
last year's and the worst in a century, Interfax reported (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 10 July and 4 September 2000). Sherimbetov estimated that some 1
million people in the lower Aral Sea basin may be affected by the water
shortages and ensuing crop failure. He predicted that the situation will
peak in late July or early August. LF
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[14] CROATIAN GOVERNMENT WINS CONFIDENCE VOTE
Prime Minister Ivica Racan's government won a confidence vote in the
parliament on 15 July, Croatian Radio reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9
July 2001). The vote was 93 for the government and 36 against. Most of the
votes against came from the Croatian Democratic Community (HDZ). Some 22
deputies were absent. Racan sought the vote after Drazen Budisa and some
other leading members of the governing Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS)
protested the government's decision to agree to extradite two generals to
The Hague. Many observers feel that the six-party coalition government,
which has been in office since early 2000, is long overdue for a
restructuring. PM
[15] SERBIAN PRIME MINISTER: WEST HAS LET ME DOWN
Zoran Djindjic told the German weekly "Der Spiegel" of 16 July that Western
aid donors have greatly disappointed him by not making good on their
commitments, which he called "a farce." He charged that "bureaucracy" in
Brussels is holding up badly needed assistance. He added that many Western
officials seem more interested in obtaining repayments for their loans
dating back to communist times than in helping the current government
survive. Djindjic warned that Vojislav Seselj's Radical Party could
capitalize on popular discontent unless average Serbs see some tangible
results of Western promises by September at the latest. The prime minister
noted that Western governments made generous promises of aid to him when he
was still a opposition leader, but that the promised "billions" have yet to
materialize. Djindjic suggested that it would have been better if the West
had given his government $22 million outright rather than hold a donors
conference that was long on promises but short on delivery. EU foreign
ministers are slated to discuss Balkan issues in Brussels on 16 July. PM
[16] SERBIAN PRIME MINISTER SEEKING TO 'PLAY KOSOVA CARD'?
Djindjic's Democratic Party (DS) recently organized an aid convoy for Serbs
in Kosova, AP reported from Prishtina on 14 July. Peacekeepers stopped the
convoy because it was accompanied by 300 people, which caused KFOR
"security concerns." The convoy proceeded after KFOR and UN officials
persuaded the DS functionaries and journalists to return to Serbia, saying
that KFOR and UNMIK will distribute the aid. The DS subsequently protested
that decision. Meanwhile, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported from
Prishtina on 15 July that Djindjic will meet former Kosovar guerrilla
leaders Hashim Thaci and Agim Ceku later in the month. Djindjic wants to
discuss the fate of missing Serbian civilians in the province, "Vesti"
reported on 16 July. Representatives of the international community
facilitated the contact between Thaci and Djindjic, who have already spoken
several times by telephone. In related news, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister
Nebojsa Covic called for an international conference on Kosova, "Vesti"
reported on 16 July. He stressed that Serbs must wisely use what limited
opportunities they have to facilitate a "return" to Kosova. PM
[17] U.S. PRESSURES SERBIA ON DEATHS OF THREE AMERICANS
U.S. officials are seeking information on the deaths of three U.S. citizens
of Kosovar Albanian origin, whom the Serbian authorities imprisoned just
after the 1999 conflict, the "International Herald Tribune" reported on 16
July. The bodies of brothers Ylli, Agron, and Mehmet Bytyqi were later
found in a mass grave. William Montgomery, the chief American diplomat in
Belgrade, said: "We need to get real information from the Yugoslav
authorities. We are going to insist they do a full investigation." Lawyer
Bajram Krasniqi said in Prishtina: "They were killed because they were
American citizens." PM
[18] BUSH TO VISIT KOSOVA
U.S. President George W. Bush will briefly visit Prishtina and U.S.
peacekeepers at Camp Bondsteel on 24 July following the G-7 plus Russia
summit in Genoa, Italy, AP reported from Washington on 15 July. PM
[19] KOSOVA PEACEKEEPERS FIND MACEDONIAN ARMS DUMPS
U.S. peacekeepers have found three arms dumps outside Ribnik, Kosova, near
the border with Macedonia, KFOR said in a statement from Prishtina on 16
July. The weapons, ammunition, and explosives will be destroyed. PM
[20] MACEDONIAN REBELS: 1,100 'TROUBLEMAKERS'
The National Liberation Army (UCK) consists of about 1,100 people, the
"Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" reported from Pullach on 14 July. Its
112th Brigade is based near Kumanovo, and the 113th Brigade is in the
Tetovo region. A newer 111th Brigade operates between Gostivar and Debar,
while the 115th Brigade is based east of Gostivar. Many of the leaders
fought in Kosova, but almost all soldiers come from Macedonia, particularly
from the ranks of unemployed youth. KFOR has been very effective in
blocking supply channels from Kosova, so arms and ammunition are brought in
via Montenegro, Albania, and even Bulgaria. Funds come from the diaspora,
which, however, is less enthusiastic about helping the Macedonian
insurgents than it was in helping the Kosovars in 1998 and 1999. Arms are
bought in Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, and Western Europe. Corrupt Yugoslav
army officers have also been a source of arms for the UCK. Some soldiers in
the lower ranks are involved in smuggling and other criminal activities.
The few mercenaries hired by the UCK are instructors. The guerrillas seek
to "cause trouble" and catch the Macedonian army off guard. PM
[21] MACEDONIAN ARMY, INSURGENTS PREPARE FOR A NEW ROUND OF VIOLENCE
"Dnevnik" reported on 13 July that both the Albanian insurgents and the
Macedonian security forces have used the cease-fire to regroup and rearm.
Citing unnamed unofficial sources, the newspaper added that the Macedonian
army will soon acquire an unspecified quantity of new MI-24 helicopter
gunships, Sukhoi Su-25 fighter planes, and rocket launchers from Ukraine,
as well as Yugoslav-built T-84 tanks. The daily added that the Macedonian
security forces do not plan to change their tactics in fighting the
Albanian rebels soon (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 15 June 2001). New
antiterror units are nonetheless being trained by specialists from the
British SAS, which could indeed mean that the army is preparing to change
its tactics. On 14 July, "Dnevnik" quoted Defense Minister Vlado Buckovski
as saying that the government is not buying additional arms. He did not
deny that antiterror units are being formed. UB
[22] GOVERNMENT RESHUFFLE IN MACEDONIA
Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski plans to reshuffle the current government
soon, the Skopje dailies "Utrinski vesnik" and "Dnevnik" reported on 14
July. According to the newspapers, the reshuffle affects Deputy Prime
Minister Zoran Krstevski of the Liberal Party (LP), who is in charge of
Macedonia's relations with the EU. Georgievski plans to assign this
responsibility to Justice Minister Xhevdet Nasufi. Another prominent figure
to be replaced is Ilija Filipovski, the president of the privatization
office and head of the Crisis Management Coordinating Body. Krstevski has
criticized Georgievski's role in the OKTA oil company scandal (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 12 July 2001). Many believe that the Coordinating Body under
Filipovski has turned into a kind of shadow government. UB
[23] MACEDONIAN ALBANIAN LEADER SEES 'PROGRESS'
Menduh Thaci, the deputy chairman of the Democratic Party of the Albanians
(PDSH), said in a statement to the Skopje daily "Dnevnik" of 16 July that
the Western-brokered talks between the Albanian and Macedonian parties made
good progress over the 14-15 July weekend (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 13 July
2001). He added: "One of the major obstacles [continues to be] the language
question, but the issues of government decentralization and of devising a
mechanism to prevent minorities' being outvoted in the parliament" also
remain unresolved (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 13 July 2001). EU special
envoy Francois Leotard and his U.S. counterpart James Pardew had reportedly
expected an agreement on constitutional and legal changes to be signed on
16 July. UB
[24] MACEDONIANS PROTEST AGAINST 'CONCESSIONS' TO ALBANIANS
Several hundred angry protesters marched through Skopje on 16 July to
demand that the government not make fundamental concessions to the Albanian
minority, AP reported. Protest organizer Tomislav Stojanovski said that the
demonstrators want to meet with Leotard and Pardew. "We want to tell the
people who dictate terms of peace that we need protection from those who
started the war," Stojanovski added. There has long been speculation that
hard-liners close to Georgievski might try to thwart the conclusion of a
political settlement or demand a referendum on any agreement reached. PM
[25] DID NATO BOTCH CHANCE TO CATCH KARADZIC?
"The Observer" reported on 15 July that British SFOR troops fought a gun
battle near Foca two days earlier with the bodyguards of Radovan Karadzic,
who escaped unharmed. British Defense Ministry officials and SFOR have
denied the story. PM
[26] ROMANIA, HUNGARY STILL DISAGREE OVER STATUS LAW
Visiting Hungarian Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi and his Romanian
counterpart Mircea Geoana on 13 July failed to bridge gaps over the
Hungarian Status Law, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. They agreed that
the two countries' joint governmental commission will meet in September in
Budapest to continue parleys. Geoana repeated that the law is
discriminatory against the Romanian ethnic majority and infringes on
European standards on national minorities and on the provisions of the
Romanian-Hungarian basic treaty, which Martonyi denied. Martonyi said the
law is "a framework legislation" and proposed that the sides work jointly
on the formulation of regulations on the Status Law's implementation.
Martonyi also met with Prime Minister Adrian Nastase, who said after the
meeting that the Status Law includes principles that "differ from the
philosophy outlined by the European Commission's Framework Convention on
the Protection of National Minorities." MS
[27] ROMANIA, UKRAINE SPAR OVER CONTINENTAL SHELF BORDER DEMARCATION
The Foreign Ministry on 15 July said the most recent round of talks held in
Kyiv over the demarcation of the continental shelf in the Black Sea has
revealed "the persistence of significant differences" on interpreting the
provisions of the basic treaty in regard with the delimitation of the
continental shelf border in the Black Sea, Mediafax reported. The next
round of negotiations is to be held in Bucharest on 1-3 October. The
ministry also said that the Ukrainian response to its "verbal note" earlier
this month on the illegality of Ukrainian drilling for gas and oil in the
vicinity of Serpents Island shows that Ukraine has no intention of
abandoning the drilling. MS
[28] PACE RAPPORTEUR PRAISES ROMANIAN GOVERNMENT...
Baroness Emma Nicholson, the rapporteur on Romania for the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe, on 13 July met in Bucharest with Premier
Nastase and reviewed measures approved by his cabinet over the last 45 days
aimed at improving the situation of abandoned children. After the meeting,
Nicholson praised the cabinet and said "the process of Romania's
integration into the EU and NATO can no longer be stopped," RFE/RL's
Bucharest bureau reported. In an interview with Reuters the same day,
Baroness Nicholson said her initial negative draft report had reflected the
fact that under previously existent legislation Romania had been turned
into "a heaven for pedophiles and child traffickers" and that she does not
rule out that some of the Romanian children who were sent to other
countries for alleged adoption were not only misused for child prostitution
but also for trafficking in human organs. MS
[29] ...AND NASTASE SLAMS U.S. REPORT
Premier Nastase on 13 July harshly criticized the U.S. for having placed
Romania in the category of states that "make no significant effort" to
combat international trafficking in human beings and the Foreign Ministry
on the next day likewise rejected the U.S. report, RFE/RL's Bucharest
bureau reported. The Foreign Ministry said the U.S. report does not take
into account legislation and other measures recently passed and implemented
to improve the situation and added that since Romania has cooperated on
improving that situation with the U.S. government, "the report affects the
credibility of initiatives undertaken [in Romania] by the U.S. government
itself." MS
[30] ROMANIAN REPORT SHOWS POVERTY, 'GRAY ECONOMY' GROWING
A report presented to the government by the Institute for Research of Life
Quality (ICCV) on 13 July shows that between 20 and 37 percent of Romanian
economic activity is in the "gray economy" area and that 44 percent of
Romania's population is living in poverty. Fifteen percent is living below
minimum subsistence levels and the poverty rate grew by 60 percent over the
last two years, Mediafax reported. MS
[31] ROMANIAN COMMUNIST STEELMAKING MAMMOTH TO BE PRIVATIZED
Privatization Authority Minister Ovidiu Musatescu on 14 July announced that
the contract for the privatization of Romania's mammoth communist
steelmaking company Sidex Galati is likely to be signed on 20 July. Sidex
Galati is the largest steelmaking company in East Central Europe and also
the largest contributor to Romania's budget deficit. Negotiations with the
Indian LNM ISPAT holding have been ongoing for several months and on 13
July representatives of that holding met with trade union leaders of Sidex
Galati in Musatescu's presence. No details of the deal's worth have yet
been disclosed. MS
[32] ROMANIAN PEASANTISTS EXPEL FORMER DEPUTY LEADER
The leadership of the National Peasant Party Christian Democratic (PNTCD)
on 14 July expelled former PNTCD First Deputy Chairman Vasile Lupu from the
party and decided to convoke the PNTCD extraordinary congress on 14 August,
instead of December, as previously announced. The leadership also voted to
"recommend expelling" former PNTCD Secretary-General Calin Catalin Chirita,
but the final decision on his case is to be taken after a meeting on 16
July of the party's National Bureau, to which Chirita was summoned. Lupu
said he continues to view the party's new leadership as "illegal" and
called it " a crowd of liars." MS
[33] MOLDOVAN FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS TRANSDNIESTER MAY FACE ECONOMIC
SANCTIONS...
Foreign Minister Nicolae Cernomaz, in an interview with RFE/RL on 13 July,
said that at the Kyiv meeting the previous day Russian, Ukrainian, and
Moldovan foreign ministers agreed to take "special economic measures"
against the separatist leadership in Tiraspol if Igor Smirnov continues to
block the negotiation process. Cernomaz did not elaborate, but said that
Russia and Ukraine "firmly back" the Chisinau position and are in favor of
granting the Transdniester a "special status of large autonomy." MS
[34] ...HAS HOPES REBUKED BY RUSSIAN DUMA
Cernomaz also said that during the meeting he expressed his "puzzlement" in
face of the recent Russian State Duma resolution to invite both Moldova and
the Transdniester to join the Russia-Belarus Union as "partners with an
equal status," and added he is "convinced" that the Duma will "find ways to
mend its error." But the same day, according to a Flux report, the Duma
addressed an appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian
President Alexandr Lukashenka calling on them to "ensure the necessary
conditions for the accession of Moldova and the Transdniester Republic" to
the union. MS
[35] OSCE MISSION CHIEF SAYS TRANSDNIESTER CONFLICT NEGOTIATIONS 'SLOWED
DOWN'
William Hill, the chief of the OSCE mission to Moldova, on 13 July told
journalists in Chisinau that after a fast start the negotiations between
Moldova and the separatists have "slowed down," RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau
reported. Hill said the "complicated problems" of the Transdniester's
"special status" necessitate making "bigger compromises" and this takes a
"longer time," but added that "in general, the situation is positive and
must be so maintained by proceeding without further delays in implementing
solutions already agreed on." Hill also said OSCE member states have begun
contributing to a fund that would finance the dismantling of those parts of
the Russian arsenal that cannot be evacuated from the Transdniester. MS
[36] MOLDOVAN PARLIAMENT REJECTS DRAFT RESOLUTION ON LEAVING CIS
The Moldovan parliament on 13 July rejected a draft resolution moved by the
opposition Popular Party Christian Democratic to invalidate all legislation
on Moldova's membership of the CIS and withdraw from the organization,
RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. The resolution was rejected by the votes
of deputies representing the Party of Moldovan Communists and the Braghis
Alliance. MS
[37] SIMEON SAXECOBURGGOTSKI FORMALLY ASKED TO FORM NEW BULGARIAN
GOVERNMENT
President Petar Stoyanov on 15 July formally gave former King Simeon II a
mandate to form Bulgaria's next government, international agencies
reported. He has one week to complete the task and the parliament is due to
vote confidence in the new cabinet on 24 July. Simeon said he will accept
the name "Saxecoburggotski," the Bulgarian transcription of his royal
lineage Saxe Coburg Gotha, as his common name. "I have been working all my
life and I never used my official name, which belongs to history," he said,
alluding to the fact that the Bulgarian monarchy has been abolished. Asked
by journalists how he felt about his designation as premier,
Saxecoburggotski responded: "I am not a dreamer, but this goes beyond all
my expectations." He declined to comment on which parties might be included
in the cabinet. On 12 July, Simeon renewed the invitation to the United
Democratic Forces to join the coalition he will head. MS
[38] NORWAY TO EXPEL BULGARIAN ASYLUM-SEEKERS
"None of the Bulgarian applicant emigrants meets the conditions for
political asylum or work in Norway. All of them will therefore be expelled,
" BTA quoted a Norwegian immigration official as saying on 13 July. A total
of 661 Bulgarians have requested asylum since June. Arnt Rindal, the
Norwegian ambassador to Romania who also covers Bulgaria, visited the
Danube town of Russe -- home to most of the Bulgarian citizens seeking
asylum in Norway -- for talks with local government and police officials,
AP reported. He said that for the time being Norway has no plans to
reintroduce visas for Bulgarian citizens. AFP reported on 13 July that six
Bulgarian tourist agencies thought to have organized the Romany exodus to
Norway are being investigated by the Bulgarian authorities. MS
[C] END NOTE
[39] There is no End Note today.
16-07-01
Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
URL: http://www.rferl.org
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