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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 5, No. 132, 01-07-16

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>

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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