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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 5, No. 144, 01-08-01Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>RFE/RL NEWSLINEVol. 5, No. 144, 1 August 2001CONTENTS[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[C] END NOTE
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA[01] MOST ARMENIAN PARTIES OPPOSE CONCILIATION COMMISSIONFive political parties represented in the Armenian parliament and two nonpartisan parliamentary factions issued a statement on 31 July criticizing the announcement last month of the creation of an Armenian- Turkish conciliation commission (see "RFE/RL Caucasus Report," Vol. 4, No. 27, 24 July 2001), RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. The statement argued that "attempts to hide the historical truth and initiatives aimed at an artificial reconciliation cannot contribute to the establishment of normal relations" between the two countries. It suggests that the ultimate aim of the commission is to "remove the fact of the Armenian genocide from the agenda," and warned that its activities could "split the united Armenian front" and hinder the ongoing campaign for international recognition of the 1915 genocide. LF[02] IMF OFFICIAL ASSESSES ARMENIA'S PROGRESSFollowing talks in Yerevan on 30-31 July with Armenian President Robert Kocharian and Prime Minister Andranik Markarian, John Odling-Smee, the director of the IMF's Second European Department, said that the main challenge now facing Armenia is to "put the economy on a higher sustainable growth path," RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. Specifically, he advocated "improved governance" and further measures to combat corruption in order to create a business environment more attractive to foreign investors, noting the Armenian leadership's strong commitment to meeting those objectives. Odling-Smee told students at the American University of Armenia that he does not recommend that Armenia request that its foreign debt be written off, Noyan Tapan reported on 1 August. He said that although per capita annual income in Armenia is less than $700 and Armenia therefore ranks as one of the world's poorest states, unlike Tajikistan, Georgia, and Moldova, "Armenia, if willing, can service its debt." Armenia's total foreign debt as of January 2001 was $836 million, compared with Georgia's $1.6 billion. LF[03] IRAN DENIES VIOLATING AZERBAIJAN'S AIRSPACEThe Iranian Embassy in Baku has rejected as "unsubstantiated rumor" an ANS- TV report of 30 July that an Iranian warplane violated Azerbaijani airspace the previous day, dpa reported from Tehran on 1 August (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 31 July 2001). On 31 July, Russian deputy foreign ministers Viktor Kalyuzhnyi and Aleksandr Losyukov informed Iran's ambassador to Russia, Mehdi Safari, of Moscow's "concern" at the recent deterioration in Azerbaijani-Iranian relations, ITAR-TASS reported on 1 August. LF[04] TWO AZERBAIJANIS SHOT DEAD ON BORDER WITH IRANTwo residents of the Azerbaijani village of Shafagli were beaten and then shot dead by Azerbaijani border guards on 28 July after they attempted to cross the border into Iran circumventing official controls, Turan and RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service reported on 31 July. LF[05] AZERBAIJAN FINALLY MAKES OFFICIAL TRANSITION TO LATIN ALPHABETOn 1 August, Latin script officially superceded Cyrillic as the official alphabet in Azerbaijan, almost 10 years after the country's parliament first voted to abandon Cyrillic and set a two-year transition period, until 31 December 1993, for doing so. The transition was suspended after the overthrow in June 1993 of the Azerbaijan Popular Front leadership headed by President Abulfaz Elchibey, and in recent years both alphabets have been used in advertising and street signs, at least in Baku. Elchibey's successor Heidar Aliev issued a decree six weeks ago setting 1 August as the deadline after which all official documentation and street and shop signs must be in Latin script (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18 June 2001). Baku city workers began removing signs in Cyrillic late on 31 July. LF[06] GEORGIA, CHINA DISCUSS ARMS JOINT VENTUREAmong the issues discussed during the recent visit to Beijing by the Georgian army chief of General Staff, Dzhoni Pirtskhalaishvili, was a joint venture to produce ammunition, Caucasus Press reported on 1 August. Beijing reportedly offered to raise investment to cover 80 percent of the estimated $19 million cost of that project if Georgia can provide the remaining 20 percent. It is not clear which specific types of weapons that ammunition is intended for. A Chinese military delegation visited Tbilisi in early July to discuss expanding bilateral military cooperation. LF[07] CONSORTIUM OFFICIAL DOWNPLAYS KAZAKHSTAN PIPELINE DELAYSenior Chevron Oil official Richard Matzke met in Almaty on 31 July with Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbaev to discuss the delay in the formal ceremony to mark the arrival in Novorossiisk of the first Kazakh oil exported by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium pipeline, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reported on 1 August. That ceremony, originally scheduled for 6 August, has been postponed indefinitely (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 and 30 July 2001). Matzke said there are no technical problems affecting the use of the pipeline. He said CPC shareholders, which include Chevron and other foreign oil companies and the governments of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Oman, will meet in Moscow on 3 August when they hope to finalize and sign an agreement on the commercial exploitation of the pipeline, according to Interfax on 31 July. LF[08] NO CONFIRMATION OF NEW CLASHES IN SOUTHERN KYRGYZSTANKyrgyzstan's Defense and Interior ministries both denied on 31 July reports from Batken Oblast of an exchange of fire involving Kyrgyz border guards in Kadamjai Raion on the border with Tajikistan, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported. Also on 31 July, Kyrgyz Security Council Secretary Misir Ashyrkulov and Tajik Deputy Prime Minister for Defense and Security Saidamir Zuhurov returned to their respective capitals after a five-day inspection of Jirgatal province on the Tajik side of the border. Asia Plus- Blitz quoted Zuhurov as saying that an additional 500 Tajik border guards have been deployed on the Tajik side of the border, and on routes which militants from the banned Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan are likely to use in a bid to cross into Kyrgyz territory. LF[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE[09] HAGUE SENTENCES BOSNIAN SERB TO 10 YEARSOn 31 July, The Hague-based war crimes tribunal sentenced Stevan Todorovic to 10 years in prison for murdering, torturing, and sexually assaulting Muslims and Croats in 1992-1993 while he was police chief in Bosanski Samac, Reuters reported. The tribunal noted that his offenses were "particularly grave." The prosecutor's report pointed out that "many of [his] victims endured great physical and mental suffering at his hands, and several continue to suffer the consequences of those actions nine years later." Todorovic received a relatively light sentence because he cooperated with the court. He is only one of three defendants in The Hague who pleaded guilty to the charges against him. Todorovic was the 20th person to be sentenced. The stiffest punishment went to Croatian General Tihomir Blaskic, who got 45 years. PM[10] SERBIAN PARTIES OF KOSTUNICA, KARADZIC SIGN AGREEMENTYugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica, on behalf of his Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), and Dragan Kalinic, on behalf of Radovan Karadzic's Serbian Democratic Party (SDS) of Bosnia, signed a cooperation agreement in Belgrade, "Politika" reported on 31 July. The daily noted that the two parties have been cooperating for years and that they have similar programs. Kostunica said that "despite the great challenges and suffering that all people from both sides of the River Drina have faced, the DSS and the SDS have managed to preserve their original principles. We in the DSS and the SDS are persistent in our claim that there is no democracy without a national element and vice versa," Reuters reported. For his part, Kalinic denied that the SDS has any further link with its founder Karadzic, who is an indicted war criminal. PM[11] SHARP REACTION TO SERBIAN NATIONALIST AGREEMENT"Oslobodjenje" wrote on 1 August that the agreement between the SDS and DSS appears to have the character of a pact between two states, rather than of one between two political parties in different countries. Bosnian Serb Independent Social Democratic leader Rade Dujakovic said in Banja Luka that the agreement represents people rooted in the past. Rasim Kadic, who heads the Liberal Party, told Deutsche Welle's Bosnian Service on 31 July that this is a "dangerous nationalist agreement that could destabilize the region." An unnamed Western diplomat said to Reuters in Belgrade that the agreement is a continuation of Kostunica's past dealings with the Republika Srpska, "which has been critically followed by the international community." PM[12] BOSNIAN SERB PRIME MINISTER IN BELGRADERepublika Srpska Prime Minister Mladen Ivanic and Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic said in Belgrade on 31 July that "conditions for ending customs barriers" between Yugoslavia and Bosnia-Herzegovina should be established by the end of September, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. Ivanic also met with Kostunica and Yugoslav Prime Minister Dragisa Pesic. PM[13] MODEST LIVES OF SERBIAN LEADERSThe Banja Luka news magazine "Reporter" notes in its 1 August issue that the ministers in Djindjic's government live modestly and not too differently from other citizens. Two of the cabinet members live in sublet apartments, and two others live with their relatives. As is the case with many ordinary Serbs, more than half of the ministers will not take any vacation this year. PM[14] CENTRAL GOVERNMENT UNIT TAKES CHARGE OF BOSNIAN SERB BORDER CROSSINGOfficials of the state border patrol service, which is subordinate to the joint government in Sarajevo, took control on 31 July of the border crossing between Serbia and the Republika Srpska at Bijeljina from Bosnian Serb police, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. PM[15] LANGUAGE ISSUE BEDEVILS MACEDONIAN TALKSTalks between leaders of Macedonia's four largest governing parties, President Boris Trajkovski, and Western mediators James Pardew and Francois Leotard continued for a fourth day in Ohrid on 31 July without definitive results, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. The mediators put forward a new proposal aimed at ending the deadlock over the official status of the Albanian language (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 July 2001). Pardew told AP afterward: "We have some progress. We feel good today." He did not elaborate. An unnamed "Western source" told Reuters that "we're very, very close" to an agreement on the language issue. Talks resumed at 12:00 noon on 1 August. Elsewhere, several minor violations of the cease-fire were reported. PM[16] U.S. BEGINS 'TEMPORARY' WITHDRAWAL OF TROOPS FROM MACEDONIAU.S. army spokesman Major Randy Martin said at Camp Bondsteel in Kosova on 31 July that some 109 U.S. troops in Macedonia have redeployed recently to Kosova, dpa reported. A further 100 will join them shortly. He noted that this "is a temporary measure which will have little impact on our ability to resupply our operations. We relocated the soldiers in light of the current situation" in Macedonia. Some 500 U.S. troops are stationed in Macedonia to support and supply KFOR operations. PM[17] SHADOW OF HAGUE COURT OVER CROATIAN POLITICSAt this time of year, when most Croatian newsmakers are on vacation, the newspapers usually have some difficulty filling their pages. This summer, however, the ongoing debate about cooperation with The Hague and about the 1991-1995 war has kept many journalists busy. "Jutarnji list" on 1 August quoted retired General Janko Bobetko as saying that he, and not indicted General Ante Gotovina, was the author of the plan for Operation Storm, which ended the Serbian rebellion in Krajina in 1995. The paper also wrote that the tribunal wants to question Miroslav Tudjman, the son of the former president and a former intelligence chief, as well as 30 other people in the case of Mladen Naletilic, otherwise known as Tuta. "Vecernji list" quotes Miroslav Tudjman as saying that he will not be surprised if The Hague seeks to prosecute virtually the entire former leadership. He accused President Stipe Mesic and Prime Minister Ivica Racan of using the tribunal to fight the opposition. PM[18] CIORBEA FACTION IN ROMANIAN PEASANTIST PARTY TO BE BURIED IN LAWSUITSCatalin Chirita, a leading supporter of former Peasantist Party (PNTCD) Chairman Andrei Marga, announced at a press conference on 31 July that the Marga faction is not going to establish a new party but hopes to take back its party with the "help of justice," Romanian media reported. Five lawsuits have been filed against new PNTCD leader Victor Ciorbea and another 18 will follow in the coming days, Chirita said. He repeated his claim that, following the resignation of Marga, the clash between the two factions during a national meeting on 6 July left the session without a quorum, and the same was true for the Permanent Delegation session the next day. Chirita said the goal of the lawsuits is to have all actions made by Ciorbea's faction after 6 July declared invalid. According to Chirita, support as of 31 July stands at: 26 branches for the Marga faction, eight branches for the Ciorbea faction, six branches are split, and seven are undecided. This count is based on branch leadership as of 6 July, before the Ciorbea faction began dismissing chairmen loyal to Marga. LB[19] MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT CLAIMS ILASCU BLOCKED TALKS BETWEEN CHISINAU AND TIRASPOLIn a press conference on 31 July, Vladimir Voronin accused Romanian Senator Ilie Ilascu of blocking negotiations between Chisinau and Tiraspol as well as the process of freeing Ilascu's colleagues in Tiraspol, Flux reported. Voronin said that until the Tiraspol detainees withdraw their cases in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), the Transdniester conflict will not be resolved. "The Transdniester problem is now blocked and I cannot further negotiate it," Voronin said. Ilascu charged that Voronin is trying to blackmail him into withdrawing his cases from the ECHR. He added that last week the Moldovan negotiator with Tiraspol, Vasile Sturza, told Ilascu that "the day after [you] withdraw [your] petition against Russia, the boys will be free." Ilascu said he has already decided to withdraw his case in the ECHR against Moldova, but said he will never void the court case against Russia. As for Voronin, Ilascu said, "If he cannot further negotiate he might as well resign and let others come to power." LB[20] MOLDOVA TO SELL ITS LAST FIGHTER PLANESThe Moldovan parliament on 30 July approved a decision to sell the country's last six MiG-29s as well as 13 rocket launchers, Flux reported. The parliament said Moldova is too poor to maintain the equipment and that the funds from the future sale are badly needed for the state budget. "The Moldovan national army does not need air force and artillery," Defense Minister Victor Gaiciuc told the parliament on 30 July, adding that the planes and rocket launchers had not been used for a long time anyway. Some 20 percent of the money from the sale will go to the Defense Ministry, while 80 percent will go to the state budget. LB[21] ALBANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER WANTS BULGARIA TO WORK ON MACEDONIAPaskal Milo said in Sofia on 31 July that he would like Bulgaria to try to convince the Macedonian government to agree to a settlement that expands the rights of ethnic Albanians, AP reported. Milo said after talks with his Bulgarian counterpart Solomon Passi that "I shall invite the new Bulgarian government to use its influence to convince the Macedonian authorities to accept the draft agreement, which has been proposed by the representatives of the international community in Skopje." Passi did not immediately comment on Milo's request. Milo's trip is being used to gain support from neighboring Balkan countries for the internationally mediated peace plan in Macedonia and has included stops in Yugoslavia and Romania. He will continue with visits to Turkey and Greece. PB[22] BULGARIA BREAKS UP COUNTERFEIT RINGThe Interior Ministry said on 1 August that it has uncovered a counterfeit money printshop and phony dollars and German marks worth more than $1 million, Reuters reported. The printshop was found in Plovdiv, and five Bulgarians have been arrested. Forms for making forged passports from several Balkan countries and France and Spain were also seized, as well as numerous seals from Bulgarian companies and institutions. PB[C] END NOTE[23] A PAST THAT CAN'T BE EXPUNGEDBy Paul GobleVandals have destroyed a monument near Minsk to the victims of Stalin-era mass murders in Belarus, opposition Belarusian People's Front official Vladimir Yukho said last week. Yukho suggested that this action appears to represent an attempt to expunge from the record one of the most notorious events in Belarusian history and one of the most important sources of inspiration for the Belarusian national movement over the last two decades. Yukho noted that the small granite memorial presented to the people of Belarus by then-U.S. President Bill Clinton when he visited that site in 1994 had served as a focal point for the Belarusian opposition. The discovery in the 1980s of the Kuropaty mass graves helped to power the rise of the Belarusian democratic movement. Activists of the People's Front say that the graves, located in a forest near the national capital, contain the remains of hundreds of thousands killed in the 1930s. But officials of the current Belarusian regime of Alyaksandr Lukashenka have attempted to play down the importance of Kuropaty and insist that there are no more than 7,000 dead buried there. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the damage to this monument, and no one has been arrested or identified as a suspect. But the significance of this monument for the country's democratic movement and the timing of this attack may lead at least some in the Belarusian opposition to suspect that supporters of Lukashenka have somehow been involved. If that is in fact the case, recent history suggests, no one is ever likely to be charged or convicted of this crime. That will certainly have consequences because from the time of the discovery of the mass graves at Kuropaty, they have been one of the prime motivating factors behind the country's national and democratic movements. Indeed, most activists in those movements over the last decade have sought to honor the Kuropaty site, frequently insisting that visitors to Belarus must go there to understand that country and its past. Indeed, as Yukho made clear to Western news agencies, Belarusian democrats were at the site several days earlier and thus are in a position to date more or less precisely when the destruction of the monument took place. Moreover, the fact that the U.S. government erected this monument is for many Belarusian democrats a symbol of the interest of the West in Belarusian independence and democracy. Consequently, many democratic activists there are certain to blame the Lukashenka regime and its supporters for this action -- all the more so since the destruction of this monument took place just as the Belarusian opposition has joined forces to advance a single candidate to run against Lukashenka in presidential elections now scheduled for 9 September. So far, the destruction of the Kuropaty monument has attracted relatively little attention in either the Belarusian or international media. But because of its centrality in the life of many Belarusians, the demolition of this monument may have consequences very different than some might expect and lead to greater activism by the democratic opposition in Belarus. Indeed, this action in Belarus recalls one of the more infamous stories of the Cold War. Once, when he came to the United Nations, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev warned the Greek prime minister that if Athens continued to support NATO and the West, it might be necessary for Moscow to attack the Acropolis with nuclear weapons. The Greek leader responded that Mr. Khrushchev might very well be able to destroy the buildings on the Acropolis but that the Soviet leader would never be able to destroy the ideas of democracy and freedom that the Greeks gave birth to more than two millennia ago. In like manner, the vandalization at Kuropaty is unlikely to expunge the memory of the events it commemorates. 01-08-01 Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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