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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 5, No. 152, 01-08-13

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. 152, 13 August 2001


CONTENTS

[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA

  • [01] VETERAN ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT DEPUTY CALLS FOR REFERENDUM ON ALTERNATIVE DRAFT CONSTITUTION
  • [02] AZERBAIJANI NEWSPAPER FORCED TO STOP PUBLICATION
  • [03] GEORGIAN OPPOSITION PLANS TO WORK MORE CLOSELY
  • [04] SPANISH DIPLOMAT MEETS WITH GEORGIAN MINISTERS TO DISCUSS FATE OF HOSTAGES
  • [05] WILL BALCEROWICZ STAY ON AS ECONOMIC ADVISER TO GEORGIAN LEADERSHIP?
  • [06] NEW DATE SET FOR INAUGURATION OF KAZAKHSTAN OIL EXPORT PIPELINE
  • [07] KAZAKHSTAN'S DEFENSE MINISTER ASSESSES DAMAGE FROM ARMS DEPOT BLAZE
  • [08] KYRGYZ PREMIER SAYS ANTICORRUPTION MEASURES INEFFECTIVE
  • [09] TAJIK WARLORD KILLED
  • [10] IRANIAN OFFICIAL VISITS TURKMENISTAN

  • [B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

  • [11] NATO'S SECRETARY-GENERAL OPTIMISTIC ON MACEDONIAN POLITICAL SETTLEMENT
  • [12] TEMPESTUOUS WEEKEND IN MACEDONIA
  • [13] MACEDONIAN AUTHORITIES BLAME NATO FOR THEIR PROBLEMS
  • [14] WHAT FUTURE FOR MACEDONIAN POLITICAL SETTLEMENT?
  • [15] ETHNIC ALBANIAN LEADER: RUSSIA MUST STOP ARMING SKOPJE
  • [16] HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: UCK TORTURED MACEDONIANS
  • [17] RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES IN MACEDONIA EXPRESS CONCERN OVER SITUATION
  • [18] U.S. WARNS OF XENOPHOBIA, ANTI-AMERICANISM IN MACEDONIA
  • [19] U.S. SLAMS BALKAN DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN
  • [20] MYSTERIOUS 'ALBANIAN ARMY' PART OF DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN?
  • [21] SERBIAN PRIME MINISTER: 'FIRST CLASS SCANDAL' OVER MURDER OF SECURITY OFFICER
  • [22] BOSNIAN DEFENSE MINISTER REBUKES SUBORDINATES
  • [23] ONE MORE BOSNIAN MUSLIM KINGPIN TO THE HAGUE?
  • [24] ALBANIAN SOCIALISTS POSTPONE DECISION ON PRIME MINISTER
  • [25] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT WON'T COMMENT ON PARDON REQUEST BY MINERS' LEADER...
  • [26] ...OR ON FORMER KING'S RESTITUTION DEMAND
  • [27] NEW MOLDOVAN BASIC TREATY WITH RUSSIA FINALIZED
  • [28] MOLDOVA CONTINUES LIQUIDATION OF CHECKPOINTS IN BUFFER ZONE
  • [29] MOLDOVAN COURT HALTS PROSECUTION OF OPPOSITION LEADER
  • [30] BULGARIA NAMES NEW CHIEF EU NEGOTIATOR
  • [31] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR 'INTERNATIONAL MOBILIZATION' ON MACEDONIA...
  • [32] ...AND MACEDONIAN AMBASSADOR TO SOFIA EXPECTS 'FULL-SCALE CONTRIBUTION TO CONFLICT SETTLEMENT'

  • [C] END NOTE

  • [33] WASHINGTON ASSESSES THE SITUATION IN CENTRAL ASIA

  • [A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA

    [01] VETERAN ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT DEPUTY CALLS FOR REFERENDUM ON ALTERNATIVE DRAFT CONSTITUTION

    Shavarsh Kocharian, the leader of the National Democratic Party (AZhK), which is a splinter group of the National Democratic Union, on 11 August argued that alternative constitutions drafted by his party and by the Communist Party of Armenia should be put to a nationwide referendum together with the constitutional amendments drafted by President Robert Kocharian, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 13 July and "End Note," 31 July 2001). Under the AZhK draft constitution, Armenia would be a parliamentary republic with a stronger legislature and executive and a largely ceremonial presidency. Shavarsh Kocharian argued that the existing constitution was adopted by means of a falsified referendum in 1995, and that amending it would be tantamount to endorsing that "fraud." LF

    [02] AZERBAIJANI NEWSPAPER FORCED TO STOP PUBLICATION

    The independent weekly "Impuls" has been forced to close after official publishing houses refused to print it, Caucasus Press and Glasnost-North Caucasus reported on 11 August. The paper's owner, Hangusein Aliev, had refused to comply with a presidential decree requiring that as of 1 August all official documentation and newspapers appear in the Latin script (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 1 August 2001). LF

    [03] GEORGIAN OPPOSITION PLANS TO WORK MORE CLOSELY

    Meeting in Tbilisi on 10 August, leaders of parliamentary parties and factions and extraparliamentary opposition parties agreed that next month they will officially unveil a coordinating council on which each party will have two or three representatives, Caucasus Press and Prime News reported. The council will not have a chairman, and will take decisions by consensus. The decision to coordinate opposition activities was triggered by the Georgian parliament's adoption of laws on elections and local government that they consider undemocratic (see "RFE/RL Caucasus Report," Vol. 4, No. 29, 10 August 2001). But parliament deputy speaker Vakhtang Rcheulishvili said the opposition will boycott the local elections scheduled for this fall only as a last resort. LF

    [04] SPANISH DIPLOMAT MEETS WITH GEORGIAN MINISTERS TO DISCUSS FATE OF HOSTAGES

    Spain's consul general in the Russian Federation, Erminio Morales, met with senior Georgian officials in Tbilisi on 10-11 August to discuss the Georgian police's efforts to date to locate and free two Spanish businessmen abducted in eastern Georgia last November, Caucasus Press reported. On 6 August, Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze said that the two men are still alive, but that conditions "are not yet ripe" to secure their release. The kidnappers are rumored to have originally demanded a ransom of $5 million, but to have reduced their demand to $500,000. LF

    [05] WILL BALCEROWICZ STAY ON AS ECONOMIC ADVISER TO GEORGIAN LEADERSHIP?

    Polish National Bank Governor Leszek Balcerowicz, who for the past year has served as economic adviser to President Shevardnadze, said following talks with Shevardnadze in Tbilisi on 11 August that there are signs of economic growth in Georgia this year, and the budget shortfall is no longer growing. In order to support those positive trends, he advised expediting privatization, creating favorable tax conditions to boost small businesses, and stepping up measures to counter smuggling, which he termed one of the major obstacles to the growth of legal business. Balcerowicz declined to comment on numerous Georgian press predictions that he is disillusioned by the Georgian government's refusal to implement recommendations he has made over the past year and intends to quit as Shevardnadze's adviser. Presidential administration official Temur Basilia told Caucasus Press that Georgia is negotiating with the U.S. to secure funding for Balcerowicz and his staff. Balcerowicz agreed last summer to serve for one year as Shevardnadze's adviser, for which he was reportedly paid $1 million by the United States (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18 July 2000 and 11 April 2001). LF

    [06] NEW DATE SET FOR INAUGURATION OF KAZAKHSTAN OIL EXPORT PIPELINE

    The first Kazakh crude exported via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium's pipeline will be loaded into a tanker in Novorossiisk on 2 September, Caucasus Press reported. That ceremony had been scheduled for 6 August but was postponed due to failure by the members of the consortium, which include Chevron and other foreign oil companies and the governments of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Oman, to reach agreement on the terms for its use (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 30 July and 1 August 2001). LF

    [07] KAZAKHSTAN'S DEFENSE MINISTER ASSESSES DAMAGE FROM ARMS DEPOT BLAZE

    Lieutenant General Sat Toqpaqbaev told journalists in Almaty on 10 August that the fire that devastated an arms depot in Qaraghandy Oblast has not affected the country's defensive capability, Interfax reported. Thousands of artillery shells and other ammunition were destroyed in the blaze, which began on 8 August. No casualties were reported, but 600 personnel at the depot were evacuated together with the population of neighboring villages. LF

    [08] KYRGYZ PREMIER SAYS ANTICORRUPTION MEASURES INEFFECTIVE

    Addressing a cabinet session in Bishkek on 11 August, Kurmanbek Bakiev described efforts by law-enforcement bodies to counter corruption, smuggling and economic crime "as a total disaster," RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported. Bakiev attributed that failure to the fact that most criminal groups have protectors within the law-enforcement bodies, and estimated financial losses from smuggling at approximately 1.5 billion soms ($31 million) annually. He claimed that the Interior and Justice Ministries arrest and imprison persons "who have stolen one chicken," while failing to apprehend "well-known criminals who robbed the country of $25 million," Interfax reported. LF

    [09] TAJIK WARLORD KILLED

    Tajik army and Interior Ministry forces finally ran to earth and killed field commander Rakhmon Sanginov on the eastern outskirts of Dushanbe early on 10 August. They had been searching for him since June, and had repeatedly claimed that his men had been "neutralized" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9, 16, and 23 July 2001). Tajik officials say no more than 10-12 of his supporters remain at large. LF

    [10] IRANIAN OFFICIAL VISITS TURKMENISTAN

    Following his talks on the Caspian Sea in Moscow on 8-9 August, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Ahani flew to Ashgabat where he met on 10 August with Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov, Deputy Premier Yelly Gurbanmuradov, and President Saparmurat Niyazov, IRNA, Reuters and Russian agencies reported. Ahani said that the positions of Iran and Turkmenistan regarding the Caspian "are close," and that both countries oppose any unilateral measures to exploit and develop the sea's hydrocarbon resources before all five littoral states reach agreement on the sea's status, Reuters reported. Ahani also said that Iranian President Mohammad Khatami will visit Turkmenistan later this year, but failed to specify a date, or whether Khatami will attend the summit of littoral states that Niyazov has proposed convening in Ashgabat in October. The two sides also discussed plans to export Turkmen gas to Armenia via Iran. LF

    [B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

    [11] NATO'S SECRETARY-GENERAL OPTIMISTIC ON MACEDONIAN POLITICAL SETTLEMENT

    After arriving at Skopje airport on 13 August for the expected signing of a broad political agreement, NATO Secretary-General Lord George Robertson said: "This is a very proud day for this country and for the parties in the grand coalition government, because they have established an agreement, which is historic, and I believe will mark the entry of Macedonia into modern, mainstream Europe," RFE/RL reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 10 August 2001). He added that "so much has to be done to make the cease-fire durable, to get the disarmament, to bring the NATO troops here, and that is what we will be discussing today. But nobody should underestimate the success that is involved in this political agreement. It is a huge step forward for Macedonia and a major step by this country in joining the European family of nations." PM

    [12] TEMPESTUOUS WEEKEND IN MACEDONIA

    Fighting raged in several parts of Macedonia over the 11-12 August weekend, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. Focal points included the Radusa and Ljuboten-Ljubanci areas near Skopje, as well as the Tetovo area. Observers suggested that both sides were trying to take or consolidate territory in the run-up to the expected signing of the political agreement on 13 August. Government forces also sought revenge for the recent deaths of eight soldiers near Ljuboten. Ethnic Albanian political leader Arben Xhaferi said that the military "indiscriminately bombed" civilians in a "wild campaign," AP reported. Under heavy pressure from Western diplomats, the government announced a cease-fire late on 12 August. PM

    [13] MACEDONIAN AUTHORITIES BLAME NATO FOR THEIR PROBLEMS

    On 11 August, Macedonian government spokesman Antonio Milosovski told the BBC in Skopje that NATO has allowed some 500 armed members of Kosova's Civilian Protection Corps (TMK) to enter Macedonia and launch the latest round of fighting. Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski wrote UN Secretary- General Kofi Annan, saying that it is a "crying shame" that NATO and the UN "allow armed aggression" from Kosova against Macedonia, AP reported. NATO spokesman Howard Rhodes called the charges "unfounded." KFOR said in a statement at Camp Bondsteel on 13 August that its troops arrested 17 men trying to enter Macedonia illegally the previous day. PM

    [14] WHAT FUTURE FOR MACEDONIAN POLITICAL SETTLEMENT?

    Stojan Andov, the Liberal speaker of the parliament, said in Skopje that he will not back the agreement, the "International Herald Tribune" reported on 13 August. Milosovski told dpa on 12 August that he doubts that the agreement will pass the legislature. Most guerrilla commanders interviewed by Western news agencies over the weekend said they will abide by the agreement provided government forces do likewise, but considerable doubt remains. Observers add that the attitude of the two main Albanian and two main Macedonian political parties is also in question, because elections are due in early 2002 at the latest. Few politicians, even among the signatories to the agreement, are likely to want to be associated in voters' minds with a document regarded as unfair or unworkable. PM

    [15] ETHNIC ALBANIAN LEADER: RUSSIA MUST STOP ARMING SKOPJE

    Interfax reported from Moscow on 10 August that Imer Imeri, who heads the Party of Democratic Prosperity, told "Vremya novostei" that disarmament of the UCK "will not become a reality before an agreement on this is backed by international guarantees and Macedonia does not receive any more military supplies from Ukraine, Russia, and the entire Slavic world," Imeri said. He stressed that "we are for a unitary state with [one] sovereignty and [one set of] borders. What we want is a better legal and political status for the Albanians in the framework of a unitary Macedonian state." PM

    [16] HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: UCK TORTURED MACEDONIANS

    The Washington-based NGO Human Rights Watch said in a statement on 11 August that ethnic Albanian guerrillas tortured five road workers whom they recently captured, the "International Herald Tribune" reported. The statement added that the incident represents "an increasing pattern of illegal detentions and kidnappings" by the UCK. PM

    [17] RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES IN MACEDONIA EXPRESS CONCERN OVER SITUATION

    In a joint declaration, the Macedonian Orthodox Church, the Islamic Community, the Roman Catholic Church, the Methodist Church, and the Jewish Community expressed their concern over the current situation in Macedonia, the Skopje daily "Utrinski vesnik" reported on 11 August. The communities deplore the deaths of young people regardless of their religious affiliation, and express their sympathy with the relatives of the victims. The statement also says that the communities are alarmed at the constant threat to and destruction of religious buildings such as churches, monasteries, and mosques. This is the first joint declaration of the religious communities regarding the current conflict. Earlier this year, the Macedonian Orthodox Church and the Islamic Religious Community accused each other of warmongering and fomenting religious hatred (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 25 June 2001, and "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 3 August 2001). UB

    [18] U.S. WARNS OF XENOPHOBIA, ANTI-AMERICANISM IN MACEDONIA

    On 10 August, "hundreds" of ethnic Macedonians demonstrated outside the U.S. Embassy in Skopje, throwing rocks at the building, the "International Herald Tribune" reported. The State Department said in a statement the next day that xenophobia and anti-American sentiment are on the rise in Macedonia. The statement called on U.S. citizens in Macedonian to leave the country. PM

    [19] U.S. SLAMS BALKAN DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN

    Speaking in Skopje on 12 August, U.S. envoy James Pardew said: "The political settlement is the best hope for peace in Macedonia, and we are here to show the support of the United States for the political settlement and for peace in this country." On 10 August the U.S. Office Prishtina said in a statement: "We are very concerned that the media in Macedonia, Kosovo, and elsewhere in Europe are conveying false reports on U.S. support for the so-called National Liberation Army in Macedonia. Spreading misinformation makes it harder to restore a climate in which Macedonia's parties can implement the agreement initialed on 8 August. In particular, we are concerned about patently false information reported in the 'Sunday Times' and 'Der Spiegel' that has been repeated in local media without verification or substantiation. Irresponsible and inflammatory reports undermine the genuine efforts of the international community to support a peaceful solution... There can be no military solution. All parties need to respect the agreement reached at Ohrid" (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 31 July 2001). PM

    [20] MYSTERIOUS 'ALBANIAN ARMY' PART OF DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN?

    The "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" of 13 August discusses what is known about the "Albanian National Army" (AKSH), which has featured in some media reports from Serbia and Macedonia in recent weeks. It is allegedly fighting for a greater Albania, which is what Belgrade has long claimed is the goal of its ethnic Albanian opponents. No mainstream ethnic Albanian party in the Balkans endorses such a platform, however. The Frankfurt daily concludes that the reports about the existence of the AKSH are not conclusive, and that the organization might be a militant splinter group, if it exists at all. The article notes that the political and security situation in the Balkans -- including Macedonia -- will remain unstable until the political status of Kosova is settled. All of the parties of the ethnic Albanian majority there favor independence (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 15 December 2000, and 23 February 2001). PM

    [21] SERBIAN PRIME MINISTER: 'FIRST CLASS SCANDAL' OVER MURDER OF SECURITY OFFICER

    Zoran Djindjic said that the governing Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) is in its deepest crisis yet following the murder on 3 August of Momir Gavrilovic, a state security officer, "Danas" reported on 13 August. It has recently come to light that, hours before his death, Gavrilovic met with members of President Vojislav Kostunica's staff and showed them evidence linking unnamed top state officials to the underworld. The Podgorica daily "Vijesti" reported on a commentary of RFE/RL's South Slavic Service, suggesting that Gavrilovic was aware that Kostunica's allies in the Montenegrin Socialist People's Party and the army high command could be linked to criminal elements close to the regime of former President Slobodan Milosevic. PM

    [22] BOSNIAN DEFENSE MINISTER REBUKES SUBORDINATES

    Federal Defense Minister Mijo Anic has repudiated the statements of some of his Muslim subordinates, who criticized the recent arrest of two former Muslim generals and one ex-colonel and their deportation to The Hague, "Avaz" reported on 13 August (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 10 August 2001). Anic, an ethnic Croat, said that the men did not consult with him or his staff before making a public statement in defense of the three indicted war criminals. PM

    [23] ONE MORE BOSNIAN MUSLIM KINGPIN TO THE HAGUE?

    Federal police arrested Muslim warlord Ramiz Delalic, otherwise known as Celo, at Jablanicko Jezero on criminal charges of striking a policeman, for which he has already been sentenced, "Avaz" reported on 13 August. The Sarajevo daily added that Celo could also wind up in The Hague in the near future. He was one of several military figures during the 1992-1995 war who became as famous for their links to the underworld as for their battlefield exploits. PM

    [24] ALBANIAN SOCIALISTS POSTPONE DECISION ON PRIME MINISTER

    The governing Socialists will select their candidate for prime minister on 20 August instead of 13 August as originally planned, Reuters reported from Tirana on 12 August (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 20 July 2001). The move comes after party leader Fatos Nano was slightly injured in a car accident in southern Albanian over the weekend. He is recuperating well after minor surgery in Athens. PM

    [25] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT WON'T COMMENT ON PARDON REQUEST BY MINERS' LEADER...

    President Ion Iliescu on 12 August said he has received a request for a presidential pardon from miners' leader Miron Cozma and has passed it on to the Superior Council of Magistrates, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. Iliescu said that he "has an opinion" on the request but will not make it public. He added that his presidential prerogatives stipulate that he can "approve or reject" the proposals of the council. In reaction, Greater Romania Party First Deputy Chairman Corneliu Ciontu, whose formation has also requested that Cozma be pardoned, said on 13 August that Iliescu may consult with the council or with the justice minister, but "the ultimate decision is his." MS

    [26] ...OR ON FORMER KING'S RESTITUTION DEMAND

    Iliescu also refused to comment on the request submitted by former king Michael's lawyers that the Peles castle in Sinaia and other properties be restituted to the former monarch, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. But Public Administration Minister Octav Cozmanca told Romanian Radio on 13 August that Michael is "ill-advised" by his lawyers and the demands "are exaggerated." Cozmanca said the Peles castle was not part of the monarch's private property but "belonged to the royal estates," which were "never private property" and "became state property" once the monarchy was abolished in 1947. MS

    [27] NEW MOLDOVAN BASIC TREATY WITH RUSSIA FINALIZED

    Russian and Moldovan experts recently finalized in Moscow the text of the new basic treaty between the two countries, RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported on 10 August. Among other things, the treaty condemns "separatism" and the sides pledge to refrain from aiding "separatists" or any infringement on each other's "sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity." Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Moldovan counterpart Vladimir Voronin agreed at the recent CIS summit in Sochi that the treaty will be signed in September or October and will be ratified by the two parliaments by the end of 2001. Deputy separatist leader Alexandr Karaman criticized the document, calling it "a concession by Moscow to Chisinau." The treaty also stipulates that the Russian language plays an "important role" in Moldova. Chisinau pledges to "ensure the necessary conditions for Russian-language instruction" in schools, while Moscow pledges to "create the necessary conditions for Moldovan-language instruction in the Russian Federation." MS

    [28] MOLDOVA CONTINUES LIQUIDATION OF CHECKPOINTS IN BUFFER ZONE

    Moldova on 10 August unilaterally withdrew its custom officials from checkpoints at two bridges crossing the Dniester River in the demilitarized zone between the conflicting sides, dpa reported, citing Infotag. The move follows Voronin's decision last month to reduce the number of such checkpoints from 15 to five and is the second such implementation of the presidential decision. Transdniester official Oleg Gudimo was quoted by dpa as saying that the move could "increase tensions in the region" and will require Tiraspol -- which regards the checkpoints as representing its "border-crossing points" -- to set up more checkpoints of its own to replace those removed by Chisinau. MS

    [29] MOLDOVAN COURT HALTS PROSECUTION OF OPPOSITION LEADER

    A court of justice in Chisinau on 10 August stopped the prosecution of Popular Party Christian Democratic leader Iurie Rosca on grounds that the plaintiff failed to file her complaint within the time limits specified by the law, Infotag reported. Rosca was charged with hitting a woman in the print shop that publishes his party's newspaper and the parliament last month lifted his parliamentary immunity to allow the prosecution. Rosca said in reaction that the entire affair had been staged by the ruling Party of Moldovan Communists in order to discredit him, and added that he will appeal the court's decision, which says the offense had been committed. MS

    [30] BULGARIA NAMES NEW CHIEF EU NEGOTIATOR

    Meglena Kuneva, a deputy representing the National Movement Simeon II (NDSV) in the parliament, on 10 August was appointed the new Bulgarian chief negotiator with the EU, AFP reported. She replaces Vladimir Kisiov, who resigned from that position last month in protest against the "ambiguous" economic platform of the NDSV. Kuneva was also appointed a deputy foreign minister. MS

    [31] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR 'INTERNATIONAL MOBILIZATION' ON MACEDONIA...

    President Petar Stoyanov on 10 August said it is "time to mobilize all international resources, especially those from countries bordering Macedonia and those of international organizations, to avoid escalation of the tension" in that country, AFP reported. Stoyanov spoke on national television after meeting U.S. envoy Pardew. Earlier on 10 August Stoyanov said in Varna that "Bulgaria's national interests are fully identical with the interests of the Macedonian citizens and with the expectations of the international community," BTA reported. Stoyanov on 12 August discussed the Macedonian situation with Defense Minister Nikolai Svinarov, Chief of Staff Miho Mihov, and National Intelligence Service Chief Dimo Giaurov. MS

    [32] ...AND MACEDONIAN AMBASSADOR TO SOFIA EXPECTS 'FULL-SCALE CONTRIBUTION TO CONFLICT SETTLEMENT'

    Macedonian Ambassador to Sofia Ljubisa Georgievski on 10 August told Foreign Minister Solomon Pasi that his country "expects from Bulgaria a full-scale contribution to the settlement of the crisis in Macedonia," and expressed his conviction that the Bulgarian authorities will remain committed to their position that any breach of peace in Macedonia "is tantamount to a breach of peace in Bulgaria proper," BTA reported. Georgievski said Macedonia does not seek military assistance from Bulgaria, because a "military solution is ruled out in the present context" of the conflict. Pasi said the "only possible settlement is a peaceful one, guaranteed by NATO forces, once agreement is reached." MS

    [C] END NOTE

    [33] WASHINGTON ASSESSES THE SITUATION IN CENTRAL ASIA

    By Ariel Cohen

    Like other Western countries, the United States is becoming increasingly concerned about the oppression of political opposition in Central Asia. Last month, the U.S. Congress held a series of hearings on this development, an indication of just how worrisome this issue is to Washington.

    Both the experts who testified and the members of Congress who participated noted that the Central Asian regimes suffer from a lack of legitimacy. Some of them tend to rely upon their traditional links with Moscow as a form of "life insurance" against what they define as the Islamic threat. Throughout the region, economic reforms are sputtering, and living standards are abysmally low. These conditions provide fertile ground for Islamic radical groups, such as Hizb ut-Tahrir and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU).

    The hearings highlighted the fact that many Russians believe that they must either fight the Islamists in the deserts of Central Asia or face them in Northern Kazakhstan and the Volga-Ural basin. At the same time, the flood of drugs and weapons across the Tajik-Afghan border poses a corrupting challenge to the Russian expeditionary force in Tajikistan.

    Since the collapse of the USSR, the sessions showed, four of the five Central Asian states have been ruled by members of the Soviet-era nomenklatura, who have sought to recast themselves as nationalists. They have failed systematically to implement democracy and market reforms and are now mired in corruption, lack of transparency, and criminality.

    Central Asia's resource-rich countries, such as Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, with their huge oil and natural gas deposits, have glaring inequities in the distribution of wealth. In both countries, only the president, his family, and a few political allies and cronies benefit from the energy riches, while the majority of the population suffers from low incomes, social underdevelopment, disease, and environmental pollution.

    As a result of the drought that has affected Central Asia over the past two summers, much of the rural population in Tajikistan is threatened with starvation. The population of both Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan is turning to drug trafficking and other illicit activities; while the high level of unemployment among young males is likely to contribute to the growth of militant Islamic movements, as numerous precedents, from Algeria to North Caucasus have already demonstrated.

    The hearings concluded that the insecurity of the region's authoritarian regimes is a major reason for the sometimes brutal silencing of political opposition. However, harassing or closing down independent media outlets, banning secular political parties and movements such as Erk and Birlik in Uzbekistan, or jailing opposition party leaders on fabricated charges --as in the case of former Kyrgyz Vice President and Ar-Namys Party Chairman Felix Kulov, and of Erkindik party Chairman Topchubek Turgunaliev -- is in the minds of the participants of these hearings a sure way to incur criticism abroad and fan the flames of dissent at home.

    The existence of political Islam in Central Asia is undeniable, according to the speakers at these hearings. But they noted that it is important for all concerned to carefully distinguish between militant Islamic radicals; moderate Islamic activists, clerics, and politicians; and secular, Westernized human rights activists. By persecuting the two latter categories, the ruling regimes tend to isolate themselves and increase the possibilities of social upheavals that could result in their overthrow in the future.

    Ariel Cohen is a research Fellow in Russian and Eurasian Studies at the Heritage Foundation in Washington and the author of "Russian Imperialism: Development and Crisis," 1998.

    13-08-01


    Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
    URL: http://www.rferl.org


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