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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 5, No. 156, 01-08-17Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>RFE/RL NEWSLINEVol. 5, No. 156, 17 August 2001CONTENTS[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[C] END NOTE
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA[01] PREPARATIONS FOR AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT'S VISIT TO BAKU DISCUSSEDDuring a 16 August telephone conversation, Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Vilayat Quliev and his Iranian counterpart Kamal Kharrazi discussed preparations for Azerbaijani President Heidar Aliev's planned visit to Tehran, Turan reported. That visit, which was originally planned for September1999 but has been repeatedly postponed, is now reportedly scheduled for mid-September. (It was reported last month that Aliev would make an unofficial visit to the U.S. around 20-21 September.) Quliev and Kharrazi also agreed that all five Caspian littoral states should adopt a "common approach" to agreeing on a legal definition of the Caspian Sea. LF[02] AZERBAIJAN RESPONDS TO TURKMEN CASPIAN NOTEAzerbaijan's Foreign Ministry on 16 August responded to a 27 July note from its Turkmen counterpart that protested what it termed Azerbaijan's continued "illegal" exploitation of the Azeri and Chirag Caspian oilfields of which Ashgabat claims ownership, Turan and Reuters reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 30 July 2001). The Azerbaijani response accused Ashgabat of seeking to avoid a constructive discussion of how to delineate the two countries' respective sectors of the Caspian. It again dismisses the Turkmen claims as "groundless," adding that they aggravate the already complicated situation in the Caspian. No such claims can be made until all five littoral states agree on the median line, the Baku statement said. It said Turkmen appeals to Azerbaijan to suspend exploitation of its own natural resources constitute "pressure on a sovereign state." LF[03] AZERBAIJAN'S STATE OIL COMPANY HEAD DENIES CLANDESTINE EXPORTS VIA IRANSpeaking on 16 August on the independent Azerbaijani TV channel ANS-TV, Natik Aliev, the president of Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR, rejected as "slander and an absolute lie" allegations made the previous day by opposition Azerbaijan National Independence Party Chairman Etibar Mamedov that 1.5 million tons of Azerbaijani oil has been illegally exported via Iran, Turan reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 16 August 2001). Aliev said no Azerbaijani oil has been exported via Iran since 1993. He said that over the past four years SOCAR has exported 2.97 million tons through the Baku-Novorossiisk pipeline, bringing $412 million to the state budget, and an additional 1.52 million tons via the Baku-Supsa pipeline. Aliev threatened to sue Mamedov for slander, prompting Mamedov to comment that the SOCAR official should then sue President Aliev as well. Mamedov recalled that it was President Aliev who first divulged, during a government meeting in December 1999, that large quantities of oil were being exported illegally. LF[04] IMPRISONED FORMER AZERBAIJANI MINISTER DECLARES HUNGER STRIKEIskender Hamidov, who served as interior minister under the Azerbaijani Popular Front government in the early 1990s, on 14 August began a hunger strike in jail to demand that Baku comply with its commitment to the Council of Europe to review the cases of all political prisoners, Turan reported. Hamidov, who before his arrest headed the nationalist Boz Gurd Party, was sentenced in September 1995 to 14 years imprisonment on charges of embezzlement of state property and abusing his official position. He considers himself a political prisoner. LF[05] FORMER GEORGIAN FINANCE MINISTER SENTENCED FOR ATTEMPT TO ASSASSINATE PRESIDENTGuram Absandze, who served as finance minister under former Georgian President Zviad Gamsakhurdia, was sentenced on 17 August to 17 years in prison on charges of involvement in the failed attempt to assassinate President Eduard Shevardnadze in February 1998, Caucasus Press reported. Two of Shevardnadze's bodyguards died in that attack. Absandze was arrested in Smolensk in March 1998 and extradited to Tbilisi (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 March 1998). Seven other men were sentenced on the same charges to prison terms ranging from five to 20 years, and four more received suspended sentences. LF[06] GEORGIA WANTS INTERNATIONAL MONITORS FOR RUSSIAN WITHDRAWAL FROM GUDAUTA...The Georgian Foreign Ministry in a statement released on 16 August rejected as inadequate Russian proposals on the withdrawal from the Russian military base in Gudauta, Abkhazia, of the remaining personnel and weaponry there, Caucasus Press and Interfax reported. Tbilisi has specifically rejected a Russian suggestion that the UN Observer Mission in Georgia monitor the withdrawal of the last Russian armaments, and is insisting that OSCE observers monitor that process. The bilateral agreement signed by Russia and Georgia in November 1999 under which Russia pledged to close the Gudauta base makes no mention of or provision for international monitoring of the Russian withdrawal. Speaking in Moscow on 16 August, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Ilya Klebanov, who heads the Russian delegation for talks on the Russian withdrawal, told Caucasus Press that Moscow is simultaneously conducting talks with both the Georgian and the Abkhaz leadership on the stationing of a contingent from the CIS peacekeeping force in Georgia at Gudauta to protect that facility after the Russian withdrawal is completed. LF[07] ...AS DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS AKHALKALAKI CLOSURE WILL BE FINALAlso on 16 August, Georgian Defense Minister David Tevzadze said that a second Russian military base, at Akhalkalaki in southern Georgia, will almost certainly be "liquidated" after Russia withdraws its troops from there, Interfax and Prime News reported. Tevzadze said that neither Turkey nor Armenia poses a military threat to Georgia, and therefore there is no further need to maintain the Akhalkalaki base. Some 2,000 ethnic Armenian residents of Akhalkalaki are currently employed at the Russian base and fear for their livelihood should it close. Alternative employment in the mountainous and barren region is minimal. LF[08] GEORGIA VETOES OPENING OF RUSSIAN CONSULATE IN BATUMIThe Georgian Foreign Ministry has rejected a proposal by the leadership of the Adjar Autonomous Republic that a Russian consulate be opened in the republic's capital, Batumi, to enable residents of Adjaria to apply for visas to Russia there instead of having to travel to Tbilisi to do so, Adjaria's official representative in Tbilisi, Hamlet Chipashvili, told journalists in the Georgian capital on 16 August. "The Russian Embassy liked the idea, but the Georgian Foreign Ministry turned it down," Chipashvili said. LF[09] GEORGIA, ABKHAZIA EXCHANGE HOSTAGESFour Abkhaz shepherds and four Georgian foresters were released in western Georgia on 16 August under a UN-mediated agreement concluded two days earlier (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 15 August 2001), AP reported. Georgian Minister for Special Assignments Malkhaz Kakabadze said at the time that agreement was signed that it would allow for the release of 12 Georgian and seven Abkhaz hostages. Abkhaz security chief Raul Khazhimba said on 16 August the remaining hostages will be released "soon." He told Apsny-Press that at the 14 August meeting his agency furnished the Georgian side with the names of members of Georgian guerrilla groups that have recently infiltrated Abkhazia. LF[10] TRIAL OF FORMER KAZAKH PREMIER CONTINUES...Kazakhstan's Supreme Court continued on 16 August questioning witnesses concerning the alleged illegal privatization in 1996 by former Prime Minister Akezhan Kazhegeldin of the Ekibastuz thermal power station, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reported. Aleksandr Tabarin, whom the court appointed as Kazhegeldin's defense lawyer, told RFE/RL's Astana correspondent that he does not think Kazhegeldin can be held criminally responsible for signing the documents authorizing the sale of that facility as he was not the only person aware of the sale. Tabarin said that if the court rules that Kazhegeldin committed a crime in doing so, then many of the witnesses who testified about the sale share his guilt. LF[11] ...AS KAZAKH POLITICAL PARTIES OFFER DIVERGING ASSESSMENTSAlash Party Chairman Zhaqsybai Bazylbaev said in a statement released in Almaty on 16 August that all the 75 witnesses for the prosecution, most of them present and former of government officials, should also be in the dock, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reported. Azamat Party Chairman Petr Svojk for his part told a press conference in Almaty the same day that he believes Kazhegeldin deserves to be put on trial as "one of the founding fathers of corruption" in Kazakhstan, but that the trial proceedings are "judicially absurd," Interfax reported. Svojk argued that Kazhegeldin, who has lived abroad since 1999 and is being tried in absentia, should have "a normal, independent and just trial" to ensure that "the fight against corruption in Kazakhstan "does not degenerate into a farce." LF[12] KAZAKH MINISTER SAYS TALKS ON WTO MEMBERSHIP 'DIFFICULT'Economy and Trade Minister Zhaqsybek Kulekeev admitted in Washington on 16 August that ongoing talks on Kazakhstan's accession to the World Trade Organization are "proceeding in a tense atmosphere," ITAR-TASS reported. He said that, like the EU, the U.S. "is pursuing quite a hard line with regard to proposals for every commodity position," and insists that Astana lower the tariffs it is demanding to bring them into line with those now applied within the WTO. Kulekeev also told ITAR-TASS that Kazakhstan intends to reduce borrowing from the IMF, the World Bank, and other international lenders. He noted that Kazakh legislation permits such borrowing only in order to liquidate a budget deficit, and that the budget has been balanced for the past two years. Kazakhstan has repaid its loans from the IMF but still owes a total of $3.7 billion to the World Bank and other organizations and foreign governments. LF[13] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT SAYS HE WILL NOT SEEK ANOTHER TERMAskar Akaev, who was elected president in 1991, 1995, and again last year, announced on 16 August that he will not run for a further term in 2005, Reuters reported, quoting a presidential press service spokeswoman. She added that Akaev wants to dispel rumors that he will try to prolong his term in office by holding a referendum to amend the constitution and remove limits on the number of presidential terms one individual may serve. Akaev said he will spend the remaining four years of his term preparing a suitable successor, but did not disclose whom he has chosen. LF[14] TAJIK PREMIER CONCERNED THAT FALLING COTTON PRICES WILL JEOPARDIZE BUDGET FULFILLMENTSpeaking at a government session on 15 August, Prime Minister Oqil Oqilov noted that although budget revenue targets for the first seven months of this year were met, there was a serious revenue shortfall during the first 10 days of August due to a fall in the price of cotton -- one of Tajikistan's major exports -- on world markets, Asia Plus-Blitz reported on 16 August. In those conditions. Oqilov warned, it is imperative that major taxpayers such as the Tajik Aluminum Plant and the national railway pay their taxes in full and on time. LF[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE[15] MACEDONIAN ALBANIAN GUERRILLAS GIVE REASSURANCESAli Ahmeti, the political leader of the National Liberation Army (UCK), told Deutsche Welle's Albanian Service on 16 August that he sees no problem in coordinating the timing of the guerrilla's disarmament with the enacting of reforms by parliament, Deutsche Welle's "Monitor" reported (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 17 August 2001). He noted that both the UCK and the government have signed agreements pledging to do their respective parts. Ahmeti also stressed that the UCK will cooperate fully with NATO's disarmament team "as friends" and that the guerrillas have no reason to hide weapons "that could pose a threat to the civilian population after the war." He said that his people know nothing about a purported Albanian Liberation Army, adding that the UCK is trying to get to determine whether such an organization actually exists (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 13 August 2001). PM[16] MACEDONIAN ALBANIAN GUERRILLAS TO FORM PARTY ON THE MODEL OF SINN FEIN?Perhaps the most interesting parts of Ahmeti's interview with Deutsche Welle's Albanian Service on 16 August, however, were his references to the upcoming election campaign. He suggested that the fight for Albanian rights has moved from the battlefield into the parliament. He noted that he does not know if the parliamentary struggle will be led by "us or our colleagues...in politics and the parliament." There has been speculation for some weeks that the UCK might set up a political wing to contest the 27 January 2002 elections, just as the Irish Republican Army (IRA) has used Sinn Fein. PM[17] GERMAN CHANCELLOR SEEKS TO ENSURE PARTICIPATION IN MACEDONIAMost of Germany's political parties are divided as to whether to participate in NATO's Operation Essential Harvest in Macedonia, the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" reported on 17 August (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 16 August 2001). Reasons range from anti-interventionist, ideological arguments on the Left, to concern on the Right as to whether the cash-strapped German military is up to the task. Speaking in Jena, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder stressed that Germany must fulfill its obligations to its NATO partners. "We will have a decision from NATO [on the mission], and then we have to ensure that Germany, an important member in the alliance, fulfils its obligations... I assume that the [Social Democratic parliamentary] deputies who have spoken out against a deployment will rethink their decision once the details of the operation have been finalized," Reuters reported. PM[18] NATO ADVANCE PARTY BEGINS TO ARRIVE IN MACEDONIASome 50 members of the British 16th Air Assault Brigade were expected in Skopje on 17 August as the first contingent of 400 U.K. troops who will arrive by 19 August, Reuters reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 August 2001). These advance units will make preparations for the eventual deployment of 3,500 troops in Essential Harvest. Meanwhile in Prague, Radio Svobodna Evropa reported that the first 16 Czech paratroopers out of a total contingent of 120 were due in Macedonia later the same day. In Macedonia itself, some minor violations of the cease-fire were reported overnight, but some veteran Balkan-watchers suggest that these are likely to cease or diminish once NATO forces are on the ground. PM[19] U.S. TO FUND MACEDONIAN PEACE CAMPAIGN"The Washington Post" reported on 17 August that the U.S. government plans to finance a $250,000 media blitz in Macedonia to promote the recent peace agreement. The radio, television, and press campaign will be coordinated with the office of President Boris Trajkovski, Reuters reported. The campaign may also use direct mailings to individual households from both major ethnic communities. PM[20] YUGOSLAV ARMY MOVES TO KOSOVA BORDERIn keeping with an agreement with KFOR, Serbian forces will complete their occupation of the former security zone in the Presevo region on 17 August, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. This move will bring Serbian forces to the border of Kosova. Observers suggest that most political leaders in Belgrade privately realize that Serbia has lost Kosova, but that it wants to have as much influence as possible in determining the province's future. The ethnic Albanian majority in Kosova wants to talk with Serbia only about independence. German expert Stefan Troebst told Deutsche Welle that there will be no stability in the region until the final political status of Kosova is clarified. PM[21] SERBIAN GOVERNMENT DEMANDS THAT MURDER CASE BE CLEARED UPThe Serbian government demanded in a statement on 16 August that the murder of security official Momir Gavrilovic be cleared up fully and without delay, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 16 August 2001). The statement also called for unspecified concrete steps to be taken if the investigation into the case reveals criminal links to the government. Suspicion centers on the office of Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica. PM[22] ROMANIAN GOVERNMENT SAYS POLL REVEALS OPPOSITION TO ROYAL RESTITUTION DEMANDA poll conducted by the INSOMAR institute at the request of the government shows that 61.6 percent of Romanians oppose King Michael's demand that the royal castle in Sinaia be restituted to the former monarch, a cabinet press release stated on 17 August. Furthermore, 54.4 percent oppose the restitution of the other properties claimed by Michael. Nearly one-third of those polled (30.5 percent) are in favor of a referendum on the claim, while 30.2 percent believe a decision by the government would be sufficient and 29.2 percent want the parliament to decide on the matter. The cabinet on 17 August debated King Michael's request but no decision was made. The cabinet heard a "comparative report" on similar royal restitution claims in Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Russia, and Yugoslavia. On 17 August, Prime Minister Adrian Nastase said that an envoy for King Michel has indicated that the former monarch is "open to negotiations" on the claim. MS[23] ROMANIAN PREMIER WANTS 'ARMISTICE' WITH OPPOSITION PARTIESPremier Nastase on 17 August said he will propose to the opposition parties a "political armistice" to last until after the 2002 Prague NATO summit, Romanian Radio reported. Nastase said the "armistice" is warranted in light of the importance of the jointly agreed goal of joining NATO and making the necessary preparations for accession. Nastase also said that he will propose a new "social pact" to trade unions and announced that pensions will be increased by up to 4.1 percent as of 1 September, in order to match the inflation rate. On 16 August, Nastase told the cabinet that economic performance in the first seven months of the government's tenure was "satisfactory, in general," but that imports have grown to a point where they "seriously affect the foreign trade balance." The cabinet decided to dismiss Industry and Resource State Secretary Ilie Balanescu, as well as the ministry's director general and the director general of the Vulcan mines, saying they failed to observe safety regulations. Fourteen miners lost their lives as a result of an accident at Vulcan on 7 August. MS[24] POWELL SAYS ROMANIA HAS MADE PROGRESS, BUT 'MUCH TO BE DONE' ON NATO ACCESSIONNastase on 17 August presented to the cabinet a letter he and Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana recently received from U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, Romanian radio reported. In the letter Powell lauded Romania's progress on the road to NATO accession, but added that "much is yet to be done" to achieve Romania's integration into the organization. MS[25] MOLDOVAN PREMIER ON GAGAUZ AUTONOMYPrime Minister Vasile Tarlev on 16 August said that the Moldovan government is not opposed to the autonomy of the Gagauz-Yeri region and intends to "do away with all inconsistencies still existing in Moldovan legislation, including the constitution," that might be interpreted as infringing on the region's autonomous status, Infotag reported. Tarlev added that "certain forces" in Gagauz-Yeri want to "complicate the relationship between Chisinau and Comrat." The premier cited an invitation he recently received to attend the celebrations of "the 11th anniversary of the Gagauz Republic" as an example of the existence of such forces. That self-styled "republic" ceased to exist in 1994, when the region agreed to accept an autonomous status within Moldova. "How can anyone celebrate the 11th anniversary [of the Gagauz Republic], when Moldova itself is preparing to mark only the 10th anniversary of its own independence?" he asked. MS[26] MOLDOVA TO SET UP JOINT BORDER POSTS WITH UKRAINE AT TRANSDNIESTER GATES?Tarlev also said that Moldova has "initiated parleys" with Ukraine in order to set up joint Moldovan-Ukrainian border posts, Moldpres reported. He said that an "earlier understanding" reached with the Ukrainian authorities stipulates that 12 such joint border posts will be set up. The Moldovan- Ukrainian frontier is fact on territory controlled by the separatists in Tiraspol. MS[27] PROTESTS IN TIRASPOL AGAINST DECOMMISSIONING OF RUSSIAN ARMAMENTOrganizations representing pro-Russian and anti-Moldovan views protested in Tiraspol on 17 August against the decommissioning of the Russian military arsenal in the region, RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. The protesters say the armament "belongs to the Transdniester people." The decommissioning began on 3 July, in line with the decisions of the OSCE at the Istanbul summit in November 1999. MS[28] BULGARIA WELCOMES MACEDONIAN AGREEMENTForeign Ministry spokeswoman Elena Poptodorova on 16 August told journalists in Sofia that "Bulgaria supports the peace accord" in Macedonia "but its implementation needs effective guarantees," Reuters reported. Poptodorova said sealing off the border between Kosova and Macedonia to stop military supplies and closely monitoring the disarmament of the Albanian rebels are crucial to the deal's successful implementation. Also on 17 August, Yordan Boshkov, the chairman of the Macedonian parliament's Foreign Affairs Commission, said in Sofia that "Macedonia needs further military aid and will probably get it from many countries, including Bulgaria," AP reported. Boshkov's Bulgarian counterpart Stanimir Ilchev said that "Bulgaria will not abstain from direct or indirect involvement in all possible measures and initiatives aimed at solving the crisis in Macedonia." MS[29] BULGARIA DENIES IVANIC PAID OFFICIAL VISITForeign Minister Solomon Pasi on 16 August denied that Mladen Ivanic, the prime minister of Republika Srpska in Bosnia, paid an official visit to Bulgaria earlier this week, BTA reported. The daily "Standart News" reported on 16 August that Ivanic visited Bulgaria on 13 August. Pasi said he had only transited Bulgaria by car and had not met with any cabinet members. Deputy Foreign Minister Meglena Kuneva told "Standard News" that she was to meet Ivanic in the evening of 13 August, but the meeting was "postponed" because Ivanic was "delayed at the border" and had not arrived in time. MS[C] END NOTE[30] ANNIVERSARY OF FAILED COUP CONTAINS MANY IRONIESBy Kathleen KnoxOn 20 August 1991, Russian journalist Yevgeniya Albats was sitting in the offices of the "Moskovskie Novosti" ("Moscow News") newspaper, faxing reports on the events unfolding in Moscow to other newspapers around the world. The day before, the group of hard-line conspirators -- including Vice President Gennadii Yanayev and KGB chief Vladimir Kryuchkov -- had formed a state emergency committee in a bid to seize power and also had attempted to shut down all independent newspapers. "The three of us reporters were sitting in the newspaper office and writing leaflets and sending information to newspapers around the globe," Albats said. "We were stunned that we were allowed to do this. It was still the Soviet Union and international faxes worked. People from the United States were able to reach us. No soldiers or KGB guys came into the 'Moskovskie Novosti' office, even though we were calling the offices of all coup leaders. During this night, it became clear that something went wrong for those who tried to conduct the coup." By the next evening, the coup had failed, faced down by an opposition centered around Boris Yeltsin, then the president of Russia. The fate of the Soviet Union had been sealed. Within months, Communist Party rule had ended, the Soviet Union had disintegrated, and Mikhail Gorbachev had resigned as the last Soviet leader. For Albats, those three days in August were the best of her life. "That was a great time, when we had a lot of hopes, and I believe we had all the reasons to expect the country to turn into a normal, civilized, lawful, democratic country," she said. What followed instead was disillusionment for many. Economic reforms swept away personal savings, and powerful business tycoons -- known as the "oligarchs" -- bought up large chunks of industry and exerted influence over government policy. According to Albats, many in Russia believe today that the current administration of President Vladimir Putin is a kind of vindication of the failed coup. "Many of those who came to power now, [Putin's] colleagues from the KGB, see the current situation as their victory," Albats said. "They openly say in conversation that they got back into power, that they have gained back what they lost 10 years ago." This is certainly the spin that the surviving -- and amnestied -- plotters are giving on the event 10 years later. At a news conference last month, co- conspirator and former Soviet Prime Minister Valentin Pavlov said that Putin's administration is carrying on the work the plotters tried to start 10 years ago -- that is, restore control over the country. Putin hosted one of the plotters -- his former boss at the KGB, Kryuchkov -- at the Kremlin for his inauguration in May last year. Archie Brown is a professor of politics at Oxford University and the author of several books on Russian politics. Brown agrees that the goal of the 1991 plotters still finds some sympathizers within Russia's current leadership. "I'm sure there are a number of people there now who sympathized with the putschists of 1991," Brown said. "Putin has invited Kryuchkov to the Kremlin. Putin's position is that these people's hearts were in the right place, and he sympathized with their aim of trying to maintain the union, but that they went about it the wrong way." If Putin -- the chosen successor of Yeltsin, who faced down the coup conspirators -- really is the true heir to the plotters, it would be just one of many ironies of the failed putsch. Brown said it is also ironic that the conspirators accused Soviet leader Gorbachev of indecisiveness, when it was clear from their first disastrous public appearance that they lacked direction and did not know exactly what to do. Another irony is that, in the end, the putsch attempt achieved the opposite of what its organizers had aimed to do. The failed putsch accelerated the demise of the Soviet Union that they had hoped to maintain. Andrei Ryabov is a scholar in residence at the Carnegie Moscow Center. He said the current Russian administration and a large section of the Russian establishment today has a split attitude about the coup. "Of course, they understand that without the events of August 1991, the victory of the new political order in Russia, the creation of a market economy, would be pushed back for a long time, at the very least. So they recognize the positive influence of these events," Ryabov said. "But on the other hand, for many of them it represents the collapse of the state, and right now this idea is being put forward by a large section of the political elite. From this point of view, this weakening of the state as an institution can't really command sympathy with these people, so the attitude is a dual one." Ryabov expects Putin to highlight both the good and bad consequences of the failed putsch if he makes an appearance marking the anniversary. "On the one hand, he will undoubtedly recognize the great significance of these events for the development of Russia along the path of democracy and a market economy," Ryabov predicted. "But on the other hand, he'll probably say a certain anarchy arose then as a result of the wrong choice of economic reforms, and that this has had a negative impact on the economy in the last 10 years, on social relations, and on the weakening of the state, and that he, as the new president, is now working to rid the country of these negative effects." The ambivalent nature of the Russian administration's attitude toward the failed coup is matched by the feelings of many ordinary Russians. If no one is in a celebratory mood during the anniversary, it won't be much of a surprise, Brown said. After all, the Soviet Union disintegrated a few months after the coup, and many Russians still regret that. 17-08-01 Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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