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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 5, No. 166, 01-08-31Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>RFE/RL NEWSLINEVol. 5, No. 166, 31 August 2001CONTENTS[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[C] END NOTE
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA[01] ARMENIA FAILS TO REACH ACCORD WITH MOSCOW ON NUCLEAR FUELArmenian Energy Minister Karen Galustian on 30 August spent his 10th day in talks with Russian authorities concerning Armenia's interest in purchasing nuclear fuel from Russia, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported. He said that Russian officials are demanding that Armenia provide a specific timetable for paying the $9 million it will owe once the fuel is delivered. PG[02] BULLFIGHT TO TAKE PLACE IN ARMENIAN CAPITALDespite the objections of the Armenian Church, West European animal rights groups, and Brigitte Bardot, Yerevan Mayor Robert Nazarian said on 30 August that bullfights scheduled for his city on 7-9 September will go ahead as planned, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported. In addition, organizers of the bullfights said that they are now considering the possibility of opening a matador school in Armenia. PG[03] LACK OF WATER FORCES ARMENIANS TO LEAVE VILLAGEOfficials in Tavush told Noyan Tapan on 30 August that the lack of potable water combined with fears about possible Azerbaijani attacks is forcing the exodus of residents of their village, which is located near the Azerbaijani border. PG[04] KALUZHNII SAYS CASPIAN TALKS TO TAKE PLACE ON SCHEDULESpeaking in Baku on 30 August, Viktor Kaluzhnii, the Russian deputy foreign minister and presidential representative for Caspian issues, said that a summit meeting on the status of the Caspian Sea will take place this fall despite a statement by Turkmenistan's President Saparmurat Niyazov that the meeting will be delayed, Turan reported. PG[05] AZERBAIJAN SAYS IT HAS ARRESTED ACTIVISTS WORKING TO PROMOTE AN ISLAMIST STATEAzerbaijan's National Security Ministry has detained several activists and is looking for others who are part of the Hizb ut-Tahrir Party that has been active in Uzbekistan and elsewhere in Central Asia and seeks to set up a pan-national Islamic state, "Azerbaycan" reported on 30 August. The same day the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that Azerbaijan is becoming a hotbed of Islamist activism, Interfax reported (see End Note, "RFE/RL Newsline" 24 August 2001. PG[06] BOOK SALES IN AZERBAIJAN DROP MORE THAN 90 PERCENT IN PAST TWO YEARSAccording to Baku's "Express," book sales in Azerbaijan have dropped by 42 times over the last two years alone. Moreover, the paper said, the average person in the country spends only 500 manats ($0.11) on books each year. PG[07] AZERBAIJANI SAYS QABALA RADAR CAUSING FEWER PROBLEMS THAN HAD BEEN THOUGHTHuseyn Bagirov, the Azerbaijani Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, told Turan on 30 August that preliminary investigations have shown that the impact of Russia's Qabala radar site on the population and environment is not as high as many had imagined. At the same time, he said it is too early to draw any final conclusions. PG[08] AZERBAIJANI MEDIA SHARPLY CRITICIZE CHANGES IN MINSK GROUP, BUT GOVERNMENT MORE UPBEAT"Zerkalo" and ANS television on 29 August sharply criticized the turnover of representatives to the OSCE Minsk Group from the co-chair countries and said that the diplomats involved are only trying to advance their careers rather than bring peace to the Caucasus. But an official from the Office of the President told MPA on 30 August that the arrival of a new American co- chair of the Minsk Group may "give impetus to the talks" between Baku and Yerevan about Nagorno-Karabakh. PG[09] AZERBAIJAN, GEORGIA DIFFER OVER OIL TARIFFSIlham Aliev, the first deputy president of SOCAR oil company and the son of President Heidar Aliev, said on 30 August that Baku does not want to increase the tariffs it will pay Georgia for the transit of oil, but that it understands the pressure Georgia is under from the World Bank to get more and will seek a negotiated settlement, Turan reported. At the same time, Ilham Aliev said that "the World Bank should not interfere in the relations of the two friendly states." Meanwhile, "Zerkalo" on 28 August highlighted another irritant in relations between the two countries: It said that Tbilisi has adopted policies that are likely to result in the closing of Azerbaijani-language schools in Georgia. PG[10] GEORGIAN PARLIAMENT CHAIRMAN CALLS FOR INSTITUTIONAL CHANGESParliament Chairman Zurab Zhvania told deputies on 30 August that corruption has undercut public trust in both the executive and legislative branches and that institutional changes and not just ministerial shifts are needed to recover that trust and make progress possible, Georgian TV reported. In other comments, he said that President Eduard Shevardnadze and the country have to make a serious decision about the kind of country they want and that the ruling party may split over this choice between reform and the continuation of current policies. Meanwhile, the parliamentary majority has decided to send yet another letter to the president, Caucasus Press reported. PG[11] GEORGIA ANGRY AT MOSCOW FOR NOT INFORMING ABOUT MOVEMENT OF RUSSIAN TROOPS IN ADJARIAThe Georgian Foreign Ministry has prepared a protest note concerning Russia's failure to inform Tbilisi about the movement of Russian troops in and around Adjaria, Caucasus Press reported on 29 August. Meanwhile, Russian Ambassador to Georgia Vladimir Gudev said he is surprised by the Georgian reaction and urged them not to impute political meaning to a tactical relocation. PG[12] KAZAKHSTAN PUTS 'IN QUESTION' CIS EXERCISES THEREForeign Minister Yerlan Idrisov on 29 August told Kazakh Commercial TV that still unanswered questions about why and how a Russian S-300 air-defense missile fell in Kazakhstan have put "in question" the possibility of allowing the CIS to hold military exercises in his country. PG[13] SPANISH KING IN KAZAKHSTAN ON PRIVATE VISITKing Juan Carlos I of Spain is in Almaty on a private visit at the personal invitation of Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbaev, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported on 30 August. PG[14] TAJIKISTAN SEES RUSSIAN FORCES AS GUARANTOR OF INVESTMENTS THEREIn an interview published in Moscow's "Nezavisimaya gazeta" on 30 August, Tajikistan's Ambassador to Russia Ramazan Mirzoev said that his government considers the presence of Russian troops in his country as a guarantor of foreign and domestic investments. PG[15] 7,000 DRUG ADDICTS NOW IN TAJIKISTAN, MOST ON HEROINTajik TV reported on 30 August that there are now 7,000 drug addicts registered in Tajikistan. Four thousand of them live in Dushanbe and more than 70 percent of the total are addicted to heroin, the television channel said. PG[16] RESETTLEMENT OF PEOPLE FROM EAST TO CENTRAL TURKMENISTAN STARTSThe Turkmen State News Service on 27 August reported that the first group of residents from the eastern Turkmen region of Lebap near the Uzbek border have been moved to the central Akhal region. The service said that the relocation program was initiated by President Niyazov. PG[17] UZBEK PARLIAMENT RATIFIES BORDER ACCORDS, GUUAM, SHANGHAI AGREEMENTSAt its session on 29 August, the Uzbek parliament passed a series of laws and ratified border agreements with Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan; a GUUAM consular accord; and the Shanghai convention against terrorism, separatism, and extremism, Interfax-Central Asia reported. PG[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE[18] MACEDONIAN PARLIAMENT'S DEBATE DELAYEDFollowing NATO's successful completion of the first stage of Operation Essential Harvest, Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski said in a statement in Skopje that parliament is scheduled to begin debating the political settlement package on 31 August, AP reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 30 August 2001, and "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 17 and 21 August 2001). Some 100 hard-liners opposed to the agreement scuffled with legislators outside the parliament building, charging that the settlement amounts to a "sellout of the Macedonian nation." BBC Television reported that the debate has been "delayed" because of the protests. Demonstrators carried signs reading -- among other things -- "Russia, Help Us," "NATO and USA -- Leave Macedonia Within 48 Hours," and "We Demand the Resignation of the Whole Government." PM[19] MACEDONIAN NATIONALIST PARTY TO BACK SETTLEMENT?Gjorgji Trendafilov, a spokesman for the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (VMRO-DPMNE) of Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski, said in Skopje on 31 August that his party will support the package, AP reported. International attention centers on the 47-strong group of legislators from the VMRO, whose support of the Ohrid agreement is lukewarm at best (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 28 August 2001). The measure requires 80 out of 120 votes to pass. PM[20] CONCERN IN BRUSSELS OVER MACEDONIAN 'VACUUM'An unnamed NATO official told Reuters on 30 August that Macedonia will need some sort of international presence once Operation Essential Harvest is completed, Reuters reported. He noted that "there's a sense [in NATO] there will be a vacuum after the 30 days, and it must be filled. Other international organizations will have to move in to provide observers, monitors, [and] incentives" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 30 August 2001). The OSCE and EU are two such organizations that might play a role. PM[21] MACEDONIAN MINISTER: NOT OUR PROBLEMForeign Minister Ilinka Mitreva said in Vienna on 30 August that the conflict in Macedonia is imported from Kosova, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. She added that unnamed "Kosovar Albanian politicians" and "foreign mercenaries" are behind the National Liberation Army (UCK). Mitreva told the OSCE that it should increase the size of its monitoring force in Macedonia following Operation Essential Harvest lest a vacuum emerge. PM[22] SERBS REGISTER TO VOTE IN KOSOVASome 43,000 Serbs have signed up to cast their ballots in the 17 November general elections, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported from Prishtina on 30 August. A spokeswoman for the UN civilian administration said that a recent surge of interest by Serbs in registering follows an appeal by the top Belgrade leadership for them to do so (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 August 2001). PM[23] WORLD BANK WARNS BOSNIAChristian Poortman, the World Bank country director for Bosnia and regional coordinator for southeastern Europe, said in Sarajevo on 30 August that "the situation could become quite difficult if decisive action is not taken now. The pace of economic change needs to be accelerated... We cannot at this stage see a moment anytime soon that the Bosnian economy will propel itself forward," AP reported. He noted that the country remains dependent on foreign assistance and that promised economic and banking reforms remain dead letters. Poortman added that priority must be given to making Bosnia a single economic unit and creating a favorable climate for investment. He warned that assistance could dry up unless substantial progress is made by mid-2002. PM[24] CROATIAN NATIONALISTS PROTEST BOSNIAN MOSQUE RECONSTRUCTIONSeveral hundred ethnic Croatian veterans of the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia- Herzegovina demonstrated in Stolac on 31 August against the reconstruction of the Careva Dzamija, a mosque built in 1519 and destroyed in 1993, AP reported. SFOR troops and police maintained order at the ceremony and the protest. The demonstrators also demanded an end to legal measures against Herzegovinian leaders who tried to set up autonomous Croatian political structures earlier in 2001. Some 500 Muslims recently moved back to the area, which is Croat-dominated. PM[25] SERBIAN PRIME MINISTER: STRENGTHEN COOPERATION WITH THE HAGUEZoran Djindjic said in Belgrade on 30 August that his government will continue to cooperate with The Hague-based war crimes tribunal and might extradite more suspects, Reuters reported. He criticized the appearance of indicted war criminal Colonel Veselin Sljivancanin at a book presentation in Vrbas. Djindjic and Vojvodina leader Nenad Canak said that Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica and General Nebojsa Pavkovic, who heads the General Staff, have damaged Serbia's image by not dealing with the Sljivancanin case and by not making reforms in the military. "Danas" wrote on 31 August that there is strong opposition in the military to the extradition of the colonel, whom some want to promote. Pavkovic and his civilian superiors have held up the promotion, the daily added. PM[26] MONTENEGRO SLAMS BELGRADE'S LATEST PLANThe Yugoslav federal government, which is not recognized as legitimate by the Montenegrin authorities, has completed drafting its latest plan to restructure the federation with an eye to making it a looser arrangement, Reuters reported on 30 August. Speaking in Podgorica, Miodrag Vukovic, a spokesman for President Milo Djukanovic, said that over "the past few months, this completely illegitimate structure [i.e., the federal government] has been trying to determine a way to redefine relations between Serbia and Montenegro without asking either Serbia or Montenegro" (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 31 August 2001). PM[27] ROMANIAN GOVERNMENT RESPONDS TO CZECH VISA REQUIREMENTSPrime Minister Adrian Nastase on 30 August said that the government "regrets" that the Czech Republic has been forced to introduce visa requirements for Romanians due to "the behavior of a limited number of citizens who harmed the interests of their fellow-countrymen," RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. Nastase said his cabinet will take immediate measures to rectify this situation and the government later approved an emergency ordinance that went into effect immediately. The ordinance establishes punishments of between three months and two years in prison for citizens who illegally cross foreign borders and of between two and seven years for those involved in migrant-smuggling rings. The ordinance also makes possible confiscation of property and denial of passports for those found guilty. Interior Minister Ioan Rus announced that his ministry will send liaison officers to Prague to assist Czech authorities in identifying illegal Romanian migrants (see Czech item, Eastern and Central Europe). MS[28] ROMANIAN GOVERNMENT PRAISED BY PACE RAPPORTEURThe European Parliament's rapporteur for Romania, Baroness Emma Nicholson, on 30 August praised measures adopted by Romania to secure its borders and said that in her pending report she will recommend that visa requirements for Romanian citizens traveling to the EU be lifted. She said Romania has "fulfilled to the letter" the conditions imposed by the EU for lifting the visa requirement. Earlier, the government announced that it had signed a contract with a German company for printing new passports that will be difficult to forge. Baroness Nicholson also praised Romania's economic performance, saying privatization is being intensified, inflation is dropping, and productivity is increasing. She and Premier Nastase announced after meeting that they will head a new foundation to deal with the problem of homeless children and that prominent EU officials such as Guenter Verheugen will be invited to join the foundation's board. MS[29] RESITA WORKERS RENEW PROTESTS IN ROMANIAWorkers at the Resita steel-producer CSR blocked a major highway to Caransebes on 30 August, and demanded the payment of wage arrears, the resumption of the plant's activity, and a meeting with Privatization Minister Ovidiu Musatescu, AP reported. The workers had renewed their protests two days earlier, demanding that the government advance 60 billion lei ($2 million) to make possible the resumption of production at the plant. The four-month-old conflict reignited after a court appointed in July an independent administrator to rule the plant, which owes some 650 billion lei in unpaid bills to state companies and in taxes. Under the court's decision, the U.S.-based company Noble Ventures, which owns 95 percent of the plant's shares, is not allowed to make any administrative or managerial decisions. Following its placement under independent administration, the workers have received unemployment benefits. Musatescu has agreed to meet with Resita trade union leaders on 31 August. MS[30] ROMANIA TO PENALIZE SEXUAL HARASSMENT?The Senate's Judicial Commission recommended on 30 August that the offense of sexual harassment be introduced in the new version of the Penal Code. The offense would carry a sentence of between three months and one year in prison, or a fine, Mediafax reported. MS[31] RUSSIAN DUMA OFFICIAL IS CANDID ON MOLDOVAN INTENTIONSIn an interview with the Russian publication "Tribuna" on 30 August, Boris Pastukhov, the deputy chairman of the Russian State Duma's commission on settling the Transdniester conflict, said that the members of the commission "want Moldova to remain in the Russian sphere of influence and the relations between the two countries must reflect Russian interests" in the region, Flux reported. Without specifying whether this is his personal position or the official position of the Russian government, Pastukhov said that Moscow cannot agree with Chisinau's stand that Moldova must be a "unitary state" and also ruled out a confederation between Moldova and the Transdniester. He said the two sides must form a "joint state" and the relations between its two components should be agreed on "at a later stage." Pastukhov also said he is opposed to the withdrawal of Russian military equipment from the breakaway region, calling it "a serious diplomatic mistake." He said continued Russian military presence in the Transdniester is "necessary, because it constitutes the only mode of ensuring stability in that region" and because of "the tension in the Balkans." MS[32] BULGARIAN, ROMANIAN DEFENSE MINISTERS MEETVisiting Romanian Defense Minister Ioan Mircea Pascu met in Plodviv on 30 August with his Bulgarian counterpart Nikolai Svinarov to discuss bilateral military cooperation between their countries and measures aimed at furthering that cooperation in light of the successful experience of the Multinational Peace Force Southeastern Europe (MPFSE), BTA and Romanian media reported. On 31 August, Romania will take over the chair of the MPFSE Defense Ministers Committee. MS[33] BULGARIAN INVESTIGATORS REVEAL DETAILS ON FRENCH BRIBERY SCANDALSpecial Investigation Service (SIS) spokesman Ivan Ranchev told journalists in Sofia on 30 August that an investigation conducted at the request of French police has established that illegal visas were provided by the French Consulate in Sofia in exchange for bribes, BTA and AP reported. Visa requirements for Bulgarian citizens traveling to the EU were abolished in April 2001 but the investigation was begun in March that year after French police arrested three Bulgarian prostitutes who held business visas. Ranchev said that some 400 illegal visas were provided daily for bribes of between 500 and 1,000 leva ($227 to $454). Bulgarian investigators managed to identify some 250 people who benefited from the deal. He said French Consul Rudi Demenage was recalled on 1 March and confessed to his participation in the scheme. Former French Ambassador to Bulgaria Dominique Chassard, who ended his mission on 23 August, denied any involvement or knowledge of the deal in a letter to BTA. MS[C] END NOTE[34] FAMILIES OF 'KURSK' VICTIMS QUESTION RAISING OF SUB (PART 1)By Francesca MereuThe following is Part 1 of a two-part series. When the "Kursk" submarine sank in the Barents Sea on 12 August 2000, killing all 118 crew members on board, Russian President Vladimir Putin was on holiday at the Black Sea resort of Sochi. Only belatedly -- and it appeared to the Russian media and public only reluctantly -- did he fly on 22 August 2000 to the "Kursk's" base in Murmansk to offer condolences to the families. The slow response was widely criticized by the media, who said it was evidence that Putin was unfeeling and out of touch with Russian citizens. Putin, reacting to the criticism, promised to raise the sub to find out what caused it to sink and to give the dead crewmen inside a decent burial. In November of that year, a preliminary salvage operation was begun and 12 bodies were recovered. Now, a more advanced operation involving the Dutch company Mammoet is underway. Divers are cutting holes in the hull so the sub -- except for the severely damaged front section -- can be lifted to the surface by cables next month. Salvage teams say they also hope to recover the bodies of at least one-third of the crew. The effort is not without its critics. Many point to the high cost of the operation -- an estimated $70 million -- and the risks to the divers involved. The "Kursk" still houses live torpedoes, cruise missiles, and a nuclear reactor. While experts say the risk of an explosion is small, no one knows for sure. Critics also say that -- even if more bodies are recovered -- the process of salvaging the sub will only prolong the tragedy for the families' victims. Svetlana Baigarina from St. Petersburg is the wife of Captain Murat Baigarin, one of the victims. She said the salvage effort only means more stress. Not only will relatives have to identify bodies, they are also concerned for the safety of the divers. "[When] we understood that for our men nothing would have changed [if they were brought to the surface], we didn't want any of the divers to die," Baigarina said. "Most of the families signed a letter -- [and we sent it to the government] -- to stop the raising [operation]. But in November, [the operation] was started anyway." But Baigarina concedes that having her husband's body recovered would provide closure. "There is a tradition that when a sailor dies, he should be left to the sea," Baigarina said. "But on the other hand, I'd like to have a grave where I can go and visit [my husband]." Roman Kolesnikov is the chairman of the St. Petersburg Foundation for Relatives of the "Kursk." His son, Lieutenant Captain Dmitrii Kolesnikov, went down with the "Kursk" and was one of the 12 bodies recovered last November. "[The endless debates about the 'Kursk' salvage operation] made the families so tired that now they say they don't know what to do. They don't say they are against [raising the 'Kursk']; they say they simply don't know whether it should be raised or not," Kolesnikov said. But Nadezhda Tylik from the southern city of Anape sees the issue differently. She lost her son Sergei in the tragedy and says that after a year, she is glad to see authorities finally making good on their promise to raise the "Kursk." "It was what [the families] demanded one year ago from Putin. [Authorities] are doing what they promised us," Tylik said. "At the time, Putin said that the submarine would be raised." The cause of the accident remains a mystery. Most people now believe that a torpedo exploded in the front of the ship, sending it to the bottom of the sea. Officials have said that they expect to recover just one-third of the crew because when the accident occurred most of the sailors were probably in the front of the sub, which will remain on the sea floor. Captain Igor Kurdin, the head of the St. Petersburg Submariners Club, said his organization is working with families to prepare them for the likelihood that their relatives may never be found. He said that in cases where the bodies of victims cannot be found, the Russian Orthodox Church has approved a unique alternative. "[The families] should be ready for the fact that inside the coffin there will be a capsule -- made from the metal of the submarine -- full of seawater," Kurdin said. Navy officials have said that if weather conditions are good, the salvage operation could be finished sometime next month. The "Kursk" then will be towed into the port of Roslyakovo, in the Murmansk region, for inspection and dismantling. For the time being, the victims' families are waiting and are ready to fly to Roslyakovo to identify the bodies. 31-08-01 Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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