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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 5, No. 186, 01-10-02
RFE/RL NEWSLINE
Vol. 5, No. 186, 2 October 2001
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT MEETS WITH RUSSIAN JOURNALISTS
[02] NO ARRESTS IN DEATH OF ARMENIAN ACTIVIST
[03] POLICE FORCIBLY DISPERSE OPPOSITION RALLY IN AZERBAIJANI EXCLAVE
[04] INDEPENDENT AZERBAIJANI TV STATION ACCUSED OF TRANSMITTING ILLEGALLY
[05] AZERBAIJAN'S SENIOR MUSLIM CLERIC DENIES ISSUING COUP WARNING
[06] GEORGIA OPENS AIRSPACE TO U.S.
[07] NEW GEORGIAN JUSTICE MINISTER APPOINTED
[08] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT WRAPS UP VISIT TO KAZAKHSTAN
[09] U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE TELEPHONES KYRGYZ PRESIDENT
[10] KYRGYZSTAN, IMF REACH AGREEMENT ON NEW LOAN PROGRAM
[11] KYRGYZ PARTY TO ABANDON 'CONSTRUCTIVE OPPOSITION'
[12] TAJIK PRESIDENT NAMES NEW AMBASSADORS TO RUSSIA, IRAN, GERMANY
[13] UZBEKISTAN OFFERS USE OF AIRSPACE TO U.S.
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[14] MACEDONIAN PEACE PLAN THREATENED BY MISSING PERSONS
[15] NATO CONDEMNS REBEL ATTACKS ON MACEDONIAN POLICE
[16] OSCE ANNOUNCES FOURFOLD INCREASE IN MONITORS FOR MACEDONIA
[17] NATO TROOPS ARREST FOUR IN BOSNIAN ANTITERRORIST EFFORT
[18] 'CROATIAN-LANGUAGE' DAILY HITS BOSNIAN NEWSSTANDS
[19] NEW CROATIAN JUSTICE MINISTER INTENDS TO ESTABLISH WAR CRIMES BUREAU
[20] PRESIDENT CALLS FOR TALKS ON FUTURE OF YUGOSLAVIA
[21] KOSTUNICA PRAISES U.S. PRESIDENT
[22] REPORT SAYS SECURITY FOR MINORITIES IN KOSOVA IS IMPROVING
[23] IRANIAN PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER IN ROMANIA
[24] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT SAYS POVERTY BREEDS EXTREMISM
[25] ROMANIAN HUNGARIAN LEADER ENVISAGES DIFFICULTY IN STATUS LAW
IMPLEMENTATION
[26] ROMANIAN FAR-RIGHT LEADER CRITICIZES APPOINTMENT OF U.S. AMBASSADOR
[27] HAS RUSSIAN PRESIDENT DISSOLVED COMMISSION ON TRANSDNIESTER?
[28] BULGARIAN VISA REQUIREMENT FOR RUSSIAN CITIZENS COMES INTO EFFECT
[29] BULGARIAN LAND FORCES TO BE REDUCED BY A THIRD
[C] END NOTE
[30] There is no End Note today.
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT MEETS WITH RUSSIAN JOURNALISTS
Meeting with a group of visiting Russian journalists in Yerevan on 29
September, President Robert Kocharian said Armenian-Russian relations are
"developing dynamically," and are characterized by a "convergence of
interests" and by the absence of any disputed issues, ITAR-TASS and Noyan
Tapan reported. Kocharian stressed that a pro-Russian orientation has been
passed from generation to generation in Armenia, stressing that "there were
and are no anti-Russian sentiments in Armenia." Asked why Armenia therefore
does not accede to the Russia-Belarus Union, Kocharian pointed out that
that union serves the interests of both member countries, but that Armenia
does not share a common border with either. He added that no Armenian
political party except for the Communists supports Armenian membership of
the union. Commenting on the unresolved Karabakh conflict, Kocharian said
the two most immediate problems that need to be solved are convincing
public opinion in Azerbaijan of the need for compromise, and for the
presidents of both Armenia and Azerbaijan to accept the responsibility of
implementing a peace settlement that will require compromises from both
sides. LF
[02] NO ARRESTS IN DEATH OF ARMENIAN ACTIVIST
None of the members of President Kocharian's bodyguard who were suspended
from duty last week has yet been formally charged in connection with the
death in a Yerevan cafe in the early morning of 25 September of an Armenian
from Georgia who had shouted insults at the president, RFE/RL's Yerevan
bureau reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 September 2001). Armenian
Revolutionary Federation -- Dashnaktsutiun (HHD) party member Poghos
Poghosian was found dead with head and stomach injuries in the cafe toilet
shortly after Kocharian left the premises. Law enforcement officials
initially said Poghosian, who was 43, died of heart failure. Justice
Minister David Harutiunian, who was also present at the cafe that night,
told journalists on 27 September that "a most serious and impartial
investigation must be conducted" and that "we cannot hush anything up,"
Noyan Tapan reported. LF
[03] POLICE FORCIBLY DISPERSE OPPOSITION RALLY IN AZERBAIJANI EXCLAVE
Police in Nakhichevan on 29 September used violence to break up an
unsanctioned demonstration against the Azerbaijani leadership by members of
the opposition Democratic Party, Turan reported. Two demonstrators were
injured and 21 detained for 15 days administrative arrest. LF
[04] INDEPENDENT AZERBAIJANI TV STATION ACCUSED OF TRANSMITTING ILLEGALLY
Azerbaijan's State Radio Frequencies Committee has accused the independent
ANS-TV of beginning broadcasts to seven rural regions without having sought
permission from the committee to do so, Turan reported on 1 October. The
committee has assessed ANS-TV's debts for the unauthorized use of
transmitters at 354.9 million manats ($75,750), of which 141 million manats
must be paid to the state budget. LF
[05] AZERBAIJAN'S SENIOR MUSLIM CLERIC DENIES ISSUING COUP WARNING
Sheikh-ul-Islam Allakhshukur Pashazade told Turan on 1 October that a
report published that day in the opposition newspaper "Yeni Musavat" that
he had warned President Heidar Aliev that Iranian intelligence is planning
a coup d'etat in Azerbaijan is incorrect. Pashazade also denied that any
connection exists between that alleged warning and recent arrests of Muslim
clerics in southern districts of Azerbaijan. This is by no means the first
instance of "Yeni Musavat" publishing sensational allegations that later
proved to be untrue: on 28 July Turan quoted that paper as reporting that
President Aliev had died. LF
[06] GEORGIA OPENS AIRSPACE TO U.S.
The Georgian government has acceded to a U.S. request for cargo planes to
transit Georgian airspace within the parameters of the expected
antiterrorist strikes against targets in Afghanistan, Foreign Minister
Irakli Menagharishvili told journalists on 1 October, according to Caucasus
Press. LF
[07] NEW GEORGIAN JUSTICE MINISTER APPOINTED
The Georgian parliament on 28 September confirmed Roland Giligashvili as
justice minister, Caucasus Press reported. Giligashvili is 49 and has
worked since graduating from Tbilisi State University in 1974 in the
Supreme Court, the Prosecutor-General's Office, and from 1997-1999 as
deputy justice minister. He succeeds Mikhail Saakashvili, who resigned last
month (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 September 2001). LF
[08] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT WRAPS UP VISIT TO KAZAKHSTAN
Leonid Kuchma ended his three-day visit to Astana on 28 September during
which he and his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbaev focused on
expanding economic cooperation and trade, Russian agencies reported.
Specifically, the two sides declared their readiness to participate, with
Russia, in implementing the Dnepr space program, and agreed on the creation
of a joint venture with Russia to extract and process uranium for use as
nuclear fuel, ITAR-TASS and "Vek" reported. Also discussed was the
possibility of increasing from the present level of 6 million tons exports
of Kazakh oil to Ukraine for refining. LF
[09] U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE TELEPHONES KYRGYZ PRESIDENT
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev
discussed the security situation in Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia as a whole
in a telephone conversation on 30 September, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service
reported the following day, quoting the presidential press service. Powell
thanked Akaev for his offer of support for the international antiterrorism
coalition. Akaev announced on 25 September that Kyrgyzstan would open an
air corridor for U.S. aircraft in the event of strikes on terrorist targets
in Afghanistan (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 25 September 2001). LF
[10] KYRGYZSTAN, IMF REACH AGREEMENT ON NEW LOAN PROGRAM
The IMF's representation in Bishkek announced on 1 October that following
talks two days earlier between visiting IMF official Tapio Savolainen,
President Akaev, and Prime Minister Kurmanbek Bakiev, agreement has been
reached on a new three-year cooperation program, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau
reported. Kyrgyzstan could receive up to $90 million in new loans within
the framework of that agreement, which was delayed due to the fund's
displeasure at Akaev's unilateral decision in July to cut income tax rates
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18 July and 21 September 2001). LF
[11] KYRGYZ PARTY TO ABANDON 'CONSTRUCTIVE OPPOSITION'
Speaking at a press conference in Bishkek on 1 October to mark the 10th
anniversary of the founding of his Progressive Erkin Kyrgyzstan party,
Tursunbai Bakir Uulu said that his party will shortly abandon its policy of
constructive opposition and assume a tougher stance vis-a-vis the present
leadership, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported. He said that decision was
prompted by the "many mistakes" the government has made and by its refusal
to engage in a dialogue with the opposition. LF
[12] TAJIK PRESIDENT NAMES NEW AMBASSADORS TO RUSSIA, IRAN, GERMANY
President Imomali Rakhmonov has appointed the head of the presidential
administration, Safar Safarov, as Tajikistan's ambassador to Russia,
Ramazan Mirzoev as ambassador to Iran, and former presidential
administration official Nurali Saidov as ambassador to Germany, Asia Plus-
Blitz reported on 2 October. Shuhrat Sultonov, who previously served as
deputy chairman of the Executive Committee of the CIS secretariat, succeeds
Safarov as head of the presidential administration. LF
[13] UZBEKISTAN OFFERS USE OF AIRSPACE TO U.S.
Branding terrorism as "the plague of the 21st century, Uzbek President
Islam Karimov told a meeting of senior Uzbek security officials on 1
October that his country "is ready to make its airspace available" for
participating military aircraft in the event of strikes against terrorist
bases in Afghanistan, Reuters reported. Last week Uzbek officials
repeatedly denied persistent rumors that U.S. transport planes and troops
had already landed at a military airport near Tashkent (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 24 and 25 September 2001). LF
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[14] MACEDONIAN PEACE PLAN THREATENED BY MISSING PERSONS
The speaker of the Macedonian parliament, Stojan Andov, said on 1 October
that ethnic Albanian rebels must resolve the issue of 14 missing
Macedonians before parliamentarians will pass any provisions of the peace
plan, Reuters reported. Speaking after meeting with relatives of the
missing, Andov said, "I will be compelled not to convene the national
assembly...as long as the civilians are kept hostage." The 14 civilians --
who include one ethnic Albanian -- disappeared as fighting raged around the
city of Tetovo in July. Parliament is due to meet on 5 October to discuss
expanding the rights of ethnic Albanians. Former rebel leader Ali Ahmeti,
at a meeting last week announcing that the National Liberation Army had
disbanded, said all prisoners had been released. A spokeswoman for the Red
Cross said it has no information on the missing people. PB
[15] NATO CONDEMNS REBEL ATTACKS ON MACEDONIAN POLICE
Major Tim Dunne, a spokesman for Amber Fox, the new NATO mission in
Macedonia, said on 1 October in Skopje that attacks by ethnic Albanian
insurgents on police checkpoints in Macedonia are "unacceptable," dpa
reported. Dunne said the attackers fired some 20 rounds of ammunition on
checkpoints outside of Tetovo the previous day and that Macedonian police
returned fire. He said NATO strongly condemns "attacks on police
positions." Both sides blamed the other for starting the attacks (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 1 October 2001). PB
[16] OSCE ANNOUNCES FOURFOLD INCREASE IN MONITORS FOR MACEDONIA
The OSCE said on 1 October in Skopje that it will quadruple the size of its
mission that will monitor implementation of the peace accord in Macedonia,
Reuters reported. Harald Schenker, the OSCE spokesman for the former
Yugoslavia, said the initial crew of 51 monitors will be expanded to 210 in
an agreement between the OSCE and the Macedonian government. Many of the
new monitors will train ethnic Albanians in policing methods, as some 500
Albanians are due to be added to the Macedonian police force by mid-2002.
PB
[17] NATO TROOPS ARREST FOUR IN BOSNIAN ANTITERRORIST EFFORT
The NATO-led peacekeeping force in Bosnia-Herzegovina said on 1 October
that it has arrested four people in Sarajevo on the suspicion of having
links with terrorists, Reuters and Hina news agencies reported. A
Stabilization Force (SFOR) statement said the arrests were conducted in
line with the SFOR mandate and in cooperation with local authorities, the
agencies reported. The SFOR authorities did not reveal the identities of
those detained, but Bosnian state television reported that two were
foreigners and two were Bosnian citizens. Local media reported that one man
was Egyptian and another Lebanese with German residency. Bosnia last week
launched a plan to combat terrorism domestically and internationally, in
response to the 11 September terrorist attacks on New York and Washington,
Reuters added. AH
[18] 'CROATIAN-LANGUAGE' DAILY HITS BOSNIAN NEWSSTANDS
Bosnia-Herzegovina's first "Croatian-language" daily hit newsstands on 1
October, with the stated aim of offering readers complete and reliable
coverage of "what is going on in the country and the world," Hina reported
the same day. "Dnevni List" will appear six days a week with a double issue
on Saturdays, the agency added. It is published by Mostar-based National
Holding. The paper is printed in Banja Luka and has an initial print run of
7,500 copies to be sold throughout Bosnia, Hina reported. AH
[19] NEW CROATIAN JUSTICE MINISTER INTENDS TO ESTABLISH WAR CRIMES BUREAU
Newly appointed Justice Minister Ingrid Anticevic-Marinovic told a press
conference on 1 October that her priorities in restoring confidence in the
country's judiciary include amending civil and criminal laws, Hina
reported. She also said her country plans to establish a war crimes bureau
to speed up evidence-gathering and local trials involving cases that date
back to World War II, Reuters reported. Anticevic-Marinovic said a law is
being drafted to set up the office, whose work will include collecting
evidence, preparing cases, and helping track down suspects. In the past two
months Croatian police have arrested more than a dozen people, mostly
former soldiers or policemen, suspected of involvement in violent crimes
against ethnic Serbs. Outgoing Justice Minister Stjepan Ivanisevic, who
recently resigned amid speculation that he was unhappy about government
policies on cooperation with The Hague-based war crimes tribunal (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 14 June 2001), said the aim is "to improve cooperation
with The Hague tribunal and coordination among all those dealing with war
crimes in the local judiciary," Reuters reported. The current state bureau
liaising with the tribunal will be incorporated into the new body,
Ivanisevic added. AH
[20] PRESIDENT CALLS FOR TALKS ON FUTURE OF YUGOSLAVIA
Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica said on 1 October in Belgrade that
there should be no preconditions before resuming talks with Podgorica on
the future of the federation, AP reported. Kostunica, who suspended talks
last week, seemed to soften his earlier condition that Montenegrin
independence could only be attained in a referendum. But he also warned:
"The federal constitution envisages repressive mechanisms in case one of
Yugoslavia's two constituent republics is acting in a destructive manner...
But I'm thinking of peaceful, political means." Kostunica called off the
talks after Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic refused to attend the
opening round in Belgrade because of Kostunica's insistence on including
Yugoslav Premier Dragisa Pesic, who is an opposition politician in
Montenegro. Kostunica said on 1 October that a representative of federal
Yugoslavia must be present for the negotiations, but said he wouldn't
insist that it be Pesic. PB
[21] KOSTUNICA PRAISES U.S. PRESIDENT
Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica said in Belgrade on 1 October that he
is "impressed" by George W. Bush's cautious handling of the situation in
the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the U.S., AP reported. Kostunica,
a frequent critic of U.S. policy, said that "it is very, very encouraging
that the reactions of the U.S. administration and especially President Bush
toward that big evil were measured and right." Kostunica also called for a
"clear" definition of terrorism by the international community. PB
[22] REPORT SAYS SECURITY FOR MINORITIES IN KOSOVA IS IMPROVING
Daan Everts, the head of the OSCE mission in Kosova, said in a report
released on 1 October that the southern Serbian province is becoming more
secure, AP reported. Everts said that over the past six months, there has
been "an improvement with regard to the overall security situation." The
report was conducted by the OSCE and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees,
and monitored the situation of several minority groups living in Kosova.
The report said, however, that freedom of movement is still the greatest
concern for minorities. Lennart Kotslainen, chief of the UNHCR mission in
Kosova, said that minorities "don't have the freedom of movement as other
citizens in Kosovo. They can't go to the hospital as they wish to and they
sometimes cannot access the municipal office without putting their safety
at risk." PB
[23] IRANIAN PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER IN ROMANIA
Visiting Iranian parliamentary speaker Mehdi Karubi told Chamber of
Deputies Chairman Valer Dorneanu on 1 October that his country backs
international action against terrorism, but cannot agree to an armed attack
on Afghanistan, Romanian television reported. Karubi said that the U.S.
must be "very careful" to avoid turning its envisaged antiterrorist action
into "an attack against nations and other civilizations." He said any
action in Afghanistan must take place under the auspices of the United
Nations. Dorneanu told his guest that he agrees that international
organizations should be involved in the struggle against terrorism but
added that the U.S. "has every right to respond" after having been directly
attacked. He stressed that Romania is a "de facto NATO ally" and will
participate within its own means in any action against terrorism. MS
[24] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT SAYS POVERTY BREEDS EXTREMISM
During his visit to Bihor County on 1 October, President Iliescu warned
that the growing discrepancy between rich and poor countries is "one of the
most dangerous sources of international conflict and tension," RFE/RL's
Bucharest bureau quoted him as saying. Iliescu said that the gap between
rich and poor states "breeds extremism and religious fanaticism" and said
international stability cannot be restored without eliminating poverty. He
said he backs a radical reform of institutions and international
organizations that regulate the world economy. MS
[25] ROMANIAN HUNGARIAN LEADER ENVISAGES DIFFICULTY IN STATUS LAW
IMPLEMENTATION
Hungarian Democratic Federation of Romania (UDMR) Chairman Bela Marko, in
an interview with MTI on 1 October, said the Status Law approved by the
Hungarian parliament "will be difficult to implement" if the Romanian
government cannot be persuaded to modify its opposition to the law,
Mediafax reported. Marko said, "Reaching a compromise takes a long time,"
and without that it will be very difficult to implement the law in Romania
proper. Marko added that the UDMR is prepared to help reach a compromise.
He also said the UDMR is technically able to contribute in the
implementation of the law if an understanding is reached between the two
governments, and that discussions are underway with representatives of the
Hungarian churches in Transylvania to develop a unified position between
the churches and the UDMR regarding the law's implementation. MS
[26] ROMANIAN FAR-RIGHT LEADER CRITICIZES APPOINTMENT OF U.S. AMBASSADOR
Ion Coja, the deputy chairman of the Romanian Cradle organization and one
of the most extremist political personalities in Romania, criticized the
appointment of Michael Guest as U.S. ambassador to Romania, calling it a
"misfortunate idea, provoking stupor, indignation, and disgust among
Romanians," AP reported. In a letter to U.S. President George W. Bush,
Congress, and the Senate that was published in the daily "Ziua" on 30
October, Coja wrote that Guest's open homosexuality is an affront to
Romanian tradition and mentality "which put duty and obligation above
everything else" and added that the "supreme duty of any living person is
to procreate." This is not the first time Coja has criticized the
appointment of a U.S. ambassador. In 1994 he was among the signatories of a
letter protesting the appointment of Alfred Moses, in what was largely
perceived to be an anti-Semitic gesture. Coja is also a foremost Holocaust
denier and a fierce anti-Hungarian nationalist. MS
[27] HAS RUSSIAN PRESIDENT DISSOLVED COMMISSION ON TRANSDNIESTER?
Grigorii Marakutsa, the chairman of the Transdniester Supreme Soviet, told
the Moscow daily "Izvestiya" on 1 October that Vladimir Putin has disbanded
the Russian State Commission for the Solution of the Transdniester Conflict
headed by Yevgenii Primakov, Infotag reported. Marakutsa said that a
presidential decree on the dissolution has already been signed as a result
of the commission's failure to meet its task. Marakutsa claimed that
Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin lobbied for the measure because he
believes Primakov held too many meetings with separatist leader Igor
Smirnov. Marakutsa said the draft proposed by Primakov for solving the
conflict "can serve as basis for further work." On 1 October, a Russian
Foreign Ministry delegation headed by First Deputy Foreign Minister
Vyacheslav Trubnikov arrived in Chisinau for talks with the Moldovan
leadership. MS
[28] BULGARIAN VISA REQUIREMENT FOR RUSSIAN CITIZENS COMES INTO EFFECT
As of 1 October, Russian citizens traveling to Bulgaria are required to
have an entry visa, ITAR-TASS reported the same day. Bulgarian Ambassador
to Russia Ilian Vasilev told the agency that the Bulgarian government
pledged to introduce the visa requirement when the EU lifted its
requirement for visas from Bulgarian citizens in March. The Russian Foreign
Ministry said it regrets the imposition of "additional barriers" to
relations between the citizens of the two countries and said it will
introduce a reciprocal visa requirement. MS
[29] BULGARIAN LAND FORCES TO BE REDUCED BY A THIRD
Bulgaria will reduce its 12,000-strong land forces by 30 percent by 2004,
Land Forces Chief of Staff General Kiril Tsvetkov said on 1 October. He
said the land forces will be divided into deployment forces and homeland
defense forces, BTA reported. Tsvetkov said some 20 percent of the forces'
strength will be transferred to the reserve brigade commands, which will be
in charge of guarding equipment and supplies. Tsvetkov said that this year
some 60 units will be reorganized into peacetime and wartime units, 70
units will be fully disbanded, and 30 new units will be formed. MS
[C] END NOTE
[30] There is no End Note today.
02-10-01
Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
URL: http://www.rferl.org
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