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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 5, No. 198, 01-10-18
RFE/RL NEWSLINE
Vol. 5, No. 198, 18 October 2001
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] ARMENIA CALLS ON TURKEY TO COOPERATE IN PRESERVING CULTURAL MONUMENTS
[02] AZERBAIJAN REJECTS DIRECT TALKS WITH KARABAKH LEADERSHIP
[03] AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT REAFFIRMS SUPPORT FOR ANTITERRORISM COALITION...
[04] ...PARDONS THREE JAILED JOURNALISTS
[05] RUSSIA DENIES VIOLATING GEORGIAN AIRSPACE
[06] ABKHAZ OFFICIALS CLAIM TO HAVE DESTROYED, EXPELLED MOST INFILTRATORS
[07] ABKHAZ PARLIAMENT APPEALS TO OSCE
[08] ABKHAZ PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS POSTPONED
[09] ITERA THREATENS TO HALVE GAS SUPPLIES TO GEORGIA
[10] UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS GEORGIA
[11] GEORGIAN CRIMINAL KINGPIN KILLED BY OUTHOUSE MINE
[12] KAZAKHSTAN'S DEPUTY DEFENSE MINISTER REPORTS ON DEFENSE SPENDING, ARMS
TRADE
[13] TAJIK DEFENSE MINISTER DENIES U.S. PARATROOPERS LANDED IN AFGHANISTAN
[14] U.S. AMBASSADOR THANKS UZBEKISTAN'S MUSLIMS FOR SUPPORTING
ANTITERRORISM CAMPAIGN
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[15] TOP INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES ARRIVE IN MACEDONIA TO PUSH FORWARD
PEACE PLAN...
[16] ...STALLED DESPITE PRESIDENT'S THREATS TO WITHDRAW
[17] MACEDONIAN POLICE MOVE TO REBEL AREAS POSTPONED, SCALED DOWN
[18] SERBIAN WORKERS STRIKE, THREATEN BLOCKADES
[19] ETHNIC ALBANIANS SENTENCED IN KOSOVA FOR RUNNING ARMS TO MACEDONIA
[20] SERBIAN, ALBANIAN LEADERS MEET FOR FIRST TIME SINCE KOSOVA WAR
[21] BRITISH MISSIONS IN BOSNIA SHUT DOWN FOR SECURITY REASONS...
[22] ...AS BOSNIAN MUSLIM GROUPS CONDEMN ANTI-TALIBAN ATTACKS
[23] BOSNIAN SERB LEADER REJECTS UNITED BOSNIA AND TALK OF A SINGLE ARMY...
[24] ...AND SAYS REPUBLIKA SRPSKA DOESN'T KNOW WHEREABOUTS OF KARADZIC,
MLADIC
[25] BOSNIAN ASSEMBLY TO HOLD 'NO-CONFIDENCE' VOTE ON DEPUTY MINISTER
[26] NEW BOSNIAN MUSLIM POLITICAL LEADER OUTLINES KEY POLICIES
[27] ALBANIAN TROOPS DEPART FOR PEACEKEEPING MISSION IN BOSNIA
[28] ROMANIA CONSIDERS APPEALING TO HAGUE TRIBUNAL OVER CONFLICT WITH
UKRAINE
[29] ROMANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SEES IMPROVED CHANCES FOR NATO, EU ACCESSION
[30] ETHNIC HUNGARIAN PARTY IN ROMANIA EVASIVE OVER ROLE IN STATUS LAW
IMPLEMENTATION
[31] ROMANIAN ROMANY ORGANIZATION TO SUE PIATRA-NEAMT MAYOR
[32] MOLDOVAN, ROMANIAN INTERIOR MINISTERS SIGN AGREEMENT IN CHISINAU...
[33] ...BUT NO AGREEMENT IN SIGHT OVER MOLDOVA'S 'ANTI-ROMANIAN CAMPAIGN'
[34] TRANSDNIESTER SEPARATISTS BLOCK HIGHWAY AGAIN TO PROTEST MOLDOVAN
BLOCKADE
[35] ANTHRAX SCARE REACHES BULGARIA
[36] BULGARIAN PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS ATTACK STOYANOV
[37] BULGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY POURS COLD WATER ON DEFENSE MINISTER'S
STATEMENT
[38] BULGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER THANKS RUSSIA FOR UN SUPPORT
[39] BULGARIA HOPES FOR OUT-OF-COURT SETTLEMENT OVER BALKAN AIRLINES
[C] END NOTE
[40] There is no End Note today.
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] ARMENIA CALLS ON TURKEY TO COOPERATE IN PRESERVING CULTURAL MONUMENTS
In his 16 October address to the 31st session of the UNESCO General
Conference in Paris, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian called on
Turkey to cooperate with Yerevan in the conservation of Armenian cultural
monuments now on Turkish territory, including the ancient Armenian capital
Ani, Noyan Tapan reported. LF
[02] AZERBAIJAN REJECTS DIRECT TALKS WITH KARABAKH LEADERSHIP
Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Vilayat Quliev has told journalists that Baku
does not recognize Arkadii Ghukasian, president of the unrecognized Nagorno-
Karabakh Republic, as a party to the Karabakh conflict, and therefore will
not agree to direct talks with him "at this stage of the negotiating
process," Interfax reported on 17 October. Quliev added that Azerbaijan
will continue to negotiate with Armenia, which "triggered" the conflict by
making territorial claims on Azerbaijan and which supports Nagorno-
Karabakh. Ghukasian told a group of visiting Azerbaijani journalists
earlier this month that he is ready to travel to Baku for direct talks with
Azerbaijani officials on resolving the conflict (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 10
October 2001). On 15 October, Armenia reported, and Azerbaijan denied, that
Azerbaijani forces fired on an Armenian military post for over an hour
during the night of 13-14 October, according to Arminfo and ANS-TV as cited
by Groong. LF
[03] AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT REAFFIRMS SUPPORT FOR ANTITERRORISM COALITION...
Speaking at a 17 October ceremony to mark the 10th anniversary of
Azerbaijan's declaration of independence, President Heidar Aliev said that
Azerbaijan is currently part of the antiterrorism coalition and "will
contribute to the prevention of terrorism," but added that "the
international community in its turn must put an end to terrorism against
Azerbaijan," Turan reported. On 16 October, two more U.S. Hercules military
aircraft were spotted coming in to land at Baku's Bina airport, ITAR-TASS
reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 16 October 2001). LF
[04] ...PARDONS THREE JAILED JOURNALISTS
Following criticism from the OSCE (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 11 October 2001)
and a 16 October letter from the New York-based Committee to Protect
Journalists, on 17 October President Aliev signed a decree pardoning Elmar
Huseinov, founder of the now closed newspaper "Bakinskii bulvard,"
"Milletin Sesi" editor Shahbaz Huduoglu, and Baku Printing Press Director
Shahlar Mamedov, all of whom were recently jailed for between six and 18
months on charges of insulting the honor and dignity of senior officials
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18 and 24 September 2001). LF
[05] RUSSIA DENIES VIOLATING GEORGIAN AIRSPACE
Russian air force commander General Anatolii Kornukov denied on 17 October
that the two Su-25 fighters that overflew Georgian airspace early that day
were Russian, Caucasus Press reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 October
2001). Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze said the intrusion was
"intolerable" and "contrary to the principles of interstate relations," AP
reported. The Georgian Defense Ministry released a statement the same day
reaffirming Defense Minister Davit Tevzadze's 9 October warning that any
aircraft that violate Georgia's airspace will be shot down (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 10 October 2001). An unspecified number of additional Georgian
army troops were dispatched to Mestia in northwest Georgia on 17 October to
reinforce the Georgian border guards on the Georgian-Russian border,
Caucasus Press reported. LF
[06] ABKHAZ OFFICIALS CLAIM TO HAVE DESTROYED, EXPELLED MOST INFILTRATORS
Abkhaz military and security officials said on 17 October that up to 50
Chechen and Georgian fighters were killed near the Amtkhel mountain, some
six kilometers from the Abkhaz Russian border, in a battle earlier that day
with Abkhaz troops in which the Abkhaz side also deployed military aircraft,
Caucasus Press reported. On 18 October, Abkhaz Deputy Defense Minister said
Abkhazia now fully controls the lower reaches of the Kodori gorge, Caucasus
Press reported. He said casualties on the Abkhaz side since fighting began
amount to 16 killed and some 20 wounded, while approximately 60 of the
intruders have been killed. But Interfax on 17 October quoted Abkhaz
Defense Minister Vladimir Mikanba as admitting that small groups of
fighters may have escaped detection. He said one such group of three
fighters were surrounded and killed on the morning of 17 October near the
village of Ilori in Ochamchire Raion, which is close to the Black Sea coast
and some 25 kilometers south of the Kodori gorge. LF
[07] ABKHAZ PARLIAMENT APPEALS TO OSCE
The Abkhaz parliament has appealed to the OSCE to help mediate a solution
to the Abkhaz conflict, Russian agencies reported on 17 October. The appeal
also requested that the OSCE "make an unbiased assessment of the actions of
the Georgian leadership," rather than accept without question Georgian
accusations that the Abkhaz engaged in ethnic cleansing of the majority
Georgian population of the republic. The statement reaffirmed Abkhazia's
commitment to a peaceful solution of the conflict. Meanwhile OSCE Chairman
in Office Mircea Geoana released a statement on 17 October expressing
concern over the escalation of hostilities and calling on all sides "to
refrain from further military action, respect the cease-fire, and engage in
meaningful negotiations." LF
[08] ABKHAZ PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS POSTPONED
Abkhaz President Vladislav Ardzinba announced on Abkhaz television that the
parliamentary elections scheduled for 24 November have been postponed due
to the ongoing fighting, Caucasus Press reported on 17 October. LF
[09] ITERA THREATENS TO HALVE GAS SUPPLIES TO GEORGIA
The Gazprom subsidiary ITERA threatened on 17 October to cut gas supplies
to Georgia by 50 percent as of 20 October unless Tbilisi promptly pays back
all its outstanding debts, Reuters and Interfax reported. The Georgian
distributor Gruzgas owes ITERA a total of $82 million dating back to 1996,
of which more than $20 million was for 2000 and $5.8 million for 2001. LF
[10] UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS GEORGIA
On the second leg of his tour of the South Caucasus, Anatoliy Zlenko held
talks in Tbilisi on 17 October with his Georgian counterpart Irakli
Menagharishvili, Caucasus Press and ITAR-TASS reported. They focused on
bilateral relations, global and regional security, and cooperation
including between GUUAM member states. Particular attention was focused on
the situation in Abkhazia: Zlenko again affirmed Kyiv's support for
Georgia's territorial integrity and reiterated that Ukraine would be
willing to provide peacekeepers to serve in Abkhazia under a UN mandate.
But Abkhaz presidential aide Astamur Tania said in Sukhum the same day that
the Abkhaz leadership opposes Ukraine's involvement in any peacekeeping
operation," Interfax reported. He said Ukraine "has a nonconstructive
position" regarding how to resolve the conflict. LF
[11] GEORGIAN CRIMINAL KINGPIN KILLED BY OUTHOUSE MINE
Vephkhia Margoshvili, who was widely suspected of involvement in abductions
and drug trafficking through Georgia's Pankisi gorge, was killed by a mine
that exploded in his outhouse on the morning of 17 October, Caucasus Press
reported. Georgian Interior Minister Kakha Targamadze left Tbilisi for
Pankisi the same day to investigate the killing. Georgian press
commentaries on 18 October focused on a possible connection between
Margoshvili's murder and that of journalist Giorgi Sanaya in July (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 27 July 2001). Shortly before Sanaya's death,
Margoshvili gave Georgian parliament Human Rights Committee Chair Elene
Tevdoradze a video cassette with incriminating material which he asked her
to pass to Sanaya. LF
[12] KAZAKHSTAN'S DEPUTY DEFENSE MINISTER REPORTS ON DEFENSE SPENDING, ARMS
TRADE
Speaking at a press conference in Astana on 17 October, Deputy Defense
Minister Zhannat Ertlesova said that Kazakhstan's 2002 budget allocates
more than 33.7 billion tenges ($227.7 million) for her ministry, of which
20.5 billion is to be spent on defense and 1.5 billion on personnel
training, Interfax reported. This year's budget allocated 30.9 billion
tenges for defense, an 87 percent increase over the previous year. She
admitted unspecified financial violations within the ministry in the areas
of budget planning and control, but ruled out any connection between those
violations and the recent fires at two arms depots (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
13 and 14 August and 7 September 2001). She also said that in 2002
Kazakhstan hopes to earn 2 billion tenges from arms sales, which is double
the average for the past four years. LF
[13] TAJIK DEFENSE MINISTER DENIES U.S. PARATROOPERS LANDED IN AFGHANISTAN
Tajikistan's Defense Minister Colonel General Sherali Khairulloev denied on
17 October that U.S. paratroopers have landed near Kandahar, Interfax
reported. He said doing so in territory controlled by the Taliban would be
"suicidal." Also on 17 October, Tajikistan's Security Ministry increased
surveillance of the Dushanbe water supply system and other vital facilities,
Asia Plus-Blitz reported. LF
[14] U.S. AMBASSADOR THANKS UZBEKISTAN'S MUSLIMS FOR SUPPORTING
ANTITERRORISM CAMPAIGN
Meeting with staff members of the Muslim Spiritual Board of Uzbekistan,
U.S. Ambassador John Herbst thanked Uzbekistan's Muslim community for their
support of the U.S.-led antiterrorist strikes against neighboring
Afghanistan, Interfax reported on 17 October. LF
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[15] TOP INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES ARRIVE IN MACEDONIA TO PUSH FORWARD
PEACE PLAN...
NATO Secretary-General Lord George Robertson, EU foreign policy chief
Javier Solana, and OSCE Chairman Mircea Geoana arrived in Skopje on 18
October to try and break the deadlock that has brought the implementation
of the Ohrid peace plan to a halt, Western news agencies reported. "There
could easily be in this country a return to violence unless everything that
was agreed on is implemented," Robertson said after landing in the capital.
Geoana told reporters at the airport that progress in the political process
is a precondition for the OSCE to continue building up its monitoring
mission in Macedonia. The three are expected to meet with Macedonian
President Boris Trajkovski and leaders of ethnic Albanian and Macedonian
parties to pressure them to approve the constitutional reforms to improve
the rights of the ethnic Albanian minority as agreed in the Western-backed
13 August plan. DW
[16] ...STALLED DESPITE PRESIDENT'S THREATS TO WITHDRAW
Following a meeting with the leaders of the four largest parties in
parliament that failed to come to any agreement, Trajkovski threatened to
withdraw from the peace process and not submit any of the reform package to
parliament for debate, AP and Reuters reported on 17 October. Ethnic
Albanian deputies have boycotted parliament to protest Trajkovski's
decision not to submit all 15 of the amendments at one time. "We will not
take part in any parliamentary session if the constitutional changes are
not presented in a package," said a senior official of the Party for
Democratic Prosperity. Ethnic Albanian parties fear that Trajkovski will
submit some key amendments with alterations, in particular one that states
that Macedonia is made up of Macedonians and minorities, not the more
neutral phrasing of Macedonia as a nation of its citizens as agreed in the
Ohrid peace agreement. DW
[17] MACEDONIAN POLICE MOVE TO REBEL AREAS POSTPONED, SCALED DOWN
A plan to begin moving Macedonian security forces into rebel-held territory
accompanied by international monitors (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 October
2001), has been postponed to next week and reduced from eight villages to
five, AFP and Reuters reported on 18 October. Craig Jennes, head of the
OSCE mission in Macedonia, said that Western envoys agreed to go ahead with
the plan "because of the positive political signal it sends. But we shall
be hesitant about participation in the future if the political process
remains stalled," he said. DW
[18] SERBIAN WORKERS STRIKE, THREATEN BLOCKADES
More than 5,000 strikers blocked central Belgrade and 10,000 others in
eight cities around Serbia chanted antigovernment slogans as strikes to
protest the government's Labor Code continued, AP reported on 17 October.
Union leaders have called for a one-hour blockade of Belgrade's main roads
for 19 October and are demanding the resignation of Serbian Labor Minister
Dragan Milovanovic. The Socialist Party of former Yugoslav President
Slobodan Milosevic backed the strikers, saying the law "jeopardizes
elementary rights of workers," while "giving too much power to employers
and owners." DW
[19] ETHNIC ALBANIANS SENTENCED IN KOSOVA FOR RUNNING ARMS TO MACEDONIA
A court in the southeastern town of Gnjilane convicted 10 ethnic Albanians
of illegal weapons possession and sentenced them to prison terms ranging
from two to 4 1/2 years, AP and Reuters reported. The 10 were the first to
face trial of up to 900 suspects detained by KFOR peacekeepers between June
and August attempting to take arms from Kosova to Macedonia to support
ethnic Albanian rebels there. Many were later released and it is not clear
how many remain in custody. The panel of judges was made up of two
international judges and one local judge. DW
[20] SERBIAN, ALBANIAN LEADERS MEET FOR FIRST TIME SINCE KOSOVA WAR
Marking the first meeting between the sides since the 1999 war, Serbian
Deputy Prime Minister Nebojsa Covic met in a roundtable with leaders of
Kosova's main ethnic Albanian parties to discuss provincial elections set
for 17 November, AP reported on 17 October. The meeting, organized by the
U.S.-based Project on Ethnic Relations, focused on participation in the
elections by the Serbian minority. In attendance were moderate leader
Ibrahim Rugova and former Kosova Liberation Army leaders Hashim Thaci and
Ramush Haradinaj. Although officials at the meeting were upbeat, others,
speaking privately, said Haradinaj refused to meet with Covic while Thaci
mostly argued with him. DW
[21] BRITISH MISSIONS IN BOSNIA SHUT DOWN FOR SECURITY REASONS...
The British government has closed its embassies, consulates, and government
agencies in Bosnia amid security concerns that also shut down U.S.
facilities in the country on 17 October (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 October
2001), dpa reported. Bosnian Prime Minister Zlatko Lagumdzija confirmed the
closures, adding that security measures were increased at the locations.
Meanwhile, the Bosnian Party of Democratic Action (SDA) strongly condemned
what officials have labeled "credible threats" against the U.S. and British
presence in the country, according to the Onasa news agency's. Citizens
there "support the presence of the international community since it is
necessary and is in the [interest] of peace in Bosnia-Herzegovina," an SDA
statement said. AH
[22] ...AS BOSNIAN MUSLIM GROUPS CONDEMN ANTI-TALIBAN ATTACKS
Senior members of Bosnia's Muslim community have condemned U.S.-led
operations against Afghanistan's Taliban regime, dpa reported on 17
October. A statement issued by the most senior of local clerics, Mustafa
Ceric, said the community "raise[s] our voice against revenge resulting in
innocent Afghan civilians becoming victims," the agency said. The United
States and Britain were called on by Ceric to limit their retaliation to
determining responsibility and punishing the real criminals, dpa reported.
The Bosnian Muslims have repeatedly condemned the 11 September terrorist
attacks against the United States, dpa said. AH
[23] BOSNIAN SERB LEADER REJECTS UNITED BOSNIA AND TALK OF A SINGLE ARMY...
Bosnian Serb Prime Minister Mladen Ivanic said the Republika Srpska would
not be phased out and dismissed the idea of a united Bosnia-Herzegovina in
statements carried by the Bosnian Serb news agency SRNA and other media on
16 October. "Bosnia-Herzegovina is no longer a subject of interest to the
world," he said, adding that "the Republika Srpska is a concept which
cannot be denied." Ivanic said "nothing" could come of any initiative to
form a single army in Bosnia-Herzegovina, labeling such moves
unconstitutional, SRNA said. Ivenic said NATO sought better coordination of
the country's armies, not a single army, and added that the Council of
Europe did not mention a single merged army. The report said Ivanic said it
is "in the interests of the Serbs from Republika Srpska to take over their
part of Bosnia-Herzegovina and in that way prevent any possible
manipulation with Bosnia-Herzegovina." AH
[24] ...AND SAYS REPUBLIKA SRPSKA DOESN'T KNOW WHEREABOUTS OF KARADZIC,
MLADIC
Ivanic also insisted that the Republika Srpska has no information on the
whereabouts of Radovan Karadzic or Ratko Mladic, SRNA reported on 16
October, citing local media. Ivanic said that efforts to encourage
authorities of Republika Srpska to hunt down the two wartime leaders, both
accused of war crimes, was simply an attempt by the international community
to avoid responsibility for their fates. Ivanic added that, "If the
Republika Srpska were to show willingness for cooperation, judicial bodies
of the Republika Srpska could hold trials against Serbs accused of war
crimes," according to the agency. AH
[25] BOSNIAN ASSEMBLY TO HOLD 'NO-CONFIDENCE' VOTE ON DEPUTY MINISTER
The speaker of the House of Peoples, Sejfudin Tokic, has launched
proceedings that could lead to the ouster of the deputy minister of foreign
trade and economic relations, Jadranko Prlic, local media reported on 17
October. A plenary session of the legislature will discuss the initiative
on 23 October, according to the Onasa website. The move comes after an
audit reportedly showed overspending, misleading figures on revenues and
spending, failure to pay employee contributions in the diplomatic-consular
network, and sloppy bookkeeping, the reports said. AH
[26] NEW BOSNIAN MUSLIM POLITICAL LEADER OUTLINES KEY POLICIES
Speaking on public radio on 17 October, the new leader of the Party of
Democratic Action (SDA) outlined the course that one of the country's
strongest political parties will pursue under his leadership. Sulejman
Tihic reiterated that delegates "defined our position as that of a center-
oriented people's party," with priorites that include "general civilized
values regarding rights and liberties, the economy, social policy, issues
of war veterans and martyrs' families, and others." He stressed that the
party now seeks to speak for the interests of non-Muslims as well. When
asked about efforts to form a "Bosniak [Muslim] nation," the SDA leader
said, "the number of those who support this initiative is growing by the
day." He added that, "If any initiative is belated, then perhaps it is a
case of 'better late than never.'" Tihic also pledged to "try to improve
our relations with the international community" and criticized the ruling
Alliance for Change for allowing a deterioration in relations with Croatia
and a "staffing purge" when they came to power. AH
[27] ALBANIAN TROOPS DEPART FOR PEACEKEEPING MISSION IN BOSNIA
A contingent of Albanian soldiers left Rinas Airport on 17 October to join
the Stabilization Force-led peacekeeping mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina, ATA
reported, citing a Defense Ministry spokeswoman. The company, including 70
officers and soldiers from what the agency describes as an "Armed Forces
Commando" unit, will join German peacekeepers under the SFOR banner. After
a month of training, the Albanian troops will back up the German mission in
Bosnia, the agency said. AH
[28] ROMANIA CONSIDERS APPEALING TO HAGUE TRIBUNAL OVER CONFLICT WITH
UKRAINE
Prime Minister Adrian Nastase said on 17 October that he has asked the
Foreign Affairs Ministry to examine the possibility of appealing to the
International Court of Justice in The Hague over Ukraine's drilling for oil
in the Black Sea near Serpents Island, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported.
Nastase told a forum of Romanian-language journalists from around the world
that the 1997 basic treaty with Ukraine was negotiated "in haste" because
Romania's then-governing coalition believed it would advance the country's
chances to be admitted to NATO at the Madrid summit. Not enough attention
has been paid to the vague stipulations in the treaty on the demarcation of
the border between the two countries on the Black Sea's continental shelf,
Nastase said. He said this has made it possible for Ukraine to start
drilling in 2000, despite the fact that negotiations on the continental
shelf have yet to be concluded. MS
[29] ROMANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SEES IMPROVED CHANCES FOR NATO, EU ACCESSION
Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana said in an interview on 17 October with the
German daily "Suddeutsche Zeitung" that Romania is likely to benefit from
the latest developments in world politics, Mediafax reported. Geoana said
that the strategic importance of Southeastern Europe is growing in view of
its proximity to crisis regions such as the Near and the Middle East. He
said this will encourage NATO and the EU to expand and to extend financial
assistance to countries in the Balkans. Geoana said Romania's chances of
becoming a NATO member at the 2002 Prague summit are also improving due to
Russia's new pro-Western orientation, and that Romania and Bulgaria are
likely to join the EU in 2006. MS
[30] ETHNIC HUNGARIAN PARTY IN ROMANIA EVASIVE OVER ROLE IN STATUS LAW
IMPLEMENTATION
Hungarian Democratic Federation of Romania (UDMR) Chairman Bela Marko told
journalists on 17 October that the UDMR "has the expertise and the
infrastructure" needed for issuing Magyar ID cards in line with the
provisions of the Hungarian Status Law, but added that his party will under
no circumstances become involved in issuing these cards, Mediafax reported.
Marko said the UDMR could "make recommendations" to authorities in Hungary
on who is entitled to carry the ID card. The Romanian authorities have
several times warned that issuing ID cards on Romanian territory is
unconstitutional, but Marko said the cards will be issued in Hungary. Marko
also said the UDMR wants the Education Ministry to "offer explanations"
about a search that is under way in Hungarian-language schools in Romania
for textbooks printed in Hungary. He said the Covasna County local
authorities have launched controls "reminiscent of the Securitate methods
of before 1989." MS
[31] ROMANIAN ROMANY ORGANIZATION TO SUE PIATRA-NEAMT MAYOR
The Framework Romany Convention announced on 17 October that it will begin
legal proceedings against Piatra-Neamt Mayor Ion Rotaru over his plans to
move the Roma in his town to a specially designated area, Mediafax
reported. The organization praised President Ion Iliescu and Premier
Nastase for their public opposition to the plan. Also on 17 October,
Hunedoara County Prefect Aurelian Seraficeanu told journalists he is
opposed to Deva Mayor Mircia Muntean's plans to move the Roma to the
outskirts of the town, and will launch judicial proceedings against the
mayor if he goes ahead with it. Muntean said the plan has no discriminatory
motivation, claiming that concentrating the Roma in a single place will
make it "easier to identify them for the purpose of extending social aid"
to that population. He said that in light of Romany opposition, he will
offer the apartments intended for the Roma to "ethnic Hungarians or
Germans." MS
[32] MOLDOVAN, ROMANIAN INTERIOR MINISTERS SIGN AGREEMENT IN CHISINAU...
Visiting Romanian Interior Minster Ioan Rus and his Moldovan counterpart
Vasile Draganel signed in Chisinau on 17 October a three-year agreement on
securing borders, combating organized crime, the transborder trafficking of
arms and drugs, as well as illegal immigration and trafficking of women.
The two ministries are to exchange information on a permanent basis in the
struggle against these crimes, RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. MS
[33] ...BUT NO AGREEMENT IN SIGHT OVER MOLDOVA'S 'ANTI-ROMANIAN CAMPAIGN'
Rus also met with Premier Vasile Tarlev and told him Bucharest wants the
Moldovan government to "clarify" its position over the anti-Romanian
declarations made in Strasbourg by Justice Minister Ion Morei. Tarlev told
journalists the same day that he "regrets" Premier Nastase "missed an
opportunity" to meet in Chisinau with Ukrainian Premier Anatoliy Kinakh and
solve the "serious problems" Bucharest has in its relations with Kyiv.
Asked to comment on the Romanian government's demands, Tarlev replied that
they are "unacceptable." No foreign official is entitled to demand the
dismissal of a Moldovan cabinet member, he said, "just as Moldova cannot
demand the reshuffle of the cabinet in Bucharest." MS
[34] TRANSDNIESTER SEPARATISTS BLOCK HIGHWAY AGAIN TO PROTEST MOLDOVAN
BLOCKADE
On 17 October, picketers claiming to represent members of Transdniester
trade unions again blocked the Chisinau-Odessa highway near the border with
Ukraine, ITAR-TASS reported. The demonstrators allowed vehicles with
Russian, Ukrainian, and Transdniester license plates to pass through, but
would not allow passage to cars with Moldovan plates. The press service of
the Transdniester separatists told ITAR-TASS that the protest "was staged
in response to the economic blockade enforced by the Moldovan leadership,
and has a warning character." MS
[35] ANTHRAX SCARE REACHES BULGARIA
A working meeting at the Interior Ministry was held on 17 October to
discuss ways of coping with the many reports announcing the discovery of
"white powder" in different places in Bulgaria, BTA reported. The Sofia
post office earlier on 17 October handed over to the National Security
Service a small parcel posted abroad, which contained white powder. A
similarly looking substance found in the parking space of the Sofia Hilton
was tested and found not to be anthrax. Areas in Sofia were sealed off in
the morning hours after public phone booths had been dusted and had to be
disinfected. An envelope labeled "Anthrax" was found in the vicinity of a
cemetery in Kiustendil and police detained a man who confessed to the
prank. A similar "practical joke" was played by a worker in Lukovit on a
fellow-worker. The Interior Ministry announced that pranksters will be
charged under an article in the Criminal Code. MS
[36] BULGARIAN PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS ATTACK STOYANOV
Five out of the six pairs of candidates for the presidential and vice-
presidential post on 16 October participated in the first televised debate
ahead of the 11 November elections, BTA reported on the next day. President
Petar Stoyanov and his running mate Nelly Kutskova did not take part in the
debate because Stoyanov objects to a provision in the law that makes a
distinction between candidates according to who nominated them. All
participants concentrated on attacking Stoyanov's record and in particular
his alleged insufficient involvement in the struggle against corruption and
his "subordination" to the Union of Democratic Forces. Stoyanov said in
reaction that "Bulgaria cannot be ruled with hatred and negativism." MS
[37] BULGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY POURS COLD WATER ON DEFENSE MINISTER'S
STATEMENT
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Elena Poptodorova on 17 October said a
possible mission for Bulgarian troops in Macedonia would require a special
invitation from NATO, and coordination with the authorities in Skopje as
well as the approval of the Bulgarian parliament, BTA reported. Poptodorova
was reacting to a statement by Defense Minister Nikolai Svinarov in Berlin
that the possible participation of Bulgarian troops in the ongoing
peacekeeping effort in Macedonia had been raised during meetings Svinarov
held with German Defense Ministry officials. BTA reported from Skopje later
on 17 October that the Macedonian Defense Ministry said in a statement that
troops from neighboring countries should not become involved in efforts to
solve the Macedonian crisis, regardless of whether they are NATO candidates
or not. MS
[38] BULGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER THANKS RUSSIA FOR UN SUPPORT
Foreign Minister Solomon Pasi on 17 October thanked Russia for its support
of Bulgaria in securing a nonpermanent representative seat on the UN
Security Council, ITAR-TASS reported the same day from Sofia. Pasi signed
with Russian Ambassador Vladimir Titov an intergovernmental program of
cooperation in culture, education, and science for 2001-2003. Pasi said
that a telephone conversation he had with his Russian counterpart Igor
Ivanov in early October changed Moscow's position on Bulgaria's candidacy
for the Security Council seat and said Russia's changed position had a
"considerable impact" on the outcome of the vote. MS
[39] BULGARIA HOPES FOR OUT-OF-COURT SETTLEMENT OVER BALKAN AIRLINES
Transport and Communications Minister Plamen Petrov told journalists on 17
October that the government is ready to reach an out-of-court settlement
with the Israeli Zeevi group, which owns a majority 75 percent stake in the
debt-ridden Bulgarian national carrier Balkan Airlines, Reuters reported.
The airline was grounded in February and a Sofia court launched insolvency
procedure against Balkan Airlines in March. An administrator appointed by
the court approved the resumption of some flights and is seeking an
investor. Petrov said the Zeevi group has sought contacts with the cabinet
and "hard and complex negotiations are under way." He said if these
problems are solved, there is a good chance that a foreign investor will
want to take over Balkan airlines, but added that for the sake of the
negotiations' success "it would be good not to put the matters on front
pages." MS
[C] END NOTE
[40] There is no End Note today.
18-10-01
Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
URL: http://www.rferl.org
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