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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 5, No. 210, 01-11-05
RFE/RL NEWSLINE
Vol. 5, No. 210, 5 November 2001
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] FUGITIVE ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT DEPUTY ENDORSES CALL FOR PRESIDENT'S
IMPEACHMENT
[02] ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN EXCHANGE PRISONERS
[03] AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT AGAIN DEMANDS EQUITABLE SOLUTION TO KARABAKH
CONFLICT
[04] GEORGIAN PRESIDENT SAYS HE WILL NOT RESIGN OR DISSOLVE PARLIAMENT...
[05] ... DISCUSSES POLITICAL SITUATION WITH ADJAR LEADER...
[06] ... AS PUBLIC PROTESTS IN TBILISI DIE DOWN
[07] UN SECURITY COUNCIL AGAIN FAILS TO AGREE ON ABKHAZ SETTLEMENT DOCUMENT
[08] RUSSIAN OFFICIALS CLAIM ABKHAZ BASE CLOSED
[09] GEORGIA STRIPPED OF VOTING RIGHTS AT UNESCO
[10] KYRGYZ OPPOSITION PARTIES CLOSE RANKS, ELECT KULOV AS LEADER
[11] UZBEKISTAN AGAIN SUSPENDS GAS DELIVERIES TO KYRGYZSTAN
[12] TAJIK PRESIDENT MEETS WITH EU OFFICIAL...
[13] ... ADB DELEGATION
[14] TURKMENISTAN ISSUES ARREST WARRANT FOR FORMER FOREIGN MINISTER
[15] U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY VISITS TAJIKISTAN, UZBEKISTAN...
[16] ... AS DOES AUSTRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[17] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT CALLS ON KOSOVAR SERBS TO VOTE
[18] SERBS IN KOSOVA DIVIDED OVER ELECTIONS
[19] UNMIK HAILS KOSTUNICA'S ANNOUNCEMENT ON KOSOVA VOTE...
[20] ... BUT ALBANIANS ARE NOT QUITE SURE
[21] SERBIAN DELEGATION TO WASHINGTON
[22] LOW TURNOUT IN SERBIAN LOCAL ELECTIONS
[23] YUGOSLAVIA OPENS EMBASSY IN SLOVENIA
[24] KOSTUNICA PREPARING FOR MONTENEGRIN VOTE
[25] RENEWED CONTROVERSY OVER BOSNIAN SERB PARTY
[26] CROATIAN LEGISLATORS TO BOSNIA
[27] MACEDONIAN PARLIAMENT HAMSTRUNG AGAIN
[28] ROMANIAN PREMIER WRAPS UP U.S. VISIT
[29] FRENCH SENATE SPEAKER IN ROMANIA
[30] ROMANIAN PUNKS CLASH WITH HUNGARIAN SKINHEADS...
[31] ... AND PRIESTS SAID TO NURTURE IRON GUARDISTS
[32] MOLDOVAN PRESIDENCY DRAFTING NEW 'FOREIGN POLICY CONCEPT'
[33] HAMMUD LEAVES MOLDOVA
[34] MOLDOVA, TRANSDNIESTER RESUME NEGOTIATIONS ON 'SPECIAL STATUS'
[35] WORLD BANK OFFICIAL SAYS MOLDOVA, IMF CLOSE TO AGREEMENT
[36] ZENOVICH REGISTERED AS 'PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE' IN TRANSDNIESTER
[37] BULGARIAN POLLSTERS PREDICT FIRST-ROUND VICTORY FOR STOYANOV
[38] BULGARIAN PREMIER SAYS FIRST 100 DAYS A SUCCESS
[C] END NOTE
[39] There is no end note today
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] FUGITIVE ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT DEPUTY ENDORSES CALL FOR PRESIDENT'S
IMPEACHMENT
Former Armenian Interior Minister and Yerevan Mayor Vano Siradeghian, who
fled Armenia in April 2000 to avoid being taken into custody for the
remaining duration of his trial on charges of arranging contract murders,
has written to the Armenian daily "Haykakan zhamanak" saying he is
"pleased" to append his signature to the petition being circulated in
parliament calling for the impeachment of President Robert Kocharian, the
paper reported on 1 November. LF
[02] ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN EXCHANGE PRISONERS
Three Azerbaijani civilians detained on the border between Azerbaijan and
Armenia over the past two months were handed back to the Azerbaijani
authorities on 3 November in return for one Armenian soldier taken prisoner
last month, Turan and ITAR-TASS reported. Representatives of the OSCE and
the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
monitored the exchange. LF
[03] AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT AGAIN DEMANDS EQUITABLE SOLUTION TO KARABAKH
CONFLICT
Azerbaijani President Heidar Aliev told the visiting U.S., French, and
Russian co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group during a four-hour meeting in
Baku on 4 November that a solution to the conflict must take into account
that parts of Azerbaijan's territory have been occupied and the population
forced to flee their homes, ITAR-TASS and Turan reported. He said that a
"one-sided approach" cannot yield a solution. AP quoted Aliev as again
threatening a new war if no peaceful solution can be found to the conflict,
but Russian co-chair and First Deputy Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Trubnikov
told journalists after the meeting that despite such statements Aliev, like
his Armenian counterpart Kocharian, has the "civic courage" required to
pursue a peaceful solution. Trubnikov also hinted that the co-chairs
discussed with Aliev amendments to earlier proposals on resolving the
conflict, but did not give further details. LF
[04] GEORGIAN PRESIDENT SAYS HE WILL NOT RESIGN OR DISSOLVE PARLIAMENT...
Eduard Shevardnadze told journalists in Tbilisi on 5 November that he does
not intend either to step down or to dissolve parliament, RFE/RL's Georgian
Service and AP reported. He said the president should resign only if he has
committed a serious crime or he is physically incapacitated, arguing that
it would be irresponsible for him to step down when Georgia has no
government and there is no parliament leadership. LF
[05] ... DISCUSSES POLITICAL SITUATION WITH ADJAR LEADER...
On 3 November Shevardnadze traveled to Batumi where he bestowed Georgia's
highest award, the Order of Gorgasali, on Adjar Supreme Council Chairman
Aslan Abashidze in recognition of Abashidze's contribution to the revival
of Adjaria and preserving political stability there, Caucasus Press
reported. The two men discussed the political situation in the wake of
Shevardnadze's dismissal of the cabinet, focusing specifically on possible
candidates for the post of prime minister. Abashidze said after those talks
that he now considers it possible to travel to Tbilisi for the first time
in several years. But Djemal Gogitidze, who heads the parliament faction of
Abashidze's Revival Union, denied that Abashidze is in the running for the
post of premier, noting that he has been offered it several times before
but always refused. LF
[06] ... AS PUBLIC PROTESTS IN TBILISI DIE DOWN
The number of people still picketing the Georgian parliament building in
Tbilisi to demand Shevardnadze's resignation dwindled to a few dozen by
late on 4 November, most of them students and supporters of late President
Zviad Gamsakhurdia, but rose to around 150 on the morning of 5 November,
Caucasus Press and ITAR-TASS reported. But the Mkhedrioni paramilitary
organization headed by Djaba Ioseliani, who was instrumental in ousting
Gamsakhurdia and bringing Shevardnadze back to Tbilisi in 1992, has
endorsed the call for Shevardnadze to step down, ITAR-TASS reported on 3
November. Meanwhile, the situation in the west Georgian town of Zugdidi,
where demonstrators also called on Shevardnadze to resign, remains unclear.
A student leader in Zugdidi told Caucasus Press on 3 November that the
students had ended their protest, but that agency reported the following
day that two people were seriously injured in fighting between one faction
that supports Shevardnadze and a second that backs former parliament
speaker Zurab Zhvania and parliament deputy Mikhail Saakashvili. LF
[07] UN SECURITY COUNCIL AGAIN FAILS TO AGREE ON ABKHAZ SETTLEMENT DOCUMENT
A 30 October session of the UN Security Council again failed unanimously to
endorse the draft proposals on the future relations between the Georgian
central government and the breakaway unrecognized Republic of Abkhazia,
Caucasus Press reported on 31 October. UN special representative for
Abkhazia Dieter Boden said Russia again voted against the draft (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 30 April 2001). LF
[08] RUSSIAN OFFICIALS CLAIM ABKHAZ BASE CLOSED
Major General Nikolai Sidorichev, who commands the CIS peacekeeping force
in the Abkhaz conflict zone, and Russian Defense Ministry official Colonel
Nikolai Deryagin both told Interfax on 3 November that the last train
transporting military equipment and personnel left the Russian military
base in Gudauta, Abkhazia, earlier that day bound for Russia. The base no
longer formally exists, Deryagin said. Georgian officials wanted
international monitors to supervise the final withdrawal (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 29 October 2001). LF
[09] GEORGIA STRIPPED OF VOTING RIGHTS AT UNESCO
Georgia has been stripped of its voting rights at UNESCO because of its
failure to pay membership fees totaling $3 million, "Alia" reported on 1
November. LF
[10] KYRGYZ OPPOSITION PARTIES CLOSE RANKS, ELECT KULOV AS LEADER
Meeting in Bishkek on 3 November, leading members of the opposition Ar-
Namys, Ata-Meken, Erkindik, and People's parties announced the formation of
a People's Congress and elected as chairman of that body imprisoned Ar-
Namys Chairman Feliks Kulov, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported. The congress
adopted a declaration condemning what they termed the country's
"authoritarian" leadership and "totally corrupt" government, which they
blamed for the fact that 80 percent of the population lives in poverty.
They called for sweeping political reforms including amendments to the
constitution to create a presidential-parliamentary system, and for Kulov's
release from jail. The Asaba Party attended preliminary talks on 30 October
but failed to join the congress. LF
[11] UZBEKISTAN AGAIN SUSPENDS GAS DELIVERIES TO KYRGYZSTAN
Uzbekistan halted gas deliveries to Osh Oblast in southern Kyrgyzstan on 1
November because of the unpaid 60 million soms (about $1.3 million) debt of
the local gas distribution company, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported. On 2
November, the deputy chairman of Kyrgyzstan's State Property and Foreign
Investments Committee, Anatolii Makarov, said Uzbekistan owes some 1.5
billion soms to Kyrgyzstan's state-owned Kyrgyzenergo for electricity
supplies. LF
[12] TAJIK PRESIDENT MEETS WITH EU OFFICIAL...
Imomali Rakhmonov held talks in Dushanbe on 2 November with visiting
Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel, the current chairman of the EU
Council of Ministers, Asia Plus-Blitz reported. Rakhmonov requested further
support and assistance from the EU for Tajikistan's ongoing efforts to
create a civil society and a functioning market economy. Michel said the EU
will soon resume aid to Tajikistan within the framework of the TACIS
program. The two men also discussed the situation in Afghanistan. LF
[13] ... ADB DELEGATION
President Rakhmonov met in Dushanbe on 1 November with a visiting
delegation from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) headed by Regional
Director Gert van der Linden to discuss the progress of ongoing ADB-funded
projects for postconflict restoration of the infrastructure and social
sector and planning for new projects in the transport, power-engineering,
and agriculture sectors, Asia Plus-Blitz reported. LF
[14] TURKMENISTAN ISSUES ARREST WARRANT FOR FORMER FOREIGN MINISTER
Turkmenistan's prosecutor-general has issued an arrest warrant for former
Foreign Minister Boris Shikhmuradov and asked for his extradition from
Russia, his presumed whereabouts, Interfax reported on 2 November.
Shikhmuradov is accused of the theft of state property valued at $25.27
million, including warplanes and armaments that he is said to have sold to
Russia. Shikhmuradov, who was fired as foreign minister in the summer of
2000, was dismissed from his post of ambassador to China on 30 October and
two days later issued a statement accusing President Saparmurat Niyazov of
ruling over "a police state" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 2 November 2001). LF
[15] U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY VISITS TAJIKISTAN, UZBEKISTAN...
U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld asked Tajik President Rakhmonov
in Dushanbe on 3 November to make available three further Tajik air bases,
including one in Kulyab in southern Tajikistan, for use during the ongoing
strikes against Afghanistan, "The Washington Post" and the "Los Angeles
Times" reported on 5 November. Rakhmonov gave permission for U.S. engineers
to assess how much work is required to make the facilities in question
operational. ITAR-TASS on 4 November quoted NBC as reporting that
Washington is prepared to offer Dushanbe tens of millions of dollars in aid
in return for the use of the bases. Rumsfeld then traveled to Tashkent
where he discussed the military situation in Afghanistan, bilateral
military cooperation, and antiterrorism measures in general with President
Islam Karimov and Defense Minister Kadyr Gulyamov on 4 November. At a press
conference following those talks, Gulyamov said Uzbekistan has not been
asked to provide greater support for the strikes against Afghanistan,
according to Reuters. Uzbekistan has made one air base available for use in
humanitarian and search-and-rescue operations. LF
[16] ... AS DOES AUSTRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER
Visiting Austrian Foreign Minister Benita Ferrero-Waldner met with Uzbek
President Karimov and Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Komilov on 2 November to
discuss the military situation in Afghanistan, Reuters reported. She told
journalists after her talks with Komilov that Austria acknowledges that the
military strikes against Afghanistan are necessary, but hopes that they
will be concluded expeditiously in the near future. She praised
Uzbekistan's "very firm stance" in the international antiterror coalition.
On 3 November, Ferrero-Waldner met in Dushanbe with President Rakhmonov to
discuss advance planning for the reconstruction of Afghanistan once the
ongoing war is ended, Interfax and AP reported. Ferrero-Waldner said it is
crucial that the postwar government should include representatives of all
of Afghanistan's ethnic groups. She expressed confidence that Tajikistan
and the other Central Asia states can contribute to the EU's planned
economic and humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. LF
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[17] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT CALLS ON KOSOVAR SERBS TO VOTE
Serbian and Yugoslav leaders met with Hans Haekkerup, who heads the UN
civilian administration in Kosova (UNMIK), in Belgrade on 2 November,
RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 2 November
2001). The next day, the Serbian and Yugoslav leaders agreed to urge
Kosova's Serbs to take part in the 17 November elections, despite concerns
about the Serbs' security in the 90 percent Albanian province. Kostunica
said participation is "the lesser evil" for the Serbs. He stressed that
Kosova's Serbs should take an active part in shaping the province's
political future. He added that he has assurances from the international
community that the elections will not be followed by a declaration of
Kosova's independence. Elsewhere, the opposition Socialist Party of Serbia,
Serbian Radical Party, Party of Serbian Unity, and Serbian Renewal Movement
all condemned Kostunica's decision as contrary to Serbian interests. PM
[18] SERBS IN KOSOVA DIVIDED OVER ELECTIONS
RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported from Mitrovica on 3 November that
Kosova's Serbs are not united in their reactions to Kostunica's decision.
Marko Jaksic, who heads the Serbian National Council (SNV), said Belgrade's
move is a result of foreign pressure. Vuk Antonijevic, also of the SNV,
argued that most Serbs are unlikely to vote "because they know how they
live here and what is in store for them" after the elections. He did not
elaborate. Momcilo Trajkovic of the Serbian Resistance Movement said he
does not find the international community's guarantees sufficient. Veteran
Serbian leader Oliver Ivanovic, however, called Kostunica's decision a bold
one. Serbian Orthodox Bishop Artemije said Belgrade's announcement reflects
"political courage" and called on the province's Serbs to all turn out for
the elections. PM
[19] UNMIK HAILS KOSTUNICA'S ANNOUNCEMENT ON KOSOVA VOTE...
UNMIK spokesman Simon Haselock told dpa in Prishtina on 3 November that the
UN administration "warmly welcomes" Kostunica's announcement. Haselock
stressed that the Serbs must take part in the political process if they
want to improve their situation. PM
[20] ... BUT ALBANIANS ARE NOT QUITE SURE
Hina reported from Prishtina on 4 November that the local Albanian-language
media "continue to ascribe huge importance to Belgrade's decision." "Koha
Ditore" noted, however, that Albanian political leaders are not quite sure
about what Haekkerup promised Kostunica in order to secure his support. The
daily noted that some local Serbian leaders have been calling for setting
up a Serbian "joint task force" to work with UNMIK to ensure that no
changes are made in the province's status. Other Serbian demands have
centered on setting up a Serbian militia and on institutionalizing a
separate legal status for existing Serbian enclaves. "Koha Ditore" cited a
statement by Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Nebojsa Covic, who is Belgrade's
point man for the region, to the effect that UNMIK has promised that Kosova
will not become independent. All ethnic Albanian political parties call for
independence for the province, which legally remains part of Yugoslavia but
in practice is an international protectorate. PM
[21] SERBIAN DELEGATION TO WASHINGTON
Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic and a government delegation left
Belgrade for Washington on 4 November, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service
reported. His agenda includes a meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush
and a series of talks with other officials on economic issues. PM
[22] LOW TURNOUT IN SERBIAN LOCAL ELECTIONS
Only about half of the eligible 300,000 voters turned out to elect 670
local officials in 18 districts across Serbia on 4 November, Deutsche
Welle's Serbian Service reported. The most interesting aspect of the
elections is that Kostunica's Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) is running
separately from the rest of the governing Democratic Opposition of Serbia
(DOS) coalition in what is widely seen as a test of strengths. Some
observers attribute the low turnout to voters' disgust with incessant
feuding among the politicians and continuing economic stagnation. Initial
returns are expected shortly. PM
[23] YUGOSLAVIA OPENS EMBASSY IN SLOVENIA
Almost six weeks after Slovenia opened an embassy in Belgrade (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 18 September 2001), Yugoslavia launched its own diplomatic
representation in Ljubljana, AP reported on 2 November. Yugoslav Foreign
Minister Goran Svilanovic met with President Milan Kucan and other top
officials. Slovenia has virtually no Serbian minority, and most of the two
countries' outstanding problems were settled by the recent agreement to
divide former Yugoslav property. Serbia is anxious to expand relations with
neighboring countries, while Slovenia wants to regain its Yugoslav-era
markets in Serbia. Slovenia also maintains diplomatic links to Montenegro,
which does not recognize the Yugoslav government's right to speak in its
name. PM
[24] KOSTUNICA PREPARING FOR MONTENEGRIN VOTE
Kostunica said in Belgrade on 3 November that he does not believe that
Montenegro will gain independence, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported.
He added, however, that Serbia will retain "all prerogatives" of the
present federal state if Montenegro secedes. It is not clear how this
differs from the position of former President Slobodan Milosevic, who
maintained for years that his state owned all former Yugoslav assets and
properties. Belgrade's current leadership abandoned that stance soon after
ousting Milosevic one year ago. On 2 November, Kostunica's office said in a
statement that preparations are going ahead in Montenegro for a referendum
on independence. The statement stressed that the vote should be held as
soon as possible and in keeping with the Montenegrin Constitution and
"international standards and practice." A recent poll in Serbia suggests
that increasingly fewer Serbs support continued joint statehood with
Montenegro. Some 52 percent of respondents favor a joint state, while 41
percent want independence. This represents a narrowing of the gap over that
shown in similar polls one year ago. PM
[25] RENEWED CONTROVERSY OVER BOSNIAN SERB PARTY
Wolfgang Petritsch, the international community's high representative in
Bosnia, said in Sarajevo on 3 November that Radovan Karadzic's Serbian
Democratic Party (SDS) continues to promote extremist views and obstruct
implementation of the Dayton agreement and economic reform, Deutsche
Welle's Bosnian Service reported on 5 November. He added that he may
introduce sanctions against the SDS. In Banja Luka on 4 November, Republika
Srpska President Mirko Sarovic said the SDS plays a central role in Bosnian
Serb politics and that it is not possible to form a government without the
involvement of the SDS. The BBC noted on 5 November that the SDS, with its
continued opposition to privatization and other economic reforms, is
chiefly responsible for keeping much of the Republika Srpska in poverty.
The SDS has vested interests in blocking the privatization of state-owned
companies and the reform of the customs service. PM
[26] CROATIAN LEGISLATORS TO BOSNIA
Parliamentary speaker Zlatko Tomcic led a legislative delegation to
Sarajevo on 4 November for a three-day visit, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service
reported. PM
[27] MACEDONIAN PARLIAMENT HAMSTRUNG AGAIN
Many legislators from Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski's nationalist
Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (VMRO-DPMNE) boycotted a
session of the parliament on 2 November, which was to consider the
constitutional reform package, Reuters reported from Skopje (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 2 November 2001). The boycotters said they staged a one-day
protest against what they called increased violence by ethnic Albanian
guerrillas. An unnamed NATO official told the news agency, however, that
the nationalists are trying to upset the peace process and provoke more
shooting as a means to that end. An unnamed diplomat said foreign monitors
have confirmed that most of the shooting is due to "firing into the air, an
old Balkan tradition, not shooting at Macedonians... . In fact, there are
suspicions that some of this shooting comes from [Macedonian] security
forces." Meanwhile, parliament speaker Stojan Andov blamed opposition to
the latest version of the reform package by the ethnic Albanian Party of
Democratic Prosperity (PPD) for renewed tensions. He hopes nonetheless that
a planned legislative session will take place on 5 November. PM
[28] ROMANIAN PREMIER WRAPS UP U.S. VISIT
On 4 November, Adrian Nastase ended his visit to the United States and set
off for a four-day visit to the United Kingdom. Foreign Minister Mircea
Geoana told Romanian Radio on 5 November that as a result of the visit "the
invitation to join NATO is closer than ever," but added that Romania must
continue military reforms. Nastase was in New York from 2-4 November and
took the time to lay a wreath at the site of the 11 September terrorist
attack on the World Trade Center, and to meet with U.S. businessmen and
leaders of U.S. Jewish organizations, an RFE/RL correspondent reported.
Nastase also launched the trading day on 2 November at the NASDAQ stock
market and later met with former U.S. President Bill Clinton in his Harlem
office. The premier also participated in CNN's "Larry King Live" talk show
(see Slovak item above), during which he insisted on the importance of
Romania and Bulgaria's joining of NATO as an instrument to advance
stability in the Balkans. MS
[29] FRENCH SENATE SPEAKER IN ROMANIA
President Ion Iliescu received a French delegation headed by Senate speaker
Christian Poncelet on 5 November, Romanian radio reported. Poncelet arrived
on 2 November for a three-day visit that included meetings with his
Romanian counterpart Nicolae Vacaroiu and with Chamber of Deputies speaker
Valer Dorneanu. He reiterated France's support for Romania's quest to join
NATO and the EU. MS
[30] ROMANIAN PUNKS CLASH WITH HUNGARIAN SKINHEADS...
Romanian punks exchanged insults with three Hungarian skinheads at a rock
concert in Targu Mures on 1 November, the daily "Evenimentul zilei"
reported on 3 November. The neo-Nazis protested when a punk rocker from the
Bucharest-based band Los Imbecilos told the audience he hates Nazis and any
form of racial discrimination. The skinheads responded by raising their
hands in a Nazi-style salute, after which the guest band Molotov Cocktail
from New York announced its refusal to perform as long as neo-Nazis were
present in the audience. Punches were exchanged and the concert was resumed
after bouncers forced the three skinheads out. MS
[31] ... AND PRIESTS SAID TO NURTURE IRON GUARDISTS
The daily also reported on 3 November that the Romanian Information Service
says it has managed to neutralize an attempt by the reborn Legionary
Movement (Iron Guard) to infiltrate the Romanian Orthodox Church in
northern Romania with the help of parish priests who are sympathetic to the
movement. It said pro-Iron Guard meetings have been held in several
Transylvanian monasteries and that 15 priests from Bihor County have joined
the fascist organization. The head of the Piatra Craiului monastery, Father
Gregorie, has reportedly proclaimed himself to be the leader of the
legionnaires in northern Romania, and has attempted to transform the Oradea
branch of the Association of Romanian Christian Orthodox Students (ASCOR)
into a branch of the Legionary Movement. Stelian Gambos, ASCOR Oradea
leader, was quoted by "Evenimentul zilei" as saying that the attempt has
been foiled in Oradea, but that "in Bucharest the legionnaires managed to
be admitted as ASCOR members." MS
[32] MOLDOVAN PRESIDENCY DRAFTING NEW 'FOREIGN POLICY CONCEPT'
Experts working for the Moldovan presidency have drafted a new "foreign
policy concept" that interferes with the government's prerogatives, Flux
reported on 3 November. The report has not been confirmed by the
presidency. According to Flux, the concept calls for Moldova to "ignore
Bucharest's attitude, which regards Moldova as being a second Romanian
state." For this purpose Moldova should seek a rapprochement with the
political forces in Romania that are "democratic, not nationalist and not
irredentist." The guidelines also stipulate that Moldova must work to
convince the United States of the importance of Chisinau's "traditional
links and strategic partnership" with Russia, and convince Moscow of the
"strategic necessity for a balanced U.S. presence in the region." The
guidelines also warn that both Romania and Ukraine have economic interests
in Moldova and that pursuance of those interests, particularly in the case
of transit pipelines for Russian oil, may clash with Moldova's intention to
build its own oil terminal at Giurgiulesti, on the Danube River. MS
[33] HAMMUD LEAVES MOLDOVA
Suspected Hizballah leader Mahmud Ahmad Hammud, whose Moldovan citizenship
was revoked by President Vladimir Voronin, left the country for Lebanon on
2 November, vowing to "leave behind an army of lawyers" to clear his name,
RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. Hammud's father-in-law, former
parliamentary speaker Dumitru Diacov, told journalists the same day that
Hammud left "to end the hysteria" around him launched by "the rightist
media," and that his own daughter may later seek a residence permit for her
husband in Moldova. MS
[34] MOLDOVA, TRANSDNIESTER RESUME NEGOTIATIONS ON 'SPECIAL STATUS'
The negotiations on a "special status" for the Transdniester resumed on 2
November in Chisinau with the participation of the OSCE and Russian and
Ukrainian "mediators," RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. The discussions
were stopped last month by Tiraspol after Moldova introduced a new customs
seal. Chief Moldovan negotiator Vasile Sturza described the discussions as
"difficult, but useful." He said that when agreement is not reached, two or
more alternatives are introduced in the draft for later consideration.
Sturza also said Chisinau will under any circumstances preserve the
prerogatives of the "central government" over foreign and defense policies.
MS
[35] WORLD BANK OFFICIAL SAYS MOLDOVA, IMF CLOSE TO AGREEMENT
World Bank official Pieter Stek said in Chisinau on 2 November that Moldova
and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are close to reaching an
agreement that will make it possible for the World Bank to resume lending
to that country, Reuters reported. Stek said at a news conference that
"with hard work, you should get there at the end of this year or sometime
early next year." The IMF, which froze its $142 million three-year standby
agreement after the Moldovan presidential elections, said in August that it
reached a "memorandum of understanding" with the government that could lead
to a resumption of financing. Both the IMF and the World Bank insist that
the 2002 budget should be "realistic," that reforms should be launched in
the energy and agricultural sectors, and that major state companies should
be privatized. MS
[36] ZENOVICH REGISTERED AS 'PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE' IN TRANSDNIESTER
Tom Zenovich, the former chief administrator of Bendery-Tighina who was
dismissed by the Tiraspol authorities from that position, on 2 November
submitted to the Central Electoral Commission the 8,500 signatures needed
to officially register his candidacy, Infotag reported. His representatives
were told that in order to launch his campaign Zenovich must yet complete
some documentation, which he could not at the time because he is in Moscow.
The same day, Zenovich met in the Russian capital with officials and told
Interfax that Igor Smirnov's administration is guilty of corruption and
violation of human rights and is reluctant to resume negotiations with
Chisinau. Media reports in Tiraspol cited by Infotag said Zenovich has
hired the Russian agency Novcom to manage his campaign, and that the
expenses will be paid by the Moldovan leadership. MS
[37] BULGARIAN POLLSTERS PREDICT FIRST-ROUND VICTORY FOR STOYANOV
A public opinion poll conducted by Sova Harris predicts that incumbent
President Petar Stoyanov will garner 54 percent of the vote and win the 11
November presidential elections in the first round, BTA reported on 3
November. The poll has Coalition for Bulgaria candidate Georgi Parvanov
taking 20 percent and former Interior Minister Bogomil Bonev 17 percent of
the vote. One-third of eligible voters will not participate in the
elections, according to the survey. The daily "Monitor," cited by BTA, said
that if Stoyanov is nonetheless forced into a runoff, he would garner 60
percent if his rival is Bonev, and would score 65 percent against Parvanov.
Other pollsters predict a showing by Stoyanov of between 34.9 and 43
percent in the first round, with Parvanov receiving between 14.8 and 18
percent and Bonev between 14.4 and 18.4 percent. MS
[38] BULGARIAN PREMIER SAYS FIRST 100 DAYS A SUCCESS
Prime Minister Simeon Saxecoburggotski said on 2 November that the first
100 days in office of his cabinet have been a success in both internal and
foreign policy, BTA reported. Saxecoburggotski said one of the main
concerns of Bulgarian society before the cabinet took office was the
"indiscriminate siphoning-off and pillaging of state-owned enterprises,"
and that this phenomenon is about to be eliminated due to measures taken by
the government. He also said Bulgaria has made considerable progress in its
negotiations for EU and NATO integration and that the country's "timely and
clear" support for antiterrorist actions has been noted in Washington.
Likewise, Foreign Minister Solomon Pasi said on 2 November that "Judging
from the perspective of foreign policy, this is the most successful
government Bulgaria has had since 1989." MS
[C] END NOTE
[39] There is no end note today
05-11-01
Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
URL: http://www.rferl.org
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