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RFE/RL Newsline, 01-12-04
CONTENTS
[01] RUSSIA EVALUATES DISMISSAL OF NORTHERN FLEET COMMANDERS...
[02] ...AND PUTIN'S CHOICE TO DELAY RESHUFFLE...
[03] ...AS REGIONAL GOVERNOR DENOUNCES SACKINGS
[04] ACTING NORTHERN FLEET COMMANDER APPOINTED
[05] NEW SUBMARINE FOR RUSSIAN NAVY
[06] BEREZOVSKY URGES THE 'FAMILY GROUP' TO CREATE NEW OPPOSITION
[07] RUSSIAN CORPORATE BEHAVIORAL CODE LEAVES ROOM FOR CORRUPTION
[08] PASKO TRIAL DELAYED
[09] DUMA DRAFTS BILL ON EXTREMISM
[10] GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL TRIES TO STEM FEARS OF LOW STANDARD OF LIVING
[11] PUTIN MEETS WITH RUSSIAN SCIENTISTS
[12] RUSSIAN COSMONAUTS CONDUCT SPACE WALK
[13] U.S. AMBASSADOR EXPRESSES CONCERN ABOUT TV-6
[14] WEEKLY SAYS LUZHKOV'S FUTURE DEPENDENT ON TURNOUT FOR MOSCOW DUMA
[15] ANOTHER BUSINESSMAN HEADS TO THE FEDERATION COUNCIL
[16] SAKHA ELECTIONS OFFICIALS CHARGE MEDIA WITH BIAS
[17] UNITY SUFFERS HEAVY LOSSES IN NOVOSIBIRSK
[18] RUSSIAN AIRLINE PROMOTES AIR CORRIDOR FROM ASIA TO NORTH AMERICA
[19] LUFTHANSA EXPANDS FLIGHTS INSIDE RUSSIA
[20] 'IZVESTIYA' ARGUES THAT ALL SOVIET POLITICAL VERDICTS SHOULD BE
[21] MORE BOOKS ABOUT PUTIN
[22] CORRECTION:
[23] PACE CHAIRMAN CALLS FOR BROADER PARTICIPATION IN SEARCH FOR
[24] RUSSIAN OFFICIALS PLAY DOWN HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN CHECHNYA
[25] RUSSIAN SERVICEMEN BLAMED FOR DEPUTY MILITARY PROSECUTOR'S KILLING
[26] ARMENIA MAY LEASE UNSOLD ENERGY NETWORKS
[27] SALE OF ARMENIAN CHEMICAL GIANT TO UKRAINE STILL UNDECIDED
[28] KARABAKH PRESIDENT CRITICIZES AZERBAIJAN'S RELUCTANCE TO CONCLUDE
[29] ITALIAN OIL COMPANY QUITS AZERBAIJANI CONSORTIUM
[30] AZERBAIJAN ENDORSES PROPOSED CIS OPEC EQUIVALENT
[31] LAWSUIT AGAINST KYRGYZ PRESIDENT POSTPONED
[32] KYRGYZ PARLIAMENT DEMANDS COMPENSATION FOR UZBEK AIR RAIDS
[33] NINE KILLED WHILE SCAVENGING IN KYRGYZ CAPITAL
[34] TAJIKISTAN, RUSSIA SEEK AGREEMENT ON REBROADCASTING
[35] UZBEKISTAN IMPOSES RESTRICTIONS ON TRAVEL TO REGIONS BORDERING
[36] COURT BANS BELARUSIAN UNION OF STUDENTS
[37] OSCE ENVOY IN MINSK SUMS UP HIS MISSION
[38] UKRAINIAN, CROATIAN PRESIDENTS PLEDGE TO STEP UP COOPERATION
[39] KUCHMA SAYS COOPERATION WITH EBRD ON NUCLEAR REACTORS STILL
[40] UKRAINIAN GOLD, CURRENCY RESERVES UP
[41] UKRAINE REPORTEDLY TO SUPPLY 2 MILLION GAS MASKS TO U.S.
[42] KYIV REPORTS AIDS STATISTICS
[43] JOINING SCHENGEN SYSTEM TO BE COSTLY FOR ESTONIA
[44] LATVIA, FINLAND DISCUSS NATO ENLARGEMENT
[45] LITHUANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MAKES NEW CONTACTS WITH TURKISH,
[46] POPE BACKS POLAND'S EU BID
[47] POLISH PROSECUTORS DEMAND EVIDENCE FOR LEPPER'S CORRUPTION
[48] ...WHILE DEPUTY SPEAKER WANTS TO SUE HIM FOR DEFAMATION
[49] CZECH PREMIER REFUSES TO EMULATE PRESIDENT ON IRAQ...
[50] ...DISCUSSES EU ENLARGEMENT WITH SPANISH PREMIER...
[51] ...EXPLAINS GOVERNMENT'S REJECTION OF SENATE'S CONSTITUTIONAL
[52] BRITISH DEFENSE SECRETARY SUPPORTS GRIPEN BID FOR CZECH AIR FORCE
[53] OSLO ASKS PRAGUE TO RETURN SOLIH TO NORWAY
[54] CZECH COMMUNIST INTERIOR MINISTER DENIES CHARGES IN COURT
[55] CZECH TV-3 LAYS OFF MOST OF ITS STAFF
[56] SLOVAK PREMIER DISAPPOINTED BY RESULTS OF REGIONAL ELECTIONS
[57] EU TO PROVIDE FULL AID TO SLOVAKIA IN 2002
[58] HUNGARIAN SOCIALISTS PROPOSE MAY 2002 ELECTIONS
[59] FIDESZ OFFICIAL SAYS LINKS WITH EXTREMISTS TREATED UNEVENLY
[60] HUNGARIAN CALVINIST PASTORS STRUGGLE WITH POLITICAL ISSUES
[61] HUNGARY SUPPORTS ROMANIA'S NATO MEMBERSHIP
[62] SERBS DEMAND DEPUTY POST IN KOSOVA PARLIAMENT...
[63] ...AND ATTEND PREPARATORY SESSION
[64] RUGOVA BEGINS TALKS FOR KOSOVA COALITION
[65] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT CALLS ON YUGOSLAVIA TO EXTRADITE WAR CRIMINALS
[66] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT SAYS MLADIC NOT IN SERBIA...
[67] ...WHILE YUGOSLAV MINISTER CALLS IT 'THEORETICAL'
[68] BOSNIAN SERB GENERAL'S TRIAL OPENS IN THE HAGUE
[69] MACEDONIAN PRESIDENT OFFICIALLY CALLS FOR NATO TO STAY
[70] UN CALLS FOR FUNDS FOR MACEDONIA
[71] YUGOSLAV SUCCESSOR STATES DIVIDE UP PROPERTY
[72] ALBANIAN MINISTERS OFFER TO QUIT
[73] ROMANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ENDS OSCE ROTATING PRESIDENCY TERM
[74] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT SAYS TREATY WITH RUSSIA 'PRACTICALLY
[75] ...WARNS AGAINST ARAFAT'S POLITICAL DEPARTURE
[76] ROMANIAN, HUNGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTERS DISCUSS STATUS LAW
[77] UDMR DISCIPLINES SENATOR FOR INITIATING NATIONAL DAY BOYCOTT
[78] MOLDOVAN, UKRAINIAN PREMIERS DIFFER ON INTERPRETING MEETING
[79] MOLDOVAN COURT ORDERS RUSSIAN-LANGUAGE WEEKLY CLOSED DOWN
[80] SMIRNOV'S ELECTORAL RIVALS SUBJECTED TO INTIMIDATION
[81] BULGARIA TO TAKE OVER OSCE ROTATING CHAIRMANSHIP IN 2004
[82] TURKISH MUFTI PLEDGES DURING BULGARIAN VISIT TO FIGHT RADICAL
4 December 2001
RUSSIA
[01] RUSSIA EVALUATES DISMISSAL OF NORTHERN FLEET COMMANDERS...
The unexpected reshuffle of top commanders of Russia's Northern Fleet
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 3 December 2001) 15 months after the sinking of
the "Kursk" nuclear submarine had both international and domestic
aspects, "Kommersant-Daily," "Vedomosti" and "Izvestiya" commented on 3
December. They argued that, from the foreign policy perspective, the
Russian navy has no significant adversary other than NATO, unlike other
branches of the Russian armed forces. President Vladimir Putin
considered the command of the Northern Fleet to be hampering the
current rapprochement between Russia and NATO in general, and Russia
and the U.S. in particular, according to the newspapers. From the
domestic point of view, the newspapers argued that the Northern Fleet
command should never have allowed the "Kursk" to begin naval exercises
with a full arsenal of combat torpedoes and missiles on board. Had the
command forbidden this, even the most critical incident on board would
never have led to the destruction of the entire submarine. VY
[02] ...AND PUTIN'S CHOICE TO DELAY RESHUFFLE...
On 4 December, RBK said that Northern Fleet top commanders Admiral
Vyacheslav Popov and Vladimir Kuroyedov both tendered their
resignations immediately following the "Kursk" catastrophe and the
subsequent failed rescue operation. At the time, Putin refused to
accept their resignations, arguing that he was waiting for the results
of the investigation. In fact, RBK argued, there was no need to wait
for the investigation results because there were enough obvious
mistakes in the actions taken by Northern Fleet's high command. But the
news agency said that such a decision from Putin at that time would
have looked like a concession to the media and public opinion, which
demanded immediate punishment. Now, when the scandal has died out and
the first investigative results have been presented, Putin's actions
look well-considered and independent VC
[03] ...AS REGIONAL GOVERNOR DENOUNCES SACKINGS
Murmansk Oblast Governor Yurii Yevdokimov said on 3 December that he is
upset by President Putin's decision to dismiss a number of officers of
the navy's Northern Fleet, which is based in Murmansk, TV-6 reported
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 3 December 2001). According to the station,
Yevdokimov declared that the Northern Fleet is "one of the most
combat-ready and powerful units in [Russia's] armed forces." He
continued, "such an instant beheading of such a powerful structure, a
military structure, will -- to my mind -- have serious consequences."
JAC
[04] ACTING NORTHERN FLEET COMMANDER APPOINTED
Vice Admiral Vladimir Dobroskochenko, who was a deputy to dismissed
Northern Fleet commander Admiral Popov, was named on 2 December to
temporarily command the Northern Fleet, Interfax reported. Vice Admiral
Dobroskochenko has more than 30 years of experience in commanding
surface naval units. Until recently, he commanded a Northern Fleet task
force. VC
[05] NEW SUBMARINE FOR RUSSIAN NAVY
Navy commander Kuroyedov signed a certificate on 3 December
commissioning the nuclear-powered submarine "Gepard," TV-6 reported.
Putin said the same day that he will visit the Sevmash shipyard in the
northern city of Severodvinsk to launch the new submarine, AP reported.
The "Gepard," which is the first new submarine to be built in Russia in
the last six years, is a multifunctional battleship designed primarily
for the destruction of aircraft carriers. The sub weighs 8,500 tons, is
112-meters long, can reach maximum depths of 600 meters, and can reach
underwater speeds of 33 knots. The "Gepard's" maximum duration of
autonomous operation is 100 days, and she will have a 73-person crew.
The sub's term of service is 25 years, RBK news agency reported on 4
December. The Russian Navy already has 13 submarines of the same class,
all designed by the Saint Petersburg-based Malakhit. VY
[06] BEREZOVSKY URGES THE 'FAMILY GROUP' TO CREATE NEW OPPOSITION
In an open letter published in "Nezavisimaya gazeta" on 4 December,
Boris Berezovsky called on Unified Energy Systems Chairman Anatolii
Chubais, presidential administration head Aleksandr Voloshin, Prime
Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, and all whom "Yeltsin's enemies call
'Family' [members]," to quit their positions before they are dismissed
and create "a genuinely strong and liberal opposition." Berezovsky
stressed that the main "mistakes" of Putin's policy have been the
national tragedy in Chechnya, the extremely expensive operation to
salvage the "Kursk," and, more importantly, the implementation of
vertical executive power and dictatorship of law. Berezovsky added
that, in his view, "dictatorship of law" is turning into a "law of
dictatorship." VC
[07] RUSSIAN CORPORATE BEHAVIORAL CODE LEAVES ROOM FOR CORRUPTION
The Corporate Behavioral Code that was prepared by Igor Kostikov, the
head of the Federal Securities Commission, and presented by him to the
West as an example of Russia's movement toward a civilized market
economy, is in fact a document that leaves much room for abuse, "Novaya
gazeta" reported on 3 December. According to experts from the
Association for Protection of Minority Shareholders, Kostikov has added
many loopholes into the document in order to suit his own business
interests. The paper noted that, as Kostikov is both the head of the
Russian securities market and his own investment company that controls
up to 40 percent of the municipal bonds market in Russia, it is not
surprising that there are no provisions in the code to ban such
conflicts of interest. VY
[08] PASKO TRIAL DELAYED
The tribunal of the Pacific Fleet hearing the case of military
journalist Grigorii Pasko, who is accused of divulging state secrets,
has announced an "interruption" of the trial at the request of federal
prosecutors, TV-6 reported on 3 December. Meanwhile, Pasko's lawyer
Ivan Pavlov said the prosecution is under pressure by the Federal
Security Service to use delay tactics because it feels the indictment
is unsubstantiated. VY
[09] DUMA DRAFTS BILL ON EXTREMISM
The Justice Ministry has drafted a law on extremism that is intended to
counter radical and violent political groups, "Izvestiya" reported on 3
December. Although the bill has been in preparation since 1999, the 11
September terrorist attacks on the United States have given it special
significance, according to Sergei Nikulin, one of the bill's authors.
The bill includes a provision that permits banning or suspending
activities of extremist organizations not only by a court order, but by
an administrative directive of the government. In addition, the bill
contains a provision that makes "subversion of national security in any
form a crime." The definition of subversion includes "any public appeal
for committing socially dangerous acts," Nikulin added. VY
[10] GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL TRIES TO STEM FEARS OF LOW STANDARD OF LIVING
On 3 December, Deputy Prime Minister Valentina Matvienko announced in
an interview on RTR television that the forthcoming increase in
salaries of state employees will not be reduced to zero by inflation.
She explained that the inflation rate will reach about 14 percent in
2002, according to forecasts of the government, while an increase in
salaries will amount to 60 percent on average and will be doubled for
some categories of state employees. VC
[11] PUTIN MEETS WITH RUSSIAN SCIENTISTS
On 3 December, President Putin met with the administration of the
Russian Academy of Sciences and prominent Russian scientists in the
Kremlin, Interfax reported. Putin expressed his dissatisfaction with
the fact that only half of the Russian Academy of Sciences'
institutions are working in the industrial sector and that "there are
few examples of cooperation with business." He said that the
extrabudgetary financing of the academy has grown from 5 percent to 50
percent over the past few years, but "the rates of commercialization of
science are very low." The president called on the scientists to create
a national innovation system and ensure for the legal protection of
patents. He also encouraged the scientists to create a system for
forecasting crisis phenomena, Interfax reported. VC
[12] RUSSIAN COSMONAUTS CONDUCT SPACE WALK
On 3 December, on a space walk outside the International Space Station,
Russian cosmonauts Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikhail Tyurin repaired a
malfunction in the station's docking unit, gazeta.ru reported. Their
work was being observed and secured by the mission commander, U.S.
astronaut Frank Culbertson. The two cosmonauts removed a small rubber
seal that was stuck between the space station and the Russian cargo
spacecraft "Progress 6." The seal had prevented a proper docking by the
unmanned Russian "Progress 6," which was launched last week to carry
food, fuel, and equipment to the station. It was left behind when a
previous supply ship disengaged from the station. U.S. space officials
postponed the launch of the "Endeavour" space shuttle pending
resolution of the problem. "Endeavour" was due to blast off at 22:45
GMT on 4 December from NASA's Cape Canaveral base in Florida for a
10-day mission to the station, Reuters reported. The $95 billion space
station, still under construction, is a partnership between space
agencies in the United States, Russia, Canada, Europe, and Japan. VC
[13] U.S. AMBASSADOR EXPRESSES CONCERN ABOUT TV-6
U.S. Ambassador to Russia Alexander Vershbow told reporters in
Vladivostok on 3 December that he is "somewhat worried by the situation
around TV-6" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 29 November 2001). He said that
the U.S. "is concerned that a truly independent voice could be lost as
a result of the dispute" over the station. He also expressed the hope
that the dispute can be resolved without the channel being closed. JAC
[14] WEEKLY SAYS LUZHKOV'S FUTURE DEPENDENT ON TURNOUT FOR MOSCOW DUMA
ELECTIONS
Moscow Mayor Yurii Luzhkov intends to resign if Moscow city Duma
elections are declared invalid because of insufficient voter turnout,
"Novaya gazeta," No. 88, reported. According to the weekly, voter
interest in the election fell after Fatherland, Unity, Yabloko, and the
Union of Rightist Forces agreed to support a single list of candidates.
The weekly noted that the elections have become a vote of confidence in
Luzhkov and an indicator of his authority in the city. The elections
will be held on 16 December. JAC
[15] ANOTHER BUSINESSMAN HEADS TO THE FEDERATION COUNCIL
Samara Oblast's legislature confirmed Sibal Vice President and
Ukrainian Aluminum General Director German Tkachenko, as well as Leona
Kovalskaya, the chairwoman of the Samara Oblast Duma, as the oblast's
new representatives to the Federation Council, polit.ru reported on 3
December. The website noted that a pattern seems to be emerging with
region's selections for the Federation Council -- they choose one of
their "own" representatives" along with a "professional lobbyist" who
represents either a political or oligarchic group that has interests in
the region. JAC
[16] SAKHA ELECTIONS OFFICIALS CHARGE MEDIA WITH BIAS
The Sakha (Yakutia) Republic's election commission has proposed opening
a case against Russian Public Television and NTV because those stations
have allegedly broadcast material promoting the interests of specific
candidates running in 23 December presidential elections,
Interfax-Eurasia reported on 3 December. The local election commission
plans to forward its complaint to the Central Election Commission. The
same day, the local commission also issued fines against three local
newspapers: "Molodezh Yakutii," "Vybor naroda," and "Moskovskii
komsomolets v Yakutii." JAC
[17] UNITY SUFFERS HEAVY LOSSES IN NOVOSIBIRSK
Only one candidate supported by Unity won in 2 December elections to
Novosibirsk Oblast's regional legislature, Interfax-Eurasia reported on
3 December, citing preliminary results. Of the 49 available seats,
Communist Party candidates won 12 seats, and the Agrarian party won
six. The remaining 30 seats will go to independent candidates,
according to ITAR-TASS. Commenting on the election, Novosibirsk Oblast
Governor Viktor Tolokonskii said the results "do not mean that there
has been a reduction in the representation of political parties or that
I will have no opposition in the legislature." Tolokonskii also noted
that while the Communists fared better than any other party, they now
have fewer seats in the legislature, falling from 16 seats to 12.
According to strana.ru, candidates from Fatherland and Yabloko failed
completely. Yabloko leader Grigorii Yavlinsky traveled to Novosibirsk
last month to build support for his party. JAC
[18] RUSSIAN AIRLINE PROMOTES AIR CORRIDOR FROM ASIA TO NORTH AMERICA
THROUGH SIBERIA
Speaking at the opening of an air and space exhibition in Krasnoyarsk,
KrasAir head Boris Abramovich said that opening an air corridor from
Asia to North America over his city could reduce flights between the
two continents by up to 4 1/2 hours, "Izvestiya" reported on 3
December. Because of its favorable geographic position, Krasnoyarsk may
indeed became a central hub for two major international passenger and
cargo routes: from Southeast Asia over the North Pole to North America;
and from Europe over Siberia to Japan, Korea, and China. VY
[19] LUFTHANSA EXPANDS FLIGHTS INSIDE RUSSIA
Lufthansa's Nizhnii Novgorod office reported that beginning on 1
December the airline increased its flights along regional routes in
response to rising demand, ITAR-TASS reported on 2 December. According
to the agency, the city of Perm has started receiving flights from the
German carrier. The airline already services Kazan, Samara, and Nizhnii
Novgorod, and passenger traffic on those flights has risen by 48
percent, 21 percent, and 16 percent respectively this year. JAC
[20] 'IZVESTIYA' ARGUES THAT ALL SOVIET POLITICAL VERDICTS SHOULD BE
ANNULLED
The serious attempts being made by some political groups to
rehabilitate historical figures like Admiral Aleksandr Kolchak, the
leader of the White Movement during the Russian Civil War, and by other
groups to prevent such rehabilitations are off-target, "Izvestiya" said
on 3 December. The daily said that such efforts are akin to
rehabilitating the participants of the Decembrist Uprising or those of
the rebellion of Emeliyan Pugachev. "Izvestiya" argued that instead of
watching politicians engage in such fruitless efforts, the Supreme
Court should ask the Duma to proclaim all Soviet-era political verdicts
as null and void. Such a decision would be not an amnesty or
rehabilitation, but a transformation of this painful issue from a legal
into a historical one, the newspaper concluded. VY
[21] MORE BOOKS ABOUT PUTIN
The Russian market for political best-sellers is inundated with books
about President Putin, which has led to the establishment of his own
small cult of personality, polit.ru reported on 3 December. Political
scientist Vadim Pechenev, in his newly released book "Putin: Last
Chance for Russia?" compares the Russian president with the hero of the
Aleksandr Pushkin poem "Yevgenii Onegin," while in his book "Russian
Challenge," the French author Victor Lupan makes comparisons between
Putin and Napoleon. Finally, the astrologist Aleksandr Astragor, in his
book "The Mystic Side of Putin," offers his readers a formula of
Putin's soul that, in his view, is governed by the planets Mars, Venus,
and Pluto. VY
[22] CORRECTION:
The "RFE/RL Newsline," item "Pressure Against Tatarstan," which ran on
3 December 2001, should have read: [the monument to Ivan the Terrible
that the daily "Zavtra" reported was destroyed by Tatars] never existed
in Kazan."
[23] PACE CHAIRMAN CALLS FOR BROADER PARTICIPATION IN SEARCH FOR
CHECHEN PEACE
During talks in Grozny on 3 December with Chechen administration head
Akhmed-hadji Kadyrov and Prime Minister Stanislav Ilyasov, PACE
Chairman Lord Frank Judd said that "as many people as possible" should
be brought into the talks on ending the fighting in Chechnya, Reuters
reported, quoting RTR. Judd also welcomed the first round of peace
talks 10 days ago between President Aslan Maskhadov's representative
Akhed Zakaev and Russian presidential representative to the Southern
federal district Viktor Kazantsev. But Colonel General Gennadii
Troshev, commander of the North Caucasus military district, told
Interfax in Grozny the same day that continuing talks with Maskhadov
"makes no sense" because other field commanders, including Shamil
Basaev and Khattab, do not acknowledge Maskhadov's authority. LF
[24] RUSSIAN OFFICIALS PLAY DOWN HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN CHECHNYA
Meeting with the PACE delegation in Grozny on 3 December, Vladimir
Kalamanov, President Putin's special representative for human rights in
Chechnya, said that he receives far more appeals in connection with
criminal offenses than complaints about human rights violations,
ITAR-TASS reported. Chechen Prosecutor-General Vsevolod Chernov
similarly told Interfax on 3 December that the incidence of
mistreatment of Chechen civilians by Russian servicemen, and the number
of complaints he receives about such mistreatment, is decreasing. Also
on 3 December, the Russian deputy prosecutor-general for the Southern
federal district, Sergei Fridinskii, pledged that NGOs will be allowed
access to the investigation of crimes committed in Chechnya to the
extent that the law allows, Interfax reported. He said the
Prosecutor-General's Office is ready to investigate any information
concerning crimes or human rights violations in Chechnya. LF
[25] RUSSIAN SERVICEMEN BLAMED FOR DEPUTY MILITARY PROSECUTOR'S KILLING
An investigation has established that Russian troops, not Chechen
fighters as originally assumed, were responsible for the death of Roman
Grigorian, the deputy military prosecutor of the combined Russian
forces in Chechnya, Interfax reported on 3 December (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 3 December 2001). The servicemen opened fire on Grigorian's
car when it refused to slow down to pass a checkpoint on the outskirts
of Argun. LF
TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[26] ARMENIA MAY LEASE UNSOLD ENERGY NETWORKS
Following the failure of two consecutive attempts to privatize four
energy distribution networks, (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 23 and 24 April,
and 3 December 2001), the Armenian government now hopes to lease those
power grids to a foreign company capable of eliminating the energy
sector's huge financial losses, a senior energy sector official told
RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau on 3 December. The World Bank, which had pegged
disbursement of a new loan to the successful privatization of the
networks, is likely to approve leasing them. LF
[27] SALE OF ARMENIAN CHEMICAL GIANT TO UKRAINE STILL UNDECIDED
The planned sale to Ukraine's Inter-Kontakt of a majority stake in the
Nairit chemical plant (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 November 2001) is
still in the balance, and there is no certainty a deal will be signed
during Inter-Kontakt Chairman Aleksandr Yedin's two-day visit to
Yerevan that began on 3 December, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported on 3
December, quoting a spokeswoman for the Armenian Ministry of Trade and
Industry. LF
[28] KARABAKH PRESIDENT CRITICIZES AZERBAIJAN'S RELUCTANCE TO CONCLUDE
PEACE
In a letter pegged to the 3-4 December Ninth Ministerial Council
Meeting in Bucharest of foreign ministers of OSCE member states and
addressed to OSCE Chairman in Office Mircea Geoana and to the
co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group, Arkadii Ghukasian, the president
of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, accused the Azerbaijani
leadership of going back on broad agreements on resolving the Karabakh
conflict reached during talks earlier this year, and of repeatedly
threatening to begin a new war to bring the region back under its
control, according to Noyan Tapan on 3 December and Mediamax, as cited
by Groong. Ghukasian also expressed concern at what he termed repeated
false allegations by Azerbaijani leaders that the enclave's territory
is being used for drug smuggling and to bury nuclear waste. He appealed
to Geoana to form a special fact-finding group under the aegis of the
OSCE to be sent to Nagorno-Karabakh to investigate those allegations,
Arminfo reported on 3 December. LF
[29] ITALIAN OIL COMPANY QUITS AZERBAIJANI CONSORTIUM
The Italian oil company Fina has announced its decision to quit the
consortium created in late 1997 to develop Azerbaijan's Kurdashi
Caspian oil field after two successive trial wells drilled failed to
yield oil, AP reported on 3 December. The remaining shareholders in the
consortium are Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR (50 percent),
Japan's Mitsui (15 percent), Spain's Repsol-YPF (5 percent), and
Turkey's government-owned TPAO (5 percent). LF
[30] AZERBAIJAN ENDORSES PROPOSED CIS OPEC EQUIVALENT
Azerbaijan supports the proposal made in Moscow last week by Kazakh
President Nursultan Nazarbaev that the CIS oil- and gas-producing
states create a regional equivalent of OPEC, SOCAR President Natiq
Aliev told Caspian News Agency on 3 December (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 30
November 2001). He added that Russia should play the key role within
such a regional grouping. Gazprom head Aleksei Miller has also
expressed his backing for such a cartel, which he suggested should be
named "Eurasian Union of Gas and Oil Producers." LF
[31] LAWSUIT AGAINST KYRGYZ PRESIDENT POSTPONED
A Bishkek district court has postponed hearing a lawsuit brought
against President Askar Akaev by jailed former Vice President Feliks
Kulov, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported on 3 December. The hearing will
now take place only after completion of two concurrent criminal
investigations in which Kulov is a codefendant. Kulov brought a civil
and a criminal case for libel against Akaev in September in connection
with defamatory statements in a book the president published; the court
threw out the criminal case (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 10 September and 1
October 2001). LF
[32] KYRGYZ PARLIAMENT DEMANDS COMPENSATION FOR UZBEK AIR RAIDS
After a 10-day debate, the Legislative Assembly (the lower chamber of
Kyrgyzstan's bicameral parliament) voted on 3 December to request that
the Kyrgyz government demand from the Uzbek government compensation for
Uzbek air raids on Kyrgyz border villages in the summer of 1999 that
killed three Kyrgyz citizens and destroyed 20 homes (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 18 August 1999 and 27 November 2001). LF
[33] NINE KILLED WHILE SCAVENGING IN KYRGYZ CAPITAL
Nine people were buried alive under refuse late on 2 December while
hunting in a garbage heap on the outskirts of Bishkek for nonferrous
metals, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported. Police succeeded in rescuing
a further 15 people from the refuse. LF
[34] TAJIKISTAN, RUSSIA SEEK AGREEMENT ON REBROADCASTING
A Russian media delegation headed by presidential aide Sergei
Yastrzhembskii arrived in Dushanbe on 3 December for talks with the
Tajik leadership on the resumption of broadcasting in Tajikistan of
Russia's ORT and RTV programs, Asia Plus-Blitz reported. The Tajik
government suspended rebroadcasting of ORT in mid-October and cut
retransmission of RTV due to the Russian companies' accumulated debts
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 15 October 2001). RTV has signaled its
readiness to repay that debt but ORT has not yet done likewise LF
[35] UZBEKISTAN IMPOSES RESTRICTIONS ON TRAVEL TO REGIONS BORDERING
AFGHANISTAN
Eleven districts of Uzbekistan that border on Afghanistan have been
declared off-limits to anyone other than local residents and holders of
special permits, AP reported on 3 December, quoting unnamed Uzbek
government officials. The region involved includes the border port of
Termez from which international relief agencies hope to be able to
transport humanitarian aid by road to northern Afghanistan. Beginning
immediately, foreign journalists and aid workers may not travel to or
transit the region without a special permit. LF
EAST-CENTRAL EUROPE
[36] COURT BANS BELARUSIAN UNION OF STUDENTS
The Supreme Court on 3 December ordered the closure of the Union of
Belarusian Students (ZBS) because of four warnings issued to the union
by the Justice Ministry, Belapan and RFE/RL's Belarusian Service
reported. The Justice Ministry found that the ZBS disobeyed the law by
altering the color of its registered emblem from red to black (the ZBS
said they had no color printer at the time), distorting its registered
name in English (the ZBS preferred to write "Belarusan" instead of
"Belarusian"), ignoring letters from the ministry (the ZBS said the
ministry used a wrong address), and preventing the ministry's officials
from checking the ZBS's books (the ZBS said the officials came when
nobody was around to show them the books). Under Belarusian
regulations, two warnings are sufficient for an NGO to be closed down.
"Lukashenka is persecuting students and rectors because most students
voted against him in the presidential election," ZBS leader Krystyna
Sidun said. JM
[37] OSCE ENVOY IN MINSK SUMS UP HIS MISSION
Hans Georg Wieck, the head of the OSCE Advisory and Monitoring Group in
Belarus, told Belapan on 3 December that the "recent purges" by the
Belarusian authorities among those nomenklatura representatives who
cooperated with the opposition during the presidential election
campaign are "alarming and inconsistent with pluralistic democratic
criteria." Belarusian media have recently reported mass arrests among
Belarusian managers and state officials on criminal charges (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 28 November 2001). Wieck said the major achievement
of his group was to impart understanding of the necessity of changes to
"the nomenklatura and key personalities," as well as to contribute to
the development of civil society in Belarus. Wieck, who has headed the
OSCE group in Minsk since February 1998, will soon leave Belarus. His
successor is expected to be named during the session of the OSCE
Ministerial Council that opened in Bucharest on 3 December. JM
[38] UKRAINIAN, CROATIAN PRESIDENTS PLEDGE TO STEP UP COOPERATION
Following talks in Kyiv on 3 December, Ukrainian President Leonid
Kuchma and his Croatian counterpart Stipe Mesic confirmed their will to
contribute to combating global terrorism and pledged to enhance
bilateral economic cooperation, Ukrainian media reported. The two sides
signed accords on improvements to international road transport,
rebuilding of bridges over the Danube River, and cooperation in the
military and technical field. Kuchma assured Mesic that the CIS does
not stand in the way of Ukraine's integration into the EU. JM
[39] KUCHMA SAYS COOPERATION WITH EBRD ON NUCLEAR REACTORS STILL
POSSIBLE
President Kuchma said on 3 December that he did not reject outright the
assistance of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(EBRD) regarding the completion of reactors at the Rivne and
Khmelnytskyy nuclear power plants when he called last week in Moscow
for Russia to take part in this construction project (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 30 November 2001). Kuchma said Ukraine is ready for
cooperation with the West, but added that it is necessary to review the
project's costs, which he deems to have been overestimated by Western
experts. He also disapproved of the EBRD's demand to raise electricity
tariffs in Ukraine. "Now that the world economy is slowing down, our
major and most-energy-consuming industries -- metallurgy and the
chemical industry -- have reached the break-even point of their
profitability. If we raise the tariffs, this will bring Ukrainian
industry to ruin," STB television quoted Kuchma as saying. JM
[40] UKRAINIAN GOLD, CURRENCY RESERVES UP
Ukrainian National Bank official Serhiy Yaremenko told UNIAN on 3
December that the country's net gold and currency reserves have
increased to $3.15 billion. Yaremenko noted that the liquid reserves
now stand at $3.04 billion, which is $1.5 billion more than at the
beginning of the year. He also revealed that the National Bank's net
international reserves (the sum by which its assets exceed its
liabilities) stood at $1.3 billion as of 29 November 2001. JM
[41] UKRAINE REPORTEDLY TO SUPPLY 2 MILLION GAS MASKS TO U.S.
Ukraine will supply 2 million gas masks to the United States, Ukrainian
Television reported on 3 December, citing sources in the Cherkasy
chemical fiber factory where gas masks are produced. The U.S. displayed
interest in Ukrainian gas masks after the 11 September terrorist
attacks. The U.S. will reportedly pay $20 for each mask. The price of
one gas mask in Ukraine is 38 hryvni ($7.20) The contract must be
implemented by May 2002. JM
[42] KYIV REPORTS AIDS STATISTICS
The Health Ministry revealed last week that 600 Ukrainians contract
AIDS every month, ITAR-TASS reported on 1 December. The ministry said
thousands of adults and 50 children have died of AIDS in Ukraine over
the last several years. As of today, more than 3,000 Ukrainians have
contracted the disease and nearly 42,000 have been infected with the
HIV virus. JM
[43] JOINING SCHENGEN SYSTEM TO BE COSTLY FOR ESTONIA
Kristel Praun, the deputy head of the Interior Ministry's Foreign
Relations and Eurointegration Department, estimated that it will cost
about 655 million kroons ($37.4 million) for Estonia to implement the
Schengen border and customs control system from 2001-2005, "Eesti
Paevaleht" reported on 3 December. The greatest expenditures (569
million kroons) are for investments in training and equipment needed to
bring the country's external border controls up to EU standards.
Integration into the Schengen Information System will require more than
32 million kroons, but the funds are expected to be obtained from the
EU's PHARE program. Estonia is preparing to join the Schengen Agreement
in two stages; the first should be completed by 2004 and cover external
borders and passport controls, as well as the full adoption of Schengen
laws. The second stage is to be completed by 2006, when Estonia's
borders will become internal borders of the EU. SG
[44] LATVIA, FINLAND DISCUSS NATO ENLARGEMENT
Finnish Defense Minister Jan-Erik Enestam began his two-day visit to
Latvia on 3 December with talks with Foreign Ministry State Secretary
Maris Riekstins, BNS reported. They discussed the latest developments
in Europe's security policy and NATO enlargement. Enestam said that
admitting the three Baltic states into NATO at the Prague summit in
November 2002 would be the best solution for improving the security
situation in the Baltic Sea region. Riekstins expressed thanks for
Finland's support for Latvia's efforts to join the alliance, as well as
for the country's participation in joint Baltic projects in the defense
sphere. Enestam was scheduled to visit the Defense and Foreign
Ministries and parliament officials on 4 December, as well as the
BALTNET National Information Center in Riga and the naval forces and
divers training centers in Liepaja. SG
[45] LITHUANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MAKES NEW CONTACTS WITH TURKISH,
SPANISH COUNTERPARTS
At the OSCE's Ninth Ministerial Council meeting in Bucharest, Antanas
Valionis on 3 December outlined Lithuania's priorities in relation to
the OSCE during its current six-month chairmanship of the Council of
Europe, BNS reported. He met with Spanish Foreign Minister Josepe
Pique, who expressed his country's full support for Lithuania's efforts
to join the EU. Valionis spoke about the future establishment of a
Spanish embassy in Vilnius and again invited Spanish Prime Minister
Jose Maria Aznar to visit his country. Aznar's flight to the Baltic
states on 11 September was canceled in mid-flight when he learned about
the terrorist attacks in the United States. Valionis also held talks
with his Turkish counterpart Ismail Cem, whom he thanked for Turkish
support for Lithuania's bid to join NATO. They also discussed the
planned visit to Lithuania next year by Turkish President Ahmet Necdet
Sezer. SG
[46] POPE BACKS POLAND'S EU BID
Pope John Paul II said on 3 December that he will give his native
Poland his full support in its efforts to join the European Union,
Reuters reported. "It is right for Poland to aspire to its proper place
in the political and economic environment of a united Europe," the pope
told Poland's new ambassador to the Vatican, Hanna Suchocka. But he
added: "[Poland] must be present as a state with its own spiritual and
cultural face, its own inalienable historical traditions tied to
Christianity." Meanwhile, Spanish Premier Jose Maria Aznar assured his
Polish counterpart Leszek Miller in Warsaw the same day that Spain,
after taking over the rotating EU presidency in January 2002, will do
its utmost to keep EU enlargement talks on track. JM
[47] POLISH PROSECUTORS DEMAND EVIDENCE FOR LEPPER'S CORRUPTION
CHARGES...
The Warsaw District Prosecutor's Office has asked recently ousted Sejm
speaker Andrzej Lepper to present evidence supporting his claims last
week that several of Poland's leading politicians, including two
ministers, have accepted bribes (see "RFE/RL Poland, Belarus, and
Ukraine Report," 4 December 2001), PAP reported on 3 December. Lepper
on 30 December said he will not submit the materials confirming his
allegations to the prosecution because he "does not trust it." On 3
December, he told journalists that he will ask the parliament to
appoint a special commission to examine his materials. JM
[48] ...WHILE DEPUTY SPEAKER WANTS TO SUE HIM FOR DEFAMATION
Deputy parliamentary speaker Donald Tusk has announced that after the
completion of proceedings brought by the state against Lepper in
connection with his corruption charges last week, he will begin a civil
case against Lepper for defamation. Lepper mentioned Tusk last week as
one of the five politicians who have accepted illicit payments in the
past. "There is a proportion of people in this country who believe
Lepper's words, and that is why the Prosecutor's Office should cleanse
not only me of these absurd accusations," Tusk said. JM
[49] CZECH PREMIER REFUSES TO EMULATE PRESIDENT ON IRAQ...
Unlike President Vaclav Havel, who said in an interview on CNN on 2
December that he would support an air strike on Iraq, Prime Minister
Milos Zeman said on 3 December that "for the time being I cannot see
any reason why I should speculate. If it is proved with sufficient
credibility that Iraq is entangled in the international terrorist
network, the international community will certainly know how to react."
MS
[50] ...DISCUSSES EU ENLARGEMENT WITH SPANISH PREMIER...
Visiting Spanish Premier Jose Maria Aznar and Premier Zeman on 3
December discussed in Prague EU enlargement and the struggle against
international terrorism, CTK reported. Aznar said that Spain, which
will take over the EU's rotating presidency next year, is willing to
conclude an agreement on a special regime that would allow Czech
citizens to work in Spain following the Czech Republic's admission into
the EU, but -- unlike Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, or Sweden --
he stopped short of saying his country will not limit the free movement
of labor after the enlargement. Aznar also said the assessment of
countries' individual performance will continue to be the guiding
principle of EU expansion. MS
[51] ...EXPLAINS GOVERNMENT'S REJECTION OF SENATE'S CONSTITUTIONAL
AMENDMENT
Zeman said on 3 December that his cabinet decided the same day to
oppose in the Chamber of Deputies an amendment recently passed by the
Senate that increased the upper house's prerogatives in the legislation
process. The premier said the amendment would "slow down the
legislative procedure." He added that he is "not quite certain" whether
the Czech Republic needs a second house of parliament at all. MS
[52] BRITISH DEFENSE SECRETARY SUPPORTS GRIPEN BID FOR CZECH AIR FORCE
Visiting British Defense Secretary Geoffrey Hoon discussed the bid by
the British-Swedish BAE consortium to sell JAS-39 Gripen supersonic
fighters to the Czech Republic with his Czech counterpart Jaroslav
Tvrdik in Prague on 3 December, CTK and AP reported. Hoon said he would
welcome a decision by Zeman's cabinet to accept the bid, and added that
Czech pilots and ground forces will be able to train in Britain if a
positive decision on the bid is made. Tvrdik said the government is
likely to discuss the bid early next week, since the decision has
already been postponed four times and cannot be delayed any further.
"We cannot reform our military without knowing the future shape of our
air force," he commented. The BAE consortium was left as the only
bidder in a tender from which U.S. and French competitors withdrew on
the grounds that it lacked transparency. Hoon was also received by
Premier Zeman, with whom he discussed both the Gripen purchase and NATO
enlargement. They agreed that in the wake of the terrorist attacks on
the United States, more countries are likely to be admitted to NATO at
the 2002 summit in Prague than would otherwise have been the case. MS
[53] OSLO ASKS PRAGUE TO RETURN SOLIH TO NORWAY
Norwegian Foreign Minister Jan Peters asked his Czech counterpart Jan
Kavan to return Uzbek opposition leader Muhammad Solih to Norway rather
than extradite him to Tashkent, CTK reported. Solih was detained last
week at Prague's airport (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 30 November and 3
December 2001). Kavan said he supports the Norwegian request. The two
foreign ministers met at the OSCE meeting of chief diplomats in
Bucharest. Solih has been granted refugee status in Norway. MS
[54] CZECH COMMUNIST INTERIOR MINISTER DENIES CHARGES IN COURT
On 3 December, former communist Interior Minister Jaromir Obzina denied
in court charges of abuse of power and exerting illegal pressure in the
1970s and 1980s, CTK and international news agencies reported. Obzina
is being tried for his role in the so-called "Asanace" operation of the
communist secret police, which aimed at intimidating and forcing into
immigration signatories of the Charter '77 human rights manifesto (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 20 November 2002). Obzina told the court he has
always respected the law and explained that the intention of the
operation was to meet requests by the signatories to either travel
abroad or move there permanently. Many of those who left had their
Czechoslovak citizenship revoked, making it impossible for them to
return. MS
[55] CZECH TV-3 LAYS OFF MOST OF ITS STAFF
Sixty percent of the private TV-3 channel's staff received notices on 1
December that their contracts were terminated, CTK reported. TV-3
interrupted broadcasts the same day (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 3 December
2001). Station Director Jan Martinek said that the remaining staff
members have been assured that conditions are being maintained for the
possible resumption of broadcasts in the event that the Council for
Radio and Television Broadcasts reverses its decision. The dispute at
TV-3 pits Czech businessman Martin Kindernay, who owns the station's
broadcasting license, and the station's Norway-based investor European
Media Ventures EMV, dpa reported. Last month, regulators with the
broadcasting council ruled in favor of a Kindernay request to transfer
TV-3's license to RTV Galaxie, a company that Kindernay controls,
instead of to a company controlled by EMV, in which Kindernay holds a
stake. Under Czech law, only Czechs can hold broadcasting licenses. But
EMV continued operating T-V3, prompting Kindernay to lodge a "pirating"
complaint with the broadcasting council. MS
[56] SLOVAK PREMIER DISAPPOINTED BY RESULTS OF REGIONAL ELECTIONS
Mikulas Dzurinda, who also head the Slovak Democratic and Christian
Union (SDKU), said on 3 December that he "cannot rejoice" in the
results of the first regional elections held on 1 December, CTK
reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 3 December 2001). Dzurinda said one of
the reasons for the poor performance of the SDKU was the low turnout,
and that he will call on members of his party and supporters to vote in
greater numbers in the second round, which is scheduled for 15
December. Dzurinda said another reason for the unfavorable results was
the "inability of the right to join forces in electoral alliances." He
also said he expects the results of the 2002 parliamentary elections to
be different from those of the regional ballot. "If we [the right-wing
parties] cooperate, we shall be stronger than the [Vladimir Meciar-led]
Movement for a Democratic Slovakia," he said. MS
[57] EU TO PROVIDE FULL AID TO SLOVAKIA IN 2002
Slovakia received news on 3 December that it is to get the entire 106
million euro ($95 million) aid package from the EU in 2002, a reversal
of last month's decision by the European Parliament's Budget Commission
to cut 15 million euros from the package due to suspicion of
mismanagement funds and corruption, CTK reported. Commission Chairman
Carlos Costa Nevez said there is now "sufficient evidence" that
Slovakia has reinforced its struggle against corruption and has
improved its system of financial checks. As a result of the
mismanagement suspicion, former Deputy Premier Pavol Hamzik resigned
from the government earlier this year, and other officials were
dismissed. An investigation subsequently failed to confirm
mismanagement, but did confirm "nontransparency," favoritism, and
conflicts of interest. MS
[58] HUNGARIAN SOCIALISTS PROPOSE MAY 2002 ELECTIONS
Opposition Socialist Party (MSZP) Chairman Laszlo Kovacs announced on 3
December that the MSZP's National Council will convoke a 26 January
congress to debate the party's election program and determine its
national list of candidates. Kovacs also said the party's Governing
Board will recommend that President Ferenc Madl follow current custom
and convene the parliamentary elections for May 2002. The governing
coalition parties have not yet agreed on a preferred date, but FIDESZ
politicians prefer that elections be held in April, "Nepszabadsag"
reported. In other news, the MSZP's candidate for prime minister, Peter
Medgyessy, has sent out letters outlining the programs of a future
Socialist government to 2.8 million households, and asking them "to
vote for change." MSZ
[59] FIDESZ OFFICIAL SAYS LINKS WITH EXTREMISTS TREATED UNEVENLY
In an interview with the Hungarian-language Slovak daily "Uj Szo" on 3
December, FIDESZ Executive Deputy Chairman Laszlo Kover said he
"sympathizes" with Prime Minister Viktor Orban's recent statement that
he "will not rule out anything" concerning a possible cooperation
between FIDESZ and the extremist Hungarian Justice and Life Party
(MIEP) after next year's elections. Kover also claimed that FIDESZ is
being asked "time and again" to dissociate itself from MIEP, while no
one demands that MSZP do the same in regard to its ties with the
extreme leftist Workers' Party, a formation that advocates communism
and considers Hungary's change of regime to be a mistake. MSZ/MS
[60] HUNGARIAN CALVINIST PASTORS STRUGGLE WITH POLITICAL ISSUES
The Calvinist Diocese Tribunal suspended Geza Gorgey from his
pastorship for 60 days on 3 December for his recent criticisms in
Hungarian media of the links between several representatives of the
Calvinist Church and the MIEP. Gorgey said he regards the decision as
unlawful. In a related matter, Calvinist pastor Lorant Hegedus is suing
the weekly "Magyar Narancs" for 5 million forints ($17,500) in damages
for the weekly's description of him last June as a "chief Nazi of
advanced age," and a "grandpa figure of Hungarian political
anti-Semitism." In other news, the Federation of Hungarian Jewish
Religious Communities and the Hungarian Calvinist Church on 3 December
concluded an agreement to refrain from taking political positions or
providing or accepting support from political parties. The signatories
said they await other "historical churches" to join the pact. MSZ
[61] HUNGARY SUPPORTS ROMANIA'S NATO MEMBERSHIP
Hungarian Defense Minister Janos Szabo told his visiting Romanian
counterpart Ioan Mircea Pascu in Szeged on 3 December that Hungary will
support Romania's NATO membership at the alliance's 2002 summit in
Prague, Hungarian media reported. Szabo told reporters that it is in
Hungary's interest to see neighboring countries join NATO, as the
process would enhance regional stability. The two ministers also
discussed the establishment of a joint
Hungarian-Romanian-Slovak-Ukrainian battalion for emergency responses
in the event of natural disasters along the Tisza River. MSZ
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[62] SERBS DEMAND DEPUTY POST IN KOSOVA PARLIAMENT...
Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Nebojsa Covic, who is Belgrade's point
man for Kosova and Presevo, told chief UN civilian administrator
(UNMIK) Hans Haekkerup recently that the newly elected parliament must
have two deputy presidents, one of whom must be a Serb, the "Neue
Zuercher Zeitung" reported on 4 December (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 3
December 2001). The Serbs make up less than 10 percent of Kosova's
population and hold 22 out of 120 seats in the parliament. The
"Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" wrote on 1 December that Haekkerup
made a politically questionable decision in signing a pre-election pact
with Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica and the Belgrade leadership
recently (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 6 November 2001). Belgrade has
used the agreement as an opening to assert itself in Kosovar affairs.
The 90 percent ethnic Albanian majority wants nothing more to do with
Belgrade. On 3 December in Bucharest, Yugoslav Foreign Minister Goran
Svilanovic said that he "expects" that the Haekkerup-Kostunica pact
will lead to "more intensive cooperation" between UNMIK and Belgrade,
Deutsche Welle's Serbian Service reported. PM
[63] ...AND ATTEND PREPARATORY SESSION
The 22 Serbian deputies arrived by plane from Belgrade at Prishtina
airport on 3 December to take part in a seminar on parliamentary work
and procedure, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. They returned to
the Serbian capital immediately after ascertaining that UNMIK had
provided security only for the legislators and not for the 20 Serbian
journalists who accompanied them. UNMIK's spokeswoman Susan Manuel told
reporters that the Serbs had been told in advance that there was not
enough time for UNMIK to prepare security for such a large group,
Reuters reported. The following day, the Serbian deputies returned and
met face-to-face with their Albanian colleagues. The Serbian
journalists were given a separate escort. PM
[64] RUGOVA BEGINS TALKS FOR KOSOVA COALITION
Moderate ethnic Albanian leader Ibrahim Rugova, whose Democratic League
of Kosova is the largest bloc in the parliament with 47 seats, began
talks in Prishtina on 3 December with potential coalition partners,
RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 3
December 2001). His first discussion was with Ramush Haradinaj of the
Alliance for the Future of Kosova. PM
[65] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT CALLS ON YUGOSLAVIA TO EXTRADITE WAR CRIMINALS
Doris Pack, who heads the European Parliament's committee on the
Balkans, said in Belgrade on 3 December that "something has to be done"
about three Serbian officers living in Serbia who are wanted in The
Hague for atrocities committed in 1991 in Vukovar, AP reported. She
added that she and her delegation will bring up the subject in talks
with Kostunica on 4 December. PM
[66] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT SAYS MLADIC NOT IN SERBIA...
Speaking in Brussels on 3 December, Kostunica said: "to my knowledge,
[General Ratko] Mladic is not in our country," Reuters reported (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 3 December 2001, and "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 30
November 2001). He added that "a legal framework for cooperation with
The Hague tribunal is going to be adopted in Yugoslavia," but did not
say when. He has been promising such legislation for more than one
year. Noting the EU's opposition to Montenegrin independence, Kostunica
added: "We are encouraged by the support of the European Union for the
integrity of Yugoslavia and its opposition to any further
disintegration in Southeast Europe, or further fragmentation into small
states. That is a very important message" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 30
November 2001). PM
[67] ...WHILE YUGOSLAV MINISTER CALLS IT 'THEORETICAL'
Yugoslav Interior Minister Zoran Zivkovic said in Belgrade on 3
December that his ministry does not have any information regarding the
presence of Mladic in Serbia, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported.
Zivkovic added, however, that "it is theoretically possible" that such
documentation might exist somewhere. PM
[68] BOSNIAN SERB GENERAL'S TRIAL OPENS IN THE HAGUE
Proceedings began at the war crimes tribunal on 3 December against
General Stanislav Galic of the Sarajevo Romanija Corps in conjunction
with the siege of the Bosnian capital from 1992 to 1995. Prosecutors
said that Galic's snipers and artillery helped turn the city into "a
medieval hell," Reuters reported. Senior attorney Mark Ierace said that
one had to go back to World War II to find a parallel in modern
European history to the siege of Sarajevo. The tribunal's charges
included the statement that "the attacks on Sarajevo civilians were
often unrelated to military actions and were designed to keep the
inhabitants in a constant state of terror." Galic, whom SFOR arrested
and sent to The Hague in 1999, maintains his innocence. PM
[69] MACEDONIAN PRESIDENT OFFICIALLY CALLS FOR NATO TO STAY
Boris Trajkovski sent a formal request to NATO Secretary-General Lord
George Robertson on 3 December, calling for a three-month extension of
Operation Amber Fox, AP reported from Skopje (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 30
November 2001). Trajkovski said: "My firm belief at this moment is that
it is really necessary for NATO to send a clear signal to the remnants
of the terrorist groups...that their armed provocations and violence
will not be tolerated." NATO's North Atlantic Council will consider the
request on 6 December. PM
[70] UN CALLS FOR FUNDS FOR MACEDONIA
The UN's mission in Skopje has appealed to that body's unspecified
"wealthier members" to donate $41 million to finance its humanitarian
work in one of former Yugoslavia's poorest regions, AP reported on 3
December. Most of the money will be used to help the 100,000 people
displaced by the recent conflict. Assistance for agriculture and
livestock is also needed. PM
[71] YUGOSLAV SUCCESSOR STATES DIVIDE UP PROPERTY
Representatives of the five successor states to former Yugoslavia met
in Zagreb on 3 December to begin dividing up buildings that belonged to
the former government, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. They
agreed on ownership of five embassies or consulates abroad. They still
have to decide on 103 properties. The embassy in Washington has already
been assigned to Belgrade. PM
[72] ALBANIAN MINISTERS OFFER TO QUIT
Finance Minister Anastas Angjeli and Privatization Minister Mustafa
Muci told the 119 members of the Socialist Party's (PS) steering
committee in Tirana on 3 December that they will quit their posts if it
will help end the feud between Prime Minister Ilir Meta and PS leader
Fatos Nano, Reuters reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 28 November 2001).
Muci charged that a "dirty political game" is under way against him.
Angjeli said that he wants to avoid a split in the PS that would force
the holding of new elections. Meta told the private station Klan TV
that "this is not a crisis of the Socialist Party, this is a crisis of
Fatos Nano," AP reported. Observers suggest that the split in the party
is too deep to be healed by resignations from the government alone. PM
[73] ROMANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ENDS OSCE ROTATING PRESIDENCY TERM
In his 3 December speech at the OSCE's Ninth Ministerial Council
meeting in Bucharest, OSCE chairman-in-office Mircea Geoana said that
in future the organization should pay increased attention to the links
between organized crime and international terrorism, RFE/RL's Bucharest
bureau reported. Geoana also met with foreign ministers attending the
gathering (see below) and, separately, with his partners in the current
OSCE "troika," Austrian Foreign Minister Benita Ferrero-Waldner and
Portuguese Foreign Minister Jaime Gama. Portugal will take over the
rotating chairmanship in 2002, while Austria will leave the "troika"
next year. Also on 3 December, Prime Minister Adrian Nastase discussed
with Balkan Stability Pact coordinator Bodo Hombach regional
cooperation and the possibility of lifting visa requirements for
Romanian citizens traveling to EU member states. MS
[74] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT SAYS TREATY WITH RUSSIA 'PRACTICALLY
FINALIZED'...
After receiving Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, who is attending
the OSCE meeting in Bucharest, President Ion Iliescu said on 4 December
the basic treaty between the two countries is "practically finalized,"
and the sides are now working on a joint declaration to be appended to
the treaty and which will deal with "problems of common interest,"
Romanian radio reported. MS
[75] ...WARNS AGAINST ARAFAT'S POLITICAL DEPARTURE
Against the background of the current Israeli retaliations against the
Palestinian Authority, Iliescu warned on 3 December that the
authority's leader, Yasser Arafat, must not depart from the political
scene, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. Iliescu said Arafat "played
and continues to play an essential role" in the Middle East peace
process and that "it would be a great mistake to try doing away with
him," since "he would be then replaced by 10 different 'Arafats' who
would only complicate the political dialogue." Iliescu also released a
statement deploring the loss of life as a result of the terrorist
attacks in Jerusalem and Haifa on 2 and 3 December. The government
published a similar declaration on 3 December, denouncing the
terrorists' "criminal acts." U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and
Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres both arrived in Bucharest on 4
December and will meet to discuss the current tense situation. MS
[76] ROMANIAN, HUNGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTERS DISCUSS STATUS LAW
Hungarian Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi, who is attending the OSCE
Bucharest meeting, received from Geoana a written response by the
Romanian government to Premier Viktor Orban's earlier letter on the
Status Law, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. Martonyi said that he
is "moderately optimistic" because both sides have the "political will"
to reach a compromise on the dispute, and that negotiations will
continue. Geoana said he will discuss the matter again with Martonyi
when they meet later this week in Brussels at a NATO conference of
foreign ministers. Also on 3 December, Hungarian Foreign Ministry State
Secretary Zsolt Nemeth said at a forum organized by the National
Liberal Party in Bucharest that Budapest is ready to "make compromises"
on the law, which will be reflected in the decrees for its
implementation. He denied that the government failed to consult Romania
on the law's stipulations, adding that "if the situation of national
minorities were perfect, there would be no need for such a law." MS
[77] UDMR DISCIPLINES SENATOR FOR INITIATING NATIONAL DAY BOYCOTT
Hungarian Democratic Federation of Romania (UDMR) Senator Csaba Sogor
resigned on 3 December as secretary of the UDMR parliamentary group in
the Senate after the group's members asked him to do so, RFE/RL's
Bucharest bureau reported. Senator Attila Verestoy, who heads the UDMR
parliamentary group in the upper house, said the formation's
disciplinary commission will also discuss the case, but that it is
unlikely that Sogor will be expelled, since it was his "first offense."
Sogor, who initiated the call to boycott the 1 December National Day
ceremonies, claimed the uproar was caused by a "mistaken translation
from Hungarian into Romanian." He said the appeal called on Hungarians
to wear black armbands "only in the event that they are forced to
participate in the celebrations, as in communist times." MS
[78] MOLDOVAN, UKRAINIAN PREMIERS DIFFER ON INTERPRETING MEETING
RESULTS
Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev said on 3 December that during his 29
November meeting with Ukrainian Premier Anatoliy Kinakh on the eve of
the CIS summit in Moscow, Ukraine undertook to set up seven joint
customs unions on its territory, Infotag reported. He added that
Moldova hopes a formal bilateral agreement on doing so will soon be
signed, Infotag reported. Tarlev said that during his talks with Kinakh
he succeeded in clarifying a "misunderstanding" that arose in
connection with President Vladimir Voronin's statements of 26 November,
which triggered an official Ukrainian protest (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
27 November 2001). According to the Moldovan premier, the
"misunderstanding" was due to the Ukrainian leadership's having been
"misled by biased information." But Kinakh said Ukraine "rules out any
dialogue" as long as Moldova continues to exert political or
international pressure on Ukraine. Kinakh said the deadline for signing
the accords on the customs posts reached in Odessa on 22 November
"expires today and all indications are that no document will be signed"
on the matter. MS
[79] MOLDOVAN COURT ORDERS RUSSIAN-LANGUAGE WEEKLY CLOSED DOWN
A Chisinau court of justice on 3 December ruled that the Russian
language weekly "Kommersant Moldovy" must be closed down for
"unconstitutional activity," Infotag reported. The court was acting on
a legal suit launched by the Prosecutor-General's Office, which claimed
that "Kommersant Moldovy" supports the separatist Transdniester regime
and thereby infringes on the constitutional provision stipulating that
Moldova is a "unitary state." The staff of the weekly responded that
the ruling was politically motivated and signifies "the end of Moldovan
democracy." They said that "Kommersant Moldovy" has "occasionally
reprinted Transdniester mass media reports for the purpose of providing
readers with a multifaced access to information." They also warned that
opposition parties in Moldova can now "expect a similar fate." MS
[80] SMIRNOV'S ELECTORAL RIVALS SUBJECTED TO INTIMIDATION
Unidentified assailants on 3 December beat up the driver of Alexei
Belinskii, who heads the electoral campaign for Tom Zenovich, one of
separatist leader Igor Smirnov's challengers in the "presidential
election" scheduled for 9 December, ITAR-TASS reported. A spokeswoman
for Zenovich's staff said that "not finding Belinskii in the car, the
attackers beat up the driver, who has been hospitalized with injuries."
Earlier on 3 December, Transdniester "Foreign Minister" Valerii Litskay
demanded that the Central Election Commission ban a television clip of
the Zenovich campaign in which Litskay was shown vacationing abroad,
and voters were asked whether this was why they paid taxes. MS
[81] BULGARIA TO TAKE OVER OSCE ROTATING CHAIRMANSHIP IN 2004
Bulgaria will take over the OSCE rotating chairmanship in 2004, Foreign
Minister Solomon Pasi said on 3 December at the OSCE's Ninth
Ministerial Meeting in Bucharest, Mediafax reported. Pasi said
"intensive preparations" for doing so are already being made, and
expressed gratitude for the support his country's candidacy for the
position has received from OSCE members. Slovene Foreign Minister
Dimitrij Rupel said Slovenia will succeed Bulgaria in the rotating
chairmanship in 2005. MS
[82] TURKISH MUFTI PLEDGES DURING BULGARIAN VISIT TO FIGHT RADICAL
ISLAM
Turkey's top spiritual leader Mufti Mehmet Nuri Yilmaz pledged on 3
December during a three-day visit to Bulgaria to fight the spread of
radical Islam in his country and among Bulgaria's ethnic Turkish
community, AP reported. The mufti, who also heads Turkey's governmental
agency on religious cults, said he plans to work with Bulgaria's Muslim
minority to prevent "fundamentalist groups from infiltrating Islamic
education." Yilmaz said he is taking steps to keep teachers and books
preaching radical Islam out of schools in Turkey and ethnic Turkish
communities in Bulgaria. Turkey finances a number of Islamic schools in
southern Bulgaria and provides training for many of the community's
teachers. Yilmaz met with Bulgarian Orthodox Patriarch Maxim, Prime
Minister Simeon Saxecoburggotski and with leaders of Bulgaria's
Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities. MS
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