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RFE/RL Newsline, 02-01-15
CONTENTS
[01] RUSSIA, U.S. DISCUSS STRATEGIC STABILITY
[02] UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES ARRIVES IN RUSSIA
[03] RUSSIAN AND LITHUANIAN FOREIGN MINISTERS MEET IN MOSCOW
[04] RUSSIAN POLITICIAN IN NEED OF AMERICAN HELP
[05] GOVERNMENT SETS UP FINAL HIKES IN DOMESTIC RATES...
[06] ...WHILE RAILWAYS FARES RISE WITH NO DELAY
[07] GROWING DEMAND PREDICTED FOR CELLULAR PHONES
[08] TV-6 JOURNALISTS MAKE BID TO MAINTAIN INDEPENDENCE AND CONTROL...
[09] ...AS RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY REJECTS U.S. CRITICISM...
[10] ...AND PROTESTS U.S. OFFICIALS' PRESENCE AT PASKO PICKET
[11] MEDIA MINISTER WINS ANOTHER COURT CASE
[12] IS RUSSIAN PRESIDENT POWERLESS TO IMPROVE THE HEATING SITUATION?
[13] TEACHERS GO ON HUNGER STRIKE FOR WAGES TO BUY FIREWOOD TO HEAT
[14] FSB OFFERS ITS ADVICE ON RAILWAY REFORM...
[15] ...AS GOVERNMENT TO TAKE UP ISSUE OF EES, GAZPROM LATER THIS YEAR
[16] ANOTHER SENATOR SELECTED
[17] RUSSIA FREEZES CONTACTS WITH CHECHEN PRESIDENT
[18] RUSSIAN MILITARY CLAIMS TO INFLICT HEAVY LOSSES ON CHECHENS...
[19] ...BUT WILL NOT WITHDRAW FURTHER TROOPS
[20] TRIAL OF INTERIOR MINISTRY OFFICERS OVER 'FRIENDLY FIRE' DEATHS IN
[21] MORE WITNESSES TESTIFY IN ARMENIAN CAFE DEATH TRIAL
[22] ARMENIAN OPPOSITION PARTIES DISCUSS POTENTIAL FOR COOPERATION
[23] AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITIONIST FINED FOLLOWING UNSANCTIONED DEMO
[24] ABKHAZIA REJECTS GEORGIA'S OFFER OF 'HISTORIC COMPROMISE'
[25] GEORGIAN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR REGIONAL ENERGY SYSTEM
[26] GEORGIA, NATO PLAN SUMMER MANEUVERS
[27] KAZAKH DIPLOMATS HOLD TALKS WITH AFGHAN GOVERNMENT
[28] KAZAKHSTAN REPORTS HIGHEST CIS GDP GROWTH IN 2001
[29] KYRGYZ PARLIAMENT AGAIN FAILS TO DISCUSS BEKNAZAROV ARREST
[30] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT EXTENDS MORATORIUM ON DEATH PENALTY
[31] TAJIKISTAN, PAKISTAN DISCUSS MILITARY COOPERATION
[32] UZBEK PRESIDENT MEETS WITH VISITING U.S. CONGRESSMEN...
[33] ...SAYS 'SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL' FOR ARMY
[34] OPPOSITION PARTY URGES OSCE TO IMPOSE SANCTIONS ON BELARUS OVER
[35] ...WHILE OTHERS WANT EU TO DEFINE 'NEW STRATEGY' TOWARD BELARUS
[36] MINSK REPORTS 4.1 PERCENT GROWTH IN 2001
[37] OUR UKRAINE LEADER DEFIES SMEAR CAMPAIGN
[38] UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT WANTS PROBE INTO ALLEGED SALE OF ARMS TO
[39] UKRAINE TO UPGRADE MACEDONIAN MILITARY EQUIPMENT
[40] UKRAINE'S GDP GROWS BY 9 PERCENT IN 2001
[41] PROGRESS IN ESTONIAN COALITION TALKS
[42] LATVIA REJECTS RUSSIAN CRITICISM OF PROSECUTING EX-SOVIET
[43] LITHUANIAN GOVERNMENT APPROVES OF DRAFT CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
[44] POLISH PRESIDENT EXPECTS 'BREAKTHROUGH' IN RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA
[45] CZECH PREMIER MIGHT RUN FOR PRESIDENT...
[46] ...REFUTES ALLEGATIONS OF COMPANY'S LINKS TO BIN LADEN
[47] CZECH POLICE DETAIN MEDIA MOGUL AGAIN
[48] MALFUNCTION AT TEMELIN SHUTS DOWN PLANT AGAIN
[49] CZECH RULING PARTY LAUNCHES PETITION IN FAVOR OF REFERENDA
[50] SLOVAK PRESIDENT BLAMES PREMIER, FOREIGN MINISTER FOR STATUS LAW
[51] HUNGARIAN, BRITISH PREMIERS DIFFER ON EU ISSUES
[52] HUNGARIAN SOCIALISTS, FIDESZ CONTINUE CLASH OVER STATUS LAW
[53] HUNGARIAN CHURCHES WELCOME STATUS LAW
[54] MONTENEGRO REMAINS FIRM ON INDEPENDENCE
[55] U.S. TROOPS IN BOSNIA TO CATCH KARADZIC?
[56] BRITAIN TO KEEP TROOPS IN BOSNIA
[57] PETRITSCH TO LEAVE BOSNIA IN JUNE
[58] CROATIA MARKS ANNIVERSARY OF INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION
[59] ROBERTSON TO VISIT MACEDONIA
[60] RIFT IN SERBIAN GOVERNING COALITION TO BE PATCHED UP?
[61] SERBIAN GENERALS TRADE ACCUSATIONS
[62] SERBIAN AUTO COMPANY HOPING FOR GAINS IN CHINA
[63] KOSTUNICA HOLDING KOSOVA SERBS TO HARD LINE?
[64] NO AGREEMENT AMONG KOSOVA ALBANIANS ON PRIME MINISTER'S POST
[65] ROMANIAN RULING PARTY TO BACK CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES
[66] BUCHAREST MAYOR SAYS NASTASE TRYING TO DRAW HIM INTO CORRUPTION
[67] CLUJ MAYOR TO DISMISS EMPLOYEES WHO APPLY FOR HUNGARIAN ID CARDS
[68] EXILED ROMANIAN WRITER RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS ITALIAN AWARD
[69] MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT ASKS PUTIN TO 'CALL BACK' SMIRNOV
[70] PROTESTS AGAINST RUSSIFICATION TO CONTINUE IN MOLDOVA...
[71] ...WHILE GOVERNMENT WARNS ORGANIZERS WITH DISSOLUTION
[72] OSCE WORRIED ABOUT TRANSDNIESTER DELAY OF RUSSIAN AMMUNITION
[73] BULGARIA OFFERS RELIEF AID FOR AFGHANISTAN
[74] FITCH IBCA UPGRADES BULGARIA'S CREDIT RATING
[75] There is no End Note today.
15 January 2002
RUSSIA
[01] RUSSIA, U.S. DISCUSS STRATEGIC STABILITY
A working group headed by First Deputy Chief of General Staff Colonel
General Yurii Baluevskii, on the Russian side, and by Defense
Undersecretary Douglas Feith, on the U.S. side, met on 15 January in
the Pentagon, Western news agencies reported. First on the agenda is
further negotiations on reductions of strategic offensive weapons, both
countries having pledged to reduce by about two-thirds of their
deployed strategic nuclear arsenals of more than 6,000 warheads each,
Reuters reported. The meeting takes place a week after the Pentagon
declared that some U.S. arms should be shelved for possible emergency
redeployment, a decision that did not please Moscow (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 11 January 2002). In addition, the Russian delegation plans
to discuss President George W. Bush's announcement that the U.S. will
withdraw from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty this year, news
agencies reported. However, there is on both sides a firm commitment to
find a common language in preparation for Bush's official visit in
Russia during the summer. "We are facing new conditions, under which it
is necessary to search for new forms of relations," RIA-Novosti quoted
Baluevskii as saying upon his arrival at Washington, D.C. VC
[02] UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES ARRIVES IN RUSSIA
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers arrived in Moscow on 15
January on a four-day visit, RIA-Novosti reported the same day.
Lubbers' program includes meetings with Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov
and Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, as well as visiting camps for
displaced persons from Chechnya in neighboring Ingushetia. This visit
occurs as the debate in Russia is focusing increasingly on Russian
victims of the war, rather than on refugees. This is the first trial of
military officers since the beginning of the second war in Chechnya. VC
[03] RUSSIAN AND LITHUANIAN FOREIGN MINISTERS MEET IN MOSCOW
Russian Foreign Minister Ivanov and his Lithuanian counterpart Antanas
Valionis met in Moscow on 15 January to discuss economic support for
the Kaliningrad Oblast, Russian news agencies reported. Moscow wants to
be sure that the forthcoming access of Lithuania to the European Union
will not create difficulties for Russians who live in Kaliningrad
Oblast and for the transit of Russian cargos through it, RIA-Novosti
added. Improving conditions in Lithuania for Russian business and
Russian-speakers is also on the agenda. VC
[04] RUSSIAN POLITICIAN IN NEED OF AMERICAN HELP
Russian State Duma Deputy Chairman Artur Chilingarov found himself
stranded at the South Pole and was rescued by a U.S. cargo aircraft,
news agencies reported on 15 January. Chilingarov led a tour to the
pole to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the first Russian flight to
the South Pole but encountered technical difficulties with his Russian
plane after having visited the U.S. Amundsen-Scott South Pole base.
Considering that Chilingarov was on a private tour, the U.S. government
now plans to bill the Russian government $80,000 for his rescue, RFE/RL
reported the same day. VC
[05] GOVERNMENT SETS UP FINAL HIKES IN DOMESTIC RATES...
The government has finalized hikes in domestic rates for the products
and services of the so-called natural monopolies this year, "The Moscow
Times" reported on 15 January, quoting Federal Energy Commission
Chairman Georgii Kutovoi. Kutovoi told Russian agencies on 14 January
that natural gas rates will increase by 35 percent, electricity rates
by 32 percent, and railway fares by 26 percent, and that the rates are
likely to be increased twice this year -- once before the end of March
2002, and once in the summer. The Federal Energy Commission regulates
the prices of Russia's natural monopolies, which include the railways,
gas monopoly Gazprom, and Unified Energy Systems (EES). VC
[06] ...WHILE RAILWAYS FARES RISE WITH NO DELAY
On 15 January, rail fares increased by 30 percent, ntv.ru reported the
same day. A railway ticket from Moscow to St. Petersburg will, from now
on, cost 233 rubles ($7.75) on a "platscart" class and 1,804 rubles in
the most expensive class (SV). Newly appointed Railways Minister
Gennadii Fadeev told Russian reporters that fares will rise by 26
percent before the end of March 2002, ntv.ru reported, quoting TV-6. In
addition, freight rates will increase by 14 percent, beginning from 20
January. VC
[07] GROWING DEMAND PREDICTED FOR CELLULAR PHONES
The number of cellular phone subscribers in Russia soared 131 percent
to 7.84 million in 2001, Interfax reported on 14 January quoting the
website Sotovik and J'son&Partners consulting company. At the same
time, the rate of growth in the number of users slowed slightly
compared to 2000 because most of the new users belong to the mass
market and cannot afford to spend much on phone bills, Interfax added.
According to Sotovik (www.sotovik.ru), experts predict that the number
of users will continue to grow in Moscow and the provinces and may
reach 14 million by the end of 2002. VC
[08] TV-6 JOURNALISTS MAKE BID TO MAINTAIN INDEPENDENCE AND CONTROL...
The Media Ministry received a letter on 14 January signed by Pavel
Korchagin, the executive director of TV-6, offering to give up the
television's broadcasting license earlier than required to make it
possible for the license to be transferred to the journalists and
managers working at the station, polit.ru reported. Those employees
hope to create a new channel on the basis of the old one. However, in
an interview with NTV and Ekho Moskvy radio the same day, Media
Minister Mikhail Lesin did not mention Korchagin's offer. Lesin said he
is not yet sure when the channel's broadcasting license will be
revoked, but it is possible that TV-6's broadcasting license will be
annulled as soon as the Liquidation Commission is created. After the
liquidation process is completed, an open competition for the license
will be held. He told NTV that in order to take part in the
competition, the workers' collective of TV-6 would need to register as
a new legal entity. JAC
[09] ...AS RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY REJECTS U.S. CRITICISM...
Also on 14 January, the Russian Foreign Ministry responded to an
earlier statement about TV-6 by the U.S. State Department. On 11
January, U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said that "the
quick and unusual manner" in which the Supreme Arbitration Court heard
the cases "added to the already strong appearance of political pressure
in the judicial process against Russia's independent media." The
Foreign Ministry accused the U.S. of indulging in "double standards
regarding freedom of the press in Russia." According to the ministry,
the TV-6 dispute is "above all, an economic dispute between its
shareholders." And the ministry added, "TV-6 is by far not the only
private television channel broadcasting in Russia, as some are trying
to assert." JAC
[10] ...AND PROTESTS U.S. OFFICIALS' PRESENCE AT PASKO PICKET
Also on 14 January, the Foreign Ministry sent a diplomatic note to the
U.S. Embassy protesting what it called "inadmissible actions by members
of the staff of the U.S. Consulate General in Vladivostok," RIA-Novosti
reported. The ministry complained that U.S. Consul General James
Shumaker and political consul Alexander Hamilton attended a 10 January
picket protesting the recent prison sentence handed down to former
military journalist and environmental activist Grigorii Pasko.
According to AFP, the ministry warned that it may take "corresponding"
measures, the nature of which it did not specify. According to
RIA-Novosti, the U.S. Consulate General reported that the two embassy
officials were merely "observers" at the protest rather than
participants. JAC
[11] MEDIA MINISTER WINS ANOTHER COURT CASE
Lesin won a lawsuit on 14 January against Igor Malashenko, the first
deputy chairman of the board of directors of Media-MOST, Russian
agencies reported. Lesin said Malashenko had defamed him when he told a
television audience in September 2000 that Lesin had offered Media-MOST
head Vladimir Gusinsky release from jail in exchange for control over
NTV. The court ordered Malashenko to correct the statement on air. JAC
[12] IS RUSSIAN PRESIDENT POWERLESS TO IMPROVE THE HEATING SITUATION?
Following President Vladimir Putin's meeting with EES head Anatolii
Chubais on 12 January and an instruction to the government on 10
January to investigate the heating supply disruptions, Dalenergo
announced on 14 January that it is resuming power outages in three
cities in Primorskii Krai. Electricity will be provided only in the
morning hours beginning on 15 January in retaliation for the buildup of
a debt of 64.5 million rubles ($2.1 million), according to ITAR-TASS.
Some military units, prisons, and federally funded research centers
will be affected. Meanwhile, residents in Ust-Kut in Irkutsk Oblast
still lack heat, NTV reported on 14 January. According to the station,
some residents have installed wood-burning stoves. Ust-Kut Mayor
Yevgenii Koreiko resigned last month following a phone call from a
local student during a nationally televised question-and-answer program
with President Putin (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 28 December 2001). JAC
[13] TEACHERS GO ON HUNGER STRIKE FOR WAGES TO BUY FIREWOOD TO HEAT
THEIR HOMES
Seven teachers in the village of Boguslavskoe in Primorskii Krai have
declared a hunger strike because they have not received wages since
October 2001, regions.ru reported on 14 January. The teachers say that
they do not have enough money to buy firewood, which is a necessity
since many live in private homes, according to the website. The
teachers have sent an e-mail to President Putin explaining their
plight, but are not confident that he will receive it. In Sverdlovsk
Oblast, some 200 teachers at five schools in the Alapaevskii raion went
on strike. They are demanding both that their wages be paid and that
they be raised. JAC
[14] FSB OFFERS ITS ADVICE ON RAILWAY REFORM...
"Vedomosti" reported on 14 January that the Federal Security Service
(FSB) has been interfering in the reform of the railway sector.
According to the daily, this is the first known instance of "chekists'"
interfering in the economic policy of the government. A memo about the
proposed reform from the FSB argued that if the railway system were to
be transformed into an open shareholding society, Russia's national
security would jeopardized because creditors could seize important
strategic resources of the country through the courts. The FSB argued
in favor of maintaining the country's railway infrastructure as a
single entity. Meanwhile, the government decided on 10 January to cut
the Railways Ministry's investment program in half, so that a hike in
cargo and passenger rates could be limited. JAC
[15] ...AS GOVERNMENT TO TAKE UP ISSUE OF EES, GAZPROM LATER THIS YEAR
"Vedomosti" also reported that the government has charted out its plans
for the first quarter of the year. According to the daily, the
government plans to approve investment programs for EES in February,
and Gazprom in March. JAC
[16] ANOTHER SENATOR SELECTED
Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug Governor Yurii Neelov asked local
legislators on 11 January to approve Aleksandr Yevstifeev as his
representative to the Federation Council. Yevstifeev is currently a
deputy presidential envoy to the Volga federal district. (Yamalo-Nenets
is a member of the Urals federal district.) Neelov told the okrug's
Duma that Yevstifeev has more than 20 years experience in legal and
legislative work. JAC
[17] RUSSIA FREEZES CONTACTS WITH CHECHEN PRESIDENT
The Russian leadership is not currently in contact with representatives
of Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov, Nikolai Britvin, who is the
deputy presidential representative to the South Russia federal
district, told ITAR-TASS on 14 January. Britvin said that earlier
contacts proved "ineffective," and that the terms proposed by
Maskhadov's representatives were "unacceptable to Russia." He did not
elaborate. Presidential representative to the Southern federal district
Viktor Kazantsev met in Moscow last November with Maskhadov's envoy,
Akhmed Zakaev, but reportedly failed to identify a mutually acceptable
approach to ending the war (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 and 20 November
2001). LF
[18] RUSSIAN MILITARY CLAIMS TO INFLICT HEAVY LOSSES ON CHECHENS...
Federal forces in Chechnya killed over 1,000 Chechen fighters,
including 30 field commanders, in search-and-destroy operations over
the past 2 1/2 months, Interfax reported on 14 January, quoting the
commander of the combined federal forces, Lieutenant General Vladimir
Moltenskoi. A Russian military spokesman at the Khankala base near
Grozny said the same day that 24 Chechen fighters were killed last week
alone. LF
[19] ...BUT WILL NOT WITHDRAW FURTHER TROOPS
No further Russian troops will be withdrawn from Chechnya this year,
Colonel General Gennadii Troshev, commander of the North Caucasus
Military District, told journalists in Grozny on 14 January, ITAR-TASS
reported. At the same time, Troshev said it is planned to end the
"antiterrorist" operation in Chechnya by May 2002. Speaking in Moscow
on 10 January, Russian armed forces Chief of General Staff General
Anatolii Kvashnin claimed that no large bands of Chechen fighters
remain, only "insignificant pockets of resistance." LF
[20] TRIAL OF INTERIOR MINISTRY OFFICERS OVER 'FRIENDLY FIRE' DEATHS IN
CHECHNYA POSTPONED
The trial at a Moscow Oblast court of three Interior Ministry officers,
which was scheduled to begin on 14 January, was postponed after one of
the accused failed to appear before the court due to illness, Interfax
and AP reported. The three men are accused of an attack in Grozny in
March 2000 by an OMON unit from Podolsk on an OMON convoy from Sergiev
Possad, in which 22 policemen were killed and more that 30 wounded. LF
TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[21] MORE WITNESSES TESTIFY IN ARMENIAN CAFE DEATH TRIAL
Five people present in Yerevan's Aragast cafe on the night of 24-25
September, three of them members of the cafe staff, told a Yerevan
court on 14 January that they did not witness any brawls or scuffles in
the cafe that night, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported. Nineteen
people have testified to date in the trial of Aghamal Harutiunian, a
member of Armenian President Robert Kocharian's bodyguards who is
charged with the manslaughter of Poghos Poghosian. Prosecutors claim
that Poghosian was assaulted by members of Kocharian's bodyguard after
having addressed "obscene remarks" to the president, and that he died
of a blow to the head incurred in a heavy fall. LF
[22] ARMENIAN OPPOSITION PARTIES DISCUSS POTENTIAL FOR COOPERATION
Leading members of the opposition People's Party of Armenia (HZhK) met
in Yerevan on 14 January with leaders of the six parties aligned in the
"Socialist Armenia" union to discuss possible cooperation, Noyan Tapan
reported. The two sides acknowledged that their positions coincide on
such key issues as constitutional reform, social problems, and the 27
October 1999 parliament killings. But an HZhK spokesman excluded the
creation of a formal alliance as "premature." Similar talks on 9
January between Socialist Armenia and the Hanrapetutiun party ended
with the latter expressing readiness for "close cooperation." Albert
Bazeyan, a leading member of Hanrapetutiun, said an alliance between
the two groups is "possible," according to the daily "Aravot" on 10
January. LF
[23] AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITIONIST FINED FOLLOWING UNSANCTIONED DEMO
A Baku district court on 14 January fined Mirvari Gahramanli 82,000
manats ($17) on charges of insulting behavior during the 12 January
unsanctioned demonstration in Baku by female members of the Democratic
Party of Azerbaijan, Turan reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 January
2002). Human rights organizations issued a statement the same day
protesting Gahramanli's arrest as politically motivated. Also on 14
January, the Liberal Party of Azerbaijan issued a statement condemning
as a violation of the constitution and international norms police
violence against female participants in the demonstration. LF
[24] ABKHAZIA REJECTS GEORGIA'S OFFER OF 'HISTORIC COMPROMISE'
The UN-drafted document formulating the future relations between
Abkhazia and Georgia within a single Georgian state requires Abkhazia
to acknowledge it is a constituent part of Georgia, recognize Georgia's
present borders, and allow the return of Georgian displaced persons to
their homes in Abkhazia, Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze told
journalists in Tbilisi on 14 January, according to Caucasus Press. He
added that as a "historic compromise," Abkhazia will be permitted to
preserve its constitution and state bodies for an unspecified time
period. But Abkhaz Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba rejected
Shevardnadze's statements the same day as mutually contradictory,
pointing out that Abkhazia's existing constitution defines the Republic
of Abkhazia as an independent state, and that Abkhazia does not
envisage becoming part of a larger state. He added that it would be
more appropriate for Tbilisi and Sukhum to discuss the situation in the
Kodori Gorge, from which Georgia refuses to withdraw its troops. LF
[25] GEORGIAN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR REGIONAL ENERGY SYSTEM
In his traditional Monday radio broadcast, President Shevardnadze
advocated on 14 January creating a regional energy system that would
encompass Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia,
Turkey, and the Balkan states, Interfax reported. LF
[26] GEORGIA, NATO PLAN SUMMER MANEUVERS
A four-day conference of NATO and Georgian experts to plan for joint
military exercises in Georgia later this year ended in Tbilisi on 14
January, Interfax reported. A total of 16 countries have applied to
participate in those maneuvers, which will be held under the aegis of
NATO's Partnership for Peace program at the former Russian military
base at Vaziani near Tbilisi. But Armenian army Chief of General Staff
Lieutenant General Mikael Harutiunian denied on 12 January an AFP
report that Armenian troops will participate, although he said some
Armenian officers may monitor the maneuvers, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau
reported. LF
[27] KAZAKH DIPLOMATS HOLD TALKS WITH AFGHAN GOVERNMENT
A Kazakh Foreign Ministry delegation has held talks in Kabul with the
interim government headed by Hamid Karzai on expanding bilateral
relations, the provision of Kazakh humanitarian aid, and the opening of
a Kazakh diplomatic representation in the Afghan capital, Asia
Plus-Blitz reported on 15 January. LF
[28] KAZAKHSTAN REPORTS HIGHEST CIS GDP GROWTH IN 2001
Kazakhstan's GDP increased year-on-year in 2001 by 13 percent, the
highest figure registered by any CIS state, Interfax reported on 14
January, quoting the Economy and Trade Ministry. Industrial output grew
by 13.5 percent and agricultural production by 16.9 percent. Capital
investment was up by 21 percent, and consumer price inflation amounted
to 6.4 percent, according to Economy and Trade Minister Zhaqsybek
Kulekeev. Trade turnover increased by 7.7 percent to $17.7 billion. GDP
is expected to grow by 7 percent in 2002, Kulekeev added. LF
[29] KYRGYZ PARLIAMENT AGAIN FAILS TO DISCUSS BEKNAZAROV ARREST
The Legislative Assembly (the lower chamber of the Kyrgyz parliament)
failed for the second time on 14 January to convene a formal discussion
of the arrest of deputy Azimbek Beknazarov, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau
reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 7, 8, and 14 January 2002). But
parliament deputy Bektur Asanov announced on 14 January he has joined
the 18 people currently on hunger strike to demand Beknazarov's
release. Representatives of five Kyrgyz human rights organizations
addressed a letter on 14 January to President Askar Akaev, likewise
demanding that Beknazarov be set free. Meanwhile, Prosecutor-General
Chubak Abyshkaev held a press conference in Bishkek on 14 January at
which he reiterated that Beknazarov's arrest was not politically
motivated. Beknazarov is charged with negligence in failing to arrest a
man who killed another in self-defense in February 1995. LF
[30] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT EXTENDS MORATORIUM ON DEATH PENALTY
President Akaev signed a decree on 11 January extending for a further
12 months the moratorium on implementation of the death penalty first
announced in 1998, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported. Under a new
program on human rights that Akaev signed on 2 January, the death
penalty is to be abolished by 2010. LF
[31] TAJIKISTAN, PAKISTAN DISCUSS MILITARY COOPERATION
Meeting in Dushanbe on 14 January with Tajik Defense Minister Colonel
General Sherali Khairulloev, Pakistani Ambassador Abdul Majid Khan
affirmed his country's interest in expanding mutually beneficial
cooperation with Tajikistan, noting specifically that country's
experience in combating terrorism, Asia Pus-Blitz reported. The two
also discussed their respective countries' participation in the peace
process in Afghanistan and the regional situation in Central Asia. LF
[32] UZBEK PRESIDENT MEETS WITH VISITING U.S. CONGRESSMEN...
Islam Karimov met on 12 January with a U.S. congressional delegation
headed by Jim Kolbe to discuss various aspects of bilateral
cooperation, including U.S. economic assistance to Tashkent, Russian
agencies reported. Kolbe told journalists in the Uzbek capital the same
day that the U.S. has earmarked a total of $100 million in aid for
Uzbekistan, but that once the war in Afghanistan is over that aid will
be largely contingent on the pace of economic reform in Uzbekistan,
according to AP. LF
[33] ...SAYS 'SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL' FOR ARMY
Speaking on 14 January on the occasion of Defenders of the Fatherland
Day, President Karimov said that the country's armed forces should be
small, but equipped with modern armaments and materiel, Interfax
reported. He said the objective of the ongoing reform of the armed
forces is to create "mobile self-sufficient units...capable of the most
efficient methods of combat." Three days earlier, Defense Minister
Kadyr Gulyamov said that Uzbekistan already has "battle-ready armed
forces that can cope with the most important of tasks." LF
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
[34] OPPOSITION PARTY URGES OSCE TO IMPOSE SANCTIONS ON BELARUS OVER
POLITICAL REPRESSION...
The United Civic Party has appealed to the OSCE to impose economic and
political sanctions on the Belarusian regime of President Alyaksandr
Lukashenka because of its continued repression of political opponents,
the Charter-97 website reported on 15 January. JM
[35] ...WHILE OTHERS WANT EU TO DEFINE 'NEW STRATEGY' TOWARD BELARUS
A group of Belarusian opposition politicians has called on the foreign
ministers of EU countries to map out a "new strategy" with regard to
Belarus, Belapan reported on 14 January. The appeal was signed by
leaders of the Belarusian Party of Communists, the Belarusian Social
Democratic Party (Popular Assembly), the Belarusian Labor Party, and a
number of public associations. The document proposes that the EU expand
contacts with Belarus's "economic and political elites," support the
independent media and civil society institutions, as well as provide
assistance in creating "legal conditions conducive to the development
of civilized economic relations" and holding democratic elections in
Belarus. JM
[36] MINSK REPORTS 4.1 PERCENT GROWTH IN 2001
The Statistics Ministry has reported that Belarus's GDP in 2001 grew by
4.1 percent compared with 2000, Belapan reported on 14 January.
Industrial output increased by 5.8 percent while agricultural
production grew by 1.8 percent. The 2001 annual inflation rate was 46.1
percent, down from 107.5 percent in 2000. JM
[37] OUR UKRAINE LEADER DEFIES SMEAR CAMPAIGN
Former Premier Viktor Yushchenko, who heads the Our Ukraine election
bloc, has said he is not afraid of any compromising material that may
be used against him in the parliamentary election campaign, 1+1
Television reported on 14 January. "I do not feel that there is
anything behind me or my family about which I would rather not speak in
public," Yushchenko said. Yushchenko was commenting on the recent
disclosure of his wiretapped conversation with Kyiv Mayor Oleksandr
Omelchenko in which the two appear to discuss how to oust parliamentary
speaker Viktor Medvedchuk. The tape was made public by Dmytro
Ponomarchuk from the Popular Movement of Ukraine for Unity election
bloc (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 10 and 11 January 2002). The leadership of
the bloc has distanced itself from Ponomarchuk, saying he was paid by
Russian spin doctors to publicize the tape in a bid to compromise
Yushchenko. JM
[38] UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT WANTS PROBE INTO ALLEGED SALE OF ARMS TO
TALIBAN
The Verkhovna Rada on 15 January backed a motion by lawmakers Hryhoriy
Omelchenko and Anatoliy Yermak requesting the Prosecutor-General's
Office and the Security Service of Ukraine to check the recent
allegations by Germany's "Der Spiegel" of illegal sales of Ukrainian
arms, UNIAN and Interfax reported. Quoting Russian State Duma deputy
Viktor Ilyukhin in an article published on its website, "Der Spiegel"
said Israeli citizen Vadym Rabinovych jointly with former Ukrainian
Security Service chief Leonid Derkach and his son Andriy Derkach had
sold "military equipment" to the Taliban. JM
[39] UKRAINE TO UPGRADE MACEDONIAN MILITARY EQUIPMENT
Ukraine will help Macedonia upgrade its military equipment, Interfax
reported on 15 January. An agreement to this effect was reached during
a meeting of Ukrainian General Staff chief Petro Shulyak with his
Macedonian counterpart Metodi Stamboliski in Kyiv on 15 January.
Stamboliski told journalists that the talks focused on the equipment
already delivered by Ukraine to Macedonia and ruled out any new weapons
acquisitions. JM
[40] UKRAINE'S GDP GROWS BY 9 PERCENT IN 2001
Ukraine's GDP in 2001 increased by 9 percent compared with 2000, UNIAN
reported on 15 January, quoting a government official. Inflation in
2001 was 6.1 percent. JM
[41] PROGRESS IN ESTONIAN COALITION TALKS
President Arnold Ruutel concluded following talks on 14 January with
leaders of all Estonian political parties that the new coalition of the
Center Party and the Reform Party may receive the support of nearly all
deputies in the 101-seat parliament, ETA reported. The two parties said
that they hope to agree on a coalition program by the end of the week.
They have agreed not to change the current tax system of a flat income
tax on companies and individuals of 26 percent. The Center Party
supports the introduction of a graduated income tax, while the Reform
Party has called for lowering the flat rate to 20 percent. Center Party
Deputy Chairman Peeter Kreitzberg noted that the next round of
parliament elections are scheduled for March 2003, and thus there is no
need for the current parliament to try to make major changes in the tax
system this year. SG
[42] LATVIA REJECTS RUSSIAN CRITICISM OF PROSECUTING EX-SOVIET
OFFICIALS
Foreign Ministry spokesman Vilmars Henins declared on 14 January that
Latvia categorically rejects the regular reproaches by Russia over the
criminal prosecution of World War II veterans in Latvia, and regards
them as interference in the internal affairs of a foreign country, BNS
reported. The statement came in response to the recent charges made by
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Yakovenko that "Latvian
authorities have stepped up legal prosecution of antifascist veterans,
causing quite grounded concern." Yakovenko said that such
"investigation is biased, antifascist soldiers are presented as
'occupants,' and Hitlerite minions as 'freedom fighters.'" In December,
the Latvian Prosecutor's Office opened three more criminal cases over
possible genocide against the Latvian population by former officials of
the State Security Ministry in 1949, but no charges have been filed
thus far. SG
[43] LITHUANIAN GOVERNMENT APPROVES OF DRAFT CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
The cabinet expressed its unanimous approval on 14 January for the
draft amendment to Article 47 of the constitution, which would allow
foreigners to purchase agricultural land, inland waters, and forests,
ELTA reported. If adopted, the measure would become effective only once
Lithuania becomes a member of the European Union. The main incentive
for the amendment is the desire to comply with EU requirements.
Amending the constitution is a difficult process requiring the approval
of two-thirds of the parliament in two votes separated by a minimum of
three months. Fearing that foreigners would buy a significant amount of
farming land, the parliament's Agricultural Committee has recommended
that the government should try to obtain a seven-year transition period
from the EU before land sales to foreigners are allowed. SG
[44] POLISH PRESIDENT EXPECTS 'BREAKTHROUGH' IN RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA
President Aleksander Kwasniewski told PAP on 14 January that the
upcoming visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Poland may be a
"breakthrough" in Polish-Russian relations. Putin is expected in Warsaw
in the evening on 15 January in what is to be the first visit of a
Russian head of state in the past eight years. JM
[45] CZECH PREMIER MIGHT RUN FOR PRESIDENT...
In an interview with Radio Frekvence 1 on 14 January, Milos Zeman said
he would accept nomination for the post of president if a "stalemate
situation" arose and if the next head of state is elected by the
parliament, as required by current constitutional stipulations. Senate
Chairman Petr Pithart, in an interview with the daily "Pravo" on 15
January, said he would be ready to run for the position if the Four
Party Coalition decided to endorse his candidacy, CTK reported. In
previous statements, Pithart conditioned his running for the post on
amending the law to allow direct presidential elections. The Four Party
Coalition, of which Pithart's Christian Democratic Party is a member,
supports direct presidential elections. The ruling Social Democratic
Party (CSSD) has already announced that it would not support a Pithart
candidacy. President Vaclav Havel's second term expires in 2003, and he
cannot run for a third term. MS
[46] ...REFUTES ALLEGATIONS OF COMPANY'S LINKS TO BIN LADEN
In the interview with Frekvence 1, Zeman also refuted media allegations
that a company to which the Czech Republic last year sold the debt owed
to Prague by Russia is linked with terrorist Osama bin Laden, CTK
reported. Zeman said that following the 11 September terrorist attacks,
"U.S. intelligence services carried out accurate checks on all
organizations directly or indirectly linked with Osama bin Laden and
his Al-Qaeda organization," and that "Falkon Capital did not appear on
any of these lists." Citing the Russian weekly "Novaya gazeta," CTK
earlier reported that the Czech company Falkon Capital, to which the
government sold Russia's debt for $580 million in the autumn of 2001,
is directly connected to bin Laden. According to the report published
in that weekly by journalist Oleg Lurye, Falkon Capital is a subsidiary
of the Saudi Binladen Group, which is the main source of the
terrorist's fortune. Lurye wrote that Russia now owes Falcon $770
million, and claimed that his information is based on classified
documents of U.S. secret services and that Prague opted to make the
sale to Falkon despite being warned against it by unnamed secret
services. MS
[47] CZECH POLICE DETAIN MEDIA MOGUL AGAIN
Police briefly detained Vladimir Zelezny on 14 January and filed new
charges against him, but later released the media mogul on health
grounds, CTK reported. Zelezny's lawyer, Ondrej Kuchar, and Edita
Panuskova, who works in the office of Ales Rozenhal -- also a lawyer
for Zelezny -- were detained after being questioned together with the
Nova TV owner. A spokeswoman for the Financial Crime and State
Protection Squad said Zelezny is suspected of illegal transfer of his
property with the purpose of harming a creditor, dpa reported. Last
year, similar charges were filed against Zelezny and one of his lawyers
stemming from an alleged money transfer to a foundation in
Liechtenstein. The investigators said Zelezny shifted the cash to
Liechtenstein to dodge a $28 million debt to his former business
partner, U.S. billionaire Ronald Lauder. Last year, an international
arbitration court ordered Zelezny to pay Lauder compensation for the
1999 takeover of Nova TV, which they previously operated jointly.
Separately, Lauder won another arbitration, which ruled that the Czech
government must pay him $500 million. Zelezny was released by court
order after spending several days in jail. Following his release, he
met with parliamentary speaker Vaclav Klaus, who said the charges
against Zelezny are false. Last weekend, dozens of Czech intellectuals
signed an open letter to Klaus, demanding that he clarify his links to
Zelezny. MS
[48] MALFUNCTION AT TEMELIN SHUTS DOWN PLANT AGAIN
A technical malfunction on 14 January once again caused the
controversial Temelin nuclear power plant to be shut down, AP reported.
A spokesman for the plant said the safety system automatically shut
down the reactor after detecting a malfunction in a valve in the
non-nuclear section of the plant. Milan Nebesar said that "the problem
has nothing to do with nuclear safety," and that the reactor would be
restarted in a couple of hours," which it duly was. It was the second
such malfunction at Temelin within four days. In his interview on
Frekvence 1 (see above), Premier Zeman said on 14 January that he
believes Austria will respect the agreement signed with the Czech
Republic last November on Temelin. He added that he hopes new Austrian
elections will take place before the referendum that the far-right
Austrian Freedom Party is attempting to bring about this week. "The
sooner the Austrians get rid of [Joerg] Haider and his pro-fascist
party, the better," Zeman said. MS
[49] CZECH RULING PARTY LAUNCHES PETITION IN FAVOR OF REFERENDA
CSSD Chairman Vladimir Spidla and Deputy Premier Pavel Rychetsky
launched a petition on 14 January in support of a government-sponsored
bill that would make possible the holding of referenda in the Czech
Republic. The bill itself is now being considered by the Chamber of
Deputies. The CSSD said the bill would allow people to decide on
fundamental questions for the country's domestic and foreign policy.
Rychetsky said the purchase of supersonic fighters would be a suitable
subject for such a plebiscite. MS
[50] SLOVAK PRESIDENT BLAMES PREMIER, FOREIGN MINISTER FOR STATUS LAW
DISPUTE WITH HUNGARY
President Rudolf Schuster criticized Premier Mikulas Dzurinda and
Foreign Minister Eduard Kukan on 14 January for failing to ensure that
an agreement could be reached in due time with Hungary that country's
Status Law, the Hungarian dailies "Nepszabadsag" and "Magyar Hirlap"
reported. Addressing a forum of ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia, Schuster
said the cabinet's stall tactics have provided an instrument for
nationalist passions, which could spin out of control and cause harm to
both countries. Dzurinda rejected Schuster's comments, saying he has
presented his opinions on the law to Hungarian negotiating partners on
several occasions. Foreign Ministry State Secretary Jaroslav Chlebo
said Slovakia earlier indicated its objections to Budapest on several
occasions, and added that "the side that caused the problem is the side
that must also solve it." MS
[51] HUNGARIAN, BRITISH PREMIERS DIFFER ON EU ISSUES
Visiting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban failed to agree with his
British counterpart Tony Blair on 14 January on the issue of EU
agricultural subsidies and regional development funds, Hungarian media
reported. Following their meeting in London, Orban told reporters that
Hungary and Britain are "far apart" on these matters, and negotiations
over the next two months will be "critical." The two leaders also
discussed the fight against terrorism, the need for a new strategic
alliance between NATO and Russia, and EU enlargement. Orban said Great
Britain recognizes the achievements of the Hungarian economy, as well
as its low rate of unemployment. "Vilaggazdasag" quoted Blair as saying
the same day that there is no economic policy reason why Hungary should
not be admitted to the EU at the earliest possible date. MSZ
[52] HUNGARIAN SOCIALISTS, FIDESZ CONTINUE CLASH OVER STATUS LAW
If the opposition Socialist Party wins the elections in April, it will
suspend the implementation of the memorandum of understanding with
Romania and seek a new agreement that will serve the interests of
Hungary, party Chairman Laszlo Kovacs told Hungarian media on 14
January. He said the FIDESZ government is not confident of its election
victory, and thus it has planted a "time bomb" that will cause problems
for the next government when Romanian guest workers come to Hungary to
do seasonal work in the spring and summer. In response, FIDESZ Deputy
Parliamentary Group Chairman Robert Repassy said the Socialists'
remarks about the Status Law are reminiscent of the ideas of Joerg
Haider, who is afraid that Hungarian job seekers will flood Austria.
Thus, he added, "the Socialists are on the same platform as the far
right." FIDESZ Deputy Chairman Laszlo Kover said that "if ethnic
Hungarian communities abroad were not in such a good state of mind,"
then the opposition parties' actions regarding the Status Law would be
tantamount to "a kind of mental Trianon" for them. MSZ
[53] HUNGARIAN CHURCHES WELCOME STATUS LAW
Hungary's Roman Catholic, Calvinist, and Lutheran Churches issued
separate statements on 14 January welcoming the Status Law and the
memorandum of understanding with Romania on its implementation,
Hungarian media reported. The Roman Catholic Church said Transylvanian
Hungarians, despite all difficulties, can enjoy the benefits of the law
now that the memorandum of understanding has been signed. It also
voiced its concern and incomprehension of "manifestations eliciting
mistrust that are against the interests of Hungarians who were torn
from the motherland." MSZ
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[54] MONTENEGRO REMAINS FIRM ON INDEPENDENCE
Predrag Drecun, who is a Montenegrin member of the Yugoslav
government's expert team on the future of Montenegrin-Serbian
relations, said in Podgorica on 15 January that the Montenegrin
authorities remain firm on independence, Hina reported (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 10 January 2002). "The Montenegrin government will not
accept the views of the EU on a joint state," he noted. Drecun added
that Montenegro should clarify matters as soon as possible by holding a
referendum. The EU is opposed to Montenegrin independence and has been
pressuring Podgorica to maintain a joint state with Belgrade (see
"RFE/RL Balkan Report," 14 December 2001). On 14 January, Reuters
reported from Brussels that EU security policy chief Javier Solana has
postponed a planned visit to Montenegro. Speaking on condition of
anonymity, an EU official said: "It's a question of finding the best
moment for the trip, one that is most productive for reaching a
framework agreement." PM
[55] U.S. TROOPS IN BOSNIA TO CATCH KARADZIC?
The Banja Luka daily "Nezavisne novine" reported on 14 January that up
to 300 U.S. special forces troops arrived in Bosnia recently to find
and arrest former Bosnian Serb leader and indicted war criminal Radovan
Karadzic. An SFOR spokesman told AP in Sarajevo that it is NATO's
policy neither to confirm nor to deny any reports on specific
operations. Observers suggest that there has been growing impatience in
the international community recently over the fact that major war
criminals are still at large. Sourcing for the Banja Luka article is,
however, unclear. Speculative reports of possible arrests of war
criminals and of future indictments of individuals by The Hague often
appear in the regional media when hard news is scarce. In related
developments, "Vesti" of 15 January shows a photo of Orthodox New Years
celebrations in Banja Luka -- beneath portraits of Karadzic and his
fellow indicted war criminal, General Ratko Mladic. PM
[56] BRITAIN TO KEEP TROOPS IN BOSNIA
Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon told visiting Bosnian Prime Minister and
Foreign Minister Zlatko Lagumdzija in London on 14 January that Britain
will keep troops in Bosnia as long as they are necessary, Hina
reported. He added that a planned decrease in British forces simply
indicates that Bosnia is on the way to a stable peace. Hoon also
stressed that the U.K. supports the arrest of indicted war criminals.
PM
[57] PETRITSCH TO LEAVE BOSNIA IN JUNE
Wolfgang Petritsch will step down as the international community's high
representative in Bosnia by June, Hina reported from Sarajevo on 15
January, citing a statement by his spokeswoman. Petritsch hopes to
leave office once the constitution is changed to make Muslims, Serbs,
and Croats legally equal in both entities. His successor is expected to
be Paddy Ashdown of the U.K. Petritsch will head Austria's mission to
the UN in Geneva. PM
[58] CROATIA MARKS ANNIVERSARY OF INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION
President Stipe Mesic said in Zagreb that Croatia's struggle for
independence was a direct reaction to the policies of former Serbian
leader Slobodan Milosevic, Deutsche Welle's Bosnian Service reported on
15 January. That date marks the 10th anniversary of Croatia's
diplomatic recognition by EC -- as the EU was then called -- member
states and is considered one of the most important dates in modern
Croatian history, Hina reported. Already in 1991, Slovenia, Lithuania,
Ukraine, Latvia, Iceland, Estonia, and Germany recognized the new
state. Russia recognized Croatia on 17 February 1992, followed by the
U.S. on 7 April. The EC's diplomatic move followed the end of the
fighting in late 1991 and confirmed what was already an established
fact, namely that the former Yugoslavia no longer existed. PM
[59] ROBERTSON TO VISIT MACEDONIA
NATO Secretary-General Lord George Robertson will travel to Macedonia
on 18 January, dpa reported from Skopje on 15 January. In an interview,
he dismissed speculation that his trip is linked to reports of possible
renewed unrest there (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 January 2002). He said:
"My visit to Skopje is connected with the wish of Macedonia to become a
member of NATO. I'll visit all possible candidate states" as head of
the alliance. PM
[60] RIFT IN SERBIAN GOVERNING COALITION TO BE PATCHED UP?
Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic said in Belgrade on 14 January
that he is prepared to offer Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica's
Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) three ministries and a deputy prime
minister's post if it returns to the government formed by the
Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) coalition, RFE/RL's South Slavic
and Albanian Languages Service reported. He also offered the DSS the
positions of general inspector of the police and speaker of the
parliament. Dragan Marsicanin, who is the vice president of the DSS and
former speaker of the parliament, welcomed Djindjic's offer to
restructure the government. Marsicanin said that his party will
consider what to do next (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 11 December 2001). The
DSS has called for early elections if relations with DOS cannot be put
on a firm footing. PM
[61] SERBIAN GENERALS TRADE ACCUSATIONS
General Nebojsa Pavkovic, who is chief of the General Staff, said that
former General Momcilo Perisic planned a crackdown on opposition
leaders in 1997, when he headed the General Staff, "Vesti" reported
from Belgrade on 15 January. Perisic, who is now a Serbian deputy prime
minister and prominent member of DOS, denied the charges. He said he
will propose a measure in the parliament aimed at disciplining
Pavkovic. It is not clear whether he intends to work through the
Serbian or Yugoslav parliament. The army is a Yugoslav institution, not
a Serbian one. PM
[62] SERBIAN AUTO COMPANY HOPING FOR GAINS IN CHINA
The Zastava automobile plant in Kragujevac is hoping to sell up to
10,000 Yugo-Florida cars to China as part of a bilateral trade
agreement, Deutsche Welle's "Monitor" reported on 14 January (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 10 January 2002). PM
[63] KOSTUNICA HOLDING KOSOVA SERBS TO HARD LINE?
Following a meeting between Kostunica and Serbian legislators from
Kosova's Povratak (Return) coalition in Belgrade on 14 January,
Kostunica's office issued a statement, RFE/RL's South Slavic and
Albanian Languages Service reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 January
2002). It said that Povratak will not support any Albanian politician
who does not distance himself from independence and does not accept a
"dialogue with Belgrade." In practical terms, this effectively bars
Povratak from entering into a coalition with any ethnic Albanian party
in the legislature. Recent remarks by Djindjic and some Kosova Serb
politicians suggested that Povratak might concentrate its demands
instead on guarantees for the security and future of Serbs in Kosova.
PM
[64] NO AGREEMENT AMONG KOSOVA ALBANIANS ON PRIME MINISTER'S POST
The leadership of Ibrahim Rugova's Democratic League of Kosova (LDK)
reaffirmed in Prishtina on 14 January that it will offer the two next
largest Albanian parties five cabinet posts and two deputy prime
ministerships if they agree to form a coalition government, RFE/RL's
South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported. Hashim Thaci's
Democratic Party of Kosova (PDK) insists that it receive the post of
prime minister as part of any deal (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 8 and
11 January 2002). The smaller Alliance for the Future of Kosova (AAK)
of Ramush Haradinaj has not claimed any top post for itself but is
keeping its options open, Deutsche Welle's Albanian Service reported.
U.S. diplomats are working to end the political logjam. The U.S. is the
country with the greatest prestige and credibility among the Albanians
of Kosova and elsewhere in the Balkans. PM
[65] ROMANIAN RULING PARTY TO BACK CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES
Prime Minister Adrian Nastase told Romanian radio on 15 January that
his ruling Party of Social Democracy (PSD) will back demands for
amending the constitution. Nastase spoke after a meeting of the PSD
leadership in Sinaia the previous day. He said the party will support
changing the electoral system for the Senate to single-representation,
and that a new law on the financing of political parties is necessary
at this stage of postcommunist democratic development. Several
political parties as well as nongovernmental organizations have
demanded in the past changes in the present proportional representation
system and the legislation on the functioning and financing of
political parties. MS
[66] BUCHAREST MAYOR SAYS NASTASE TRYING TO DRAW HIM INTO CORRUPTION
SCANDAL
Bucharest Mayor and Democratic Party Chairman Traian Basescu said on 14
January that Premier Nastase is trying to draw him into the corruption
scandal that precipitated the decision to dissolve the Bucharest
General Municipal Council and hold early elections for that body,
RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. Basescu said that he had signaled
out improprieties on the town's General Municipal Council just a few
months after winning the 2000 local elections and had asked Nastase to
help him restore order. He said that the decision to dissolve the
council is wrongly based on unimportant judicial grounds rather than on
the need to fight corruption. In related news, Nastase on 14 January
ordered the Prosecutor-General's Office to conduct an investigation
into Basescu's statement that his Democratic Party had officially
declared that it spent $100,000 for the 2000 electoral campaign from
funds covered by donors, whereas in fact the costs of the campaign had
been over $1 million. MS
[67] CLUJ MAYOR TO DISMISS EMPLOYEES WHO APPLY FOR HUNGARIAN ID CARDS
Cluj nationalist Mayor Gheorghe Funar on 14 January said he will order
the dismissal of any employee of the mayoralty who applies for a
Hungarian ID card in line with the provisions of the Status Law, an
RFE/RL correspondent in the Transylvanian capital reported. Funar
claims that applying for such a document is tantamount to applying for
Hungarian citizenship, and that consequently no holder of the card can
continue to function as a civil servant in Romania. MS
[68] EXILED ROMANIAN WRITER RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS ITALIAN AWARD
Norman Manea was awarded the Noninio International Prize for his
lifetime literary activity, a press release of the Bard College
announced on 12 January. Manea, who left Romania in 1986, is currently
a professor at the college in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY. He was born in
the Romanian province of Bukovina and was deported in 1941 by the
Antonescu regime to a concentration camp in Transnistria together with
his family, losing his paternal grandparents in the Holocaust. He has
been subjected to frequent attacks in Romania since the fall of the
communist regime due to two articles published in "The New Republic" in
which he unveiled the fascist past of History of Religion scholar
Mircea Eliade and the Eliade cult in the postcommunist period. Manea's
works have been translated into more than 10 languages and he has been
awarded several other prestigious awards and honors, among which are
the MacArthur Fellowship Award and the Guggenheim Fellowship. MS
[69] MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT ASKS PUTIN TO 'CALL BACK' SMIRNOV
Vladimir Voronin, in an interview with the Russian NTV on 12 January,
said the Transdniester conflict cannot be solved as long as separatist
leader Igor Smirnov and the "gang" surrounding him continue to manage
the region and indulge in illegal trafficking of arms and drugs, and in
large-scale smuggling, Infotag reported. Voronin said that "it would be
nice" if Russian President Vladimir Putin "instructed" Smirnov "to
leave Transdniester in peace." (Smirnov has often stated that he is a
Russian citizen). In response to a question, Voronin said he would not
regard this as "interference in internal Moldovan affairs," and that
the real interference is that caused by Smirnov, who "has carved the
republic into two pieces." Voronin failed to secure a meeting with
Putin to discuss the Transdniester conflict. He stopped over in Moscow
on his way back from vacationing in Finland. MS
[70] PROTESTS AGAINST RUSSIFICATION TO CONTINUE IN MOLDOVA...
The participants in the protests against the introduction of compulsory
Russian classes in Moldovan schools decided on 14 January to continue
their protest on 15 January, when Moldova celebrates the 152nd birthday
of national poet Mihai Eminescu, RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. The
Social Liberal Party said the same day that it backs the protests. The
Popular Party Christian Democratic (PPCD), which started the protests
on 9 January, officially petitioned the Education Ministry to rescind
the decision on the compulsory Russian classes. The PPCD said that
decision contravenes the constitution, which stipulates that the
"Moldovan" language is the country's only official language and that
Russian is one of the recognized languages of minorities living in
Moldova. The PPCD said the ministry has bestowed "privileged status" on
members of the Russian minority, thereby discriminating against other
ethnic minorities. It also said that the ministry's decision
contravenes the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which stipulates
the right of parents to choose in what language their children are to
be educated. MS
[71] ...WHILE GOVERNMENT WARNS ORGANIZERS WITH DISSOLUTION
Justice Minister Ion Morei warned the PPCD on 14 January that it will
be outlawed unless it "offers explanations" within three days for its
role in the organization of the protests and unless the protests stop
within that period, Romanian radio reported. PPCD Chairman Iurie Rosca
said in response that the warning is "a scenario aimed at liquidating
the democratic opposition within a few days." MS
[72] OSCE WORRIED ABOUT TRANSDNIESTER DELAY OF RUSSIAN AMMUNITION
WITHDRAWAL
OSCE spokesman Matti Sidoroff said on 14 January that his organization
is "worried" by the decision of the Transdniester authorities to delay
the withdrawal of Russian ammunition, ITAR-TASS reported. Sidoroff said
the separatist authorities hindered earlier that day the departure of a
train loaded with ammunition of Russia's former 14th Army. The
separatists demand compensation in the form of metal scrap supplies and
the implementation of the earlier decision by Moscow to write off
Transdniester's debts for Russian gas deliveries. So far three train
loads of ammunition left the separatist region, in line with the
decisions of the November 1999 Istanbul OSCE summit. MS
[73] BULGARIA OFFERS RELIEF AID FOR AFGHANISTAN
Defense Minister Nikolai Svinarov on 14 January said Bulgaria is
prepared to provide relief aid to Afghanistan, BTA reported. Svinarov
said that his ministry has sent the participants in the 21-22 January
Tokio donors conference a list detailing its capabilities, and "if they
decide that what we are offering can be of use, we are prepared to
organize the delivery promptly." MS
[74] FITCH IBCA UPGRADES BULGARIA'S CREDIT RATING
The international crediting agency Fitch IBCA on 14 January upgraded
Bulgaria's ratings for long-term foreign currency, BTA reported. The
rating was raised from B plus to BB minus, and Bulgaria's long-term
rating outlook was changed from "positive" to "stable." The ratings for
long-term credits in local currency and short-term foreign currency
ratings were reconfirmed at BB and B, respectively. The agency said
that in recent months the Bulgarian government has set out prudent
fiscal targets and an ambitious program of structural reforms. MS
END NOTE
[75] There is no End Note today.
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