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RFE/RL Newsline, 02-01-24
CONTENTS
[01] TV-6 CLOSURE DEEMED ILLEGAL...
[02] ...WHILE MEDIA MINISTRY SLATED TO JUDGE RESULTS OF STATION'S
[03] ...WHICH COULD BE SOLD AS A WHOLE OR IN PARTS
[04] NEWSPAPER SAYS PRESIDENT LOSING FACE WITH POPULACE...
[05] ...AS WELL AS WITH U.S. GOVERNMENT AND WESTERN INVESTORS
[06] CIS DIRECTOR URGES PUTIN TO HALT MILITARY WITHDRAWAL FROM 'NEAR
[07] DUMA SHOWS SOME OF ITS OLD MOXIE...
[08] ...AS DEPUTY LAMENTS DECLINE OF CHAMBER'S INDEPENDENCE
[09] ANOTHER VOICE FALLS SILENT
[10] CUSTOMS COMMITTEE HEAD INVESTIGATED
[11] PRIME MINISTER SOUNDS ALARM ON GOVERNMENT CAR PRIVILEGES
[12] MOSCOW SEEKS TREATMENT FOR JUVENILE DRUG ADDICTS ON ARBITRARY
[13] ...AS ALCOHOLISM DECIMATES ADULTS
[14] MOTHERS IN PRISONS ARE PROMISED PARDON
[15] SOCIAL INJUSTICE IN RUSSIA LESS DANGEROUS THAN SOCIAL EXPLOSION
[16] VERDICTS HANDED DOWN TO RUSSIAN MEMBERS OF JAPANESE EXTREMIST SECT
[17] NEW ALTAI HEAD NIXES POSSIBLE MERGER
[18] IT WON'T BE OVER UNTIL THE FAT LADY SINGS
[19] ANOTHER EXPLOSION IN DAGHESTAN
[20] ARMENIAN OPPOSITION FORMS 'CONSTITUTIONAL MOVEMENT'
[21] ARMENIA, RUSSIA SIGN ANNUAL AGREEMENT ON BORDER GUARDS
[22] FORENSIC EXPERTS TESTIFY IN ARMENIAN CAFE DEATH TRIAL
[23] AZERBAIJAN, IRAN TO COOPERATE IN CRACKDOWN ON DRUG TRAFFICKING
[24] POLICE FAIL TO FORCIBLY INDUCT AZERBAIJANI JOURNALIST
[25] UN OBSERVERS PROTEST GEORGIAN DISPLACED PERSONS' PICKET
[26] GEORGIA LOBBIES FOR AMENDMENT TO PEACEKEEPERS' MANDATE ...
[27] ...WHICH ABKHAZ PREMIER SAYS SUKHUM WILL NOT ACCEPT
[28] PARLIAMENT DEPUTIES SOUND ALARM OVER CONDITIONS IN GEORGIAN
[29] KAZAKHSTAN'S COMMUNIST LEADER OPPOSES SENDING TROOPS TO
[30] KYRGYZSTAN, U.S. SIGN MILITARY COOPERATION AGREEMENT
[31] NEW KYRGYZ FINANCE MINISTER APPOINTED
[32] FORMER KYRGYZ PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE FLEES ABROAD
[33] GERMANY, BRITAIN MAY REQUEST USE OF TAJIK AIR BASES...
[34] RUSSIAN BORDER GUARDS TO REMAIN IN TAJIKISTAN
[35] U.S. SLAMS PLANNED UZBEK REFERENDUM
[36] BELARUS DENIES VISA TO FORMER HEAD OF OSCE MISSION
[37] RFE/RL HOSTS DEBATE BETWEEN UKRAINE'S TYMOSHENKO, MEDVEDCHUK...
[38] ...WHO DISAGREE ON LAND CODE, YUSHCHENKO'S CABINET
[39] UKRAINIAN BECOMES YOUNGEST WORLD CHESS CHAMPION EVER
[40] FUTURE OF ESTONIAN ENERGY DISCUSSED
[41] NEW EC DELEGATION HEAD URGES LATVIA TO FOCUS ON STATE
[42] LITHUANIAN PRESIDENT CONCLUDES U.S. VISIT
[43] POLISH PREMIER SUMS UP GOVERNMENT'S FIRST 100 DAYS
[44] POLISH POLICE, HEALTH OFFICIAL CONFIRM SUSPICIONS OF TRADING IN
[45] GERMAN OFFICIAL CRITICIZES CZECH PREMIER'S COMMENTS ON THE SUDETEN
[46] OVER HALF OF CZECH MILITARY PILOTS NOT YET VETTED
[47] CZECH GOVERNMENT TO TAKE OVER SEMTEX-PRODUCING COMPANY
[48] CZECH OPPOSITION ALLIANCE POSTPONES SOLUTION TO ODA DEBT
[49] SLOVAK FINANCE MINISTER TO RESIGN NEXT WEEK
[50] SLOVAK GOVERNMENT APPROVES AMENDMENT TO BILL COMPENSATING NAZI
[51] HUNGARY, SLOVAKIA DISCUSS STATUS LAW
[52] HUNGARIAN PREMIER SAYS STATUS LAW WON'T RESULT IN LOST JOBS
[53] HUNGARIAN EXTREMIST DECLARES WAR ON POLLSTERS
[54] VISEGRAD FOUR AGREE IN BUDAPEST TO UPGRADE SOVIET MILITARY
[55] SERBIAN PARLIAMENT PASSES VOJVODINA AUTONOMY BILL
[56] SERBIAN COURT HALTS PYRAMID SCHEME INVESTIGATION
[57] SERBIA CONTINUES TO SEEK 'REGIONAL' ROLE...
[58] ...AS COVIC OFFERS ADVICE
[59] U.S. HAILS PROGRESS IN MACEDONIA...
[60] ...DENIES SERBIAN REPORT ON KOSOVA
[61] MONTENEGRIN POLL GIVES SLIGHT EDGE TO INDEPENDENCE
[62] CROATIAN BROADCASTING CHIEF RE-ELECTED
[63] CHARGES AGAINST CROATIAN FORMER KINGPIN
[64] CROATIAN BISHOPS APPEAL ON REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT
[65] CROATIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES NEW IDENTITY DOCUMENTS
[66] KRAJINA REFUGEES TO VOTE IN REPUBLIKA SRPSKA
[67] EXPLOSIONS AT SPORTS CENTER IN HERZEGOVINA
[68] SLOVENIA AND BOSNIA NOT HAPPY WITH CROATIAN MOVES ON OIL SHIPMENTS
[69] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT CONDEMNS 'REGIONALISM'
[70] ROMANIAN ORGANIZATIONS CRITICIZE GOVERNMENT'S POLICIES TOWARD THE
[71] ROMANIAN EXTREMIST WANTS TURKISH BLUE MOSQUE RETURNED TO ORTHODOX
[72] ROMANIAN PREMIER SENDS 'PRIVATE LETTER' TO PPCD LEADER...
[73] ...AS ROSCA DEMANDS THAT MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT DISMISS JUSTICE
[74] BULGARIAN OPPOSITION SLAMS PREMIER OVER KOZLODUY STATEMENT
[75] DENMARK SAYS BULGARIA'S EU ACCESSION COULD BE SEPARATE FROM
[76] RUSSIA TO REPAY BULGARIAN DEBT WITH MILITARY SUPPLIES
[77] There is no End Note today.
24 January 2002
RUSSIA
[01] TV-6 CLOSURE DEEMED ILLEGAL...
Aleksei Samokhmalov, a media expert for the Council of Europe, told
reporters in Moscow on 23 January that the closure of TV-6 was
"illegal" because the "liquidation of a company should be undertaken
over a period of six months by [the company's] proprietors themselves,
not by a government minister or bailiffs," AFP reported. "Vremya
novostei" reported the same day that Media Minister Mikhail Lesin
signed the order discontinuing TV-6's broadcasts, and "The Moscow
Times" reported that small protests were held on behalf of TV-6 in St.
Petersburg and Yekaterinburg. Meanwhile, it was announced that the
tender for the station's broadcasting rights will be held on 27 March.
TV-6 General Director Yevgenii Kiselev said he "does not cherish any
illusions about the possible outcome of the tender. Most likely, some
other participant will acquire the license." In an interview with
"Rossiiskaya gazeta" on 24 January, First Deputy Media Minister Mikhail
Seslavinskii said participants in the tender will need to put up at
least $1 million. JAC
[02] ...WHILE MEDIA MINISTRY SLATED TO JUDGE RESULTS OF STATION'S
TENDER...
Seslavinskii went on to explain that the Federal Tender Commission for
TV and radio broadcasting rights (FKK) will examine the results of the
TV-6 tender. According to Seslavinskii, there are nine permanent
members of the commission. These include Media Minister Lesin,
Seslavinskii himself, Deputy Media Minister Andrei Romanchenko, Media
Ministry technical department head Sergei Nikanorov, Communications
Minister Leonid Reiman, TV journalist Vladimir Pozner, Internews
Director Manana Aslamazian, NII Radio journalist Mark Krivosheev, and
TV-6 director of sociological research Vsevolod Vilchik. Seslavinskii
added that although regional representatives are usually included in a
tender commission when the tender concerns a particular region, there
are too many regional interests potentially involved in TV-6's case to
include them all, so there will be no regional representation involved.
Seslavinskii reported that "unfortunately" a law establishing how such
a tender commission should be formed has not yet been adopted. The
commission, therefore, will operate according to a Media Ministry
order. JAC
[03] ...WHICH COULD BE SOLD AS A WHOLE OR IN PARTS
On 24 January, Media Ministry press spokesman Yurii Akinshin said
TV-6's network frequencies could be sold off as a whole or in parts,
Interfax reported, quoting an interview Akinshin gave to "Gazeta." "We
have not decided what to offer at the tender, either the Moscow
frequency and the national network, or a set of frequencies in parts,"
Akinshin said. TV-6 held broadcasting licenses for Moscow and
throughout Russia. VC
[04] NEWSPAPER SAYS PRESIDENT LOSING FACE WITH POPULACE...
By giving his subtle consent to the closure of TV-6, President Vladimir
Putin lost not only in the eyes of Russian democrats, but to a much
wider audience -- millions of the country's television viewers,
"Komsomolskaya pravda" commented on 23 January. The daily said those
viewers now understand that Putin, who is at odds with embattled
magnate and majority TV-6 shareholder Boris Berezovsky, is willing to
sacrifice the interests of millions of Russian citizens in order to
satisfy his own political ambitions. In addition, the paper opined,
Putin has lost face in the eyes of world public opinion, which will now
be more inclined to believe claims by the president's critics that his
regime is slowly moving toward authoritarianism. While many had been
reluctant to believe such claims before, Putin's latest actions have
bolstered his opponents' arguments, the daily said. VY
[05] ...AS WELL AS WITH U.S. GOVERNMENT AND WESTERN INVESTORS
The commentary continued by questioning whether the TV-6 affair is also
hampering relations between Russia and the United States, whose
officials have repeatedly expressed their concern over the fate of the
free media in Russia. By blatantly ignoring U.S. opinion, the paper
said, Moscow is placing its newfound partnership with the U.S. if not
in crisis, then under serious testing. Finally, the arbitrary
liquidation by the government of such a big commercial company will
alarm potential Western investors and fortify the position of those who
say that conducting business in Russia is far too risky. As for
Berezovsky's role in the affair, "Komsomolskaya pravda" said his image
is also taking a beating, as he is acting like a typical Leninist
guided by the principle "so much the worse, so much the better." VY
[06] CIS DIRECTOR URGES PUTIN TO HALT MILITARY WITHDRAWAL FROM 'NEAR
ABROAD'
Speaking at a press conference in Moscow on 23 January, Institute for
the CIS Director Konstantin Zatulin argued that President Putin should
publicly state that Russia is freezing the process of closing its bases
in other CIS states due to the changed international situation,
Caucasus Press reported. Zatulin expressed concern at the prospect of
the U.S. concluding a 25-year agreement on leasing military bases in
Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, and of NATO receiving basing rights in the
South Caucasus and Central Asia. LF
[07] DUMA SHOWS SOME OF ITS OLD MOXIE...
State Duma deputies approved a bill on nationalization in its first
reading on 23 January, despite opposition to the version from the
government and presidential administration, ITAR-TASS reported. The
bill sponsored by Adrian Puzanovskii (People's Deputy) polled some 239
votes -- just 13 more than necessary. Under the bill, property owners
are entitled in the event of nationalization to receive "quick,
effective, and adequate" compensation for the market value of its
property as determined by an independent audit. Puzanovskii told
RFE/RL's Moscow bureau that even small enterprises could be
nationalized under the legislation if they play an important role in a
region's infrastructure. The Property Committee recommended that the
Duma reject all versions of the bill, while the president and
government suggested waiting until the government has finished
preparing its version, which it plans to introduce to the Duma during
the second quarter of 2002, polit.ru reported. The government's envoy
to the Duma, Andrei Loginov, said that if the bill is passed on second
and third reading, it will be rejected both by the Federation Council
and the president. JAC
[08] ...AS DEPUTY LAMENTS DECLINE OF CHAMBER'S INDEPENDENCE
In an interview with "Vremya MN" on 23 January, independent deputy
Vladimir Ryzhkov said he believes the Duma "should strive for greater
political independence... Friendly work with the government and
president is, of course, fine," he continued, but the "Duma is playing
less of the role of representative organ, is thinking less about its
electorate, and is demanding less of the executive organs of power."
According to Ryzhkov, today the Duma is not even using those levers
provided to it under the constitution, such as the Audit Chamber. JAC
[09] ANOTHER VOICE FALLS SILENT
Well-known journalist and political observer Dmitrii Pinsker has died
in Moscow, "Vedomosti" reported on 23 January. Pinsker was part of the
exodus of staff from the weekly "Itogi" when that publication was taken
over by Gazprom-Media. Most recently, he worked at the weekly
"Yezhenedelnii Zhurnal," which was started by former "Itogi" Editor
Sergei Parkomenko (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 13 December 2001). Pinsker,
30, fell off a horse earlier in the week, and did not come out of the
anesthesia he was administered following an operation on his arm, which
he broke in the accident, "Vedomosti" reported. JAC
[10] CUSTOMS COMMITTEE HEAD INVESTIGATED
The Prosecutor-General's Office has ordered the interrogation of State
Customs Committee Chairman Mikhail Vanin following allegations that his
agency violated procedures during its investigation of the Russian
export company "Three Whales," "Vremya novostei" and RBK news agency
reported on 22 January. Last fall, Vanin headed the investigation into
the company, whose owner Sergei Zuev was accused of failing to pay
customs duties in 2000 worth some $5 million. During the Customs
Committee's investigation, it was revealed that the co-owner of "Three
Whales," is Yevgenii Zaostrovtsev, the father of Federal Security
Service General Yurii Zaostrovtsev, who heads the FSB's Economic
Department and is a deputy to FSB Director Nikolai Patrushev. Vanin's
findings also alleged that Patrushev himself may have been involved in
the "furniture scandal," as he was in charge of the FSB's monitoring of
the Customs Committee at the time. In response, working with the
Prosecutor-General's Office, the FSB opened its own case against Vanin,
"Vremya novostei" added. Meanwhile, in the same case the
Prosecutor-General's Office interrogated Vanin's deputy, Boris Gutin,
on 23 January, ntv.ru reported. VY
[11] PRIME MINISTER SOUNDS ALARM ON GOVERNMENT CAR PRIVILEGES
Mikhail Kasyanov has signed a directive ordering the reduction of the
number of government automobiles eligible for special emergency lights,
sirens, and registration plates, RIA-Novosti reported on 23 January. In
contrast to the past, when such privileges were granted to Russian VIPs
without following definite criteria, the new regulation will provide
such perks only to those functioning in the state hierarchy. Thus, only
members of the federal government, heads of state military, security,
and law enforcement agencies, leaders of parliament and parliamentary
factions, presidential envoys, and governors will be allowed to install
the equipment on their government automobiles. VY
[12] MOSCOW SEEKS TREATMENT FOR JUVENILE DRUG ADDICTS ON ARBITRARY
BASIS...
The Moscow Duma has initiated within the State Duma a proposed
amendment to the federal law "On Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances"
according to which juvenile drug addicts could be subject to medical
treatment without their will or consent, RIA-Novosti reported on 23
January. Current legislation bans such imposition of treatment, but
should the amendment be accepted, up to 1 million Russian teenagers
could potentially be subject to treatment, "Moskovskaya pravda"
reported on 23 January. VY
[13] ...AS ALCOHOLISM DECIMATES ADULTS
Almost 30 percent of men and 15 percent of women in Russia suffer from
alcoholism, and consumption of alcohol tends to grow from year to year,
utro.ru reported on 23 January. Official statistics reveal that Russia
has lost 27 million of its citizens to alcoholism over the last 50
years, a figure equal to the casualties incurred by the Soviet Union in
WW II, according to the website. In 1984 the Soviet Union was named the
"most drunk country in Europe," with per capita alcohol consumption of
13.6 liters per year, and today that figure has risen to some 25 liters
per person, utro.ru reported. Meanwhile, according to the calculations
of academician Nikolai Gerasimenko of the Russian Academy of Medical
Sciences, annual per capita alcohol consumption of countries' citizens
should not exceed eight liters, as levels of more than that amount lead
to the degradation of the state, the website reported. VY
[14] MOTHERS IN PRISONS ARE PROMISED PARDON
President Putin approved the proposal by presidential adviser Anatolii
Pristavkin Presidential Department for Pardons head Robert Tsivilyov on
extending an amnesty to mothers regardless of their crimes or prison
terms, Interfax reported on 24 January. The State Duma earlier adopted
a resolution on amnestying some 10,000 minors and 14,000 women.
However, women guilty of serious crimes or with a long criminal record
were not eligible for the pardon, Interfax reported. VC
[15] SOCIAL INJUSTICE IN RUSSIA LESS DANGEROUS THAN SOCIAL EXPLOSION
Writing in "Argumenty i fakty" on 23 January, former Moscow Mayor
Gavriil Popov said that despite more social injustice and widening
disparity in the distribution of the nation's wealth, there is no
threat of a social explosion in Russia similar to that experienced by
Argentina over the last few months. Popov said the reasons for his
conclusion lay in the ineptness of the opposition and weariness of a
population exhausted after enduring numerous wars and repressions in
the 20th century. But Communist Party of the Russian Federation leader
Gennadii Zyuganov recently offered another view at his party's
extraordinary congress (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 January 2002) when he
said: "Our people do not need to explode their country from within, as
has happened in other countries. How one can 'explode' a country that
has thousands of nuclear warheads, worn and torn nuclear reactors, many
big hydro-power stations with decaying equipment, and about 30,000
chemical enterprises making highly hazardous products?" VY
[16] VERDICTS HANDED DOWN TO RUSSIAN MEMBERS OF JAPANESE EXTREMIST SECT
A Primorskii Krai court announced its verdicts on 23 January in the
case of Russian followers of the Japanese extremist sect "Aum Senrike,"
who were accused of planning terrorist acts against Tokyo in an effort
to free their Japanese comrades from custody there (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 6 December 2001), Interfax reported. The leader of the
Russian group, Dmitrii Siogachev, was sentenced to eight years
imprisonment, member Boris Tupeiko to 6 1/2 years, and Dmitrii Voronov
to four years. VY
[17] NEW ALTAI HEAD NIXES POSSIBLE MERGER
Recently elected Altai Republic head Mikhail Lapshin has categorically
denied the possibility of joining his republic with the neighboring
Altai Krai, Interfax-Eurasia reported on 23 January. The possible
merger has been actively discussed following the suggestion last year
by Altai Krai legislature Chairman Aleksandr Nazarchuk that a
referendum should be conducted on the question (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
12 April 2001). JAC
[18] IT WON'T BE OVER UNTIL THE FAT LADY SINGS
Composer and producer Vitalii Okorokov has written an opera entitled
"Monica in the Kremlin," which borrows from the events in the life of
former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former White House intern Monica
Lewinsky but transfers the action to a Moscow setting. President Putin
along with other officials are featured characters. Okorokov told a
Saratov newspaper that he already has financial backing for the
project, which will have a budget of $2-$2.5 million. Okorokov is the
former manager of the all-girl pop group Kombinatsiya. JAC
[19] ANOTHER EXPLOSION IN DAGHESTAN
A member of Daghestan's police force was injured late on 22 January by
a booby-trap bomb, Glasnost-North Caucasus reported the following day.
The attack is believed to be part of the long-standing power struggle
between the republic's two largest ethnic groups, the Avars and
Dargins, and to be aimed at undermining the position of Interior
Minister Adilgirei Magomedtagirov, who is an Avar. LF
TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[20] ARMENIAN OPPOSITION FORMS 'CONSTITUTIONAL MOVEMENT'
Representatives of six Armenian opposition parties announced at a press
conference in Yerevan on 23 January the formation of a joint
"constitutional movement" whose objective is to use "all legitimate
means" to force the Armenian authorities to put their proposed
constitutional amendments to a nationwide referendum along with those
proposed by an ad hoc commission created by President Robert Kocharian,
RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. Kocharian has already rejected that
option (see "RFE/RL Caucasus Report," Vol. 4, No. 42, 20 December
2001). The opposition advocates transforming Armenia into a
parliamentary republic, while Kocharian's proposed amendments preserve
the presidency while curtailing the president's powers. LF
[21] ARMENIA, RUSSIA SIGN ANNUAL AGREEMENT ON BORDER GUARDS
Visiting Yerevan on 22-23 January, Russian Federal Border Guard Service
Director Colonel General Konstantin Totskii signed together with
Armenian Finance and Economy Minister Vartan Khachatrian an agreement
on the funding for this year of the Russian border guards stationed
along Armenia's frontiers with Iran and Turkey. Armenia will pay 57
percent of the total $6.2 million cost, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau
reported. At a separate meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Andranik
Markarian, Totskii expressed appreciation that the Armenian government
paid its share of last year's costs in full and on time. Totskii and
Armenian Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian traveled on 23 January to the
northern Armenian town of Giumri to inspect the Russian posts on the
nearby border with Turkey. LF
[22] FORENSIC EXPERTS TESTIFY IN ARMENIAN CAFE DEATH TRIAL
Two forensic experts who examined the body of Poghos Poghosian told a
Yerevan court on 23 January that he died of a blow to the back of the
skull as a result of a fall, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. But they
also said that Poghosian suffered numerous other injuries to his face,
body, and legs, which suggested that he had been beaten by several
persons. Aghamal Harutiunian, a member of the presidential bodyguard,
is facing charges of manslaughter in connection with Poghosian's death
last September in a Yerevan cafe. Harutiunian has admitted to giving
Poghosian a "gentle shove" that caused him to lose his balance and
fall. He also testified that Poghosian was engaged in a scuffle with an
unidentified group of young men immediately prior to that incident.
Also on 23 January, 18 organizations representing the majority Armenian
population of Poghosian's home region of Djavakheti in southern Georgia
addressed a written appeal to President Kocharian to "contribute to
establishing the truth" about Poghosian's death. They claimed that the
investigation has "completely distorted the facts." LF
[23] AZERBAIJAN, IRAN TO COOPERATE IN CRACKDOWN ON DRUG TRAFFICKING
Iranian Interior Minister Abdolvahed Mussavi Lari and Azerbaijani
National Security Minister Namig Abbasov signed an agreement in Baku on
22 January on cooperating in the fight against drug trafficking and
exchanging information on border security, Russian agencies reported.
On 23 January, Lari met with Azerbaijani President Heidar Aliev, who
remarked on the recent improvement in bilateral relations. Aliev added
that all issues related to his upcoming and much-postponed visit to
Iran have been solved (see "RFE/RL Caucasus Report," Vol. 5, No. 3, 17
January 2002). Several bilateral agreements including an updated treaty
of friendship, cooperation, and mutual security are to be signed during
that visit, which Aliev said will mark "a new page" in relations
between the two countries, ITAR-TASS reported. LF
[24] POLICE FAIL TO FORCIBLY INDUCT AZERBAIJANI JOURNALIST
Police in Baku tried but failed on 23 January to apprehend Anar
Neftaliev, a journalist with the newspaper "Milletin Sesi," in order to
take him to the local registration point for enlistment into the armed
forces, Turan reported. Neftaliev, who is 28, received his call-up
papers in August 2001 but received a deferment as he is a graduate
student. LF
[25] UN OBSERVERS PROTEST GEORGIAN DISPLACED PERSONS' PICKET
Caucasus Press on 23 January quoted a member of the UN Observer Mission
in Georgia as formally protesting the ongoing picket at the bridge over
the Inguri River that marks the internal border between Abkhazia and
the rest of Georgia (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 22 and 23 January 2002).
The acting commander of the Russian peacekeeping force deployed in the
conflict zone, Major General Aleksandr Yefteev, has likewise complained
to the local Georgian authorities that no measures have been taken to
restrain persons who "pose a threat" to the peacekeeping force and the
UN observers, according to ITAR-TASS. But Rusgen Gogokhia, who heads
one of the Georgian guerrilla detachments operating in the conflict
zone, denied that any attack on the Russian peacekeepers is planned,
according to "Rezonansi" on 23 January, as quoted by Caucasus Press.
Meanwhile, numerous Georgian political figures and organizations,
including the former paramilitary group Mkhedrioni, Abkhaz parliament
in exile Chairman Tamaz Nadareishvili, and the National Movement
founded by former Justice Minister and parliament deputy Mikhail
Saakashvili, have expressed their support for the picketers. LF
[26] GEORGIA LOBBIES FOR AMENDMENT TO PEACEKEEPERS' MANDATE ...
Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze told a government session on 23
January that Georgian officials are holding intensive and delicate
talks with Russian and CIS authorities on amending the mandate of the
CIS peacekeeping force to redeploy it on the northern border of
Abkhazia's Gali Raion, Caucasus Press and Interfax reported. He said if
no agreement is reached on doing so he will support the Georgian
parliament's 11 October demand that the Russian peacekeepers be
withdrawn. LF
[27] ...WHICH ABKHAZ PREMIER SAYS SUKHUM WILL NOT ACCEPT
In an interview with Apsnipress on 23 January that was summarized by
Caucasus Press, Abkhaz Prime Minister Anri Djergenia said the Abkhaz
leadership will not endorse any amendment to the peacekeepers' mandate.
He rejected the Georgian argument that one of the peacekeepers'
functions is to provide security for Georgian displaced persons who
return to Gali Raion, pointing out that the quadripartite agreement
signed in Moscow in May 1994 by Georgian, Abkhaz, Russian, and UN
representatives states only that the peacekeepers will promote the
repatriation process. Djergenia further condemned Georgian officials'
recent statements that Tbilisi may abjure all agreements it has signed
with Abkhazia in recent years (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 23 January 2002).
Such threats, Djergenia remarked, are not conducive to furthering the
confidence-building process undertaken by the UN. LF
[28] PARLIAMENT DEPUTIES SOUND ALARM OVER CONDITIONS IN GEORGIAN
PRISONS
A group of parliament deputies who undertook a study of conditions in
Georgian prisons reported on their findings on 23 January, Caucasus
Press reported. They described the overall situation as catastrophic,
noting that at night prisons are lit by burning abandoned automobile
tires. On 23 January, Caucasus Press reported that the number of
fatalities in Georgian jails since the beginning of this year has risen
to eight as the result of two deaths the previous day. Georgian human
rights activist Giorgi Kervalishvili told a press conference in Tbilisi
on 10 January that he believes riots in Georgian penitentiaries are
imminent. LF
[29] KAZAKHSTAN'S COMMUNIST LEADER OPPOSES SENDING TROOPS TO
AFGHANISTAN
Communist Party of Kazakhstan Chairman Serikbolsyn Abdildin told the
lower chamber of Kazakhstan's parliament on 23 January that he is
against the dispatch of Kazakh troops to serve as part of the
international peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, RFE/RL's Kazakh bureau
reported. Agreement on sending a Kazakh contingent was reached during a
visit to Kabul earlier this month by a Kazakh Foreign Ministry
delegation (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 15 January 2002). LF
[30] KYRGYZSTAN, U.S. SIGN MILITARY COOPERATION AGREEMENT
Visiting Bishkek on 23 January, General Tommy Franks, who commands the
U.S.-led antiterrorist campaign in Afghanistan, signed a two-year
agreement with Kyrgyz Defense Minister General Esen Topoev on bilateral
military cooperation, including exchange visits and joint training,
ITAR-TASS reported. Franks also met with President Askar Akaev, whom he
thanked for Kyrgyzstan's cooperation in making its facilities available
to international troops, and Abdygany Erkebaev, speaker of the lower
chamber of the Kyrgyz parliament. Franks told journalists after his
meeting with Akaev that Washington has "no plans to build a permanent
military base" in Central Asia as some Russian officials fear. LF
[31] NEW KYRGYZ FINANCE MINISTER APPOINTED
President Akaev has named 38-year-old Bolot Abdildaev, the former
Central Treasury director at the Finance Ministry, as finance minister,
RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported on 23 January. Abdildaev succeeds
Temirbek Akmataliev, who was appointed interior minister last week (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 22 January 2002). LF
[32] FORMER KYRGYZ PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE FLEES ABROAD
Social-Democratic Party Co-Chairman Almaz Atambaev, who unsuccessfully
challenged Akaev in the October 2000 presidential ballot, fled to
Turkey on 12 January after police began investigating a planned attempt
on his life, Atambaev's aide Grigorii Kuleshov told RFE/RL's Bishkek
bureau on 23 January. LF
[33] GERMANY, BRITAIN MAY REQUEST USE OF TAJIK AIR BASES...
German and British military experts met in Dushanbe on 23 January with
Tajik armed forces Chief of General Staff Ramil Nadirov to discuss the
situation in Afghanistan and expressed interest in securing formal
permission to use Tajik airfields for the transit of their forces to
Afghanistan and for maintenance of their aircraft, Western agencies
reported. Defense Ministry official Zerobiddin Sirodjev said that the
U.K. and Germany may be offered the use of the Ayni base 10 kilometers
from Dushanbe on condition that they repair and modernize it. On 24
January, Asia Plus-Blitz quoted a Tajik air force officer as saying
French experts who recently inspected the Ayni base concluded that it
comes nowhere near meeting even minimal requirements. He noted that the
runway has not been repaired since 1985. LF
[34] RUSSIAN BORDER GUARDS TO REMAIN IN TAJIKISTAN
Speaking in Yerevan on 23 January (see above), Russian Federal Border
Guard Service Director Colonel General Totskii affirmed that the
Russian force currently deployed on Tajikistan's southern border with
Afghanistan will remain there "at least for the next 10-15 years,"
Interfax reported. Totskii noted that the Tajik border guard force has
neither the officer corps nor the funds to cope with that task on its
own. President Imomali Rakhmonov recently fired the entire top command
of the border guard force amid allegations of incompetence and
corruption (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 and 22 January 2002). LF
[35] U.S. SLAMS PLANNED UZBEK REFERENDUM
The U.S. will not send observers to monitor the 27 January referendum
in Uzbekistan, Reuters quoted U.S. State Department spokesman Richard
Boucher as telling journalists in Washington on 23 January. Voters will
be asked to approve amendments to the Uzbek Constitution introducing a
bicameral parliament and extending the presidential term from five to
seven years (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 7 December 2001 and 18 January
2002). Boucher noted that past elections in Uzbekistan "were neither
free nor fair... We are concerned that holding a referendum on
extending the term of an incumbent elected under such conditions will
not be consistent with international standards." Interfax on 23 January
cited the findings of a poll conducted by the Uzbek Public Opinion
Research Center in which 77.7 percent of respondents said they would
approve the first proposal and 96.2 percent the second. LF
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
[36] BELARUS DENIES VISA TO FORMER HEAD OF OSCE MISSION
The Belarusian authorities have denied an entry visa to Hans Georg
Wieck, the head of the OSCE Advisory and Monitoring Group in Belarus
from 1997-2001, Belapan and RFE/RL's Belarusian Service reported on 23
January. Wieck planned to attend the first meeting of the Advisory
Board of the Center for European and Transatlantic Studies at the
Minsk-based European Humanities University on 25-26 January. The center
was established in 2000 and is funded by the EU and the OSCE Office for
Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. "The negative visa decision
coincides with a number of other negative decisions of the authorities
regarding the creation of favorable conditions for the improvement of
the relationship of the country with European institutions," Wieck
said. On 24 January, Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesman Pavel
Latushka said in commenting on the visa denial that "Ambassador Hans
Georg Wieck has lost the Belarusian government's trust." JM
[37] RFE/RL HOSTS DEBATE BETWEEN UKRAINE'S TYMOSHENKO, MEDVEDCHUK...
Former Premier Yuliya Tymoshenko, the leader of the election bloc
bearing her name, and former parliamentary deputy speaker Viktor
Medvedchuk, the leader of the Social Democratic Party (United) election
bloc, sparred in a discussion broadcast live by RFE/RL's Ukrainian
Service on the evening of 23 January. The politicians touched upon
their personal achievements in politics, the Land Code adopted last
year, gas accords with Russia, and the record of Premier Viktor
Yushchenko's cabinet, among other issues. Asked about her contribution
to the well-being of the Ukrainian people, Tymoshenko said she managed
to replenish the state budget with 10 billion hryvni ($1.88 billion
according to the current exchange rate) when she served as a deputy
prime minister responsible for fuel and energy issues in Yushchenko's
cabinet. In his turn, Medvedchuk said he has served as a lawmaker for
the past eight years and created legislation "that is changing
Ukraine." JM
[38] ...WHO DISAGREE ON LAND CODE, YUSHCHENKO'S CABINET
Tymoshenko said it is necessary to immediately annul the Land Code
adopted by the Verkhovna Rada in October. She argued that the provision
allowing Ukrainian companies owned by foreign capital to purchase
Ukrainian land may cause the restoration of "serfdom" in Ukraine.
Tymoshenko said she supports private land ownership, but only to
Ukrainian citizens and only after they are able to earn enough money
for purchasing and cultivating land. Medvedchuk maintained that the
Land Code suits the interests of the Ukrainian people, adding that its
norms will help attract more investments in the country. The two
politicians also differed on the assessment of the performance of
Yushchenko's cabinet. Tymoshenko said the former prime minister's
government allowed the people to feel for the first time in independent
Ukraine that their life had improved, even if only a little. Medvedchuk
criticized Yushchenko's cabinet for its inability to find consensus
with the parliament. Tymoshenko retorted that the cabinet did not seek
consensus with those lawmakers whom it was stripping of their "shadowy
profits." JM
[39] UKRAINIAN BECOMES YOUNGEST WORLD CHESS CHAMPION EVER
Ukrainian Ruslan Ponomaryov became the new world chess champion in
Moscow on 23 January, having drawn the seventh game after 22 moves, and
thus securing a 4.5:2.5 victory in his championship final match against
his compatriot Vasyl Ivanchuk, ITAR-TASS reported. The 18-year-old
Ponomaryov, who is a student at Kramatorsk University (eastern
Ukraine), is the first Ukrainian to win this title and simultaneously
became the youngest world champion in the 53-year history of world
chess championships. JM
[40] FUTURE OF ESTONIAN ENERGY DISCUSSED
Tallinn Technical University held an oil-shale energy forum on 23
January to discuss the future of Eesti Energia (Estonian Energy) and
various ways of funding that entity's renovation, ETA reported.
Estonian Energy board chairman Gunnar Okk said it is unlikely that the
company will remain 100 percent state-owned, and recommended a merger
with Latvia's state-owned energy company Latvenergo. Such a merger was
discussed a few years ago, but was dropped after an agreement was
signed with U.S. firm NRG Energy for the privatization of Narva Power
Plants. However, that agreement was canceled at the end of 2001 when
NRG failed to obtain needed loans. Hansapank Grupp board chairman
Indrek Neivelt suggested that Estonian Energy does not need a strategic
investor, as sufficient funding can be obtained through the issuing of
bonds and selling up to 49 percent of the company's shares on the
country's stock market. SG
[41] NEW EC DELEGATION HEAD URGES LATVIA TO FOCUS ON STATE
ADMINISTRATION AND COURTS
After meeting with Prime Minister Andris Berzins, the new head of the
European Commission Delegation in Latvia, Andrew Rasbash, told
reporters in Riga on 23 January that Latvia should focus on
strengthening state administration skills and the judicial system, BNS
reported. Rasbash, who was officially accredited by President Vaira
Vike-Freiberga the previous day, praised Latvia for its great progress
in moving toward EU membership, having completed 23 of the 31
negotiation chapters. He noted that unlike the Czech Republic, Poland,
and Hungary, Latvia has shown its great administrative abilities by
meeting the requirements for obtaining SAPARD funding for its
agricultural sector. SG
[42] LITHUANIAN PRESIDENT CONCLUDES U.S. VISIT
Valdas Adamkus completed his extended visit to the United States by
traveling from Chicago to Washington on 23 January for a meeting with
Senator Richard D. Lugar, which focused on Lithuania's preparations for
joining NATO, ELTA reported. He told the senator about his recent
meeting with President George W. Bush (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18
January 2002). Adamkus also delivered a lecture titled "Traditions and
New Challenges -- Return of Lithuania to Nature" at the American
Science Development Association, in which he noted that the Ignalina
nuclear power plant meets all safety standards but will have to be
closed with the financial aid of the EU. Adamkus departed later that
day for an official two-day visit to Mexico, during which he will meet
with his Mexican counterpart Vicente Fox and attend the signing by the
two countries' foreign ministers of an agreement on cooperation in
culture, education, arts, and athletics. SG
[43] POLISH PREMIER SUMS UP GOVERNMENT'S FIRST 100 DAYS
Premier Leszek Miler in a brief television address on 23 January marked
the first 100 days of his cabinet in office. Miller assured the country
that the situation inherited after the previous government has now been
stabilized, and added that his government will soon begin implementing
its socioeconomic program that is to be approved next week. He said
this program will be based on "three pillars" -- the improvement of
public finances, the promotion of enterprise, and the creation of new
jobs. JM
[44] POLISH POLICE, HEALTH OFFICIAL CONFIRM SUSPICIONS OF TRADING IN
CORPSES
Boguslaw Tyka, the head of the emergency medical service in Lodz, has
confirmed the fact of trading in corpses as revealed by journalists of
Radio Lodz and "Gazeta Wyborcza" on 23 January (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
23 January 2002), PAP reported. Reporters claimed that emergency
service employees in the city frequently sold bodies of deceased
patients to chosen undertakers and put pressure on patients' relatives
to make funeral arrangements through them. Another charge concerned the
alleged hastening of patient deaths by overdoses of the drug Pavulon,
an antirespirant that is lethal in large doses. "Months of work by
police has confirmed signs of unlawful and inhumane acts by emergency
first aid workers and funeral parlors," Lodz police spokesman Jaroslaw
Berger said the same day. "What is most surprising to me is that these
things have supposedly been going on for 10 years without any response
whatsoever. I find this almost too hard to believe," Premier Miller
commented. JM
[45] GERMAN OFFICIAL CRITICIZES CZECH PREMIER'S COMMENTS ON THE SUDETEN
German Deputy Foreign Minister Christoph Zoepel told the Bundestag on
23 January that the remarks made by Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman
regarding Sudeten Germans earlier this week are "not only not
constructive, but also unwise," international news agencies reported.
However, Zoepel stopped short of demanding an official apology and
stressed that Berlin does not want to "let the past burden present
German-Czech relations." Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said the
German government "cannot accept the accusation or the thesis of
collective guilt, and where there is no collective guilt, there can be
no collective punishment." But Fischer added that he is unwilling to
"place new hurdles for the EU," and that there must be no delay to
Prague's admission into the union. Fischer said he is "looking forward"
to visiting Prague next month for talks with his Czech counterpart Jan
Kavan (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 22 January 2002). MS
[46] OVER HALF OF CZECH MILITARY PILOTS NOT YET VETTED
Deputy air force commander Jiri Kubala told Prima television on 23
January that more than half of the members of the Czech air force have
not yet been vetted and consequently are not allowed access to
classified NATO data, CTK reported. Kubala said that in some cases
vetting, which is carried out by the National Security Office, lasts as
long as two to three years and this causes problems for members of the
Czech squadron deployed within NATINADS, NATO's integrated system of
air defense. MS
[47] CZECH GOVERNMENT TO TAKE OVER SEMTEX-PRODUCING COMPANY
The government decided on 23 January to take over the Explosia company,
which produces the plastic explosive Semtex, in order to increase state
control over the sensitive business in line with EU norms, CTK and
Reuters reported. Finance Minister Jiri Rusnok told journalists that
the government will pay 1 million crowns (some $27,350) for the company
and will restructure its debt. Semtex, a plastic explosive, has been
exported to communist Czechoslovakia's allies and to the Third World,
and became popular with terrorist movements because it is difficult to
detect. For several years Explosia has been producing Semtex containing
metal traces in an effort to facilitate detection. MS
[48] CZECH OPPOSITION ALLIANCE POSTPONES SOLUTION TO ODA DEBT
During their meeting on 23 January, the Christian Democratic Party
(KDU-CSL) and the Freedom Union-Democratic Union postponed until after
27 January discussions on a solution to the Civic Democratic Alliance's
(ODA) debt to the insurer Ceska Pojistovna, CTK reported. The ODA is to
hold a party conference on 27 January and debate the matter at that
time. Freedom Union-Democratic Union Chairwoman Hana Marvanova said
"some alternatives" were discussed, but added that a "compromise
solution" must be found that is acceptable to all members of the Four
Party Coalition. Christian Democratic Party Chairman Cyril Svoboda said
after the meeting with Marvanova that their talks signaled a "positive
shift." He said that "everyone wants to maintain the Four Party
Coalition and everyone must sacrifice something." MS
[49] SLOVAK FINANCE MINISTER TO RESIGN NEXT WEEK
Finance Minister Brigita Schmognerova said on 23 January that she will
submit her resignation to President Rudolf Schuster on 28 January,
international agencies reported. A spokesman for the president said
Schuster will accept the resignation. Schmognerova told journalists she
will resign because "I do not want to be the cause of a weaker ruling
coalition." Her own Party of the Democratic Left (SDL) decided on 21
January to replace her, but Premier Mikulas Dzurinda refused to heed
that decision, prompting the SDL to announce that it will "suspend" its
participation in the coalition and consider withdrawing from it (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 22 and 23 January 2002). MS
[50] SLOVAK GOVERNMENT APPROVES AMENDMENT TO BILL COMPENSATING NAZI
VICTIMS
The government approved an amendment on 23 January to the 1999 law on
the compensation of victims of the pro-Nazi regime in wartime Slovakia,
CTK reported. The amendment was proposed by the Christian Democratic
Movement and extends the right to claim compensation to those who were
deported to concentration camps who were citizens of Hungary and
deported from the territories of southern Slovakia after it was annexed
by Hungary, as well as to people deported from the territory of the
then-Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia -- currently the Czech
Republic. The 1999 law limited compensation to those interned in and
deported from the territory of wartime Slovakia. MS
[51] HUNGARY, SLOVAKIA DISCUSS STATUS LAW
Foreign Ministry State Secretary Zsolt Nemeth and his visiting Slovak
counterpart Jaroslav Chlebo told reporters in Budapest on 23 January
that during their meeting they mainly dealt with "questions of
principle" regarding Hungary's Status Law, but "no agreement was
reached on details," Hungarian media reported. The officials said they
hope to reach an agreement by late January, and prepare a draft text
that could provide the basis for an intergovernmental political
declaration. Chlebo said Slovakia does not question Hungary's right to
support ethnic Hungarian minorities abroad. The real problem for
Slovakia, he said, is to find mechanisms through which minority support
can be implemented without others feeling that they are being
discriminated against. "Bratislava is committed to finding constructive
solutions within the framework of Slovak law," Chlebo said, hinting
that Slovakia's main objection remains that the Hungarian law should
have no force on Slovak territory, Hungarian and international media
reported. MSZ
[52] HUNGARIAN PREMIER SAYS STATUS LAW WON'T RESULT IN LOST JOBS
"No one in Hungary will lose their job because of foreigners, as the
government has the tools to regulate the labor market," Prime Minister
Viktor Orban told Hungarian radio on 23 January. Regarding disputes
over the Status Law and the Hungarian-Romanian memorandum of
understanding, Orban said that "certain Hungarian political forces have
burned their own negative stigma deep into the soul of millions of
Hungarians across the borders." Opposition Socialist Party Chairman
Laszlo Kovacs said in response that his party only attacked the
memorandum of understanding, which "changed the law behind parliament's
back." In other news, trade unions and employers' groups on 23 January
rejected the government's recent decision to allow up to 81,320
foreigners to work in Hungary this year. At a meeting of the National
Labor Council the unions proposed that the quota be reduced to no more
than 60,000, or 2 percent of the entire workforce, but the employers
opposed setting any fixed number. MSZ
[53] HUNGARIAN EXTREMIST DECLARES WAR ON POLLSTERS
Istvan Csurka, the chairman of the extremist Hungarian Justice and Life
Party (MIEP), on 23 January accused the polling agency Szonda Ipsos of
rigging its opinion polls in favor of the opposition Socialist Party.
"After the elections Szonda Ipsos will have to cease its activities,"
Csurka told reporters. He said the polling agency is biased against the
MIEP, as "they never give us more than 2 to 3 percent, whereas in all
the by-elections [since the last general election in 1998] MIEP
received at least 13 percent." In a poll published on 22 January Szonda
Ipsos gave the Socialists a 6 percent lead over the FIDESZ-Hungarian
Democratic Forum alliance and only 5 percent support for MIEP, Reuters
reported. MSZ
[54] VISEGRAD FOUR AGREE IN BUDAPEST TO UPGRADE SOVIET MILITARY
EQUIPMENT
Defense ministers of the Visegrad Four -- the Czech Republic, Hungary,
Poland, and Slovakia -- agreed in Budapest on 23 January to jointly
upgrade the Soviet military equipment used by their armies, Hungarian
media reported. The first step, the upgrade of MiG-24 helicopters,
requires the approval of the respective governments. Hungarian Defense
Minister Janos Szabo declined to give specific figures for the cost of
that upgrade, saying only that "dozens of helicopters are involved" and
the costs are "considerable." The four defense ministers also agreed to
boost cooperation between their secret services in order to combat
terrorism and advance NATO expansion. MSZ
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[55] SERBIAN PARLIAMENT PASSES VOJVODINA AUTONOMY BILL
The parliament voted on 23 January to restore Vojvodina's autonomy,
RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported. The vote
was 119 to 74, with 42 abstentions reflecting the deep divisions over
the issue, AP reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 23 January 2002). Nenad
Canak, the strong-willed leader who heads Vojvodina's autonomy drive,
said: "The tight vote today illustrates that Serbia still has not
gotten rid of its nationalists." Cedomir Jovanovic, a close ally of
Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic, noted that tensions between rival
members of the governing Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS)
coalition tended to overshadow the issues involved in the debate on
autonomy. Leaders from Pancevo and other local governments called for
broader autonomy for their regions, the BBC's Serbian Service reported.
Many local and regional opposition leaders were instrumental in the
overthrow of the regime of Slobodan Milosevic in 2000. PM
[56] SERBIAN COURT HALTS PYRAMID SCHEME INVESTIGATION
The Belgrade district court has called off its investigation of Dafina
Milanovic, the head of the now-defunct Dafiment Bank, because it does
not know where she is, "Vesti" reported on 24 January. Her lawyer said
simply that she is abroad but is willing to testify if asked, RFE/RL's
South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported. She is suspected
of having stolen some $9 million from depositors in her bank, which was
one of several pyramid-scheme institutions that operated in the early
years of Milosevic's rule. Those banks are widely regarded as having
been close to the regime and having had a hand in money laundering
during the Croatian and Bosnian wars. PM
[57] SERBIA CONTINUES TO SEEK 'REGIONAL' ROLE...
Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Nebojsa Covic, who is Belgrade's point
man for southern Serbia and Kosova, met Macedonian President Boris
Trajkovski, Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski, and Defense Minister
Vlado Popovski in Skopje on 23 January, dpa reported. Covic also
discussed "regional affairs" with Alain Le Roy, who is the EU's envoy
to Macedonia. Covic told reporters: "We talked about the situation in
Macedonia, Kosovo, and southern Serbia. Those three points could not be
separated." Since the overthrow of the Milosevic regime at the end of
2000, the Belgrade authorities have sought to win back a regional role
for Serbia, which Milosevic squandered by waging and losing four wars.
Kosova's Albanian majority wants nothing more to do with Serbia.
Critics charge that the Belgrade government should concentrate its
energies on dealing with poverty, crime, and corruption. PM
[58] ...AS COVIC OFFERS ADVICE
Speaking with reporters in Skopje on 23 January, Covic declined to say
why Georgievski invited him to pay a one-day visit, RFE/RL's South
Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported. He noted simply that
there are plans for the two countries' intelligence services and police
forces to cooperate. Covic added that he advised Georgievski to
implement the Ohrid agreement and pass a law on an amnesty. PM
[59] U.S. HAILS PROGRESS IN MACEDONIA...
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters in Washington
on 23 January that the U.S. welcomes the recent agreement between
leading ethnic Albanian and ethnic Macedonian politicians on local
self-government, RFE/RL reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 22 January
2002). "We expect the law to be submitted to the Macedonian parliament
for approval this week, and we'd encourage its rapid passage. This
would pave the way for a donors conference to facilitate Macedonia's
economic and political recovery." PM
[60] ...DENIES SERBIAN REPORT ON KOSOVA
In a statement issued on 23 January, the U.S. office in Prishtina
denied a report circulated by the Serbian Beta news agency that U.S.
diplomats have succeeded in brokering a power-sharing agreement between
leading Albanian politicians in Kosova (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 8
and 15 January 2002). The statement added that "talks continue with all
concerned parties. We continue to encourage the parties to reach an
agreement that will lead to expeditious formation of a government."
Observers note that Beta's coverage on matters pertaining to Kosova,
Presevo, and Macedonia has often proven less than accurate. But
Hajredin Kuci, who is an official of Ibrahim Rugova's Democratic League
of Kosova (LDK), told reporters: "The talks are continuing with
different proposals. I think we are going toward [a compromise
agreement], which will make possible the formation of [government]
institutions very soon," Reuters reported. PM
[61] MONTENEGRIN POLL GIVES SLIGHT EDGE TO INDEPENDENCE
A recent poll by the Podgorica Center for Democracy and Human Rights
and the Damar Agency suggests that 52 percent of Montenegrins would
vote for independence in a referendum while 47 percent would vote
against, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported
on 23 January. Opponents of independence demand that more than a simple
majority be required for the long-awaited proposal on independence to
pass. PM
[62] CROATIAN BROADCASTING CHIEF RE-ELECTED
The governing body for Croatian Radio and Television (HRT) voted in
Zagreb on 23 January to re-elect Mirko Galic as director of HRT,
RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported. His term
will last four years. Galic said he hopes to complete the
transformation of HRT from a state to a public broadcaster. Another of
his priorities is to modernize the equipment of HRT. PM
[63] CHARGES AGAINST CROATIAN FORMER KINGPIN
The Zagreb county court has filed charges against former Interior
Minister Ivan Jarnjak, who was a prominent figure in the era of late
President Franjo Tudjman, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages
Service reported on 23 January. Jarnjak is accused of financial
irregularities in conjunction with the 1993 privatization of the Split
daily "Slobodna Dalmacija," which was long known as a mouthpiece of
Tudjman's party. PM
[64] CROATIAN BISHOPS APPEAL ON REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT
The Roman Catholic Bishops Conference issued an appeal in Zagreb on 23
January to the government and parliament not to resettle refugees and
displaced persons together in special settlements, RFE/RL's South
Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported. The bishops called on
the authorities to help those individuals who cannot or will not return
to their original homes to obtain new permanent homes on a legal basis.
PM
[65] CROATIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES NEW IDENTITY DOCUMENTS
On 23 January, the parliament approved the design of new internal
identity documents, which will be written in both Croatian and English,
RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported. Upon
request, members of ethnic minorities can obtain an identity card
written in their own language as well, even if it uses a different
alphabet than the Latin one. PM
[66] KRAJINA REFUGEES TO VOTE IN REPUBLIKA SRPSKA
Deputy Prime Minister Petar Kunic said in Banja Luka on 23 January that
Serbian refugees from Croatia who have obtained Bosnian citizenship
will be able to vote in the next elections, which are slated for
October, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported.
PM
[67] EXPLOSIONS AT SPORTS CENTER IN HERZEGOVINA
Two explosive devices have caused nearly $7 million in damages at the
new sports center in Siroki Brijeg, Deutsche Welle's Bosnian Service
reported on 24 January. No one was injured. Police are investigating.
PM
[68] SLOVENIA AND BOSNIA NOT HAPPY WITH CROATIAN MOVES ON OIL SHIPMENTS
Rejecting recent Croatian concessions as insufficient, Slovenia has
lodged a formal complaint with the WTO over Croatia's policies toward
overland oil shipments, notably those from Slovenia to Bosnia, Hina
reported from Ljubljana on 23 January (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 22
January 2002). The WTO's Trade Council will discuss the matter on 11
February. The Slovenian government will consider taking unspecified
further steps at its meeting on 24 January. On 23 January, the Bosnian
Foreign Ministry sent a note to the Croatian Embassy in Sarajevo,
saying that Bosnia wants Croatia to revoke its controversial
restrictions completely. "Jutarnji list" wrote on 24 January that the
Croatian government will require overland shipments to use "strictly
determined corridors." PM
[69] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT CONDEMNS 'REGIONALISM'
In a speech in Iasi commemorating the unification of the Romanian
principalities on 24 January 1859, President Ion Iliescu said on 23
January that it is "impossible not to condemn" the "regionalist ideas"
whose aim, he said, is "to demolish the national unitary state forged
by our forefathers," a local RFE/RL correspondent reported. Iliescu
said Prince Michael the Brave, who first united the principalities in
1601, was physically liquidated by his enemies and "now, weapons that
are more sophisticated are being employed against us." He said
"regionalism" is being presented as an idea advancing European unity
but that such unity, "whether a federal one or not, will be based on
the [current] national states." MS
[70] ROMANIAN ORGANIZATIONS CRITICIZE GOVERNMENT'S POLICIES TOWARD THE
CSANGOS
In a joint report released on 23 January, the Association for the
Defense of Human Rights-Helsinki Commission and the Pro-Europa League
said the government is promoting a policy of assimilation of the
Hungarian-speaking Csango minority in Moldavia and denies members of
that minority the right to receive instruction in their native language
and to attend church services conducted in Hungarian, Romanian
television reported. Education Minister Ecaterina Andronescu called the
report "unprofessional" and "biased," and said the Association of
Hungarian Csangos in Moldova is not legally registered. MS
[71] ROMANIAN EXTREMIST WANTS TURKISH BLUE MOSQUE RETURNED TO ORTHODOX
FAITH
Greater Romania Party Chairman Corneliu Vadim Tudor on 23 January
submitted to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe a
draft resolution demanding that the famous Santa Sofia Cathedral in
Istanbul, which was turned into a mosque after the Turkish conquest in
1453, be returned to Orthodox Christian believers. MS
[72] ROMANIAN PREMIER SENDS 'PRIVATE LETTER' TO PPCD LEADER...
Adrian Nastase sent a letter on 23 January to Iurie Rosca, the leader
of the Popular Party Christian Democratic (PPCD), RFE/RL's Bucharest
bureau reported. Nastase emphasized that he did not write the letter in
his capacity as premier but "as a Romanian writing to another
Romanian." He said he congratulates Rosca for his struggle in "defense
of our forefathers' language," and that "while a man can be killed and
his land can be stolen, one's consciousness of belonging to the same
nation, language community, and creed, must never be allowed to
disappear." President Iliescu, speaking in Iasi, said that while
Romania cannot interfere in Moldova's internal affairs, his personal
opinion is that the decision to introduce compulsory Russian-language
classes in Moldova is "an infringement of democratic principles."
Iliescu said Romania wants Moldova to "consolidate its statehood and
develop along democratic principles" MS
[73] ...AS ROSCA DEMANDS THAT MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT DISMISS JUSTICE
MINISTER
PPCD leader Rosca told participants in the ongoing protest
demonstrations in Chisinau that he has appealed to Moldovan President
Vladimir Voronin to dismiss Justice Minister Ioan Morei, RFE/RL's
Chisinau bureau reported. Rosca said Morei is a suspect in the
assassination in May 2001 of George Grumatchi, the leader of a local
organization in Balti, who one day before being killed had accused
Morei of dubious financial dealings. Rosca said Morei is "not a person
who should be in charge of controlling legality in Moldova." He also
said that the first trial of a group of participants in the protest
demonstrations is scheduled for 24 January. PPCD Deputy Vlad Cubreacov
told the rally that some 59,000 people have signed the petition against
the introduction of compulsory Russian-language classes. Meanwhile,
Morei said other political parties in Moldova could also be suspended
if they join the protests. MS
[74] BULGARIAN OPPOSITION SLAMS PREMIER OVER KOZLODUY STATEMENT
The opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and United Democratic
Forces (ODS) harshly criticized Premier Simeon Saxecoburggotski on 23
January for telling Greek Premier Costas Simitis the previous day that
Bulgaria is likely to agree to closing down reactors No. 3 and No. 4 at
the Kozloduy nuclear power plant by 2006, BTA reported. The BSP and the
ODS said Saxecoburggotski does not have the necessary approval of the
parliament to close down those two reactors in 2006, and that the
declaration has harmed Bulgarian interests. The Civil Committee for the
Protection of the Kozloduy Nuclear Plant demanded that the fate of the
nuclear facility be decided in a referendum. MS
[75] DENMARK SAYS BULGARIA'S EU ACCESSION COULD BE SEPARATE FROM
ROMANIA'S
Claus Larsen-Jensen, the chairman of the Danish parliament's European
Affairs Committee, told visiting Foreign Minister Solomon Pasi on 23
January that Bulgaria's bid to join the EU could be considered
separately from that of Romania, BTA reported. Larsen-Jensen also said
that the 10-plus-2 formula, under which the two Balkan countries were
left out of the first wave of enlargement, "could be altered." Pasi
also met in Copenhagen with Defense Minister Svend Aage to discuss
joint military cooperation and the international antiterrorist
campaign. On 22 January, Pasi met with his Danish counterpart Per Stig
and with Prime Minister Fogh Rasmussen, and was also received by Queen
Margrethe II. MS
[76] RUSSIA TO REPAY BULGARIAN DEBT WITH MILITARY SUPPLIES
Russia will pay its $100 million debt to Bulgaria through military
supplies, nuclear fuel supplies, and in cash, BTA reported on 23
January, quoting Deputy Finance Minister Krassimir Katev. Katev, a
member of the Bulgarian delegation that returned that day from a visit
to Russia, told journalists that the sides agreed not to link the
Russian debt to the issue of Bulgarian compensation to Moscow for
formerly Soviet-owned property. He said the "diplomatic formula" agreed
on stipulates that the two issues will be "settled on a parallel basis,
as they lie within the competence of different ministries --
respectively the foreign and the finance ministries" in the two
countries. MS
END NOTE
[77] There is no End Note today.
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