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RFE/RL Newsline, 02-02-12
CONTENTS
[01] PUTIN SLAMS INTERIOR MINISTRY'S FAILURES AGAINST ORGANIZED
[02] ...CALLS ON PROSECUTOR-GENERAL'S OFFICE TO TAKE LARGER ROLE...
[03] ...AS MVD REPORTS INCREASE IN ECONOMIC CRIMES
[04] PROSECUTOR-GENERAL PROMISES TO SCRUTINIZE DEFENSE MINISTRY
[05] ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH EMBARKS ON 'UNFRIENDLY' MISSION IN RUSSIA
[06] POLITKOVSKAYA TURNS UP IN INGUSHETIA
[07] RUSSIAN PRESIDENT SAYS RUSSIA WILL PURSUE INDEPENDENT OIL STRATEGY
[08] EKHO MOSKVY DECIDES TO HEDGE ITS BETS...
[09] ...AS DUMA DEPUTIES SAY THEY WANT A SPORTS CHANNEL
[10] GAZPROM INITIATES BANKRUPTCY OF SIBUR
[11] ZYUGANOV SOWS NATIONALIST OATS AS NEW PARTY TAKES SHAPE
[12] DEPUTY FROM BASHKORTOSTAN WANTS TO POSTPONE CENSUS
[13] UNIFIED RUSSIA BACKTRACKS ON ELECTION BILL...
[14] ...AS SOME GOVERNORS WANT TO CONTINUE WITH ELECTIONS
[15] NEW SENATOR FROM KALMYKIA HAS CHECKERED PAST?
[16] ENVOY RENEWS ACQUAINTANCE WITH NORTH KOREAN LEADER
[17] CHINESE FIRM PLANS FOR THE FUTURE IN FAR EAST
[18] GOVERNMENT OF ADYGEYA RESIGNS
[19] ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER BEGINS VISIT TO GEORGIA
[20] UNCERTAINTY OVER AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT'S HEALTH PERSISTS
[21] RUSSIA REPEATS CONCERN OVER POSSIBLE TURKISH MILITARY PRESENCE IN
[22] AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITION PARTY MEMBER DIES IN CUSTODY
[23] HAVE AFGHAN FIGHTERS TAKEN REFUGE IN GEORGIA?
[24] GEORGIA, ABKHAZ GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES MEET...
[25] ...AGREE ON PATROLS OF KODORI GORGE
[26] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT DISCUSSES BILATERAL TIES IN MOSCOW
[27] KYRGYZ GOVERNMENT OUTLINES ECONOMIC PRIORITIES
[28] KYRGYZSTAN, UZBEKISTAN SIGN NEW AGREEMENT ON NATURAL GAS SUPPLIES
[29] GERMAN DEFENSE MINISTER VISITS UZBEKISTAN
[30] WINTER OLYMPICS MEDAL COUNT--PART 1 COUNTRIES
[31] PRISON PICKETED IN SUPPORT OF BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION ACTIVIST
[32] BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION ACTIVIST'S MOTHER APPEALS FOR HELP IN
[33] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL OFFICIAL DISMISSES U.S. EXAMINATION OF
[34] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT SENDS KYIV MAYOR ON ELECTION CAMPAIGN LEAVE
[35] ELECTION BID OF WOMEN'S PARTY OF UKRAINE REJECTED
[36] GERMANY ACTIVELY SUPPORTS ADMISSION OF BALTIC STATES INTO EU, NATO
[37] LATVIA, ESTONIA SIGN NEW AGREEMENT
[38] LITHUANIA SEEKS WORLD BANK LOAN FOR SCHOOL RENOVATION
[39] BRUSSELS SMOTHERS WARSAW'S HOPES FOR BETTER DEAL ON FARMING
[40] POLAND ADVISES EASTERN TOURISTS TO APPLY FOR MULTI-ENTRY VISAS
[41] CZECH COURT JAILS FORMER SECRET POLICE MEMBERS
[42] CZECH GOVERNMENT RAISES WAGES IN STATE SECTOR
[43] CZECH ROMA WANT GOVERNMENT'S ROMANY COUNCIL ABOLISHED
[44] NATO OFFICIAL TELLS SLOVAKS THAT 'CONTINUITY IS IMPORTANT'
[45] SLOVAK ROMANY ORGANIZATION LAUNCHES COMPLAINT WITH CONSTITUTIONAL
[46] HUNGARIAN PREMIER EVALUATES EAST-CENTRAL EUROPE'S SITUATION AND
[47] HUNGARY'S PRIME MINISTERIAL CANDIDATE SIGNS PROMISE TO SUPPORT
[48] TESCO MOVES TO BAN INFAMOUS ANTI-SEMITIC TRACT
[49] SERBIAN EX-DICTATOR'S TRIAL OPENS IN THE HAGUE
[50] SERBIAN EX-LEADER'S TRIAL HAILED AS A MILESTONE
[51] DEL PONTE STRESSES SERBIAN EX-DICTATOR'S RESPONSIBILITY
[52] WILL THE TRIAL LEAD TO SOUL-SEARCHING IN SERBIA?
[53] DEL PONTE TO VISIT BOSNIAN SERB LEADERS
[54] POLL SUGGESTS KOSTUNICA'S POPULARITY GAP HAS NARROWED
[55] MONTENEGRIN PRESIDENT: STATUS QUESTION COMING TO A HEAD
[56] ITALY SET TO TAKE OVER NATO'S MACEDONIAN MISSION
[57] ALBANIAN RELIGIOUS LEADERS CONDEMN INCIDENTS
[58] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT BEGINS ASIAN TOUR...
[59] ...MEETS INTERIM AFGHAN LEADER
[60] ROMANIA DEFENDS BLAIR IN CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS
[61] FORMER ROMANIAN AGRICULTURAL MINISTER FORMALLY CHARGED
[62] ROMANIA TO COMPENSATE HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS, KIN
[63] MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT CALLS ON GAGAUZ POPULATION TO DISMISS GOVERNOR
[64] FORMER COMMUNIST INFORMER SACKED FROM BULGARIAN MEDIA COUNCIL
[65] BULGARIAN AMBASSADOR RESIGNS
[66] BULGARIAN INFLATION GROWING
[67] WINTER OLYMPICS MEDAL COUNT--PART 2 COUNTRIES
[68] There is no End Note today.
12 February 2002
RUSSIA
[01] PUTIN SLAMS INTERIOR MINISTRY'S FAILURES AGAINST ORGANIZED
CRIME...
Speaking at an annual Kremlin meeting attended by most of the heads of
Russia's security and law enforcement community, President Vladimir
Putin sharply criticized the Interior Ministry (MVD) for its failures
to stem crime over the past year, Russian news agencies reported on 11
February. "As killing, kidnapping, and robbery are becoming routine
occurrences in our lives, over 7,000 killers wanted by the law remain
at large -- as well as hundreds of thousands of other uncaught
criminals," Putin said in an opening harangue that lasted for seven
minutes before journalists were asked to leave. He claimed that last
year the MVD failed to establish the fate of 30,000 missing Russian
citizens, and stopped or suspended investigations of 40,000 criminal
cases simply because police failed to establish who committed them. As
a result, he said he will not support calls to drop the moratorium on
the death penalty. "What is the point of making punishment more severe
if we cannot provide the inevitability of punishment?" Putin asked. VY
[02] ...CALLS ON PROSECUTOR-GENERAL'S OFFICE TO TAKE LARGER ROLE...
Putin also said that the Prosecutor-General's Office should play more
of a " coordinating and preemptive role in protecting citizen's rights
-- especially in the regions," Russian news agencies reported. In a nod
toward human rights activists, Putin said that last year the office
illegally sanctioned the arrest of 1,500 people and issued warrants for
25,000 searches. Prosecutor-General Vladimir Ustinov said in his
address to the meeting that some 122,000 cases were discovered in which
police concealed citizens' reports on crimes, thus stalling
investigations. He said such action is patterned after the Soviet era,
when the objective of law enforcement was not in protecting citizens,
but in lowering crime statistics. VY
[03] ...AS MVD REPORTS INCREASE IN ECONOMIC CRIMES
Deputy Interior Minister Vladimir Vasiliev said at a press conference
in Moscow that last year his agency investigated 382 economic crimes
committed mainly by "white-collar" criminals, utro.ru reported on 10
February. Vasiliev said the biggest increase in such crimes was
recorded in the area of foreign trade (up 21 percent), followed by the
credit/financial sector and official corruption (both up 12 percent).
He said that overall, the ministry investigated 23,000 crimes last year
related to state office and civil service, including 8,000 cases of
bribe taking. Vasiliev noted that Russian organized crime entities are
becoming more active not only on the domestic, but also on the
international level, which he said poses a threat to democracy and
stability not only to Russia, but to the world as a whole. According to
Vasiliev, organized crime in Russia focuses its efforts on free
economic zones, foreign trade, and raw material and energy exports. VY
[04] PROSECUTOR-GENERAL PROMISES TO SCRUTINIZE DEFENSE MINISTRY
Addressing military prosecutors on 11 February, Prosecutor-General
Ustinov said they should use their legal powers to help combat
negligence and waste among the military, protect state property and
equipment, and improve the army's combat readiness, RIA-Novosti
reported. Ustinov said that the carelessness and negligence that led to
the "Kursk" nuclear submarine disaster is inherent not only to the
Northern Fleet, but to all of Russia's armed forces. He added that
prosecutors should take a hard line against those who are responsible
for the low combat readiness of Russian troops, saying: "Last year the
Defense Ministry got 126 percent of the funds that were initially
incorporated in its budget, and this year will get even more.
Therefore, any complains about low combat readiness due to lack of
funds are unconvincing." VY
[05] ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH EMBARKS ON 'UNFRIENDLY' MISSION IN RUSSIA
Russian Orthodox Church spokesman Igor Vyzhanov said that plans
announced by the Roman Catholic Church on 11 February to upgrade its
institutions in Russia are viewed as "an unfriendly action as regards
the Russian Orthodox Church," gazeta.ru reported. According to the
decision announced by the Holy See's press secretary, Joaquin
Navarro-Vals, the Vatican has set up four Catholic dioceses in Russia
in an effort to raise the profile of the church. Vyzhanov said that
such a step "does not take into account the Orthodox Church's
interests, and make a possible meeting between Patriarch Aleksii II and
Pope John Paul II even more remote." According to Vyzhanov, the Vatican
is engaging in missionary activities "'among the people of our country,
which has never been and will never be Catholic." VY
[06] POLITKOVSKAYA TURNS UP IN INGUSHETIA
Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, whom Russian military forces in
Chechnya previously reported as missing, has turned up in Ingushetia
and was expected to fly to Moscow on 12 February, Ekho Moskvy reported
on 11 February (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 11 February 2002). Her colleague
at "Novaya Gazeta," Vyacheslav Izmailov, told the radio station that
"we don't know how she wound up in Ingushetia, but she is coming and
will explain things herself." JAC
[07] RUSSIAN PRESIDENT SAYS RUSSIA WILL PURSUE INDEPENDENT OIL STRATEGY
In an interview with Putin published by "The Wall Street Journal" on 11
February and posted on president.kremlin.ru, the Russian president said
he considers $20-$25 per barrel to be the optimal oil price range for
Russia. He did not specify which type of crude he was referring to.
Until an oil glut last fall led to production cuts, OPEC targeted a
$22-$28 price range for its mixed-blend crude. Putin explained that for
Russia, problems result not only from low global oil prices, but also
from high prices, "as they may generate too large an inflow of hard
currency in our economy [and pose an inflationary risk]." While Russia
continues to cooperate with OPEC, it is pursuing a strategy that
preserves its independence and looks out for its own self-interests,
Putin added. Global oil prices slipped slightly on 11 February in the
wake of Putin's announcement and hover at around $20 per barrel for
March delivery. Meanwhile, despite Russia's agreement with OPEC to cut
oil production by 150,000 barrels a day during the first three months
of this year, "Vedomosti" reported on 11 February that Russia is
resuming oil exports to Southeast Asia for the first time in five
years. VY
[08] EKHO MOSKVY DECIDES TO HEDGE ITS BETS...
In an interview with RFE/RL's Moscow bureau on 11 February, Ekho Moskvy
Editor in Chief Aleksei Venediktov discussed the results of his meeting
with Gazprom-Media General Director Boris Jordan earlier that day.
According to Venediktov, he and Jordan agreed that a shareholders
meeting will be held in June at which time Gazprom will declare its
decision whether or not to sell its shares. They also agreed that the
future board of directors will be elected on a proportional basis --
five seats for the shareholders with a controlling interest, three for
Ekho Moskvy's journalists, and one for Vladimir Gusinsky -- and with
its quota, Ekho Moskvy will nominate former Economy Minister Yevgenii
Yasin to the board. Meanwhile, Gazprom-Media official Oleg Sapozhnikov
confirmed Venediktov's summary of the negotiations' results in an
interview with RFE/RL. Also on 11 February, journalists at Ekho Moskvy
held a meeting at which they decided to participate in the tender for
Radio Arsenal's frequency, "Kommersant-Daily" reported on 12 February.
According to Venediktov, if Gazprom decides to sell its shares in Ekho
Moskvy to that station's journalists, then they will operate two radio
stations. Otherwise, he and many of his colleagues will leave. JAC
[09] ...AS DUMA DEPUTIES SAY THEY WANT A SPORTS CHANNEL
Several State Duma deputies headed by the People's Deputy group leader
Gennadii Raikov intend to suggest that the State Duma appeal to
President Putin asking him to consider the possibility of making TV-6 a
sports channel, Interfax reported on 12 February. Raikov announced the
group's intention following a meeting of the coordination council of
the pro-presidential Duma groups -- Unity, Fatherland-All Russia,
Russian Regions, and People's Deputy. Raikov added that the sports
channel project is supported by this "coalition of four." JAC
[10] GAZPROM INITIATES BANKRUPTCY OF SIBUR
Aleksandr Ryazanov, the deputy chairman of Gazprom's board of
directors, announced on 11 February that his concern will initiate
bankruptcy procedures for its affiliate Sibur (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
22, 25, and 30 January 2002), "as it is the only way to get back its
assets," Russian business news agencies quoted him as saying. Gazprom's
goal is to recover some 29 billion rubles ($967 million) that it
invested in Sibur, Ryazanov added. He also noted that he views the
criminal investigation initiated by Gazprom against Sibur head Yakov
Goldovskii and his deputy Nikolai Koshits as justified (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 1 February 2002). "Goldovskii is himself to blame, as he did
not want to cooperate, or make compromises," Ryazanov said. VY
[11] ZYUGANOV SOWS NATIONALIST OATS AS NEW PARTY TAKES SHAPE
Speaking in Moscow on 11 February, Communist Party of the Russian
Federation leader Gennadii Zyuganov continued to criticize President
Putin's policies (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 24 January 2002), NTV
reported. He called on all "peoples-patriotic forces to unite and
prevent power from slipping into the hands of the junta and oligarchy."
Meanwhile, Vladimir Miloserdov, a spokesman for the founding committee
for the Peoples-Patriotic Party, said the inauguration congress of the
new party will take place on 23 February, RosBalt reported on 11
February. "We are not concealing that the new party is created on the
ruins left by the demise of the Peoples-Patriotic Union led by
Zyuganov," Miloserdov said. He added that the most likely leader of the
new party will be former Krasnodar Krai Governor Nikolai Kondratenko,
and that the party's program includes the "restoration of independence
and integrity" for Russia, as well as the suppression of ethnic
conflicts. VY
[12] DEPUTY FROM BASHKORTOSTAN WANTS TO POSTPONE CENSUS
State Duma Deputy (Russian Regions) Franis Saifullin said on 9 February
that Moscow's plan to divide Tatars into several ethnic groups in the
2002 census is aimed at eliminating the Republic of Tatarstan, RFE/RL's
Kazan bureau reported on 11 February, citing Tatarstan Radio. He said
that if federal authorities do not give up on the idea, he will appeal
to Tatarstan's legislature to postpone the census in the republic.
Saifullin assumes the division of Tatars in the census will likely
result in their totaling less than 50 percent of the population in
Tatarstan. The Duma will then pass legislation to annul national
republics where titular nations constitute less than half of the
population, he asserted. Tatars currently make up some 52 percent of
Tatarstan's inhabitants. JAC
[13] UNIFIED RUSSIA BACKTRACKS ON ELECTION BILL...
"Kommersant-Daily" reported on 12 February that Fatherland-All Russia
faction leader Vyacheslav Volodin and Central Election Commission head
Aleksandr Veshnyakov have reached agreement on a bill proposed by
Unified Russia that would alter how regional elections are conducted
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 8 February 2002). According to the daily,
Veshnyakov and Volodin have agreed that the "law on guarantees of
electoral rights and the right to a referendum of citizens of the
Russian Federation" should be amended so that a second round of a
gubernatorial election is required if no candidate attracts more than
50 percent of all votes cast. Last year, Yabloko proposed a similar
bill that was approved by the Federation Council and Duma but was
vetoed by the president. The daily concluded that since it is now being
proposed by the pro-presidential Unified Russia, it will therefore be
approved by the president. JAC
[14] ...AS SOME GOVERNORS WANT TO CONTINUE WITH ELECTIONS
In an interview with Interfax-Eurasia on 11 February, Bashkortostan
President Murtaza Rakhimov said that he does not favor the appointment
of regional leaders (see "RFE/RL Russian Political Weekly," 11 February
2002). Rakhimov said that, in his opinion, the election of a regional
leader should only be declared valid if no less than 50 percent of
registered voters participated in the ballot. And in an interview with
"Izvestiya" on 8 February, Novosibirsk Governor Viktor Tolokonskii also
spoke out against governors being appointed rather than elected. He
said the election of the heads of federation subjects "strengthens
rather than weakens the power vertical." He said the president and
chairman of the federal government should have the right to interfere
in a situation if the interests of the local population are being
compromised. "They can suspend his powers for a defined time period,"
he said, "but that does not exclude [the need for] elections." JAC
[15] NEW SENATOR FROM KALMYKIA HAS CHECKERED PAST?
Kalmykia's new representative to the Federation Council, Rustem
Iskhakov, is a Kazan-based businessmen whose business dealings are
under investigation by local law enforcement authorities, RFE/RL's
Kazan bureau reported on 11 February, citing "Vechernyaya Kazan." The
newspaper reported that Tatarstan's Interior Affairs Ministry initiated
criminal proceeding against Iskhakov and his company several years ago.
Iskhakov's personal case was then closed, but the case against his
company continues. Iskhakov controls several companies in Kazan,
including Aerostan airlines, some of whose pilots spent roughly a year
in Taliban captivity several years ago. Iskhakov reportedly has
friendly relations and joint business projects with Kalmykia's
president, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. JAC
[16] ENVOY RENEWS ACQUAINTANCE WITH NORTH KOREAN LEADER
The presidential envoy to the Far Eastern federal district, Konstantin
Pulikovskii, met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang on
12 February, after which he attended a dinner in his honor, KCNA news
agency reported. Pulikovskii gave Kim a personal letter and gift from
President Putin. According to Interfax, the discussions revealed a
"common understanding of the problems of international life." These
were followed by the singing of the song "My Country is Wide," which
Interfax reported was sung -- presumably by Kim -- in Russian "without
an accent." Pulikovskii announced earlier that he plans to write a book
about his trip across Russia in a specially equipped train with Kim
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 2 November 2001). JAC
[17] CHINESE FIRM PLANS FOR THE FUTURE IN FAR EAST
The general director of a Chinese construction firm, which is
registered in Amur Oblast, has sent a letter to oblast Governor Leonid
Korotkov telling him of his company's readiness to build a bridge over
the Amur River, Interfax-Eurasia reported on 11 February. According to
the agency, the company's proposal is now being studied by the oblast
administration. The agency also reported that the company, which has
been working in the region since 1995, has built more than 500,000
square meters of housing. In addition to building the bridge, the
company also wants to construct a factory for reprocessing soy, an
airport complex, and a five-story hotel in downtown Blagoveshchensk.
JAC
[18] GOVERNMENT OF ADYGEYA RESIGNS
The entire government of the Republic of Adygeya stepped down on 11
February in accordance with the region's election law following the
victory in the 13 January presidential elections of Khazret Sovmen,
strana.ru reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 January 2002). LF
TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[19] ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER BEGINS VISIT TO GEORGIA
On the first day of a two-day visit to Tbilisi, Vartan Oskanian held
talks on 11 February with Georgian parliament speaker Nino Burdjanadze
and with his Georgian counterpart Irakli Menagharishvili, RFE/RL's
Armenian Service reported. Oskanian again said that harmonious
relations between the two countries are vital for peace and security in
the South Caucasus, and he accused an unnamed "third force" of seeking
to undermine bilateral relations in order to "create new dividing
lines" in the region. Oskanian said the Armenian government does not
support the objections of the predominantly Armenian population of the
south Georgian region of Djavakheti to the Georgian government's
insistence that the Russian military base located there be closed. He
also said Yerevan is not concerned by the planned signing of a
trilateral security agreement between Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey.
Menagharishvili said that agreement focuses on combating the
cross-border smuggling of drugs and weapons and illegal immigration. LF
[20] UNCERTAINTY OVER AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT'S HEALTH PERSISTS
Turan on 11 February quoted Azerbaijan's ambassador to the U.S., Hafiz
Pashaev, as stating that he is "not aware" how long President Heidar
Aliev will remain at a Cleveland clinic where, according to Pashaev,
Aliev is still undergoing medical tests, the nature of which Pashaev
declined to specify (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 4 and 8 February 2002).
Aliev entered the clinic on 3 February. Also on 11 February, Turan
quoted a spokesman for the Iranian Embassy in Baku as saying that
Aliev's long-delayed official visit to Iran will take place during the
last week in February. LF
[21] RUSSIA REPEATS CONCERN OVER POSSIBLE TURKISH MILITARY PRESENCE IN
AZERBAIJAN
Speaking in Moscow on 11 February, Russian State Duma deputy speaker
Vladimir Lukin criticized Azerbaijani parliament speaker Murtuz
Alesqerov's statement three days earlier that Azerbaijan is prepared to
host Turkish military bases, Interfax reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
11 February 2002). Lukin said that while he understands Baku's desire
to maintain friendly relations with both Moscow and Ankara, Baku should
"choose other forms" of developing relations with Turkey. Lukin also
downplayed Alesqerov's statement that Azerbaijan might share with
Turkey information received from the Gabala radar station. He noted
that the station tracks intercontinental missiles, which Turkey does
not possess, and therefore the release of such information to Turkey
would not negatively impact Russia's national security. LF
[22] AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITION PARTY MEMBER DIES IN CUSTODY
Fazail Tagiev, who headed the Sumgait branch of the opposition Adalet
Party, died in a Justice Ministry hospital on 9 February, Turan
reported. Tagiev, who was 60 and suffered from diabetes and a heart
condition, was taken into detention together with several other Adalet
members in September 2001 after staging an unsanctioned demonstration
in Baku. LF
[23] HAVE AFGHAN FIGHTERS TAKEN REFUGE IN GEORGIA?
Acting U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Philip Remler said in an interview
published in the independent newspaper "Akhali versia" on 11 February
that several dozen "mujahedin" who escaped from Afghanistan have
recently settled in Georgia's Pankisi Gorge. Remler reportedly said
that the Afghans maintain contacts with Jordanian-born Chechen field
commander Khattab who in turn, according to Remler, is in contact with
Osama bin Laden. AP on 11 February quoted a U.S. Embassy spokesman as
confirming the accuracy of Remler's statements. Also on 11 February,
Georgian parliament Defense and Security Committee Chairman Giorgi
Baramidze also said there are indications that Afghan and other
terrorists may have taken refuge in Pankisi, Caucasus Press reported.
But Georgian Intelligence Service chief Avtandil Ioseliani said he has
no information concerning the presence of Afghans in Pankisi. "If Mr.
Remler has such information, let him share it with us," Caucasus Press
quoted Ioseliani as saying. LF
[24] GEORGIA, ABKHAZ GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES MEET...
Georgian Minister of State Avtandil Djorbenadze and Minister for
Special Assignments Malkhaz Kakabadze traveled on 11 February to Sukhum
for talks with Abkhaz Prime Minister Anri Djergenia and Foreign
Minister Sergei Shamba on the implementation of the 17 January accord
under which Georgia undertook to withdraw from the Kodori Gorge the 350
troops it deployed there last fall, ITAR-TASS and Caucasus Press
reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 22 January 2002). The Abkhaz
leadership, supported by the UN, has repeatedly called for the
withdrawal of those troops, but Georgian officials have said they will
not pull out until other ways are found of protecting the local Svan
population. UN special representative for Abkhazia Dieter Boden, who
also attended the talks, said afterward that the Georgian withdrawal is
underway, Caucasus Press reported. LF
[25] ...AGREE ON PATROLS OF KODORI GORGE
Agreement was reached, however, that members of the UN Observer Mission
will resume patrols of the upper reaches of the Kodori Gorge later this
month, although not in conjunction with Russian members of the CIS
peacekeeping force as envisaged in the 17 January agreement, as the
Svans object to any Russian involvement. Djergenia told journalists the
11 February talks constituted "a step forward" toward resolving the
Abkhaz conflict, while Boden spoke of "a climate of trust" between
Djorbenadze and Djergenia which, he said, improves the chances for an
early resumption of talks between the two sides on confidence-building
measures, ITAR-TASS reported. LF
[26] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT DISCUSSES BILATERAL TIES IN MOSCOW
Askar Akaev, who is vacationing in Russia, met in Moscow on 11 February
with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, who positively evaluated
bilateral cooperation, including in the political and military spheres,
ITAR-TASS reported. Putin also lauded Kyrgyzstan's decision to grant
Russian the status of an "official language" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 29
May 2000, and 28 December 2001). LF
[27] KYRGYZ GOVERNMENT OUTLINES ECONOMIC PRIORITIES
Meeting on 11 February, the Kyrgyz cabinet reviewed last year's
economic results and set priorities for 2002, Interfax and RFE/RL's
Bishkek bureau reported. Finance Minister Bolot Abildaev told the
session that macroeconomic indicators in 2001 improved over the
previous year, with annual inflation at only 3.7 percent compared with
9.6 percent in 2000. He singled out as priorities for 2002 bringing in
$150-$200 million in foreign direct investment, which is more than
double last year's figure of $73 million, and reducing poverty and
raising wages. At the same time, he also admitted that the government
currently owes a total of 180 million soms (about $3.8 million) in
pensions and wage arrears. LF
[28] KYRGYZSTAN, UZBEKISTAN SIGN NEW AGREEMENT ON NATURAL GAS SUPPLIES
The governments of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan have signed an agreement
under which Uzbekistan will supply Kyrgyzstan with 525 million cubic
meters of natural gas in 2002 at a price of $42 per thousand cubic
meters, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau quoted Kyrgyzgas General Director
Avtandil Sydykov as announcing on 11 February. Bishkek will pay half
the price in cash and half in commodities as it has done in previous
years. LF
[29] GERMAN DEFENSE MINISTER VISITS UZBEKISTAN
Rudolf Scharping arrived in Tashkent on 11 February on a visit
originally scheduled for late January (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 1
February 2002). After talks with his Uzbek counterpart Kadyr Gulyamov
and with President Islam Karimov, Scharping expressed appreciation for
the use of the Termez airfield to facilitate the transport of supplies
for the German peacekeeping contingent in Afghanistan. He said a formal
agreement on the use of that facility and on other aspects of bilateral
military cooperation will be signed very soon, but declined to say how
much Berlin will pay Tashkent for the use of the Termez base, AP and
Reuters reported. Scharping is to inspect the Termez base on 12
February. LF
[30] WINTER OLYMPICS MEDAL COUNT--PART 1 COUNTRIES
Through 11 FEBRUARY
CountryGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Russia1113
Armenia0000
Azerbaijan0000
Georgia0000
Kazakhstan0000
Kyrgyzstan0000
Tajikistan0000
Uzbekistan0000
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
[31] PRISON PICKETED IN SUPPORT OF BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION ACTIVIST
Some 50 activists of the United Civic Party on 11 February picketed a
prison in Minsk to express solidarity with opposition lawmaker and
businessman Andrey Klimau, who that day completed the fourth year of
his six-year sentence, Belapan reported. Klimau, who owned a
construction firm before his arrest, was convicted of "large-scale
embezzlement" and forgery. However, opposition and human rights
organizations in Belarus and abroad link his imprisonment to his
loyalty to the Supreme Soviet, the parliament outlawed by President
Alyaksandr Lukashenka in 1996, and his active role in the Supreme
Soviet's attempts to impeach the Belarusian president. Under Belarus's
Criminal Code, Klimau's imprisonment may now be commuted to corrective
labor. Klimau's mother, who participated in the picket, told the agency
that she has not appealed to the authorities to change her son's
punishment. "I consider Belarus a large prison, in which everything
depends on the prison's chief [Lukashenka], but I will never appeal to
him," she said. JM
[32] BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION ACTIVIST'S MOTHER APPEALS FOR HELP IN
FINDING MISSING SON
Nina Korban -- the mother of Yury Korban, who is the head of the
Vitsebsk-based opposition youth center Kontur -- has appealed to
Belarusian and international human rights organizations for help in
finding her missing son, Belapan reported on 11 February. Nina Korban
told the agency that her son left the house on 19 January and she has
not seen him since. He telephoned her a few times in subsequent days,
the last time on 23 January when he asked her to bring $20,000 to a
location in Minsk. She arrived to that location with some money but no
one met her. During the last telephone conversation her son told her
that she would never see him again. JM
[33] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL OFFICIAL DISMISSES U.S. EXAMINATION OF
MELNYCHENKO'S RECORDINGS
"It is a subsequent slip of paper that does not mean anything for
Ukraine or the Ukrainian judiciary system," presidential administration
chief Volodymyr Lytvyn said on ICTV Television on 11 February,
referring to a recent U.S. expert conclusion that former presidential
bodyguard Mykola Melnychenko's secret recordings are genuine (see
"RFE/RL Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine Report," 12 February 2002). Lytvyn
added that the publicized conclusion is a campaign move by "those
politicians who may be seen as outsiders in the election race." He did
not disclose which politicians he had in mind. Meanwhile, Our Ukraine
leader Viktor Yushchenko commented on 12 February that the U.S.
examination of Melnychenko's tapes is "a step toward the truth." JM
[34] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT SENDS KYIV MAYOR ON ELECTION CAMPAIGN LEAVE
Leonid Kuchma has issued a decree suspending Kyiv Mayor Oleksandr
Omelchenko from performing his official duties until 31 March, Interfax
reported on 11 February. Omelchenko heads the election bloc Unity and
is seeking a parliamentary mandate. Omelchenko reportedly refused to
take leave following a conversation with Kuchma on 11 February, when he
asked the president whether Prime Minister Anatoliy Kinakh,
presidential administration chief Volodymyr Lytvyn, and
Prosecutor-General Mykhaylo Potebenko, who are also seeking
parliamentary mandates, have taken leave. Kuchma, according to
Omelchenko, answered this question in the negative. JM
[35] ELECTION BID OF WOMEN'S PARTY OF UKRAINE REJECTED
The Central Election Commission on 11 February annulled its previous
decision to register a list of candidates of the Women of Ukraine
(Zhinky Ukrayiny) party running in the 31 March parliamentary election
in the countrywide multiseat constituency, Interfax reported. The
commission's decision followed a ruling by a district court in Kyiv
saying that the resolutions of the party's congress that proposed
party-list candidates for the election were illegal. In addition, the
court said the party has not paid an election security deposit of some
$48,000, as required by the election law. Another group that registered
its candidates and is campaigning with a gender platform in the current
election is Women for the Future (Zhinky za maybutne) party (see
"RFE/RL Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine Report," 12 February 2002). JM
[36] GERMANY ACTIVELY SUPPORTS ADMISSION OF BALTIC STATES INTO EU, NATO
The Foreign Ministers of Germany (Joschka Fischer), Estonia (Kristiina
Ojuland), Latvia (Indulis Berzins), and Lithuania (Antanas Valionis)
held talks in Riga on 11 February that focused primarily on the
accession of the Baltic states into the EU and NATO, BNS reported. In
the joint communique of the meeting, the ministers "expressed their
support for further NATO enlargement in 2002 and admission of all
qualified candidate countries. The ministers of Estonia, Latvia, and
Lithuania emphasized their continuous commitment to consolidate their
defense capabilities and expressed their appreciation for Germany's
support and assistance in this respect." At a later press conference,
Fischer stressed that the Baltic states are well advanced and that
Germany supports their membership in NATO. He also mentioned that the
main reason why the European Commission proposed lower agricultural
subsidies to farmers in candidate countries is the limited budget of
the EU. SG
[37] LATVIA, ESTONIA SIGN NEW AGREEMENT
Foreign Ministers Berzins and Ojuland signed a new agreement in Riga on
11 February on avoiding double taxation and fighting tax evasion, LETA
reported. The two countries signed such an agreement in May 1993, but
Latvia unilaterally suspended its implementation beginning on 1 June
2001, arguing that Estonia had changed its income tax laws
significantly when it began to require companies registered in Estonia
to pay taxes on profits only when those profits are distributed in
dividends. The two countries set up a task force that drew up a new
version of the agreement, which the Latvian cabinet approved in
December and the Estonian cabinet approved in early February. The
agreement must still be approved by the two parliaments, but will go
into effect retroactively from 1 January 2002. The ministers also
agreed to work out a joint position concerning the European
Commission's proposal to provide farmers in new EU member countries
only 25 percent of the agricultural subsidies given to farmers of
current EU countries. SG
[38] LITHUANIA SEEKS WORLD BANK LOAN FOR SCHOOL RENOVATION
Education Minister Algirdas Monkevicius held talks in Vilnius on 11
February with the World Bank's representative for education, Ernesto
Cuadro, on the ministry's program for the reorganization and renovation
of Lithuanian educational institutions, BNS reported. Lithuania hopes
to receive a 100 million litas ($39.5 million) loan from the bank for
the program, which will be carried out in 2002-2005. Cuadro said World
Bank managers are happy with the project to renovate school buildings,
improve school environments, prepare courses for teachers and
headmasters, and provide transportation for schoolchildren. World Bank
officials will spend 10 days in Vilnius to clear up the remaining
details regarding the administration of the project in local
authorities and participation of school communities. The loan agreement
is expected to be signed in May. SG
[39] BRUSSELS SMOTHERS WARSAW'S HOPES FOR BETTER DEAL ON FARMING
SUBSIDIES
European Commissioner for Agriculture Franz Fischler told Polish Deputy
Premier and Agriculture Minister Jaroslaw Kalinowski in Brussels on 11
February that Polish farmers are unlikely to receive higher subsidies
than those announced by the European Commission last month (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 1 February 2002), Polish media reported. "We want to make
clear that we need talks and dialogue in order to understand each other
better, but it does not mean that this will be the start of changes in
the European Commission's position [on farming subsidies]," Polish
Radio quoted Fischler as saying. "We are aware that we will not receive
100 percent of direct payments [to farmers] at the beginning of
Poland's EU membership," Kalinowski told journalists after his meeting
with Fischler. He did not disclose the level of direct payments that
would be acceptable for Poland. JM
[40] POLAND ADVISES EASTERN TOURISTS TO APPLY FOR MULTI-ENTRY VISAS
Foreign Minister Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz said on 11 February that
Poland is preparing an information campaign for its eastern neighbors
to convince them to apply for multi-entry visas now, PAP reported.
"Today people prefer buying [tourist] vouchers to applying for visas,
but we will try to convince them that in the long run [multi-entry
visas] will be [better for them]," Cimoszewicz noted. He added that the
government wants to introduce such a visa system for Belarusians,
Russians, and Ukrainians, which would not make it difficult for
ordinary people to travel to Poland. Cimoszewicz admitted that the
question is difficult because of purely organizational reasons. He said
last year 29 million people crossed the Polish border, adding that it
would be nearly impossible for Polish consulates to issue that many
visas. JM
[41] CZECH COURT JAILS FORMER SECRET POLICE MEMBERS
A Prague court sentenced two former members of the communist secret
police to three years in jail on 11 February for having tortured
antiregime dissidents in order to force them to flee Czechoslovakia,
CTK and Reuters reported. Zbynek Dudek and Jiri Simak were acting on
orders received within the "Asanace" campaign. The trial of five former
StB officials accused of masterminding that campaign, including former
Interior Minister Jaromir Obzina, is still underway. Both the accused
and the prosecution, which is seeking a more severe punishment, said
they are appealing the sentence. MS
[42] CZECH GOVERNMENT RAISES WAGES IN STATE SECTOR
The government on 11 February decided to raise wages by 11 percent in
the state sector and by 18 percent for those employed in the health
system, CTK reported. The increase goes into effect on 1 April. The
government also decided to add 1,000 crowns ($27.50) to the monthly
wage of priests. MS
[43] CZECH ROMA WANT GOVERNMENT'S ROMANY COUNCIL ABOLISHED
Representatives of Romany organizations in the Czech Republic want the
governmental Council for Romany Affairs abolished, Romany Civic
Association (ROI) Chairman Stefan Licartovsky told CTK on 11 February.
Licartovsky said the Romany organizations want the council replaced by
a body that would genuinely represent Romany interests. On 10 February,
the ROI said the Romany organizations disagree with the lineup of the
council and that the government's 8 February appointments to that body
had disregarded all but one of the Romany proposals. Licartovsky said
the Romany organizations want to meet Deputy Premier Pavel Rychetsky,
and that if the situation is not resolved soon they are prepared to
organize demonstrations outside the government's office. MS
[44] NATO OFFICIAL TELLS SLOVAKS THAT 'CONTINUITY IS IMPORTANT'
On 11 February in Bratislava, Dieter Stoeckmann, the assistant
commander of NATO forces in Europe, praised the reforms carried out in
the Slovak army but made it clear that Slovakia must continue on that
path if it wishes to join NATO, CTK reported. Stoeckmann said after
meetings with Defense Minister Jozef Stank and Chief of Staff General
Milan Cerovsky that the army's reform is "very professional and very
well prepared," but that the importance of its "real continuity" must
be taken into account. MS
[45] SLOVAK ROMANY ORGANIZATION LAUNCHES COMPLAINT WITH CONSTITUTIONAL
COURT
The Council of Non- Governmental Organizations of the Romany Parliament
in Slovakia said on 9 February that it has filed a complaint to the
Constitutional Court about violations of Roma's right to be educated
their native language, CTK reported. The council said that the recent
amendment to the Education Law approved by the parliament puts the
Romany minority at a disadvantage compared with the right of other
minorities to be educated in their mother tongues. MS
[46] HUNGARIAN PREMIER EVALUATES EAST-CENTRAL EUROPE'S SITUATION AND
PROSPECTS
In a major foreign affairs speech delivered on 11 February in Boston,
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that today's Europe was
shaped by two crucial changes in the early 1990s, "Magyar Nemzet"
reported. One was Central Europe's increasing independence following
the collapse of the Soviet empire, while the other was Western Europe's
decision "to choose a future" without the participation of Central
Europe. In the past 10 years, however, Central European countries have
been able to recover, and their economic results prove that "they have
de facto integrated into Europe," Orban said. He expressed hope that
Russia will also choose Western values. Orban pointed out that for the
first time in history Russian capital is flowing to Central Europe. The
question is, he said, whether this "can be considered foreign trade or
foreign policy." Orban delivered his lecture at Tufts University after
receiving an honorary doctorate. MSZ
[47] HUNGARY'S PRIME MINISTERIAL CANDIDATE SIGNS PROMISE TO SUPPORT
ROMA
On 11 February, the opposition Socialist Party's candidate for prime
minister, Peter Medgyessy, signed in the presence of 33 Romany groups a
personal pledge to find a solution to major problems affecting
Hungary's Romany minority. In outlining his party's Romany policy,
Medgyessy said the educational problems of Roma should not be addressed
by building new boarding schools, as the top priority is to eliminate
school segregation. He said the Socialists' goal is to work out an
antipoverty program that can offer a solution to both Roma and
non-Roma. Medgyessy also said that his party would make incitement
against a community and scare mongering punishable by law. The Romany
organization Lungo Drom, which has signed an election agreement with
FIDESZ, was not invited to the signing ceremony. Medgyessy said,
however, that the group would not be at a disadvantage if the
Socialists win the elections. MSZ
[48] TESCO MOVES TO BAN INFAMOUS ANTI-SEMITIC TRACT
The headquarters of Tesco International in the United Kingdom has taken
steps to ban the sale of Henry Ford's book, "The International Jew,"
which is banned in several countries for its anti-Semitic content,
"Magyar Nemzet" reported on 12 February. Hungarian-language editions of
the book were available in Tesco's Szekesfehervar and Miskolc outlets.
The American industrialist claimed in the book, published in the 1920s,
that there was an international Jewish conspiracy to dominate the
world. Ford reportedly kept a portrait of Adolf Hitler on the wall of
his study, even while his company was the U.S. army's largest supplier
during World War II, according to the Hungarian daily. Oszkar Egri, a
lawyer representing Hungary's Jewish Federation, said the organization
is preparing a press statement on the sale of the book in Hungary's
Tesco supermarkets. MSZ
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[49] SERBIAN EX-DICTATOR'S TRIAL OPENS IN THE HAGUE
The trial of former Serbian and Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic
opened in The Hague on 12 February, international media reported. He
faces 66 counts of war crimes, including genocide, crimes against
humanity, and violation of the laws and customs of war. The case is
contained in three indictments, one each for Kosova, Croatia, and
Bosnia. The prosecution opened the trial by describing one incident in
which one family was burned alive in their home, with the screams of a
baby audible for two hours after Serbian forces set the fire. Chief
prosecutor Carla Del Ponte called Milosevic's crimes "the worst known
to humankind." She added that some incidents revealed a "medieval
savagery and calculated cruelty." Del Ponte told Rome's "La Repubblica"
on 11 February that she is sure that he will be convicted on all three
indictments. The trial is expected to last about two years. PM
[50] SERBIAN EX-LEADER'S TRIAL HAILED AS A MILESTONE
The Milosevic trial is considered the most important international war
crimes trial since those in Germany and Japan after the end of World
War II, the BBC reported on 12 February. His extradition by the Serbian
government in 2001 put an end to some fears that the tribunal would
never be able to try any major war criminal. Many more remain at large,
however, including former Bosnian Serb leaders Radovan Karadzic and
General Ratko Mladic. "The Independent" wrote on 12 February that some
observers have doubts as to how well the prosecution has prepared its
case. The "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" noted that the lack of
precedent makes for a legal minefield, especially as Milosevic refuses
to recognize the tribunal's authority. His legal advisers say he will
nonetheless try to gain maximum publicity from the trial. He will seek
to prove his claims that NATO, the U.S., many Western leaders --
including former U.S. President Bill Clinton and British Prime Minister
Tony Blair -- are themselves war criminals. PM
[51] DEL PONTE STRESSES SERBIAN EX-DICTATOR'S RESPONSIBILITY
Del Ponte told "La Repubblica" on 11 February that Milosevic is on
trial but that Serbia and Serbian history are not. She also noted,
however, that Milosevic stood at the head of a "criminal enterprise"
that unleashed war, death, and suffering over a period of several
years. Speaking in The Hague on 12 February, Del Ponte said: "An
excellent tactician, a mediocre strategist, Milosevic did nothing but
pursue his ambition at the cost of unspeakable suffering inflicted on
those who opposed him or represented a threat [to] his personal
strategy of power." PM
[52] WILL THE TRIAL LEAD TO SOUL-SEARCHING IN SERBIA?
Vienna's "Die Presse" noted on 11 February that efforts in Serbia to
come to terms with the recent past are limited chiefly to a small
number of intellectuals and artists. They complain that the current
authorities have done little or nothing to help. Most Serbs still
believe that Milosevic's wars were essentially defensive in nature and
that the tribunal is an anti-Serbian instrument of Western policy, U.S.
policy in particular. CNN on 12 February quoted a recent poll
suggesting that most Serbs think he should be on trial but for crimes
against his own people. Only one-third of the respondents said he is
guilty of war crimes. PM
[53] DEL PONTE TO VISIT BOSNIAN SERB LEADERS
RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported from
Banja Luka on 12 February that Del Ponte will go to the Bosnian Serb
capital on 15 February to meet with Prime Minister Mladen Ivanic and
president of the parliament Dragan Kalinic. PM
[54] POLL SUGGESTS KOSTUNICA'S POPULARITY GAP HAS NARROWED
The Strategic Marketing polling agency has issued the results of a
recent survey of Serbian voters, suggesting that 57 percent of the
respondents would vote for the governing Democratic Opposition of
Serbia coalition, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service
reported from Belgrade on 11 February. Yugoslav President Vojislav
Kostunica remains the most popular individual politician with 53
percent of the voters favoring him. Immediately behind him is Yugoslav
Deputy Prime Minister Miroljub Labus with 52 percent. In the months
immediately following the ouster of Milosevic in late 2000, Kostunica
enjoyed approval ratings well over 60 percent and well ahead of any
rivals. PM
[55] MONTENEGRIN PRESIDENT: STATUS QUESTION COMING TO A HEAD
After a meeting with Slovenian President Milan Kucan, Montenegrin
President Milo Djukanovic said in Ljubljana on 12 February that talks
on the future of Serbian-Montenegrin relations will be concluded by the
end of February, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service
reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 11 February 2002). PM
[56] ITALY SET TO TAKE OVER NATO'S MACEDONIAN MISSION
Italian Defense Minister Antonio Martino said in Rome on 11 February
that "Germany is leaving the command of [NATO's] Amber Fox mission in
Macedonia. We have already been asked informally and we will be asked
formally to substitute [for] Germany at the helm of the mission. I will
therefore ask the government and parliament to allow Italy to take
command of this mission," Reuters reported. Amber Fox's mandate to
provide protection for EU and OSCE monitors runs out in late March. The
Macedonian government wants it extended for an additional three months.
Many observers believe that an international armed presence will be
required in Macedonia for the foreseeable future. The "Frankfurter
Allgemeine Zeitung" wrote on 9 February that EU foreign ministers would
like the EU to replace NATO as the organizer of that mission, probably
in late September. Almost all of the forces in Task Force Fox are from
EU countries. An EU-sponsored mission in Macedonia would work closely
with NATO. The change would be largely cosmetic in nature but would
allow the EU to test and develop its conflict-management capabilities.
PM
[57] ALBANIAN RELIGIOUS LEADERS CONDEMN INCIDENTS
Roman Catholic and Islamic religious leaders in Shkoder have condemned
what they called a recent series of incidents aimed at poisoning
relations between their respective religious communities, dpa reported
on 12 February. In one incident, anti-Islamic leaflets were
distributed. In the most recent development, unknown persons threw a
grenade at a monument to Father Gjergj Fishta, Albania's most prominent
Roman Catholic poet. Luciano Agostini, who is a leader of Shkoder's
Roman Catholic community, said: "We condemn these acts and appeal to
all believers to be vigilant against them." Northern Albania is the
main center of the Roman Catholic minority. Relations between Catholics
and the Muslim community have traditionally been good. Many more Roman
Catholic Albanians can be found in Kosova, Croatia, and further afield,
where they are known for their entrepreneurship. PM
[58] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT BEGINS ASIAN TOUR...
On 11 February, President Ion Iliescu began a tour of several East
Asian countries, meeting in Abu Dhabi with his United Arab Emirates
(UAE) counterpart Sheik Zayed bin Sultan Nahayan and other UAE
officials, Romanian radio reported. The talks were focused on bilateral
economic relations and on encouraging UAE investments in Romania.
Iliescu emphasized that his country has "traditionally" had good
relations with Arab countries and that Romanian experts have in the
past participated in many large-scale projects in the region. Iliescu
said that his country's good relations with both Israel and the Arab
world offer the possibility for Romania to be a mediator in the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to an ITAR-TASS report. He also
called on Israel to lift its siege on Palestinian Authority Chairman
Yasser Arafat. MS
[59] ...MEETS INTERIM AFGHAN LEADER
Iliescu also met in Abu Dhabi with interim Afghan leader Hamid Karzai,
who the same day reopened his country's embassy in the UAE. Iliescu
expressed the Romanians' "solidarity" with the Afghan people's
suffering. Karzai thanked Iliescu for Romania's participation in the
peacekeeping forces in his country. On 12 February, Iliescu was to
arrive in Japan for the second leg of his tour, which will also include
Vietnam, the Philippines, and Singapore. MS
[60] ROMANIA DEFENDS BLAIR IN CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS
In a press release dated 11 February, the government said the
privatization of the giant Sidex steelmaker was carried out in line
with legal procedure and international standards, and that a letter
received from British Premier Tony Blair saluting the privatization did
not influence its course, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. The
government said the letter was received after the deal was concluded
and was interpreted in Bucharest as a "sign of encouragement for
pursuing the course of reform and economic restructuring." Prime
Minister Adrian Nastase said that the privatization of such an
important entity as Sidex "is not decided on because of a letter, no
matter who its author may be." The reactions were prompted by
allegations in the British press that Blair intervened in Romania on
behalf of LNM Holdings, which is owned by Indian-born British
businessman Laksmi Mittal, who donated 125,000 pounds ($177,683) to
Blair's Labor Party one month ahead of the deal. MS
[61] FORMER ROMANIAN AGRICULTURAL MINISTER FORMALLY CHARGED
Former Agriculture Minister Ioan Muresan and one of his subordinates
were formally charged on 11 February with abuse of power. Muresan is
suspected of having illegally transferred 5,000 tons of cooking oil
from the state reserve to a private company (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 7
December 2001). Muresan said in response that the decision of the
Prosecutor-General's Office is "political." MS
[62] ROMANIA TO COMPENSATE HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS, KIN
Romania is to pay compensation to those who were deported to ghettoes
and concentration camps during World War II and to those who were
forced to work in labor camps, Mediafax reported on 8 February.
According to norms approved by the government, those deported, as well
as survivors of the 1941 Iasi "Death Trains," will be entitled to a
compensation of 300,000 lei ($9.34) for each year spent in deportation
and internment. Those who had to perform forced labor, and relatives of
those who perished in the camps, are entitled to half that sum. Spouses
are also entitled to the halved-compensation if they never remarried.
Observers emphasize that the regulation requires that those entitled to
compensation must produce documentation proving their internment, which
in most cases is impossible to provide, and that only a handful of
survivors are still alive. MS
[63] MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT CALLS ON GAGAUZ POPULATION TO DISMISS GOVERNOR
President Vladimir Voronin appealed to the inhabitants of the
Gagauz-Yeri autonomous region on 11 February to participate in the 24
February referendum and vote "yes" on dismissing Governor Dumitru
Croitor, Infotag reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 11 February 2002).
Voronin accused Croitor of being "preoccupied with personal problems,"
rather than with those of the region, and said Popular Assembly
Chairman Mihail Kendigelean is collaborating with the Tiraspol
separatists. Croitor's supporters said the same day that the resolution
passed by the assembly on the referendum is null and void, because it
was supported by 21 deputies, two short of the required two-thirds
majority. Croitor said in response to Voronin's appeal that the call
can "only lead to further destabilization," and is "unconstitutional."
MS
[64] FORMER COMMUNIST INFORMER SACKED FROM BULGARIAN MEDIA COUNCIL
A member of Bulgaria's electronic media regulatory council was sacked
on 11 February after a commission charged with studying the files of
the communist secret service revealed him as a former agent, AFP
reported. Vesselin Stoikov, one of the nine members of the Electronic
Media Council that supervises radio and television, denied the
accusation and claimed it was politically motivated. The law on radio
and television stipulates that communist secret service collaborators
may not serve on the Electronic Media Council. MS
[65] BULGARIAN AMBASSADOR RESIGNS
Bulgaria's Ambassador to Belgium resigned on 11 February, AP reported.
Konstantin Dimitrov, who also headed Sofia's permanent missions to the
EU and NATO in Brussels, said he was stepping down because he belonged
to "the team of former President Petar Stoyanov." Dimitrov said
President Georgi Parvanov should appoint an ambassador of his own
choice. Dimitrov is the third Bulgarian ambassador to resign. He was
preceded by the ambassador to the U.S., Filip Dimitrov, and by Edvin
Sugarev, who headed his country's diplomatic mission in Mongolia.
Parvanov recently paid an official visit to Belgium and to the EU and
NATO headquarters in Brussels. MS
[66] BULGARIAN INFLATION GROWING
Prices in Bulgaria grew by 2.8 percent in January, dpa reported on 11
February, citing the National Statistics Institute. The budget for 2002
is based on a forecast of an annual inflation of 3.5 percent. MS
[67] WINTER OLYMPICS MEDAL COUNT--PART 2 COUNTRIES
Through 11 FEBRUARY.
CountryGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Czech Rep.0011
Poland0011
Belarus0000
Bosnia-Herzeg.0000
Bulgaria0000
Croatia0000
Estonia0000
Hungary0000
Latvia0000
Lithuania0000
Macedonia0000
Moldova0000
Romania0000
Slovakia0000
Slovenia0000
Ukraine0000
Yugoslavia0000
END NOTE
[68] There is no End Note today.
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