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RFE/RL Newsline, 02-02-15
CONTENTS
[01] PUTIN PRAISES GOVERNMENT'S ECONOMIC ACHIEVEMENTS...
[02] ...AS EXPERTS SAY INFLATION MEANS FAILURE OF GOVERNMENT'S ECONOMIC
[03] RUSSIAN AND CANADA PLAN TO EXPAND COOPERATION AND TRADE
[04] GOVERNMENT ADOPTS BILL ON ALTERNATIVE SERVICE
[05] ECOLOGICAL MONITORING SERVICE DETECTS RADIOACTIVITY LEAK IN MOSCOW
[06] DUMA ASKS PROSECUTOR-GENERAL TO INVESTIGATE PRIVATE SECURITY
[07] PROSECUTOR SENDS TO COURT CASE OF FOREIGN TRADE MINISTRY OFFICIALS
[08] FEDERAL PROPERTY AGENCY FRATERNIZES WITH LAWYER WITH MAFIA
[09] MORE OLIGARCHS SOUGHT TO BUY TV-6
[10] LEGISLATOR TO TAKE ON LOBBYING JOB GRATIS
[11] ANOTHER SENATOR SELECTED
[12] TENSE SITUATION REPORTED IN COAL MINING REGION
[13] INTERIOR MINISTRY TO TAKE LEAD IN COMBATING HOMELESSNESS
[14] BOOK SWAP NETS SOME COMMUNIST CLASSICS
[15] PROLIFERATING PROSTITUTION PLAGUES PERM
[16] MARRIAGE LESS POPULAR
[17] CHECHENS PROTEST ARTILLERY BOMBARDMENT BY RUSSIAN TROOPS
[18] ARMENIAN OPPOSITION ANGERED BY PRESIDENT'S COMMENTS ON
[19] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT UNDERGOES APPENDECTOMY...
[20] ...AND HIS AZERBAIJANI COUNTERPART PROSTATE SURGERY
[21] ARMENIA, GREECE, IRAN DISCUSS JOINT ENERGY PROJECTS
[22] ARMENIAN DEFENSE MINISTER, KARABAKH PRESIDENT MEET
[23] AZERBAIJAN AGAIN RULES OUT ECONOMIC COOPERATION WITH ARMENIA...
[24] ...NOT YET READY TO MAKE FIRM COMMITMENT TO EXPORT OIL VIA UKRAINE
[25] PROTESTS SPREAD IN AZERBAIJANI EXCLAVE
[26] ABKHAZIA'S ARMENIAN COMMUNITY APPEALS TO UN
[27] RUSSIAN DELEGATION ARRIVES IN GEORGIA TO PREPARE REPATRIATION OF
[28] KAZAKHSTAN'S PRESIDENT SEEKS JOINT VENTURES WITH INDIA
[29] HEALTH PROBLEMS IN KAZAKHSTAN'S ARMED FORCES HIGHLIGHTED...
[30] ...AS KYRGYZSTAN MOVES TO SHORTEN TERM OF MILITARY SERVICE
[31] UNEMPLOYED KYRGYZ HOPE FOR JOB OPPORTUNITIES IN AFGHANISTAN
[32] IMF CASTIGATES TAJIKISTAN FOR PROVIDING INACCURATE DATA
[33] CORRECTION:
[34] WINTER OLYMPICS MEDALS COUNT -- PART 1 COUNTRIES
[35] VALENTINE DAY MARCH IN MINSK ENDS IN ARRESTS
[36] TWO BELARUSIAN JOURNALISTS CHARGED WITH LIBELING LUKASHENKA
[37] KUCHMA TO HEAD FOR A UNITED UKRAINE PARTY?
[38] PRESIDENT SAYS SMUGGLING THREATENS UKRAINE'S ECONOMIC SECURITY
[39] UKRAINE'S RUSSIAN BLOC CAMPAIGNS FOR ECONOMIC UNION WITH RUSSIA
[40] UKRAINIAN COMMUNISTS SHOWER PROMISES OF 'SOCIALIST REFORMS'
[41] DEFENSE COOPERATION BETWEEN ESTONIA AND FINLAND
[42] LATVIAN PUBLIC TV CHIEF FIRED
[43] FRENCH PARLIAMENT DEPUTIES PRAISE LITHUANIAN BID FOR EU
[44] NATO LEADER URGES POLAND TO MODERNIZE ARMED FORCES
[45] POLITICIAN WARNS AGAINST SPLIT IN POLISH COALITION OVER EU
[46] POLISH PARLIAMENT PASSES LOCAL ELECTION LAW...
[47] ...EXCLUDES INTELLIGENCE, BORDER SERVICES FROM LUSTRATION
[48] NEW DISPUTE OVER CZECH PRESIDENT'S PREROGATIVES
[49] CZECH AUTHORITIES THREATEN TEMELIN OPERATOR WITH SANCTIONS
[50] NO PLACE FOR SCHINDLER ON CZECH LIST
[51] CZECH INTERIOR MINISTRY BANS FAR-RIGHT YOUTH ORGANIZATION
[52] NEW CZECH CIVIC ASSOCIATION TO DEFEND ZELEZNY
[53] SLOVAKIA REACTS TO HUNGARIAN PREMIER'S COMMENTS...
[54] ...WHILE HUNGARY DENIES THEY WERE MADE
[55] ORBAN SAYS 'HUNGARIAN MODEL' PROVES ECONOMIC TEXTBOOKS WRONG
[56] HUNGARIAN SOCIALIST LEADER REACTS TO PREMIER'S HINTS ON
[57] ...AND ISRAEL CALLS MIEP ALLEGATIONS 'RIDICULOUS'
[58] CROATIAN PRESIDENT SAYS MILOSEVIC STILL TRYING TO DECEIVE...
[59] ...CALLS MILOSEVIC 'PRIME ARCHITECT OF THE WAR'
[60] MILOSEVIC TELLS THE HAGUE OF SERBIAN FORCES' HUMANITARIAN WORK
[61] SERBIAN EX-DICTATOR WANTS TRIBUNAL TO SUMMON WESTERN LEADERS
[62] GERMAN BROADCASTER REJECTS MILOSEVIC'S USE OF DOCUMENTARY ON
[63] HAGUE PROSECUTOR ARRIVES IN BOSNIA
[64] BELKIC BECOMES HEAD OF BOSNIAN PRESIDENCY
[65] SERBIA WANTS INFRASTRUCTURE AID FOR OLYMPIC TRAFFIC
[66] STEINER SETS PRIORITIES FOR KOSOVA
[67] MONTENEGRIN MINISTER HAILS 'PRINCIPLED AND BALANCED' U.S. POSITION
[68] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT MEETS JAPANESE PREMIER
[69] FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SERVICE EXPLAINS VETO ON ROMANIAN POLITICIAN
[70] HUNGARIAN LEADER IN ROMANIA HINTS THAT CONFLICT WITH DISSENTERS IS
[71] IRANIAN DIPLOMATS: 'WE ARE NOT PLEASED' BY ROMANIAN GESTURE
[72] MOLDOVAN PROTESTS CONTINUE...
[73] ...AND COMMUNISTS REJECT PROTESTERS' DEMANDS
[74] PRESIDENT SAYS MOLDOVA WANTS TO INTEGRATE INTO EUROPE
[75] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT COURTS LIBYA AHEAD OF EXPECTED VERDICT
[76] BULGARIA APPOINTS NATIONAL SECURITY CHIEF
[77] WINTER OLYMPICS MEDALS COUNT -- PART 2 COUNTRIES
[78] UKRAINE DEBATES THE ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY
15 February 2002
NOTE TO READERS: "RFE/RL Newsline" will not appear on Monday, 18
February, which is a public holiday in the U.S.
RUSSIA
[01] PUTIN PRAISES GOVERNMENT'S ECONOMIC ACHIEVEMENTS...
Speaking to visiting Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien in Moscow on
14 February, President Vladimir Putin said that "if any Western
government had done at least half what the government [of Mikhail
Kasyanov] has achieved in the last few years, its work would have been
designated a success," Russian new agencies reported. Among the
government's achievements Putin listed "revolutionary tax reductions,
economic growth and the increase of the population's purchasing power."
Putin's favorable comments on the government's economic performance may
have been intended more to attract foreign investments than to reflect
accurately the real situation in the economy, strana.ru commented on 14
February. VY
[02] ...AS EXPERTS SAY INFLATION MEANS FAILURE OF GOVERNMENT'S ECONOMIC
POLICY
In January 2002 Russia experienced an inflationary catastrophe, the
seriousness of which is not realized either inside the country or
abroad, Institute of Globalization Director Mikhail Delyagin is quoted
as saying by "Obshchaya gazeta" on 14 February. Indeed, in January the
government sharply increased tariffs for communal services, railroad
transport, telephone calls, medicines, and print production, he
continued. In addition, there was also a 16 percent jump in the price
of fruit and vegetables. All this sent the annual inflation rate to 30
percent (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12 February 2002), and this figure
means the complete failure of the government's whole economic course,
concluded Delyagin. Meanwhile, ex-Finance Minister and member of the
Duma Budget Committee Mikhail Zadornov called on the government at a
press conference in Moscow to "publish the real figures for inflation
and prognosis of its growth linked to the increase in tariffs,"
strana.ru reported on 14 February. Zadornov added that he is not sure
that government can do this, but he is sure that the government will
fail to attain its goal of 3-4 percent economic growth this year
because of accelerating inflation. VY
[03] RUSSIAN AND CANADA PLAN TO EXPAND COOPERATION AND TRADE
President Putin said after his talks in Moscow on 14 February with
visiting Canadian Prime Minister Chretien that both countries have
agreed to work out a political program of extended dialogue on
strategic stability, defense, trade, and investments, Russian news
agencies reported. Moscow and Ottawa also agreed to step up cooperation
in the sphere of disposing of weapons of mass destruction, in
particular, plutonium and chemical weapons, for which purpose Canada
will provide Russia with $5 million. Putin also said that the two
countries will strengthen their joint work in the Arctic, and that he
has accepted Chretien's proposal to hold one of their future meetings
at the North Pole. Meanwhile Chretien, who was accompanied to Moscow by
a 300-strong delegation of Canadian businessmen, met the same day Prime
Minister Kasyanov. Following their talks, Kasyanov told journalists
that he has a portfolio of trade and industrial contracts with Canadian
businessmen worth $2 billion. VY
[04] GOVERNMENT ADOPTS BILL ON ALTERNATIVE SERVICE
Deputy Prime Minister Valentina Matvienko announced that at its meeting
14 February, the government approved the draft of the Law on
Alternative Service strana.ru reported. According to Matvienko, the
term of alternative service will be double that of compulsory military
service, and young men will be allowed to perform it at their place of
permanent residence, "unless there is an urgent need to send them to
other regions." The approval of the bill by the government is
considered a major step towards its transformation into law, because
its smooth passage through both chambers of the parliament is almost
guaranteed, according to strana.ru. VY
[05] ECOLOGICAL MONITORING SERVICE DETECTS RADIOACTIVITY LEAK IN MOSCOW
The Moscow state service responsible for monitoring radiation announced
on 14 February that it has discovered the presence in the air over the
northern part of the city radioactive isotope of iodine-131.
"Komsomolskaya pravda" and NTV reported on 14 February. Although the
current quantity of the isotope poses no immediate danger, greater
concentrations in the air could prove very harmful to human internal
organs and the hormonal system. The specialists say they cannot explain
the presence of iodine-131 in the atmosphere other than by a leak from
a nuclear reactor, and that they have already begun checking
functioning reactors in research and medical institutions in Moscow. VY
[06] DUMA ASKS PROSECUTOR-GENERAL TO INVESTIGATE PRIVATE SECURITY
SERVICES
The Duma has sent to the Prosecutor-General's Office a parliamentary
request to probe the activities of commercial security services that
"might be involved in illegal intrusion into private citizens' lives,
seeking to incriminate heads of state institutions and other serious
crimes," "Moskovskii komsomolets" reported on 14 February. The request
was prompted by the arrest last month of Vyacheslav Aminov, a Moscow
businessman and unpaid adviser to the chief of the presidential staff,
Aleksandr Voloshin (see "RFE/RL Security Watch," 3 January 2002), in
whose possession was discovered a huge archive of compromising material
on leading Russian politicians, parliamentarians, and businessmen. The
Duma's move will no doubt please President Putin, who would like to
crack down on the private "mini-KGBs" controlled by oligarchs and their
financial-industrial groups, the newspaper commented. VY
[07] PROSECUTOR SENDS TO COURT CASE OF FOREIGN TRADE MINISTRY OFFICIALS
The Prosecutor-General's Office has announced that its officers have
completed their investigation of the case of former Deputy Minister of
Foreign Trade Andrei Dovgaev and a senior ministry official, Evgenii
Petrov, who are accused of smuggling strategic metals, Russian media
reported on 14 February. The two men also are accused of abuse of
office and accepting bribes totaling $12 million. The investigators
also confiscated 151 pictures by famous Russian and foreign painters
from Dovgaev's private collection. VY
[08] FEDERAL PROPERTY AGENCY FRATERNIZES WITH LAWYER WITH MAFIA
CONNECTIONS
Vladimir Malin, the head of the Russian Federal Property Fund (RFFI),
has employed as his legal adviser, Aleksandr Dobrovinskii, who has
earned the nick-name "Mafia advocate" for his close ties to criminal
and semi-criminal figures, "Novaya gazeta" reported on 14 February.
Dobrovinskii first entered the limelight as the defense lawyer of
Vyacheslav Ivankov (a.k.a. Yaponchik), the Russian mobster sentenced by
a U.S. court in1995 to 12 years in prison on racketeering charges.
Dobrovinskii has close connections with Switzerland-based banker Bruce
Rappoport, continues the newspaper, who is involved in laundering money
for Russia criminal groups. He often represents controversial
businessman Lev Chernoy, who is reportedly involved in the illegal
export of metals. VY
[09] MORE OLIGARCHS SOUGHT TO BUY TV-6
At their meeting on 14 February, TV-6 shareholders decided to set up a
liquidation commission, Interfax reported. Igor Shabdurasulov, who
represents the interests of two shareholders, said that the liquidation
process could take anywhere from one month to a year. Also at the
meeting, TV-6 General Director Yevgenii Kiselev tendered his
resignation so that he can focus on the upcoming tender for the
station's broadcasting rights. Meanwhile, "Gazeta" reported the same
day that Union of Rightist Forces leader Boris Nemtsov is no longer
involved in negotiations between Kiselev's team and potential
investors, reportedly because he had become too talkative about
negotiations. The daily also reported that TV-6 journalists are
demanding that Siberian Aluminum head Oleg Deripaska, Systema head
Vladimir Yevtushenkov, and SUAL head Viktor Vekselberg, be included in
the consortium of investors that already included Unified Energy
Systems head Anatolii Chubais, MDM-Bank head Aleksandr Mamut, Sibneft
shareholder Roman Abramovich, and former Gazprom-Media head Alfred
Koch. That way, a kind of balance would be achieved by having
businessmen who are competing against each other included. JAC
[10] LEGISLATOR TO TAKE ON LOBBYING JOB GRATIS
Former presidential security service head General Aleksandr Korzhakov
plans to combine his job as a State Duma deputy with the vice
presidency of the Trade and Industry Chamber (TPP), which is now headed
by former Prime Minister Yevgenii Primakov, regions.ru reported on 14
February. According to Korzhakov's Moscow office, Korzhakov will work
for the TPP on a non-salaried basis and remain a member of the State
Duma. That way, according to his office, Tula Oblast will not have to
hold an early by-election for the single-mandate district from which
Korzhakov was elected. JAC
[11] ANOTHER SENATOR SELECTED
Legislators in Tyumen Oblast voted on 14 February to approve Deputy
Governor Andrei Artyukhov as their representative to the Federation
Council, regions.ru reported citing Samotlor-ekspress. Earlier it was
suggested that Surgut Mayor Aleksandr Sidorov represent legislators,
but he turned down the position. JAC
[12] TENSE SITUATION REPORTED IN COAL MINING REGION
The liquidation of one of Rostov Oblast's largest coal mining
companies, Rostovugol, could throw 12,000 people out of work, "Vremya
MN" reported on 14 February. According to the daily, the
interdepartmental commission for socioeconomic problems in the
coal-producing regions, which is headed by Energy Minister Igor
Yusufov, decided that the only legal means of extinguishing the
company's 11-month backlog of unpaid wages to its workers would be to
liquidate the company. However, local officials report that the social
situation in the regions "has become red hot." Rostov Oblast Governor
Vladimir Chub has already signed a decree designating 25 million rubles
from the oblast's budget to the company. JAC
[13] INTERIOR MINISTRY TO TAKE LEAD IN COMBATING HOMELESSNESS
Deputy Prime Minister Matvienko announced on 14 February that as a
result of a cabinet ministers' meeting that day to discuss the results
of last November's Civic Forum, an interdepartmental working group for
the struggle against homelessness will be established and headed by
Interior Minister Boris Gryzlov, polit.ru reported. The Interior
Ministry, in fact, will play the leading role in the struggle against
homelessness, assisted by the Labor Ministry and Education Ministry.
The government also intends to strengthen the legal responsibility of
parents and schools for raising children. JAC
[14] BOOK SWAP NETS SOME COMMUNIST CLASSICS
The pro-Kremlin political youth movement, Moving Together, completed on
14 February its exchange of books by modern authors for Russian
classics, Interfax reported. The movement offered the reading public in
various cities the opportunity to turn in books by modern popular
authors such as Viktor Pelevin and Vladimir Sorokin, which the
activists deem "intellectually marginal," and receive in return Russian
classics by authors such as Igor Bunin and Anton Chekhov. Moving
Together Press Secretary Denis Zaitsev told the agency that some 6,700
books were collected, including some 97 by Karl Marx. JAC
[15] PROLIFERATING PROSTITUTION PLAGUES PERM
Presidential envoy to the Volga federal district Sergei Kirienko met
with Perm Oblast Governor Yurii Trutnev on 14 February to discuss the
problem of crime in the region, regions.ru reported citing
Region-Inform-Perm. According to the site, both officials consider
crime to be the oblast's chief problem ,and in particular the rising
level of prostitution. JAC
[16] MARRIAGE LESS POPULAR
The State Statistics Committee reported on 13 February that the number
of new marriages in Russia declined to about 900,000 last year compared
with 1.1 million in 1995, ITAR-TASS reported. There were also more
divorces: 700,000 in 2001 compared to 655,000 in 1995. Regionally, in
2001, the Moscow area had one of the highest rates of marriages with
8.4 per 1,000 persons. The Urals region was a close second with 8
marriages per 1,000. The divorce rate was highest in the Russian Far
East, with six divorces per 1,000 population. JAC
[17] CHECHENS PROTEST ARTILLERY BOMBARDMENT BY RUSSIAN TROOPS
Residents of the village of Tsotan-Yurt south of Grozny prevented
Russian troops from entering the village on 13 and 14 February, AP
reported. The villagers were protesting the deaths of two civilians,
one of them a woman, during artillery bombardment of the village on 12
February. Drunken Russian troops are reported to have killed dozens of
civilians in Tsotan-Yurt during a security sweep in the village in
early January (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 11 January 2002). LF
TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[18] ARMENIAN OPPOSITION ANGERED BY PRESIDENT'S COMMENTS ON
CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM
Representatives of Armenian opposition parties which have drafted an
alternative package of proposed constitutional amendments on 14
February criticized President Robert Kocharian's statement the previous
day that the alternative proposals will be excluded from a nationwide
referendum on amendments proposed by the presidential commission,
RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 February
2002). Kocharian admitted that if several alternatives were put to a
referendum, it would be unlikely that any of them would receive the
approval of the required minimum one-third of all registered voters.
Kocharian also hinted that rejection of the amendments he has endorsed
would negatively impact on his bid for re-election in March 2003.
National Democratic Party leader Shavarsh Kocharian (no relation to the
president), who co-authored the alternative amendments, told RFE/RL
that "the president...cares more about his re-election than about
reform of the constitution." LF
[19] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT UNDERGOES APPENDECTOMY...
President Kocharian was hospitalized early on 14 February and underwent
emergency surgery to remove his appendix, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau
reported quoting the presidential press service. The 47-year-old
president's condition after the operation was said to be
"satisfactory," and he will be discharged from hospital in "a few
days." LF
[20] ...AND HIS AZERBAIJANI COUNTERPART PROSTATE SURGERY
Also on 14 February, Heidar Aliev underwent prostate surgery at the
Cleveland Clinic where he checked in for a medical examination 11 days
earlier, Turan and Reuters reported. The presidential press service
reported that Aliev is recovering normally. ITAR-TASS and Turan also
quoted that service as saying that Aliev will return to Azerbaijan
within a few days, while according to Reuters it gave no date either
for his discharge from the clinic or his return to Azerbaijan. LF
[21] ARMENIA, GREECE, IRAN DISCUSS JOINT ENERGY PROJECTS
Senior government officials from Armenia, Greece, and Iran met in
Yerevan on 13-14 February to discuss energy projects, in particular the
planned gas export pipeline from Iran to Armenia, RFE/RL's Yerevan
bureau reported. A memorandum of understanding on implementing that
project was signed during President Kocharian's visit to Tehran in
December 2001 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 28 December 2001) , but no date
was set for beginning construction, which will cost an estimated $120
million. Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Armen Martirosian said the EU
will contribute to funding the gas pipeline project as part of its
efforts to secure alternative energy sources and expedite closure of
the Medzamor nuclear power plant, which currently provides 40 percent
of Armenia's electricity. LF
[22] ARMENIAN DEFENSE MINISTER, KARABAKH PRESIDENT MEET
Armenian Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian met in Stepanakert on 12
February with Arkadii Ghukasian, president of the unrecognized
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, to discuss the military-political situation
in the region, Noyan Tapan reported. The two agreed that the armed
forces of both Armenia and Karabakh must be strengthened in order to
preserve the existing military balance of forces in the conflict zone.
At the same time, they stressed their commitment to seeking a peaceful
solution to the conflict. LF
[23] AZERBAIJAN AGAIN RULES OUT ECONOMIC COOPERATION WITH ARMENIA...
Azerbaijan has not retreated from its position that any economic
cooperation with Armenia is contingent on a "fair" solution to the
Karabakh conflict, presidential administration department head Novruz
Mamedov told the Trend news agency in Baku on 13 February, according to
Groong. Novruzov was responding to a joint statement issued in
Strasbourg on 8 February by UN, OSCE, and Council of Europe
representatives again calling for Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia to
embark on trilateral regional cooperation, which, the statement said,
"would help settle 'frozen' conflicts." Armenia has repeatedly signaled
its readiness for such cooperation, while Azerbaijan has consistently
rejected it (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 and 25 June 2001). LF
[24] ...NOT YET READY TO MAKE FIRM COMMITMENT TO EXPORT OIL VIA UKRAINE
Speaking on 14 February in Kyiv at a session of the Azerbaijan-Ukraine
intergovernmental commission for economic cooperation, Azerbaijan's
Deputy Premier Abbas Abbasov said his country will not export oil via
the Odesa-Brody pipeline this year, although he did not exclude doing
so in future, Russian agencies reported. He invited Ukraine to
participate in construction of the Baku-Ceyhan oil export pipeline,
according to Turan on 15 February. U.S. officials have similarly
proposed that Ukraine should join that project. LF
[25] PROTESTS SPREAD IN AZERBAIJANI EXCLAVE
Residents of the village of Bananyar in Nakhichevan began a hunger
strike on 13 February to protest appalling living conditions, Turan
reported. Residents of two neighboring villages joined the protest the
following day to demand bread, employment, and the resignation of the
country's leadership. Turan quoted unidentified sources as saying that
there have been "clashes" between the protesters and local officials.
LF
[26] ABKHAZIA'S ARMENIAN COMMUNITY APPEALS TO UN
"Krunk," a public organization that represents Abkhazia's Armenian
minority, has addressed an appeal to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to
secure the abolition of "anti-human" economic and political sanctions
imposed on Abkhazia by the CIS and other international bodies,
according to Armenpress on 14 February as cited by Groong. The appeal,
which was published in the Armenian daily "Respublika Armeniya," argued
that those sanctions constitute a violation of human rights,
particularly as they make it impossible for local Armenians to travel
to Armenia. LF
[27] RUSSIAN DELEGATION ARRIVES IN GEORGIA TO PREPARE REPATRIATION OF
CHECHEN REFUGEES
A Russian delegation headed by Deputy Minister for Emergency Situations
Yurii Brazhnikov began talks in Tbilisi on 14 February on the voluntary
repatriation to Chechnya of the estimated 7,000-8,000 refugees
currently encamped in Georgia's Pankisi Gorge, Russian and Georgian
agencies reported. Brazhnikov did not mention any specific time frame
for beginning the repatriation process. Brazhnikov said after meeting
with Georgian Interior Minister Koba Narchemashvili that Tbilisi will
conduct a census of the refugees next month and determine how many of
them are prepared to return to Chechnya. It is not clear how that
census will be conducted as Pankisi has long been considered a "no-go"
area even for the Georgian police. "Kommersant-Daily" reported on 15
February that almost all the refugees have already said that they are
not prepared to return to Chechnya until the fighting there is ended.
LF
[28] KAZAKHSTAN'S PRESIDENT SEEKS JOINT VENTURES WITH INDIA
Touring Bangalore on 14 February, Nursultan Nazarbaev invited local
companies to establish joint ventures with Kazakhstan in the field of
information technology and pharmaceuticals, dpa reported. LF
[29] HEALTH PROBLEMS IN KAZAKHSTAN'S ARMED FORCES HIGHLIGHTED...
Kazakhstan's Defense Ministry has launched a program to prevent the
spread of AIDS and venereal disease within the armed forces, Interfax
reported on 14 February. Four servicemen tested HIV-positive in 2001,
and "hundreds" of cases of syphilis and gonorrhea are reported
annually, according to the ministry's press service. Meanwhile
"Kontinent" reported on 5 February that no more than 15,000 of the
potential 70,000 draftees are healthy enough to be inducted into
Kazakhstan's armed forces this fall. Forty percent of the potential
recruits are underweight, and 25 percent reportedly have an IQ that is
too low. LF
[30] ...AS KYRGYZSTAN MOVES TO SHORTEN TERM OF MILITARY SERVICE
The Legislative Assembly (the lower chamber of Kyrgyzstan's parliament)
on 14 February passed in the first reading a draft bill that reduces
from two years to one the term of compulsory military service, RFE/RL's
Bishkek bureau reported. Servicemen may opt to sign a further two-year
contract after completing their service. The bill's author, Defense and
Security Committee Chairman Ismail Isakov, said the bill will save an
unspecified amount in budget funds. LF
[31] UNEMPLOYED KYRGYZ HOPE FOR JOB OPPORTUNITIES IN AFGHANISTAN
Since 7 February, a total of 2,000 residents of Kyrgyzstan's southern
Batken Oblast have signed up for employment opportunities in
Afghanistan, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported. Over 50 percent of those
who did so are currently unemployed. LF
[32] IMF CASTIGATES TAJIKISTAN FOR PROVIDING INACCURATE DATA
In a press release dated 13 February, the IMF noted three quarterly
tranches of a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility loan were released
in January 2000, April 2001 and July 2001 on the basis of incorrect
data supplied by Tajikistan on the country's external debt. IMF Deputy
Managing Director and Acting Chairman Eduardo Aninat termed the Tajik
authorities' failure to provide accurate data "a serious matter," but
noted that the Tajik government has pledged to "take definitive actions
to address deficiencies in their debt management capacities." LF
[33] CORRECTION:
On 12 February "RFE/RL Newsline" incorrectly identified Philip Remler
as acting U.S. ambassador in Tbilisi. He is in fact charge d'affaires.
[34] WINTER OLYMPICS MEDALS COUNT -- PART 1 COUNTRIES
Through 14 February
CountryGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Russia2327
Armenia 0000
Azerbaijan0000
Georgia0000
Kazakhstan0000
Kyrgyzstan0000
Tajikistan0000
Uzbekistan0000
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
[35] VALENTINE DAY MARCH IN MINSK ENDS IN ARRESTS
The Youth Front on 14 February initiated a three-month campaign of
protests against President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's regime by delivering
Valentine's cards to a dozen embassies in Minsk. "In times of darkness,
lies, aggression, repression, and dictatorship, we should remember that
only love will help us overcome [them] and revive a European Belarus,"
Reuters quoted the inscription on a card delivered to the U.S. Embassy
as reading. Russia's Embassy did not receive a card. Later in the day,
some 200 Youth Front activists organized a traditional Valentine's Day
anti-Lukashenka march in downtown Minsk, which was monitored by large
numbers of police and, as in previous years, ended in the arrest of
demonstrators. According to Belapan, riot police arrested no less than
30 young people. JM
[36] TWO BELARUSIAN JOURNALISTS CHARGED WITH LIBELING LUKASHENKA
Prosecutors in Hrodna on 14 February charged Mikalay Markevich and
Pavel Mazheyka with defaming President Lukashenka in articles published
in the opposition weekly "Pahonya" during the 2001 presidential
election campaign, Belarusian media reported. In November 2001, the
Supreme Court shut down "Pahonya" after the authorities previously
issued two warnings to the weekly (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 November
2001). "Pahonya," of which Markevich was editor, wrote about the
disappearances of opposition figures in Belarus and allegations that
those disappearances were organized by a government-sponsored "death
squad." If convicted, Markevich and Mazheyka face up to five years in
prison. "I have no illusions about my trial and the verdict I may get.
But I made my choice," Markevich told Belapan. JM
[37] KUCHMA TO HEAD FOR A UNITED UKRAINE PARTY?
Presidential administration chief Volodymyr Lytvyn, who leads the For a
United Ukraine election bloc, told journalists on 14 February that
President Leonid Kuchma has expressed his readiness to lead a planned
For a United Ukraine Party, UNIAN reported. "Our agreement on the
creation of the For a United Ukraine election bloc envisions two
principal tasks -- the creation of a parliamentary caucus and the
creation of a pro-presidential party on the basis of the bloc. The
president is ready to head the party in the stage of its formation,"
Lytvyn said. JM
[38] PRESIDENT SAYS SMUGGLING THREATENS UKRAINE'S ECONOMIC SECURITY
Addressing a government conference on the protection of the domestic
market on 14 February, President Kuchma said smuggling is threatening
the country's economic security, UNIAN reported. According to Kuchma,
last year Ukraine's budget lost more than 2 billion hryvni ($376
million) in unpaid customs dues. Without specifying a time frame,
Kuchma said illegal transit of alcohol across Ukraine has increased
threefold. Kuchma also said Ukraine has become "a major link on the
Balkan drug-trafficking route to Europe." The president added that
Ukraine has seen a 300 percent increase in drug-related crimes in the
past 10 years. JM
[39] UKRAINE'S RUSSIAN BLOC CAMPAIGNS FOR ECONOMIC UNION WITH RUSSIA
Oleksandr Svystunov, the leader of the Russian Bloc, said in an
election campaign spot on Ukrainian Television on 14 February that
Ukraine needs an economic union with Russia to ensure "cheap energy
resources" and markets for Ukrainian goods. "We have no other choice
than going together and building industrial society in both Ukraine and
Russia," Svystunov argued. He criticized Ukraine's "village mentality"
in its view of relations with Russia, saying that the Ukrainian economy
is based on Russian oil and gas. He also said that the 10 years of
independence brought more trouble to Ukraine than 300 years of Russian
rule. Svystunov was speaking to the camera from a rostrum against the
bloc's emblem featuring a troika of galloping horses and slogans:
Russian Bloc against poverty; Russian Bloc for the Russian language,
unity and decent living. JM
[40] UKRAINIAN COMMUNISTS SHOWER PROMISES OF 'SOCIALIST REFORMS'
The Communist Party published its election manifesto in "Uryadovyy
Kuryer" on 14 February, pledging to make workers "the masters of life"
and to implement "socialist reforms...to restore the economy" after
winning the 31 March parliamentary ballot. The Communists promise to
ensure comprehensive support for domestic producers; restore the
"uninterrupted operation" of the fuel and energy sector; support
agricultural producers with preferential credits; prevent the massive
purchase of land by the nouveau riche and foreigners; guarantee equal
legal conditions for the operation of enterprises and businesses with
different forms of ownership; lower tax pressure and abolish
value-added tax; stop "the criminal grabatization" [privatization]; and
"get rid of the dictatorship and the services of the U.S.
administration, the IMF, and other financial-political octopi." The
Communists also promise to turn Ukraine into a
"parliamentary-presidential" country. JM
[41] DEFENSE COOPERATION BETWEEN ESTONIA AND FINLAND
During a one-day visit to Helsinki on 14 February, Foreign Minister
Kristiina Ojuland held talks with her Finnish counterpart Erkki
Tuomioja on EU and NATO expansion and bilateral defense cooperation,
ETA reported. Tuomioja said that defense cooperation between the two
countries will continue after Estonia becomes a member of NATO. Ojuland
thanked Finland for help in developing Estonia's border guard system,
saying that this had considerably facilitated its integration process
with the EU. Ojuland noted that the meeting on Valentine's Day had a
symbolic meaning, as it demonstrated the good-neighborly relations
between the two countries. She also met with parliament Speaker Riitta
Uosukainen and Defense Minister Jan-Erik Enestam. SG
[42] LATVIAN PUBLIC TV CHIEF FIRED
The Latvian National Radio and Television Council decided on 14
February by a vote of six to one with one abstention to dismiss Rolands
Tjarve as the director-general of Latvia's public Latvijas Televizija
(LTV), BNS reported. The main reason for the dismissal was Tjarve's
approval of a trilateral agreement between LTV, Hansa Lizings, and
Media Bridge media agency under which LTV was to be a guarantor to a
354,000 lats ($553,000) bank loan taken by the media agency. This
agreement was considered to be a direct violation of the law "On Radio
and Television," which bans the pledging or sale of LTV assets. LTV
news service chief Gundars Reders was appointed as acting LTV
director-general. The same day, the parliament by a vote of 80 to none
with six abstentions appointed vice president of the "Balta" and
"Latva" insurance companies Andris Ruselis as Bank of Latvia vice
president. SG
[43] FRENCH PARLIAMENT DEPUTIES PRAISE LITHUANIAN BID FOR EU
At a press conference in Vilnius on 14 February, French National
Assembly Vice Chairman Maurice Ligot complimented Lithuanian officials
for what he called "earnest, competent, and responsible dealing with EU
entrance issues," ELTA reported. Ligot said that "all [EU] member
states are looking forward to the admission of Lithuania," which he
hopes will take place soon. The previous day, parliament Chairman
Arturas Paulauskas received the French delegation headed by Ligot and
informed them about the passage of numerous acts necessary for EU
membership. The delegation also met with members of the Lithuanian
parliament's European, foreign, rural, education, and science
committees. Ligot said he believes that the EU will allow Lithuania to
alter its previous decision and ask for a transition period on allowing
the sale of farm land to foreigners, since other candidate countries
are also applying for this. President Valdas Adamkus is scheduled to
meet the delegation before they return home on 15 February. SG
[44] NATO LEADER URGES POLAND TO MODERNIZE ARMED FORCES
NATO Secretary-General Lord George Robertson met with Prime Minister
Leszek Miller and Foreign Minister Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz in Warsaw on
14 February and urged Poland to modernize its armed forces more
quickly. "Modernize or you will get marginalized," Polish Radio quoted
Lord Robertson as saying. Lord Robertson praised Poland for being a
reliable NATO member. He also gave Poland credit for its efforts to
bring NATO and Russia together. "This is one of the most historical
opportunities which is now opening for us and could be the most
long-lasting advantage resulting from the horrific events which took
place on 11 September," Lord Robertson commented on the recent
NATO-Russia rapprochement. JM
[45] POLITICIAN WARNS AGAINST SPLIT IN POLISH COALITION OVER EU
SUBSIDIES
Zbigniew Kuzmiuk, the newly elected head of the Peasant Party (PSL)
parliamentary caucus, said on Radio Zet on 14 February that the PSL
will quit the ruling coalition with the Democratic Left Alliance if the
government accepts last month's European Commission proposals on
farming subsidies to new EU members (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 31 January
2002). "This is Mr. Kuzmiuk's statement. Such important decisions as
joining or quitting the coalition are not made on the basis of
politicians' unofficial statements, even if those politicians are very
prominent," government spokesman Michal Tober commented. Tober said the
EU proposal regarding farming subsidies is a "preliminary stance,"
adding that the Polish government has termed it "unacceptable in this
form." JM
[46] POLISH PARLIAMENT PASSES LOCAL ELECTION LAW...
The Sejm on 15 February adopted a law on local elections, shifting the
ballot date from spring to autumn and approving the d'Hondt method for
calculating seat allocations, which favors large groupings, the "Gazeta
Wyborcz" website reported. In a previous vote in January, the Sejm
opted for the Sainte-Lague method, which is more favorable for small
and medium-sized parties (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 28 January 2002). The
ruling Democratic Left Alliance managed to push through the d'Hondt
system thanks to votes from Andrzej Lepper's Self-Defense.
"Self-Defense has decided to support the d'Hondt method so that all the
agrarian-national organizations unite and together oppose the liberal
left and win against it," Lepper told PAP on 14 February. JM
[47] ...EXCLUDES INTELLIGENCE, BORDER SERVICES FROM LUSTRATION
The Sejm also approved the Senate's amendments to the 1997 lustration
law removing intelligence, counterintelligence, and border protection
service officers from the list of officials subject to the lustration
process. Under the law, state officials are obliged to submit written
declarations as to whether they collaborated with the communist-era
secret services. The law stipulates that those concealing their
collaboration with the communist secret police will be punished with a
10-year ban on holding public posts. In January, contrary to proposals
by the president who was an author of the amendments, the Sejm decided
that intelligence and counterintelligence would still be vetted (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 28 January 2002). JM
[48] NEW DISPUTE OVER CZECH PRESIDENT'S PREROGATIVES
The ruling Social Democratic Party and the opposition Civic Democratic
Party (ODS) on 14 February criticized President Vaclav Havel for having
decided on an appointment to the Constitutional Court without
consulting the government, CTK reported. Havel asked the Senate on 12
February to appoint Supreme Court Judge Chairwoman Eliska Wagnerova to
the vacant position. Justice Minister Jaroslav Bures said that he
"regrets" that the president did not consider it necessary to ask him
for information about Wagnerova. Bures asked for a meeting with Havel,
which he said he hopes will take place by the end of next week. ODS
Deputy Chairman Ivan Langer said Havel's handling of the appointment is
"suitable for a monarchy, but not for a democracy." He said Havel
should have consulted the premier, the Justice Ministry, and the
speakers of both chambers of the parliament. MS
[49] CZECH AUTHORITIES THREATEN TEMELIN OPERATOR WITH SANCTIONS
Dana Drabova, who heads the State Office for Nuclear Safety, told the
daily "Lidove noviny" on 14 February that "high financial sanctions"
and management changes could be imposed on the state-owned utility CEZ,
which operates Temelin, if another emergency shutdown occurs at the
plant after its restart, dpa reported. The previous day, Drabova's
office issued a preliminary report on its investigation of the latest
shut down at Temelin, six days after the malfunction occurred. The
report classified the closure as "Level 1 emergency," which is the
least dangerous according to international standards. It said no
radioactivity was released and that control room technicians acted
appropriately. The shutdown was caused by an electrical problem in the
power-generating turbine. MS
[50] NO PLACE FOR SCHINDLER ON CZECH LIST
The regional assembly of Eastern Pardubice voted on 14 February against
including Oskar Schindler, who saved 1,200 Jews in the Holocaust, on a
list of the region's outstanding personalities, AP reported. Schindler
was born in Svitavy, which is located in the region, but an advisory
council said he had been a member of the Nazi Party and is "too
controversial" to be included on the list. Schindler's deeds became
famous to millions in the world due to Steven Spielberg's 1993
Oscar-winning film "Schindler's List." MS
[51] CZECH INTERIOR MINISTRY BANS FAR-RIGHT YOUTH ORGANIZATION
The Interior Ministry on 14 February announced that earlier this month
it dissolved the far-right Republican Youth organization, CTK reported.
The ministry said parts of the organization's program infringe on legal
provisions. Last year, the ministry asked the Republican Youth to
correct references in the program to Roma, which were deemed to be
racially discriminatory and at variance with legal provisions. Only
some of those references were changed, the ministry said. Republican
Youth Chairman Martin Zbela said the decision was a "mockery of
democracy" and that the organization will file an appeal with the
Supreme Court. The Republican Youth was established in 1998, and
according to Zbela it has between 1,000 and 2,000 members. MS
[52] NEW CZECH CIVIC ASSOCIATION TO DEFEND ZELEZNY
The Interior Ministry on 14 February registered the recently
established Civic Association for Defense of Dr. Zelezny, CTK reported.
The association is headed by politician Martin Schuster, businessman
Jiri Slezak, and athlete Jonas Tichy, according to "Lidove noviny." In
January it published a full-page advertisement in the Czech dailies in
support of television mogul Vladimir Zelezny, who is being investigated
on suspicion of fraud, challenging the procedure used in the
investigation. Schuster is a member of the Young Conservatives
organization, which is close to the ODS. MS
[53] SLOVAKIA REACTS TO HUNGARIAN PREMIER'S COMMENTS...
The Foreign Ministry said on 14 February that it was "surprised" that
Hungarian Premier Viktor Orban has linked the controversy over the
implementation of the Status Law in Slovakia with Bratislava's bid to
join NATO, TASR reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 February 2002). The
ministry said that Slovakia "considers such views to be inappropriate,
at best." The "common future of our countries and all NATO citizens is
too important for politicians to hazard with," the statement said.
According to Hungarian media reports, Foreign Minister Eduard Kukan
called Orban's comment "irresponsible." Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda
said that "flexing one's muscles while speaking at the same time about
readiness to reach an agreement are incompatible actions." MS
[54] ...WHILE HUNGARY DENIES THEY WERE MADE
In what can be called a "reaction to the Slovak reaction," the Foreign
Ministry in Budapest said it was "astonished" that Bratislava has again
criticized Hungary without having studied Budapest's statement in
detail, CTK reported on 14 February. It said that Orban had told
Hungarian radio the previous day that apart from the dispute on the
Status Law, the two countries are "linked by many interests," and that
if Slovakia wants to join NATO, that accession must also be approved by
the Hungarian parliament. MS
[55] ORBAN SAYS 'HUNGARIAN MODEL' PROVES ECONOMIC TEXTBOOKS WRONG
Hungary's outstanding economic performance in 2001 proves that it is
possible to simultaneously achieve goals that textbooks say are
mutually exclusive, Prime Minister Orban told a forum of the Hungarian
Chamber of Commerce and Industry on 14 February. Thanks to the
"Hungarian model," Orban said, inflation and unemployment were reduced
simultaneously, consumption increased, the trade and current account
balances improved, small companies grew stronger, large companies
boosted their exports, and regional differences did not grow. "The
economy cannot be run according to any ideology, but according to
Hungarian interests," he said, adding that Hungary needs "economic
patriotism." Economy Minister Gyorgy Matolcsy told the gathering that
the economic goals set in 1998 have been achieved, and Hungary's GDP
growth rate is twice the European average, Hungarian media reported.
MSZ
[56] HUNGARIAN SOCIALIST LEADER REACTS TO PREMIER'S HINTS ON
POLITICALLY MOTIVATED ASSAULT...
Opposition Socialist Party (MSZP) Chairman Laszlo Kovacs on 14 February
urged Premier Orban to present evidence for his claim that the 11
February attack on Janos Olah, a Hungarian Justice and Life Party
(MIEP) candidate for parliament, was politically motivated (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 13 and 14 February 2002). Kovacs also sent a letter to
National Police commander Peter Orban, asking him to make public as
soon as possible any evidence regarding the motives of the assault.
Kovacs said it is "alarming" that MIEP Chairman Istvan Csurka suspected
that the MSZP was behind the attack, adding that Csurka's hints shed
particular light on the prime minister's statement about alleged
political motives. Olah told "Nepszabadsag" that "the MSZP's
fingerprints can be seen all over this case." Budapest's 13th district
local organizations of FIDESZ, the Democratic Forum, and the Christian
Democrats also said the MSZP was responsible for the attack. According
to "Nepszava," however, leaks from the police indicate that Olah was
beaten for his involvement in selling real estate in the 13th district.
MSZ
[57] ...AND ISRAEL CALLS MIEP ALLEGATIONS 'RIDICULOUS'
The Israeli Embassy in Budapest on 14 February expressed "regret" that
some people have used its name in the election campaign, Hungarian
media reported. The embassy said that "tasteless, ridiculous, and
groundless" charges were directed at Israel after the assault on the
MIEP candidate, adding that "Israel does not interfere in election
campaigns, neither in Hungary nor anywhere else in the world." MSZ
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[58] CROATIAN PRESIDENT SAYS MILOSEVIC STILL TRYING TO DECEIVE...
Speaking in Djakarta, Indonesia, on 14 February, Croatian President
Stipe Mesic said that former Yugoslav and Serbian President Slobodan
Milosevic "has been deceiving the world since he came to power. At the
same time he was deceiving his own people. He deceived the world by
claiming he was fighting to keep Serbia together. He also deceived the
Serbs. However the only thing he wanted was a Greater Serbia,
ethnically clean Serbia," RFE/RL reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12,
13, and 14 February 2002). Mesic added that Milosevic "was not
interested in the legitimate rights of Croatia, the rights of Bosnia
and Herzegovina, or the rights of Slovenia, or the rights of Macedonia,
or the rights of Albanians. All he was interested in was power and he
used it to pursue his criminal plan. And now he is questioning the
legitimacy of this court." PM
[59] ...CALLS MILOSEVIC 'PRIME ARCHITECT OF THE WAR'
Mesic said in Djakarta on 14 February that when he was "the last
president of Yugoslavia [in 1991], I told [Milosevic] that his plan to
create a Greater Serbia would not succeed, and that the Serbian people
would be those who would suffer the most from it, and I also told him
that the Serbs would try him and hang him. However, I was wrong because
he's now being tried by the tribunal. There is no death sentence, only
life in prison in this case," RFE/RL reported. Mesic stressed that
Milosevic is "definitely guilty of genocide, guilty of war crimes, and
the suffering of peoples and individual people... He must be held
responsible for that, and I am confident he will." The Croatian
president concluded that "Milosevic was the prime architect of the war,
he planned the crimes, and should be held accountable for that. Once he
disappears completely from the political scene -- Milosevic and those
[others] who are guilty -- I believe we will improve the stability of
the region. I believe in individual accountability because nations are
not guilty of crimes." PM
[60] MILOSEVIC TELLS THE HAGUE OF SERBIAN FORCES' HUMANITARIAN WORK
Addressing the war crimes tribunal in The Hague on 15 February,
Milosevic again denied that Serbian forces committed war crimes, and
charged that NATO planned and provoked a war with Serbia, RFE/RL
reported. Milosevic claimed that Serbian forces did not seek to expel
Albanians from Kosova but rather that "the Serb forces were trying to
save them, they assisted them, they transported them to hospitals, even
to the most elite American institutions, even to Belgrade and not to
Pristina and other towns of Kosovo." Referring to NATO's efforts to
stop the ethnic-cleansing campaign, Milosevic argued that "this entire
war was pointless and it constitutes a crime. Those come to kill
children in their sleep can hardly sleep peacefully themselves if they
are human at all and if they have any morals... The migration of
Albanians from Kosovo was of strategic importance for the Clinton
administration to win the support of the media and public opinion, as a
justification of what they were doing" against Serbia. Presiding Judge
Richard May suggested that 15 February will be the final day of
Milosevic's opening presentation. PM
[61] SERBIAN EX-DICTATOR WANTS TRIBUNAL TO SUMMON WESTERN LEADERS
Milosevic told The Hague-based war crimes tribunal on 15 February that
he wants it to summon numerous Westerners who held important positions
during the 1999 conflict in Kosova, RFE/RL reported. He specifically
mentioned: "[former U.S. President Bill] Clinton, [former U.S.
Secretary of State Madeleine] Albright, [French President Jacques]
Chirac, [British Prime Minister Tony] Blair, [German Chancellor
Gerhard] Schroeder, [former German Foreign Minister Klaus] Kinkel,
[German Foreign Minister] Joschka Fischer, [French Foreign Minister
Hubert] Vedrine, [former British Foreign Secretary Robin] Cook."
Milosevic is widely expected to seek to turn the trial into what one
broadcaster called "a circus" to attract publicity to himself and cast
doubt on the charges against him and on the tribunal itself. PM
[62] GERMAN BROADCASTER REJECTS MILOSEVIC'S USE OF DOCUMENTARY ON
KOSOVA
Joerg Schoenenborn, who is chief editor of the radio and television
station West German Broadcasting (WDR), said on 14 February that
Milosevic has no business citing a WDR television documentary from 2001
on the 1999 Recak massacre in Kosova as part of his defense, Deutsche
Welle's Bosnian Service reported from Cologne. Schoenenborn called
Milosevic's references to the broadcast "absurd and impudent," noting
that the documentary represented the journalists' own point of view and
nothing more. The documentary "It Began With A Lie" denies that the
massacre took place and has been criticized by nearly all German Balkan
experts and broadcasters as unprofessional and biased, the "Frankfurter
Allgemeine Zeitung" reported. Many German experts suspect that some of
the Serbian apologists who have taken up positions in Western media and
NGOs in recent years may have played a role in producing the film.
Meanwhile in Recak, villagers are "outraged" at Milosevic's allegation
-- based on the film -- that the massacre never took place, AP
reported. PM
[63] HAGUE PROSECUTOR ARRIVES IN BOSNIA
Carla Del Ponte arrived in Banja Luka on 15 February on a one-day
visit, Deutsche Welle's Bosnian Service reported. She is expected to
impress upon her hosts the need to extradite Radovan Karadzic and other
indicted war criminals (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12 and 13 January 2002).
Bosnian Serb authorities have denied that they know the whereabouts of
any of the men, but have called on those indicted to turn themselves in
and offered to help provide bail for them. In related news, "Vesti"
reported from Belgrade that former Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladic no
longer enjoys Yugoslav army protection from arrest and extradition to
The Hague. In November 2001, Del Ponte charged that the Yugoslav
authorities headed by President Vojislav Kostunica are knowingly
harboring Mladic (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 30 November 2001). PM
[64] BELKIC BECOMES HEAD OF BOSNIAN PRESIDENCY
In accordance with the legal provisions on the rotation of chairmen,
Beriz Belkic, who is the Muslim representative on the joint presidency,
took over the chairmanship on 14 February, RFE/RL's South Slavic and
Albanian Languages Service reported. He said that his top priorities
are the return of refugees and the introduction of legislation on the
return of property. Belkic replaces Jozo Krizanovic, the Croatian
representative, in the top position. PM
[65] SERBIA WANTS INFRASTRUCTURE AID FOR OLYMPIC TRAFFIC
Serbian Transport and Telecommunications Minister Marija
Raseta-Vukosavljevic told Reuters in Belgrade on 15 February that her
country will need massive assistance in addition to that already
pledged to upgrade its road and railway system in anticipation of heavy
traffic for the 2004 Athens Olympics. PM
[66] STEINER SETS PRIORITIES FOR KOSOVA
Michael Steiner, who is the new head of the UN civilian administration
(UNMIK), told dpa in Prishtina on 14 February that "the real interests
of people are jobs, security.., and of course the feeling that you can
rely on institutions [and] the rule of law. That is what people want
and that is the main issue that we have to address now," (see "RFE/RL
Balkan Report," 8 January 2002, and "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 February
2002). Referring to the ongoing political stalemate in the province,
Steiner stressed that the international community can play a valuable
supporting role, but that it is up to the political leaders of Kosova
to take action. He added that "it's in everybody's interest that all
[people] feel free in Kosovo," AP reported. But the next day, he told a
press conference that he will meet with local leaders over the weekend
because "we must come to a conclusion" on the composition of a
government before too long. PM
[67] MONTENEGRIN MINISTER HAILS 'PRINCIPLED AND BALANCED' U.S. POSITION
Foreign Minister Branko Lukovac told RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian
Languages Service in Podgorica on 14 February that he welcomes U.S.
Secretary of State Colin Powell's recent statement on Montenegro's
constitutional status (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 February 2002).
Lukovac called Powell's cautious statement "principled and balanced,"
in contrast to the EU's strong-arm tactics against independence (see
"RFE/RL Balkan Report," 14 December 2001 and 15 February 2002). Lukovac
called on Washington to play a "key role in order to offset the biased
attitude of the European Union," which refuses even to consider the
possibility of Montenegrin independence. In related news, a group of
European Balkan experts and NGO officials wrote an open letter calling
on the EU to change its policy towards Montenegro. PM
[68] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT MEETS JAPANESE PREMIER
On the last day of his four-day visit to Tokyo, President Ion Iliescu
held talks on 14 February with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, AFP
reported. The two sides agreed to boost bilateral economic ties and to
cooperate with the international community in fighting terrorism. At a
press conference hosted by the Japan National Press Club earlier that
day, Iliescu expressed confidence that Romania will be invited to join
NATO at the Prague summit this fall, and called for larger Japanese
investments in his country. He said the business climate in Romania has
been improving and "we are taking a very flexible stance and are
listening carefully to requests and opinions." He also said Romania
hopes to have "a more normal relationship with Russia," and to conclude
the basic treaty between the two countries "at the earliest possible
date." MS
[69] FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SERVICE EXPLAINS VETO ON ROMANIAN POLITICIAN
The Foreign Intelligence Service (SIE), in a statement stopping just
short of a formal apology, on 14 February said its 1990 veto of Radu F.
Alexandru's appointment as cultural attache in Israel had been due to
"the [lingering communist] mentality and criteria that were still in
force at that date," RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 14 February 2002). The SIE said it wishes to "assure"
Alexandru, who is now a senator representing the National Liberal
Party, that there are no files on him at SIE and that he is not "in the
focus" of the institution. MS
[70] HUNGARIAN LEADER IN ROMANIA HINTS THAT CONFLICT WITH DISSENTERS IS
OVER
Hungarian Democratic Federation of Romania (UDMR) Chairman Bela Marko
said on 14 February after discussions conducted with the recently
formed "Civic-Christian wing" in the UDMR that he is now persuaded that
the wing is "in no way undermining the unity of the UDMR" or the
protocol signed with the ruling Social Democratic Party. Marko said
that the group's formation was triggered by "problems arising from the
way the [UDMR] parliamentary group functions, by problems of
consultation [among the members of the parliamentary group] and of
mutual exchange of information." He thus hinted that the disputes could
be settled by promoting some of the dissenting group's members to
higher positions within the parliamentary faction. MS
[71] IRANIAN DIPLOMATS: 'WE ARE NOT PLEASED' BY ROMANIAN GESTURE
The local council of Cluj on 14 February voted against a proposal by
Mayor Gheorghe Funar to declare Cluj and the Iranian town of Nishabur
twin towns. The proposal, which had the approval of the Foreign
Ministry, was rejected on the grounds that U.S. President George W.
Bush recently referred to Iran as being a member of the "axis of evil."
AFP said that Iranian diplomats in Bucharest expressed "indignation" at
the decision, which was taken as a delegation from Nishabur and the
Iranian ambassador to Romania were visiting the Transylvanian capital.
MS
[72] MOLDOVAN PROTESTS CONTINUE...
Some 30,000 people continued their protest in Chisinau on 14 February
for the second consecutive day against the government's decision to
replace teaching the "History of Romanians" with the "History of
Moldova," RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. Apprehensions were
expressed that the "logical next step" of the government would be to
have the Cyrillic alphabet replacing again the Latin transcription of
"Moldovan," thus restoring the Soviet-era situation. After the
demonstrations ended, armored personnel carriers were deployed on the
city's main square. MS
[73] ...AND COMMUNISTS REJECT PROTESTERS' DEMANDS
The leadership of the Popular Party Christian Democratic (PPCD) met on
14 February with leaders of the parliament, who rejected the PPCD
demand that President Vladimir Voronin and the government resign and
early elections be called. Party of Moldovan Communists (PCM)
parliamentary group leader Victor Stepaniuc said that "for 12 years,
the Moldovan education system has prepared young people to become
Romanian citizens -- the time has come to prepare the young generation
to be Moldovan citizens." Parliamentary speaker Evgenia Ostapchuk told
the PPCD leaders that their demands are "unfounded and absurd," and
that the PCM has "received a four-year mandate from the people." MS
[74] PRESIDENT SAYS MOLDOVA WANTS TO INTEGRATE INTO EUROPE
President Voronin, in an interview with an Italian television channel
on 13 February, said Moldova is "fully determined" to pursue
integration with Europe, but Europe uses "double standards" in
relations with Moldova, ITAR-TASS reported. He said the EU "should not
divide countries into big and small states," and should treat Moldova
as a country equal to all others. MS
[75] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT COURTS LIBYA AHEAD OF EXPECTED VERDICT
President Georgi Parvanov on 14 February wrote to his Libyan
counterpart Muammar Ghaddafi that Sofia wants closer ties with Libya
and the Arab world as a whole, BTA and AP reported. The message was
delivered to Tripoli ahead of the verdict expected on 17 February in
the trial of the six Bulgarians accused of having deliberately infected
hundreds of children with the HIV virus. Parvanov wrote that
"regardless of the outcome" of the trial, "we shall do our best to make
our relations with the Arab world more active." At the same time, he
expressed the hope that the trial will be "fair." MS
[76] BULGARIA APPOINTS NATIONAL SECURITY CHIEF
The Bulgarian cabinet on 14 February approved the appointment of
Colonel Ivan Chobanov as the new director of the National Security
Service, BTA reported. Chobanov's appointment was proposed by Interior
Minister Georgi Petkanov. Earlier this week, President Parvanov said he
would sign the appointment immediately after its approval by the
cabinet. Parvanov said Chobanov is a "consensus candidate" for the post
and that his appointment will not stir objections from either
Bulgaria's Eastern nor its Western partners. Chobanov has been
assistant chief of operations in the Interior Ministry. He will be
promoted to the rank of major general. The post of NSS director has
been vacant since the resignation of General Atanas Atanasov in
November 2001. MS
[77] WINTER OLYMPICS MEDALS COUNT -- PART 2 COUNTRIES
Through 14 February
CountryGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Estonia1012
Poland 0112
Croatia1001
Bulgaria0011
Czech Rep.0011
Ukraine0000
Romania0000
Slovakia0000
Belarus0000
Hungary0000
Lithuania0000
Yugoslavia0000
Latvia0000
Bosnia-Herzeg.0000
Macedonia0000
Moldova0000
Slovenia0000
END NOTE
[78] UKRAINE DEBATES THE ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY
By Taras Kuzio
On 16-17 February Ukraine will hold a forum of Civic Organizations
entitled "Society Before the Elections." The aims of the forum are to
assist in the holding of free and fair parliamentary and local
elections on 31 March through civic control over the election process,
prevention of the use of "administrative resources," equal access to
the media, and high voter turnout. Two-thirds of Ukrainians do not
believe that the authorities will ensure a free and fair election and
half do not believe Ukraine is a democracy. Three-quarters of election
irregularities last month were undertaken by the pro-Kuchma For a
United Ukraine (ZYU), the Voter's Committee of Ukraine reported.
The forum will also debate the role, function, and expansion of the
activity of civic organizations and civil society within Ukraine. It
will be attended by 300 civic groups from throughout Ukraine,
foundations, political parties, and election blocs.
The number of civic groups in post-Soviet Ukraine has grown each year,
with 1999-2000 recording the largest expansion. Young people and
students participated in the "Ukraine without Kuchma" movement and the
"For Truth" civic group that grew out of "Kuchmagate." Many of the
young leaders of both of these groups were well-known activists from
the 1990-91 student movement, such as Oles Doniy, who is now a member
of the radical anti-Kuchma Yulia Tymoshenko election bloc. In the last
decade, civil society in Ukraine has become more professional and
efficient in its activity, but civic groups remain fragmented.
Two laws were adopted "on Civic Associations" in 1992, which underwent
changes in 1993, 1997, and 1998, and a law "on Charity and Charitable
Organizations" in 1997. By 2000 the Kyiv-based Innovation and
Documentation Center (IDC) recorded 28,000 civic groups in Ukraine, of
which 23,065 were civic organizations and the remainder charitable
foundations.
During 1991-96, Democratic Initiatives found that public faith in civic
organizations had declined from 30 to 13 percent. Only 7.8 percent of
Ukrainians were members of the 28,000 civic groups, compared to 4.6
percent who were members of the country's 130 political parties,
according to a 1999 IDC poll. Two-thirds of Ukrainians have never
participated in civic activities, primarily due to a lack of time,
distrust or lack of information about them, that poll established.
A major problem facing civic groups is financial. Only a third of civic
groups actually collect membership dues, another third have no funds,
and the remainder survive on less than $2,000 a year. The major source
of financing remains Western, particularly U.S. foundations. Social
Democratic Party of Ukraine-United (SDPU-O) leader Viktor Medvedchuk
recently complained that as a result, American influence over Ukraine's
civil society is "unrivalled."
Volodymyr Lytvyn's article "Civil Society: Myths and Realities" in the
mass pro-Kuchma "Fakty i Komentarii" newspaper on 19 January provided
the backdrop to the February forum. Lytvyn is head of the presidential
administration and the ZYU election bloc. Lytvyn's article plagiarized
an article by Thomas Carothers entitled "Civil Society" that appeared
in the Winter 1999-2000 issue of "Foreign Policy," a journal published
by the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The
intellectual reputation of Lytvyn, a professor of history and member of
the National Academy of Sciences, was severely damaged by this
revelation of plagiarism. Hryhorii Nemirya, chairman of the Board of
the Renaissance (Soros) Foundation, said, "Except for microscopic
fragments, it's essentially the same article."
Lytvyn was forced to admit that he had "re-written" Carothers' article,
but refused to apologize or accept responsibility for his act of
academic dishonesty. Subsequently, other Ukrainian academics and
scholars have come forward to list a history of plagiarism by Lytvyn
stretching back to 1990. A refusal to respect intellectual property by
such a high-ranking official and the unwillingness to deal with CD
music and computer piracy, a factor that led to U.S. sanctions being
imposed on Ukraine last month, is symptomatic of a deeper psychological
problem facing post-Soviet Ukraine.
The issue of plagiarism was made worse, Carothers believes, by the
manner in which Lytvyn's article was used to undermine civil society,
the very opposite of what Carothers had intended. Lytvyn's (and
Kuchma's) fear of civil society is influenced by the growth of civic
activism and public awareness since "Kuchmagate" and during the current
election campaign. The authorities feel threatened by the growth of
civic activism in support of democratization and against corruption at
a time when between 50 and 57 percent of Ukrainians believe that
political and economic reforms respectively are moving too slowly,
according to a December 2001 International Foundations for Electoral
Systems poll.
Anatoliy Grytsenko, president of the Ukrainian Center for Economic and
Political Studies, gave the sharpest rebuttal to Lytvyn. Reading
between the lines, Grytsenko understands Lytvyn's views as saying
defense of citizens' rights lies not within the realm of civil society
but through a "strong state and president." "The authorities would like
citizens to remain silent, to not react to provocations against civil
society, to not destabilize the situation or create a threat to
national security," Grytsenko concluded.
Lytvyn's views on civil society represent the ideology of ZYU, the
election bloc that is the official face of the "party of power" which a
presidential decree on January 28 openly ordered state officials to
back. Its views on civil society, business, and politics are influenced
by the Soviet legacy which has evolved in the post-Soviet era into
supporting a corporatist model for the state that plays a guiding and
controlling role within society. The state sees civic activism and the
mobilization of citizens as a threat to its capture and perceived
ownership, of the state. Citizens are only meant to display activism
during elections, as in a delegative democracy, when they need to be
guided as to whom to vote for.
The ruling ideology of Ukraine's post-Soviet elites and the ZYU has
therefore been "zlahoda" (concord), civic stability and social peace.
"Stability" is therefore the "fundamental idea" upon which ZYU is
campaigning. To them, civil society and citizens are not something to
negotiate with, respect, or admit responsibility for one's actions to.
State policies have therefore served to dampen the growth of civil
society and reduce feelings of efficacy, something the forum of civic
groups starting tomorrow is striving to change.
Taras Kuzio is a research associate at the Center for Russian and East
European Studies, University of Toronto.
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