|
|
|
RFE/RL Newsline, 02-02-19
CONTENTS
[01] U.S., RUSSIA CONTINUE START-3 TALKS
[02] GRU CHIEF IN WASHINGTON FOR TALKS ON TERRORISM
[03] MANILOV SAYS TALIBAN NOT DEFEATED
[04] PUTIN EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER INFLATION
[05] KHRISTENKO ASKS EUROPE TO LIFT TRADE BARRIERS
[06] CHUBAIS WARNS OF STRUGGLE WITHIN KREMLIN LEADERSHIP
[07] KLEBANOV DEMOTED
[08] PUTIN INSTRUCTS MVD TO MONITOR EMIGRATION, FIGHT CORRUPTION IN ITS
[09] PRESIDENTIAL COALITION IN DUMA SPLITS OVER DEATH PENALTY...
[10] ...AS RELIGIOUS LEADERS ALSO DIFFER
[11] ANOTHER ELEMENT OF JUDICIAL REFORM CLEARS DUMA...
[12] ...AND SPORT TV MEASURE NARROWLY FAILS
[13] SKINHEADS GO ON RAMPAGE IN ST. PETERSBURG, MOSCOW
[14] FINANCIAL-INDUSTRIAL GROUPS DRIVING TRANSFORMATION OF REGIONAL
[15] WAGE ARREARS GROW...
[16] ...AS MORE MINERS RESTIVE IN REGIONS
[17] STAROVOITOVA AIDE SUGGESTS LOOKING FOR MURDERERS CLOSER TO HOME
[18] INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ROMA CONVENES IN SAMARA
[19] RUSSIAN MILITARY SUSTAIN LOSSES DURING FIGHTING IN STARYE ATAGI
[20] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT DISCHARGED FROM HOSPITAL
[21] ARMENIA PROTESTS TO ISRAEL OVER AMBASSADOR'S GENOCIDE COMMENT
[22] ARMENIAN OPPOSITION LEADER WANTS REFERENDUM TO ENCOMPASS BOTH SETS
[23] NEW EVIDENCE EMERGES AGAINST TWO FORMER SUSPECTS IN ARMENIAN
[24] AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT SEEKS TO DISPEL CONCERN OVER HIS HEALTH
[25] AZERBAIJANI POLICE BREAK UP UNSANCTIONED DEMONSTRATION
[26] GEORGIAN FOREIGN MINISTER UPBEAT AFTER TALKS IN MOSCOW
[27] GEORGIAN OFFICIALS EXCLUDE BIN LADEN'S PRESENCE IN PANKISI...
[28] ...WHERE CRIMINALS ABDUCT FOUR POLICE OFFICERS
[29] GEORGIAN INTELLIGENCE CHIEF DENIES PLANNING TO ASSASSINATE LOCAL
[30] ...IN WHOSE MEDIATION SKILLS DISPLACED PERSONS EXPRESS CONFIDENCE
[31] KAZAKH FOREIGN MINISTRY SEEKS TO DISPEL CONCERN OVER AFGHAN
[32] KYRGYZ OFFICIALS DENY ARRESTED PARLIAMENT DEPUTY WAS BEATEN IN
[33] RELATIVES OF DECEASED KYRGYZ HUNGER STRIKER PROTEST ATTEMPT TO
[34] U.S. DEFENSE CHIEF VISITS KYRGYZSTAN
[35] WINTER OLYMPICS MEDALS COUNT -- PART 1 COUNTRIES
[36] U.S. CONGRESSMEN VISIT BELARUS OVER REPORTS OF ILLEGAL ARMS
[37] ...WHILE BELARUSIAN LEADERSHIP DENIES ANY WRONGDOING
[38] FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE CONCERNED OVER UKRAINIAN
[39] ...WHILE CANADIAN OFFICIAL HEARS NO 'ALARM BELLS'
[40] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VETOES LAW ON CABINET OF MINISTERS...
[41] ...CANCELS DECREE SENDING KYIV MAYOR ON CAMPAIGN LEAVE
[42] UKRAINE'S DIVIDED RUKHS MOVE TO REUNITE
[43] ESTONIA WILL IGNORE RUSSIA'S DEMANDS
[44] CZECH FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS LATVIA
[45] AGREEMENT SIGNED ON PRIVATIZING LITHUANIA'S LAST STATE-OWNED BANK
[46] POLISH PARLIAMENT ADOPTS 2002 BUDGET...
[47] ...WHILE RADICAL AGRARIAN LEADER WARNS AGAINST 'SOCIAL EXPLOSION'
[48] POLISH PEASANT PARTY WANTS COALITION TO NEGOTIATE BEST EU TERMS
[49] CZECH PRESIDENT TO RECEIVE JUSTICE MINISTER IN MARCH
[50] CZECH SOCIALISTS PLANNING COALITION WITH THE COALITION?
[51] CZECH PREMIER COMPARES ARAFAT WITH HITLER
[52] TESTING RESUMED AT TEMELIN
[53] SLOVAK CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS WANT TO FORM NEXT GOVERNMENT
[54] SLOVAK NATIONALISTS TO LAUNCH COMPLAINT AGAINST BUGAR
[55] FIDESZ SIGNS 'CONTRACT WITH CITIZENS' AHEAD OF BALLOT
[56] HUNGARIAN NATIONAL BANK CORRECTS DEFICIT FIGURES
[57] ROMANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER IN BUDAPEST
[58] MONTENEGRO REPORTEDLY BUCKLING UNDER EU PRESSURE
[59] WHAT FUTURE FOR MONTENEGRIN REFERENDUM?
[60] ALBANIA GETS A NEW GOVERNMENT
[61] MACEDONIA WANTS GERMANY TO REMAIN HEAD OF NATO MISSION
[62] YUGOSLAV MILITARY CONTRADICTS FOREIGN MINISTER
[63] SERBIAN EX-DICTATOR BLAMES OTHERS FOR HIS LOST WARS
[64] SERBIAN FORMER LEADER CALLS FOR RECOGNITION OF 'TRUTH'
[65] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT SLAMS MILOSEVIC'S HAGUE TRIAL
[66] FORMER KOSOVAR LEADER TAKES STAND AGAINST MILOSEVIC
[67] STEINER MEETS WITH KOSOVAR LEADERS
[68] EU AGREES TO TAKE CONTROL OF INTERNATIONAL POLICE IN BOSNIA
[69] POWER STRUGGLE SHAPING UP AMONG CROATIAN CONSERVATIVES
[70] POLL SUGGESTS CROATIA MOVING CLOSER TO TWO-PARTY SYSTEM
[71] CONTROVERSIAL CROATIAN TV PROGRAM YANKED FROM AIRWAVES
[72] TRANSVESTITE TRIO TO REPRESENT SLOVENIA IN EUROVISION SONG CONTEST
[73] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT CONTINUES ASIAN TOUR
[74] ROMANIAN PREMIER DENIES CONFLICT WITH PRESIDENT
[75] U.S. CITIZEN DETAINED FOR CARRYING CONCEALED WEAPON ON PLANE
[76] ROMANIAN SENATOR OFFERS HIMSELF AS DEFENSE WITNESS FOR MILOSEVIC
[77] LIBYAN COURT TRANSFERS BULGARIANS' CASE TO LOWER JURISDICTION,
[78] MINOR BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT RESHUFFLE
[79] BULGARIA OPTS FOR MIG MODERNIZATION BY PLANE'S PRODUCER
[80] WINTER OLYMPICS MEDALS COUNT -- PART 2 COUNTRIES
[81] There is no End Note today.
19 February 2002
RUSSIA
[01] U.S., RUSSIA CONTINUE START-3 TALKS
Russian Security Council Deputy Secretary Oleg Chernov met in Moscow on
18 February with visiting U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton to
discuss radical reductions in strategic weapons, regional and
international stability, and preparations for the Russian-U.S. summit
scheduled for late May 2002, RIA-Novosti reported on 19 February.
Moscow is trying to convince Washington to sign a treaty on "real and
verifiable" reductions in both countries' strategic arsenals in the
next 10 years to the level of 2,200-1,700 warheads, but understands
that because of different approaches it may not be possible to sign
such a treaty during the forthcoming summit. VY
[02] GRU CHIEF IN WASHINGTON FOR TALKS ON TERRORISM
The chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Colonel General
Valentin Korabelnikov, met in Washington on 16 February with U.S. Joint
Chief of Staff General Richard B. Myers and Defense Intelligence Agency
Director Thomas Wilson to discuss cooperation among military
intelligence agencies to combat international terrorism, ITAR-TASS and
"The Washington Times" reported. Korabelnikov expressed his agency's
interest in interrogating Russian citizens who were captured by U.S.
troops in Afghanistan fighting on the side of the Taliban. Meanwhile,
"Izvestiya" on 16 February mentioned that among the Taliban prisoners
brought to the U.S. base at Guantanamo are two Russian citizens whose
extradition Moscow will request. VY
[03] MANILOV SAYS TALIBAN NOT DEFEATED
Valerii Manilov, former first deputy chief of the Russian Army General
Staff and currently a representative of Primorskii Krai in the
Federation Council, said in Moscow on 18 February that "the Taliban
have not been destroyed yet and euphoria over the ultimate eradication
of the nest of terrorism is unfounded," gazeta.ru reported on 18
February. Under certain circumstances, "the Taliban still have
resources and weapons to counter-attack and then Russia will again find
itself close to a dangerous enemy," he added. Manilov also said that
Russia does not subscribe to the U.S. definition of Iraq, North Korea,
and Iran as states which support terrorism. The official position of
Moscow is that "the situation in these states may be normalized only by
inviting them to participate in joint international projects," Manilov
said. VY
[04] PUTIN EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER INFLATION
Speaking at a meeting of Premier Mikhail Kasyanov's cabinet on 18
February, Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded that the government
tighten financial discipline and take measures in response to recent
economic developments, RIA-Novosti reported. Putin added that "there
are certain seasonal fluctuations in the economy," but that "the
situation is not catastrophic." The government should nonetheless pay
more attention to the timely payment of salaries and pensions as they
are crucial to social welfare and the well-being of the population,
Putin said. Despite his optimistic tone, Putin is clearly concerned by
the inflationary surge that former Finance Minister Mikhail Zadornov
recently warned of (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 February 2002),
"Nezavisimaya gazeta" commented on 18 February. Rising inflation caused
by the rise in tariffs on services on "natural monopolies" could cancel
out the increase in social security payments and thus generate social
tensions, the newspaper noted. VY
[05] KHRISTENKO ASKS EUROPE TO LIFT TRADE BARRIERS
Speaking at a roundtable of Russian and European businessmen in Turin
on 17 February, Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Khristenko sharply
criticized the trade barriers imposed by the EU over the last few years
on Russian goods and services, in particular quotas on the export of
Russian steel and the ban on flights of Russian aircraft on European
routes, "Kommersant-Daily" reported on 18 February. Addressing the same
forum, Unified Energy Systems head Anatolii Chubais said that European
bureaucrats and businessmen are united in their reluctance to recognize
the "market nature of the Russian economy." If the EU continues to do
so, Russia may revise its contribution to European energy security and
"find its way to world markets without Europe's help," Chubais said. VY
[06] CHUBAIS WARNS OF STRUGGLE WITHIN KREMLIN LEADERSHIP
In a profile of Chubais published in its edition for 17/18 February,
the "Financial Times" quoted him as openly admitting that there is a
danger Russia may be transformed into a "police state," and that there
is a fight under way within the Kremlin leadership between those who
favor such a development and those who oppose it. "It is serious. There
are political forces not far from Putin who would support exactly that
style of development for Russia," Chubais admitted. But he added that
there are also political forces who strongly oppose that option,
including the Union of Rightist Forces. Chubais also said that he
admires Putin, whom he thinks "is making courageous long-term decisions
in economic and foreign policy." VY
[07] KLEBANOV DEMOTED
At the recommendation of Prime Minister Kasyanov, President Putin
relieved Ilya Klebanov of his position of deputy prime minister on 18
February, leaving him with the post of minister of industry, science,
and technology, Russian agencies reported on 18 February. An unnamed
source on the presidential staff told gazeta.ru the same day that
Klebanov lost his position simply because of his bad work record.
First, he irritated the Kremlin last year by his botched attempt to
sell Russian MIGs to Austria, and embarrassed Putin by involving him
personally in that deal. Second, Klebanov promised in 2001 to sell the
aircraft carrier "Admiral Gorshov" to India for $1 billion but failed
to do so. Third, he publicly boasted that last year Russia would become
the world's second-largest arms exporter, but according to preliminary
estimates Russia only ranked fourth, the source said. Klebanov's
demotion will strengthen the position of Kasyanov, who will take under
his direct control the Railways and Atomic Energy ministries previously
supervised by his deputy, gazeta.ru predicted. Both ministries are soon
to undergo reforms and privatization. The assets of the Railways
Ministry are valued at $10 billion and those of the Atomic Energy
Ministry at $3 billion, gazeta.ru added. VY
[08] PUTIN INSTRUCTS MVD TO MONITOR EMIGRATION, FIGHT CORRUPTION IN ITS
RANKS
At a meeting in the Kremlin on 18 February with Interior Minister Boris
Gryzlov, President Putin directed him to strengthen his agency's
control over emigration and immigration to Russia, RIA-Novosti and
Interfax reported. "Entrance to the country must be liberal, but
emigrants must settle down in those locations where their presence will
be profitable for the Russian economy," Putin said. Gryzlov told Putin
that in the last few months, his ministry has detained 81,000 persons
who violated residence permit registration, closed 62 companies engaged
in obtaining Russian entry visas, and expelled 120 foreigners who were
in Russia illegally. Putin, unimpressed, commented that "120 people is
a drop in the ocean." He also asked Gryzlov to intensify the struggle
against crime within the ranks of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Gryzlov responded that the ministry's Internal Security Service
detained 23 of its own officers on 16-17 February engaged in extorting
money at various Moscow markets. Putin similarly commented that that
figure "is good, but not high enough." VY
[09] PRESIDENTIAL COALITION IN DUMA SPLITS OVER DEATH PENALTY...
State Duma deputies voted on 15 February to support a proposal by the
People's Deputy group and the Fatherland-All Russia faction to adopt an
appeal to President Putin asking him to cancel Russia's moratorium on
the death penalty. Some 266 deputies voted in favor of the measure,
with 85 against, according to Interfax. At the same time, the deputy
head of Unity's faction, Vladislav Reznik, spoke against the measure,
noting that his faction's position on the issue coincides with
President Putin's. According to polit.ru, Putin has publicly stated
twice that Russia cannot restore the death penalty. Twenty-nine of the
47 members of the Russian Regions group, the fourth member of the
so-called presidential coalition in the Duma, voted for the measure. Of
Unity's members, 44 didn't vote, 36 voted no, and one member voted in
favor of the measure. JAC
[10] ...AS RELIGIOUS LEADERS ALSO DIFFER
On 16 February, Tamara Morshchakova, deputy chair of the Constitutional
Court, called the appeal a populist measure which cannot be implemented
because the death penalty is prohibited under the Russian Constitution.
Also on 16 February, Talgat Tadzhuddin, the supreme mufti of Russia and
the European countries of the CIS, spoke in favor of restoring the
death penalty -- a position at odds with that taken by the Russian
Orthodox Church, polit.ru reported. JAC
[11] ANOTHER ELEMENT OF JUDICIAL REFORM CLEARS DUMA...
Duma deputies approved on 15 February in the third and final reading a
law on judicial associations, Russian agencies reported (see "RFE/RL
Russian Political Weekly," 11 February 2001). Under the law, the
highest organ of judges is the All-Russia Congress of Judges. It is
subordinate to the Council of Judges which selects judges for
membership in the Higher Qualifications Collegium. According to
polit.ru, under the bill, judges will lose three seats on the collegium
and instead three representatives of the legal community will be
appointed by the president. These appointees will have to be confirmed
by the Duma. JAC
[12] ...AND SPORT TV MEASURE NARROWLY FAILS
Also on 15 February, deputies failed to approve an appeal to the
president asking the government to "examine opportunities to preserve
sports broadcasting on TV-6." The appeal, which was sponsored the
People's Deputy group, was supported by 203 deputies; however, 226
votes were needed in order to pass, Interfax reported. People's Deputy
leader Gennadii Raikov reported that some 10-15 letters a day have been
arriving asking that sports broadcasting be preserved on channel six.
JAC
[13] SKINHEADS GO ON RAMPAGE IN ST. PETERSBURG, MOSCOW
Ekho Moskvy reported on 17 February that there have been attacks by
skinheads in both St. Petersburg and Moscow. In Moscow, a 10th-grade
Azerbaijani student was beaten up by five unidentified men with shaven
heads. Meanwhile, in St. Petersburg, about 200 skinheads went on a
rampage on Prospekt Kultury, beating up passers-by and smashing shop
windows and advertising billboards. According to the city's MVD
authorities, the youths were not drunk or under the influence of drugs.
JAC
[14] FINANCIAL-INDUSTRIAL GROUPS DRIVING TRANSFORMATION OF REGIONAL
ELITES
In an article in "Izvestiya" on 17 February, political analyst Sergei
Porshakov argues that because of a series of regional elections at the
executive and legislative level, a number of elites at the regional
level have experienced a transformation. "The generation of leaders of
the old nomenklatura type, who came to power during the 'Yeltsin epoch'
is gradually leaving the political scene in large Russian oblasts,"
according to Porshakov. The new generation is "pragmatic" and acts with
an eye on the federal center and presidential representatives. Driving
this transformation, according to Porshakov, has been the expansion of
large Russian financial and industrial groups into the regions. For
example, the arrival in Irkutsk of Yukos and Russian Aluminum and then
MDM-Group and TNK "has fundamentally changed not only the economic but
also the political landscape of the region along the Angara River." In
Stavropol Krai, according to Porshakov, 13 of the 25 deputies in the
krai duma are either directors or chairmen of large to medium-sized
firms. JAC
[15] WAGE ARREARS GROW...
The State Statistics Committee reported on 18 February that the level
of wage arrears nationwide grew 9.6 percent to 32.829 million rubles
($1.1 million) as of 1 February from 1 January, ITAR-TASS reported on
18 February. Wage arrears due to under-financing from the federal
budget totaled 610 million rubles and were the cause of wage payment
delays in 30 regions, according to the agency. The largest backlogs
were recorded in the Tuva and Sakha (Yakutia) republics, Kamchatka and
Irkutsk oblasts, and Primore and Krasnoyarsk krais. JAC
[16] ...AS MORE MINERS RESTIVE IN REGIONS
In Amur Oblast, workers at the Yerkovetskiy Mine, which is owned by
Dalvostugol, have stopped work and are demanding that wage arrears that
have accumulated since last December be paid off, Ekho Moskvy reported
on 18 February. One group of miners also traveled 80 kilometers to the
oblast capital, Blagoveshchensk, to picket the oblast administration.
The press service of the oblast administration told Interfax that the
workers have not received their wages in full or on time since 1997.
The oblast administration also reported that Dalvostugol owes workers
some 30 million rubles, according to lenta.ru. Meanwhile, the situation
in another coal-mining region in Krasnodar Krai was described last week
as being "red-hot" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 15 February 2002). JAC
[17] STAROVOITOVA AIDE SUGGESTS LOOKING FOR MURDERERS CLOSER TO HOME
Two Russian citizens, Yuriii Biryuchenko and Viktor Kudryashov, were
extradited on 18 February from the Czech Republic and sent to Russia on
suspicion of murder, extortion, and other crimes, RIA-Novosti reported.
Biryuchenko, who also goes by the alias "the Tankist," and Kudryashov
are suspected of murdering State Duma deputy from St. Petersburg Galina
Starovoitova in November 1998 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 23 November
1998). However, in an interview with Ekho Moskvy on 15 February,
Starovoitova's former assistant Ruslan Linkov said that to find the
persons who ordered and carried out the murder of Starovoitova "it is
not necessary to travel to Riga or Prague -- [it would be] sufficient
to search the closest associates of State Duma Chairman Gennadii
Seleznev or St. Petersburg Governor Vladimir Yakovlev." Linkov added
that he spoke with some members of the special services about this and
they said that there was simply "no political will or agreement from
above" to extend the investigation to Yakovlev or Seleznev. JAC
[18] INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ROMA CONVENES IN SAMARA
An international seminar on the "Integration of Roma Communities in
Modern Society" has opened in the city of Samara, "Nezavisimaya gazeta"
reported on 18 February. More than 60 representatives of Roma
communities and public organizations in Moscow, St. Petersburg, the
Komi Republic, the Urals region, Volgograd Oblast, and a number of
countries in East and Central Europe and the CIS, were in attendance
together with government representatives from the Baltic states. In
addition, representatives from the Council of Europe, the Moscow
Helsinki Group, and Russian governmental organizations, such as the
MVD, participated. At the four-day meeting, delegates are expected to
discuss civil rights for Roma and the provision of a social and legal
defense for the Romany population. JAC
[19] RUSSIAN MILITARY SUSTAIN LOSSES DURING FIGHTING IN STARYE ATAGI
Russian troops apprehended eight people suspected of sympathizing with
the Chechen resistance during an ongoing search operation in the
village of Starye Atagi south of Grozny on 14-15 February, Russian
agencies reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 11 February 2002). The
Russian troops engaged in heavy gun battles with Chechen fighters that
resulted in an unspecified number of Russian dead and injured. Russian
military spokesmen claimed on 15 February to have killed 15 Chechens,
including field commander Khizir Khachukaev, Interfax reported. LF
TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[20] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT DISCHARGED FROM HOSPITAL
Robert Kocharian returned to work on 16 February, two days after
undergoing emergency surgery for appendicitis, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau
reported. Kocharian met on 16 February with Kyrgyzstan's ambassador to
Armenia, Kemelbek Nanaev, to discuss a visit by Kocharian to Kyrgyzstan
scheduled for April. LF
[21] ARMENIA PROTESTS TO ISRAEL OVER AMBASSADOR'S GENOCIDE COMMENT
The Armenian Foreign Ministry sent a formal diplomatic note to Tel Aviv
on 15 February protesting the comment made in Yerevan on 8 February by
Israeli Ambassador to Armenia and Georgia Rivka Kohen that the Armenian
genocide of 1915 was merely "a tragedy" that cannot be compared with
the Holocaust, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. The note characterized
that comment as "unacceptable" and an attempt to deny or belittle the
Armenian genocide. It further pointed out that Armenia "has never aimed
to draw parallels between the Armenian genocide and the Jewish
Holocaust because every crime [against humanity] is unique." LF
[22] ARMENIAN OPPOSITION LEADER WANTS REFERENDUM TO ENCOMPASS BOTH SETS
OF CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
People's Party of Armenia (HZhK) leader Stepan Demirchian told RFE/RL's
Yerevan bureau on 15 February that he supports demands by other
opposition parties to submit their proposed constitutional amendments
to a nationwide referendum along with the package of amendments
prepared by a presidential commission on constitutional reform (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 24 January and 15 February 2002). Demirchian said
the 10 HZhK parliament deputies will back that demand in the
legislature. LF
[23] NEW EVIDENCE EMERGES AGAINST TWO FORMER SUSPECTS IN ARMENIAN
PARLIAMENT SHOOTING
Military prosecutors said in Yerevan on 15 February that the trial of
six men accused in connection with the October 1999 shooting in the
Armenian parliament of eight senior officials has brought to light new
evidence against two men who were initially suspected of involvement
but were subsequently cleared of suspicion, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau
reported. The two men are both friends of Nairi Hunanian, the leader of
the five gunmen who perpetrated the bloodbath. Pollster and former
journalist Nairi Badalian was charged with complicity in the killings
and spent several months in detention but was then released (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 29 June 2000), while former police officer Armen
Harutiunian was released in July 2001 under a general amnesty. LF
[24] AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT SEEKS TO DISPEL CONCERN OVER HIS HEALTH
Azerbaijan's state television on 18 February screened an address by
President Heidar Aliev, who four days earlier underwent prostate
surgery in a Cleveland clinic, ITAR-TASS reported. The 78-year-old
Aliev said there is "no basis" for "concern" over his health. It is not
clear whether the address was filmed after Aliev's operation or before,
as was believed to have been the case in May 1999 when he had coronary
bypass surgery. Speaking in Baku on 18 February, presidential
administration head Ramiz Mekhtiev similarly said there are no grounds
for concern, and that the president "continues to run the country."
Mekhtiev did not, however, say when Aliev is likely to return to Baku,
noting that 7-10 days' convalescence after such an operation is normal.
LF
[25] AZERBAIJANI POLICE BREAK UP UNSANCTIONED DEMONSTRATION
Some 100 police officers armed with rubber batons forcibly dispersed a
group of some 80 members of the Azerbaijan Democratic Party on 16
February, Reuters and Turan reported. The demonstrators, who had not
received official permission from the municipal authorities to stage a
rally, were calling for the resignation of the Azerbaijani leadership.
Police detained between 20 and 40 protesters. On 15 February,
Democratic Party General Secretary Sardar Djalaloglu and the chairmen
of the Musavat, Civic Unity and Liberal parties decided to begin mass
protest actions beginning next month to demand Aliev's resignation,
Turan reported. LF
[26] GEORGIAN FOREIGN MINISTER UPBEAT AFTER TALKS IN MOSCOW
Georgian Foreign Minister Irakli Menagharishvili said after talks in
Moscow on 15 February with Russian State Duma Commission on CIS Affairs
Chairman Boris Pastukhov that he is pleased with the progress made on
drafting a new bilateral framework treaty, and believes that the
document may be ready within two months, Russian and Georgian agencies
reported. Pastukhov for his part noted that solutions were found to
unspecified political and economic issues, and that it has been decided
to extend the mandate of the Russian peacekeeping force deployed under
the CIS aegis in the Abkhaz conflict zone. LF
[27] GEORGIAN OFFICIALS EXCLUDE BIN LADEN'S PRESENCE IN PANKISI...
Georgian Interior Ministry spokesman Kakha Sikharulidze on 16 February
rejected as unfounded a suggestion made in Paris the previous day by
Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov that Osama bin Laden may have
taken refuge in Georgia's Pankisi Gorge, Russian and Georgian agencies
reported. National Security Minister Valeri Khaburzania similarly told
Georgian National Television late on 18 February that there are no
grounds for suspecting that bin Laden is in Georgia. Alluding to the
offer made last week by U.S. charge d'affaires Philip Remler of U.S.
help to apprehend Afghan fighters in Pankisi, Khaburzania said there is
"no need" for joint operations with either the U.S. or Russia to locate
and apprehend those fighters, but that Tbilisi would welcome
"methodological and technical assistance" from either country. AP on 18
February similarly quoted Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze as
saying that a joint operation with Russia against suspected mercenaries
in Pankisi "is inadmissible." LF
[28] ...WHERE CRIMINALS ABDUCT FOUR POLICE OFFICERS
Also on 18 February, Shevardnadze appealed to village elders in the
Pankisi Gorge to help secure the release of four Georgian police
officers kidnapped there the previous day, Caucasus Press reported. The
abduction is believed to have been in retaliation for the recent arrest
of a local Georgian drug trafficker. Shevardnadze said he has given
Interior Minister Koba Narchemashvili carte blanche to take any
measures necessary to free the hostages. LF
[29] GEORGIAN INTELLIGENCE CHIEF DENIES PLANNING TO ASSASSINATE LOCAL
LEADER...
Georgian Intelligence Department chief Avtandil Ioseliani asked the
Prosecutor-General's Office on 16 February to investigate "absurd and
insulting" accusations that he personally is plotting the assassination
of Adjar Supreme Council Chairman Aslan Abashidze, Caucasus Press
reported. Djemal Gogitidze, who heads the Georgian parliament faction
of Abashidze's Revival Union, made the accusation at a congress in
Tbilisi on 15 February attended by some 12,000 displaced Georgians who
were forced to flee Abkhazia during the 1992-93 war. He called for
Ioseliani's immediate dismissal. LF
[30] ...IN WHOSE MEDIATION SKILLS DISPLACED PERSONS EXPRESS CONFIDENCE
Delegates to the displaced persons' congress on 15 February unanimously
expressed their confidence in Abashidze, whom Shevardnadze named last
year as his personal envoy to mediate a solution to the Abkhaz
conflict, Caucasus Press reported. LF
[31] KAZAKH FOREIGN MINISTRY SEEKS TO DISPEL CONCERN OVER AFGHAN
PEACEKEEPING
Speaking on 16 February in Almaty at a roundtable discussion of the
situation in Afghanistan, Foreign Ministry official Yerzhan Kazykhanov
appealed to the Kazakh media not to "over-dramatize" the decision to
send a contingent from the country's peacekeeping force, Kazbat, to
serve in Afghanistan under UN auspices, Interfax reported. Kazykhanov
stressed that the Kazakh servicemen will not be involved in hostilities
but will be engaged in "mine-clearing and engineering work." Informal
organizations representing Kazakh veterans of the Soviet-Afghan war of
1979-89 have on at least two occasions protested the planned dispatch
of Kazakh peacekeepers to Afghanistan (see "RFE/RL Kazakh Report," 12
and 18 February 2002). LF
[32] KYRGYZ OFFICIALS DENY ARRESTED PARLIAMENT DEPUTY WAS BEATEN IN
CUSTODY
Parliament deputy Adaham Madumarov told a Kyrgyz parliament session on
18 February that arrested parliament deputy Azimbek Beknazarov was
beaten up in custody three days earlier, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau
reported. A relative of Beknazarov told RFE/RL on 18 February that
Beknazarov had told him personally that he had been beaten in his cell
by two masked men. But Kyrgyzstan's First Deputy Interior Minister
Sadyrbek Dubanaev officially denied on 18 February that Beknazarov had
been mistreated, and read out what he claimed was a letter from
Beknazarov saying that he is in good health. Djalalabad Oblast
Prosecutor Zootbek Kudaibergenov and Aksy district police chief Akjol
Kambarov similarly denied any knowledge of an assault on Beknazarov,
who is charged with failing in 1995 to arrest a man who killed another
in self-defense. LF
[33] RELATIVES OF DECEASED KYRGYZ HUNGER STRIKER PROTEST ATTEMPT TO
BLACKEN HIS NAME
Twelve relatives and friends of human rights activist Sherali
Nazarkulov, who died on 7 February after three weeks on hunger strike
to protest Beknazarov's arrest (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 8 February 2002)
themselves began a hunger strike on 18 February in the southern city of
Osh to protest attempts in the official Kyrgyz media to blacken
Nazarkulov's name, and to demand the release of both Beknazarov and
imprisoned former Vice President Feliks Kulov and the resignation of
President Askar Akaev, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported. LF
[34] U.S. DEFENSE CHIEF VISITS KYRGYZSTAN
General Richard Myers, who is chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of
Staff, met in Bishkek on 18 February with President Akaev, whom Myers
thanked for his country's support for the ongoing antiterrorist
operation in Afghanistan, and with Kyrgyz Defense Minister Esen Topeev,
RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported. Echoing recent statements by other
visiting U.S. officials, Myers told journalists after those talks that
the duration of the U.S. military presence in Central Asia will depend
on how long the Afghan campaign lasts, but that it will not be
permanent. He also said the U.S. plans to expand military cooperation
with Kyrgyzstan, including joint military exercises and the training of
Kyrgyz military personnel in the U.S., AP reported. Also on 18
February, Kyrgyz First Deputy Prime Minister Nikolai Tanaev, who just
returned from a visit to Washington, said in Bishkek that the U.S. will
provide Kyrgyzstan with aid worth some $50 million, including
deliveries of grain, Interfax reported. LF
[35] WINTER OLYMPICS MEDALS COUNT -- PART 1 COUNTRIES
Through 18 February
CountryGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Russia45312
Armenia 0000
Azerbaijan0000
Georgia0000
Kazakhstan0000
Kyrgyzstan0000
Tajikistan0000
Uzbekistan0000
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
[36] U.S. CONGRESSMEN VISIT BELARUS OVER REPORTS OF ILLEGAL ARMS
TRADE...
U.S. Representative Jim Saxton, a Republican from New Jersey, and two
other U.S. congressmen visited Minsk on 16 February to raise their
concern about media reports that Belarus sells weapons to countries
that support terrorism, Belapan reported. The U.S. legislators met with
Foreign Minister Mikhail Khvastou, Defense Minister Leanid Maltsau, and
Security Council Secretary Henadz Nyavyhlas. "We encouraged these
officials to take steps to ensure that Belarus make its system of arms
sales and military training, and its financing, transparent to ensure
that weapons sold are not delivered or diverted to terrorist groups,"
Saxton commented. He noted that the Belarusian officials expressed
their readiness to cooperate in instituting an international system of
arms sales verification, adding that such a system would be a major
step in re-establishing normal relations between the United States and
Belarus. JM
[37] ...WHILE BELARUSIAN LEADERSHIP DENIES ANY WRONGDOING
Defense Minister Maltsau told journalists on 18 February that Belarus
does not violate any international regulations regarding weapons sales.
He dismissed as press canards foreign media reports accusing Belarus of
selling arms to rogue states. "One paper refers to another and then it
is passed round," Maltsau said. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Khvastou
told Belarusian Television on 16 February that an official from the
U.S. Department of State will be in Minsk on 20-21 February to discuss
Belarus's arms trade. "We answered the questions the congressmen had.
We made it clear that we had no problems in terms of illegal arms
trade. What Belarus does is strictly in line with UN Security Council
resolutions," Khvastou commented on his meeting with the U.S.
congressmen earlier the same day. JM
[38] FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE CONCERNED OVER UKRAINIAN
ELECTION...
Last week, Ukraine was visited by former U.S. Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright, who voiced concern over media freedom ahead of
Ukraine's parliamentary ballot and urged the government to ensure a
free and fair poll, Reuters reported on 17 February. "At this moment,
it is unclear whether the 31 March elections will mark a step forward
for Ukraine's democratic future," she told journalists on 17 February.
Albright, who now heads the nongovernmental National Democratic
Institute, said members of her delegation have observed or received
"credible reports" of election abuses in Ukraine, including
intimidation of journalists, candidates being denied access to the
media, unbalanced news coverage, and illegal use of public funds and
facilities. JM
[39] ...WHILE CANADIAN OFFICIAL HEARS NO 'ALARM BELLS'
Gar Knutson, Canada's secretary of state for Central and Eastern Europe
and the Middle East, met with Prime Minister Anatoliy Kinakh and
Foreign Minister Anatoliy Zlenko in Kyiv on 18 February to discuss
bilateral relations, AP reported. "There's been a tremendous
improvement over the last two years in terms of the potential that
Ukraine offers for Canadian investment," Knutson said, adding that he
will pass on this message to potential Canadian investors. Knutson also
touched upon Ukraine's upcoming parliamentary ballot, saying it will be
an important step in the country's post-Soviet development. "We were
following the elections with interest. There are no particular alarm
bells going...right now," Knutson added. JM
[40] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VETOES LAW ON CABINET OF MINISTERS...
President Leonid Kuchma has vetoed a law on how to appoint the Cabinet
of Ministers (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18 January 2002), UNIAN reported
on 15 February. Kuchma reportedly disagreed with the provision obliging
the president to hold consultations with the parliamentary leadership
and factions on candidates for a new prime minister. Kuchma also
objected to consulting the parliamentary leadership on the composition
of the Cabinet of Ministers. JM
[41] ...CANCELS DECREE SENDING KYIV MAYOR ON CAMPAIGN LEAVE
President Kuchma has annulled his decree of 11 February ordering Kyiv
Mayor Oleksandr Omelchenko to take leave for the period of the election
campaign (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 13 February 2002), Interfax reported
on 19 February. Omelchenko is running for the parliament on the
election list of the Unity Party he leads, as well as for the post of
Kyiv mayor in the local elections which will be held on the same day as
the parliamentary ones. Kuchma's decision followed a meeting with
Omelchenko on 18 February. The details of the meeting have not been
made known. JM
[42] UKRAINE'S DIVIDED RUKHS MOVE TO REUNITE
On 16 February in Kyiv, the Popular Rukh of Ukraine led by Hennadiy
Udovenko and the Ukrainian Popular Rukh of Yuriy Kostenko held a
congress devoted to the reunification of their parties, Interfax
reported. Rukh split acrimoniously in 1999 following the death in a car
crash of its leader, Vyacheslav Chornovil. The congress adopted a
declaration pledging "to restore the unity of Rukh." The two parties
are planning to hold another congress in the autumn in order to elect a
single Rukh leadership. The Udovenko and Kostenko Rukh factions are
both members of former Premier Viktor Yushchenko's election bloc Our
Ukraine. JM
[43] ESTONIA WILL IGNORE RUSSIA'S DEMANDS
The Estonian Foreign Ministry has decided not to respond officially to
seven demands submitted by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Yevgenii
Gusarov to Estonian Ambassador Karin Jaani as preconditions for
developing better bilateral relations, ETA reported on 18 February. The
demands were given orally and as an unsigned text. They are:
accelerating the tempo of the naturalization process, so that
15,000-20,000 Russians would be granted Estonian citizenship every
year; registering the Estonian Orthodox Church subject to the Moscow
Patriarchy; creating favorable conditions for the use of the Russian
language in the regions where a majority of the population is
Russian-speaking; legal guarantees for the continuation of
Russian-language secondary education and allocation of more funds for
Russian-language higher education; providing social guarantees to
former KGB officers and their families by changing the relevant
provisions in the Estonian law on aliens; and halting any investigation
into crimes against humanity committed by former Soviet army veterans.
These demands have dashed hopes for improved relations with Russia
which arose after rumors of a potential meeting of the presidents of
Estonia and Russia. SG
[44] CZECH FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS LATVIA
On a two-day official visit to Tallinn on 17-18 February, the Czech
Republic's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Jan Kavan met
with Estonia's leaders, LETA reported. His talks with Prime Minister
Andris Berzins focused on the need to increase economic cooperation and
trade between the two countries and their shared dissatisfaction with
the level of the EU's promised agricultural support for new members.
President Vaira Vike-Freiberga expressed satisfaction with Czech
support for Latvia's entry into NATO. Kavan discussed bilateral
cooperation in the political, defense, and economic sectors with
parliament Chairman Janis Straume and the advantages of having a common
stance in the EU accession negotiations. He also met with Defense
Minister Girts Valdis Kristovskis and delivered a lecture on
Czech-Latvian relations at the University of Latvia. Kavan concluded
his visit with a joint press conference with Foreign Minster Indulis
Berzins during which he noted that before the NATO summit meeting in
Prague in November at which new members will be invited to join the
alliance, its current members will meet in Reykjavik to agree on the
framework of the expected NATO enlargement as well as on NATO's future
relations with Russia. SG
[45] AGREEMENT SIGNED ON PRIVATIZING LITHUANIA'S LAST STATE-OWNED BANK
Lithuanian State Property Fund Director Povilas Milasauskas and
Norddeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale (Nord/LB) board member Joergen
Koesters and executive vice president Sven Herlyn signed an agreement
on 17 February in Vilnius on the sale of a 76.01 percent share of the
Zemes Ukio Bankas (LZUB) [Agriculture Bank], BNS reported. Nord/LB will
pay 71 million litas ($17.9 million) for the shares and invest a
further 145 million litas in the bank. LZUB is the third-largest bank
in Lithuania with total assets accounting for around 13 percent of all
the domestic bank market. In 2001 it had an estimated pre-audit net
profit of 8.46 million litas. Nord/LB ranks 10th among Germany's banks
in terms of assets and has the highest possible rating of AAA from the
Fitch rating company. SG
[46] POLISH PARLIAMENT ADOPTS 2002 BUDGET...
The Sejm on 15 February voted by 254 to 188 to pass a 2002 austerity
budget projecting revenues at 145 billion zlotys ($34.8 billion) and a
deficit at 40 billion zlotys, or some 5 percent of the country's GDP,
Polish media reported. GDP is to go up by 1 percent in 2002, against
1.2 percent in 2001. Average annual inflation is to fall to 4.5 percent
from 5.5 percent in 2001. JM
[47] ...WHILE RADICAL AGRARIAN LEADER WARNS AGAINST 'SOCIAL EXPLOSION'
Self-Defense leader Andrzej Lepper said on 16 February that Poland's
budget situation may trigger a "social explosion" and early
parliamentary elections in the country, PAP reported. Lepper thinks
that the budget deficit this year will exceed the 40 billion zlotys
planned in the budget bill and total some 70 billion zlotys. "This
[social explosion] may take place in July or August, when the
government assumes that incomes from taxes and from Social Welfare
Agency (ZUS) payments will [still] be as in November or December
[2001]. But we know that thousands of enterprises went bankrupt in
January...so there will be neither taxes nor ZUS payments," Lepper
said. JM
[48] POLISH PEASANT PARTY WANTS COALITION TO NEGOTIATE BEST EU TERMS
The Supreme Council of the Polish Peasant Party (PSL) has appealed to
all farmers' groups, trade unions, and organizations as well as
political parties in both the ruling coalition and the opposition to
set up an alliance for negotiating the best membership conditions with
the European Union, Polish Television reported on 16 February.
"Bypassing the principle of equal rights and equal obligations, the
European Commission, by presenting such unfavorable conditions for
agricultural integration, can condemn the integration process to a
fiasco by undermining the Polish farmers' and rural residents'
confidence in the idea of integration in the face of the approaching
referendum," PSL leader and Agriculture Minister Jaroslaw Kalinowski
said, referring to Brussels' recent proposals of scaled-down EU farming
subsidies to EU newcomers (see "RFE/RL Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine
Report," 19 February 2002). Kalinowski said in Brussels on 18 February
that Warsaw may suspend talks on the liberalization of agricultural
trade with the European Union until the EU offers better membership
conditions for Polish farmers, PAP reported. JM
[49] CZECH PRESIDENT TO RECEIVE JUSTICE MINISTER IN MARCH
Presidential spokesman Ladislav Spacek told CTK on 15 February that
Vaclav Havel will receive Justice Minister Jaroslav Bures on 1 March.
Bures recently asked for a meeting with the president, criticizing
Havel's appointment of Eliska Wagnerova as a Constitutional Court judge
without prior consultation with the Justice Ministry (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 15 February 2002). Also on 15 February, Social Democratic
Party (CSSD) Chairman Vladimir Spidla acknowledged Havel's prerogative
to make the appointment, but added that he should consult on candidates
for key posts with the main political parties. In response, Havel told
journalists on the same day that he was ready to discuss his intentions
to make appointments but would never follow the principles of the
so-called opposition agreement. That agreement de facto provides for
the parties to divide influential posts between them. MS
[50] CZECH SOCIALISTS PLANNING COALITION WITH THE COALITION?
The daily "Pravo" on 16 February reported that CSSD Chairman Spidla and
Cyril Svoboda, leader of the Christian Democratic Party (KDU-CSL), have
began exploring the possibility of setting up a coalition between the
CSSD and the Coalition alliance after the April elections, CTK
reported. The Coalition includes the KDU-CSL and the Freedom
Union-Democratic Union. Svoboda later denied the report, as did CSSD
Deputy Chairman Stanislav Gross. Spidla said the same day that any
consideration "with whom to rule in the event of an electoral victory
is premature." However, he added that the CSSD has "never made it a
secret" that its program is closest to that of the KDU-CSL. Spidla is
likely to head the next government if the CSSD wins the elections.
Current Premier Milos Zeman, in an interview with "Lidove noviny" on 16
February, also said that his party would prefer a coalition with the
KDU-CSL. MS
[51] CZECH PREMIER COMPARES ARAFAT WITH HITLER
Zeman told the Israeli daily "Ha'aretz" on 18 February that Palestinian
Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat can be compared with Adolf Hitler
because of his support for terrorism, and that expelling terrorists is
legitimate, international agencies reported. At a news conference after
talks with Premier Ariel Sharon, Zeman expressed strong support for
Sharon's refusal to negotiate with Arafat as long as violence persists.
Zeman drew a parallel between ethnic Germans who lived in
Czechoslovakia prior to World War II, whom he called "Hitler's fifth
column," and Palestinians. Just as the Sudeten Germans should have been
expelled from Czechoslovakia to avert that war, he said, the
Palestinians should be expelled for not accepting Israel's peace
proposals. Zeman also met with Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and with
President Moshe Katzav. MS
[52] TESTING RESUMED AT TEMELIN
Testing was resumed at the controversial Temelin nuclear power plant on
17 February, AP reported, citing plant spokesman Milan Nebesar. Nebesar
said the tests will continue for five days, after which the plant will
be shut down for about one month for what he termed "technical
revision," and the replacement of the faulty valves that caused the
most recent malfunction. MS
[53] SLOVAK CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS WANT TO FORM NEXT GOVERNMENT
Pavol Hrusovsky, leader of the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH),
told journalists on 16 February that his party expects to have the
largest representation in the parliament after the autumn elections and
to form the next coalition, CTK reported. He said such a right-wing
coalition could include the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union
(SDKU), the Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK), the ANO Party of
television mogul Pavol Rusko, the Democratic Party, and the Civic
Conservative Party. Observers said the KDH's chances are slim, as the
opposition Movement for a Democratic Slovakia continues to lead in
polls. Furthermore, the KDH-SMK relations are tense following the KDH
announcement that it plans to submit a draft law aimed at preventing
the implementation of the Hungarian Status Law in Slovakia. MS
[54] SLOVAK NATIONALISTS TO LAUNCH COMPLAINT AGAINST BUGAR
The opposition Slovak National Party (SNS) on 17 February said it will
file a complaint with the Mandate and Immunity Commission of the
parliament, demanding that SMK Chairman Bela Bugar be stripped of his
mandate, CTK reported. Bugar earlier announced that he has received the
Hungarian ID card to which he is entitled under the Status Law. The SNS
described his behavior as "outrageous," saying that a deputy chairman
of the legislature cannot treat the country's laws with "impudence and
arrogance." Also on 17 February, Foreign Minister Eduard Kukan
criticized the KDH for having drafted the so-called "Sovereignty Bill"
against the Status Law (see above). He described the step as a
"premature and unnecessary initiative," since the government is about
to discuss how to react to the parliament's binding resolution of 7
February against the Hungarian law. MS
[55] FIDESZ SIGNS 'CONTRACT WITH CITIZENS' AHEAD OF BALLOT
"The forces of the future will do battle with those of the past" in the
April parliamentary elections, but "we have the strength [to win that
battle]," Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on 16 February at the FIDESZ
party conference. Orban remarked that all European ideologies have
merits which are "worth combining," but "care must be taken to ensure
that everything is put in its proper place," adding that "if God were a
liberal, we would have 10 proposals instead of 10 commandments." At the
end of the conference, Orban and the delegates signed an extensive
"Contract with Citizens," in which the party pledges to double average
wages by 2006. FIDESZ plans also include achieving full employment,
along with an annual tax-free allowance of 1 million forints ($3,500)
per child for families with up to three children. The party promised to
increase current funds for health care by 606 billion forints ($2.1
billion) and for agriculture by 800 billion forints. MSZ
[56] HUNGARIAN NATIONAL BANK CORRECTS DEFICIT FIGURES
Hungary's current account deficit for 2001 was 1.2 billion euro ($1.04
billion), not the previously announced 519 million, the National Bank
of Hungary announced on 18 February. Deputy Governor Werner Riecke told
a press conference that the bank has amended all the monthly figures
for 2000 and corrected the current account for that year to 1.4 billion
euro, from the previously reported 1.6 billion. The errors were blamed
on incorrect data reporting by an unnamed multinational company in
Hungary, which did not report relevant foreign transactions recorded in
a bank abroad. The correction effectively demolishes the concept of the
"Hungarian miracle" that prompted Orban to say earlier that Hungary's
economic performance proves economic textbooks can be wrong. "This is a
huge slap in the face for the market," said senior analyst Zoltan
Torok, adding that the case "raises questions of trust." MSZ
[57] ROMANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER IN BUDAPEST
Visiting Romanian Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana and his Hungarian
counterpart Janos Martonyi signed a joint declaration in Budapest on 18
February marking the fifth anniversary of the signing of the basic
treaty between the two countries, Hungarian media report. Regarding the
right of Romanians to work in Hungary, as set out in the bilateral
memorandum of understanding on Hungary's Status Law, Geoana said the
quota of 81,000 foreign workers cannot be applied automatically to
Romanians. He said a solution must be found taking into account the
market situation in Hungary and the stipulations of the memorandum of
understanding. Geoana said the Romanian government agrees to Orban's
proposal made last year, which includes the joint construction of a
motorway through northern Transylvania with Hungarian funding and the
establishment of a joint guarantee fund for small and medium-sized
enterprises. "This meeting has given us the impetus to strengthen the
Hungarian-Romanian relationship as a whole," Martonyi concluded. MSZ
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[58] MONTENEGRO REPORTEDLY BUCKLING UNDER EU PRESSURE
London's "The Guardian" reported on 19 February that Montenegrin
President Milo Djukanovic has yielded to EU pressure and decided to
accept the recent demands set down by Brussels' security policy chief
Javier Solana (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 and 15 February 2002).
Montenegro will hold a joint seat in the UN with Serbia on a rotating
basis. The mountainous republic will have the right to maintain its own
foreign and trade offices abroad -- as it does now -- but without the
international diplomatic recognition it has sought. It will have a
joint system of defense, customs, and money with Belgrade. Some
ministries and other federal offices will be based in Podgorica. In
recent days, U.S. diplomats reportedly gave their support to the EU
position. On 19 February, Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula said
in Brussels: "We are backing efforts by Javier Solana to find a
solution. We are following [closely] what is going on, but it is up to
people in Serbia and Montenegro to decide," AP reported. PM
[59] WHAT FUTURE FOR MONTENEGRIN REFERENDUM?
According to "The Guardian" of 19 February, Djukanovic is holding out
only for the right to keep the euro and for "clarification" that the
army cannot be used for domestic political purposes. The daily added
that Djukanovic's reported decision to accept Solana's demands is
likely to lead to new elections because two of his allies -- the Social
Democrats and the Liberal Alliance -- will not accept it. It is not
clear what the future of the long-planned referendum will be. Solana
demanded that any referendum on independence be postponed for five
years. It is possible that Djukanovic will hold a referendum, but on
the Solana package, not on independence. PM
[60] ALBANIA GETS A NEW GOVERNMENT
Prime Minister-designate Pandeli Majko presented to the public his
nominations for his 18-member cabinet on 15 February, AP reported. Only
four members of his previous proposed government, including Foreign
Minister Arte Dada, remain (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 February 2002).
Both of the two main Socialist rival factions are represented in the
cabinet. Some critics -- both from the governing Socialists and from
the opposition -- have charged that some of the nominees were picked
because they are not controversial, rather than because they are
competent. PM
[61] MACEDONIA WANTS GERMANY TO REMAIN HEAD OF NATO MISSION
Plans for Italy to replace Germany later this spring as head of the
armed NATO mission in Macedonia have been scrapped because of
opposition by the Macedonian authorities, the "Frankfurter Allgemeine
Zeitung" reported on 18 February (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 15
February 2002). In Brussels, NATO ambassadors approved a three-month
extension for the Amber Fox mission once its deadline runs out on 26
March, Deutsche Welle's Bosnian Service reported. NATO
Secretary-General Lord George Robertson confirmed that Germany will
continue to head it. PM
[62] YUGOSLAV MILITARY CONTRADICTS FOREIGN MINISTER
On 16 February, Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic told RFE/RL's South
Slavic and Albanian Languages Service in Belgrade that former Defense
Minister Slobodan Krapovic resigned in January because army chief of
staff General Nebojsa Pavkovic had cashiered some officers loyal to the
minister (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 16 January 2002). But on 18 February,
the General Staff said in a statement that the military had acted
according to the rules in retiring the unnamed officers. PM
[63] SERBIAN EX-DICTATOR BLAMES OTHERS FOR HIS LOST WARS
Speaking at his trial in The Hague on 18 February, former Serbian and
Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic continued to blame the recent
Balkan conflicts on the Western powers, RFE/RL reported (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 12, 13, 14, and 15 February 2002). He said: "As regards the
Slav and Muslim nations...attempts are being made to weaken them
further by causing mutual wars or at least confrontations. The Yugoslav
peoples, unfortunately, since the beginning of the last decade of the
20th century, were a testing ground for training and trying out
different things and were victims of that strategy." He added that "in
the process of realizing the policy of domination -- economic, social,
political, cultural, [and] psychological domination -- over the areas
of Southeast Europe, the Western governments, as protagonists of that
process of domination, have opted for the method of national conflict,
the goal being that these conflicts should destroy the former
Yugoslavia." Milosevic did not offer evidence for his charges. PM
[64] SERBIAN FORMER LEADER CALLS FOR RECOGNITION OF 'TRUTH'
Speaking at his trial in The Hague on 18 February, Milosevic added that
"there are some people who still haven't realized the truth today, that
the war on the territory of the former Yugoslavia is the result of the
will and the interest of others -- the great Western powers," RFE/RL
reported. Most foreign observers have noted all along that a central
difference between the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s and the "classic"
Balkan wars of earlier times was that all the major foreign powers
tried to stop or contain the disputes in the1990s and did not wage
proxy wars. By appealing to traditional Balkan beliefs that
international conspiracies are the bane of the region, Milosevic
appears to be seeking the support of the Serbian public. On 15
February, Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic said in Kragujevac that
Milosevic is trying to improve his image in Serbia, but will not
succeed. PM
[65] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT SLAMS MILOSEVIC'S HAGUE TRIAL
Vojislav Kostunica, who has long regarded the tribunal as an anti-Serb
tool of U.S. foreign policy, said in Belgrade on 18 February that "so
far we have seen much politics, a huge media spectacle, but least of
[all] what this court should be about: trying the defendant for serious
crimes," AP reported. He added that "the prosecution's opening
statement had little to do with law but was full of shallow
misinterpretation of history." Kostunica argued that "the prosecution's
claim that this trial is against one person, not all Serbs, that there
is no collective guilt but only individual [guilt], sounds extremely
stretched. There is certainly room to ask the question" whether
Milosevic can get a fair trial. In the spring of 2001, Kostunica
opposed the extradition of Milosevic to The Hague. Elsewhere, Reuters
reported that 40 percent of the Serbian respondents to a poll by the
Belgrade-based firm Strategic Marketing gave Milosevic "full marks" for
his testimony. PM
[66] FORMER KOSOVAR LEADER TAKES STAND AGAINST MILOSEVIC
Mahmut Bakalli, who was a leader in Kosova during communist rule,
testified against Milosevic on 18 February as the first prosecution
witness, international media reported. Bakalli described how he and
other top Kosovar leaders tried to negotiate with Milosevic in 1998 to
prevent a conflict in Kosova. Bakalli said that he learned in 1997 from
Serbian security chief David Gajic of a plan by "Serbia or
Milosevic...to destroy 700 Albanian populated settlements,...property,
and...people." When Bakalli told Milosevic in 1998 that his forces were
killing women and children, the Serbian leader responded that he was
"fighting terrorism." PM
[67] STEINER MEETS WITH KOSOVAR LEADERS
Michael Steiner, who is the new head of the UN civilian administration
in Kosova, met separately in Prishtina on 16 February with ethnic
Albanian leaders Ibrahim Rugova and Hashim Thaci, and with Serbian
leader Rada Trajkovic, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages
Service reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 15 February 2002). Each of the
three politicians later expressed satisfaction with the meeting.
Observers in Prishtina suggest that voter impatience with Rugova and
Thaci is growing, and that the two will have to reach a compromise soon
if they want to save their standing with the electorate. Some observers
add that both men may have permanently damaged their political careers
by feuding for weeks over the formation of the new government. Those
observers suggest that publisher Veton Surroi or some other "dark
horse" may emerge as the province's new long-term leader. In related
news, Deutsche Welle's Albanian Service reported on 17 February that
Bujar Bukoshi, who was prime minister in Rugova's "shadow state"
government in the 1990s, has decided to form his own political party.
PM
[68] EU AGREES TO TAKE CONTROL OF INTERNATIONAL POLICE IN BOSNIA
EU foreign ministers voted in Brussels on 18 February to take over full
control of the 500-strong international police mission (IPTF) in Bosnia
from the UN at the end of 2002, Deutsche Welle's Bosnian Service
reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 29 January 2002). The broadcast noted
that this is the first time that the EU will fully run and fund such an
operation. The bill will be about $35 million per year. PM
[69] POWER STRUGGLE SHAPING UP AMONG CROATIAN CONSERVATIVES
Ivic Pasalic, who is a member of the parliament and a former adviser to
the late President Franjo Tudjman, said in Zagreb on 15 February that
he will run for the presidency of the Croatian Democratic Community
(HDZ) at its upcoming convention, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian
Languages Service reported. He will oppose current party leader Ivo
Sanader, who says he expects to be re-elected. For many Croats, Pasalic
represents the least savory side of the HDZ, having been linked to
scandals, cases of influence-peddling, and possibly outright criminal
offenses. He was long regarded as leader of the unpopular
"Herzegovinian lobby." Sanader has a cleaner image but has been
criticized by some for failing to repudiate the less popular aspects of
Tudjman's rule and to redefine the party. His principal tactic has been
to wait for voters to become disenchanted with the current government
and find their way back to the HDZ. PM
[70] POLL SUGGESTS CROATIA MOVING CLOSER TO TWO-PARTY SYSTEM
A poll published by "Jutarnji list" on 18 February shows the HDZ
winning 49 out of 150 seats in the parliament, up from the present 41
if elections were to be held now. But the Social Democrats also would
gain, winning 62 instead of their present 45. The Social Liberals and
Peasant Party would drop from a combined total of 39 seats to 19. PM
[71] CONTROVERSIAL CROATIAN TV PROGRAM YANKED FROM AIRWAVES
A scheduled broadcast of television personality Denis Latin's
long-standing program "Latinica" was not aired on 18 February, RFE/RL's
South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported. An announcer said
that the program, which dealt with Croatia's fascist past, was not up
to professional standards. Latin said that he was "shocked" by Croatian
Television's decision, of which he was not informed in advance. PM
[72] TRANSVESTITE TRIO TO REPRESENT SLOVENIA IN EUROVISION SONG CONTEST
A trio called Sisters won the right to represent Slovenia in the 46th
annual kitschy Eurovision song contest, to be held in Estonia, Reuters
reported from Ljubljana on 18 February. Miss Marlena, Daphne, and
Emperatrizz wear stewardess-style uniforms with white gloves and red
hats. Critics said that their song "Only Love" is "not especially bad,"
and seems certain to attract attention for the small republic that
bills itself as "the sunny side of the Alps." PM
[73] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT CONTINUES ASIAN TOUR
President Ion Iliescu met on 19 February in Manila with his Philippine
counterpart Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, international agencies reported.
They agreed to support each other's candidacies for a non-permanent
seat in the UN Security Council. Several accords on the promotion of
agricultural trade and on agricultural, scientific, and technological
cooperation were signed. One day earlier, Iliescu ended a four-day
visit to Vietnam, during which he met with President Tran Duc Luong,
Vietnamese Communist Party chief Nong Duc Manh, and other officials.
Talks focused on improving bilateral trade, which last year was only
$30 million. MS
[74] ROMANIAN PREMIER DENIES CONFLICT WITH PRESIDENT
In an interview with Mediafax on 17 February, Prime Minister Adrian
Nastase denied reports in the media about a conflict between himself
and President Iliescu. He said he has always functioned as a
"harmonious team" with the president, and that their political roles
are "complementary." Nastase said Iliescu's role as president is
"essential," and that he is "one of those wise men which Romania needs
in this complicated moment." Reacting to an earlier statement by
Iliescu that he intends to "be involved" in the leadership of the
Social Democratic Party after the end of his presidential mandate in
2004, Nastase said: "We shall be jointly looking for the best formula,"
and added, "Iliescu has still a lot to say." MS
[75] U.S. CITIZEN DETAINED FOR CARRYING CONCEALED WEAPON ON PLANE
Sorin Dragoi, a U.S. citizen of Romanian origin, was detained on 17
February after he managed to smuggle a pistol on board a TAROM flight
from Detroit to Timisoara, AP reported. The gun was hidden in the false
bottom of a jewelry box and was discovered during an x-ray check at
Timisoara after Dragoi's arrival. He claimed to have hidden the gun
there to prevent his 5-year-old son, who traveled with him, from
playing with it. MS
[76] ROMANIAN SENATOR OFFERS HIMSELF AS DEFENSE WITNESS FOR MILOSEVIC
Senator Adrian Paunescu, a former Ceausescu "court poet," said on 18
February in the Senate that he is volunteering to be a defense witness
in The Hague for former Yugoslav President Milosevic, Mediafax
reported. Paunescu said he can testify that late Hungarian Premier
Jozef Antall and former Foreign Minister Geza Jeszenszky were involved
in smuggling arms to Croatia. MS
[77] LIBYAN COURT TRANSFERS BULGARIANS' CASE TO LOWER JURISDICTION,
ORDERS NEW PROBE
The Libyan People's Court on 17 February said that it has found no
evidence that the trial of the six Bulgarians accused of having
deliberately infected children with the HIV virus is a matter of state
security or that the defendants' actions constituted acts of sabotage,
international agencies reported. The court ordered that the case be
returned to the Prosecutor-General's Office for a new probe and said
that it should be tried before an ordinary criminal court, as it does
not fall within its jurisdiction. The charges in the lower court would
carry lighter sentences than those reserved for offenses against state
security, which could incur the death penalty. Bulgarian President
Georgi Parvanov called the decision "encouraging" and said he wants to
personally thank Seif el-Islam, Libyan leader Muammar Ghaddafi's son,
for his "role as an impartial monitor" at the trial. MS
[78] MINOR BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT RESHUFFLE
Prime Minister Simeon Saxecoburggotski dismissed three deputy ministers
on 19 February, in what is the first reshuffle since the government
took office in July 2001, AFP reported. No reason was given for the
dismissal of Deputy Finance Minister Atanas Katzarchev, Deputy Economy
Minister Lubka Katchakova, and Deputy Culture Minister Gantcho
Karabadzhakov. Katzarchev was in charge of fiscal policy, and his
recent decision to increase several indirect taxes has sparked public
protests. Katchakova was responsible for the privatization of the
Bulgartabac tobacco factory and had been involved in several disputes
with Finance Minister Nikolai Vasiliev. MS
[79] BULGARIA OPTS FOR MIG MODERNIZATION BY PLANE'S PRODUCER
The Russian company RSK-MiG, which produces MiG-29 fighter planes, has
been chosen to modernize 20 Bulgarian MiG-29s, Defense Minister Nikolai
Svinarov, cited by AFP, announced on 18 February. Four of the 20
aircraft are expected to be modernized by the end of 2002. The European
Aeronautic Defense Space Company, as well as the Israeli Elbit and
Israel Aircraft Industries, also bid to modernize the planes but a
Bulgarian Defense Ministry expert said the choice is due to the fact
that the Russian company holds the license for the plane's operation.
The deal is to cost between $43.5 million and $104.5 million. Bulgaria
has decided for budgetary reasons not to buy U.S. F-16 fighters planes.
MS
[80] WINTER OLYMPICS MEDALS COUNT -- PART 2 COUNTRIES
Through 18 February
CountryGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Bulgaria0123
Estonia1012
Croatia1102
Poland 0112
Czech Rep.0011
Slovenia0011
Ukraine0000
Romania0000
Slovakia0000
Belarus0000
Hungary0000
Lithuania0000
Yugoslavia0000
Latvia0000
Bosnia-Herzeg.0000
Macedonia0000
Moldova0000
END NOTE
[81] There is no End Note today.
|
