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RFE/RL Newsline, 02-02-22
CONTENTS
[01] RUSSIA CRIES FOUL AT WINTER OLYMPICS...
[02] ...PROTESTS SKATING RESULTS...
[03] ...AS IOC TRIES TO CALM PUTIN...
[04] ...AND RUSSIA RETREATS...
[05] ...TO CONSIDER SITUATION
[06] INTERIOR MINISTRY CLAIMS TO HAVE IDENTIFIED MURDERERS OF
[07] ...AND PROBES INVOLVEMENT OF RUSSIAN BUSINESSMAN IN ARM SALES TO
[08] ROMANIAN PREMIER IN MOSCOW...
[09] ...MEETS GAZPROM HEAD
[10] GAZPROM WARNS ABOUT POTENTIAL GAS SHORTAGE, ANNOUNCES COMPANY
[11] GOVERNMENT ADOPTS CONCEPT ON FOREIGN DEBT MANAGEMENT
[12] CORRECTION:
[13] RUSSIA TO SELL SMART WEAPONS TO VIETNAM AND INDIA
[14] DUMA ANTICORRUPTION COMMITTEE ASKS PUTIN TO INVESTIGATE TOP
[15] NEW RUSSIAN MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO WORLD'S ENERGY PROBLEMS LAUNCHED
[16] ANOTHER ENVIRONMENTAL REFERENDUM STYMIED
[17] PUTIN MEETS WITH LEADERSHIP OF UPPER HOUSE...
[18] ...AS ANOTHER SENATOR JOINS UPPER HOUSE
[19] DUMA TO TAKE UP KURILE ISLANDS ISSUE AGAIN
[20] MORE BUSINESSMEN TAKE TO THE STREETS
[21] NEW OLIGARCHS JOIN GROUP TO BID FOR TV-6
[22] IMPOSTER SLASHES PRICES FOR OFFICIAL POSITIONS
[23] PUTIN SIGNS DECREE ON CHECHEN BUDGET
[24] RUSSIAN OFFICIAL HINTS AT CASPIAN REDIVISION TO BENEFIT IRAN,
[25] ARMENIAN POLITICAL PARTIES CRITICIZE VERDICT IN CAFE MURDER TRIAL
[26] CORRECTION:
[27] OSCE TO PROPOSE NEW KARABAKH PEACE PLAN
[28] AZERBAIJAN, GAS CONSORTIUM SIGN EXPORT PIPELINE AGREEMENT
[29] RUSSIAN SECURITY CHIEF VISITS GEORGIA
[30] GEORGIAN DISPLACED PERSONS DEMAND THAT UN ENFORCE PEACE IN
[31] GEORGIA PROTESTS RUSSIAN OFFICIAL'S COMMENT ON TRANSPORT TARIFFS
[32] COURT SUSPENDS OPERATION OF LOCAL KAZAKH TV STATION
[33] NEW KAZAKH NGO AIMS TO PROTECT OIL-SECTOR WORKERS' RIGHTS
[34] CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS BROUGHT AGAINST KYRGYZ POET WHO CONFIRMED
[35] KYRGYZ JOURNALISTS PROTEST PERCEIVED THREAT TO MEDIA FREEDOM
[36] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT ASPIRES TO 'STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP' WITH TURKEY
[37] TAJIK PRESIDENT SOUNDS ALARM OVER POPULATION EXPLOSION
[38] WINTER OLYMPICS MEDAL COUNT -- PART 1 COUNTRIES
[39] U.S. OFFICIAL SAYS BELARUS HAS MADE NO PROGRESS IN DEMOCRATIZATION
[40] OSCE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE HEARS REPORT ON BELARUS
[41] EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF MAKES PLEA FOR FAIR UKRAINIAN ELECTION
[42] UKRAINE TO WITHDRAW PEACEKEEPERS FROM SIERRA LEONE
[43] UKRAINIAN SOCIALISTS CAMPAIGN TO CHANGE GOVERNMENT SYSTEM
[44] UKRAINIAN COLONEL SENTENCED TO SEVEN YEARS FOR SPYING
[45] EFFORTS TO REDUCE PLANNED PRICE HIKES FOR ELECTRICITY IN ESTONIA
[46] NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES LATVIA TO AMEND ELECTION LAWS
[47] SLOVENIA'S FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS LITHUANIA
[48] POLISH PRESIDENT BACKS CABINET POLICIES
[49] POLAND'S UNEMPLOYMENT REACHES RECORD 18 PERCENT
[50] POLISH PUBLIC TELEVISION TO LAUNCH THIRD NATIONWIDE CHANNEL
[51] REPORT SAYS U.S. FEARS CZECHS MIGHT LEAK CLASSIFIED INFORMATION
[52] CZECH PREMIER TO CANCEL TUNISIA VISIT
[53] CZECH PRESIDENT OPPOSED TO CALLS FOR PREMIER'S RESIGNATION OVER
[54] ...SAYS RETURN OF CONFISCATED PROPERTY IMPOSSIBLE
[55] HUNGARIAN AMBASSADOR TO PRAGUE SUMMONED OVER ORBAN STATEMENT...
[56] CZECH RAPID DEPLOYMENT SOLDIER TO BE SANCTIONED FOR NAZI-LIKE
[57] NEW SLOVAK PARTY SET UP
[58] SLOVAK OFFICIAL WARNS AGAINST CONSEQUENCES OF ORBAN STATEMENT
[59] HUNGARIAN PRESIDENT'S CROSS-PARTY MEDIATION FAILS
[60] CHRISTIAN GROUPS PROTEST OUTSIDE HUNGARIAN SOCIALISTS'
[61] INTERNATIONAL PRESS INSTITUTE SEES PROBLEMS WITH FREEDOM OF PRESS
[62] ALBANIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES NEW CABINET
[63] SOLANA'S TALKS WITH MONTENEGRIN AND SERBIAN LEADERS INCONCLUSIVE
[64] IS KOSTUNICA TRYING TO PREEMPT KOSOVA SETTLEMENT?
[65] END TO KOSOVA LOGJAM IN SIGHT?
[66] SAUDI TERROR EVIDENCE FOUND IN BOSNIA
[67] NATO SACKS BOSNIAN MUSLIM GENERAL
[68] INDICTMENTS ARRIVE IN BOSNIA FROM THE HAGUE
[69] CONTROVERSY IN SLOVENIA OVER TRANSVESTITE SINGERS
[70] ROMANIAN EXTREMIST PARTY EXPELS DEPUTY
[71] ROMANIAN PREMIER SAYS 'NO CLASH OF INTERESTS' WITH RUSSIA IN
[72] ...WHILE RUSSIAN PREMIER SAYS PROTESTS REFLECT LACK OF INFORMATION
[73] MOLDOVAN PROTESTERS BREAK INTO PARLIAMENT BUILDING
[74] MOLDOVAN PPCD LEADERS FINED IN COURT
[75] TRANSDNIESTER HAS NEW 'GOVERNMENT'
[76] CALM RETURNS TO PLODVIV DISTRICT AFTER RIOTS
[77] LEADERS OF EVANGELICAL CHURCHES WARN AGAINST ANTI-SEMITISM IN
[78] WINTER OLYMPICS MEDAL COUNT -- PART 2 COUNTRIES
[79] U.S. STEPS UP PRESSURE ON UKRAINE TO HOLD FREE ELECTIONS
22 February 2002
RUSSIA
[01] RUSSIA CRIES FOUL AT WINTER OLYMPICS...
Hours after Larisa Lazutina was disqualified from the 20-kilometer
cross-country relay on 21 February, Russian Olympic Committee President
Leonid Tyagachev gave the International Olympic Committee (IOC) a
24-hour window to remedy what he called bias and a "witch hunt" against
Russian athletes, ITAR-TASS and AP reported. Lazutina was disqualified
after high levels of hemoglobin were discovered in her pre-race blood
test, forcing the four-time defending champions Russia to sit out the
race. "If decisions are not made and issues we raised not resolved, the
Russian team will not play hockey, will not run 30 kilometers, will
look very negatively on other factors," AP quoted Tyagachev as saying.
In addition, he said Russia is "greatly unappreciated" in the Olympics,
and should it leave the Winter Olympics would probably not attend the
next Summer Games in Athens either. "We can hold spectacular
alternative competitions, where every single participant will be
entitled to fair refereeing," he said. VY/MES
[02] ...PROTESTS SKATING RESULTS...
On 22 February, the Russian Figure Skating Federation lodged a protest
against the results of the women's figure skating competition on 21
February, in which Russia's Irina Slutskaya took the silver medal
behind Sarah Hughes of the United States, ITAR-TASS reported. In a
letter forwarded to referee Britta Lindgren, Russia claimed that
Slutskaya was unfairly judged for her performance in the short and free
programs: "We regard it as a violation of the rules of the
International Skating Union, as a manifestation of impartiality of most
referees. We request to revise the results and to give the second gold
medal to Slutskaya." Russian figure skaters were at the center of an
earlier judging dispute after Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze
won the pairs' competition, but later had to share the gold medal with
Canada's Jamie Sale and David Pelletier after it was alleged that a
French judge had been pressured to vote for the Russians, which she has
since denied. MES
[03] ...AS IOC TRIES TO CALM PUTIN...
Following Tyagachev's threat to leave the Winter Olympics, IOC
President Jacques Rogge sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir
Putin saying that while he sympathizes with Russia's disappointment, he
regards all decisions made by judges in the games thus far as correct,
ITAR-TASS quoted IOC General Director Francois Carrard as saying on 21
February. However, on 22 February, ITAR-TASS quoted Putin as saying
that Russian sportsmen "are subjected to biased judging at the Winter
Olympic Games," and claiming that "the process of extreme
commercialization, which is at variance with the very principles of the
Olympic movement" has also played a role in how athletes are being
judged at Salt Lake City. MES
[04] ...AND RUSSIA RETREATS...
While IOC Deputy President Vitalii Smirnov initially warned the
committee on 21 February not to take his country's complaints too
lightly, saying, "without Russia, the Olympic Games will be lost," he
retreated from his strong stance the next day, ITAR-TASS and AP
reported. He said the Russian delegation at the Winter Games is not
empowered to decide to leave the games" and that "the country has a
president and a government" who would have to make such a decision,
according to ITAR-TASS on 22 February. He went on to say that Russia
harbors no ill will against the United States or the American people,
as "biased refereeing is the core of the matter." MES
[05] ...TO CONSIDER SITUATION
Meanwhile in Moscow on 21 February, the State Duma decided to place
discussion on the top of the agenda for the next day, ITAR-TASS
reported. Presidential aide Sergei Yastrzhembskii said on 21 February
that Russian athletics authorities must more "decisively confront the
efforts to squeeze Russia's best sportsmen from the current Winter
Games," according to Interfax. And First Deputy Duma Speaker Lyubov
Sliska said the Duma has called on Russia's athletics authorities to
explain "their passive role in defending Russian sportsmen and national
prestige in international competitions," RIA-Novosti reported. On 22
February, Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said Russia has called on the
IOC to take necessary measures for normalizing the situation, ITAR-TASS
reported. VY/MES
[06] INTERIOR MINISTRY CLAIMS TO HAVE IDENTIFIED MURDERERS OF
STAROVOITOVA AND LISTEV...
Speaking at a briefing in Moscow, Yurii Korolev, the deputy chief of
the Interior Ministry's Main Criminal Police Department, said his
agency has identified and issued international and federal arrest
warrants for the alleged assassins of liberal politician Galina
Starovoitova, who was murdered in 1999, and of ORT television General
Director Vladimir Listev, who was slain in 1993, Russian news agencies
reported. He noted that in both cases the perpetrators of the crimes
are living abroad. Korolev also said that two Russian criminals
recently extradited by the Czech Republic (see "RFE/RL Newsline" 19
February 2002) have nothing to do with death of Starovoitova. VY
[07] ...AND PROBES INVOLVEMENT OF RUSSIAN BUSINESSMAN IN ARM SALES TO
AL-QAEDA
Deputy Interior Minister Nikolai Bobrovskii said on 21 February that
his agency is investigating mass media reports that Russian businessman
and former KGB officer Viktor Boot might be involved in supplying arms
to the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21
February 2002), polit.ru reported. Bobrovskii cited an interview
published in the "International Herald Tribune" on 18 February in which
one of Boot's business partners claimed that Boot had connections with
terrorist Osama bin Laden. VY
[08] ROMANIAN PREMIER IN MOSCOW...
Visiting Romanian Premier Adrian Nastase and his Russian counterpart
Mikhail Kasyanov said after talks in Moscow on 21 February that they
forged the "foundations of a pragmatic partnership" between their
countries, Romanian radio and ITAR-TASS reported. The two premiers said
they agreed to boost mutual investments and trade. Several bilateral
accords were signed, including one on early notification in case of a
nuclear accident and one on cooperation in archival research. Nastase
said that it is "strange" that Romania has in the past sought to
"market in the West in order to pay our debts in the East," and that
Bucharest will seek to regain its former lucrative exports to some
Russian regions. The two premiers also said that they have "cleared"
the "last residual aspects" in the pending bilateral treaty between the
two countries, and expect the treaty to be signed during President Ion
Iliescu's visit to Moscow in April. MS
[09] ...MEETS GAZPROM HEAD
At a meeting with Gazprom head Aleksei Miller, Nastase emphasized that
Romania is interested in participating in the construction of oil and
gas pipelines to Yugoslavia and Italy, which would transit its
territory, AP reported. Miller welcomed the suggestion and said this
would allow Gazprom to adhere to promised deliveries to third
countries. MS
[10] GAZPROM WARNS ABOUT POTENTIAL GAS SHORTAGE, ANNOUNCES COMPANY
RESTRUCTURING
Aleksandr Ryazanov, Gazprom's deputy board chairman, told a press
conference in Moscow on 21 February that his company plans to
restructure the company to differentiate between production and
gas-delivery departments, gazeta.ru and "Izvestiya" reported. Ryazanov
also said that during the meeting he held with representatives of the
regions of the Russian Federation in Moscow on 20 February, he
cautioned them about increasing production, lest they accelerate the
exhaustion of the country's gas fields and cause a shortage of gas on
the domestic market as soon as next year. To help avoid such a crisis,
Gazprom plans to liberalize the domestic gas market by opening it to
new independent producers. He also said that domestic gas prices should
be raised by some 45 percent. VY
[11] GOVERNMENT ADOPTS CONCEPT ON FOREIGN DEBT MANAGEMENT
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Aleksei Kudrin announced
that the government has decided to create a State Debts Management
Agency to administer foreign debts, "Kommersant-Daily" reported on 21
February. Deputy Finance Minister Sergei Kolotukhin said the concept
includes a provision intended to avoid incurring additional debts on
the regional level and in the corporate sector to avoid uncontrollable
debt, as was the case before the ruble devaluation in August 1998.
Kolotukhin also said that, according to preliminary statistics,
Russia's foreign debt decreased in 2001 by $13-$15 billion and
currently does not exceed $134 billion. VY
[12] CORRECTION:
The "RFE/RL Newsline" item of 21 February titled "Internal Debt Looms
Over Russia" should have read that if Russia were to "fulfill all
social responsibilities called for under the law, the government would
need no less than 6 trillion rubles [$2 billion]."
[13] RUSSIA TO SELL SMART WEAPONS TO VIETNAM AND INDIA
Arkadii Kobitskii, the general director of the St. Petersburg-based
defense enterprise LOMO, said on 21 February that Russia will transfer
technology to Vietnam for producing LOMO's "Igla" (SA-18)
shoulder-fired antiaircraft missile, RIA-Novosti reported. Kobitskii
said that the $64-million deal also includes provisions for the company
to supply expertise as well as 50 assembled "Igla" units. Meanwhile,
India's Defense Ministry is negotiating a contract with LOMO for the
purchase of 8,000 laser-guided "Krasnopol" artillery shells for $80
million, the Military News Agency reported on 21 February. A spokesman
for LOMO claimed that the 152-millimeter shell boasts an unprecedented
on-target rate of nearly 100 percent. VY
[14] DUMA ANTICORRUPTION COMMITTEE ASKS PUTIN TO INVESTIGATE TOP
OFFICIALS
The State Duma's commission for combating corruption has appealed to
Putin, as president and as a trained lawyer, to convince
Prosecutor-General Vladimir Ustinov to resume the investigations of
several high-ranking officials suspected of corruption, "Zhizn"
reported on 21 February. Among those named by the commission are
Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu, Transport Minister Sergei
Frank, Unified Energy Systems (EES) head Anatolii Chubais, as well as
former Atomic Energy Minister Yevgenii Adamov and former Railways
Minister Nikolai Aksenenko. VY
[15] NEW RUSSIAN MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO WORLD'S ENERGY PROBLEMS LAUNCHED
Vitalii Tretyakov, the founder and former editor in chief of
"Nezavisimaya gazeta," announced on 21 February that he will begin
publication of the new magazine "Word Energy Policy" by the end of the
month. The magazine will be devoted of the geopolitical aspects of the
global competition for energy resources, strana.ru reported. Tretyakov
also revealed that he plans to launch a new mass daily, an analytical
weekly, and a magazine to be called "Religious Review." VY
[16] ANOTHER ENVIRONMENTAL REFERENDUM STYMIED
Krasnoyarsk Krai's election commission rejected on 21 February a bid to
hold a referendum on the question of banning imports of spent nuclear
fuel to the region, RIA-Novosti reported. Environmental activists
collected more than 40,000 signatures in support of holding a
plebiscite, but the commission ruled that only 8,500 of the signatures
were valid (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 11 February 2002). By law, 35,000
signatures were needed. Meanwhile, the initiators of the referendum,
the local branch of the Union of Rightist Forces, plan to challenge the
commission's decision in court. JAC
[17] PUTIN MEETS WITH LEADERSHIP OF UPPER HOUSE...
Also on 21 February, Putin held a meeting with leaders of the upper
house, such as Federation Council Chairman Sergei Mironov and leaders
of the 16 committees and seven commissions. Putin asked the senators to
cooperate more effectively with the State Duma, polit.ru reported.
"Izvestiya" commented that should Mironov succeed in his stated goal of
increasing the role of the upper house in forming laws, then the
influence of the Federation Council will grow -- which will likely
provoke conflict with the Duma. Currently, according to the daily, the
situation is under control: "On all basic questions both chambers first
consult with the Kremlin." But already, according to the daily, several
unidentified high-level sources in the Kremlin have started to express
concern regarding "too many initiatives [from] the [Federation
Council's] speaker," and Mironov's orientation toward the so-called St.
Petersburg group. JAC
[18] ...AS ANOTHER SENATOR JOINS UPPER HOUSE
Legislators in the Altai Republic have confirmed Boris Agapov, a
lieutenant-general in the Border Troops, as the governor's
representative in the Federation Council, Interfax-Eurasia reported on
21 February. Agapov was earlier a vice president of Ingushetia as well
as a deputy secretary of the Security Council. Representing the
republic's legislature will be Yurii Antarodonov, a former deputy prime
minister in the republican government. JAC
[19] DUMA TO TAKE UP KURILE ISLANDS ISSUE AGAIN
The legislature of Sakhalin Oblast has called on the State Duma to
consider a legislative initiative to introduce changes to Article 67 of
the Russian Constitution and to the Law on State Borders of the Russian
Federation, Interfax reported on 21 February. Sakhalin legislators told
reporters in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk that it has sent a proposal to Duma
deputies to include discussion of the initiative at a 18 March
parliamentary hearing titled "Southern Kurile Islands: Problems,
Economics, Politics, and Security." JAC
[20] MORE BUSINESSMEN TAKE TO THE STREETS
Around 1,500 local entrepreneurs and industrialists were expected to
participate in a protest on 21 February in Khabarovsk against changes
in tax law, particularly the introduction of a single social tax,
nns.ru reported, citing "Tikhookeanskaya zvezda." The business people
from a local krai association charge that the tax reform measure does
not demonstrate support for small businesses, which government
officials at all levels have called for. They were also planning to
call for the resignation of Prime Minister Kasyanov's government.
Meanwhile, businessmen in Ulyanovsk on 20 February picketed the office
of the mayor prior to Kasyanov's visit to that city to draw his
attention to what they feel are unnecessarily high leasing fees (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 21 February 2002). JAC
[21] NEW OLIGARCHS JOIN GROUP TO BID FOR TV-6
Media Minister Mikhail Lesin reported on 21 February that the ministry
still has not received a single application for participation in the
tender for TV-6's broadcasting rights, despite the fact that a number
of individuals have expressed their intention to take part, polit.ru
reported. Meanwhile, in an interview with "Kommersant-Daily" on 20
February, Oleg Kiselev, former head of Metalloinvest, said that a
number of oligarchs intend to participate in the tender together as a
consortium. The consortium members will include EES head Chubais,
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug Governor Roman Abramovich, Russian Aluminum
head Oleg Deripaska, MDM-bank head Aleksandr Mamut, Joint Machine Works
head Kakha Bendukidze, Vympelkom's Dmitrii Zimin, MDM Group head Andrei
Melnichenko, Sistema head Vladimir Yevtushenkov, and SUAL Holding head
Viktor Vekselberg. According to the daily, former Gazprom Media head
Alfred Koch had to drop out of the consortium at the insistence of
TV-6's journalists. JAC
[22] IMPOSTER SLASHES PRICES FOR OFFICIAL POSITIONS
Police have detained Aleksandr Shanunyants, who has been masquerading
as an assistant to President Putin and offering to arrange government
positions for a price, Interfax reported on 21 February. According to
the agency, Shanunyants promised some clients that he could get them
appointed as deputy finance ministers and economy ministers. He also
sold special license plates for cars. In exchange, he was asking for
fees of $20,000 to $50,000. JAC
[23] PUTIN SIGNS DECREE ON CHECHEN BUDGET
President Putin has signed a decree instructing the Russian government
to draft a budget for Chechnya for the year 2002 within one month,
Russian agencies reported. Chechen Prime Minister Stanislav Ilyasov
hailed that move, which he said will enable Chechnya to use taxes
collected on its territory to fund reconstruction and rebuild the
economy. LF
[24] RUSSIAN OFFICIAL HINTS AT CASPIAN REDIVISION TO BENEFIT IRAN,
RUSSIA
Viktor Kalyuzhnyi, who is deputy Russian foreign minister and President
Putin's special envoy for the Caspian, told strana.ru on 21 February
that the existing division of the Caspian Sea into national sectors
along the median line could be modified "to the benefit of those
countries to whom nature was less generous," Turan and Interfax
reported. At present, Russia's sector accounts for 16 percent of the
sea, Iran's 14 percent, Azerbaijan's 20 percent, Turkmenistan's 21
percent, and Kazakhstan's 29 percent. Last October, Kalyuzhnyi rejected
as "groundless" Iran's claim to a 20 percent share of the Caspian. LF
TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[25] ARMENIAN POLITICAL PARTIES CRITICIZE VERDICT IN CAFE MURDER TRIAL
Representatives of both pro-government and opposition political parties
on 21 February condemned the two-year suspended prison sentence handed
down to Aghamal Harutiunian, a member of President Robert Kocharian's
bodyguard, for the manslaughter of an Armenian from Georgia, Poghos
Poghosian, in a Yerevan cafe last September, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau
reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 February 2002). Aghvan Vartanian,
who heads the parliament faction of the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation -- Dashnaktsutiun (HHD), of which Poghosian was a member,
said that "we are not pleased with the trial or the sentence,"
according to Noyan Tapan. But he added that his party does not blame
Kocharian for the "unjust" verdict. Opposition National Unity Party
leader Artashes Geghamian said the verdict was not against Harutiunian
but on the current leadership. Galust Sahakian, who heads the
pro-government Miasnutiun parliament faction, said he finds it "hard to
understand" how such a verdict could be handed down in a murder case,
while Frunze Kharatian of the Armenian Communist Party commented that
"the whole thing resembled a court game, not a trial." LF
[26] CORRECTION:
Harutiunian pleaded not guilty to Poghosian's murder, not guilty as was
reported by RFE/RL's Armenian Service and reported in "RFE/RL Newsline"
on 21 February.
[27] OSCE TO PROPOSE NEW KARABAKH PEACE PLAN
On their visit to Armenia and Azerbaijan in early March, the three
co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group will unveil new, revised peace
proposals that build on agreements reached earlier, French co-chairman
Philippe de Suremain told RFE/RL's Armenian Service on 21 February. De
Suremain said that the proposals have already been submitted to the
Armenian and Azerbaijani leaderships who are "working on them," and
expressed confidence that "we could get some results." LF
[28] AZERBAIJAN, GAS CONSORTIUM SIGN EXPORT PIPELINE AGREEMENT
The Azerbaijani government and the members of the international
consortium formed to develop the Shah Deniz offshore gas deposit signed
four agreements in Baku on 21 February that form the legal basis for
construction of a pipeline to export that gas via Georgia to Turkey,
Turan and Caspian News Agency reported. Construction of the
685-kilometer pipeline will cost an estimated $2.9 billion. Work will
begin early in 2003, and it is anticipated that the pipeline will go
into operation by October 2005. LF
[29] RUSSIAN SECURITY CHIEF VISITS GEORGIA
Federal Security Service (FSB) Director Nikolai Patrushev visited
Tbilisi on 21 February for talks with President Eduard Shevardnadze and
senior security officials on the putative threat posed by the presence
of Afghan mercenaries with links to Al-Qaeda in Georgia's Pankisi
Gorge. Patrushev told journalists after those talks that his agency has
no evidence to substantiate claims that Osama bin Laden has also fled
to Pankisi, Interfax reported. He also said that the U.S. has not
informed Moscow of any planned military action in Pankisi to apprehend
the Afghans, according to ITAR-TASS (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 February
2002). In Moscow, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov and Chief of General
Staff General Anatolii Kvashnin both said they cannot state with any
certainty that bin Laden is in Pankisi. Both men also insisted that
Georgia should take measures to clean up what Ivanov termed "a
mini-Afghanistan on Russia's doorstep." But while Ivanov said doing so
is Georgia's responsibility as a sovereign state, Reuters quoted
Kvashnin as saying "Russia and Georgia should destroy this terrorist
center in the Pankisi Gorge together," and there is no need for any
U.S. involvement in the operation to do so. LF
[30] GEORGIAN DISPLACED PERSONS DEMAND THAT UN ENFORCE PEACE IN
ABKHAZIA
Meeting in Tbilisi on 21 February, the Abkhaz parliament in exile
composed of the Georgian deputies to the Abkhaz parliament elected in
1991 invoked Chapter VII of the UN Charter that provides for the threat
or use of force to restore peace and security in conflict regions,
Caucasus Press reported. Parliament-in-exile Chairman Tamaz
Nadareishvili argued that all possible means of resolving the conflict
peacefully have been tried and proven useless. Nadareishvili first
demanded a UN peace enforcement operation in Abkhazia in 1999 following
the successful NATO air campaign against Yugoslavia and the subsequent
deployment of an international peacekeeping force under UN auspices in
Kosova (see "RFE/RL Caucasus Report," Vol. 2, No. 26, 1 July 1999).
Nadareishvili also made clear his opposition to the proposed joint
Abkhaz-Georgian patrols of the Kodori Gorge (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21
February 2002). LF
[31] GEORGIA PROTESTS RUSSIAN OFFICIAL'S COMMENT ON TRANSPORT TARIFFS
Georgian Transport and Communications Ministry official Lado Chkheidze
on 21 February criticized as "inadmissible interference by a third
party" Russian Audit Chamber head Sergei Stepashin's comment in Yerevan
the previous day that Armenia is constrained to pay inordinately high
transit tariffs to ship goods via Georgia by rail, Caucasus Press
reported. Stepashin said those tariffs constitute a burden on the
Armenian budget, and suggested referring the issue to the CIS
Ministers' Council, according to Prime News, as cited by Groong. LF
[32] COURT SUSPENDS OPERATION OF LOCAL KAZAKH TV STATION
Pavlodar City Court on 20 February ordered the independent Irbis local
TV station to suspend broadcasts for three months on the grounds that
it allegedly violated the law on mass media by failing to broadcast at
least 50 percent of its programs in the Kazakh language, RFE/RL's
Kazakh Service reported. Irbis employees, however, denied this, telling
RFE/RL that the decision was politically motivated. Irbis started
facing problems last November after it reported on demonstrations by
supporters of sacked Pavlodar Oblast Governor Ghalymzhan Zhaqiyanov and
those supporting his successor, Danial Akhmetov. LF
[33] NEW KAZAKH NGO AIMS TO PROTECT OIL-SECTOR WORKERS' RIGHTS
Representatives of the Orleu Movement and the Communist Party of
Kazakhstan founded a new NGO named Social-Political Council in
northwest Kazakhstan's Aqtobe Oblast on 21 February, RFE/RL's Kazakh
Service reported. The organization's main goal will be to protect the
rights of Kazakh citizens employed by the Chinese management of
AqtobeMunayGaz Joint Stock Company. There have been repeated disputes
in recent years between the Chinese management and the Kazakh workforce
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 2 March, 27 April and 16 August 2000). LF
[34] CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS BROUGHT AGAINST KYRGYZ POET WHO CONFIRMED
ARRESTED PARLIAMENT DEPUTY WAS BEATEN
An official from the Djalalabad City Prosecutor's Office said on 21
February that a criminal case has been filed against poet Asanbai
Jusupbekov for "spreading false information," RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service
reported. Jusupbekov told RFE/RL on 18 and 20 February that when he
visited arrested parliament deputy Azimbek Beknazarov in detention last
week, Beknazarov told him he has been beaten. Also on 21 February,
three Kyrgyz parliament deputies told a press conference in Bishkek
that they have written statements from persons who spoke to Beknazarov
in detention confirming that he has been mistreated. LF
[35] KYRGYZ JOURNALISTS PROTEST PERCEIVED THREAT TO MEDIA FREEDOM
Journalists and political activists adopted an appeal in Bishkek on 21
February to Kyrgyzstan's president, Askar Akaev, to annul a decree he
issued last month that they fear could serve as the rationale for
closing media outlets the government considers subversive, Interfax and
RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported. The decree in question, which is
aimed at preventing "subversive activities by extremist religious
centers," empowers the Interior Ministry to make an inventory of
printing presses in Kyrgyzstan. Experts argue that it violates the
Kyrgyz Constitution. LF
[36] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT ASPIRES TO 'STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP' WITH TURKEY
Speaking in Ankara on 20 February at a state dinner hosted by Turkish
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, President Akaev said Kyrgyzstan wants to
raise its relations with Turkey to the level of "a strategic
partnership," the "Turkish Daily News" reported on 22 February. Sezer
for his part expressed the desire to expand bilateral economic ties.
During talks earlier on 20 February, Akaev and Sezer discussed the
situation in Afghanistan and security issues in general, and signed an
agreement on cooperation and trade for 2002-2010, ITAR-TASS and
RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported. On 21 February, Akaev attended a
meeting in Istanbul of Kyrgyz and Turkish businessmen. LF
[37] TAJIK PRESIDENT SOUNDS ALARM OVER POPULATION EXPLOSION
Imomali Rakhmonov told a 20 February national conference on demographic
developments that Tajikistan urgently needs a long-term demographic
policy to slow down population growth, Russian media reported.
Rakhmonov pointed out that the country's population has increased from
5.5 million to 6.2 million over the past 10 years, while at the same
time GDP has fallen by 64 percent, resulting in soaring unemployment,
poverty, crime, and drug addiction. Rakhmonov and his wife have eight
children. LF
[38] WINTER OLYMPICS MEDAL COUNT -- PART 1 COUNTRIES
Through 21 FEBRUARY
CountryGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Russia56314
Armenia0000
Azerbaijan0000
Georgia0000
Kazakhstan0000
Kyrgyzstan0000
Tajikistan0000
Uzbekistan0000
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
[39] U.S. OFFICIAL SAYS BELARUS HAS MADE NO PROGRESS IN DEMOCRATIZATION
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Steven Pifer said in Minsk on 21
February that Belarus has made no progress in "key areas of
democratization," adding that the human rights situation has even
deteriorated since the September 2001 presidential election, AP
reported. "We see no progress toward democratic election reform. We see
no evidence of steps to empower an independent Belarusian parliament or
encourage functioning independent media," Pifer added. Pifer met with
Foreign Minister Mikhail Khvastou, Defense Minister Leanid Maltsau,
presidential administration chief Ural Latypau, and with political
leaders "not linked to the current government," Belapan reported. Pifer
said he expressed concern about reports that Belarus has sold arms to
terrorists states or groups and provided them military training. He
added that the United States is ready to resume productive bilateral
relations only if Belarus fulfills the conditions it agreed to in
joining such international organizations as the UN and the OSCE. JM
[40] OSCE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE HEARS REPORT ON BELARUS
Uta Zapf of Germany, who visited Minsk earlier this month (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 6 February 2002), presented a report on the situation in
Belarus at a sitting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's Permanent
Committee in Vienna on 21 February, RFE/RL's Belarusian Service
reported. According to Anatol Lyabedzka -- the head of the opposition
United Civic Party, who attended the sitting as an observer -- the
report does not register any positive developments toward
democratization in Belarus apart from Minsk's consent to submit a draft
media law to international expert assessment, and a written pledge by
the leadership of Belarus's National Assembly to work toward expanding
its powers. The Permanent Committee has not made any recommendations
regarding Belarus, which is currently not represented in the OSCE
Parliamentary Assembly. The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is reportedly
to discuss the Belarusian issue at a summer session in Berlin. JM
[41] EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF MAKES PLEA FOR FAIR UKRAINIAN ELECTION
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana urged Ukrainians in Kyiv on 21
February to work together to ensure free and fair parliamentary
elections next month, Reuters reported. "To have free, fair, and
constructive elections, everyone has to contribute -- authorities,
electoral officials, parties, and citizens. I hope after the elections
the country will move forward to political stability and economic
reforms that will help deepen cooperation with the European Union. That
is our wish," Solana told a news conference held jointly with President
Leonid Kuchma. JM
[42] UKRAINE TO WITHDRAW PEACEKEEPERS FROM SIERRA LEONE
Defense Minister Volodymyr Shkidchenko said in a telephone interview at
the Kyiv-based newspaper "Fakty i kommentarii" on 21 February that
Ukraine intends to withdraw its peacekeepers from Sierra Leone. The
schedule for the withdrawal has not been set yet. Shkidchenko said the
UN has asked Ukraine to wait until May, after Sierra Leone's election.
The minister said the Ukrainian peacekeepers have completed their
mission, and that there is no reason to endanger their health for
money. "The climate is far too bad for our servicemen: terrible
humidity, an average temperature of 40 degrees Celsius, all those
insects and snakes, and so on," New Channel Television quoted
Shkidchenko as saying. JM
[43] UKRAINIAN SOCIALISTS CAMPAIGN TO CHANGE GOVERNMENT SYSTEM
Socialist Party leader Oleksandr Moroz said in an election spot on
Ukrainian Television on 21 February that the main point of his party's
election program is to change "the whole system of unfair government."
Moroz noted that the authorities -- including President Kuchma,
presidential administration chief Volodymyr Lytvyn, and
Prosecutor-General Mykhaylo Potebenko -- are afraid that "the truth
about themselves" will be revealed on the secret tapes of former
presidential bodyguard Mykola Melnychenko. Moroz accused the Communist
Party, which placed Potebenko on its election list, of "playing the
game directed by Kuchma." Melnychenko, who also appeared in the spot,
said a recent U.S. expert examination confirmed that his tapes were not
doctored. "Now the question is who must be held liable and when for the
murder of a journalist, embezzlement, bribery, rigging the presidential
election, and the April [2000] referendum. The materials that I
recorded in Leonid Kuchma's office contain answers to all these
questions," Melnychenko said. JM
[44] UKRAINIAN COLONEL SENTENCED TO SEVEN YEARS FOR SPYING
"Fakty i kommentarii" reported on 21 February that Taras Bublyk, a
former colonel in the Ukrainian army, has been sentenced to seven years
in prison for spying for an undisclosed foreign agency. Bublyk's case
was investigated in secret, and the court hearings were held behind
closed doors except for the final announcement of the verdict. The
report said Bublyk was accused of passing on secret information about
the Ukrainian army as well as its armaments and equipment while he
worked in an important military position in Transcarpathia after 1992.
According to the daily, Bublyk was paid for his services with two used
cars and money deposited in foreign banks. Bublyk denied the charges of
espionage, saying his communication with a foreign agent was restricted
to the agent's requests to buy cheap alcohol and cigarettes in a shop
for Ukrainian servicemen. JM
[45] EFFORTS TO REDUCE PLANNED PRICE HIKES FOR ELECTRICITY IN ESTONIA
Center Party Chairman Edgar Savisaar declared on 21 February that the
offer of the supervisory council of the power utility Eesti Energia
(Estonian Energy) to reduce the introduction from 1 April of a monthly
electricity fee of 20 kroons ($1.11) to 5 kroons, while retaining the
price hike for a kilowatt of electricity from the current 0.90 kroons
to 1.10 kroons, is unacceptable, BNS reported. He said the company has
enough internal resources to begin needed renovations of its power
plants even after the planned privatization of the Narva Power Plants
by the U.S. energy firm NRG Energy failed. It appears likely that the
government will give Eesti Energia some funds to keep electricity costs
lower. SG
[46] NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES LATVIA TO AMEND ELECTION LAWS
Lord George Robertson told the parliament in Riga on 21 February that
NATO will decide on which countries to admit to the alliance on the
basis of military, defense, and political achievements, including how
they follow standards of democracy and human rights, LETA and BNS
reported. He particularly mentioned the need to abolish the stringent
Latvian-language requirements for candidates to the parliament and
local councils. Robertson also met with President Vaira Vike-Freiberga,
Prime Minister Andris Berzins, Foreign Minister Indulis Berzins,
Defense Minister Girts Valdis Kristovskis, and parliament Chairman
Janis Straume. He noted that the decision on which countries to join
the alliance has not yet been made, but that no non-NATO country, such
as Russia, will have a say in determining the matter. SG
[47] SLOVENIA'S FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS LITHUANIA
During a one-day official visit to Vilnius on 21 February, Dimitrij
Rupel held talks with Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas, President
Valdas Adamkus, Foreign Minister Antanas Valionis, and parliament
Deputy Chairman Ceslovas Jursenas, BNS reported. The talks dealt
primarily with EU and NATO membership as well as the upcoming Future of
Europe Convention. Rupel told reporters that he expects that five to
seven countries will be invited to join NATO in November and that he
supports continued meetings of the "Vilnius 10" group of NATO
applicants, as this will be very useful for the countries that do not
receive membership invitations. He noted that all the EU applicant
countries are dissatisfied with the agricultural subsidies proposed by
the European Commission, but that the other benefits of EU membership
are more important. Rupel also visited the Slavic Studies Department at
Vilnius University, which offers a course in the Slovenian language. SG
[48] POLISH PRESIDENT BACKS CABINET POLICIES
President Aleksander Kwasniewski told journalists on 21 February that
he supports the government's economic and EU negotiation programs as
well as its policy toward its eastern neighbors, Polish media reported.
Kwasniewski was speaking after a meeting of the Cabinet Council; that
is, a government session chaired by the president. JM
[49] POLAND'S UNEMPLOYMENT REACHES RECORD 18 PERCENT
The Main Statistics Office (GUS) has reported that the unemployment
rate at the end of January increased to 18 percent from 17.4 percent by
the end of December, Polish media reported on 21 February. At the end
of January, there were 3.25 million unemployed registered at job
centers. JM
[50] POLISH PUBLIC TELEVISION TO LAUNCH THIRD NATIONWIDE CHANNEL
The Polish Television Joint Stock Company (TVP SA) will inaugurate its
third nationwide channel, TVP3, on 3 March. The new channel will pool
efforts of journalists from 16 regional centers of public television,
and will be oriented primarily toward regional affairs and news, Polish
Television reported. The new channel is expected to reach more than 80
percent of Poles. At present, TVP SA has two countrywide channels: TVP1
and TVP2. JM
[51] REPORT SAYS U.S. FEARS CZECHS MIGHT LEAK CLASSIFIED INFORMATION
The U.S. is pondering whether to provide the Czech Republic with access
to top-secret information on its nuclear weapons, CTK reported on 22
February, citing the daily "Mlada fronta Dnes." According to the
report, Premier Milos Zeman's close adviser Miroslav Slouf, who has a
communist past, and several other people around Zeman jeopardize the
credibility of the Czech Republic among its NATO allies (see the latest
issue of "RFE/RL East European Perspectives" at
http://www.rferl.org/eepreport/). Foreign Minister Jan Kavan said in
response that if the report is true, "the government would have to deal
with it immediately," but added that "so far I have neither official
nor unofficial information on it." Czech Ambassador to the U.S. Martin
Palous confirmed that he has met with U.S. officials several times
recently, but answered "no comment" when asked whether the U.S. is
considering denying Czech access to classified information. MS
[52] CZECH PREMIER TO CANCEL TUNISIA VISIT
Foreign Minister Kavan told journalists on 21 February said there are
"indications" that Premier Zeman's visit to Tunisia at the end of this
month will be postponed, CTK reported. The visit was to be linked with
one to Egypt, but Cairo postponed it to protest the Arafat-Hitler
comparison recently made by Zeman in his interview with the Israeli
daily "Ha'aretz." Kavan said he has received no protest from Tunisia,
but "expects the visit to be postponed." According to a report
published in the daily "Pravo" on 22 February, the Foreign Ministry is
about to ask the Palestinian Authority to replace Ambassador Samih
Ismail Fatah "for several reasons," among them public statements made
by Fatah against the United States. Kavan declined comment on the
report. MS
[53] CZECH PRESIDENT OPPOSED TO CALLS FOR PREMIER'S RESIGNATION OVER
ARAFAT COMPARISON...
In an interview with Frekvence 1 radio on 21 February, Vaclav Havel
said he does not think Zeman should resign over the statement he made
to "Ha'aretz," CTK reported. Havel said that if the Czech Republic were
a "stable democracy, nothing would happen if the premier resigned four
months ahead of the elections," but as this is not the case, the demand
to have Zeman resign is "unreasonable." The president added that,
nonetheless, Zeman should stop trying to "blame journalists for
punctuation, verbs, or nouns," and "face the consequences" of his
statements (Zeman has claimed that the journalist who interviewed him
"missed a semicolon"). MS
[54] ...SAYS RETURN OF CONFISCATED PROPERTY IMPOSSIBLE
In his interview with Frekvence 1, Havel also said that although he
does not rule out some "further [Czech] steps on the journey of
self-reflection" regarding postwar developments, he does not "think it
is possible to take into consideration property claims and
restitutions," CTK reported. MS
[55] HUNGARIAN AMBASSADOR TO PRAGUE SUMMONED OVER ORBAN STATEMENT...
On 21 February, Deputy Foreign Minister Rudolf Jindrak summoned
Hungarian charge d'affaires Gabor Gogolak, telling him the Czech
government was "surprised" over the statement made by Premier Viktor
Orban on the need to abolish the Benes decrees and expects "an
explanation" from Budapest, CTK reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21
February 2002). Foreign Minister Kavan the same day told the BBC that
the government will discuss the Hungarian statement next week, adding
that "we have already pointed out to our Hungarian colleagues that such
demands are inappropriate." MS
[56] CZECH RAPID DEPLOYMENT SOLDIER TO BE SANCTIONED FOR NAZI-LIKE
ATTACK
On 21 February, a member of the elite rapid deployment brigade attacked
a 17-year-old boy in Hlinsko, northern Bohemia, brutally beating him
while shouting Nazi slogans, CTK reported, citing Nova television.
Defense Minister Jaroslav Tvrdik said he intends to deal with the
incident using the "stiffest possible measures" at his disposal, namely
demotion and discharge from the army. Police later said a quick
investigation revealed that the soldier belongs to skinhead groups. In
related news, a court of justice in Ostrava, northern Moravia,
sentenced on 21 February to two years in prison a man from Krnov, who
set fire to a flat inhabited by a Romany family in 1998, CTK reported.
Radek Bedri, 21, threw a Molotov cocktail into the flat. Two other
young people were acquitted for lack of sufficient evidence. Bedri
appealed the verdict. MS
[57] NEW SLOVAK PARTY SET UP
Former Finance Minister Brigita Schmognerova and Peter Weiss, the
chairman of the parliament's Foreign Affairs Commission, officially set
up their new political formation on 21 February, CTK and AP reported
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 11 February 2002). The party is called the
Social Democratic Alternative (SDA). After being forced to resign from
the government by her own party, Schmognerova resigned from the Party
of the Democratic Left together with Weiss. MS
[58] SLOVAK OFFICIAL WARNS AGAINST CONSEQUENCES OF ORBAN STATEMENT
Foreign Ministry State Secretary Jaroslav Chlebo said on 21 February
that the remarks made by Hungarian Premier Orban on the need to abolish
the Benes decrees in the Czech Republic and Hungary could cause
"long-term discord" in the relations between the two countries, Reuters
reported. Chlebo said Bratislava is aware that the statement may have
been caused by the "pre-electoral atmosphere in Budapest," but added
that "it is hard to expect [the statement to] dissolve like foam on a
beer after the polls. These shadows will stay here for some time."
Chlebo, who is Slovakia's chief negotiator with Hungary in the dispute
over the Status Law, also said Bratislava would welcome a
"clarification by the EU" over the law's significance. He said that
"Budapest...is creating its own [non-European] standards and trying to
force others to accept them." MS
[59] HUNGARIAN PRESIDENT'S CROSS-PARTY MEDIATION FAILS
A meeting hosted on 21 February by President Ferenc Madl in an attempt
to soften the tone of the election campaign was considered "partly
successful" by the coalition parties, but opposition parties called it
a "fiasco," Hungarian media reported. After the meeting, Madl urged all
political forces "to keep the common future in mind" during their
election campaigns. FIDESZ Chairman Zoltan Pokorni said the opposition
Socialist Party (MSZP) and the Alliance of Free Democrats (SZDSZ) had
not taken the opportunity to return to a consensus regarding ethnic
Hungarians abroad or EU accession. MSZP Chairman Laszlo Kovacs and
SZDSZ Chairman Gabor Kuncze objected that FIDESZ had not apologized to
the opposition for calling them "traitors." Democratic Forum Chairwoman
Ibolya David drafted a code of ethics for the election campaign, which
was supported by FIDESZ and the extremist Hungarian Justice and Life
Party. Other parties still must respond to the proposal. MSZ
[60] CHRISTIAN GROUPS PROTEST OUTSIDE HUNGARIAN SOCIALISTS'
HEADQUARTERS
Thousands of people attended a protest staged on 21 February by the
Christian Intellectuals' Federation and the Right-Wing Youth Community
outside the MSZP Budapest headquarters, denouncing alleged antichurch
statements by former Prime Minister Gyula Horn and pro-Socialist
university students, Hungarian media reported. "That which we believed
could not happen in European democracies has happened. They are spying
on us, our services are disrupted, and the faithful and pastors are
intimidated," one organizer told the gathering. The Federation of
Socialist University and College Students last week announced a plan to
attend church services to ascertain which members of the clergy were
advocating political views from the pulpit. Later they abandoned the
plan after the data protection ombudsman said it would violate privacy
rights. Organizers of the protest said they intend to stage similar
demonstrations every Thursday until the MSZP apologizes to the offended
religious faithful. The MSZP, however, has reserved the square in front
of its headquarters for the remaining period up to the elections. MSZ
[61] INTERNATIONAL PRESS INSTITUTE SEES PROBLEMS WITH FREEDOM OF PRESS
IN HUNGARY
The Vienna-based International Press Institute (IPI) issued a report on
21 February on the situation of the media in Eastern and Central
Europe, in which the organization said it plans to investigate links
between Karoly Mendreczky, the head of Hungarian Television, and
FIDESZ, as well as the line-up of the boards of trustees of state-run
media. The IPI report also mentioned that "confrontations with the
media and the state influence on public service institutions have
prompted the EU to publicly state that it disagrees with several
methods used by the government." The IPI earlier expressed its concerns
in a letter to Premier Orban. MSZ
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[62] ALBANIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES NEW CABINET
After a long debate, a majority in the 140-seat legislature voted in
the early hours of 22 February in favor of Prime Minister-designate
Pandeli Majko's Socialist-led cabinet, AP reported from Tirana (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 19 and 21 February 2002). The discussion was often
acrimonious, reflecting the divisions not only between the Socialists
and the opposition, but within the Socialist Party (PS) itself. The
vote was 81 in favor, 42 against, two abstentions, and three present
but not voting. Twelve deputies were not present. Observers note that
the naming of a relatively low-profile, noncontroversial cabinet is
widely regarded as a stop-gap measure until the power struggle within
the PS is resolved. PM
[63] SOLANA'S TALKS WITH MONTENEGRIN AND SERBIAN LEADERS INCONCLUSIVE
Following his talks in Belgrade on 21 February with Serbian and
Montenegrin leaders, EU security policy chief Javier Solana said that
some progress has been made toward an agreement on future relations
between the two republics, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages
Service reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 February 2002). He added
that he thinks that the talks will be concluded by the end of February
or by mid-March. Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica said he expects
that the text of a proposed agreement can be made public within 10
days. Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic stressed that each of the
two republics must have its own seat in the UN. The Podgorica daily
"Vijesti" confirmed in an article on 22 February the outlines of the
settlement, which had appeared earlier in some Western media (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 19 February 2002). PM
[64] IS KOSTUNICA TRYING TO PREEMPT KOSOVA SETTLEMENT?
Kostunica appealed to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to "use his
influence" on officials of KFOR and the UN civilian administration in
Kosova (UNMIK) to persuade them to recognize the 2001 Skopje-Belgrade
border agreement, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service
reported from the Serbian capital (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 February
2002). An UNMIK spokesman said in Prishtina that the border agreement
between the two states is not acceptable and that such issues must be
solved through diplomatic channels. Some observers have suggested that
Belgrade is encouraged by its support from the EU against Montenegro
and is trying to enlist foreign support for its claims to Kosova.
Critics of Belgrade's policy charge that the government should stop
trying to recover lost territories and concentrate instead on ridding
Serbia of poverty, crime, corruption, and the political culture that
led to defeats and isolation. In related news, Serbian Deputy Prime
Minister Nebojsa Covic was scheduled to arrive in Moscow on 22 February
for talks with Russian leaders regarding Kosova and related issues,
Interfax reported. PM
[65] END TO KOSOVA LOGJAM IN SIGHT?
Nexhat Daci, the speaker of the Kosovar parliament, said in Prishtina
on 21 February that he expects that "all institutions" will be
functioning in the province within two weeks, RFE/RL's South Slavic and
Albanian Languages Service reported. He made the remarks after speaking
with UNMIK head Michael Steiner. PM
[66] SAUDI TERROR EVIDENCE FOUND IN BOSNIA
AP reported from Sarajevo on 21 February that photos of the World Trade
Center and maps of Washington D.C. with government offices marked have
been found in a computer that NATO confiscated from a Saudi charity
organization in the Bosnian capital last October. Unnamed senior U.S.
and Bosnian officials have confirmed the report, which "The Boston
Globe" published on 17 February. Among the other materials found at the
Sarajevo office of the Saudi High Commissioner for Aid to Bosnia were
"a program explaining how to use crop duster aircraft and templates for
making fake U.S. State Department identification badges." Anti-Semitic
and anti-American "computer materials for children" also turned up, as
well as evidence that "millions of dollars" belonging to the charity
were not accounted for. One of the six Algerians arrested in October by
Bosnian authorities and now in U.S. custody in Guantanamo worked for
the agency (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 23 January 2002). His father-in-law
worked for the U.S. Embassy. PM
[67] NATO SACKS BOSNIAN MUSLIM GENERAL
Mijo Anic, who is defense minister for the Croat-Muslim federation,
told reporters in Sarajevo on 21 February that SFOR commander General
John Sylvester has removed federal General Sulejman Vranj from "any
military service," dpa reported. Anic added that he does not have much
information on the sacking. The news agency reported that Sylvester
removed Vranj on 9 February because he took part in demonstrations to
protest the extradition of the six Algerian terror suspects to the
United States. Sylvester wrote to Anic's ministry that "such activities
were counterproductive for the peace process here in
Bosnia-Herzegovina." PM
[68] INDICTMENTS ARRIVE IN BOSNIA FROM THE HAGUE
Bosnian federal Deputy Justice Minister Sahbaz Dzihanovic told Hina in
Sarajevo on 21 February that 62 indictments arrived from The Hague
recently and have been sent to prosecutor's offices in Sarajevo,
Mostar, Zenica, Travnik, and Bihac. Each indicted person was charged
solely on the basis of individual responsibility for war crimes. Serbs,
Muslims, and Croats alike are among those indicted. Dzihanovic added
that he expects that additional indictments will arrive from The Hague
later. PM
[69] CONTROVERSY IN SLOVENIA OVER TRANSVESTITE SINGERS
A controversy has emerged in Slovenia over the victory by a
transvestite trio called Sisters in a contest to represent Slovenia in
the Eurovision song competition, AP reported from Ljubljana on 21
February (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 February 2002). The dispute has
centered over the voting procedure, which critics charged was biased in
favor of the trio. But social psychologist Vlado Miheljak told the news
agency that "it's a well known phenomenon that if one is unable to face
the real source of his trauma, he concentrates on anything surrounding
it. So, everyone talks now about the vote, while clearly they're
disturbed by the transvestitism." Observers note that gay and lesbian
rights groups played an important role in the formation of the civil
society in Slovenia in the 1980s, which helped the country make a
smooth transition to democracy during the collapse of communism. PM
[70] ROMANIAN EXTREMIST PARTY EXPELS DEPUTY
The Greater Romania Party's (PRM) Steering Committee decided on 21
February to expel parliamentary deputy Ilie Neacsu from its ranks,
RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 and 21
February 2002). The committee also discussed the cases of deputies
Sever Mesca and Anghel Stanciu, but no sanctions were taken against
them. However, on 22 February, Mesca resigned from the PRM, and
parliamentary deputy Stefan Pascu said he is considering a similar
step. Neacsu said in response that the decision reflects "the
dictatorship imposed on the party" by Chairman Corneliu Vadim Tudor,
and promised that "PRM sympathizers will soon learn some shattering
news about the Fuehrer-like attitude of Vadim." MS
[71] ROMANIAN PREMIER SAYS 'NO CLASH OF INTERESTS' WITH RUSSIA IN
MOLDOVA...
Adrian Nastase said in Moscow on 21 February that there is "no clash of
interests" between Moscow and Bucharest in Moldova, Mediafax reported.
He spoke after meeting State Duma deputy Chairman Vladimir Lukin. Both
politicians said the current crisis in Moldova is "an internal problem"
of that country. In an interview with "Rossiiskaya gazeta" cited by
Flux, Nastase said that Romania is "concerned" about the "anti-Romanian
atmosphere" promoted by Moldova's leadership, which is mirrored in "the
resurrection of Soviet ideology." That ideology, he said, used to speak
about a "so-called Moldovan language," and about an "alleged invasion"
of Romania and "conquest of the Moldovan people." Nastase also said
that there are "no territorial problems" between Romania and Moldova,
and that Bucharest has "always recognized and respected the Moldovan
Republic's territorial integrity." MS
[72] ...WHILE RUSSIAN PREMIER SAYS PROTESTS REFLECT LACK OF INFORMATION
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov said after talks with his
Romanian counterpart Nastase in Moscow on 21 February that the ongoing
protests in the Moldovan capital are "a consequence of a lack of
information," Mediafax reported. Kasyanov said that the decision of the
authorities in Chisinau does not reflect "an attempt to Russify"
Moldova, but merely constitutes "granting the status of official
language to Russian, which de facto is [already] Moldova's official
language, as well as a language of international circulation." Kasyanov
also said that he "hopes" the protests in Chisinau are not being
financed from outside the country, ITAR-TASS reported. MS
[73] MOLDOVAN PROTESTERS BREAK INTO PARLIAMENT BUILDING
The protesting demonstrators broke into but withdrew from the
parliament building on 21 February, and popular Party Christian
Democratic (PPCD) Chairman Iurie Rosca told the crowd: "We shall get
into the parliament, but not today. We shall move in if no one listens
to our demands." Earlier on 21 February, Rosca called on the protesters
to "march on the television [station]" to demand that "the truth" be
broadcast about their protests. He said he does not believe police
would intervene, and that "at the end they will also join the
protests." MS
[74] MOLDOVAN PPCD LEADERS FINED IN COURT
On 21 February, a court of justice in Chisinau levied fines on Rosca,
his deputy Vlad Cubreacov, and PPCD parliamentary group leader Stefan
Secareanu for "organizing unauthorized protests against the
Russification of schools," RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. Also on
21 February, the government appealed to the Supreme Court of Justice to
rule whether the PPCD-organized demonstrations are legal. The court
must pronounce a verdict within five days. In an interview with RFE/RL,
Justice Minister Ion Morei said on 21 February that the cabinet wants
the court to forbid the protest rallies. MS
[75] TRANSDNIESTER HAS NEW 'GOVERNMENT'
A "presidential" press release from Tiraspol cited by ITAR-TASS
announced on 21 February that the formation of the new Transdniester
cabinet has been completed. Eleven former "ministers" are members in
the new 13-member body. Former Deputy Interior Minister Aleksander
Koroliov and Former Information Minister Vladimir Belyayev have now
full ministerial rank. MS
[76] CALM RETURNS TO PLODVIV DISTRICT AFTER RIOTS
Calm returned on 21 February to the Plodviv district of Stolipinovo,
after three nights of riots during which the inhabitants, who are
mainly Roma, demanded that the power supply to their neighborhood be
restored, AP and dpa reported. In a compromise with community leaders,
the local authorities agreed to restore the power supply for the Muslim
holiday of Kurban Bayram, which began on 22 February. The holiday lasts
three days. MS
[77] LEADERS OF EVANGELICAL CHURCHES WARN AGAINST ANTI-SEMITISM IN
BULGARIA
The leaders of five Evangelical churches in Bulgaria are warning
against a wave of anti-Semitism spreading in the country, according to
a Tolerance Foundation press release dated 21 February. They said on 16
February that publications with a manifestly anti-Semitic character
have recently been published and that Holocaust-denying literature is
also being circulated. They particularly pointed out a book by Volen
Siderov, who is deputy editor in chief of "Monitor," one of Bulgaria's
largest dailies. The book, they said, is nothing but a collection of
classic anti-Semitic stereotypes, but also targets Roma and other
minorities. "If there are now people in Bulgaria who want to see the
Jews dead," they said, "our answers as Bulgarians can only be: we are
Jews as well." MS
[78] WINTER OLYMPICS MEDAL COUNT -- PART 2 COUNTRIES
Through 21 FEBRUARY
CountryGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Croatia2103
Bulgaria0123
Estonia1012
Czech Rep.1012
Poland0112
Belarus0011
Slovenia0011
Bosnia-Herzeg.0000
Hungary0000
Latvia0000
Lithuania0000
Macedonia0000
Moldova0000
Romania0000
Slovakia0000
Ukraine0000
Yugoslavia0000
END NOTE
[79] U.S. STEPS UP PRESSURE ON UKRAINE TO HOLD FREE ELECTIONS
By Taras Kuzio
The visits to Ukraine this month by Undersecretary of State Paula
Dobriansky and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who now
chairs the U.S. National Democratic Institute (NDI), coupled with the
NDI report that emerged from Albright's mission and two new resolutions
introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate reflect
increasing U.S. concern at the direction in which Ukraine is heading.
Orest Deychakiwsky, an adviser at the United States Helsinki Commission
on Security and Cooperation in Europe, said, "They all point to strong
manifestations of U.S. concerns about the upcoming elections, as these
will be an important indication of whether Ukraine moves forward in its
democratic development and integration into Europe."
There are four main reasons for the present U.S. concern over Ukraine.
First, both U.S. and Russian leaders believe that Ukraine's
independence is now secured, and support for the "Belarusian option" is
confined to only the extreme left. A January report by the Polish
Eastern Studies Center concurred, concluding that no "serious political
groups" are likely to emerge in Ukraine to clamor for union with
Russia.
Ukraine's leaders therefore can no longer blackmail the West by talking
of the threat of "Russian imperialism." Consequently, the West has more
leverage over Ukraine in criticizing its domestic policies when those
policies are incompatible with its declared goals of "returning to
Europe." At the same time, the Ukrainian leadership has less room to
maneuver by playing off the West against Russia to extract the maximum
advantage from both sides, as it repeatedly did in the 1990s.
U.S. criticism of Ukrainian domestic policies does not signify, as
Ukrainian leaders mistakenly believe, that the U.S. no longer sees
Ukraine as strategically important. Nevertheless, the U.S.-Ukrainian
"strategic partnership" remains more declaratory than real and of more
importance to Ukraine than the United States. In 2000, the U.S. only
accounted for 5.8 percent of Ukrainian exports and 2.5 percent of
imports.
Secondly, Western views on human rights, press freedom, and corruption
in Ukraine have changed for the worse since the late 1990s. A major
irritant is the Soviet-style discrepancy between official rhetoric and
actual policies. This view has gone so far that, in private, U.S.
officials sometimes describe Ukraine as "Kuchmastan." The Center for
Peace, Conversion, and Foreign Policy, a Kyiv think tank, concluded in
a January paper that the new U.S. administration "has no more faith in
the assurances and declarations of Ukrainian officials about their
commitment to democratic values and European integration."
U.S. assistance to Ukraine this year requires that the State Department
submit to Congress within 60 days of the enactment of the aid a report
on murdered journalists, including the unresolved case of murdered
opposition journalist Heorhiy Gongadze. The Ukrainian parliamentary
commission headed by Oleksandr Zhyr, a member of Viktor Yushchenko's
Our Ukraine election bloc, have begun submitting the "Kuchmagate" tapes
to FBI experts. The experts have concluded that the tapes studied so
far have not been doctored, thereby undermining one of the main
arguments used by the Ukrainian authorities to deflect guilt away from
Kuchma.
The FBI experts offered to act as expert witnesses in any subsequent
trial and their reports on the tapes would be accepted as credible
evidence in U.S. and Western European courts. The Ukrainian
parliamentary commission is now proposing to internationalize evidence
found on the tapes, as it is unlikely that any trial resulting from
them would take place in Ukraine. International law takes precedence
over Ukrainian, including the UN Convention Against Torture signed by
118 states. Ukrainian officials implicated in the evidence on the tapes
in misdeeds could theoretically be arrested in any of these countries.
Thirdly, Ukraine is being left out of the geopolitical changes that are
affecting Central and Eastern Europe. Ukraine is not among the 10
countries seeking NATO membership at the alliance's November summit in
Prague. Of the 10 countries, five (the three Baltic states, Slovakia,
and Slovenia) will likely be asked to join NATO this year, with Romania
and Bulgaria also possible candidates (Macedonia, Croatia, and Albania
are generally believed to be out of the running). On 6 February, U.S.
Secretary of State Colin Powell refused to disclose how many of the
applicants would be invited to join; nevertheless, he said, "I think
its going to be a pretty good-sized addition to the membership." If
Slovakia and Romania were to join NATO this year, Ukraine would then
share borders with four NATO members.
Ukraine has narrowed its foreign policy goals to only joining the EU as
an Associate Member in 2004 and full membership by 2011, but even these
goals are unrealistic as Ukraine is a member of neither the "fast" nor
the "slow track" groups of future members. Poland recently submitted a
92-page report to the EU detailing how it will tighten its Eastern
border with Ukraine beginning next year through visas, additional
border troops, and modern equipment. In 2001, 15 million Ukrainians,
Russians, and Belarusians entered Poland. As of 2004, Poland's Eastern
border will be the external frontier of the EU, leaving Ukraine de
facto left outside "Europe."
Fourthly, during a visit on 11-13 February to Russia's Tyumen Oblast,
the main producer of Russian oil and gas, President Kuchma repeatedly
complained about Russian plans to lay a gas pipeline bypassing Ukraine,
as a result of which Ukraine would lose its control over Russian energy
exports. Last month, Western European consumers of Russian gas
pressured Poland to drop its objections to the new pipeline that will
run through Belarus, Poland, and Slovakia.
Because of these four factors, Kuchma faces a fundamental dilemma. He
can save himself from prosecution and obtain immunity by ensuring a
pliant parliament is elected through less-than-free elections,
something that would end Ukraine's chances of "returning to Europe."
Or, he could allow free elections that would rebuild Western confidence
in Ukraine but would threaten his own plans for a peaceful retirement
after his term ends in 2004, and make it difficult for him to again
travel securely to the West, now or in the future.
Taras Kuzio is a research associate at the Centre for Russian and East
European Studies, University of Toronto.
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