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RFE/RL Newsline, 02-02-27
CONTENTS
[01] RUSSIA OFFERED GREATER INFLUENCE IN NATO, BUT NO VETO...
[02] ...AND ZHIRINOVSKY TO HEAD RUSSIAN DELEGATION TO DISCUSS THE
[03] ...AS HE RETURNS TO HIS FORMER SELF
[04] ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS WIN RARE VICTORY AT RUSSIAN FEDERAL LEVEL
[05] RUSSIAN PRESIDENT HINTS AT MORE GOVERNMENT CONTROL OVER NATURAL
[06] DEFENSE MINISTER PROMOTES MILITARY SPACE CENTER IN PLESETSK...
[07] ...AND SAYS HE HAS NO REGRETS ABOUT LOURDES
[08] MOLDOVAN PRIME MINISTER SEEKS HELP FROM MOSCOW
[09] INTERIOR MINISTRY TO TAKE CONTROL OVER IMMIGRATION POLICIES
[10] MEDIA MINISTER OUTLINES PLANS
[11] FOREIGN MINISTRY TAKES OFFENSE TO VATICAN'S TITLE
[12] EKHO MOSKVY ANTICIPATES VACANCIES SOON
[13] KOKH LANDS ANOTHER JOB
[14] COMMISSION MEMBERS SELECTED FOR ST. PETERSBURG FEST
[15] DEPUTIES MULL CYRILLIC-ONLY BILL
[16] LOCAL ELECTIONS BEING BYPASSED IN BASHKORTOSTAN
[17] NORTHERN CAPITAL OFFERS FAVORABLE CONDITIONS FOR SMALL
[18] SMOLENSK SLATE SET
[19] NEW MASS GRAVE DISCOVERED IN CHECHNYA
[20] HEAD OF GROZNY TV COMPANY REPORTED MISSING
[21] RUSSIAN MINISTER SLAMS CHECHEN ADMINISTRATOR'S DRAFT CONSTITUTION
[22] GROUP CREATED IN MOSCOW TO SUPPORT ARMENIAN PRESIDENT
[23] ARMENIAN MAJORITY PARTY RULES OUT ELECTION COALITION
[24] EUROPEAN DIPLOMATS STAGE WALKOUT TO PROTEST AZERBAIJANI PARLIAMENT
[25] AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT ARRIVES IN LONDON EN ROUTE FOR HOME
[26] GEORGIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY DENIES REPORTS OF MILITARY OPERATION BY
[27] GEORGIAN PROSECUTOR OPENS CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION OF SECURITY
[28] GEORGIAN PRESIDENT NOT TO ATTEND CIS SUMMIT
[29] GEORGIAN NATIONAL MOVEMENT UNVEILS PROPOSED NEW CODE OF ETHICS
[30] TAJIK PRESIDENT MEETS WITH IMF OFFICIAL
[31] TURKMENISTAN REFUSES TO RESTRUCTURE GEORGIA'S DEBTS
[32] BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT WANTS TO KEEP IDEOLOGY UNDER STATE
[33] ...AND POLISH UP SOVIET EDUCATION MODEL FOR SCHOOLS
[34] CRIMEAN ELECTION COMMISSION OUSTS 30 CANDIDATES FROM ELECTION RACE
[35] UKRAINIAN PRO-PRESIDENTIAL BLOC DENIES SEEKING RIVALS' SUPPORT
[36] THREE UKRAINIAN ELECTION BLOCS REPORTEDLY TO CONDUCT ALTERNATE
[37] RUSSIA ANNOUNCES UKRAINIAN COMPENSATION FOR DOWNING OF AIRLINER
[38] UKRAINE TO DESTROY 400,000 LAND MINES
[39] UKRAINE, RUSSIA AGREE TO PRODUCE NEW PASSENGER AIRCRAFT
[40] ESTONIA APPOINTS PROVISIONAL DELEGATES TO FUTURE OF EUROPE
[41] LATVIAN PRIME MINISTER ASSERTS ELECTION LAWS WILL BE AMENDED
[42] LITHUANIAN PRESIDENT RESISTS EU PRESSURE TO CLOSE NUCLEAR POWER
[43] RUSSIAN LAWMAKER SEEKS TO EASE POLAND'S PLANNED VISA REGIME
[44] JARUZELSKI'S TRIAL FOR 1970 MASSACRE STARTS ANEW
[45] WILL POLISH COALITION COLLAPSE OVER EU CONTROVERSIES?
[46] GERMAN CHANCELLOR'S VISIT TO CZECH REPUBLIC STILL UNCERTAIN
[47] CZECH EMBASSY IN VIENNA PROTESTS MEDIA'S 'HISTORY MANIPULATION'
[48] CZECH FOREIGN MINISTRY SAYS VISEGRAD COOPERATION TO CONTINUE...
[49] ...AS DOES SLOVAKIA
[50] SLOVAKIA, ARMENIA PLEDGE TO EXPAND ECONOMIC COOPERATION
[51] BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT IN BRATISLAVA
[52] ZELEZNY-OWNED COMMERCIAL TV TO BEGIN SLOVAK BROADCASTS IN MARCH
[53] SLOVAK INVESTORS FEAR LOSS OF SAVINGS
[54] AUSTRIAN PROVINCES OPPOSE ELECTRICITY PURCHASES FROM SLOVAKIA,
[55] HUNGARIAN PARLIAMENT FAILS TO AMEND MEDIA LAW
[56] FIDESZ POLITICIAN TELLS SOROS FOUNDATION TO STAY OUT OF ELECTIONS
[57] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT COMMISSION WANTS BENES DECREES EXAMINED BY
[58] YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTER CRITICIZES SOLANA PLAN, HAGUE
[59] BODIES FOUND IN SERBIAN MASS GRAVE IDENTIFIED AS AMERICAN BROTHERS
[60] YUGOSLAV PARLIAMENT REVOKES IMMUNITY OF WAR CRIMES SUSPECT
[61] MACEDONIAN GOVERNMENT APPROVES AMNESTY FOR ETHNIC ALBANIAN REBELS
[62] CROATIAN COALITION PARTY DEMANDS CABINET RESHUFFLE
[63] CROATIAN COURT SENTENCES CROATIAN SERB WAR CRIMINAL TO 12 YEARS IN
[64] CROATIAN LAWMAKERS APPROVE MILITARY PENSION AMENDMENTS
[65] BOSNIAN CROAT PARTY ANNOUNCES RETURN TO UPPER HOUSE
[66] MEDIA WATCHDOG CHIDES BOSNIA'S BROADCASTERS OVER MILOSEVIC
[67] WEAPONS-SMUGGLING TRIAL BEGINS IN BOSNIA
[68] OSCE ENVOY SAYS ELECTORAL RECOMMENDATIONS 'CRITICAL' TO ALBANIA'S
[69] ...AS RULING PARTY SAYS IT IS READY FOR REFORMS...
[70] ...AND OPPOSITION LEADER HINTS AT EASING DEMAND FOR INVESTIGATION
[71] ROMANIAN PREMIER IN HOLLAND
[72] ROMANIAN PARLIAMENT REJECTS OPPOSITION MOTION ON AGRICULTURE
[73] MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT SACKS EDUCATION MINISTER
[74] PROTESTERS MARCH ON TELERADIO MOLDOVA
[75] TIRASPOL RECEIVES U.S. ENVOY
[76] U.S. NATO COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN ON MOLDOVA
[77] There is no end note today.
27 February 2002
RUSSIA
[01] RUSSIA OFFERED GREATER INFLUENCE IN NATO, BUT NO VETO...
NATO has offered to form a new NATO-Russia Council, or "NATO at 20,"
which would allow a Russian ambassador to attend meetings to discuss
and make decisions on issues of mutual concern, according to "The New
York Times" on 26 February. The NATO proposal will be the focus of the
meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly that was to open in Brussels
on 27 February, RIA-Novosti reported on 26 February. "The idea is to
pull Russia into a more permanent relationship with NATO without
destroying the alliance as an instrument of collective military
defense," a senior Western official told the U.S. daily. "There is a
lot we can do with a Russia that isn't an enemy and is becoming more of
a friend," the official added. However, Russia would not have veto
rights and NATO decisions would continue to be made by the North
Atlantic Council, of which Russia will not be offered membership. The
new NATO-Russia Council would replace the Permanent Joint Council. MES
[02] ...AND ZHIRINOVSKY TO HEAD RUSSIAN DELEGATION TO DISCUSS THE
MATTER...
Deputy Duma speaker and Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR)
leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky was to head the delegation assembled from
both chambers of the Russian parliament during the NATO Parliamentary
Assembly meeting on 27 February, according to RIA-Novosti on 26
February. Aside from the main discussions on the NATO-Russia Council
proposal, the delegation will also discuss the prospects of signing a
formal agreement pertaining to the new relationship between NATO and
Russia at the NATO summit in Reykjavik this summer. The Russian
delegation was also to include Duma Defense Committee head Andrei
Nikolaev and his deputy Pavel Bezborodov, deputy head of the Duma's
Security Committee Vasilii Iver, and Viktor Ozerov, Aleksandr Dondukov,
and Nikolai Tulaev from the Federation Council. VY
[03] ...AS HE RETURNS TO HIS FORMER SELF
Meanwhile, speaking at the LDPR's regional conference in Moscow,
Zhirinovsky retreated from his recent repentance of his longstanding
anti-American position (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 5 December 2001),
"Kommersant-Daily" reported on 26 February. "The United States is
moving toward its crash. It has a huge army, a huge propaganda machine,
and is trying to govern the world from one center. It will finish as
badly as the Soviet Union and Bonaparte's France," he said. VY
[04] ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS WIN RARE VICTORY AT RUSSIAN FEDERAL LEVEL
Russia's Constitutional Court ruled on 26 February that a government
resolution allowing the storage of spent nuclear fuel from the Pak
nuclear power plant in Hungary is invalid, Interfax reported. Residents
of Chelyabinsk Oblast, along with the For Nuclear Safety movement and
Greenpeace Russia, had filed the suit with the court against the
government. For Nuclear Safety head Natalya Mironova said Hungary will
have to take back thousands of cubic meters of highly radioactive
waste. According to the agency, the Guinness Book of World Records
lists Chelyabinsk Oblast as the territory with the highest level of
nuclear contamination in the world. JAC
[05] RUSSIAN PRESIDENT HINTS AT MORE GOVERNMENT CONTROL OVER NATURAL
RESOURCES
Speaking at the meeting of the State Council Presidium on 27 February
to address the country's natural resource potential, President Vladimir
Putin said that country's natural resources are being exploited
inefficiently, Russian new agencies reported. Putin said that most of
Russia's 50,000 license holders for exploiting natural resources do not
fulfill their obligations to the state. The president claimed that
there have been no significant explorations undertaken for new resource
deposits, that production is declining, and that equipment is worn out.
Putin also said that the issue of the inefficient exploitation of
natural resources must be solved between the federal center and the
regions. VY
[06] DEFENSE MINISTER PROMOTES MILITARY SPACE CENTER IN PLESETSK...
Sergei Ivanov visited the military space center in Plesetsk on 26
February to observe the successful launching of a "Kosmos"
reconnaissance satellite, and said afterward that Russia plans to send
10 additional military satellites into orbit this year, Russian news
agencies reported. By 2005, all military and most civilian satellite
launches will be transferred to Plesetsk and the standby launch center
Svobodnii in Primorskii Krai from Russia's primary Baikonur space
center, which Russia currently rents from Kazakhstan, "Nezavisimaya
gazeta" reported on 26 February. However, piloted space flights will
continue to be launched from Baikonur (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 26
February 2002). Meanwhile, the former head of the Svobodnii launch
site, Aleksandr Vinidiktov, touted that site for the launching of new
Russian satellites, most of which have already exceeded their intended
life spans, "Kommersant-Daily" reported the same day. VY
[07] ...AND SAYS HE HAS NO REGRETS ABOUT LOURDES
Speaking to journalists in Plesetsk, Defense Minister Ivanov said he
has no regrets about the closure of the Russian electronic intelligence
center in Lourdes, Cuba, because the military has at its disposal
"technical means that can well compensate for the loss," gazeta.ru
reported on 26 February. "There is no evergreen technical equipment,
and with full confidence we can provide our [security] needs today
without equipment that looked indispensable in 1961," he said. "We can
achieve [the same results] today many times more cheaply, not to
mention what will be possible five or 10 years from now," Ivanov added.
The Russian military remains critical of the president's decision to
pull out of Lourdes and the Cam Rahn Bay naval base in Vietnam,
gazeta.ru commented the same day. Lourdes provided Russia with
electronic surveillance over much of the United States, while the Cam
Rahn Bay was an important base for the Pacific Fleet's operations in
Southeast Asia and around Australia. VY
[08] MOLDOVAN PRIME MINISTER SEEKS HELP FROM MOSCOW
Vasile Tarlev said following his talks in Moscow on 26 February with
his Russian counterpart Mikhail Kasyanov that his country wants Russian
assistance in solving its debt issues with Paris Club states as well as
its own internal economic problems, polit.ru and ITAR-TASS reported.
Kasyanov said Russia will help Moldova overcome its "temporary economic
problems" by supplying the country with inexpensive Russian gas and
electricity throughout 2002. He added that to this end Russia has
already reached an agreement with Ukraine to transit electricity and
gas over its territory for Moldova, which he said will reduce
Chisinau's costs for Russian energy sources by 30 percent. Kasyanov
also said that Russia wants to purchase shares in and reconstruct the
Moldavian Hydropower Station, which he said would not only provide
Moldova with cheap energy, but also give it the opportunity to make
money from exporting electricity. VY
[09] INTERIOR MINISTRY TO TAKE CONTROL OVER IMMIGRATION POLICIES
President Putin signed a degree on 26 February that tasks the Interior
Ministry will overseeing immigration policy, gazeta.ru and polit.ru
reported. Deputy Interior Minister Andrei Chernenko was named to head
the ministry's new Federal Migration Service. Chernenko told
journalists that the service will coordinate the activities of federal
and regional Interior Ministry branches on the implementation of
immigration policies, initiate legislation on the problems of refugees
and displaced persons, and be in charge of granting political asylum to
foreign citizens and those without citizenship. Chernenko also said the
president urged him "to work for securing the inflow of qualified
cadres, which Russia needs." VY
[10] MEDIA MINISTER OUTLINES PLANS
Mikhail Lesin said at the congress of his ministry on 26 February that
most mass media organizations will work with the state commission [what
state commission?] during 2002 in order to determine the financial
situations of broadcast and printing outlets, strana.ru reported. Lesin
said that the ministry will strive to develop "genuine public
television" in Russia. However, he refused to explain to journalists
how the state plans to develop public television, according to Ekho
Moskvy radio. VY
[11] FOREIGN MINISTRY TAKES OFFENSE TO VATICAN'S TITLE
In an official statement released on 26 February, the Russian Foreign
Ministry reprimanded the Vatican for using the Japanese name for the
Sakhalin Islands in its title for newly appointed archbishops on that
territory, NTV reported. The statement described Erhi Mazur's appointed
title of "archbishop of Eastern Siberia and the Prefecture of Karafuto"
as an unfriendly act and interference in Russia's internal affairs. The
statement also said that Russian geographic names are "protected by law
and their arbitrary substitution opposes Russian legislation and cannot
be tolerated." VY
[12] EKHO MOSKVY ANTICIPATES VACANCIES SOON
Ekho Moskvy radio will hold a shareholders meeting on 31 May to
consider the resignations offered by Ekho Moskvy Editor in Chief
Aleksei Venediktov and General Director Yurii Fedutinov, Interfax
reported on 26 February. Venediktov announced that the nomination
procedure to replace him would begin immediately, and that he does not
intend to stay at the station since it is still not known how Gazprom
intends to shed its stake in the radio. JAC
[13] KOKH LANDS ANOTHER JOB
Former Gazprom-Media head and former head of the State Property
Committee Alfred Kokh was selected on 26 February as the Leningrad
Oblast legislature's representative to the Federation Council.
Interfax-Northwest had reported the previous day that Oleg Safonov, a
former colleague of President Putin's from the office of St. Petersburg
Mayor Anatolii Sobchak, was slated to get the position (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 26 February 2002). However, according to "Izvestiya," 29 of
45 legislators in St. Petersburg supported Kokh's candidacy. According
to the daily, almost all of the seats in the Federation Council have
now been filled. Meanwhile, polit.ru reported that Kokh said he will
support the positions of Unity and the Union of Rightist Forces. JAC
[14] COMMISSION MEMBERS SELECTED FOR ST. PETERSBURG FEST
Presidential aide Sergei Yastrzhembskii has been selected as deputy
chairman of the state commission for preparations for the 300th
anniversary of St. Petersburg, polit.ru reported on 26 February. Other
members of the commission are presidential office administrator
Vladimir Kozhin, Communications Minister Leonid Reiman, State Duma
Chairman Gennadii Seleznev, Duma Deputy Chairman (Fatherland-All
Russia) Artur Chilingarov, All-Russia State Television and Radio
Company head Oleg Dobrodeev, Russian Public Television General Director
Konstantin Ernst, Federation of Independent Trade Unions head Mikhail
Shmakov, and St. Petersburg Deputy Governor Anatolii Aleksashin. The
website did not specify who will serve as chairman of the commission.
JAC
[15] DEPUTIES MULL CYRILLIC-ONLY BILL
The State Duma's Committee on Nationalities Affairs voted on 22
February to recommend the approval of a draft bill obliging all peoples
living in Russia to use the Cyrillic script, RFE/RL's Kazan bureau
reported on 26 February. If enacted, the draft bill would pose a
setback to Tatarstan's five-year effort to reintroduce a Latin-based
script. Committee members rejected a draft bill giving different ethic
groups the right to choose scripts that was offered by Duma deputy
(Russian Regions) and former Tatarstan Public Center Chairman Fandas
Safiullin. JAC
[16] LOCAL ELECTIONS BEING BYPASSED IN BASHKORTOSTAN
Several Tatar rights organizations in Bashkortostan on 25 February
appealed to Russian President Putin, the prosecutor-general, and
Bashkortostan President Murtaza Rakhimov, complaining that federal laws
are frequently violated in the republic, RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir service
reported on 26 February. According to the statement, residents of
Bashkortostan are being denied their right to elect regional
administration heads and mayors, who continue to be appointed and
dismissed by presidential decree. Salavat Mayor Azgat Galiev and a
number of regional administration heads, who are ethnic Tatars, have
recently been dismissed. Galiev was accused of dragging his feet in
preparation for the national census, but the Communist Party branch in
the republic suggests that he was fighting the government's attempts at
"Bashkirizing" the Tatar population of his city, the service reported,
citing the local weekly "Nash Vibor." JAC
[17] NORTHERN CAPITAL OFFERS FAVORABLE CONDITIONS FOR SMALL
BUSINESSES?
Some 12.5 percent of all of Russia's small businesses are located in
St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg Governor Vladimir Yakovlev said in a
speech on 26 February, ITAR-TASS reported. According to Yakovlev, the
share of small businesses in the city's economy is three times higher
than the average countrywide. JAC
[18] SMOLENSK SLATE SET
Seven candidates will vie for the governor's post in Smolensk Oblast on
19 May, RosBalt reported on 26 February. The last day to register for
the race was 21 February, and as of 26 February, incumbent Governor
Aleksandr Prokhorov was expected to compete against Federal Security
Service Directorate for Smolensk Oblast head Viktor Maslov, Smolensk
administration head Ivan Averchenkov, Promyshlennii Raion head Sergei
Lebedev, Smolensk TV cameraman Dmitrii Pavlov, Moscow-based Flora-Group
General Director Andrei Atrokhov, and Smolensk University Professor
Valerii Fateev. Fateev headed the oblast from 1991-93. JAC
[19] NEW MASS GRAVE DISCOVERED IN CHECHNYA
A mass grave containing the bodies of both men and women was discovered
on 20 February between the villages of Mesker-Yurt and Tsotan-Yurt,
chechenpress.com reported on 27 February. The bodies had been burned;
some had been dismembered. The exact number of victims is unclear. LF
[20] HEAD OF GROZNY TV COMPANY REPORTED MISSING
Ilyas Magomedov, who is head of an independent Grozny TV channel, has
disappeared after setting out on 21 February from his home in the
village of Beloreche in Gudermes Raion to drive to Grozny, Interfax
reported on 26 February. Magomedov never arrived in the capital, and
his car has not been found. Also on 26 February, Russian presidential
aide Yastrzhembskii told Interfax that he cannot confirm a report on
the website kavkaz.org that Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov's brother
has been killed in an exchange of gunfire with Russian troops in
Nozhai-Yurt Raion. LF
[21] RUSSIAN MINISTER SLAMS CHECHEN ADMINISTRATOR'S DRAFT CONSTITUTION
The draft constitution for Chechnya proposed by Chechen administration
head Akhmed-hadji Kadyrov is "too radical," and "looks rather like the
first constitution of Tatarstan, which proclaimed the independence of
the republic within the Russian Federation," Vladimir Yelagin, who is
federal minister for reconstruction in Chechnya, told journalists in
Moscow on 26 February, ITAR-TASS reported. Yelagin added that no
decision has yet been made on whether Chechnya will be a presidential
or a parliamentary republic, and that no elections can be scheduled
before the end of this year as too many of Chechnya's prewar population
have not yet returned to the republic. On 21 February, ITAR-TASS quoted
the head of Chechnya's constitutional commission, Musa Vagapov, as
saying that at least 10 drafts have been submitted to date; the
deadline for doing so is 20 April. The final draft chosen will be put
to a referendum (see "RFE/RL Caucasus Report," Vol. 4, No. 41, 13
December 2001). LF
[22] GROUP CREATED IN MOSCOW TO SUPPORT ARMENIAN PRESIDENT
Young Armenian professionals and businessmen in Moscow have founded an
informal group that plans to support incumbent Armenian President
Robert Kocharian in his bid for re-election in the presidential ballot
due in March 2003, Caspian News Agency reported on 26 February. The
group also hopes to promote closer ties between Russia and Armenia and
more Russian investment in the Armenian economy. Observers in Yerevan
believe it may be financed by Armenian millionaire Ara Abrahamian, who
two years ago founded the Union of Armenians of Russia (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 20 June 2000). LF
TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[23] ARMENIAN MAJORITY PARTY RULES OUT ELECTION COALITION
The Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) headed by Prime Minister Andranik
Markarian, which with 46 deputies is the largest single faction within
the 131-member Armenian parliament, will not join forces with any other
political party to contest next year's parliamentary poll, HHK faction
head Galust Sahakian told journalists on 26 February, RFE/RL's Yerevan
bureau reported. But he did not exclude "cooperation" with other
political parties. The HHK contested the 1999 elections as part of the
Miasnutiun bloc with Karen Demirchian's People's Party of Armenia. LF
[24] EUROPEAN DIPLOMATS STAGE WALKOUT TO PROTEST AZERBAIJANI PARLIAMENT
SLURS
German Ambassador to Azerbaijan Klaus Grevlich and several French
diplomats walked out of an Azerbaijani parliament session on 26
February to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the massacre of 613
Azerbaijanis in the Karabakh village of Khodjaly, AP and RFE/RL's
Azerbaijani Service reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 26 February 2002).
Parliament deputy Shamil Gurbanov of the ruling Yeni Azerbaycan Party
called French President Jacques Chirac "a bandit" who "had a real
nerve" to acknowledge that the 1915 killings of Armenians in the
Ottoman Empire constituted a genocide, without also acknowledging that
Armenians committed genocide against Azerbaijanis in Khodjaly. LF
[25] AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT ARRIVES IN LONDON EN ROUTE FOR HOME
Heidar Aliev arrived in London on 26 February and will return to Baku
on 28 February, presidential administration head Ramiz Mekhtiev told
Turan on 26 February. Mekhtiev added that Aliev feels "wonderful." But
Interfax on 26 February quoted unnamed government sources in Baku as
saying that Aliev still needs to undergo a course of rehabilitation
treatment following prostate surgery on 14 February, and that for that
reason he will not attend the informal CIS summit in Almaty on 1 March.
LF
[26] GEORGIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY DENIES REPORTS OF MILITARY OPERATION BY
FOREIGN TROOPS IN PANKISI
ITAR-TASS on 27 February quoted an unidentified Georgian Defense
Ministry official as saying there is no truth to reports by CNN and
other international media that the U.S. is planning to send U.S.
commandoes to mount an operation to neutralize Afghan mercenaries and
Chechen fighters in the Pankisi Gorge. Nor, he said, has a contingent
from Germany's Bundeswehr arrived in Georgia for that purpose. Also on
27 February, Reuters and the "International Herald Tribune" reported
that the U.S. will, however, send elite military forces to help train
Georgian army troops, and will also provide unspecified military
equipment. The paper quoted a U.S. administration spokesman as saying
"We've told [Georgian President Eduard] Shevardnadze we're going to
help him on this... The purpose is to strengthen Georgia's ability to
maintain sovereignty over its territory." Georgian Defense Ministry
spokesman Mirian Kiknadze told journalists in Tbilisi later on 27
February that a group of five U.S. experts is currently in Georgia
assessing the defense agreements the country has signed. LF
[27] GEORGIAN PROSECUTOR OPENS CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION OF SECURITY
COUNCIL SECRETARY'S SUICIDE
In line with repeated official claims that National Security Council
Secretary Nugzar Sadzhaya was driven to kill himself by media
allegations implicating him in political murders (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 25 and 26 February 2002), the Prosecutor-General's Office
has opened a criminal case against unspecified individuals, Caucasus
Press reported. Parliament deputy Djemal Gogitidze, who last week
accused Sadzhaya of plotting to kill Adjar Supreme Council Chairman
Aslan Abashidze, has refused to give evidence, but a second parliament
deputy, Boris Kakubava, who accused Sadzhaya of being behind three
political assassinations, has agreed to do. The opposition Revival
Union faction to which both men belong has distanced itself from the
accusations they leveled against Sadzhaya, and Kakubava has offered to
quit the faction. LF
[28] GEORGIAN PRESIDENT NOT TO ATTEND CIS SUMMIT
Due to Sadzhaya's suicide, President Shevardnadze will not attend the
informal CIS summit in Almaty on 1 March, Caspian News Agency reported
on 26 February. LF
[29] GEORGIAN NATIONAL MOVEMENT UNVEILS PROPOSED NEW CODE OF ETHICS
Mikhail Saakashvili, who is one of the leaders of the opposition
National Movement, on 26 February unveiled a draft declaration on moral
and ethical conduct in politics that he intends to submit to parliament
for approval, Caucasus Press reported. The declaration was drafted
jointly by the National Movement and the Industry Will Save Georgia
parliament faction, and has the support of the Union of Citizens of
Georgia, Union of Traditionalists, and New Right Wing factions.
Signatories will pledge to refrain during parliamentary debate from
invective, unfounded allegations and comments on opponents' private
lives. LF
[30] TAJIK PRESIDENT MEETS WITH IMF OFFICIAL
Imomali Rakhmonov held talks in Dushanbe on 26 February with a visiting
IMF delegation headed by Rupert Christiansen, who pledged the fund's
continued support for economic reform in Tajikistan, Interfax and Asia
Plus-Blitz reported. The delegation is to monitor economic trends and
fulfillment of a six-month program being implemented under the fund's
supervision. LF
[31] TURKMENISTAN REFUSES TO RESTRUCTURE GEORGIA'S DEBTS
Ashgabat "categorically refuses" to restructure Georgia's $300 million
debt for deliveries of Turkmen natural gas, Deputy Minister of State
Koba Gvenetadze stated in Tbilisi on 26 February, Caucasus Press
reported. Turkmenistan is the only one of Georgia's creditors that has
refused to restructure its debts. LF
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
[32] BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT WANTS TO KEEP IDEOLOGY UNDER STATE
CONTROL...
Belarusian Television reported on 26 February that President Alyaksandr
Lukashenka has approved former National State Broadcasting Company
chief Ryhor Kisel as the head of the second nationwide television
channel (BT-2) that is to be launched on 1 May (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
31 January 2002). The channel will be run by a closed joint-stock
company in which the state will hold a 51 percent stake. "As regards
the controlling stake [in the second channel], we cannot allow the
privatization of ideology, or subjects and objects of ideology. This
should remain under the state's influence," Belapan quoted Lukashenka
as saying. JM
[33] ...AND POLISH UP SOVIET EDUCATION MODEL FOR SCHOOLS
Speaking to two newly appointed deputy education ministers, Lukashenka
said the general education system should switch to the five-day working
week, Belarusian Television reported. He suggested however, that
children should remain at school six days a week. "We cannot cast
children on Saturdays upon the shoulders of their parents...or into the
street -- they should remain at school. Mondays and Tuesdays are
workload days. Wednesday is for labor education -- work [skills] and
physical education. Saturday will be for children's health, for their
relaxation. Sunday will be for rest," the president elaborated.
Lukashenka also stressed the importance of links between the current
and the Soviet education systems. "We have not wasted the best
[experience] of the Soviet-era education system... I'm sure that we
will preserve the best of the Soviet school system, we will polish it a
little and make the education process more interesting for students,"
Lukashenka added. JM
[34] CRIMEAN ELECTION COMMISSION OUSTS 30 CANDIDATES FROM ELECTION RACE
The Election Commission of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea on 26
February canceled the registration of 30 candidates seeking mandates in
the 100-member Crimean legislature in the 31 March ballot, UNIAN
reported. A majority of those ejected from the election belong to two
groups opposing the Crimean Block of Leonid Hrach: the Kunitsyn Team
and the Transparent Power Civic Committee. The ousted candidates
include former Crimean Premier Serhiy Kunitsyn, who heads the election
bloc bearing his name. The previous day, a court in Simferopol annulled
the registration of Leonid Hrach, the leader of the Crimean branch of
the Communist Party of Ukraine (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 25 February
2002). Crimean Election Commission Chairman Ivan Polyakov denied that
the commission took Hrach's side by canceling the registration of his
key political opponents, Interfax reported on 27 February. Meanwhile,
Crimean Communists have pitched seven tents on Simferopol's central
square, protesting the annulment of Hrach's registration. JM
[35] UKRAINIAN PRO-PRESIDENTIAL BLOC DENIES SEEKING RIVALS' SUPPORT
Volodymyr Lytvyn, the leader of the For a United Ukraine bloc, has
dismissed as "cynical lies" reports referring to sources in the
presidential administration that Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma
"allegedly asked two renowned politicians to assist the bloc," UNIAN
reported on 26 February. The "Ukrayinska pravda" website reported on 25
February that President Kuchma asked Oleksandr Volkov (an influential
oligarch running on the list of the Democratic Party and the Democratic
Union bloc) and Viktor Medvedchuk (the leader of the United Social
Democratic Party bloc) for logistical and organizational support to
boost the rating of the For a United Ukraine bloc. JM
[36] THREE UKRAINIAN ELECTION BLOCS REPORTEDLY TO CONDUCT ALTERNATE
VOTE COUNT
The Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc, Viktor Yushchenko's Our Ukraine, and the
Socialist Party headed by Oleksandr Moroz have pooled their efforts to
organize an alternative vote count in the 31 March parliamentary
election, UNIAN reported on 27 February. This news was communicated to
journalists by Yuliya Tymoshenko in Kharkiv. According to Tymoshenko,
the collection of the officially confirmed voting results from polling
stations will allow the three blocs to announce election results ahead
of the Central Election Commission and, in this way, "to prevent [the
commission] from falsifying the results as they did in the past
election." Tymoshenko added that one should expect falsification of
election results primarily from the For a United Ukraine bloc, which
has "zero percent" support among voters but will obtain 10-12 percent
of the vote "owing to compulsion and force [applied to] people." JM
[37] RUSSIA ANNOUNCES UKRAINIAN COMPENSATION FOR DOWNING OF AIRLINER
Aleksei Sazonov, a counselor at the Russian Embassy in Ukraine, told
journalists on 26 February that the family of each person who died when
a Russian Tu-154 passenger plane was downed on 4 October 2001 by a
Ukrainian S-200 missile over the Black Sea will receive at least
$10,000 in compensation from Ukraine (see "RFE/RL Poland, Belarus, and
Ukraine Report," 9 and 16 October 2001), RIA-Novosti reported.
According to Sazonov, the agreement to this effect was reached last
week when Russian Security Council Secretary Vladimir Rushailo met with
Ukrainian President Kuchma. JM
[38] UKRAINE TO DESTROY 400,000 LAND MINES
Representatives of NATO and Ukraine's defense industry complex signed
an accord on 26 February whereby Ukraine obliged itself to destroy
400,000 land mines, New Channel Television reported. Canada, Poland,
and Hungary have disbursed nearly $1 million to fund the destruction of
the munitions. According to the agreement, those mines whose storage
life has expired will be the first to be destroyed. Ukrainian
representatives said all of the 5.5 million mines that Ukraine
inherited from the Soviet Union are to be destroyed in the future. JM
[39] UKRAINE, RUSSIA AGREE TO PRODUCE NEW PASSENGER AIRCRAFT
Ukraine's Antonov design bureau and the aircraft plant in Ulan-Ude
(Russia's Republic of Buryatia) signed an accord on 26 February on the
joint production of the An-148 passenger jet, UNIAN reported. Petro
Balabuyev, Antonov's chief designer, said the plane will be a highly
efficient 80-seat aircraft, with a top speed of 850 kilometers per hour
and a flying range of 2,500-14,000 kilometers. The aircraft will be
equipped with a new version of the D-36 engine which, according to
Balabuyev, is the best in the world. JM
[40] ESTONIA APPOINTS PROVISIONAL DELEGATES TO FUTURE OF EUROPE
CONVENTION
The board of the Estonian parliament decided on 26 February to send to
the Future of Europe Convention a provisional delegation consisting of
parliament Deputy Chairmen Peeter Kreitzberg of the Center Party and
Tunne Kelam of the Pro Patria Union, ETA reported. The parliament on
four attempts failed to appoint the delegate who will represent the
opposition. The first choice of the parliament's Foreign Affairs
Committee, Moderates Chairman and former Foreign Minister Toomas
Hendrik Ilves, was opposed by the ruling coalition, and the People's
Union offered Janno Reiljan as a substitute. The Moderates and Pro
Patria Union, however, did not consider the People's Union to be part
of the opposition and, after Ilves withdrew his candidacy, decided to
back Kelam. Both Kelam and Reiljan, however, failed to receive
sufficient backing in the parliament, which will debate the appointment
of permanent delegates in March. The government appointed former
President Lennart Meri as its delegate with former Economy Minister
Henrik Hololei as his substitute. SG
[41] LATVIAN PRIME MINISTER ASSERTS ELECTION LAWS WILL BE AMENDED
BEFORE NATO SUMMIT
Andris Berzins assured U.S. Ambassador to NATO Nicholas Burns in Riga
on 26 February that the laws requiring candidates to the parliament and
local councils to be fluent in the Latvian language will be amended
before the NATO summit meeting in Prague in November, LETA reported.
Burns also met with Foreign Minister Indulis Berzins, and at a meeting
with President Vaira Vike-Freiberga -- also attended by Heather Conley,
the deputy undersecretary of state for Eastern Europe -- praised the
progress Latvia has made since his last visit five years ago. British
Defense Secretary Geoffrey Hoon told Vike-Freiberga the same day that
amendments to the election law are a matter of Latvia's internal
affairs, but that it is nevertheless very important to NATO that Latvia
comply with the requirements for democratic countries. SG
[42] LITHUANIAN PRESIDENT RESISTS EU PRESSURE TO CLOSE NUCLEAR POWER
PLANT
Valdas Adamkus told a press conference on 26 February that the
government should not yield to EU pressure and close the second reactor
of the nuclear power plant at Ignalina by 2009, "Lietuvos rytas"
reported the next day. Lithuania has agreed to close the first reactor
by 2005. Adamkus said: "We have the right, based on Lithuania's needs,
to decide what source of energy we need." He denied that the plant is a
danger to the environment, and noted that nuclear energy is the clean
energy source of the future. The previous day, parliament deputy
Kazimiera Prunskiene said it would be impossible to close the second
reactor before 2013-2015. Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas later that
day asserted that all Lithuanian state institutions -- the president,
the parliament, and the government -- should make the decision on
closing the plant together before July, because the European Union is
demanding a clear decision by then. SG
[43] RUSSIAN LAWMAKER SEEKS TO EASE POLAND'S PLANNED VISA REGIME
Dmitrii Rogozin, the head of the Russian State Duma's Foreign Relations
Committee, said in the Sejm on 26 February that Poland and Russia
should jointly seek to lessen the consequences of the introduction of
visas between the two countries, PAP reported. To comply with the
Schengen Treaty, Poland is planning to introduce visas for Russians,
Belarusians, and Ukrainians as of 1 July 2003. "If we apply together to
Brussels on the issue of the visa obligation, and in particular in
relation to Kaliningrad Oblast, [then] we will force a number of
bureaucrats in Brussels to tear their behinds from their chairs, to be
competent and professional, and to cease to pretend that nothing can
now be done on this matter," Rogozin said after his meeting with the
Sejm's Commission for Foreign Affairs. JM
[44] JARUZELSKI'S TRIAL FOR 1970 MASSACRE STARTS ANEW
The trial of Poland's last communist leader, Wojciech Jaruzelski, had
to start anew on 26 February because of a three-month break in the
proceedings that was caused by an illness of the chief judge, Polish
media reported. Polish procedure allows such a motion if the break in
the trial exceeds 35 days. Jaruzelski and six co-defendants are charged
with ordering and perpetrating the massacre of Polish workers in
December 1970 during protests in Polish coastal cities against price
increases. JM
[45] WILL POLISH COALITION COLLAPSE OVER EU CONTROVERSIES?
Jozef Oleksy, the head of the parliamentary European Integration
Commission, told Polish Radio on 27 February that the ruling coalition
of the Democratic Left Alliance-Labor Union bloc with the Peasant Party
(PSL) may collapse because of differences of opinion concerning talks
with the European Union. Oleksy said Leszek Miller's cabinet failed on
26 February to adopt a position on how to calculate the leasehold
period after which EU farmers would be able to purchase Polish land
because PSL leader and Agriculture Minister Jaroslaw Kalinowski had a
different opinion on the issue than other ministers. JM
[46] GERMAN CHANCELLOR'S VISIT TO CZECH REPUBLIC STILL UNCERTAIN
The German government press office on 26 February told CTK that the
visit by German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, originally planned for
22-23 March, is not yet certain. The office thus confirmed reports in
the German daily "Die Welt" and the British "The Guardian" that said
Schroeder has not yet decided whether to come to Prague, and that
relations between the two capitals are tense due to Prime Minister
Milos Zeman's reference to Sudeten Germans as "Hitler's fifth column."
According to "The Guardian," the visit has been suspended. Czech
Foreign Ministry spokesman Ales Pospisil said no one has informed his
ministry about such a decision. MS
[47] CZECH EMBASSY IN VIENNA PROTESTS MEDIA'S 'HISTORY MANIPULATION'
The Czech Embassy in Vienna officially protested on 26 February against
the "manipulation of history" in Austrian media, CTK reported. On 3
February, the mass-circulation "Kronen Zeitung," which backs the
far-right Freedom Party, alleged that the June 1942 massacre in Lidice
was committed by "30 Czech gendarmes of the Prague security police."
The massacre, which eventually became a symbol of Nazi atrocities, was
committed by German "Schutzpolizei," the embassy said, and Nazi
regulations would not have even allowed Czechs to be members of that
police force. The embassy added that Austrian and Sudeten Germans
participated in the massacre. The embassy also protested against an
article published in the rightist publication "Zur Zeit" on 8 February
which claimed that during the "German protectorate" no Czechs were
dispossessed or forced to leave. MS
[48] CZECH FOREIGN MINISTRY SAYS VISEGRAD COOPERATION TO CONTINUE...
Foreign Ministry spokesman Pospisil the same day told CTK that although
cooperation among the four Visegrad countries has been "hampered" by
the recent statements made by Hungarian Premier Viktor Orban on the
Benes Decrees, it will continue because of its "great significance."
Pospisil quoted Foreign Minister Jan Kavan as telling a forum of senior
government members on 26 February that Orban's statement was
"inappropriate" and "unacceptable." Pospisil also said that the
Visegrad Four leaders should "take a short time-out" and "clear the
situation up." MS
[49] ...AS DOES SLOVAKIA
Maros Sefcovic, the head of the Foreign Ministry's Bilateral
Cooperation Section, told journalists on 26 February that Orban's
statement on the Benes Decrees will not end cooperation among the
Visegrad Four, but that Bratislava expects a "positive statement" from
Hungary to calm down the situation," TASR and CTK reported. "In a year
that is vital for EU and NATO integration," Sefcovic said, "we should
not deal with historically dead issues that do not create the best
atmosphere." He added that the tension could be eased if senior
Hungarian officials, "possibly Orban" himself, publicly display an
interest in the development of relations among the four, as well as in
bilateral relations. MS
[50] SLOVAKIA, ARMENIA PLEDGE TO EXPAND ECONOMIC COOPERATION
During talks in Bratislava on 26 February, Armenian President Robert
Kocharian and his Slovak counterpart Rudolf Schuster noted the absence
of any problems in bilateral relations, but agreed at the same time
that trade and economic ties should be expanded, Slovak and Armenian
agencies reported. Bilateral trade turnover for the first 10 months of
last year amounted to only $800,000. CTK quoted Schuster as suggesting
the two countries could cooperate in the sphere of nuclear energy. He
also expressed an interest in Slovak participation in the construction
of the planned gas-export pipeline from Iran to Armenia. Kocharian told
a news conference that Armenia is interested in Slovakia's experience
in European integration and its "civilized divorce" from the Czech
Republic which, Kocharian said, should serve as an example for the
decoupling of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic from
Azerbaijan. LF
[51] BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT IN BRATISLAVA
Visiting Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso said on 26
February that his country "has a great interest in cooperating with
Central and Eastern Europe, and Slovakia is a good gateway to the
region," CTK reported. Cardoso and his Slovak counterpart Schuster
discussed ways to increase Brazilian investment in Slovakia, and the
participation of Slovak companies in tenders for constructing
electrical power plants in Brazil. MS
[52] ZELEZNY-OWNED COMMERCIAL TV TO BEGIN SLOVAK BROADCASTS IN MARCH
TV Joj, which is owned by Vladimir Zelezny, is to begin broadcasting in
Slovakia on 2 March, Richard Rybnicek, the director of the new station
and of Czech Nova TV, told journalists in Bratislava on 25 February,
CTK reported. He said the station will cover more than half of
Slovakia's territory and will reach two-thirds of its population.
Zelezny himself said the broadcasts are "not a victory over Markiza,"
the private channel owned by Pavol Rusko, and added that "it will be a
long fight, with many rounds. But we know that the referee will declare
the victor after two years, and we know who that victor will be." MS
[53] SLOVAK INVESTORS FEAR LOSS OF SAVINGS
Tens of thousands of Slovaks who invested in two unlicensed schemes
promising interest rates as high as 30 percent are fearing for their
investments after two investment firms went out of business, AP
reported on 25 February. The AWG company said it will stop accepting
and repaying money as of 25 February, and BDV Drukos followed suit.
Representatives from both companies said their collapse is the result
of an "avalanche effect" caused by people massively withdrawing money
after a similar investment company went bankrupt earlier this month. MS
[54] AUSTRIAN PROVINCES OPPOSE ELECTRICITY PURCHASES FROM SLOVAKIA,
HUNGARY, SLOVENIA
The Salzburg province parliament decided on 26 February to file a
lawsuit with the Constitutional Court against the central government's
decision to import electricity from Slovakia, Hungary, and Slovenia,
CTK reported. Representatives of the Upper Austrian government said
they will join the suit. The Salzburg lawmakers said the safety of
nuclear power plants in the three countries is much worse than that at
the controversial Czech Temelin nuclear power plant, which has been
sharply criticized in Austria. MS
[55] HUNGARIAN PARLIAMENT FAILS TO AMEND MEDIA LAW
During its last session before the April general elections, the
parliament failed on 26 February to agree on changes to Hungary's media
law. The FIDESZ-led coalition had hoped to push through changes
allocating seats on boards of state-run public service media in a
fast-track vote, but it failed to get the majority needed to hold the
vote. Opposition Socialist Party deputies, who withdrew from
parliamentary debates earlier this month accusing Prime Minister Viktor
Orban of calling them "traitors," showed up in parliament only to
reject its agenda, but refused to participate in the ensuing voting.
The Free Democrats voted against the proposed agenda and then exited,
Hungarian media reported. MSZ
[56] FIDESZ POLITICIAN TELLS SOROS FOUNDATION TO STAY OUT OF ELECTIONS
FIDESZ Executive Deputy Chairman Laszlo Kover told an electoral
campaign forum in Budapest on 26 February that Hungarian-born U.S.
financier and philanthropist George Soros has no right to engage in
Hungary's forthcoming election campaign, Reuters and Hungarian media
reported. Kover was alluding to giant posters, sponsored by the Soros
Foundation and currently on display in Budapest, that urge Hungarians
to participate in the ballot. The foundation has spent some $125,000 to
print and display 5,000 posters featuring rock stars, the disabled, a
Romany family, and a seminaked lesbian couple, carrying the slogan
"We're going to vote. Are you?" Anna Belia, executive director of the
Soros Foundation in Hungary, said the election posters do not favor any
party. "We don't need the government to give us any rights regarding
the elections. Only the citizens are empowered to decide the outcome,"
she said. Voter turnout in Hungary's elections in 1994 and 1998 was
just above 50 percent, and political analysts say that low turnout this
year would favor the extremist Hungarian Justice and Life Party. MSZ
[57] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT COMMISSION WANTS BENES DECREES EXAMINED BY
EXPERTS
The European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Commission on 26 February
requested that a panel of independent legal experts examine the 1945
Benes Decrees. Committee Chairman Elmar Brok said scholars from the
Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Austria, and Hungary will be tasked
with determining the legacy of the Benes Decrees and what they
represent today. Prime Minister Orban recently set off a diplomatic row
by suggesting that the decrees be revoked before the Czech Republic and
Slovakia are allowed to join the EU. Foreign Ministry Martonyi released
a statement to the effect that Hungary continues to consider its
relations with other Visegrad Four countries as an important element of
cooperation in Central Europe, Hungarian media reported. MSZ
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[58] YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTER CRITICIZES SOLANA PLAN, HAGUE
PROSECUTORS
Speaking in Helsinki, Finland, on 26 February, Goran Svilanovic that
the plan put forward by the EU for a future federation of Serbia and
Montenegro does not offer sufficient cohesion economically, Reuters
reported. Echoing the criticism of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran
Djindjic (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 25 February 2002), Svilanovic said
that what the plan put forward by EU security chief Javier Solana
proposes "is not viable, particularly as far as the economic issues are
concerned." Svilanovic also criticized the prosecutors at the UN war
crimes tribunal for taking the wrong approach in their case against
former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. "The way it has started
has turned it into a soap opera," he said. "I think the case should
have started from the bottom up with concrete crimes, and then tried to
build a chain of responsibility." DW
[59] BODIES FOUND IN SERBIAN MASS GRAVE IDENTIFIED AS AMERICAN BROTHERS
Three bodies found in a mass grave in Serbia have been identified by
the Federal Bureau of Investigation as the Albanian-American Bytyqi
brothers, Reuters reported on 26 February. U.S. State Department
spokesman Richard Boucher said that an investigation to find the
killers is under way, but that it will be "difficult" to identify who
killed Mehmet, Agron, and Ylli Bytyqi. He said the U.S. certainly
intends to pursue the investigation, adding that "we have heard from
the governments involved that they intend to pursue it with us as
well." The three were arrested by Serbian police near Kosova's boundary
with Serbia proper on 26 June 1999, a few weeks after the end of NATO's
bombing campaign against Yugoslavia. They were accused of being in
Yugoslavia illegally and sentenced to 15 days in jail. DW
[60] YUGOSLAV PARLIAMENT REVOKES IMMUNITY OF WAR CRIMES SUSPECT
The Yugoslav parliament on 26 February revoked the parliamentary
immunity of a key lieutenant of Milosevic's who was indicted by The
Hague tribunal in 1999, AP reported. Vlajko Stojiljkovic, a former
interior minister and deputy in Milosevic's Socialist Party, had his
immunity removed at the request of a Belgrade investigating judge so
that he may be prosecuted and tried in a Yugoslav court. Stojiljkovic
was under investigation last year for alleged abuse of power and fraud,
but he refused to appear before the court, claiming immunity. It is not
clear if and when he might be extradited to the UN war crimes tribunal,
as legislators ruled that Stojiljkovic cannot be arrested without prior
parliamentary approval. DW
[61] MACEDONIAN GOVERNMENT APPROVES AMNESTY FOR ETHNIC ALBANIAN REBELS
The Macedonian government on 26 February approved the draft law on
amnesty for some 3,000 former ethnic Albanian rebels, AP and dpa
reported. The bill's approval by parliament will mark the last step in
implementing the Ohrid peace plan signed in August between the rebels
and the Macedonian government. The starting date from which the amnesty
would be valid is still under contention, as Albanian parties are
pushing to extend it to before the first clashes in early 2001. The
amnesty does not include crimes committed after the official end on 26
September 2001 of the NATO mission to collect arms from the rebels. DW
[62] CROATIAN COALITION PARTY DEMANDS CABINET RESHUFFLE
The Croatian Social-Liberal Party (HSLS) said on 26 February that it
will replace three of its five government ministers, Reuters reported,
which would place a heavy strain on the country's governing coalition.
Representing the second-strongest grouping in the five-party coalition,
the HSLS move could force the country into early elections. The HSLS
Executive Council proposed that re-elected party leader Drazen Budisa
replace Deputy Prime Minister Goran Granic, Hina reported, while it
said it would oust Economy Minister Goranko Fizulic and Transportation
Minister Alojz Tusek, who left the party last year. Their proposed
replacements were not named. Prime Minister and Social Democratic Party
leader Ivica Racan recently indicated his opposition to a government
"reshuffle" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 26 February 2001), but he has also
left the door open to some changes as the coalition revisits its
agreements for governing. A party spokesman said the HSLS Council has
entrusted Budisa to begin negotiations with Racan on the new candidates
for the government posts, according to Hina. AH
[63] CROATIAN COURT SENTENCES CROATIAN SERB WAR CRIMINAL TO 12 YEARS IN
PRISON
A court in the central Croatian town of Karlovac sentenced a
67-year-old former commander of Serbian paramilitary troops, Miljan
Strunjas, to 12 years in prison on 26 February, Hina reported. Strunjas
was found guilty of ethnic cleansing of Croats and violations of the
Geneva Conventions in Krajina during the war in 1991, dpa added. The
presiding judge said his "objectives and subjective responsibility for
the crimes under the command with which he was charged was indisputably
proven," Hina reported. Strunjas' lawyer said he will appeal the
sentence. AH
[64] CROATIAN LAWMAKERS APPROVE MILITARY PENSION AMENDMENTS
Legislators adopted amendments on 27 February to the Law on Pension
Insurance for active military and other authorized personnel that
should help pave the way to significant cuts in the size of the armed
forces, Hina reported. The legislation should allow the Defense
Ministry to retire some 10,500 active military personnel over the next
decade, the agency added. The amendments also include changes to the
calculation of military retirement pay. AH
[65] BOSNIAN CROAT PARTY ANNOUNCES RETURN TO UPPER HOUSE
Hina reported that Bosnia's Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) intends to
end its boycott of the upper house of the Bosnia-Herzegovinian federal
parliament, which was begun last year to protest what it considered
unfair electoral treatment ahead of elections in 2000. The party, in a
26 February statement by Secretary-General Josip Merdzo, said its
decision to take up seats in the House of Peoples was the result of
changes to the electoral law, the agency reported. In a letter to
Bosnian Election Commission Chairwoman Lidija Korac, Madzo reportedly
informed her of the HDZ's intention and requested instructions for
filling 16 seats in the chamber. AH
[66] MEDIA WATCHDOG CHIDES BOSNIA'S BROADCASTERS OVER MILOSEVIC
COVERAGE
The Communications Regulatory Agency said on 26 February that the
federation's public broadcasters have failed to offer full and accurate
information in coverage of the war crimes trial of former Yugoslav
President Milosevic, Onasa reported. The group cited fundamental
failures by the Public Broadcasting Service, Federation TV, and
Republika Srpska's Radio-TV -- criticizing them for ignoring aspects of
the trial such as the Republika Srpska broadcaster's exclusion of the
indictment related to Bosnia-Herzegovina. The agency stressed that it
does not wish to interfere with editorial policy, but added that the
choice to broadcast the Milosevic trial imposes additional
responsibilities to the public on broadcasters. AH
[67] WEAPONS-SMUGGLING TRIAL BEGINS IN BOSNIA
The trial of seven suspects on charges of arms smuggling to ethnic
Albanians in Kosova began on 26 February, dpa reported. The case
involves several high-ranking officers in Bosnia-Herzegovina's federal
army, including General Hamid Bahto, who is suspected of withholding
weapons for trade after the 1992-95 war despite an obligation to turn
them over to NATO peacekeepers. Several hundred automatic rifles were
seized by UN and KFOR troops in mid-June, sparking the investigation.
AH
[68] OSCE ENVOY SAYS ELECTORAL RECOMMENDATIONS 'CRITICAL' TO ALBANIA'S
INTEGRATION...
The OSCE representative in Tirana has advised the Albanian government
to heed election experts' recent recommendations "with a view to
remedial proposals for the future," ATA reported on 26 February.
Speaking in the wake of an 18-26 February visit by representatives of
the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Geert
Hinrich Ahrens called implementation of their proposals "a critical
step for Albania's integration into Euro-Atlantic structures, and [it]
is important in view of the opening of negotiations on the
Stabilization and Association Agreement." The mission was aimed at
helping see through changes based on shortcomings during last June's
parliamentary elections. A bipartisan committee will be established to
investigate the international community's concerns based on a January
vote in the Albanian parliament. "This must be an Albanian-led
exercise, but the OSCE presence and ODIHR stand ready to monitor and
assist the work of the committee," Ahrens said. "This will be done in
full cooperation with the Council of Europe." Albanian officials must
still present proposals on the formation and mandate of the committee.
AH
[69] ...AS RULING PARTY SAYS IT IS READY FOR REFORMS...
The ruling Socialist Party of Albania's parliamentary caucus said on 26
February that it is ready to make room for improving the country's
electoral process based on the ODIHR's recommendations, ATA reported.
"We are ready to put right all remarks in the OSCE/ODIHR report on
elections, but everything should be in conformity with the
constitution," the parliamentary group's spokesman, Bardhyl Agasi,
said. He said calls by the opposition Democratic Party to open ballot
boxes to confirm the June results run counter to the constitution. AH
[70] ...AND OPPOSITION LEADER HINTS AT EASING DEMAND FOR INVESTIGATION
Democratic Party Chairman Sali Berisha suggested on 26 February that
his party might drop demands for an investigation into last June's
elections if the ODIHR recommendations are carried out, ATA reported.
Berisha was speaking after a meeting with U.S. Ambassador Joseph
Limprecht at which the two discussed the formation of a committee to
address electoral reform. Berisha blamed delays in setting up the
committee on Fatos Nano's Socialist Party of Albania. He said that "an
inquiry into what happened in the June elections is necessary with the
aim of improving the legal framework," but hinted that following the
ODIHR counsel on electing a president based on consensus could suffice,
according to the agency. AH
[71] ROMANIAN PREMIER IN HOLLAND
Adrian Nastase discussed Bucharest's quest to become a member of the EU
and NATO with his Dutch counterpart Wim Kok on 26 February, Romanian
radio reported. Kok promised Dutch assistance in preparing Romania for
both processes. He said Bucharest "can count on Dutch support" at the
November 2002 summit in Prague, but added that the process of NATO
enlargement must be "orderly" and that "at this point, one cannot
predict which states will be admitted" to the expanded organization.
Nastase refuted interpretations by accompanying Romanian journalists
that the Dutch are "reserved" toward Romania's inclusion, but added
that "failure to do so" could create a "sense of frustration" among
Romania's population. Nastase was also received by Queen Beatrix, with
whom he discussed the problem of homeless children in his country. MS
[72] ROMANIAN PARLIAMENT REJECTS OPPOSITION MOTION ON AGRICULTURE
By a vote of 177 against and 52 in favor, the Chamber of Deputies on 26
February rejected a motion to debate the situation of Romanian
agriculture and to dismiss Agricultural Minister Ilie Sarbu, RFE/RL's
Bucharest bureau reported. The motion was submitted by the National
Liberal Party and the Democratic Party, and enlisted the support of
deputies representing the Greater Romania Party (PRM). The Social
Democratic Party (PSD) and the Hungarian Democratic Federation of
Romania (UDMR) voted against it. Also on 26 February, the Senate's
Judicial Commission ruled that a motion submitted by the PRM to debate
the "Abandonment of Transylvania" by the ruling PSD minority government
is unconstitutional. The commission said the motion deals with
relations between the PSD and the UDMR and not with government
policies. Senate Chairman Nicolae Vacaroiu must now rule on whether to
submit the motion to debate. MS
[73] MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT SACKS EDUCATION MINISTER
Vladimir Voronin dismissed Education Minister Ilie Vancea on 26
February, shortly after Vancea apologized to protest demonstrators for
having signed the decree introducing compulsory Russian-language
classes in schools, RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. Vancea is to be
"assigned other duties." Voronin appointed George Sima as Vancea's
successor. Sima was elected to the parliament on the lists of the
Braghis Alliance, but has since left its parliamentary group, becoming
an independent deputy who supports the ruling party. Voronin the same
day appointed Zinaida Greceanii, former deputy finance minister, to
succeed Mihai Manoli, who resigned as finance minister three weeks ago.
MS
[74] PROTESTERS MARCH ON TELERADIO MOLDOVA
Demonstrators in Chisinau marched to the seat of Moldovan television on
26 February and handed its management a letter of protest against its
alleged distortion of information on the events, RFE/RL's Chisinau
bureau reported. Popular Party Christian Democratic Chairman Iurie
Rosca read out the protest, which said that the state radio and
television company Teleradio Moldova "hinders the opposition's access"
to presenting information in the broadcast media and thus "deprives the
population of its right to information other than official
information." The statement demanded that the opposition be allowed
prime-time access. Teleradio Director Iulian Magaleas received the
protesters, but rejected the demand. Meanwhile, some 150 journalists
working for Teleradio Moldova signed the protest petition and the
Moldovan Union of Journalists announced that it backs the demands. MS
[75] TIRASPOL RECEIVES U.S. ENVOY
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Steven Pifer discussed the
Transdniester conflict with the separatist leadership in Tiraspol on 26
February, Flux reported. Separatist "Foreign Minister" Valerii Litskay
said the talks were "satisfactory" and that they focused on the
relations between Chisinau and Tiraspol, the evacuation of the Russian
troops and weapons from the region, and on the activity of the OSCE
mission. Summing up his visit to Moldova the same day, Pifer said the
U.S. is "concerned" about the changes introduced in Moldova's
territorial administrative system, and that the concern is shared by
the EU. He also said the Transdniester must abide by the 1993 agreement
to ensure the freedom of movement of OSCE mission members, and that
Tiraspol should itself be interested in the withdrawal of the Russian
weapons, which pose "a serious danger." Pifer said the U.S. is prepared
to help the separatists gain "a broad autonomy status" that respects
Moldova's sovereignty and territorial integrity. MS
[76] U.S. NATO COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN ON MOLDOVA
U.S. NATO Committee Chairman Bruce Jackson, speaking in Bucharest, said
on 26 February that Moldova has two problems: "democracy
deterioration," and that of interethnic conflict, RFE/RL's Bucharest
bureau reported. Jackson said the first problem must be solved by
Moldova itself, and that the second is a "problem that must be solved
by Europe and not by Romania." He explained that the interethnic
conflict "generates instability, and that instability affects the
entire [European] community." MS
END NOTE
[77] There is no end note today.
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