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RFE/RL Newsline, 02-02-28
CONTENTS
[01] RUSSIAN PRESIDENT CRITICAL OF UNFINISHED WORK IN CHECHNYA...
[02] ...CALLS FOR MORE GOVERNMENT PROPAGANDA IN REPUBLIC
[03] RFE/RL BROADCASTS TO NORTH CAUCASUS 'DELAYED TEMPORARILY'
[04] RUSSIA EXPRESSES WARINESS OF NEW U.S. MILITARY ROLE IN GEORGIA...
[05] ...AND FEELS A BIT SLIGHTED
[06] CIS DEFENSE MINISTERS AGREE ON JOINT AIR-DEFENSE SYSTEM
[07] DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS RUSSIA READY FOR NEW FORMAT OF COOPERATION
[08] ...AS DUMA CRITICIZES APPOINTMENT OF ZHIRINOVSKY TO HEAD TALKS
[09] FEDERATION COUNCIL APPROVES NORTH-SOUTH TRANSPORT CORRIDOR
[10] YELTSIN REPORTEDLY CRITICAL OF PUTIN
[11] EKHO MOSKVY JOURNALISTS TO SET UP NEW HOME
[12] TUVA CANDIDATE BUMPED OFF BEFORE ELECTION
[13] SENATORS GAIN ANOTHER COLLEAGUE
[14] HAS NORILSK NICKEL FURTHER EXTENDED ITS GRASP IN SIBERIA?
[15] MORE REGIONAL BUSINESSMEN APPEAL TO PUTIN
[16] ONE FAR EAST REGION EASES TRAVEL TO CHINA...
[17] ...WHILE ANOTHER CLOSES DOOR TO CHINESE TRADERS
[18] AND NOW FOR A MOMENT OF REFRESHING CANDOR
[19] U.S. CASPIAN ENVOY DECRIES CASPIAN CORRUPTION
[20] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT PROMISES SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT IN THE ECONOMY
[21] ARMENIAN DEPUTY CALLS ON GEORGIA TO PROVIDE AUTONOMY FOR
[22] AZERBAIJAN CALLS FOR RENEWED DRILLING OF CASPIAN OIL FIELD
[23] U.S. MILITARY ANNOUNCES COUNTERTERRORISM INVOLVEMENT IN GEORGIA
[24] GEORGIAN OFFICIALS MEET U.S. MILITARY TEAM IN TBILISI
[25] INVESTIGATION INTO SUICIDE OF GEORGIAN SECURITY OFFICIAL CONTINUES
[26] GEORGIAN COURT PAROLES FORMER DIPLOMAT CONVICTED FOR CAUSING DEATH
[27] KAZAKH ELECTORATE INDIFFERENT, POLL SAYS
[28] NEW ANTHRAX WORRIES IN KAZAKHSTAN
[29] BEKNAZAROV TRIAL TO RESUME IN KYRGYZSTAN
[30] FRENCH FIGHTER PLANES ARRIVE IN KYRGYZSTAN
[31] HEROIN HAULS INCREASING ON TAJIK-AFGHAN BORDER
[32] U.S. TO INTRODUCE SANCTIONS AGAINST BELARUS OVER ARMS SALES?
[33] TENSIONS MOUNT IN CRIMEA OVER BAN ON HRACH'S ELECTION BID...
[34] ...WHILE RUSSIAN POLITICIANS APPEAL TO KUCHMA TO 'RESTORE
[35] ...AND HRACH'S OPPONENTS COMPLAIN OF HIS 'REVENGE'
[36] EIGHT UKRAINIAN PARTIES TO WIN PARLIAMENTARY SEATS, ACCORDING TO
[37] ESTONIAN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR REFORMING ENERGY INDUSTRY
[38] CONSULTANT CHOSEN FOR PRIVATIZATION OF LATVIAN SHIPPING COMPANY
[39] EU REITERATES PRECONDITION FOR LITHUANIAN MEMBERSHIP
[40] POLISH PARLIAMENT ADOPTS ECONOMIC STRATEGY
[41] POLISH PREMIER SEES NO THREAT OF COALITION BREAKUP
[42] POPE ACCEPTS INVITATION TO VISIT POLAND IN AUGUST
[43] GERMANY SAYS 'MISUNDERSTANDINGS' OVER, BUT NO DATE SET FOR CZECH
[44] AUSTRIA ACCEPTS CZECH PROTEST 'WITH UNDERSTANDING'
[45] CZECH PREMIER CALLS KLAUS'S PROPOSAL ON BENES DECREES 'TOO RISKY'
[46] U.S. WARNS AGAINST RETURN OF MECIAR
[47] SLOVAK GOVERNMENT DISSATISFIED WITH JUDGES' 'LACK OF COURAGE'
[48] HUNGARIAN GOVERNING COALITION THWARTS OPPOSITION INITIATIVE ON
[49] ...WHILE ORBAN DEFENDS STATEMENT ON BENES DECREES...
[50] ...AND DEFLECTS SPECULATION OVER COALITION WITH MIEP
[51] NATO HUNTING KARADZIC IN BOSNIAN VILLAGE
[52] NATO FAILS TO CATCH BOSNIAN SERB LEADER
[53] KOSOVARS CUT POWER-SHARING DEAL
[54] GERMAN NAMED TO HEAD KOSOVA POLICE
[55] THOUSANDS OF KOSOVARS HONOR SLAIN ALBANIAN-AMERICAN BROTHERS
[56] MACEDONIAN ALBANIAN GUERRILLAS ENTER MAINSTREAM POLITICS
[57] MACEDONIAN POLICE ARREST 12 EX-GUERRILLAS
[58] MACEDONIA AND BULGARIA AGREE ON RAIL LINK
[59] YUGOSLAV MILITARY STARTS REFORMS
[60] SERBIA DISSOLVES KOSOVA COMMITTEE
[61] MONTENEGRIN GOVERNING PARTY SLAMS RIVAL FOR 'PLOTTING'
[62] CROATIA HEADING FOR CABINET CRISIS?
[63] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT OPPOSED TO ENVISAGED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
[64] NASTASE SHOWS LENIENCY TOWARD NEW FELLOWS' PASTS
[65] ROMANIAN SENATE CHAIRMAN RULES OUT PRM MOTION
[66] ROMANIAN PREMIER DENIES ANY INTENTION TO INTERFERE IN MOLDOVA...
[67] ...BUT MOLDOVAN PREMIER ACCUSES ROMANIA OF 'INTERFERENCE IN
[68] MOLDOVAN INTERIOR MINISTER RESIGNS
[69] MOLDOVAN RADIO, TV JOURNALISTS THREATEN TO STRIKE...
[70] ...PROMPTING VORONIN TO RUSH TO TELERADIO MOLDOVA
[71] IMF APPROVES BULGARIAN STANDBY LOAN...
[72] ...AND WORLD BANK TO LOAN BULGARIA $ 500 MILLION
[73] There is no End Note today.
28 February 2002
RUSSIA
[01] RUSSIAN PRESIDENT CRITICAL OF UNFINISHED WORK IN CHECHNYA...
Speaking at the meeting of the Russian Security Council devoted to the
situation in Chechnya on 27 February, President Vladimir Putin said he
is very unhappy with the activities of the Federal Security Service
(FSB), the Finance Ministry, and the pro-Moscow administration in
Chechnya as far as stabilization in the republic is concerned,
gazeta.ru and "Krasnaya zvezda" reported. The situation in the republic
reveals ambivalence on the part of those organizations, Putin
continued. While there are signs of stabilization and reduced military
activities, the Russian military and the FSB have not reached the goals
set by the government. "The channels of arms and money supplied to the
illegal bandit formations have not been completely disrupted, the most
dangerous leaders of the formations have not been neutralized, and the
channels for trafficking of foreign mercenaries have not been closed,"
he said. In the economic sphere, the president said that money being
supplied to the republic through a labyrinth of federal and local
organizations and banks have created conditions for misusing funds. In
addition, the republic has very high unemployment and crime rates,
Putin said. VY
[02] ...CALLS FOR MORE GOVERNMENT PROPAGANDA IN REPUBLIC
Addressing the Council after FSB Director and Deputy Prime Minster
Viktor Khristenko reported on the military and economic aspects of the
Russian operation in Chechnya, Putin said in closing that he "thinks
that the information vacuum in Chechnya is being filled too slowly,"
RIA-Novosti reported. "Although ORT and RTR [television] and state
radio [are broadcast], and newspapers and journals are issued in the 16
regions of the [Chechen] republic... Information work remains [to be
done] in the zone where counterterrorist operations are being
conducted," he remarked. VY
[03] RFE/RL BROADCASTS TO NORTH CAUCASUS 'DELAYED TEMPORARILY'
The chairman of RFE/RL's oversight body, Marc Nathanson, announced a
last-minute delay in the U.S.-backed broadcaster's plans to offer
local-language news in the North Caucasus on 27 February, RFE/RL
reported. He cited "serious" and "real" security issues. Broadcasts in
Avar, Chechen, and Circassian were slated to begin on 28 February.
Nathanson said his Broadcasting Board of Governors expects to meet "in
a few weeks with the [Bush] administration" following White House
consultations with the U.S. Congress, which has already approved
funding for the broadcasts. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher
told reporters the same day that the administration "felt that perhaps
broadcasts in these local languages...could be counterproductive to the
overall effort to get a dialogue started in Chechnya," RFE/RL reported.
Sergei Yastrzhembskii, the Kremlin's chief spokesman on Chechen
affairs, told Russian media in late January that the Putin
administration would "pay special attention" to the broadcasts, and
hinted that authorities could take away RFE/RL's local broadcast
license if they detected a pro-rebel bias, news agencies and local
media reported. AH
[04] RUSSIA EXPRESSES WARINESS OF NEW U.S. MILITARY ROLE IN GEORGIA...
Reacting to the announcement of a new U.S. effort to militarily train
and equip several Georgian battalions for security operations in the
volatile Pankisi Gorge, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov told
Russian public ORT television on 27 February that a deployment of U.S.
troops in Georgia would "further aggravate the situation in the
region." Russian defense ministry officials also expressed apprehension
over the U.S. grant of 10 UH-1 Huey combat helicopters to Georgia.
Russia has repeatedly criticized the Georgian government for being
unable or unwilling to stabilize the Pankisi Gorge and has recently
offered joint security operations between Georgian and Russian forces
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 and 22 February 2002). RG
[05] ...AND FEELS A BIT SLIGHTED
Foreign Minister Ivanov also told ORT that Russia has repeatedly
offered its own military help to confront terrorist groups in Pankisi
Gorge, but that Tbilisi declined it. Meanwhile, Aleksandr Volin, the
deputy chief of the presidential staff said that the U.S. decision
shows that the "international coalition will pay more attention to the
Caucasian front in combating terrorism," strana.ru reported on February
27. VY
[06] CIS DEFENSE MINISTERS AGREE ON JOINT AIR-DEFENSE SYSTEM
Speaking after the meeting of the CIS Defense Ministers in St.
Petersburg on 27 February, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov
announced that the participants agreed to restore an integrated CIS
air-defense system, and that they elected Russian air force commander
Colonel General Aleksandr Mikhailov to head it, the Military News
Agency reported on 27 February. Ivanov also said that his counterparts
from the other CIS countries agreed that they too should share with
Russia the burden of peacekeeping in Abkhazia. VY
[07] DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS RUSSIA READY FOR NEW FORMAT OF COOPERATION
WITH NATO...
Sergei Ivanov said in St. Petersburg on 27 February that in the event
that Russia and NATO ink an agreement on new forms of cooperation at
the Atlantic alliance's ministerial meeting in Reykjavik on 14-15 May,
both sides will bear responsibility for the implementation of jointly
made decisions, RIA-Novosti reported on 27 February. Ivanov also
expressed Russia's readiness to intensify its partnership with NATO,
because new security threats are directed not only against members of
the Atlantic alliance, but against the entire world. VY
[08] ...AS DUMA CRITICIZES APPOINTMENT OF ZHIRINOVSKY TO HEAD TALKS
WITH NATO
Russian news agencies reported on 27 February that State Duma speaker
Gennadii Seleznev said in Moscow that the decision to appoint Vladimir
Zhirinovsky to head the Russian delegation during discussions with the
NATO Parliamentary Assembly that began on 27 February (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 27 February 2002) was not discussed or approved by the Duma.
Yabloko faction member Vladimir Lukin, one of the leaders of Yabloko
faction, added that he is bewildered by the decision, as first deputy
speaker Lyubov Sliska is the Duma's permanent coordinator to the NATO
Parliamentary Assembly. Meanwhile, Konstantin Kosachev, the deputy head
of the Duma's Foreign Relations Committee, said he is afraid that
Zhirinovsky might undermine Russia's national interests. VY
[09] FEDERATION COUNCIL APPROVES NORTH-SOUTH TRANSPORT CORRIDOR
The Federation Council ratified the agreement for the development of an
international North-South transport corridor that was signed by Russia,
India, and Iran in September 2000, ITAR-TASS reported on 27 February.
The head of the Federation Council's Foreign Relations Committee,
Mikhail Margelov, said the agreement will pave the way for goods from
India and the Arabian Peninsula through Iran and the Caspian region to
Russia and Europe, and vice versa. According to the agreement, all
signatories to the agreement will get relief from import tax and
customs duties, and will provide multiple-entry visas and other
privileges to personnel involved in the project. The new route is
expected to reduce transport costs by 20 percent, and delivery times by
15-20 days compared with the old route via the Suez Canal. Margelov
added that Russia expects to make an additional $5 billion to $6
billion a year in transport revenues from the new route. VY
[10] YELTSIN REPORTEDLY CRITICAL OF PUTIN
Following a visit to former Russian President Boris Yeltsin's home on
27 February, Union of Rightist Forces head Boris Nemtsov told reporters
that Yeltsin said that the Kremlin "should surround itself not so much
with loyal people as with professionals." Nemtsov said Yeltsin was also
very alarmed by the state of freedom of speech in Russia. Yeltsin
reportedly said, "I tolerated any criticism and today find it difficult
to make even a justified remark out loud." Nemtsov also said that he
presented Yeltsin with a bust of Tsar Aleksandr II, a memento that
Yeltsin appreciated, "saying that he understood what I am implying."
JAC
[11] EKHO MOSKVY JOURNALISTS TO SET UP NEW HOME
A company established by Ekho Moskvy radio journalists won the tender
to broadcast on the 87.5 FM frequency, the Media Ministry announced on
27 February, RIA-Novosti reported. According to ntvru.com, 58 out of
the 80 journalists at Ekho Moskvy who participated in a secret ballot
said that they would like to work at the Arsenal radio station. Ekho
Moskvy Editor in Chief Aleksei Venediktov revealed that he has obtained
funding for Arsenal from some "Soros Fund structures," as well as from
Urals media tycoon Nikolai Grakhov, according to RIA-Novosti. "Vremya
novostei" reported the same day that a U.S. investment fund has given
Venediktov a credit of $3 million, and that Venediktov together with
Grakhov will receive a 50 percent stake in the new radio station. JAC
[12] TUVA CANDIDATE BUMPED OFF BEFORE ELECTION
Vyacheslav Darzha, a candidate in the 17 March elections for the head
of the Tuva Republic, was killed when an unknown assailant shot him in
the back on 26 February, Interfax-Eurasia reported the next day. Some
local observers link Darzha's assassination with his earlier statement
on local television that he possessed compromising materials about the
republic's current president, according to the agency. Darzha headed
the republic's legal department. There are now seven candidates in the
race (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 February 2002). JAC
[13] SENATORS GAIN ANOTHER COLLEAGUE
On 27 February, the Federation Council approved two bills recently
passed by the State Duma. Senators approved amendments to the law on
organs of judicial associations and amendments to the Criminal Code,
which clarify the definition of self-defense. According to RIA-Novosti,
the later bill was passed with 113 in favor, 13 against, and 10
abstentions. Also on 27 February, legislators in the Komi Republic
confirmed Rakhim Azimov as their representative to the upper chamber,
Interfax-Northwest reported. Azimov has been executive director of the
Northern Regional Fund for Presidential Programs since 1996. Earlier,
he earned a degree at the Leningrad Mining Institute. Federation
Council Chairman Sergei Mironov as well as presidential office head
Igor Sechin both studied at that institute (see "RFE/RL Russian
Political Weekly," 18 December 2001). JAC
[14] HAS NORILSK NICKEL FURTHER EXTENDED ITS GRASP IN SIBERIA?
Krasnoyarsk Krai Governor Aleksandr Lebed signed a decree on 27
February naming his nine new deputy governors, Interfax-Eurasia
reported. Lebed dismissed all of his previous deputies on 28 January
and announced a competition for their positions. According to polit.ru,
local analysts, who had predicted that the dismissals were merely a
pretext for Lebed to introduce new people from Norilsk Nickel into his
team, turned out to be correct. Lebed and the leadership of Taimyr
Autonomous Okrug have been battling over control of the region's tax
revenues (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 4 February 2002). The okrug is headed
by former Norilsk Nickel head Aleksandr Khloponin, and the okrug's
legislature is headed by another former Norilsk Nickel executive,
Vladimir Sitnov. The legislature has spearheaded efforts to free the
okrug from the krai's economic authority. RFE/RL's Moscow bureau
reported last year that soon after he was elected, Khloponin told
corporations registered in Taimyr to pay their taxes there rather than
to Krasnoyarsk (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 February 2001). JAC
[15] MORE REGIONAL BUSINESSMEN APPEAL TO PUTIN
The Congress of Entrepreneurs of Pskov Oblast has appealed to President
Putin asking him to pay attention to the activities of the oblast
administration regarding local tax policies, nns.ru reported on 27
February, citing "Pskovskaya guberniya." The businessmen charge that
because of higher taxes, up to 30 percent of small and medium-sized
businesses in the oblast will be forced to go out of business. And
within another six months, they will likely be joined by an additional
30 percent. JAC
[16] ONE FAR EAST REGION EASES TRAVEL TO CHINA...
Amur Oblast Governor Leonid Korotkov issued a decree on 27 February
pertaining to the opening of an office in Blagoveshchensk for
registering visas to China, Interfax-Eurasia reported. According to
Korotkov's administration, previously the nearest office for
registering for visas was located in Khabarovsk, which was not always
convenient for organizations and individuals engaged in foreign
economic activities. JAC
[17] ...WHILE ANOTHER CLOSES DOOR TO CHINESE TRADERS
Kamchatka Oblast administration announced on 27 February that it will
no longer allow new Chinese traders who are not already located in the
oblast to sell goods in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskii, following protests
from local businessmen that the traders are "dumping" their goods on
local markets, Interfax-Eurasia reported. Colonel Ivan Dankulints,
deputy head of the Interior Minister's regional administration, said
that "we are a civilized society, so we cannot let troops on the
streets to go after Chinese citizens. Only lawful actions can be
implemented. At the moment, we can promise that exclusively Chinese
trade districts and markets will no longer exist." JAC
[18] AND NOW FOR A MOMENT OF REFRESHING CANDOR
At a press conference in Pskov on 27 February, when asked whether the
recent arrest of a local legislator was linked to an upcoming election
in which the legislator was participating, Pskov Oblast prosecutor
Nikolai Lepikhin said that "prosecutorial offices fulfill political
orders all the time," and that he does not exclude the possibility that
"the Prosecutor's Office was carrying out the political aims of the
local elite," regions.ru reported. However, he added that his office
"investigates criminal matters independently of who provides the
materials." JAC
[19] U.S. CASPIAN ENVOY DECRIES CASPIAN CORRUPTION
The U.S. special envoy to the Caspian region, Ambassador Steven Mann,
expressed frustration with the corruption and lack of legal guarantees
that have increasingly hindered the development of the Caspian region,
stating that "the Caspian region has not shown the progress we
expected," according to AP and the Caspian News Agency. The comments
were made on 26 February at the opening of a two-day international
conference in Moscow addressing the disputed division of the Caspian
Sea among the five littoral states. The dispute centers on the clash
between the Russian, Azerbaijani, and Kazakh positions to divide the
Caspian Sea into national sectors, and the Iranian insistence on an
equal 20 percent division. Turkmenistan remains noncommittal in the
dispute. Russia has been seeking to accelerate negotiations to resolve
the conflict over the Caspian and is hoping to convene a subsequent
summit in Turkmenistan's capital Ashgabat later this fall. RG
TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[20] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT PROMISES SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT IN THE ECONOMY
In comments during a state visit to Austria, Armenian President Robert
Kocharian vowed on 26 February that "two or three" years of continued
growth will "substantially improve the economic situation" in Armenia,
according to RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau. Assuring stable growth for the
next several years, Kocharian added that his government will be able to
quickly reverse the significant economic hardships facing the
population. In a speech to the ethnic Armenian community in Vienna, the
Armenian president also called for greater "political and economic
support" for his government from the Armenian diaspora. RG
[21] ARMENIAN DEPUTY CALLS ON GEORGIA TO PROVIDE AUTONOMY FOR
DJAVAKHETI
Armenian parliamentarian Armen Rustoumian called on Georgia to provide
autonomy for the Armenian-populated southern Georgian region of
Djavakheti on 27 February, Armenpress reported. The deputy specifically
called for a formal designation of Djavakheti as "an autonomous
self-governing unit...within the framework of the Georgian
Constitution," highlighting the need for such a move to better address
the severe socioeconomic crisis and poor living conditions affecting
the region. Adding that his call for autonomy should not be
misinterpreted as "separatism," Rustoumian said such a step would only
strengthen Armenian-Georgian relations and noted that Armenia's recent
rescheduling of Georgian debt affirms Armenia's good "neighborly
intentions." RG
[22] AZERBAIJAN CALLS FOR RENEWED DRILLING OF CASPIAN OIL FIELD
On 26 February, officials of the Azerbaijan state oil company Socar
called on Exxon-Mobil to drill a second test well in the offshore
Nakhchivan-1 Caspian oil field following the company's announcement
that it plans to suspend drilling after its first test found no oil
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 26 February 2002). The statement, issued by
Socar President Natiq Aliyev, contended that the failed test "in no way
means that there are not big reserves" in the field, ANS reported.
Exxon-Mobil and Socar each hold a 50 percent share in the consortium,
although Exxon-Mobil is the sole operator. Three other test wells in
2001 also failed to find any significant oil in the field. RG
[23] U.S. MILITARY ANNOUNCES COUNTERTERRORISM INVOLVEMENT IN GEORGIA
Senior U.S. Pentagon officials released details on 27 February of a new
U.S. counterterrorism aid program intended to strengthen Georgia's
"internal security and stability," the U.S. Armed Forces Press Service
reported. The U.S. assistance, which is to include the deployment of
200 special operations forces, is to focus on coordinating
antiterrorism security measures in the increasingly lawless Pankisi
Gorge along the Georgian border with Chechnya and is part of a larger
overall program to provide the Georgian armed forces with training and
equipment to "improve internal security." Pentagon officials also
confirmed that a 40-member U.S. military detachment with some Special
Forces personnel has arrived in Georgia in recent weeks. The Pankisi
Gorge, about 150 kilometers northeast of Tbilisi, has been used as a
logistical staging area by a number of Chechen rebels for cross-border
operations in Chechnya. Some of the Chechen rebels have been linked to
the Al-Qaeda terrorist network. The U.S. has been engaged in military
cooperation with Georgia since 1996, and has trained much of Georgia's
officer corps. RG
[24] GEORGIAN OFFICIALS MEET U.S. MILITARY TEAM IN TBILISI
Senior Georgian Defense Ministry officials met with a visiting
five-person U.S. military team on 27 February to review plans for the
new U.S. "train-and-equip" program of military and security aid for the
Georgian armed forces, Reuters and Groong reported. According to one
member of the group, Elmer Guy White, the Eurasia branch chief of
Allied Command Europe, said that the U.S. program "is designed to allow
the Georgian military to better secure its territorial integrity and
provide its own security," and seeks to enhance Georgian defense
reforms. Georgian Defense Ministry spokesperson Mirian Kiknadze added
that the U.S. military will "train our rapid reaction force, which is
guarding strategic sites in Georgia -- particularly oil pipelines." RG
[25] INVESTIGATION INTO SUICIDE OF GEORGIAN SECURITY OFFICIAL CONTINUES
The investigation into the suicide of Georgian National Security
Council Secretary Lieutenant General Nugzar Sadzhaya continued with
testimony by Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights Chairwoman Elena
Tevdoradze to the Prosecutor-General's Office on 27 February,
Prime-News reported. Tevdoradze confirmed recent reports linking the
death of Sadzhaya to a defamation campaign on behalf of Russian
intelligence, contending that Ajarian Parliamentary Chairman Aslan
Abashidze was responsible for driving the security official to take his
life on 25 February (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 25 and 26 February 2002).
The 60-year-old Sadzhaya was a close ally of President Shevardnadze and
served in the small but powerful security group for nearly a decade. RG
[26] GEORGIAN COURT PAROLES FORMER DIPLOMAT CONVICTED FOR CAUSING DEATH
OF U.S. TEENAGER
Former Georgian diplomat Georgi Makharadze, convicted in the United
States for the January 1997 drunk-driving death of a 16-year-old girl
in Washington D.C., was granted an early parole by a Tbilisi district
court on 27 February, AP reported. The diplomat began serving his
prison sentence in the U.S. before being returned to Georgia in January
2000 to finish his seven-year term. Makharadze, formerly the
second-highest diplomat at the Georgian Embassy in Washington, has been
confined to a prison hospital for several months. On 14 February, 163
Georgian parliamentarians appealed for his release, citing his serious
health problems. RG
[27] KAZAKH ELECTORATE INDIFFERENT, POLL SAYS
On 27 February, the newspaper "Argumenty i Fakty Kazakhstan" reported
the results of a poll by the Kazakh Association of Sociologists and
Political Scientists, which found that only 17.2 percent of the
population is pleased with the recent appointment of Imangali
Tasmagambetov as prime minister, and 27.7 percent are not. However, the
newspaper drew special attention to the fact that 34 percent of
respondents are simply "indifferent" to his appointment, and concluded
that trust in the government and interest in politics altogether had
fallen off over the last decade as a result of the electorate's
disappointment with economic reforms and increasing corruption. AA
[28] NEW ANTHRAX WORRIES IN KAZAKHSTAN
Two men from separate villages in eastern Kazakhstan have been
hospitalized under suspicion of being infected with anthrax,
Interfax-Kazakhstan reported. The patients are a 39-year-old man from
the village of Naryn who is thought to have contracted the disease
while slaughtering a calf, and a 26-year-old man from Kokterek who had
collected infected cattle hides. They are the first suspected cases of
anthrax in Kazakhstan this year. The country was last hit by an anthrax
scare in the summer of 2001, when more than a dozen people were
hospitalized amid fears that the outbreak was connected to leftover
spores from the Soviet biological weapons station on Vozrozhdenie
Island in the Aral Sea. AA
[29] BEKNAZAROV TRIAL TO RESUME IN KYRGYZSTAN
On 27 February, a spokesman for arrested Kyrgyz parliament deputy
Azimbek Beknazarov announced that his trial has been rescheduled for 11
March and will take place in the town of Kara-Kul, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz
Service reported. The trial, which opened earlier this month in the
city of Toktogul, was abruptly adjourned after Beknazarov expressed
doubt that he would receive a fair hearing anywhere in Djalalabad
Oblast and demanded a different venue (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 13
February 2002). Also on 27 February, Tursunbek Akunov, chairman of the
Human Rights Movement of Kyrgyzstan, told journalists in Bishkek that
167 people in the country have begun hunger strikes to protest
Beknazarov's arrest. The majority of the hunger strikers are from
Djalalabad Oblast, which Beknazarov represents in parliament. AA
[30] FRENCH FIGHTER PLANES ARRIVE IN KYRGYZSTAN
Three French Mirage-2002D fighter jets landed at Kyrgyzstan's Manas
airport on 27 February, with three more expected to arrive by the
following day, Interfax and Asia-Plus reported. The jets were to be
used in practice flights over Kyrgyz territory immediately. The U.S.
military's public relations representative, Captain Richard Esserly,
hailed the fighter planes' arrival as the true beginning of Operation
Enduring Freedom on Kyrgyz territory, adding that there are presently
700 U.S. troops and 460 French troops at Manas, and that the
international contingent in total now numbers some 1,200 men.
Meanwhile, Askar Aitmatov, the head of the Kyrgyz presidential office's
Foreign Policy Department, stressed to journalists that the decision to
allow NATO forces on Kyrgyz soil was made "in regard to national
interests and for ensuring regional security," Interfax reported. He
was addressing criticisms published in local media last week that
questioned the benefit to Kyrgyzstan of having opened its air base to
Western, especially U.S., troops. AA
[31] HEROIN HAULS INCREASING ON TAJIK-AFGHAN BORDER
On 27 February, troops of the Russian Border Service arrested smugglers
at Khatlon along the Panj River carrying almost 10 kilograms of heroin,
making a total of 155 kilograms of heroin seized by them in the last
two months, Asia-Plus reported. According the press department of the
Russian Border Service, the service has already intercepted more than
180 kilograms of narcotics this year. Afghan heroin is the main
narcotics problem for Tajikistan, Tajik Drug Control Agency Director
Rustam Nazarov said the same day at a press conference in Dushanbe,
noting that 85 percent of the heroin seized in Central Asia was stopped
in Tajikistan. Nazarov said that some 237 kilograms of drugs were
seized in the country in January of this year. AA
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
[32] U.S. TO INTRODUCE SANCTIONS AGAINST BELARUS OVER ARMS SALES?
The U.S. State Department on 27 February alluded to possible sanctions
against Belarus over allegations that Minsk is selling arms to
countries or groups supporting terrorism, Reuters reported. "The U.S.
takes reports of arms transfers to countries or groups sponsoring or
fostering terrorism very seriously. We use a variety of means,
including bilateral approaches to supplier countries and, where
necessary, application of our sanctions laws to prevent such
transfers," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said. The agency
recalled that U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Steven Pifer,
who visited Minsk last week, told reporters in Minsk that the United
States possesses hard evidence that Belarus is involved in arms
smuggling in breach of UN sanctions. Pifer also said the United States
has evidence that Belarus trains Iraqi military personnel to work with
S-300 missiles. "The deputy assistant secretary reiterated the U.S.
position that Belarus should not be in the business of selling arms to
countries with histories of supporting terrorism or fomenting regional
conflict," Boucher commented on Pifer's trip to Minsk. JM
[33] TENSIONS MOUNT IN CRIMEA OVER BAN ON HRACH'S ELECTION BID...
Addressing a crowd of more than 1,000 supporters in Simferopol on 27
February, Crimean speaker and local Communist Party leader Leonid Hrach
suggested that he will appeal to Crimean residents to boycott the 31
March legislative election if he is not reinstated as a candidate for a
seat in the Crimean legislature, Interfax reported. "The election in
Crimea will take place only if Hrach and his bloc participate in it as
candidates," he said. Hrach was banned from running by a court decision
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 25 February 2002). Hrach did not rule out the
possibility of holding a referendum in Crimea to accede to the Russian
Federation. "If Kiev and its vassals continue what they are doing by
bringing unprecedented political and legal pressure to bear on us, we
will reserve the right, in particular, to speak of a referendum," Hrach
said. Moreover, Hrach announced that he intends to run in the
presidential election in 2004. "Let them fear me," he told the rally in
Simferopol. JM
[34] ...WHILE RUSSIAN POLITICIANS APPEAL TO KUCHMA TO 'RESTORE
JUSTICE'...
A group of prominent Russian politicians -- Sergei Shoigu, Yurii
Luzhkov, Gennadii Zyuganov, Boris Nemtsov, and Gennadii Raikov -- have
appealed to Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma to "restore justice" with
regard to Hrach by giving him the opportunity to take part in the
upcoming election, ITAR-TASS reported on 27 February. "The removal from
the electoral campaign under invented pretexts of Leonid Hrach, the
chairman of the Supreme Council of the Republic [of Crimea], is
evidence of the activation of the forces that intend to undermine the
relations between Ukraine and Russia," the agency quoted from the
appeal. UNIAN quoted presidential administration chief Volodymyr Lytvyn
as saying that statements of "some Russian politicians" regarding the
ban on Hrach's election bid "are coming close to interference in
Ukraine's internal affairs." JM
[35] ...AND HRACH'S OPPONENTS COMPLAIN OF HIS 'REVENGE'
Transparent Government Civic Committee head Andriy Senchenko on 27
February said the decision of the Election Commission of the Autonomous
Republic of Crimea to cancel the registration of 30 candidates from his
group and the Kunitsyn Team (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 February 2002)
is Hrach's "revenge" for the court decision annulling his election bid,
UNIAN reported. Former Crimean Premier Serhiy Kunitsyn, who leads the
election bloc bearing his name, expressed a similar view by saying that
Crimea's Election Commission is being "controlled" by Hrach. "What is
going on in Crimea is an attempt to exert pressure on and to blackmail
the Ukrainian political authorities. Can you imagine a governor
banished from the race somewhere in Russia threatening with a
referendum to join Ukraine or some other country?" New Channel
Television quoted Kunitsyn as saying. JM
[36] EIGHT UKRAINIAN PARTIES TO WIN PARLIAMENTARY SEATS, ACCORDING TO
POLL OF 30,000
A poll conducted by the Center of Political Analysis and Consulting
(associated with the "Politychna dumka" magazine) from 5-22 February
among 30,000 voters in one-third of Ukraine's election districts found
that eight parties and blocs would be able to overcome the 4 percent
voting threshold to qualify for parliamentary representation, Interfax
reported on 27 February. If the elections had been held at the time the
poll was taken, Our Ukraine would have obtained 16.3 percent of the
vote, the Communist Party 13.7 percent, the Yuliya Tymoshenko bloc 7.7
percent, the Greens 5.1 percent, Women for the Future 4.4 percent, the
Socialist Party 4.3 percent, the Social Democratic Party (United) 4.2
percent, and For a United Ukraine 3.6 percent. The report did not cite
the margin of error in the poll. JM
[37] ESTONIAN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR REFORMING ENERGY INDUSTRY
In a speech to the parliament on 27 February, Arnold Ruutel declared
that Estonia should end its policies of ensuring concessions to oil
shale-based energy production by law, and begin a gradual transition to
the principles of an open energy market, ETA reported. He noted that
the failure to privatize Narva Power Plants -- which supply more than
90 percent of the country's electricity -- to the U.S. firm NRG Energy
after six years of negotiations indicated that the state-owned energy
utility Estonian Energy, which controls the plants, should be split
into parts dealing respectively with the generating, transmission,
distribution, and sale of electric energy. Ruutel said that there is no
question that Narva Power Plants, which generate power from oil shale,
will remain in operation for 20 or more years. But he said that
consumers will not be able to finance the renovation of the entire
energy complex, which would cost some 25-30 billion kroons ($1.39
billion to $1.67 billion). He said that the state should retain control
of the transmission lines, support the use of renewable sources of
energy, and move toward transparent energy prices. SG
[38] CONSULTANT CHOSEN FOR PRIVATIZATION OF LATVIAN SHIPPING COMPANY
The board of the Latvian Privatization Agency on 27 February approved
the choice of the Riga Stock Exchange to select the international
investment company Williams de Broe as its consultant for selling the
51 percent stake in Latvijas kugnieciba (Latvian Shipping Company),
LETA reported. These shares will be sold for cash on the Riga Stock
Exchange, while another 32 percent of the company's shares will be sold
[as?] privatization vouchers. SG
[39] EU REITERATES PRECONDITION FOR LITHUANIAN MEMBERSHIP
Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen told his Lithuanian
counterpart Algirdas Brazauskas on 27 February that the country must
make a firm pledge to close both reactors of the nuclear power plant at
Ignalina by 2009 if it wants to join the EU, ELTA reported. During his
one-day visit to Vilnius, which is part of his plan to visit all EU
candidate countries before Denmark takes over the EU presidency from
Spain in July, he also met with President Valdas Adamkus and parliament
Chairman Arturas Paulauskas. Rasmussen noted that Lithuanian farmers
who have expressed dissatisfaction over the EC recommendations to
provide new EU member countries with only 25 percent of agricultural
subsidies given to current EU members should remember that there will
be no subsidies if Lithuania is not admitted to the EU. He affirmed
Denmark's firm support for the three Baltic states' aspirations to join
NATO at the Prague summit in November. There was no indication of
whether Rasmussen and Adamkus discussed Adamkus's statement the day
earlier that Lithuania should not close the Ignalina plant by 2009 (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 27 February 2002). SG
[40] POLISH PARLIAMENT ADOPTS ECONOMIC STRATEGY
The Sejm on 28 February adopted the government-proposed economic
strategy "Entrepreneurship, Development, Labor," PAP reported. The
document, which consists of three packages, provides for measures to
cut red tape in setting up new businesses, spur economic growth, and
ease regulations on the labor market for first-time job seekers. The
strategy envisages 1 percent economic growth in 2002, 3 percent growth
in 2003, and 5 percent growth in 2004. JM
[41] POLISH PREMIER SEES NO THREAT OF COALITION BREAKUP
Leszek Miller said on 27 February that "for the time being, there has
been no threat" that the governing coalition of the Democratic Left
Alliance (SLD) and the Peasant Party (PSL) may split over disagreements
regarding Poland's EU membership talks, PAP reported. Miller was
commenting on the SLD-PSL controversy over how to calculate the
leasehold period after which EU farmers would be able to purchase
Polish land (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 February 2002). Foreign Minister
Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz said the same day that the government will make
a decision on the controversial issue this week, following Miller's
talks with the EU's commissioner for enlargement, Guenter Verheugen. JM
[42] POPE ACCEPTS INVITATION TO VISIT POLAND IN AUGUST
Pope John Paul II on 28 February accepted an invitation to visit Poland
in August, AP reported. The invitation was presented by Polish
President Aleksander Kwasniewski during a 30-minute meeting the same
day with the pope in the Vatican. It is to be the John Paul's ninth
trip to his homeland since he assumed the papacy. JM
[43] GERMANY SAYS 'MISUNDERSTANDINGS' OVER, BUT NO DATE SET FOR CZECH
VISIT
German government spokesman Uwe-Karsten Heye told journalists on 27
February that the "irritations and misunderstandings" with the Czech
Republic have been cleared up, but there is still no date for
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's visit to Prague, dpa reported (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 27 February 2002). According to the daily "Pravo,"
the German side wants to replace the visit to the Czech capital with an
encounter between Schroeder and Prime Minister Milos Zeman on the
border between the two countries. Most German dailies on 28 February
said the visit is unlikely to take place, because Schroeder does not
want to become involved in the dispute on the Benes Decrees with his
challenger, the conservative Edmund Stoiber, who calls for their
abolition and has harshly criticized Zeman's statement in which he
referred to the Sudeten Germans as being Hitler's "fifth column." MS
[44] AUSTRIA ACCEPTS CZECH PROTEST 'WITH UNDERSTANDING'
Czech Ambassador to Austria Jiri Grusa told the daily "Pravo" on 28
February that the Czech protest against media "manipulation of history"
in Austria has been met "with understanding" among Austrian political
circles, CTK reported. Grusa said these circles "have their own fresh
experience with tabloids" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 February 2002). MS
[45] CZECH PREMIER CALLS KLAUS'S PROPOSAL ON BENES DECREES 'TOO RISKY'
Premier Zeman said on 27 February that a proposal by Civic Democratic
Party Chairman Vaclav Klaus to introduce in the accession treaty with
the EU a clause specifying that the post-World War II international
agreements would not be challenged has "more cons than pros" and is
"too risky," CTK reported. The Klaus-proposed "safety valve" would
prevent any further pressure from EU members to have the Benes Decrees
canceled. The premier said that EU accession is not hampered by the
decrees, and that the European Commission has made it clear that it
considers the matter a bilateral affair that is not part of the
accession parleys. MS
[46] U.S. WARNS AGAINST RETURN OF MECIAR
U.S. Ambassador to NATO Nicholas Burns said in Washington on 27
February that "there is no evidence" that the leadership of the
opposition Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) has changed, which
"remains a fundamental concern of our government," international
agencies reported. Burns said the cabinet headed by Vladimir Meciar
"did not demonstrate a commitment to democracy and the rule of law,"
and this is why the U.S. was unable in 1997 "to support Slovakia's
candidacy to NATO." Reuters called the statement "one of the clearest
messages" that Slovakia "could miss out again on membership of NATO "
if the September elections bring Meciar back to power. MS
[47] SLOVAK GOVERNMENT DISSATISFIED WITH JUDGES' 'LACK OF COURAGE'
Justice Minister Jan Carnogursky complained on 27 February that none of
the former Slovak Counter Intelligence Service (SIS) members charged
with involvement in illegal activities under the Meciar government have
yet been sentenced, CTK reported. The charges are mainly connected with
the abduction of former President Michal Kovac's son, and with the
attempt to discredit Roman Catholic Bishop Rudolf Balaz. Both events
are believed to have been masterminded by former SIS Director Ivan
Lexa, who is now a fugitive hiding abroad. Carnogursky said the delays
in passing sentences on the Lexa associates may be due to a "lack of
courage" by the judges, who might also "calculate" that the next
elections will bring Meciar back to power. MS
[48] HUNGARIAN GOVERNING COALITION THWARTS OPPOSITION INITIATIVE ON
VISEGRAD FOUR...
The parliament's Foreign Affairs Commission on 27 February voted down
an opposition initiative to send a goodwill mission to the capitals of
Hungary's fellow Visegrad partners to reinforce regional cooperation.
The commission's governing coalition majority opposed the initiative,
saying that it would be tantamount to Hungary admitting that it was
responsible for the cancellation of a Visegrad summit scheduled for 1
March. Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi said that Prime Minister Viktor
Orban's opinions on the Benes Decrees are in line with Hungarian
foreign policy "both in substance and phrasing." Orban could not help
it if the Visegrad summit fell through, Martonyi said, as its
cancellation was an "ill-considered and hasty move" on the part of the
Czech Republic and Slovakia. He said it is regrettable that the leftist
opposition has backed the Czech and Slovak position by blaming Orban
for the situation and launching an unjust attack against him. MSZ
[49] ...WHILE ORBAN DEFENDS STATEMENT ON BENES DECREES...
Premier Orban on 27 February said Hungary must emphasize that it stands
"on the side of human dignity, human rights, justice, and modern
European ideas" in connection with the Benes Decrees. In his regular
weekly interview on Hungarian radio, Orban said that in his recent
comments on the Benes Decrees, he strove to phrase his words
"politely," so as not to harm Hungarian-Czech relations, adding that
Hungary will not burden bilateral relations with the issue. Orban also
said that he hopes that an international museum commemorating the
victims of communism similar to Hungary's House of Terror will be
established within three years in a large U.S. city. He said the
cabinet has already delegated Maria Schmidt, the director-general of
the House of Terror, to be its representative on an East-Central
European foundation set up for this purpose. If the present coalition
wins the elections, it would support the establishment of such a
museum, Orban concluded. MSZ
[50] ...AND DEFLECTS SPECULATION OVER COALITION WITH MIEP
Orban also said on 27 February that "with elections due soon, it is not
timely to speculate on a possible coalition between FIDESZ and the
Hungarian Justice and Life Party (MIEP)," adding, "I would not
speculate either." He made the comment after "Nepszabadsag" reported
that in exchange for certain appointments, MIEP is prepared to extend
its tacit support to a minority FIDESZ government after the elections.
The Socialist Party said in a statement that it expects FIDESZ leaders
to follow MIEP's example by clearly stating to voters its true
coalition plans. The statement said the argument used by FIDESZ before
the last elections, namely that it is capable of forming a majority
government on its own, is "transparent, false, and misleading." MSZ
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[51] NATO HUNTING KARADZIC IN BOSNIAN VILLAGE
SFOR troops blocked off the village of Celebici near Foca and the
Montenegrin border on 28 February in an apparent hunt for indicted war
criminal Radovan Karadzic, Reuters reported. An SFOR spokesman said
that "we do have an ongoing operation, but we cannot confirm the exact
location or the exact purpose of the operation." Bosnian Serb media
reported explosions and gunfire in the area, adding that Bosnian Serb
forces are not involved in the hunt. NATO forces include several
helicopters, which landed in the village. Dpa reported that 1,500
Montenegrin police have sealed off their side of the border under
orders from President Milo Djukanovic. Karadzic is a native of
Montenegro and is believed to cross between there and Bosnian Serb
territory frequently. There has been widespread speculation following
the 11 September terrorist attacks that the international community
will become more resolute about arresting war criminals still on the
loose. Dpa reported that U.S. forces have succeeded in cracking
Karadzic's system of communications with his bodyguards. PM
[52] NATO FAILS TO CATCH BOSNIAN SERB LEADER
NATO later issued a statement in Brussels on 28 February saying that
"Karadzic was not found" in Celebici, Reuters reported. The BBC
confirmed the story from Sarajevo, adding that only some arms caches
were found. PM
[53] KOSOVARS CUT POWER-SHARING DEAL
Ending three months of political deadlock, the leaders of Kosova's
three largest ethnic Albanian political parties reached an agreement
late into the night on 27 February in Prishtina, RFE/RL's South Slavic
and Albanian Languages Service reported. Ibrahim Rugova's Democratic
League of Kosova (LDK) will take the presidency and the post of speaker
of the parliament. Hashim Thaci's Democratic Party of Kosova (PDK) will
hold the premiership, which seems likely to go to Bajram Rexhepi of
Mitrovica. Ramush Haradinaj's smaller Alliance for the Future of Kosova
(AAK) also took part in the deal but did not receive a top post.
Michael Steiner, who heads the UN's civilian administration (UNMIK),
hailed the deal as a step toward Kosova's integration into Europe. The
outlines of this deal were clear already after the November elections.
But the egos of Rugova and -- to a lesser extent -- Thaci led to a
stalemate that caused many observers to wonder whether the Kosovars are
capable of running a modern state. PM
[54] GERMAN NAMED TO HEAD KOSOVA POLICE
UNMIK announced in Prishtina on 27 February that Stefan Feller, who is
chief of police in Duesseldorf, has been proposed to head the Kosova
force, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported.
UNMIK chief Steiner is also from Germany. PM
[55] THOUSANDS OF KOSOVARS HONOR SLAIN ALBANIAN-AMERICAN BROTHERS
Several thousand people gathered in Prishtina on 27 February to honor
Chicago-born Mehmet, Agron, and Ylli Bytyqi, Reuters reported. They are
believed to have been killed by Serbian forces while serving a 15-day
jail sentence in 1999 for illegally crossing into that country, and
Washington has asked Belgrade to find the killers (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 27 February 2002). The brothers' bodies were found in a mass
grave in eastern Serbia. They belonged to the 400-strong Atlantic
Battalion of the Kosova Liberation Army (UCK), which consisted of
ethnic Albanians from the U.S. At the ceremony, their coffins were
draped with the Albanian and U.S. flags. Their father told those
present that "my sons have not died. They live forever, because they
fought for something which merits the sacrifice of one's life:
freedom." The three brothers will be buried in the United States. PM
[56] MACEDONIAN ALBANIAN GUERRILLAS ENTER MAINSTREAM POLITICS
Ali Ahmeti, who led the former National Liberation Army (UCK), signed
an agreement setting up a "coordinating body" in Mala Recica on 27
February with representatives of the two main ethnic Albanian parties,
Reuters reported. Ahmeti said that "the priority of this council is to
realize [the enactment of] the Ohrid [peace] agreement and other
obligations that arise from it." Ethnic Albanian leaders said that the
purpose of the council is to build confidence in the peace process
among ethnic Albanians, but an unnamed senior Macedonian official said
that "it looks like they are trying to form a parallel government and
misuse the peace process to make more demands." An unnamed Western
diplomat declined to comment on the purpose of the council, but added
that it is better to have the former UCK people in politics than in the
mountains. PM
[57] MACEDONIAN POLICE ARREST 12 EX-GUERRILLAS
Police arrested 12 ethnic Albanians in Skopje for arms smuggling and
"plotting terrorist attacks," dpa reported on 28 February. Police found
12 hand grenades and 258 unspecified other pieces of ammunition in a
search of former UCK members' homes. Police recently arrested an
additional eight ethnic Albanians in Skopje and Ohrid on similar
charges. PM
[58] MACEDONIA AND BULGARIA AGREE ON RAIL LINK
Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov held meetings with top officials in
Skopje on 26 and 27 February aimed at promoting closer ties between his
country and Macedonia, dpa reported. Parvanov and his host, President
Boris Trajkovski, agreed on the importance of developing economic and
infrastructure links, including a railway linking their two capitals.
One of the regional priorities of the post-communist Balkans has been
the construction of an east-west route linking the Albanian Adriatic
coast with Istanbul. The east-west link will enable Macedonia to reduce
its economic and political dependence on the north-south trade route
connecting it with Serbia and Greece. PM
[59] YUGOSLAV MILITARY STARTS REFORMS
General Branko Krga said at a ceremony in Belgrade on 27 February that
the Yugoslav army (VJ) has begun implementing a package of reforms
aimed at making it more cost-effective and efficient, "Vesti" reported.
The army will be shrunk from 105,000 to 80,000 troops, and from 120 to
86 brigades. A single unified command in the General Staff will lead
the First (Belgrade), Second (Montenegro), and Third (southern Serbia)
Armies, as well as the navy and air force. Krga said that the reforms
were not introduced in response to "outside pressure," but the VJ has
long eyed membership in NATO's Partnership for Peace, which calls for
smaller, streamlined military structures. PM
[60] SERBIA DISSOLVES KOSOVA COMMITTEE
Legislators in the Serbian parliament belonging to the governing
coalition voted on 27 February to abolish the Temporary Supreme Council
of Kosovo, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service
reported. Justice Minister Vladan Batic said that the body has no real
authority but is costly to maintain. Belgrade has additional bodies
that deal with Kosova-related issues (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 and 26
November 2001). PM
[61] MONTENEGRIN GOVERNING PARTY SLAMS RIVAL FOR 'PLOTTING'
The Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) of President Djukanovic
charged in a statement in Podgorica on 27 February that the opposition
Together for Yugoslavia coalition -- which takes part in the federal
government that Podgorica does not recognize -- is engaged in "carrying
out [unspecified] political plans against Montenegro," RFE/RL's South
Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported. The DPS suggested that
its rivals are active in "blocking the Montenegrin democratic project,"
which presumably means a referendum on independence. PM
[62] CROATIA HEADING FOR CABINET CRISIS?
All five members of the Social Liberal Party (HSLS) have resigned from
the government, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service
reported on 27 February. The following day, Alojz Tusek -- who heads
the transport ministry and is a former member of the HSLS -- agreed the
next day to quit the cabinet (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 February 2002).
Prime Minister Ivica Racan said that "this is a serious situation, both
for the government and for myself." Observers suggest that the
resignations are part of a gambit by HSLS leader Drazen Budisa to
increase his party's influence in the government at the expense of
Racan's Social Democrats. PM
[63] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT OPPOSED TO ENVISAGED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
Ion Iliescu said in Craiova on 27 February that the constitutional
provision stipulating that the president is elected by popular vote
should not be amended, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. He said the
presidential institution is viewed by citizens as "prestigious," and
the population would be "frustrated" if the right to elect the
president was taken from it. He said he believes his view is
"objective," as he intends to respect the constitutional provision that
does not allow him to seek a new presidential mandate. Prime Minister
Adrian Nastase recently said that the envisaged constitutional
amendments should include elections of the president by the parliament.
MS
[64] NASTASE SHOWS LENIENCY TOWARD NEW FELLOWS' PASTS
Premier Nastase said on 27 February that one should take a "pragmatic
view" of the political past of the two former Greater Romania Party
(PRM) members who recently join the ruling Social Democratic Party,
Mediafax reported. He said that what is really important is for PRM
leader Corneliu Vadim Tudor to be left with "as few people as
possible," and that the departure of deputies Sever Mesca and Ilie
Neacsu from the PRM "is a clear signal that this radical party does not
enjoy the backing of either the population or even of its own members."
Nastase said he would not "wish to discuss" what Sever and Neacsu were
"before they became politicians," and added that "not even in the
parliament does one find only perfect people." Neacsu was editor in
chief of the ferociously anti-Semitic weekly "Europa," and Mesca is a
former member of the communist secret police. MS
[65] ROMANIAN SENATE CHAIRMAN RULES OUT PRM MOTION
Senate Chairman Nicolae Vacaroiu announced on 27 February that he has
decided to accept the recommendations of the Senate's Judicial
Commission and to reject as "unconstitutional" the "Abandonment of
Transylvania" motion submitted by the PRM. He added that the "PRM
colleagues" have agreed to "reformulate the motion and resubmit it,"
RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 February
2002). MS
[66] ROMANIAN PREMIER DENIES ANY INTENTION TO INTERFERE IN MOLDOVA...
Premier Nastase said in The Hague on 27 February that Romania "never
intended to interfere in Moldova's internal problems," Romanian radio
and Flux reported. He reiterated that Bucharest does not want to
"create the impression that Romanian and Russian interests confront
each other in Chisinau." The Romanian reaction, Nastase explained, "has
not been against the Russian language, but against certain tendencies
to reduce the significance and importance of the Romanian language" in
Moldova. Nastase added that he does not rule out that "some [Russian]
radical groups" in Moldova are attempting to change the country's
"identity," and create for it "a new role" in the "buffer zone" between
Russia and the rest of Europe that Moldova shares with Belarus and
Ukraine. MS
[67] ...BUT MOLDOVAN PREMIER ACCUSES ROMANIA OF 'INTERFERENCE IN
INTERNAL AFFAIRS'
Vasile Tarlev on 27 February accused Romania of "interference in
Moldova's internal affairs," Mediafax reported. Tarlev said that the
cabinet in Bucharest has allotted in February $3.5 million dollars for
financing cultural and economic programs in Moldova without the prior
consultation of Moldova's government. The governmental Office for
Relations with Moldova in Bucharest rejected the accusations. It said
that all assistance programs for Moldova were negotiated with Chisinau
within the joint governmental commission of the two countries. The
office said it is "surprised that Premier Tarlev distorts without
justification a cooperation program that benefits all Moldovan
citizens," and added that Tarlev does so "with the sole purpose of
seeking justification for his allegations of Romania's interference" in
Moldovan affairs. MS
[68] MOLDOVAN INTERIOR MINISTER RESIGNS
Interior Minister Vasile Draganel resigned from the cabinet on 27
February, RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. In submitting his
resignation, Draganel said it was not in any way linked to the current
protest demonstrations in the Moldovan capital. Reuters, however, cited
"local analysts" who said that Draganel resigned because he refused to
crack down on the protesters, as was demanded from him by the
government. President Vladimir Voronin appointed George Papuc as
Draganel's successor. Papuc has headed a Moldovan elite unit in the
Interior Ministry. MS
[69] MOLDOVAN RADIO, TV JOURNALISTS THREATEN TO STRIKE...
Some 300 journalists who work for Teleradio Moldova submitted to the
management a list of demands on 27 February and threatened to go on
strike if those demands were not met within two weeks, RFE/RL's
Chisinau bureau reported. The journalists demand that Teleradio Moldova
become a broadcasting authority independent of the government, that the
cabinet stop the process of "enforced Russification" of the broadcast
media, and that it lift "the taboo imposed on the words 'Romanian,'
'Romanian language,' 'Bessarabia,' 'History of Romanians',
'totalitarian regime,'" and others. The journalists are also demanding
that Teleradio Moldova present "an nondistorted image of the current
protest demonstrations." Meanwhile, the company's management refused to
receive on 27 February representatives of the Popular Party Christian
Democratic (PPCD) to discuss their demand that they be allowed to
present their views on television. MS
[70] ...PROMPTING VORONIN TO RUSH TO TELERADIO MOLDOVA
President Voronin met later with representatives of the journalist's
strike committee and promised that all censorship on broadcasts will be
lifted, Romanian radio reported. He also promised to reply to all the
journalists' other demands. Voronin asked the journalists to present
"balanced" reports, and to refrain from "favoring any political
formation." But he rejected the journalists' demand that the PPCD be
granted "equal coverage" in broadcasts. MS
[71] IMF APPROVES BULGARIAN STANDBY LOAN...
The International Monetary Fund approved on 27 February a two-year $299
million standby loan to Bulgaria, international agencies reported. The
loan replaces the $781 three-year credit that expired in September
2001. The IMF said Bulgaria can immediately draw $40 million. IMF
Deputy Managing Director Shigemitsu Sugisaki said that the fund
"supports the Bulgarian authorities' economic program, centered on the
currency board arrangement, prudent and flexible fiscal policy, a
strict incomes policy, and privatization and other structural reforms."
It also said that the outlook for Bulgaria's economy in 2002 was
"generally favorable," forecasting an economic growth of 4 percent,
somewhat lower than the approximately 4.5 percent registered last year.
MS
[72] ...AND WORLD BANK TO LOAN BULGARIA $ 500 MILLION
Andrew Vorking, World Bank director for Southeastern Europe, said in
Sofia on 27 February that the bank intends to extend up to $500 million
in loans over the next three years to promote market reforms and aid
the struggle against poverty in Bulgaria, AP reported. Deputy Premier
Nikolai Vasiliev said the aid is conditional on Bulgaria's
privatization of four of its largest state-owned companies by mid-2002.
The companies include Bulgartabac, the Bulgarian Telecommunications
Company, the State Insurance Institute, and the Sofia-based Biochim
Bank, which is Bulgaria's fourth largest. Under the terms of the
agreement, the government must also work out a privatization plan for
the State Savings Bank. MS
END NOTE
[73] There is no End Note today.
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