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RFE/RL Newsline, 02-04-03Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>CONTENTS
[01] RUSSIA, U.S. WORRIED ABOUT SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST...Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President George W. Bush on 2 April discussed by telephone the new cycle of violence in the Middle East and expressed their deep concern over the deterioration of Palestinian-Israeli relations," Western and Russian news services reported. The two presidents also discussed the coordination of bilateral and international efforts necessary to stop the latest confrontation. Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry released an official statement warning about the rise of military tension on the Israeli-Lebanese border, RIA-Novosti reported on 3 April. The statement stressed that the emergence of an armed confrontation between Israel and armed Islamic groups within Lebanese territory could further destabilize the situation in the region. VY[02] ...AS MARGELOV PESSIMISTIC ABOUT EXIT FROM PRESENT CONFRONTATIONFederation Council International Relations Committee Chairman Mikhail Margelov told journalists on 3 April that Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat will never agree to the exile offered to him by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon because doing so would mean his political suicide, strana.ru reported on 3 April. He added that, as an ambitious leader, Arafat will opt for the fate of a "shakhid" [one who commits suicide for martyrdom] as he already announced. On the other hand, according to Margelov, Israel will never liquidate Arafat physically because of the political consequences and risks involved. Finally, he said the United States is now unable to offer a workable solution because of too many conflicting political interests and goals. Therefore, the only hope is to wait for the moment when the inertia of violence exhausts itself, as no politician involved has demonstrated the ability or will to curtail it, concluded Margelov. VY[03] MOSCOW PROTESTS RFE/RL'S NORTH CAUCASUS BROADCASTSThe Russian Foreign Ministry has handed over an official protest to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow in connection with the beginning as of 3 April of RFE/RL broadcasts to the North Caucasus in the Avar, Chechen, and Circassian languages, Russian news agencies reported. Aleksandr Volin, the deputy chief of the Russian presidential staff, told ORT on 3 April that the broadcasts may have a "vegetative effect on the security not only of Russia, but the other countries of the regions, as U.S. officials, due to insufficient language skills, can hardly control the content of the broadcastings that could became a channel for extremist views." However, the beginning of broadcasting, especially in the Avar language, caused "real enthusiastic excitement among the people of Daghestan, among which Avars comprise the biggest ethnic group, Ekho Moskvy reported on 3 April. VY[04] PUTIN AND BERLUSCONI DISCUSS TRADE, SPACE COOPERATIONPresident Putin said after his meeting in Sochi with visiting Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi that "Italy is the key partner of Russia in Europe" and that he is more than satisfied with his fourth meeting in one year with the Italian prime minister, ITAR-TASS reported on 3 April. Meanwhile, Putin's foreign affairs adviser, Sergei Prikhodko, told journalists that Putin is seeking Berlusconi's support for Russia's position on the Kaliningrad Oblast and Russia's prompt joining of the World Trade Organization. Putin also expressed strong interest in having the national space agency Rosaviakosmos join the consortium led by FiatAvia that is working on creating the new commercial missile booster "Vega," "Vedomosti" reported on 3 April. VY[05] SUPREME COURT MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO CHALLENGE SECRECY REGULATIONSThe Supreme Court has declined environmentalist and former naval captain Aleksandr Nikitin's appeal concerning the classification and transparency of governmental and presidential materials, and ruled that presidential decrees cannot be challenge by citizens in court, Interfax reported on 3 April. The decree in question, No. 763, was published by former President Boris Yeltsin in March 1996 and provided grounds for the publication of classified regulations dealing with state secrets. Over the last several years, many scientists and journalists, including Nikitin, have faced charges of state treason and espionage brought by the Federal Security Service after publishing such materials as allowed by the decree (see "Russia: Supreme Court Rulings Bring Hope to Pasko, Others Accused of Treason," rferl.org, 14 February 2002). It is feared that the Supreme Court's decision will have a negative affect on the cases of military journalist Grigorii Pasko and scientist Igor Sutyagin. VY[06] JOURNALIST MURDERED IN MOSCOWValerii Balyuev, a special correspondent for "Moskovskie novosti" and "Argumenty i Fakty" was found dead near a Moscow marketplace, Interfax reported on 2 April. According to an Interior Ministry spokesman, Balyuev was strangled and stabbed to death. While the spokesman refused speculate on why the journalist may have been murdered, his colleagues are saying that Balyuev was targeted because he was an investigative journalist who reported about Chechnya and frequently visited the republic. VY[07] USTINOV TAKES OVER NEWSPAPER CASEProsecutor-General Vladimir Ustinov met on 2 April with "Nezavisimaya gazeta" General Director Rustam Narzikulov, lenta.ru reported. At the meeting, Ustinov promised to assume control over the criminal proceedings launched against the newspaper's Deputy Editor Igor Zotov that were recently launched by the Moscow city prosecutor's office, newspaper Editor in Chief Tatyana Koshkareva told Ekho Moskvy radio. Zotov is facing libel charges for an article written by a freelancer named Alina Tarasova, who alleged that federal and Moscow city judges accepted bribes (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 2 April 2002). Koshkareva also revealed that the newspaper's leadership is thinking about finding new investors to replace embattled oligarch Boris Berezovsky. JAC[08] COMMUNISTS MULL THEIR COUNTERATTACK IN DUMAIn response to announced plans to redistribute the chairmanships of the State Duma's committees, Communist Party leaders threatened on 2 April to fight such a move (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 2 April 2002). Valentin Kuptsov, first deputy Communist faction leader, told ORT that while the party hasn't reached a final decision on how it will proceed, the bloc "has options open to it." Communist deputy Yegor Ligachev said he does not rule out the possibility that his party will table a motion for early Duma elections, Ekho Moskvy reported. The next day, "Kommersant-Daily" suggested that the faction members could refuse to chair any committees and effectively stop carrying out their duties as legislators and recall their speaker, Gennadii Seleznev. However, the daily pointed out that the lower house could still function since "the centrists and rightists together make up more than 300 votes." JAC[09] TATARSTAN LEGISLATORS IGNORE PROSECUTOR'S WARNINGS"Kommersant-Daily" reported on 3 April that the previous day Tatarstan's republican legislators passed in its second reading a bill amending the republic's constitution. The amendments were designed to ensure that the constitution conforms with federal law; however, republican prosecutor Kafil Amirov has said that he will protest the amended constitution if his notes and proposals are ignored, RFE/RL's Kazan bureau reported on 1 April. According to the daily, the legislators did ignore Amirov's threat because they believe Tatarstan's President Mintimer Shaimiev reached a verbal agreement with President Putin under which Tatarstan is able to retain the symbols of its sovereignty in exchange for the republic's "political loyalty." The newspaper said that by adopting a new version of its constitution Tatarstan will formally fulfill its legal obligations, and a new legal attack can be launched only after six months. However, the daily commented, by that time federal officials will be more concerned with the upcoming 2003 State Duma elections. JAC[10] SOUTHERN REGION LAUNCHES OPERATION 'FOREIGNER'...Rostov Oblast law enforcement officials on 2 April announced the results of their operation "Foreigner," which began one week ago, Interfax-Eurasia reported. Over the course of the week, police detained some 2,000 citizens of foreign countries. Police also found more than five kilograms of narcotics and more than 1,200 firearms. Police officials said that the criminal groups in the oblast, which are composed mainly of foreigners, are generally occupied with the trade of drugs and other contraband. JAC[11] ...AS MESKHETIANS FACE NEW PERSECUTIONMeanwhile, in neighboring Krasnodar Krai, a plan by Cossacks in the village of Nizhnebakansaya to evict two Meskhetian Turk families was foiled when local human rights groups alerted the media, "Vremya novostei" reported on 2 April. Tamara Kasrastelebayu, chairwoman of the Novorossiisk Municipal Committee for Human Rights, told the daily that the krai government "is looking for some enemies allegedly responsible for the crime rate here." As a result, she continued, it is "deliberately escalating the conflict between the Cossacks and the newcomers, even though the consequences of that could be horrible." According to an article by commentator Andrei Piontkovskii in "Novaya gazeta" on 28 March, even Meskhetian Turks with Soviet passports who have lived in Krasnodar for years are being targeted. Piontkovskii also said that with his recent statements on immigrants, Krasnodar Governor Aleksandr Tkachev has been playing the role of a "fascist" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 March 2002). JAC[12] SIBERIAN, FAR EAST OFFICIALS REACH OUT TO ASIAN COUNTERPARTSA delegation from North Korea will visit the cities of Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, and Blagoveshchensk from 4 to 12 April at the invitation of presidential envoy to the Far Eastern federal district Konstantin Pulikovskii, Interfax-Eurasia reported on 2 April. The delegation will be headed by Deputy Prime Minister Jo Chang-Dok. Jo will discuss bilateral trade and investment issues with Pulikovskii, as well as future transportation projects. Meanwhile, in Tokyo on 2 April, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi met with Irkutsk Governor Boris Govorin, who led a delegation of oblast industrialists to Japan, Interfax-Eurasia reported. According to Kawaguchi, 20 percent of all Russian exports to Japan come from Irkutsk Oblast. The last time the oblast sent a delegation to Japan was seven years ago. JAC[13] LUZHKOV'S BULLS CONTINUE TO SUFFERThe bulls brought to Moscow last year for bullfights, which Moscow Mayor Yurii Luzhkov subsequently banned, are currently being kept in conditions in the village of Protasovo in Moscow Oblast that are so awful that one of them has died, Russian bullfighter Lydia Aratamonova told Interfax on 29 March. Last October, Moscow city officials said the bulls would be transferred to a nature preserve, where they would not be in any danger (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18 and 29 October 2001). However, according to Aratamonova, the bulls are being kept in overcrowded conditions in a stall that has not been cleaned since mid-August. Workers caring for the animals have not been paid their wages. Due to the overcrowding, two of the maturing bulls mauled a third to death. Earlier, the bulls were in danger of freezing because they were being kept in an unheated facility. JAC[14] HARRY POTTER LINKED WITH OCCULTISM IN WESTERN EXCLAVELeaflets calling for a boycott of the film "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" have begun appearing in Kaliningrad, BNS reported on 2 April citing the Kaliningrad supplement to "Komsomolskaya pravda." The leaflets say that the film promotes occultism and magic and the author of the Harry Potter book series, J.K. Rowling, is a satanist. Local Orthodox priest Father Mikhail told the newspaper that while the church is "against any form of occultism," it does not wish to wage a campaign against the film. He suggested that perhaps some unknown parishioner had the leaflets printed at his or her own expense. JAC[15] MOSCOW, GROZNY COMMENT ON CHECHEN SISTERS' MURDERUnnamed sources within the Russian presidential press service told ITAR-TASS and Interfax on 2 April that the killing in the Chechen village of Avtury the previous night of murdered Chechen politician Adam Deniev's two sisters was carried out on orders from Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov and was intended to intimidate all those Chechens who are loyal to the federal authorities (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 2 April 2002). In Grozny, Chechen administration head Akhmed-hadji Kadyrov termed the killings "a catastrophe," adding that "a Muslim, a true believer, will never shed the blood of a woman." LF[16] NEW REGULATIONS ON CHECHEN SEARCH OPERATIONS VIOLATEDIn what appears to be a blatant violation of instructions issued last week by Lieutenant General Vladimir Moltenskoi, who commands the joint Russian forces in Chechnya, to refrain from violence against civilians during search operations (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 29 March 2002), Russian troops detained some 300 Chechens during a search operation in the village of Tsotan-Yurt between 25 March and 1 April, "The Moscow Times" and chechenpress.com reported. All males between the ages of 13 and 65 were severely beaten to the point that they were unable to walk, but were forced to sign documents saying that they had not been mistreated. Fourteen persons vanished without a trace during the search, three houses were destroyed, and five others were looted. LFTRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA [17] INDEPENDENT ARMENIAN TV STATION CEASES BROADCASTINGThe independent TV station A1+ ceased broadcasting at midnight local time on 2 April after having failed to win a tender to retain its broadcasting frequency, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 2 April 2002). The station's director has appealed to the Armenian Economic Court to annul the tender's outcome on the grounds that it was conducted in violation of the law and the Armenian Constitution. Journalists and opposition parties condemned the outcome of the tender; opposition parties announced that they will convene a mass demonstration on 5 April in defense of media freedom. Earlier on 2 April, President Robert Kocharian told journalists before leaving on an official visit to Tajikistan (see below) that he hopes A1+ will stay on the air and that he is ready to meet with its staff to discuss "what solutions could be found." Also on 2 April, parliament speaker Armen Khachatrian denied, as Kocharian had done earlier, that A1+ was silenced for its hard-hitting coverage of political developments, according to Mediamax, as cited by Groong. LF[18] SPOKESMAN DENIES FORMER ARMENIAN PRESIDENT PLANS RETURN TO POLITICSSpeculation that Levon Ter-Petrossian is planning to return to Armenian politics is devoid of any foundation, his spokesman Levon Zurabian told Arminfo on 2 April, according to Groong (see "RFE/RL Caucasus Report,"Vol. 5, No. 9, 7 March 2002 and "RFE/RL Newsline," 2 April 2002).Zurabian said Ter-Petrossian, who resigned as president under pressure in February 1998, is engaged in scholarly research and "will not run in any elections." LF[19] AZERBAIJANI INTERIOR MINISTER AGAIN PRAISES PRESIDENT'S SON AS WORTHY SUCCESSOR...In an interview with Turan on 2 April, Ramil Usubov again said, as he did one month earlier, that he believes that President Heidar Aliev's son Ilham would make a worthy president on the grounds of his "great managerial skills, all-around political knowledge, intellectual qualities, and patriotism" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 6 March 2002). But Usubov added that he is convinced Heidar Aliev will be re-elected for a third presidential term next year. Ilham Aliev similarly said last month that he is sure his father will win a third term (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 23 March 2002). LF[20] ...AS OPPOSITION SEEKS TO ENSURE BALLOT WILL BE FREE AND FAIRMeanwhile, the opposition Democratic, Liberal, and Azerbaijan National Independence parties have expressed their support for a proposal by Adalet party Chairman Ilyas Ismailov that the 2003 presidential ballot be organized by the OSCE in order to minimize the potential for rigging the results, Turan reported on 2 April, quoting the independent daily "Azadlyg." LF[21] AGREEMENT SIGNED ON WITHDRAWAL OF GEORGIAN TROOPS FROM KODORI...Georgian Minister for Special Assignments Malkhaz Kakabadze and Abkhaz Deputy Defense Minister Givi Agrba signed a protocol in Tbilisi on 2 April under which Georgia will withdraw by 10 April the 350 troops it deployed last fall in the upper reaches of the Kodori Gorge, Caucasus Press reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 22 January, 12 February and 2 April 2002). In return, Abkhazia will pull back the troops and armor it has deployed in Tkvarcheli Raion. In addition, the UN and the CIS peacekeeping force will resume patrols of the upper reaches of the Kodori Gorge, and displaced persons who fled their homes there will be enabled to return. Georgian Defense Minister David Tevzadze said last week that the Georgian border guards will replace the army troops (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 March 2002), but local Georgian administrators Iveri Chelidze and Emzar Kvitsiani both said that the local Svan population is perfectly capable of defending itself against a possible attack, according to Caucasus Press and Interfax on 2 April. LF[22] ...TO SATISFACTION OF UN ENVOYDieter Boden, who is UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's special envoy for the Abkhaz conflict, greeted the signing of the 2 April troop withdrawal agreement, Caucasus Press reported. Boden said he hopes it will pave the way for a resumption of talks on the repatriation to Abkhazia of Georgian displaced persons and on the document, which he was instrumental in drafting, on the division of powers between the central Georgian and the Abkhaz governments. LF[23] GEORGIA, ABKHAZIA, UN GREET APPOINTMENT OF RUSSIAN ENVOY FOR ABKHAZ MEDIATION...Georgian Foreign Ministry spokesman Kakha Sikharulidze on 2 April hailed Russian President Vladimir Putin's naming on 30 March of Russian First Deputy Foreign Minister Valerii Loshchinin, a specialist on conflicts within the CIS, as his envoy for mediating a solution to the Abkhaz conflict, Caucasus Press reported. Both Sikharulidze and Boden expressed confidence that Loshchinin's appointment will have a positive impact on the negotiating process. Speaking in Sukhum on 1 April, Abkhaz Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba similarly welcomed Loshchinin's appointment. Adjar Supreme Council Chairman Aslan Abashidze, who is Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze's envoy for Abkhaz mediation and who in that capacity held talks with Loshchinin in Moscow last month, commented that Loshchinin's appointment "mirrors Russia's readiness to assume a great responsibility" for resolving the conflict, according to ITAR-TASS. LF[24] ...AS GEORGIA CALLS FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACEKEEPERSCaucasus Press on 2 April quoted Georgian Foreign Minister Irakli Menagharishvili as saying that Georgia still wants the Russian CIS peacekeeping force deployed under the CIS aegis in the Abkhaz conflict zone replaced by an international force. Menagharishvili noted that both Ukraine and Azerbaijan have already expressed their willingness to provide troops for such a force. Menagharishvili also disclosed that Georgia hopes that the EU will soon play a more active role in seeking to regulate conflicts in the South Caucasus. But at the same time he admitted that the EU will only complete forming its own rapid-reaction force early next year, and that Georgia should not pin its hopes on an EU contingent and freeze further efforts to resolve the conflict. Meanwhile, Russian Federation Council member Nikolai Tulaev proposed on 30 March extending the CIS peacekeepers' mandate for a further 12 months, Caucasus Press reported. Since that contingent's deployment in the summer of 1994, its mandate has been renewed at six-month intervals. LF[25] GEORGIAN CONSTITUTIONAL COURT DECLARES ABKHAZ, SOUTH OSSETIAN CONSTITUTIONS ILLEGALIn response to a 25 March appeal by Labor Party Chairman Shalva Natelashvili, the Constitutional Court ruled on 2 April that the constitutions of the unrecognized breakaway Republic of Abkhazia and Republic of South Ossetia contravene Georgia's basic law, Caucasus Press reported. LF[26] GEORGIAN SUPREME COURT SANCTIONS ARREST OF SUSPECTED CHECHEN FIGHTERSTwo Chechens, one of them a Georgian citizen, have been taken into custody for three months and charged with maintaining contacts with Jordanian-born Chechen field commander Khattab and members of Al-Qaeda, Caucasus Press reported on 30 March. Sevdia Ugrekhelidze, a lawyer for one of the two men, said the prosecution has no direct evidence to support that charge. She added that her client, Islam Saidiev, is a journalist and had professional contacts with Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov and Chechen field commanders. Georgian Popular Front Chairman Nodar Natadze claimed that the Georgian authorities arrested Saidiev at the request of the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi. LF[27] EMBASSY STANDOFF IN KAZAKHSTAN CONTINUES...Pro- and antigovernment demonstrators congregated on 2 April outside the building in Almaty that houses the French, German, and British embassies, and where Ghalymzhan Zhaqiyanov, cofounder of the opposition movement Democratic Choice for Kazakhstan (DVK) took refuge on 29 March to avoid arrest. The OSCE office in Almaty issued a statement on 2 April expressing concern at an incident earlier that day in which police attacked Senator Zauresh Battalova, who had tried to prevent police violence against journalists reporting on the scene outside the embassy building, Reuters reported. Police also detained Zhaqiyanov's wife Karlyghash late on 1 April, claiming the car in which she drove to the embassy had been stolen. A cameraman for independent TAN-TV was hospitalized after being beaten up by unknown persons outside the embassy, RFE/RL's Almaty bureau reported. LF[28] ...AS KAZAKH OPPOSITION PROTESTS 'SELECTIVE' ARRESTS...Meanwhile, the DVK and the opposition Forum of Democratic Forces of Kazakhstan issued a joint statement on 1 April carried on forumkz.org noting that Zhaqiyanov, a former governor of Pavlodar Oblast; former Energy, Industry, and Trade Minister Mukhtar Ablyazov, who was arrested last week on corruption charges (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 28 March 2002); and exiled former Premier Akezhan Kazhegeldin, who was sentenced in absentia on unsubstantiated corruption charges; are the only senior Kazakh officials to have been charged with corruption during the 10 years since Kazakhstan became independent. It added that criminal charges were brought against the three men only immediately after they resigned, or were dismissed, from influential positions and declared their opposition to the ruling regime. By contrast, the Prosecutor-General's Office and Interior Ministry routinely ignore documentary evidence of abuse of office, corruption, and money laundering by officials who remain loyal to President Nursultan Nazarbaev, the statement pointed out. LF[29] ...AND PRESIDENT WARNS OF TOUGHER ANTICORRUPTION MEASURESAddressing a conference of Interior Ministry personnel in Astana on 29 March, President Nazarbaev announced his intention to establish a special body that will be responsible for supervising the investigation of corruption cases, especially those involving senior officials, Interfax reported. He criticized the Interior Ministry for scaling back its efforts to combat corruption, specifically for closing one in four of all corruption cases opened last year. But in an implicit corroboration of the opposition claims that charges of corruption are brought primarily against persons considered to pose a threat to the ruling elite, Nazarbaev also said that the Law on Privacy of Bank Deposits may not be challenged, even by the cabinet or the Central Bank, Interfax reported. LF[30] KAZAKHSTAN TO OFFER ANTITERROR COALITION EMERGENCY USE OF AIRFIELD?The U.S. and Kazakh leaderships are discussing the possibility of Kazakhstan placing an airfield at the disposal of the international antiterrorism coalition for use in emergencies, U.S. Ambassador Larry Napper told journalists in Almaty on 1 April, according to AP the following day. Foreign Minister Qasymzhomart Toqaev for his part said Astana might make an airfield available "for refueling in emergency circumstances." He did not elaborate, nor indicate whether specific facilities have been discussed. LF[31] DOUBTS EXPRESSED THAT RIVAL INVESTIGATIONS WILL CLARIFY CIRCUMSTANCES OF KYRGYZ CLASHES...Ramazan Dyryldaev, who is chairman of the Kyrgyz Committee for Human Rights, told RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service by telephone from Vienna on 30 March that he does not believe either the government or the parliamentary commission established to clarify the circumstances of the 17-18 March clashes between police and demonstrators in Djalalabad Oblast's Aksy Raion will succeed in doing so. He said only the public commission headed by opposition political leader Topchubek Turgunaliev could reach an objective conclusion, but that the authorities are hindering its work. On 2 April, journalist Bermet Bukasheva denounced the parliamentary commission as biased in favor of the government, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported. On 29 March, Asel Mambetalieva, the chairwoman of the parliamentary commission, told RFE/RL that all witnesses who have testified before the commission blame Aksy Prosecutor Abdylkalyk Kaldarov for triggering the clashes by ordering the detention of Human Rights Movement of Kyrgyzstan Chairman Tursunbek Akunov. On 1 April, Mambetalieva said her commission will present its findings on 4 April. LF[32] ...AS HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST CLAIMS THEY WERE PLANNED IN ADVANCE...Dyryldaev told RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service on 1 April that witnesses in Djalalabad say that Aksy District head Shermamat Osmonov warned local hospitals on the morning of 17 March to ensure that they had adequate staff on duty to deal with casualties later that day. Djalalabad Oblast Governor Sultan Urmanaev told RFE/RL on 2 April that he was not aware of any official preparations to provoke, or deal with the consequences of, the clashes, but added that local police and other officials frequently act on their own initiative. Urmanaev said he believes the primary cause of the clashes was widespread poverty, rather than support for detained parliament deputy Azimbek Beknazarov. LF[33] ...AND ONE SUSPECT IS ARRESTEDPolice in Djalalabad have arrested 17-year-old Fattakh Ziyatdinov from Aksy Raion for his alleged role in the 17 March clashes, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported on 2 April. He is accused of setting fire to a police station in his native village of Kerben on 17 March and of looting the burned-out home of a police officer in the same village the following day. LF[34] RUSSIA PRESSURES KYRGYZSTAN NOT TO EXTEND AGREEMENT ON HOSTING INTERNATIONAL TROOPSFormer Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Boris Pastukhov, who is currently chairman of the Russian State Duma's Committee for Relations with the CIS, advised Abdygany Erkebaev, speaker of the lower chamber of the Kyrgyz parliament, in Bishkek on 2 April that the agreement the Kyrgyz government signed in December 2001 making its military facilities available for one year to the international antiterrorism coalition should not be prolonged, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported. Kyrgyzstan's President Askar Akaev has said that the agreement will be extended for as long as is necessary, but not indefinitely (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 8 March 2002). LF[35] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT BEGINS VISIT TO TAJIKISTANVisiting Armenian President Kocharian met with his Tajik counterpart Imomali Rakhmonov in Dushanbe on 2 April to discuss expanding bilateral trade and economic cooperation, and cooperation within the CIS and the CIS Collective Security Treaty, ITAR-TASS reported. Bilateral trade between the two countries has plummeted since 1994, presumably primarily as a result of the Tajik civil war. Four bilateral documents were signed, including an Agreement on Friendship and Cooperation, according to Asia Plus-Blitz on 3 April. Also on 3 April, Tajik Defense Minister Colonel General Sherali Khairulloev and Armenian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Khachaturov discussed bilateral military and military-technical cooperation and regional security. LF[36] TURKMEN PRESIDENT NAMES NEW SECURITY, INTERIOR MINISTRY OFFICIALS...Saparmurat Niyazov on 2 April named Dushanbe Prosecutor Mukhammetkuli Ogshukov and former Dashoguz Deputy Prosecutor Begench Redjepov to serve simultaneously as deputy prosecutors-general, Interfax reported. Niyazov also named two new deputy interior ministers, Sakhatberdy Sakhatmuradov and former National Security Committee official Annaberdy Kakabaev, but has still not named an interior minister to succeed Colonel General Poran Berdyev, who since mid-March has headed the National Security Ministry (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 15 March 2002). LF[37] ...AS CRIMINAL CASE BROUGHT AGAINST TURKMEN PARLIAMENT COMMITTEE CHAIRWOMANMeanwhile the Turkmen parliament has suspended Nurtach Velmamedova from her post as chairwoman of the committee on science, education, and culture to enable the prosecutor-general to open a criminal case against her on charges of accepting a $1,500 bribe, Interfax reported on 2 April. Velmamedova is the sister-in-law of disgraced former National Security Committee Chairman Mukhammed Nazarov. LFCENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE [38] BELARUSIAN LOWER HOUSE AFFIRMS ITS TRUST IN SPEAKERThe Chamber of Representatives, which began its spring session on 2 April, voted 73-20 to reject a motion proposing a vote of no-confidence in speaker Vadzim Papou, Belapan reported. Deputy Valery Frolau, who proposed the motion, criticized Papou for preventing the chamber from focusing on laws that could have "an impact on the situation in the country," and for Papou's readiness "to approve laws without discussion." Fralou proposed deputy speaker Uladzimir Kanaplyou as a replacement, adding that Kanaplyou "de facto runs the parliament." JM[39] ANOTHER BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION ACTIVIST GETS JAIL SENTENCEJudge Tatsyana Paulyuchuk on 2 April passed a 10-day jail sentence on opposition activist Tsimafey Dranchuk for his participation in the Freedom Day rally in Minsk on 24 March (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 25 March 2002), RFE/RL's Belarusian Service reported. Dranchuk was not taken into custody since he left the courtroom before the verdict was delivered. "It was evident that the judge was inclined to send me to jail," Dranchuk told RFE/RL by telephone. "I expected the judge to sentence me to 10 or 15 days, because she ignored the testimony of witnesses for the defense and trusted that of OMON [riot police] witnesses. I understood that in any case Judge Pavlyuchuk would pass the sentence she was told to. That is why I did not wait for the verdict and left the court." Dzmitry Bandarenka from the Charter-97 human rights group was fined some $116 in connection with the same rally. JM[40] OUR UKRAINE WINS 112 PARLIAMENTARY SEATS, FOR A UNITED UKRAINE 102The Central Election Commission (CEC) on 2 April announced official results of the proportional vote in which 225 parliamentary mandates were contested. Our Ukraine obtained 23.52 percent of the vote (70 seats), the Communist Party 20.04 percent (59 seats), For a United Ukraine 11.98 percent (36 seats), the Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc 7.21 percent (21 seats), the Socialist Party 6.93 percent (21 seats), and the Social Democratic Party-united 6.24 percent (18 seats). CEC Chairman Mykhaylo Ryabets said that, according to preliminary results, out of the 225 mandates contested in one-seat constituencies, For a United Ukraine is expected to get 66, Our Ukraine 42, the Communist Party seven, the Social Democratic Party-united five, the Democratic Party-Democratic Union Bloc four, the Socialist Party three, the Party of National Economic Development one, and the Ukrainian Naval Party one, while 93 mandates will go to candidates who ran on an independent ticket. JM[41] TYMOSHENKO URGES OUR UKRAINE TO JOIN OPPOSITIONYuliya Tymoshenko, the leader of the eponymous election bloc, told journalists on 2 April that the results of the parliamentary election mean a "crushing defeat" for the authorities, UNIAN reported. According to her, For a United Ukraine obtained some 12 percent of the vote mainly due to pressure, threats, and vote rigging. She also said there is every chance to unite democratic forces in the Verkhovna Rada. Tymoshenko noted that Viktor Yushchenko's Our Ukraine, the Socialist Party, and her bloc could pool efforts to form a democratic parliamentary majority and change the government. "All this again depends on a decision by the Yushchenko bloc. If he tries to seek compromises with a political force that is no longer present in society, that is with the government's team, these plans unfortunately will fail," 1+1 Television quoted her as saying. JM[42] UKRAINIAN PREMIER DOUBTFUL ABOUT 'OFFICIAL' COALITION WITH COMMUNISTSPremier Anatoliy Kinakh said on 2 April he is "absolutely certain" that "official cooperation" between the For a United Ukraine bloc and the Communist Party in a parliamentary majority in the new parliament is "unreal and impossible," UNIAN reported. He added, however, that both groups could cooperate on individual issues. Kinakh also said the new parliament has no "real chances" to amend the constitution in line with the April 2000 referendum. JM[43] UKRAINIAN NATIONALIST LEADER TO LEAVE JAIL FOR PARLIAMENTAndriy Shkil, the leader of the Ukrainian National Assembly-Ukrainian National Self-Defense, was elected a deputy to the Verkhovna Rada in a single-mandate constituency in Lviv Oblast, UNIAN reported on 2 April. Shkil has been in jail for more than a year, facing charges of organizing violent clashes with police during an antipresidential protest in Kyiv on 9 March 2001. JM[44] U.S. CRITICIZES UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT OVER ELECTION"We are disappointed that the government of Ukraine did not move in a proactive manner to ensure a level playing field for all political parties," U.S. State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said in a statement on 1 April. "We are particularly disappointed that officials did not take steps to curb the widespread and open abuse of authority, including the use of government positions and facilities, to the unfair advantage of certain parties," he added. Reeker said Washington would await final results before commenting on whether the vote was fair. He also gave U.S. backing to the OSCE's plan to send a follow-up mission to Ukraine to rule on whether the election met democratic standards. JM[45] ESTONIA LIKELY TO DROP APPLICATION FOR TRANSITION PERIOD FOR TAX-FREE TRADEForeign Minister Kristiina Ojuland told the Central Association of Estonian Employers on 2 April that Estonia will likely end its efforts to obtain a 6 1/2 year transition period for tax-free trade on ferryboats in its EU membership negotiations, ETA reported. The request, which the EU seems unlikely to grant, has been a stumbling block in closing the chapter on taxation. Ojuland said Estonia might follow the practice used in the Nordic countries, in which the state compensates shipping firms for losses they incur as the result of the abolition of tax-free trade. The losses would be greatest for ferryboats operating between Tallinn and Helsinki and Stockholm. SG[46] LATVIAN-RUSSIAN SOCIAL SECURITY COOPERATION TREATY IN THE WORKSWelfare Ministry State Secretary Maija Porsnova told a press conference on 2 April that a social security cooperation treaty with Russia is being prepared, LETA reported. She noted that talks in Moscow in late March with a delegation of experts headed by Russian Labor and Social Development Deputy Minister Yurii Lublin ended with an agreement in principle on the wording of the treaty. The treaty will regulate the procedure for paying pensions and benefits to individuals who have been insured or worked in the other country. Both sides agreed to pay pensions for the periods that the pensioners worked on their territory. The pensions will be sent to the country where the respective pensioner resides. Porsnova estimated that the treaty will affect some 22,000 residents and cost Latvia approximately 2.5 million lats ($3.94 million). The treaty must be signed and ratified by the two states along with an agreement on the procedure for its implementation. SG[47] LITHUANIAN PRESIDENT DELIVERS ANNUAL REPORT TO PARLIAMENTValdas Adamkus delivered his annual report for the year 2001 to the parliament on 2 April, ELTA reported. Although the role of the president is strongest in the field of foreign policy, he did not devote particular attention to the area, but he did reaffirm that considerable progress was made toward achieving the country's goals of membership in the EU and NATO. Adamkus urged the government to establish the country's priority economic areas without delay, set the development of a knowledge-based economy as its strategic goal, and continue tax reforms. He called on political parties to eradicate corruption, increase transparency, and restore people's trust in politicians. Noting the previous lack of success in restructuring Lithuania's energy market, Adamkus called for the effective privatization of the Lithuanian gas market and making Mazeikiai Oil profitable, but did not state his position on the EU's demands that the Ignalina atomic power plant be closed by 2009. SG[48] POLISH EDITOR URGES TRUTH ABOUT ARCHBISHOP'S RESIGNATIONJaroslaw Gowin, the editor in chief of the Catholic monthly "Znak," told Polish Radio on 2 April that he wants the church authorities to reveal whether the sexual harassment allegations against Archbishop Juliusz Paetz, who resigned last week (see "RFE/RL Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine Report," 2 April 2002), are true. "It is hard to imagine that the Holy See would have failed to publicize the fact that the investigation had not confirmed the allegations [against Paetz]," Gowin said. "Therefore, [Paetz's] dismissal and the silence over the allegations confirm these allegations without any doubt. This is what I know...[but] many people in Poland are confused and bewildered, and do not know what to think about the case." JM[49] POLISH GOVERNMENT REVOKES PRIVATIZATION DEALLeszek Miller's cabinet has decided to cancel an agreement reached last year by its predecessor to sell 21 percent of PZU, Poland's biggest insurer, to the Dutch-based Eureko B.V. (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 5 October 2001), AP reported on 2 April. Treasury Minister Wieslaw Kaczmarek insisted that "the deal wouldn't protect the state's interests properly." Currently, Eureko holds a 30 percent stake in PZU while the government has 55 percent. The remaining shares are held by PZU employees. Miller's government has pledged to review all privatization agreements made by the former administration. JM[50] POLISH POLITICIAN SURRENDERS BID TO JOIN EU CONVENTION PRESIDIUMFormer Premier Jozef Oleksy of the Democratic Left Alliance has decided not to run for the presidium of the EU Convention, Polish Radio reported on 2 April. He stressed that Poland struggled for the presence of candidate countries in the presidium, not for a seat for itself. Oleksy is the representative of the Sejm in the EU Convention. Poland is also represented in the EU Convention by European Integration Minister Danuta Huebner and Senator Edmund Wittbrodt. According to Oleksy, the Poles will most likely support a candidate from Slovenia or Lithuania for the presidium. JM[51] CZECH PRESIDENT STANDS TO LOSE CASTLE GUARD...Bringing the presidential Castle Guard under the Defense Ministry's supervision could save hundreds of millions of Czech crowns, Defense Minister Jaroslav Tvrdik said after meeting on 2 April with Chamber of Deputies Defense and Security Commission Chairman Petr Necas, CTK reported. The guard is currently under President Vaclav Havel's personal command. Necas, a deputy chairman of the opposition Civic Democratic Party, suggested that regular soldiers rotate as presidential guards instead of having a special unit designated for that purpose. "I admit that I like the proposal," Tvrdik said, adding that the annual cost of maintaining the Castle Guard is about 400-500 million crowns ($11.51 million to $14.38 million). He added that it "would be an honor for soldiers in our army to spend part of their duty" as presidential guards, and that these troops would be "at least as professional" as those now serving in the castle. MS[52] ...AS NEW SCANDAL EMERGES AROUND GUARDThe Castle Guard, which has recently come under media scrutiny due to several scandals (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 28 March 2002), made the headlines again on 3 April. According to the daily "Mlada fronta Dnes," one more castle officer was revealed to have been an agent for the communist military counterintelligence service, which was controlled by the secret police (StB), CTK reported. He was identified as Lieutenant Colonel Liska and, as in the previously revealed case of former Castle Guard commander Jaroslav Indruch, reportedly left the guard after receiving a "negative screening certificate." "Mlada fronta Dnes" quoted Ladislav Tomecek, the head of the presidential office military section, as saying he "cannot guarantee" that there are no former StB members in the guard. MS[53] CZECH PREMIER 'UNDERSTANDS' ISRAELI ANTITERRORIST EFFORT...Milos Zeman said in Chicago on 2 April that he "understands" the Israeli effort to "destroy the terrorist infrastructure," but would object if the action turns out to be directed at liquidating Palestinians in general, CTK reported. Zeman said the Israeli effort is as justifiable as the United States' campaign to destroy terrorist infrastructure in Afghanistan. He said terrorism can be defined as "a persistent attack on civilians [resulting in the] killing of civilians for the sake of political goals." MS[54] ...WHILE ODA CALLS ON GOVERNMENT TO FREEZE RELATIONS WITH PALESTINIANSThe Civic Democratic Alliance (ODA) on 2 April called on Foreign Minister Jan Kavan to freeze all relations with the Palestinian Authority for as long as terrorist attacks on Israel continue, CTK reported. ODA Chairman Michael Zantovsky told journalists that "excusing and defending atrocities committed with the tacit consent of the Palestinian Authority headed by Yasser Arafat is in sharp contradiction with European values and with the declared European policy to fight terrorism around the world." Zantovsky said no balanced policy can be stricken "between democracy and national fanatics," just as it is impossible to "compare terrorist acts with the legitimate right of every state to protect itself." He concluded by saying that "murderers cannot pose as martyrs." MS[55] CZECH PUBLISHER OF 'MEIN KAMPF' APPEALS TO CONSTITUTIONAL COURT, SUPREME COURTMichal Zitko, who was given a three-year suspended sentence in December 2000 for his publication of a Czech-language translation of Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf," has appealed to the Supreme Court and to the Constitutional Court asking that the verdict be reconsidered, CTK reported on 2 March. Zitko was also fined 2.5 million crowns (nearly $71,000) to be paid within 15 days of the December 2000 sentencing, which he said he was unable to do on such short notice. If he does not pay the fine he must serve the suspended sentence. He claims that the book is a "historical document" that can no longer have a political impact. MS[56] CZECH PREMIER CLARIFIES STATEMENT ON FICO, SMERCzech Premier Zeman, speaking in Chicago on 2 April, said that Smer (Direction) party Chairman Robert Fico could become Slovakia's next premier even if Smer does not emerge as the largest party after the country's elections in September, CTK reported. He was earlier quoted as saying that Fico will win those elections (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 2 April 2002). Zeman said he expects President Robert Schuster to respect the promise he made to NATO Secretary-General Lord George Robertson not to designate former Premier Vladimir Meciar as head of the government, even if Meciar's Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) wins the elections. Zeman said Smer is likely to emerge as Slovakia's second-strongest party from that ballot, and that a coalition headed by Fico could be formed without the HZDS. MS[57] KDH CHAIRMAN SAYS SLOVAKS SEE EYE-TO-EYE WITH CZECHS ON BENES DECREESChristian Democratic Movement (KDH) Chairman Pavol Hrusovsky, who is a deputy chairman in the parliament, said on 2 April that the Czech Republic and Slovakia share the same opinion on the Benes Decrees, TASR reported. Hrusovsky spoke after meeting in Prague with Jan Ruml and Petra Buzkova, deputy chairpersons of the Czech Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, respectively. "We consider the decrees to be a closed chapter in history. There is no need to return to the past," Hrusovsky said. The two sides also discussed the Hungarian Status Law. MS[58] FIDESZ CHAIRMAN EXPLAINS CONTROVERSIAL KOVER STATEMENT...FIDESZ Chairman Zoltan Pokorni on 2 April rejected the criticism directed at his deputy Laszlo Kover over Kover's recent "hanging statement" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 2 April 2002), Hungarian media reported. Pokorni said the statement was taken out of context and that in saying that anyone who disagrees with his party should hang themselves Kover was referring to pessimism about Hungary's bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games, and not to political adversaries. For his part, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Kover has been exposed to a "hail of bullets," as his remarks "have been interpreted by 18 people in 20 different ways." Orban told Hungarian television that "the entire nation is slowly becoming used to the fact that whenever there is a holiday, a leader of a center-right party is attacked." MSZ[59] ...SAYS COOPERATION WITH MIEP POSSIBLE IN PARLIAMENT, BUT NOT IN GOVERNMENTOn 2 April, Pokorni ruled out cooperation between a FIDESZ-led government and the extremist Hungarian Justice and Life Party (MIEP) after the elections, Hungarian media reported. Earlier, opposition Socialist Party Chairman Laszlo Kovacs accused Pokorni of telling the BBC in a 14 March interview that FIDESZ could govern with support from the MIEP. Pokorni said he told the BBC that while FIDESZ will under no conditions cooperate with MIEP in a coalition, it could possibly govern with its support in the parliament. Pokorni explained that "a sharp division must be drawn between cooperation in the parliament and in government." MIEP Chairman Istvan Csurka said he will be prepared to comment on Pokorni's statement after the results of the first round of the election are known. MSZ[60] HUNGARIAN SOCIALIST CHAIRMAN SAYS KOVER IN GOOD COMPANY...Socialist Party Chairman Kovacs read out a transcript on 2 April of a Budapest Television broadcast in which Maria Schmidt, a senior adviser to Premier Orban, said in reference to Peter Kende, the author of a book critical of Orban, that, "In a decent place and at a time like this you take out your gun and shoot him like a dog," Hungarian media reported. Regarding Kover's "hanging statement," Kovacs told reporters that "FIDESZ has politically divided the country by trying to make things impossible for the opposition mentally, psychically, and emotionally." In a related development, Free Democrat Chairman Gabor Kuncze told reporters on 2 April that a policy of exclusion has led to the deliberate division of Hungarian society under the FIDESZ government. "Kover's remarks that anyone who disagrees with his party should hang themselves is a manifestation of this process," Kuncze concluded. MSZ/MS[61] ...AS 'HANGING STATEMENT' TRIGGERS LARGE PRO-SOCIALIST PROTEST DEMONSTRATIONThousands of people, some of them wearing nooses around their necks, demonstrated on Budapest's Heroes' Square near FIDESZ headquarters on 2 April to protest against Kover's "hate speech," as they termed it. The demonstration, organized by the youth sections of the opposition Socialist and the Free Democrat parties, was called after FIDESZ officials declined to issue an apology for Kover's remarks, Hungarian media reported. MSZSOUTHEASTERN EUROPE [62] WHERE IS SERBIA'S FORMER TOP GENERAL?The Belgrade daily "Danas" reported on 3 April that Dragoljub Ojdanic, who headed the Yugoslav army's General Staff during the 1999 Kosova conflict, has not been seen by friends or family since about 1 April. They do not know where he is. There has been much speculation in Serbia and abroad recently that the indicted war criminal might be extradited to The Hague in the near future. Other unconfirmed reports suggest that Ojdanic has been trying to arrange his own surrender to the tribunal. "Danas" added that Ojdanic has recently been in frequent contact with the military to ensure that his eventual arrest and extradition proceeds without incident. Unnamed sources close to Ojdanic reportedly told the daily that he will voluntarily go to The Hague once a law on cooperation with the tribunal is passed (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 2 April 2002). But later on 3 April, Ojdanic issued a statement to AP through his family, in which he said that he is "not afraid to be arrested [but] will surrender only if a law on cooperation with The Hague tribunal is passed in the Yugoslav parliament." He has left Belgrade for an "undisclosed location in Yugoslavia." PM[63] WHAT MOTIVATES SERBIAN BEHAVIOR...A leading Serbian NGO personality said in Belgrade that the authorities will not take action against indicted war criminals without pressure from the outside, Reuters reported on 3 April (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 2 April 2002). Sonja Biserko of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia stressed that "without pressure, nothing would happen. [The leadership] would never do it willingly. Cooperation with The Hague is presented as a necessary evil." Matias Hellman, a Belgrade-based official of the war crimes tribunal, noted that "it is very regrettable that Yugoslavia seems to cooperate only because of economic factors and pressure from the international community... In this society there is not much discussion about the alleged war crimes that were committed." PM[64] ...OR WASHINGTON'S?On 3 April, the BBC's Serbian Service broadcast an interview with "The New York Times" journalist David Binder in which he said he is sorry to say that Washington opinion holds Serbia responsible for much of what has happened in the Balkans during the past decade or so. He added that Washington opinion continues to regard Serbia as the region's "bad boy" and expects it to compensate for its past behavior in return for its acceptance by the international community. Binder claimed one of the two senators behind legislation requiring U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell to certify Belgrade's compliance with democratic standards is under the influence of "the Albanian lobby," and receives campaign contributions from "the Albanian diaspora." PM[65] EU WILL NOT HALT FUNDS FOR BELGRADEAn EU spokeswoman said in Brussels on 2 April that the EU will continue its promised economic and financial assistance to Belgrade "without any time limit" despite Washington's decision to freeze such aid until Belgrade cooperates with The Hague, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported. She added that the EU nonetheless expects Belgrade to make good on its pledges to cooperate with the tribunal. PM[66] POLLS SAY SERBS WANT INDEPENDENCETwo recent opinion surveys suggest that a clear majority of Serbian citizens want their republic to be fully independent of Montenegro, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported on 2 April. A phone-in poll held by state-run television found that 4,100 callers wanted independence while 637 favored a joint state with Montenegro. A second survey, conducted by Marten Board International, suggested that 65 percent of Serbian citizens want their own state. PM[67] GOVERNMENT CRISIS IN MONTENEGRO?The pro-independence Liberal Alliance has formally withdrawn its support for the government of Prime Minister Filip Vujanovic, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported from Podgorica on 2 April. The move comes in response to President Milo Djukanovic's recent agreement with Belgrade and Brussels to continue a joint state with Serbia. Miodrag Vukovic, who heads the parliamentary faction of Djukanovic's Democratic Party of Socialists, told RFE/RL that Vujanovic may soon return his mandate to Djukanovic in response to the government crisis. Vukovic added that Vujanovic may nonetheless "return" to head the new government. PM[68] ETHNICALLY MIXED MACEDONIAN POLICE RETURN TO TWO MORE VILLAGESAccompanied by international monitors, police patrols re-entered two former strongholds of the National Liberation Army (UCK) on 2 April without incident, AP reported from Skopje. The villages are Slupcane in the Kumanovo area and Sipkovica, just outside Tetovo. A government spokesman said: "We are about to complete the peaceful reintegration of crisis regions...and now de-mining teams are expected to clear the areas and create conditions for the return of displaced persons." PM[69] SFOR COMMANDER: SOME TERRORISTS STILL ACTIVE IN BOSNIAGeneral John Sylvester, who heads NATO peacekeepers in Bosnia, said in Sarajevo on 2 April that some members of terrorist groups are still active in Bosnia, AP reported. He added: "The security situation in Bosnia is stable, but still fragile... There are a number of international terrorist organizations and individuals who periodically transit Bosnia. In fact, there are international terrorist organizations which have individuals within Bosnia. There have been some Al-Qaeda members here... What we have to determine is whether or not the individuals involved are here for the purpose of planning operations, or are here for the purpose of something else -- being supported, being provided documentation, seeking respite, or whatever." Sylvester added that peacekeepers and Bosnian authorities have acted quickly and effectively in recent months against such individuals once it is clear that they indeed pose a threat. PM[70] PETRITSCH WARNS BOSNIAN SERBSWolfgang Petritsch, who is the outgoing high representative of the international community in Bosnia, said that the Republika Srpska risks isolation unless it ends its "support" for Radovan Karadzic and General Ratko Mladic, Deutsche Welle's Bosnian Service reported from Sarajevo on 3 April. Petritsch said Banja Luka has given The Hague only lip service in support. PM[71] OUSTED ZAGREB MAYOR RETURNS -- AS DEPUTYMilan Bandic, who was recently forced to resign as mayor of Zagreb following his role in a drunken hit-and-run accident, will be deputy mayor in a new city government, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported on 2 April (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 22 January 2002). Bandic's return to a top job is the result of a power-sharing deal between his Social Democrats and the Croatian People's Party. PM[72] ROMANIAN DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS NATO DECISION WILL BE ON INDIVIDUAL COUNTRIES...Ioan Mircea Pascu told journalists on 2 April that although Romania and Bulgaria are "strategically" considered together for NATO expansion, the decision on accession will be made on individual merits and Romania must continue its own preparations ahead of the Prague summit, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. Pascu said that by 2007-10 Romania will have under arms some 90,000 people instead to the current 130,000, of which 75,000 will be military personnel and the rest civilians. He also said the Fetesti and the Timisoara airfields are undergoing modernization and could be made available to NATO if necessary. Pascu confirmed that the Black Sea Constanta port will be used by U.S. troops for changing contingents in Kosova, adding that this will also be a "test" for the facility's possible use by NATO. MS[73] ...ANNOUNCES REFORM OF DEFENSE SECURITY STRUCTURESPascu also said his ministry is planning to reform its security structure by unifying intelligence gathering with intelligence protection, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. He said that NATO experts will be consulted on the reform. Pascu also said he could not comment on the latest anonymous report distributed on the Internet (nicknamed "Armageddon 7"), since he has "no information confirming or refuting" the report's claim that members of the former Securitate are employed in the Defense Ministry and have access to secret information. MS[74] ROMANIAN SENATORS REJECT HOLOCAUST RESPONSIBILITY ADMISSIONSenators Corneliu Vadim Tudor, Adrian Paunescu, and Mircea Ionescu-Quintus, in addressing the chamber on 2 April, rejected the recent admission by Premier Adrian Nastase of Romania's responsibility for participating in the Holocaust against Jews in World War II, Mediafax reported. Greater Romania Party Chairman Tudor said, "Someone is interested in portraying the Romanians as a nation of criminals," and added that Nastase "wants to kill [Marshal Ion] Antonescu once more." Paunescu, who is a member of the ruling Social Democratic Party, said that "no government can establish what only experts are entitled to do," and that "historic matters are the competence of historians." Ionescu-Quintus, who is the former chairman of the National Liberal Party, said those who "out of ignorance or enmity dared accuse us without justification ought to apologize." MS[75] NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN PROTESTERS, GOVERNMENT FAIL IN CHISINAUThousands marched on the parliament building in Chisinau on 2 April, but ensuing negotiations failed to achieve any results, RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. A delegation of the national Committee for the Salvation of Democracy (as the leaders of the protest now call themselves) was received by second-echelon representatives of the government and the presidential office who rejected demands that the cabinet resign, early elections be called, and the Party of Moldovan Communists be outlawed along with fascist parties. The protesters announced that they will continue demonstrations. MS[76] BRAGHIS ALLIANCE TO BOYCOTT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATESDumitru Braghis, leader of the Braghis Alliance, the strongest opposition parliamentary group in the legislature, on 2 April said his formation will boycott debates until a genuine dialogue is established between the government and the protesters, RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. Braghis said the "two extremes" are not talking to each other but rather exchange mutual recriminations, and that the government must resign and be replaced by one of national unity representing all parliamentary formations. Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev said in response that he is not opposed to the idea of a coalition government, but added that the matter is for the parliament to decide. MS[77] BESSARABIAN CHURCH REAPPLIES FOR REGISTRATIONThe Bessarabian Metropolitan Church on 2 April submitted a renewed application for registration with the Moldovan authorities, Infotag reported. Lawyer Vitalie Nagacevschi said the European Court of Human Rights' rejection last week of the government's appeal against the decision obliging it to register the church means that if the executive persists in its refusal to do so, Moldova could be expelled from the Council of Europe. MS[78] ITALIAN POLITICIAN RECOMMENDS THAT BULGARIA'S ANTICORRUPTION MEASURES BE AMENDEDItalian politician and well-known former Judge Antonio Di Pietro met on 2 April with Bulgarian Justice Minister Anton Stankov, BTA reported. Di Pietro, who headed the Italian anticorruption movement Mani Pulite (Clean Hands), recommended that the Bulgarian Penal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code be amended. At a meeting with Social Democrat lawmakers from the opposition Coalition for Bulgaria, Di Pietro underscored that investigations into corruption cannot make progress unless state institutions have the authority to check what property suspects own. UB[79] BULGARIAN STATE SHIPPING COMPANY WINS AUCTION FOR BANKRUPT SHIPYARDThe state-owned Bulgarian Shipping Company (BMF) on 2 April won an auction for the assets of the bankrupt Varna Shipyard with a bid of 35.5 million leva ($15.95 million), BTA reported. Several earlier attempts to privatize the shipbuilding company failed, and in January 2002 the company was placed in receivership. "A tragic chapter in Varna Shipyard's history...is about to end. Until now it was doomed to a slow death, but now it stands a chance to start a second life," Deputy Prime Minister and Economics Minister Nikolay Vasilev commented on the results of the auction. UB[80] BULGARIA INTRODUCES ARMS EXPORT CONTROL SOFTWAREThe Bulgarian administration soon will be equipped with the export control software "Tracker," mediapool.bg reported on 2 April. The software will be installed on the computer networks of the ministries of environment, defense, foreign, and internal affairs, as well as of the customs authority. The software helps control the export of arms and "dual-use products," according to the Economy Ministry. The software is provided for free by the U.S. State Department, which financially supports the acquisition of the necessary hardware as well. UB[81] BULGARIAN PATRIARCH TO MEET POPE JOHN PAUL IIThe Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church signed a letter on 2 April confirming that Patriarch Maksim and the Holy Synod are willing to meet with Pope John Paul II, news.bg reported. The pope asked for the meeting in January, but the Bulgarian patriarch and the Holy Synod had failed to respond. The meeting is to take place on 24 May, when the pope will be visiting Bulgaria. UBEND NOTE [82] OPPOSITION AND NOT-SO OPPOSITION IN BULGARIABy Ulrich BuechsenschuetzBulgaria's current government headed by former King Simeon Saxecoburggotski is facing some serious problems that might eventually lead to an early end to the ruling coalition. The problems stem mainly from the turmoil within the National Movement Simeon II (NDSV) that resulted on 10 March in the expulsion of five members from the parliamentary faction after they openly criticized government policy. Given the heterogeneity of interests and pressure groups within the NDSV, many analysts believe that the five will not be the last to leave the movement. Other observers, including well-known political scientist Ognyan Minchev, even go so far as to say that the major problem of the current as well as of previous governments is that legislators do not work in the interest of the state, but act as lobbyists for business interests or even on behalf of business groups linked to organized crime, which flourishes under a fragile, powerless government. When the daily "Trud" on 21 March published the secret stenographic protocol of a cabinet session, it was a warning signal to the government. The paper suggested that the cabinet circumvented the Public Procurement Act when it signed a contract with the British consulting company Crown Agents, on the grounds that the contract affects national security. Crown Agents was hired to help modernize the corrupt and inefficient Bulgarian customs authority. Minchev links the publication of the protocol to shady business groups that would be directly affected by the government's efforts to fight drug and arms trafficking. Moreover, Minchev thinks that in the coming months such scandals will occur on a regular basis, as organized crime structures strictly oppose Bulgaria's membership in international organizations like NATO or the EU. If Minchev's assessment is true, organized crime is proving to be much more interested (and successful) in destabilizing Saxecoburggotski's government than is the parliamentary opposition. The two major opposition players -- the conservative Union of Democratic Forces (SDS) and the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) -- adopted different strategies, but at the moment they are united in their unwillingness to bring down the government. The main reason for this is the assumption that any sign of political instability could minimize Bulgaria's chances of being invited to join NATO during the alliance's Prague summit in November. But this seems to be the only source of unity between the otherwise deeply divided SDS and BSP. The electoral victory of Saxecoburggotski's NDSV in the June 2001 parliamentary elections sent the SDS into a deep depression. Initially led in an authoritarian style by Prime Minister "Commander" Ivan Kostov, the SDS has been chaired by Ekaterina Mihailova of the "Kostov" party wing since those elections. Then, a national convention on 10 March elected as the party's new chairwoman former Foreign Minister Nadezhda Mihailova, who in turn replaced the old party nomenclature in the National Executive Council with a number of less-prominent figures. In first analyses, observers already saw a new impetus for the conservative opposition that could eventually replace the NDSV government, which in the meantime has lost much of its popularity. But three weeks after Nadezhda Mihailova's accession to the party leadership the winds of change already seem to have died down. Apart from regular calls on the government to resign, the new SDS leadership has not made any constructive proposal on how to overcome the pressing economic and social problems Bulgaria faces. As it has not yet succeeded in regaining its former popular support, the SDS is hardly interested in holding early elections, which most probably would be won by the other large opposition party, the BSP. For their part, the Socialists are likewise not interested in early elections. As party Chairman Sergey Stanishev put it during a recent visit to Berlin, the BSP wants to support the government during the NATO accession talks -- but not at any price. In Stanishev's view, the BSP will play the role of a constructive opposition -- as opposed to the fundamental opposition conducted by the SDS. The BSP's constructive role is underscored by the fact that there are currently two ministers in Saxecoburggotski's cabinet who are either members of or close to the BSP. Even if Stanishev does not want to admit it, the Bulgarian public might doubt that Deputy Prime Minister Kostadin Paskalev and State Administration Minister Dimitar Kalchev are totally independent of BSP party politics. As the BSP is unlikely to win a parliamentary majority in early elections, it would need a coalition partner to form a government -- most likely the party representing the Turkish minority in Bulgaria, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS). But the DPS is engaged in trying to gain more influence on the state administration. It is therefore dependent on the current administration staying in power. Thus, none of the major political parties seems either able or genuinely interested in destabilizing the current government -- at least at the moment. However, the situation is likely to change quickly after the NATO summit in November. Whether the summit results in an invitation to Bulgaria to join NATO or not, it remains unclear whether the government will survive the next few months. And if it falls before November, then it will almost certainly be thanks to the efforts of shady business circles. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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