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RFE/RL Newsline, 02-06-26
CONTENTS
[01] ECO-JOURNALIST PASKO LOSES APPEAL...
[02] ...FORMER KGB GENERAL SENTENCED TO 15-YEAR TERM...
[03] ...AS AN FSB COLONEL DRAWS 3 1/2 YEARS' PROBATION
[04] DRUGS 'MORE THAN A THREAT' TO RUSSIA
[05] TELEVISION CHANNELS ACCUSED OF MANIPULATING THE SUBCONSCIOUS
[06] RUSSIA INCREASES VOLUME OF OIL EXPORTS...
[07] ...AS LUKOIL WANTS TO PUMP OIL FROM BALTIC SEA
[08] DEATH TOLL CLIMBS IN SOUTHERN REGION AS FEARS MOUNT REGARDING
[09] FARMLAND BILL PASSES THROUGH THE LOWER HOUSE
[10] HIGH HOPES FOR NEW LAW ON REGISTRATION OF ENTERPRISES
[11] ULYANOVSK GOVERNOR SAYS HE'S NOT WORRIED
[12] NO NEW FACILITY FOR NOVAYA ZEMLYA AFTER ALL?
[13] RUSSIAN STUDENTS BAND TOGETHER TO PROTECT THEIR FOREIGN COHORTS
[14] TV-STATION FOUNDER KILLED IN FAR EAST
[15] FIRST MISS UNIVERSE, NOW EUROREGION-2003
[16] RUSSIA REJECTS CHECHEN PRESIDENT'S CALL FOR PEACE TALKS...
[17] ...AS KREMLIN SPOKESMAN SAYS IT WAS UNNECESSARY
[18] DAGHESTAN'S LEADER RE-ELECTED TO THIRD TERM
[19] CORRECTION:
[20] THREE MORE ARMENIAN RADIO AND TV FREQUENCIES ALLOCATED
[21] ARMENIAN, TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTERS MEET
[22] AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT HOLDS MEETINGS IN ISTANBUL...
[23] ...RULES OUT ECONOMIC COOPERATION WITH ARMENIA
[24] GEORGIAN SECURITY MINISTER BLAMES INTERIOR MINISTRY FOR
[25] ...CONFIRMS INTERCEPTED ARMS INTENDED FOR TERRORIST ACTIVITIES
[26] GEORGIAN-ABKHAZ GROUP DISCUSSES CONDITIONS FOR RETURN OF DISPLACED
[27] GEORGIA RESCINDS BAN ON EXPORT OF SCRAP METAL
[28] GEORGIA RELEASES CHECHEN JOURNALIST
[29] DETAILS OF CHARGES AGAINST FORMER KAZAKH MINISTER DIVULGED...
[30] ...AS ANOTHER FORMER MINISTER ARRESTED
[31] UPPER HOUSE OF KAZAKH PARLIAMENT MODIFIES NEW LAW ON POLITICAL
[32] KYRGYZ PARLIAMENT POSTPONES DEBATE ON AKSY AMNESTY BILL
[33] KYRGYZ PARLIAMENT DEPUTY'S SUPPORTERS AGREE NOT TO HOLD PROTEST
[34] NORWEGIAN DEFENSE MINISTER VISITS KYRGYZSTAN
[35] TURKMENISTAN TO TURN CONFISCATED MANSIONS OVER TO POOR
[36] UZBEKISTAN SEEKS TO CLARIFY ITS RELATIONS WITH GUUAM
[37] CONVICTION OF BELARUSIAN JOURNALISTS DRAWS FIRE FROM ABROAD...
[38] ...AND ALSO AT HOME
[39] EU OFFICIAL SPEAKS ON UKRAINE'S EFFORTS TOWARD EUROPEAN
[40] CATO INSTITUTE RANKS UKRAINE'S ECONOMIC FREEDOM
[41] ESTONIA, RUSSIA INK AGREEMENT ON BORDER CHECKPOINTS
[42] LATVIAN SHIPPING COMPANY SHARES AUCTIONED OFF
[43] NORWEGIAN FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS LITHUANIA
[44] WAVE OF PROTESTS FAILS TO MATERIALIZE IN POLAND
[45] CZECH PRESIDENT SATISFIED WITH PACE OF COALITION NEGOTIATIONS
[46] ODS CHAIRMAN TO CONTINUE AS CZECH PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER?
[47] ODS OPPOSED TO COMMUNIST PARTICIPATION IN CZECH LOWER HOUSE
[48] NATO TO JOINTLY DEFEND CZECH AIR SPACE DURING SUMMIT
[49] SMOKE BOMB THROWN AT CZECH CHIEF RABBI
[50] EU OFFICIAL SAYS MECIAR IN GOVERNMENT WOULD BLOCK SLOVAKIA'S
[51] REMAINS OF MILAN HODZA RETURN TO SLOVAKIA
[52] HUNGARIAN PREMIER'S PAST STIRS MORE DEBATE IN PARLIAMENT...
[53] ...AND OUTSIDE IT
[54] HUNGARIAN SOCIALISTS, OPPOSITION PREPARE FOR WAR OVER ASSET
[55] COUNCIL OF EUROPE ASKS RAPPORTEUR TO REDRAFT REPORT ON HUNGARY'S
[56] BELGRADE POWER STANDOFF AT AN END?
[57] BELGRADE OFFICIALS WANT MORE INFORMATION
[58] CAUTIOUS WESTERN BACKING FOR KOSTUNICA
[59] SERBIA ANNOUNCES LOCAL ELECTIONS FOR PRESEVO
[60] FORMER SECRET POLICE CHIEF SAYS MILOSEVIC KNEW OF CRIMES IN KOSOVA
[61] STEINER SAYS NO RETURN OF KOSOVA TO SERBIAN RULE
[62] SKOPJE DENIES VOTE TO MACEDONIAN CITIZENS ABROAD
[63] MACEDONIAN ALBANIAN LEADER DEMANDS CLARITY ON PASSPORTS
[64] JUNIOR COALITION PARTNER LEAVES MACEDONIAN GOVERNMENT
[65] MACEDONIAN SOCIALISTS LEAVE OPPOSITION COALITION
[66] BOSNIAN GOVERNING COALITION SPLITS
[67] BOSNIAN LEGISLATURE PASSES PETRITSCH'S LAWS
[68] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT WARNS AGAINST BUSH PLAN ON PALESTINIAN STATE
[69] ROMANIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES NEW TELEVISION COUNCIL
[70] BULGARIAN DEFENSE MINISTER IN ROMANIA
[71] ROMANIAN LIBERALS PREPARE FOR EXTRAORDINARY CONGRESS...
[72] ...AND WILL ELECT IONESCU-QUINTUS AS HONORARY CHAIRMAN
[73] ROMANIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES AMENDED PENAL CODE
[74] ROMANIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY OFFICIAL DENIES DISCRIMINATION IN THE
[75] ...AS FINLAND EXPELS ROMANIAN ROMA
[76] THAW IN ROMANIAN-MOLDOVAN RELATIONS COULD BE IN THE OFFING...
[77] ...BUT NEXT CLASH IS AROUND THE CORNER
[78] TRANSDNIESTER NEGOTIATIONS TO BE RESUMED NEXT MONTH...
[79] ...AS OSCE CALLS ON TRANSDNIESTER TO ALLOW WEAPONS DECOMMISSIONING
[80] CONSERVATIVE UNION OF DEMOCRATIC FORCES GIVES BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT
[81] ...AS DOES THE BULGARIAN SOCIALIST PARTY
[82] BULGARIAN OPPOSITION DECIDES TO STOP PUBLISHING DAILY
[83] There is no End Note today.
26 June 2002
RUSSIA
[01] ECO-JOURNALIST PASKO LOSES APPEAL...
The Supreme Court's military collegium ruled on 25 June to uphold a
lower court's sentence of four years in a maximum-security prison
against a naval officer, military journalist, and environmental
activist Grigorii Pasko, Russian and Western news agencies reported.
Pasko was convicted by a military court last December of espionage on
charges of passing classified information about the Russian Pacific
Fleet to Japanese journalists (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 28 December
2001). Pasko's attorneys said that they will continue to appeal the
ruling to the Supreme Court's presidium, and they will seek an early
release, which is possible after a convict has served two-thirds of his
sentence, Interfax reported. Pasko has been in police custody for two
years, including his pretrial detention. Meanwhile, the first issue of
"Ecology and the Law," whose chief editor is Pasko, has been issued,
RFE/RL's St. Petersburg correspondent reported. The founders of the
journal hope that it will help strengthen the legal grounding of
environmentalists' activities and expand the practice of defending
citizens' ecological rights in courts, including the European Court of
Human Rights. JAC
[02] ...FORMER KGB GENERAL SENTENCED TO 15-YEAR TERM...
A Moscow city court on 26 June sentenced former KGB Major General Oleg
Kalugin in absentia to 15 years in prison and stripped him of his
military rank and his state awards, Russian and Western news agencies
reported. Kalugin was convicted of state treason and subverting the
constitutional order and security of the country (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 3 and 28 May, and 14 and 18 June 2002). Kalugin's defense
lawyer said the charges were not proven during the brief trial,
RIA-Novosti reported on 26 June. Kalugin, who now lives in the United
States, has said that the charges against him were politically
motivated. VY
[03] ...AS AN FSB COLONEL DRAWS 3 1/2 YEARS' PROBATION
On 25 June, the Naro-Fominsk military garrison court sentenced Federal
Security Service (FSB) Lieutenant Colonel Aleksandr Litvinenko in
absentia to 3 1/2 years of probation for abuse of office and illegal
possession of explosives, Ekho Moskvy radio reported. Litvinenko, who
lives in Britain, has repeatedly stated that the accusations against
him are the FSB's revenge for his charges that the security organs were
involved in the 1999 apartment-building bombings in Moscow and other
Russian cities (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 28 March, and 2 and 24 April
2002). Litvinenko told Ekho Moskvy that he is now writing a book
entitled "LOC" (Lubyanka Organized Crime group), in which he describes
widespread corruption within the FSB, as well as the agencies' links to
organized crime. VY
[04] DRUGS 'MORE THAN A THREAT' TO RUSSIA
Nikolai Soloviev, first deputy secretary of the Russian Security
Council, said that drug trafficking is "more than a threat" to the
country's national security and that at least 2.5 million Russian
citizens are using illegal drugs, izvestia.ru reported on 26 June. He
said that there is a dangerous connection between drugs and
international terrorism, which is often bankrolled by illicit-drug
money. He added that Russia has become a principal transit route for
traffickers. Over the last year, law enforcement officials have
arrested more than 3,000 drug dealers from 34 countries. More than nine
tons of drugs have been seized. Although the drug trade has not been
stopped, law enforcement agencies now have a better grasp of the scope
of the threat. VY
[05] TELEVISION CHANNELS ACCUSED OF MANIPULATING THE SUBCONSCIOUS
Deputy Media Minister Valerii Sirozhenko accused Russian television
channels of using the so-called "25th frame," a production technique
that inserts momentary advertisements into programming in an attempt to
create subconscious impression, "Kommersant-Daily" reported on 25 June.
The theory behind the technique holds that the human mind can only
process 24 frames per second, while an extra frame can create an
impression without being consciously noticed. Some researchers believe
the "25th frame" can also have a negative impact on a viewer's
psychological health. Deputy Antimonopoly Minister Sergei Puservskii
noted that the practice is banned by both Russian and international
legislation. VY
[06] RUSSIA INCREASES VOLUME OF OIL EXPORTS...
Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Khristenko announced in Moscow on 25 June
that Russian oil exports in the third quarter of this year will rise by
2 million tons per day in comparison with the previous quarter,
RIA-Novosti reported. Meanwhile, LUKoil head Vagit Alekperov predicted
that world oil prices will drop by the end of the year and will
stabilize around $20 to $21 per barrel, polit.ru reported the same day.
VY
[07] ...AS LUKOIL WANTS TO PUMP OIL FROM BALTIC SEA
LUKoil's Alekperov announced at a 24 June press conference in Moscow
that his company will begin oil production on the Baltic Sea shelf next
year despite protests by local environmentalists, nns.ru reported on 26
June. Alekperov also said that the oil reserves in this area have been
estimated at 24 million tons and that LUKoil has already began
construction of an offshore platform in the Baltic. Oil exploration in
the Baltic Sea was interrupted in 1985 under pressure from Lithuanian
ecologists, whose republic lies close to the production area. Now
Lithuanian environmentalists have called on the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development to stop providing loans to LUKoil until
the company halts the project. VY
[08] DEATH TOLL CLIMBS IN SOUTHERN REGION AS FEARS MOUNT REGARDING
SPREAD OF DISEASE
The death toll from the recent flooding in Russia's Southern Federal
District reached 72 as of early evening Moscow time on 25 June,
Interfax reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 24 June 2002). Stavropol Krai
has sustained the worst losses thus far with 42 dead. According to
"Rossiiskaya gazeta," there are more than 360,000 people without fresh
drinking water, which raises the risk of infections such as
hepatitis-A. Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that
150 million rubles ($5 million) have been allocated from the budget for
Stavropol Krai, 100 million for Karachaevo-Cherkessia, 50 million for
North Ossetia, and 50 million for Krasnodar Krai for the restoration of
bridges, roads, and power lines, Channel Six television reported.
Krasnodar is also expected to suffer lost revenue, as tourists are
canceling plans to visit there during one of the region's busiest
seasons, "Izvestiya" reported. JAC
[09] FARMLAND BILL PASSES THROUGH THE LOWER HOUSE
The State Duma approved on 26 June the third and final reading of a
bill on the sale of agricultural land, Western and Russian news
agencies reported. According to RosBalt, 258 deputies voted in favor of
the bill, 149 voted against, and five abstained. Most of those opposed
were Communists or members of other leftist factions. The bill will now
be passed to the Federation Council, where it is expected to pass
despite the vocal objections of some senators. President Putin has said
that he will sign the measure into law. RC
[10] HIGH HOPES FOR NEW LAW ON REGISTRATION OF ENTERPRISES
The text of a new law on state registration of legal entities appeared
in "Rossiiskaya gazeta" on 26 June. The long-awaited law -- which comes
into effect on 1 July -- is intended greatly to simplify the process of
opening or closing a firm in order to reduce state bureaucracy. Under
the law, the mere submission of documents to the local tax board is
sufficient for registration. Tax Minister Gennadii Bukaev was quoted by
ITAR-TASS as saying that with the new law "a channel for the enrichment
of unscrupulous officials gets cut off." The new law is also expected
to help weed out firms that are formally registered but no longer
active, because it requires all firms to reregister by the end of the
year. The Tax Ministry estimates that as many as 1.3 million of the 3.1
million currently registered enterprises are inactive, according to
ITAR-TASS. RC
[11] ULYANOVSK GOVERNOR SAYS HE'S NOT WORRIED
Ulyanovsk Oblast Governor Vladimir Shamanov told reporters in Ulyanovsk
on 25 June that the situation in his region is "under complete
control," Interfax-Eurasia reported. He said that on 24 June the
federal center had allotted 130 million rubles ($4 million) to the
region and by the following day the money had already been disbursed.
The money will be used to eliminate a 28 million ruble debt to the city
and a 15 million ruble debt to gas suppliers. Shamanov explained that
the reportedly difficult situation in the region, which has been
plagued by energy blackouts and street protests, "is more politics and,
unfortunately, dirty insinuations, than reality" (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 20 June 2002). In particular, he noted that the declaration
by Unified Energy Systems' press service about the introduction of
federal rule in the region is untrue (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18 June
2002). Shamanov added that not only is he not planning to resign, but
he intends to run again in 2005. JAC
[12] NO NEW FACILITY FOR NOVAYA ZEMLYA AFTER ALL?
In an interview with "Rossiiskaya gazeta" on 25 June, Atomic Energy
Minister Aleksandr Rumyantsev said that he personally does not support
the idea of building a nuclear-waste storage facility on Novaya Zemlya.
Last month, Arkhangelsk Oblast Governor Anatolii Yefremov announced
that the ministry has suggested building a new underground storage
facility for radioactive waste on Novaya Zemlya (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
24 May 2002). According to Rumyantsev, the permafrost in the area
"raises concerns" and adds significant extra expense for the
construction of a dock, roads, and infrastructure. Rumyantsev also said
that his ministry presently has no plans to resume testing of nuclear
weapons, although he added that he and Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov
plan to visit the Novaya Zemlya test site in the immediate future. JAC
[13] RUSSIAN STUDENTS BAND TOGETHER TO PROTECT THEIR FOREIGN COHORTS
Voronezh State University has established a special detachment of
student volunteers to protect the almost 700 foreign students studying
at the university from attacks, ntvru.com reported on 25 June, citing
NTV-International. Foreign students at the university had been
subjected to a series of attacks by local skinheads (see "RFE/RL
Russian Federation Report," 21 March 2001), and the special detachment
appears to be maintaining order on campus. The volunteer students
patrol every evening and for this work receive only coupons for food
and small cash awards twice a year. JAC
[14] TV-STATION FOUNDER KILLED IN FAR EAST
The founder of the Vladivostok-based private television company, Novaya
Volna, Oleg Sidinko, was killed by an explosive device in the entrance
to his apartment on 25 June, Russian news agencies reported. Sidinko
also owned a chain of movie theaters, and investigators' preliminary
theory is that his murder was connected with his activities in that
business, RFE/RL's Russian Service reported. JAC
[15] FIRST MISS UNIVERSE, NOW EUROREGION-2003
The republic of Karelia has won the Euroregion competition for 2003,
pravda.ru reported on 25 June. The competition was held in Barcelona
this year and was open for the first time to regions of countries that
are not members of the European Union. Karelia beat out the first
runner-up, the Balearic Islands of Spain. According to the website,
participation in the contest gives regions the opportunity to show
Europe and the entire world their activities in the area of developing
international regional connections, as well as in the cultural,
economic, and tourism spheres. JAC
[16] RUSSIA REJECTS CHECHEN PRESIDENT'S CALL FOR PEACE TALKS...
Defense Minister Ivanov on 25 June rejected a proposal by Chechen
President Aslan Maskhadov to President Putin to suspend hostilities on
15 July and begin peace talks, Russian and Western news agencies
reported. Maskhadov made that offer in an open letter to participants
in the G-8 summit in Canada. The letter was e-mailed on 21 June to the
Russian radio station Ekho Moskvy. Ivanov said that talks with
Maskhadov can only be conducted after he lays down arms, and then by
the prosecutor-general. Ivanov further claimed that documents
confiscated in Chechnya definitively prove Maskhadov's ties with
"international extremists," according to Interfax. He also claimed that
federal troops succeeded in thwarting a major offensive by Maskhadov's
forces timed for 25 June, the aim of which was to seize Grozny. LF
[17] ...AS KREMLIN SPOKESMAN SAYS IT WAS UNNECESSARY
Commenting on Maskhadov's initiative, Russian presidential aide Sergei
Yastrzhembskii said on 25 June that there was nothing to stop
Maskhadov's envoy Akhmed Zakaev from contacting presidential envoy to
the Southern Federal District Viktor Kazantsev to propose resuming the
talks the two men held late last year, ITAR-TASS reported (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 19 and 20 November 2001). Yastrzhembskii pointed to what he
termed numerous "inaccuracies" in Maskhadov's open letter, arguing that
a cessation of hostilities is impossible because no such hostilities
are taking place. Yastrzhembskii also objected to Maskhadov's use of
the phrase "Russian-Chechen conflict," saying that all Chechens are de
facto Russian citizens. LF
[18] DAGHESTAN'S LEADER RE-ELECTED TO THIRD TERM
The 242 members of Daghestan's Constitutional Assembly on 25 June
overwhelmingly re-elected 71-year-old Dargin Magomedali Magomedov as
State Council chairman, "Nezavisimaya gazeta" reported the following
day. He has held that post since 1994. Only four members voted for
rival candidate Atai Aliev, who is Audit Chamber chairman. Daghestan's
political elite unanimously backed Magomedov's candidacy; he himself
said he knows he can count on the support of President Putin in both
social and political issues. LF
[19] CORRECTION:
An item in "RFE/RL Newsline" on 25 June entitled "Russia to Join
Another European Organization" incorrectly listed Switzerland, rather
than Sweden, as a member of the Northern Council.
TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[20] THREE MORE ARMENIAN RADIO AND TV FREQUENCIES ALLOCATED
In the second of a series of controversial tenders, the presidential
commission on broadcasting on 25 June formally allocated frequencies to
two television stations and one radio station, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau
reported. All three broadcasters acquired the frequencies they had used
prior to the tender, and thus had their broadcasting licenses renewed
for a further seven years. In the first such tender in April, the
independent television station A1+, which is renowned for its
hard-hitting but objective political coverage, lost its frequency to a
station that intends to broadcast primarily entertainment (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 2 and 3 April 2002). That station has not yet begun
broadcasting, but its owner said on 21 June that it plans to do so by
September, RFE/RL 's Yerevan bureau reported. LF
[21] ARMENIAN, TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTERS MEET
Vartan Oskanian and Ismail Cem met for 45 minutes on 25 June on the
sidelines of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) summit in
Istanbul to discuss the situation in the South Caucasus and approaches
to resolving the Karabakh conflict, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported.
Bilateral relations were touched upon only in general terms and not at
length, according to an unnamed diplomat quoted by AFP. Oskanian told
journalists that no breakthrough was reached on the normalization of
bilateral relations, adding that "this is going to be a long process."
The two sides agreed to continue talks, but it is not clear whether a
specific time frame was established for doing so; the "Frankfurter
Allgemeine Zeitung" reported that Oskanian rejected a proposal by Cem
that they should meet regularly. Oskanian said he has witnessed a
"positive change" in the Turkish position on Karabakh and that Turkey
now appears ready to pursue a "more balanced policy" toward Armenia and
Azerbaijan. LF
[22] AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT HOLDS MEETINGS IN ISTANBUL...
Heidar Aliev held separate meetings on 24 June in Istanbul with his
Georgian counterpart Eduard Shevardnadze, the co-chairmen of the OSCE
Minsk Group, and with Turkish Foreign Minister Cem, according to
Anatolia News Agency, as cited by Groong. Aliev said there are no
problems between Azerbaijan and Georgia, and that he and Cem discussed
ways of improving the friendship and cooperation between their
respective countries. Aliev told the Minsk Group co-chairs that the
Karabakh problem is the most serious Azerbaijan faces. Russian
co-Chairman Nikolai Gribkov said the co-chairs did not unveil a new
peace proposal for Karabakh, but discussed with Aliev "some new ideas."
He did not elaborate. LF
[23] ...RULES OUT ECONOMIC COOPERATION WITH ARMENIA
Addressing the BSEC summit on 25 June, Aliev again ruled out any joint
economic projects between Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia as long as
Armenia continues to occupy Azerbaijani territory, Turan reported.
Armenian Foreign Minister Oskanian in his address at the summit again
argued that such cooperation would help promote mutual understanding
and the resolution of regional conflicts. LF
[24] GEORGIAN SECURITY MINISTER BLAMES INTERIOR MINISTRY FOR
BUSINESSMAN'S ABDUCTION...
In a statement that points to serious tensions between Georgia's
National Security and Interior ministries, National Security Minister
Valeri Khaburzania said in Tbilisi on 25 June that he believes British
business consultant Peter Shaw's abduction last week was undertaken at
the behest of unnamed Interior Ministry officials, Caucasus Press
reported. Interior Minister Koba Narchemashvili told journalists the
same day his ministry has compiled photo-kit likenesses of seven men
wanted in connection with the abduction. A house-to-house search for
Shaw was launched on 26 June in Tbilisi's Didi Digomi district where
the cars used in his kidnapping were found abandoned last week,
Caucasus Press and AP reported. Caucasus Press also reported on 25 June
without citing its sources that Minister of State Avtandil Djorbenadze
plans to propose to the Georgian National Security Council the
"structural reorganization" of the Interior and National Security
ministries. LF
[25] ...CONFIRMS INTERCEPTED ARMS INTENDED FOR TERRORIST ACTIVITIES
Following a 25 June meeting with the prosecutor-general and chief
military prosecutor, Khaburzania said that the consignment of weaponry
intercepted near Tbilisi one week earlier was indeed destined for use
in a terrorist attack, Caucasus Press reported. Georgian President
Eduard Shevardnadze claimed immediately that the arms were intended for
that purpose, while Major Simon Mchedlidze, the National Security
Ministry official arrested while transporting them, insisted that they
were being sent to a Georgian guerrilla formation operating in southern
Abkhazia (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 June 2002). Khaburzania also said
that Mchedlidze was transferred to his ministry from the Defense
Ministry at the request of a notorious criminal kingpin, and that "I
had nothing to do with granting him the rank of major." He added that
two ministry officials responsible for hiring Mchedlidze have been
dismissed. LF
[26] GEORGIAN-ABKHAZ GROUP DISCUSSES CONDITIONS FOR RETURN OF DISPLACED
PERSONS
One of the three working groups subordinate to the Coordinating Council
established under the UN aegis in November 1997 to discuss issues
relating to the Abkhaz conflict (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 November
1997) met in Tbilisi on 25 June, Caucasus Press reported. The working
group on socioeconomic issues discussed ways of attracting investments
to rebuild Abkhazia's infrastructure, restoration of the energy systems
in Sukhum and Zugdidi, and providing education for the children of
Georgian displaced persons who return to Abkhazia's southernmost Gali
Raion. It was agreed that the Georgian language will again be taught in
Gali schools. LF
[27] GEORGIA RESCINDS BAN ON EXPORT OF SCRAP METAL
Bowing to pressure from the International Monetary Fund, the Georgian
parliament voted on 25 June to lift a ban on the export of scrap metal
it imposed late last year, Caucasus Press reported on 26 June. Deputies
had voted against doing so four days earlier despite the urging of
government officials, who claimed that the IMF had threatened to
withhold a $44 million loan tranche unless the ban was abolished,
thereby creating the risk of economic collapse. In 2001, Georgia
exported 32 tons of scrap metal worth $52 million. The lucrative market
for scrap metal has led to widespread thefts of cables and monuments;
in April 2001 parliament amended the Criminal Code to make such thefts
punishable by prison sentences ranging from two to seven years. LF
[28] GEORGIA RELEASES CHECHEN JOURNALIST
A Tbilisi district court on 25 June ordered the release of Chechen
journalist Islam Saidaev and Georgian Zurab Khangoshvili, Caucasus
Press reported. The two men were detained in late March on suspicion of
maintaining contacts with members of Al-Qaeda (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 3
April 2002). The court ruled that the prosecution had failed to produce
any evidence of such contacts. LF
[29] DETAILS OF CHARGES AGAINST FORMER KAZAKH MINISTER DIVULGED...
On the second day of the trial in Astana of former Energy, Industry,
and Trade Minister Mukhtar Abliyazov, prosecutors charged on 25 June
that he embezzled some 557.7 million tenges ($3.7 million) by siphoning
off funds from the national power grid that he formally headed and by
writing off the debts of an asbestos company in which he owned a stake,
AP reported. LF
[30] ...AS ANOTHER FORMER MINISTER ARRESTED
Police arrested former Transport Minister Ablai Myrzakhmetov on 25 June
on charges of embezzlement and abuse of office when he headed Kazakh
Railways between late 1998-November 2001, Interfax reported.
Myrzakhmetov, who was sacked as transport minister two months ago (see
"RFE/RL Kazakh Report," 16 April 2002), is said to have embezzled over
1 billion tenges ($6.56 million). LF
[31] UPPER HOUSE OF KAZAKH PARLIAMENT MODIFIES NEW LAW ON POLITICAL
PARTIES
The Senate (the upper chamber of Kazakhstan's parliament) on 25 June
passed the new law on political parties adopted by the Mazhilis (the
lower chamber) late on 20 June, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reported (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 24 June 2002). Communist Party of Kazakhstan
Chairman Serikbolsyn Abdildin said the new law, which raises to 50,000
the minimum number of members a party must have in order to register
with the Justice Ministry, will destroy all Kazakh opposition parties.
AP calculated that in addition to the pro-presidential OTAN party, only
two opposition parties meet that criterion. In response to earlier
criticism, the senators removed from the law a clause stipulating that
any party that polls less than 3 percent of the vote in parliamentary
elections must be dissolved. The Mazhilis must now approve that
amendment. LF
[32] KYRGYZ PARLIAMENT POSTPONES DEBATE ON AKSY AMNESTY BILL
The Legislative Assembly (the lower chamber of Kyrgyzstan's parliament)
on 25 June postponed until 27 June a debate on the draft bill proposed
by Prime Minister Nikolai Tanaev that would amnesty persons responsible
for police opening fire on demonstrators in Aksy on 17-18 March,
Interfax reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 25 June 2002). Deputies did,
however, pass a new law that abolishes the requirement that official
permission must be obtained to hold rallies and demonstrations,
together with some restrictions on where such rallies may be held,
Interfax reported. The new law also empowers the Legislative Assembly
to elect a national ombudsman, according to its co-author Tursunbai
Bakir-Uulu. LF
[33] KYRGYZ PARLIAMENT DEPUTY'S SUPPORTERS AGREE NOT TO HOLD PROTEST
RALLY IN OSH
Supporters of parliament deputy Azimbek Beknazarov reached agreement on
25 June with the Osh municipal authorities that they will not enter the
city, Interfax reported. Some 600 Beknazarov supporters who marched to
Osh from Djalalabad and are currently encamped some 3 kilometers
outside the city limits had planned to hold a protest rally in Osh.
First Deputy Prime Minister Kurmanbek Osmanov warned on 24 June that
any attempt to do so could spark mass disorders (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
25 June 2002). LF
[34] NORWEGIAN DEFENSE MINISTER VISITS KYRGYZSTAN
Kristin Krohn Devold told journalists in Bishkek on 25 June that Norway
will deploy 18 F-16 fighter aircraft at the Manas air base by the end
of this year to support the ongoing antiterrorism operation in
Afghanistan, Russian agencies reported. Devold met in Bishkek with her
Kyrgyz counterpart Colonel General Esen Topoev to discuss the security
situation in Central Asia. She was also scheduled to discuss
postconflict rehabilitation in Afghanistan with Prime Minister Tanaev.
LF
[35] TURKMENISTAN TO TURN CONFISCATED MANSIONS OVER TO POOR
President Saparmurat Niyazov announced on Turkmen state television on
25 June that some 200 mansions confiscated from disgraced former
officials will be made available to the socially disadvantaged and
families with numerous children, Reuters and Interfax reported. Niyazov
named among former officials whose homes have been confiscated former
Foreign Minister Boris Shikhmuradov who, according to Niyazov,
possessed four mansions. But "Vremya novostei" on 26 June quoted
Shikhmuradov as saying he owned only a quarter share in one house in
Ashgabat that he shared with three other government officials, and that
he has no knowledge of the other three residences he is said to
possess. LF
[36] UZBEKISTAN SEEKS TO CLARIFY ITS RELATIONS WITH GUUAM
Uzbekistan has not withdrawn from GUUAM, but merely "suspended" its
participation in that grouping, an unnamed Uzbek Foreign Ministry
spokesman said in Tashkent on 25 June, according to Interfax. He was
commenting on Ukrainian Foreign Minister Anatoliy Zlenko's statement in
Istanbul earlier the same day that Tashkent's original statement on its
relations with GUUAM was "misinterpreted" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14
June 2002). LF
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
[37] CONVICTION OF BELARUSIAN JOURNALISTS DRAWS FIRE FROM ABROAD...
The 24 June conviction of "Pahonya" newspaper's Mikola Markevich and
Pavel Mazheyka for libeling Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka
during the 2001 presidential campaign has drawn international
condemnation, Belapan reported the next day (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 25
June 2002). The media representative of the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Freimut Duve, said on 26 June that
"journalists should not be prosecuted in a criminal court for what they
write." He added that such prosecution is unacceptable in any OSCE
state. Marek Butko, first secretary of the Polish Embassy in Belarus,
also condemned the verdict and the trial, saying, "I cannot imagine
such a trial and such a sentence in [Poland]. This means the
suppression of freedom of speech." The human rights organization
Amnesty International said the journalists were prosecuted for "seeking
the truth." In a statement released on 25 June, the organization said
that "the sentencing of these journalists yet again revealed Belarus's
inability to brook dissent and allow its small independent journalist
community to give voice to widely shared concerns about the fate of a
series of high-profile 'disappearances' in the country." Amnesty also
urged the Belarusian government to ensure that it fulfils its
obligations under a number of human rights treaties, especially those
concerning freedom of expression. CB
[38] ...AND ALSO AT HOME
About 15 members of the opposition United Civic Party protested the
convictions of Markevich and Mazheyka outside the Minsk headquarters of
President Lukashenka on 25 June, Belapan reported. Party leader Anatol
Lyabedzka condemned the sentences as politically motivated, saying: "It
was not the judge who made the decision. The decision was made here, in
this building [Lukashenka's headquarters]." Lyabedzka added that
Belarus is in danger of completely losing its independent media. In a
24 June statement, the Belarusian Helsinki Committee also condemned the
sentences, saying it viewed the trial as "the illegal persecution of
journalists for an attempt to criticize one of the candidates running
for the presidency in the fall of 2001.... The course of the trial
showed that the judge did not intend to observe the universally
recognized principles of justice, such as independence, impartiality,
openness, the rule of law, the presumption of innocence, unlimited
access to legal counsel, etc." CB
[39] EU OFFICIAL SPEAKS ON UKRAINE'S EFFORTS TOWARD EUROPEAN
INTEGRATION
Francesco Luciani, the deputy head of the European Union's delegation
in Ukraine, on 25 June urged Ukrainian officials to have realistic
expectations about membership in the union, AP reported. Speaking at a
meeting in Kyiv to discuss the EU-Ukraine summit in July, he praised
Ukraine's "excellent results" in improving law enforcement and
democracy, but noted that money laundering continues to be a problem.
Earlier this month, the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force refused
to remove Ukraine from a list of countries that are "uncooperative" in
implementing legislation and regulations for preventing money
laundering. Luciani characterized efforts to stop human trafficking
(Ukraine is now a "Tier 2" country in prevention of human trafficking,
according to the U.S. State Department) and weapons as "impressive"
signs of Ukraine's commitment to the EU. But he also noted that Ukraine
still lags behind in economic reforms, and that European investment in
the country is low. RK
[40] CATO INSTITUTE RANKS UKRAINE'S ECONOMIC FREEDOM
The latest CATO Institute Economic Freedom of the World (EFW) index
currently available for 123 countries, and which measures the
consistency of a country's policies and institutions with economic
freedom, placed Ukraine at the bottom of the list along with the
Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Guinea-Bissau, and Algeria. The
Russian Federation was two places ahead of Ukraine but behind Zimbabwe
on the CATO list. The key ingredients of economic freedom, according to
CATO, are personal choice, voluntary exchange, freedom to compete, and
protection of person and property. According to the report,
"institutions and policies are consistent with economic freedom when
they provide an infrastructure for voluntary exchange and protect
individuals and their property from aggressors seeking to use violence,
coercion, and fraud to seize things that do not belong to them." CATO
noted that legal and monetary mechanisms are important in that
governments promote economic freedom when they provide a legal
structure and law enforcement system that protects the property rights
of owners and enforces contracts in an even-handed manner. RK
[41] ESTONIA, RUSSIA INK AGREEMENT ON BORDER CHECKPOINTS
In Tallinn on 25 June, Foreign Minister Kristiina Ojuland and Russian
Ambassador to Estonia Konstantin Provalov signed an agreement on border
checkpoints between the two countries, BNS reported. Border crossings
had been regulated by an agreement on customs checkpoints concluded by
the Estonian and Russian governments in 1993. The Estonian government
formed a committee in June 2000 for holding talks on a new checkpoint
agreement, and discussions were held in December 2000 in Estonia and in
July 2001 in Pskov. The final text of the treaty was agreed at a
meeting in Moscow in May. The new agreement, which went into effect
from the moment of the signing, designates seven international and five
bilateral checkpoints, all of which were already functioning. It
provides for launching ferry services across Lake Peipus between Pskov
and Tartu. Pskov Oblast Governor Yevgenii Mikhailov noted earlier in
the month that Pskov shippers do not have a suitable vessel for regular
passenger transport, so it will initially be conducted mostly by
charter and tourist boats. SG
[42] LATVIAN SHIPPING COMPANY SHARES AUCTIONED OFF
The entire package of 102 million shares of Latvijas kugnieciba
(Latvian Shipping Co.) were sold at 0.35 lats ($0.57) per share at an
auction on the Riga Stock Exchange on 25 June, LETA reported. Latvian
investors purchased 61.43 percent of the shares and international
investors purchased 38.57 percent. The shares comprise 51 percent of
the company. On 8 April an additional 32 percent of the shares were
exchanged for privatization vouchers. The demand for the shares on the
local market was 5.8 times greater than the 25 June offer. On learning
that the joint-stock company Ventspils nafta (VN), in which the state
still holds a 43.62 percent stake, purchased more than 60 percent of
the offered shares, former Economy Minister Ainars Slesers questioned
whether the sale was beneficial, as part of the VN shares will later be
exchanged for privatization vouchers. He called on Economy Minister
Aigars Kalvitis to resign. SG
[43] NORWEGIAN FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS LITHUANIA
Jan Petersen began a two-day visit to Lithuania on 25 June with a
meeting with President Valdas Adamkus, ELTA reported. They discussed
bilateral relations, Lithuania's future membership in the European
Union and NATO, regional cooperation, and ties with neighboring states.
Petersen told Foreign Minister Antanas Valionis that Norway has a
shortage of workers in the fishing industry and nurses, and would
welcome such workers from Lithuania. These issues were also mentioned
in his talks with Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas, during which he
also praised Lithuania's decision to close the nuclear-power plant in
Ignalina. Petersen and Health Minister Konstantinas Dobrovolskis signed
two agreements on cooperation in preventing tuberculosis in Lithuania
and HIV/AIDS in Lithuanian prisons, for which Norway has earmarked 1.97
million litas ($550,000) and 150,000 litas, respectively. SG
[44] WAVE OF PROTESTS FAILS TO MATERIALIZE IN POLAND
Attempts by Andrzej Lepper's radical Self-Defense farmers' union to
paralyze Poland with a wave of protests and blockades on 25 June
largely fizzled, Western and Polish media reported. Small groups of
Self-Defense activists attempted to block roads throughout the country,
but were prevented from doing so by police without incident, though 11
arrests were made in Warsaw. "The protests were a complete flop. We
normally have more trouble [with soccer matches]," police spokesman
Pawel Biedziak told Reuters. However, a protest by the leftist National
Trade Union Alliance in front of the National Bank's headquarters in
Warsaw drew more than 1,000 people protesting the central bank's
monetary policy. National Bank Governor Leszek Balcerowicz has been
under pressure from Prime Minister Leszek Miller to cut interest rates
since his election last fall. DW
[45] CZECH PRESIDENT SATISFIED WITH PACE OF COALITION NEGOTIATIONS
President Vaclav Havel said on 25 June that he is satisfied with the
pace of the ongoing negotiations for the forging of the new Czech
government, CTK and AP reported. After meeting with Prime
Minister-designate Vladimir Spidla, Havel said he is confident an
agreement will be reached. In turn, Spidla told journalists after the
meeting: "With moderate optimism, we can say that by the end of this
week or the beginning of the next week, we shall reach an agreement on
the government's program." Havel said that "any other alternative" to
reaching an agreement between the Social Democratic Party (CSSD) and
the two formations that make up the Coalition -- the Christian
Democratic Union and the Freedom Union-Democratic Union-- would "be
worse." Spidla repeated that if the parleys fail, he will try to set up
a minority CSSD cabinet. MS
[46] ODS CHAIRMAN TO CONTINUE AS CZECH PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER?
A member of the CSSD leadership, speaking on condition of anonymity,
said Civic Democratic Party (ODS) Chairman Vaclav Klaus could continue
to be the Chamber of Deputies' speaker, CTK reported, citing the daily
"Mlada fronta Dnes." "We would not be opposed if Klaus remained in his
[current] position. After all, he is the chairman of the largest
opposition party. Also, we could still need him for the EU accession
talks or the referendum law [on European Union accession]. And
certainly, it would be easier to come to an agreement with him [as
parliamentary speaker] than it would be if he were to become an
obstinate regular [opposition] deputy," the CSSD leader said. ODS
Deputy Chairman Ivan Langer said in reaction to the report that he had
"never heard" that the possibility was under consideration by the CSSD.
MS
[47] ODS OPPOSED TO COMMUNIST PARTICIPATION IN CZECH LOWER HOUSE
LEADERSHIP
The ODS is opposed to allowing the Communist Party of Bohemia and
Moravia (KSCM) to share in the leadership positions of the Chamber of
Deputies according to its proportional strength, CTK reported on 25
June, quoting ODS parliamentary group leader Vlastimil Tlusty. Tlusty
added that the ODS is nonetheless aware of the fact that it would not
be able to prevent this. The KSCM has never before been allotted
leadership positions in the chamber, but CSSD Chairman and Prime
Minister-designate Spidla said after the 14-15 June elections that he
favors such a step. Tlusty also said that although the CSSD has chosen
the Coalition as its likely partner in the next government, this would
not prevent it from cooperating with the KSCM, as it has already done
in the outgoing legislature. MS
[48] NATO TO JOINTLY DEFEND CZECH AIR SPACE DURING SUMMIT
Alexander Vondra, Czech government commissioner in charge of
preparations for the November NATO summit, told journalists on 25 June
that during the event the alliance will help the Czech Air Force in
defending the country's airspace, CTK reported. The Czech Air Force has
only several outdated MiG-21 fighters, and is also using Czech-made
subsonic L-159 aircraft. Vondra expressed his satisfaction with the
preparations for the summit. He added that three separate NATO summits
will in fact take place in Prague in November. In addition to the one
that is to decide on the organization's expansion, a meeting of
representatives of the 46 members of the Partnership for Peace Program,
and one of the NATO-Ukraine Commission will also take place at the
highest level, he said. MS
[49] SMOKE BOMB THROWN AT CZECH CHIEF RABBI
A smoke bomb was thrown at Czech Chief Rabbi Karol Sidon on 24 June in
Liberec, northern Moravia, CTK reported on 26 June, citing the daily
"Pravo." The daily wrote that the smoke bomb was thrown at Rabbi Sidon,
who was holding a meeting with a journalist in a bookshop. It said the
man who threw the device looked like a skinhead, and that he managed to
run away after the incident. No one was injured. Sidon said he believes
the incident was racially motivated and described it as "the most
unpleasant" he has had to face thus far. "Sometimes people shout at me,
but I got used to that," he said, adding that "people with shaved heads
do not just by chance throw bombs when a rabbi is present." He also
said he can "do nothing about it," since the matter is one of
"ideology, organization, and above all-of the [Czech] society as a
whole." MS
[50] EU OFFICIAL SAYS MECIAR IN GOVERNMENT WOULD BLOCK SLOVAKIA'S
ADMISSION
Eric van der Linden, the European Union's ambassador to Slovakia, said
in Bratislava on 25 June that in September the Slovaks will decide not
only on who will rule the country over the next four years, but also on
Slovakia's chances to become a EU member, CTK reported. He said that if
former Premier Vladimir Meciar returns to power, the European
Commission could very well recommend that Slovakia not be included
among the expanded union's members. Van der Linden also said that if
Slovakia does not receive an invitation to join NATO at the alliance's
November Prague summit, he doubts that it would be invited to join the
EU. MS
[51] REMAINS OF MILAN HODZA RETURN TO SLOVAKIA
On 25 June, a military brass band and Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda
welcomed the plane that returned to Slovakia the remains of Slovak
democratic politician Milan Hodza, who died in U.S. exile in June 1944,
CTK reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 24 June 2002). Dzurinda said Hodza
had been not only Czechoslovakia's first Slovak premier, but also "an
outstanding European." Dzurinda added that he would be happy if
together with his remains, Hodza's legacy would also return to his
country. Hodza was a strong advocate of European federalization and
Central European cooperation. His body will be reburied in a cemetery
in Martin, central Slovakia, where many prominent figures of Slovak
history are also buried. The premier said, "Today's event is a message
for us to defend democracy and prevent the spread of xenophobia,
intolerance, and extreme nationalism -- all of which can lead to
totalitarianism." MS
[52] HUNGARIAN PREMIER'S PAST STIRS MORE DEBATE IN PARLIAMENT...
Foreign Minister Laszlo Kovacs told parliament on 25 June that Prime
Minister Peter Medgyessy was greeted with "friendship and esteem" from
right- and left-wing politicians, foreign ministers, and prime
ministers during the recent European Union summit in Seville, Hungarian
media reported. Kovacs was responding to opposition Hungarian
Democratic Forum (MDF) parliamentary group leader Istvan Balsai, who
said that Medgyessy's past service in counterintelligence will
adversely affect Hungary's international reputation. Balsai said his
party finds it grievous that parliament did not consider an MDF
proposal to urgently establish a commission to investigate Medgyessy's
past. Meanwhile, Medgyessy himself voted for a separate MDF proposal to
set up a commission to determine the impact that his past is having on
Hungary's image abroad. MSZ
[53] ...AND OUTSIDE IT
Outside of parliament on 25 June, a small group of people protested
Medgyessy's past affiliation with counterintelligence by greeting
governing coalition deputies arriving at the building with words like
"dirty Free Democrats, dirty Jews, dirty communists," Hungarian media
reported. Meanwhile, parliamentary members belonging to the FIDESZ
youth wing, Fidelitas, demanded that Medgyessy resign, and placed red
cards (like the ones used in soccer) on the floor in front of his seat
in the parliament. They also wore T-shirts bearing the slogan "Stop
[agent] D-209." Free Democrat Chairman Gabor Kuncze said prior to
regular parliament business that although FIDESZ is now raising moral
considerations, the party made the work of parliament impossible when
it was in power. Kuncze added that FIDESZ also restricted the rights of
the opposition, lined its own and its allies' pockets with public
funds, and is now dividing the country and taking politics to the
streets, Hungarian media reported. MSZ
[54] HUNGARIAN SOCIALISTS, OPPOSITION PREPARE FOR WAR OVER ASSET
DECLARATIONS
Hungary's opposition FIDESZ party intends to scrutinize Prime Minister
Medgyessy's declaration of his assets, while the coalition Socialist
Party is preparing to investigate the additional assets declared by
former Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his family, Hungarian dailies
reported on 26 June. FIDESZ claimed that Medgyessy has not declared all
of his assets, and the Socialists said they believe that there are
details concerning the Orban family's assets that require examination.
Three Socialist deputies, Gabor Simon, Peter Szitka, and Zsolt Torok,
will submit a motion to parliament to investigate Orban's assets. They
said that the motion seeks to clarify the connection between the rise
in Orban's assets and his officially declared income. Orban described
as a lie and libelous the assumption that his assets are not in line
with his declared income, adding that the allegations recently
published in the press cannot be substantiated in any way. MSZ
[55] COUNCIL OF EUROPE ASKS RAPPORTEUR TO REDRAFT REPORT ON HUNGARY'S
STATUS LAW
The Council of Europe's Legal and Human Rights Commission has asked
Dutch European Parliament member Erik Jurgens to redraft his analysis
of the Hungarian Status Law, FIDESZ parliamentary member Zsolt Nemeth
told "Magyar Hirlap" on 25 June. Nemeth, who is chairman of the
Hungarian parliament's Foreign Affairs Commission, said the demand is
in harmony with Hungarian interests. The draft was highly critical of
the law (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 13 March 2002). He added that he hopes
that Jurgens will complete a new, comprehensive analysis by September
in which he should compare Hungary's Status Law with similar European
practices. MSZ
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[56] BELGRADE POWER STANDOFF AT AN END?
Reuters reported from Belgrade on 26 June that General Nebojsa
Pavkovic, whom Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica recently sacked as
head of the General Staff, has ended his opposition to the president's
move (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 25 June 2002). There has been no
independent confirmation of this report. The previous day, the top
commanders on the Extended Staff of the General Staff issued a
statement saying they will carry out "all decisions of the Supreme
Defense Council and the president" of Yugoslavia, RFE/RL's South Slavic
and Albanian Languages Service reported. The council had refused to
agree to the sacking of Pavkovic, so some observers considered the
staff's statement ambiguous, but most observers regard the statement as
an endorsement of Kostunica's position. Elsewhere, Pavkovic said on the
private station TV Pink that he regards Kostunica's move as
"illegitimate," and has asked the Federal Constitutional Court for a
ruling. But state-run television announced that Pavkovic formally
handed over authority to his successor, General Branko Krga, Deutsche
Welle's Bosnian Service reported. PM
[57] BELGRADE OFFICIALS WANT MORE INFORMATION
Dragoljub Micunovic, the speaker of the lower house of the federal
parliament, formally requested Kostunica on 25 June to provide a full
account of the Supreme Defense Council's recent meeting, RFE/RL's South
Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported. Elsewhere, the Serbian
government called on Kostunica to confirm or deny a recent statement by
Pavkovic that Kostunica ordered him in 2001 to take control of the
Serbian government's communications department. The government added
that it is deeply disturbed about any possible attempt to make use of
the army for illegal political purposes. Kostunica did not immediately
comment on the charges but called a press conference for 26 June. PM
[58] CAUTIOUS WESTERN BACKING FOR KOSTUNICA
Javier Solana, the European Union's chief spokesman for security
policy, said in a statement in Brussels on 25 June that "the European
Union has repeatedly stated that civilian control over the military is
a basic principle of democracy and a vital element for the country's
ability to continue on the path toward European integration," Reuters
reported. Solana added, "I support all steps taken by the authorities
of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to consolidate this fundamental
principle." Meanwhile in Washington, State Department spokesman Richard
Boucher said Kostunica is the legitimate supreme civilian authority and
that the military must subordinate itself to civilian control, RFE/RL's
South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported. He added,
however, that Washington does not wish to interfere in internal
Yugoslav affairs. PM
[59] SERBIA ANNOUNCES LOCAL ELECTIONS FOR PRESEVO
Natasa Micic, the speaker of the Serbian parliament, announced in
Belgrade on 25 June that local elections in the troubled region of
Presevo, Medvedja, and Bujanovac will take place on 28 July, RFE/RL's
South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported. PM
[60] FORMER SECRET POLICE CHIEF SAYS MILOSEVIC KNEW OF CRIMES IN KOSOVA
Rade Markovic said in written responses to questions from Reuters that
former President Slobodan Milosevic knew about "the work of the secret
services" in Kosova in 1999 but did not exercise control over it, the
news agency reported from Belgrade on 26 June. Markovic added that
Milosevic was simply the first in a chain of command that controlled
the security forces (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 June 2002). PM
[61] STEINER SAYS NO RETURN OF KOSOVA TO SERBIAN RULE
Michael Steiner, who heads the UN's civilian authority in Kosova
(UNMIK), told the "Sueddeutsche Zeitung" of 26 June that he rules out
two possibilities for Kosova's future: a partition along ethnic lines
-- as desired by some Serbs -- or a return to direct Serbian control,
as was the case before NATO occupied Kosova in 1999. Steiner added,
however, that he has given the Kosovars "benchmarks" that they must
reach before the province's final status can be determined. The
benchmarks include the development of self-government, in which all
ethnic groups participate. The Munich daily added that unnamed Western
observers in Prishtina make it clear that Kosova is heading for
independence sooner or later, and that even "almost everyone in
Belgrade regards Kosova as lost" to Serbia. PM
[62] SKOPJE DENIES VOTE TO MACEDONIAN CITIZENS ABROAD
The many Macedonian citizens living and working abroad will be able to
vote in 15 September parliamentary elections only if they have a
permanent residence in Macedonia and return home to cast their ballots,
Deutsche Welle's "Monitor" reported on 25 June, citing "Dnevnik." This
decision effectively disenfranchises some 150,000 persons in Western
Europe, North America, and Australia who have already raised objections
to the new electoral laws. Many parts of the former Yugoslavia have
large numbers of citizens working abroad, and the question of their
right to vote is usually a controversial political issue. PM
[63] MACEDONIAN ALBANIAN LEADER DEMANDS CLARITY ON PASSPORTS
Arben Xhaferi, who heads the governing Democratic Party of the
Albanians (PDSH), warned of possible "destabilization" unless a
decision is reached soon on using the Albanian language in passports,
dpa reported from Tetovo on 26 June (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20, 21, and
25 June 2002). President Boris Trajkovski then charged Xhaferi with
using the issue as part of his election campaign. PM
[64] JUNIOR COALITION PARTNER LEAVES MACEDONIAN GOVERNMENT
On 25 June, two ministers of the hard-line "real" VMRO resigned their
cabinet posts, "Utrinski vesnik" reported. The "real" VMRO is a
splinter organization and junior coalition partner of the ruling
Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party of
Macedonian National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE). "Real VMRO" leader and Deputy
Defense Minister Boris Zmejkovski and Minister for Environment and
Regional Planning Vladimir Dzabirski left the government because of the
alleged growing influence of former guerilla fighters within the ethnic
Albanian political parties represented in the cabinet. Meanwhile, the
ethnic Albanian Party for Democratic Prosperity (PPD) announced that it
will leave the government as soon as a new passport regulation is
adopted (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20, 21, and 24 June 2002). UB
[65] MACEDONIAN SOCIALISTS LEAVE OPPOSITION COALITION
The Socialist Party of Macedonia (SPM) led by Ljubislav Ivanov-Dzingo,
left the opposition Together for Macedonia coalition, which is
dominated by the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM), "Utrinski
vesnik" reported on 25 June. It appears that the various parties could
not agree on the distribution of seats to be assigned to each party
after the parliamentary elections. The party leaderships of the SPM and
the SDSM then accused each other of collaboration with the VMRO-DPMNE.
The Together for Macedonia coalition also includes the Liberal
Democratic Party of Skopje Mayor Risto Penov. UB
[66] BOSNIAN GOVERNING COALITION SPLITS
Alliance for Change, the coalition of mainly small non-nationalist
parties that came to power nearly two years ago, was formally dissolved
in Sarajevo on 25 June, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages
Service reported (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 26 April 2002). Alliance
head Stjepan Kljuic said that most of the parties are not interested in
continuing the coalition. PM
[67] BOSNIAN LEGISLATURE PASSES PETRITSCH'S LAWS
The House of Nations approved on 25 June a package of laws proposed
earlier by former High Representative Wolfgang Petritsch, Deutsche
Welle's Bosnian Service reported. The measures deal with the civil
service, public television, and the official ombudsman (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 12 June 2002). Changes in the election law are still
awaiting a decision by the cabinet before the House of Nations can act
on them. PM
[68] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT WARNS AGAINST BUSH PLAN ON PALESTINIAN STATE
President Ion Iliescu said on 26 June that it "would be regrettable" if
the situation in the Middle East were to worsen because of Palestinian
Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat's removal from leadership, Mediafax
reported. Iliescu said such a step may lead to "additional tension,
instead of alleviating it." He said he is "skeptical" of U.S. President
George W. Bush's 24 June plan to gradually set up a Palestinian state
while replacing Arafat's leadership but added, "I do not wish to go
into details. It is difficult to estimate the situation with
precision." Somewhat contradicting himself, Iliescu also said he is
"certain" that the U.S. plan "is based on analyses that are more
precise and on talks with the two sides" involved in the conflict. MS
[69] ROMANIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES NEW TELEVISION COUNCIL
A joint session of the Romanian parliament's two chambers on 25 June
approved the new composition of the administrative council of Romanian
television and appointed Valentin Nicolau as the new council's
chairman, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. The 42-year-old Nicolau
is a former adviser to Premier Adrian Nastase and is a former director
of the private Nemira publishing house. MS
[70] BULGARIAN DEFENSE MINISTER IN ROMANIA
Visiting Bulgarian Defense Minister Nikolai Svinarov and his Romanian
counterpart Ioan Mircea Pascu on 25 June discussed bilateral
cooperation ahead of the Prague NATO summit, military reforms in the
two countries, and the situation in the Balkans, Romanian radio
reported. Pascu said after the talks that Bulgaria and Romania would
make a positive contribution to NATO's security and to regional
stability if invited to join the alliance. Svinarov was to meet with
President Iliescu on 26 June. MS
[71] ROMANIAN LIBERALS PREPARE FOR EXTRAORDINARY CONGRESS...
The National Liberal Party's (PNL) Standing Bureau decided on 25 June
to set up a "consultative commission" to prepare the party's
extraordinary congress, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. The
congress is to take place in the fall of 2002. The final decision on
its convocation is to be taken on 5 July, at a meeting of the party's
national delegates. The extraordinary congress is likely to see a final
showdown between the two rival PNL wings, one led by Chairman Valeriu
Stoica and the other, which seeks to replace Stoica, led by his deputy
chairman, Dinu Patriciu. Also on 25 June, PNL First Deputy Chairman
Teodor Melescanu, in a communique released in the name of those PNL
members who joined the party in early 2002 as a result of its merger
with the Alliance for Romania (APR), said the former APR members are
"equidistant" in the current conflict. Melescanu urged ending the PNL's
internal conflict and setting up a new leadership team capable of
"acting on a participatory decision-making principle" and of "making
clear-cut decisions." MS
[72] ...AND WILL ELECT IONESCU-QUINTUS AS HONORARY CHAIRMAN
The PNL's Standing Bureau also decided to propose to the party's
National Council to elect former PNL Chairman Mircea Ionescu-Quintus as
honorary chairman, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. The decision was
made after Ionescu-Quintus presented the ruling of a Ploiesti tribunal
that, he claimed, clears him of any suspicion of having been a
collaborator or an informer of the former Securitate. The National
Council for the Study of Securitate Archives in November 2000 included
Ionescu-Quintus's name on a list of parliamentarians who collaborated
with the communist secret police (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 22 November
2000). MS
[73] ROMANIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES AMENDED PENAL CODE
The Chamber of Deputies on 25 June approved an amendment to the Penal
Code abolishing Article 238, which made possible jailing those found
guilty of "offending authority," RFE/RL Bucharest bureau reported. In
the new version of the code, the length of sentences for those found
guilty of libel and of insulting public officials on duty were also
reduced. However, an opposition proposal to abolish as "discriminatory"
the article in the code providing jail sentences for those found guilty
of insulting public officials was voted down (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 24
May 2002). MS
[74] ROMANIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY OFFICIAL DENIES DISCRIMINATION IN THE
ARMY AGAINST ROMA...
Defense Ministry State Secretary Sorin Encutescu said on 25 June that
media reports on discrimination against Roma in the army are
groundless, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. Encutescu said he does
not rule out that some noncommissioned officers or "low
rank-commanders" may commit anti-Roma acts, but added that these are
"isolated cases" and that the army will punish any discriminatory act.
He said the ministry has set up a special commission in charge of
implementing a 2001 government decision on the improvement of the
Romany minority's situation. One of the five-member commission is to be
a Rom, he said. MS
[75] ...AS FINLAND EXPELS ROMANIAN ROMA
A first group of 53 Roma whose request for political asylum in Finland
was rejected has been sent back to Romania, Mediafax reported on 26
June. The Roma were flown to Romania from Helsinki's Vantaa Airport.
Some 500 Roma from Romania have requested asylum in Finland this year.
Of those, 253 have been either rejected by the authorities or withdrawn
by the applicants themselves, and more than 200 Roma still await a
decision on their asylum requests. MS
[76] THAW IN ROMANIAN-MOLDOVAN RELATIONS COULD BE IN THE OFFING...
Gheorghi Prisacaru, chairman of the Romanian Senate's Foreign Affairs
Commission, told his Moldovan counterpart Andrei Neguta on 25 June that
the two countries must find solutions to bring about the
"normalization" of relations between them and that this is the joint
responsibility of Romanian and Moldovan politicians. Prisacaru and
Neguta met at the current session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe in Strasbourg, Flux reported. They agreed that
parliamentarians representing the two sides will exchange visits next
month. Prisacaru said he does not rule out meeting during his planned
visit to Chisinau with President Vladimir Voronin, Foreign Minister
Nicolae Dudau, and parliamentary speaker Evgenia Ostapciuc. He said it
is "vitally important" for "the two Romanian states" to jointly
discover the best modality for "renewing and developing relations" in
order to promote "Moldova's progress toward Western democratic values
and structures." MS
[77] ...BUT NEXT CLASH IS AROUND THE CORNER
The official government daily "Moldova suverana" wrote on 25 June that
Moldova should change its national anthem, whose lyrics are based on a
poem by Alexei Mateevici titled "Our Language," RFE/RL's Chisinau
bureau reported. According to "Moldova suverana," the multinational
Moldovan state will not be able to achieve European integration and
genuine national unity as long as its anthem praises the language of
but one of its nationalities. Popular Party Christian Democratic Deputy
Chairman Stefan Secareanu said in response that the country is facing
"a criminal attempt by the communist regime to maim the achievements of
post-1989 independent Moldova. Secareanu said that the change of the
anthem would amount to "a slap in the face of our tumultuous past [and
in the face] of Bessarabian intellectuals who always defended and
promoted the Romanian idea." He added that Voronin's "antinational and
antidemocratic regime" intends to produce an anthem based on the
"primitive idea of Moldovianism." MS
[78] TRANSDNIESTER NEGOTIATIONS TO BE RESUMED NEXT MONTH...
The negotiations with the Transdniester separatists are to be resumed
in Kyiv on 2-3 July, chief Moldovan negotiator Vasile Sturza said on 25
June. David Schwartz, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe's (OSCE) mission chief in Moldova, told journalists the same day
that only the special status of the Transdniester will figure on the
meeting's agenda, RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. MS
[79] ...AS OSCE CALLS ON TRANSDNIESTER TO ALLOW WEAPONS DECOMMISSIONING
Schwartz on 26 June urged the Transdniester authorities to grant
permission for the use of the two munitions destruction devices to be
transported from Chisinau to the Kolbasna munitions depot, AFP
reported. Separatists are preventing the transport of the two devices,
one U.S.-made and the other of German manufacture, to their territory,
where they are to be used to destroy the obsolete Russian arsenal in
the region. Schwartz said that the U.S. equipment "has been sitting
unused in Chisinau for 2 1/2 months, and now the second [German-made
device] will also be stored there for an indeterminate time" (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 25 June 2002). MS
[80] CONSERVATIVE UNION OF DEMOCRATIC FORCES GIVES BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT
BAD MARKS...
Assessing Prime Minister Simeon Saxecoburggotski's government's first
year in power, the conservative opposition Union of Democratic Forces
(SDS) gave bad grades to the current administration. In the evaluation,
which was published on the SDS website (http://www.sds.bg), the SDS
accused the government of cooperating with the postcommunist Bulgarian
Socialist Party (BSP), of having broken its electoral promises, and of
conducting a bad economic policy that drives entrepreneurs either into
bankruptcy or the gray economy. Since the government took office
foreign investments have decreased considerably, the SDS claimed. "When
a government is the result of deals between various economic and
political lobbyist groups, the myth of its honesty and incorruptibility
is very quickly destroyed," the statement said. Former monarch
Saxecoburggotski's National Movement Simeon II defeated the then-ruling
SDS in the parliamentary elections of 17 June 2001. UB
[81] ...AS DOES THE BULGARIAN SOCIALIST PARTY
In a similar move, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) stated that the
first year of Prime Minister Simeon Saxecoburggotski's government
resulted in few positive changes, mediapool.bg reported. The BSP
claimed that the government failed to reduce the crime rate, to improve
the business climate, or to improve the social situation of Bulgarian
citizens. The BSP lauded the government's foreign policy and its
efforts to join the European Union and NATO. However, the BSP expressed
its concern over the government's policy to explicitly favor contact
with the United States, which could harm Bulgaria's relations with
European countries, particularly in security and defense matters. UB
[82] BULGARIAN OPPOSITION DECIDES TO STOP PUBLISHING DAILY
Former Foreign Minister Nadezhda Mihailova, the chairwoman of the
conservative opposition Union of Democratic Forces, announced on 25
June that the party will stop publishing its daily "Demokratsiya,"
Bulgarian media reported. Mihailova said the newspaper lost about
$1,000 per day and the party can no longer afford to publish it.
"Demokratsiya," which is owned by the Democracy Foundation, was founded
in 1990. In an open letter, Mihailova said that she will seek ways to
publish "Demokratsiya" again. UB
END NOTE
[83] There is no End Note today.
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