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RFE/RL Newsline, 02-06-27
CONTENTS
[01] RUSSIA GAINS FULL PLACE AT G-8 TABLE...
[02] ...AND $20 BILLION ALLOCATED FOR STRATEGIC DISARMAMENT
[03] WORLD'S BIGGEST SUBMARINE REENTERS SERVICE
[04] COURT ACQUITS SUSPECTS IN JOURNALIST'S MURDER
[05] DUMA GIVES FINAL APPROVAL TO ANTI-EXTREMISM BILL...
[06] ...AS BILL CONTINUES TO RAISE QUESTIONS...
[07] ...AND PUZZLE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES...
[08] ...AND ANALYST IMPLIES THIS LAW IS NOT NEEDED
[09] DUMA TAKES FIRST STEP IN OVERHAULING RAIL SYSTEM...
[10] ...AND PROCEEDS WITH REGIONAL-LEGISLATURE REFORM...
[11] ...WHILE MORE LEGAL REFORMS MOVE FORWARD
[12] DOGGED BY CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS, FORMER OFFICIAL DUBBED SENATOR
[13] HUMAN, FINANCIAL TOLL KEEPS RISING IN FLOODED SOUTH
[14] ANOTHER LOCALITY TAKES MEASURES AGAINST MIGRANTS
[15] FELON-MAYOR TO SEEK OFFICE ONCE AGAIN IN NIZHNII NOVGOROD
[16] CHECHNYA'S DUMA DEPUTY CALLS FOR END TO SEARCH OPERATIONS IN
[17] OFFICIAL SAYS TURKEY BACKS AZERBAIJAN OVER TERRITORIAL EXCHANGE
[18] FORMER ARMENIAN RULING PARTY SLAMS ALLEGED TERRITORIAL EXCHANGE
[19] AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITION LEADER SAYS HE WILL RUN FOR PRESIDENT NEXT
[20] AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT WANTS MORE EFFECTIVE ARMY
[21] FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS GEORGIA, RUSSIA SHOULD COOPERATE TO COMBAT
[22] ...AS DOES FORMER GEORGIAN INTELLIGENCE CHIEF
[23] GEORGIAN PRESIDENT DOUBTS INTERIOR MINISTRY INVOLVEMENT IN
[24] GEORGIAN NATIONAL-TV STAFF STRIKE
[25] KAZAKH, GREEK PRESIDENTS DISCUSS ECONOMIC TIES, OIL-EXPORT
[26] LAW ON POLITICAL PARTIES SENT TO KAZAKH PRESIDENT FOR SIGNING
[27] KAZAKH MUNICIPAL OFFICIAL FIRED FOR INTERCEDING ON BEHALF OF
[28] KAZAKH, RUSSIAN SPECIAL SERVICES SIGN COOPERATION AGREEMENT
[29] KYRGYZ PARLIAMENTARIAN'S APPEAL HEARING OPENS
[30] RUSSIA'S PRIMAKOV, BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT DISCUSS INTEGRATION
[31] BELARUSIAN LEGISLATURE POSTPONES REVIEW OF CONTROVERSIAL RELIGION
[32] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT SEES ARMY REFORM AS KEY TASK ON PATH TOWARD
[33] ...AND HONORS KYIV PATRIARCH WITH ORDER
[34] UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT DELEGATES LAWMAKERS TO OSCE PARLIAMENTARY
[35] MONUMENT TO POPE UNVEILED IN LVIV
[36] DANISH FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS ESTONIA AND LITHUANIA
[37] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT HOLDS TALKS IN LATVIA
[38] BALTIC COUNCIL OF MINISTERS MEETS IN LITHUANIA
[39] SUSPECT IN POLISH EX-MINISTER MURDER CASE COMMITS SUICIDE
[40] POLISH CENTRAL BANK TRIMS INTEREST RATES
[41] WILL NEXT CZECH PRESIDENT BE ELECTED BY POPULAR VOTE?
[42] CZECH KDU-CSL LEADER NIXES KLAUS AS PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER
[43] CSSD, COALITION TO SQUARE THE CIRCLE ON CZECH GRIPEN PURCHASE?
[44] COALITION ALLIES TO RUN SEPARATELY IN CZECH LOCAL ELECTIONS?
[45] POLICE INVESTIGATE BUGGING, HIDDEN CAMERAS AT CZECH TV
[46] CZECH SUPREME COURT FREES MILAN SREJBR
[47] HZDS SUBMITS NO-CONFIDENCE MOTION IN SLOVAK GOVERNMENT
[48] SLOVAK PRESIDENT NAMES MIKLOS TRANSPORT MINISTER
[49] SLOVAK GOVERNMENT FIRES TASR HEAD
[50] EU OFFICIAL CLARIFIES STATEMENT ON FORMER SLOVAK PREMIER
[51] SLOVAK, CZECH WAVE OF ROMANY ASYLUM SEEKERS IN SWEDEN ON THE
[52] HUNGARY' S FREE DEMOCRAT CHAIRMAN COMMENTS ON MEDGYESSY AFFAIR
[53] HUNGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER CONFERS WITH GERMAN COUNTERPART
[54] HUNGARIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES NEW SUPREME COURT CHIEF
[55] KOSTUNICA SAYS YUGOSLAV ARMY WORKING 'NORMALLY'...
[56] ...AND GENERAL KRGA AGREES
[57] GENERAL PAVKOVIC SAYS THAT HE IS IN THE RIGHT...
[58] ...THAT POLITICS IS BEHIND THE SACKING...
[59] ...AND THAT KOSTUNICA TRIED TO USE THE ARMY FOR POLITICAL ENDS
[60] DJINDJIC CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION OF PAVKOVIC'S CHARGES...
[61] ...BUT WILL IT COME ABOUT?
[62] GENERAL OJDANIC TO GET HOME LEAVE AFTER ALL?
[63] UN RUNNING OUT OF CASH FOR REFUGEE WORK
[64] BABO IN THE DOCK
[65] UN SACKS SIX MORE POLICE IN BOSNIA
[66] MOSTAR BRIDGE RECONSTRUCTION BEGUN
[67] NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL TO VISIT MACEDONIA
[68] SENTENCED ROMANIAN MINERS' LEADER CLAIMS TO HAVE REJECTED DEAL
[69] ...TRIGGERING PREDICTABLE RESPONSES
[70] BESIEGED ROMANIAN LIBERAL LEADER MAKES PROPOSAL TO ADVERSARIES
[71] ROMANIAN SENATE APPROVES NEW NATIONAL ANTICORRUPTION PROSECUTION
[72] POLL SHOWS MOLDOVAN COMMUNISTS' POPULARITY DROPPING
[73] GAGAUZ-YERI GOVERNOR INTENDS TO APPOINT OWN SUCCESSOR
[74] COUNCIL OF EUROPE SAYS MOLDOVAN POLICE USE TORTURE
[75] BULGARIAN PARLIAMENT DISCUSSES MILITARY AMNESTY
[76] BULGARIA'S LARGEST UNIVERSITY THREATENED WITH BANKRUPTCY
[77] There is no End Note today.
27 June 2002
RUSSIA
[01] RUSSIA GAINS FULL PLACE AT G-8 TABLE...
The leaders of the G-7 countries and Russia meeting in Kananaskis,
Canada, decided to upgrade Russia's status to full membership in the
group by 2006, Russian and Western news agencies reported. In addition,
it was decided that the 2006 G-8 summit will be held in St. Petersburg.
Russia will also host a special meeting of G-8 members in 2004.
ITAR-TASS quoted Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi as saying
that the decision to include Russia among the world's leading powers
shows that Russia, under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin, is
able to play a full role in resolving global problems. VY
[02] ...AND $20 BILLION ALLOCATED FOR STRATEGIC DISARMAMENT
Summit participants also decided to allocate $20 billion over the next
decade for the destruction of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons
from the strategic arsenal of the former Soviet Union, RIA-Novosti
reported on 27 June. The United States will provide half this sum, with
the European Union, Canada, and Japan providing the rest. The decision
was made not only to speed up the process of dismantling Soviet
arsenals, but also to prevent dangerous substances from falling into
the hands of terrorists, Reuters reported. Western military experts
have long expressed serious concern about the lack of security around
storage facilities for weapons of mass destruction in Russia and other
former Soviet republics. VY
[03] WORLD'S BIGGEST SUBMARINE REENTERS SERVICE
At a ceremony in Severodvinsk on 26 June attended by Defense Minister
Sergei Ivanov, the Typhoon-class nuclear submarine "Dmitrii Donskoi"
was received back into service, "Rossiiskaya gazeta" reported. The
"Dmitrii Donskoi" is the largest submarine in the world. According to
David Pashaev, director of the Sevmash shipyard, the submarine has a
displacement of 49,800 tons and is armed with 20 heavy intercontinental
ballistic missiles. The "Dmitrii Donskoi" was commissioned in 1982 and
has been undergoing extensive modernization for the last 12 years. VY
[04] COURT ACQUITS SUSPECTS IN JOURNALIST'S MURDER
A Moscow district military court on 26 June completely exonerated
Colonel Pavel Popovskikh, a unit commander in the Russian Airborne
Troops, and five of his comrades who had been accused of the 1994
murder of "Moskovskii komsomolets" journalist Dmitrii Kholodov, Russian
and Western news agencies reported. Kholodov died on 17 November 1994
after opening a booby-trapped briefcase that he believed contained
documents relating to malfeasance in the Defense Ministry. According to
the prosecution, Popovskikh and the other defendants prepared the booby
trap with the encouragement of former Defense Minister Pavel Grachev.
The court ruled that prosecutor Irina Aleshina failed "to present proof
of the defendants' guilt or to assemble such proof during the court
hearings." Aleshina and Kholodov's relatives have said that they will
appeal the verdict. VY
[05] DUMA GIVES FINAL APPROVAL TO ANTI-EXTREMISM BILL...
The State Duma on 27 June adopted in its third and final reading a
controversial bill on combating extremism (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 5,6,
and 21 June 2002) that includes in its definition of extremism any
actions that impede the functioning of the federal authorities by force
or other illegal means, ntvru.com and other Russian news agencies
reported. The bill contains prohibitions on "extremist activity" and
"extremist organizations," which it defines as any organization so
recognized by a court. If the bill becomes law, it will be the first
time that Russia has outlawed the use of Nazi symbols, the promotion of
any kind of ethnic or religious hatred, and the bankrolling of any such
activity. VY
[06] ...AS BILL CONTINUES TO RAISE QUESTIONS...
A number of the provisions in the anti-extremism bill continue to
concern human rights activists. One of the most controversial sections
is the ban on "inciting any social animosity," which activists fear
could be used to crack down on trade unions or other kinds of social
activity or protest. The bill also imposes strong restrictions on
Internet providers that activists feel could be easily used to restrict
many forms of political expression. Likewise, activists are concerned
by one definition of extremism that includes the phrase "any attempt to
humiliate human dignity." VY
[07] ...AND PUZZLE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES...
Law enforcement officials who will be charged with enforcing the bill
if it becomes law expressed bewilderment over some of its language,
ntvru.com reported. Larisa Maslennikova, deputy director of the
Interior Ministry's Research-Organizational Directorate, said that her
agency considers the bill "too abstract." The bill "does not contain
definitions of the subject and the object of extremism and, therefore,
cannot be enforced," Maslennikova said, according to the website. VY
[08] ...AND ANALYST IMPLIES THIS LAW IS NOT NEEDED
In an article in "Vremya MN" on 26 June, Valerii Solovei, a political
analyst with the Gorbachev Foundation, argues that fascist or
right-wing groups in Russia are very disorganized, and that unlike
unofficial presidential adviser Gleb Pavlovskii, he does not feel that
Russia is threatened by a large number of extremist organizations.
According to Solovei, there are only several dozen organizations in
Russia that consider themselves parties or unions, and their total
membership numbers no more than several hundred. Solovei suggests that
the only more or less serious fascist party is Russian National Unity,
but that its "historical chance has passed." Solovei acknowledged that
there are according to Interior Ministry data some 10,000 to 15,000
skinheads, but these people in general dislike discipline and therefore
cannot be included in any political party structure. Solovei concludes
that "Russia has enough laws" to stop groups of young men from getting
drunk and beating up people on the street. "A different matter is how
these laws are observed, but this is a problem not with skinheads but
with the indulgence of the police," Solovei said. JAC
[09] DUMA TAKES FIRST STEP IN OVERHAULING RAIL SYSTEM...
The State Duma approved on 26 June in its first reading a package of
three bills submitted by the government reforming the country's railway
system. According to ITAR-TASS, the package is directed at developing a
competitive market for rail transport and at improving government
regulation of this sphere. In the new system, independent carriers will
have the opportunity to operate using the railway-transportation
infrastructure. JAC
[10] ...AND PROCEEDS WITH REGIONAL-LEGISLATURE REFORM...
Also on 26 June, deputies approved a bill that amends the law on
general rules for organizing regional legislatures so that one-half of
the deputies in regional legislatures will be elected according to
party lists, RIA-Novosti reported. The bill is the product of a
conciliation commission that was formed after the Federation Council
rejected the bill in April. The vote was 389 in favor, with one against
and no abstentions. JAC
[11] ...WHILE MORE LEGAL REFORMS MOVE FORWARD
The same day, legislators also turned their attention to the Civil
Code, which they passed in its second reading, ITAR-TASS reported. The
code establishes procedures for settling civil disputes, such as those
in the workplace and among family members. According to Legislation
Committee Chairman Pavel Krasheninnikov (Union of Rightist Forces), the
existing Civil Procedural Code came into effect at the end of the 1960s
and does not take into account the majority of problems that have
arisen with the redistribution of property and establishment of new
market relations. If adopted, the bill will come into force on 1
January 2003. JAC
[12] DOGGED BY CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS, FORMER OFFICIAL DUBBED SENATOR
Federation Council members confirmed on 26 June former First Deputy
Finance Minister Andrei Vavilov as the representative for the
legislature of Penza Oblast, Russian news agencies reported. Federation
Council Chairman Sergei Mironov told reporters that all of Vavilov's
documents were in order and that Penza Oblast's prosecutor had found
nothing wrong with the procedure under which Vavilov was elected.
Vavilov has been named in numerous corruption investigations stemming
from his time in office under former President Yeltsin, and senators
had earlier voted at the request of Prosecutor-General Vladimir Ustinov
to postpone endorsing his mandate (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 June
2002). As a senator, Vavilov will enjoy immunity from prosecution.
According to "Izvestiya" on 26 June, Vavilov has already tendered his
resignation from the board of directors of Severnaya Neft. Meanwhile,
"Nezavisimaya gazeta" quoted political scientist Iosif Diskin as saying
at a recent meeting at Moscow's Aleksandr House that "the Federation
Council has gone from being a house of lords to a house of valets,
serving regional elites and oligarchs." JAC
[13] HUMAN, FINANCIAL TOLL KEEPS RISING IN FLOODED SOUTH
As of 26 June, the death toll from flooding in the Southern Federal
District had reached 84, ntvru.com reported, citing data from the
Emergency Situations Ministry. The number of people affected by the
flooding is as high as 288,000 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 24 and 26 June
2002). More than 80,000 people have been evacuated, and more than 130
population centers remain without electricity. According to the
ministry, material damage from the flooding is currently estimated at
12.7 billion rubles ($363 million). Speaking to reporters in
Rostov-na-Donu, the presidential envoy to the Southern Federal
District, Viktor Kazantsev, charged that the negative consequences of
the flooding have been so severe in part because "of a series of
disagreements between federal ministries and departments, in
particular, the Agriculture Ministry and the Natural Resources
Ministry." JAC
[14] ANOTHER LOCALITY TAKES MEASURES AGAINST MIGRANTS
Children of foreign citizens will no longer be allowed to study at
schools in the city of Surgut in Khanty-Mansiisk Autonomous Okrug if
their place of residence is not registered with the city's migration
service, Interfax-Eurasia reported. Nadezhda Streltsova, head of the
city's department for education and science, told the agency those if
the department "had once closed its eyes" to the children of illegal
immigrants, it now intends to strictly follow proper procedures.
Currently, local schools are overflowing, and many are operating in two
shifts. JAC
[15] FELON-MAYOR TO SEEK OFFICE ONCE AGAIN IN NIZHNII NOVGOROD
Former Nizhnii Novgorod Mayor and convicted felon Andrei Klimentiev
announced on 26 June that he intends to participate in the upcoming
mayoral race in that city, Interfax-Eurasia reported. Klimentiev won
the last mayoral race, but was later arrested and served time after
being found guilty of fraud and bribery. Incumbent Mayor Yurii Lebedev
was elected in make-up elections after Klimentiev's incarceration. More
recently, Klimentiev participated in the July 2001 gubernatorial
elections, but failed to qualify for the second round. At the time,
analysts claimed that the Kremlin's main aim in that race was to ensure
that Klimentiev didn't win. JAC
[16] CHECHNYA'S DUMA DEPUTY CALLS FOR END TO SEARCH OPERATIONS IN
CHECHNYA
Speaking at a press conference in Moscow on 26 June, former police
General Aslanbek Aslakhanov, who represents Chechnya in the Duma,
called for a ban on further "mop-up" operations in which Russian troops
search Chechen villages for suspected freedom fighters, Interfax
reported. Aslakhanov said such searches are marred by flagrant human
rights violations. He said survivors of the recent searches in
Mesker-Yurt and Chechen-Aul (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 31 May and 4, 5,
17, and 18 June 2002) informed him that 30 residents were arbitrarily
killed during those searches and in many cases their corpses were left
in pieces, rendering identification almost impossible. Dozens more
villagers are missing, Aslakhanov said. He added that it impossible to
determine who was responsible for the killings because the perpetrators
are invariably masked. LF
TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[17] OFFICIAL SAYS TURKEY BACKS AZERBAIJAN OVER TERRITORIAL EXCHANGE
The question of the status of land corridors linking Armenia and the
unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic on the one hand, and Azerbaijan
and its exclave of Nakhichevan on the other, is the single remaining
obstacle to a solution to the Karabakh conflict, a source close to the
negotiating process told RFE/RL's Armenian Service in Istanbul on 26
June. "The negotiating process has reached a point where the Karabakh
conflict can be considered resolved once a solution is found to the
problem of corridors," that source said. The source added that Turkey
is backing Azerbaijan's demand for an exchange of territory whereby the
Meghri corridor would become part of Azerbaijani territory in return
for the formal transfer to Armenia of Lachin, which has been under
Armenian control for 10 years. The Armenian government rejects that
option but is willing to allow "unfettered communication" between
Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan via Meghri. LF
[18] FORMER ARMENIAN RULING PARTY SLAMS ALLEGED TERRITORIAL EXCHANGE
In a statement released on 25 June, the Armenian Pan-National Movement
harshly criticized the Karabakh policy of current President Robert
Kocharian, Noyan Tapan reported. Specifically, the statement argued
that French reaction to Azerbaijani President Heidar Aliev's recent
claims that Armenia reneged on an agreed exchange of territory with
Azerbaijan proves that Aliev's claim is true (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17
and 20 June 2002). The statement brands Kocharian's imputed willingness
to bargain away a transit corridor through the southern region of
Meghri as "directed against Armenia's territorial integrity and state
security" and as "high treason." Also on 25 June, Zhirair Sefilian, who
commanded an Armenian battalion during the Karabakh war and now heads
an organization opposed to any concessions in the peace process,
similarly told journalists in Yerevan that simply for an Armenian to
utter the term "[transit] corridor" during peace talks is tantamount to
treason, Noyan Tapan reported. LF
[19] AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITION LEADER SAYS HE WILL RUN FOR PRESIDENT NEXT
YEAR
Azerbaijan National Independence Party Chairman Etibar Mamedov has
announced his candidacy for the 2003 presidential elections, Azerbaijan
News Service reported. According to official returns, Mamedov polled
second to Aliev in the October 1998 ballot with 11.6 percent of the
vote. Mamedov claims the outcome was falsified, and that Aliev garnered
no more than 60 percent of the vote, less than the two-thirds required
for a first-round victory, which should have necessitated holding a
runoff between Aliev and Mamedov. Aliev announced last summer that he
will seek a third presidential term. LF
[20] AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT WANTS MORE EFFECTIVE ARMY
In a statement pegged to National Armed Forces Day on 26 June,
President Aliev argued that "we have to constantly improve our military
potential and defense capability," because a "fair settlement" of the
Karabakh conflict in peace talks depends directly on negotiating from a
position of strength, Interfax reported. Aliev further affirmed that
"our army has the capability to defend any adversary who might try to
invade our country." It is not clear whether he ranked the army's
ability to launch an offensive equally highly. But Defense Minister
Colonel General Safar Abiev said in a statement to Azerbaijan News
Service on 26 June cited by Groong that he does not exclude military
action to resolve the conflict. "The...Azerbaijani Army is capable of
freeing occupied Azerbaijani lands and restoring the country's
territorial integrity," Abiev was quoted as saying. LF
[21] FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS GEORGIA, RUSSIA SHOULD COOPERATE TO COMBAT
CHECHEN PANKISI THREAT...
In the first official Georgian reaction to Russian President Vladimir
Putin's 24 June affirmation that neither the United States nor Georgia
is capable of neutralizing the "terrorist" presence in the Pankisi
Gorge without Russia's help (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 25 June 2002),
Georgian Foreign Minister Irakli Menagharishvili said in Tbilisi on 27
June that Georgia and Russia should seek to identify mutually
acceptable conditions for cooperation in tackling the Pankisi problem,
Caucasus Press reported. At the same time, Menagharishvili warned that
"any foreign interference will have negative results and cause an
escalation of the situation in the region." LF
[22] ...AS DOES FORMER GEORGIAN INTELLIGENCE CHIEF
On 26 June, former Georgian intelligence chief Irakli Batiashvili, who
currently chairs the parliament's Defense and National Security
Committee, told journalists that "Tbilisi understands Russia's fears of
the threat coming from Pankisi Gorge and is ready for cooperation in
establishing order in this region of Georgia." Batiashvili admitted
that there are Chechen fighters in Pankisi and that Georgia failed for
over a year to take any action against them (see "RFE/RL Caucasus
Report," Vol. 5, No. 8, 28 February 2002). But like Menagharishvili,
Batiashvili said that deploying Russian troops in Pankisi could give
rise to serious problems. LF
[23] GEORGIAN PRESIDENT DOUBTS INTERIOR MINISTRY INVOLVEMENT IN
BUSINESSMAN'S ABDUCTION
Eduard Shevardnadze told journalists in Tbilisi on 26 June that he has
no information that would substantiate National Security Minister
Valeri Khaburzania's claim the previous day that senior Interior
Ministry officials were involved in the kidnapping in Tbilisi on 18
June of British business consultant Peter Shaw, but cannot exclude such
involvement, Caucasus Press reported. Also on 26 June, the opposition
Union of Traditionalists parliamentary faction raised the question of a
vote of no confidence in Interior Minister Koba Narchemashvili due to
his failure to secure either Shaw's release or that of a Georgian
priest and the brother of a renowned soccer player, Caucasus Press
reported. Both men were kidnapped in Georgia last year. LF
[24] GEORGIAN NATIONAL-TV STAFF STRIKE
Some 100 employees of the first channel of Georgian Television began a
strike on 26 June to protest what they termed the unfair personnel
policy implemented by the channel's director Zaza Shengelia, Caucasus
Press reported. They claimed that he fires employees of whom he
disapproves and arbitrarily allocates widely varying salaries. A strike
participant explained that journalists with the "Moambe" news program
receive 700-800 laris ($317-362) per month, while others are paid a
"pittance" of 30 laris. LF
[25] KAZAKH, GREEK PRESIDENTS DISCUSS ECONOMIC TIES, OIL-EXPORT
PIPELINE
Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbaev met with his visiting Greek
counterpart Konstantinos Stephanopoulos in Almaty on 26 June to discuss
the potential for expanding trade and economic ties between the two
countries, Russian news agencies reported. Stephanopoulos expressed
support for Kazakhstan's bid to join the World Trade Organization. The
two presidents paid particular attention to the possibility of
Kazakhstan joining the Russian-Bulgarian-Greek consortium formed to
build an oil-export pipeline from the Black Sea port of Burgas in
Bulgaria to the Greek port of Aleksandropoulis. That pipeline will have
an annual throughput capacity of 35-45 million tons. Nazarbaev said his
country will need additional export-pipeline capacity in the near
future, but would join that consortium only as an equal member, and
only if the tariffs for using that pipeline proved "competitive,"
Interfax reported. The two sides signed several intergovernmental
agreements, including on mutual protection of investments, tourism,
transportation and cargos, and trade and cultural relations. LF
[26] LAW ON POLITICAL PARTIES SENT TO KAZAKH PRESIDENT FOR SIGNING
The Mazhilis (the lower chamber of Kazakhstan's parliament) on 26 June
approved the amendments to the law on political parties proposed the
previous day by the Senate (the upper house) and sent the law to
President Nazarbaev for his signature, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service
reported. Mazhilis deputy Ghany Qasymov, who ran unsuccessfully against
Nazarbaev in the January 1999 presidential election, said he has sent
an open letter to the president asking him not to sign the bill into
law. Qasymov argued that the bill would drive most opposition parties
underground. "Mr. President should bear in mind that such a situation
is not acceptable for a normal democratic society," Qasymov said. LF
[27] KAZAKH MUNICIPAL OFFICIAL FIRED FOR INTERCEDING ON BEHALF OF
DISGRACED OPPOSITION POLITICIAN
Pavlodar Municipal Council Secretary Telman Aytqazin was dismissed on
26 June after he proposed including on the agenda of a council meeting
the plight of former Pavlodar Oblast Governor Ghalymzhan Zhaqiyanov,
RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reported. Zhaqiyanov, who last November
cofounded the opposition movement Democratic Choice for Kazakhstan, is
hospitalized and under surveillance; he has been charged with
embezzlement (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 and 20 June 2002). LF
[28] KAZAKH, RUSSIAN SPECIAL SERVICES SIGN COOPERATION AGREEMENT
Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Director Nikolai Patrushev and
Kazakh National Security Committee Chairman Nartai Dutbaev signed a
protocol in Almaty on 26 June on providing each other information to
facilitate the search for wanted or suspected criminals or terrorists,
Interfax reported. The protocol was the 28th to the cooperation
agreement the two agencies concluded in 1992. Patrushev also met on 26
June with President Nazarbaev. LF
[29] KYRGYZ PARLIAMENTARIAN'S APPEAL HEARING OPENS
A court in the southern town of Toktogul began on 27 June reviewing the
appeal by parliament deputy Azembek Beknazarov against the one-year
suspended sentence handed down to him last month by the Djalalabad
Oblast court, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
25 May 2002). Meanwhile, some 300 Beknazarov supporters remain encamped
on the outskirts of Osh waiting for the court's ruling. LF
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
[30] RUSSIA'S PRIMAKOV, BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT DISCUSS INTEGRATION
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka and Russian Chamber of
Commerce and Industry head Yevgenii Primakov met in Minsk on 26 June
where they discussed the current controversy over the Belarus-Russia
Union state, Belarusian media reported. Primakov told journalists after
the meeting that he backs the union-state model in which both Russia
and Belarus would retain their sovereignty. "Any talks about the
possibility of Belarus joining the Russian Federation as its subject
have nothing in common with reality. Such schemes are far-fetched, they
cannot be implemented," Belarusian television quoted Primakov as
saying. Lukashenka said he is ready to introduce "corrections" to the
1999 union-state accord if need be. "We are ready for corrections, we
are reasonable people. One does not need to be afraid of that. If
anything needs correction, we will correct it," Lukashenka said. JM
[31] BELARUSIAN LEGISLATURE POSTPONES REVIEW OF CONTROVERSIAL RELIGION
LAW
The Chamber of Representatives on 26 June postponed until the fall the
second reading of a bill on religion that has provoked vociferous
criticism from the country's Protestant and nontraditional religious
communities (see "RFE/RL Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine Report," 25 June
2002), Belapan reported. JM
[32] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT SEES ARMY REFORM AS KEY TASK ON PATH TOWARD
NATO...
President Leonid Kuchma said on 26 June that "improving the structure
and functions of Ukraine's armed forces and other military formations
is a primary step in the implementation of a stage-by-stage process of
deepening Ukraine's cooperation with NATO, which is to end with Ukraine
joining the alliance," UNIAN reported. JM
[33] ...AND HONORS KYIV PATRIARCH WITH ORDER
The same day, President Kuchma decorated Patriarch Filaret, the head of
the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kyiv Patriarchate), with the Yaroslav
Mudry Order of the 4th Degree, UNIAN reported. Patriarch Filaret said
at the ceremony that his church supports Ukrainian statehood and does
everything in its power to avoid religious confrontation in Ukraine. He
bestowed an icon on Kuchma. JM
[34] UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT DELEGATES LAWMAKERS TO OSCE PARLIAMENTARY
ASSEMBLY
Parliamentary speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn has authorized the makeup of a
Verkhovna Rada permanent delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly,
UNIAN reported on 26 June. The delegation is composed of Oleh Bilorus
from the Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc; Mykola Zlochevskyy from the Social
Democratic Party-united; Oleksandr Masenko from the Communist Party;
Ihor Ostash and Oleksandr Tretyakov from Our Ukraine; and Yuliy Ioffe,
Mykola Kruhlov, and Serhiy Shevchuk from United Ukraine. JM
[35] MONUMENT TO POPE UNVEILED IN LVIV
Some 10,000 people attended the unveiling ceremony of a monument to
Pope John Paul II in Lviv on 25 June, Interfax reported on 26 June. JM
[36] DANISH FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS ESTONIA AND LITHUANIA
Preparing for Denmark's six-month European Union presidency in July,
Per Stig Moller held talks with Estonian Foreign Minister Kristiina
Ojuland in Tallinn on 26 June, BNS reported. He said Denmark will do
everything in its power to ensure that the accession talks with 10 EU
candidate countries are completed this year. Moller also reaffirmed
Denmark's support for Estonia's admittance to NATO. Ojuland expressed
the hope that Estonia's energy chapter in the negotiations is completed
quickly. Moller then flew to Vilnius where he told Foreign Minister
Antanas Valionis that Lithuania's possible plans to ask for changes in
the already completed chapter on the free movement of capital by
establishing a transition period for the sale of land to foreigners
should not upset its membership chances. SG
[37] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT HOLDS TALKS IN LATVIA
Robert Kocharian began an official two-day visit to Latvia on 26 June
with a meeting with his Latvian counterpart Vaira Vike-Freiberga, LETA
reported. The presidents discussed various issues, with Kocharian
expressing interest in Latvia's experiences in seeking EU membership,
as his country would also like to join the union in the future. They
expressed the hope that bilateral trade would increase once Armenia
joins the World Trade Organization. The two presidents were present at
the signing by Foreign Ministry State Secretary Maris Riekstins and
Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Tatul Markarian of an agreement on
readmission of persons and an agreement on travel between the two
countries. Kocharian also held talks with parliament Chairman Janis
Straume and members of the Latvian-Armenian parliamentary cooperation
group. At a later dinner in the Armenian president's honor,
Vike-Freiberga stressed the benefits of greater cooperation between the
countries, noting with satisfaction that while it headed the Council of
Europe's Committee of Ministers in 2001, Latvia succeeded in achieving
Armenia's admission to the organization. On 27 June, Kocharian met with
Prime Minister Andris Berzins before flying to Tallinn. SG
[38] BALTIC COUNCIL OF MINISTERS MEETS IN LITHUANIA
Meeting on 26 June at a guest house near Visaginas belonging to the
Ignalina nuclear-power plant, the Baltic Council of Ministers also
visited the plant and had the opportunity to inspect its safety and
security measures, ELTA reported. At the session, Prime Ministers Siim
Kallas (Estonia), Andris Berzins (Latvia), and Algirdas Brazauskas
(Lithuania) signed a joint resolution and an agreement on cooperation
in tourism. The resolution declared that the three states hope to
complete EU-accession negotiations this year and join the union in
2004, as well as be invited to join NATO at the Prague summit in
November. Noting that EU members have not yet been able to agree to the
proposed agricultural policy following expansion, the premiers said a
coordinated position of the three states would be more effective in
getting more favorable conditions. They agreed to form a group of
experts to consider the possibility of holding their respective
referendums for EU membership on the same day. The meeting also decided
to postpone until 2003 the creation of a unified Baltic energy market.
No agreement was reached on launching a common Baltic labor market
because Estonia has not yet decided if it will support it. SG
[39] SUSPECT IN POLISH EX-MINISTER MURDER CASE COMMITS SUICIDE
A man suspected of killing former Polish Sports Minister Jacek Debski
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 April 2001) committed suicide on 26 June by
hanging himself in his prison cell, Polish media reported. Interior
Minister Krzysztof Janik said he is shocked by the suicide, adding that
it could mean that Debski's murder may never be resolved. "I don't
believe in this suicide," former Justice Minister Lech Kaczynski
commented, suggesting that someone might have "helped" the suspect kill
himself in order to prevent him from disclosing connections between the
mafia and some politicians. JM
[40] POLISH CENTRAL BANK TRIMS INTEREST RATES
The Monetary Policy Council (RPP) on 26 June authorized the National
Bank to cut by 0.5 percent its three key interest rates, thus lowering
the Lombard rate to 11.5 percent, the discount rate to 10 percent, and
the deposit rate to 5.5 percent, Polish media reported. The government
said the cuts are too small to produce any positive effect in the
economy. "The decision cannot serve as a positive signal for the Polish
economy. It is another signal for speculative capital that the RPP will
not harm it," government spokesman Michal Tober commented. "The RPP
once again proved to be deaf to arguments other than its own. The
opinions of Polish businessmen, trade unions, parliament, government,
and the president have been ignored again," he added. JM
[41] WILL NEXT CZECH PRESIDENT BE ELECTED BY POPULAR VOTE?
The daily "Lidove noviny" reported on 26 June that the Social
Democratic Party (CSSD) and its potential coalition partners have begun
examining the possibility of introducing a constitutional amendment
that would make it possible to elect the next Czech president by
popular vote, CTK reported. President Vaclav Havel's mandate expires in
January 2003 and he cannot run for another term. The daily quoted
Freedom Union-Democratic Union (US-DEU) Chairwoman Hana Marvanova as
saying that in the last round of negotiations between the CSSD and the
Coalition -- which is composed of the Christian Democratic Union
(KDU-CSL) and the US-DEU -- the sides discussed the possibility of
amending the constitution ahead of the next presidential elections. But
CSSD Deputy Chairman Bohuslav Sobotka told "Lidove noviny" that,
"unfortunately," the majority of 101 that a CSSD-Coalition government
would have falls short of the necessary 120 votes needed to amend the
basic document. However, according to "Lidove noviny," the Communist
Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM), which won 41 mandates, is
considering supporting the amendment. MS
[42] CZECH KDU-CSL LEADER NIXES KLAUS AS PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER
KDU-CSL Chairman Cyril Svoboda denied on 26 June that outgoing Chamber
of Deputies speaker Vaclav Klaus might be offered to stay on in his
current position, CTK reported, citing the daily "Lidove noviny" (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 26 June 2002). Svoboda said the speaker's post must
be manned by a politician from the CSSD, which won the June elections.
He said the speaker might have five deputies, each representing one of
the five parliamentary parties: the CSSD, the Civic Democratic Party
(ODS), the KSCM, the KDU-CSL, and the US-DEU. According to another CTK
report, the position of parliamentary speaker is likely to be filled by
Petra Buzkova, who currently heads the local CSSD branch in Prague.
CSSD Deputy Chairman Zdenek Skromach told CTK that Buzkova is "one of
the candidates" for the speaker's position, if the CSSD and the
Coalition agree that the post is to be filled by a CSSD member. MS
[43] CSSD, COALITION TO SQUARE THE CIRCLE ON CZECH GRIPEN PURCHASE?
Outgoing Defense Minister Jaroslav Tvrdik said on 26 June that the
final version of the coalition agreement will probably not include a
direct reference to the purchase of Gripen supersonic fighters, but the
sides will state in a broader formulation that Czech air defense must
be ensured by the Czech Air Force, CTK reported. The two parties of the
Coalition had in the outgoing parliament opposed the deal for the
purchase of the British/Swedish-made fighters, which the CSSD wants
approved by parliament. KDU-CSL Chairman Svoboda said he does not
expect the Gripen deal to be part of the coalition agreement, but "the
issue is not closed for good." Tvrdik said that the CSSD wants the
agreement to also include references to the reform and
professionalization of the Czech Army, participation in the struggle
against international terrorism, and support for the establishment of a
joint European military force. MS
[44] COALITION ALLIES TO RUN SEPARATELY IN CZECH LOCAL ELECTIONS?
The KDU-CSL and the US-DEU intend to run separately in local elections
scheduled for the fall of 2002, CTK reported on 26 June, citing the
daily "Lidove noviny." The daily quoted Jiri Zizka, regional secretary
of the KDU-CSL in South Bohemia, as saying that the parliamentary
elections demonstrated that the partnership with the US-DEU has
weakened, rather than strengthened his formation. Zizka said that if
the two allies nonetheless decide to run jointly as the Coalition, it
must be made clear from the start that the US-DEU will run fewer
candidates on the joint lists. Jaroslav Prochazka, KDU-CSL district
secretary in South Bohemia, is quoted as saying: "In villages, we shall
run on our own. In towns we are still hesitating, but are inclined to
have our independent lists of candidates." Politicians from the US-DEU
told the daily "Mlada fronta Dnes" that they also prefer to have
separate lists, particularly in large towns, where support for the
US-DEU is strongest. MS
[45] POLICE INVESTIGATE BUGGING, HIDDEN CAMERAS AT CZECH TV
Police are investigating the discovery of hidden cameras and
microphones at Czech Television studios, CTK reported on 26 June. Czech
Television General Director Jiri Balvin admitted he ordered the
surveillance, saying the move was necessary in order to investigate
suspicion that private work is being done by journalists using the
company's equipment. The Czech Television Independent Trade Union
protested Balvin's conduct at a 26 June meeting of the Television
Council. The unions' chairman, Antonin Dekoj, said the investigation by
police was launched after the unions were advised by the Office for
Data Protection and by the Prosecutor-General's Office to complain to
police. MS
[46] CZECH SUPREME COURT FREES MILAN SREJBR
The Supreme Court on 26 June set free Milan Srejbr, a former tennis
professional-turned-businessman who was sentenced to 5 1/2 years in
prison in September 2001 for insider trading, Czech radio and CTK
reported. An appeal against the sentence had been filed by Justice
Minister Jaroslav Bures. Srejbr was found guilty of selling shares in
one of his companies to his own investment company, and buying them
back later at a lower price. Srejbr was the secret donor in a financial
scandal that swept through the ODS and ended with the fall of the Klaus
government in late 1997. MS
[47] HZDS SUBMITS NO-CONFIDENCE MOTION IN SLOVAK GOVERNMENT
The opposition Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) on 26 June
submitted a motion of no confidence in the cabinet headed by Mikulas
Dzurinda, CTK and Reuters reported. The motion was prompted by the
recent scandal that led to the dismissal of Transport Minister Jozef
Macejko. The HZDS is accusing the cabinet and Premier Dzurinda
personally of corruption in connection with the purchase of 35
locomotives for Slovak Railways. Dzurinda is expected to survive the
no-confidence motion, which will be voted on on 3 July. HZDS
parliamentary deputy Jan Cuper said that in light of the fact that new
elections are scheduled for September, "if the government were to
fall...a new government would have to be appointed or a caretaker
cabinet be nominated in order to prevent another corruption scandal for
which Dzurinda is politically responsible." MS
[48] SLOVAK PRESIDENT NAMES MIKLOS TRANSPORT MINISTER
President Rudolf Schuster appointed Deputy Premier Ivan Miklos as
Transport Minister on 26 June in place of dismissed minister Macejko,
CTK reported. Miklos is in charge of economic reforms and is considered
to be a radical liberal. Schuster told him that "you have now added
another important area to your responsibilities," and added that he
trusts that the scandal that brought about Macejko's dismissal "will be
properly investigated, and that the public and I personally will learn
the outcome of the investigation." MS
[49] SLOVAK GOVERNMENT FIRES TASR HEAD
The government on 26 June dismissed Ivan Ceredejev as general director
of the state-run TASR news agency, CTK and AP reported. The decision
was taken at the initiative of Prime Minister Dzurinda. A statement by
the prime minister said Ceredejev was removed after purchasing with
company funds a BMW automobile for 1.48 million crowns ($33,260) --
nearly double the maximum allowance of 800,000 crowns allowed by
regulations for a state-run director's automobile. In a separate
statement published on the government's website, Dzurinda said another
factor in the dismissal was Ceredejev's use of "vulgar expressions" in
his response to the daily "Pravda" over allegations that his salary was
higher than the prime minister's. "It is bullshit. Write it down,
please, that it is bullshit," the daily quoted him as saying, according
to CTK. In his defense, CTK quoted Ceredejev as saying that the car was
not purchased from the state-subsidy received by TASR, but from money
generated by the company's commercial revenues. Earlier this year, the
TASR budget was doubled by parliament from 25 million to 50 million
crowns following Ceredejev's warning that the agency was facing
collapse. MS
[50] EU OFFICIAL CLARIFIES STATEMENT ON FORMER SLOVAK PREMIER
The European Union Embassy in Bratislava, in a statement released on 26
June, said EU Ambassador Eric van der Linden's statement the previous
day was "misunderstood as a statement for the press," while in reality
it had been an "informal address" by van der Linden at a meeting with
Austrian journalists. The Austrian news agency APA distributed the
statement, which was also carried by other agencies (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 26 June 2002). The EU Embassy said the attribution to van
der Linden of the statement that the European Commission could reject
Slovakia's EU membership bid if former Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar
returns to power "is misleading and does not reflect the main points of
his speech." The embassy also quoted EU Enlargement Commissioner
Guenter Verheugen as saying the EU "does not interfere in election
campaigns in sovereign and democratic countries," but "it is in the
interest of the EU and the process of enlargement that Slovakia have
after the September elections a government capable of successfully
completing the country's preparations for acceding to the union, which
will only be possible in an environment of stability and continuation
of reforms." MS
[51] SLOVAK, CZECH WAVE OF ROMANY ASYLUM SEEKERS IN SWEDEN ON THE
DECLINE
The wave of Roma from Slovakia and the Czech Republic seeking asylum in
Sweden has dropped since May, CTK reported on 26 June. The agency said
206 requests by Slovak Roma and 74 requests by Czech Roma were
registered by the authorities during that month, but in the first weeks
of June there were only 38 Slovak and 15 Czech requests. MS
[52] HUNGARY' S FREE DEMOCRAT CHAIRMAN COMMENTS ON MEDGYESSY AFFAIR
Gabor Kuncze told "Nepszabadsag" on 26 June that Prime Minister Peter
Medgyessy should have spoken about his past service in
counterintelligence before the recent parliamentary elections. Kuncze
claimed that earlier rumors concerning Medgyessy only became a reality
for the Free Democrats after "Magyar Nemzet" published an article on
the matter on 18 June. Kuncze added that his party's vote of confidence
in Medgyessy (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19, 20 and 21 June 2002) is based
on "currently available information," and added that he does not rule
out "dangers for the party's future" as a result of the decision to
back the prime minister. "If, however, we had decided differently, even
bigger dangers would have loomed for the party," Kuncze was quoted as
saying. Meanwhile, Janos Ader, former FIDESZ speaker of parliament, on
26 June quoted a "Magyar Hirlap" article written by the first party
chairman of the Free Democrats, philosopher Janos Kis, in which Kis
questioned Medgyessy's moral standing and called for his resignation.
MSZ
[53] HUNGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER CONFERS WITH GERMAN COUNTERPART
Hungarian Foreign Minister Laszlo Kovacs on 26 June met in Berlin with
his German counterpart Joschka Fischer to discuss EU expansion and the
expectations of future member states, Hungarian media reported. Kovacs
said that following accession Hungarian farmers must not be exposed to
a disadvantageous competitive position vis-a-vis farmers in current EU
member states. Regarding the Medgyessy scandal, Fischer said he saw no
"raised eyebrows" at the Seville summit that would indicate a negative
reaction to the prime minister's past in counterintelligence. "It was
not raised at the talks, and I do not wish to comment further on the
question," Fischer said. MSZ
[54] HUNGARIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES NEW SUPREME COURT CHIEF
By 348 votes in favor and three against, parliament on 24 June elected
by secret ballot Zoltan Lomnici to a six-year term as chairman of the
Supreme Court, Hungarian dailies reported. Lomnici succeeds Pal Solt,
whose mandate expired the same day. Earlier Lomnici told the
parliament's Constitutional Commission that "justice is a national
cause that requires consensus." He also emphasized the importance of
judicial impartiality. MSZ
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[55] KOSTUNICA SAYS YUGOSLAV ARMY WORKING 'NORMALLY'...
Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica said in Belgrade on 26 June that
General Branko Krga has been formally installed as head of the General
Staff following Kostunica's recent sacking of General Nebojsa Pavkovic,
RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 25 and 26 June 2002). He added that the army is
functioning "normally," Deutsche Welle's Bosnian Service reported.
Kostunica said Krga will remain in office for one year or until the new
state of Serbia and Montenegro sets up a new legal framework for the
army. Referring to Pavkovic's charge that Kostunica ordered the general
in 2001 to take control of the Serbian government's communications
department, Kostunica called the matter "bizarre." PM
[56] ...AND GENERAL KRGA AGREES
Speaking in Belgrade on 27 June, General Krga said that "all units have
been informed about the change of [commanders]. At no point was there
any vacuum in the command structure," AP reported. He added that plans
are proceeding apace for Yugoslavia's eventual membership in NATO's
Partnership for Peace program. "Activities for our country's
joining...are in a final phase," he said. "We have intensified the
learning of English ...[and] intensified contacts and cooperation" with
other members of the program. PM
[57] GENERAL PAVKOVIC SAYS THAT HE IS IN THE RIGHT...
Pavkovic told a Belgrade press conference on 26 June that he refuses to
accept Kostunica's decision to replace him and that he will defend his
position "in the best way," RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian
Languages Service reported. The general denied charges that his stand
constitutes "a putsch" because it is Kostunica, and not he, who has
committed an illegal act. Pavkovic added that he has nothing against
General Krga but again denied having formally handed over authority to
him. PM
[58] ...THAT POLITICS IS BEHIND THE SACKING...
Speaking at a Belgrade press conference on 26 June, Pavkovic blamed
Kostunica for the current imbroglio, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian
Languages Service reported. The general stressed that the president
sacked him "because of certain larger interests. We will see why he
decided to do this and which interests those are." Pavkovic said
Kostunica resented his close cooperation with Serbian Prime Minster
Zoran Djindjic and Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic. The general
argued that close relations with the Serbian and Montenegrin
leaderships are in his and the army's best interest, since those two
governments are the ones who pay the army's bills. PM
[59] ...AND THAT KOSTUNICA TRIED TO USE THE ARMY FOR POLITICAL ENDS
Addressing a Belgrade press conference on 26 June, Pavkovic repeated
his earlier charge that Kostunica and two of his tipsy aides ordered
him to take control of the Serbian government's communications
department on 8 June 2001 for unspecified reasons of state security,
RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported. Pavkovic
said that he told Kostunica and his aides that he saw no threat to
state security from the government and that the army had no reason to
take action. The general added that a whispering campaign against him
began shortly thereafter, alleging that he had conspired against the
Serbian authorities. Pavkovic said that he has witnesses to support his
story. PM
[60] DJINDJIC CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION OF PAVKOVIC'S CHARGES...
In response to a question by RFE/RL's Belgrade bureau, Djindjic told a
Belgrade television talk show that it is wrong to conclude that
Pavkovic has dug in his heels because he has the support of the Serbian
government, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service
reported. "Half a year ago, I and some others in the DOS [the governing
Democratic Opposition of Serbia coalition] demanded the resignation of
Mr. Pavkovic [because of his alleged conspiring]. After Yugoslav
President Kostunica refused several times, I said publicly that I would
never talk about that and that the story was over for me. We, in the
government, only demanded the truth.... If that is support for Mr.
Pavkovic, then it is a very weak support." Djindjic criticized
Kostunica for failing to clearly confirm or deny Pavkovic's story about
the events of June 2001. The prime minister added that the truth must
be told and not "swept under a rug." He said that a formal
investigation is in order. PM
[61] ...BUT WILL IT COME ABOUT?
Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Zarko Korac said in Belgrade on 26 June
that a parliamentary commission should be set up to investigate
Pavkovic's charges, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages
Service reported. Elsewhere, Yugoslav Defense Minister Velimir
Radojevic rejected a call by Dragoljub Micunovic, the speaker of the
lower house of the federal parliament, for Kostunica to provide a full
account of the Supreme Defense Council's recent meeting. Radojevic said
Micunovic is not entitled to that information because he is not a
member of the council. The minister added that, at the council's
meeting, Serbian President Milan Milutinovic and Montenegrin President
Milo Djukanovic opposed Pavkovic's ouster. But speaking in Budva,
Djukanovic denied that he opposed Pavkovic's sacking, even though no
concrete actions were mentioned when the meeting was called to discuss
various matters. And in Belgrade, Momcilo Grubac, who heads the
Constitutional Court, said the court will investigate Pavkovic's
complaint against his sacking if he submits one, adding that the court
has received no such request from the general. Pavkovic maintains that
he has lodged such a complaint. PM
[62] GENERAL OJDANIC TO GET HOME LEAVE AFTER ALL?
Officials at the war crimes tribunal in The Hague have neither
confirmed nor denied reports that General Dragoljub Ojdanic and his
fellow indicted war criminal, Nikola Sainovic, could be back in
Belgrade on pretrial leave as early as 29 June if the court agrees,
RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported on 26
June (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 26 June 2002). PM
[63] UN RUNNING OUT OF CASH FOR REFUGEE WORK
The UNHCR announced in Geneva on 27 June that it may be forced to drop
some of its programs for refugee work in Kosova and Croatia if it does
not receive more money soon, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian
Languages Service reported. The UNHCR budget for Balkan projects in
2002 is $40 million short of what it needs to carry out its planned
projects. PM
[64] BABO IN THE DOCK
Fikret Abdic began his defense on 27 June at his trial in Karlovac,
Croatia, for war crimes while he ruled the Bihac pocket in northwest
Bosnia as a private fiefdom between 1993 and 1995, RFE/RL's South
Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported. Known locally as Babo,
or Daddy, Abdic was a powerful kingpin in the Bihac area for many
years. A Muslim politician at odds with Bosnian President Alija
Izetbegovic, Abdic collaborated with Serbs and Croats alike. Abdic
maintains that he worked only for the good of the Bihac region and that
he is a victim of a frame-up by the Muslim political establishment. PM
[65] UN SACKS SIX MORE POLICE IN BOSNIA
UN spokesman Stefo Lehmann said in Sarajevo on 27 June that six local
Bosnian policemen have been fired for "misconduct ranging from
transporting illegal immigrants, to smuggling, to illegally occupying
apartments," AP reported. An additional 13 policemen have received
written warnings about alleged improper behavior. PM
[66] MOSTAR BRIDGE RECONSTRUCTION BEGUN
In Mostar on 27 June, Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, and Beriz
Belkic, who holds the rotating chair of the Bosnian presidency,
formally launched reconstruction work on Mostar's historic Old Bridge,
dpa reported. On 9 November 1993, Croatian gunners destroyed the famous
structure designed by the Ottoman architect Sinan and built in 1566.
More than 1,000 blocks of stone will be taken from the same quarry that
supplied the building material for the original structure. Ciampi said
that "the destruction of the bridge was an insult to human culture." PM
[67] NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL TO VISIT MACEDONIA
NATO Secretary-General Lord George Robertson was expected to arrive in
Skopje on 27 June, Macedonian media reported. Robertson will meet with
representatives of the international community, the Macedonian
government, and with leading ethnic Albanian and Macedonian
politicians. In an interview with the daily "Dnevnik," Robertson said
his visit will focus on cooperation between NATO Task Force Fox and the
OSCE mission during the parliamentary elections slated for 15
September. Some observers expect that Robertson will also urge the
politicians to clear up matters regarding the use of the Albanian
language in passports (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20, 21, 24, and 26 June
2002). Meanwhile at Bunardzik, Dutch General Harm de Jonge took over
command of Task Force Fox from German General Heinz-Georg Keerl, AP
reported. UB
[68] SENTENCED ROMANIAN MINERS' LEADER CLAIMS TO HAVE REJECTED DEAL
WITH FORMER PRESIDENT...
Miners' leader Miron Cozma on 26 June told members of the Senate's
Commission on Investigation of Abuses that former President Emil
Constantinescu offered to pardon him if Cozma were to agree to sign a
declaration implicating President Ion Iliescu in the events for which
Cozma was sentenced to 18 months in prison, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau
reported. Cozma claims he rejected the offer and does not seek a
pardon. Instead, he said the sentence must be quashed by the
prosecutor-general through the procedure known as "extraordinary
appeal," and complained to the commission that his repeated letters to
the prosecutor-general were never answered. Cozma has been sentenced
for his role in the September 1991 miners' rampage in Bucharest, which
triggered the resignation of the cabinet headed by former Prime
Minister Petre Roman. He also claimed that the trains that brought the
miners to Bucharest were placed at their disposal by orders of the
then-premier. MS
[69] ...TRIGGERING PREDICTABLE RESPONSES
Former President Constantinescu on 27 June rejected Cozma's claims as
"a gross lie, typical of the Greater Romania Party [of which Cozma has
for some time been a member]," Mediafax reported. Constantinescu said
Cozma should have brought up his allegations during his 1999 trial and
added: "It is not my intention to comment on the declarations of a
sentenced delinquent." He also said the Senate parliamentary
commission's investigation amounts to interference in the independence
of the judiciary. Former Prime Minister Roman similarly said that Cozma
is "lying." At the other side of the political spectrum, President
Iliescu, who returned to power in 2000, said that "only Cozma can say"
who ordered the miners to descend on Bucharest, and added that the
affair "had been a deal [presumably struck between Roman and Cozma]."
MS
[70] BESIEGED ROMANIAN LIBERAL LEADER MAKES PROPOSAL TO ADVERSARIES
National Liberal Party (PNL) Chairman Valeriu Stoica on 27 June said he
is ready to forego any intention to run for re-election at the PNL
extraordinary congress if his adversaries from the Dinu Patriciu wing
renounce running their own candidate for the post, Mediafax reported.
Stoica said such an agreement could unblock the current stalemate in
the party and create the minimum conditions for its stability and
unity. In related news, PNL National Council Chairman Theodor Stolojan,
in an interview with Mediafax on 27 June, said his intention to resign
from the PNL follows "an objective and lucid X-ray of the party's
situation." Stolojan said the step is "a painful one," but that he has
reached the conclusion that the PNL "is not a party in which the rules
of the game are respected." "What else can be said about a formation
where the party chairman is being undermined immediately after his
election?" Stolojan asked in reference to Stoica's challenge by the
Patriciu group. MS
[71] ROMANIAN SENATE APPROVES NEW NATIONAL ANTICORRUPTION PROSECUTION
The Senate on 27 June approved by a vote of 92 in favor to six against,
with two abstentions, the setting up of the new National Anticorruption
Prosecution, Mediafax reported. The Senate amended the version
previously approved by the Chamber of Deputies, transferring the
appointment of the National Anticorruption Prosecution head from the
Justice Ministry to the Superior Council of Magistrates. Also on 27
June, the Senate approved a bill making it possible for foreign lawyers
to work in Romania, provided they pass an examination on Romanian
legislation and a Romanian-language examination. The Chamber of
Deputies has already approved this law. MS
[72] POLL SHOWS MOLDOVAN COMMUNISTS' POPULARITY DROPPING
A public opinion poll conducted by the Iligaciu Center for Public
Opinion and Market Studies in May and June showed that the popularity
of the ruling Party of Moldovan Communists (PCM) is dropping, Infotag
reported on 26 June. Only 32.4 percent of the respondents would back
the PCM if elections were held today, according to the poll. The
polling institute said the PCM's popularity dropped by five percentage
points over recent months and attributed the drop to the protest
actions in Chisinau and to the fact that the Moldovan situation was
discussed by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. For
the same reasons, the popularity of the opposition Popular Party
Christian Democratic (PPCD) rose by 6.1 percent. If elections were held
today the PCM would get 81 seats in the parliament and the PPCD 20
seats. No other political formation would pass the threshold for
parliamentary representation. MS
[73] GAGAUZ-YERI GOVERNOR INTENDS TO APPOINT OWN SUCCESSOR
Dumitru Croitor, who resigned last week as governor of the autonomous
region, said on 26 June that he does not intend to submit his
resignation to the Popular Assembly, Flux reported. Croitor said he was
not appointed governor by the assembly, having been elected by popular
vote. He said he will appoint his deputy Valerii Ianioglo as governor
and that Ianioglo will fulfill the duties until September 2003, when
the governor's mandate expires. Meanwhile, the Association of Mayors in
Gagauz-Yeri, deputies representing the pro-Croitor opposition in the
Popular Assembly, and the "Za Gagauziyu" [For Gagauz] organization
launched a drive to collect 15,000 signatures in support of a
referendum on dismissing the Popular Assembly. The assembly's new
chairman, Ivan Kristioglo, told journalists in Komrat on 26 June that
the former leadership of the assembly is guilty of several illegalities
and that his predecessor, Mikhail Kendegelian, spent more than 106,000
lei (over $8,000) on a new official automobile for himself. MS
[74] COUNCIL OF EUROPE SAYS MOLDOVAN POLICE USE TORTURE
A recent report published by the Council of Europe's Anti-Torture
Committee said that the use of torture by police in Moldova has
increased, AFP reported. The report says police use electric shocks,
thrust needles under fingernails, push the heads of detained persons
under water, and indulge in other forms of torture. It also said
Moldovan prisons are filthy and overpopulated. MS
[75] BULGARIAN PARLIAMENT DISCUSSES MILITARY AMNESTY
Parliament on 26 June discussed a draft amnesty bill for conscientious
objectors proposed by the government, BTA reported. The draft law would
exempt conscientious objectors from criminal liability and punishment
in the event that they refused to serve in the armed forces or failed
to show up for military exercises on religious grounds. The bill will
apply from 31 July 1991 to 31 December 1998, during which there was no
legal basis for conscientious objection. In 1999, the Replacement of
Military Obligations under the Alternative Service Act went into
effect. Parliament also discussed an amnesty for illegal possession of
arms proposed by legislator Nonka Matova. According to the proposal, a
person illegally possessing weapons would go unpunished if those
weapons were turned over to authorities within a three-month period. UB
[76] BULGARIA'S LARGEST UNIVERSITY THREATENED WITH BANKRUPTCY
Boyan Biolchev, the president of Sofia's St. Kliment Ohridski
University, announced on 26 June that the university is financially
paralyzed, mediapool.bg reported. Biolchev said the university's
revenues are spent only on electricity, heating, and water. In order to
overcome the university's financial problems, Biolchev demanded the
reintroduction of tuition fees, additional financial support from the
government, and the possibility of using buildings that are owned by
the university but are currently used for other purposes. To underscore
the university's dramatic situation, former Education Minister and
philosophy Professor Nikolay Vasilev called for the university to be
shut down for one academic year. Finance Minister Milen Velchev
promised to look into ways to support Bulgaria's oldest and largest
university. UB
END NOTE
[77] There is no End Note today.
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