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RFE/RL Newsline, 02-09-10
CONTENTS
[01] MOSCOW TO MARK 11 SEPTEMBER ANNIVERSARY
[02] DEFENSE MINISTRY TO INVESTIGATE MASS DESERTION IN VOLGOGRAD...
[03] ...AS IT DECLASSIFIES NUMBER OF DESERTIONS
[04] WILL INJURED SECURITY COUNCIL SECRETARY STEP DOWN?
[05] NATIONALIST WANTS U.S. TO GIVE RUSSIA A FREE HAND IN THE
[06] ANOTHER CATHOLIC PRIEST REFUSED ENTRY
[07] GOVERNMENT PREPARES LEGAL TOOLS TO CONTROL MINERAL WEALTH
[08] SENIOR RAILWAYS OFFICIAL KILLED
[09] COMMUNIST'S SUPPORTERS COULD DECIDE KRASNOYARSK RACE
[10] AIDE REPORTEDLY DROVE CAR THAT KILLED NOVGOROD MAYOR
[11] GENERALS FACE THE MUSIC OVER HELICOPTER DISASTER
[12] CHECHEN DISTRICT HEAD MURDERED
[13] OFFICIALS SEND MIXED SIGNALS ON CHECHEN REFERENDUM
[14] UN TO RESUME HUMANITARIAN PROGRAM IN CHECHNYA
[15] ARMENIAN TV STATION OWNER RESURFACES, ASKS FOR GOVERNMENT
[16] KARABAKH PRESIDENT REAPPOINTS PRIME MINISTER
[17] AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITION PARTY MOVES TO NEW HQ
[18] AZERBAIJAN OPPOSITION POLITICIAN ARRESTED
[19] GEORGIAN OFFICIALS DOUBT APARTMENT BOMBER IS IN PANKISI
[20] GEORGIAN PARLIAMENT SEEKS EXPLANATION FOR DELAY IN TBILISI VOTE
[21] KAZAKH, UZBEK PRESIDENTS PLEDGE RAPPROCHEMENT, COOPERATION...
[22] ...FINALIZE BORDER DELIMITATION
[23] KAZAKHSTAN EXTRADITES TWO UZBEKS
[24] KYRGYZ, RUSSIAN PRESIDENTS MEET
[25] KYRGYZ GOVERNMENT SEEKS TO IMPOSE THREE-MONTH BAN ON MEETINGS
[26] KYRGYZ OFFICIALS IDENTIFY NEW ISLAMIC THREAT...
[27] ...WARN THAT PROTEST MARCH COULD TURN VIOLENT
[28] KYRGYZ POLICEMEN RELEASED
[29] TAJIK PRESIDENT AGAIN TARGETS TERRORISM, EXTREMISM
[30] ANOTHER OSCE MISSION MEMBER DENIED VISA EXTENSION IN BELARUS
[31] BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER PROPOSES PUBLIC DISCUSSION ON
[32] BELARUSIAN TRADERS TO DEMAND LUKASHENKA'S DISMISSAL ON 11
[33] UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT REPORTS TO PARLIAMENT ON COMBATING POVERTY
[34] UKRAINIAN INTERNET JOURNALIST REQUESTS PROTECTION
[35] UKRAINIAN RADICAL LEFTISTS PROTEST U.S. IRAQ POLICY
[36] ESTONIAN RAILWAYS STRIPPED OF SAFETY LICENSE
[37] LATVIAN SUPREME COURT TURNS DOWN BALLOT APPEAL
[38] LITHUANIAN CONSERVATIVE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE WITHDRAWS FROM
[39] POLISH PRESIDENT DISAPPROVES OF CABINET'S EU CAMPAIGN...
[40] ...STRESSES UN ROLE IN WAR AGAINST TERROR
[41] WARSAW HOSTS OSCE CONFERENCE
[42] POLISH SPECIAL SERVICES TO LOOK INTO 'LAS VEGAS' INVESTMENT PLANS
[43] CZECH UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT SAYS UN SHOULD PLAY ACTIVE
[44] CZECH PREMIER IN DENMARK
[45] CZECH DEFENSE MINISTER FILES COMPLAINT AGAINST FORMER VZS HEAD
[46] DISSIDENT FACTION EMERGING IN CZECH US-DEU
[47] CZECH CHEMICAL PLANT ADMITS CHLORINE LEAK HIGHER THAN PREVIOUSLY
[48] FORMER PREMIER SAYS HE WILL NOT SEEK POSITION IN NEXT SLOVAK
[49] SLOVAK PRIME MINISTER SAYS FUTURE BELONGS TO UNITED RIGHT
[50] EU ENVOY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT CONTINUATION OF SLOVAK REFORMS
[51] ARCHBISHOP'S LETTER PROVOKES PROTESTS IN SLOVAKIA
[52] DISPUTE SCUPPERS HUNGARIAN PARLIAMENTARY HEARING ON MISSING FILE
[53] HUNGARIAN SOCIALISTS INSIST ON AMENDING VETTING BILL
[54] FIDESZ POLITICIAN RETURNS TO POLITICAL LIFE
[55] BOSNIAN SERB GOVERNMENT BACKING OFF FROM SREBRENICA DENIAL?
[56] ANTI-MUSLIM INCIDENTS AS BOSNIAN SERBS CELEBRATE BASKETBALL WIN
[57] MONTENEGRIN COURT CONVICTS SERB OF WAR CRIMES
[58] CROATIAN AND SLOVENIAN LEADERS REACH TEMPORARY AGREEMENT
[59] CROATIAN PARENTS PROTEST JOINT CLASSES WITH ROMA
[60] CAMPAIGNING BEGINS IN KOSOVA
[61] KOSOVA AND ALBANIA TO COOPERATE AGAINST TERRORISM
[62] ROUND ONE OF MILOSEVIC TRIAL TO END
[63] NATO AMBASSADOR TO MACEDONIA BLASTS ATTACKS ON MEDIA
[64] MACEDONIAN NAME DEBATE DRAGS ON
[65] SLOVAK PRESIDENT IN ROMANIA
[66] HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF ROMANIANS THAN AMERICANS BACK FORCE AGAINST
[67] ROMANIAN EXTREMIST POLITICIANS SHIFT ALLIANCES ONCE AGAIN
[68] LEADING CONSERVATIVE OPPOSITION POLITICIAN FEARS COMMUNIST REVIVAL
[69] BULGARIAN FINANCE MINISTRY ANNOUNCES NEW FOREIGN-DEBT EXCHANGE
[70] MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING SIGNED ON ALBANIAN-BULGARIAN TRANSPORT
[71] There is no End Note today.
10 September 2002
RUSSIA
[01] MOSCOW TO MARK 11 SEPTEMBER ANNIVERSARY
There will be a special concert at the Moscow Conservatory on 11
September to mark the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New
York and Washington, RIA-Novosti reported on 10 September. The
performance will feature the premiere of "New York Requiem" by composer
Yefrem Podgaiets. U.S. Ambassador to Russia Alexander Vershbow will
open an exhibition at Moscow's Library of Foreign Literature that will
display photographs and letters of sympathy written by Russians in the
wake of the attacks. VY
[02] DEFENSE MINISTRY TO INVESTIGATE MASS DESERTION IN VOLGOGRAD...
Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov on 10 September ordered an immediate
investigation into the mass desertion of 54 servicemen of the 20th
Motorized Infantry Division stationed near Volgograd, RIA-Novosti and
other Russian news agencies reported. The soldiers reportedly left
their unit, which is assigned to the North Caucasus Military District,
because of poor conditions and bad treatment in their unit. Forty-nine
of the deserters were soon detained in Volgograd, saying they merely
wanted to draw attention to the severe hazing to which they had been
subjected by their comrades. According to Reuters, the unarmed soldiers
left their base on 8 September after witnessing other soldiers being
beaten. They walked all night to the offices of a nongovernmental
organization in Volgograd to complain of conditions at their unit.
Lieutenant General Vladimir Novikov, head of the Defense Ministry's
Department of Safety, said that a criminal investigation had been
opened against their commanding officer, who was not identified. VY
[03] ...AS IT DECLASSIFIES NUMBER OF DESERTIONS
According to data released by the Defense Ministry, just 2,265 soldiers
have deserted from their units and remain at large since 1992,
strana.ru reported on 11 July. That figure is considerably lower than
the estimate of 40,000 made by the nongovernmental organization the
Committee of Soldiers' Mothers. In the first half of this year, 2,270
soldiers left their units without permission and 860 are still at
large, Defense Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Moiseenko said. During the
same period, 89 servicemen committed suicide, up from 70 during the
same period in 2001, Moiseenko said. One hundred twenty-seven soldiers
and officers died of other non-combat-related causes. VY
[04] WILL INJURED SECURITY COUNCIL SECRETARY STEP DOWN?
Vladimir Rushailo, who was severely injured in a car accident near
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskii on 9 September (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9
September 2002), has been evacuated by special aircraft to Moscow,
Russian news agencies reported on 10 September. Doctors consider his
condition to be serious, but stable. While Rushailo recuperates, his
duties at the Security Council will be taken on by his first deputy,
Vladislav Sherstyuk. In recent weeks, there have been rumors that
Rushailo might step down soon and might possibly be named an
ambassador. "Kommersant-Daily" speculated on 9 September that
Rushailo's health might now serve as a convenient pretext for his
resignation from the Security Council. VY
[05] NATIONALIST WANTS U.S. TO GIVE RUSSIA A FREE HAND IN THE
TRANSCAUCASUS
Answering questions online at smi.ru on 2 September, Deputy State Duma
Speaker and Liberal Democratic Party of Russia leader Vladimir
Zhirinovskii said that, although a "strategic union" between the United
States and Russia is important, Moscow should continue to hold to a
hard line on Iraq. He added that if the United States insists on
Russian concessions in one region, Russia should seek similar
concessions in others. "We took the pro-American position in
Afghanistan, so the United States must retreat on the Iraq issue or it
must not hamper our return to the Transcaucasus and the Balkans,"
Zhirinovskii said. VY
[06] ANOTHER CATHOLIC PRIEST REFUSED ENTRY
For the fourth time since April, a Roman Catholic priest has been
denied entry into Russia, dpa and other news agencies reported on 10
September. Reverend Jaroslaw Wisniewski, a Polish citizen who works in
parishes on Sakhalin Island, was refused entry by immigration officials
in Khabarovsk after returning from a vacation in South Korea and Japan.
Wisniewski was told that his visa had been annulled. In August, Slovak
priest Reverend Stanislav Krajniak was denied a visa extension to
continue his work in Yaroslavl (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 29 August 2002).
In April, Bishop Jerzy Mazur of Irkutsk and Reverend Stefano Caprio of
Vladimir were refused visas (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 11 and 22 April
2002). RC
[07] GOVERNMENT PREPARES LEGAL TOOLS TO CONTROL MINERAL WEALTH
First Deputy Natural Resources Minister Vitalli Karaganov has said the
government is reviewing the draft Mineral Resources Code that is being
prepared to supplement the current law on mineral wealth, polit.ru and
pravda.ru reported on 6 September. Karaganov said that the document,
which was prepared by a working group under deputy head of the
presidential administration Dmitrii Kozak, will radically change the
process of exploiting the country's natural resources to the benefit of
the state. He added that it is no longer possible to live under laws
adopted during the transition period of early post-Soviet economic
reform. In contrast to current legislation, the new code will grant
some ownership rights of natural resources to the state even after they
have been extracted by commercial developers. VY
[08] SENIOR RAILWAYS OFFICIAL KILLED
Nikolai Glubokov, a senior Railways Ministry official who was head of
the state enterprise Passenger Services Directorate, was stabbed to
death in his Moscow apartment on 9 September, RosBalt and other Russian
news agencies reported. Glubokov's body was found by his son, covered
with more than 30 stab wounds. According to Glubokov's son, some
valuables were missing from the apartment and robbery might have been
the motive for the murder. On 20 August, the deputy head of the Moscow
Railway, Sergei Paristyi, was shot dead outside his Moscow apartment
building (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 August 2002). RC
[09] COMMUNIST'S SUPPORTERS COULD DECIDE KRASNOYARSK RACE
In statements on 10 September, State Duma Deputy Sergei Glaziev
(Communist), who came in third in 8 September voting for governor of
Krasnoyarsk Krai with 21.45 percent, stopped short of asking his
supporters to back Taimyr Autonomous Okrug Governor Aleksandr
Khloponin, RosBalt and other Russian news agencies reported. Glaziev
urged the Krasnoyarsk Krai legislature Speaker Aleksandr Uss, who came
in first in the first-round vote, "to renounce his connections with
[Russian Aluminum shareholder] Anatolii Bykov." For his part, Khloponin
said he would welcome Glaziev's support because "there is much that is
useful for the krai in [Glaziev's] economic program," RosBalt reported.
The second round of voting will be held on 22 September. RC
[10] AIDE REPORTEDLY DROVE CAR THAT KILLED NOVGOROD MAYOR
The driver of the car that killed Novgorod Mayor Aleksandr Korsunov
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 September 2002) was allegedly Yelena
Bildieva, who worked as Korsunov's aide, Russian news agencies reported
on 10 September. According to "Izvestiya," Bildieva pressed down
forcefully on the gas pedal while the car was in reverse, running into
Korsunov and pinning him against a wall. Investigators have not yet
said whether they believe the incident was an accident, but Bildieva is
being investigated on charges of manslaughter. First Deputy Mayor
Sergei Lobach will serve as acting mayor of Novgorod until new
elections, which are expected to be held in December, polit.ru
reported. RC
[11] GENERALS FACE THE MUSIC OVER HELICOPTER DISASTER
Defense Minister Ivanov has signed an order accepting the resignation
of Colonel General Vitallii Pavlov, former head of the army's aviation
wing, RIA-Novosti reported on 7 September. Ivanov also formally
reprimanded Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Kormlitsev, North Caucasus
Military District Commander Colonel General Gennadii Troshev, and 10
other generals in connection with the 19 August shooting down of an
Mi-24 military transport helicopter that left 121 dead (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 20 August 2002). Although an investigation has established
that the overloaded helicopter was shot down by a Chechen fighter using
a shoulder-launched antiaircraft missile, the generals were punished
for violating military regulations forbidding the transport of
unauthorized personnel by military helicopters. VY
[12] CHECHEN DISTRICT HEAD MURDERED
Akhmar Zavgaev, the head of Nadterechnyi Raion and brother of former
pro-Moscow Chechen Prime Minister Doku Zavgaev, was killed on 9
September when gunmen opened fire on his car, Russian agencies
reported. His secretary also died in the attack, for which the Chechen
resistance military leadership claimed responsibility in a statement
posted on chechenpress.com the same day. Chechen Prime Minister
Stanislav Ilyasov described Zavgaev as an experienced administrator and
his murder as a great loss for Chechnya, Interfax reported. Former
Russian administrator in Chechnya Nikolai Koshman said part of the
blame for the murder lies with local military prosecutors' offices,
which are responsible for the security of local officials. For the past
two months, Zavgaev had dispensed with bodyguards, according to
ITAR-TASS. LF
[13] OFFICIALS SEND MIXED SIGNALS ON CHECHEN REFERENDUM
The required political, social, and economic conditions for conducting
a referendum in Chechnya on the new draft constitution do not yet
exist, ITAR-TASS quoted Russian Central Election Commission Chairman
Aleksandr Veshnyakov as telling Ekho Moskvy on 9 September. He
suggested that the referendum should take place simultaneously with
State Duma elections in December 2003, but no later, and that a new
election law should be approved together with the constitution. But
Interfax on 9 September quoted Russian presidential envoy for human
rights in Chechnya Abdul-Khakim Sultygov as saying that discussion of
the draft constitution could begin this week and that the referendum
will take place at the end of this year. Sultygov also argued that the
head of the republic should be directly appointed by the Russian
president, rather than elected. The draft constitution stipulates that
the republic's president be elected for a term of five years (see
"RFE/RL Caucasus Report," Vol. 5, No. 17, 17 May 2002). LF
[14] UN TO RESUME HUMANITARIAN PROGRAM IN CHECHNYA
The United Nations will resume its humanitarian operations in Chechnya
on 9 September, a spokesman for the UN's Moscow office told Interfax.
The program was suspended six weeks ago following the abduction in
Chechnya of UNICEF employee Nina Davydovich (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 30
July 2002). Meanwhile, the humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders
announced on 10 September that it will resume operations in Ingushetia.
The group suspended its work on 14 August after the head of its office
in Daghestan, Dutch national Arjan Erkel, was kidnapped (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 14 August 2002). Erkel's whereabouts remain unknown, and
Doctors Without Borders repeated its call for his immediate release. LF
TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[15] ARMENIAN TV STATION OWNER RESURFACES, ASKS FOR GOVERNMENT
PROTECTION
Artashes Mehrabian, owner of the independent Abovian TV station,
reappeared late on 8 September, one day after his family reported him
missing, and addressed a letter to President Robert Kocharian and law
enforcement agencies requesting protection, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau
reported on 9 September (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 September 2002).
Mehrabian denied he was abducted on 6 September, explaining that he had
received threats from three unknown men who ordered him to cease
broadcasting until after the local elections scheduled for 20 October.
LF
[16] KARABAKH PRESIDENT REAPPOINTS PRIME MINISTER
Arkadii Ghukasian on 9 September reappointed Anoushavan Danielian to
head the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic's government, RFE/RL's
Armenian Service reported from Stepanakert. Some observers had believed
Ghukasian was dissatisfied with Danielian's performance over the past
three years (see "RFE/RL Caucasus Report," Vol. 4, No. 11, 16 March
2001). LF
[17] AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITION PARTY MOVES TO NEW HQ
The Azerbaijan National Independence Party (AMIP) has again been forced
by government pressure to move to new premises, Turan and zerkalo.az
reported on 10 September. In 2001, AMIP was evicted from the premises
it had occupied since 1992 and moved into new temporary headquarters
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18, 20, and 30 July 2001). LF
[18] AZERBAIJAN OPPOSITION POLITICIAN ARRESTED
Nizami Sultanov, who heads the opposition Adalet party's Gusar branch
and is also a former chairman of the Lezgin organization Savab, was
arrested on 9 September in connection with a libel suit brought against
him by the Gusar district administrator, zerkalo.az reported on 10
September. In a recent newspaper article, Sultanov reportedly accused
the local official of belonging to the separatist Lezgin organization
Sadval. The Gusar district court sanctioned Sultanov's arrest on the
grounds that he had tried to pressure the court and there were grounds
to suspect he might try to escape justice. Adalet party Chairman Ilyas
Ismailov termed the arrest politically motivated. LF
[19] GEORGIAN OFFICIALS DOUBT APARTMENT BOMBER IS IN PANKISI
In separate statements in Tbilisi on 9 September, Georgian Foreign
Minister Irakli Menagharishvili and National Security Ministry
spokesman Nika Laliashvili both questioned the accuracy of claims by
Russian military officers the previous day that Achemez Gochiyaev, the
chief suspect in the Moscow and Volgodonsk apartment-building bombings
in September 1999, has taken refuge in the Pankisi Gorge, Caucasus
Press and Interfax reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 September 2002).
LF
[20] GEORGIAN PARLIAMENT SEEKS EXPLANATION FOR DELAY IN TBILISI VOTE
RECOUNT
Central Election Commission (CEC) Chairman Djumber Lominadze was
summoned to the Georgian parliament on 9 September to explain the
reasons for the delay in recounting the ballots cast in Tbilisi during
the 2 June local elections, Caucasus Press reported. Lominadze said the
process is labor-intensive and that he cannot estimate how much longer
it will take. Some deputies believe the CEC is deliberately prolonging
the recount. LF
[21] KAZAKH, UZBEK PRESIDENTS PLEDGE RAPPROCHEMENT, COOPERATION...
Uzbekistan's President Islam Karimov paid a one-day visit to Astana on
9 September, where he and his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbaev
discussed various aspects of bilateral relations, including
construction of a highway between Kungrad in western Uzbekistan and the
Kazakh port of Aqtau, the arms trade, and the price Kazakhstan is to
pay for natural gas from Uzbekistan, Interfax reported. Speaking at a
press conference after the talks, Nazarbaev said he and Karimov agreed
to work for a close rapprochement between their countries in all
fields. Karimov for his part denied Russian media speculation of
personal tensions between himself and Nazarbaev, Interfax reported. LF
[22] ...FINALIZE BORDER DELIMITATION
Nazarbaev and Karimov also signed on 9 September a bilateral agreement
on delimiting the few remaining sectors of the two countries' shared
2,440-kilometer border not included in the border agreement signed last
year, Russian agencies reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 November
2001). Those sectors include the disputed Kazakh villages of Baghys and
Turkestanets, whose residents have staged several protests over the
last eight months over their unresolved status (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
3, 4, and 7 January, 13 March, and 20 August 2002). The villages of
Baghys and Arnasai and the Arnasai Dam will remain part of Kazakhstan,
while Turkestanets, with a population of some 1,100, was ceded to
Uzbekistan together with a couple of largely Kazakh-populated villages
in Kyzyl-Orda Oblast, according to ITAR-TASS. LF
[23] KAZAKHSTAN EXTRADITES TWO UZBEKS
Kazakhstan's National Security Committee has handed over to Uzbekistan
two Uzbek citizens suspected of belonging to the banned Islamic
organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, Interfax and AP reported on 9 September.
LF
[24] KYRGYZ, RUSSIAN PRESIDENTS MEET
Askar Akaev traveled to Sochi on 9 September for talks with Russian
President Vladimir Putin, Russian agencies reported. The two presidents
discussed various aspects of bilateral cooperation and cooperation
within the CIS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Referring to
Russia as Kyrgyzstan's "main strategic ally and partner," Akaev
expressed satisfaction at the 23 percent increase in bilateral trade
over the first eight months of 2002. Putin called for renewing
cooperation in the military-industrial sector, noting that prior to the
collapse of the USSR the then-Kirghiz SSR produced defense hardware for
the Soviet Navy. Putin lauded, and pledged support for, what he termed
Akaev's efforts to "consolidate" Kyrgyz society. LF
[25] KYRGYZ GOVERNMENT SEEKS TO IMPOSE THREE-MONTH BAN ON MEETINGS
In the wake of the grenade attack on Security Council Secretary and
acting presidential administration head Misir Ashyrkulov (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 9 September 2002), the government issued a decree on 7
September on urgent measures to prevent the destabilization of the
situation in Kyrgyzstan, akipress.org reported. On 9 September, Prime
Minister Nikolai Tanaev submitted to the Legislative Assembly (the
lower chamber of parliament) a bill imposing a three-month moratorium
on all public marches, meetings, and rallies, Interfax reported. But
Ata-Meken Party Chairman Omurbek Tekebaev and Ar-Namys Party Deputy
Chairman Emil Aliev protested that both the government decree and the
draft bill violate the constitution and the right to assembly. LF
[26] KYRGYZ OFFICIALS IDENTIFY NEW ISLAMIC THREAT...
Addressing the Legislative Assembly on 9 September, Tanaev said that
the proposed three-month ban on meetings and demonstrations is intended
to thwart the activities of the banned Islamic movement Hizb ut-Tahrir
which, Tanaev claimed, has developed a radical wing that does not
eschew violence in its bid to establish an Islamic caliphate in Central
Asia, akipress.org reported. Tanaev added that Kyrgyzstan's security
services have identified a new organization named the Islamic Movement
of Central Asia, which operates in Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyz National Security
Service Chairman Kalyk Imankulov said in Bishkek the same day that the
new organization was formed on the basis of the banned Islamic Movement
of Uzbekistan (IMU), together with "Islamic separatists" from
Tajikistan and Chechnya and Uighur separatists, and is headed by a
former IMU leading member, Takhir Yuldashev, Interfax reported.
Imankulov said the new movement has its base in Badakhshan,
Afghanistan. LF
[27] ...WARN THAT PROTEST MARCH COULD TURN VIOLENT
First Deputy Prime Minister Kurmanbek Osmanov on 9 September linked the
ban on meetings and demonstrations with the ongoing protest march on
Bishkek by villagers demanding President Akaev's resignation, Interfax
reported. Parliament deputy Azimbek Beknazarov told Interfax the
marchers, who on 9 September reached Kara-Kul, number roughly 2,000,
while akipress.org gave the figure as 400. Osmanov accused unnamed
"political forces" of seeking to tap popular discontent with
socioeconomic conditions to achieve their own political ends. He
appealed to parliament deputies to set up an "initiative group" to talk
with marchers in order to "prevent illegal steps" and "keep passions
from flaring up." National Security Service First Deputy Chairman Boris
Poluektov similarly warned parliament deputies that "if the protest
march arrives in Bishkek, there may be...provocations that could result
in bloodshed," Interfax reported. He accused the marchers of intending
"to hinder the work of the parliament and government, which could
result in a civil war," as in neighboring Tajikistan. Tanaev told
parliament deputies that the marchers would not be allowed to proceed
from Kara-Kul to Bishkek. He added that the police would use only
truncheons, but not firearms, to prevent them doing so, akipress.org
reported. LF
[28] KYRGYZ POLICEMEN RELEASED
The nine policemen taken hostage in the village of Aksy in Djalalabad
Oblast on 6 September were released unharmed two days later after
lengthy negotiations between Beknazarov and local officials,
akipress.org reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 September 2002). A
criminal case has been opened in connection with the detention. It is
not clear whether seven villagers whose release the hostage takers were
demanding are still in detention. LF
[29] TAJIK PRESIDENT AGAIN TARGETS TERRORISM, EXTREMISM
Addressing a formal meeting on 8 September to mark the 11th anniversary
of Tajikistan's independence, Imomali Rakhmonov singled out stepping up
the fight against terrorism and religious extremism as his country's
most important priorities, Interfax and Asia Plus-Blitz reported.
Rakhmonov also complained that developed countries do not allocate
enough funds to combat poverty, and warned of the possible emergence of
"neo-fascism," ITAR-TASS reported. LF
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
[30] ANOTHER OSCE MISSION MEMBER DENIED VISA EXTENSION IN BELARUS
The Belarusian authorities have denied a visa extension to Meaghan
Fitzgerald of the United States, a member of the OSCE Advisory and
Monitoring Group in Minsk, Belapan reported on 9 September.
Fitzgerald's visa expires on 12 September. Foreign Ministry spokesman
Pavel Latushka declined to comment on the authorities' decision. Alina
Josan of Moldova will be the only foreign staff member left in the
OSCE's office in Minsk after Fitzgerald's departure. Minsk previously
denied visa extensions to the OSCE's Andrew Carpenter and Michel
Rivollier. The Belarusian authorities have also refused to accept
German diplomat Eberhard Heyken, the OSCE's nominee to head the group,
demanding a revision of the group's mandate. JM
[31] BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER PROPOSES PUBLIC DISCUSSION ON
RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA
United Civic Party Chairman Anatol Lyabedzka has proposed holding
public hearings in Minsk in October-November on the prospects for
Belarusian-Russian relations, Belapan reported on 9 September. "It is
evident that there is a crisis in relations between Russia and
Belarus," Lyabedzka said, adding that "there is a need for a broad
public discussion that would result in the presentation of an effective
model of relations between our countries." Lyabedzka recalled that
earlier this year his party and Russia's Union of Rightist Forces (led
by Boris Nemtsov) proposed an integration scenario based on principles
similar to those that are operational in the European Union. "Later
developments showed that it was a correct and timely move," Lyabedzka
said. Lyabedzka has also requested that the Prosecutor-General's Office
investigate the illegal wiretapping of a telephone conversation he held
with Nemtsov. The conversation, which touched upon an alleged
conspiracy against President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, was transcribed and
published in Russia and Belarus last week (see "RFE/RL Poland, Belarus,
and Ukraine Report," 10 September 2002). JM
[32] BELARUSIAN TRADERS TO DEMAND LUKASHENKA'S DISMISSAL ON 11
SEPTEMBER
The striking committee of Belarusian outdoor-market traders has called
for a national strike on 11 September over what they say is the
authorities' intention to make small business unprofitable, Belapan and
RFE/RL Belarusian Service reported on 9 September. The committee is
also demanding that President Lukashenka resign. "It is no accident
that we scheduled our protest for the anniversary of the terrorist
attacks against the U.S.," committee Chairman Valery Levaneuski told
RFE/RL. "Our action will take place under the slogan: No to Economic
Terrorism! We think that the policy of our state vis-a-vis the sphere
of entrepreneurship is an example of economic terrorism." Meanwhile,
the United Association of Entrepreneurs (an organization of Belarusian
vendors), has appealed to vendors not to yield to "the provocative
call" to hold a strike on 11 September, saying that such an action
could undermine the ongoing talks between the government and the
association. JM
[33] UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT REPORTS TO PARLIAMENT ON COMBATING POVERTY
Labor and Social Policy Minister Ivan Sakhan on 10 September reported
to the Verkovna Rada on the government's progress in implementing the
program called "The Strategy for Combating Poverty in Ukraine," UNIAN
reported. Sakhan said the main condition for overcoming poverty in
Ukraine is to maintain macroeconomic stability and GDP growth.
According to Sakhan, Ukraine's GDP rose by 4.4 percent in January-July
2002, while the real incomes of Ukrainians in January-August 2002
increased by 26.8 percent. Sakhan said the average monthly wage in June
was 377.4 hryvnyas ($70.8) and exceeded the subsistence minimum (365
hryvnyas) for the first time in the past several years. JM
[34] UKRAINIAN INTERNET JOURNALIST REQUESTS PROTECTION
Olena Prytula, the editor in chief of the "Ukrayinska pravda" website,
has sent an open letter to Prosecutor-General Svyatoslav Piskun,
Security Service head Volodymyr Radchenko, and Interior Minister Yuriy
Smyrnov, asking them to provide protection for her, the website
reported. Referring to a source in the Prosecutor-General's Office,
Prytula wrote that her life may be in danger in connection with the
investigation into the death of journalist of Heorhiy Gongadze, who
worked for "Ukrayinska pravda" before his disappearance in September
2000. Prytula noted that the murderers of Gongadze may be also
interested in killing her since, according to her source in the
Prosecutor-General's Office, she is an "important witness" in the
Gongadze case. Prytula recalled that Gongadze asked the
Prosecutor-General's Office for protection in July 2000 but the office
ignored his request. JM
[35] UKRAINIAN RADICAL LEFTISTS PROTEST U.S. IRAQ POLICY
Some 500 representatives of the Progressive Socialist Party, the
Russian Bloc, and the All-Ukrainian Association of Leftists "Justice"
staged a picket in front of the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv on 9 September to
protest U.S. policies with regard to Iraq, UNIAN reported. According to
the agency, the protesters threw an effigy of U.S. President George W.
Bush to the ground, pelted it with tomatoes, and "pierced it with a
scythe of the Grim Reaper." Progressive Socialist Party leader Nataliya
Vitrenko said it is necessary to create a "triangle of justice"
consisting of the Slavic world (Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia), the Arab
world, as well as China and India in order to oppose the "U.S.
aggression" against Iraq. Participants in the meeting adopted a
resolution with demands to declare U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Carlos
Pascual persona non grata and expel him from the country, stop the
blockades of Iraq and Cuba, and make U.S. President Bush accountable
for "crimes against humanity" before The Hague war crimes tribunal. JM
[36] ESTONIAN RAILWAYS STRIPPED OF SAFETY LICENSE
The Estonian Railways Board revoked the infrastructure safety
certificate of Estonian Railways on 9 September due to various
shortcomings and gave it until 23 September to eliminate the faults,
ETA reported. Estonian Railways claims that it has already eliminated
nearly 90 percent of the defects, but the remaining 10 percent will
take more time. The Railways Board also ordered the company to ensure
by 11 September that it operate only its locomotives that meet the
technical-operation regulation requirements and that it present
documentary proof that the automatic signaling and braking devices of
recently acquired U.S.-made locomotives are reliable (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 21, 27, and 28 August 2001). The cancellation of the safety
certificate has no immediate effects on Estonian Railways' operations,
but the Railways Board is threatening to cancel the company's operating
license, which would result in stoppage of all rail traffic. SG
[37] LATVIAN SUPREME COURT TURNS DOWN BALLOT APPEAL
The Supreme Court Senate in an extended meeting on 9 September upheld
the Riga Central District Court decision to remove parliament deputy
Janis Adamsons of the Latvian Social Democratic Workers Party from the
list of candidates for the 5 October parliamentary elections (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 21 August 2002), BNS reported. The district court
ruled that Adamsons had worked for the Border Guards as a political
officer under the Soviet KGB, and was therefore ineligible to run for
office. The Senate will make public the motivation for its ruling in 10
days. Adamsons called the ruling "absurd" and said he will probably
appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. SG
[38] LITHUANIAN CONSERVATIVE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE WITHDRAWS FROM
ELECTIONS
Homeland Union (Conservatives of Lithuania) Deputy Chairman Andrius
Kubilius announced at a press conference on 9 September that he is
withdrawing his presidential candidacy and urged his supporters to vote
for incumbent Valdas Adamkus, ELTA reported. Kubilius said that the
achievement of the country's strategic Euro-Atlantic integration goals
can be assured only by the election of a candidate from the right and
thus it is important that these parties not split their votes by having
numerous candidates. Kubilius called Adamkus the strongest such
candidate and urged Center Union and Liberal Union Chairmen Kestutis
Glaveckas and Eugenijus Gentvilas to also withdraw from the race. He
rejected speculation that his decision has anything to do with the U.S.
company Williams International's transfer of its shares in Mazeikiai
Oil company to Russia's Yukos oil company. SG
[39] POLISH PRESIDENT DISAPPROVES OF CABINET'S EU CAMPAIGN...
President Aleksander Kwasniewski has criticized the government's
information campaign about integration into the European Union, Polish
Radio reported on 9 September. "I hope that the government's campaign
will be more active and better than it has been so far since I treat
the present one as a warm-up exercise -- plain, characterized by very
high tone, and providing very general information," Kwasniewski said at
a meeting with participants in the World Forum of Polish Media Abroad
in Warsaw. Kwasniewski added that his greatest worry is not the result
of the EU accession referendum but a possible low turnout. JM
[40] ...STRESSES UN ROLE IN WAR AGAINST TERROR
Kwasniewski also said he is looking forward to U.S. President George W.
Bush's speech at the United Nations later this week, adding that the UN
cannot be ignored in the battle against terrorism. "The broader the
coalition the better its efficiency. We hope that President Bush will
present such an offer of cooperation in New York," Kwasniewski noted.
Asked if Poland would back the United States in a possible military
action against Iraq, the Polish president said, "We are waiting for
information from the American administration. They have to define their
decision as well as present the documents they have." JM
[41] WARSAW HOSTS OSCE CONFERENCE
Some 500 politicians and human rights experts from 55 member states of
the OSCE opened a conference called "Human Dimension Implementation" in
Warsaw on 9 September, dpa reported. "While the fight against terrorism
is imperative, it cannot be waged without observing fundamental human
rights," OSCE Chairman and Portuguese Foreign Minister Antonio Martins
da Cruz said in his opening address. The 10-day forum will also focus
on the implementation of previous OSCE commitments in areas including
sex and slave trafficking, torture, capital punishment, corruption,
media freedoms, landmines, democratic elections, and tolerance. JM
[42] POLISH SPECIAL SERVICES TO LOOK INTO 'LAS VEGAS' INVESTMENT PLANS
Premier Leszek Miller said on Polish radio on 9 September that Poland's
special services are interested in the investments planned by Turkish
businessman Vahap Troy in Biala Podlaska (a city in eastern Poland).
According to earlier reports in Polish media, the Turkish businessman
intends to build a "Polish Las Vegas" in Biala Podlaska -- an
entertainment complex including hotels, casinos, sports facilities, an
airport, and a university campus. "There is a big risk in the project
since it is not clearly known from where the money could be taken for
it," Miller said. Vahap Troy reportedly wants to invest up to $5
billion in the "Polish Las Vegas," which would provide some 40,000 jobs
in the region. JM
[43] CZECH UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT SAYS UN SHOULD PLAY ACTIVE
ROLE IN IRAQ CRISIS
New UN General Assembly President Jan Kavan told journalists in New
York on 9 September that the United Nations must play an active role
finding a solution to the current Iraq crisis, CTK reported. Kavan, who
is a former Czech foreign minister, said he personally prefers a
political and diplomatic solution to avoid war and bloodshed. He added
that this does not mean he has any sympathy for Iraqi dictator Saddam
Hussein and that his statement is a reflection of his current UN
position, which obliges him to seek the widest possible consensus among
UN members. Kavan said he expects U.S. President George W. Bush's
planned speech to the General Assembly on 12 September to include what
Kavan called a "last ultimatum" to Hussein to comply with Security
Council resolutions and allow arms inspectors to return to Iraq.
Failure to comply, Kavan said, would create a situation by which "the
U.S. could make a decision in favor of a military operation against the
Iraqi regime." MS
[44] CZECH PREMIER IN DENMARK
Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla told his Danish counterpart Anders Fogh
Rasmussen in Copenhagen on 9 September that the Czech Republic will not
agree to join the European Union if the costs of doing so prove to be
too high, CTK reported. Denmark currently holds the EU's rotating
Presidency. Spidla told journalists after his talks with Rasmussen that
the Czech Republic is insisting that it receive "just and equal
treatment" in its negotiations with the EU and that this is "a
borderline we cannot cross." Rasmussen said he expects current EU
members to reach a joint position by early November on sensitive
chapters in the negotiations, including the agriculture chapter. The
two politicians said the August floods in the Czech Republic will not
delay its EU accession. "The floods were huge, but their impact was not
so big as to divert us from our path," Spidla said. Speaking before the
Danish parliament's Foreign Commission later on 9 September, Spidla
said that tangible EU aid to repair flood damage as well as being
treated as an equal in accession negotiations would help boost support
in his country for joining the EU. MS
[45] CZECH DEFENSE MINISTER FILES COMPLAINT AGAINST FORMER VZS HEAD
Defense Minister Jaroslav Tvrdik told the daily "Pravo" of 9 September
that he has filed a complaint against former Czech Military
Intelligence Service (VZS) chief Andor Sandor and his former deputy
Miroslav Kvasnak, who was recently dismissed as military attache in
India, CTK reported. Tvrdik said Sandor did not follow orders last year
to end cooperation with Karel Srba, who while Foreign Ministry
secretary was also an undercover agent for the VZS. Srba is currently
under investigation for corruption and commissioning the assassination
of a journalist. Sandor responded that he was surprised by Trvdik's
move. Sandor said he took over the VZS command in May 2001 and was told
by subordinates that all VZS contacts with Srba had been discontinued
in May 2000. On 10 September, Tvrdik was quoted by "Pravo" as saying
that more lawsuits may be brought against former and current VZS staff
held responsible for information leaks that in some cases endangered
the lives of undercover VZS agents. MS
[46] DISSIDENT FACTION EMERGING IN CZECH US-DEU
A dissident faction calling on the party to stick to its right-wing
program and principles is emerging in the Freedom Union-Democratic
Union (US-DEU), CTK reported on 10 September, citing Zdenka Dubova.
Dubova, a member of the committee set up to officially organize the
faction, said the group calls itself the Right-Wing Platform and aims
at renewing voters' confidence in the US-DEU and starting cooperating
with other right-wing parties. The US-DEU statutes allow for the
formation of factions if they include at least one-third of the party's
district organizations and are accredited by the US-DEU National
Committee. Observers say this may signal danger for the current ruling
coalition, in which the US-DEU is a junior partner. Ivan Pilip, who is
US-DEU acting chairman, said respect for different views is important
for the US-DEU and he does not fear a party split. MS
[47] CZECH CHEMICAL PLANT ADMITS CHLORINE LEAK HIGHER THAN PREVIOUSLY
REPORTED
Spolana chemical plant spokesman Jan Martinek said on 9 September that
nearly 81,000 kilograms of chlorine gas and liquid leaked into the Labe
(Elbe) River and the air last month, when the Neratovice-based plant,
some 20 kilometers north of Prague, was seriously affected by flooding,
CTK reported. A laboratory analysis commissioned by Czech Radio and
Czech Television concluded that dangerous quantities of dioxins that
leaked from the plant settled in sediments on the shores of the Labe,
dpa reported. The analysis concluded that dioxin levels in the village
of Libis, half a kilometer downstream from Spolana, were three times
higher than safety norms. MS
[48] FORMER PREMIER SAYS HE WILL NOT SEEK POSITION IN NEXT SLOVAK
CABINET
In an interview with the English-language Bratislava daily "Slovak
Spectator" of 9 September, former Premier Vladimir Meciar said he does
not intend to be a member of Slovakia's next government, CTK reported.
Meciar said that even if another political party offered him a
portfolio in the future cabinet, "the answer would be 'no.'" MS
[49] SLOVAK PRIME MINISTER SAYS FUTURE BELONGS TO UNITED RIGHT
Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda, in an interview with the Czech daily
"Hospodarske noviny" of 9 September, said that the united right will
form the core of the future Slovak coalition, CTK reported. Dzurinda
said he will hand the country to his successor in good shape. He said
he does not regret having caused the break of the Slovak Democratic
Coalition (SDK) by forming his own Slovak Democratic and Christian
Union, because the SDK was an "artificial party." But he added that
"What was not artificial was the idea of cooperation of political
forces with close programs, and this idea is still alive." Dzurinda
said his relations with the Hungarian Coalition Party and with the
Christian Democratic Movement are good "to the extent that it will be
mainly up to our three parties [to determine] how Slovakia will look
after the 2002 elections." MS
[50] EU ENVOY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT CONTINUATION OF SLOVAK REFORMS
EU Ambassador to Slovakia Eric van der Linden told CTK on 9 September
that there is a high probability that the reform process begun by the
cabinet headed by Dzurinda will be continued after the upcoming
parliamentary elections. At a press conference attended by the Danish,
Greek, French, and British ambassadors to Slovakia, he said that the
drop in the popularity of Merciar -- who was long considered a favorite
to win the elections -- is a very interesting development. He said he
expects the European Commission's assessment of candidate countries,
due in October, to be positive on Slovakia and that this will probably
be the last report before accession. MS
[51] ARCHBISHOP'S LETTER PROVOKES PROTESTS IN SLOVAKIA
Roman Catholic Archbishop Jan Sokol on 8 September called on the
faithful not to cast their ballots for "nonbelievers," stirring
protests in several Slovak circles, TASR and CTK reported. Sokol said
in the letter that people should not vote for atheist parties whose
leaders are former communists, liberals, or nonbelievers. He also said
they should not vote for the Alliance for New Citizens (ANO), whose
leader, media tycoon Pavol Rusko, "demoralizes our nation and its most
precious group, the youth, through his television." Smer (Direction)
leader Robert Fico said the separation of church and state must be made
into law. ANO, the Social Democratic Alternative, and other formations
protested the letter. Bishop Frantisek Tondra, head of the Conference
of Slovak Bishops, said he disagrees with Sokol's telling people who
should they should and should not vote for, and has not signed Sokol's
letter. Tondra said one must differentiate between the pastoral letter
sent by the conference calling on people to vote and Sokol's own
separate initiative (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 September 2002). MS
[52] DISPUTE SCUPPERS HUNGARIAN PARLIAMENTARY HEARING ON MISSING FILE
Parliament's National Security Committee was unable to hold a hearing
on 9 September to look into why a file on Free Democrat Gabor Szalay
disappeared from the Interior Ministry in 1995 (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
6 and 9 September 2002), as the governing parties wanted an open
hearing and the opposition a closed one, "Nepszabadsag" reported.
Committee Chairman Laszlo Kover of the opposition FIDESZ party wanted
to question Free Democrat Chairman Gabor Kuncze, who was interior
minister in 1995, as well as Historical Office head Gyorgy Marko and
Imre Gondos, the chairman of the panel of judges screening public
figures for involvement in the communist-era state security apparatus.
Kover said there are no legal conditions in place for holding an open
session, adding that he will ask Elemer Kiss, the head of the prime
minister's office, to declassify the missing documents. MSZ
[53] HUNGARIAN SOCIALISTS INSIST ON AMENDING VETTING BILL
Socialist deputies do not believe that government bills on making
public the communist-era state-security pasts of public figures and on
establishing a state-security archive should be withdrawn, party
official Laszlo Varju told reporters on 9 September. Varju said there
is no need for a new bill, but that the existing ones should be
amended. Earlier, Laszlo Solyom, former president of the Constitutional
Court and head of a committee consulted by Prime Minister Peter
Medgyessy on the matter, said he would "consider it fortunate if the
government abandoned its proposals." However, parliament's National
Security Committee found the bills suitable for debate, as
governing-party deputies have endorsed the proposals. Committee
Chairman Kover (FIDESZ) said the new bills "would authorize merciless
action against those on the lower echelons of the one-time
state-security pyramid, while the actual operators of the regime would
be exempted," Hungarian dailies reported. MSZ
[54] FIDESZ POLITICIAN RETURNS TO POLITICAL LIFE
Former FIDESZ Chairman and parliamentary group leader Zoltan Pokorni
was elected FIDESZ deputy parliamentary group leader on 9 September,
Hungarian media reported. Pokorni resigned his posts in the summer
after his father's past as an informer during the communist era came to
light. Pokorni was nominated to the post by group leader Janos Ader.
MSZ
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[55] BOSNIAN SERB GOVERNMENT BACKING OFF FROM SREBRENICA DENIAL?
Republika Srpska Prime Minister Mladen Ivanic said in Banja Luka on 9
September that the controversial report denying that a massacre took
place in Srebrenica in 1995 does not represent government policy,
RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 9 September 2002, and "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 6
September 2002). Ivanic said that the study was an early version for
the media and that the final document has yet to be released. The
government is expected to respond on 10 September to U.S. charges that
the Orao aircraft company in Bijeljina has illegally sold spare parts
to Iraq. The republican government in Sarajevo is considering
establishing control over the foreign arms trade, which is currently
overseen by officials in the two entities. PM
[56] ANTI-MUSLIM INCIDENTS AS BOSNIAN SERBS CELEBRATE BASKETBALL WIN
In central Serbia, two persons died of heart attacks in the course of
the massive celebrations marking Yugoslavia's second consecutive
gold-medal victory in the World Basketball Championship, RFE/RL's South
Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported on 9 September (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 9 September 2002). In northeast Bosnia, incidents
were reported in Kozarac and Prijedor in which rowdy ethnic Serbs
attacked or destroyed property belonging to Muslims and threatened
local Muslims who have returned to their former homes. Other
anti-Muslim incidents were reported in Novi Pazar in Sandzak. PM
[57] MONTENEGRIN COURT CONVICTS SERB OF WAR CRIMES
A court in Bijelo Polje found Nebojsa Ranisavljevic guilty of war
crimes and sentenced him to 15 years in prison on 9 September, Reuters
reported. The charges stem from his role in the abduction from a train
of 19 mainly Muslim civilians in eastern Bosnia in February 1993 and
their subsequent torture and murder. He was part of an armed group that
carried out the atrocity on the Belgrade-Bar railway line. PM
[58] CROATIAN AND SLOVENIAN LEADERS REACH TEMPORARY AGREEMENT
Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan held talks in Zagreb with his
Slovenian counterpart Janez Drnovsek on recent incidents in the Bay of
Piran, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported on
10 September (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 September 2002, and "RFE/RL
Balkan Report," 30 August 2002). As expected, the leaders failed to
resolve the maritime-border dispute that has bedeviled their relations
since 1991. They nonetheless concluded a three-month agreement that can
be terminated or renewed at any time by either side, Reuters reported.
The leaders agreed on a temporary sea border and on joint police
patrols to work out disputes between fishermen. Drnovsek said that he
wants a permanent bilateral pact, while Racan called for international
arbitration. He added that "this dispute is endangering other aspects
of cooperation between our two countries, and we would like to stop it
before the conflict escalates." PM
[59] CROATIAN PARENTS PROTEST JOINT CLASSES WITH ROMA
The parents of some 30 Croatian pupils locked the entrance to the
elementary school in Drzimurac near the Hungarian border, AP reported.
They demand separate instruction for their children from pupils from
the majority Romany community, whom the parents say often do not know
Croatian, are reluctant to learn and submit to discipline, and hence
hold the other children back in their studies. PM
[60] CAMPAIGNING BEGINS IN KOSOVA
The election campaign for the 29 October local elections in Kosova has
officially begun, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service
reported from Prishtina on 9 September. Some 60 parties, coalitions,
civic initiatives, and other groups are fielding candidates in 30
districts. Both domestic and international monitors will be present. PM
[61] KOSOVA AND ALBANIA TO COOPERATE AGAINST TERRORISM
Michael Steiner, who heads the UN civilian administration in Kosova
(UNMIK), signed an agreement with Prime Minister Fatos Nano in Tirana
on 9 September on combating terrorism and organized crime, RFE/RL's
South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported. Steiner told
reporters that he considers it too early to discuss the final status of
Kosova. Many experts have suggested that delaying the clarification of
Kosova's status contributes to instability and criminal activity in the
province. PM
[62] ROUND ONE OF MILOSEVIC TRIAL TO END
The portion of the war crimes trial of former President Slobodan
Milosevic dealing with Kosova was to conclude in The Hague on 10
September, international media reported. Subsequent phases of his trial
will center on war crimes committed in Croatia and Bosnia under his
leadership. The Belgrade broadcaster B92 continues to broadcast the
trial in its entirety, including daily summaries of developments. PM
[63] NATO AMBASSADOR TO MACEDONIA BLASTS ATTACKS ON MEDIA
NATO Ambassador to Macedonia Nicolaas Biegman issued a statement on 9
September criticizing pressure by the Interior Ministry on independent
media, Makfax news agency reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline, 9 September
2002). "I am shocked by recent attacks against independent media and
individual journalists as by legal maneuvers against media outlets,
which are inappropriate especially during an election campaign,"
Biegman said. He added that "Supporting a free and independent media is
fundamental for any country that wishes to be part of a new Europe."
The Interior Ministry recently filed charges against one journalist and
threatened to arrest others. UB
[64] MACEDONIAN NAME DEBATE DRAGS ON
Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman Panayotis Beglitis told Makfax news
agency on 9 September that Greece is willing to continue talks over the
name of Macedonia with whatever government is formed after the 15
September parliamentary elections. The talks will take place in New
York under UN mediation. For more than a decade Greece has opposed the
use of the name Macedonia, saying that the name implies territorial
aspirations against Greece, which has a province bearing the same name.
Because of Greek opposition, Macedonia is internationally recognized
under the name Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), even
though the country's constitutional name is Republic of Macedonia.
Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski recently criticized the lack of
progress in the talks. He announced that he is willing to replace the
members of the Macedonian delegation if need be. UB
[65] SLOVAK PRESIDENT IN ROMANIA
Visiting Slovak President Rudolf Schuster met on 9 September with
President Ion Iliescu, Prime Minister Adrian Nastase, and with the two
speakers of Romania's bicameral parliament, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau
reported. They discussed cooperation on economic issues and their
respective bids to join NATO and the European Union. An accord on
cultural cooperation was also signed and Schuster decorated Iliescu
with Slovakia's highest order. Romanian Radio reported on 10 September
that Schuster was participating in a Romanian-Slovak
economic-cooperation forum in Timisoara on the second and last day of
his visit. MS
[66] HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF ROMANIANS THAN AMERICANS BACK FORCE AGAINST
INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM
A comparative public opinion poll released by Gallup International on 9
September shows that 38 percent of Romanians "fully agree" and 26
percent "partly agree" (combined 64 percent) that military force is the
most efficient means to reduce international terrorism, Mediafax
reported. In the United States, 37 percent of respondents "fully agree"
and 22 percent "partly agree" with that statement (combined 59
percent). In the current EU countries, on the other hand, the combined
groups score an average of 47 percent while the median of all 32
surveyed countries is 54 percent. Thirty percent of those questioned in
Romania believe that U.S. foreign policy is beneficial for their
country, 30 percent believe U.S. foreign policy has no effect on
Romania, 16 percent believe the effect is negative, and 24 percent did
not reply to this question or said they do not know. The Romanian poll
was conducted for Gallup International by the Center for the Study of
Opinion and Marketing. MS
[67] ROMANIAN EXTREMIST POLITICIANS SHIFT ALLIANCES ONCE AGAIN
Ilie Neacsu and Sever Mesca, who earlier this year switched from the
Greater Romania Party to the ruling Social Democratic Party, on 10
September announced that they had joined the extraparliamentary
Romanian Socialist Party (PSR), Mediafax reported. The PSR was set up
in 1992. MS
[68] LEADING CONSERVATIVE OPPOSITION POLITICIAN FEARS COMMUNIST REVIVAL
IN BULGARIA
Speaking on the private TV channel bTV, Edvin Sugarev, the deputy
chairman of the conservative opposition Union of Democratic Forces
(SDS), has said that Bulgaria is experiencing a revival of communism,
the daily "Dnevnik" reported on 8 September. Sugarev said there are
efforts to found a new communist party, while at the same time the
monuments to former communist leader Todor Zhivkov are being restored.
Sugarev added that the state administration is dominated by members of
the opposition Socialist Party (BSP), which never distanced itself from
its communist past. Sugarev also claimed that the BSP indirectly
participates in the government with two ministers without taking
responsibility. UB
[69] BULGARIAN FINANCE MINISTRY ANNOUNCES NEW FOREIGN-DEBT EXCHANGE
DEAL
Finance Minister Milen Velchev announced on 9 September that the
government is to exchange parts of its foreign debt in "Brady bonds"
with dollar-denominated Eurobonds, BTA reported. The exchange, which is
worth some $800 million, will increase the volume of the country's
dollar-denominated Eurobond issue of March 2002. The transaction will
be handled by JP Morgan and Solomon Smith Barney. The move is intended
to reduce Bulgaria's foreign debt and to release money that was set
aside to secure the Brady obligations. It is estimated that the foreign
debt will be reduced by some $238 million (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14
March 2002). UB
[70] MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING SIGNED ON ALBANIAN-BULGARIAN TRANSPORT
CORRIDOR
The transport ministers of Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Macedonia,
and Turkey signed a memorandum of understanding on 9 September in the
Italian Adriatic port of Bari, BTA reported. The agreement defines the
route of the so-called Pan-European Corridor No. VIII, which is to run
from Albania through Macedonia to the Bulgarian Black Sea ports of
Burgas and Varna. The route is to link Europe with the Caucasus and
Central Asia. UB
END NOTE
[71] There is no End Note today.
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