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RFE/RL Newsline, 02-10-16
CONTENTS
[01] BERLUSCONI IN MOSCOW TO DISCUSS IRAQ...
[02] ...AS PUTIN INDICATES RUSSIA READY FOR NEW RESOLUTION
[03] FINANCE MINISTER PROMISES RUSSIA WILL PAY DEBTS ON SCHEDULE
[04] FIRE DETONATES FLEET'S ARSENAL
[05] HACKERS TARGET FSB SITE
[06] MORE IRREGULARITIES IN CENSUS ALLEGED...
[07] ...AS NEW WINNERS AND LOSERS LIKELY TO EMERGE...
[08] ...AND CENSUS RESULTS SHOW CHECHNYA'S POPULATION LARGER THAN
[09] BASHKORTOSTAN HEAD SEES NO NEW CONFLICT LOOMING WITH FEDERAL
[10] ...AS ANALYSTS BEG TO DIFFER
[11] REGIONAL LIBERALS EXPRESS SUPPORT FOR BEREZOVSKII
[12] LAUNCH ACCIDENT DESTROYS INTERNATIONAL SATELLITE
[13] WAR OF MONUMENTS CONTINUES
[14] UPPER CHAMBER CONFIRMS SEVEN SUPREME COURT JUSTICES
[15] ANOTHER SENATOR GETS YANKED HOME
[16] PRO-KREMLIN PARTY ACCUSED OF TRYING TO TAKE OVER REGIONAL ELECTION
[17] COMMUNIST DEPUTY TO TRY AGAIN?
[18] WOMEN APPEAL TO GOVERNMENT REGARDING POVERTY
[19] YABLOKO OFFSHOOT CALLS ITSELF ELEPHANT PARTY
[20] NEW JEWISH ORGANIZATION CREATED
[21] REGIONAL LEGISLATIVE LEADER DIES IN ACCIDENT
[22] NEWLY ELECTED GOVERNOR/OLIGARCH AVOIDS RUN-IN WITH NEIGHBORING
[23] HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER MEETS WITH CHECHEN PARLIAMENTARIANS
[24] NEW FIGHTING ERUPTS IN SOUTHERN CHECHNYA
[25] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT WARNS AGAINST FALSIFICATION OF LOCAL ELECTIONS
[26] ARMENIAN OPPOSITION FINALIZES JOINT ELECTION MANIFESTO
[27] FORMER ARMENIAN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENTS MEET
[28] ARMENIAN, RUSSIAN PARLIAMENT DELEGATIONS PLEDGE TO EXPAND
[29] AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT AGAIN ADVOCATES PEACEFUL SOLUTION TO
[30] TURKISH COMPANY REJECTS BLAME FOR POWER FAILURE AT GEORGIAN SOCCER
[31] RUSSIA CONTINUES TO INSIST GEORGIA EXTRADITE PRESUMED CHECHEN
[32] MORE ISLAMIST ACTIVISTS ARRESTED IN KAZAKHSTAN
[33] KYRGYZ OFFICIALS' TRIAL AGAIN POSTPONED
[34] SUPPORTERS OF JAILED KYRGYZ FORMER VICE PRESIDENT CONTINUE HUNGER
[35] KYRGYZ PARLIAMENT CHAIRMAN FAVORS PRESERVING BICAMERAL LEGISLATURE
[36] FRANCE TRANSFERS EQUIPMENT TO KYRGYZ ARMED FORCES
[37] KYRGYZ OFFICIAL RULES OUT INCREASE IN PENSIONS
[38] UZBEK JUDGE SENTENCED ON CORRUPTION CHARGES
[39] UZBEKISTAN, POLAND SEEK TO EXPAND BILATERAL TRADE
[40] BELARUSIAN COURT UPHOLDS CONVICTION OF EDITOR FOR LIBELING
[41] IRANIAN PRESIDENT IN UKRAINE
[42] CRIMINAL CASE AGAINST UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT SAID TO BE ILLEGAL
[43] NORWAY SUPPORTS ESTONIAN NATO MEMBERSHIP
[44] LATVIAN MEDICAL WORKERS POSTPONE PLANNED STRIKE
[45] LITHUANIA, U.S. SIGN PACT ON PROTECTING CULTURAL HERITAGE OF
[46] LITHUANIAN COURT RULES MEDICINE QUOTAS ILLEGAL
[47] SOLIDARITY STAGES VIOLENT DEMONSTRATION IN WARSAW
[48] POLISH PRESIDENT SIGNS AMENDED LUSTRATION LAW
[49] POLISH RIGHT-WING PARTY WANTS REFERENDUM ON LAND SALES TO
[50] POLAND HOSTS CONFERENCE ON UKRAINE'S RELATIONS WITH EU...
[51] ...AS SOLANA SLAMS KYIV FOR 'PLAYING WITH THE RULES'
[52] CZECH INTERIOR MINISTER SAYS HE WILL RESIGN IF SECURITY AT NATO
[53] DIRECT PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS GAIN POLITICAL MOMENTUM IN CZECH
[54] CZECH PRIME MINISTER VISITS PREDECESSOR TO DISCUSS PRESIDENTIAL
[55] SLOVAK PRIME MINISTER REAPPOINTED...
[56] ...FOLLOWED BY HIS NEW CABINET
[57] NEW SPEAKER SAYS SLOVAK PARLIAMENT NEEDS TO REGAIN PUBLIC
[58] ...AS LAWMAKERS BEGIN TO FILL LEADERSHIP POSTS
[59] SLOVAK SOCCER AUTHORITIES APOLOGIZE TO BRITISH PLAYERS
[60] HUNGARIAN PREMIER MEETS WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF 1956 UPRISING
[61] HUNGARIANS DECORATED FOR HELPING JEWS IN WWII
[62] KOSTUNICA'S PARTY CHALLENGES SERBIAN ELECTION COMMISSION
[63] SERBIAN PARLIAMENT TO CHANGE ELECTION LAWS?
[64] CROATIAN PRESIDENT SAYS GENERAL BOBETKO SHOULD GO TO THE HAGUE
[65] HAGUE PROSECUTOR SAYS YUGOSLAVIA IS NOT COOPERATING
[66] ASHDOWN WARNS NATIONALISTS IN BOSNIA
[67] IS FRANCE SET TO PRESS FOR EU-ONLY MISSION IN MACEDONIA?
[68] MACEDONIA JOINS WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION
[69] BOMB EXPLODES AT ALBANIAN PARTY'S OFFICE IN MACEDONIAN CAPITAL
[70] MACEDONIAN COALITION PLEDGES ANTICORRUPTION MEASURES
[71] ALBANIA TELLS SERBIA THAT KOSOVA SHOULD HAVE STRONGER INSTITUTIONS
[72] SPAIN DEPORTS ILLEGAL MIGRANTS TO ROMANIA
[73] ROMANIA AND BULGARIA INAUGURATE ENVIRONMENT-MONITORING SYSTEM
[74] COUNCIL OF EUROPE OFFICIAL OUTLINES STEPS MOLDOVA SHOULD TAKE ON
[75] MOLDOVAN WEEKLY'S STAFF PROTEST AGAINST 'POLICE ABUSE'
[76] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT SAYS OPPONENTS TO KOZLODUY NUCLEAR-POWER PLANT
[77] BULGARIAN JUDGES CRITICIZE INTERIOR MINISTRY OFFICIAL
[78] BULGARIA, ROMANIA OPEN CROSS-BORDER UNIVERSITY CENTER
[79] There is no End Note today.
16 October 2002
RUSSIA
[01] BERLUSCONI IN MOSCOW TO DISCUSS IRAQ...
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi arrived in Moscow on 16
October in an effort to persuade President Vladimir Putin to support a
tough UN Security Council resolution on Iraq drafted by the United
States and Britain, "Izvestiya" and other Russian news agencies
reported. Unlike German and French leaders, Berlusconi unconditionally
supports U.S. President George W. Bush's position on Iraq and his call
for military intervention to disarm Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
Berlusconi is known to have developed especially good personal
relations with Putin. The present visit is his fourth to Moscow this
year, and Putin's daughters spent part of their summer vacations this
year in Italy with Berlusconi's family. "Izvestiya" called Berlusconi's
visit Bush's "last hope" of changing Putin's position, following a
similar mission by British Prime Minister Tony Blair earlier this month
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 10 and 11 October 2002). VY
[02] ...AS PUTIN INDICATES RUSSIA READY FOR NEW RESOLUTION
President Putin stated on 16 October after talks with Prime Minister
Berlusconi that Russia is prepared to discuss "with its partners" a new
UN resolution on Iraq. However, he added that he is convinced that all
the international community's concerns about President Hussein can be
addressed by United Nations weapons inspectors, who should be
dispatched "as soon as possible." VY
[03] FINANCE MINISTER PROMISES RUSSIA WILL PAY DEBTS ON SCHEDULE
Speaking in London on 15 October at a session of the Russian-British
Committee on Trade and Investment, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance
Minister Aleksei Kudrin said his government is in complete control of
the situation concerning record-high foreign-debt payments due in 2003,
Russian news agencies reported. Kudrin justified his confidence by
saying that sufficient resources for the payments have been
incorporated into the federal budget. He also noted that Russia has
extremely high gold and hard-currency reserves, some of which has been
set aside for foreign-debt payments. Finally, he said Russian experts
predict world oil prices will not fall below $20 a barrel during the
first half of 2003, which is sufficient for the government to meet the
budget's revenue projections. VY
[04] FIRE DETONATES FLEET'S ARSENAL
A fire broke out during the planned destruction of surplus ammunition
at a Pacific Fleet arsenal in Vladivostok on 16 October, Russian and
Western news agencies reported. According to a regional Interior
Ministry spokesman, fire brigades had managed to control the fire, but
not to extinguish it, by nightfall. The fire caused the explosion of 12
railroad cars of old artillery shells, and police evacuated residents
from the area. In 1992, several local residents were killed or injured
during an arsenal fire. Primore Governor Sergei Darkin said on 16
October that he will push to remove all fleet weaponry and ammunition
from the city limits, data.ru reported. VY
[05] HACKERS TARGET FSB SITE
A spokesman for the Federal Security Service (FSB) told ITAR-TASS on15
October that the number of hacker attacks this year on his agency's
website (http://www.fsb.ru) might exceed 1 million, about twice as many
as the agency experienced in 2001. He added that the attempted
break-ins are not "the machinations of foreign intelligence
organizations," but the work of domestic hackers. In one case, the FSB
traced an attack to a hacker in Krasnoyarsk Krai, and he was
subsequently sentenced to one year's probation. The spokesman noted
that global cybercrime is growing at a rate of about 10 percent per
year. VY
[06] MORE IRREGULARITIES IN CENSUS ALLEGED...
The federal inspector to Tatarstan, Denis Akhmadullin, has said that
federal authorities have registered more than 60 complaints from
republic residents concerning the ongoing national census, RFE/RL's
Kazan bureau reported on 15 October, citing "Vremya novostei." The
residents reported that census takers either "didn't use the official
polling sheets during the procedure or filled in the questionnaires
with pencils." Akhmadullin emphasized that these alleged violations
"were mostly linked with the nationality section" of the questionnaire.
Earlier, a Tatar nationalist group in Bashkortostan reported
irregularities in census taking in that republic (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 11 October 2002). In an interview with RFE/RL's Kazan
bureau, ethnologist Kamir Iskhaqov said that the Ethnology and
Anthropology Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences adopted a new
list of nationalities in Russia in September. According to Iskhaqov,
the new list of nationalities, used in the recent census, mentions more
than 800 different ethnic groups, whereas the list used for the 1989
census contained only 200 choices. JAC
[07] ...AS NEW WINNERS AND LOSERS LIKELY TO EMERGE...
Cossack leaders are pleased that the category "Cossack" has been
included in the new census questionnaire (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 5
August 2002). According to ORT on 15 October, Cossack leaders in Rostov
Oblast believe the census results will prove "it is too early to erect
headstones on historic Cossack settlements." According to preliminary
data from the oblast's statistics committee, in some rural regions up
to 70 percent of locals have declared they are Cossacks in the census.
TV-6 reported the same day that the ethnic group of Didois, who were
not previously considered a distinct ethnic group from the Avars, might
now be able to demand seats in the Republic of Daghestan's legislature
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 10 October 2002). JAC
[08] ...AND CENSUS RESULTS SHOW CHECHNYA'S POPULATION LARGER THAN
EXPECTED
According to preliminary census results, Chechnya's present population
is 1.088 million, of whom some 205,000 live in Grozny, Chechen Prime
Minister Stanislav Ilyasov announced on 14 October, Interfax reported
the following day. Ilyasov added that this figure is only marginally
less than the 1.27 million registered in the 1989 Soviet census as the
total population of the combined Checheno-Ingush ASSR. Sultygov said on
15 October, however, that the 1989 figures "were greatly
underreported," and at that time Chechens already numbered more than 2
million. He pointed out that population growth alone could not account
for the current census figures. The combined death toll in the 1994-96
and the present Chechen war is estimated at 100,000-140,000. LF
[09] BASHKORTOSTAN HEAD SEES NO NEW CONFLICT LOOMING WITH FEDERAL
OFFICIALS...
Bashkortostan President Murtaza Rakhimov has said that he sees no
potential conflicts between his plan to abolish the republican post of
president and existing federal legislation, RFE/RL's Kazan bureau
reported on 15 October, citing "Kommersant-Daily" (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 11 October 2002). A spokesman for Rakhimov, Marat Yamalov,
told "The Moscow Times" on 14 October that legal experts are drawing up
a new Bashkortostan Constitution that transfers executive-branch powers
to parliament, adding that the draft should be completed by the end of
the year. Yamalov said it is unclear whether the constitution must be
approved by a republic-wide referendum. "It could be approved by our
parliament, or maybe only its major points will have to be approved [by
a referendum]," Yamalov said. He said the transition faces no legal
roadblocks "because Daghestan has this sort of government, and it has
proven to be very suitable for multiethnic republics." Yamalov added
the draft has not yet been sent for approval to the commission headed
by deputy presidential administration chief Dmitrii Kozak. JAC
[10] ...AS ANALYSTS BEG TO DIFFER
However, Aleksandr Postnikov, head of the constitutional-law department
at the federal government's Institute of Legislation and Comparative
Law, said Daghestan is a lone exception under federal law, with an
executive branch that resembles a parliament, "The Moscow Times"
reported on 14 October. "[Such a reform] could only happen in
Bashkortostan if the republic initiates amendments to the federal law,
and the law is changed," Postnikov continued. "Nezavisimaya gazeta"
reported the same day that according to unidentified sources close to
Rakhimov, the incumbent plans to give up his office because that
position would have powers like those "wielded by the British queen"
under the new draft constitution currently being considered by the
legislature. Rakhimov instead reportedly plans to become head of the
republic's parliament. According to the daily, Rakhimov's plan -- at
least superficially -- appears to be a response to the objections of
Deputy Prosecutor-General Aleksandr Zvyagintsev, who "blamed Rakhimov
for the fact that local legislation gives him excessively broad
powers." JAC
[11] REGIONAL LIBERALS EXPRESS SUPPORT FOR BEREZOVSKII
The republican-level political council of Liberal Russia in
Bashkortostan and the regional branch of the party in Tyumen Oblast
have objected to a decision by the party's central political council to
eject party co-founder and tycoon Boris Berezovskii from the party's
ranks (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 October 2002), RFE/RL's Kazan bureau
and regions.ru reported on 15 October. The Bashkir branch issued a
statement saying that Berezovskii's recent interview with the
pro-Communist newspaper "Zavtra" in which he said he is willing to
cooperate with anyone who is opposed to the Putin regime was necessary,
timely, and useful (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 7 October 2002). Members of
the Tyumen branch said that party leaders failed to specify which
section of the party's charter was violated by the interview. JAC
[12] LAUNCH ACCIDENT DESTROYS INTERNATIONAL SATELLITE
One serviceman was killed and eight others injured on 16 October when a
Soyuz-5 rocket carrying the international "Foton-M" satellite exploded
during a launch at the Plesetsk cosmodrome, Russian and Western news
agencies reported. According to dpa, the 300-ton rocket crashed about
20 seconds after ignition when one of its engines broke away. The
accident destroyed the $600 million "Foton-M" space laboratory, which
was built by an international consortium headed by the European Space
Agency (ESA). An ESA spokesperson said the accident will not delay a
scheduled launch on 17 October of a Russian Proton-K rocket from the
Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan that will carry the European Integral
Space Telescope into orbit. The accident is also not expected to affect
the support program for the International Space Station. RC
[13] WAR OF MONUMENTS CONTINUES
The Duma on 16 October included on its agenda a bill put forward by
Deputy Aleksandr Fedulov (independent) calling for the erection of a
monument to Tsar Nicholas II on Lubyanka Square on the site where a
statue of Soviet secret-police founder Feliks Dzerzhinskii once stood,
RIA-Novosti and the BBC reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 10 October
2002). Fedulov said he hopes his proposal will eventually lead to the
removal of the body of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin from his mausoleum
on Red Square and to "a Nuremberg trial against the Communist Party for
crimes committed when it was in power." Deputy Duma Speaker and leader
of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia Vladimir Zhirinovskii
expressed strong opposition to the proposal, calling Nicholas II "the
worst tsar in Russian history." He also said he supports the
restoration of the Dzerzhinskii monument and praised him for "setting
up the most powerful intelligence system in the world." VY
[14] UPPER CHAMBER CONFIRMS SEVEN SUPREME COURT JUSTICES
The Federation Council on 16 October confirmed seven new judges to the
Supreme Court, ntvru.com reported. The new judges are Deputy Chairwoman
of the Ulyanovsk Oblast Court Zoya Bespalova, Assistant to the Chairman
of the Supreme Court Tatyana Yermolaeva; Saratov Oblast Court Judge
Aleksei Zelepukin, former Kursk Oblast Court Judge Nikita Kolokolov,
Kursk Oblast Judge Vladimir Merkulov, Deputy Chairman of the
Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Oblast Court Yurii Savvich, and Buryatia
Supreme Court Judge Eduard Erdyniev. RC
[15] ANOTHER SENATOR GETS YANKED HOME
Ingushetia's legislature decided on 15 October to recall its
representative to the Federation Council, Sergei Bekov,
"Kommersant-Daily" reported on 16 October. Bekov was a supporter of the
republic's former president, Ruslan Aushev. He began serving in the
upper legislative chamber in March 2001. According to the newspaper,
one legislator explained the decision to recall Bekov before his term
expired by saying legislators believed they should find "their own"
senator. A replacement for Bekov has not yet been named. JAC
[16] PRO-KREMLIN PARTY ACCUSED OF TRYING TO TAKE OVER REGIONAL ELECTION
COMMISSION
The pro-Kremlin Unified Russia party in Velikii Novgorod has invited
all of the recently appointed members of the city's election commission
to join the party's ranks, "Novaya gazeta" reported on 14 October. This
invitation has prompted the party's political opponents to charge that
the party is trying to place the commission under its control on the
eve of mayoral elections. Sergei Bessonov, deputy chairman of the
party's regional political council, dismissed those concerns. "We are
not going to compel anyone to join our ranks by force. Everything is
done on a strictly voluntary basis," he said. "And regarding the issue
of our possible influence on the decisions of the commission, it should
be noted that other political parties and movements can delegate their
own representatives to the commission." However, the weekly noted that
as a result of the "special role" election commissions have played in
recent elections such as those in Nizhnii Novgorod and Krasnoyarsk
Krai, not everyone is willing to take Bessonov's argument at face
value, pointing out that Bessonov is himself a candidate in the
upcoming mayoral race. JAC
[17] COMMUNIST DEPUTY TO TRY AGAIN?
After finishing third in recent gubernatorial elections in Krasnoyarsk
Krai, Duma Deputy Sergei Glaziev (Communist) is reportedly ready to vie
for the governor's post in Ulyanovsk Oblast, regions.ru reported on 15
October, citing Yenisei-Inform. According to the website, Glaziev was
interested in participating in the last gubernatorial race there in
December 2000 but was afraid of challenging the well-known commander in
Chechnya Lieutenant General Vladimir Shamanov, who in fact won the
race. Now, however, Glaziev reportedly is one of the founders of the
oblast's Goryachev Fund, which was created by former oblast Governor
Yurii Goryachev to fund the political opposition to Shamanov. Glaziev's
name has recently been mentioned as a contender for a top leadership
post in the Communist Party (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 7 October 2002).
JAC
[18] WOMEN APPEAL TO GOVERNMENT REGARDING POVERTY
The Union of Women of Russia intends to present the government with a
letter protesting the impoverishment of Russian citizens, RosBalt
reported on 15 October. According to union Chairwoman Alevtina
Fedulova, the group has collected more than 500,000 signatures from
women across Russia supporting the initiative. Fedulova said the group
is concerned about rising unemployment among women, the "elimination"
of women from "prestigious" jobs, the growing wage differential between
men and women, and inadequate state subsidies for women supporting
children. The protest was timed to coincide with the United Nation's
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on 17 October. RC
[19] YABLOKO OFFSHOOT CALLS ITSELF ELEPHANT PARTY
The organizing committee of a new political party -- the Union of
People for Education and Science (SLON) -- informed the Justice
Ministry on 15 October that it will hold its founding congress on 16-17
November, RosBalt reported. The party, whose acronym means elephant in
Russian, is led by former Yabloko members Vyacheslav Igrunov and Andrei
Sharomov. Igrunov is a Duma deputy, and Sharomov is the former head of
Yabloko's youth organization. According to Sharomov, SLON has formed 50
regional groups with a total membership of 8,000. JAC
[20] NEW JEWISH ORGANIZATION CREATED
Writer Arkadii Vainer has been elected president of the Association of
Jewish Public Organizations of Russia, Russian news agencies reported
on 15 October. The organization held its founding congress in Moscow on
15 October. Aleksandr Boroda, who is executive vice president of the
Federation of Jewish Communities, was elected as the new group's vice
president, according to Interfax. According to "Kommersant-Daily" on 16
October, chief rabbi of Russia Berl Lazar decided to create the new
organization after he was excluded from any leadership role in the
Conference of Directors of Jewish Organizations, which is reportedly
controlled by Alfa Group head Mikhail Fridman and Russian Jewish
Congress head Yevgenii Satanovskii. According to the daily, both
organizations now consider themselves a kind of "trade union for Jewish
organizations." JAC
[21] REGIONAL LEGISLATIVE LEADER DIES IN ACCIDENT
Tomsk City Duma Speaker Oleg Pletnev, who also headed the local Yabloko
branch, drowned in a scuba-diving accident on 15 October in Egypt,
polit.ru reported the next day. No further information was available.
RC
[22] NEWLY ELECTED GOVERNOR/OLIGARCH AVOIDS RUN-IN WITH NEIGHBORING
OLIGARCH/GOVERNOR
The driver of Krasnoyarsk Krai Governor Aleksandr Khloponin's Toyota
Land Cruiser Prado narrowly avoided running into the Audi of Evenk
Autonomous Okrug Governor Boris Zolatarev during a snowstorm on a
highway in Krasnoyarsk Krai on 15 October, regions.ru reported, citing
the okrug administration's press service. According to the report,
Khloponin's vehicle emerged unscathed, while the bumper of Zolatarev's
Audi sustained a few dents and scrapes. Both governors were on their
way to the airport at the time of the incident, according to lenta.ru.
Meanwhile, in Moscow on 16 October, Economic Development and Trade
Minister German Gref was briefly hospitalized after his car collided
with another vehicle at an intersection, Russian news agencies
reported. Strana.ru cited a ministry spokesman as saying that Gref
returned to work after being treated for bruises. JAC
[23] HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER MEETS WITH CHECHEN PARLIAMENTARIANS
Russia's human rights commissioner for Chechnya Abdul-Khakim Sultygov
met for more than three hours on 13 October in Znamenskoye with 14
deputies to the Chechen parliament elected in the summer of 1997,
Interfax and "Nezavisimaya gazeta" reported. The discussion focused on
human rights violations and a draft agreement on public accord that
outlines the principles for a possible political settlement of the
Chechen conflict and for Chechnya's development within the parameters
of the Russian Constitution, Interfax quoted Sultygov as saying. The
two sides agreed to coordinate their positions on working for a
settlement of the conflict and for a referendum on Chechnya's new draft
constitution. LF
[24] NEW FIGHTING ERUPTS IN SOUTHERN CHECHNYA
Fierce fighting took place from 14-15 October in Nozhai-Yurt Raion, but
Russian reports of Chechen casualties are untrue, chechenpress.com
reported on 16 October. Interfax quoted a Russian military spokesman as
saying on 15 October that nine Chechen fighters from a contingent
subordinate to field commander Abu Al-Walid were killed during the
clash. LF
TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[25] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT WARNS AGAINST FALSIFICATION OF LOCAL ELECTIONS
Robert Kocharian met on 15 October with senior government ministers and
regional officials to impress upon them the importance of ensuring that
the 20 October local elections are free and fair, according to Noyan
Tapan and Armenian Public Television, as cited by Groong. "Nobody has
the right to compromise the country," he said. "I prohibit you all from
trying to help any candidate or lobby for him or her. You can express
your attitude toward a candidate by voting in his or her favor,"
Armenpress quoted Kocharian as saying. LF
[26] ARMENIAN OPPOSITION FINALIZES JOINT ELECTION MANIFESTO
At a two-hour meeting in Yerevan on 15 October, representatives of 16
Armenian opposition parties put the final touches to a joint manifesto
that may serve as the basis for the program of their joint candidate
for the presidential elections to be held in February 2003, RFE/RL's
Yerevan bureau reported. The 22-point document repeats traditional
opposition accusations against the current authorities and promises a
swift improvement in the difficult socioeconomic situation in the event
of a regime change. The foreign policy section of the program calls for
a "deepening of the allied relationship with Russia" and Armenia's
continued "integration into the European structures." LF
[27] FORMER ARMENIAN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENTS MEET
Continuing his unofficial visit to Armenia, former Russian President
Boris Yeltsin met in Yerevan on 15 October with former Armenian
President Levon Ter-Petrossian, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 15 October 2002). No details of their talks were
divulged. Earlier on 15 October, Yeltsin visited a Russian border-guard
unit serving on the Armenian-Turkish border, and was designated an
honorary border guard. LF
[28] ARMENIAN, RUSSIAN PARLIAMENT DELEGATIONS PLEDGE TO EXPAND
BILATERAL ECONOMIC COOPERATION
Former USSR Council of Ministers Chairman Nikolai Ryzhkov headed a
Russian Federation Council delegation that participated in the fifth
session of the Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Commission in Yerevan on
15 October, Noyan Tapan reported. Ryzhkov and Armenian parliament
speaker Armen Khachatrian agreed on the need to expand bilateral
economic cooperation, which, they said, is not as intensive as
political ties between the two countries. Ryzhkov is held in great
respect in Armenia for his role in coordinating relief aid in the
aftermath of the December 1988 earthquake. LF
[29] AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT AGAIN ADVOCATES PEACEFUL SOLUTION TO
KARABAKH CONFLICT
Addressing Turkish businessmen in Istanbul on 15 October, Heidar Aliev
again warned that support is growing in Azerbaijan for a military
solution to the Karabakh conflict, ITAR-TASS and zerkalo.az reported.
He added that he is trying to quell such sentiments and still advocates
a peaceful solution to the conflict. He added that the OSCE should
"support Azerbaijan in its just cause," and stressed that Azerbaijan
will never reconcile itself to the loss of Nagorno-Karabakh. Aliev also
ruled out any economic cooperation with Armenia before Azerbaijan's
territorial integrity is restored and those Azerbaijanis who fled
either Nagorno-Karabakh or districts adjacent to it currently occupied
by Armenian troops have been enabled to return to their homes. LF
[30] TURKISH COMPANY REJECTS BLAME FOR POWER FAILURE AT GEORGIAN SOCCER
MATCH
A Georgian State Security Ministry official said on 15 October that the
electricity failure that halted the Russian-Georgian soccer match in
Tbilisi on 12 October was due to the malfunction, whether as a result
of sabotage or a technical defect, of a Turkish-manufactured
transformer, Caucasus Press reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 15 October
2002). The Turkish manufacturer denied any responsibility and claimed
the transformer malfunctioned as a result of excessive voltage. Also on
15 October, the international soccer governing body FIFA informed the
Georgian Football Federation that it will conduct its own investigation
into the outage that resulted in the match being cancelled. LF
[31] RUSSIA CONTINUES TO INSIST GEORGIA EXTRADITE PRESUMED CHECHEN
MILITANTS
Russia is now pressuring Georgia to extradite immediately six suspected
Chechen militants whose identity has already been established, rather
than wait until the identity of two more is also clarified so that all
eight men can be deported to Russia simultaneously, Deputy Russian
Prosecutor-General Sergei Fridinskii told Interfax on 15 October.
Georgia has suspended the extradition of all eight men, who have
appealed to the European Court of Human Rights. Fridinskii dismissed
that appeal as "political blackmail." Also on 15 October, Georgian
Prosecutor-General Nugzar Gabrichidze denied media reports that one of
five Chechens deported on 3 October died in transit, Caucasus Press
reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 10 and 15 October 2002). LF
[32] MORE ISLAMIST ACTIVISTS ARRESTED IN KAZAKHSTAN
Two Kazakh students have been arrested for distributing leaflets
propagating the banned Islamic Hizb ut-Tahrir party, Interfax reported
on 15 October. One was studying in Almaty and the second in Shymkent.
Also on 15 October, akipress.org quoted unnamed analysts in
Kyrgyzstan's Djalalabad Oblast as saying that the number of women
sympathizers of Hizb ut-Tahrir is increasing, that that women now
account for some 10 percent of the organization's members. LF
[33] KYRGYZ OFFICIALS' TRIAL AGAIN POSTPONED
The trial of six local officials in connection with the shooting by
police of participants in a protest march in Aksy Raion in March has
been postponed to allow for further investigation into the
circumstances of the deaths of five marchers, Kyrgyz Prosecutor-General
Chubak Abyshkaev told the Kyrgyz parliament on 15 October, RFE/RL's
Bishkek bureau reported. LF
[34] SUPPORTERS OF JAILED KYRGYZ FORMER VICE PRESIDENT CONTINUE HUNGER
STRIKE
Thirty-two people are currently on hunger strike to demand the release
from jail of former Vice President and opposition Ar-Namys Party leader
Feliks Kulov, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported on 15 October. Also on
15 October, three political parties issued a statement denouncing the
Bishkek City Court's 11 October ruling to uphold the sentence it handed
down on Kulov in May. They argued that the court ruling shows that the
regime of President Askar Akaev is becoming more repressive, and called
on Akaev to resign. LF
[35] KYRGYZ PARLIAMENT CHAIRMAN FAVORS PRESERVING BICAMERAL LEGISLATURE
Altay Borubaev, who is speaker of the People's Assembly (the upper
chamber of the Kyrgyz parliament), said in an interview with "Vechernii
Bishkek" that he believes the present bicameral legislature should be
preserved for at least the next 10 years, according to akipress.org on
14 October. Borubaev added that he respects the views of the majority
of members of the Constitutional Assembly who earlier this month
proposed to President Akaev that the constitution be amended to create
a unicameral parliament (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 3 October 2002). But,
he continued, the system of political parties in Kyrgyzstan is not yet
developed enough to sustain what he termed a "classic" parliament with
a clear majority and minority. At present, Borubaev concluded, only a
bicameral legislature can provide for "a balance of power" within
parliament. LF
[36] FRANCE TRANSFERS EQUIPMENT TO KYRGYZ ARMED FORCES
The French military contingent that recently left Kyrgyzstan after a
tour of duty within the framework of Operation Enduring Freedom has
given the Kyrgyz armed forces vehicles and other equipment worth some
$200,000, Interfax and RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported on 15 October.
LF
[37] KYRGYZ OFFICIAL RULES OUT INCREASE IN PENSIONS
Social Fund Chairman Orozmat Abdykalykov warned in Bishkek on 15
October that it will not be possible to raise pensions in the near
future because the unemployment rate remains high, RFE/RL's Bishkek
bureau reported. The average monthly pension is currently 559 soms
(approximately $12), which is a little over one-third of the minimum
subsistence level of 1,473 soms. Officially registered unemployment in
Kyrgyzstan is only 5 percent, but hundreds of thousands of people
either work abroad or are engaged in shuttle trading, and thus pay no
taxes. LF
[38] UZBEK JUDGE SENTENCED ON CORRUPTION CHARGES
Uzbekistan's Supreme Court has sentenced Tohirdjon Choriev, a criminal
court judge from Surkhandarya Oblast, to 13 years' imprisonment for
accepting a $11,000 bribe to prolong the investigation of a criminal
case, uza.uz reported on 15 October. LF
[39] UZBEKISTAN, POLAND SEEK TO EXPAND BILATERAL TRADE
Uzbek entrepreneurs have completed discussions with a visiting Polish
government delegation on ways to expand bilateral trade, which in 2001
amounted to $110 million, uza.uz reported on 15 October. Poland exports
to Uzbekistan sugar, chemical products, and machinery, and imports
cotton and minerals. LF
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
[40] BELARUSIAN COURT UPHOLDS CONVICTION OF EDITOR FOR LIBELING
LUKASHENKA
The Minsk City Court on 15 October rejected the appeal of Viktar
Ivashkevich, the editor in chief of the independent newspaper
"Rabochy," against the ruling of a district court sentencing him to two
years in a corrective-labor facility for libeling President Alyaksandr
Lukashenka during the presidential election campaign in 2001 (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 13, 16, and 27 September 2002), RFE/RL's Belarusian
Service reported. A September 2001 issue of "Rabochy," all copies of
which were seized by authorities before they hit the newsstands,
alleged that Lukashenka made money by exploiting the Russia-Belarus
custom union and giving trade preferences to some firms and
organizations, including Torgexpo and the so-called Esambaev Fund. The
KGB refused to provide any information regarding the allegations,
asserting that all materials from its investigations into these firms
and organizations have been destroyed. "I'm sure the court will rule to
acquit me after the political situation in Belarus changes,"
Ivashkevich commented. JM
[41] IRANIAN PRESIDENT IN UKRAINE
Iranian President Mohammad Khatami arrived in Kyiv on 15 October for a
two-day official visit, Ukrainian and international news agencies
reported. Khatami and his Ukrainian counterpart Leonid Kuchma agreed on
the creation of a joint aircraft-construction consortium and discussed
the possibility for constructing a gas pipeline from Iran to Europe
transiting Ukraine, UNIAN reported. The two sides signed accords on
bilateral trade and cooperation in health care as well as an anti-drug
trafficking memorandum. Khatami told journalists that Iraq poses a
threat to other countries if it possesses weapons of mass destruction,
but called for a peaceful solution to the conflict between Baghdad and
Washington. '"We are against unilateral action by the United States,"
Khatami added. Kuchma said Ukraine too supports a peaceful solution to
the Iraq problem. JM
[42] CRIMINAL CASE AGAINST UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT SAID TO BE ILLEGAL
The administration of Ukrainian President Kuchma believes the criminal
case instigated against Kuchma by Judge Yuriy Vasylenko (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 15 October 2002) is illegal and anticonstitutional, UNIAN
reported on 15 October, quoting presidential spokeswoman Olena
Hromnytska. Presidential administration chief Viktor Medvedchuk called
the case an example of "legal nihilism." According to the Ukrainian
Constitution, the president of Ukraine enjoys immunity from prosecution
while in office and may be held accountable before a court of law only
after a procedure of impeachment has been initiated against the
president. However, there are no laws in Ukraine defining the procedure
for impeachment. Justice Minister Oleksandr Lavrynovych also said the
case against Kuchma is "beneath all criticism from a legal point of
view." Lavrynovych admitted, however, that bringing to court persons
shielded by immunity from prosecution has not been clearly regulated in
Ukraine. JM
[43] NORWAY SUPPORTS ESTONIAN NATO MEMBERSHIP
Norwegian Foreign Minister Jan Petersen told parliament Chairman Toomas
Savi in Tallinn on 15 October that Norway is pleased with the progress
Estonia is making in its efforts to gain membership of NATO and the
European Union, BNS reported. He noted that Norway wants to promote
bilateral cooperation with Estonia in the framework of NATO. In talks
with Prime Minister Siim Kallas, Petersen said that the small countries
in NATO can make a significant contribution in guaranteeing
international security. He assured his Estonian counterpart Kristiina
Ojuland that although Norway is not a member of the EU, it supports
Estonia joining the union. Petersen said he views Estonia as a possible
mediator between the EU and Norway and a defender of Norway's
interests. They agreed that economic relations between their countries
should be further developed. SG
[44] LATVIAN MEDICAL WORKERS POSTPONE PLANNED STRIKE
The Latvian Health and Social Care Employees Union decided on 15
October to postpone their planned one-day strike in November until
after the new government is formed and next year's budget is approved,
BNS reported. The medical workers staged one-day strikes in June, July,
and September (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 September 2002) but they were
only partially successful. Demands concerning wage increases and
improvements to legislative acts governing the health care sector seem
to have been met, but standards for establishing the prices of health
care services were not and the Finance Ministry has yet to compensate
the 1.7 million lats ($2.7 million) owed to the health care budget.
Union Chairwoman Ruta Viksna said it makes no sense to strike while the
current government is still in office and that it is not clear whether
the new government will recognize health care as a priority in practice
by allocating an additional 25.7 million lats for health care. SG
[45] LITHUANIA, U.S. SIGN PACT ON PROTECTING CULTURAL HERITAGE OF
HOLOCAUST VICTIMS
In Vilnius on 15 October, Culture Minister Roma Dovydeniene and U.S.
Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad Chairman
Warren Miller signed a cooperation agreement on protecting the cultural
heritage of Jews and other ethnic and religious groups persecuted
during the Holocaust, BNS reported. The agreement covers the protection
of gravesites, monuments, churches, and documents of Jews, Roma, and
Old Believers. The agreement also provides for the establishment of a
Joint Cultural Heritage Commission to supervise the work and resolve
any issues that may arise. Miller held talks the previous day with
President Valdas Adamkus and Director of the International Commission
for the Evaluation of Crimes of Nazi and Soviet Occupational Regimes
Ronaldas Racinskas. SG
[46] LITHUANIAN COURT RULES MEDICINE QUOTAS ILLEGAL
The Chief Administrative Court issued a ruling on 15 October declaring
that the order issued by Health Minister Romualdas Dobrovolskis on 14
February establishing quotas on the distribution of reimbursable
medicines violates the constitution, laws on health insurance, and
patients' rights, "Lietuvos rytas" reported the next day. In an effort
to balance the books in the Mandatory Health Care Insurance Fund, the
order limited the budget that health care institutions use to prescribe
medicines for patients, and even threatened doctors that any excess
money spent for prescriptions would be taken from their wages.
Supporting the complaints by the Lithuanian Medical Doctors Union,
former Prime Minister Gediminas Vagnorius asked the court on 23 April
to rule if the order was legal. SG
[47] SOLIDARITY STAGES VIOLENT DEMONSTRATION IN WARSAW
On 15 October, some 7,500 Solidarity trade unionists from Silesia
(southern Poland) staged a violent protest in front of the prime
minister's office in Warsaw against the government's socioeconomic
policies, Polish media reported. Protesters threw firecrackers and eggs
at the building and scuffled with police. Five policemen were
reportedly injured and two of them were hospitalized. Demonstrators
protested the government's restructuring plans in the mining and
metallurgical sectors, health care, and the state railroads. The same
day, some 700 shipyard workers in Szczecin blocked the city center for
about two hours in protest against what they call the government's
reluctance to provide promised support for their troubled company. JM
[48] POLISH PRESIDENT SIGNS AMENDED LUSTRATION LAW
Aleksander Kwasniewski on 15 October signed an amended lustration law
that excludes from the country's lustration process those who
collaborated with the communist-era intelligence and
counterintelligence services, PAP reported. Kazimierz Ujazdowski from
the opposition Law and Justice said he will soon appeal to the
Constitutional Tribunal to rule whether the amendment is
constitutional. "It is inadmissible for Polish lawmakers to endorse
collaboration with the intelligence and counterintelligence services of
the Polish People's Republic as a better form of collaboration [than
that] with the [communist-era] security service," Ujazdowski commented.
The opposition believes the amendment is primarily intended to shield
some prominent activists of the ruling Democratic Left Alliance of
being accused of lying during the lustration process. JM
[49] POLISH RIGHT-WING PARTY WANTS REFERENDUM ON LAND SALES TO
FOREIGNERS
The opposition League of Polish Families (LPR) submitted a citizens'
motion to the Sejm on 15 October calling for a referendum on land sales
to foreigners, PAP reported. Marek Kotlinowski from the LPR said the
motion is supported by some 600,000 signatures. The motion proposes the
following question for the referendum: "Do you oppose the sale of
Polish land to foreigners?" Sejm deputy speaker Tadeusz Nalecz said the
parliament will review the motion "as soon as possible" but ruled out
that the referendum could be held on 10 November, as suggested by the
LPR. JM
[50] POLAND HOSTS CONFERENCE ON UKRAINE'S RELATIONS WITH EU...
On 15 October in Warsaw, President Kwasniewski opened a two-day
conference devoted to relations between the European Union and Ukraine
and stressed that a democratic Ukraine is essential for European
security, PAP reported. The conference was organized under the
patronage of Kwasniewski and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and
gathered representatives of the Ukrainian authorities (including
presidential administration chief Viktor Medvedchuk and National
Defense and Security Council Secretary Yevhen Marchuk) and the
opposition (including Oleksandr Moroz and Viktor Yushchenko), as well
as participants from Romania, Slovakia, and Hungary. Ukrainian
President Kuchma was expected to arrive in Warsaw on 16 October to meet
with Kwasniewski and Solana. Warsaw originally intended to use the
conference to initiate dialogue between the Ukrainian authorities and
the opposition, but backed down after Kuchma charged that this could
constitute "interference" in Ukraine's domestic affairs (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 9 October 2002). JM
[51] ...AS SOLANA SLAMS KYIV FOR 'PLAYING WITH THE RULES'
"Europe won't be stable and secure if Ukraine is not stable and
secure," AP quoted Solana as saying at the conference. Solana said his
main concern is that Ukraine is not making progress on its democratic
path. He called for allowing freedom of the media and eliminating murky
links between politics and business. "Ukraine is not playing by the
rules but playing with the rules. We would like one day to embrace your
country, but we have to know what country you are," Solana said. "But
at this time I have to tell you this is impossible," he added. JM
[52] CZECH INTERIOR MINISTER SAYS HE WILL RESIGN IF SECURITY AT NATO
SUMMIT FAILS
Czech Interior Minister Stanislav Gross on 15 October offered a
qualified pledge to resign from his post if security is not maintained
in Prague during the NATO summit on 21-22 November, CTK reported. "If
security measures as a whole prove a failure -- not one policeman or
some part of the whole system -- and if events occur that are otherwise
inconceivable in the conditions of the Czech Republic -- I will resign
from the post of interior minister the very same moment," Gross said,
according to the news agency. Over 1,000 specially trained officers
will be protecting delegates during the meeting, the first NATO summit
held in a former communist country, and about 12,000 police officers
will be on the streets to deal with potential disturbances.
Additionally, 2,000 soldiers from the Czech Army will be assigned to
patrol Prague's international airport, hotels, and the conference
center where the summit is taking place. About 12,000 protesters are
expected to descend on Prague for the event. BW
[53] DIRECT PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS GAIN POLITICAL MOMENTUM IN CZECH
REPUBLIC
A group of 10 lawmakers from the ruling coalition of the Freedom
Union-Democratic Union (US-DEU), the Christian Democrat Union-People's
Party (KDU-CSL), and the Social Democratic Party (CSSD) officially
submitted a draft constitutional amendment on direct presidential
elections to the lower house of the Czech parliament on 15 October, CTK
reported. US-DEU lawmaker Hana Marvanova said passage with the required
two-thirds majority is theoretically possible but unlikely in time to
name a successor to President Vaclav Havel, whose term ends early next
year. The opposition Civic Democratic Party (ODS), which has dropped
its objections to direct presidential elections (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
15 October 2002), announced the same day that it will submit its own
bill on the matter. The Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM)
continues to oppose direct presidential elections. Both houses of
parliament currently elect the Czech president. BW
[54] CZECH PRIME MINISTER VISITS PREDECESSOR TO DISCUSS PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTIONS
Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla visited his predecessor, Milos Zeman, on
14 October to discuss the latter's participation in presidential
elections, "Pravo" reported on 15 October. He said Zeman remains a
candidate in an upcoming CSSD "primary," but he also stressed that the
party's central committee will make a final decision on its candidate.
Zeman would not participate in the first round of the presidential vote
in parliament, according to "Pravo," but would be prepared to run in a
second round if one is required. Three other candidates join Zeman on
the CSSD primary list approved on 15 October, including former Justice
Minister Jaroslav Bures, Ombudsman Otakar Motejl, and sociologist
Martin Potucek. BW
[55] SLOVAK PRIME MINISTER REAPPOINTED...
The outgoing Slovak government convened for the last time on 15 October
and formally resigned, TASR reported the same day. After accepting the
cabinet's resignation, President Rudolf Schuster immediately
reappointed Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda, whose Slovak Democratic
and Christian Union (SDKU) is one of four center-right parties
represented in the new government. The other parties include the
Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK), the Christian Democratic Movement
(KDH), and media mogul Pavol Rusko's New Citizens Alliance (ANO). The
SDKU will have six seats in the 16-member cabinet and the SMK four,
while the KDH and ANO will have three seats each. BW
[56] ...FOLLOWED BY HIS NEW CABINET
President Schuster formally appointed the remainder of the new
government on 16 October, according to TASR. In addition to Dzurinda,
the cabinet includes: Deputy Premier Pal Csaky (SMK); Deputy Premier
and Finance Minister Ivan Miklos (SDKU); Deputy Premier and Economy
Minister Robert Nemcsics (ANO); Deputy Premier and Justice Minister
Daniel Lipsic (KDH); Interior Minister Vladimir Palko (KDH); Defense
Minister Ivan Simko (SDKU); Foreign Minister Eduard Kukan (SDKU);
Minister of Transport, Posts, and Telecommunications Pavol Prokopovic
(SDKU); Minister of Labor, Social Affairs, and the Family Ludovit Kanik
(Democratic Party); Health Minister Rudolf Zajac (ANO); Education
Minister Martin Fronc (KDH); Agriculture Minister Zsolt Simon (SMK);
Minister of Construction and Regional Development Minister Laszlo
Gyurovszky (SMK); Culture Minister Rudolf Chmel (ANO); and Environment
Minister Laszlo Miklos (SMK). AH
[57] NEW SPEAKER SAYS SLOVAK PARLIAMENT NEEDS TO REGAIN PUBLIC
TRUST...
The new Slovak parliament was opened on 15 October as outgoing speaker
Jozef Migas swore in 150 deputies in the presence of Premier Dzurinda
and President Schuster, TASR reported the same day. KDH Chairman Pavol
Hrusovsky was elected the parliament's new speaker. In comments to the
media, Hrusovsky said parliament needs to work to regain the trust of
society, TASR reported, adding that he wants to meet with the leaders
of each party's caucus to ensure that the legislature operates
smoothly. The speaker also said he does not want this parliament to be
marked by special sessions and parliamentary discussions lasting late
into the night in which opposition parties seek unsuccessfully to
unseat government ministers. Such special sessions were commonplace in
the outgoing parliament. BW
[58] ...AS LAWMAKERS BEGIN TO FILL LEADERSHIP POSTS
The Slovak parliament elected its four deputy speakers in a secret vote
on 15 October, TASR reported the same day. The four deputy speakers are
Bela Bugar (SMK), Zuzana Martinakova (SDKU), Pavol Rusko (ANO), and
Viliam Veteska (HZDS). The new parliament also decided that the
legislature will have 17 committees, eight of which will be chaired by
lawmakers from opposition parties Movement for a Democratic Slovakia
(HZDS), Smer, and the Communist Party of Slovakia (KSS). BW
[59] SLOVAK SOCCER AUTHORITIES APOLOGIZE TO BRITISH PLAYERS
The president of the Slovak Soccer Union (SFZ), Frantisek Laurinec, has
apologized in a letter to the chief of the English Football
Association, Geoffrey Thompson, for the behavior of Slovak fans during
a Euro 2004 qualifier on 12 October, TASR reported on 15 October. A
number of Slovak fans reportedly hurled racial abuse at England's Emile
Heskey and Ashley Cole throughout the match. Both players have received
letters of apology from the Slovak ambassador to Great Britain. The
Slovak Police Directorate also issued a statement rejecting claims of
police brutality during the game (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 15 October
2002). The statement also said English soccer fans are dreaded all over
the world and confirmed their reputation in Slovakia. BW
[60] HUNGARIAN PREMIER MEETS WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF 1956 UPRISING
After holding consultations with leaders of organizations that formed
to mark Hungary's 1956 Uprising, Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy on 15
October told reporters that the government will establish a monument to
that anti-Soviet effort and increase payments to one-time freedom
fighters and victims of political persecution. Medgyessy told "Magyar
Hirlap" that representatives of related groups will be invited to a 23
October parliamentary session commemorating the 1956 Uprising.
"Nepszabadsag" reported, however, that Vilmos Vasvari, president of the
Organization of Political Prisoners, and Gyula Sinkovics, president of
the 1956 Federation, said they will attend the session only if
opposition Democratic Forum Chairwoman Ibolya David reads a statement
that they prepare. MSZ
[61] HUNGARIANS DECORATED FOR HELPING JEWS IN WWII
Interior Minister Monika Lamperth on 15 October presented medals to 24
Hungarians who, according to the Jerusalem-based Yad Vashem Institute,
helped rescue Jews in Hungary during World War II, Budapest dailies
reported. "These Hungarians proved to be humanitarian in an era when
hatred and lies were the key factors of political life, and when the
most profound crisis of values in the 20th century was developing,"
Lamperth said. Since the Hungarian section of The Righteous Among The
Nations was formed at the Yad Vashem Institute in 1993, hundreds of
Hungarians have been given the award. MSZ
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[62] KOSTUNICA'S PARTY CHALLENGES SERBIAN ELECTION COMMISSION
The Election Commission ruled on 15 October that the recent second
round of the Serbian presidential election was invalid because fewer
than 50 percent of all registered voters cast their ballots, RFE/RL's
South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 15 October 2002). The commission announced that 45.46
percent of registered voters turned out, and that Yugoslav President
Vojislav Kostunica received 1,991,947 votes while Yugoslav Deputy Prime
Minister Miroljub Labus won 921,094 votes. Kostunica's Democratic Party
of Serbia (DSS) contested the ruling. The DSS maintains that the
election was valid because the voters lists contain over 630,000 dead
or nonexistent people, who should be deleted from any tally. The DSS
said it will take the matter to court if the commission does not
reverse its ruling. PM
[63] SERBIAN PARLIAMENT TO CHANGE ELECTION LAWS?
Speaking in Washington on 15 October, State Department spokesman
Richard Boucher said Serbia should change its election laws to drop the
50 percent voting threshold, Reuters reported. He added, "We strongly
support the OSCE recommendation that changes need to be made in Serbian
election laws to allow the democratic process to continue. When new
elections are scheduled, we urge the Serbian people to participate."
The Serbian parliament is scheduled to meet on 18 October, when changes
in the electoral law will be considered, the BBC's Serbian Service
reported. The governing Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) coalition
has proposed dropping the 50 percent requirement. The DSS and other
critics of current legislation note that it dates from the era of
former President Slobodan Milosevic. PM
[64] CROATIAN PRESIDENT SAYS GENERAL BOBETKO SHOULD GO TO THE HAGUE
Stipe Mesic said again that former General Janko Bobetko should go to
The Hague and face war crimes charges whether he is guilty or not, dpa
reported from Zagreb on 16 October (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 15 October
2002). Mesic argued that "Bobetko has been indicted." He added: "This
does not necessarily mean that he is guilty. He must appear before the
[war crimes tribunal] and answer the charges." Mesic's statement came
shortly after the British government announced that it is suspending
ratification of Croatia's stabilization and association agreement with
the EU over the Bobetko affair. In response to the British move, the
Croatian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it regrets the
decision, arguing that Croatia has indeed fulfilled its obligations to
The Hague. PM
[65] HAGUE PROSECUTOR SAYS YUGOSLAVIA IS NOT COOPERATING
Florence Hartmann -- who is spokeswoman for Carla Del Ponte, the chief
prosecutor at the war crimes tribunal -- told RFE/RL in a telephone
interview on 15 October that Del Ponte wants Claude Jorda, the
president of the tribunal, to inform the UN Security Council that
Belgrade is not cooperating with the tribunal (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
17 June and 4 and 8 October 2002). For her part, Del Ponte said in
Luxembourg she wants European governments to exert pressure on Belgrade
to arrest General Ratko Mladic, who, she maintains, is under the
protection of some elements of the Yugoslav Army, Deutsche Welle's
Bosnian Service reported. She called on EU governments to support the
tribunal in its demands that all indicted war criminals be brought to
justice. She was speaking at a meeting of EU justice and interior
ministers. PM
[66] ASHDOWN WARNS NATIONALISTS IN BOSNIA
Paddy Ashdown, who is the international community's high representative
in Bosnia, said in Sarajevo on 15 October that he will block any
attempts by the newly elected Bosnian authorities to replace current
officials on political grounds, Hina reported. He specifically
mentioned that he will not allow politically motivated changes in the
police, military, and the intelligence services, nor does he want a
large-scale replacement of civil servants. Ashdown added that he will
provide details of his views soon. He believes that appointments should
be based on merit. PM
[67] IS FRANCE SET TO PRESS FOR EU-ONLY MISSION IN MACEDONIA?
The "Frankfurter Rundschau" reported on 16 October that French
President Jacques Chirac wants the EU to assume control of the Western
armed military presence in Macedonia from NATO when the current mandate
of mission Amber Fox expires on 15 December (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 15
October 2002). France wants the EU to act even without an agreement
with NATO on use of the alliance's planning, intelligence, and
logistics, which is being held up by a Greek-Turkish dispute. Germany
is reluctant to move without an agreement between the EU and NATO and
wants to give EU security policy chief Javier Solana more time to
conclude one, the daily added. The United States and Britain want NATO
to wind down its military presence in Macedonia. The daily reported
that "France was never enthusiastic" about a close military link
between the EU and NATO and that Chirac wants to discuss the EU 's role
in Macedonia at the EU summit on 24 October. PM
[68] MACEDONIA JOINS WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION
The General Council of the World Trade Organization (WTO) approved
Macedonia's accession on 15 October, the WTO's website
(http://www.wto.org) reported. Economy Minister Besnik Fetai and WTO
Director-General Supachai Panitchpakdi then signed the accession
protocol and thus formally completed the negotiating process (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 18 September 2002). The protocol now has to be
ratified by the Macedonian parliament by 31 March, MIA news agency
reported. Fetai said after the ceremony that he expects an increase in
foreign investment as a result of WTO membership. Domestic experts
acknowledge the advantages of membership but also warn of potential
losses through increased imports of certain products such as beer and
sugar, for which the customs tariffs will be reduced by 35 and 30
percent, respectively, RFE/RL's Macedonian broadcasters reported. UB
[69] BOMB EXPLODES AT ALBANIAN PARTY'S OFFICE IN MACEDONIAN CAPITAL
A bomb exploded in the early hours of 16 October at the Skopje branch
office of the ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration (BDI),
dpa reported. Police said a car and several windows were damaged but
nobody was hurt. It is not clear who was responsible for the attack.
The BDI is led by former guerrilla leader Ali Ahmeti and won two-thirds
of the Albanian vote in the 15 September elections. PM
[70] MACEDONIAN COALITION PLEDGES ANTICORRUPTION MEASURES
Social Democratic (SDSM) spokesman Jani Makraduli announced on 15
October that a state Anticorruption Commission will be formed by 4
November at the latest, "Dnevnik" reported. The legal basis for the
commission was set down in an anticorruption law passed in April by the
previous government under Ljubco Georgievski. The commission will
examine the property holdings of all government officials. Legal
experts do not agree as to whether the law should be applied from the
moment of its adoption in April or from the moment of the formation of
the commission. Under the first interpretation, the property of members
of Georgievski's government would also be subject to review. UB
[71] ALBANIA TELLS SERBIA THAT KOSOVA SHOULD HAVE STRONGER INSTITUTIONS
Prime Minister Fatos Nano told Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Miodrag
Isakov in Tirana on 15 October that, "Kosova will become part of a
Western European [-style] integrated future in the region only by
having consolidated institutions," AP reported. Under current
agreements, the UN has the power to transfer authority to Kosovar
institutions once it deems they are ready. Nano was recently criticized
in the Albanian media after telling "RFE/RL Newsline" that Albania's
road to Europe goes through Serbia (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 30 September
2002). PM
[72] SPAIN DEPORTS ILLEGAL MIGRANTS TO ROMANIA
Spanish authorities on 15 October deported a group of 72 illegal
migrants to Romania, Romanian media reported. They were returned in
line with the "readmission" agreements Romania recently signed with
Spain. Some were deported for not possessing passports and other had
been charged in Spain with human trafficking or other crimes. According
to Romanian Television, more than 6,000 Romanians, most of them Roma,
have been expelled from various European countries this year (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 4, 9, and 11 October 2002). ZsM
[73] ROMANIA AND BULGARIA INAUGURATE ENVIRONMENT-MONITORING SYSTEM
Romanian Environment Minister Petru Lificiu and his Bulgarian
counterpart Dolores Arsenova on 15 October inaugurated a common system
for monitoring air quality in cities along the countries' common
border, Mediafax reported. The two ministers first inaugurated the
system in the Bulgarian town of Ruse then in the Romanian city of
Giurgiu. Speaking at a press conference in Ruse, Lificiu said the
monitoring program represents the two countries' "common wish" to join
the European Union. He admitted Romania still has much to do in the
field of environment protection. Arsenova added the system will be
helpful for "both peoples, for their health." The system was set up
with $2 million in PHARE funds. ZsM
[74] COUNCIL OF EUROPE OFFICIAL OUTLINES STEPS MOLDOVA SHOULD TAKE ON
ROAD TO DEMOCRACY
Visiting Council of Europe Secretary-General Walter Schwimmer said in
Chisinau on 15 October that more political will is needed to ensure
that Moldova fulfills the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
Europe's (PACE) resolutions so it can be prepared to take over the
council's Committee of Ministers next May, Flux reported. He added
that, by implementing democratic reforms, Moldova can advance toward
European integration and that the chairing the committee offers a great
opportunity in that respect. He said it is very important that Moldovan
authorities revise the law on transforming Teleradio Moldova into a
public company, to respect the rights of the parliamentary opposition,
and to ensure an independent judiciary, freedom of expression, and
media (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 September 2002). Schwimmer added that
in order to solve the case of opposition deputy Vlad Cubreacov's
kidnapping, President Vladimir Voronin agreed that more precise
measures need to be taken and that international assistance should be
employed. ZsM
[75] MOLDOVAN WEEKLY'S STAFF PROTEST AGAINST 'POLICE ABUSE'
The staff of the "Accente" weekly on 14 October began a 24-hour hunger
strike to protest the arrest of the publication's editor in chief,
Sergiu Afanasiu, Flux reported. Afanasiu was detained on 9 October and
was charged with blackmail and accepting bribes (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
11 October 2002). On 15 October, authorities arrested "Accente"
journalist Valeriu Manea, who had earlier been detained and released.
The Union of Moldovan Journalists on 14 October issued a declaration
calling the "Accente case" an "extremely serious attack against the
democratic principles" of a constitutional state and a flagrant breach
of the freedom of speech, as well as "an attempt to intimidate"
Moldovan media. Schwimmer said the Council of Europe will carefully
monitor the case. He said "arresting a journalist is a very serious
problem," and added that Moldovan authorities should only do this if
they have "very serious" evidence of wrongdoing. ZsM
[76] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT SAYS OPPONENTS TO KOZLODUY NUCLEAR-POWER PLANT
LACK ARGUMENTS
Speaking at a meeting of ministers, members of parliament, and nuclear
experts, President Georgi Parvanov said on 15 October that those who
want to shut down blocks No. 3 and No. 4 of the Kozloduy nuclear-power
plant do not have any strong arguments to support their stance, BTA
reported. Parvanov convened the meeting in order to find a common
position between the government and the parliament over the destiny of
blocks No. 3 and No. 4 (see "End Note," "RFE/RL Newsline," 15 October
2002). Parvanov intends to send a letter clarifying Bulgaria's position
to the heads of the 15 EU member states (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9
October 2002). The EU wants the blocks in question to be decommissioned
by 2006, while Bulgaria wants to extend their lifespan as long as
possible. UB
[77] BULGARIAN JUDGES CRITICIZE INTERIOR MINISTRY OFFICIAL
In a letter to the Supreme Judicial Council, the Union of Judges openly
accused Interior Ministry Chief Secretary Boyko Borisov of having
exerted pressure on the judiciary, mediapool.bg reported on 15 October.
The letter stated that "nobody has the right to exert pressure on the
courts, including through the media, and the court is subject solely to
the law." The judges accuse Borisov of having made statements to the
media in which he used incorrect data and, as a result, negatively
influenced public opinion against the courts. Borisov, who is in charge
of the country's police services, has repeatedly criticized the
magistrates for releasing apprehended criminals on bail despite
overwhelming evidence against them. UB
[78] BULGARIA, ROMANIA OPEN CROSS-BORDER UNIVERSITY CENTER
The Bulgarian-Romanian Interuniversity Europe Center (BRIEC) opened its
gates in the Danube ports of Ruse in Bulgaria and Giurgiu in Romania on
14 October, BTA reported. BRIEC was set up with funds from the European
Union's Stability Pact for Southeastern Europe, and is supported by the
German Education Ministry and the German Rector's Conference, the
association of Germany's universities. In its first academic year, 57
students from Southeastern Europe, Russia, Azerbaijan, India, and
Nigeria will attend BRIEC. The lecturers come from Romania, Bulgaria,
and Germany. The new interuniversity center is modeled after the
cooperation between the European University Viadrina in the German town
of Frankfurt an der Oder and the Collegium Polonicum in the Polish town
of Slubice on the opposite bank of the Odra. UB
END NOTE
[79] There is no End Note today.
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