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RFE/RL Newsline, 02-10-18
CONTENTS
[01] FAR EAST GOVERNOR GUNNED DOWN IN MOSCOW...
[02] ...AS ASSOCIATES SPECULATE ON THE MOTIVES...
[03] ...AND DUMA SPEAKER SAYS CRIME SITUATION CONTINUES TO WORSEN
[04] NEMTSOV SNEAKS INTO KALMYKIA ON EVE OF ELECTIONS...
[05] ...REPORTEDLY WITH THE BLESSING OF SOME IN THE KREMLIN
[06] WITH OLIGARCH OUT, LIBERAL RUSSIA IS IN
[07] RUSSIAN-THAILAND ARMS DEAL IMMINENT?
[08] BANKERS WANT TO 'SQUEEZE' RUSSIAN CAPITAL OUT OF WESTERN BANKS
[09] SECURITIES COMMISSION SATISFIED WITH EQUITIES MARKETS
[10] DEFENSE MINISTER AGAIN CALLS FOR BALTIC STATES TO JOIN CFE TREATY
[11] THIEVES HIT PAY DIRT IN DEPUTY'S OFFICE
[12] BASHKORTOSTAN PASSES YET ANOTHER CONSTITUTION...
[13] ...AS ANALYSTS CHARGE THAT REFORM WILL GIVE RAKHIMOV POWER FOR
[14] ...AND DUMA TO RECONSIDER ISSUE OF THIRD AND FOURTH TERMS FOR
[15] NEWSPAPER ALLEGES KUCHMA HELPED FINANCE PUTIN'S 2000 CAMPAIGN
[16] KRASNOYARSK INAUGURATION A STAR-STUDDED AFFAIR...
[17] ...AS OLIGARCH/GOVERNOR TRANSFERS COMPANY OFFICIALS TO GOVERNMENT
[18] FEDERATION COUNCIL HEAD WANTS TO HOLD UPPER-CHAMBER ELECTIONS
[19] MEMBERS OF ILLEGAL ARMED FORMATION NABBED IN ALLEGED WAHHABI
[20] YABLOKO DEPUTY PROPOSES MORE TRANSPARENCY REGARDING OFFICIALS'
[21] NEW FIRST DEPUTY NAMED AT MINATOM
[22] KHANTY-MANSII DEPORTS NON-RUSSIANS
[23] SUSPECTS DETAINED IN GROZNY POLICE STATION BOMBING
[24] ONE KILLED IN HELICOPTER CRASH IN CHECHNYA
[25] YELTSIN ENDORSES INCUMBENT ARMENIAN PRESIDENT'S RE-ELECTION BID
[26] PARENTS OF EXPELLED AZERBAIJANI MILITARY CADETS MEET WITH
[27] FINDINGS OF INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION INTO AZERBAIJANI VILLAGE
[28] GEORGIA, RUSSIA SIGN BORDER PROTOCOL
[29] NATO COMMANDER VISITS GEORGIA
[30] SOUTH OSSETIA PROTESTS NEW GEORGIAN POLICE POSTS
[31] UN PATROL FAILS TO CONFIRM GEORGIAN WEAPONS DEPLOYMENT IN KODORI
[32] GEORGIAN POLICE TO REMAIN IN PANKISI FOR DURATION OF WAR IN
[33] GEORGIAN GUERRILLA LEADER THREATENS TO SABOTAGE RESUMPTION OF RAIL
[34] UN SECRETARY-GENERAL VISITS KAZAKHSTAN
[35] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT PROPOSES SYSTEMIC CHANGES...
[36] ...OUTLINES FOREIGN-POLICY PRIORITIES...
[37] ...PLEDGES TO REDUCE POVERTY BY 30 PERCENT
[38] BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT WANTS EVERY ORGANIZATION TO PAY INTO
[39] BELARUS TO DEMAND COMPENSATION FOR BRAIN DRAIN?
[40] UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES 2003 DRAFT BUDGET ON FIRST
[41] ...AND FORMS COMMISSION TO PROBE ALLEGED ARMS DEALS WITH IRAQ
[42] PRESIDENTIAL AIDE TO SPEAK WITH YUSHCHENKO ABOUT STANDOFF IN
[43] RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR PROMISES IMPROVED RELATIONS WITH ESTONIA
[44] LEADERS OF LATVIAN SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC WORKERS PARTY SUBMIT THEIR
[45] SOROS FAVORS BILINGUAL EDUCATION IN LATVIA
[46] LITHUANIAN PARLIAMENTARY CHAIRMAN REITERATES IMPORTANCE OF
[47] POLISH PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER FACES DISMISSAL VOTE...
[48] ...WHILE PRESIDENT, PREMIER SAY PARLIAMENTARY CRISIS THREATENS
[49] CZECH VOTERS WANT DIRECT PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
[50] CZECH, U.S. FIGHTER JETS PREPARE FOR SUMMIT DEFENSE
[51] CZECH LOWER HOUSE PASSES BILL ON EU REFERENDUM
[52] SLOVAK SUPPORT FOR NATO MEMBERSHIP STABLE
[53] EX-SLOVAK DEFENSE MINISTER TO HEAD PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE
[54] SLOVAK PROSECUTOR UNDER POLICE PROTECTION FOLLOWING THREATS
[55] HUNGARIAN PARTIES HOLD FINAL RALLIES AHEAD OF LOCAL ELECTIONS...
[56] ...AND ARGUE OVER EU ACCESSION ISSUES
[57] HUNGARIAN NOBEL LAUREATE BECOMES HONORARY BUDAPEST CITIZEN, WARNS
[58] HUNGARIAN STATE TO INCREASE COMPENSATION TO VICTIMS OF HOLOCAUST
[59] MACEDONIA GETS A COALITION GOVERNMENT
[60] MACEDONIAN TRADE UNIONS TO HAVE A WORD IN COALITION TALKS
[61] MACEDONIAN PRESIDENT CALLS ON ARMY TO CLEAN UP FLOOD DAMAGE
[62] SERBIAN PARLIAMENT SESSION POSTPONED
[63] DJINDJIC SAYS U.S. SYSTEM IS NOT FOR SERBIA
[64] STEINER GETS COOL RESPONSE IN APPEAL FOR SERBIAN PARTICIPATION IN
[65] BELGRADE PROTESTS OPENING OF BORDER CROSSINGS BETWEEN KOSOVA AND
[66] KOSOVARS NAME STREET AFTER FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT
[67] WILL CROATIA ASK THE HAGUE TO TRY SMALLER FRY INSTEAD OF BOBETKO?
[68] BOSNIAN POLICE SACKED FOR TIPPING OFF BROTHEL OWNERS
[69] BOSNIAN SERB SENTENCED IN THE HAGUE
[70] ROMANIAN, HUNGARIAN DEFENSE MINISTERS SIGN AGREEMENTS
[71] ROMANIAN ARMY TO CUT PERSONNEL
[72] U.S. HISTORIAN ARRESTED IN ROMANIA ON PEDOPHILIA CHARGES...
[73] ...AS PREMIER CALLS FOR MORE SEVERE PUNISHMENT IN PEDOPHILIA CASES
[74] BULGARIA TO IMPLEMENT MEASURES TO STEM ILLEGAL MIGRATION TO EU
[75] BULGARIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES LABOR-LEGISLATION, AMENDMENTS,
[76] There is no End Note today.
18 October 2002
RUSSIA
[01] FAR EAST GOVERNOR GUNNED DOWN IN MOSCOW...
Magadan Oblast Governor Valentin Tsvetkov was shot dead by an
unidentified gunman on a downtown Moscow street on the morning of 18
October, Russian and Western news agencies reported. According to
ntvru.com, police are looking for a "Slavic man" aged 30-35. The
murderer dropped his Makarov pistol and silencer at the scene of the
crime and made his escape in a Zhiguli automobile, in which a second
man was reportedly waiting. According to strana.ru, police later found
the car abandoned not far away. Ntvru.com reported that the entire
incident was caught on videotape by cameras on a nearby building
housing offices associated with the Federation Council. Tsvetkov, 54,
was accompanied by his wife, an aide, and a bodyguard when he was
killed, but no one else was injured in the incident. According to
Interfax, President Vladimir Putin ordered Prosecutor-General Vladimir
Ustinov and Interior Minister Boris Gryzlov to take personal control of
the investigation. First Deputy Governor of Magadan Oblast Nikolai
Dudov will serve as acting governor until new elections are held within
three months, strana.ru reported. RC
[02] ...AS ASSOCIATES SPECULATE ON THE MOTIVES...
Police characterized the murder as "a contract hit" and believe it was
likely associated with Tsvetkov's "professional activity," ntvru.com
reported. Tsvetkov "clearly touched someone's economic interests," said
Federation Council Chairman Sergei Mironov. "After all, Magadan is fish
and gold and [Tsvetkov] recently made a correct decision about the work
of gold-processing plants." Communist Party leader Gennadii Zyuganov
also told ntvru.com that the murder "is connected with gold mining in
Magadan." Duma Deputy from Magadan Vladimir Butkeev, however, alleged
that Tsvetkov "came to politics from business and continued to pursue
commercial activity, including in Moscow," pravda.ru reported. "He
might have been murdered because of these [activities]." RC
[03] ...AND DUMA SPEAKER SAYS CRIME SITUATION CONTINUES TO WORSEN
Commenting on Tsvetkov's murder, Gennadii Seleznev said on 18 October
that although the legislature provides ever more funding for law
enforcement each year, the results are increasingly disappointing,
RosBalt reported. "The criminal world feels completely invulnerable in
Russia, and I cannot remember a case in which the murder of a
politician has been investigated and the killers sentenced in a court,"
Seleznev said. Although Tsvetkov is the first governor to be murdered
in post-Soviet Russia, eight Duma deputies have been murdered, as have
numerous other regional political figures. VY
[04] NEMTSOV SNEAKS INTO KALMYKIA ON EVE OF ELECTIONS...
After his plane was not allowed to land in Elista, the capital of
Kalmykia, Union of Rightist Forces (SPS) leader Boris Nemtsov landed in
Volgograd on 17 October and took a four hour bus ride to Elista in
order to campaign for SPS's candidate in the 20 October presidential
elections, Natalya Manzhikova, TV-6 reported. Elista airport officials
said poor weather was to blame for Nemtsov's plane not being allowed to
land, but TV-6 reported that other planes were taking off and landing
from the city at the time. According to "Kommersant-Daily" on 18
October, Nemtsov took locals by surprise by showing up unexpectedly at
a meeting being held in support of incumbent President Kirsan
Ilyumzhinov and those persons present, rather than ejecting him, asked
for his autograph. JAC
[05] ...REPORTEDLY WITH THE BLESSING OF SOME IN THE KREMLIN
Before leaving Moscow, Nemtsov reportedly spoke by telephone with
deputy presidential administration head Viktor Ivanov, who reportedly
opposes Ilyumzhinov (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 October 2002),
"Kommersant-Daily" reported, citing an unnamed source close to Nemtsov.
Ivanov allegedly asked whether Nemtsov was going to Elista to "piss on"
Ilyumzhinov and expressed his support for such an endeavor. According
to the daily, Nemtsov did not deny that such a conversation took place.
Earlier, members of SPS's Kalmykia branch alleged that their lives and
livelihoods were being threatened because of their support for
Manzhikova and opposition to Ilyumzhinov (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 31
July and 24 September 2002). JAC
[06] WITH OLIGARCH OUT, LIBERAL RUSSIA IS IN
Just days after its political council voted to eject oligarch Boris
Berezovskii from its ranks (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 October 2002), the
Liberal Russia party received news on 17 October that the Justice
Ministry has decided to register it, Russian news agencies reported. In
July, the ministry rejected the party's application, citing numerous
"incorrect" passages from the party's charter (see "RFE/RL Russian
Political Weekly," 24 July 2002). Vladimir Tomarkovskii, head of the
ministry's department for public and religious associations, announced
that no violations had been found in Liberal Russia's resubmitted
documents, polit.ru reported. JAC
[07] RUSSIAN-THAILAND ARMS DEAL IMMINENT?
Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov told reporters following a 17 October
meeting with Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in Moscow that the
two countries are in intense negotiations concerning the purchase of
Russian military aircraft, ships, and tanks, Russian news agencies
reported on 17 and 18 October. Kasyanov said that the chiefs of the
three main branches of Thailand's armed forces accompanied Shinawatra
on his visit and that they are discussing details of possible deals
with their Russian counterparts. President Putin also met with
Shinawatra in the Kremlin and asked for Thailand's support for Russia's
quick accession to the World Trade Organization. VY
[08] BANKERS WANT TO 'SQUEEZE' RUSSIAN CAPITAL OUT OF WESTERN BANKS
Aleksandr Lebedev, president of National Reserve Bank and head of the
National Investment Council (NIS), said the NIS intends to compile a
list of Western banks involved in laundering capital illegally exported
from Russia, pravda.ru reported on 18 October. Since Russia was removed
from the Financial Action Task Force's "black list" of countries that
do not sufficiently combat money laundering on 11 October (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 11 October 2002), Russian financial groups have been
discussing measures for "squeezing" Russian capital out of Western
banks and repatriating it. Lebedev, a former officer in the Russian
foreign-intelligence service, said that a simple amnesty for such
capital is not sufficient without resolving legal issues abroad and
instituting real guarantees at home, as well as establishing domestic
political and economic stimuli. He estimated that there are five to 10
banks in Switzerland, France, and Luxemburg from which Russia can
"squeeze" up to $15 billion each if it develops an effective
repatriation program. VY
[09] SECURITIES COMMISSION SATISFIED WITH EQUITIES MARKETS
Speaking at a conference in St. Petersburg, Federal Securities
Commission head Igor Kostikov reported that the capitalization of the
country's stock market dropped by 30 percent -- from $137 billion to
$106 billion -- between May-October, strana.ru and other Russian news
agencies reported on 17 October. However, he added that he is not
overly concerned. He said the commission's analysis of the stock market
shows no worrying trends, and it is growing at a faster rate than the
gross domestic product. Commission member Aleksandr Sharonov told
journalists that a World Bank study has found that Russians are
currently keeping about $75 billion outside of the banking system,
polit.ru reported. VY
[10] DEFENSE MINISTER AGAIN CALLS FOR BALTIC STATES TO JOIN CFE TREATY
Sergei Ivanov on 18 October reiterated Russia's position that the only
real objection Moscow has to NATO membership for Lithuania, Latvia, and
Estonia is that the three countries have not signed the Treaty on
Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), RIA-Novosti reported on 18
October (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 6 February 2001, 9 and 29 July, and 19
September 2002).
[11] THIEVES HIT PAY DIRT IN DEPUTY'S OFFICE
Thieves stole cash and valuables worth about $80,000 from the Moscow
office of Duma Deputy Andrei Vulf (SPS) on 18 October, ntvru.com and
other Russian news agencies reported. The thieves reportedly stole
$60,000 in cash, several theatrical costumes, a sewing machine, a
notebook computer, and an unspecified number of fox furs. In addition,
they took two draft laws that Vulf intended to introduce in the Duma
later in the current session. According to Yelena Demchenko, an aide to
Vulf, it appears as if the thieves "took the most valuable things" in
the office. She added that she "got the impression the criminals were
looking for something in the office." Earlier this summer, thieves
stole Vulf's briefcase and documents from his car, ntvru.com reported.
RC
[12] BASHKORTOSTAN PASSES YET ANOTHER CONSTITUTION...
Bashkortostan's Constitutional Assembly on 16 October approved a new
draft constitution, the second in the past two weeks, RFE/RL's Kazan
bureau reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 10 October 2002). The latest
version abolishes the post of republican president and stipulates the
establishment of a parliamentary republic. According to the draft, the
current presidential powers will be shared between the government and
the legislature. It raises the status of the parliament speaker, who
will represent the republic in relations with the Russian president,
the Federation Council, the State Duma, and the Russian government. The
head of the executive branch will be elected for a four-year term and
cannot serve more than two consecutive terms, while the draft does not
stipulate term limits for the head of the parliament. On the same day,
Interfax-Eurasia reported that Bashkortostan President Murtaza Rakhimov
will resign from the post of president when his current term expires in
June 2003. Rakhimov told the agency he has not yet considered whether
he will seek election to the State Assembly, saying both he and the
republic face more important tasks in the transition from a
presidential to a parliamentary republic. JAC
[13] ...AS ANALYSTS CHARGE THAT REFORM WILL GIVE RAKHIMOV POWER FOR
LIFE
Rakhimov said he discussed the planned changes by telephone with deputy
chief of staff of President Putin's administration Vladislav Surkov on
14 October, RFE/RL's Kazan bureau reported, citing Bashinform. He said
he informed him: "Everything we do is within our powers. It in no way
contradicts federal law and has received complete approval of our
initiatives." However, Dmitrii Oreshkin, head of the Merkator analytic
group, told "Vedomosti" on 17 October that the republic's leadership
found an "elegant method" to evade all laws, since "it is the right of
republics to decide on a local system of power, while the law on main
guarantees for electoral rights has been formally observed since
parliament is elected by popular vote." Oreshkin said he believes the
reform is a way to legitimize Rakhimov's rule for life, adding that
Moscow won't hinder Rakhimov since "if the center tries to change the
ruling clan, there will be high risk of sabotage by bureaucrats." JAC
[14] ...AND DUMA TO RECONSIDER ISSUE OF THIRD AND FOURTH TERMS FOR
GOVERNORS
Meanwhile, "Moskovskii komsomolets" reported on 17 October that SPS has
submitted a bill that would close the loophole allowing the majority of
regional leaders to serve third and, in some cases, fourth terms (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 7 October 2002). Under current laws, Rakhimov, for
example, who has led Bashkortostan since 1993 and who will turn 69 in
February, could remain in office, if re-elected, until 2013.
Interestingly, the bill to close these loopholes itself includes one
loophole that would allow Moscow Mayor Yurii Luzhkov to seek a third
term. The daily reported that its unidentified sources in the Duma say
the Kremlin has not yet made up "its mind" about the initiative. JAC
[15] NEWSPAPER ALLEGES KUCHMA HELPED FINANCE PUTIN'S 2000 CAMPAIGN
Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma allegedly provided $50 million to $60
million dollars to help finance President Putin's 2000 election
campaign, "Kommersant-Daily" reported on 18 October. The daily's report
is based on the controversial tapes that former Kuchma bodyguard Mykola
Melnychenko claims to have recorded in Kuchma's office between November
1999 and September 2000. The Kuchma administration has repeatedly
denied that the tapes are authentic. The newspaper printed what it
alleges to be a transcript of a conversation between Kuchma and two
officials that was recorded on 15 July 2000. "Before the elections we
paid Russia at Putin's request, I don't know, about $50 million or $60
million," Kuchma is quoted as saying. The transcript also says the
money was allegedly laundered through Itera, a controversial offshore
company tied to Russian natural-gas giant Gazprom. RC
[16] KRASNOYARSK INAUGURATION A STAR-STUDDED AFFAIR...
Krasnoyarsk Krai Governor Aleksandr Khloponin was inaugurated at a
ceremony in Krasnoyarsk on 17 October, Russian news agencies reported.
In attendance were fellow oligarchs such Interros head Vladimir
Potanin, Yukos head Mikhail Khodorkovskii, Siberian Coal and Energy
Company head Oleg Misevra, and former Krasnoyarsk Aluminum head and
convicted felon Anatolii Bykov, ntvru.com reported. Aleksei Lebed,
president of Khakasia and brother of former Krasnoyarsk Krai Governor
Aleksandr Lebed; Murmansk Oblast Governor Yurii Yevdokimov;
Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug Governor Yurii Neelov, and Khazret
Sovmen, president of the Adygei Republic, were also present.
Presidential envoy to the Siberian Federal District Leonid Drachevskii
brought greetings from President Putin. Krasnoyarsk Krai legislature
speaker Aleksandr Uss, who was Khloponin's chief challenger for the
governorship, was on vacation and could not attend the ceremony. JAC
[17] ...AS OLIGARCH/GOVERNOR TRANSFERS COMPANY OFFICIALS TO GOVERNMENT
RANKS
Meanwhile, Krasnoyarsk TV reported on 14 October that "two-thirds of
the second rank people in the [new gubernatorial administration] are
either close to Norilsk Nickel or have some direct connection to the
city of Norilsk." Khloponin is the former head of Norilsk Nickel, which
is owned by Potanin's Interros group. The deputy governor responsible
for the fuel-and-energy complex is Sergei Sokol, who was formerly the
managing general director of Norilsk Gazprom. The new head of the
krai's Main Financial Directorate is Aleksandr Novak, who worked at
Norilsk Nickel. And the first deputy governor in charge of industry is
Lev Kuznetsov, who used to work with Khloponin at the Norilsk Nickel
Mining and Metallurgical Integrated Works. JAC
[18] FEDERATION COUNCIL HEAD WANTS TO HOLD UPPER-CHAMBER ELECTIONS
SOONER RATHER THAN LATER
Sergei Mironov said on 17 October that of the upper legislative
chamber's 177 members, some 120 perform their tasks in earnest, while
the rest appear to spending their time on matters that have nothing to
do with the Federation Council's activities, ITAR-TASS reported.
Mironov also said that next month a bill mandating the direct popular
election of senators will be introduced in the Duma, polit.ru reported,
citing RIA-Novosti. According to the website, Mironov stated in June
that he thinks making the transition to an elected body would require
two to three years. However, he has now decided to "force through
improvements to the upper chamber." JAC
[19] MEMBERS OF ILLEGAL ARMED FORMATION NABBED IN ALLEGED WAHHABI
STRONGHOLD
Police have detained nine individuals in the Neftekum Raion of
Stavropol Krai for participating in an illegal armed formation,
Interfax reported on 17 October. According to the agency, members of
the Nogai ethnic group are predominant in the region, and unidentified
sources claim that the influence of Wahhabites is strong among them.
According to the agency, an automatic Kalashnikov with 40 cartridges
and a portable radio transmitter were discovered not far from a local
mosque. However, the local prosecutor's office denied that OMON forces
stormed the mosque itself, as had been reported in some local media.
JAC
[20] YABLOKO DEPUTY PROPOSES MORE TRANSPARENCY REGARDING OFFICIALS'
INCOMES
Deputy head of the Yabloko faction in the State Duma Sergei Mitrokhin
has suggested to the Duma Council that amendments to the law on the
federal government be considered by the lower legislative chamber,
Interfax reported on 17 October. According to the agency, the amendment
would require members of the government to publish in the government
newspaper "Rossiiskaya gazeta" annual declarations of income and
assets. Mitrokhin said there is already a norm on the books that
recommends officials do this, but it is never observed. "It is no
secret that today many civil servants receive two wages: their state
pay and an unofficial salary for 'services' rendered," he said. JAC
[21] NEW FIRST DEPUTY NAMED AT MINATOM
Igor Borovkov has been named first deputy atomic energy minister,
Interfax reported on 17 October. Borovkov previously served as deputy
head of the government's department for the defense sector and worked
at the Atomic Energy Ministry from 1982-87. Borovkov will replace Lev
Ryabev, who has retired. JAC
[22] KHANTY-MANSII DEPORTS NON-RUSSIANS
A total of 228 non-Russians have been deported from the Khanty-Mansii
Autonomous Oblast since the beginning of this year for "gross
violations" of local residency regulations, compared with 128 for the
whole of 2001, zerkalo.az reported on 17 October. Of the 228, 84 were
Tajiks, 46 Azerbaijanis, 32 Uzbeks, 30 Georgians and 23 Pakistanis. LF
[23] SUSPECTS DETAINED IN GROZNY POLICE STATION BOMBING
Two suspects have been apprehended on suspicion of involvement in the
Grozny police-station blast that killed 22 officers on 11 October,
chief Said-Selim Peshkhoev told Interfax on 17 October (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 12 and 16 October 2002). He said the two men are not
themselves police officers as some had surmised, but residents of a
rural district close to Grozny. Peshkhoev stressed that "there is no
evidence" that any of his subordinates was involved in the blast.
Peshkhoev also again argued that there is no need to bring more
Interior Ministry forces to serve in Grozny. LF
[24] ONE KILLED IN HELICOPTER CRASH IN CHECHNYA
A Russian Mi-8 military transport helicopter crashed near Gudermes on
17 October after hitting a power line, killing at least one serviceman
and injuring five, Russian and Western news agencies reported.
According to AP, one soldier is missing, although some Russian reports
said that three are missing. There were reportedly 24 people on board
at the time of the crash. Interfax cited an unidentified source in the
Chechen administration as saying the helicopter had come under heavy
enemy fire shortly before hitting the power line. Military sources
denied the helicopter had been shot down. It is the sixth crash of a
Russian helicopter in Chechnya so far this year, according to Interfax.
RC
TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[25] YELTSIN ENDORSES INCUMBENT ARMENIAN PRESIDENT'S RE-ELECTION BID
Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin on 17 October publicly endorsed
Robert Kocharian's candidacy in the Armenian presidential ballot
scheduled for February 2002, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. Yeltsin
also said he was informed by Kocharian's predecessor Levon
Ter-Petrossian, with whom he met in Yerevan earlier this week, that
Ter-Petrossian will not contest that ballot. Armenian media have
speculated for several months that Ter-Petrossian might do so (see
"RFE/RL Caucasus Report," Vol. 5, No. 23, 1 July 2002 and No. 29, 4
September 2002). LF
[26] PARENTS OF EXPELLED AZERBAIJANI MILITARY CADETS MEET WITH
PRESIDENTIAL-ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL
Parents of some of the 62 military cadets expelled earlier this month
from Baku's Higher Military College in the wake of the mass walkout by
students in early September picketed the presidential administration on
16 October, Turan reported. Vakhid Aliev, who is assistant for military
issues to President Heidar Aliev, met with eight of the picketers the
same day and agreed to inform the president of their grievances. The
former cadets have been sent to serve on the front line (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 10 and 11 October 2002). LF
[27] FINDINGS OF INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION INTO AZERBAIJANI VILLAGE
SHOOTINGS UNVEILED
An investigation launched by Azerbaijani NGOs and human rights
activists has confirmed that police opened fire on protesters in the
village of Nardaran near Baku on 3 June, killing one person and
injuring several others, Turan reported on 17 October. Fifteen
villagers detained by police for their role in the standoff have still
not been released. Azerbaijan Human Rights Center Director Eldar
Zeynalov said a report summarizing the investigation's conclusions will
be translated into English and forwarded to international organizations
and foreign embassies in Baku. LF
[28] GEORGIA, RUSSIA SIGN BORDER PROTOCOL
At a meeting in Yerevan on 17 October on the sidelines of the CIS
border-guard commanders' meeting, the directors of the Russian and
Georgian border-protection services, Colonel General Konstantin Totskii
and Lieutenant General Valeri Chkheidze, signed a protocol on
cooperation, including information sharing and conducting joint patrols
of the two countries' common border, Russian news agencies and Caucasus
Press reported. The protocol was drafted during talks in Tbilisi last
week between Russian Federal Security Service First Deputy Director
Vladimir Pronichev and Georgian State Security Minister Valeri
Khaburzania (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 15 October 2002). Chkheidze
stressed that the protocol will help defuse tensions and restore trust
between the two countries, which has been undermined by the unhindered
passage across the border in both directions of Chechen militants. "We
will search for, detect, and destroy militant formations if they try to
break through the border," Chkheidze affirmed. LF
[29] NATO COMMANDER VISITS GEORGIA
General Joseph Ralston, who is NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe,
met in Tbilisi on 17 October with Georgian Defense Minister Lieutenant
General David Tevzadze to discuss Georgia's cooperation with NATO
within the parameters of the Partnership for Peace program, Georgia's
anticipated application for NATO membership, and possible U.S.
assistance to Georgia in creating an effective air-defense system,
Caucasus Press and ITAR-TASS reported. Ralston also visited the
Krtsanisi training center where he positively assessed progress in the
ongoing U.S. "Train and Equip" program for the Georgian military. LF
[30] SOUTH OSSETIA PROTESTS NEW GEORGIAN POLICE POSTS
South Ossetian officials attending a meeting on 17 October with Russian
peacekeepers and OSCE representatives formally protested the creation
of three new Georgian police checkpoints in the district adjacent to
the internal border between the unrecognized republic of South Ossetia
and the rest of Georgia, Caucasus Press reported (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 17 October 2002). LF
[31] UN PATROL FAILS TO CONFIRM GEORGIAN WEAPONS DEPLOYMENT IN KODORI
Interfax on 17 October quoted a member of the UN Observer Mission in
Georgia as saying that a recent patrol of Abkhazia's Kodori Gorge
failed to detect any buildup of heavy weaponry or antiaircraft systems
in the Georgian-controlled upper reaches of the gorge. Abkhaz First
Deputy Premier and Defense Minister Raul Khadjimba recently alleged
that Georgia had deployed such equipment in Kodori, presumably in
preparation for a new offensive (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 October
2002). LF
[32] GEORGIAN POLICE TO REMAIN IN PANKISI FOR DURATION OF WAR IN
CHECHNYA?
The Georgian anticrime operation in the Pankisi Gorge will be scaled
back and some Interior Ministry troops withdrawn, Georgian Interior
Minister Koba Narchemashvili told journalists in Tbilisi on 17 October.
He dodged the question whether the withdrawal was prompted by financial
constraints. He added that Georgian police will "probably" remain in
Pankisi until Russian forces leave Chechnya upon completion of the
"antiterrorism" operation there. On 16 October, Georgian National
Security Council Secretary Tedo Djaparidze repeated the proposal made
in Chisinau 10 days earlier by Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze
to invite international monitors, including some from Russia, to
inspect the Pankisi Gorge, Interfax reported. LF
[33] GEORGIAN GUERRILLA LEADER THREATENS TO SABOTAGE RESUMPTION OF RAIL
TRAFFIC VIA ABKHAZIA
Zurab Samushia, leader of the White Legion Georgian guerrilla
formation, told a press conference in Kutaisi on 17 October that if
Georgia restores rail communication between Russia and Armenia via
Abkhazia, his men will blow up the tracks, according to "Rezonansi" on
18 October, as quoted by Caucasus Press. In recent months, Armenian
officials have repeatedly raised with their Georgian counterparts the
question of restoring rail traffic, which would greatly facilitate
Armenia's imports and exports. The Georgian paper "Dghe" on 15 October
estimated the cost of restoring the Abkhaz stretch of the railway at
$70 million. LF
[34] UN SECRETARY-GENERAL VISITS KAZAKHSTAN
Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbaev assured visiting UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan in Astana on 17 October that he values
cooperation with United Nations' agencies and programs, especially
those intended to alleviate environmental problems such as the
shrinking of the Aral Sea, Russian news agencies reported. Nazarbaev
suggested that the UN could facilitate the emergence of a regional
security mechanism in Asia and called for the creation of a UN center
for the prevention of regional conflicts. He also said Kazakhstan is
ready to allow the UN to use its facilities and infrastructure in order
to deliver humanitarian and economic aid to Afghanistan. Nazarbaev
bestowed on Annan the Dostyq (Friendship) Order in recognition of his
contribution to strengthening peace and international cooperation. LF
[35] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT PROPOSES SYSTEMIC CHANGES...
In his two-hour annual State of the Nation Address to both chambers of
Kyrgyzstan's parliament on 17 October, President Askar Akaev argued
that Kyrgyzstan should become a parliamentary-presidential republic in
which "presidential power will be enhanced by means of constitutional
reforms and the strengthening of the parliament's and government's
authority," Interfax reported. He said the proposed constitutional
reforms that would redistribute prerogatives among the president, the
parliament, and the government will be published for national
discussion between 18 October and 18 November, after which they will be
put to a referendum. Akaev observed that most of the country's more
than 30 opposition parties do not reflect dominant political
sentiments, akipress.org reported. LF
[36] ...OUTLINES FOREIGN-POLICY PRIORITIES...
Akaev said during his State of the Nation Address that the increasingly
friendly relations with the United States will not eclipse Kyrgyzstan's
long-established friendships with Russia and China, RFE/RL's Bishkek
bureau reported on 17 October. He named cooperation with the
international antiterrorism coalition and relations with Russia as the
two cornerstones of the country's foreign policy. He noted in
particular the expansion of economic ties with Siberia. LF
[37] ...PLEDGES TO REDUCE POVERTY BY 30 PERCENT
Akaev further pledged to reduce the poverty rate by 15-17 percent
annually over the next three years so that by 2005 no more than 30
percent of the population falls into that category, RFE/RL's Bishkek
bureau reported. He said the $700 million allocated by an international
donors conference last week will contribute to achieving that
objective. LF
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
[38] BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT WANTS EVERY ORGANIZATION TO PAY INTO
SOCIAL-SECURITY FUND
President Alyaksandr Lukashenka said at a training seminar for
government officials in Minsk on 17 October that every enterprise and
organization, private or state-owned, should contribute to the
state-run social-security fund, Belapan and Belarusian Television
reported. "Why should we not make everybody pay? Those small traders,
[for instance]. You see, they staged strikes, while [claiming to be]
the most advanced part of society, free-market supporters. They should
understand that it is necessary to pay for everything," Lukashenka
said. During the recent strike action that ended last week,
outdoor-market vendors protested new requirements obliging them to pay
social-insurance fees, among others (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 10
October). JM
[39] BELARUS TO DEMAND COMPENSATION FOR BRAIN DRAIN?
Mikhail Myasnikovich, the president of the National Academy of
Sciences, told journalists on 16 October that Belarus might raise with
international organizations the issue of receiving compensation for
brain drain, Belapan reported on 17 October. Myasnikovich stressed that
Western countries should compensate Belarus's government and education
establishments for Belarusian scientists lured away. Professor Yury
Khadyka, a member of the Academy of Sciences, commented that
Myasnikovich's suggestion is groundless. According to Khadyka, the
current exodus of scientists from Belarus testifies only to
"unfavorable conditions for pursuing scientific activities in the
country." JM
[40] UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES 2003 DRAFT BUDGET ON FIRST
READING...
The Verkhovna Rada on 17 October passed the first reading of a
surplus-budget bill for 2003, Ukrainian media reported. The bill calls
for revenues of 55.2 billion hryvnyas ($10.4 billion) and expenditures
of 53.3 billion hryvnyas. The bill was supported by lawmakers from
pro-presidential caucuses and Our Ukraine, while the Communist Party,
the Socialist Party, and the Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc did not participate
in the vote. JM
[41] ...AND FORMS COMMISSION TO PROBE ALLEGED ARMS DEALS WITH IRAQ
The same day, 221 lawmakers -- well above the required 150 -- endorsed
a resolution creating a 12-member temporary commission to investigate
whether Ukraine illegally sold arms to Iraq, UNIAN reported. The
resolution did not specifically mention President Leonid Kuchma, whom
the U.S. State Department accused last month of authorizing the sale of
a Kolchuga radar system to Iraq. The commission is headed by deputy
Borys Andresyuk from the Social Democratic Party-united (SDPU-o). JM
[42] PRESIDENTIAL AIDE TO SPEAK WITH YUSHCHENKO ABOUT STANDOFF IN
UKRAINE?
Presidential administration chief Viktor Medvedchuk, who also heads the
SDPU-o, has told journalists that his party is prepared to enter a
dialogue with Our Ukraine regarding the current political crisis, UNIAN
reported on 17 October. Medvedchuk was responding to Our Ukraine leader
Viktor Yushchenko, who said following the "Ukraine in Europe"
conference in Warsaw (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 16 and 17 October 2002)
that Our Ukraine could sit at a negotiating table with the SDPU-o.
"Medvedchuk is a Ukrainian reality. He is a fact, pardon my saying so,"
UNIAN quoted Yushchenko as saying on 16 October. Medvedchuk said he has
"only one personal request" to Yushchenko and explained that he wants
Yushchenko to withdraw his signature under the opposition's 16
September resolution calling on President Kuchma to resign (see "RFE/RL
Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine Report," 17 September 2002). It is not
clear from the UNIAN report whether Medvedchuk considers this
withdrawal a necessary condition for entering talks with Our Ukraine.
JM
[43] RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR PROMISES IMPROVED RELATIONS WITH ESTONIA
During a lecture at Concordia University in Viimsi on 17 October,
Russian Ambassador to Estonia Konstantin Provalov promised that Russia
will sign the proposed border agreement with Estonia, abolish double
tariffs on Estonian goods, and sign a most-favored-nation trade
agreement in the first half of 2003, ETA reported the next day. He said
these agreements will not be affected by Estonia's likely membership of
the European Union and NATO. Provalov noted that Estonia has passed
various measures to improve the situation of its Russian-speaking
population but that some important issues, such as ending
state-financed high-school education in the Russian language beginning
in 2007, continue to be a matter of concern. However, Provalov added,
"If you live in Estonia, you must be able to speak Estonian," BNS
reported on 17 October. SG
[44] LEADERS OF LATVIAN SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC WORKERS PARTY SUBMIT THEIR
RESIGNATIONS
At a press conference on 17 October, Latvian Social Democratic Workers
Party (LSDSP) Chairman Juris Bojars, Deputy Chairmen Janis Adamsons and
Valdis Lauskis, and Secretary-General Janis Dinevics submitted their
resignations, LETA reported. Bojars said that the LSDSP board might
also submit their resignations at the party's council meeting on 19
October that will set the exact date of the next party congress in late
November. The leaders will remain at their posts until the congress.
The resignations were apparently prompted by the LSDSP's poor showing
in the parliamentary elections on 5 October, in which the party failed
to overcome the 5 percent barrier (the LSDSP garnered 4.02 percent)
needed for parliamentary representation. An important factor
influencing the election result was the split in the party that led to
the founding of the Union of Social Democrats (SDS) (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 25 March 2002). SDS took 1.53 percent of the vote in the
elections. SG
[45] SOROS FAVORS BILINGUAL EDUCATION IN LATVIA
Influential financier and philanthropist George Soros visited Latvia on
16-17 October to mark the 10th anniversary of Soros Foundation Latvia,
LETA and BNS reported. Since its establishment, the foundation has
contributed more than 30.5 million lats ($50 million) to projects for
developing art and culture, reforming the education system, fighting
corruption, and strengthening nongovernmental organizations and human
rights. During a discussion at the Stockholm School of Economics in
Riga on 17 October, Soros said that, after 12 years of Latvian
independence, the Latvian language is no longer threatened, and the
government should allow the large Russian-speaking population "to
retain [its] national identity and become loyal citizens." Soros
recommend that bilingual education should remain an option, and
students themselves should be allowed to choose their language of
instruction. SG
[46] LITHUANIAN PARLIAMENTARY CHAIRMAN REITERATES IMPORTANCE OF
SCHENGEN MEMBERSHIP
At a 17 October press conference, Arturas Paulauskas said that during a
meeting in Brussels earlier this week of the heads of the European
Parliament and the Lithuanian, Polish, and Russian parliaments, he
stressed that although relations with Russia are "vitally important" to
Lithuania, it is even more important that Lithuanian citizens be
allowed the travel privileges of the Schengen zone, BNS reported. He
said Lithuania must carry out the obligations agreed to in its
membership negotiations with the EU requiring visas for transiting its
territory beginning next year. Paulauskas reiterated that Russia's call
for visa-free trains transiting Lithuania between Kaliningrad and the
rest of Russia can only be discussed after Lithuania joins the Schengen
agreement. He dismissed as inaccurate Russian media reports that the
three parliaments had formed a joint working group on the Kaliningrad
issue at the meeting. SG
[47] POLISH PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER FACES DISMISSAL VOTE...
The Sejm went into turmoil on 17 October following the early morning
removal by force of deputy Gabriel Jankowski from the session hall by
Sejm guards, Polish media reported. The removal was ordered by Sejm
speaker Marek Borowski after he failed to persuade Janowski to stop his
sit-in at the parliament's rostrum in protest against the government's
privatization deal with the German concern RWE (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
17 October 2002). The opposition League of Polish Families filed a
motion to recall Borowski as speaker, arguing that by ordering the
removal he violated Janowski's parliamentary immunity. The motion
reportedly will be supported by three other opposition groups:
Self-Defense, Law and Justice, and Civic Platform. Whether Borowski
remains in office seems to depend on the position of the Peasant Party
(PSL), which has so far not declared whether it will vote against the
motion along with Borowski's party, the ruling Democratic Left Alliance
(SLD). The Sejm's debate on 17 October was terminated after a group of
Self-Defense lawmakers blocked the rostrum, demanding that the
government annul the RWE deal. JM
[48] ...WHILE PRESIDENT, PREMIER SAY PARLIAMENTARY CRISIS THREATENS
DEMOCRACY, COALITION
President Aleksander Kwasniewski said on Polish Radio on 18 October
that he does not rule out the possibility of dissolving the present
parliament if it continues to squabble and misses the deadline for
adopting the 2003 budget. Kwasniewski said he supports Borowski's
decision to remove Janowski from the session hall by force. "It is not
a question of speaker Borowski at the moment, but the Polish parliament
that is the issue here: its quality, the way it is perceived in Poland
and abroad. And as a consequence, Polish democracy is at stake,"
Kwasniewski said. Premier Leszek Miller told PAP the same day that the
future of the ruling SLD-PSL coalition depends on whether the PSL
supports Borowski. "I do not know what the PSL will do, but first it
has to make clear whether it wants to stay in this coalition. This will
depend on the outcome of the vote on Borowski's dismissal," Miller
said. JM
[49] CZECH VOTERS WANT DIRECT PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
An overwhelming majority of Czechs voters favor direct presidential
elections according to a poll by the STEM agency released on 17
October, Czech media reported the same day. Some 85 percent of
respondents said they support replacing the current system, in which
both chambers of parliament elect the president, with a direct popular
vote. Recent polls have varied widely, but the STEM poll concluded that
the most popular candidate is Ombudsman Otakar Motejl, who received 27
percent support. Senate President Petr Pithart was second at 19
percent, and outgoing Civic Democratic Party Chairman Vaclav Klaus was
third with 15 percent. President Vaclav Havel's second and final term
as Czech president ends in early 2003. BW
[50] CZECH, U.S. FIGHTER JETS PREPARE FOR SUMMIT DEFENSE
U.S. F-16s and Czech MiG-21 fighter jets conducted joint training
exercises on 17 October in preparation for the upcoming NATO summit in
Prague, CTK reported. The exercises, which simulated the shooting down
of a hijacked airliner and responding to an attack on a nuclear-power
station, were part of the antiterrorism security measures being taken
for the 21-22 November event. "Although this was just an exercise, it
was unforgettable. I can hardly describe what I had in mind when a
fighter behind a passenger plane full of people was waiting for an
order to fire. It is incredible," Defense Minister Jaroslav Tvrdik
said. A total of 925 soldiers and 1,350 security-force members
participated in the exercises. BW
[51] CZECH LOWER HOUSE PASSES BILL ON EU REFERENDUM
A bill handing Czech voters the chance to decide whether the country
should join the European Union easily passed in the lower house of
parliament on 17 October, Czech media reported the same day. According
to the bill, which passed by a vote of 180 to two, a referendum on
joining the EU will be held sometime in the second quarter of 2003. To
become law, the bill must still pass in the Senate and be signed by the
president. BW
[52] SLOVAK SUPPORT FOR NATO MEMBERSHIP STABLE
Some 52.1 percent of Slovaks support that country's membership in NATO,
according to an opinion poll by Focus agency released on 17 October,
TASR reported the same day. The survey was conducted from 2-8 October
among 1,089 adult respondents. Some 38.8 percent of respondents were
opposed and 9.2 percent were undecided. Support was 53 percent in
January. BW
[53] EX-SLOVAK DEFENSE MINISTER TO HEAD PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE
Former Defense Minister Jozef Stank has accepted an offer to run
President Rudolf Schuster's office and will assume the post on 1
November, TASR reported on 17 October. Stank resigned as defense
minister on 15 October, when Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda's first
government resigned ahead of the appointment of his new cabinet on 16
October. The Presidential Office has been without a director since
November, when Ludovit Machacek resigned. Stank has already recommended
changes to the office's personnel and structure and says he wants to
improve its prestige and professionalism. BW
[54] SLOVAK PROSECUTOR UNDER POLICE PROTECTION FOLLOWING THREATS
Prosecutor Michal Serbin has been under police protection since last
month because of written threats, "Novy cas" reported on 18 October.
Serbin is heading up several high-profile prosecutions, including the
case against former Slovak Intelligence Service (SIS) chief Ivan Lexa
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 16 September and 2 October 2002). Lexa was
taken into custody in July after being arrested in South Africa on an
international warrant, but he was later freed on procedural grounds. On
30 September, Serbin indicted Lexa on charges of abuse of authority
during his tenure as SIS head from 1994-98. He was previously charged
with organizing the 1995 kidnapping of former President Michal Kovac's
son but was amnestied by former Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar. BW
[55] HUNGARIAN PARTIES HOLD FINAL RALLIES AHEAD OF LOCAL ELECTIONS...
Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy and Socialist Party (MSZP) Chairman
Laszlo Kovacs on 17 October told a campaign rally in Budapest that the
MSZP is a genuine social democratic party and the MSZP-led government
will take Hungary into the EU, Budapest dailies reported. MSZP's
candidate for mayor in Budapest, Erzsebet Nemeth, said she has kept her
word by not withdrawing from the race (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 7,8,9,11,
and 15 October 2002) and encouraged voters to turn out in as large
numbers as possible, since the "victory will be all the greater."
Opposition Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF) Chairwoman Ibolya David
told a rally of right-wing parties that there is no historical
alternative to EU accession, and therefore it is important to consider
the advantages and drawbacks of membership. For his part, Tamas
Deutsch, chairman of the FIDESZ Budapest chapter, said the last 12
years in Budapest were marked by "division, quarreling, and
deteriorating living conditions." He expressed the hope that right-wing
voter turnout is high at the 20 October local elections. MSZ
[56] ...AND ARGUE OVER EU ACCESSION ISSUES
Prime Minister Medgyessy on 17 October told Hungarian television that
he trusts the opposition FIDESZ will vote in favor of the
constitutional changes necessary for EU accession (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 17 October 2002). But he stressed, "The government will not
let itself be blackmailed." For his part, FIDESZ Executive Chairman
Janos Ader told reporters the same day that MSZP Chairman Kovacs's
accusation that FIDESZ betrayed the cause of EU accession represents
the "ultimate impudence," Hungarian media reported. Ader pointed out
that the FIDESZ-led cabinet successfully closed 24 acquis communautaire
chapters in accession talks in 2002. "No referendum [on EU membership]
will be held on 15 March," he said, explaining that FIDESZ considers it
more appropriate for a referendum to be held in April, once the
accession treaty has been signed. MSZ
[57] HUNGARIAN NOBEL LAUREATE BECOMES HONORARY BUDAPEST CITIZEN, WARNS
OF OLD AND NEW DIVISIONS
Mayor Gabor Demszky on 17 October awarded honorary Budapest citizenship
to Hungary's first-ever Nobel Prize winner for literature Imre Kertesz,
Hungarian media reported. "Magyar Hirlap" reported on 16 October the
government will partly cover the production costs of a feature film
based on Kertesz' best-known novel, "Sorstalansag" (Fateless), which
relates his experiences as a teenager in the Auschwitz death camp
during World War II. In an interview with "Die Zeit" quoted by
"Nepszabadsag" on 18 October, Kertesz said he feels it is his duty to
help bring about peace in a divided Hungary, where "liberals and
nationalists are facing each other implacably." He warned that open
anti-Semitism prevails in Hungary, as "overt Nazis and aggressive
nationalists are shown in the media." "It is almost as disgusting as it
was in the late 1930s," Kertesz concluded. MSZ
[58] HUNGARIAN STATE TO INCREASE COMPENSATION TO VICTIMS OF HOLOCAUST
The Justice Ministry intends to raise compensation for families of
Hungarians killed in the Holocaust from 30,000 forints ($120) to
600,000 forints ($2,400), the MTI news agency reported on 18 October.
Justice Minister Peter Barandy said he is awaiting authorization for
the government to hold official talks on the matter with interest
groups and relevant organizations. Peter Tordai, president of the
Federation of Jewish Religious Communities in Hungary, said his group
agrees with the amount of the compensation but would like to see
payment begin next year and be completed in the first half of 2004. MSZ
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[59] MACEDONIA GETS A COALITION GOVERNMENT
The Social Democratic Union (SDSM) and the ethnic Albanian Democratic
Union for Integration (BDI) announced on 18 October that they have
formed a coalition government and divided the 14 ministries between
themselves, AP reported from Skopje. BDI leader Agron Buxhaku said his
party will control the Justice, Education, Health, and Transport
ministries. It will have a deputy premier's post as well as deputy
positions in the Interior, Defense, Economics, and Agriculture
ministries. The cabinet will be led by SDSM leader Branko Crvenkovski
and is not likely to include any former guerrillas of the National
Liberation Army (UCK), who make up much of the BDI's leadership. The
news agency added that unspecified "international officials...talked
[the BDI] out" of its demand for the Foreign Ministry. The BDI had
previously dropped demands for control of either the Defense Ministry
or Interior Ministry (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 18 October 2002). PM
[60] MACEDONIAN TRADE UNIONS TO HAVE A WORD IN COALITION TALKS
Union of Macedonian Trade Unions (SSM) leader Vanco Muratovski said on
17 October that his organization will have a say in coalition talks,
"Utrinski vesnik" reported. According to Muratovski, the SSM has
suggested people to head the Labor and Social Affairs Ministry and the
Health Ministry. Muratovski said the SSM has the right to a say in
selecting these ministers, because it urged its membership to vote for
the winning SDSM-led Together for Macedonia coalition. Muratovski also
pointed out that the SSM wants amendments to several laws affecting
workers, as well as health and social insurance. UB
[61] MACEDONIAN PRESIDENT CALLS ON ARMY TO CLEAN UP FLOOD DAMAGE
President Boris Trajkovski decided on 17 October to send army
engineering units to help clean up damage caused by torrential rains in
recent weeks, "Utrinski vesnik" reported. Trajkovski's decision came
after he visited the regions of Kavadarci, Veles, and Strumica, which
were worst affected by the rains. The daily quoted sources in
Trajkovski's cabinet as saying much of the damage could have been
avoided if local authorities had kept riverbeds clear of debris. UB
[62] SERBIAN PARLIAMENT SESSION POSTPONED
Serbian parliament speaker Natasa Micic announced on 17 October that
the session planned for the following day to discuss changes in
electoral laws has been postponed until the Serbian Supreme Court rules
on which deputies are entitled to take part, RFE/RL's South Slavic and
Albanian Languages Service reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 October
2002). The Yugoslav Constitutional Court ruled on 16 October that
ousted members of Serbian parliament belonging to the Democratic Party
of Serbia (DSS) must be reinstated, but the governing Democratic
Opposition of Serbia (DOS) coalition argues that only the Serbian court
has jurisdiction in the matter. Reuters reported that "the postponement
prevented a power struggle among the politicians who ousted [former
President] Slobodan Milosevic from descending into pure farce. [The
DSS] had vowed to attend the session, but its rivals insisted it had no
right to be there." In related news, the Serbian Election Commission
rejected a challenge by the DSS to its decision to invalidate the 13
October second round of Serbian presidential balloting, RFE/RL's South
Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
15 and 16 October 2002). PM
[63] DJINDJIC SAYS U.S. SYSTEM IS NOT FOR SERBIA
Speaking in Novi Sad on 17 October, Serbian Prime Minister Zoran
Djindjic said direct presidential elections work in the United States,
but Serbia needs a parliamentary system in which the legislature
chooses the chief executive, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian
Languages Service reported. PM
[64] STEINER GETS COOL RESPONSE IN APPEAL FOR SERBIAN PARTICIPATION IN
LOCAL VOTE
Michael Steiner, who heads the UN civilian administration in Kosova
(UNMIK), has come up empty-handed after a visit to Belgrade to seek
support from political and religious leaders in urging Kosova's Serbs
to take part in the 26 October local elections, RFE/RL's South Slavic
and Albanian Languages Service reported on 17 October. Yugoslav
President Vojislav Kostunica said the security and human rights
situations have not improved for Serbs under the present system. The
Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church said in a statement that it
neither supports nor opposes the vote. The Synod added, however, that
it fears Serbian participation in the elections could turn out to be
"window-dressing for the benefit of the domestic and international
publics...like Serbian participation in the parliament has for the most
part shown itself to be." Bishop Amfilohije Radovic was more blunt,
saying Serbs would "despise" him if he called on them to vote, AP
reported. PM
[65] BELGRADE PROTESTS OPENING OF BORDER CROSSINGS BETWEEN KOSOVA AND
ALBANIA
The Yugoslav government sent a formal protest to the UN Security
Council on 17 October to object that it was not consulted over UNMIK's
recent decision to open two additional border crossings between Kosova
and Albania, Beta news agency reported (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 23
August 2002). PM
[66] KOSOVARS NAME STREET AFTER FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT
Kosovar President Ibrahim Rugova presided at a ceremony on 17 October
in which a Prishtina street was named after former U.S. President Bill
Clinton, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported.
The Kosovars' affection for Clinton and the United States stems from
Washington's and NATO's role in freeing Kosova from Serbian control in
1999. PM
[67] WILL CROATIA ASK THE HAGUE TO TRY SMALLER FRY INSTEAD OF BOBETKO?
The Croatian government has identified people directly responsible for
the killings of ethnic Serb civilians in the Medak Pocket in 1993, dpa
reported from Zagreb on 18 October, citing "Vecernji list." According
to the daily, the government hopes the war crimes tribunal based in The
Hague will agree to prosecute those directly responsible for the
atrocities rather than their commanding officer, General Janko Bobetko
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 October 2002). It is not clear how many
suspects are involved or whether the government intends to arrest them.
PM
[68] BOSNIAN POLICE SACKED FOR TIPPING OFF BROTHEL OWNERS
The UN-led police in Bosnia have fired 11 local police officers for
frequenting brothels and alerting owners to police raids, Reuters
reported from Sarajevo on 17 October. One police chief who was involved
in a crackdown on human trafficking and forced prostitution reportedly
tipped off a bar owner regarding raids in return for sex with several
women. PM
[69] BOSNIAN SERB SENTENCED IN THE HAGUE
The war crimes tribunal sentenced Milan Simic to five years in prison
on 17 October for his role in mistreating Muslims and Croats in the
Bosanski Samac region in 1992 and 1993, Deutsche Welle's Bosnian
Service reported. PM
[70] ROMANIAN, HUNGARIAN DEFENSE MINISTERS SIGN AGREEMENTS
Meeting in the western Romanian city of Arad, Romanian Defense Minister
Ioan Mircea Pascu and his Hungarian counterpart Ferenc Juhasz signed a
cooperation agreement concerning the two countries' air forces,
Mediafax reported. They also signed an agreement on the exchange of
classified military information. Pascu said information exchange is a
basic requirement of cooperation among NATO member states, "and we took
this step ahead of the NATO summit [on 21-22 November in Prague] at
which we expect an invitation [to join the organization]." Juhasz said
Hungary is a "supporter" of Romanian accession to NATO, and he pledged
to do "all he can" to ensure that Hungary is among the first states to
ratify Romanian accession to the alliance if an invitation is offered.
ZsM
[71] ROMANIAN ARMY TO CUT PERSONNEL
Romanian Defense Minister Ioan Mircea Pascu announced on 17 October
that the army is to reduce its rank-and-file personnel from 96,000 to
75,000 by 2007, Mediafax reported. Pascu also said the country's 2003
budget provides for the Defense Ministry to receive 2.3 percent of the
country's GDP, which means an additional $100 million compared to the
ministry's 2002 budget. ZsM
[72] U.S. HISTORIAN ARRESTED IN ROMANIA ON PEDOPHILIA CHARGES...
U.S. historian Kurt Treptow and his alleged accomplice Tatiana Popovici
were arrested on 17 October on charges of "sexual corruption" and
"sexual perversion" involving a minor, AP reported. The two were first
arrested on 11 September, but they were later released pending an
investigation, according to Mediafax. Due to the lack of official
information on the case and to Treptow's well-known relations with
high-ranking Romanian officials, the media accused the authorities of
seeking to put a lid on the case and to exonerate Treptow. Ioan Talpes,
President Ion Iliescu's adviser on national security issues who is
reportedly a close acquaintance of Treptow's, publicly supported
Treptow on 30 September and attacked the media, Mediafax reported.
Treptow, who heads the Center for Romanian Studies in Iasi, faces five
years in prison on the corruption charge and seven on the
sexual-perversion count, according to AP. ZsM
[73] ...AS PREMIER CALLS FOR MORE SEVERE PUNISHMENT IN PEDOPHILIA CASES
Romanian Premier Adrian Nastase on 18 October asked the Justice
Ministry to examine the possibility of more severe punishments for
child-sex crimes, Mediafax reported. He argued the Romanian system is
"not enough of a deterrent" and Romania "could be perceived as a
paradise for pedophiles around the world." He added that he personally
prefers the reintroduction of the death penalty in such cases. ZsM
[74] BULGARIA TO IMPLEMENT MEASURES TO STEM ILLEGAL MIGRATION TO EU
Interior Minister Georgi Petkanov said on 17 October that, in an effort
to reduce the number of Bulgarians who illegally migrate to the
European Union, his ministry plans to introduce strict measures against
breaches of passport regulations, mediapool.bg reported. The measures
include higher fines for losing one's passport, as many deportees claim
upon their return to Bulgaria that their marked passports have been
lost. Those who have resided illegally in the European Union and were
subsequently deported to Bulgaria will be barred from leaving the
country for two years. During a recent meeting of Interior Ministers in
Luxemburg, Petkanov also reached an agreement with his counterparts
from Belgium and the Netherlands, according to which Belgian and Dutch
authorities will provide information about illegal Bulgarian immigrants
to the Bulgarian Interior Ministry. UB
[75] BULGARIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES LABOR-LEGISLATION, AMENDMENTS,
PROMPTS PROTESTS
On 17 October, parliament adopted on first reading a number of
amendments to labor legislation that are aimed at reducing the
influence of trade unions, bnn news agency reported. According to the
amendments, the government would be allowed to act on more social and
labor issues without consulting trade unions. Trade unions currently
must be consulted on all issues related to workers' living standards.
"We are being deprived of our right to publicly express our opinion
about issues related to living standards," said Confederation of
Independent Trade Unions leader Chavdar Hristov. The Labor
Confederation Podkrepa announced it will withdraw from a partnership
pact with the government should the legislators adopt the amendments.
Protests also came also from employers. "The more the state gets
involved with the problems of living standards, the worse [things
are]," said Employers Union President Vasil Vasilev. UB
END NOTE
[76] There is no End Note today.
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