|
|
|
RFE/RL Newsline, 02-10-21
CONTENTS
[01] U.S., RUSSIA DISCUSS NONPROLIFERATION AND NORTH KOREA...
[02] ...AS KREMLIN DENIES HELPING PYONGYANG'S WEAPONS PROGRAM
[03] INTERIOR MINISTER PLEDGES TO CLEAN UP MAGADAN...
[04] ...INVESTIGATORS LOOK FOR CONNECTION WITH GOLD-DEALER MURDER
[05] ...AS OLIGARCHS PREPARE TO BATTLE FOR CONTROL OF MAGADAN RESOURCES
[06] GOLD PRODUCTION UP
[07] MURDER OF GOVERNOR PROMPTS CALL FOR RETURN TO DEATH PENALTY...
[08] ...AS CAMPAIGN CONSULTANTS PRIMED TO WORK ON ELECTION OF
[09] ANALYST SEES ELECTIONS AS 'SELF-DESTRUCTION' MECHANISM
[10] KALMYKIA PRESIDENT WINS, BUT CAN'T AVOID SECOND ROUND
[11] ONE KILLED IN MOSCOW CAR-BOMB BLAST
[12] RUSSIA COULD SEND 50 MILLION TONS OF OIL TO U.S. IN 2003
[13] INITIAL CENSUS RESULTS RELEASED
[14] PUBLIC GIVES PASSING GRADES TO MEDIA MINISTRY
[15] DUMA GIVES NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET ANOTHER NOD
[16] YABLOKO WILL WORK WITH SPS, BUT NOT WITH CHUBAIS
[17] TATARSTAN PRESIDENT PUZZLED BY NEIGHBOR'S PLANS
[18] FOREIGN MINISTER DENIES PLANS TO IMPOSE ECONOMIC SANCTIONS ON
[19] DIPLOMAT CLAIMS OSSETIANS ALARMED AT PANKISI CRACKDOWN
[20] ARMENIAN OPPOSITION QUERIES YELTSIN STATEMENT ON PRESIDENTIAL POLL
[21] ANOTHER ARMENIAN OPPOSITION PARTY SIGNALS INTENTION TO FIELD OWN
[22] ARMENIAN PRO-PRESIDENTIAL PARTIES AT ODDS
[23] ARMENIA HOSTS MEETING OF CIS BORDER-GUARD COMMANDERS
[24] AZERBAIJAN MARKS INDEPENDENCE DAY
[25] AZERBAIJAN TO INCREASE DEFENSE SPENDING
[26] GEORGIAN BORDER-GUARD COMMANDER GIVES DETAILS OF AGREEMENT WITH
[27] FORMER KYRGYZ PRESIDENTS TO BE GRANTED IMMUNITY FROM PROSECUTION?
[28] CHINA PROVIDES MORE AID FOR KYRGYZ MILITARY
[29] FSB DIRECTOR VISITS TAJIKISTAN
[30] TURKMENISTAN, AFGHANISTAN, PAKISTAN INITIAL PIPELINE AGREEMENT
[31] UN SECRETARY-GENERAL VISITS UZBEKISTAN
[32] PACE ASKS BELARUSIAN LEGISLATURE ABOUT DISAPPEARANCES
[33] UKRAINIAN OPPOSITION RALLIES TO DEMAND PRESIDENT'S OUSTER
[34] UKRAINIAN MINERS STOP STRIKE
[35] UKRAINIAN AUTHORITIES RELEASE RUSSIAN BUSINESSMAN
[36] U.S., BRITISH EXPERTS ASSESS KOLCHUGA ALLEGATIONS
[37] ESTONIA'S LOCAL ELECTIONS BOLSTER CENTER-REFORM COALITION...
[38] ...BUT NEWCOMER GETS NOSE IN THE TENT, TOO
[39] U.S. SENATOR PRAISES LITHUANIA'S PROGRESS
[40] LATVIAN SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC WORKERS PARTY LEADERSHIP REMAINS IN
[41] POLISH PREMIER, PRESIDENT PRAISE CABINET'S FIRST YEAR...
[42] ...WHILE EMPLOYERS ARE MORE CAUTIOUS IN ASSESSMENT
[43] POLAND SATISFIED WITH IRISH REFERENDUM ON EU
[44] CZECH POLITICIANS WELCOME IRISH EU VOTE
[45] CZECH PRESIDENT SAYS 9/11 HIJACKER DID NOT MEET IRAQI AGENT
[46] CZECH CABINET APPROVES DEFICIT DRAFT BUDGET
[47] SLOVAK MINISTER VOWS TOUGH CRIME-FIGHTING MEASURES...
[48] ...BUT SAYS POLICE MUST TREAT CITIZENS WITH RESPECT
[49] EDUCATION MINISTER SAYS UNIVERSITIES TO START CHARGING TUITION
[50] HUNGARY'S GOVERNING PARTIES DOMINATE LOCAL ELECTIONS
[51] BUDAPEST MAYOR RE-ELECTED TO FOURTH TERM
[52] HUNGARIAN POLITICIANS REACT TO ELECTION RESULTS
[53] ORBAN ELECTED TO EUROPEAN PEOPLE'S PARTY LEADERSHIP
[54] DJUKANOVIC PLEDGES 'FOUR YEARS OF STABILITY' AFTER WINNING
[55] ...AND REAFFIRMS HIS 'EUROPEAN' COURSE
[56] SERBIAN SUPREME COURT REJECTS KOSTUNICA'S COMPLAINT
[57] DEL PONTE SEEKS EXTRADITION OF FORMER GENERAL FROM SERBIA -- AGAIN
[58] FINAL TALLY CONFIRMS NATIONALIST WIN IN BOSNIA
[59] A BIG COALITION IN THE REPUBLIKA SRPSKA?
[60] MACEDONIAN SHOOTOUTS LEAVE TWO DEAD, SEVERAL WOUNDED
[61] MACEDONIAN GOVERNMENT TAKING SHAPE
[62] COMMERCIAL BANK OF ROMANIA PRIVATIZATION REKINDLED
[63] ROMANIAN GOVERNMENT ADVISER ARRESTED ON CORRUPTION CHARGES
[64] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT CRITICIZES PLANS TO AMEND MEDIA LAW
[65] BULGARIA COMPLETES DESTRUCTION OF MISSILE WARHEADS
[66] BULGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS AFGHANISTAN
[67] There is no End Note today.
21 October 2002
RUSSIA
[01] U.S., RUSSIA DISCUSS NONPROLIFERATION AND NORTH KOREA...
U.S. Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International
Security John Bolton arrived in Moscow on 21 October for talks with his
Russian counterpart Georgii Mamedov on North Korea's nuclear-weapons
program, Iraq, and bilateral strategic-security issues, ITAR-TASS and
Interfax reported. Bolton will also will meet with Foreign Minister
Igor Ivanov and Security Council Secretary Vladimir Rushailo to discuss
the implementation of the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty signed
this summer and preparations for the upcoming meeting of U.S. President
George W. Bush and President Vladimir Putin at the Asian-Pacific
Economic Conference in Los Cabos, Mexico, on 24 October. VY
[02] ...AS KREMLIN DENIES HELPING PYONGYANG'S WEAPONS PROGRAM
Foreign Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Yakovenko said on 17 October that
Russia is waiting for more details about North Korea's nuclear-weapons
program, RIA-Novosti and other Russian news agencies reported.
Yakovenko added that Russia categorically denies helping North Korea in
any way. He said that Moscow ended all contacts with Pyongyang in this
sphere when North Korea renounced the Nuclear Weapons Nonproliferation
Treaty in 1993. VY
[03] INTERIOR MINISTER PLEDGES TO CLEAN UP MAGADAN...
Addressing a gathering of law enforcement chiefs on 19 October,
President Putin called the murder of Magadan Oblast Governor Valentin
Tsvetkov (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18 October 2002) a "crime against the
state," polit.ru reported. Interior Minister Boris Gryzlov told
journalists that his agency will hunt down both those in Moscow who
pulled the trigger and those who ordered the killing, RIA-Novosti
reported on 21 October. He said that he will use this opportunity to
"decriminalize" Magadan Oblast and drive out the local mafia. VY
[04] ...INVESTIGATORS LOOK FOR CONNECTION WITH GOLD-DEALER MURDER
CASE...
Police are investigating possible links between Tsvetkov's murder and
that of Kemal Musoyan in Moscow just 12 hours later, Russian news
agencies reported. Musoyan was reputedly a major player on Russia's
illegal gold market and allegedly a "thief in law" known by the name of
"Camel." He was gunned down on 18 October by killers who escaped the
scene. According to media reports, Musoyan controlled illegal gold
produced in the Far North, including Magadan Oblast. Experts estimate
that up to 30 percent of Russia's gold production ends up being sold
illegally. VY
[05] ...AS OLIGARCHS PREPARE TO BATTLE FOR CONTROL OF MAGADAN RESOURCES
Tsvetkov's murder, like the death of former Krasnoyarsk Krai Governor
Aleksander Lebed in a helicopter crash in 28 April (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 29 April 2002), will stimulate a battle among oligarchic
groups for control over the territory's valuable resources, strana.ru
commented on 21 October. Magadan Oblast's economy is based on gold and
silver mining, fisheries, and alcohol-production revenues. According to
the website, Tsvetkov tried to control all these areas, often placing
himself at odds with local criminal groups. Experts estimate the oblast
controls deposits of about 2,000 tons of gold and 80,000 tons of
silver. Moreover, the oblast's Okhotsk Sea shelf has estimated oil
reserves of about 1.2 billion tons, making the region comparable to
Sakhalin. Therefore, strana.ru predicted that Russia's
financial-industrial groups will take the upcoming gubernatorial
election in the oblast very seriously. New elections must be held
within six months, but an exact date has not yet been set. VY
[06] GOLD PRODUCTION UP
Russian companies produced 132.9 tons of gold in the first nine months
of 2002, ITAR-TASS reported on 21 October, citing government
statistics. Production was up 14.3 percent over the same period last
year. The greatest increase was seen in Krasnoyarsk Krai (28.6 percent)
and Khabarovsk Oblast (17.4 percent). Output in Magadan Oblast was up
12.5 percent to 26.05 tons. RC
[07] MURDER OF GOVERNOR PROMPTS CALL FOR RETURN TO DEATH PENALTY...
The People's Party, which is led by Gennadii Raikov, head of the
People's Deputy faction in the Duma, has called for the immediate
introduction of trials by jury in each region so that the death penalty
can be reinstated, regions.ru reported on 18 October. According to the
party's press release, Tsvetkov's murder should spur the formation of a
jury-trial system. According to the press release, only fear of
punishment will stop the current crime wave in Russia, and murderers
should answer for their crimes with their own lives. JAC
[08] ...AS CAMPAIGN CONSULTANTS PRIMED TO WORK ON ELECTION OF
REPLACEMENT
Meanwhile, in an interview with "Novyi region" on 18 October, Ilya
Gorfinkel, a member of the Urals Guild of Political Consultants, said
that Urals-based consultants have already packed their bags and are
ready to fly to Magadan to prepare for the upcoming gubernatorial
election to select Tsvetkov's successor, regions.ru reported. He added
that most probably the same political consultants from Yekaterinburg
who tried to elect Aleksandr Uss in Krasnoyarsk Krai last month will be
hired. JAC
[09] ANALYST SEES ELECTIONS AS 'SELF-DESTRUCTION' MECHANISM
Andrei Fedorov, director of St. Petersburg's Center for Political
Technologies and Consulting, told a conference on 21 October that "the
mechanism of Russian elections is a mechanism for the self-destruction
of the Russian elite," RosBalt reported. "During campaigns, we have
taken to armed conflicts, to the tactic of destroying one's opponents,"
Fedorov said. "This election mechanism is resulting in the degradation
of citizens' faith in state power and in those people who form the
political elite." Last month, President Putin told a group of European
election officials in Moscow that Russian elections "completely conform
to international standards" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 26 September 2002).
RC
[10] KALMYKIA PRESIDENT WINS, BUT CAN'T AVOID SECOND ROUND
There will be a second round of voting in the presidential election in
the Republic of Kalmykia, RTR and other Russian news agencies reported
on 21 October. In the first round on 20 October, incumbent President
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov received 47.6 percent of the vote, just short of the
50 percent needed for a first-round win. Baatyr Shondzhiev, deputy
chairman of High Technology Bank, came in second with 13.55 percent,
and Nikoil-Kalmykia General Director Nikolai Ochirov was third with
12.74 percent. Slightly less than 69 percent of eligible voters cast
their ballots. Earlier reports in gazeta.ru on 21 October placed
Ilyumzhinov's showing at 49.04 percent and predicted that there would
be no second round. The Central Election Commission has taken charge of
the count, and commission Chairman Aleksandr Veshnyakov is in Elista
overseeing the procedure, ntvru.com reported. RC
[11] ONE KILLED IN MOSCOW CAR-BOMB BLAST
Seventeen-year-old Sergei Grishin, who was injured on 19 October when a
powerful car bomb exploded outside a Moscow McDonald's restaurant, died
on 20 October, dpa and Russian news agencies reported. Six other people
remain hospitalized with injuries sustained in the blast. The 5
kilogram bomb that was made out of an artillery shell exploded just
after 1 p.m. local time next to the crowded restaurant. Igor Pimenov of
the Emergency Situations Ministry told journalists that the bomb had
been packed with metal fragments in an apparent effort to maximize
casualties. According to NTV, police are looking for two men "with
Slavic surnames who were born in Grozny." Police sources cited by the
network said the motive for the incident is likely commercial rivalry
between ethnically based criminal groups. Lenta.ru quoted an
unidentified police source as saying that "threats had been issued [to
McDonald's] many times demanding large sums of money." RC
[12] RUSSIA COULD SEND 50 MILLION TONS OF OIL TO U.S. IN 2003
Speaking to journalists in Washington on 19 October, former Prime
Minister and head of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Yevgenii Primakov said Russia is ready to supply 50 million tons (300
million barrels) of oil to the United States in 2003, RIA-Novosti
reported. Primakov argued that the supplies could reduce U.S.
dependence on OPEC-produced oil, but that in order to import that oil,
the United States must help Russia create the necessary export
infrastructure, including developing its deep-water ports. VY
[13] INITIAL CENSUS RESULTS RELEASED
The State Statistics Committee has publicized preliminary results of
the recent national census indicating that the country's population is
143.3 million people, ntvru.com and other Russian news agencies
reported on 21 October. That figure "is close to statistical estimates
in use," said Irina Zbarskaya, head of the committee's
demographic-statistics department. Complete census results are expected
to be published in 12 volumes by the end of 2003. Meanwhile, lenta.ru
reported on 21 October that census takers in Moscow have complained of
pressure from bureaucrats to submit falsified questionnaires. Several
unidentified Moscow census takers wrote to the website that they were
given completed questionnaires "filled out in the same handwriting"
that contained fictitious information or information about citizens who
were registered elsewhere or who had died in recent years. The workers
claimed they were told that if they did not process the forms, they
would not receive their wages. The website also reported that it has
received reports from "several census stations" that workers were
ordered in advance to submit a specified number of questionnaires. RC
[14] PUBLIC GIVES PASSING GRADES TO MEDIA MINISTRY
Forty-seven percent of Russians are pleased with the work of the Mass
Media Ministry, while only 21 percent are dissatisfied, RosBalt
reported on 20 October, citing a survey by the Public Opinion
Foundation. According to the poll, 21 percent are satisfied with "the
quantity and quality of information they receive," and 17 percent
credit the ministry for the "abundance of books, newspapers and
magazines" in the country. Five percent praise the ministry because
media information "has become more interesting" and 3 percent credit
the ministry for improving the work of the postal system. Among those
who think the ministry needs improvement, 15 percent are dismayed by
the glorification of violence and by low grammatical standards in the
media. Two percent complained about too much advertising in the media,
and 1 percent blamed the ministry because the media have "sold out." RC
[15] DUMA GIVES NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET ANOTHER NOD
The State Duma approved the 2003 federal budget in its second reading
on 18 October, Russian news agencies reported. The vote was 280 in
favor, with 112 against and no abstentions, Interfax-AFI reported.
Between the first and second readings, expenditures were redistributed
among a few items. Spending on international activities was reduced by
5.03 billion rubles ($158 million) to 44.3 billion rubles, while
cumulative spending on industry, agriculture, fishing, transportation,
law enforcement, and culture was increased correspondingly. Deputy
Prime Minister and Finance Minister Aleksei Kudrin noted that the Duma
approved of all the government's priorities, adding that the second
reading "demonstrated a new, more civilized budget-consideration
format." He noted that the budget process has therefore become "more
boring" for journalists but more interesting for international rating
agencies. The draft budget proposes expenditures of 2.346 trillion
rubles and revenues of 2.418 trillion rubles. Oil prices are projected
to average $21.5 per barrel. JAC
[16] YABLOKO WILL WORK WITH SPS, BUT NOT WITH CHUBAIS
Yabloko leader Grigorii Yavlinskii is prepared to work with the Union
of Rightist Forces (SPS) to support a single liberal candidate in the
2004 presidential elections, "Nezavisimaya gazeta" reported on 21
October. However, he argued on the eve of the All-Russia Democratic
Conference in Moscow that the presence of Unified Energy Systems chief
Anatolii Chubais and former acting Prime Minister Yegor Gaidar in the
SPS leadership does not facilitate the search for common ground among
liberals or the creation of an alternative to the "party of power." In
this context, Yavlinskii rhetorically asked SPS what they are prepared
to sacrifice for the sake of a coalition. According to the daily,
Yavlinskii called on all liberal factions to cooperate in developing a
common platform on the basis of which they will all contest the
upcoming Duma elections. RC
[17] TATARSTAN PRESIDENT PUZZLED BY NEIGHBOR'S PLANS
Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiev has expressed his bewilderment
regarding plans to introduce a parliamentary republic in Bashkortostan
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18 October 2002), RFE/RL's Kazan bureau
reported on 18 October. "[Bashkortostan President] Murtaza
Gubaidullovich [Rakhimov]'s proposals on changing the structure of the
government in the republic raise more questions for me than answers,"
Shaimiev said. He assessed Rakhimov's arguments as "contradictory." JAC
[18] FOREIGN MINISTER DENIES PLANS TO IMPOSE ECONOMIC SANCTIONS ON
GEORGIA
Speaking on 18 October at a press conference at Interfax's Moscow
office, Foreign Minister Ivanov said Moscow will not impose economic
sanctions against Georgia because sanctions are not a tool of Russian
diplomacy, ITAR-TASS reported. Ivanov pointed out that such sanctions
would affect primarily the population at large, who "are not
responsible for some of the actions of their leaders," Interfax
reported. He added that there are no "insurmountable" obstacles to
improving Russian-Georgian relations, naming as the sole factor that
has undermined such good relations in recent years the presence of
"international terrorists" on Georgian territory. LF
[19] DIPLOMAT CLAIMS OSSETIANS ALARMED AT PANKISI CRACKDOWN
In a statement posted on the Foreign Ministry's website on 19 October,
spokesman Yakovenko cast doubt on official Georgian claims that the
ongoing anticrime and antiterrorism operation has resulted in all
illegal armed groups leaving the Pankisi Gorge, Russian agencies
reported. Yakovenko said that Ossetians living in the gorge continue to
complain they are in danger from Chechen gunmen and that the Georgian
authorities have taken no measures to protect their civil and property
rights. LF
TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[20] ARMENIAN OPPOSITION QUERIES YELTSIN STATEMENT ON PRESIDENTIAL POLL
Supporters of Armenian ex-President Levon Ter-Petrossian have
questioned former Russian President Boris Yeltsin's statement after his
talks in Yerevan with Ter-Petrossian last week that Ter-Petrossian will
not contest the Armenian presidential election scheduled for February
2003, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported on 18 October (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 18 October 2002). Former Armenian government official Vahagn
Khachatrian said he doubts Ter-Petrossian made any such statement to
Yeltsin, and that even if he did, it was "ethically inappropriate" for
Yeltsin to repeat it to journalists. "Yeltsin left Ter-Petrossian in an
awkward situation," Khachatrian concluded. Ter-Petrossian's former
National Security Minister David Shahnazarian told journalists that he
remains confident that Ter-Petrossian will run in the February ballot.
LF
[21] ANOTHER ARMENIAN OPPOSITION PARTY SIGNALS INTENTION TO FIELD OWN
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
Delegates to an 18 October conference of one of the Yerevan branches of
the People's Party of Armenia (HZhK) unanimously endorsed HZhK Chairman
Stepan Demirchian's candidacy for the February 2003 presidential
ballot, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. The HZhK is one of the 16
opposition parties that have agreed in principle to field a joint
presidential candidate (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 30 August 2002). The
National Unity Party has similarly indicated that it will nominate its
chairman, Artashes Geghamian (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 7 October 2002).
LF
[22] ARMENIAN PRO-PRESIDENTIAL PARTIES AT ODDS
In a 19 October interview with RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau, Galust
Sahakian, who heads the parliamentary faction of Prime Minister
Andranik Markarian's Republican Party of Armenia (HHK), rejected recent
criticism of the HHK by the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation-Dashnaktsutiun (HHD) and Orinats Yerkir. HHD leader Vahan
Hovannisian has accused the HHK of planning to predetermine the outcome
of the 20 October local elections; Sahakian responded that the HHD is
merely jealous of the HHK's growing influence. LF
[23] ARMENIA HOSTS MEETING OF CIS BORDER-GUARD COMMANDERS
Commanders, or their deputies, of 10 of the 12 CIS states' respective
border-protection services met in Yerevan on 17-18 October to discuss
problems posed by international terrorism, illegal migration, and drug
trafficking, Noyan Tapan reported. Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan did not
send representatives. LF
[24] AZERBAIJAN MARKS INDEPENDENCE DAY
On 18 October Azerbaijan marked the 11th anniversary of its
parliament's 1991 declaration of independence from the USSR. In a 17
October address, President Heidar Aliev enumerated the country's
economic successes over that time period, according to "Bakinskii
rabochii," as cited by Groong. Aliev also noted for the first time
Mamed Emin Rasulzade's role in the founding of the independent
Azerbaijan National Republic in 1918, Turan reported on 18 October.
Aliev also issued a decree on 18 October pardoning 82 prisoners, 39 of
whom were sentenced on charges of acts directed against the Azerbaijani
state. The beneficiaries did not include former Defense Minister Rahim
Gaziev or former Interior Minister Iskander Hamidov, both of whom the
Council of Europe regards as political prisoners. LF
[25] AZERBAIJAN TO INCREASE DEFENSE SPENDING
The state budget for 2003 envisages a 12 percent increase in defense
spending, Finance Minister Avaz Alakbarov told ANS TV on 18 October,
according to Groong. A total of 680 billion manats ($139 million) has
been allocated for that purpose. LF
[26] GEORGIAN BORDER-GUARD COMMANDER GIVES DETAILS OF AGREEMENT WITH
RUSSIA
Lieutenant General Valeri Chkheidze explained to journalists in Tbilisi
on 19 October the precise provisions of the agreement he and his
Russian counterpart Colonel General Konstantin Totskii signed in
Yerevan two days earlier, Russian and Georgian news agencies reported
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18 October 2002). Chkheidze said that Russian
and Georgian border guards will not conduct any joint patrols, nor will
they patrol each other's territory, but will coordinate between
themselves which sectors of the border to patrol. After such patrols,
senior officers will meet to exchange information. A hotline is also to
be set up to connect Russian and Georgian border posts. Chkheidze said
that a plan for cooperation in 2003 will be drafted by the end of the
year. Speaking in Tbilisi on 18 October, Georgian Foreign Ministry
spokesman Kakha Sikharulidze hailed the 17 October agreement as the
first real step toward cooperation between the two sides, Caucasus
Press reported. LF
[27] FORMER KYRGYZ PRESIDENTS TO BE GRANTED IMMUNITY FROM PROSECUTION?
Among the constitutional amendments recently proposed by the
Constitutional Council is one to Article 53 that would grant former
presidents of Kyrgyzstan immunity from prosecution and from any
responsibility for actions taken or statements made in that capacity,
RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported on 18 October. The assent of the
parliament would be required in order to initiate criminal or other
legal proceedings against a former president. LF
[28] CHINA PROVIDES MORE AID FOR KYRGYZ MILITARY
China has given the Kyrgyz armed forces additional materials and
equipment to the value of 8 million yuans ($97,000), RFE/RL's Bishkek
bureau and akipress.org reported on 17 and 18 October. The consignment
includes building materials and equipment, office furniture, and
canteen equipment. LF
[29] FSB DIRECTOR VISITS TAJIKISTAN
Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Director Nikolai Patrushev met
in Dushanbe on 18 October with Tajikistan's President Imomali Rakhmonov
to discuss regional security and the situation in Afghanistan, Russian
news agencies reported. According to Patrushev, the three-hour
discussion focused on the threats posed by international terrorism as
well as on drug trafficking, which is one of the primary sources of
funding for terrorism. Patrushev said Afghanistan still poses a
security threat to Central Asia. He lauded the Afghan government's
decision to cooperate with Russia to contain the threats posed by
illegal drugs and terrorism, ITAR-TASS reported. Patrushev also said
both Russia and Tajikistan will help Afghanistan establish new law
enforcement agencies. LF
[30] TURKMENISTAN, AFGHANISTAN, PAKISTAN INITIAL PIPELINE AGREEMENT
Following talks in Ashgabat on 17-18 October, senior government
officials from Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan initialed a
framework agreement on further measures in preparation for building a
gas-export pipeline from Turkmenistan via Afghanistan to Pakistan,
Russian news agencies and turkmenistan.ru reported. The presidents of
the three countries signed a memorandum of intent earlier this year to
conduct a feasibility study for that project (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 31
May 2002), and are to sign the framework agreement in Ashgabat on 26 or
27 October. The Asian Development Bank, which has indicated that it
might provide some financing for the estimated $2 billion project, will
select a company in December to conduct the feasibility study on the
basis of earlier studies by the U.S. company Unocal and the Turkmen
government. LF
[31] UN SECRETARY-GENERAL VISITS UZBEKISTAN
Continuing his tour of Central Asia, Kofi Annan arrived in Tashkent on
18 October for a three-day visit, ITAR-TASS and uza.uz reported. Annan
met with President Islam Karimov, parliament speaker Erkin Khalilov,
and Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Komilov. Annan's talks with Karimov
focused primarily on the situation in Afghanistan, the struggle against
international terrorism and drug trafficking, and regional ecological
problems including the dwindling Aral Sea. Karimov expressed regret
that as yet the reform of the United Nations has had no positive impact
on Uzbekistan or on Central Asia as a whole. LF
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
[32] PACE ASKS BELARUSIAN LEGISLATURE ABOUT DISAPPEARANCES
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe's (PACE) special
commission on disappearances in Belarus (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 25
September 2002) has asked Belarus's National Assembly to provide
information on political disappearances in the country, RFE/RL's
Belarusian Service reported on 18 October. "The probability that we
will find any of those who have disappeared is not high. However, there
is a great probability that we will get to know what is being done to
find them," commission head Sergei Kovalev told RFE/RL. Meanwhile,
Barys Bikinin, the head of the Chamber of Representatives' Committee
for National Security, confirmed that the chamber will question law
enforcement chiefs on 24 October on the high-profile disappearances in
Belarus (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 October 2002), Belapan reported on
18 October. JM
[33] UKRAINIAN OPPOSITION RALLIES TO DEMAND PRESIDENT'S OUSTER
Several thousand people gathered on Independence Square in Kyiv on 19
October for a rally organized by the opposition as part of the ongoing
"Rise Up, Ukraine!" antipresidential protest campaign, Ukrainian and
international news agencies reported. Opposition leaders appealed to
demonstrators to sign a resolution urging President Leonid Kuchma to
resign on 21 October. Demonstrators subsequently moved to the
presidential administration headquarters on Bankova Street, where they
lit candles and set up a plaque reading, "On this street a memorial
will be erected to honor victims of the Kuchma regime." The rally
coincided with the 10th anniversary of Kuchma's coming to power. In
October 1992, the Ukrainian parliament appointed Kuchma as prime
minister. Kuchma left the post of prime minister in 1993, and in 1994
he was elected president of Ukraine. JM
[34] UKRAINIAN MINERS STOP STRIKE
Ukrainian coal miners suspended a general strike on 18 October after
the Verkhovna Rada approved the first reading of a 2003 budget draft
that pledges more financial support for the sector, Ukrainian news
agencies reported. Last week, miners at approximately 130 of Ukraine's
170 coal mines refused to ship coal to consumers or halted their work
completely to protest what they said was insufficient funding for the
coal-mining sector in the budget draft proposed by the government. JM
[35] UKRAINIAN AUTHORITIES RELEASE RUSSIAN BUSINESSMAN
Russian businessman Konstantin Grigorishin was released from detention
on 20 October, a week after he was arrested on charges of illegal
possession of weapons and drugs (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 October
2002), Ukrainian news agencies reported. Grigorishin told journalists
the same day that presidential administration chief Viktor Medvedchuk
had previously threatened to put him in jail, reportedly because of
Grigorishin's refusal to finance Medvedchuk's Social Democratic
Party-united's parliamentary-election campaign. Grigorishin heads the
Energy Standard Group, a Russian-Ukrainian company. Later on 20
October, Grigorishin was reportedly hospitalized after suffering from
symptoms of a heart attack. JM
[36] U.S., BRITISH EXPERTS ASSESS KOLCHUGA ALLEGATIONS
U.S. and British experts have completed a fact-gathering mission in
Ukraine (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 15 October 2002) but need at least a
week to establish whether Ukraine sold a Kolchuga radar system to Iraq
in contravention of UN sanctions, Reuters reported on 21 October,
quoting U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Carlos Pascual. "[The experts] are
in the process of reviewing a very large volume of data and information
which they collected. They need to assess it, they need to determine if
there are any gaps, they need to determine if any additional
information is necessary, and they will then at that point reach
conclusions," Pascual told journalists. JM
[37] ESTONIA'S LOCAL ELECTIONS BOLSTER CENTER-REFORM COALITION...
The State Election Committee announced that 52.4 percent of eligible
voters participated in local elections throughout the country on 20
October, ETA reported the following day. Turnout was thus higher than
for communal elections in 1999 (49.8 percent) or 1996 (52.1 percent).
In the capital, Tallinn, the Center Party garnered 38.5 percent of the
vote and 32 of the 63 seats on the City Council and is thus likely to
continue its center-right coalition with the Reform Party, which took
11 seats. The centrist Res Publica party, formed in late 2001 and which
advocates more conciliatory policies toward non-Estonians, won 17
seats, while the Estonian United People's Party took three seats on the
Tallinn City Council. The right-wing Pro Patria Union gained 6.8
percent of the vote but will not be granted seats under the system for
distributing local mandates, while the Moderates and People's Union
each fell short of the 5 percent threshold for representation with 4.9
percent and 3.3 percent, respectively. In Tartu, which is Estonia's
second largest city, the Reform Party gained 23 seats; Pro Patria,
nine; Res Publica, eight; Center Party, six; and the Moderates, three.
SG
[38] ...BUT NEWCOMER GETS NOSE IN THE TENT, TOO
Across the country, Res Publica performed better than many predicted,
winning 385 seats in 100 of the 117 councils for which the party
competed. Representatives of Pro Patria declared that there were few
winners but many losers in a contest between similarly thinking
parties, according to ETA. Pro Patria Chairman Mart Laar called on
right-leaning parties like the Reform Party, Res Publica, Pro Patria,
and the Moderates to work together to deny the left-leaning Center
Party from gaining greater power. SG
[39] U.S. SENATOR PRAISES LITHUANIA'S PROGRESS
The vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Senator Richard
Shelby (Republican, Alabama), met with Lithuanian President Valdas
Adamkus and Foreign Minister Antanas Valionis on 19 October in Vilnius,
BNS reported. The aim of the visit was to learn more about Lithuania's
achievements, its preparation for NATO membership, and the economic
situation. Noting that he visited Lithuania before its independence was
reestablished in 1991, he praised its progress. Shelby said he was not
involved in preparations for the visit to Lithuania by President George
W. Bush, slated for after the NATO summit in Prague on 21-22 November,
but was sure that "it will be a great day." Such a visit has not been
officially confirmed, but Estonian and Latvian Presidents Arnold Ruutel
and Vaira Vike-Freiberga are also reportedly to travel to Vilnius to
meet with Bush. SG
[40] LATVIAN SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC WORKERS PARTY LEADERSHIP REMAINS IN
PLACE
The council of the Latvian Social Democratic Workers Party (LSDSP) did
not step down at a 19 October meeting, LETA reported, despite signs of
pressure on the leadership following a disappointing showing in the 5
October parliamentary elections. Party Chairman Juris Bojars and two
senior party members last week announced that they submitted their
resignations (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18 October 2002). Bojars explained
that the party's charter has no clause permitting the council to
resign, according to LETA. He also said he must head the organization
of the party's upcoming congress, since as chairman he alone has the
right to sign documents on behalf of the party, although party funds
can be used only with the approval of the council. The council decided
to hold the party's 34th congress in Riga's Kipsala Center on 23
November and to elect delegates for every three members of the party,
rather than the current five. Three other Latvian parties -- Latvia's
Way, the People's Party, and For the Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK --
will also hold their congresses in November. SG
[41] POLISH PREMIER, PRESIDENT PRAISE CABINET'S FIRST YEAR...
Premier Leszek Miller said on 19 October that during its first year in
office his cabinet has traveled "a difficult road, but one that has
opened opportunities for a better future," PAP reported. President
Aleksander Kwasniewski said the government has exhibited "three strong
pluses" in its performance. According to the president, Miller's
cabinet saved the public finances from collapse and demonstrated
"determination" in its EU membership negotiations. The third plus,
Kwasniewski added, is the fact that "the government and political
decision-making centers are [one and the same]." Kwasniewski was
apparently hinting at the way the preceding Solidarity-led cabinet of
Jerzy Buzek operated, when most of its crucial decisions were widely
believed to be dictated by Solidarity leader Marian Krzaklewski. JM
[42] ...WHILE EMPLOYERS ARE MORE CAUTIOUS IN ASSESSMENT
Four business federations -- the Business Center Club, the Polish
Business Roundtable, the Polish Confederation of Private Employers, and
the Confederation of Polish Employers -- "are in agreement that current
policies put a question mark on the implementation of government
promises of economic recovery," PAP reported on 18 October. The
federations objected to many of the cabinet's moves over the past year,
including the freezing of income-tax brackets, failure to reduce the
corporate-income tax by 3 percent as planned, the increase in budgetary
spending for administration and subsidies to companies, slow
privatization, and the tax-amnesty bill. On the positive side, the
federations noted such achievements as the lower budget deficit,
amendments to the Labor Code, and the introduction of a legislative
package to boost entrepreneurship. JM
[43] POLAND SATISFIED WITH IRISH REFERENDUM ON EU
President Kwasniewski said on 20 October that he is satisfied with the
results of Ireland's 19 October Irish referendum on the Treaty of Nice,
in which 63 percent of voters said "yes" to the treaty and in effect to
EU enlargement in 2004, Polish media reported. "This is the evidence of
the European Union's deep internal democracy," PAP quoted Kwasniewski
as saying. "The Irish example shows that each country, even a less
populous one, has its own say and that this say can be loud and clear.
This should pacify many of my compatriots who are afraid that Poland's
entry into the EU could mean that the 40 million [strong] country will
not be heard in it," Kwasniewski added. Celebrating the referendum's
outcome, Polish Prime Minister Leszek Miller on 20 October treated
himself to a Guinness and, with the assistance of journalists gathered
in a students' club, sang a song about Ireland. JM
[44] CZECH POLITICIANS WELCOME IRISH EU VOTE
Officials in the Czech Republic who back European Union integration
breathed a sigh of relief as they welcomed the results of Ireland's 19
October referendum approving the Treaty of Nice, Czech media reported
on 20 October. Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla, whose new government has
placed its greatest emphasis on EU accession, sent a congratulatory
telegram to his Irish counterpart Bertie Ahern, CTK reported the same
day. Spidla also praised Irish citizens for what he called their
broad-mindedness. "I must say, I'm very pleased by the referendum's
result," Spidla said. The referendum paved the way for 10 new countries
to enter the EU in 2004. "We are pleased that the schedule of our EU
accession is not threatened and that it will go on according to the
given rules," Ladislav Spacek, spokesman for President Vaclav Havel,
said in remarks reported by CTK. BW
[45] CZECH PRESIDENT SAYS 9/11 HIJACKER DID NOT MEET IRAQI AGENT
Czech President Havel has told U.S. officials that there is no evidence
to substantiate reports that suspected 11 September hijacker Mohammad
Atta met with an Iraqi intelligence officer in Prague (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 5 June 2002), "The New York Times" reported on 21 October,
citing unidentified Czech officials. According "The New York Times,"
Havel discreetly called Washington to tell White House officials that
reports of the alleged April 2001 meeting could not be substantiated.
In October 2001, Interior Minister Stanislav Gross publicly insisted
that Atta met with Ahmad Khalil Ibrahim Samil al-Ani, an Iraqi
intelligence official who was later expelled from the Czech Republic.
Gross's statement appeared to suggest a direct connection between
Saddam Hussein's regime and Al-Qaeda. BW
[46] CZECH CABINET APPROVES DEFICIT DRAFT BUDGET
The Czech government approved a revised 2003 draft federal budget on 21
October, Dow Jones reported the same day. The lower house will begin
debating the budget, which aims to lower the deficit by delaying debt
payments and cutting spending, on 7 November. The draft budget projects
revenues of 684 billion crowns ($21.9 billion) and expenditures of 795
billion crowns. That represents a deficit of 111 billion crowns, down
from 157 billion crowns in an earlier draft. BW
[47] SLOVAK MINISTER VOWS TOUGH CRIME-FIGHTING MEASURES...
Slovakia's new interior minister, Vladimir Palko, pledged that his
police will get tough on crime, CTK reported on 18 October. Palko, who
assumed his post on 16 October, said he plans to introduce fast-track
investigations, eliminate duplication in criminal proceedings, and
tighten cooperation between investigators and uniformed police. The
interior minister also said he will push for a sentencing policy of
"three strikes and you're out," prescribing mandatory life imprisonment
for a third serious conviction. Such a measure was rejected by deputies
in the mid-1990s in the neighboring Czech Republic. BW
[48] ...BUT SAYS POLICE MUST TREAT CITIZENS WITH RESPECT
At the same time, Palko on 18 October said police must treat
law-abiding citizens with more respect, TASR reported. Palko said all
police stations should have a front desk, a "decent" face should greet
visitors and provide information, and police chiefs should hold public
meetings at least once a month. Palko, who assumed his post on 16
October, also said he plans to introduce property declarations for
police officers and their families as part of an effort to combat
corruption. The interior minister also said he plans to introduce
measures to crack down on police officers caught driving drunk. BW
[49] EDUCATION MINISTER SAYS UNIVERSITIES TO START CHARGING TUITION
Slovakia's new education minister, Martin Fronc, said all university
students will most likely be required to pay tuition starting in the
2003/2004 academic year, TASR reported on 20 October. The cost to
students, Fronc said, is likely to be 6,000-12,000 crowns ($140-$280) a
year. That figure represents 10-20 percent of the costs of a school
year for one student. The Education Ministry is also considering
depositing 30 percent of the fees collected in a scholarship fund for
poor families, he said. BW
[50] HUNGARY'S GOVERNING PARTIES DOMINATE LOCAL ELECTIONS
Candidates for the coalition Socialist Party (MSZP) and Free Democrats
(SZDSZ) garnered 45 percent of all votes in local elections on 20
October, Hungarian media reported, citing preliminary results. Sixteen
of Hungary's 22 major cities will be led by MSZP-SZDSZ mayors as a
result. The opposition FIDESZ and Democratic Forum meanwhile received a
more modest 33 percent of votes to county assemblies. Candidates for
the governing coalition also won mayoral posts in right-wing
strongholds such as Miskolc, Szeged, and Szombathely, unseating
conservative incumbent mayors there. According to preliminary reports,
voter turnout was 46 percent, the highest for local elections in the
country's postcommunist history. Lajos Ficzere, chairman of the
National Election Commission, said late on 20 October that no incidents
occurred that might threaten to invalidate the balloting. MSZ
[51] BUDAPEST MAYOR RE-ELECTED TO FOURTH TERM
Free Democrat Gabor Demszky on 20 October was elected Budapest mayor
for a fourth time, receiving 47 percent of votes and extending a tenure
that began in 1990, Hungarian media reported. Demszky was followed by
independent candidate Pal Schmitt with 37 percent and Socialist
candidate Erzsebet Nemeth with 13 percent. The three other candidates,
including Hungarian Justice and Life Party (MIEP) Chairman Istvan
Csurka, each won less than 4 percent of the vote. The Socialist Party
won 25 seats in the 66-member Budapest Council, ahead of FIDESZ with 21
seats, and followed by the Free Democrats with 16 seats and MIEP with
four seats. Demszky told a jubilant crowd that he "will always strive
for agreement, and represent the interests of all the people of
Budapest," Hungarian television reported. The opposition-backed Schmitt
told Hungarian television on 20 October that he is proud that his
program was supported by every third voter in Budapest. MSZ
[52] HUNGARIAN POLITICIANS REACT TO ELECTION RESULTS
Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy said the fact that his MSZP won the
local elections shows that the new Socialist-led government "won the
trust of the people in keeping the promises it made before the April
general elections," "Nepszabadsag" reported on 21 October. MSZP
Chairman Laszlo Kovacs attributed the unusually high turnout in the 20
October local elections to the "fierce domestic political struggle,"
saying left-wing voters wanted "confirmation of the April general
elections" while the right wing sought revenge. FIDESZ parliamentary
group leader Janos Ader congratulated the MSZP for winning the
elections, saying, "The trend continued whereby those that won the
parliamentary elections also won local elections," the daily reported.
MSZ
[53] ORBAN ELECTED TO EUROPEAN PEOPLE'S PARTY LEADERSHIP
Former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was elected one of 10
deputy chairmen of the European People's Party, an umbrella
organization for national conservative parties, at its 18 October
congress in Estoril, Portugal, Hungarian dailies reported the next day.
Orban is the first politician representing an EU candidate country to
have been elected to the leadership of the organization, which forms
the largest group in the European Parliament. MSZ
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[54] DJUKANOVIC PLEDGES 'FOUR YEARS OF STABILITY' AFTER WINNING
MONTENEGRIN VOTE...
More than 77 percent of the 455,000 registered voters turned out in
Montenegro on 20 October to cast their ballots for members of the
75-seat parliament, as well as for local governments in Podgorica and
Tivat, international and local media reported. In the parliamentary
election, President Milo Djukanovic's Democratic Coalition For a
European Montenegro -- Milo Djukanovic won 39 seats for an outright
majority. Djukanovic told AP that his coalition will invite an
unspecified number of ethnic Albanian deputies to join the new cabinet
"so our government will reflect the multiethnic and multicultural
diversity of Montenegro." An alliance of ethnic Albanian parties took
two seats. The pro-Belgrade Coalition for Change led by Predrag
Bulatovic won 30 seats. The big losers were the Liberal Alliance (LS),
who have four seats. The BBC's Serbian Service commented that the
pro-independence voters who make up the core of that party's supporters
"punished" it for cooperating with pro-Belgrade parties in recent
months. Djukanovic clearly benefited from Liberal Alliance defections.
PM
[55] ...AND REAFFIRMS HIS 'EUROPEAN' COURSE
Djukanovic's supporters celebrated according to Montenegrin custom by
firing guns into the air throughout the night, international and local
media reported from Podgorica on 21 October. The president told
reporters that his victory is the result of "a serious political
struggle over the last few years, which we have fought in order to keep
peace in Montenegro and to emancipate Montenegro from backwardness....
This victory will enable Montenegro to continue dynamic political and
economic reforms toward European integration.... [Our] priorities will
focus on overcoming our very difficult economic and social problems and
implementing the Belgrade agreement," which set up a very loose union
of Montenegro and Serbia, RFE/RL reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 15
March, and 9 and 10 April 2002). Elsewhere, a spokesman for the
pro-Belgrade coalition suggested that Djukanovic's supporters had, in
essence, bribed some of its voters not to vote. And a spokesman for the
Liberal Alliance predicted that Djukanovic will continue what the
Liberal Alliance regards as bankrupt policies. PM
[56] SERBIAN SUPREME COURT REJECTS KOSTUNICA'S COMPLAINT
The Serbian Supreme Court on 21 October turned down a demand by
Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica's Democratic Party of Serbia
(DSS) that the recent second round of the Serbian presidential election
be declared valid, (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 15 and 16 October 2002),
Deutsche Welle's Bosnian Service reported. The Election Commission
previously nullified the vote because fewer than 50 percent of
registered voters in Serbia proper, Vojvodina, and the
Serbian-dominated areas of Kosova turned out to cast their ballots (see
"RFE/RL Balkan Report," 18 October 2002). PM
[57] DEL PONTE SEEKS EXTRADITION OF FORMER GENERAL FROM SERBIA -- AGAIN
Carla Del Ponte, who is the chief prosecutor at the war crimes tribunal
in The Hague, visited Tirana on 19 October on the first stop of a trip
that will also take her to Belgrade, Prishtina, Sarajevo, and Zagreb,
RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported. In
Tirana, she called on the authorities to cooperate with the tribunal,
according to Foreign Minister Ilir Meta. In Belgrade on 21 October, she
is expected to demand the extradition of former Bosnian Serb General
Ratko Mladic, who is one of the most wanted indicted war criminals (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 16 October 2002). But Yugoslav Justice Minister Savo
Markovic told the daily "Politika" that "both the Yugoslav Army and the
Serbian Interior Ministry have stated that they have no information
confirming that Ratko Mladic is hiding in our country," AP reported on
20 October. In the Serbian capital, Del Ponte is scheduled to meet with
Yugoslav Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic, Serbian Prime Minister
Zoran Djindjic, and General Branko Krga, who heads the General Staff.
PM
[58] FINAL TALLY CONFIRMS NATIONALIST WIN IN BOSNIA
On 19 October, the Bosnian election commission announced the final
tallies from the 5 October general elections, international and local
media reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 October 2002). The clear
winners were the three largest nationalist parties: the Muslim Party of
Democratic Action (SDA), the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS), and the
Croatian Democratic Community (HDZ). The new joint Presidency will
consist of Sulejman Tihic (SDA), Mirko Sarovic (SDS), and Dragan Covic
(HDZ). In the joint 42-seat parliament, the SDA won 10 seats, while the
SDS and HDZ each took five seats. Eleven parties shared the remaining
seats, including six for the Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina (SBiH),
four for the Social Democrats (SDP), and three for the Independent
Social Democrats (SNS). In the 98-seat federal parliament, the SDA won
32 seats, followed by the HDZ with 16 seats and the SBiH and SDP with
15 each. Fourteen other parties share the remaining seats. The three
largest parties have filed complaints against allocating seats to small
parties that barely surpassed the 3 percent threshold for
representation. PM
[59] A BIG COALITION IN THE REPUBLIKA SRPSKA?
In the 83-seat Bosnian Serb parliament, the SDS will have 26 deputies,
followed by the SNS with 19 legislators, international and local media
reported on 19 October. The remaining seats are divided up among 13
other parties. Two days later, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian
Languages Service quoted Republika Srpska President-elect Dragan Cavic
(SDS) as saying in Banja Luka that the Bosnian Serbs need a broad-based
coalition. He added that some unnamed representatives of the
international community are trying to put together a coalition that
will exclude the SDS. PM
[60] MACEDONIAN SHOOTOUTS LEAVE TWO DEAD, SEVERAL WOUNDED
Two people died and at least three were wounded in two separate
shootouts in Tetovo on 18 and 19 October, "Utrinski vesnik" reported. A
21-year-old ethnic Albanian passenger died and a second passenger was
injured when police opened fire on a car that refused to stop for a
routine check on 18 October. According to police sources, two shots
were fired at the patrol from inside the car. But Reuters quoted an
unnamed OSCE official as saying that the passengers were "kids...[who]
panicked [and] went on [while] police fired on their car." An unnamed
Western diplomat added: "What is worrying about this incident is that
it was a completely Macedonian patrol." Under the August 2001 peace
agreement, police patrols in sensitive areas are supposed to be
ethnically mixed. In the second incident, an 18-year-old ethnic
Macedonian student died and two other youths were badly injured as they
played basketball. They were hit by automatic gunfire from a passing
car. It is not clear if the two incidents are related. NATO and the
OSCE are investigating. UB/PM
[61] MACEDONIAN GOVERNMENT TAKING SHAPE
In addition to four ministries and a deputy prime minister's post, the
ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration (BDI) will have two
seats on the National Security Council, dpa reported from Skopje on 18
October (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18 October 2002). The two posts will
most likely go to Deputy Prime Minister Musa Xhaferi and Agron Buxhaku,
who heads the BDI's parliamentary faction. The other members of the
council are the president, the speaker of the parliament, the prime
minister, and the interior and defense ministers, all of whom are
ethnic Macedonians. The names of the individual cabinet members will be
announced shortly. It is expected that former Foreign Minister Ilinka
Mitreva and former Defense Minister Vlado Buckovski, both Social
Democrats, will return to their old jobs. PM
[62] COMMERCIAL BANK OF ROMANIA PRIVATIZATION REKINDLED
The Romanian government announced on 21 October that the process of
privatizing the Commercial Bank of Romania (BCR), the country's
largest, has been reinitiated, Mediafax reported. Privatization
Minister Ovidiu Musetescu said on 18 October that a majority stake of
the bank will be sold "to the right buyer." The government set 31 July
2003 as the deadline for the bank's sell-off, an extension of the
original February 2003 deadline agreed upon with the International
Monetary Fund, but Musetescu did not exclude the possibility that
finding a buyer could take longer. The initial BCR sale attracted bids
only from France's Eulia Corporation and an alliance of Austria's
Creditanstalt and Hungary's PostaBank. The government turned both of
those bids down on legal grounds. ZsM
[63] ROMANIAN GOVERNMENT ADVISER ARRESTED ON CORRUPTION CHARGES
On 19 October, the National Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office arrested
Fanel Pavalache, an adviser to the government's Secretary-General's
Office, on charges of abuse of office, Mediafax reported. Pavalache is
accused of asking for bribes totaling $4 million for him to influence
judges in the briber's favor in a lawsuit, according to media reports.
Pavalache was arrested after he allegedly received the first $20,000 of
the bribe. A statement released by the Secretary-General's Office on 20
October said Pavalache was working for the office only on a
probationary basis and that the charges against him have "nothing to do
with his work duties." ZsM
[64] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT CRITICIZES PLANS TO AMEND MEDIA LAW
Speaking to journalists in his hometown of Pernik on 19 October,
President Georgi Parvanov criticized the ruling parties' plans to amend
the existing media law, BTA reported. Parvanov said the proposed
changes are a "waste of time," although he admitted he did not know the
exact text of the amendments. "I doubt whether this new law may offer
fine solutions to the real problems facing the media, such as
financing, and providing more guarantees for freedom of speech,"
Parvanov said. The draft bill reportedly intends to reduce presidential
influence on the state Council on Electronic Media, which oversees both
private and state-run radio and television. Parvanov added that he is
concerned at the growing disagreements between the presidency, the
parliament, and the government on key political issues. UB
[65] BULGARIA COMPLETES DESTRUCTION OF MISSILE WARHEADS
The last of Bulgaria's stockpile of SS-23, Scud, and Frog missiles was
destroyed at the Zmeyovo military training area on 19 October, bnn news
agency reported. Defense Minister Nikolay Svinarov said the warheads
were destroyed 11 days ahead of the deadline agreed with the United
States. An unspecified number of missile engines remain to be scrapped.
The missile-destruction process stirred public protest against possible
environmental damage and was delayed by disagreements between the
Defense Ministry and the Environment Ministry (see "End Note," "RFE/RL
Newsline," 28 August 2002). UB
[66] BULGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS AFGHANISTAN
Foreign Minister Solomon Pasi arrived in Kabul for a one-day visit on
19 October, BTA reported. Pasi traveled aboard a transport plane
carrying 30 tons of humanitarian aid provided by the Bulgarian Civil
Protection Directorate and the Bulgarian Red Cross. Pasi met with
Afghan President Hamid Karzai, acting Foreign Minister Rahim Sherzoi,
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Commander Hilmi Akin
Zorlu, Kabul Multinational Brigade Commander Brigadier General Manfred
Schlenker, and with members of Bulgaria's ISAF contingent. "Bulgaria's
commitment to Afghanistan has been very serious since the very
beginning. Now, ahead of the [21-22 November NATO summit] meeting in
Prague, I would like to reaffirm this commitment," Pasi said prior to
leaving Sofia. UB
END NOTE
[67] There is no End Note today.
|
