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RFE/RL Newsline, 02-10-29
CONTENTS
[01] RUSSIAN OFFICIALS LAMBASTE DENMARK OVER CHECHEN CONGRESS
[02] PUTIN: ARMY WILL PLAY GREATER ROLE IN FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM
[03] MOSCOW COUNTS AND RECOUNTS THE CASUALTIES
[04] SPECULATION ABOUT THE MYSTERIOUS GAS CONTINUES
[05] EXPERTS DEBATE THE PERFORMANCE OF SECURITY SERVICES
[06] FSB ARRESTS INTERIOR MINISTRY OFFICER WHO ALLEGEDLY HELPED THE
[07] LEADING JOURNALIST SAYS CENSORSHIP ACCEPTABLE DURING CRISES...
[08] ...AS PSKOV RESIDENTS SIC THE FSB ON LOCAL JOURNALIST
[09] CHECHEN PRESIDENT EXPRESSES CONDOLENCES TO DEAD HOSTAGES'
[10] CHECHEN NGO SAYS IT CAN DISPROVE RUSSIAN CLAIMS OF MASKHADOV'S
[11] MASKHADOV'S ENVOY WARNS MORE 'TERRORIST ACTS' POSSIBLE
[12] YANDARBIEV CHALLENGES RUSSIAN ACCOUNT OF EVENTS PRECEDING STORMING
[13] CRIMEAN TATARS CALL FOR TALKS BETWEEN MOSCOW, MASKHADOV
[14] KREMLIN REJECTS ZAKAEV'S DENIAL OF MASKAHDOV'S INVOLVEMENT
[15] GROZNY ADMINISTRATION HEAD CALLS ON CHECHEN FIGHTERS TO SURRENDER
[16] ARAB PRESS WEIGHS IN ON MOSCOW DRAMA
[17] COSSACKS CALL FOR DEATH PENALTY FOR TERRORISM
[18] PATRIARCH HOSPITALIZED AFTER BLOOD-PRESSURE ATTACK
[19] EXPERTS SAY MOST SECTORS OF ECONOMY DIPPED IN OCTOBER
[20] INCUMBENT RE-ELECTED IN KALMYKIA
[21] ELECTION CHIEF TO LAY DOWN THE LAW IN ST. PETERSBURG
[22] ONE FAR EASTERN BUSINESSMAN GUNNED DOWN...
[23] ...AND ANOTHER ONE BLOWN UP
[24] REPORT: THREE MCDONALD'S-BLAST SUSPECTS ARRESTED
[25] ARMENIAN OPPOSITION MARKS THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF PARLIAMENT
[26] DETAILS OF CHARGES AGAINST ALLEGED ARMENIAN SPY FOR TURKEY
[27] THOUSANDS CALL ON AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT TO RESIGN
[28] AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITIONIST DROPPED FROM DELEGATION TO VISIT NATO
[29] WERE TERRORISTS RESPONSIBLE FOR SINKING OF AZERBAIJANI FERRY?
[30] CHECHEN REPRESENTATION IN AZERBAIJAN CLOSED DOWN
[31] AZERBAIJAN TO RAISE DOMESTIC OIL, GAS PRICES
[32] GEORGIAN PRESIDENT ACCUSES RUSSIAN MILITARY IN GEORGIA OF
[33] BALTIC SPECIALISTS CONTRIBUTE TO GEORGIA'S PROGRAM FOR NATO
[34] GEORGIAN NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL TO BE REFORMED
[35] GEORGIAN CONSTRUCTION MINISTER DISMISSED
[36] GEORGIA PURGES POLICE FORCE
[37] UN SAYS SITUATION IN KODORI 'STABLE'
[38] NEW GEORGIAN OPPOSITION PARTY UNITES SUPPORTERS OF FORMER
[39] OPPOSITION KAZAKH JOURNALIST DETAINED ON RAPE CHARGE
[40] KAZAKH OFFICIAL CONCERNED OVER INFLUX OF CHECHENS
[41] TURKEY, U.S. ASSIST KAZAKH MILITARY
[42] KYRGYZ OPPOSITION PARTY CALLS ON PRESIDENT TO RESIGN
[43] KYRGYZ HUNGER STRIKER HOSPITALIZED
[44] POLISH PRESIDENT VISITS KYRGYZSTAN
[45] NEW KYRGYZ GENERAL STAFF HEAD APPOINTED
[46] TAJIKISTAN TO RAISE PENSIONS, MINIMUM WAGE
[47] SIGNING OF TURKMEN-AFGHAN-PAKISTAN PIPELINE AGREEMENT POSTPONED
[48] OSCE OFFICIAL VISITS UZBEKISTAN
[49] BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION ACTIVISTS HEAVILY FINED FOR ANTI-INTEGRATION
[50] BELARUSIAN GOVERNMENT ORDERS OSCE MISSION'S LAST MEMBER TO LEAVE
[51] UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENTARY MAJORITY PROPOSES FOUR CANDIDATES FOR
[52] UKRAINIAN NEWS AGENCY HEAD IS REPORTED MISSING
[53] CHAIRMAN OF ESTONIA'S RIGHT-WING PRO PATRIA UNION RESIGNS
[54] COALITIONS FORMED IN ESTONIAN CITIES
[55] AMBASSADOR TO FRANCE, UNESCO TABBED FOR LATVIAN FOREIGN MINISTER'S
[56] DANISH MILITARY COMMANDER VISITS LITHUANIA
[57] POLAND HOLDS LOCAL ELECTIONS, NEEDS RUNOFF IN MOST CITIES
[58] POLISH PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER SURVIVES NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE
[59] CZECHS VIRTUALLY IGNORE SENATE ELECTIONS...
[60] ...PROMPTING COALITION PARTNERS TO AGREE ON MUTUAL SUPPORT
[61] CZECH PREMIER SAYS EU COMPROMISE AGREEMENT IS JUST 'BASIS FOR
[62] CZECH PRESIDENT ADDRESSES NATION ON STATE HOLIDAY
[63] SLOVAK PREMIER APPLAUDS OFFICIAL EU ANNOUNCEMENT ON ENLARGEMENT
[64] SLOVAK PRESIDENT RECEIVED BY POPE
[65] FORMER SLOVAK INTELLIGENCE SERVICE CHIEF TO BE PROSECUTED AT LARGE
[66] HUNGARIAN SOCIALISTS DROP PROPOSAL ON CONTROVERSIAL EU REFERENDUM
[67] HUNGARIAN LEADERS REACT TO EU ENLARGEMENT 'BREAKTHROUGH'
[68] HUNGARIAN DEMOCRATIC FORUM VOWS TO SAFEGUARD INDEPENDENCE
[69] HUNGARIAN STATUS LAW AMENDMENTS IN THE OFFING
[70] TOP BOSNIAN SERB DEFENSE OFFICIALS OUSTED OVER IRAQ ARMS
[71] ...AS YUGOSLAV GOVENMENT ADMITS VIOLATION OF SANCTIONS AGAINST
[72] ...AND WASHINGTON EXPECTS MORE...
[73] ...AND ASHDOWN SEES A 'REGIONAL' DIMENSION...
[74] ...WHILE BOSNIA BANS WEAPONS TRADE
[75] HAVE SERBS HELPED IRAQ DEVELOP A CRUISE MISSILE...
[76] ...AND PROVIDE IT WITH EXPLOSIVES?
[77] PRESIDENT'S PARTY LEADS IN KOSOVA VOTE...
[78] ...WHICH WAS MARRED BY A LOW TURNOUT...
[79] ...AND A SHOOTING DEATH
[80] NEW BOSNIAN PRESIDENCY TAKES OFFICE
[81] INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS MONITOR MACEDONIAN CENSUS
[82] MAYORS OF MACEDONIAN, SERBIAN, AND BULGARIAN CITIES SET UP
[83] ROMANIAN LEADERS WELCOME EU ENLARGEMENT DECISION
[84] CRISIS IN ROMANIAN CNSAS INTENSIFIES
[85] ROMANIAN ANTIFRAUD DIRECTOR CAUGHT RED-HANDED
[86] ARMENIAN DEFENSE MINISTER IN ROMANIA
[87] FORMER ROMANIAN MONARCH PLEADS ROMANIA'S CAUSE IN LONDON
[88] ROMANIAN, MOLDOVAN LIBERALS SIGN POLITICAL-PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT
[89] MOLDOVAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES 2003 BUDGET
[90] RUSSIA, SEPARATISTS REINFORCE MUNITIONS-WITHDRAWAL AGREEMENT
[91] BULGARIAN ENVIRONMENT MINISTER THREATENS TO SHUT DOWN STEEL
[92] BULGARIAN PRESIDENTIAL COUNSELOR DEMANDS CRISIS-MANAGEMENT LAW
[93] EMPLOYEES PROTEST IN BULGARIA OVER PLANS TO LIQUIDATE BALKAN
[94] There is no End Note today.
29 October 2002
RUSSIA
[01] RUSSIAN OFFICIALS LAMBASTE DENMARK OVER CHECHEN CONGRESS
State Duma International Relations Committee Chairman Dmitrii Rogozin,
Russian human rights commissioner for Chechnya Abdul-Khakim Sultygov,
and the Russian Foreign Ministry have all harshly criticized Denmark
for its failure, in the wake of the Moscow hostage crisis, to cancel
the 28-29 October World Chechen Congress, Russian news agencies
reported. The Russian Foreign Ministry termed the failure to cancel "a
gathering in support of Chechen terrorists" as "an unfriendly act"
toward Russia, and hinted that it could result in the cancellation of
the upcoming Russian-EU summit in Copenhagen, which is scheduled for 11
November. It accused the Danish government of "acting against the
policy of the European Union, which has repeatedly declared its firm
respect for Russia's territorial integrity," according to Interfax on
26 October. Foreign Ministry spokesman Boris Malakhov said a visit to
Denmark by President Vladimir Putin scheduled for 11-12 November "is no
longer possible," RIA-Novosti reported. Sultygov said on 26 October
that a "country that currently holds the chairmanship of the European
Union does not have the moral right to connive with international
terrorists," ITAR-TASS reported the following day. LF/VY
[02] PUTIN: ARMY WILL PLAY GREATER ROLE IN FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM
During a cabinet meeting on 28 October to discuss the recent hostage
crisis in Moscow, President Putin said that Russia "is now paying the
price for the weakness of the state and the consequences of its
inaction [in the past], but the country will make no 'understandings'
with terrorists nor surrender to their blackmail," ITAR-TASS and other
Russian news agencies reported. Putin also said Russia will more
actively use its army to combat international terrorism and that he has
already issued instructions to that effect to the General Staff. "If
anyone uses weapons of mass destruction or the equivalent against our
country, Russia will respond with measures commensurate with the threat
wherever terrorists, the organizers of their crimes, and their
ideological and financial supporters might be," Putin said. Earlier
this month, influential political consultant Gleb Pavlovskii wrote that
the Kremlin considers suicide bombers to be a new type of weapon of
mass destruction (see "RFE/RL Security and Terrorism Watch," 15 October
2002). VY
[03] MOSCOW COUNTS AND RECOUNTS THE CASUALTIES
By the end of 28 October, officials reported that 118 former hostages
were killed as a result of the 26 October operation to end the hostage
standoff, according to Russian and Western news agencies. The dead
included 63 men and 54 women. According to initial reports citing
medical personnel, only two victims died from gunfire, and the
remaining 116 died from the effects of the sleeping gas used by
security forces during the operation. However, on 29 October,
gazeta.ru, citing Moscow Prosecutor Mikhail Avdyukov, reported that 45
former hostages had died of bullet wounds. Later in the day, Avdyukov
retracted this statement, saying that his figure of 45 included 41
hostage takers and that only four innocent people had died of gunshot
wounds. Among the dead were at least one U.S. citizen, as well as
citizens of Austria, the Netherlands, Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Ukraine.
An estimated 30 people are still listed as missing and slightly more
than 400 former hostages remain hospitalized. Putin declared 28 October
a national day of mourning, and the Moscow city government announced it
will pay 100,000 rubles ($3,000) to the families of each victim to
cover burial expenses. Other former hostages will receive 50,000
rubles. VY/RC
[04] SPECULATION ABOUT THE MYSTERIOUS GAS CONTINUES
Russian authorities still refuse to identify the gas used by security
forces during the 26 October storming of the Moscow theater where more
than 800 people were being held hostage by Chechen fighters, Russian
and Western news media reported. Even medical personnel treating the
former hostages remain in the dark about the gas, gazeta.ru and
"Izvestiya" reported on 28 October. According to some reports, doctors
were treating gas victims with narsan, leading to speculation that the
gas was fentanyl, which is widely used as an anesthetic, or a
derivative of it, possibly trimethylphenyl. Fentanyl is harmless when
used under strict control, chemical-weapons experts from Moscow State
University told gazeta.ru, but can be fatal otherwise even in small
amounts. The specialists noted that the gas could have fatal
consequences for people weakened and dehydrated by three days of
stressful captivity. In such circumstances, the only way to prevent
death would be to immediately ventilate the lungs, but doctors were not
able to carry out this procedure in many cases, gazeta.ru reported. VY
[05] EXPERTS DEBATE THE PERFORMANCE OF SECURITY SERVICES
An unidentified veteran of Israel's elite antiterrorism squad told
RFE/RL's correspondent in Tel Aviv on 28 October that the
special-forces operation to free the hostages was very successful
because "never before in a single operation were so many hostages
released and so many terrorists killed." He emphasized that the
antiterrorism units faced an extremely difficult task, having to seize
a building filled with 2 tons of explosives scattered in more than 30
locations, RFE/RL's Russian Service reported. He said any such
operation resulting in fewer than 30 percent casualties should be
considered a success. However, dissident former Federal Security
Service (FSB) Colonel Aleksandr Litvinenko, who was granted political
asylum in Great Britain in 2001, said he sees the incident as a failure
for the security services, RFE/RL's Russian Service reported on 28
October. He said he believes the hostage takers could not have pulled
off such a raid in the center of Moscow without important accomplices
within the security community. Litvinenko also finds it significant
that, reportedly, no police or security agents died during the theater
takeover. He said there are almost always police present at events such
as this performance. However, there are no reports that the Chechen
fighters encountered any police as they approached the theater or that
any police officers attempted to resist them, Litvinenko said. VY
[06] FSB ARRESTS INTERIOR MINISTRY OFFICER WHO ALLEGEDLY HELPED THE
HOSTAGE TAKERS
FSB agents on 28 October arrested a senior Interior Ministry officer
who allegedly spoke by cellular phone to the hostage takers from the
crisis-management headquarters during the hostage drama, "Izvestiya"
reported on 28 October. An unidentified FSB spokesman is cited as
reporting that the officer might have been able to reveal information
about the preparation of the operation to storm the theater. The
spokesman added that the FSB is looking for other possible moles within
the law enforcement agencies. Moscow's Interior Ministry reported on 28
October that three Chechens were arrested with weapons, explosives, and
a plan of a Moscow railroad station, NTV reported. The Interior
Ministry on 28 October also arrested in a Moscow hospital a Chechen
woman who was among the released hostages, charging her with being one
of the hostage takers, RTR reported. VY
[07] LEADING JOURNALIST SAYS CENSORSHIP ACCEPTABLE DURING CRISES...
Noted television anchorman and president of the Russian Television
Academy Vladimir Pozner endorsed "censorship constraints on the mass
media during wartime, including during the war against terrorism,"
strana.ru reported on 29 October. However, he added that since there
currently is no appropriate law, journalists should not be punished.
"If a journalist sees that the government is lying, he should report
this, if he has solid evidence," Pozner said. VY
[08] ...AS PSKOV RESIDENTS SIC THE FSB ON LOCAL JOURNALIST
Several residents of Pskov telephoned the local office of the FSB on 27
October with complaints against a local radio journalist who reportedly
advocated independence for Chechnya, regions.ru reported, citing the
Pskov Information Agency. According to one of the callers, Dmitrii
Osherov said "offensive" things about the special-forces operation to
release the hostages, offered justifications for the hostage takers'
actions, and said Russia "should give Chechnya its independence and let
them live as they please." It was unclear from the report whether the
FSB intends to investigate the complaints. RC
[09] CHECHEN PRESIDENT EXPRESSES CONDOLENCES TO DEAD HOSTAGES'
RELATIVES
In a statement carried on chechenpress.com on 26 October, Aslan
Maskhadov expressed condolences to the relatives of those hostages who
died during what he termed the "inglorious" and unnecessary storm of
the Moscow theater by Russian troops earlier that day. Maskhadov again
stressed that he condemns terror as a means to any end. He said that
although the hostage taking was not carried out in consultation with
any official Chechen body, and although "we did everything we could to
avoid bloodshed," as president he nonetheless feels responsibility "for
those who in despair decided to sacrifice themselves." But greater
responsibility, Maskhadov continued, lies with the Russian leadership,
whose barbaric policies have reduced thousands of Chechens to the
conviction that there is no point in remaining alive. LF
[10] CHECHEN NGO SAYS IT CAN DISPROVE RUSSIAN CLAIMS OF MASKHADOV'S
INVOLVEMENT IN HOSTAGE TAKING
The Chechen Committee for National Salvation (ChKNS), based in Nazran,
released a statement on 25 October rejecting as "an outrageous lie"
claims by FSB spokesman Sergei Ignatchenko and Deputy Interior Minister
Vladimir Vasilev that Russian intelligence intercepted a videocassette
that proves Maskhadov's complicity with the hostage takers, according
to chechenpress.com on 25 October (see "RFE/RL Newsline" 25 October
2002). The statement says the ChKNS is ready to furnish the media with
proof that Maskhadov did not give the orders for the hostage taking. It
further explains that on the videocassette in question Maskhadov merely
informed foreign journalists that the Chechen armed forces are strong
enough to undertake an action that would fundamentally change the
course of the war and compel the Russian Army to withdraw from
Chechnya. LF
[11] MASKHADOV'S ENVOY WARNS MORE 'TERRORIST ACTS' POSSIBLE
In telephone interviews with Reuters and dpa on 26 October, Maskhadov's
envoy, Chechen Vice Premier Akhmed Zakaev, predicted that radical
Chechen fighters who do not acknowledge Maskhadov's authority might
undertake new acts of terrorism in an attempt to force Russia to
withdraw its troops from Chechnya. He said the possibility cannot be
ruled out that they might try to seize a nuclear-power plant with
catastrophic results not only for Russia but for all of Europe. Zakaev
also said he fears the Russian leadership might retaliate for the
hostage taking with large-scale reprisals against the Chechen community
in Moscow. LF
[12] YANDARBIEV CHALLENGES RUSSIAN ACCOUNT OF EVENTS PRECEDING STORMING
OF THEATER
Former acting Chechen President Zelimkhan Yandarbiev argued in a
statement carried by chechenpress.com on 28 October that there was no
need for Russian troops to storm the occupied theater on 26 October. He
said the hostage takers gave the Russian authorities a three-day
ultimatum to comply with their demands that was due to expire only late
on 26 October and that, during talks on 25 October with Russian
representatives including former Prime Minister Yevgenii Primakov and
former Ingushetian President Ruslan Aushev, the hostages were assured
that a personal representative of President Putin would come to the
theater to speak with them at 11:00 a.m. Moscow time on 26 October.
Yandarbiev said he spoke with Movsar Baraev, the leader of the hostage
takers, late on 25 October and Baraev assured him he would "make a
final decision" whether to act on his threat to kill the hostages only
after that meeting with Putin's representative. Yandarbiev explicitly
denied that the hostage takers executed two hostages early on 26
October, that some of them were high on drugs, or that Baraev had been
drinking cognac shortly before the assault, as some Russian media
alleged. LF
[13] CRIMEAN TATARS CALL FOR TALKS BETWEEN MOSCOW, MASKHADOV
In a 24 October statement signed by its chairman, Mustafa Dzhemilev,
the Crimean Tatar Mejlis branded the Moscow hostage taking by Chechen
militants "alien to Islamic norms," but also condemned the "eight-year
war" Moscow has waged in Chechnya with the aim "of physically
annihilating the Chechen people." The Mejlis called on foreign
governments to pressure Moscow to end hostilities and embark on peace
talks with the legitimate Chechen government headed by Maskhadov and
affirmed its readiness to mediate such talks. The statement further
observed that the scale of reprisals against the Chechen people has
long since exceeded that which impelled the international community to
intervene in Bosnia, Kosova, and Macedonia. It called on the UN, the
OSCE, NATO, and the Council of Europe to use those levers at their
disposal to bring the war to a swift end. LF
[14] KREMLIN REJECTS ZAKAEV'S DENIAL OF MASKAHDOV'S INVOLVEMENT
In a statement released on 28 October, the Russian presidential
administration rejected as "a blatant and outright lie" Chechen Vice
Premier Zakaev's statement at the World Chechen Congress in Copenhagen
earlier that day that President Maskhadov was not involved in any way
in last week's hostage-taking drama in Moscow, ITAR-TASS reported.
Responding to Zakaev's affirmation that Maskhadov is ready for
unconditional peace talks, the Kremlin statement asked rhetorically
what remains to be discussed with those whose role in terrorist acts
"is more than clear," according to Interfax. Interfax further quoted
Deputy Prosecutor-General Sergei Fridinskii as likewise ruling out any
talks with Maskhadov except on the terms for his surrender and the
criminal charges against him. LF
[15] GROZNY ADMINISTRATION HEAD CALLS ON CHECHEN FIGHTERS TO SURRENDER
Akhmed-hadji Kadyrov has issued an appeal to all Chechen militants to
lay down their arms and surrender, assuring them that if they do so he
will guarantee their safety and ensure they are provided with
employment, provided they "do not have blood" on their hands, Interfax
reported on 28 October. Kadyrov warned that if they fail to do so, they
will be killed. LF
[16] ARAB PRESS WEIGHS IN ON MOSCOW DRAMA
While Western reactions to the Moscow hostage crisis focused on the
death toll and the use of sleeping gas, the Arab press analyzed the
event's implications for the Russian stance on Iraq and, more
generally, the American-led war on terrorism. An editorial in the
London-based "al-Hayat" on 28 October drew a parallel between Russian
and Israeli policies, arguing that "both [countries] claim to be
'victims of terror' in order to justify the worst sorts of state
violence and terror." Layla al-Atrash wrote in Jordan's "al-Dustur" the
same day, "America will exploit the tragedy...to pressure Russia into
unconditionally accepting a strike against Iraq and perhaps even giving
up its economic interests and oil agreements with Iraq." Lebanon's
"al-Nahar" echoed the theme the same day, claiming that "elastic"
American definitions of weapons of mass destruction could be applied to
the Russian use of gas, leaving Moscow "no room to reject the war
against Iraq." Writing in the London-based "al-Quds al-'Arabi" on 28
October, Tawfiq al-Rabahi lamented that "Russian life is cheap, like
Arab life and life in the third world." The author concluded that if
there were more concern for the lives of citizens in underdeveloped
countries like Russia, world leaders would have made greater efforts to
find a "less costly" solution rather than waiting to send
"congratulations for a massacre." A 28 October editorial in the
London-based "al-Sharq al-Awsat" was more circumspect, stating that
terrorism harms any cause, no matter how just, and calling for a
solution to the Chechen dilemma that will "grant the Chechen people
their demands and safeguard Russia's legitimate interests." DK
[17] COSSACKS CALL FOR DEATH PENALTY FOR TERRORISM
The Council of Atamans of the Don Cossacks called on 28 October for the
reinstatement of the death penalty as a tool in combating international
terrorism, Interfax reported. The council unanimously adopted the
resolution calling for the death penalty for those convicted of
organizing or carrying out acts of terrorism and forwarded it to
President Putin and both chambers of the legislature. According to
First Deputy Ataman Dmitrii Rubanov, "Our society has not yet matured
enough to be called a democracy." He said Russia should use the U.S.
Constitution as a model, because it does not forbid the death penalty.
RC
[18] PATRIARCH HOSPITALIZED AFTER BLOOD-PRESSURE ATTACK
Patriarch Aleksii II was hospitalized in serious condition on 28
October in Astrakhan, Russian news agencies reported. Doctors were
reported as saying the patriarch suffered from an acute attack of high
blood pressure after spending the day in solitary prayer for the
victims of the 23-26 October hostage crisis in Moscow. Russian Orthodox
Church spokesman Aleksandr Kabachek told regions.ru that the illness
might have been brought on by the patriarch's anxiety during the
56-hour hostage ordeal. According to Interfax, Aleksii was transferred
to a Moscow hospital on 29 October. He is expected to make a complete
recovery. RC
[19] EXPERTS SAY MOST SECTORS OF ECONOMY DIPPED IN OCTOBER
The Institute of Transition Economics stated in its monthly report that
most sectors of the Russian economy experienced decline in October,
lenta.ru reported on 29 October. The energy, machine-building, and food
sectors were the only ones to experience general growth for the month,
and October demand for labor was the lowest for the 1999-2002 period,
with the exception of the forestry industry. VY
[20] INCUMBENT RE-ELECTED IN KALMYKIA
Kalmykia President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov won re-election in a second-round
ballot on 27 October, Russian and Western news agencies reported.
Ilyumzhinov received 57 percent of the vote, while High Technology Bank
Deputy Chairman Baatyr Shondzhiev polled just less than 39 percent.
Ilyumzhinov was elected to his first seven-year term in an uncontested
election in 1993. Under the republic's current constitution, he is
eligible to run for a third term in 2009, strana.ru reported. RC
[21] ELECTION CHIEF TO LAY DOWN THE LAW IN ST. PETERSBURG
Central Election Commission Chairman Aleksandr Veshnyakov will travel
to St. Petersburg on 31 October to oversee preparations for local
legislative elections on 8 December, ITAR-TASS reported on 28 October.
Veshnyakov told journalists he thinks the Petersburg elections are
"rather complex from the legal point of view" because of contradictions
between existing local legislation and the newly adopted federal law on
the main guarantees of voters' rights. Veshnyakov said he intends to
make sure the local election commission has prepared the necessary
normative acts and to meet with law enforcement officials to discuss
security issues and control over campaign spending. RC
[22] ONE FAR EASTERN BUSINESSMAN GUNNED DOWN...
Far East businessman and local Union of Rightist Forces (SPS) leader
Viktor Aksinin was shot dead at the door to his apartment in Nakhodka
by unknown assailants on 29 October, RIA-Novosti and other Russian news
agencies reported. Local prosecutors are treating the murder as a
contract hit, and investigators are working now to establish possible
motives for the murder. According to gazeta.ru, Aksinin was a staunch
opponent of Nakhodka Mayor Viktor Gnezdilov, against whom Aksinin had
filed numerous complaints with local prosecutors. However, prosecutors
told the website that none of those complaints had ever led to a
criminal investigation against Gnezdilov. According to the report,
investigators are also looking into Aksinin's interests in the local
fishing industry. Ekho Moskvy reported on 29 October that Aksinin also
had interests in a company retailing oil products. RC
[23] ...AND ANOTHER ONE BLOWN UP
A businessman in Vladivostok is in serious but stable condition after
the elevator in his residential building was blown up on 29 October in
an apparent murder attempt, gazeta.ru reported. Yurii Safonov, general
director of the state enterprise Primgosavtonadzor, suffered head and
spinal trauma when the device detonated between the sixth and seventh
floors. A criminal probe has been launched. RC
[24] REPORT: THREE MCDONALD'S-BLAST SUSPECTS ARRESTED
Police in Moscow arrested on 27 October three unidentified Chechens in
connection with the 19 October explosion outside a McDonald's
restaurant that killed one and wounded about a dozen (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 19 October 2002), Russian news agencies reported. Police
declined to confirm the reports officially, although ITAR-TASS cited an
unidentified police source as saying they are true. RC
TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[25] ARMENIAN OPPOSITION MARKS THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF PARLIAMENT
SHOOTINGS
Thousands of people attended a rally in Yerevan on 25 October to mark
the third anniversary of the shooting of eight senior officials in the
Armenian parliament, which they blamed on Armenian President Robert
Kocharian, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported. Albert Bazeyan, chairman
of the Hanrapetutiun Party, affirmed that the killings were intended to
give Kocharian "unlimited" power and ensure his victory in future
elections by removing his possible rivals, Prime Minister Vazgen
Sargsian and parliament speaker Karen Demirchian. LF
[26] DETAILS OF CHARGES AGAINST ALLEGED ARMENIAN SPY FOR TURKEY
DIVULGED
Murad Bojolian, whose trial on charges of espionage for Turkey opened
in Yerevan on 24 October (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 25 October 2002), was
allegedly tasked by his Turkish handlers with determining the location
of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) training camps in Armenia and the
unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Noyan Tapan reported on 25
October. The Armenian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly rejected as
untrue Turkish allegations that such camps exist. LF
[27] THOUSANDS CALL ON AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT TO RESIGN
Azerbaijani opposition parties staged another mass demonstration in
Baku on 27 October with the consent of the municipal authorities, Turan
reported. Turan estimated the number of participants at "tens of
thousands," while ITAR-TASS calculated it at 6,000-8,000. The
participants demanded the resignation of President Heidar Aliev;
concentration of the country's resources on solving the Karabakh
conflict; the annulment of the outcome of the 24 August referendum on
constitutional amendments; an amnesty for political prisoners and the
return to Azerbaijani of political emigres; the involvement of the UN
and the OSCE in preparing for next year's presidential elections;
airtime for the opposition on the state-controlled media, and
permission to stage opposition demonstrations on Baku's Azadlyg Square;
and the trial and sentencing of persons responsible for the use of
force against participants in the standoff between police and villagers
in Nardaran on 3 June. LF
[28] AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITIONIST DROPPED FROM DELEGATION TO VISIT NATO
Ali Kerimli, opposition parliament deputy and chairman of the reformist
wing of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party, was excluded at the last
minute from a parliamentary delegation that was to travel to Brussels
on 27 October to participate in a NATO seminar, zerkalo.az reported on
26 October. LF
[29] WERE TERRORISTS RESPONSIBLE FOR SINKING OF AZERBAIJANI FERRY?
Azerbaijani political analyst Rovshan Novrozoglu believes that both the
Azerbaijani ferry "Mercury-2" that sank in the Caspian on 22 October
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 24 October 2002) and the Azerbaijani tanker
"General Shikhlinskii" damaged by an explosion in the Turkmen port of
Turkmenbashi (former Krasnovodsk) three months earlier (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 9 July 2002), were targeted by terrorists, according to the
Azerbaijani paper "Hurriyet" on 24 October, as cited by Groong. On 25
October, an official from the Caspian Shipping Company that owned the
vessel confirmed reports that neither the "Mercury-2" nor any other of
the company's 75-strong fleet are insured. Up to 40 of the "Mercury
2"'s passengers and crew are still missing. On 26 October, President
Aliev designated 28 October a day of mourning for the victims. LF
[30] CHECHEN REPRESENTATION IN AZERBAIJAN CLOSED DOWN
Russia's Ambassador to Azerbaijan Nikolai Ryabov on 26 October
expressed appreciation for the Azerbaijani government's decision the
previous day to close the Chechen representation in Baku in the wake of
the Moscow hostage taking by Chechen militants, Turan reported. LF
[31] AZERBAIJAN TO RAISE DOMESTIC OIL, GAS PRICES
President Aliev has approved raising domestic prices for oil and
natural gas, Interfax quoted Finance Minister Avaz Alekperov as saying
on 28 October. The International Monetary Fund had recommended that
Azerbaijan double crude-oil prices over a period of six to 12 months
from $45.5 to $80-100 per ton; Aliev said in Gyandja last month that he
would not do so (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 16 September 2002). LF
[32] GEORGIAN PRESIDENT ACCUSES RUSSIAN MILITARY IN GEORGIA OF
SUPPLYING ARMS TO CHECHEN MILITANTS
Eduard Shevardnadze has told a Georgian newspaper that weaponry from
the Russian military base at Vaziani, which was closed last year (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 2 July 2001), was delivered to Chechen fighters
encamped in the Pankisi Gorge, Caucasus Press reported on 28 October.
LF
[33] BALTIC SPECIALISTS CONTRIBUTE TO GEORGIA'S PROGRAM FOR NATO
MEMBERSHIP
A team of experts from the Baltic states is in Tbilisi to advise
Georgia on the drafting of its program for integration into NATO,
Interfax and Caucasus Press reported on 25 October. Georgian Foreign
Ministry spokesman Kakha Sikharulidze said the plan encompasses
measures to ensure that Georgia reaches NATO's military and economic
standards. Also on 25 October, Georgian Deputy Defense Minister Gela
Bezhuashvili told journalists that the process of adapting Georgia's
legislation to NATO standards has already begun, Caucasus Press
reported. He added that the process may necessitate some amendments to
Georgia's constitution. LF
[34] GEORGIAN NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL TO BE REFORMED
Georgian President Shevardnadze chaired a session of the National
Security Council on 25 October that discussed and agreed upon reforms
that will expand the council's role and functions, Caucasus Press
reported on 25 October, quoting council Chairman Tedo Djaparidze. In
future, the council will coordinate foreign policy and oversee the
Foreign Ministry, and it will also oversee the Energy Ministry with the
aim of ensuring Georgia's energy sufficiency. The reform, which will
take effect over a three-year period, is to be funded by the United
States. LF
[35] GEORGIAN CONSTRUCTION MINISTER DISMISSED
In line with his warning of 23 October (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 24
October 2002), President Shevardnadze has fired Merab Chkhenkeli as
minister of construction and urban planning, Caucasus Press reported on
28 October. Shevardnadze said Chkhenkeli is "a man of crystal honor and
high professionalism," but that he had failed to prevent illegal
construction that does not harmonize with Tbilisi's traditional
architecture. LF
[36] GEORGIA PURGES POLICE FORCE
Eighty-five police officers have been dismissed so far this year for
various violations and criminal proceedings have been opened against 32
of them, including 20 officers, a senior Interior Ministry official
told journalists on 29 October, Caucasus Press reported. Over the same
time period, a total of 296 human rights violations by police were
recorded. On 28 October, Ombudsman Nana Devdariani told Caucasus Press
that 97 citizens who incurred injuries at the hands of the police over
an unspecified time period have requested medical assistance. LF
[37] UN SAYS SITUATION IN KODORI 'STABLE'
UN officials and Kodori Governor Emzar Kvitsiani told Caucasus Press on
29 and 28 October, respectively, that a joint patrol of the Kodori
Gorge conducted between 24-26 October detected no illegal armed groups
or munitions dumps. The UN characterized the situation in the gorge as
stable and under control. But on 28 October, Abkhaz Vice President
Valerii Arshba requested that the Russian peacekeeping force deployed
in the Abkhaz conflict zone under the CIS aegis and the UN observers
establish a joint observation post in Kodori to prevent Chechen
militants descending from the upper, Georgian-controlled sector of the
gorge into the lower sector, which is controlled by the Abkhaz,
Caucasus Press reported. LF
[38] NEW GEORGIAN OPPOSITION PARTY UNITES SUPPORTERS OF FORMER
PRESIDENT
The founding congress of the Union of National Concord and Justice took
place in Tbilisi on 28 October, the anniversary of Zviad Gamsakhurdia's
election in 1990 as Georgian parliament chairman, Caucasus Press
reported. The union is headed by Guram Absandze, who served as finance
minister under Gamsakhurdia. Gamsakhurdia's former Prime Minister Nemo
Burchuladze is a member of its political council. Absandze was
sentenced in August 2001 to 18 years' imprisonment on multiple charges,
including involvement in the February 1998 attempt to assassinate
Shevardnadze, but that sentence was subsequently reduced for lack of
evidence of his role in that assault. Shevardnadze pardoned him in
April 2002 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 August and 14 November 2001, and
31 January and 22 April 2002). LF
[39] OPPOSITION KAZAKH JOURNALIST DETAINED ON RAPE CHARGE
Police detained independent journalist Sergei Duvanov at his home in
Almaty early on 28 October on suspicion of raping a 14-year-old girl,
Reuters and forumkz.org reported. Duvanov, who edits a human rights
bulletin, said in a statement he lost consciousness after drinking
strange-tasting tea prepared by an underage girl who accompanied
neighbors who visited his dacha on 27 October to use his banya. AFP on
28 October quoted Evgenii Zhovtis, head of Kazakhstan's International
Bureau of Human Rights and the Rule of Law, as condemning the arrest as
"a provocation." In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Richard
Boucher declined to comment on Duvanov's arrest, saying he lacked
sufficient information to do so, but noted a "string of abuses, the
pattern of harassment" against the independent media in Kazakhstan. LF
[40] KAZAKH OFFICIAL CONCERNED OVER INFLUX OF CHECHENS
Vladimir Bozhko, the first deputy chairman of Kazakhstan's National
Security Committee, told a recent session of the CIS
Inter-Parliamentary Assembly's Commission for Defense, Security, and
International Cooperation that the number of Chechens entering
Kazakhstan has risen sharply, "Vremya novostei" reported on 25 October.
In November 1999, Kazakhstan temporarily suspended ferry traffic with
Azerbaijan to curb the influx of Chechen refugees (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 24 and 30 November 1999). LF
[41] TURKEY, U.S. ASSIST KAZAKH MILITARY
Under a protocol recently signed in Almaty, the Turkish military will
provide computer and communications equipment and vehicles worth some
$1 million to the Kazakh armed forces, Russian news agencies reported
on 28 October. Also on 28 October, Russian news agencies reported that
a team of U.S. experts has arrived in Kazakhstan to assess the combat
readiness of Kazakhstan's peacekeeping battalion and make
recommendations on how much financial assistance it requires. LF
[42] KYRGYZ OPPOSITION PARTY CALLS ON PRESIDENT TO RESIGN
The Asaba party issued a statement in Bishkek on 25 October arguing
that during the 12 years he has held power, President Askar Akaev has
led Kyrgyzstan into a deep political and economic crisis, and he should
therefore step down voluntarily, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported. LF
[43] KYRGYZ HUNGER STRIKER HOSPITALIZED
One of the supporters of jailed former Vice President Feliks Kulov who
embarked on a hunger strike on 8 October to demand Kulov's release was
hospitalized in Bishkek on 26 October after losing consciousness,
RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported. According to Human Rights Movement of
Kyrgyzstan Chairman Tursunbek Akunov, 30 people across Kyrgyzstan are
still on hunger strike (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 and 16 October 2002).
LF
[44] POLISH PRESIDENT VISITS KYRGYZSTAN
Visiting Bishkek on 24-25 October, Aleksandr Kwasniewski met with
President Akaev to discuss expanding political and economic
cooperation, regional security, and combating international terrorism,
ITAR-TASS and RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported. Among the economic
projects discussed were Polish participation in exploiting coal
deposits in Kyrgyzstan and supplies of Polish machinery for
Kyrgyzstan's textile industry. Kwasniewski brought quantities of
humanitarian aid to Bishkek, including 170,000 doses of anti-malaria
drugs. He thanked Akaev publicly for Kyrgyzstan's willingness to host
at the international base at Manas airport a Polish military contingent
participating in Operation Enduring Freedom. LF
[45] NEW KYRGYZ GENERAL STAFF HEAD APPOINTED
On 24 October, President Akaev named First Deputy Defense Minister
Colonel General Alik Mamyrkulov head of the Kyrgyz armed forces General
Staff, akipress.org reported the following day. Mamyrkulov replaces
Kubanychbai Tynaliev, who reportedly resigned of his own volition. On
26 October, Akaev appointed former First Deputy Minister of Internal
Affairs Sadyrbek Dubanaev and Nurdin Chomoev as deputy heads of the
newly created State Border Service, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported.
Former Deputy Interior Minister Kalmurat Sadiev was named head of that
service on 16 October; his successor at the Interior Ministry is former
Bishkek police chief Abdulla Suranchiev. LF
[46] TAJIKISTAN TO RAISE PENSIONS, MINIMUM WAGE
President Imomali Rakhmonov signed a decree on 25 October raising
pensions, state sector salaries, student grants, and the minimum wage
by 20 percent, effective 1 April 2003, Asia Plus-Blitz reported on 28
October. The new minimum wage will be 5 somonis ($1.7). Rakhmonov
decreed a similar increase 11 months ago (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27
November 2001). In order to fund next year's increase, Rakhmonov
ordered a 5 percent reduction in the staff of national and local
government bodies. Asia Plus-Blitz reported in July 2002 that in the
southern oblast of Kulyab, workers in the agrarian sector receive on
average 15 somonis per month; in the education sector, 17 somonis; in
health care, 8 somonis; and in the culture sector, 11 somonis. LF
[47] SIGNING OF TURKMEN-AFGHAN-PAKISTAN PIPELINE AGREEMENT POSTPONED
The signing in Ashgabat, scheduled for 26 October, by the presidents of
Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan of a framework agreement on
building an export pipeline for Turkmen natural gas was postponed at
Pakistan's request, Russian news agencies reported on 26 October.
Government officials from the three countries initialed the agreement
one week earlier (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 October 2002). AP said
Islamabad cited as its reason for requesting the postponement the
ongoing talks on forming a new cabinet and questions raised by the
Asian Development Bank, which had indicated willingness to co-fund the
project. In a message to President Niyazov pegged to the 11th
anniversary of Turkmenistan's independence, Pakistan's President Parviz
Musharraf proposed rescheduling the signing ceremony for a date after
20 December, ITAR-TASS reported on 27 October. LF
[48] OSCE OFFICIAL VISITS UZBEKISTAN
OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Rolf Ekeus met in
Tashkent on 24 October with Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Komilov
and parliament Chairman Erkin Khalilov, uza.uz reported on 25 October.
Their talks focused on expanding cooperation between Uzbekistan and the
OSCE and on Uzbekistan's achievements in strengthening regional
security and safeguarding human rights. LF
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
[49] BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION ACTIVISTS HEAVILY FINED FOR ANTI-INTEGRATION
PICKET
A district court in Minsk has fined Pavel Sevyarynets the equivalent of
$900 and Syarhey Markoyts and Alena Lazarchyk some $120 each for
staging a picket in Minsk on 23 October to protest Belarusian-Russian
integration, RFE/RL's Belarusian Service reported on 28 October. "This
shows that the Lukashenka regime is not going to change," Sevyarynets
said. "As before, it punishes [individuals] for [displaying] the
slogans 'No to Union with Russia' and 'Belarus into Europe.'" The
picket took place in front of the International Educational Center,
where some opposition leaders were participating in a conference on
Belarus's possible integration with Russia. Russia's Union of Rightist
Forces leader Boris Nemtsov planned to take part in the conference but
was prevented from doing so by the KGB (see "RFE/RL Poland, Belarus,
and Ukraine Report," 29 October 2002). JM
[50] BELARUSIAN GOVERNMENT ORDERS OSCE MISSION'S LAST MEMBER TO LEAVE
MINSK
The Foreign Ministry on 28 October notified Alina Josan of Moldova, the
last remaining international member of the OSCE Advisory and Monitoring
Group (AMG) in Belarus, that her diplomatic accreditation has expired,
Belapan reported. "The Belarusian authorities have kindly given me 36
hours for preparations [to leave the country]," she told the news
agency the same day. Belarusian authorities have "phased out" other
international members of the AMG by denying visa extensions to them.
Josan said the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna is to decide on further
activities of the AMG. JM
[51] UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENTARY MAJORITY PROPOSES FOUR CANDIDATES FOR
PREMIER
Ukraine's fragile parliamentary majority has proposed four candidates
for the post of prime minister and submitted their names to President
Leonid Kuchma to select one for parliamentary approval, UNIAN reported
on 25 October. According to the news agency, the European Choice caucus
proposed State Tax Administration chief Mykola Azarov, the Ukraine's
Regions caucus proffered Donetsk Oblast Governor Viktor Yanukovych, the
People's Choice caucus put forward First Deputy Prime Minister Oleh
Dubyna, and the Labor Ukraine-Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs
caucus jointly with the Social Democratic Party-united caucus advanced
current Prime Minister Anatoliy Kinakh. Verkhovna Rada speaker
Volodymyr Lytvyn told journalists on 28 October that "the fate of the
government is to be decided" by 19 November, when the parliament
resumes its session. JM
[52] UKRAINIAN NEWS AGENCY HEAD IS REPORTED MISSING
The news agency Ukrayinski novyny (Ukrainian News) on 28 October stated
that its director, Mykhaylo Kolomiyets, has been missing since 21
October, Ukrainian media reported. "Reporters of the agency are very
concerned over the fate of Kolomiyets. They fear that the incident
could be the result of the agency's policy of providing independent
information," Ukrayinski novyny said in a statement. The agency on 25
October reportedly notified the police of Kolomiyets's disappearance.
JM
[53] CHAIRMAN OF ESTONIA'S RIGHT-WING PRO PATRIA UNION RESIGNS
Former Prime Minister Mart Laar resigned as chairman of the Pro Patria
Union during an extended meeting of the party's governing board in
Tallinn on 26 October, citing poor results in the 5 October local
elections, ETA reported. Laar said he will remain in politics and seek
a seat in the March parliamentary elections. Parliament Deputy Chairman
Tunne Kelam will serve as acting chairman until a party general
assembly in November or December elects a new leader. SG
[54] COALITIONS FORMED IN ESTONIAN CITIES
Center Party Chairman Edgar Savisaar and Tallinn Deputy Mayor Rein Lang
from the Reform Party signed a coalition agreement in Tallinn on 25
October, BNS reported. It appears likely that Savisaar will continue as
Tallinn mayor and Maret Maripuu of the Reform Party will lead the City
Council. The two parties signed a similar coalition in Tartu that day
in which the roles were reversed, as Andrus Ansip from the Reform Party
will remain mayor and the Center Party's Aadu Must will stay on as City
Council chairman. In Parnu, although the Reform and Center Parties won
17 of the 33 seats, they are considering expanding the coalition by
including the Pro Patria Union's five deputies. SG
[55] AMBASSADOR TO FRANCE, UNESCO TABBED FOR LATVIAN FOREIGN MINISTER'S
POST
New Time Chairman Einars Repse announced on 26 October that his party
will nominate Ambassador to France and UNESCO Sandra Kalniete for the
post of foreign minister, BNS reported. He said Kalniete, who does not
belong to any political party, was chosen because the approaching
conclusion of EU and NATO membership talks requires that an experienced
diplomat be named to the post. The other likely members of the
envisaged coalition, the Union of Greens and Farmers, Latvia's First
Party (LPP) and For the Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK expressed agreement
with the selection. SG
[56] DANISH MILITARY COMMANDER VISITS LITHUANIA
The commander of Denmark's armed forces, General Jesper Helso, held
talks in Vilnius on 28 October with Defense Minister Linas Linkevicius
and his Lithuanian counterpart Major General Jonas Kronkaitis, ELTA
reported. Linkevicius said Denmark provided crucial support for the
development of the Lithuanian armed forces by launching a joint project
in 1994 in which Lithuanian peacekeepers participated in a mission in
Croatia as part of a Danish battalion. They also discussed the planned
reorganization of international peacekeeping forces in the Balkans,
which would shift the Danish battalion with servicemen from the three
Baltic states from Bosnia-Herzegovina to the Kosova province in Serbia.
Helso will also visit the Grand Duke Algirdas Motorized Infantry
Battalion and the Lithuanian War Academy before returning to Denmark on
29 October. SG
[57] POLAND HOLDS LOCAL ELECTIONS, NEEDS RUNOFF IN MOST CITIES
According to estimates by the State Election Commission, no more than
37 percent of Polish voters took part in local elections on 27 October,
PAP reported on 28 October. "It is still a long way to building a civil
society," commented President Aleksander Kwasniewski, who was
disappointed by the turnout. Poles had to choose nearly 47,000
councilors at the communal, district, and provincial levels, as well as
some 2,500 communal (gmina) leaders and mayors. The voting marked the
first time in postcommunist Poland that local administrators were
elected by direct vote. Preliminary results show that a second round on
10 November will be necessary in most major cities, as none of their
mayoral candidates won more than 50 percent of the vote. Mayors were
reportedly elected in the first round in Katowice, Gdynia, Opole, and
Gorzow Wielkopolski. Official election results are expected later this
week. JM
[58] POLISH PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER SURVIVES NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE
The Sejm on 28 October voted 286-105, with five abstentions, to reject
a no-confidence motion in its speaker, Marek Borowski (Democratic Left
Alliance), Polish media reported. The motion was opposed by the
Democratic Left Alliance-Labor Union coalition, the Peasant Party, and
the opposition Civic Platform, and backed by the opposition Law and
Justice, Self-Defense, and League of Polish Families (LPR). The motion
was filed by the LPR. The LPR charged Borowski with violating
parliamentary regulations by ordering Sejm guards to remove LPR
lawmaker Gabriel Janowski from the session hall when he staged a sit-in
to protest the sale of a state-owned energy company (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 17 and 18 October 2002). JM
[59] CZECHS VIRTUALLY IGNORE SENATE ELECTIONS...
Only 24.1 percent of eligible voters bothered to cast a ballot on 25-26
October in the first round of Senate elections in which one-third of
the upper house's 81 seats are being contested, CTK and international
news agencies reported. Only one seat was decided outright, as the
controversial director of TV Nova and independent candidate Vladimir
Zelezny won election in the Znojmo district of South Moravia. It is
still unclear how parliamentary immunity will affect outstanding legal
issues concerning Zelezny, who is being prosecuted for tax evasion and
is entangled in several lawsuits with foreign firms. The remaining 26
Senate seats will be decided in two-way runoffs to be held on 1-2
November. The opposition Civic Democratic Party (ODS) appears better
placed for the second round than the parties of the governing
coalition, whose majority in the Senate is a slim one seat. CTK said
ODS is likely to win in six of the runoffs, while the governing Social
Democratic Party (CSSD) is likely to win in four constituencies. CSSD's
coalition partners, the Christian Democratic Union-People's Party
(KDU-CSL) and the Freedom Union-Democratic Union (US-DEU) are favorites
in two and one race, respectively, while the opposition Communist Party
of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) is likely to win in one district. The
fate of the other races is unclear, according to CTK. MS
[60] ...PROMPTING COALITION PARTNERS TO AGREE ON MUTUAL SUPPORT
Following the announcement of first-round, Senate-election results,
Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla said that, "in principle," an agreement
has been reached with the leaders of the KDU-CSL and of the US-DEU to
mutually support each other's best-placed candidates in the runoffs,
CTK reported on 27 October. Spidla said the agreement is "natural," but
its details have yet to be worked out. In effect, he thus rejected a
move by the KSCM, which called on voters to support left-wing
candidates in the second round and said the CSSD should issue a similar
appeal. MS
[61] CZECH PREMIER SAYS EU COMPROMISE AGREEMENT IS JUST 'BASIS FOR
NEGOTIATION'
Premier Spidla said in Copenhagen on 28 October that he welcomes the
compromise reached on 25 October by the current EU members on the
expansion of the organization, CTK reported. But he stressed that the
EU proposal is just a good basis for further negotiations, and not a
closed issue, the news agency added. Under the compromise over farm
subsidies, there will be a phase-in of the subsidies after the 2004
enlargement and a freeze on them as of 2007, dpa reported. Spidla said
the Czech Republic belongs to what he called the "harder-core"
candidates, unlike the majority of countries that wish to join the
organization. He reiterated that Prague intends to negotiate conditions
that would place Czech farmers in an "incomparably better" position
than would be the case if the country did not join the union. MS
[62] CZECH PRESIDENT ADDRESSES NATION ON STATE HOLIDAY
Addressing his countrymen on the anniversary of the creation of
Czechoslovakia in 1918, President Vaclav Havel said on 28 October that
he is "proud" of the reputation his country has earned in the
postcommunist "era of freedom," CTK reported. Havel, speaking at a
Prague Castle ceremony at which he decorated 77 individuals with state
medals, said he is proud of "those of my fellow citizens who in the
past opposed the totalitarian regimes" as well as of those whose
accomplishments in various areas of arts and sciences "enrich our
common existence and increase our country's reputation in the world."
Havel also emphasized the importance of the NATO summit, scheduled in
Prague on 21-22 November. Many of those Havel awarded are former
dissidents. Havel, suffering from another bout of chronic bronchitis,
was forced to cancel other official duties earlier in the day. MS
[63] SLOVAK PREMIER APPLAUDS OFFICIAL EU ANNOUNCEMENT ON ENLARGEMENT
Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda on 25 October said the official EU
announcement that 10 candidate members, Slovakia among them, are to be
included in 2004 enlargement is "a joy," even though the decision was
expected following the European Commission's country-performance
report, TASR reported. Dzurinda said he expects Slovakia to close the
two remaining chapters in EU negotiations this year and to sign the
agreement on accession by 16 April. Chief Slovak negotiator with the EU
Jan Figel said his country welcomes the compromise-agreement reached on
agricultural subsidies (see above) but added that there are "both
positive and negative sides" to that agreement. The negative aspects,
he said, pertain to the reduction by $2 billion of funds allocated to
the protection of new members against the negative aspects of accession
on their economies. On 28 October, Slovakia and the EU reached an
agreement stipulating that in the first three years of membership in
the organization, Bratislava is to contribute $880 million to the EU
budget and to receive up to $1.6 billion in funds allocated for
regional development and agriculture. MS
[64] SLOVAK PRESIDENT RECEIVED BY POPE
President Rudolf Schuster, paying a visit to Italy, was received on 28
October at the Vatican by Pope John Paul II, TASR reported. Schuster
thanked the pope for the beatification last year of Slovak Bishops
Pavol Peter Gojic and Dominik Trcka. Schuster said after the audience
that he assured the pontiff that Slovakia will safeguard its specific
character after joining the EU. In the 2001 census, 69 percent of
Slovaks declared their faith to be Roman Catholic. He also invited the
pope to visit Slovakia. MS
[65] FORMER SLOVAK INTELLIGENCE SERVICE CHIEF TO BE PROSECUTED AT LARGE
An enlarged forum of judges at a Bratislava regional court on 28
October rejected an appeal by the prosecution aimed at detention during
trial for former Slovak Intelligence Service (SIS) chief Ivan Lexa,
TASR reported. The court said there was insufficient evidence to prove
that Lexa might attempt to flee Slovakia while on trial. The former SIS
chief is charged with abuse of office, fraud, and sabotage during his
tenure as SIS head in 1994-98. He was extradited to Slovakia from South
Africa in July following two years as a fugitive from the law. MS
[66] HUNGARIAN SOCIALISTS DROP PROPOSAL ON CONTROVERSIAL EU REFERENDUM
DATE
The Justice Ministry's proposed constitutional amendment no longer
includes a date for a referendum on Hungary's EU accession, as neither
the opposition FIDESZ and Democratic Forum nor the coalition Free
Democrats agreed with the 15 March date -- a national holiday --
favored by the senior coalition Socialist Party (MSZP), Hungarian media
reported on 26 October. The new version, drawn up after four-party
consultations, stipulates that parliament will determine the date of
the referendum. Opposition parties are unlikely to support that tack,
however, because it allows the governing parties to set the date for a
referendum with a simple majority, "Magyar Hirlap" reported. MSZ
[67] HUNGARIAN LEADERS REACT TO EU ENLARGEMENT 'BREAKTHROUGH'
Speaking to reporters in Copenhagen, where leaders of EU candidate
countries were briefed on last week's EU summit, Hungarian Prime
Minister Peter Medgyessy on 28 October pledged that Hungary will take a
firm negotiating stand to achieve equal treatment in the allocation of
EU agricultural and regional development subsidies, Hungarian media
reported. Medgyessy said he finds it reassuring that EU leaders
declared they not only expect concessions from the candidates but will
themselves be flexible negotiating partners. Foreign Minister Laszlo
Kovacs, who accompanied Medgyessy, said, "The good news is that there
is no bad news, and the enlargement process is going ahead." However,
Kovacs added, "The bad news is that there is no good news: The
financial conditions are just as stone-hearted as before." MSZ
[68] HUNGARIAN DEMOCRATIC FORUM VOWS TO SAFEGUARD INDEPENDENCE
The national council of the opposition Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF)
on 26 October declared that the party is independent and will not
subordinate itself to the interests of any other political party,
Budapest dailies reported on 28 October. The council's statement came
one day after former Prime Minister Viktor Orban, discussing the
possibility of uniting Hungary's conservative parties, told Hungarian
radio that FIDESZ's goal is to establish a center-right party that can
guarantee voters that their ballots will not be wasted. MDF spokesman
Karoly Herenyi said his party is committed to the idea that Hungary
must have a moderate, right-wing government after the next elections.
Party Chairwoman Ibolya David said the MDF welcomes those proposals
that envisage election victory in "proper partnership cooperation among
[right-wing] parties," "Nepszabadsag" reported. However, in reply to a
question on an umbrella party, David said, "How FIDESZ renames itself
is its own internal affair," the daily reported. MSZ
[69] HUNGARIAN STATUS LAW AMENDMENTS IN THE OFFING
A Hungarian intergovernmental working group is recommending mostly
technical but also some substantial changes to the country's Status
Law, "Nepszabadsag" reported on 29 October. When proposing the changes,
the group has taken into account comments made by the Council of
Europe's Venice Commission and by the OSCE, as well as objections
leveled by neighboring Romania and Slovakia. Regarding education
benefits to ethnic Hungarians abroad, the proposal would considerably
expand the number of those eligible for educational support.
Institutions rather than people would be granted educational subsidies.
The chapter on employment would be removed from the law. Instead,
general laws pertaining to the employment of foreigners in Hungary
would prevail unless an international treaty stipulates otherwise. In
line with the recommendations of the Venice Commission, the issue of
Hungarian certificates would be also modified. MSZ
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[70] TOP BOSNIAN SERB DEFENSE OFFICIALS OUSTED OVER IRAQ ARMS
SCANDAL...
The Supreme Defense Council of the Republika Srpska announced in Banja
Luka on 28 October that Defense Minister Slobodan Bilic and General
Novica Simic, who heads the General Staff, have resigned in conjunction
with the scandal over the recent sale of military equipment to Iraq,
RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported (see
"RFE/RL Newsline" and "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 25 October 2002). Prime
Minister Mladen Ivanic said he hopes the resignations will help prevent
any "negative consequences" -- meaning sanctions -- as a result of the
arms sales by the Bijeljina-based Orao company. A statement from the
Republika Srpska president's office said Bilic and Simic are not
"directly responsible" for the affair but that their replacement "will
contribute to repairing the international position of Republika Srpska
and Bosnia-Herzegovina," AP reported. PM
[71] ...AS YUGOSLAV GOVENMENT ADMITS VIOLATION OF SANCTIONS AGAINST
IRAQ...
In Belgrade on 28 October, President Vojislav Kostunica chaired a
meeting of the Yugoslav government that concluded that the
Yugoimport-SDPR company violated the UN arms embargo against Iraq,
RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported. Present
were Prime Minister Dragisa Pesic, Deputy Prime Minister Miroljub
Labus, Interior Minister Zoran Zivkovic, Foreign Minister Goran
Svilanovic, and Serbian Interior Minister Dusan Mihajlovic, who is also
chairman of Yugoimport's board of directors. Those present at the
meeting called for the formation of a commission to look into Yugoslav
arms sales abroad. It is not clear what further information Belgrade's
investigators might have discovered about the affair so far, AP noted.
Belgrade's official line has been that any arms sales have involved
only repairing out-of-date aircraft. PM
[72] ...AND WASHINGTON EXPECTS MORE...
In Washington, D.C., on 28 October, State Department spokesman Richard
Boucher hailed recent personnel changes in Belgrade and Banja Luka but
said the United States expects more to be done as a result of the arms
sales, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported.
Boucher repeated Washington's assertion that it has "firm evidence"
that Orao and Yugoimport violated the sanctions. He did not, however,
answer a question regarding recent media reports that Serbia has
exported fuel and materials for the manufacture of missiles to Iraq. In
Sarajevo, U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia Clifford Bond said on 25 October
that the personnel changes are not enough and that investigations must
continue, Hina reported. The United States maintains that the
involvement of Orao in arms sales to Iraq constitutes not only a
violation of the UN sanctions against Baghdad but also of the Dayton
peace agreement. PM
[73] ...AND ASHDOWN SEES A 'REGIONAL' DIMENSION...
Paddy Ashdown, the international community's high representative in
Bosnia, said in Sarajevo on 28 October that he wants a thorough
investigation into the Orao affair, which will involve Bosnian central
authorities as well as those from the Republika Srpska, AP reported. He
added, "We do not know the extent of this matter, but my guess is it is
going to be very wide-ranging. It's going to be regional, and it's
going to extend into areas which will surprise us." Ashdown did not
elaborate. PM
[74] ...WHILE BOSNIA BANS WEAPONS TRADE
Bosnian authorities have banned the import and export of military
weapons and equipment, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages
Service reported from Sarajevo on 29 October. Any such trading after 20
October will be considered illegal because no official permits have
been issued since that date. PM
[75] HAVE SERBS HELPED IRAQ DEVELOP A CRUISE MISSILE...
The "Washington Post" reported on 28 October that: "Yugoslav defense
companies have been working for two years on the development of a
cruise missile for Iraq, according to a document delivered by U.S.
diplomats to Yugoslav government officials this month. The allegations
were made in a 'non-paper,' or aide-memoire, accompanied by a stern
letter to the country's top officials from the U.S. ambassador in
Belgrade. The letter asked Yugoslavia to end its breach of the U.N.
arms embargo on Iraq, according to a senior Yugoslav official who has
knowledge of the U.S. document." The daily added that unnamed "sources
within the Yugoslav government said the evidence presented by the
[United States]...suggested Yugoslav firms had been working to update
Iraq's military arsenal and equip Iraq with a weapon that could
accurately target neighboring states. In February 2000, the U.S.
document alleges, Yugoimport concluded a contract with a company called
Al Fatah for the development of a cruise missile. Until now, Iraq has
had access only to ballistic missiles, which are more difficult to
control." PM
[76] ...AND PROVIDE IT WITH EXPLOSIVES?
Croatian police have found 200 tons of explosives on the
Montenegrin-owned ship "Boka Star" in Rijeka harbor, dpa reported from
Zagreb on 28 October. Police are investigating the nature of the
explosives, which were packed into 14 containers, all of which were
labeled as being something other than explosives. The ship's documents
do not list explosives. The "Washington Post" reported that, "Police
will try to determine whether the powder could be used in Iraq's
weapons program." It is not clear whether there is a link between the
explosives and the reports about the development of a cruise missile.
The owner of the "Boka Star" is a Montenegrin citizen, Marko Balic. PM
[77] PRESIDENT'S PARTY LEADS IN KOSOVA VOTE...
Officials of the OSCE said in Prishtina on 29 October that 54 percent,
or 713,000, of the 1.32 million eligible voters cast their ballots in
the 26 October local elections, Hina reported. With 87 percent of the
votes counted, President Ibrahim Rugova's Democratic League of Kosova
(LDK) is ahead in 19 of 30 municipalities. Hashim Thaci's Democratic
Party of Kosova (PDK) leads in seven municipalities, while Ramush
Haradinaj's smaller Alliance for the Future of Kosova (AAK) is ahead in
an unspecified number of municipalities but will not have an absolute
majority. Serbian parties appear to have won in three northern
municipalities and one southern one. Final results are expected by 1
November. PM
[78] ...WHICH WAS MARRED BY A LOW TURNOUT...
Dpa reported from Prishtina on 28 October that Michael Steiner, who
heads the UN civilian administration in Kosova (UNMIK), has postponed
plans for a meeting on 1 November to discuss his local self-government
plan aimed at giving the Serbian minority a degree of autonomy (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 23 October 2002). He reportedly dropped plans for
the meeting because of the low turnout among Serbian voters, which was
not higher than 20 percent. Steiner previously told the Serbs that they
must vote if they want a say in the running of Kosova. Many Serbs did
not vote because they are angry over the low rate of refugee returns
and their poor security situation, AP reported. Some have difficulty
accepting their status as a minority in a province whose political life
is dominated by Albanians (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 23 August 2002).
For their part, many Albanians did not vote because they are
disappointed by the political parties' failure to improve the economy.
PM
[79] ...AND A SHOOTING DEATH
Unnamed political rivals shot Mayor Uke Bytyqi of Suhareka and two of
his bodyguards on 27 October as he was trying to calm a dispute between
some supporters of his LDK and some of their political opponents,
international and regional media reported. Police have detained two
suspects and are investigating. Hundreds of people protested the
murder. President Rugova declared 28 October a day of mourning
throughout Kosova, saying the assassination was "directed against the
freedom and independence of Kosova." Suhareka Deputy Mayor Vitor Markaj
told Reuters the killing was "well planned and organized." Ethnically
based killings are on the decrease in Kosova, but "inter-Albanian
political bloodshed and other violent crime persists, defying
international efforts" to put an end to it, AP reported. PM
[80] NEW BOSNIAN PRESIDENCY TAKES OFFICE
Sulejman Tihic of the Muslim Party of Democratic Action (SDA), Dragan
Covic of the Croatian Democratic Community (HDZ), and Mirko Sarovic of
the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS) were inaugurated in their new posts
in the country's three-member presidency in Sarajevo on 28 October,
Deutsche Welle's Bosnian Service reported. PM
[81] INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS MONITOR MACEDONIAN CENSUS
Forty-four international observers from the OSCE, the Council of
Europe, and the EU arrived in Skopje on 28 October, RFE/RL's Macedonian
broadcasters reported. The observers -- statisticians and demographic
specialists -- will monitor the counting and tabulation processes
during the census that will start on 1 November. They will stay until
the end of the month. Army conscripts, hospitalized persons, and
inmates of correctional facilities were counted at the beginning of
October (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 1 October 2002 and "RFE/RL Balkan
Report," 20 April 2001). UB
[82] MAYORS OF MACEDONIAN, SERBIAN, AND BULGARIAN CITIES SET UP
EUROREGION
Skopje Mayor Risto Penov and his counterparts from Sofia and the
southern Serbian town of Nis, Stefan Sofiyanski and Goran Ciric,
respectively, signed the founding protocol for a new Euroregion in
Skopje on 26 October, MIA news agency reported. The Euroregion is to
unite the border regions of Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Serbia. In his
address, Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski said, "The founding of
regions of trans-border cooperation...contributes to the development of
democracy, the resolution of problems, the improvement of human rights,
and the [growth of the] rule of law." Yugoslav Interior Minister Zoran
Zivkovic -- a former mayor of Nis -- proposed to dub the new Euroregion
"Central Balkans" or "Balkan Soul." UB
[83] ROMANIAN LEADERS WELCOME EU ENLARGEMENT DECISION
President Ion Iliescu and Prime Minister Adrian Nastase on 25 October
welcomed the European Union's official decision to admit 10 new
members, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. The two leaders emphasized
the importance of the EU's announcement that it considers 2007 the
"target date" for Romania and Bulgaria to join the union. They also
welcomed the EU's declaration that its expansion is "irreversible" and
that it intends to provide funds help the two countries achieve their
accession objectives by 2007. In an official press release, the
government on 26 October called on the EU to establish 1 January 2007
as the accession date. Nastase and Iliescu attended a summit meeting of
current and candidate EU states in Copenhagen on 28 October. MS
[84] CRISIS IN ROMANIAN CNSAS INTENSIFIES
On 28 October, two groups in the National Council for the Study of the
Securitate Archives (CNSAS) accused each other of impeding the
council's activity, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. The group led
by CNSAS Chairman Gheorghe Onisoru and his deputy Mihai Gheorghe, which
is considered to be close to the ruling Social Democratic Party, told
journalists that the rival group -- particularly former Foreign
Minister Andrei Plesu, former anti-Ceausescu dissident poet Mircea
Dinescu, and essayist Horia Roman Patapievici -- are "creating
tensions" by pursuing "chimerical solutions" in their quest to unmask
all who worked with the former "political police." The Onisoru-led
group -- a minority within the CNSAS -- said it seeks to inform the
parliament about the situation that has developed and to prompt it to
intervene. CNSAS members are appointed by the legislature. The rival
group, which comprises six CNSAS members, said Onisoru, Gheorghe, and
three others have boycotted CNSAS meetings ever since the initiative to
publicize the names of former Securitate members was launched. The
group also claimed that Onisoru and his deputy boycott the CNSAS
meetings to avoid being dismissed by the majority. Chamber of Deputies
speaker Valer Dorneanu, who met with Onisoru, said the Chamber of
Deputies and the Senate judicial commissions will examine the
situation. MS
[85] ROMANIAN ANTIFRAUD DIRECTOR CAUGHT RED-HANDED
Florica Dinculescu, the director of the Ministry of Agriculture Control
and Antifraud Department, was detained on 25 October on bribery
charges, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. She is suspected of
receiving a $190,000 bribe from two Italian citizens to facilitate
their bid to purchase state farms below market value. If convicted,
Dinculescu faces up to 10 years in prison. In other news, the
ministry's disciplinary commission on 28 October dismissed Stefan
Mitrache, who oversaw EU-allocated funds intended for the modernization
of the country's agriculture industry. The commission said Mitrache
created a "conflict-of-interests situation" through his association
with four companies that offered consultancy for obtaining EU-allocated
funds. MS
[86] ARMENIAN DEFENSE MINISTER IN ROMANIA
In Bucharest on 28 October, Armenian Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian
met with his Romanian counterpart Ioan Mircea Pascu to discuss
bilateral relations and the situation in the Balkans, the Black Sea
region, and the Caucasus, Mediafax reported. Pascu said after the
meeting that they also discussed preparations for a 2003 Partnership
for Peace exercise that is to be held for the first time in Armenia,
and the possibility of Romanian forces taking part in it. Sarkisian
said bilateral military and economic cooperation, particularly in the
transportation sphere, was also discussed. He said that "military
cooperation with NATO" is an integral part of Armenia's
national-security policy and that this cooperation must not be viewed
as negatively affecting "cooperation with Russia or the military system
of which we are a member." He also said Armenia "can learn from Romania
how to restructure its military forces," since both countries' armed
forces had been based on Soviet military standards. Sarkisian is also
to meet with Premier Nastase, Senate speaker Nicolae Vacaroiu, and
other officials. MS
[87] FORMER ROMANIAN MONARCH PLEADS ROMANIA'S CAUSE IN LONDON
Former King Michael I said during a lecture at the Royal United
Services Institute of Defence Studies on 28 October that Romania
joining NATO is important not only for the country's security and the
security of the region as a whole, but also for the security of the
rest of the continent, Romanian Radio reported the next day. The former
monarch and Prince Radu von Hohenzollern-Veringen, who was recently
appointed special government representative to oversee Euro-Atlantic
integration, are scheduled to meet on 29 October with British officials
to plead Romania's case for EU and NATO integration. On 30 October,
King Michael and Prince Radu will be received at Buckingham Palace by
Queen Elizabeth II. MS
[88] ROMANIAN, MOLDOVAN LIBERALS SIGN POLITICAL-PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT
In Chisinau on 25 October, leaders of the Liberal Party of Moldova
(PLM) and the National Liberal Party (PNL) of Romania signed a
"political-partnership agreement," Romanian Radio and Infotag reported.
Under the agreement, local branches of the two formations will
"exchange experience" on political issues and the PNL will back the PLM
in its effort to establish relations with liberal parties in Europe and
to gain membership of Liberal International and in the European Liberal
Party. In related news, retired General Vyacheslav Untila was elected
on 28 October as PLM chairman in a primary in which all PLM members
were eligible to vote. This is the first time that a Moldovan party
leader has been selected in a primary, rather than by the party's
leading structures. Untila was backed by 1,500 PLM members, while his
competitors -- former parliamentary deputy Sergiu Mocanu and Chisinau
municipal council member Vladimir Braga -- received 1,227 and 240
votes, respectively. The PLM was established in March 2002 through the
merger of the Party of Revival and Accord, the "Forta Moldovei" Social
Liberal Union (whose leader was Untila), and the National Peasant Party
Christian Democratic. MS
[89] MOLDOVAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES 2003 BUDGET
The parliament on 25 October approved both readings of the 2003 budget
bill submitted by the government, Infotag reported. The bill was backed
by the 68 deputies representing the ruling Party of Moldovan Communists
and by three independent lawmakers and was opposed by 20 deputies
representing the Braghis Alliance and the Popular Party Christian
Democratic. The budget envisages revenues of 5,564 million lei (some
$406 million) and expenditures of 5,765 million lei. It forecasts a 6
percent rise in GDP compared to 2002. MS
[90] RUSSIA, SEPARATISTS REINFORCE MUNITIONS-WITHDRAWAL AGREEMENT
In Tiraspol on 25 October, a Russian delegation headed by Deputy
Defense Minister Vladimir Isakov signed a new agreement on the
withdrawal of the Russian military arsenal from the separatist region,
Infotag and ITAR-TASS reported. The agreement restates the provisions
of a similar document signed in Tiraspol on 26 September that wrote off
$100 million from the debt Tiraspol owes Gazprom for gas deliveries. As
a result of that agreement, a train of 24 cars was allowed to leave the
region on 4 October, but the evacuation was later stopped again.
Transdniester Foreign Minister Valerii Litskay told journalists that
the former agreement "looked beautiful on paper" but encountered some
"technical problems" in its implementation. He said those problems have
been clarified and that the new agreement covers all details, including
train-departure schedules. MS
[91] BULGARIAN ENVIRONMENT MINISTER THREATENS TO SHUT DOWN STEEL
FACTORY
Environment Minister Dolores Arsenova said on 28 October that the
government will shut down the Kremikovtsi steel mill outside Sofia
should the factory continue fail to meet its commitments to protect the
environment, mediapool.bg reported. A recent inspection carried out by
the Environment Ministry showed that the plant's emissions of dust,
sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxide are above the acceptable norms. The
ministry fined the steel plant in June for exceeding its emissions
limits. UB
[92] BULGARIAN PRESIDENTIAL COUNSELOR DEMANDS CRISIS-MANAGEMENT LAW
Presidential National Security Counselor Nikolay Slatinski urged the
government on 28 October to draft a new law on crisis management,
mediapool.bg reported. "The global security situation has changed, and
we need to adapt our national security system to it -- [our system] has
to respond more effectively...to the modern challenges," Slatinski
said. He also demanded that state-security institutions improve
coordination. Although the government committed itself to drafting a
new crisis-management law prior to the 21-22 November NATO summit, it
has not put the law on its agenda. At present, 35 laws and more than
1,000 legal acts regulate crisis management in Bulgaria, according to
an unnamed legislator of the ruling coalition. UB
[93] EMPLOYEES PROTEST IN BULGARIA OVER PLANS TO LIQUIDATE BALKAN
AIRLINES
Employees of Bulgaria's formerly state-owned Balkan Airlines staged
protests in front of the parliament building on 28 October, bnn news
agency reported. According to Balkan Airlines spokesman Victor Melamed,
some of the company's creditors plan to take over the company and to
continue operating it under the terms of insolvency. The protesters
demanded that the creditors delay a scheduled meeting that would decide
on the issue. The Sofia City Court placed the airline under
receivership in 2001 after four creditors filed bankruptcy suits
against the company. The Israel-based Zeevi Group, which purchased the
company in 1999, has filed suit at the International Court of
Arbitration in Paris, claiming the Bulgarian government breached the
privatization contract. UB
END NOTE
[94] There is no End Note today.
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