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RFE/RL Newsline, 02-11-05
CONTENTS
[01] PROSECUTOR DETAILS ACCUSATIONS AGAINST ZAKAEV
[02] NEWSPAPER SAYS FSB INTERROGATING HOSTAGE TAKERS WITH LIE
[03] ...WHILE PROSECUTOR-GENERAL SAYS NO HOSTAGE TAKERS SURVIVED
[04] FSB DIRECTOR CALLS FOR 'NEUTRALIZATION' OF CHECHEN LEADERS
[05] MEDIA MINISTRY UNVEILS RECOMMENDATIONS FOR COVERING CRISES
[06] DEFENSE MINISTER TO PREPARE ARMY FOR WAR AGAINST TERRORISM...
[07] ...AS EXPERTS URGE MOVING BEYOND COLD WAR DOCTRINES
[08] PUTIN TO ATTEND RUSSIA-EU SUMMIT
[09] DUMA MIGHT ALLOCATE ADDITIONAL FUNDS TO FIGHTING TERRORISM
[10] COLLECTIVE SECURITY TREATY COUNTRIES DISCUSS IRAQ
[11] AIRLINE GOES AFTER U.S. COMPANY
[12] RUSSIAN VETERINARIANS CHECKING 'BUSH LEGS'
[13] NOVGOROD MAYORAL CANDIDATES SUBMIT DOCUMENTS...
[14] ...AS HOPEFULS START LINING UP TO BECOME TAIMYR GOVERNOR
[15] MURMANSK DUMA DEPUTY DIES
[16] STAROVOITOVA HONORED
[17] CHECHEN OFFICIALS QUESTION RATIONALE FOR SUSPENDING TROOP
[18] ...AND FOR NEW SWEEP OPERATIONS
[19] ARMENIAN OPPOSITION DRAFTS ELECTION-LAW AMENDMENTS
[20] NEW MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRMAN MEETS WITH AZERBAIJANI OFFICIALS
[21] AZERBAIJANI POLITICIANS ASSESS TURKISH ELECTION OUTCOME
[22] AZERBAIJANI OFFICIAL SUES OPPOSITION PAPER FOR LIBEL
[23] GEORGIAN PRESIDENT NOT IMPRESSED BY PROPOSAL TO RESOLVE ABKHAZ
[24] ...PREDICTS DURATION OF PANKISI ANTITERRORISM OPERATION
[25] GEORGIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER'S FATHER DENIES FINANCING CHECHEN
[26] POLICE OFFICIAL DISMISSED FOR ATTACK ON INDEPENDENT GEORGIAN TV
[27] NEW ARREST WARRANT ISSUED FOR FORMER KAZAKH PREMIER
[28] KYRGYZ PARLIAMENT FORMS COMMISSION TO MONITOR SITUATION IN SOUTH
[29] DEPUTY ADVOCATES AMENDING KYRGYZ PARLIAMENT STATUTES
[30] TAJIKISTAN SOLICITS WORLD BANK FUNDING TO COMPLETE HYDROELECTRIC
[31] OSCE SECRETARY-GENERAL MULLS FURTHER COOPERATION WITH BELARUS
[32] GAZPROM TO HALT GAS SUPPLIES TO BELARUS?
[33] UKRAINE PLEDGES NOT TO WAVER ON ROAD TO NATO
[34] WILL OUR UKRAINE LAWMAKERS SUPPORT YANUKOVYCH FOR PREMIER?
[35] ESTONIA, RUSSIA FAIL TO REACH AGREEMENT ON KEY ISSUES
[36] LATVIAN PARTIES AGREE ON MAKEUP OF NEW CABINET
[37] RUSSIA DELAYS HANDLING OF LITHUANIAN TRANSIT ISSUE
[38] POLISH PARLIAMENTARY LEADER CALLS FOR PRO-EUROPE COALITION ON
[39] POLISH DEFENSE MINISTRY EXTENDS DEADLINE FOR ARMORED-CARRIER
[40] CZECH PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE ALLEGED TO HAVE HARMED POLITICAL
[41] OPPOSITION PARTY TO SEEK CZECH SENATE CHAIRMANSHIP
[42] ITALIAN FIRM TO REVAMP CZECH TRAIN STATIONS
[43] SLOVAK GOVERNMENT APPROVES FOUR-YEAR PROGRAM
[44] POLLSTER PREDICTS HIGH TURNOUT IN SLOVAK LOCAL ELECTIONS
[45] SLOVAK POLICE DETAIN 11 SKINHEADS
[46] DOUBTS PERSIST OVER FATE OF HUNGARIAN CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS
[47] FORMER HUNGARIAN PREMIER READY TO WORK FOR EU ACCESSION
[48] HUNGARY COMMEMORATES QUASHING OF 1956 UPRISING
[49] MONTENEGRIN PRESIDENT TO BECOME PRIME MINISTER
[50] BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY TO PRESS YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT ON ARMS
[51] ...AS A BIGGER PICTURE UNFOLDS...
[52] ...IN BOSNIA AS WELL...
[53] ...AMID WARNINGS FROM INTERNATIONAL HIGH REPRESENTATIVE
[54] RUSSIA CALLS FOR FAIRNESS TO SERBS
[55] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT VISITS YUGOSLAVIA
[56] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT'S PARTY RETURNS TO SERBIAN PARLIAMENT
[57] HAGUE TRIAL OF FORMER SERBIAN LEADER POSTPONED AGAIN
[58] SERBIAN ORTHODOX BISHOP WANTS TO VISIT JAILED GENERAL
[59] MONTENEGRIN ALBANIAN LEADER QUITS YUGOSLAV CONSTITUTIONAL BODY...
[60] ...WITH SUPPORT FROM KOSOVAR ALBANIANS
[61] ETHNIC ALBANIAN PARTIES WIN BIG IN KOSOVA LOCAL VOTE
[62] MACEDONIAN POLICE RELEASE ETHNIC ALBANIAN POLITICIAN
[63] FORMER TITO-ERA LEADER DIES IN CROATIA
[64] DRNOVSEK LEADS IN SLOVENIAN OPINION POLLS
[65] POLICE BREAK UP DRUG RING IN ALBANIA
[66] PSD FLOATING EARLY ELECTIONS IDEA AGAIN
[67] ROMANIAN MEDIA WATCHDOG SAYS PRESS FREEDOM UNDER THREAT
[68] MOLDOVAN TV CHANGES DENOMINATION
[69] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT CRITICIZES EU
[70] BULGARIAN MAYORS SAY MINISTER'S RETIREMENT WILL HAMPER REFORM
[71] BULGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS TURKISH ELECTION RESULTS WON'T
[72] FORMER AFGHAN KING INAUGURATES CONSTITUTIONAL COMMISSION...
[73] ...AS WOMEN WANT THEIR RIGHTS TO BE ENSHRINED IN THE NEW
[74] AFGHAN GOVERNMENT CLEANS HOUSE
[75] HUMAN RIGHTS WATCHDOG CRITICIZES HERAT GOVERNOR'S RECORD...
[76] ...WHILE INTERETHNIC CLASHES CONTINUE IN THE REGION
[77] IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER PARDONS FORMER INTERIOR MINISTER...
[78] ...AND CALLS FOR END TO CORRUPTION
[79] IRAN SEEKS INCREASED GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY...
[80] ...AS GOVERNMENT-OWNED COMPANIES VIOLATE LAWS
[81] TEHRAN, ISLAMABAD DISCUSS ARAB ARRESTS
[82] IRANIAN GOVERNMENT ADDRESSES WATER CONSUMPTION
[83] PRESIDENT HUSSEIN HINTS IRAQ WILL COOPERATE...
[84] ...AND SAYS THE U.S. GOAL IS TO DESTROY IRAQ
[85] RUSSIA TOUGHENS STANCE ON IRAQ
[86] ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER WARNS OF COUNTERATTACK IF IRAQ ATTACKS
[87] There is no End Note today.
5 November 2002
NOTE TO READERS: We are proud to announce the launch of "RFE/RL
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RUSSIA
[01] PROSECUTOR DETAILS ACCUSATIONS AGAINST ZAKAEV
The Prosecutor-General's Office has presented to the Justice Ministry
of Denmark a dossier accusing Chechen Vice Premier Akhmed Zakaev of
specific criminal acts, RIA-Novosti reported on 5 November. According
to Deputy Prosecutor-General for the Southern Federal District Sergei
Fridinskii, Zakaev stands accused of complicity in a string of crimes
committed between 1995-99 and that list might yet be expanded. The
dossier alleges that Zakaev formed an illegal armed formation of
200-1,500 fighters. In 1995, the band allegedly kidnapped two workers
from the Prosecutor-General's Office in Urus-Martan, and Zakaev
allegedly sentenced the two to death, although they were eventually
freed. In the same village in December 1995, Zakaev's band allegedly
captured several administration buildings and killed 10 civilians. In
January 1996, Zakaev's band allegedly murdered two priests. In August
1996, the band allegedly captured the main railroad station in Grozny,
killing or wounding more than 300 Interior Ministry troops. The
government file also accused Zakaev of active participation in the 1999
incursion into Daghestan. Fridinskii also said a total of almost 100
warrants for Chechen fighters have been issued. Denmark is expected to
make a decision regarding Zakaev's extradition to Russia by 30
November. RC
[02] NEWSPAPER SAYS FSB INTERROGATING HOSTAGE TAKERS WITH LIE
DETECTORS...
The Federal Security Service (FSB) continues to interrogate two men and
one woman captured during the 26 October storming of a Moscow theater
where Chechen fighters were holding more than 800 hostages,
"Nezavisimoe voennoe obozrenie," No. 43, reported. The FSB is using
domestically produced Delta lie detectors, which are reportedly able to
assess the veracity of testimonies based on six biometric parameters.
The FSB is also using the Delta machine to screen Interior Ministry
personnel in its effort to identify anyone assisting the Chechens. The
FSB reportedly believes that Chechen moles have thoroughly penetrated
the Interior Ministry. VY
[03] ...WHILE PROSECUTOR-GENERAL SAYS NO HOSTAGE TAKERS SURVIVED
None of the Chechen fighters who participated in the 23-26 October
hostage taking survived the special-forces operation to liberate the
theater, RIA-Novosti reported on 5 November, citing the
Prosecutor-General's Office. There were 41 hostage takers, 22 men and
19 women, and all of them were killed during the operation. Authorities
are currently checking the authenticity of identification documents
found on their bodies. Investigators also reported that at least one
person is being held on suspicion of "complicity with the terrorists"
and the hunt for additional collaborators is continuing. VY
[04] FSB DIRECTOR CALLS FOR 'NEUTRALIZATION' OF CHECHEN LEADERS
Speaking at a joint meeting of the government commission on the Chechen
economy and the operational staff controlling the "counterterrorism
operation" in the republic, Nikolai Patrushev said his agency knows
which Chechen leaders were behind the 23-26 October Moscow hostage
drama, RTR reported on 4 November. "We know them. They have been named,
and we will correct our efforts to neutralize them," Patrushev said. He
also noted that "the low level of the local economy, unemployment, and
the criminalization of social relations help to replenish the ranks of
the bandit formations and illegal business." Patrushev, who is in
overall charge of the military operation in Chechnya, called for more
aggressive work with the local population and improving the educational
level of Chechen youth. VY
[05] MEDIA MINISTRY UNVEILS RECOMMENDATIONS FOR COVERING CRISES
The Media Ministry on 4 November released its recommendations for media
covering situations in which people's lives are threatened, RTR and
other Russian news agencies reported. In addition to a general reminder
to observe the laws on the mass media and on terrorism, the ministry's
recommendations call on journalists not to initiate interviews with
terrorists, offer terrorists live air time without consulting law
enforcement agencies, publicize details about rescue operations,
transmit unconfirmed information, or serve as intermediaries. The Media
Ministry recommends that journalists not seek access to secret
information from the special services. "Saving lives is more important
than society's right to information," the recommendations state. The
document has been posted on the ministry's website at
http://www.mptr.ru. LB/RC
[06] DEFENSE MINISTER TO PREPARE ARMY FOR WAR AGAINST TERRORISM...
The reforms planned for the Russian Army are intended to enable the
country to respond effectively to the challenges of international
terrorism, Sergei Ivanov told journalists on 5 November during a visit
to the Far East Federal District, Russian news agencies reported.
Ivanov said the military will develop operational plans and train
personnel to secure important objects and to storm them if they are
captured by terrorists, Ivanov added. He said he believes Russia needs
an army of 1 million soldiers, rather than the 1.173 million it
currently maintains. He said the army must be mobile, professional,
efficient, and equipped with the most modern weaponry. VY
[07] ...AS EXPERTS URGE MOVING BEYOND COLD WAR DOCTRINES
Russia and the United States should eliminate the portions of their
respective national-security doctrines that depict one another as
potential enemies, Federation Council Foreign Affairs Committee
Chairman Mikhail Margelov said on the ORT political talk show "Vremeni"
on 3 November. Margelov said the current ongoing cooperation between
the CIA and Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) in the battle
against international terrorism contradicts Cold War-era legislation
that both countries adopted to protect state secrets. Ivan Safronchuk,
a Moscow-based analyst with Washington's Defense Information Center,
said on the same show that the two countries have endorsed the concept
of preventative strikes against international terrorism. However, he
noted that although the United States and Russia face many common
threats, preventative strikes could have very different ramifications
for them because of their distinct geopolitical situations and varying
political influence. VY
[08] PUTIN TO ATTEND RUSSIA-EU SUMMIT
President Vladimir Putin will head the Russian delegation to the
Russia-EU summit in Brussels on 11 November, polit.ru reported on 5
November. After the Brussels meeting, Putin will make a state visit to
Norway, the presidential press service reported. VY
[09] DUMA MIGHT ALLOCATE ADDITIONAL FUNDS TO FIGHTING TERRORISM
The State Duma might alter next year's budget to appropriate more money
for combating terrorism in wake of last month's hostage crisis, Duma
Security Committee Deputy Chairman Mikhail Grishankov (People's Deputy)
announced on 4 November. The additional funds would be earmarked for
three purposes: better information gathering to gain advance warning of
terrorist plans, better equipment for law enforcement agencies, and
training for special-services personnel, Ekho Moskvy reported. So far,
no specific amount of funding has been determined, but the figure might
be released following a closed session of the Security Committee
scheduled for later this month. LB
[10] COLLECTIVE SECURITY TREATY COUNTRIES DISCUSS IRAQ
The foreign ministers of the six signatory countries of the Collective
Security Treaty Organization met in Moscow on 5 November to discuss the
Iraq situation, ITAR-TASS and other Russian news agencies reported.
Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov called on the countries -- Russia,
Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan -- to
"demonstrate the efficiency of the organization" by showing they "are
not indifferent to what is going on along the CIS borders and in the
region in general." He stressed that the organization should "act
within the framework of the single UN strategy" concerning Iraq. Ivanov
also said that the six countries should cooperate more closely with
other CIS countries and with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. RC
[11] AIRLINE GOES AFTER U.S. COMPANY
Bashkir Airlines has filed suit against the U.S. company Honeywell in
connection with a 1 July air disaster in which 71 people -- most of
them children -- were killed, regions.ru reported on 5 November.
Honeywell produces the automatic warning system that was aboard the
Bashkir Airlines Tu-154 that collided in midair with a Boeing 757 cargo
jet over southwest Germany (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 2 July 2002). No
details about the suit were released. On 3 November, the airline filed
a $20 million suit against the Swiss government, which owns and
operates the air-traffic-control system that was controlling the two
planes at the time of the collision. According to regions.ru, the
airline has also said it intends to file a $15 million suit against the
manufacturer of the Skyguide air-traffic-control system. RC
[12] RUSSIAN VETERINARIANS CHECKING 'BUSH LEGS'
A group of Russian veterinary specialists that flew to the United
States on 2 November has begun a three-week inspection of some 336
poultry-processing facilities, NTV reported on 4 November. Trade in
so-called "Bush legs," as they have been popularly known since the
Gorbachev era, has been a contentious issue between the United States
and Russia this year. Russia banned poultry imports from the United
States in March, and although that ban was lifted the following month,
negotiations between Russian and U.S. officials over food quality
concerns such as salmonella and chicken influenza have continued.
According to NTV, some 450 U.S. poultry processors export to Russia,
and Russian domestic producers are seeking import quotas. Turkey and
chicken meat was the leading U.S. export to Russia in 2001, with $640
million in sales (see "RFE/RL Business Watch," 9 April and 16 April
2002). LB
[13] NOVGOROD MAYORAL CANDIDATES SUBMIT DOCUMENTS...
Three candidates have submitted to election officials the necessary
signatures to participate in the 8 December mayoral election in
Novgorod, RosBalt reported on 5 November. The candidates are Novgorod
Oblast Deputy Governor Nikolai Grazhdankin, oblast Communist Party
leader Valerii Gaidym, and acting Mayor Sergei Lobach. The local
election commission must certify or reject the applications within five
days. Grazhdankin is supported by the Democratic Party of Russia;
Lobach is backed by the Unified Russia party; and Gaidym is running on
the Communist ticket. The deadline for applications is 6 November. The
election is being held to replace Aleksandr Korsunov, who was killed in
an automobile accident on 8 September (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 and 10
September 2002). RC
[14] ...AS HOPEFULS START LINING UP TO BECOME TAIMYR GOVERNOR
Gennadii Subbotkin, a deputy with the municipal legislature in the town
of Dudinki, has become the first person to declare his intention to run
for governor of Taimyr Autonomous Okrug, regions.ru reported on 5
November, citing the Yenisei-Inform news agency. The election will be
held on 26 November and was called to replace former Governor Aleksandr
Khloponin, who was elected governor of Krasnoyarsk Krai on 22
September. Norilsk Mayor Oleg Budargin is reportedly considering
running for the post, regions.ru reported. Although no specific
announcements have been made, a spokesman for Budargin's office was
quoted as saying, "One thing can be said for sure -- Norilsk will not
just stand by and watch the election in Taimyr." Yenisei-Inform also
reported on 31 October that a nongovernmental organization called
Taimyr Youth will support okrug Duma Speaker Viktor Sitnov in the race.
According to a statement by the organization, Sitnov is the only
potential candidate capable of "continuing the reforms that Aleksandr
Khloponin initiated in Taimyr." RC
[15] MURMANSK DUMA DEPUTY DIES
State Duma Deputy Vladimir Gusenkov (Fatherland-All Russia) died on 5
November after a long illness, RosBalt reported, citing his faction's
press service. Gusenkov, 57, represented a single-mandate district in
Murmansk and served as deputy chairman of the Duma's Agricultural
Committee. RC
[16] STAROVOITOVA HONORED
A memorial plaque has been installed in St. Petersburg near the site
where Duma Deputy Galina Starovoitova was murdered on 20 November 1998,
RosBalt reported on 5 November. The modest tribute was erected on the
initiative of the Petersburg chapter of the Democratic Russia party and
its chairman, Ruslan Linkov, who was Starovoitova's aide at the time of
the murder and who was seriously injured in the same incident. Linkov
told RosBalt that the plaque was unveiled "quietly and without pathos."
Police continue to investigate Starovoitova's murder. RC
[17] CHECHEN OFFICIALS QUESTION RATIONALE FOR SUSPENDING TROOP
WITHDRAWAL...
Chechnya's State Duma Deputy Aslanbek Aslakhanov (OVR) told journalists
on 4 November that he has asked Defense Minister Ivanov to explain his
announcement of the previous day that the withdrawal of extraneous
Russian forces from Chechnya has been suspended, Interfax reported.
Aslakhanov recalled that Ivanov and other Russian officials have
repeatedly declared the war in Chechnya is over. LF
[18] ...AND FOR NEW SWEEP OPERATIONS
Speaking in Grozny on 4 November, Chechen Security Council Secretary
Rudnik Dudaev said that while he welcomes "targeted" Russian operations
to locate and destroy the remaining groups of Chechen fighters, he
considers the ongoing "sweep" operations in Chechen villages
unnecessary, Russian news agencies reported. Such sweeps also delay the
repatriation of displaced persons who fled from Chechnya to Ingushetia
to avoid ongoing hostilities, Dudaev said. He noted that orders issued
earlier this year by Prosecutor-General Vladimir Ustinov and former
Russian troop commander in Chechnya Colonel General Vladimir
Moltenskoi, which were intended to preclude human rights violations
during such search operations, are routinely ignored. Dudaev further
pointed out that Russian forces have blocked almost all routes
militants could take to enter and leave Grozny or cross the Chechen
border. LF
TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[19] ARMENIAN OPPOSITION DRAFTS ELECTION-LAW AMENDMENTS
A group of 28 parliament deputies representing the 16 opposition
parties that have aligned to contest presidential and parliamentary
elections in 2003 have authored new amendments to the election law that
are intended to preclude vote-rigging, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported
on 4 November. The amendments, which were submitted to the
pro-government parliament factions on 4 November, strengthen the powers
of candidates' proxies, authorizing them to ban unauthorized personnel
from polling stations. They also forbid local election commission
officials to obstruct media coverage of the voting and ballot count. LF
[20] NEW MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRMAN MEETS WITH AZERBAIJANI OFFICIALS
Henri Jacquelin met in Baku on 4 November with Azerbaijani Deputy
Foreign Minister Araz Azimov, Defense Minister Colonel General Safar
Abiev, and President Heidar Aliev to discuss ongoing efforts by the
OSCE Minsk Group to mediate a solution to the Karabakh conflict, Turan
reported. Jacquelin conveyed to Aliev a personal message from French
President Jacques Chirac, who offered to host a further round of talks
between Aliev and his Armenian counterpart, Robert Kocharian, on ways
to resolve the conflict. Chirac hosted two such meetings last year (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 29 January and 6 March 2001). LF
[21] AZERBAIJANI POLITICIANS ASSESS TURKISH ELECTION OUTCOME
Invited by Turan to comment on the outcome of the 4 November elections
in Turkey, Mirmakhmud Miralioglu, who heads the conservative wing of
the opposition Azerbaijan Popular Front Party, attributed the victory
of the moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party to "serious
policy mistakes" on the part of the outgoing government, while
Azerbaijan National Independence Party Chairman Etibar Mamedov
similarly said it reflects widespread popular dissatisfaction with the
outgoing leadership. Democratic Party of Azerbaijan General Secretary
Sardar Djalaloglu, however, blamed the West's reluctance to admit
Turkey to the EU and its demands for autonomy for the Kurds. Musavat
Party Chairman Isa Gambar and former presidential foreign-policy
adviser Vafa Guluzade both predicted the regime change will not
negatively impact Turkey's relations with the West. Presidential
administration official Novruz Mamedov for his part ruled out any
deterioration of Turkish-Azerbaijani relations, which he characterized
as permanent and "stable." LF
[22] AZERBAIJANI OFFICIAL SUES OPPOSITION PAPER FOR LIBEL
Former State Property Committee Chairman Nadir Nasibov and his deputy
Barat Nuriev have filed a libel suit against the opposition newspaper
"Yeni Musavat," which reported last week that Czech businessman Viktor
Kozeny is suing them and other highly placed Azerbaijani officials for
alleged abuse of office and demanding bribes in connection with
Kozeny's failed bid to privatize Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR,
Turan reported on 4 November (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 1 November 2002).
Nasibov has demanded that Baku's Sabail District Court close down the
newspaper for a period of three years and bring criminal charges
against the journalists who wrote the series of articles in question.
LF
[23] GEORGIAN PRESIDENT NOT IMPRESSED BY PROPOSAL TO RESOLVE ABKHAZ
CONFLICT...
At his traditional Monday press briefing, Eduard Shevardnadze said on 4
November that he strongly disapproves of several points of the plan for
resolving the Abkhaz conflict proposed by Adjar State Council Chairman
Aslan Abashidze, Caucasus Press reported. Shevardnadze named Abashidze
his special envoy for the Abkhaz conflict one year ago. As summarized
in the Georgian press on 5 November, Abashidze's proposal envisages
lifting the economic blockade of Abkhazia imposed by the CIS in 1996;
opening rail, road, air, and sea communications between Abkhazia and
the CIS; restoration of the Inguri hydroelectric-power station, which
is located on Abkhaz territory but provides power for other regions of
Georgia; and exporting gas and electricity via Abkhazia to Turkey,
according to Caucasus Press. Shevardnadze said he plans to discuss the
proposal with Abashidze but has the impression that the latter is not
yet ready for such a discussion. Also on 4 November, Shevardnadze met
in Tbilisi with UN Special Envoy for Abkhazia Heidi Tagliavini to
discuss the UN-drafted alternative formula for resolving the Abkhaz
conflict, Caucasus Press reported. LF
[24] ...PREDICTS DURATION OF PANKISI ANTITERRORISM OPERATION
Shevardnadze also told journalists on 4 November he anticipates that
within two-three weeks the ongoing anticrime and antiterrorism
operation in the Pankisi Gorge should result in the exodus or arrest of
the last remaining "criminals and militants" still at large there,
Russian agencies reported. Georgian State Security Minister Valeri
Khaburzania said two weeks ago that an estimated 50-60 Chechen
militants remain in districts of Georgia bordering Russia (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 23 October 2002). But in Moscow, Federation Council member
Yurii Sharandin, who traveled to Pankisi on 31 October with a
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe delegation, accused
Georgia of failing to take any steps to rid the Pankisi Gorge of
Chechen militants, Interfax reported. The agency quoted Sharandin as
saying that in their talks with the PACE delegation, senior Georgian
law enforcement officials admitted they are incapable of doing so
without outside assistance. LF
[25] GEORGIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER'S FATHER DENIES FINANCING CHECHEN
DIASPORA
The office of parliament speaker Nino Burdjanadze issued a statement on
4 November rejecting as false Russian media allegations that
Burdjanadze's father Anzor, who heads the Georgian Bread Production
Corporation and has for decades been a close associate of President
Shevardnadze, has provided financial assistance and an office on the
premises of the corporation's headquarters to the Chechen
representation in Georgia, Caucasus Press reported. The statement said
such allegations are an obstacle to normalizing bilateral relations.
Anzor Burdjanadze has asked the Georgian Prosecutor-General's Office to
investigate the Russian media reports. LF
[26] POLICE OFFICIAL DISMISSED FOR ATTACK ON INDEPENDENT GEORGIAN TV
STATION
A regional deputy police chief in western Georgia has been dismissed
for his role in an attack of the staff and premises of an independent
television station in Zugdidi, Caucasus Press reported on 4 November
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 3 October 2002). LF
[27] NEW ARREST WARRANT ISSUED FOR FORMER KAZAKH PREMIER
Officials from the Prosecutor-General's Office told journalists in
Astana on 1 November that Interpol has issued a new arrest warrant for
former Prime Minister Akezhan Kazhegeldin, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service
reported. Deputy Prosecutor-General Onalsyn Zhumabekov said the warrant
is based on the outcome of Kazhegeldin's trial in absentia in September
2001, in which he was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years'
imprisonment on charges of corruption, abuse of office, and illegal
possession of weapons (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 6 September 2001).
Zhumabekov said that at a meeting of Interpol's General Assembly on
21-24 October all but two Interpol member states approved it.
Interpol's website, however, made clear that the decision to issue a
new arrest warrant was adopted by a vote of 48 -38 with 26 abstentions.
The General Assembly decision, which is final, overturns a June 2001
ruling by Interpol's Secretary-General Ronald Noble, who after
consultations with Kazhegeldin's lawyers ordered the Executive
Committee to remove Kazhegeldin's name from the wanted list on the
grounds that Interpol's constitution bans it from intervening in
political cases. LF
[28] KYRGYZ PARLIAMENT FORMS COMMISSION TO MONITOR SITUATION IN SOUTH
The Legislative Assembly (the lower chamber of the Kyrgyz parliament)
decided on 4 November to establish a special commission to monitor
rising tensions in the south of the country, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service
reported. Several thousand people participated in protests in southern
Kyrgyzstan last week following a 27 October decision by an Osh court
barring former Deputy Prime Minister Usen Sadykov from participating in
a runoff by-election on 3 November (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 30 and 31
October and 1 and 4 November 2002). The by-election has since been
postponed indefinitely. Sadykov met on 4 November with supporters in
the village of Kara-Kuldja, the constituency where he ran as a
parliament candidate, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported. LF
[29] DEPUTY ADVOCATES AMENDING KYRGYZ PARLIAMENT STATUTES
Meeting on 2 November with activists of his My Country party from Chu
and Naryn oblasts, Legislative Assembly deputy Zaynidin Kurmanov argued
that the lower chamber's statutes should be amended to lower the quorum
required for the passage of legislation, akipress.org reported. He
pointed out that only two laws have been passed over the past two
months because a vote by two-thirds of the 60 deputies is required. He
accused unnamed deputies of sabotaging the passage of legislation.
Kurmanov also advocated reducing from 36 to no more than 10 the total
number of parliament committees. LF
[30] TAJIKISTAN SOLICITS WORLD BANK FUNDING TO COMPLETE HYDROELECTRIC
POWER STATION
Meeting on 1 November in Dushanbe with Dennis de Trey, who heads the
World Bank's office for Central Asia, President Imomali Rakhmonov urged
the World Bank to set up an international consortium to finance repairs
and completion of construction of the half-finished Rogun
hydroelectric-power station, Asia Plus-Blitz reported. The Russian
financial group Baltic Construction Company was named last week as
general contractor for the project, which will cost an estimated $100
million, ITAR-TASS reported on 29 October. Construction of the plant
was started in 1981 but frozen in 1992 following the demise of the
USSR. LF
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
[31] OSCE SECRETARY-GENERAL MULLS FURTHER COOPERATION WITH BELARUS
OSCE Secretary-General Jan Kubis met with Belarusian Foreign Minister
Mikhail Khvastou in Minsk on 4 November to discuss mutual relations
after the OSCE Advisory and Monitoring Group in the Belarusian capital
effectively ceased its operations following the departure of its last
international staffer (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 30 October 2002),
Belarusian media reported. Kubis told journalists that the OSCE wants
to continue cooperation with Belarus and does not intend to initiate
the country's withdrawal from the organization. On his part, Khvastou
confirmed that Belarus does not want to pull out of the OSCE either. "I
assess today's meeting [with Kubis] positively," Khvastou said, but he
did not provide details. JM
[32] GAZPROM TO HALT GAS SUPPLIES TO BELARUS?
Gazprom has warned that it might completely halt natural-gas supplies
to Belarus if that country does not accept a higher price for
consumption beyond the amount contracted for 2002, Belapan reported on
4 November, quoting Gazprom's press service. According to Gazprom, the
company has nearly reached its subsidized gas-export target to Belarus
at the price of $24 per 1,000 cubic meters. Gazprom wants Minsk to pay
$36 per 1,000 cubic meters for any additional supplies. Last week,
Gazprom reduced its gas supplies to Belarus by half, prompting Minsk to
charge that Moscow is using gas to exert economic pressure on Belarus
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 4 November 2002). The Russian state controls 38
percent of Gazprom. JM
[33] UKRAINE PLEDGES NOT TO WAVER ON ROAD TO NATO
"Our policy towards European and Euro-Atlantic integration is
unchanged. We have made our choice of path and we are not planning to
move from that," Reuters quoted presidential spokeswoman Olena
Hromnytska as saying in Kyiv on 4 November. "If anyone wants that
[change] -- don't hold your breath," Hromnytska added. Hromnytska also
said President Leonid Kuchma is considering attending meetings of
NATO's Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council during the 21-22 November
summit in Prague. "He reserves the right to take part," AP quoted her
as saying. Last week, Kuchma told journalists he will go to Prague,
effectively challenging NATO's decision not to invite him to separate
meetings of the bilateral NATO-Ukraine Commission (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 4 November 2002 and "RFE/RL Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine
Report," 5 November 2002). JM
[34] WILL OUR UKRAINE LAWMAKERS SUPPORT YANUKOVYCH FOR PREMIER?
Taras Chornovil, a lawmaker from Viktor Yushchenko's Our Ukraine
parliamentary caucus, has suggested that some Our Ukraine legislators
might support Donetsk Oblast Governor Viktor Yanukovych for the post of
prime minister, the "Ukrayinska pravda" website reported on 5 November.
Last month, the fragile pro-presidential majority in the Verkhovna Rada
proposed four candidates for the post (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 29
October 2002), including Yanukovych, who was put forward by Ukraine's
Regions -- a parliamentary representation of the so-called Donetsk
group of oligarchs. "I can only say that, most likely, [Our Ukraine]
will give its deputies the right to vote freely [on the candidates for
premier], but the real threat of the usurpation of all power in Ukraine
by [presidential administration chief Viktor] Medvedchuk forces both
Viktor Yushchenko and a number of Our Ukraine politicians to endorse
someone from the Donetsk group," Chornovil said. JM
[35] ESTONIA, RUSSIA FAIL TO REACH AGREEMENT ON KEY ISSUES
Accompanied by Labor and Social Development Minister Aleksandr Pochinok
and deputy ministers of culture, education, finance, and economic
development and trade, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Valentina
Matvienko arrived in Tallinn on 4 November for a two-day visit, BNS
reported. She and Estonian Prime Minister Siim Kallas co-chair the
Russian-Estonian intergovernmental commission, which had not met for
more than a year and a half. In addition to two expected agreements --
on avoiding double taxation and on pension insurance -- representatives
signed a bilateral agreement on the repatriation of prisoners, ETA
reported the next day. No decisions were made concerning the pressing
issue of a trade and economic-cooperation agreement, which would
abolish higher taxes on Estonian exports to Russia, and a border
agreement. SG
[36] LATVIAN PARTIES AGREE ON MAKEUP OF NEW CABINET
Following a month of negotiations, four right-of-center parties on 4
November reached agreement on the composition of a coalition government
led by New Era Chairman Einars Repse, BNS reported. The expected
coalition partners -- which control a combined 55 of 100 parliamentary
seats -- comprise the New Era party, the Union of Greens and Farmers
(ZZS), Latvia's First Party (LPP), and For the Fatherland and
Freedom/LNNK (TB/LNNK). New Era will control six ministries -- Finance,
Interior, Education and Research, Foreign Affairs, Justice, and Culture
-- in addition to two special-task portfolios that should later become
the ministries of Health and of Regional Development. The LPP will head
the Economy Ministry and two special-task portfolios -- Family and
Children's Affairs and Social Integration. The ZZS will be at the helm
of three ministries -- Agriculture, Environment, and Welfare -- while
the TB/LNNK will run two ministries -- Defense and Transportation. The
primary dispute concerned the Economy Ministry, as the ZZS demanded
that the post not be given to LPP candidates Ainars Slesers or Arnolds
Laksa. The LPP finally acceded to that demand in exchange for the
deputy prime minister's post. SG
[37] RUSSIA DELAYS HANDLING OF LITHUANIAN TRANSIT ISSUE
After a meeting with President Valdas Adamkus, Lithuanian Ambassador to
Russia Rimantas Sidlauskas told a press conference in Vilnius on 4
November that Russia has given Lithuania permission neither to open a
new consulate in Sovetsk in the Kaliningrad Oblast nor to enlarge its
consular facilities in Kaliningrad, ELTA reported. Those offices will
become necessary next year when Lithuania abolishes visa-free travel
for Kaliningrad residents and requires Russians transiting to and from
that exclave to have visas. Those measures are part of Lithuanian
pledges to the EU. Sidlauskas said Russia has taken a "peculiar"
stance, delaying any decision until an agreement on the transit issue
is reached between Russia and the EU. SG
[38] POLISH PARLIAMENTARY LEADER CALLS FOR PRO-EUROPE COALITION ON
LOCAL COUNCILS
Sejm speaker Marek Borowski of the ruling Democratic Left Alliance
(SLD) on 5 November called on the opposition Civic Platform (PO) and
Law and Justice (PiS) to form "a coalition of pro-European parties" in
provincial assemblies, PAP reported. "I think this is the right moment,
when all those groupings that have pro-European programs, [or] at least
those that are not anti-European,... should forget divisions between
parties and aim at forming a coalition that is, I would say, above
divisions," Borowski said. "I want to make it clear that if there is
such will on the part of PO and PiS, then there is such will on the
part of the SLD," he noted, adding that such local coalitions could be
created, "of course, with the participation of the Polish Peasant
Party." According to unofficial results, the SLD won the 23 October
local elections in 13 of Poland's 16 provinces but might be able to
rule on its own in one province and together with the PSL, its
government-coalition partner, in two others (see "RFE/RL Poland,
Belarus, and Ukraine Report," 5 November 2002). JM
[39] POLISH DEFENSE MINISTRY EXTENDS DEADLINE FOR ARMORED-CARRIER
TENDER
Defense Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski announced on 4 November that the
tender for a contract for the procurement of 1,000 armored personnel
carriers for a total of $1 billion will be prolonged by one week, until
12 November, PAP reported. Szmajdzinski declined to say which, if any,
bidder requested the extension but said the move is aimed at "making
things easier for the bidders." Likely bidders include Mowag of
Switzerland, Steyr of Austria, and Patria of Finland. JM
[40] CZECH PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE ALLEGED TO HAVE HARMED POLITICAL
PRISONERS UNDER COMMUNISM
Social Democratic Party (CSSD) Honorary Chairman Slavomir Klaban is
alleging that Ombudsman Otakar Motejl, one of the party's potential
candidates for president, harmed political prisoners as a member of the
Czechoslovak Supreme Court in the 1960s, CTK reported on 5 November,
citing the daily "Pravo." Klaban said some of the court's verdicts
infringed on human rights and added that, as a member of that court,
Motejl participated in the persecution of political prisoners. Klaban
made similar allegations eight years ago, but a number of dissidents
whom Motejl defended as a lawyer came to his defense at that time.
Motejl has rejected the allegations, saying that as a judge on the
Supreme Court he was mostly involved in the rehabilitations then under
way of people persecuted by the regime in the early 1950s. Rather,
Motejl said, he worked to expand the rehabilitation criteria. MS
[41] OPPOSITION PARTY TO SEEK CZECH SENATE CHAIRMANSHIP
Civic Democratic Party (ODS) Chairman Vaclav Klaus said on 4 November
that his party will seek to get one of its members elected president of
the Senate in the wake of the recent elections (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
4 November 2002), CTK reported. Klaus did not identify his party's
candidate for the post, but added that Senate President Petr Pithart
has never been acceptable for the ODS. Klaus also said ODS's combined
forces in the upper and lower chambers are greater than that of any
other party. The ODS controls 26 Senate seats --on par with the ruling
Social Democrats. MS
[42] ITALIAN FIRM TO REVAMP CZECH TRAIN STATIONS
The Italian firm Grandi Stazioni last week won a tender to rebuild
Prague's main railway station and railway stations in the western spa
resorts of Karlovy Vary and Marianske Lazne, dpa reported on 4
November. The terms of the tender have not been disclosed. MS
[43] SLOVAK GOVERNMENT APPROVES FOUR-YEAR PROGRAM
The center-right cabinet on 4 November approved a four-year program
that emphasizes strengthening the democratic process, economic policy,
social policy, and state capability, in that order, TASR reported. The
latter refers to judiciary reform, bolstering law enforcement, amending
the Penal Code, acceding to NATO and the EU, and developing good
relations with neighboring countries. The program also pledges that the
government will fight intolerance in all its forms and strive to solve
problems facing the Romany minority. Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda
told journalists at the end of a cabinet session that the three "key
concepts" of the program are: fighting corruption, the efficient use of
EU funding, and the implementation of reforms. Dzurinda also said his
government's education and culture policies stipulate the protection of
Slovak and national minorities' cultural heritage, adding that his
cabinet is committed to establishing a Hungarian-language university in
Slovakia. MS
[44] POLLSTER PREDICTS HIGH TURNOUT IN SLOVAK LOCAL ELECTIONS
A public opinion poll conducted by the Slovak Statistics Office (UVVM)
shows that 54 percent of Slovak voters are "certain" to participate in
local elections scheduled for 6-7 December and another 24 percent are
"likely" to do so, TASR and CTK reported on 4 November. Eight percent
said they are "unlikely" to take part in the ballot, while 4 percent
said they are "certain" not to do so. MS
[45] SLOVAK POLICE DETAIN 11 SKINHEADS
Slovak police on 4 November said they have detained 11 skinheads on
charges of supporting and promoting a movement aimed at suppressing the
rights and freedoms of citizens, CTK and AP reported. The 11 were
detained during a skinhead rally on 2 November in the northwestern
village of Svrcinovec, near Zilina. Three of the detained are Czech
nationals, seven are Slovak, and one is a Pole. MS
[46] DOUBTS PERSIST OVER FATE OF HUNGARIAN CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS
The governing parties are determined that parliamentary debate on
constitutional amendments required for Hungary's EU accession will
begin on 12 November, although consensus with opposition parties on
important issues remains elusive, "Magyar Hirlap" reported on 5
November. FIDESZ parliamentary group leader Janos Ader told the daily
that further talks are needed and warned that his opposition party and
the Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF) will not support the
constitutional changes unless the government reaches an agreement with
them. The two opposition parties would like a referendum on EU
accession to take place after the treaty is signed, but Social
Democratic Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy wants a referendum first.
FIDESZ and the MDF insist that EU legislation should not take
precedence over the Hungarian Constitution, suggesting that would
jeopardize the nation's sovereignty. MSZ
[47] FORMER HUNGARIAN PREMIER READY TO WORK FOR EU ACCESSION
Viktor Orban has accepted Prime Minister Medgyessy's request to assist
Hungary's accession to the EU in his role as deputy chairman of the
European People's Party (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 31 October 2002),
"Nepszabadsag" reported on 5 November. In a letter dated 30 October,
Orban said that -- as in the past -- his party will use its
international contacts and pool forces to ensure that accession brings
improved living standards and quality of life to Hungarians, rather
than disappointment. Orban said his work would be greatly helped by the
government making its negotiating position available to him. MSZ
[48] HUNGARY COMMEMORATES QUASHING OF 1956 UPRISING
President Ferenc Madl and Constitutional Court head Janos Nemeth on 4
November laid wreaths at a grave for the heroes of 1956 to mark the
suppression of the 1956 Uprising, Hungarian media reported. They also
attended ceremonies at the penitentiary where political leaders were
hanged. Jeno Fonay, head of the Federation of Political Prisoners, said
the greatest crime of 1956 was committed not by occupying forces but by
those who fought against their Hungarian compatriots. He said the
nation can remain united if its members do not point fingers at one
another but strive for reconciliation, and if those who helped crush
the uprising publicly apologize to the nation. FIDESZ Deputy Chairman
Tamas Deutsch commemorated the victims of 1956 at the House of Terror
museum in Budapest. He said in his address that 23 October, the
beginning of the 1956 anti-Soviet uprising, is a day of freedom and
justice, but called 4 November a day of lies and high treason. MSZ
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[49] MONTENEGRIN PRESIDENT TO BECOME PRIME MINISTER
The steering committee of the governing Democratic Party of Socialists
(DPS) agreed in Podgorica on 4 November that President Milo Djukanovic
will become prime minister in the new government to be formed on the
basis of the 20 October parliamentary elections, RFE/RL's South Slavic
and Albanian Languages Service reported. Filip Vujanovic, who is
currently prime minister, will become speaker of the parliament.
Reuters described the party's decision as a "big surprise." The DPS
said in a statement that, "The time before us requires [Djukanovic's]
energy, skill, authority, and dedication to goals in the national
interest" as head of the government. It is not clear who will be the
DPS's presidential candidate in the 22 December presidential elections
or whether Djukanovic will resign the presidency before then. One
possible candidate might be Professor Ljubisa Stankovic, who is not
formally a member of the DPS, an RFE/RL correspondent reported from the
Montenegrin capital. PM
[50] BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY TO PRESS YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT ON ARMS
SALES...
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw leaves for Belgrade on 5 November and will
meet with Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica the following day, "The
Guardian" reported. Straw will "press...Kostunica...about the illegal
supply of weapons [by Yugoslav firms] to west Africa and Iraq" (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 4 November 2002 and "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 25
October 2002). Unnamed British officials told the daily that details
recently uncovered about Yugoslav dealings with Iraq are "the tip of
the iceberg." A particular concern of the British government is that
its forces in Sierra Leone or Iraq could find themselves under fire
from weapons made in Yugoslavia. The daily notes, however, that U.S.
diplomats say the Yugoslav firms make much money from their illegal
dealings and "have little incentive" to stop. PM
[51] ...AS A BIGGER PICTURE UNFOLDS...
"Jane's Defence Weekly" in its 6 November issue will note that Yugoslav
sanctions-busting was part of a project code-named Zora (Dawn) under
the direction of the Yugoimport company and its former director,
General Jovan Cekovic. The operation involved one-time Yugoslav
military plants in Bosnia and perhaps other countries. The weekly noted
that it was unspecified "antiterrorist coalition sources" who tipped
off Croatian authorities to the presence of the "Boka Star," a former
Yugoslav military munitions supply ship that was carrying what appears
to be 200 tons of missile fuel, probably destined for Iraq's Scud
missiles. The ship "sailed from [the Montenegrin port of] Bar on 29
September and spent 10 days anchored in the Bay of Bigova next to a
[Yugoslav naval] base before entering Croatian waters, officially on a
towing mission," before Croatian authorities seized it on 22 October
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 25, 29, and 31 October and 4 November 2002). PM
[52] ...IN BOSNIA AS WELL...
Republika Srpska Prime Minister Mladen Ivanic told a news conference in
Banja Luka on 4 November that Bosnian Serb officials were negotiating
arms sales to Burma when the scandal over illegal weapons trading broke
in October, Reuters reported. The Bosnian Serbs ended the talks when
they realized that Burma is under political and economic sanctions from
the EU and the United States because of its human rights record. The
negotiations were headed by Defense Minister Slobodan Bilic and General
Novica Simic, the head of the General Staff. Both men have since
resigned in conjunction with the scandal over the recent sale of
military equipment to Iraq (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 29 October 2002). An
unnamed Western source told the news agency that it is "hard to believe
that Bosnian Serb officials were unaware Burma's military rulers are
ostracized by the West." PM
[53] ...AMID WARNINGS FROM INTERNATIONAL HIGH REPRESENTATIVE
Speaking in Banja Luka on 4 November, Paddy Ashdown, the international
community's high representative in Bosnia, called on Bosnian Serb
officials to take political responsibility and continue their
investigations of the arms scandal. He added, "If they don't, I am
prepared to use my power to make sure that happens." He did not
elaborate but recently told Bosnian Serbs they must choose "between
Brussels and Baghdad" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 31 October 2002). In
related news, Deutsche Welle's Bosnian Service reported from New York
that U.S. officials say they have evidence only about the Bosnian Serb
Orao firm being involved in illicit arms deals and not about any
companies in the Muslim-Croat federation. There have been recent
reports in the Bosnian Serb media suggesting that companies in the
federation are also involved. PM
[54] RUSSIA CALLS FOR FAIRNESS TO SERBS
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Yakovenko told Russian
journalists on 2 November that the ministry "believes that an
investigation into this issue [Serbian arms sales to Iraq] will not be
used as a pretext for the demonstrative punishment of Belgrade and
Bosnian Serbs, or for building up political pressure on the leaders of
Yugoslavia and the Republika Srpska," Interfax news agency reported
from Moscow two days later. He said any such pressure "would entail
negative consequences, including in the context of the postelection
situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the situation in
Yugoslavia and Serbia." Yakovenko noted, however, that, "Russia is
concerned by all actions violating UN Security Council resolutions and
supports an early investigation and measures to prevent such actions in
the future." The spokesman added that, "Judging by all accounts, all
necessary measures are being taken in Yugoslavia, in the Republika
Srpska, and by the central Bosnian authorities" to clear up the matter.
In related news, Yakovenko hailed a recent decision by Albanian
authorities to prevent Chechen representatives from attending a
conference of radical parties in Tirana. PM
[55] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT VISITS YUGOSLAVIA
Kostunica and Romanian President Ion Iliescu signed an agreement in
Belgrade on 4 November regarding the rights and protection of ethnic
minorities, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service
reported. Iliescu told Romanian Radio that it is in Bucharest's
interest to ensure the integration of all former Yugoslav republics in
regional and European structures. He noted that political relations
between Romania and Yugoslavia are very good but that economic ties
could be stronger. PM
[56] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT'S PARTY RETURNS TO SERBIAN PARLIAMENT
Dragan Marsicanin, a leader of Kostunica's Democratic Party of Serbia
(DSS), told reporters in Belgrade on 5 November that the Yugoslav
president and Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic reached an
agreement the previous night on the return of Kostunica's deputies to
the Serbian parliament (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 4 November 2002). The
details are unclear. Marsicanin said, "Some sort of compromise has been
reached, we are going to take part in the [legislative] session and in
the voting on the new law" on presidential elections. PM
[57] HAGUE TRIAL OF FORMER SERBIAN LEADER POSTPONED AGAIN
The trial of Slobodan Milosevic was postponed on 1 and 4 November for
at least one week because of concerns about his health, Reuters
reported. On 1 November, Milosevic's legal advisers said he is
suffering from "exhaustion" as well as blood-pressure and other
problems. Presiding Judge Richard May said, "In the light of the state
of the accused's health and the length and complexity of the case, the
trial chamber is concerned about completion of the trial." Tribunal
spokesman Jim Landale added, "The judges are not intimating that the
trial itself is in jeopardy. What they are concerned about is that
there are stresses on all participants in a trial of this scope and
this length." In related news, officials from the tribunal are
scheduled to have talks with Slovenian President Milan Kucan in
Ljubljana on 5 November, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages
Service reported. He recently said he is willing to appear as a witness
against Milosevic. PM
[58] SERBIAN ORTHODOX BISHOP WANTS TO VISIT JAILED GENERAL
Bishop Lavrentije of Sabac said on 2 November that he wants to go to
The Hague to see General Dragoljub Ojdanic, who has been denied bail by
the war crimes tribunal, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages
Service reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 31 October 2002). Lavrentije
added that the Serbian Orthodox Church will now pay more attention to
the Serbs in The Hague prison and to their families. Ojdanic turned
himself in voluntarily in April following the passage of Yugoslav
legislation on cooperation with The Hague (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 25
and 26 April 2002). He did so on the understanding that he would be
allowed to await his trial in Serbia rather than in the Netherlands. PM
[59] MONTENEGRIN ALBANIAN LEADER QUITS YUGOSLAV CONSTITUTIONAL BODY...
Ferhat Dinosha has quit his post on the Serbian-Montenegrin commission
to draft the Constitutional Charter for the new joint state, Deutsche
Welle's "Monitor" reported on 4 November. He said he considers illegal
the inclusion in the preamble of a reference to Kosova being one of two
autonomous provinces of Serbia (the other being Vojvodina). Dinosha
argued that this formulation is in violation of UN Security Council
Resolution 1244. He stressed that only the Albanian majority of Kosova
can decide on the province's future. But Kosova Serb leader Oliver
Ivanovic told SRNA news agency on 3 November that Dinosha's move
revealed his "openly separatist ambitions." Ivanovic charged that
Dinosha and other ethnic "Albanian separatists," including those in
Macedonia, are pursuing a policy "that is conducted out of a single
center." He did not elaborate. In related news, Esad Dzudzevic, who
represents Sandzak on the Constitutional Charter commission, quit that
body to protest Sandzak's continued division between Serbia and
Montenegro. PM
[60] ...WITH SUPPORT FROM KOSOVAR ALBANIANS
Virtually all Kosovar Albanian political parties and institutions have
strongly condemned the reference to Kosova in the preamble of the
Constitutional Charter, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages
Service reported from Prishtina on 5 November. The Albanian leaders
argued that only the Albanian majority may decide on Kosova's future.
PM
[61] ETHNIC ALBANIAN PARTIES WIN BIG IN KOSOVA LOCAL VOTE
The Democratic League of Kosova (LDK) of President Ibrahim Rugova won
in 19 of 30 municipalities in the recent local elections, the Kosovar
news agency Qik reported on 4 November (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 29
October 2002). The LDK took 11 municipalities outright and has the
largest number of votes in eight more. Supporters of former guerrilla
leader Hashim Thaci's Democratic Party of Kosova (PDK) finished second,
winning four municipalities. A coalition of five Serbian parties took
five municipalities. PM
[62] MACEDONIAN POLICE RELEASE ETHNIC ALBANIAN POLITICIAN
Police freed Xhevat Ademi on 4 November, dpa reported from Skopje (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 4 November 2002). He said after his release that his
arrest was a "provocation" and an example of "Balkan stupidity." That
same day, Social Affairs Minister Jovan Manasievski said the new
government has already begun to change personnel in the security
services. He added that the previous holders of the positions of state
secretary for the interior, head of public security, and chief of the
country's bureau for security and counterintelligence have been sacked
and will be replaced shortly. PM
[63] FORMER TITO-ERA LEADER DIES IN CROATIA
Jakov Sirotkovic died at the age of 80 on 1 November, AP reported from
Zagreb. He was a prominent communist official in the late 1960s and
early 1970s, specializing in economic issues. He left politics for
university teaching in 1978 and retired in 1991. Born on the island of
Rab, Sirotkovic served in Josip Broz Tito's Partisan movement during
World War II. PM
[64] DRNOVSEK LEADS IN SLOVENIAN OPINION POLLS
Prime Minister Janez Drnovsek has a comfortable lead in three recent
polls for the 10 November presidential race, RFE/RL's South Slavic and
Albanian Languages Service reported on 2 November (see "RFE/RL Balkan
Report," 20 September and 25 October 2002). Incumbent President Milan
Kucan is constitutionally barred from seeking another term. Both he and
Drnovsek are former communist-era officials who played important roles
in steering Slovenia to independence in 1991. PM
[65] POLICE BREAK UP DRUG RING IN ALBANIA
Police arrested an unspecified number of Albanians and Italians in a
Durres hotel on 31 October, AP reported the next day. The police
confiscated 8 kilograms of heroin, their biggest single drug haul in
three months. PM
[66] PSD FLOATING EARLY ELECTIONS IDEA AGAIN
Alexandru Athanasiu, chairman of the National Council of the ruling
Social Democratic Party (PSD), said on 4 November that early elections
could produce a "unified parliamentary majority" that would make it
easier to "finalize the process of Romania's integration into the EU,"
Romanian Radio reported. Athanasiu added that current constitutional
provisions for early elections make the process cumbersome and that the
best way to bring about an early ballot is to end the process of
amending the constitution by the summer of 2003. MS
[67] ROMANIAN MEDIA WATCHDOG SAYS PRESS FREEDOM UNDER THREAT
The Romanian media watchdog organization FreeEx (whose name is a play
on the words "Free Expression") stated in a 4 November report that
freedom of the press in Romania is under threat, AP reported. The group
said many newspapers and private television stations rely on government
assistance and goodwill to survive and that this dependence curbs
critical reporting about the government. The group cited the case of
the country's largest private television, Pro TV, which allegedly owes
the government the equivalent of $50 million in unpaid taxes. FreeEx
also noted an increase in the number of attempts by local officials to
intimidate journalists. MS
[68] MOLDOVAN TV CHANGES DENOMINATION
As of 4 November, Moldovan Television, hitherto called TVM, has been
renamed Moldova 1, or M1, Flux reported the same day. Teleradio Moldova
Chairman Ion Gonta said the initiative came from employees of the
station and that the change in no way affects the current audiovisual
law. MS
[69] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT CRITICIZES EU
In an interview with the German weekly "Spiegel," No. 45, President
Georgi Parvanov criticized the European Union for not supporting
Bulgaria enough, mediapool.bg reported on 4 November. Parvanov denied
that the country's reform policies have failed, but he added that he
expected more financial support from Brussels and the European Union's
Stability Pact for Southeast Europe. He also dismissed the idea
promoted by the Stability Pact's coordinator, Erhard Busek, to form a
Balkan European Union. "Bulgaria does not want to join any branch of
the EU, nor does it want to join countries that are economically more
backward than itself. For us, there is no alternative to full European
integration," Parvanov said, adding that during his official visit to
Germany on 5-8 November he will ask German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder
to support Bulgarian accession to the EU in 2007. UB
[70] BULGARIAN MAYORS SAY MINISTER'S RETIREMENT WILL HAMPER REFORM
In a statement released on 4 November, the Association of Mayors
expressed its concern over the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister and
Regional Development Minister Kostadin Paskalev, novinite.com reported.
According to the statement, the mayors fear that financial
decentralization will be hampered by the provisions of the 2003 state
budget, which was also criticized by Paskalev. The association lauded
Paskalev's efforts to support the financial autonomy of the
municipalities. "Mr. Paskalev was the engine of reform in the local
governance. We fear that after his dismissal, the financial
decentralization will turn into the next unaccomplished reform," the
statement said. UB
[71] BULGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS TURKISH ELECTION RESULTS WON'T
HARM BILATERAL RELATIONS
Foreign Minister Solomon Pasi said on 4 November that the Justice and
Development Party's victory in the 3 November Turkish elections will
not negatively affect Turkish-Bulgarian relations, BTA reported.
"Turkey is a democratic country and bilateral relations do not depend
on domestic changes there. It was the choice of the Turkish people and
it could be no reason for concern for us, as the choice of the
Bulgarian people could not be a reason for concern for Turkey," Pasi
said. The Justice and Development Party is widely regarded as an
Islamist party and some observers fear that its victory could harm
Turkey's relations with neighboring countries. UB
SOUTHWESTERN ASIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST
[72] FORMER AFGHAN KING INAUGURATES CONSTITUTIONAL COMMISSION...
Former Afghan King Muhammad Zahir inaugurated the Constitutional
Commission in Kabul on 3 November, Radio Free Afghanistan reported (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 4 November 2002). The former Afghan king said no
community can exist without regulations and expressed his hope that the
Constitutional Commission, with the consideration of democracy and
Islamic traditions, will set a standard that will bring success and
prosperity to the Afghan nation. Afghan President Hamid Karzai, most of
his cabinet, and Nematullah Shahrani, one of Karzai's deputies and the
head of the Constitutional Commission, accompanied Muhammad Zahir.
Karzai said the commencement of the Constitutional Commission's work
has opened a new page in Afghanistan's history. According to the
report, the commission will take one year to draft a new constitution
for Afghanistan, after which the document will be submitted to a
special constitutional loya jirga (grand assembly) for approval. AT
[73] ...AS WOMEN WANT THEIR RIGHTS TO BE ENSHRINED IN THE NEW
CONSTITUTION
Female prosecutors from the Kabul Attorney-General's Office on 3
November voiced their opinions on the formation of the Constitutional
Commission, Radio Free Afghanistan reported. One of the prosecutors,
who gave her name as Storay, said Afghan women's rights should be equal
to those of men. Her colleague, Zarghuna, added that the future
constitution should be sensitive to the Islamic nature of Afghan
society, but she explained that Islam grants women specific rights that
have not been respected in Afghanistan in the past. Zarghuna elaborated
on the issue in a separate interview with Radio Free Afghanistan in
which she said Afghan women do not have the right to seek education in
rural areas or to attend institutions of higher education. She said
women should have rights to inheritance and the freedom to choose their
spouses. Zarghuna concluded her interview by saying that, even if the
new constitution guarantees women's rights, the real test will be its
implementation in society. AT
[74] AFGHAN GOVERNMENT CLEANS HOUSE
After an emergency session of the Afghan cabinet on 3 November,
President Karzai ordered the dismissal or transfer to other posts of
approximately 20 military and civilian officials from various parts of
Afghanistan, Radio Free Afghanistan reported. According to presidential
spokesman Sayed Fazel Akbar, following the loya jirga of June 2002 it
was agreed that the officials in the provinces would be held
accountable for their actions and Karzai announced two weeks ago that
he would be forced to remove those officials who continued to abuse
their authority. Investigative bodies were reportedly sent to the
southeastern, southwestern, northern, and northeastern provinces and
the dismissals came as a result. The "Chicago Tribune" commented on 4
November that, while none of those dismissed was particularly powerful,
the action sent a signal "to the biggest warlords that Karzai, who
became transitional president in June, is serious about bringing them
under control." AT
[75] HUMAN RIGHTS WATCHDOG CRITICIZES HERAT GOVERNOR'S RECORD...
A Human Rights Watch report released on 5 November documents widespread
abuses by the military, police, and intelligence services under the
command of Ismail Khan, the governor of Herat Province in western
Afghanistan. The 51-page report entitled "All Our Hopes Are Crushed:
Violence and Repression in Western Afghanistan," lists abuses including
arbitrary and politically motivated arrests, intimidation, extortion,
and torture, as well as serious violations of the rights to free
expression and association. Human Rights Watch contends that Ismail
Khan personally ordered some of the politically motivated arrests and
beatings that have taken place throughout 2002. Pashtuns -- who
constitute a minority in Herat -- have been specially targeted for
abuse, the report adds. In response to the allegations, U.S. Army
General Dan McNeill told the "Los Angeles Times" of 4 November, "For
the near term, these regional leaders -- while they appear unsavory to
some, and some accuse them of having sordid pasts -- they are providing
a degree of security and stability out and away from Kabul." AT
[76] ...WHILE INTERETHNIC CLASHES CONTINUE IN THE REGION
Amanullah Khan, the Pashtun commander in Shindand in Farah Province
south of Herat Province who is opposed to Herat Province Governor
Ismail Khan, said in an interview with the Pakistan-based "Afghan
Islamic Press" of November 4 that "I call on the central government to
send forces from the center [Kabul] to Shindand to completely end
fighting in the region." He added, "Disagreements between us and
commander Ismail Khan are noting new and they date back 10-12 years --
that is why the central government should send forces to the region to
remove the possibility of clashes." Commander Amanullah Khan said an
18-man delegation he sent to Kabul is currently trying to discuss these
issues with President Karzai. Amanullah Khan added: "Ismail Khan is
treating Pashtuns in Herat very cruelly. He sees every Pashtun as a
Taliban or Al-Qaeda member." AT
[77] IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER PARDONS FORMER INTERIOR MINISTER...
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on 4 November pardoned former
Interior Minister and Tehran Municipal Council member Hojatoleslam
Abdullah Nuri, IRNA reported. Nuri was sentenced to prison in November
1999 on charges of publishing reports that insult officials and
institutions of the system, reporting lies and waging propaganda
against the system, insulting Father of the Revolution Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini and his views, publishing reports contrary to
religious principles, and insulting religious sanctities. Other charges
included supporting ties with the United States, promoting dissident
cleric Ayatollah Hussein-Ali Montazeri's political views, and urging
recognition of Israel (see "RFE/RL Iran Report," 29 November 1999).
Khamenei sent a letter to Judiciary chief Ayatollah Mahmud
Hashemi-Shahrudi in which he said his pardon of Nuri is based on
requests from members of parliament. BS
[78] ...AND CALLS FOR END TO CORRUPTION
In a 4 November speech to an audience of students and youthful
supporters, Supreme Leader Khamenei called for public mobilization to
fight economic corruption, according to IRNA and state radio. Khamenei
said the three branches of government should meet public demands and
officials should avoid involvement in partisan politics. He said
differences among officials would be harmful to the national interest
and officials' duties are defined in the constitution. Khamenei told
officials not to fear the "enemy" (presumably the United States), and
he said the United States supports some and criticizes others in order
to create splits. Khamenei claimed the United States is trying to
prevent officials from meeting unspecified public demands in an attempt
to undermine public confidence in the leadership. BS
[79] IRAN SEEKS INCREASED GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY...
Executive branch agencies must inform the parliament's Plan and Budget
Committee and its Economic Committee prior to concluding any contracts
that are worth more than $20 million in cash or the equivalent in loans
or any other form of payment, "Iran Daily" reported on 29 October.
Moreover, the Economic Affairs and Finance Ministry must report the
signing of any foreign contracts to these committees within one year of
doing so. Anonymous parliamentary sources were cited as saying on 20
October that institutions under the supervision of Supreme Leader
Khamenei have about a year's time to prepare performance reports and
submit them to the Assembly of Experts, which is tasked with
supervising the supreme leader's performance, "Iran" reported on 21
October. BS
[80] ...AS GOVERNMENT-OWNED COMPANIES VIOLATE LAWS
Valiollah Khebreh of the state inspectorate (National Control and
Inspection Organization) said that out of 190 government-owned
companies that were observed in the year 1379 (March 2000-01), 92 acted
in a detrimental fashion, "Hambastegi" reported on 2 October. Khebreh
did not say to whom the companies' actions were detrimental. In 82
cases board members acted illegally, and in 21 cases board members
received illegal payments or bonuses from loss-making companies. In 28
cases the companies did not pay dividends to shareholders on time or
they did not determine how much profit to pay the shareholders.
Thirty-eight companies did not obey trade regulations. BS
[81] TEHRAN, ISLAMABAD DISCUSS ARAB ARRESTS
Tehran and Islamabad continue to reject reports that Osama bin Laden's
son and 200 other Al-Qaeda members were detained in Iran and then sent
to either Pakistan or Saudi Arabia. In Tehran on 4 November, Foreign
Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Assefi said, according to Iranian state
television, "Dozens of people were arrested in recent weeks when trying
to enter Iran. Most of them were of Arabic extraction. They were
arrested because they did not have any legal document to enter Iran.
They were returned to their respective countries." Pakistani government
spokesman Anwar Mahmud said that he had no knowledge of the matter,
Rawalpindi's "Jang" daily reported on 4 November. And Pakistani
Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider said on 4 November that he knew
nothing about Iran turning over one of the bin Laden boys to Islamabad
two months ago, Islamabad's "The News" reported on 5 November. BS
[82] IRANIAN GOVERNMENT ADDRESSES WATER CONSUMPTION
Deputy Energy Minister Reza Amrollahi said at the 4 November conclusion
of the Second International Exhibition of Water, Water Installations,
and Sewage that per capita water consumption in Iran is twice the
global average (150 liters per day vs. 75 liters per day), according to
IRNA. Amrollahi said that water is scarce in Iran. Another 4 November
IRNA report said there is no need for water rationing in Iran this year
due to satisfactory levels of rainfall. Meanwhile, Deputy Energy
Minister for Water Affairs Reza Ardakanian told IRNA that his ministry
has submitted a comprehensive water-management plan to the legislature.
BS
[83] PRESIDENT HUSSEIN HINTS IRAQ WILL COOPERATE...
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein said on 4 November that if the UN
Security Council issues a new resolution on Iraq that does not provide
a cover for "bad U.S. intentions," then Iraq will "deal with" it, Iraq
TV reported. Hussein made the comments during a meeting in Baghdad with
the leader of Austria's Freedom Party, Joerg Haider. During the
meeting, Hussein said the United States is looking for an excuse to
attack Iraq, as it did in 1991 and 1998. He pointed out that once Iraq
gave in to U.S. demands for the return of weapons inspectors, the U.S.
changed its demands and sought a new UN resolution on Iraq. Hussein
said, "The U.S. aims to pressure the UN Security Council...in order to
issue resolutions that are not within the framework of the UN Charter
and international law." He added, "However, if the Security Council
issues a resolution that respects the UN Charter, international law,
and Iraq's sovereignty, security, and independence, and that does not
provide a cover for the bad U.S. intentions, we will look into it with
a view that would enable us to deal with it, despite our belief that
there is nothing that would make the Security Council issue a new
resolution." KR
[84] ...AND SAYS THE U.S. GOAL IS TO DESTROY IRAQ
In a meeting on 4 November with South Africa's Deputy Foreign Affairs
Minister Aziz Pahad, President Hussein said Zionist and colonialist
intentions are influencing the U.S. stand on Iraq, Iraq TV reported. He
accused Western states and their oil companies of historically
exploiting the resources of Iraq, while preventing the development of
Iraq's economy (even agriculture) and hence, keeping the people poor.
He implied that the "colonialist" and "Zionist" war against Iraq is
linked to Israel's fear of a strong Iraq, which is opposed to the
Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. He added, "This [current U.S.
and British] campaign claimed that Iraq managed to do so [produce
biological and chemical weapons] during the four-year period when
weapons inspectors left Iraq. As it is well known, the inspectors did
not leave Iraq on our request but at the United States' request, so as
to launch its attack on Iraq in 1998." KR
[85] RUSSIA TOUGHENS STANCE ON IRAQ
On the eve of a meeting of Collective Security Treaty Organization
foreign ministers in Moscow on 5 November (see Russia, "RFE/RL
Newsline," Part I), the Russian Foreign Ministry said Iraq's consent to
the return of weapons inspectors makes the U.S. demand for a new UN
Security Council resolution unnecessary, RIA-Novosti reported on 4
November. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Yakovenko told
the news agency that "the Iraqi leadership's unconditional consent to a
return of UN inspectors to that country to monitor the non-resumption
of national programs for weapons of mass destruction, and Iraq's
readiness to show flexibility on the issues of improving the modalities
of inspections, make the adoption of a new resolution on Iraq by the UN
Security Council hardly necessary." He added that if other members of
the UN Security Council deem a new resolution necessary, then the
resolution should seek to "assist the effective monitoring of Iraq's
non-resumption of its potential of weapons of mass destruction and
should not contain provisions for the automatic use of force against
Baghdad." KR
[86] ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER WARNS OF COUNTERATTACK IF IRAQ ATTACKS
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told "The Times" of 5 November that
Israel would counterattack Iraq, should the Arab state launch missiles
against Israel as it did in the 1991 Gulf War. Sharon said Israel would
"make every effort not to interfere" in a U.S. war with Iraq, but he
added, "If Israel, and I made it very clear, is attacked by weapons of
mass destruction...Israel will react. Is it clear? I believe that they
understand that Israel will not be able to defend itself." Sharon
called Iraqi President Saddam Hussein "insane" and said U.S. forces
would first target western Iraq, should an attack be launched. KR
END NOTE
[87] There is no End Note today.
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