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RFE/RL Newsline, 02-11-26
CONTENTS
[01] PUTIN VETOES MEDIA-LAW AMENDMENTS...
[02] ...BUT DOES NOT CONCEAL HIS IRRITATION WITH JOURNALISTS...
[03] ...WHILE MEDIA BOSSES STRIKE CONCILIATORY TONE
[04] RUSSIA CREATES A 'NOBEL PRIZE' FOR ENERGY
[05] BOOSTER FAILURE STRANDS SATELLITE
[06] DOES THE KREMLIN REALLY MANAGE THE DUMA?
[07] BELEAGUERED MAYOR RESIGNS
[08] FSB CONTINUES SEARCH FOR BAIKAL INFORMATION LEAK
[09] PETERSBURG SPELUNKERS GET 10-DAY TERM
[10] DEFENSE MINISTER GAVE APPROVAL TO REBURY STALIN'S SON...
[11] ...REVITALIZING THEORIES ABOUT KHRUSHCHEV AND STALIN
[12] DASHNAKTSUTIUN PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR ARMENIAN PRESIDENT'S
[13] ARMENIANS REPATRIATED FROM TURKMENISTAN
[14] AZERBAIJANI PROSECUTOR-GENERAL TO BRING CHARGES AGAINST KARABAKH
[15] AZERBAIJAN, MOSCOW OBLAST SIGN COOPERATION AGREEMENT
[16] TOP U.S. GENERAL VISITS GEORGIA
[17] SOCIALISTS, FORMER GEORGIAN RULING PARTY ALIGN
[18] THREE HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS APPEAL ON BEHALF OF ARRESTED
[19] KAZAKH OPPOSITION CANDIDATE REFUSED REGISTRATION FOR BY-ELECTION
[20] LEAFLETS IN KYRGYZSTAN CALL FOR PRESIDENT'S OUSTER
[21] KYRGYZ POLICE ACCUSE OPPOSITION PAPER OF DEFAMATION
[22] KYRGYZ OFFICIALS HOLD MORE MEETINGS IN SOUTH
[23] TAJIK PRESIDENT STRESSES IMPORTANCE OF COOPERATION WITH NATO...
[24] ...SEEKS TO EXPAND TIES WITH ITALY, CZECH REPUBLIC
[25] MORE DETAILS EMERGE OF REPORTED ATTEMPT TO KILL TURKMEN PRESIDENT
[26] UZBEK PRESIDENT WARNS NATO NOT TO IGNORE EXTREMISM
[27] BELARUS SEEKS TO SELL ITS SHARE IN RUSSIAN OIL COMPANY
[28] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT MAKES FIRST APPOINTMENTS TO YANUKOVYCH'S
[29] FOREIGN INVESTIGATORS RAISE MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT UKRAINIAN
[30] ESTONIA OFFERS U.S. MORAL SUPPORT IN EVENT OF ATTACK ON IRAQ
[31] LATVIA PREPARES FOR NATO-ACCESSION TALKS
[32] LITHUANIAN COURT RULES AGAINST CUTTING BENEFITS TO WORKING
[33] CENSUS FINDS POLAND'S POPULATION IS 38.3 MILLION
[34] REPORT SAYS CORRUPTION IN POLAND IS WIDESPREAD
[35] CZECH DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS TERRORIST ATTACK WILL OCCUR 'SOONER OR
[36] CZECH NEGOTIATIONS WITH EU LARGELY STALLED AFTER PREMIER'S
[37] SENIOR CZECH OFFICIAL CALLS FOR 'RECONCILIATION GESTURE' TOWARD
[38] CZECH ULTRARIGHTIST LEADER MAKES POLITICAL COMEBACK...
[39] ...WHILE COMMUNISTS BECOME IMPORTANT PLAYERS IN NORTHERN MORAVIAN
[40] SLOVAK PRESIDENT DENIES 'CONCRETE PLEDGE' IN THE EVENT OF ACTION
[41] MEDGYESSY SAYS SLOVAKIA'S NATO MEMBERSHIP TO IMPROVE HUNGARY'S
[42] HUNGARIAN PARTIES AGREE ON CONDITIONS FOR EU-ACCESSION TALKS
[43] HUNGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER FORESEES MAGYAR UNITY IN EU
[44] BRITAIN WARNS YUGOSLAVIA OVER ALLEGED ARMS SALES TO IRAQ...
[45] ...DESPITE YUGOSLAV DENIALS
[46] MACEDONIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY DENIES INVOLVEMENT IN YUGOSLAV-IRAQI
[47] MACEDONIAN ETHNIC ALBANIAN PARTY WARNS OF RENEWED TENSIONS
[48] MACEDONIAN GOVERNMENT SAYS IT CANNOT PAY STRIKING MINERS
[49] UN EXTENDS CONTROL THROUGHOUT KOSOVA -- AFTER AGREEMENT WITH
[50] HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH CLAIMS AUTHORITIES PROTECT HUMAN TRAFFICKERS IN
[51] MONTENEGRIN LEADER PLEDGES ECONOMIC REFORMS
[52] ROMANIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES DECLARATION ON NATO INVITATION
[53] ROMANIAN LEADERS THANK ARMY FOR CONTRIBUTION TO NATO INVITATION
[54] ROMANIAN PREMIER INTENDS TO STREAMLINE CABINET
[55] ROMANIAN GOVERNMENT OPPOSED TO ALLOWING NO-CONFIDENCE VOTES IN
[56] ROMANIAN RADIO STATION DIRECTOR SANCTIONED FOR INDULGING IN
[57] MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT SAYS ROMANIA'S NATO INVITE WILL TAME BUCHAREST
[58] BULGARIAN SOCIALIST PARTY MOVES VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN
[59] U.S. MILITARY BASES ATTACKED IN AFGHANISTAN...
[60] ...AS JAPANESE AID WORKER KILLED IN THE NORTH...
[61] ...AND OTHERS ARE ATTACKED NEAR KABUL
[62] ISAF'S AFGHANISTAN MANDATE TO BE EXTENDED
[63] AFGHAN PAPERS BLAME AL-QAEDA FOR ATTEMPT ON DEFENSE MINISTER'S
[64] ...AS IRAQI KURDISH PAPER ADDS MORE DETAIL ON WOULD-BE ASSASSIN
[65] IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SOURCE DENIES COOPERATION WITH UNITED
[66] IRANIAN POLLSTERS TO STAND TRIAL
[67] PUBLIC PROSECUTORS OFFICE TO BE RESTORED IN IRAN
[68] WEAPONS INSPECTORS ARRIVE IN BAGHDAD...
[69] ...AS IRAQI GOVERNMENT STRUGGLES WITH DECLARATION
[70] RUSSIANS, EGYPTIAN TO JOIN INSPECTION TEAMS
[71] GERMANY CONSIDERING ISRAELI, U.S. REQUESTS FOR PATRIOT MISSILES
[72] FOREIGN INVESTIGATORS RAISE MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT UKRAINIAN
[73] ...AS CHINA DENIES INVOLVEMENT IN RADAR TRANSFERS
[74] BRITAIN WARNS YUGOSLAVIA OVER ALLEGED ARMS SALES TO IRAQ...
[75] ...DESPITE YUGOSLAV DENIALS
[76] MACEDONIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY DENIES INVOLVEMENT IN YUGOSLAV-IRAQI
[77] There is no End Note today.
26 November 2002
RUSSIA
[01] PUTIN VETOES MEDIA-LAW AMENDMENTS...
President Vladimir Putin on 25 November invited the heads of Russia's
leading media corporations who had earlier appealed to him to veto
proposed amendments to the law on the mass media that would have
regulated coverage of antiterrorism operations (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
21 November 2002) and informed them that he had granted their request,
Russian news agencies reported. Putin said he had sent a letter to
State Duma Speaker Gennadii Seleznev and Federation Council Chairman
Sergei Mironov explaining that the proposed amendments would not help
the state combat terrorism but would instead introduce censorship. He
asked the legislators to create a conciliation commission and, together
with representatives of journalists, to work out new amendments. ORT
General Director Konstantin Ernst, speaking on behalf of the
journalists present, told Putin that some "unwitting mistakes" were
made during coverage of the 23-26 October hostage drama in Moscow, but
that "they were not conscious actions, but rather misunderstandings
about how to behave in such situations." VY
[02] ...BUT DOES NOT CONCEAL HIS IRRITATION WITH JOURNALISTS...
Speaking to the journalists gathered at the Kremlin, Putin said that he
is not fully convinced of their argument that the problems with the
hostage-drama coverage were all the result of unintentional mistakes,
RTR reported on 25 November. He said that one television channel showed
movements of special-forces units just moments before the beginning of
the operation to storm the theater where Chechen fighters were holding
more than 700 hostages in deliberate violation of an agreement between
journalists and the staff of the operation command center. He noted
that this action could have led to a terrible tragedy. "There was the
desire to increase ratings and to make money, but this should not be
done at the price of the blood of our people, assuming that they see
them as 'our people,'" Putin said. The president also did not hide the
fact that he was annoyed by the communication between journalists and
the hostage takers. "It is not the mass media but the special services
that should save hostages. The mass media should inform [the public],"
Putin said. "The main weapon of terrorists is not bullets or grenades
but blackmail, and there is no better means for blackmail than turning
a terrorist act into a public spectacle," Putin said. VY
[03] ...WHILE MEDIA BOSSES STRIKE CONCILIATORY TONE
ORT General Director Ernst told journalists following the meeting with
Putin that the public should not interpret the president's veto as a
victory of journalists over legislators, ORT reported on 25 November.
It is, rather, an opportunity for legislators and journalists to work
together to elaborate a reasonable professional code for journalists in
extreme situations. He added that a corresponding professional code
should also be created for law enforcement agencies. Among the media
leaders who met with Putin were VGRTK President Oleg Dobrodeev, Ekho
Moskvy Editor in Chief Aleksei Venediktov, "Komsomolskaya pravda"
Editor in Chief Vladimir Sungorkin, "Gazeta" Editor in Chief Raf
Shakirov, and "Moskovskie novosti" Editor in Chief Viktor Loshak. VY
[04] RUSSIA CREATES A 'NOBEL PRIZE' FOR ENERGY
State Duma Deputy Zhores Alferov (Communist), who is vice president of
the Russian Academy of Sciences and a Nobel Prize laureate, announced
that Russia has created a prize called "Global Energy," which will be
the equivalent of a Nobel Prize for energy and will be awarded annually
in St. Petersburg, RosBalt reported on 21 November and ORT reported on
25 November. Alferov said that the funds for the $900,000 prize have
been provided by Gazprom, Unified Energy Systems (EES), and oil giant
Yukos. The prize will be awarded by an international jury of 25
specialists, including five Nobel Prize laureates, headed by Alferov.
The first Global Energy laureate will be named in May 2003 to mark the
300th anniversary of St. Petersburg. VY
[05] BOOSTER FAILURE STRANDS SATELLITE
A Proton rocket on 26 November failed to lift a $110 million
French-made communications satellite into its proper orbit, Russian and
Western news agencies reported. The Astra satellite, the world's
largest communications satellite, was to provide television, radio, and
telecommunications service to Western and Central Europe. According to
a spokesman for the Russian Space Agency, a secondary booster rocket
malfunctioned, leaving the Astra in a uselessly low intermediate orbit,
Reuters reported. He added that both the satellite and the booster will
eventually fall back to Earth, but that they present no danger. RC
[06] DOES THE KREMLIN REALLY MANAGE THE DUMA?
Despite the widespread impression that the Kremlin has managed to tame
the Duma over the two years of President Putin's tenure, its
highest-priority reforms have not been passed, gazeta.ru commented on
26 November. The website noted that such crucial projects as the
redistribution of responsibilities among the federal, regional, and
local levels; the reform of the communal-services sector; and the
reform of EES have been stalled in the Duma despite the creation there
of a solid, pro-Kremlin majority. The centrist Unified Russia party,
rather than becoming the engine of reform as expected, has endeavored
to supplant the Communist Party as an opposition force and has become
"a powerful lobbying resource" in its own right, the website argues.
Unified Russia is faced with the difficult task of endorsing the
Kremlin's reforms while simultaneously expanding its popular and
political base. The party has, so far, given priority to the latter
task, even at the expense of delaying reforms that the administration
considers vital. This tendency will only gain strength as the December
2003 Duma elections approach, and all the country's political parties
adopt increasingly populist tactics, the website concludes. RC
[07] BELEAGUERED MAYOR RESIGNS
Novorossiisk Mayor Valerii Prokhorenko resigned on 25 November after a
meeting with Krasnodar Krai Governor Aleksandr Tkachev,
"Kommersant-Daily" reported on 26 November. No further information
concerning Prokhorenko's resignation was available. However, in October
the Prosecutor-General's Office filed criminal charges against him for
allegedly being negligent and ineffective in his handling of flooding
in the region during the summer (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 7 October
2002). RC
[08] FSB CONTINUES SEARCH FOR BAIKAL INFORMATION LEAK
Federal Security Service (FSB) agents in Irkutsk Oblast on 25 November
searched the offices of a firm called Sosnovgeos, which allegedly
provided classified topographical information to a local environmental
group (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 25 November 2002), lenta.ru reported on
26 November. The agents are investigating whether Sosnovgeos provided
information about the topography in the vicinity of a chemical plant in
Angarsk to Baikal Ecological Wave, whose offices were searched on 22
November. The FSB refused to comment on the results of its search of
Sosnovgeos. RC
[09] PETERSBURG SPELUNKERS GET 10-DAY TERM
Four young people who were arrested in a tunnel of the St. Petersburg
subway system on 24 November have been sentenced to 10 days'
administrative detention for "a gross violation of public order,"
RosBalt reported on 26 November. According to an unidentified
acquaintance of the arrestees, the four -- two residents of Moscow, one
from Tula, and one citizen of Belarus -- are amateur spelunkers who
wanted to investigate the repairs to a section of the subway tunnel
that has been closed for several years. The report also cited a police
source as saying that criminal charges could be filed in connection
with the incident. RC
[10] DEFENSE MINISTER GAVE APPROVAL TO REBURY STALIN'S SON...
Sergei Ivanov gave permission to Tatyana Djughashvili, granddaughter of
Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, to rebury her father, Vasilii Stalin, in
Moscow's Troekurovskoe Cemetery, "Komsomolskaya pravda" reported on 25
November. Vasilii Stalin was a pilot and a high-ranking air force
commander until Nikita Khrushchev came to power following Stalin's
death in 1953. Vasilii Stalin was subsequently imprisoned and exiled,
and he died in poverty in Kazan in 1962. Since that time, Vasilii's
late sister Svetlana; his wife Maria, who died in 2001; and other
relatives have applied for permission to re-inter Vasilii in Moscow
near the place where his mother is buried. Moscow, however,
consistently refused these requests. "Komsomolskaya pravda" also
published over several issues (4, 5, 12, 13, 16, 19, 20, and 21
November) a long interview with historian Yurii Zhukov, who argued that
the Communist Party apparatus -- not Josef Stalin -- initiated the mass
repressions of the 1930s and 1940s and that Stalin tried to end them.
VY
[11] ...REVITALIZING THEORIES ABOUT KHRUSHCHEV AND STALIN
The reburial of Vasilii Stalin has given a new lease of life to
speculation that Khrushchev persecuted him in revenge for the role that
Josef Stalin and his inner circle played in the death of his own son,
Leonid Khrushchev. This theory was most completely presented in a 17
February 1998 "Nezavisimaya gazeta" article by KGB General Vadim
Udilov. According to Udilov, Leonid Khrushchev committed a murder
before World War II and was imprisoned after Stalin heeded Nikita
Khrushchev's pleas to spare his life. When the war began, Leonid --
who, like Vasilii Stalin, was a pilot -- asked to be sent to the front
and on his first mission he reportedly flew over to the German side.
Stalin ordered security chief Lavrentii Beria and military
counterintelligence chief Viktor Abadkumov to handle the matter
personally. They soon learned that a partisan detachment had managed to
kidnap Leonid Khrushchev from the Germans before they were able to send
him back to Germany. After Leonid was returned to the Soviet
authorities, Stalin reportedly summoned his inner circle to decide what
to do. Soviet leaders Vyacheslav Molotov, Georgii Malenkov, Lazar
Kaganovich, and Stalin all voted to execute him. After Khrushchev came
to power, he reportedly told associates that he would take revenge on
Stalin's associates, just as Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin took revenge
on Tsar Nicholas II for the execution of his elder brother, Aleksandr.
All the people reportedly associated with Leonid Khrushchev's case were
repressed under Khrushchev, who also reportedly ordered the KGB to
destroy all Soviet and German documents related to the case, Udilov
wrote. In a subsequent issue of the daily, Aleksandr Shcherbakov, the
son of one of Stalin's close associates, denied Udilov's claims that
Leonid Khrushchev was a traitor. VY
TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[12] DASHNAKTSUTIUN PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR ARMENIAN PRESIDENT'S
RE-ELECTION BID
Following a 22-24 November conference held behind closed doors in the
resort town of Tsaghkadzor, the leadership of the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutiun (HHD) announced on 25 November
that the party will back President Robert Kocharian's bid for
re-election in the February 2003 ballot, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau
reported. In a statement that HHD parliament faction leader Aghvan
Vartanian said was adopted "almost unanimously," the HHD affirmed that
despite "external and internal difficulties and numerous unsolved
problems, the course adopted in 1998 [when Kocharian was first elected
president] was right. It must be followed consistently and made
irreversible." Armen Rustamian, whom the conference reelected to the
HHD Executive Council, said the party does not expect additional
cabinet posts in return for its support of Kocharian. It currently has
two ministerial portfolios. LF
[13] ARMENIANS REPATRIATED FROM TURKMENISTAN
The International Organization for Migration has facilitated the return
to Armenia of 113 Armenians, most of them from Syunik, who were
constrained to leave Turkmenistan because they failed to comply with
the new visa requirements, Noyan Tapan reported on 25 November. The
total number of Armenians living either legally or illegally in
Turkmenistan is estimated at 40,000. LF
[14] AZERBAIJANI PROSECUTOR-GENERAL TO BRING CHARGES AGAINST KARABAKH
PRESIDENT?
In a 25 November interview with ANS television that was cited by
Groong, Azerbaijan's Deputy Prosecutor-General Ramiz Rzaev said a
criminal case will be opened against Arkadii Ghukasian, president of
the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, on charges of violating
Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. LF
[15] AZERBAIJAN, MOSCOW OBLAST SIGN COOPERATION AGREEMENT
Azerbaijan's President Heidar Aliev and visiting Moscow Oblast Governor
Boris Gromov signed an agreement in Baku on 25 November on trade,
economic, scientific, and cultural cooperation, Turan and Russian news
agencies reported. The agreement is primarily intended to increase
economic cooperation and trade between the oblast and Azerbaijan, which
amounted to only $14.9 million during the first nine months of this
year, according to ITAR-TASS. At a separate meeting with Gromov,
Azerbaijani Prime Minister Artur Rasizade proposed creating a special
working group on cooperation that would coordinate its activities with
the Azerbaijani-Russian intergovernmental cooperation commission. LF
[16] TOP U.S. GENERAL VISITS GEORGIA
U.S. Joint Command Chief General Richard Myers met in Tbilisi on 24
November with Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze, Defense Minister
Lieutenant General David Tevzadze, and Chief of the General Staff Djoni
Pirtskhalaishvili, Caucasus Press and Russian agencies reported. The
talks focused on the ongoing U.S.-funded Train and Equip program for
the Georgian military, which Myers was quoted as describing as a good
foundation for Georgia's eventual NATO membership; the possible time
frame and terms on which Georgia might be accepted into the alliance;
and various aspects of bilateral military cooperation. On 25 November,
Myers visited the Krtsanisi Training Center to review the Train and
Equip program. LF
[17] SOCIALISTS, FORMER GEORGIAN RULING PARTY ALIGN
Socialist Party leader Vakhtang Rcheulishvili and Minister of State
Avtandil Djorbenadze, chairman of the Union of Citizens of Georgia
(SMK), told journalists in Tbilisi on 25 November they will cooperate
for the duration of President Shevardnadze's term in order to preserve
political stability in Georgia and "prevent civil war," Caucasus Press
reported. Rcheulishvili said he will also discuss with Adjar Supreme
Council Chairman Aslan Abashidze the possibility of his Revival Union
aligning with the Socialists and the SMK. The Revival Union was the
second-largest faction in the parliament elected in 1999. Relations
between Shevardnadze and Abashidze have been strained for the past
decade. LF
[18] THREE HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS APPEAL ON BEHALF OF ARRESTED
KAZAKH JOURNALIST
Human Rights Watch, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and the
International League of Human Rights wrote jointly on 20 November to
U.S. President George W. Bush asking him to raise with the Kazakh
leadership the controversial arrest on rape charges of independent
journalist Sergei Duvanov (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 29 and 30 October and
19 November 2002). They argue that there are grounds to believe the
charges against Duvanov, a long-time critic of the Kazakh leadership,
are politically motivated. They also ask that the U.S. administration
call for Duvanov's release from pretrial detention. The letter was
posted on forumkz.org on 25 November. LF
[19] KAZAKH OPPOSITION CANDIDATE REFUSED REGISTRATION FOR BY-ELECTION
The local election commission in Kurmangazy (Atyrau Oblast) has refused
to register Zhumabay Dospanov, who heads the oblast branch of the
opposition Republican People's Party of Kazakhstan, as a candidate in
an upcoming by-election on the grounds that it has not yet received
permission from Astana to do so, forumkz.org reported on 25 November.
Two candidates have been registered for the ballot -- one a district
administrator and the second a former deputy district administrator.
The day after Dospanov submitted his registration application,
officials from the local tax office and prosecutor's office visited him
to offer him a senior post, which he refused, in the oblast
administration. LF
[20] LEAFLETS IN KYRGYZSTAN CALL FOR PRESIDENT'S OUSTER
Leaflets signed by the Movement for the Resignation of [President]
Askar Akaev were distributed in Bishkek overnight on 24-25 November,
akipress.org and RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported. The leaflets called
on the population not to agree to a dialogue with the country's
leadership, but to resort to all means -- including roadblocks and
picketing official buildings -- to force the government to resign. LF
[21] KYRGYZ POLICE ACCUSE OPPOSITION PAPER OF DEFAMATION
In a statement released on 25 November, Kyrgyzstan's Interior Ministry
accused a number of journalists, including some from the newspaper
"Moya stolitsa," of tarnishing the image of the police by publishing
inaccurate and unverified information, akipress.org reported. In
particular, the ministry objected to a "Moya stolitsa" article
comparing the Kyrgyz police with the notoriously ruthless rulers of the
Kokand Khanate and accusing them of systematic reprisals against
residents of Kyrgyzstan's southern oblasts. LF
[22] KYRGYZ OFFICIALS HOLD MORE MEETINGS IN SOUTH
First Deputy Prime Minister Kurmanbek Osmanov and First Deputy
Prosecutor-General Kurmantai Abdiev met on 25 November with residents
of Kara-Kuldja to try to reconcile them to a court decision to bar
former Deputy Prime Minister Usen Sydykov from participating in a
runoff election in Kara-Kuldja after polling 46 percent of the vote in
the first round on 20 October, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported.
Election officials claim that Sydykov violated the regulations for
registering as a candidate. Some 300 villagers reportedly staged a
walkout to protest the government position on the runoff by-election,
no date for which has yet been set. LF
[23] TAJIK PRESIDENT STRESSES IMPORTANCE OF COOPERATION WITH NATO...
Imomali Rakhmonov told a session of NATO's Euro-Atlantic Partnership
Council (EAPC) in Prague on 22 November that cooperation with NATO
within the framework of the EAPC and the Partnership for Peace (PfP)
program is one of the priorities of his country's foreign policy, Asia
Plus-Blitz reported on 25 November. As the most important spheres for
such cooperation, Rakhmonov singled out training personnel, coping with
the natural disasters, and information technology. Rakhmonov also
proposed that the EAPC consider adopting a joint long-term program for
combating terrorism. LF
[24] ...SEEKS TO EXPAND TIES WITH ITALY, CZECH REPUBLIC
While in Prague, Rakhmonov met on 22 November on the sidelines of the
NATO summit with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to discuss
bilateral relations, economic cooperation, and international and
regional problems, including the situation in Afghanistan, Asia
Plus-Blitz reported on 25 November. Rakhmonov also held meetings with
Czech Senate Chairman Petr Pithart and with Czech businessmen, whom he
encouraged to invest in the Tajik economy. Tajikistan is interested in
purchasing Czech-manufactured trolleybuses, air-navigation equipment,
medicines, and other medical supplies. LF
[25] MORE DETAILS EMERGE OF REPORTED ATTEMPT TO KILL TURKMEN PRESIDENT
ITAR-TASS and Reuters on 25 November quoted Saparmurat Niyazov as
saying that his car suddenly accelerated that morning en route to the
presidential palace, but that he learned only after his arrival there
that gunmen had opened fire on his motorcade. ITAR-TASS said four
gunmen took part in the attack; turkmenistan.ru implied that the number
was larger, reporting that at least one of the gunmen died in an
exchange of fire with police, some were apprehended, and others managed
to escape. AFP on 26 November quoted presidential spokesman Serdar
Durdiev as saying that 16 people have been arrested in connection with
the assassination attempt, four of whom are citizens of Georgia. LF
[26] UZBEK PRESIDENT WARNS NATO NOT TO IGNORE EXTREMISM
In his 22 November address to the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council,
Islam Karimov hailed the decision to admit seven new members to NATO
and to upgrade cooperation within the parameters of the PfP program,
uza.uz reported on 25 November. Karimov also praised the international
operation against the Taliban in Afghanistan, but at the same time
warned the situation there remains complicated. He implicitly
criticized the international community for having remained indifferent
for an entire decade to the emerging terrorist threat in Afghanistan.
Karimov singled out drug trafficking as the primary source of financing
for international terrorism and expressed regret that various
international efforts to combat it are not better coordinated. He
reaffirmed Uzbekistan's commitment to expand cooperation with NATO both
in reforming its armed forces and in strengthening democratic
institutions. LF
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
[27] BELARUS SEEKS TO SELL ITS SHARE IN RUSSIAN OIL COMPANY
The Belarusian government has so far failed to sell its 10.83-percent
stake in the Russian oil company Slavneft, Belapan reported on 25
November. According to a source in the Economy Ministry, Slavneftebank
was the only bidder at an auction last week, offering $210 million, but
its price did not satisfy the government. The starting price of
Belarus's stake in Slavneft was set at 630 billion Russian rubles ($200
million). Minsk reportedly wants to sell its stake before the auction
for the Russian government's 74.95-percent stake in Slavneft, which is
scheduled for 18 December. JM
[28] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT MAKES FIRST APPOINTMENTS TO YANUKOVYCH'S
CABINET
President Leonid Kuchma has appointed State Tax Administration head
Mykola Azarov as first deputy prime minister and finance minister in
Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych's cabinet, Reuters reported on 26
November, quoting presidential spokeswoman Olena Hromnytska. Hromnytska
also told the agency that Ivan Kyrylenko has been appointed deputy
prime minister for agriculture, Dmytro Tabachnyk as deputy prime
minister for humanitarian issues, and Vitaliy Hayduk as deputy prime
minister for fuel and energy. Yanukovych told journalists on 25
November that Defense Minister Volodymyr Shkidchenko, Interior Minister
Yuriy Smyrnov, Justice Minister Oleksandr Lavrynovych, and Foreign
Minister Anatoliy Zlenko will retain their posts in his cabinet. Kuchma
also proposed that the Verkhovna Rada approve Serhiy Tihipko, the
leader of the Labor Ukraine-Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs
parliamentary caucus, as governor of the National Bank of Ukraine. That
post is currently held by Volodymyr Stelmakh. JM
[29] FOREIGN INVESTIGATORS RAISE MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT UKRAINIAN
KOLCHUGAS
U.S. and British experts who last month investigated the alleged sale
by Ukraine of a Kolchuga radar system to Iraq said in a report released
on 25 November that they were unable to prove that Ukraine transferred
radar systems to Iraq "under openly declared contracts," but added that
"covert or illegal arms transfers, particularly with the complicity of
third parties, remain a credible possibility," Reuters and AP reported.
The report says Ukraine provided documentation on 72 Kolchuga systems
but that four remain unaccounted for. According to Ukrainian officials,
these four systems were sold to China, but Ukraine denied investigators
access to the contracts, claiming they were commercial secrets. The
investigators say they need missing documentation on the sale of the
four systems to China, technical information on the location of the
systems in China, and access to people who were not available for
interviews during their visit to Ukraine in October -- especially
Leonid Derkach, the former head of the Ukraine Security Service, and
Yuriy Orshanskyy, the former honorary consul in Iraq. JM
[30] ESTONIA OFFERS U.S. MORAL SUPPORT IN EVENT OF ATTACK ON IRAQ
The National Defense Council decided on 25 November that Estonia will
offer the United States moral support in the event of a military action
against Iraq, ETA reported. Prime Minister Siim Kallas said Estonia
will allow the use of Estonian airspace for such an operation, if
necessary, although he expressed doubt that such a request would be
made. He described as unrealistic the idea that Estonia could
contribute something militarily in the event of an attack on Iraq. "We
do not have available resources for that.... Our peacekeeping,
mine-clearance, and logistics units are already deployed elsewhere," he
said. However, Kallas pledged that if the United States turns to
Estonia with a specific request for help, his country would certainly
agree to fulfill that request. SG
[31] LATVIA PREPARES FOR NATO-ACCESSION TALKS
Defense Minister Girts Valdis Kristovskis announced on 25 November that
Latvia will be the first of the seven states invited to join NATO last
week to begin accession talks, BNS reported. The government met in an
extraordinary meeting that day and appointed an 18-member delegation
for the talks, which are to begin on 4 December. The delegation will be
headed by Foreign Ministry State Secretary Maris Riekstins, with
Defense Ministry State Secretary Edgars Rinkevics as his deputy.
Foreign Minister Sandra Kalniete said the accession talks will open
with two rounds. In the first, which will take place in December and
January, Latvia will reach agreement with the alliance on Latvia's
"future in the common budget" and will undertake to carry out remaining
obligations set out by NATO. In the second stage, January through
March, a NATO delegation will visit Latvia to determine Latvia's
progress toward meeting its commitments, and Latvia will provide
detailed proposals concerning the terms for meeting its obligations. SG
[32] LITHUANIAN COURT RULES AGAINST CUTTING BENEFITS TO WORKING
PENSIONERS
The Constitutional Court ruled on 25 November that the amendments to
the state social-insurance pension law that slashed benefits to working
pensioners violated the constitution, ELTA reported. The court
concluded the amendments violated the principles of ownership immunity,
the freedom to choose one's work and business, the state-guaranteed
right to a pension, and the rule of law. Parliament passed the
amendments (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 22 December 2000), which went into
effect on 1 January 2001, under the provision that working pensioners
receive only the basic monthly pension of 138 litas ($34.50 at the
time). Social Security and Labor Ministry Secretary Audrone Morkuniene
said the court ruling will be enforced, even though the State Social
Insurance Fund (SoDra) stands to lose 70 million litas ($20 million) in
revenues. There were 637,000 pensioners in 2001, of whom some 67,500
were still working. SG
[33] CENSUS FINDS POLAND'S POPULATION IS 38.3 MILLION
The national census held in Poland from 21 May to 8 June 2002 found
that there were 38.3 million people living in the country, 420,000 more
than in 1988 when the previous census was conducted, PAP reported on 25
November, quoting President Aleksander Kwasniewski. Kwasniewski, who
was addressing a demographic conference in Warsaw, added however that
the country's population shrank over the past four years by 35,000. The
census also revealed that more than 1 million Poles are currently
living abroad. JM
[34] REPORT SAYS CORRUPTION IN POLAND IS WIDESPREAD
According to a report published in Warsaw on 25 November by the George
Soros-backed Open Society Institute (OSI), corruption in Poland is
widespread and permeates many sectors of public life, PAP reported. The
OSI report states that corruption can be found primarily around the
activities of public agencies and funds, state and local
administrations, the courts, banks, and the health-care system.
Professor Jacek Kurczewski, one of the authors of the report, commented
that combating corruption in Poland is not an efficient and continuous
process since its methods are dependent on which political force runs
the government. JM
[35] CZECH DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS TERRORIST ATTACK WILL OCCUR 'SOONER OR
LATER'
Jaroslav Tvrdik said in an interview with the daily "Pravo" on 25
November that he does not believe the Czech Republic faces a higher
risk of terrorist attacks if it hosts a NATO training center for
defense against weapons of mass destruction as it has offered to do,
CTK and dpa reported. To the contrary, Tvrdik considers terrorist
attacks on Czech soil an inevitability. "If we were to have this sort
of center on our territory, the ability of our soldiers to protect our
citizens would be much higher," Tvrdik said. He also said he believes
his countrymen have "a false sense of security" and "sooner or later" a
terrorist attack is bound to occur in the Czech Republic, as "all
signals indicate that these people are fanatics" and their action is
directed "against the Western democratic world" and not just against
the United States. MS
[36] CZECH NEGOTIATIONS WITH EU LARGELY STALLED AFTER PREMIER'S
MEETINGS IN BRUSSELS
Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla met in Brussels on 25 November with
European Commission Chairman Romano Prodi and with EU Enlargement
Commissioner Guenter Verheugen, CTK reported. The agency quoted the
premier as saying after the talks that no "satisfactory conclusion" was
reached and that Prague will not hesitate to postpone finalizing its
membership negotiations until after the EU summit in December, if no
agreement is reached before then. The main dispute continues to be over
the agricultural subsidies that the Czech Republic would receive
following EU accession, according to CTK. The EU is unwilling to change
its position that those subsidies will be 25 percent of those paid to
current members, rising to 35 percent in 2006, and gradually increasing
over the course of the 10-year transition period that ends in 2013. CTK
said the EU is ready allow the Czech Republic to provide its farmers
subsidies from the state budget, provided those subsidies do not exceed
40 percent of the subsidies paid by the EU in 2004 and 2005 and that
they are not raised by more than 10 percent annually after that time.
Meanwhile, progress has been achieved in securing EU support for
increasing from 22 to 24 seats the Czech Republic's representation in
the European Parliament, according to CTK. Spidla also met in Brussels
with his Belgian counterpart, Guy Verhofstadt. MS
[37] SENIOR CZECH OFFICIAL CALLS FOR 'RECONCILIATION GESTURE' TOWARD
GERMANY
Senate Deputy Chairman Jan Ruml told journalists on 25 November that
before joining the European Union the Czech Republic ought to make a
"gesture of reconciliation" toward Germany over the Benes Decrees
dispute, CTK reported. Ruml said the gesture should come in the form of
a statement from the government. The European Parliament urged such a
gesture in its resolution on EU enlargement earlier this month. MS
[38] CZECH ULTRARIGHTIST LEADER MAKES POLITICAL COMEBACK...
Miroslav Sladek, chairman of the far-right Republicans of Miroslav
Sladek (RMS) party, was elected deputy mayor of Brno-Utechov in 1-2
November local elections, CTK reported on 25 November, citing the daily
"Mlada fronta Dnes." Sladek ran on the local Independents-Safety and
Prosperity lists and garnered almost 20 percent of the vote in Utechov,
a small district in the Czech Republic's second-largest city, Brno.
Sladek was the first chairman of the far-right Assembly for the
Republic-Czechoslovak Republican Party (SPR-RSC), which won
parliamentary representation in 1992 and 1996. The SPR-RSC failed to
enter the legislature in the 1998 elections and was declared bankrupt
in February 2001. In February 2002, Sladek was elected chairman of the
newly established RMS, but the party took only 0.97 percent of the vote
in the 2002 parliamentary elections. MS
[39] ...WHILE COMMUNISTS BECOME IMPORTANT PLAYERS IN NORTHERN MORAVIAN
MUNICIPALITIES
The Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) has joined the
municipal coalition in Havirov, CTK reported on 25 November, citing the
daily "Lidove noviny." Havirov is the fifth town in northern Moravia
where the KSCM is represented in the ruling municipal coalition
following the 1-2 November local elections (after Ostrava, Karvina,
Bruntal, and Frydek-Mistek). The Civic Democratic Party on 25 November
called on its local party organizations that concluded coalition
agreements with the KSCM after the local elections to invalidate them,
according to CTK. MS
[40] SLOVAK PRESIDENT DENIES 'CONCRETE PLEDGE' IN THE EVENT OF ACTION
AGAINST IRAQ
President Rudolf Schuster on 25 November denied that Slovakia signed
any agreement at last week's NATO Prague summit committing it to
"concrete measures" in the event that Iraq fails to comply with UN
Security Council Resolution 1441, TASR reported. In a separate
statement, the Foreign Ministry said the declaration regarding Iraq
that was signed at the end of the Prague summit is a standard political
document and included no legal obligations. "The Foreign Ministry wants
to stress that this is not a confidential document, as has been
reported by some media," the statement said. MS
[41] MEDGYESSY SAYS SLOVAKIA'S NATO MEMBERSHIP TO IMPROVE HUNGARY'S
SECURITY
In an interview with the Czech daily "Hospodarske noviny" on 25
November, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy said the invitation
extended to Slovakia to join NATO and its likely membership of the
organization will increase Hungary's security, CTK reported. "To be in
the same alliance with one's neighbors creates a sense of security and
stability," Medgyessy said. Regarding the controversial Status Law
promoted by Hungary's previous cabinet, Medgyessy said his government
"has several ideas" on how to combine promoting the interests of
Hungarians who live beyond the country's borders with solutions
acceptable to Hungary's neighbors, while taking into consideration the
"spirit of European norms." He said he has already sent his proposals
for amending the Status Law to his Slovak counterpart Mikulas Dzurinda
and believes that "a mutually acceptable compromise" will be found when
they meet on 26 November. MS
[42] HUNGARIAN PARTIES AGREE ON CONDITIONS FOR EU-ACCESSION TALKS
Peter Balazs, Foreign Ministry state secretary responsible for EU
integration, on 25 November told reporters after briefing
representatives of all four parliamentary parties on the current state
of EU-accession negotiations that those parties all support the
government's efforts to defend Hungarian interests in the EU talks.
Balazs also said the acquis communautaire chapters on taxation and
competition could be closed in Brussels this week, Budapest dailies
reported. Regarding the sale of farmland to foreigners, Balazs
reiterated that Hungary seeks to have its seven-year transition period
extended by a further three years if land prices in Hungary do not
reach those in the EU within seven years after accession. Meanwhile,
"Magyar Hirlap" reported on 25 November that Former Prime Minister
Viktor Orban will tour Europe this week to promote Hungary's EU
accession. MSZ
[43] HUNGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER FORESEES MAGYAR UNITY IN EU
Foreign Minister Laszlo Kovacs said in Stockholm on 25 November that
the reunification of the historical Hungarian nation could occur in an
expanded EU, Hungarian radio reported. Kovacs spoke after meeting his
Swedish counterpart Anna Lindh and attending Hungarian-Swedish
roundtable discussions. Lindh said Sweden expects that EU enlargement
will spur rapid economic growth in current and new member states alike
and that the democratic institutions of the EU will be stronger and
more stable. Hungarian radio quoted Lindh as saying that although
Sweden supports many of the Hungarian proposals regarding EU accession,
there is little room for maneuver in EU-accession talks. MSZ
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[44] BRITAIN WARNS YUGOSLAVIA OVER ALLEGED ARMS SALES TO IRAQ...
Denis Mac Shane, who is the Foreign Office minister with special
responsibility for Europe, said on 25 November in London that
"international rule of law means no breach of UN sanctions -- such as
selling weapons to [Iraqi President] Saddam Hussein," the "Financial
Times" reported. Mac Shane's remarks at an international conference on
organized crime in the Balkans followed the appearance of international
and Serbian media reports that the Yugoslav authorities willingly and
knowingly continue to sell arms to Iraq in an effort motivated by
economic and political considerations (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 25
November 2002, and "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 25 October and 8 November
2002). The media reports were pegged to a new study by the
International Crisis Group (ICG) that was "based in part on documents
from the U.S. government," the London daily added. The paper also noted
that "Washington's suspicion of illegal Yugoslav arms dealing is at its
highest level" since the fall of former President Slobodan Milosevic in
October 2000. PM
[45] ...DESPITE YUGOSLAV DENIALS
The Yugoslav state-run news agency Tanjug carried a statement by the
Foreign Ministry on 25 November in which the ministry stressed that it
is taking tough action against illegal arms sales. Predrag Simic, an
adviser to President Vojislav Kostunica dealing with foreign affairs,
called the media reports on alleged arms sales and Kostunica's
knowledge of them "complete nonsense," the "Financial Times" reported.
But the daily added that "the Yugoslav authorities now face a litany of
specific allegations rather than the more abstract charge of arms
trading." It is not clear if and how official Belgrade will respond to
the specific charges, including allegations of conflicts of interest on
the part of some high-ranking individuals. ICG Balkans Program Director
Nicholas Whyte told the BBC that the arms sales continued because those
behind them thought they would not be caught. PM
[46] MACEDONIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY DENIES INVOLVEMENT IN YUGOSLAV-IRAQI
ARMS DEALS
Defense Ministry spokesman Marjan Gjurovski said on 25 November in
Skopje that the Macedonian defense industry is not involved in any
Yugoslav-Iraqi arms deals, "Utrinski vesnik" reported. Gjurovski
dismissed a comment in "The Guardian" to the effect that Macedonian
arms producers are linked to the illegal arms trade of the
Belgrade-based Yugoimport company. Gjurovski said the Macedonian arms
industry strictly adheres to international and Macedonian legal
regulations. UB
[47] MACEDONIAN ETHNIC ALBANIAN PARTY WARNS OF RENEWED TENSIONS
Agron Buxhaku, a spokesman for the ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for
Integration (BDI) led by former guerrilla leader Ali Ahmeti, told a
press conference in Skopje on 25 November that the recently launched
demarcation of the border between Macedonia and Kosova should be
stopped, dpa reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 25 November 2002).
Buxhaku argued that "the demarcation should be halted until Kosova's
independence.... This process requires a wider political approach in
order to avoid unnecessary tensions." Ethnic Albanians note that they
were not party to the 2001 agreement, which poses problems for their
communities on both sides of the border. PM
[48] MACEDONIAN GOVERNMENT SAYS IT CANNOT PAY STRIKING MINERS
Labor Minister Jovan Manasievski said in a statement in Skopje on 25
November that the government does not have the money to pay four
months' back wages to hundreds of striking miners at the Zletevo lead
and zinc mine, Reuters reported. The miners also want better working
conditions and vow not to end their strike until their demands are met.
The strike began on 19 November and is the first such challenge to the
new Social Democratic-led government. PM
[49] UN EXTENDS CONTROL THROUGHOUT KOSOVA -- AFTER AGREEMENT WITH
BELGRADE
The UN civilian administration in Kosova (UNMIK) took control of
Serb-held northern Mitrovica on 25 November following an agreement with
Belgrade, international and regional media reported. UNMIK head Michael
Steiner said his agency now controls all of Kosova. He added that UNMIK
will administer northern Mitrovica directly, since local Serbs
boycotted the recent local elections (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 4 November
2002). Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Nebojsa Covic said that
"everything...has been agreed" between Belgrade and UNMIK, adding that
"nothing special is happening, because UNMIK, in accordance with UN
Resolution 1244, has authority over the territory of Kosovo," dpa
reported. Covic appealed to local Serbs to remain calm. It is not clear
how Belgrade is able to exercise such authority in a town long known
for violence and lawlessness. PM
[50] HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH CLAIMS AUTHORITIES PROTECT HUMAN TRAFFICKERS IN
BOSNIA
The New York-based NGO Human Rights Watch said in a statement on 25
November that many human traffickers in Bosnia enjoy de facto immunity
from the law because of their links to local and international
officials, Deutsche Welle's Bosnian Service reported. The report
charged that both Bosnian and international police are partly
responsible for the rise in prostitution in Bosnia (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 19 November 2002). PM
[51] MONTENEGRIN LEADER PLEDGES ECONOMIC REFORMS
Milo Djukanovic resigned as president of Montenegro on 25 November,
paving the way for the parliament to confirm him as prime minister,
RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported from
Podgorica. He told reporters he intends to concentrate on the economy
and economic reforms in his new post. Djukanovic added that the current
Yugoslav federation is "unacceptable" to Montenegro. He said the
Serbian and Montenegrin parliaments should adopt a Constitutional
Charter for a new loose union as soon as possible. PM
[52] ROMANIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES DECLARATION ON NATO INVITATION
In what Romanian state radio described on 25 November as a "solemn
meeting," Romania's bicameral parliament unanimously approved a
declaration stating that the NATO invitation extended to Romania at the
alliance's 21-22 November Prague summit represents a "historic moment
of recognition of the progress made by our country on the road to
Euro-Atlantic integration," RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. The
legislature said Romanian NATO membership will enhance global security
and stability, and contribute to the struggle against international
terrorism and to good relations with the country's neighbors.
Addressing the lawmakers, President Ion Iliescu said parties should not
attempt to exploit the situation for their own political gain, as the
invitation is an achievement of the entire country. Iliescu also said
the issue of former members of the Securitate who might still be active
in state structures must be resolved in line with NATO standards and
that the issue should not be transformed into one serving "politicking,
demagogy, and populism." Prime Minister Adrian Nastase told the forum
that by offering Romania an invitation, "NATO has made a long-term
investment in Romania, [and] it is our turn to respond in kind" by
completing the reforms that are still necessary in the economy and in
the army. MS
[53] ROMANIAN LEADERS THANK ARMY FOR CONTRIBUTION TO NATO INVITATION
President Iliescu and Premier Nastase on 25 November attended a meeting
of the leading staff of the Defense Ministry and thanked the army for
its crucial contribution to Romania's NATO invitation, RFE/RL's
Bucharest bureau reported. Defense Minister Ioan Mircea Pascu said
Romania's road to NATO "passed through Kabul and Kandahar," where the
Romanian soldiers demonstrated their ability to meet obligations
Romania assumes. MS
[54] ROMANIAN PREMIER INTENDS TO STREAMLINE CABINET
Prime Minister Nastase intends to cut the number of ministries in his
cabinet, reducing them from 27 to about 22, Mediafax reported on 26
November, citing unidentified government sources. The sources said
ministries with "approximately parallel activities" will be merged and
some ministries will be turned into government departments. For
instance, the Education and Research Ministry could be merged with the
Youth and Sports Ministry, while the Development and Forecasting
Ministry could be turned into a government department, according to the
sources. MS
[55] ROMANIAN GOVERNMENT OPPOSED TO ALLOWING NO-CONFIDENCE VOTES IN
INDIVIDUAL MINISTERS
The Relations with Parliament Ministry said in a statement issued on 25
November that the government opposes a proposal to introduce into the
constitution the possibility of a no-confidence vote in individual
ministers (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 November 2002), Romanian Radio
reported. The ministry said the proposal by the ad hoc constitutional
commission examining possible amendments to the basic document could
lead to cabinet members being "more interested in political sympathies
and antipathies" among lawmakers than in fulfilling their tasks as
members of the cabinet. It also said the amendment would violate the
constitutional principle of collective governmental responsibility. MS
[56] ROMANIAN RADIO STATION DIRECTOR SANCTIONED FOR INDULGING IN
CENSORSHIP
The board of directors of the Romanian Broadcasting Authority (SRR)
announced on 25 November that it has sanctioned the director of the
radio's classical-music station Romania Muzical for censorship,
Romanian Radio reported. The board said that the station's director
ordered the interruption of a live concert broadcast on 19 November
after conductor Iancu Dumitrescu addressed the audience and criticized
the authorities for the meager funds they allocate to culture. The
board said the station's director has been demoted for one month. It
also assured listeners that the SSR "will not tolerate censorship" and
ordered that the concert be rebroadcast in full, including Dumitrescu's
improvised speech. MS
[57] MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT SAYS ROMANIA'S NATO INVITE WILL TAME BUCHAREST
President Vladimir Voronin said on 26 November that the Romania's
invitation to join NATO will likely lead to an improvement in
Romanian-Moldovan relations, an RFE/RL correspondent in Chisinau and
ITAR-TASS reported. Voronin said in an interview published in all
Moldovan government dailies that in the wake of the invitation, "the
Romanian political class will have to subdue its revanchist policies
vis-a-vis Moldova" to ensure that its statements regarding foreign
policy are in line with democratic norms and NATO standards. This, he
added, will "spare us Bucharest's anti-Moldovan improvisations, which
we have had to face in the course of the last years," RFE/RL reported.
ITAR-TASS quoted Voronin as saying that he hopes Bucharest will now
"reassess our right to our own history and our own identity." He added
that "the introduction of European standards" in Romania "has already
taken the wind out of the sails of radical [pro-Romanian] Moldovan
politicians." A dpa report on 25 November said Romania's decision last
week to recall its ambassador to Moldova only three months after his
appointment is an indication that the rift between the sides is
widening. No reason was indicated for President Iliescu's decision to
recall Ambassador Adrian Balanescu, who had served since January 2001.
MS
[58] BULGARIAN SOCIALIST PARTY MOVES VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN
GOVERNMENT
The opposition Coalition for Bulgaria, which is dominated by the
Socialist Party (BSP), moved a vote of no confidence in the government
on 25 November, BTA reported. The coalition accuses the government of
acting against national interests and violating the constitution when
it signed an agreement with the EU on 18 November. The conservative
opposition moved a no-confidence vote on the same grounds on 22
November (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 and 25 November 2002).
Parliamentary speaker Ognyan Gerdzhikov said the two motions will be
discussed on 28 and 29 November, "Sega" reported. The vote itself is
expected to take place on 4 December (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 25
November 2002). UB
SOUTHWESTERN ASIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST
[59] U.S. MILITARY BASES ATTACKED IN AFGHANISTAN...
Unknown attackers struck two U.S. military bases in Afghanistan on 23
November, firing nine phosphorus rockets at a base in central
Afghanistan near Lwara, and one 107mm rocket at a base near Khost in
the east, AP reported on 25 November. On 24 November, a U.S. Special
Forces base near Gardayz, also in eastern Afghanistan, came under
small-arms fire. According to U.S. military spokesman Colonel Roger
King, there were no casualties in any of the attacks, but two trucks
were damaged at the Lwara base, AP reported. AT
[60] ...AS JAPANESE AID WORKER KILLED IN THE NORTH...
A member of a Japanese aid organization has been killed in the
Chaharbolak District of northern Balkh Province, the Kabul daily
"Arman-e Melli" reported on 24 November. The paper did not elaborate on
when and how the aid worker was killed but stated that the organization
the victim worked for, which was not named, has closed its office in
the area. AT
[61] ...AND OTHERS ARE ATTACKED NEAR KABUL
Two unidentified international aid workers "were brutalized and
physically assaulted at gunpoint early afternoon on [22 November] in
the Kargha Lake area, some 20 kilometers northwest of Kabul," according
to a 24 November press briefing by Manoel de Almeida e Silva, spokesman
for the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. "While it is true that
the country is not yet stable, it is also true that national and
regional authorities bear the responsibility for the safety and
security of Afghan citizens and their guests, in this case,
international aid workers," Almeida e Sliva added. AT
[62] ISAF'S AFGHANISTAN MANDATE TO BE EXTENDED
The UN Security Council is expected to extend the current mandate of
the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, due
to end on 20 December, for a reported six months in order to provide
time for the German and Dutch parliaments to act on the UN decision
approving the transfer of command of ISAF to them from Turkey, United
Kingdom representative to the UN Jeremy Greenstock told AP on 25
November. The vote on extending the ISAF mandate (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 13 and 18 November 2002) was scheduled for 25 November but
was postponed due to "a busy [Security] Council schedule and a minor
problem in the draft resolution," AP added, citing unidentified UN
diplomats. Afghan President Hamid Karzai and UN Secretary-General Kofi
Annan have repeatedly called for the expansion of the force's mandate
beyond Kabul to provide security while an Afghan police force and
national army are being trained. AT
[63] AFGHAN PAPERS BLAME AL-QAEDA FOR ATTEMPT ON DEFENSE MINISTER'S
LIFE...
The 22 November attempt to assassinate Defense Minister Marshal
Mohammad Qasim Fahim (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 25 November 2002) is
evidence of al-Qaeda and "its terrorist plots against the leadership of
the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan and the people of this
country," the Kabul daily "Arman-e Melli" commented on 24 November.
Claiming that Al-Qaeda is presently "operational" and is amassing arms
and ammunitions in the border areas between Afghanistan and Pakistan,
the paper adds that terrorist "activities cannot stop the processes of
peace and democracy in Afghanistan, [but] they can still create some
temporary problems" for Afghanistan and its people. Writing on the same
subject, the Herat paper "Etefaq-e Islam" commented on 24 November that
in order not to allow Afghanistan's enemies to succeed in derailing the
country from "the path of stability and peace," "security officials
must be more vigilant." AT
[64] ...AS IRAQI KURDISH PAPER ADDS MORE DETAIL ON WOULD-BE ASSASSIN
Confirming the identity of the would-be assassin of Defense Minister
Fahim as Bokan Akram Tawfiq, who is reported to be an Iraqi Kurd, the
Iraqi Kurdish newspaper "Kurdistani Nuwe" added on 25 November that he
is from Biyarah. According to the report, Tawfiq traveled to the United
Arab Emirates through Iran and then went to Pakistan "in order to carry
out his terrorist training with hard-line organizations." According to
Afghan intelligence sources, Tawfiq "belongs to the same organization
as the two men who killed Ahmad Shah Masoud in September 2001 [see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 25 November 2002] upon orders from the Al-Qaeda
organization." The Kurdish paper did not name the organization to which
Tawfiq allegedly belongs. AT
[65] IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SOURCE DENIES COOPERATION WITH UNITED
STATES
A source at the Iranian Foreign Ministry denied a 25 November cnn.com
report that his government has reached an informal agreement with the
United States to provide medical assistance to U.S. pilots and
crewmembers, should their aircraft experience mechanical failure or be
shot down during a war with Iraq, IRNA reported. Cnn.com reported that
U.S. officials confirmed that the agreement was reached following
"discussions" between U.S. and Iranian officials over the past two
months. However, IRNA on 26 November quoted an "informed source at the
Iranian Foreign Ministry" as saying that "there have been no talks
between the two countries and there has been no agreement of any kind
regarding the dimensions of any possible cooperation between Iran and
America in any possible American war with Iraq." KR
[66] IRANIAN POLLSTERS TO STAND TRIAL
Abbas Abdi and Hussein Qazian of the Ayandeh Research Institute are
scheduled to stand trial next week while Behruz Geranpayeh, the head of
the Islamic Culture and Guidance Ministry's National Institute for
Research Studies and Opinion Polls, is to stand trial in December
following an investigation by Judge Said Mortazavi into their arrests
on espionage charges (see "RFE/RL Newsline Part III," 4 and 11 November
2002), IRNA reported on 25 November. Abdi and Qazian were arrested and
charged with espionage in November and October, respectively, after
conducting public-opinion polls on Iranian's attitudes toward the
United States. Geranpayeh was arrested on espionage charges on 16
October after his polling center released a survey that claimed
two-thirds of the citizens in Tehran favor a resumption of formal
relations with the United States. Members of the pro-presidential
Islamic Iran Participation Party (IIPP) called on Iranian President
Mohammad Khatami to serve notice to the Iranian judiciary that cases
against the pollsters violate the law, IRNA reported on 24 November. In
an appeal to Khatami by three members of the IIPP's Central Council,
council member Said Hajjarian said the Intelligence and Security
Ministry is better equipped to investigate allegations of espionage
than the court. "The Information Ministry has a special department that
can give expert view about espionage," Hajjarian said. "Of course, the
[Intelligence and Security] Ministry has rejected any espionage charge
against the defendants," he added. KR
[67] PUBLIC PROSECUTORS OFFICE TO BE RESTORED IN IRAN
Iranian Judiciary spokesman Hussein Mirmohammadi announced that a law
restoring the public judiciary will come into effect within the next
three weeks, Iranian media reported on 25 November. Mirmohammadi told
journalists that the law has been ratified by the Iranian parliament
and approved by the Guardians Council. "According to this law, public
prosecutors will be in charge of investigations, and detecting offenses
and crimes," he said. "Ultimately, we will have a public prosecutor in
every public prosecutor's office to deal with the initial
investigations...so there will be someone in charge of taking care of
public complaints, hence an improvement over how it is at present," he
added. According to Mirmohammadi, verdicts will be fairer because the
prosecutor, as a neutral figure between the judge and the accused, will
conduct investigations. "Therefore, it appears that this law will be
very beneficial in terms of enforcement of the law," he said. KR
[68] WEAPONS INSPECTORS ARRIVE IN BAGHDAD...
The first team of weapons inspectors arrived in Baghdad on 25 November
to prepare for the beginning of inspections on 27 November, Al-Jazeera
television reported. The delegation includes 11 members of the UN
Monitoring, Verification, and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), as well
as six International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) employees and one
communications expert, according to Al-Jazeera. On 25 November, UNMOVIC
Executive Chairman Hans Blix briefed the UN Security Council on his
preparatory trip to Baghdad last week. Blix said in the briefing
published on UNMOVIC's website (http://www.un.org/depts/unmovic) that
beginning inspections on 27 November would be 19 days from the date of
the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1441. Iraq was given 45
days to comply with the resolution. Blix noted in his briefing that any
media reports speculating as to where inspectors might go are just that
-- speculation. He added that inspectors will not inform anyone in
advance of their intentions. Blix said he expects to have 100
inspectors along with support staff in place "by Christmas." KR
[69] ...AS IRAQI GOVERNMENT STRUGGLES WITH DECLARATION
In his briefing to the UN Security Council, Blix said that during his
preparatory visit to Iraq the Iraqis expressed some confusion as to how
they should prepare their declaration of weapons of mass destruction to
the Security Council. Blix said he told Iraqi officials that he and
IAEA Director-General Mohammad el-Baradei have no authority to
interpret the provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 1441. He
also told the Iraqis that "if the Iraqi side were to state -- as it
still did at our [19 November] meeting -- that there were no such
programs, it would need to provide convincing documentary or other
evidence." Blix also told the Security Council in his briefing that he
proposed to the Iraqis that UNMOVIC set up a field office in Mosul as
soon as possible. He noted that the largest number of inspection sites
outside of the Baghdad region were in the areas surrounding Mosul. On
the issue of inspecting government offices and presidential palaces,
Blix noted that the Iraqis "remarked that the entry into a presidential
site or ministry was not exactly the same thing as entry into a
factory." Blix also told the Iraqis, "inspections could not be allowed
to turn into some circus," and that the media would not be allowed at
inspection sites during inspections. KR
[70] RUSSIANS, EGYPTIAN TO JOIN INSPECTION TEAMS
A Russian citizen will be among the first group of chemical-weapons
inspectors in Baghdad, a Russian Foreign Ministry source told Interfax
on 25 November. The source said four additional Russians will be added
to the roster of inspectors in early December. Three are experts in
chemical weapons and one is a biologist. Thus far, 19 Russians have
been chosen to participate in inspections in Iraq, Interfax reported.
Meanwhile, MENA news agency reported on 25 November that IAEA
Director-General el-Baradei has confirmed that an Egyptian expert will
join the inspection team. El-Baradei made the announcement at a joint
press conference with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, who
noted that 17 Arab experts are now working with the IAEA. KR
[71] GERMANY CONSIDERING ISRAELI, U.S. REQUESTS FOR PATRIOT MISSILES
Germany is considering requests from the United States and Israel to
provide Patriot surface-to-air missiles to defend Israel in the event
of a war with Iraq, the "Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung" reported on
26 November. International media reported on 26 November that Israel
last week repeated a request made last year for Patriot missiles
Germany had replaced with newer models and that the United States has
also requested that Germany provide Israel with Patriot missiles.
German Defense Minister Peter Struck, who denied on 25 November that
the United States had made such a request, seemed to back away from
those claims on 26 November, dpa reported. German officials have
recently said that Germany will not participate in a military action
against Iraq. The "Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung" reported that an
unnamed German Defense Ministry source has confirmed that a request for
Patriot missiles has been made, but declined to comment further on the
matter. International media reported on 26 November that German
officials said the country has three Patriot missile systems that it
could offer to Israel. KR/MS
[72] FOREIGN INVESTIGATORS RAISE MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT UKRAINIAN
KOLCHUGAS...
U.S. and British experts who last month investigated the alleged sale
by Ukraine of a Kolchuga radar system to Iraq said in a report released
on 25 November that they were unable to prove that Ukraine transferred
radar systems to Iraq "under openly declared contracts," but added that
"covert or illegal arms transfers, particularly with the complicity of
third parties, remain a credible possibility," Reuters and AP reported.
The report says Ukraine provided documentation on 72 Kolchuga systems
but that four remain unaccounted for. According to Ukrainian officials,
these four systems were sold to China, but Ukraine denied investigators
access to the contracts, claiming they were commercial secrets. The
investigators say they need missing documentation on the sale of the
four systems to China, technical information on the location of the
systems in China, and access to people who were not available for
interviews during their visit to Ukraine in October -- especially
Leonid Derkach, the former head of the Ukraine Security Service, and
Yuriy Orshanskyy, the former honorary consul in Iraq. JM
[73] ...AS CHINA DENIES INVOLVEMENT IN RADAR TRANSFERS
China has denied the 25 November report that said Ukraine had not
provided "sufficient evidence" to make certain that four radar systems
intended for China did not end up in Iraq, AFP reported on 26 November.
"There is no such thing as a Chinese transfer of radar systems to
Iraq," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Kong Quan said. "On the Iraqi
issue, China has strictly implemented the relevant resolutions of the
UN Security Council," he added. KR
[74] BRITAIN WARNS YUGOSLAVIA OVER ALLEGED ARMS SALES TO IRAQ...
Denis Mac Shane, who is the Foreign Office minister with special
responsibility for Europe, said on 25 November in London that
"international rule of law means no breach of UN sanctions -- such as
selling weapons to [Iraqi President] Saddam Hussein," the "Financial
Times" reported. Mac Shane's remarks at an international conference on
organized crime in the Balkans followed the appearance of international
and Serbian media reports that the Yugoslav authorities willingly and
knowingly continue to sell arms to Iraq in an effort motivated by
economic and political considerations (see "RFE/RL Newsline Part II,"
25 November 2002, and "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 25 October and 8 November
2002). The media reports were pegged to a new study by the
International Crisis Group (ICG) that was "based in part on documents
from the U.S. government," the London daily added. The paper also noted
that "Washington's suspicion of illegal Yugoslav arms dealing is at its
highest level" since the fall of former President Slobodan Milosevic in
October 2000. PM
[75] ...DESPITE YUGOSLAV DENIALS
The Yugoslav state-run news agency Tanjug carried a statement by the
Foreign Ministry on 25 November in which the ministry stressed that it
is taking tough action against illegal arms sales. Predrag Simic, an
adviser to President Vojislav Kostunica dealing with foreign affairs,
called the media reports on alleged arms sales and Kostunica's
knowledge of them "complete nonsense," the "Financial Times" reported.
But the daily added that "the Yugoslav authorities now face a litany of
specific allegations rather than the more abstract charge of arms
trading." It is not clear if and how official Belgrade will respond to
the specific charges, including allegations of conflicts of interest on
the part of some high-ranking individuals. ICG Balkans Program Director
Nicholas Whyte told the BBC that the arms sales continued because those
behind them thought they would not be caught. PM
[76] MACEDONIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY DENIES INVOLVEMENT IN YUGOSLAV-IRAQI
ARMS DEALS
Defense Ministry spokesman Marjan Gjurovski said on 25 November in
Skopje that the Macedonian defense industry is not involved in any
Yugoslav-Iraqi arms deals, "Utrinski vesnik" reported. Gjurovski
dismissed a comment in "The Guardian" to the effect that Macedonian
arms producers are linked to the illegal arms trade of the
Belgrade-based Yugoimport company. Gjurovski said the Macedonian arms
industry strictly adheres to international and Macedonian legal
regulations. UB
END NOTE
[77] There is no End Note today.
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