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RFE/RL Newsline, 02-12-03
CONTENTS
[01] PUTIN COMMENTS ON U.S., NATO...
[02] ...AND ON CASPIAN REGION, INDIA
[03] RUSSIA STEPS UP COOPERATION WITH NATO...
[04] PRIME MINISTER CALLS FOR NATO TO SHOW GOOD WILL...
[05] ...TAKES HARD LINE ON CHECHNYA...
[06] ...AND SAYS DEMOCRACY IS HERE TO STAY
[07] FORMER HOSTAGES SUE MOSCOW GOVERNMENT
[08] JUSTICE MINISTRY MIGHT FILE SUIT TO BLOCK 'PROPISKA' SYSTEM
[09] TATARS ASK PUTIN TO REJECT CYRILLIC-ONLY LAW
[10] TWO OFFICIALS TO FACE CHARGES
[11] DEPUTY ATTACKED, ROBBED
[12] DUMA WANTS REPORT ON NON-PRISON CRIMINAL PUNISHMENTS
[13] RUSSIA EXPELS TWO SWEDISH DIPLOMATS IN TIT-FOR-TAT MOVE
[14] NO WINNER IN DARYAL-LICENSE COMPETITION
[15] DEPUTIES TO COME CLEAN?
[16] LABOR MINISTRY DEFINING BOUNDARIES OF ALTERNATIVE SERVICE
[17] THIEVES SNUFF OUT ETERNAL FLAME
[18] MAJORITY HAS A MIDDLE-CLASS STATE OF MIND
[19] NEW QUALITY CONTROLS EXPECTED TO RAISE PRICE OF MEDICINE
[20] FSB ALLEGES MISUSE OF FUNDS IN CHECHNYA
[21] RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY DOUBTS CHECHEN PRESIDENT CONVENED MEETING
[22] RUSSIAN OFFICIAL PROPOSES REVISING MANDATE OF OSCE CHECHNYA
[23] ONE FORMER CHECHEN DISTRICT ADMINISTRATOR MURDERED...
[24] ...AS SUSPECT ARRESTED FOR MURDER OF A SECOND
[25] CHECHEN FIELD COMMANDER SENTENCED
[26] TWO MORE ARMENIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES NOMINATED
[27] PRESIDENT SAYS ARMENIA SHOULD AIM FOR EU STANDARDS
[28] ARMENIAN DEFENSE MINISTER TO MANAGE PRESIDENT'S RE-ELECTION
[29] ARMENIAN COURT FINDS IN FAVOR OF EMBATTLED TV STATION
[30] AZERBAIJANI JOURNALISTS APPEAL TO OSCE
[31] RUSSIAN ENERGY MINISTER VISITS AZERBAIJAN
[32] TWO OF FOUR GEORGIAN BY-ELECTIONS INVALID
[33] GEORGIA FINES TURKISH FISHING VESSEL
[34] KAZAKH OPPOSITION RESPONDS TO PRESIDENT'S PROPOSAL OF DIALOGUE
[35] KAZAKH OFFICIALS DISCUSS OIL EXPORT VIA AZERBAIJAN
[36] RUSSIA DEPLOYS FIGHTERS AT AIRBASE IN KYRGYZSTAN
[37] TAJIKISTAN DEPLORES ITS CITIZENS' DEPORTATION FROM RUSSIA
[38] TAJIK PRESIDENT CALLS FOR CRACKDOWN ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING
[39] TURKMEN OPPOSITION LEADER CONDEMNS BID TO ASSASSINATE
[40] ...WHICH HIS SPOKESMAN DESCRIBES AS ATTEMPTED COUP
[41] UZBEKISTAN, EBRD CHART FUTURE COOPERATION
[42] DISMISSED BELARUSIAN AMBASSADOR DECLARES INTENTION TO RETURN FROM
[43] UKRAINIAN, SLOVAK PRESIDENTS WANT TO BOOST ECONOMIC COOPERATION
[44] GAZPROM REDUCES SUPPLIES OF CENTRAL ASIAN GAS TO UKRAINE
[45] UKRAINE ASKS AZERBAIJAN TO HELP OPERATE GAS, OIL PIPELINES
[46] LEADER OF RUSSIAN EXTREMISTS IN LATVIA REPORTEDLY ASKS PUTIN FOR
[47] LITHUANIA, LUXEMBOURG SIGN DEFENSE-COOPERATION ACCORD
[48] LITHUANIA'S CHIEF EU NEGOTIATOR PREDICTS CONCLUSION OF EU
[49] POLISH PREMIER URGES PARTIES TO SUPPORT EU ENTRY
[50] POLISH DOCTORS CHARGED IN BIZARRE AMBULANCE DEATHS
[51] MORE DEPUTIES LEAVE PARLIAMENTARY CAUCUS OF POLAND'S SELF-DEFENSE
[52] CZECH RULING PARTY TO FIELD CANDIDATE IN FIRST ROUND OF
[53] ...AS CZECH PREMIER DOWNPLAYS PARTY RIFT OVER ZEMAN'S CANDIDACY
[54] CZECH PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE FACES MEDIA BARRAGE
[55] CZECHS COUNTER DANISH COMPROMISE ON EU ENLARGEMENT
[56] CZECH GOVERNMENT HIKES MINIMUM WAGE
[57] EU COMMISSIONER WARNS EXPANSION DECISION NOT CERTAIN IN DECEMBER
[58] SLOVAK INTERIOR MINISTRY SAYS COUNTRY FACES TERRORIST THREAT
[59] HUNGARY'S EU REFERENDUM DATE APPROVED BY PARLIAMENT
[60] VERHEUGEN WARNS HUNGARY AGAINST CANCELING FOREIGN INVESTORS' TAX
[61] HUNGARIAN RADIO AND TELEVISION'S CHAIRWOMAN ANNOUNCES PLANS TO
[62] HUNGARY'S 'BLACK ANGEL' GETS NINE YEARS IN JAIL
[63] SLOVENIAN PRESIDENT-ELECT MEETS WITH PREDECESSOR
[64] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT SAYS GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBLE IF PRESIDENTIAL
[65] YUGOSLAVIA TO DROP LAWSUIT AGAINST NATO
[66] MONTENEGRIN ELECTION COMMISSION CONFIRMS PRESIDENTIAL
[67] ...AS MONTENEGRIN PARLIAMENT AMENDS ELECTION LAW
[68] MACEDONIAN GOVERNMENT CONSIDERS NULLIFYING PRIVATIZATION OF
[69] STRIKES CONTINUE IN MACEDONIA, GOVERNMENT PLEDGES TO PAY WAGES
[70] ROMANIA TO EXTEND PARTICIPATION IN OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM
[71] ROMANIAN PREMIER MEETS WITH GERMAN CHANCELLOR, RUSSIAN PREMIER
[72] CEAUSESCU CARS SOLD AT AUCTION IN ROMANIA
[73] MOLDOVAN POLITICAL PARTIES MERGE
[74] TRANSDNIESTER TO HOLD REFERENDUM ON LAND PRIVATIZATION
[75] BULGARIAN MINISTRIES SET UP COUNCIL TO CURB TAX EVASION
[76] PROTESTERS IN BULGARIAN CAPITAL DEMAND REFERENDUM ON KOZLODUY
[77] CONSERVATIVE OPPOSITION ACCUSES GOVERNMENT OF VIOLATIONS IN
[78] PETERSBERG CONFERENCE DISCUSSES PROMISES, PLANS FOR
[79] ...AS KARZAI DECREES THE FORMATION OF NEW AFGHAN ARMY...
[80] ...AND GERMANY CATEGORICALLY REJECTS ISAF ROLE BEYOND KABUL
[81] FIGHTING CONTINUES IN WESTERN AFGHANISTAN...
[82] ...AS FOUR ARE KILLED IN U.S. BOMBING
[83] PAKISTANI CITIZEN ARRESTED IN KHOST
[84] IRANIAN DAILY ACCUSES AFGHANS OF INGRATITUDE
[85] TEHRAN COMMENTS ON RADIO FARDA
[86] OPINION POLLSTERS' TRIAL BEGINS IN TEHRAN...
[87] ...BUT DEFENDANTS HAVE LITTLE TIME TO PREPARE
[88] NEW COURT TO BE ESTABLISHED IN IRAN
[89] IRANIAN MINISTER TO FACE INTERPELLATION
[90] U.K. RELEASES DOSSIER ON IRAQ'S HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES...
[91] ...AND DRAWS PRAISE, CRITICISM
[92] IRAQ ADMITS TO ATTEMPTING TO PURCHASE ALUMINUM TUBING...
[93] ...AS WEAPONS INSPECTIONS CONTINUE IN IRAQ
[94] BAGHDAD TELLS UN THAT U.S., BRITAIN COMMITTING CRIME
[95] There is no End Note today.
3 December 2002
RUSSIA
[01] PUTIN COMMENTS ON U.S., NATO...
Speaking to students at Beijing University on 3 December, President
Vladimir Putin said Russia and China agree that "globalization must be
given a more manageable and more predictable character," Russian and
Western news agencies reported. "Otherwise, short-sighted egoism [that
now drives globalization] could turn into a threat to even the most
powerful countries," Putin said. The president also said Russia has not
changed its negative attitude toward NATO and continues to believe that
NATO expansion does not increase the security of its members. However,
he said, Russia does not see NATO as a direct threat. He said that the
emergence of new threats such as international terrorism and political
and religious extremism created challenges necessitating the formation
of the Russia-NATO Council and that Russia is satisfied with this
mechanism. He described the United States as Russia's "partner" in the
antiterrorism coalition and as one of Russia's leading trade partners.
Despite some disagreements with Washington over key issues touching on
Russia's national interests, Putin said, "It would be completely
counterproductive to bring our relations into the sphere of
confrontation." VY
[02] ...AND ON CASPIAN REGION, INDIA
Answering questions at the same appearance, Putin said Russia will
defend its economic and political interests in the Caspian Sea region,
nns.ru reported on 3 December. He noted the world is searching for
stable new energy supplies, and the Caspian -- as well as Siberia and
the Russian Far East -- are among the few such regions. He added that
there are opportunities in the region for all those willing to act
"decently." Speaking with Indian journalists the same day in the run-up
to his state visit to that country, Putin described his China trip as a
"milestone" and called for strengthening cooperation among China,
Russia, and India, ORT reported on 3 December. He also said Russia
sells arms to both China and India because it believes the two
countries have no conflicts with one another. VY
[03] RUSSIA STEPS UP COOPERATION WITH NATO...
Chief of the General Staff Anatolii Kvashnin arrived in Brussels on 3
December for a session of the Russia-NATO Council devoted to expanding
military cooperation between Russian and the trans-Atlantic alliance,
Russian and Western news agencies reported. Before leaving Moscow,
Kvashnin said he will discuss joint peacekeeping and rescue missions,
cooperation during crisis situations, and joint tactical exercises on
both land and sea. He is also expected to prepare the agenda for the 9
December visit to Moscow of NATO Secretary-General Lord George
Robertson, which is expected to focus on Russia's role in the global
antiterrorism coalition. VY
[04] PRIME MINISTER CALLS FOR NATO TO SHOW GOOD WILL...
Speaking at a German-Russian forum in Berlin, Prime Minister Mikhail
Kasyanov called on NATO to confirm that it has changed its view of
Russia, ITAR-TASS reported on 2 December. He said that the Russian
people continue to suffer from a syndrome of mistrust. "If NATO member
states show that their missiles are not aimed at Russia, then the
Russian people will believe that NATO expansion is not directed against
them," Kasyanov was quoted as saying. VY
[05] ...TAKES HARD LINE ON CHECHNYA...
Prime Minister Kasyanov also said his government will not make any
"concessions to terrorists" in Chechnya, ITAR-TASS reported on 2
December. Russia faces the same problem in Chechnya that Spain faces
with Basque separatists or the United Kingdom faces in Northern
Ireland, Kasyanov said. However, he added, "terrorists in Chechnya" are
bolstered by the global terrorism network. He emphasized that his
government is trying to solve the Chechen conflict "through an active
political process" that includes a referendum on a new draft
constitution for the republic followed by new elections. VY/LF
[06] ...AND SAYS DEMOCRACY IS HERE TO STAY
Prime Minister Kasyanov also said in Berlin that "Russia will never
return to its totalitarian past," RosBalt reported, citing the
government's press service. According to Kasyanov, democratic
principles have taken root in Russia and have been fully manifested in
the constitution and in "the repeated conduct of freely democratic
elections." He also said that in the immediate future, the Duma is
expected to pass a law on information openness and public access to
state decision-making processes. "This will be yet one more crucially
important step in the construction of a civil society in Russia,"
Kasyanov said. However, he cautioned as well that the country has not
yet recovered from "totalitarian syndrome." "Although democratic
mechanisms work well at the highest levels of government, they
nonetheless still need work at the lower levels, particularly at the
level of local self-government," Kasyanov said. RC
[07] FORMER HOSTAGES SUE MOSCOW GOVERNMENT
Eight people who were taken hostage during the 23-26 October crisis in
which Chechen fighters took more than 700 hostages at a Moscow theater
have filed a $7.5 million lawsuit against the Moscow city government
demanding compensation for psychological damage, RIA-Novosti and other
Russian news agencies reported on 3 December. According to Igor Trunov,
a lawyer for the former hostages, the suit is based on a provision in
the law on combating terrorism that allows victims of terrorist acts to
claim compensation from the authorities of the region where the act
occurred. Trunov said he will argue that the negligence of city
authorities made the hostage taking possible. He added that the purpose
of the suit is to discipline the responsible officials. Sergei Tsoi, a
spokesman for the city administration, said Mayor Yurii Luzhkov
considers the suit unjustified and unsubstantiated, since the problem
of Chechnya and its consequences are not within the city's
jurisdiction. The court is expected to begin hearing the case on 24
December, strana.ru reported. VY
[08] JUSTICE MINISTRY MIGHT FILE SUIT TO BLOCK 'PROPISKA' SYSTEM
The Justice Ministry will go to court against the Moscow city
authorities if legal analysis indicates that documents imposing a
mandatory residence-registration system violate federal laws, "Vremya
novostei" reported on 29 November, citing Tatyana Khomchik, who heads a
Justice Ministry department that registers and monitors legislation.
Moscow Mayor Luzhkov has recently advocated making the capital's
voluntary residence-registration system compulsory in order to fight
terrorism and crime (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 30 October and 27 November
2002). During the 1990s, the Constitutional Court repeatedly ruled that
so-called "propiska" systems violate Article 27 of the constitution,
which guarantees citizens the right to choose their place of residence
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 3 July 1997 and 3 February 1998). LB
[09] TATARS ASK PUTIN TO REJECT CYRILLIC-ONLY LAW
The World Tatar Congress has issued an appeal to President Putin asking
him to veto recently passed amendments to the law on the languages of
the peoples of the Russian Federation that would require all written
alphabets of such languages to be based on the Cyrillic script (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 14 and 27 November 2002), lenta.ru reported on 2
December. "Such a decision by the state...without considering the views
of the people involved is unprecedented in history," the appeal reads.
It also claims that the amendments are unconstitutional and that they
are harmful to ethnic relations in the federation. On 29 November, the
Tatarstan State Council also appealed to Putin to veto the amendments
and said that it will appeal the amendments in the Constitutional Court
if Putin signs them, "Nezavisimaya gazeta" reported on 3 December.
Meanwhile, Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiev has also criticized a
recent Education Ministry proposal to introduce a course on Orthodox
culture into the public-school curriculum (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18
November 2002), saying that it violates the principle of the separation
of church and state, the daily also reported. RC
[10] TWO OFFICIALS TO FACE CHARGES
Two criminal cases against state officials have been filed in
connection with the investigation into the 18 October murder in Moscow
of Magadan Oblast Governor Valentin Tsvetkov (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18
October 2002), polit.ru reported on 28 November. According to a
spokesman for the Prosecutor-General's Office, abuse-of-office charges
have been filed against State Fisheries Committee Deputy Chairman
Leonid Kholod and the director of the Magadan State Fisheries and
Oceanography Research Center, Aleksandr Rogatnykh. Deputy
Prosecutor-General Vladimir Kolesnik told Interfax that neither of the
men is currently a suspect in the Tsvetkov murder, although the cases
were filed as a result of the investigation into that incident.
RIA-Novosti cited the State Fisheries Committee press office as saying
that Kholod is innocent of any wrongdoing. RC
[11] DEPUTY ATTACKED, ROBBED
State Duma Deputy Valentin Lednev (independent) was beaten and robbed
of 40,000 rubles ($1,290) outside his Moscow home on the evening of 2
December, polit.ru reported on 3 December. A Duma spokesman was quoted
as saying that the attack was most likely not related to Lednev's
legislative work, although police are investigating all possibilities.
Lednev is currently in satisfactory condition at the Central Clinical
Hospital. RC
[12] DUMA WANTS REPORT ON NON-PRISON CRIMINAL PUNISHMENTS
The Duma will ask Justice Minister Yurii Chaika to appear at its 15
January session to report on proposals for criminal punishment that do
not involve serving time in prison, polit.ru reported on 27 November.
The invitation comes at the initiative of Liberal Russia party
co-Chairman Viktor Pokhmelkin, who noted that the 1997 Criminal Code
mandated the introduction of "probation, movement restrictions, and
required labor" as punishment for minor offenses by 2001, but that this
has not yet been done. He said that people in Russia continue to be
sentenced to prison terms for crimes such as stealing a piece of fruit.
In a commentary for politcom.ru on 22 November, human rights activist
Valerii Abramkin wrote that Russian prisons are "crime factories" and
"factories for the marginalization of the population." Abramkin writes
that it is virtually impossible for anyone who has gone through the
prison system to be reintegrated into the legal economy. Deputy Justice
Minister Yurii Kalinin reported on 26 November that more than half of
all prison inmates -- nearly 500,000 people -- are suffering from
serious illnesses, RosBalt reported. Some 150,000 suffer from
tuberculosis; 37,000 are HIV positive; and 38,000 have venereal
diseases. Kalinin added, though, that TB infection rates have fallen by
13 percent over the last five years thanks to increased funding to
combat the illness. RC
[13] RUSSIA EXPELS TWO SWEDISH DIPLOMATS IN TIT-FOR-TAT MOVE
The Foreign Ministry has informed Sweden's Ambassador Sven Hirdman that
two Swedish embassy workers have been declared persona non grata and
asked to leave the country, Russian and Western news agencies reported
on 2 December. The ministry stated that the activity of the two
diplomats was harmful to Russia's national security. The two diplomats
were not named, and no information about their alleged activity was
released. The Swedish Embassy declined to comment. On 11 November,
Sweden expelled two Russian diplomats for allegedly conducting
espionage at telecommunications giant and military contractor LM
Ericsson (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 11 November 2002). At the time, Moscow
declared that it would make a "proportionate" response. Ericsson, which
has refused to comment on the case, produces mobile telephones, radar
systems, and the navigation system for the JAS 39 Grippen jet fighter.
RC
[14] NO WINNER IN DARYAL-LICENSE COMPETITION
The tender for the television frequency formally held by Daryal-TV was
nullified on 27 November, polit.ru reported. Media Minister Mikhail
Lesin declared that none of the concepts for developing the channel
were judged acceptable. He said that Daryal, ORT, a project called "New
Television Project" by former RTR General Director Aleksandr Akopov,
and a joint project by Rambler and Unknown Planet participated in the
competition. A new competition will be held early next year, and
Daryal-TV will continue broadcasting on the frequency under a temporary
license until then. In August, the ministry declined to renew Daryal's
license, citing alleged media-law violations (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 25
July and 30 August 2002). RC
[15] DEPUTIES TO COME CLEAN?
The Duma will consider this week amendments to the law on the status of
deputies that would allow them legally to combine business activity
with their legislative work, gazeta.ru reported on 3 December.
Currently, the law forbids deputies (like other state officials) from
engaging in commercial activity. As a result, "they hypocritically
reregister their businesses in the names of their wives, relatives, and
friends and nothing changes," said Deputy Vladimir Semenov (Union of
Rightist Forces), who is sponsoring the amendments. According to the
report, deputies and former deputies including Boris Berezovskii, Iosif
Kobzon, Vladimir Semago, Vladimir Bryntsalov, and Aleksei Mitrofanov
have all acted in this way. Federation Council members are also banned
from commercial activity, although its members include Mezhprombank
head Sergei Pugachev, Severnaya Neft head Andrei Vavilov, and
Ukrainskii Alyuminii Director German Tkachenko. Chukotka Autonomous
Okrug Governor Roman Abramovich, who is also barred from commercial
activity, has stated publicly that he paid $18 million in income tax
last year, gazeta.ru reported. RC
[16] LABOR MINISTRY DEFINING BOUNDARIES OF ALTERNATIVE SERVICE
At least 100 types of civilian jobs will qualify as alternative service
for young men wishing to avoid the military, Labor and Social
Development Minister Aleksandr Pochinok announced on 27 November,
"Gazeta" reported the next day. The ministry is preparing a list of
occupations that may be considered alternative service -- including
lumberjack, hospital janitor, firefighter, and polar-station worker --
based on proposals from ministries, departments, and regions of the
Russian Federation. The law on alternative service will go into effect
on 1 January 2004. Education and special skills will be considered in
assigning jobs to those who request alternative service, but draft
boards will not be required to take the petitioners' preferences into
account, "Izvestiya" reported on 28 November. The Labor Ministry's list
is expected to be ready for consideration by the government in February
2003. LB
[17] THIEVES SNUFF OUT ETERNAL FLAME
The main World War II victory memorial in Tver has been looted,
izvestia.ru reported on 3 December. According to the report, thieves
stole the natural-gas mechanism for the monument's eternal flame, as
well as all the obelisk's marble facings and its cast-iron railing.
According to police, the monument is vandalized "nearly every week,"
but it is expected to be restored by 16 December, which is the
anniversary of the city's liberation from German occupation. RC
[18] MAJORITY HAS A MIDDLE-CLASS STATE OF MIND
More than 50 percent of Russian citizens consider themselves middle
class, although experts taking income and education levels into account
would apply that label to only 14 percent of the population,
"Vedomosti" reported on 29 November, citing a study by sociologists
from the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Philosophy. Dr.
Lyudmila Belyaeva explained that respondents who identify themselves as
middle class consider themselves to be living no worse than the people
around them. "Vedomosti" noted that according to the research firm
Premier-TGI, the middle class comprises 19 percent of the Russian
population. That study analyzed incomes, professional status,
education, and spending on non-essential goods and services such as
travel abroad or a second automobile. Another recent study estimated
that 7 percent of Russians belong to the middle class, and a further 12
percent have certain middle-class characteristics (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 15 November 2002). LB
[19] NEW QUALITY CONTROLS EXPECTED TO RAISE PRICE OF MEDICINE
New rules for certifying the quality of medicines will likely cause
significant price hikes for consumers, "Gazeta" reported on 29
November. The rules went into effect on 1 December. All imported
medicines must now receive a customs certificate of quality, and
special pharmaceutical inspectorates are to be set up in Russia's seven
federal districts, Ekho Moskvy reported on 29 November. "Gazeta" cited
Health Ministry statistics showing that prices for medicines rose by 15
to 16 percent during the first eight months of 2002. Subjecting
medicines to value-added tax accounted for an 11.3 percent increase in
prices, and the rest was due to inflation. Although Deputy Health
Minister Anton Katlinskii has predicted that price increases will be
negligible next year, "Gazeta" reported that pharmaceuticals producers
expect the new certification procedures to push prices of domestically
produced medicines up by 10 percent and imports up by 30 percent. LB
[20] FSB ALLEGES MISUSE OF FUNDS IN CHECHNYA
Federal Security Service (FSB) Director Nikolai Patrushev has announced
that his agency and the Audit Chamber have uncovered evidence that 700
million rubles ($23.3 million) in federal funding allocated for
Chechnya was misspent, nns.ru reported on 3 December. The funds were
intended to pay for restructuring the republic's social-welfare
infrastructure. He did not say who was responsible for the misuse of
the funds or for what they had been spent. Patrushev said that he
believes far more federal spending has actually been misappropriated in
the republic. In 2000, the federal government allocated 7.5 billion
rubles for reconstruction there, and in 2001 it allocated 11.4 billion
rubles. VY
[21] RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY DOUBTS CHECHEN PRESIDENT CONVENED MEETING
IN GROZNY
Defense Ministry officials quoted by "Moskovskii komsomolets" on 2
December cast doubts on the veracity of a 29 November chechenpress.com
report that President Aslan Maskhadov convened a meeting with field
commanders in Grozny during the night of 25-26 November. According to
chechenpress.com, Maskhadov presented awards to members of field
commander Aydamirov's unit who shot down Russian military helicopters
at the Russian base at Khankala. LF
[22] RUSSIAN OFFICIAL PROPOSES REVISING MANDATE OF OSCE CHECHNYA
MISSION
Moscow wants to revise the mandate of the OSCE mission in Chechnya to
make it reflect more closely the specific tasks that Russia, as the
host country, believes that mission should fulfill, Deputy Foreign
Minister Vladimir Chizhov told journalists in Moscow on 2 December,
Russian news agencies reported. Chizhov noted that at an unspecified
time some members of the mission had tried to resume the
political-mediation activities that were written into the mission's
original 1995 mandate, but that "it soon became clear this was
unnecessary." LF
[23] ONE FORMER CHECHEN DISTRICT ADMINISTRATOR MURDERED...
Malika Umazheva, a former head of the Alkhan-Kala village
administration, was shot dead during the night of 29-30 November by
Russian servicemen who forced their way into her home demanding to know
where "the Wahhabis" were hiding, chechenpress.com reported on 1
December, quoting the Russian human rights group Memorial. LF
[24] ...AS SUSPECT ARRESTED FOR MURDER OF A SECOND
Police officials from Chechnya's Nadterechnyi Raion arrested Visit
Baigeriev in Ingushetia on suspicion of the murder in September of
Nadterechnyi District administration head Akhmed Zavgaev and his
secretary, Interfax reported on 1 December (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 10
and 11 September 2002). Police are still hunting for three other
suspects. LF
[25] CHECHEN FIELD COMMANDER SENTENCED
A court in Pyatigorsk on 25 November sentenced Said-Magomed Chupalaev
to 16 years' imprisonment on charges of creating an illegal armed unit,
illegal arms trafficking, and participation in an armed revolt,
Interfax reported. Chupalaev, who served as a battalion commander under
now deceased President Djokhar Dudaev in 1994-96, was arrested in March
2002 in a displaced persons' camp in Ingushetia. LF
TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[26] TWO MORE ARMENIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES NOMINATED
The Central Election Commission on 30 November received notice of the
nomination of National Accord Party board Chairman Aram Harutiunian as
its presidential candidate, and on 2 December, that of National
Democratic Party Chairman Arshak Sadoyan, Noyan Tapan reported. Those
nominations raise the total number of candidates to 12. The deadline
for nominations is 6 December. LF
[27] PRESIDENT SAYS ARMENIA SHOULD AIM FOR EU STANDARDS
Addressing Armenian diplomats in Yerevan on 30 November, Robert
Kocharian noted the country's economic successes, in particular the 12
percent GDP growth registered during the first 11 months of 2002 and
the decision last month to admit Armenia into the World Trade
Organization, Noyan Tapan reported on 2 December. Kocharian said one of
Armenia's most important priorities remains to reach EU standards in
both the political and economic spheres. LF
[28] ARMENIAN DEFENSE MINISTER TO MANAGE PRESIDENT'S RE-ELECTION
CAMPAIGN
Serzh Sarkisian told senior military officials in Yerevan on 29
November that he will take three months' leave of absence to run
President Kocharian's campaign for the February 2003 presidential
election, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported on 2 December. Sarkasian
said Colonel General Mikael Harutiunian, who is his first deputy and
chief of staff, will take over his ministerial duties during that time.
Sarkisian, who is a civilian, stressed that there are no legal
obstacles to his acting as Kocharian's campaign manager and warned that
he will not condone pressure from army officers on servicemen to vote
for the incumbent. But National Democratic Union Chairman Vazgen
Manukian told journalists on 29 November that as defense minister,
Sarkisian should not become involved in Kocharian's election campaign,
despite his considerable skills as an administrator and organizer,
according to Arminfo as cited by Groong. LF
[29] ARMENIAN COURT FINDS IN FAVOR OF EMBATTLED TV STATION
Armenia's Economic Arbitration Court ruled on 2 December that the state
commission that distributes broadcast frequencies must accept a bid by
the private television station Noyan Tapan for one of several broadcast
frequencies up for tender last month, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported.
Noyan Tapan had appealed the commission's decision to bar it from the
tender on the grounds that its bid did not stipulate the specific
frequency for which it was bidding (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 11 November
2002). LF
[30] AZERBAIJANI JOURNALISTS APPEAL TO OSCE
Rauf Arifoglu, editor of the opposition newspaper "Yeni Musavat," has
appealed to Council of Europe Secretary-General Walter Schwimmer and
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe President Peter
Schieder to take unspecified measures to safeguard freedom of the press
in Azerbaijan, Turan reported on 2 December. Seven criminal cases for
libel were brought against "Yeni Musavat" last month alone. The paper
is notorious for not always checking its facts before publication. In
July 2001 it prematurely reported the death of President Heidar Aliev.
LF
[31] RUSSIAN ENERGY MINISTER VISITS AZERBAIJAN
On a one-day working visit to Baku on 29 November, Igor Yusifov
discussed with President Aliev Azerbaijan's oil exports via Russia,
imports of natural gas, and the possibility of Russian exports of
electricity to third countries via Azerbaijan, Turan reported. Aliev
said Azerbaijan will honor its commitment to export 2.5 million tons of
oil annually via the Baku-Novorossiisk pipeline but did not offer to
increase that amount. Analysts doubt Azerbaijan could do so given its
total annual extraction of only 9 million tons. Yusifov offered to
increase Russian gas exports to Azerbaijan, but no firm agreement was
reached on specific quantities or prices. He also proposed adapting
Azerbaijan's power infrastructure to permit the export of Russian
electricity via Azerbaijan to Turkey and joint cooperation between
Russian and Azerbaijani companies to develop oil and gas fields in
Iran, Iraq, and other Arab countries. LF
[32] TWO OF FOUR GEORGIAN BY-ELECTIONS INVALID
Parliamentary by-elections on 30 November in Tbilisi's Saburtalo
District and in Rustavi were declared invalid as fewer than one-third
of all registered voters cast their ballots, Caucasus Press reported,
quoting Central Election Commission Chairman Djumber Lominadze. But
opposition National Movement candidate Givi Targamadze, who contested
the ballot in Saburtalo, disputed that figure and claimed the poll was
valid. In Samtredia, Union of Citizens of Georgia candidate Avtandil
Tevzadze defeated Zviad Dzidziguri (National Movement), Caucasus Press
reported on 2 December, quoting "Mtavari gazeti." Meanwhile observers
from the NGO Fair Elections told Caucasus Press that voters' lists in
all four constituencies contained so many errors and omissions that it
will be impossible to preclude fraud in the parliamentary elections due
in 2003 unless they are corrected. LF
[33] GEORGIA FINES TURKISH FISHING VESSEL
A Georgian court has ordered the owners of a Turkish fishing boat
intercepted off Abkhazia last month to pay a fine of 65,000 laris (some
$30,000) for fishing illegally in Georgian territorial waters, Interfax
reported on 28 November (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 November 2002). LF
[34] KAZAKH OPPOSITION RESPONDS TO PRESIDENT'S PROPOSAL OF DIALOGUE
In a statement posted on forumkz.org on 2 December, the opposition
Democratic Choice for Kazakhstan (DVK) and Forum of Democratic Forces
of Kazakhstan (FDSK) set down two conditions for their participation in
the new council proposed last month by President Nursultan Nazarbaev
that is to discuss further democratization (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18
and 21 November 2002). The opposition is demanding that the primary
interlocutors are Nazarbaev personally and representatives of the DVK
and FDSK. It is also asking that the verdicts handed down in the
"illegal and falsified trials" of former Energy, Industry, and Trade
Minister Mukhtar Abliyazov; former Pavlodar Oblast Governor Ghalymzhan
Zhaqiyanov; and former Prime Minister Akezhan Kazhegeldin be annulled,
and that the criminal charges against independent journalist Sergei
Duvanov be dropped. In a separate statement, Republican People's Party
of Kazakhstan board Chairman Amirzhan Qosanov interpreted Nazarbaev's
proposal as an admission that a serious political opposition exists in
Kazakhstan. He recalled that in the fall of 1999 Kazhegeldin was the
first to propose a dialogue between the authorities and the opposition,
forumkz.org reported. Qosanov too proposed that Nazarbaev alone should
represent the authorities in any such dialogue, as the president is
responsible for all political decisions. LF
[35] KAZAKH OFFICIALS DISCUSS OIL EXPORT VIA AZERBAIJAN
Kairgeldi Kabyldin, who is transportation manager for Kazakhstan's
state-owned oil company Kazmunaigaz, held talks in Baku on 29 November
with Natik Aliev, president of the state oil company SOCAR, and with
top executives of BP Azerbaijan, Russian agencies reported. Kabyldin
told journalists after those talks that the two sides agreed on the
export of an unspecified quantity of Kazakh crude via the planned
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil export pipeline. But he added that Kazakhstan
sees no need to extend that pipeline eastward across the Caspian. No
pipelines should be laid on the Caspian Sea bed before agreement is
reached among the five littoral states on the legal status of the
Caspian, ITAR-TASS quoted him as saying. Instead, Kazakhstan will
continue to transport crude oil by barge across the Caspian to Baku,
either for refining there or for export. LF
[36] RUSSIA DEPLOYS FIGHTERS AT AIRBASE IN KYRGYZSTAN
Four Russian combat aircraft landed at the Kant military airfield in
Kyrgyzstan on 2 December as part of a buildup of the air power of the
CIS Rapid Reaction Force, Interfax reported, quoting Kyrgyz Defense
Minister Colonel General Esen Topoev. In all, Russia plans to station
at Kant 10 fighters, five training aircraft, two transport planes, and
two multi-purpose helicopters. LF
[37] TAJIKISTAN DEPLORES ITS CITIZENS' DEPORTATION FROM RUSSIA
Many of the Tajiks forcibly deported from Russia last week were
law-abiding citizens in possession of the necessary work permits, which
Russian police deliberately destroyed, Tajik Foreign Ministry spokesman
Igor Sattarov told journalists in Dushanbe on 29 November, according to
Interfax and Asia Plus-Blitz. He characterized the deportation as "an
unfriendly act" that violated legal agreements between the two
countries. He also expressed concern at the "tendentious and
humiliating" coverage of the deportations in the Russian press. LF
[38] TAJIK PRESIDENT CALLS FOR CRACKDOWN ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Meeting on 30 November with senior law enforcement officials, Imomali
Rakhmonov urged them to step up efforts to prevent human trafficking,
including the recruitment of women and girls to work as prostitutes
abroad, Interfax and Asia Plus-Blitz reported. He said 250 Tajik
citizens have been forcibly taken to just one unspecified country,
where 15 of them are currently in jail. Rakhmonov recommended that
parliament draft appropriate legislation banning human trafficking. LF
[39] TURKMEN OPPOSITION LEADER CONDEMNS BID TO ASSASSINATE
PRESIDENT...
In a statement posted on gundogar.org on 27 November and signed by
former Turkmen Foreign Minister Boris Shikhmuradov, the opposition
Temporary Executive Council of the People's Democratic Movement of
Turkmenistan condemned the reported attempt to assassinate President
Saparmurat Niyazov two days earlier, asserting that violence cannot
resolve political crises. The statement warned that Niyazov's
unpredictable policies and extreme cruelty will inevitably trigger an
outburst of popular anger at some point. It said Niyazov blamed the
attempt to kill him on the opposition precisely because the opposition
poses a threat to his political survival. The statement called on the
OSCE to take steps to prevent mass arrests of innocent people in the
wake of the assassination attempt. LF
[40] ...WHICH HIS SPOKESMAN DESCRIBES AS ATTEMPTED COUP
Niyazov's spokesman Serdar Durdyev told a press conference in Ashgabat
on 2 December that the reported attempt to kill the president was aimed
at overthrowing the constitutional system and seizing power, Interfax
and turkmenistan.ru reported. He said 23 people, most of them
foreigners, have been arrested, but that in most cases it is difficult
to determine their citizenship as they carry fake passports from
several countries. They have been charged with terrorism and seeking to
seize power by military means. Durdyev again named Shikhmuradov,
together with former Deputy Premier Khudaiberdy Orazov and former
Deputy Agriculture Minister Sapar Iklymov -- all of whom now live in
exile abroad -- as the masterminds behind the assassination attempt. He
also accused businessman Guvanch Djumaev of organizing the attack in
Ashgabat together with his son Timur. LF
[41] UZBEKISTAN, EBRD CHART FUTURE COOPERATION
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development President Jean
Lemierre visited Tashkent on 27-29 November for talks with President
Islam Karimov and senior government officials, Uzbek and Russian
agencies reported. Interfax on 29 November quoted Lemierre as telling
journalists the bank will lend Tashkent some 100 million euros ($99.6
million) next year, including 30 million euros for reconstruction of
the Syrdarya power plant and 49 million to modernize a power line. He
also said the EBRD recommended that Uzbekistan finally make its
currency fully convertible, which was the condition imposed by the IMF
for resuming standby loans to Uzbekistan. He said making the som
convertible and improving the business climate are necessary
preconditions for attracting foreign investment. LF
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
[42] DISMISSED BELARUSIAN AMBASSADOR DECLARES INTENTION TO RETURN FROM
JAPAN
Pyotr Krauchanka, who last month was discharged from his duties as
Belarus's ambassador to Japan, told Russia's RTR on 2 December that he
intends to return to his homeland, adding that media reports claiming
he is disobeying an order to go home and planning to seek asylum are
politically motivated (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 2 December 2002), Reuters
reported. Such reports are "a political provocation, the reasons for
which are a mystery to me," Krauchanka commented. "In the afternoon [of
2 December], I paid a visit to the Japanese Foreign Ministry and made
an official statement that I was not seeking political asylum in any
country and would return to my motherland shortly," he added.
Belarusian Television reported the same day that the Belarusian Foreign
Ministry has had no contact with Krauchanka "for a prolonged time"
following his discharge on 19 November. The network added that
Krauchanka appeared on 2 December at the Belarusian Embassy in Tokyo.
JM
[43] UKRAINIAN, SLOVAK PRESIDENTS WANT TO BOOST ECONOMIC COOPERATION
Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma and his Slovak counterpart Rudolf
Schuster said at an economic forum in Kyiv on 2 December that they are
in favor of more intensive mutual economic cooperation, UNIAN reported.
CTK quoted Schuster as saying he also discussed "delicate issues" with
Kuchma, but he did not elaborate. Kuchma said he is pleased with
relations with Slovakia, which are not burdened by "any political
problems," as well as with the recent NATO Prague summit, according to
CTK. JM
[44] GAZPROM REDUCES SUPPLIES OF CENTRAL ASIAN GAS TO UKRAINE
As of 29 November, Gazprom reduced by 65 percent supplies of Central
Asian gas to Ukraine from Itera, a Florida-based gas trader that has
controversial ties to current and former Gazprom managers, UNIAN
reported on 2 December. Gazprom said the reduction is connected with
Itera's reluctance to repay a debt of more than $30 million to Russian
monopoly Gazprom. Itera, which uses Gazprom's network to pump Central
Asian gas, has been supplying gas to Ukraine for the past nine years.
JM
[45] UKRAINE ASKS AZERBAIJAN TO HELP OPERATE GAS, OIL PIPELINES
Premier Viktor Yanukovych on 2 December offered Azerbaijan
participation in an international consortium to operate Ukraine's
gas-transit pipelines as well as involvement in completing and running
the Odesa-Brody oil pipeline, UNIAN reported. Yanukovych made the
offers during his meeting with Azerbaijani parliamentary speaker Murtuz
Alesqerov. Ukraine and Russia struck a deal to create a consortium to
run Ukraine's gas-transit pipelines in October 2002. JM
[46] LEADER OF RUSSIAN EXTREMISTS IN LATVIA REPORTEDLY ASKS PUTIN FOR
POLITICAL ASYLUM
The Latvian Russian-language newspaper "Panorama Latvii" of 2 December
wrote that Vladimir Linderman, chairman of the Latvian civic group
Pobeda (Victory) -- which serves as a front for the Russian National
Bolsheviks -- sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin
requesting political asylum, BNS reported. The letter was also signed
by nine members of the Russian State Duma from the group Russian
Regions and later received support from four deputies from the Russian
Liberal Democratic Party, including leader Vladimir Zhirinovskii.
Linderman, who is currently in Russia, has been charged along with
three other Pobeda members with illegal possession of explosives and
weapons (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 22 November 2002). He denies the
charges and claims they were fabricated to stop Pobeda's activities,
such as defending the rights of noncitizens, protesting trials of
former Soviet officials for war crimes, and demanding that a street in
Riga named after former Chechen President Djokhar Dudaev be renamed. SG
[47] LITHUANIA, LUXEMBOURG SIGN DEFENSE-COOPERATION ACCORD
Luxembourgian Minister of Cooperation, Humanitarian Actions, and
Defense Charles Goerens began his first visit to Vilnius on 2 December
with a meeting with President Valdas Adamkus, BNS reported. The two
discussed bilateral relations, the fight against terrorism, and the
cooperation of small countries in NATO. Later, Goerens and Lithuanian
Defense Minister Linas Linkevicius signed a defense-cooperation
agreement that includes security and defense policy, democratic control
of the armed forces, defense and budget planning, peacekeeping, and
search and rescue as well as humanitarian-assistance operations.
Luxembourg has an army of just 900 servicemen, but its personnel have
participated in peacekeeping operations in the Balkans since 1992. SG
[48] LITHUANIA'S CHIEF EU NEGOTIATOR PREDICTS CONCLUSION OF EU
ACCESSION TALKS
Petras Austrevicius said he was virtually assured after a meeting with
European Commission officials in Brussels on 2 December that Lithuania
will complete the remaining EU membership negotiations on time and
receive an invitation to join the EU in Copenhagen on 13 December, ELTA
reported. He mentioned the acceptance of a Lithuanian proposal to
increase EU aid for strengthening its borders to 136 million euros
instead of the previously proposed 113 million euros, additional
funding for closing the Ignalina nuclear-power plant, and greater
agricultural support. Lithuania hopes to complete accession talks with
the EU by 9 December. SG
[49] POLISH PREMIER URGES PARTIES TO SUPPORT EU ENTRY
During a meeting with representatives of parties that are signatories
to the Pact in Support of European Integration (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
21 November 2002), Premier Leszek Miller said Poland's integration in
the EU is more than just a matter of concern for a few parties, PAP
reported. Miller called it an opportunity for Poland and a necessary
decision for the country. At the meeting, Miller represented the
Democratic Left Alliance, Marek Pol the Labor Union, Janusz Lewandowski
the Civic Platform, Janusz Onyszkiewicz the Freedom Union, Artur Balazs
the Conservative Peasant Party-New Poland Movement, Krzysztof
Piesiewicz the Social Movement, and Roman Jagielinski the Peasant
Democratic Party. Miller intends to meet with several European leaders
this week in an effort to convince them to offer better financial terms
for Poland's accession prior to the EU summit on 12-13 December (see
"RFE/RL Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine Report," 3 December 2002). JM
[50] POLISH DOCTORS CHARGED IN BIZARRE AMBULANCE DEATHS
Prosecutors in Lodz, central Poland, have charged two doctors with
deliberately allowing 18 patients to die, Reuters reported on 2
December. The charges follow a probe into reports in January by
investigative journalists from "Gazeta Wyborcza" and Polish Radio
alleging that ambulance crews in Lodz allowed patients to die and
subsequently sold their bodies to the highest bidders among local
funeral homes (see "RFE/RL Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine Report," 5
February 2002). "The doctors are accused of endangering the lives of
patients by failing to use their medical knowledge to give proper
treatment," prosecutor Jolanta Badziak told Reuters. Badziak said 70
cases were examined in which patients died during or shortly after a
visit by Lodz ambulance staff, with the investigators concluding that
18 of the deaths were suspicious. The investigators still expect to
examine another 200 cases. JM
[51] MORE DEPUTIES LEAVE PARLIAMENTARY CAUCUS OF POLAND'S SELF-DEFENSE
Dorota Kwasniewska, Waclaw Klukowski, and Wojciech Mojzesowicz have
left the parliamentary caucus of the radical farmers union Self-Defense
led by Andrzej Lepper, PAP reported on 2 December. The Self-Defense
caucus, which initially had 53 lawmakers, thus has shrunk to 44
deputies. JM
[52] CZECH RULING PARTY TO FIELD CANDIDATE IN FIRST ROUND OF
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION...
Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla on 2 December said in a BBC interview
that his Social Democratic Party (CSSD) will field its own candidate in
the first round of presidential elections scheduled for 15 January, CTK
reported. Former Premier Milos Zeman -- who last week emerged as the
winner of a CSSD presidential primary in which the party leadership
ultimately selected a candidate -- has reiterated that he will run only
if nobody is elected in the first ballot (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 2
December 2002). Spidla said he is convinced the next president will be
elected in the first round, adding that if the CSSD does not field a
candidate of its own, "We would exclude ourselves from the
competition." He added that the most likely winner in that case would
be Civic Democratic Party (ODS) Chairman and former Premier Vaclav
Klaus, saying such an outcome would not be in the country's best
interests. MS
[53] ...AS CZECH PREMIER DOWNPLAYS PARTY RIFT OVER ZEMAN'S CANDIDACY
Spidla conceded in the same interview that the CSSD is not united
behind Zeman's presidential candidacy, but he said speculation in the
media that the party is on the verge of splitting due to these
differences is exaggerated. He also denied media reports that Zeman has
created a rival power center in South Moravia, where he retired to his
summer home following the September elections. Spidla also said he does
not expect differences over the presidential elections to trigger a
coalition crisis, saying strains in the government are no greater than
normal under the circumstances. Spidla also dismissed reports that if
Zeman is elected president, the former premier will engineer an ouster
from the coalition of CSSD's current partners -- the Christian
Democratic Union-People's Party and the Freedom Union-Democratic Union
-- expecting the ODS and the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia
(KSCM) to support him in the endeavor. Finally, Spidla also dismissed
speculation of a "grand coalition" comprising the CSSD and either ODS
or KSCM. MS
[54] CZECH PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE FACES MEDIA BARRAGE
Presidential CSSD candidate and Ombudsman Otakar Motejl in an interview
with the daily "Pravo" of 3 December admitted to having caused the
death of a pedestrian due to negligent driving in 1978. The accident
happened in Tabor, South Bohemia, and Motejl was given a suspended
one-year sentence and lost his driving license. He said the incident
should not impact his presidential candidacy, noting that his record is
now clean, but admitted that it might be viewed as "an ethical
question, which can be [openly] discussed." Motejl said he believes the
information on the accident surfaced due to his presidential candidacy,
and added that this is probably why other rumors are being circulated
-- including his allegedly having been convicted to five years'
imprisonment or his alleged pledge to serve as an informant for the
communist secret services while under investigation for the accident he
caused. MS
[55] CZECHS COUNTER DANISH COMPROMISE ON EU ENLARGEMENT
The Czech government's EU negotiator, Pavel Telicka, on 2 December told
journalists in Brussels that his country has submitted its own,
alternative proposals to the package presented last week by the Danish
Presidency, CTK reported. The Danish offer came on 26 November (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 27 November 2002), just two weeks ahead of the 12-13
December Copenhagen European Council. Telicka refused to elaborate,
saying only that if negotiations fail now, responsibility will be borne
entirely by the EU. MS
[56] CZECH GOVERNMENT HIKES MINIMUM WAGE
The Social Democrat-led government on 2 December decided to raise
minimum monthly wages by 500 crowns, to 6,200 ($209) crowns, from
January, CTK reported. MS
[57] EU COMMISSIONER WARNS EXPANSION DECISION NOT CERTAIN IN DECEMBER
Speaking at a meeting of the joint Slovak-EU Parliamentary Committee on
2 December in Brussels, EU Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter
Verheugen said he no longer believes that accession negotiations will
be concluded in time for the EU's Copenhagen summit to approve the
expansion. Those who imagine that leaders attending the summit "can
just arrive for a glass of champagne" are mistaken, Verheugen said. He
added that he nonetheless believes the enlargement effort will be
successful in the end, saying: "We cannot afford to fail in this
project." Earlier on 2 December, EU spokesman Jean-Christophe Filori
warned that the organization's expansion could be delayed by months or
even years if candidate countries fail to agree to entry terms at the
Copenhagen summit, AP and Reuters reported. MS
[58] SLOVAK INTERIOR MINISTRY SAYS COUNTRY FACES TERRORIST THREAT
The government will soon discuss a report drafted by Interior Minister
Vladimir Palko warning that Slovakia faces a serious threat of
terrorist actions organized by Islamic and extremist groups, TASR
reported on 28 November. The report says terrorist activities might be
launched on Slovak territory in order to thwart the country's entry to
NATO and the EU, and that Slovakia could be used as a springboard for
attacks on Western Europe. MS
[59] HUNGARY'S EU REFERENDUM DATE APPROVED BY PARLIAMENT
Parliament on 2 December approved the earlier decision by caucus
leaders to set 12 April 2003 as the date for a referendum on EU
accession, Hungarian media and international news agencies reported
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 2 December 2002). The four parliamentary
parties also agreed on amendments to the constitution, transferring
sovereignty to the EU on a number of supranational issues, Reuters
reported. The plebiscite will ask Hungarians: "Do you agree that the
Republic of Hungary should become a member of the European Union?"
Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy said the agreement is a victory for
neither the opposition nor the ruling coalition, but for Hungarian
parliamentary democracy. MS
[60] VERHEUGEN WARNS HUNGARY AGAINST CANCELING FOREIGN INVESTORS' TAX
BREAKS
EU Commissioner Verheugen said in Vienna on 2 December that if Hungary
retroactively terminates tax breaks granted to major investors, the
decision will "pose a serious problem, giving cause for concern,"
Hungarian media reported. "Nepszabadsag" wrote on 3 December that such
a move could lead to lawsuits and the withdrawal of major investors,
thus jeopardizing thousands of jobs. MS
[61] HUNGARIAN RADIO AND TELEVISION'S CHAIRWOMAN ANNOUNCES PLANS TO
RESIGN
National Radio and Television Board (ORTT) Chairwoman Judit
Kormendy-Ekes on 1 December announced she is resigning, Hungarian media
reported the next day. In an interview on state television,
Kormendy-Ekes said she has made up her mind about quitting but has yet
to decide when she will officially submit her resignation. As grounds
for the decision, she mentioned heavy political pressure, particularly
related to government's decision to cut ORTT's 2003 budget -- a move
that will result in a 450-million-forint (nearly $1.9 million) deficit
-- and the fact that parliament has rejected ORTT's report on its 2001
activities. On 2 December, Kormendy-Ekes told journalists she did not
consult with anyone on her decision to resign aside from former Premier
Viktor Orban, who appointed her to the position. She also said she does
not know why the current coalition government wants her to be removed
as ORTT chairwoman, adding that she never made a secret of her FIDESZ
sympathies. MS
[62] HUNGARY'S 'BLACK ANGEL' GETS NINE YEARS IN JAIL
A Hungarian nurse dubbed the "Black Angel" was sentenced on 2 December
to nine years in jail for killing terminally ill patients by lethal
injection, Reuters reported. A Budapest court found Timea Faludi, 25,
guilty of multiple counts of attempted murder and four counts of
professional recklessness. Faludi has confessed to giving lethal
injections to some 40 elderly patients in a Budapest hospital between
May 2000 and February 2001. She later withdrew the confession. During
the trial, she admitted killing eight patients but insisted she only
wanted to ease their suffering. Euthanasia is illegal in Hungary. The
court also banned Faludi from working as a nurse again. MS
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[63] SLOVENIAN PRESIDENT-ELECT MEETS WITH PREDECESSOR
President-elect Janez Drnovsek resigned as prime minister on 2 December
following news that he was elected to the presidency (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 2 December 2002), Beta reported. Drnovsek, who is expected
to be sworn in as president on 23 December, met with outgoing President
Milan Kucan to discuss the transfer of office. Finance Minister Anton
Rop will most likely be Drnovsek's successor as prime minister,
according to RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service. UB
[64] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT SAYS GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBLE IF PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTIONS FAIL AGAIN
In an interview with Studio B television, President Vojislav Kostunica
said on 2 December that the Serbian government is leading a campaign
against the country's presidential elections slated for 8 December,
RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported.
Kostunica, who is running for the Serbian presidency, has repeatedly
blamed Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic for the failure of
presidential elections on 29 September and 13 October. That voting was
ruled invalid because less than half of voters turned out to cast
ballots in the runoff (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 5, 6, 14, and 15 November
2002). UB
[65] YUGOSLAVIA TO DROP LAWSUIT AGAINST NATO
Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic announced on 2 December that the
Yugoslav government has dropped a lawsuit filed against NATO with the
International Court of Justice, "The Balkan Times" reported. Dropping
the lawsuit is one of the preconditions for membership in a number of
international organizations, including the Council of Europe and NATO's
Partnership for Peace program. UB
[66] MONTENEGRIN ELECTION COMMISSION CONFIRMS PRESIDENTIAL
CANDIDATES...
The Montenegrin Election Commission announced on 2 December that at
least four candidates will run in the 22 December presidential
elections, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service
reported. The commission confirmed the candidacy of Filip Vujanovic of
the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), independent candidates
Dragan Hajdukovic and Milivoje Bakic, and Aleksandar Vasilijevic of the
Serbian Radical Party calling itself Dr. Vojislav Seselj. The
commission has yet to decide whether independent aspirants Milan
Scepanovic, Jovan Pejovic, and Djordije Milic, as well as Serbian
Radical Party candidate Ilija Darmanovic, will be allowed to run. The
candidacies of the independent Mihajlo Markovic and Obrad Markovic of
the Party of Yugoslav Communists of Montenegro were rejected because
they failed to collect the necessary number of signatures. UB
[67] ...AS MONTENEGRIN PARLIAMENT AMENDS ELECTION LAW
Parliament amended the country's law on presidential elections on 2
December, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service
reported. According to the amendments, the elections will be valid even
if voter turnout in a possible runoff is under 50 percent. Under
Montenegrin law, a second round is necessary if neither candidate in
the first wins more than half of all votes or if voter turnout is less
than 50 percent. UB
[68] MACEDONIAN GOVERNMENT CONSIDERS NULLIFYING PRIVATIZATION OF
PUBLISHING HOUSE
The government decided on 2 December to nullify the privatization of
Nova Makedonija publishing house, Makfax news agency reported. The
previous government of Ljubco Georgievski sold the publishing house to
the Slovenian consortium Jug-Storitve (Jug-Uslugi in its Macedonian
form) in August (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 22 August 2002). Striking
employees of the publishing house protested the sale and demanded that
the government revise the decision and pay their unpaid wages. Workers
there went on strike four weeks ago. UB
[69] STRIKES CONTINUE IN MACEDONIA, GOVERNMENT PLEDGES TO PAY WAGES
Government spokesman Saso Colakovski announced on 2 December that the
government decided to pay striking railway workers one month's wages,
Makfax news agency reported. The workers went on strike last week,
demanding that the government pay September and October wages. The
strike halted all domestic and international rail traffic in the
country. On 2 December, the workers also blocked railroad crossings.
Hundreds of freight cars are blocked at the Greek-Macedonian border.
The railroad workers were the last to join some 8,000 employees of
state-owned companies who have been striking to demand the payment of
unpaid wages. In other news, the government also pledged to pay the
back wages of police reservists, who have not received their salaries
for months. UB
[70] ROMANIA TO EXTEND PARTICIPATION IN OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM
Romanian Radio reported on 3 December that Romania will extend its
participation in Operation Enduring Freedom in Kandahar, Afghanistan,
by an additional six months. Defense Ministry State Secretary Sorin
Encutescu, who returned the previous day from a visit to Afghanistan,
said the soldiers stationed in Afghanistan will be rotated, according
to the station. MS
[71] ROMANIAN PREMIER MEETS WITH GERMAN CHANCELLOR, RUSSIAN PREMIER
Prime Minister Adrian Nastase inaugurated the new Romanian Embassy in
Berlin on 2 December, Romanian Radio reported. Nastase also met with
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and with Russian Premier Mikhail
Kasyanov at an economic forum in Berlin. Schroeder promised continued
German support for Romania's efforts to join the EU, although he added
that he believes the 2007 target date set by the European Commission is
"quite ambitious." After his talks with Kasyanov, Nastase said that
either ways of increasing Romanian exports to Russia must be found, or
Romanian imports from that country must be curtailed, which he said
would be difficult given the large share that energy makes up of
Russian imports to Romania. Kasyanov said that he accepted an
invitation to visit Romania in 2003. MS
[72] CEAUSESCU CARS SOLD AT AUCTION IN ROMANIA
Six sports-utility vehicles produced in Romania on the special order of
communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife Elena were auctioned
off on 2 December, AP reported. The vehicles, which were produced
between 1977-87, sold for prices ranging from 121 million lei ($3,600)
to 382 million lei. The money will go to the state budget. MS
[73] MOLDOVAN POLITICAL PARTIES MERGE
The extraparliamentary Social Liberal Party (SLP) and the Party of
Democratic Forces (PFD) merged on 2 December into a single formation
under the name of the SLP, Infotag reported. SLP Chairman Oleg
Serebreanu was elected chairman of the unified formation, while former
PFD Chairman Valeriu Matei was named SLP deputy chairman. Alexandru
Mosanu, formerly a PFD deputy chairman, was elected SLP honorary
chairman at the unification congress. MS
[74] TRANSDNIESTER TO HOLD REFERENDUM ON LAND PRIVATIZATION
The Transdniester Supreme Soviet on 2 December approved a resolution on
conducting a referendum on land privatization, Infotag reported. The
plebiscite has been scheduled for 2 March 2003. Passage of the
referendum would require amending the separatist region's constitution.
MS
[75] BULGARIAN MINISTRIES SET UP COUNCIL TO CURB TAX EVASION
Finance Minister Milen Velchev and Interior Minister Georgi Petkanov
have agreed to set up a council that would control revenue collection,
novinite.bg reported on 3 December. In a joint declaration, the two
ministers pledged to improve efficiency in the collection of revenues
and cracking down on tax evasion. Deputy Finance Minister Gati
al-Jeburi said on 30 November that the state loses some $550 million
annually as a result of unpaid social-security contributions and income
taxes, according to BTA. Al-Jeburi added that lawsuits against
companies owing taxes often end without success. UB
[76] PROTESTERS IN BULGARIAN CAPITAL DEMAND REFERENDUM ON KOZLODUY
Parties and trade unions staged a protest march in downtown Sofia on 2
December in which they demanded that a referendum be held on the
closure of blocks No. 3 and No. 4 of the Kozloduy nuclear-power plant,
novinite.bg reported. The protest was organized by the small Internal
Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (VMRO) and the Civil Committee
for the Protection of Kozloduy and was also supported by the opposition
Socialist Party and the country's two largest trade-union
organizations. "We want to make the government consider the will of the
people, we want [a] referendum, we want the Council of Ministers to
take serious, relevant measures to save the two units," VMRO leader
Krasimir Karakachanov said. The government recently signed an agreement
with the EU under which the blocks in question must be shut down by the
end of 2006 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 November 2002 and "End Note"
"RFE/RL Newsline," 15 September 2002). UB
[77] CONSERVATIVE OPPOSITION ACCUSES GOVERNMENT OF VIOLATIONS IN
BULGARIAN TELECOM PRIVATIZATION
On 2 December, lawmakers of the conservative opposition United
Democratic Forces (ODS) handed over documents to the Supreme Court of
Appeals that are to prove that the state Privatization Agency and the
government breached privatization rules during the sale of the
Bulgarian Telecommunications Company (BTK), BTA reported. The ODS
argues that when the government and the Privatization Agency chose
Austria's Viva Ventures Holding as the winning bidder for BTK they
violated provisions of the privatization strategy adopted by
parliament. "We believe that the office holders...are [allowing] legal
violations to be committed that will inflict losses on the state
instead of bringing income from the BTK privatization," said Dimitar
Abadzhiev of the ODS. The ODS is demanding that the privatization
process be halted until the allegations are investigated by a court
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 11 and 24 October 2002). UB
SOUTHWESTERN ASIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST
[78] PETERSBERG CONFERENCE DISCUSSES PROMISES, PLANS FOR
AFGHANISTAN...
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on 2 December opened a one-day
conference in Petersberg, near Bonn, that focused on reconstruction and
security in Afghanistan, ddp reported the same day. Schroeder said that
a year ago Afghanistan got a "chance to return to the community of
peoples" and that today Afghanistan must take advantage of that
opportunity to accomplish the task, adding that "we will maintain our
solidarity with Afghanistan," ddp reported. However, the German
chancellor emphasized that only Afghans in Afghanistan can decide the
future of their country, not the UN or conferences such as the one in
Petersberg, ddp added. The conference entitled "Rebuilding Afghanistan:
Peace and Stability" comes a year after a conference at the same site
where the current Afghan administration was agreed upon by various
Afghan parties following the defeat of the Taliban regime. A large
Afghan delegation headed by President Hamid Karzai attended the
conference. AT
[79] ...AS KARZAI DECREES THE FORMATION OF NEW AFGHAN ARMY...
The Afghan delegation at the 2 December Petersberg conference
circulated a decree issued by Karzai on the formation of the Afghan
national army. The 11-point decree dated the same day, a copy of which
was obtained by RFE/RL (full text to be published in "RFE/RL
Afghanistan Report" on 5 December), calls for the formation of a
national army for Afghanistan that "will not exceed 70,000 soldiers,
officers, and noncommissioned officers." The army will eventually be
transformed into four major commands, "with the exception of the
central command in Kabul," and the "location of the remaining commands
will be determined on the basis of strategic and geographical factors."
The envisioned Afghan national army will "be voluntary and inclusive of
all social and ethnic groups" of Afghanistan. AT
[80] ...AND GERMANY CATEGORICALLY REJECTS ISAF ROLE BEYOND KABUL
On the sidelines of 2 December Petersberg conference, German Foreign
Minster Joschka Fischer categorically rejected President Karzai's
requests that the role of the International Security Assistance Force
(ISAF) be expanded beyond Kabul (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 26 and 27
November 2002), ddp reported. "The [ISAF] mandate will not be
extended," Fischer was quoted by the news agency as saying, adding that
"other possibilities" should be used to guarantee security in the
country's provinces. AT
[81] FIGHTING CONTINUES IN WESTERN AFGHANISTAN...
The fighting between Herat Province Governor Mohammad Ismail Khan and
his rival Amanullah Khan that began on 1 December (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 2 December 2002) was continuing on 3 December, Radio Free
Afghanistan reported the same day. The fighting began when troops loyal
to Amanullah Khan tried to advance on positions held by Ismail Khan's
forces near the village of Zayrkoh, according to the report. Earlier
reports indicated that Ismail Khan's men instigated the fighting. A
delegation from Kabul that was sent to mediate between the two sides
has thus far been unsuccessful, Radio Free Afghanistan reported.
According to the report, Ismail Khan told the delegation that Dost
Mohammad, security chief of the town of Shindand, made a secret
arrangement with Amanullah Khan and attacked his forces. Amanullah Khan
accused his rival of controlling Herat by himself, and not allowing him
or his supporters any role in the affairs of the province, Radio Free
Afghanistan reported. AT
[82] ...AS FOUR ARE KILLED IN U.S. BOMBING
The air raid carried out on 1 December by a U.S. B-52 bomber on the
area where Ismail Khan's and Amanullah Khan's forces are engaged in
battle resulted in the death of four soldiers loyal to Ismail Khan,
Radio Free Afghanistan reported on 3 December. A U.S. military official
in Afghanistan said the air raid was ordered after U.S. Special Forces
in the area came under attack (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 2 December 2002).
AT
[83] PAKISTANI CITIZEN ARRESTED IN KHOST
A Pakistani national named Mohammad Amir has been arrested in the
eastern Afghanistan city of Khost, Radio Free Afghanistan reported on 3
December. Mohammad Amir, who was working as a chef at the police
headquarters in Khost, has admitted that he slipped illegally into
Afghanistan from Pakistan where he had killed two people, according to
the report. Afghan authorities' suspicion that the Pakistani is a spy
has not been established thus far, the report added. AT
[84] IRANIAN DAILY ACCUSES AFGHANS OF INGRATITUDE
As Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi headed for Petersberg to
participate in a conference on Afghanistan (see Afghan item above), the
Iranian daily "Aftab-i Yazd" editorialized on 2 December that
Afghanistan has shown its appreciation for 20 years of Iranian
hospitality by shutting off the flow of the Hirmand (Helmand) River's
water into Iran. The daily suggested said that upon his return,
Kharrazi will have to explain what he won for the Iranian people in
exchange for their help to Afghanistan, because they "cannot accept the
closure of the Hirmand to their farmers while they continue to show
generosity and munificence." Indeed, Kharrazi met with Afghanistan's
President Karzai on 2 December to discuss resumption of the water flow,
IRNA reported. Karzai said the drought is to blame. The river's water
resumed flowing to Iran on 25 October, and it stopped about 10 days
later (see "RFE/RL Newsline." 6 November 2002). A 1973 Tehran-Kabul
agreement established how much Hirmand River water should reach Iran.
BS
[85] TEHRAN COMMENTS ON RADIO FARDA
The "Kayhan" daily newspaper reported on 1 December that as part of its
psychological warfare program against Iran, the U.S. Central
Intelligence Agency is closing down RFE/RL's Persian Service and
replacing it with the new Radio Farda (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 2
December 2002). "Kayhan," which is affiliated with the Iranian Supreme
Leader's office, reported incorrectly that RFE/RL is "funded and
managed by the State Department and the American espionage
organization." In addition, RFE/RL's Persian Service is not closing but
will broadcast Radio Farda in partnership with Voice of America.
[86] OPINION POLLSTERS' TRIAL BEGINS IN TEHRAN...
The trial of the managing directors of the Ayandeh Research Institute
-- Hussein Qazian, Abbas Abdi, and Ali Reza Alavi-Tabar -- began in
Tehran on 3 December, the Iranian Students News Agency reported. Also
in attendance was Behruz Geranpayeh, the managing director of the
National Research and Opinion Poll Institute. The trial relates to a
poll in which the majority of Tehran respondents favored a resumption
of Iran-U.S. relations, and the accused face espionage charges because
their research institutes conducted the poll in cooperation with the
Washington-based Gallup Organization (see "RFE/RL Iran Report," 7
October 2002 and 2 December 2002). Presiding Judge Said Mortazavi
announced: "It has become clear in the course of the investigations and
according to the statements of Geranpayeh himself that the National
Research and Opinion Poll Institute, where Behruz Geranpayeh was the
managing director, was cooperating with foreign institutes in
collecting information and sending information to them, and, on this
basis, the deputy head of the Justice Department filed charges with
Bench 1410." BS
[87] ...BUT DEFENDANTS HAVE LITTLE TIME TO PREPARE
Qazian's lawyer, Ramazan Haji-Mashhadi, said in the daily "Entekhab" of
30 November that he had not yet had a chance to meet with his client.
Geranpayeh's wife said her husband has been in solitary confinement for
45 days and added that "I still have not met the lawyers of the case
and have no idea when his trial is going to take place." The trial was
set to start on 1 December but was delayed for two days following a
request Haji-Mashhadi made to Judge Mortazavi. According to "Siyasat-i
Ruz" as cited by IRNA on 1 December, Haji-Mashhadi said in the request
that he had only had time to study one out of the five dossiers related
to the case and was not ready to defend Qazian. Saleh Nikbakht, who is
representing Abdi, told "Siyasat-i Ruz" that he had not been informed
of the charges against his client. Asked how he would defend his
client, Nikbakht replied, "You should ask this question to Judge
Mortazavi." BS
[88] NEW COURT TO BE ESTABLISHED IN IRAN
Judiciary Spokesman Mir Mohammad Sadeqi announced on 2 December that
the judiciary has decided to establish a "Discernment Bench," Iranian
state television reported. Sadeqi said this court would be used in
cases when "a definite verdict is issued by the Court of First Instance
and endorsed by the Appeals Court, but the convicted person still
claims that the verdict against him is contrary to the Sharia [Islamic
law] principles or the legal principles." Any defendant can send a
request to the State Supreme Court for investigation by a Discernment
Bench. Sadeqi explained that five experts on religious law will serve
on each Discernment Bench, and they will be authorized to investigate
and make judgments on cases without the presence of the plaintiff, a
judge of the Court of First Instance, or the defendant. Legislation
proposed by the executive branch in September would enable it to
overturn court decisions, and the creation of the Discernment Bench
might be intended to preclude the necessity of allowing the executive
the right to overturn cases. BS
[89] IRANIAN MINISTER TO FACE INTERPELLATION
Some 20 conservative members of the legislature have submitted a motion
to interpellate Science, Research, and Technology Minister Mustafa
Moin, "Resalat" reported on 1 December, according to an IRNA the next
day. The legislators are critical of the ministry's officials for
provoking Iranian students to stage rallies against political activist
and university Professor Hashem Aghajari's death sentence. "Resalat"
cited Kuhdasht representative Ali Emami-Rad as saying that some
university deans turned the campuses into "rooms of war and devising
plots against the system." BS
[90] U.K. RELEASES DOSSIER ON IRAQ'S HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES...
The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office released a dossier on Iraq
on 2 December entitled "Saddam Hussein: Crimes and Human Rights
Abuses," which it labeled as the "deliberate policy of the regime." The
dossier, which is posted on the office's website
(http://www.fco.gov.uk), cites eyewitness accounts from Iraqi exiles
and human rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch,
information provided by the Iraq Research and Documentation Project at
Harvard University, as well as intelligence material. It gives a
detailed account of systematic harassment and torture, including such
policies as tongue amputation for those who criticize the regime, and
the torture of men, women, and children. It also criticizes Iraq's
treatment of women, including the systematic rape of women as a means
of pressuring Iraqi men and the beheading without trial of women
accused of prostitution. Horrendous prison conditions were described,
such as the practice of keeping prisoners in rows of coffin-like
rectangular steel boxes at some prisons. The dossier also highlights
the persecution of the Kurds and Shia in Iraq and provides official
Iraqi documents on topics such as "How to Deal With Demonstrations" and
the "Execution of Criminals." KR
[91] ...AND DRAWS PRAISE, CRITICISM
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw commented on the dossier on 2
December, saying it "makes it clear these [human rights abuses] are
carried out as part of the deliberate policy of the regime. The aim is
to remind the world that the abuses of the Iraqi regime extend far
beyond its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction in violation of its
international obligations," AP reported. Meanwhile, Amnesty
International Secretary-General Irene Khan criticized the dossier for
manipulating the human rights situation in Iraq. "This selective
attention to human rights is nothing but a cold and calculated
manipulation of the work of human rights activists," "The Times" quoted
her as saying. "Let us not forget that the same governments turned a
blind eye to Amnesty International's reports of widespread human rights
violations in Iraq before the [1991] Gulf War," she added. KR
[92] IRAQ ADMITS TO ATTEMPTING TO PURCHASE ALUMINUM TUBING...
Iraqi officials have reportedly told UN weapons inspectors that the
country attempted but failed to purchase aluminum tubing that U.S.
officials believe could be used to produce nuclear weapons and would be
in violation of UN sanctions. The Iraqis said they sought the tubing
for their conventional-rocket program, rather than for nuclear use,
Cairo's MENA news agency reported on 2 December. A "high-ranking
official close to UN inspectors" who attended 19 November meetings
between weapons inspectors and Iraqi officials in Baghdad told MENA the
Iraqis admitted that their government made six unsuccessful attempts to
purchase aluminum tubing. The Iraqi officials reportedly provided UN
inspectors with the diameter and thickness of the tubes they sought.
According to MENA's source, this specific size of tube could not be
used as centrifuges for the enrichment of uranium. KR
[93] ...AS WEAPONS INSPECTIONS CONTINUE IN IRAQ
UN weapons inspectors commenced their fifth day of inspections on 2
December, visiting the Al-Kamarah military-industrial complex outside
Baghdad, cnn.com reported. Al-Kamarah is suspected of producing
missiles capable of a range of more than 640 kilometers. Under the 1991
UN-brokered cease-fire agreement (UN Security Council Resolution 687),
Iraq is only allowed missiles with a range of under 150 kilometers. The
director of the Al-Kamarah complex said short-range missiles are still
produced there, according to cnn.com. UN inspectors also visited a
distillery outside Baghdad on 2 December, AP reported. Alcohol is used
in the production of certain chemical weapons. KR
[94] BAGHDAD TELLS UN THAT U.S., BRITAIN COMMITTING CRIME
Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri has sent a letter to UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan in which he said the U.S.-British bombing
on 1 December of South Oil Company facilities was a crime, Iraqi News
Agency reported on 2 December. Sabri claimed in the letter that the
bombing occurred in an area alongside a residential neighborhood in
Basra. He reported that the bombing killed four and injured 27 people.
Sabri asserted that the bombing is part of an "aggressive, terrorist
campaign of escalation against Iraq." Sabri claimed that Iraq is
subjected to an average of 30-40 air raids per day that target civilian
and military installations. Sabri reminded Annan, as he had stated in
his previous letter to him on 24 November (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 25
November 2002), that the air raids violate the UN Charter and the
principles of international law. Sabri called on the UN to take action
against the United States and the United Kingdom. KR
END NOTE
[95] There is no End Note today.
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