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RFE/RL Newsline, 02-12-05
CONTENTS
[01] RUSSIA, INDIA DEFINE THEIR STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP...
[02] ...AS PAKISTAN REJECTS PUTIN'S CRITICISM
[03] POPULATION OF SPACE TO DOUBLE BY 2006
[04] GOVERNMENT SELLS 5.9 PERCENT STAKE IN LUKOIL
[05] MINISTER SAYS RUSSIA MIGHT MISS INFLATION TARGET
[06] ANOTHER PIRATED-CD CACHE RAIDED
[07] MOSCOW MAYOR REVIVES OLD IDEA...
[08] ...OR DID HE?
[09] SPS SLAMS EFFORT TO CHANGE STATUS OF FEDERATION COUNCIL SENATORS
[10] FORMER SMOLENSK OFFICIAL ARRESTED FOR CORRUPTION
[11] AGRICULTURE MINISTRY SEEKS QUOTAS, HIGHER DUTIES ON MEAT IMPORTS
[12] PEOPLE'S PARTY LEADER OUTLINES ELECTION STRATEGY...
[13] ...AS EXPERTS HANDICAP PARTY'S PROSPECTS
[14] DUMA DEPUTY URGES CUTTING OFF TERRORISTS FROM MEDIA
[15] VESHNYAKOV PROPOSES OPEN PARTY LISTS FOR DUMA ELECTIONS
[16] REGIONS FINDING IT DIFFICULT TO IMPLEMENT NEW ELECTORAL SYSTEM
[17] NOVGOROD MAYORAL RACE TO TEST GOVERNOR'S STANDING...
[18] ...AS RACE TIGHTENS
[19] 'TIS THE SEASON
[20] INCUMBENTS HAVE THE EDGE IN ST. PETERSBURG
[21] ALTAI KRAI LEGISLATOR WANTS REFERENDA ON MERGER WITH ALTAI
[22] UN PROTESTS CLOSURE OF CAMP FOR CHECHEN DISPLACED PERSONS
[23] CHECHEN PRESIDENTIAL REPRESENTATIVE REAFFIRMS READINESS FOR PEACE
[24] ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT RATIFIES 'ASSETS-FOR-DEBT' DEAL
[25] AZERBAIJANI EDITORS APPEAL TO COUNCIL OF EUROPE
[26] GEORGIAN PARLIAMENT VOTES TO TAX RUSSIAN MILITARY BASES...
[27] ...AND MULLS HOW TO THWART RUSSIA'S WTO MEMBERSHIP BID...
[28] IS GEORGIA PLANNING AN INCURSION INTO SOUTH OSSETIA?
[29] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT VISITS 'SOUTHERN CAPITAL'
[30] WAS TURKMEN SECURITY MINISTRY BEHIND ATTEMPT TO ASSASSINATE
[31] UZBEK PRESIDENT AMNESTIES PRISONERS
[32] BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT READY TO START TALKS ON OSCE MISSION
[33] MINSK DENIES VISAS TO DEMOCRACY ACTIVISTS
[34] UKRAINIAN JOURNALIST ACCUSES PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION OF
[35] ...AND NEWS AGENCY'S EDITOR PROVIDES MORE DETAILS
[36] UKRAINIAN OPPOSITION TO CONTINUE EFFORTS TO OUST KUCHMA
[37] ESTONIAN EU REFERENDUM PROPOSED FOR MID-SEPTEMBER
[38] OSCE MINORITIES COMMISSIONER VISITS LATVIA
[39] LITHUANIAN PARLIAMENT CANCELS SESSIONS TO MAKE WAY FOR CAMPAIGNING
[40] POLISH PARLIAMENTARIANS DIFFER OVER INTEGRATION WITH EU
[41] POLISH BROADCASTING AUTHORITY TO SCRUTINIZE CONTROVERSIAL CATHOLIC
[42] CZECH CABINET DISCUSSES HOSPITAL DEBT
[43] CURRENT, FORMER PREMIERS FEUD OVER CZECH PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION
[44] SLOVAK DOCUMENTARY ON KIDNAPPING STIRS CONTROVERSY
[45] SLOVAK LEFT TO UNITE
[46] SLOVAKIA CANCELS SOVIET-ERA PACT WITH CHINA
[47] REPORT: FORMER HUNGARIAN SPY CHIEF'S AIDE TRADING IN SECRETS
[48] SERBIAN PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN ENDS
[49] YUGOSLAVIA CALLS FOR THE HAGUE TO INTERVENE IN CROATIAN WAR CRIMES
[50] YUGOSLAVIA ISSUES ARREST WARRANTS FOR TWO BOSNIAN SERBS
[51] MONTENEGRIN OPPOSITION PARTY DIGS IN ITS HEELS
[52] FORMER EU OFFICIAL IN KOSOVA REPORTED ARRESTED ON FRAUD CHARGES
[53] MACEDONIAN ARMY TO SELL TANKS AND REDUCE MILITARY SERVICE
[54] BOSNIAN FEDERAL PARLIAMENT ELECTS TOP OFFICIALS
[55] ROMANIAN PARLIAMENTARY COMMISSION CRITICIZES CNSAS ACTIVITY
[56] EU AMBASSADOR ADVISES BUCHAREST TO RESOLVE CONFLICT OVER FUNDS
[57] MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT PLEDGES TO FULFILL COMMITMENTS TO COUNCIL OF
[58] GAGAUZ-YERI PARLIAMENT APPROVES LOCAL GOVERNMENT
[59] BULGARIAN AUTHORITIES ARREST FORMER DIRECTOR OF ORDNANCE FACTORY
[60] BULGARIAN SOCIALISTS TO MOVE REFERENDUM ON KOZLODUY
[61] BULGARIAN SUPREME ADMINISTRATIVE COURT REJECTS APPEAL AGAINST
[62] NEW BULGARIAN AIRLINE TAKES TO THE AIR
[63] ROCKETS HIT AFGHAN CAPITAL
[64] DISARMAMENT PROJECT FINDS SUCCESS IN AFGHANISTAN'S KONDUZ PROVINCE
[65] AFGHAN-CURRENCY REPLACEMENT DELAYED
[66] IRANIAN EMBASSY IN KABUL FACES TERRORIST THREAT
[67] IRANIAN PRESIDENT CRITICIZES U.S. 'EXTREMISTS'...
[68] ...AND CONDUCT OF COURTS
[69] MORE IRANIAN WOMEN IMMOLATING THEMSELVES
[70] TEHRAN CONSIDERS GASOLINE RATIONING
[71] IRANIAN LEGISLATORS CALL FOR LARGER FARMING BUDGET
[72] U.S. OFFICIALS DISCUSS POTENTIAL TURKISH ROLE...
[73] ...AND USE OF AIR BASES IN EVENT OF ATTACK ON IRAQ
[74] PUK FIGHTS ANSAR AL-ISLAM NEAR HALABJA
[75] PUK LEADER TALABANI VISITS KUWAIT
[76] KUWAIT DENIES HARBORING IRAQI OPPOSITION
[77] BAGHDAD DENIES NAVAL WARFARE REPORTS
[78] There is no End Note today.
5 December 2002
RUSSIA
[01] RUSSIA, INDIA DEFINE THEIR STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP...
President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihary Vajpayee
signed eight bilateral agreements on 4 December, including a
declaration on strategic partnership and another on strengthening
economic, scientific, and technical cooperation, Russian and Western
news agencies reported. The two leaders also presided over the signing
of a vast array of other memorandums and commercial contracts. The
strategic-partnership declaration notes that stability in Central Asia
is crucial to both countries and pledges coordinated efforts in the
reconstruction of Afghanistan, ITAR-TASS reported. It also reaffirms
Russia's long-standing support for making India a permanent member of
an expanded UN Security Council. Putin on 5 December traveled on to
Bishkek for a summit meeting with Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev. RC
[02] ...AS PAKISTAN REJECTS PUTIN'S CRITICISM
Speaking in New Delhi on 4 December, President Putin urged Pakistan to
crack down on militants in the disputed Kashmir region and expressed
concern that Pakistan's nuclear weapons could fall into the hands of
terrorists, Russian and Western news agencies reported. Pakistani Prime
Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali on 5 December, however, told Reuters
that "Pakistan does not believe in terrorism" and rejected allegations
that his government is training or arming Kashmiri militants. He
confirmed, though, that Pakistan extends political, diplomatic, and
moral support for the "Kashmiri freedom struggle." Jamali also stated
that "Pakistan's nuclear assets are in safe hands" and "there is no
need for worry" about its arsenal. On 5 December, the Pakistani Foreign
Ministry issued a statement decrying Putin's statements, dpa reported.
"It is unfortunate that the Russian leadership has been taken in by
Indian propaganda," a Foreign Ministry spokesman was quoted as saying.
RC
[03] POPULATION OF SPACE TO DOUBLE BY 2006
Space agency representatives from the United States, Russia, Japan,
Canada, and the European Union met in Tokyo on 5 December to discuss
planning and management of the International Space Station (ISS),
ITAR-TASS reported. According to an unidentified source, the agencies
will announce that beginning in 2006, the ISS will host a six-member
crew following the addition of a new living module. The size of the
crew will be increased to seven by 2010, the source was quoted as
saying. Yurii Koptev, head of the Russian Space and Aviation Agency
(Rosaviakosmos), attended the Tokyo meeting. RC
[04] GOVERNMENT SELLS 5.9 PERCENT STAKE IN LUKOIL
The Russian government has sold its 5.9 percent stake in LUKoil on the
London financial market for $775 million ($15.50 per share), Ekho
Moskvy reported on 4 December. The shares were sold in the form of 12.5
million American Depositary Receipts (ADRs). "Vedomosti" reported on 4
December that the government had postponed plans to sell LUKoil shares
on the New York market during the first half of 2001 after British
Petroleum unexpectedly sold its stake of nearly 8 percent. The
government again shelved plans to sell its LUKoil stake in July because
investors were willing to pay only about $14.50 per share. Valerii
Nesterov, an analyst with Troika Dialog, told "Vedomosti" that the
government timed the sale well, because the shares' value would likely
drop in the event of a U.S. military action against Iraqi President
Saddam Hussein. Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov said that the sale was
"extremely successful" and could enable the government to reduce the
tax burden in 2003, ITAR-TASS reported. LB
[05] MINISTER SAYS RUSSIA MIGHT MISS INFLATION TARGET
Economic Development and Trade Minister German Gref announced on 4
December that the inflation rate in Russia could exceed the predicted
level of 14 percent for 2002 but will not exceed 15 percent, Ekho
Moskvy reported. At the same time, he asserted that other macroeconomic
indicators will be in line with the government's expectations. For
instance, Russia will achieve 4.2 percent growth in industrial
production for the year and 4 percent growth in GDP. Gref said his
ministry's data suggests that there is more optimism in the Russian
business community now than when GDP growth measured 9 percent. LB
[06] ANOTHER PIRATED-CD CACHE RAIDED
Police in Moscow have confiscated 50,000 pirated compact discs in a
warehouse located on the property of an automobile-repair company,
Interfax reported on 5 December. Police also found packaging and
printing materials related to the illegal discs. According to a police
spokesman, the discs allegedly belonged to a criminal group organized
by unidentified residents of Chechnya. It was unclear from the report
whether any arrests were made in connection with the seizure. Last
month, Moscow police confiscated 70,000 illegal DVDs in a similar raid
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 15 November 2002). RC
[07] MOSCOW MAYOR REVIVES OLD IDEA...
Yurii Luzhkov has reportedly asked President Putin and the federal
government to consider realizing a Soviet-era project to redirect the
flow of some Siberian rivers to provide water to Central Asia, Russian
news agencies reported on 4 December. According to strana.ru, Luzhkov
has proposed redirecting about 6-7 percent of the flow of the Ob River
and selling it to agricultural and industrial enterprises in Russia,
Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. The project was originally developed by the
Soviet government in the 1970s and 1980s but was shelved in 1986. Uzbek
President Islam Karimov recently proposed reviving this project as well
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 30 September 2002). RC
[08] ...OR DID HE?
Political analyst Sergei Markov, director of the Institute for
Political Studies, told strana.ru that he believes the reports about
Mayor Luzhkov's initiative could be an attempt to discredit him. He
noted that the river-diversion project historically has been extremely
controversial and would certainly be widely opposed, especially in
Europe. He argued as well that many powerful lobbying groups, including
the automotive and aviation sectors, would oppose any attempt to divert
state funds into the project. In a commentary on politcom.ru, analyst
Dmitrii Bagiro also argues that the Siberian initiative is part of a
campaign against Luzhkov. He argues that the coverage of recent events
such as the controversy over Luzhkov's proposals to restore the statue
of Soviet secret-police founder Feliks Dzerzhinskii and his statements
regarding returning the Soviet-era residence-registration (propiska)
system reflect "organized hysteria." He notes that the media have
widely blamed the city for the fact that a large band of Chechen
fighters was able to take over a Moscow theater on 23 October, rather
than blaming Interior Minister Boris Gryzlov. Finally, he mentions that
the Union of Rightist Forces (SPS) -- whose co-chairman Sergei Kirienko
ran against Luzhkov in the last Moscow mayoral race -- recently
organized an investigation into the hostage taking that was harshly
critical of municipal authorities while completely exonerating the
special forces. RC
[09] SPS SLAMS EFFORT TO CHANGE STATUS OF FEDERATION COUNCIL SENATORS
The SPS political council has urged President Putin to oppose
amendments to the law on the status of Federation Council members,
"Gazeta" and "Vremya-MN" reported on 4 December. SPS believes the
amendments, which the State Duma approved in their first reading on 29
November, violate constitutional principles, including those of
federalism and the separation of powers. According to "Izvestiya" on 30
November, the amendments would bar the removal of Federation Council
senators during their first year of service. In addition, a two-thirds
vote in the Federation Council would be required to approve any motion
from a regional legislature to recall a senator, "Gazeta" reported on 2
December. Finally, the amendments would also authorize senators to vote
against the interests of the regions they ostensibly represent, if
those interests conflict with recommendations from the president, the
government, or a Federation Council committee. LB
[10] FORMER SMOLENSK OFFICIAL ARRESTED FOR CORRUPTION
Former Smolensk Oblast Deputy Governor Anatolii Makarenko was arrested
by local Federal Security Service (FSB) agents on 2 December on charges
of embezzlement, lenta.ru reported on 5 December. He is accused of
illegally allowing unidentified people to take over the debts owed by a
local distillery, of which Makarenko was formerly the general director,
to a regional oversight board. Makarenko played a key role in the May
gubernatorial election, in which former local FSB chief Viktor Maslov
narrowly defeated then-incumbent Governor Aleksandr Prokhorov in a
particularly unpleasant campaign. On 16 May, Makarenko was the apparent
target of an assassination attempt when unknown gunmen fired at his
car, killing his driver and wounding his bodyguard (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 17 May 2002). At the time, Makarenko publicly accused Maslov
of organizing the murder attempt. RC
[11] AGRICULTURE MINISTRY SEEKS QUOTAS, HIGHER DUTIES ON MEAT IMPORTS
The Agriculture Ministry is proposing new quotas and huge increases in
customs duties on imported meat, "Trud" reported on 4 December. The
proposal would raise duties on pork from 15 to 80 percent, on beef from
15 to 25 percent, and on poultry from 25 to 35 percent. The ministry
also wants to limit annual pork, beef, and poultry imports to 340,000
tons, 420,000 tons, and 750,000 tons, respectively. Those proposals
would reduce meat imports from 2.5 million tons a year to 1.51 million
tons. Consumers would face price hikes, since meat-processing plants in
some large Russian cities buy up to 90 percent of their meat from
European countries or Brazil. According to "Trud," governors from the
Central Federal District asked President Putin to impose quotas on meat
imports when they met with him in Ryazan on 29 November, and the
president promised to instruct the government to do so. LB
[12] PEOPLE'S PARTY LEADER OUTLINES ELECTION STRATEGY...
The People's Party of the Russian Federation (NPRF) will field about 60
candidates in single-member districts during next year's State Duma
elections but may not compete on the party-list ballot, according to
party leader Gennadii Raikov. In an interview published in "Rossiiskaya
gazeta" on 4 December, Raikov said party leaders will decide next
spring whether to field a party list in the December 2003 elections.
Asked where the NPRF fits into Russia's political spectrum, Raikov
said, "We are a socially oriented party, located close to the
center-left." Asked how his party will differentiate itself from
others, Raikov said: "We are a pragmatic party and do not promise
people a bright future. A person living today should live decently
today." Asked about potential allies, Raikov did not name any specific
party or political movement, but rather "patriotically oriented" public
organizations "that think, as we do, that it's time to bring order to
Russia." LB
[13] ...AS EXPERTS HANDICAP PARTY'S PROSPECTS
In comments published in "Rossiiskaya gazeta" on 4 December,
sociologist Leonid Sedov predicted that the People's Party has little
chance of success on the party-list ballot but could do well in the
single-member districts, particularly if many governors support NPRF
candidates. In contrast, political commentator Sergei Markov suggested
that with enough political, financial, administrative, and media
support, the NPRF could clear the 5 percent barrier needed to win
party-list Duma seats. Both Sedov and Markov agreed that Raikov's
center-left posturing is aimed at winning votes at the expense of the
Communist Party. Several other parties will try to fill the center-left
niche next year, most notably former Communist Gennadii Seleznev's
Party of Russia's Rebirth. The NPRF's populist initiatives, such as
support for reinstating the death penalty and criminalizing
homosexuality (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 2 December 2002), are intended to
win over voters who backed Vladimir Zhirinovsky's Liberal Democratic
Party of Russia (LDPR) in earlier elections. LB
[14] DUMA DEPUTY URGES CUTTING OFF TERRORISTS FROM MEDIA
LDPR Duma Deputy Aleksei Mitrofanov on 4 December told a roundtable
sponsored by the Union of Journalists that one can "block 90 percent of
terrorist activity by cutting off the flow of information to television
and the newspapers," RosBalt reported. He said that a single terrorist
act can generate more publicity than political parties are able to
muster even if they spend millions of dollars on promotion. "The
terrorists' goal of forcing the authorities to undertake political
negotiations would be impossible to realize under conditions of an
information blockade," Mitrofanov said. He added that even if the law
on the mass media is revised, the government will continue using
"informal methods" to close down "inconvenient" media outlets. RC
[15] VESHNYAKOV PROPOSES OPEN PARTY LISTS FOR DUMA ELECTIONS
Central Election Commission (TsIK) Chairman Aleksandr Veshnyakov has
proposed changing the way Duma deputies are elected from party lists,
"Nezavisimaya gazeta" reported on 4 December. Half of the 450 Duma
seats are distributed among the parties that win at least 5 percent of
the vote nationally. Under current law, parties determine the order of
candidates on "closed" lists. Candidates near the top of the list are
certain to win seats as long as the party clears the 5 percent
threshold. Speaking at a conference in Belgorod on 3 December,
Veshnyakov argued that closed party lists foster corruption -- some
businesspeople have allegedly purchased desirable spots -- and distrust
among voters. Under the "open"-list system he prefers, parties would
form regional lists, and voters could select not only the party they
prefer, but the specific candidate they want to represent them in the
Duma. LB
[16] REGIONS FINDING IT DIFFICULT TO IMPLEMENT NEW ELECTORAL SYSTEM
Many regions are having trouble implementing the law on political
parties, which requires that half of the seats in all regional
legislatures be distributed to political parties according to
proportional representation, "Nezavisimaya gazeta" reported on 4
December. At a Belgorod conference involving TsIK Chairman Veshnyakov
and representatives of many regional election commissions, participants
noted that some regional legislatures have only 20 seats. It would be
difficult to allocate half of those seats according to proportional
representation if many party lists cleared the threshold for winning
mandates. Using proportional representation to fill seats in small
legislatures generally leads to more distortion of the voters' will,
especially in a crowded field of parties, simply because a mandate can
only go to one person. LB
[17] NOVGOROD MAYORAL RACE TO TEST GOVERNOR'S STANDING...
The 8 December mayoral election in Novgorod might have serious
implications for Novgorod Oblast Governor Mikhail Prusak, one of
Russia's most prominent regional leaders. The election is being held to
replace Aleksandr Korsunov, who was killed in an automobile mishap on 8
September (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 and 10 September 2002) According to
"Nezavisimaya gazeta" on 4 December, the local business elite, once
united behind Prusak, is now divided between his favored candidate,
Nikolai Grazhdankin, and acting Mayor Sergei Lobach. Telman Mkhitaryan,
the leading businessman opposing Prusak, told "Nezavisimaya gazeta"
that the dispute is not over economic policy. Rather, Prusak has
"neglected" the local elite and gotten carried away with political
games at the federal level, Mkhitaryan said. Prusak faced only token
opposition in the gubernatorial races he won in 1995 and 1999. But
local businesspeople may have a stronger candidate in mind for the next
election, scheduled for September 2003. A victory for the current
Novgorod mayor would embolden the opposition businesspeople ahead of
Prusak's re-election campaign. LB
[18] ...AS RACE TIGHTENS
Vladimir Ulyanov, the SPS candidate in the Novgorod mayoral race,
withdrew his candidacy on 5 December, just 30 minutes before the
deadline for doing so, sobkor.ru reported. According to a spokesman for
the local election commission, Ulyanov gave no reason for his decision.
Ulyanov's departure leaves five candidates for the 8 December poll:
Lobach, Grazhdankin, Communist candidate Valerii Gaidym, and
independents Ivan Andreev and Vladimir Kondratev. Meanwhile, local
activists called on voters to cast their ballots against all candidates
following a 1 December public meeting with all the candidates in the
race, "Izvestiya" reported on 4 December. The movement Civic
Initiative, which is an umbrella organization of political parties and
nongovernmental organizations, claims to have gathered 1,250 signatures
on a petition calling for the city "to hire a worthy person" to serve
as city manager. RC
[19] 'TIS THE SEASON
Police in Novgorod Oblast will intensify patrols in local forests
between 23 and 31 December in a bid to cut down on New Year's tree
poaching, RIA-Novosti reported on 5 December. People caught illegally
cutting trees will be fined up to 2,790 rubles ($87). Last year, police
caught 12 people with 97 illegal trees. In addition, according to the
report, the oblast administration will take steps to ensure that every
family in the oblast is able to have a tree. RC
[20] INCUMBENTS HAVE THE EDGE IN ST. PETERSBURG
Experts predict that only five or six out of St. Petersburg's 50
legislative districts will elect new deputies in the 8 December
elections, according to an analysis of the campaign published in
"Yezhenedelnyi zhurnal" on 3 December. Incumbents generally bring
advantages to campaigns, such as better name recognition, but the key
edge enjoyed by the 48 incumbents seeking re-election is the city law
earmarking 2 percent of budget expenditures for legislators to spend in
their districts at their discretion (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 11 November
2002). Sociologist Tatyana Protasenko told "Yezhenedelnyi zhurnal" that
many deputies use the funds to buy foodstuffs for pensioners over a
period of years. By the time these politicians face re-election, they
may have fed 10 percent of district residents, making it all but
impossible for challengers to prevail, especially when turnout is low.
LB
[21] ALTAI KRAI LEGISLATOR WANTS REFERENDA ON MERGER WITH ALTAI
REPUBLIC
Aleksandr Nazarchuk, who chairs the Legislative Assembly of Altai Krai,
has proposed holding referenda in that krai and in neighboring Altai
Republic on merging the two regions, "Kommersant" reported on 4
December. Nazarchuk first proposed holding such referenda in May 2001,
but the leader of the Altai Republic, Semen Zubakin, opposed the idea.
Nazarchuk has worked closely in the past with current Altai Republic
leader Mikhail Lapshin, who was elected in December 2001. Lapshin and
Nazarchuk were the top two party-list candidates for the Agrarian Party
of Russia in the 1995 State Duma elections. However, Lapshin opposes a
merger with Altai Krai, according to "Kommersant." The paper said
Nazarchuk revived the proposal after politicians in the Altai Republic,
including an aide to Lapshin, called for transferring a city and
several rural raions from the krai to the republic. LB
[22] UN PROTESTS CLOSURE OF CAMP FOR CHECHEN DISPLACED PERSONS
Sergio Vieira de Mello, who is UN high commissioner for human rights,
pledged in Geneva on 4 December to do all in his power to prevent the
closure of tent camps in Ingushetia for Chechen displaced persons and
the forced return of those displaced persons to Chechnya, Reuters
reported. "It is not the moment to evacuate displaced persons or to
force them to return to Chechnya," he said. On 3 December, between
1,000 and 1,500 people were evicted from the Iman camp near Aki-Yurt,
and the tents they had occupied were dismantled, Interfax reported. But
Russian presidential aide Sergei Yastrzhembskii told a press conference
in Moscow on 4 December that it would be "totally wrong" to claim that
displaced persons are being forcibly returned to Chechnya. Federal
Migration Service spokesman Igor Pogosov similarly denied reports that
the Ingush authorities cut off electricity and gas supplies to the
camps in Ingushetia to force people to leave, Interfax reported on 4
December. He claimed that 99 percent of the inmates left the Aki-Yurt
camp voluntarily and were transported in a convoy to Chechnya. LF
[23] CHECHEN PRESIDENTIAL REPRESENTATIVE REAFFIRMS READINESS FOR PEACE
TALKS
Akhmed Zakaev told journalists in Copenhagen on 4 December, one day
after his release from detention, that the hostage taking by Chechen
militants at a Moscow theater in late October was a serious setback to
efforts to negotiate an end to the war in Chechnya, Reuters reported.
Zakaev said again, as President Aslan Maskhadov has done on several
occasions this year, that "the Chechen leadership is ready, without
preconditions, to give up the armed struggle and adopt political
methods" of resolving the conflict. Usman Ferzauli, who is Maskhadov's
representative in Scandinavia, told Prime News on 4 December that
Zakaev has spoken by telephone with Maskhadov to discuss "future
plans," chechenpress.com reported. LF
TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[24] ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT RATIFIES 'ASSETS-FOR-DEBT' DEAL
Deputies voted on 4 December by a narrow majority (67 of 131 deputies
voted in favor) to ratify the agreement signed one month earlier under
which Armenia cedes to Russia five state-run enterprises in payment of
its $95 million debt, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 17 and 18 July and 6 November 2002). The previous day,
several deputies expressed reservations over endorsing the deal.
Left-wing opposition deputy Aghasi Arshakian accused the government of
"selling our homeland's independence a bit at a time." But on 4
December, only three deputies voted against ratification. LF
[25] AZERBAIJANI EDITORS APPEAL TO COUNCIL OF EUROPE
Azerbaijan's Council of Editors appealed on 4 December to the Council
of Europe to intervene to halt what they term a new and aggressive
campaign by the country's authorities to silence the opposition media,
Turan reported. They noted that 31 court cases have been brought
against media outlets since January this year, 14 of them in the past
two months. They appealed to Council of Europe rapporteur for
Azerbaijan Andreas Gross to attend court cases against media outlets
scheduled for this month or to send observers to do so. LF
[26] GEORGIAN PARLIAMENT VOTES TO TAX RUSSIAN MILITARY BASES...
Deputies addressed on 4 December the issue of requiring that the
Russian military bases on Georgian territory adopt the Georgian lari
for all financial transactions, and pay rent and other appropriate
taxes, Caucasus Press reported. Deputy Finance Minister Lasha Zhvania
said that rent for the Russian bases amounts to $38 million annually.
On 5 December, deputies voted by 119 to one in favor of levying taxes
on Russian bases, Caucasus Press reported. In the event that Moscow
refuses to comply with that requirement, Georgia will automatically
deduct the sums involved from its total $117 million debt to Russia. LF
[27] ...AND MULLS HOW TO THWART RUSSIA'S WTO MEMBERSHIP BID...
Deputies also on 4 December began debating a resolution drafted by the
opposition United democrats faction affirming that Russia may not be
admitted to the World Trade Organization without the consent of
Georgia, which joined that body two years ago, Caucasus Press reported
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 May 2000). The resolution makes Georgian
support for Russian membership of the WTO contingent on Russia
curtailing its economic engagement in Abkhazia, annulling the visa
requirement for Georgian citizens, respecting intellectual property
rights, and complying with border agreements intended to preclude the
smuggling of contraband goods into Georgia. In October 2002, Georgian
Foreign Minister Irakli Menagharishvili said Georgian support for
Russia's WTO membership bid hinges on Russia's compliance with the
latter two demands. LF
[28] IS GEORGIA PLANNING AN INCURSION INTO SOUTH OSSETIA?
Two Georgian ministers offered widely diverging prognoses on 4 December
regarding the 1 December abduction of Sadi Sharifov, father of LUKoil
Vice President Vagit Sharifov. Interfax quoted Interior Minister Koba
Narchemashvili as predicting that Sharifov might be freed within the
next 24 hours. But the same agency also quoted Georgian National
Security Minister Valeri Khaburzania as suggesting that Sharifov might
have been taken from his home in Dmanisi, southeast of Tbilisi, to the
unrecognized Republic of South Ossetia, which borders on the Russian
Federation. In recent months, Georgian officials have repeatedly raised
the possibility of launching an "anticrime" operation in South Ossetia
similar to that begun in September in the Pankisi Gorge. On 28
November, Giorgi Shervashidze, commander of the Georgian Interior
Ministry troops, warned the operation in Pankisi might have to be
abandoned for lack of funds, Caucasus Press reported. LF
[29] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT VISITS 'SOUTHERN CAPITAL'
Askar Akaev traveled on 3 December to Osh, Kyrgyzstan's second-largest
city, where he again criticized the Kyrgyz opposition, claiming that
its members abuse the right of freedom of speech in a bid to divide the
nation, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported. Meeting with local officials,
Akaev listed his accomplishments as president, noting in particular the
stable exchange rate of the som, low inflation, and successes in
attracting foreign investment and increasing GDP. In fact, during the
first eight months of 2002, GDP grew by only 1.8 percent instead of the
planned 4.5 percent, First Deputy Finance Minister Emirlan Toremyrzaev
told a government session in Bishkek on 26 September, according to
RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau. Akaev also visited a mosque in Osh together
with city elders and attended a ceremonial dinner to mark the end of
Ramadan, akipress.org reported. LF
[30] WAS TURKMEN SECURITY MINISTRY BEHIND ATTEMPT TO ASSASSINATE
PRESIDENT?
In an interview with "Izvestiya" on 5 December, former Turkmen First
Deputy Agriculture Minister Saparmurat Iklymov claimed that the 25
November bid to kill President Saparmurat Niyazov was undertaken by the
National Security Committee (KNB), and that the KamAZ truck used to ram
Niyazov's motorcade was confiscated in 1999 by the KNB from his brother
Parakhat, who left Turkmenistan the following year. Niyazov conducted a
major purge of the KNB in the spring of this year (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 5 and 15 March, 9 May, and 18 June 2002). Iklymov denied any
role in the assassination bid, for which Niyazov has blamed him and
three other former senior officials. Iklymov, who currently lives in
Sweden where he was granted political asylum, said that he has never
before had any contact with other exile Turkmen opposition groups but
that he now intends to align with them to protect his reputation and
"rid my country of this tyrant." Speaking in Moscow on 4 December,
former Turkmen Foreign Minister Avdi Kuliev likewise said that
opposition to Niyazov has emerged within Turkmenistan, RFE/RL's Russian
Service reported. Kuliev predicted that Niyazov will "leave the
political scene" within one or two years. LF
[31] UZBEK PRESIDENT AMNESTIES PRISONERS
Islam Karimov has signed an amnesty pegged to the 10th anniversary of
the adoption of Uzbekistan's constitution, Interfax and uza.uz reported
on 4 December. Beneficiaries will include over half the current prison
population, which is estimated at 40,000. Eligible are minors, women,
men over 60, first offenders, and persons jailed for economic crimes.
Persons sentenced for their religious beliefs will be freed if the
conviction was their first and if they were not convicted of
involvement in "extremist organizations" or of crimes against the
constitution, according to uzreport.com. LF
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
[32] BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT READY TO START TALKS ON OSCE MISSION
President Alyaksandr Lukashenka on 4 December said Belarus is ready to
start talks immediately with the OSCE to establish a new mandate for
that organization's mission in Minsk, Belarusian Television reported.
"We are ready to personally invite to our country all those -- even if
there are 100 of them -- [empowered] for talks on the mandate of an
OSCE mission, on the forms and terms of its presence," Lukashenka said.
The Belarusian president made this pledge at a meeting with three U.S.
congressmen: Representative Curt Weldon (Republican-Pennsylvania),
Representative Roscoe Bartlett (Republican-Maryland), and Senator
Conrad Burns (Republican-Montana). "We are not going to confront
anybody, even in diplomacy, be it Europe or the United States,"
Lukashenka added. The visiting U.S. lawmakers promised to appeal to the
U.S. government to lift the U.S. travel ban on Lukashenka and other
Belarusian officials as soon as OSCE representatives are granted
Belarusian visas for conducting talks on the OSCE mission in Minsk,
RFE/RL's Belarusian Service reported. JM
[33] MINSK DENIES VISAS TO DEMOCRACY ACTIVISTS
Robert Bach from the Prague-based People in Need foundation and Adrianu
Mararu from Romania, who planned to participate in a conference on
democratic-election standards in Raubichy near Minsk on 5-6 December,
have not been granted Belarusian visas, Belapan reported on 4 December,
quoting a representative of the Vyasna human rights group. Mararu, who
observed the presidential election in Belarus in 2001, applied for a
visa weeks in advance, but the Belarusian Embassy in Bucharest dragged
out a decision on his application and later said it was too late to
grant such permission. Mararu also asked a travel agency to get him a
Belarusian visa, but the agency was reportedly told at the embassy that
he was on a list of persons barred from traveling to Belarus. Bach
believes the Belarusian Embassy in Prague denied him a visa in
retaliation for the Czech government's decision to deny a visa to
President Lukashenka, who sought to attend the NATO Prague summit last
month. JM
[34] UKRAINIAN JOURNALIST ACCUSES PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION OF
STIFLING MEDIA...
Addressing a parliamentary hearing on the freedom of expression on 4
December (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 4 December 2002), the nascent
Independent Trade Union of Journalists' Kyivan leader Andriy Shevchenko
described a policy whereby the presidential administration effectively
dictates news coverage through unsigned cues sent to media outlets, the
"Ukrayinska pravda" website reported. He said such prompts, or
"temnyky," detail what news and in what manner the presidential
administration wishes to see information reported in newspapers and on
radio and television. "In actual fact, television news coverage in
Ukraine is made in a remote-control mode. Someone else, not
journalists, edits news programs, shoots and disseminates videos,
writes texts, and selects comments by governors, which are subsequently
sent to all channels," Shevchenko said. "Let us admit honestly: Instead
of news coverage, Ukraine gets lies. Because every half-truth is a lie,
and there should be no illusions about that." Shevchenko proposed that
media legislation be amended to broaden the definition of illegal
interference in journalistic activities and toughen sanctions for such
interference. JM
[35] ...AND NEWS AGENCY'S EDITOR PROVIDES MORE DETAILS
Oleksandr Kharchenko, editor in chief of the UNIAN news agency, said at
the same hearing that authorities have recently begun "taming"
Ukrainian news agencies to encourage a certain manner of reportage,
UNIAN reported. According to Kharchenko, UNIAN's pluralistic
information policy has undergone change since the appointment of
Executive Director Vasyl Yurychko earlier this year (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 2 and 4 October 2002). Kharchenko said Yurychko has limited
journalists' opportunities to present differing points of view in their
news coverage and initiated a policy of publication that can be
construed as politically biased. Deputy Prime Minister Dmytro Tabachnyk
proposed setting up a working group comprising lawmakers, government
officials, and journalists to propose amendments to media legislation.
JM
[36] UKRAINIAN OPPOSITION TO CONTINUE EFFORTS TO OUST KUCHMA
Three opposition leaders -- Yuliya Tymoshenko, Petro Symonenko, and
Oleksandr Moroz -- pledged on 4 December to continue the "Rise Up,
Ukraine!" protest campaign to force President Leonid Kuchma to resign,
UNIAN reported. The upcoming stage of the campaign will be called
"Releasing Ukraine from Kuchma," they added. The three leaders told
journalists they will soon begin touring Ukrainian regions to persuade
citizens that it is necessary to continue fighting "the criminal regime
headed by Leonid Kuchma." The opposition also intends to stage a
nationwide strike on 9 March. JM
[37] ESTONIAN EU REFERENDUM PROPOSED FOR MID-SEPTEMBER
Parliament's Constitutional Committee recommended on 4 December that
Estonia hold a referendum on accession to the European Union on 14
September 2003, ETA reported. Committee Chairman Indrek Meelak said it
is still unclear whether citizens will be asked one or two questions in
the plebiscite. One proposal is: "Do you support Estonia's accession to
the EU and amending the constitution in this context?" The second
foresees two separate questions. Lawmakers are also discussing a bill
submitted by 74 deputies on amending the constitution with a provision
that allows Estonia to belong to the EU. SG
[38] OSCE MINORITIES COMMISSIONER VISITS LATVIA
OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Rolf Ekeus began a
three-day visit to Riga on 3 December, LETA reported. Prime Minister
Einars Repse told him the next day that Latvia is ready "for
constructive cooperation with the OSCE" and plans to ratify the Council
of Europe Framework Convention on the Protection of National
Minorities, although with some reservations to be specified in the
future, BNS reported. In regard to increasing naturalization, he called
this a question of motivating noncitizens, adding that Latvia's
admission to the EU should provide an incentive. Ekeus expressed
support for Latvia's public-integration policy, which should benefit
from the establishment of the post of state minister for integration
affairs. During his visit, he also held talks with Foreign Minister
Sandra Kalniete, Education and Science Minister Karlis Sadurskis, State
Minister for Integration Affairs Mils Muiznieks, Naturalization Board
Director Eizenija Aldermane, and parliamentary deputies from all
parties. SG
[39] LITHUANIAN PARLIAMENT CANCELS SESSIONS TO MAKE WAY FOR CAMPAIGNING
Although the constitution provides for parliament's fall session to
last until 23 December, the legislature's board decided on 4 December
not to convene any plenary sessions after 10 December, when the 2003
budget comes up for approval, BNS reported. The board cited a declining
number of deputies in attendance as they campaign for the presidential
or local elections, to be held on 22 December. Nine deputies are
running for president and about 80 are seeking seats on local councils.
An extraordinary session may be called if pressing issues arise.
Parliamentary Deputy Chairman Gintaras Steponavicius said parliament
will continue the fall session in January, since it has so far debated
just half of the issues included on the fall agenda. SG
[40] POLISH PARLIAMENTARIANS DIFFER OVER INTEGRATION WITH EU
The Sejm on 4 December held a debate on Poland's EU accession, PAP
reported. Jerzy Jaskiernia of the ruling Democratic Left Alliance said
the government continues to make efforts to improve the terms of
Poland's EU membership. Janusz Lewandowski of the opposition Civic
Platform said the EU is not a charity organization but an "elevator of
progress." Self-Defense leader Andrzej Lepper, while stressing that his
party is not anti-European, noted that the proposed membership
conditions are unfavorable for Poland and added that in the present
situation, Self-Defense must say "no" to Poland's EU membership. Roman
Giertych of the opposition League of Polish Families said the proposed
EU membership conditions are "dramatically unfavorable," adding that
their acceptance would harm the interests of the Polish nation and
state. JM
[41] POLISH BROADCASTING AUTHORITY TO SCRUTINIZE CONTROVERSIAL CATHOLIC
STATION
The National Radio and Television Broadcasting Council (KRRiT) on 3
December decided that it will monitor the programming of Radio Maryja,
headed by Father Tadeusz Rydzyk, and re-examine the station's financial
reports for last year, PAP reported. The KRRiT will also analyze the
documentary "Father Rydzyk's Empire," shown on Polish Television last
month, which alleged that the station was involved in tax evasion and
illegal money transfers (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 November and 2
December 2002). The KRRiT said it was prompted to adopt a stance toward
the station and the documentary by a request from state officials,
including President Aleksander Kwasniewski and Deputy Finance Minister
Waclaw Ciesielski. JM
[42] CZECH CABINET DISCUSSES HOSPITAL DEBT
The Czech government is holding emergency talks on 5 December to
discuss a mounting debt crisis among the country's hospitals, Czech
media reported on 4 December. Health Minister Marie Souckova said
combined debts of Czech hospitals total 800 million crowns ($25.7
million). Drug makers, meanwhile, are selling medicines to some
hospitals on a cash-only basis and are threatening legal action against
others for nonpayment. "Mlada fronta Dnes" reported on 4 December that
as many as one-third of the country's hospital beds are unnecessary and
that the Health Ministry will begin closing some facilities down as a
cost-cutting measure. Citing government officials, the daily wrote that
the biggest cuts will be in Plzen, Usti nad Labem, and Central Bohemia,
where up to 40 percent of beds are unnecessary. BW
[43] CURRENT, FORMER PREMIERS FEUD OVER CZECH PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION
A behind-the-scenes feud between Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla and his
predecessor and party colleague Milos Zeman over who should be the
Social Democratic Party's (CSSD) candidate for president has gone
public, Czech media reported on 4 December. Spidla has voiced support
for Ombudsman Otakar Motejl, while Zeman has sought the nomination
himself -- although he is conditioning his candidacy on the failure of
initial voting in a joint session of parliament. At a meeting of the
CSSD's parliamentary caucus, Spidla accused Zeman's supporters of
disrupting the party, "Lidove noviny" reported on 4 December. The prime
minister called a potential Zeman candidacy a "threat to the unity of
social democracy." Sources present at the meeting said Spidla spoke
bluntly and used crude language, "Hospodarsky noviny" reported the same
day. The daily noted that such behavior has generally been linked with
Zeman rather than the more staid historian-cum-premier, Spidla. BW
[44] SLOVAK DOCUMENTARY ON KIDNAPPING STIRS CONTROVERSY
An effort to produce a documentary film about the 1995 abduction of
Michal Kovac Jr., son of the former Slovak president, is already
creating controversy, "Sme" reported on 4 December. Film director Mario
Homolka and the editor of the weekly "Plus 7 Dni," Luba Lesna, are
producing the film about the kidnapping, which some believe was carried
out by allies of former Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar within the SIS
secret service. For the project, Homolka and Lesna filmed the home of
one of the accused, identified only as "Lubos K." The same suspect
called Homolka and forbid usage of the tape, Homolka alleged. Twelve
people were charged in connection with Kovac Jr.'s abduction -- which
occurred amid a continuing power struggle between his father and Meciar
-- although the charges were dismissed in June 2002 by a court that
cited amnesties issued by Meciar while he was temporarily executing the
duties of the Slovak president. BW
[45] SLOVAK LEFT TO UNITE
Five leftist parties that failed to win seats in the Slovak parliament
in September are planning to function "under one umbrella" in 2003,
Slovak Social Democratic Party (SDSS) leader Peter Barath said on 4
December, according to TASR. The parties -- the SDSS, Social Democratic
Alternative (SDA), Party of the Democratic Left (SDL), Party of Civic
Understanding (SOP), and Left Bloc (LB) -- plan to announce the details
of their agreement on 5 December. The move will signal that the
creation of a common leftist platform is not just formal, Barath said.
Leaders of the five parties also said they do not rule out cooperation
with Smer, the second-largest parliamentary opposition party, led by
entrepreneur Robert Fico. "We take Smer primarily as a natural
partner," said SDL acting Chairman Lubomir Petrak. BW
[46] SLOVAKIA CANCELS SOVIET-ERA PACT WITH CHINA
The Slovak government will cancel a communist-era treaty signed between
Czechoslovakia and China in 1957, TASR reported on 4 December. The
treaty on friendship and cooperation contained clauses about brotherly
relations and obliges the parties to negotiate on important
international issues. Those obligations, Slovak officials said, are
incompatible with Bratislava's goals of joining NATO and the European
Union. Slovak Foreign Minister Eduard Kukan said on 4 December that
there are only a handful of such communist-era treaties that are still
valid. "They were only political treaties, and they have been concluded
with former socialist countries. Most of them have already been
annulled because they are obsolete," Kukan said, adding that in some
cases, the continuation of such formal treaties must be negotiated to
avoid any misunderstanding. The treaty was annulled after discussion
with China. BW
[47] REPORT: FORMER HUNGARIAN SPY CHIEF'S AIDE TRADING IN SECRETS
The former press officer for Ervin Demeter, the previous government's
minister in charge of secret services, allegedly sent a letter to the
head of the National Security Office demanding a well-paid job or 3
million forints ($12,500) in exchange for not disclosing information
about the current government, Hungarian media reported on 4 December.
Andras Toth, state secretary in charge of the national security
services for the current Social Democrat-led government, said he has
passed the letter on to police, adding that the government "cannot be
blackmailed." Demeter told Hungarian radio that the former press
officer, "Gergely B.," did not come into contact with state secrets in
his work. "Nepszabadsag," however, reported that documentation suggests
that the aide, who has declined to respond to the allegation, indeed
had access to top-secret information. DW
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[48] SERBIAN PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN ENDS
Campaigning in the 8 December presidential race officially ends at
midnight on 5 December, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages
Service reported. Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica of the
Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) will face far-right Radical Party
leader Vojislav Seselj and Borislav Pelevic of the Party of Serbian
Unity, which was founded by the late paramilitary leader Zeljko
Raznatovic "Arkan." Attention centers on whether the necessary 50
percent of the electorate will cast its ballots so the vote can be
valid. Kostunica has frequently criticized Serbian Prime Minister Zoran
Djindjic, whom he accuses of wanting the election to fail. The
"Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" wrote on 4 December that the governing
Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) is widely expected to break up
into two or three new political constellations soon. Several leading
politicians within DOS have already aligned themselves with Kostunica
rather than with Djindjic. In a recent budget-related vote in
parliament, Kostunica's supporters broke with DOS deputies in what
several commentators described as a power play. PM
[49] YUGOSLAVIA CALLS FOR THE HAGUE TO INTERVENE IN CROATIAN WAR CRIMES
CASE
The Yugoslav government's commission for cooperation with the war
crimes tribunal in The Hague has called on that body to take over from
the Croatian judiciary the case regarding war crimes allegedly
committed by eight former Croatian military officers against Serbs at
the Lora military prison in 1992, Tanjug reported on 4 December (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 25 November 2002). Split-based Judge Slavko Lozina
recently freed the eight. He has made no secret of his nationalist
views, and many critics have demanded his exclusion from trying war
crimes cases (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 23 July and 19 September 2002).
Belgrade now wants the trial out of Croatian hands altogether. Many
observers suggest the "Lora affair" shows that the tribunal is
indispensable so long as some courts in the former Yugoslavia remain
politicized. PM
[50] YUGOSLAVIA ISSUES ARREST WARRANTS FOR TWO BOSNIAN SERBS
The Yugoslav Justice Ministry issued arrest warrants on 4 December for
Ljubisa Beara and Vujadin Popovic, whom the war crimes tribunal in The
Hague has accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, and violations
of practices of war in conjunction with the 1995 Srebrenica massacre,
dpa reported. PM
[51] MONTENEGRIN OPPOSITION PARTY DIGS IN ITS HEELS
Objections by members of the Montenegrin opposition Socialist People's
Party (SNP) continue to hold up the finalization of the long-awaited
Constitutional Charter governing future relations between Serbia and
Montenegro, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service
reported from Podgorica on 4 December (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 2
December 2002). The next meeting of the commission is slated for 6
December. In related news, U.S. Ambassador to Yugoslavia William
Montgomery said he considers unacceptable the Montenegrin opposition's
plans to boycott the 22 December presidential elections. He stressed
that democratic principles are best pursued by taking part in free
elections, not boycotting them. PM
[52] FORMER EU OFFICIAL IN KOSOVA REPORTED ARRESTED ON FRAUD CHARGES
Police in Spain have arrested Joe Trutschler, a German citizen, in
connection with a $4.5 million graft affair, dpa reported from
Prishtina on 4 December (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 2 May and 17 October
2002). The case centers on 133 gigawatts of energy imported in January
and February from Bulgaria for Kosova but that never reached the
province. Trutschler was a manager at the Kosova Energy Corporation
(KEK) at the time. The money paid for the power that was never received
subsequently turned up in an offshore account in Gibraltar. Trutschler
left his post in February and has not responded to the allegations
linking him to the fraud, which have appeared in the Kosova media. PM
[53] MACEDONIAN ARMY TO SELL TANKS AND REDUCE MILITARY SERVICE
The Defense Ministry has decided to sell the army's outdated T-55 tanks
and reduce the term of compulsory military service, "Dnevnik" reported
on 5 December. The T-55 tanks, which were a donation from Bulgaria, are
to be replaced by either T-72 or T-84 tanks. The ministry is planning
to sell the tanks to an unspecified country from NATO's Partnership for
Peace program that is not under an arms embargo. Military service will
be reduced from the current nine months to about six months in January.
Defense Minister Vlado Buckovski said: "The conscripts will learn what
they need to know in six months, or maybe in an even shorter period of
time. I believe that military service will be reduced from six to two
months in about 2007." UB
[54] BOSNIAN FEDERAL PARLIAMENT ELECTS TOP OFFICIALS
The legislature of the Muslim-Croat federation elected Muhamed
Ibrahimovic of the Muslim Party of Democratic Action (SDA) as speaker
and Josip Merdzo of the Croatian Democratic Community (HDZ) as his
deputy, dpa reported from Sarajevo on 4 December. Velimir Kunic of the
moderate Bosnian Serb Party of Independent Social-Democrats (SNSD)
withdrew his candidacy for the second deputy post, saying the "SNSD
will not participate in any legislative or executive body if power is
to be shared with nationalist parties." The SDA and HDZ won the 5
October general elections in the federation (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21
October 2002). PM
[55] ROMANIAN PARLIAMENTARY COMMISSION CRITICIZES CNSAS ACTIVITY
The commission overseeing the activity of the Romanian Information
Service on 4 December criticized the National Council for the Study of
the Securitate Archives (CNSAS), RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. In
a memo addressed to the Senate's Permanent Bureau, commission Chairman
Ion Stan argued that the CNSAS's recently filed report on its
activities since 2000 should be returned to the CNSAS and a new
deadline should be set for a new report. Stan called for an
investigation into the CNSAS's financial situation, saying there is an
"obvious discrepancy" between the CNSAS's operating costs and the
results it achieves. He further accused the CNSAS of exceeding its
authority and not respecting its obligation to be politically
independent. According to Mediafax, Senate Chairman Nicolae Vacaroiu
intends to set up a parliamentary sub-commission to fully investigate
the CNSAS's activities. ZsM
[56] EU AMBASSADOR ADVISES BUCHAREST TO RESOLVE CONFLICT OVER FUNDS
In a letter addressed to Premier Adrian Nastase, European Commission
delegation to Romania chief Jonathan Scheele has asked the government
to resolve the issue of an unused credit intended for the modernization
of the Romanian capital, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported on 4
December. The Bucharest mayoralty obtained a loan from the European
Investment Bank in 2000 to be used for modernizing the city's
central-heating system, among other things. However, the Bucharest
Council's majority Social Democratic Party (PSD) group wants to use the
funds for other repair projects. While stressing that he does not want
to interfere in Romania's internal politics, Scheele said the issue
could have a "serious negative impact" on Romania's credibility in the
eyes of foreign lenders. He also added that he hopes Nastase, who is
also PSD chairman, will be able "to use his influence" to resolve "this
unfortunate situation." ZsM
[57] MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT PLEDGES TO FULFILL COMMITMENTS TO COUNCIL OF
EUROPE
Vladimir Voronin pledged during a meeting on 4 December with Jorgen
Grunnet, the Council of Europe general-secretary's special envoy to
Moldova, that the country will fulfill all the commitments it assumed
when it joined the organization in 1995, an RFE/RL correspondent
reported. Voronin said taking over the council's Committee of
Ministers' chairmanship next year is "of strategic importance" for
Moldova. ZsM
[58] GAGAUZ-YERI PARLIAMENT APPROVES LOCAL GOVERNMENT
The Gagauz-Yeri Popular Assembly on 4 December approved the autonomous
region's cabinet proposed by Governor Gheorghi Tabunshik, Flux
reported. The assembly named former acting Governor Gheorghi Mollo as
deputy governor. ZsM
[59] BULGARIAN AUTHORITIES ARREST FORMER DIRECTOR OF ORDNANCE FACTORY
Bulgarian authorities on 4 December arrested Vlado Vladov, a former
executive director of the state-owned TEREM ordnance factory,
mediapool.bg reported. Vladov was apprehended in connection with the
export of dual-use goods to Syria (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12, 13, and
18 November 2002), but also in connection with other breaches of export
regulations regarding dual-use goods, according to Deputy
Prosecutor-General Hristo Manchev. There have been allegations that
spare parts for armored troop transporters that TEREM exported to Syria
were destined for Iraq. Vladov was sacked by Defense Minister Nikolay
Svinarov immediately after the scandal was made public. He is the third
person to be arrested in connection with TEREM's alleged illegal
dealings. Interpol has issued an international warrant for Valentin
Tahchiev, another former director of TEREM, who is believed to have
left the country for Russia, according to Darik Radio. In related news,
Svinarov told parliament that the government will report to the U.S.
State Department regarding the TEREM case by the end of this week. UB
[60] BULGARIAN SOCIALISTS TO MOVE REFERENDUM ON KOZLODUY
The opposition Socialist Party (BSP) announced on 3 December that it
will initiate a motion for a referendum over the future of the Kozloduy
nuclear-power plant, BTA reported. A working group is to draft a motion
for submission to parliament. Meanwhile, President Georgi Parvanov, a
former BDP chairman, told journalists that he is not opposed to a
referendum on the use of nuclear energy in general. However, he said he
believes a referendum should not focus on specific questions such as
the closure of certain blocks of Kozloduy, as it has been proposed by
leading BSP members, mediapool.bg reported. UB
[61] BULGARIAN SUPREME ADMINISTRATIVE COURT REJECTS APPEAL AGAINST
DRAFT BUDGET
The Supreme Administrative Court on 4 December rejected an appeal
against the 2003 state budget filed by the Supreme Judicial Council,
bnn reported. The Supreme Judicial Council had demanded that the
government increase the budget for the judiciary from $70 million to
$130 million, arguing that the Finance Ministry had unconstitutionally
interfered with the council's budgetary rights (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
14, 21, and 22 November 2002). UB
[62] NEW BULGARIAN AIRLINE TAKES TO THE AIR
Bulgaria's new national airline Balkan Air Tour began operating flights
on 4 December, BTA reported. It replaces the bankrupt state-owned
Balkan Airlines, which was forced to halt its flight operations due to
insolvency (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 3 April and 18 October 2001, and 29
and 30 October 2002). UB
SOUTHWESTERN ASIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST
[63] ROCKETS HIT AFGHAN CAPITAL
Three rockets struck Kabul's Aqa Ali Shams district on 4 December,
Radio Afghanistan reported. The attack did not cause any casualties and
Afghan security officials discovered two rockets in Bagrami, east of
Kabul, that were positioned to be fired at the capital. A number of
mines and mortars were also discovered in Kabul by Afghan security
forces, the radio station reported, adding that "terrorists" intended
to use the weapons during the Muslim Eid holiday on 5 December. AT
[64] DISARMAMENT PROJECT FINDS SUCCESS IN AFGHANISTAN'S KONDUZ PROVINCE
A UN-supervised disarmament project in the northern provinces of
Afghanistan has yielded positive results in Konduz Province, Afghan
Islamic Press reported on 4 December. More than 6,000 heavy and light
weapons have been collected from various parts of the province since
the project began earlier this year (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 November
2002). The weapons-collection teams begin by establishing a "commission
of elders and influential figures in every area and then collects
weapons via them," a method that has "produced good and positive
results," according to the news agency. AT
[65] AFGHAN-CURRENCY REPLACEMENT DELAYED
The original 4 December deadline for phasing out all old Afghan
currency and replacing it with the new afghani has been pushed back to
6 January, the UN's Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)
reported on 4 December. Logistical problems in delivering the new
currency to rural areas are largely responsible for the delay,
according to the report. "We only have two helicopters to deliver new
money to the north -- this is not enough," IRIN quoted central bank
Deputy Governor Isa Turab as saying. However, Turab said that despite
some setbacks the distribution of the new currency that began on 7
October is proceeding well. He said 27 billion new afghanis -- one of
which is equal to 1,000 old afghanis -- have been printed to replace
about 15 trillion afghanis' worth of the old notes, but he admitted
that the bank has no clear idea of how many "old afghanis were in
circulation after unrestrained printing under Taliban rule and during
wars and occupation before it," IRIN reported. According to estimates,
2,000 tons of old afghanis will be destroyed, the report added. AT
[66] IRANIAN EMBASSY IN KABUL FACES TERRORIST THREAT
The Iranian charge d'affaires in Kabul, Ashjazadeh, told embassy staff
on 4 December that Iranian facilities in the Afghan capital face a
serious threat from Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, the "Entekhab" daily
newspaper reported on 5 December. Ashjazadeh said two Al-Qaeda Arabs
disguised as Afghans have entered Kabul either to blow up the embassy,
kill Iranian diplomats, or to conduct a suicide operation. "In the
current circumstances and because there is an absence of security the
threat is very serious and a source of concern," "Entekhab" quoted
Ashjazadeh as saying. "The bombers have plans for dispatching vehicles
packed with bombs, placing explosives in cars used by the embassy and
other Iranian offices, or causing explosions in front of the main
embassy building," he added. Ashjazadeh did not describe the source of
his information, but he said the Iranian Embassy has no security
measures. BS
[67] IRANIAN PRESIDENT CRITICIZES U.S. 'EXTREMISTS'...
President Mohammad Khatami in a 4 December news conference complained
that Iran has always faced U.S. repression, IRNA and Iranian state
television reported. Khatami went on to say that he could not make any
predictions about the resumption of Iran-U.S. ties because an
"extremist" wing whose policies threaten the whole world is in power in
the United States. Khatami did not rule out relations with the United
States because "we are pursuing policy of detente toward all
countries." Nevertheless, he said that it is up to the actor who has
committed injustices to change its policies and behavior. BS
[68] ...AND CONDUCT OF COURTS
President Khatami said during a 4 December press conference that he is
not very happy with the conduct of the courts recently. Referring to
the trial that is to resume on 8 December involving three men who work
for an opinion-polling agency, Khatami said, "I am not a judge but I
believe that the way the case was dealt with and its reporting in the
press were not right. I hope that the case will be dealt with on the
basis of the law," Vision of the Islamic Republic of Iran reported.
IRNA reported that Khatami also criticized the judiciary for its
failure to review the case of political activist and university
Professor Hashem Aghajari, as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
instructed on 17 November. BS
[69] MORE IRANIAN WOMEN IMMOLATING THEMSELVES
Dr. Amuzegar, the head of the burns unit at Mashhad's Imam Reza
Hospital, said on 4 December that women were responsible for 80 percent
of the cases of self-immolation in Khorasan Province since March,
according to the Iranian Students News Agency. Amuzegar said this marks
an increase over the previous year and attributed these incidents to
family disputes, forced marriages, poverty, and poor living standards.
"Most of the individuals who take this action are totally unaware of
its consequences and resulting problems and regret it within the first
few seconds," Amuzegar said. BS
[70] TEHRAN CONSIDERS GASOLINE RATIONING
Parliamentary Energy Committee head Hussein Afarideh said on 4 December
that gasoline should be rationed in order to check excessive
consumption of it, IRNA reported. Gasoline is heavily subsidized in
Iran, and Afarideh said that adjustment to the subsidy regime could
reduce excessive gasoline use. Gasoline use is 9 percent higher since
March 2002 than for the same period in 2001. The average
gasoline-consumption level was as high as 59.5 million liters a day in
the Iranian month of Shahrivar (23 August-22 September), according to
IRNA. Iran imported 9.5 million liters of gasoline in the first seven
months of the Iranian year, 28 percent more than in the same period
last year. Gasoline imports are expected to cost as much as $1 million
by March 2003. BS
[71] IRANIAN LEGISLATORS CALL FOR LARGER FARMING BUDGET
Two-thirds of the parliamentarians who came to work on 3 December
called for a 30 percent increase in next year's budget for the
agricultural and water-resources sectors, IRNA reported. In a letter to
President Khatami, 200 representatives wrote that it is logical to
extend more credit to these sectors because of their importance to
sustainable development and employment. The letter called for
allocating funds for irrigation projects that can turn a quick profit,
rescheduling loan repayments, and earmarking enough hard currency to
strengthen mechanized farming and processing industries. The letter
also called for a television channel that would exclusively cover
farming matters. BS
[72] U.S. OFFICIALS DISCUSS POTENTIAL TURKISH ROLE...
U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz told a group of
journalists in Ankara after his meetings with Prime Minister Abdullah
Gul and with ruling Justice and Development Party head Recep Tayyip
Erdogan on 4 December that some progress had been made in planning for
possible military action in Iraq, according to a Defense Department
press release. "We have agreement to move forward with concrete
measures of military planning and preparations that have frankly been
in a bit of a holding pattern while the new government was getting
established," Wolfowitz said. "That planning effort and those
preparatory measures are essential to working out with some specificity
what kinds of forces might be based in Turkey, where they might be
based, and what kinds of improvements would have to be made to
facilities," he added. BS
[73] ...AND USE OF AIR BASES IN EVENT OF ATTACK ON IRAQ
In response to a question at the 4 December press conference regarding
Turkey's stand on the use of its air bases (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 4
December 2002), Wolfowitz indicated that there has been some progress
but there are financial issues to consider. "I would say we're close
but not yet exactly at the point of saying which bases we would use,
certainly under which conditions," the State Department press release
quoted him as saying. "In fact, the immediate focus of our planning
efforts needs to be to identify how much investment we've got to make
in various bases if we are going to use them." Wolfowitz said
investment in various facilities could cost "tens of millions, probably
several hundred million dollars." He added, "It's a step that we want
to tee up for a political decision quickly, because it's an important
step to take. But I think that's an immediate military task." BS
[74] PUK FIGHTS ANSAR AL-ISLAM NEAR HALABJA
A Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) military spokesman said on 4
December that Ansar al-Islam personnel stormed PUK fortifications near
Halabja earlier that day, PUK's KurdSat television reported. A number
of PUK personnel were killed or wounded and several Ansar al-Islam
bodies were left behind. "In accordance with a masterly and carefully
thought-out plan, the protectors of the people and the homeland
launched a counterattack against the Ansar al-Islam terrorists and
managed in record time to cleanse the positions that the gunmen of the
supporters of anti-Islam [referring to Ansar al-Islam] had occupied for
a short time," the PUK spokesman said. He said it was not possible to
determine the number of Ansar al-Islam fatalities because there were so
many of them. BS
[75] PUK LEADER TALABANI VISITS KUWAIT
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan leader Jalal Talabani met on 3 December
with the Kuwaiti Crown Prince and Council of Ministers Chairman Sheikh
Saad al-Abdullah al-Salim al-Sabah, "Kurdistani Nuwe" reported the next
day. Talabani held other meetings with Emiri Court Affairs Minister
Sheikh [Nasir] Muhammad al-Ahmad al-Sabah, Emiri adviser Abd-al-Rahman
Salim Al-Atiqi, second deputy head of the Council of Ministers and
Interior Minister Sheikh Muhammad Khalid al-Hamad al-Sabah, and many
others. Among the topics they discussed were relations between Kuwait
and Iraq following possible regime change in Iraq. Talabani said Kurds
who have been released recently from Iraqi prisons say that Kuwaitis
are still being detained there and are being transferred from one
prison to another. BS
[76] KUWAIT DENIES HARBORING IRAQI OPPOSITION
Kuwaiti First Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad
al-Jabir al-Sabah said on 4 December that Baghdad must account for
missing and imprisoned Kuwaitis, KUNA news agency reported. He denied,
however, that Kuwait is harboring any Iraqi opposition members and said
Talabani's visit was a normally scheduled meeting. Sheikh Sabah
expressed his hope that a possible new regime in Iraq would be
democratic and respect its neighbors. BS
[77] BAGHDAD DENIES NAVAL WARFARE REPORTS
The Iraqi Foreign Ministry denied on 4 December that an Iraqi vessel
had fired on two Kuwaiti vessels, Iraq's INA news agency reported. An
Iraqi spokesman said that such an accident never occurred. Kuwait's
Interior Ministry said on 3 December that an Iraqi vessel fired on a
Kuwaiti Coast Guard patrol of two boats near the northern Kuwaiti
island of Warba, KUNA reported. Nobody was injured in the shooting but
a Kuwaiti Coast Guard member was slightly wounded when the two Kuwaiti
boats bumped into each other after the shooting. BS
END NOTE
[78] There is no End Note today.
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