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RFE/RL Newsline, 03-01-03
CONTENTS
[01] PRESIDENT THANKS THE PEOPLE...
[02] ...AS FEDERATION COUNCIL CHAIR CALLS FOR ANOTHER HOLIDAY
[03] ANALYSTS PREDICT QUICK VICTORY FOR U.S. IN IRAQ
[04] NEWSPAPER: COST-OF-LIVING RISE WILL EXCEED GOVERNMENT EXPECTATIONS
[05] ENERGY STRATEGY, PENSION REFORM ON GOVERNMENT PRIORITY LIST FOR
[06] YABLOKO BROADENS ITS BASE
[07] PUTIN YOUTH MOVEMENT FINDS ANOTHER LITERARY TARGET
[08] MOSCOW BOASTS THE WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE HOTELS
[09] MAYOR NAMES HIS PRICE
[10] SARATOV COMMUNISTS TO ERECT STALIN MONUMENT
[11] FOUR CONVICTED OF ILLEGALLY EXPORTING CHILDREN
[12] PUTIN SAYS TERRORIST ATTACKS WILL NOT THWART CHECHEN PEACE PROCESS
[13] OSCE MISSION IN CHECHNYA CLOSED
[14] BUDANOV ACQUITTED
[15] THREE ARRESTED IN CONNECTION WITH ARMENIAN TV HEAD'S MURDER
[16] TWO ARMENIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES WITHDRAW...
[17] ...AND ONE FAILS TO SECURE REGISTRATION
[18] OPPOSITION CANDIDATES LOSE OUT IN KAZAKH BY-ELECTIONS
[19] INVESTIGATORS SUSPECT TERRORISM IN KYRGYZ MARKET BLAST
[20] KYRGYZ OFFICIAL SAYS AKSY VERDICTS POLITICALLY MOTIVATED
[21] FRENCH DEFENSE MINISTER VISITS TAJIKISTAN
[22] FORMER TURKMEN FOREIGN MINISTER SENTENCED TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT...
[23] ...AS U.S., HUMAN RIGHTS WATCHDOG EXPRESS CONCERN
[24] BELARUS AGREES TO NEW OSCE OFFICE IN MINSK...
[25] ...BUT WILL EU COUNTRIES LIFT VISA BAN ON BELARUSIAN OFFICIALS?
[26] MINSK DENIES IT HAS CONSIDERED ASYLUM FOR SADDAM HUSSEIN
[27] PRESIDENT STRESSES ROSY PROSPECTS FOR BELARUS IN NEW YEAR'S
[28] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT SAYS COUNTRY FINALLY HAS TRANSPARENT
[29] NEW UKRAINIAN CENTRAL BANK CHIEF VOWS TO BE TOUGH ON MONEY
[30] ESTONIA RAISES MINIMUM WAGE BY 17 PERCENT
[31] ESTONIA BUDGET GOT REVENUES BOOST IN 2002
[32] LATVIAN CABINET HIKES MINIMUM WAGE AT YEAR-END SESSION
[33] INCUMBENT RECEIVES FURTHER BACKING AHEAD OF LITHUANIAN
[34] POLISH SEJM SPEAKER ANNOUNCES REVISION OF MEDIA BILL
[35] POLISH RADICAL FARM LEADER SAYS 2002 WAS YEAR OF MISSED CHANCES,
[36] CZECH PREMIER, OPPOSITION LEADER WANT PRESIDENTIAL PREROGATIVES
[37] OPPONENTS OF CZECH NUCLEAR FACILITY LAUNCH HUNGER STRIKE
[38] HAVEL MAKES LAST NEW YEAR'S SPEECH AS CZECH PRESIDENT...
[39] ...AND SAYS 'VELVET DIVORCE' WAS UNAVOIDABLE
[40] SLOVAKIA MARKS 10 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE
[41] SLOVAK PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER CALLS FOR OVERCOMING 'STAINS OF PAST'
[42] SLOVAK PREMIER FILING CRIMINAL COMPLAINT OVER INCIDENT ON SKI LIFT
[43] HUNGARIAN PRESIDENT SAYS EU ACCESSION WILL BRING ABOUT
[44] ...BUT AMENDED STATUS LAW WILL NOT APPLY IN SLOVAKIA, SLOVENIA
[45] HUNGARIANS MOST ENTHUSIASTIC AMONG EU CANDIDATES
[46] HUNGARIAN PREMIER SPENDS HOLIDAY IN CUBA
[47] HUNGARIAN NEO-NAZI GROUP FACES BAN
[48] EU TAKES OVER BOSNIAN POLICE MISSION...
[49] ...AS MAJOR WAR CRIMINALS REMAIN FREE
[50] NATO TROOPS SEARCH BOSNIAN SERB RADIO STATION
[51] BOSNIAN DUAL CITIZENSHIP PRESERVED
[52] U.S. CALLS FOR STRICT COOPERATION WITH THE WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL...
[53] SERBIAN PRESIDENT LEAVES OFFICE...
[54] ...AND A CARETAKER PRESIDENT IS INSTALLED
[55] CONTROVERSY SURROUNDS RESIGNATION OF KOSOVAR SERB PARLIAMENTARY
[56] KOSOVAR PRIME MINISTER CALLS FOR REVISING UN RESOLUTION
[57] MACEDONIAN PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER ANNOUNCES AMBITIOUS AGENDA
[58] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR ERADICATING CORRUPTION
[59] LEADING ROMANIAN JOURNALIST DIES IN AUTO ACCIDENT
[60] MOLDOVAN DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS COUNTRY SHOULD NOT JOIN NATO
[61] MOLDOVA CALLS ON FOREIGN COUNTRIES NOT TO ISSUE VISAS TO
[62] MOLDOVAN ECONOMY MINISTER UNDERLINES POSITIVE TRENDS
[63] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR CONCENTRATION ON SOCIAL POLICY
[64] BULGARIAN COURT TO DECIDE IF NATO ACCESSION NECESSITATES
[65] BULGARIA SHUTS DOWN OLDEST BLOCKS OF KOZLODUY NUCLEAR-POWER PLANT
[66] AFGHAN PRESIDENT PROMISES A DEMOCRACY BASED ON ISLAMIC VALUES
[67] U.S. AND PAKISTAN 'PLAY DOWN' AFGHAN BORDER CLASH...
[68] ...AS KARACHI PAPER ALLEGES U.S. BOMB LANDED IN PAKISTAN
[69] BALKH POLICE DETAIN MEN FOR GAMBLING
[70] LARGE CACHE OF ROCKETS SEIZED IN AFGHANISTAN
[71] CANDIDATES REGISTER FOR MUNICIPAL-COUNCIL ELECTIONS IN IRAN
[72] ISFAHAN STUDENTS STAGE SIT-IN...
[73] ...AND MASHHAD STUDENTS END THEIR PROTEST
[74] AHVAZ WORKERS HOLD PROTEST MARCH...
[75] ...AND LOCALS STAGE RALLY
[76] PRISON RIOT IN AHVAZ...
[77] ...AND PRISON FIRE IN GORGAN
[78] IRANIAN RADAR MIGHT BE BEHIND PLANE CRASH
[79] INTELLIGENCE MINISTER ISSUES WARNINGS ABOUT U.S.
[80] IRAN'S REVOLUTION GUARDS REPEAT THREATS AGAINST UNITED STATES
[81] IRAN PREPARES FOR IRAQI REFUGEES
[82] IRAQI NATIONAL MONITORING HEAD ON COOPERATION, SCIENTISTS
[83] NEW IRAQI OPPOSITION PARTY ESTABLISHED
[84] NEW 'OIL-FOR-FOOD' RESTRICTIONS ON IRAQ
[85] TURKISH DAILY REPORTS ON ESTABLISHMENT OF REFUGEE CAMPS
[86] INSPECTORS RETURN TO SOME SITES, VISIT NEW ONES...
[87] ...AS BIOLOGICAL, CHEMICAL INSPECTIONS CONTINUE FULL FORCE
[88] MINSK DENIES IT HAS CONSIDERED ASYLUM FOR SADDAM HUSSEIN
[89] There is no End Note today.
3 January 2003
RUSSIA
[01] PRESIDENT THANKS THE PEOPLE...
In a televised New Year's greeting on 1 January that was shown by all
the national television channels, President Vladimir Putin thanked the
Russian people "for everything that has been accomplished by us this
year." Putin also urged everyone both to remember the past and to think
about the future. He also wished everyone success and said that each
individual's well-being is a contribution to Russia's well-being. VY
[02] ...AS FEDERATION COUNCIL CHAIR CALLS FOR ANOTHER HOLIDAY
Sergei Mironov told legislators in Vologda Oblast on 31 December that
senators in 2003 will launch an initiative to amend the Labor Code to
make 31 December an official holiday, RIA-Novosti reported. Mironov
said that people should have the opportunity "to not hurry and to
prepare thoroughly for the major holiday of the year." He added that
this is especially important for women, who currently have to combine
work with holiday preparations. Asked to comment on Mironov's
suggestion, Labor Minister Aleksandr Pochinok called the idea
"interesting" but said that the addition of another non-working day
would negatively impact the Russian economy and suggested transferring
an established non-working day to 31 December instead. JAC
[03] ANALYSTS PREDICT QUICK VICTORY FOR U.S. IN IRAQ
In the event of a U.S. military intervention against Iraqi President
Saddam Hussein, "the most probable scenario" would be "a quick and
decisive victory by the United States," "Trud" reported on 3 January,
quoting an analytical report prepared by experts of the Institute of
International Security Issues of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
According to this scenario, which was given a 60 percent probability
rating, the military action would last about four weeks. Another
scenario, which the report considers 30-40 percent probable, envisages
the Iraqi use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) against Israel and
against U.S. forces. However, the use of such weapons would be
inefficient and Iraq would nonetheless be defeated in six to 12 weeks.
The least likely scenario, which is given a probability of 6-8 percent,
predicts the massive Iraqi use of WMD, leading to widespread
destabilization in the Middle East. In this case, the experts estimate,
it would take the United States up to 25 weeks to achieve its
objectives. VY
[04] NEWSPAPER: COST-OF-LIVING RISE WILL EXCEED GOVERNMENT EXPECTATIONS
The government has estimated that inflation in 2003 will be between
12-14 percent, but there are reasons to believe the figure will
actually be much higher, "Izvestiya" speculated on 3 January. The paper
argued that the government's prediction is based on an ideal consumer
in an ideal economy rather than on actual circumstances. Independent
experts whom the paper surveyed believe the prices of meat and related
products will rise from 15-20 percent, while the prices of vodka and
beer will increase by at least 20 percent. Likewise, the experts
predicted that the cost of gasoline will rise by 45 percent and the
prices of tobacco products will jump by 80 percent. VY
[05] ENERGY STRATEGY, PENSION REFORM ON GOVERNMENT PRIORITY LIST FOR
2003
Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov told reporters on 31 December that at
beginning of 2003 the government will examine a new law on underground
resources, as well as a plan for the development of underground
resources in eastern and western Siberia and the European part of
Russia, RosBalt reported. These issues will be examined within the
context of developing an energy strategy for Russia through 2020.
Kasyanov also expressed confidence that new bills on insuring private
bank deposits and currency regulation will be adopted during the Duma's
spring session. He noted that the draft legislation is extremely
important at the country's current stage of pension-system reform. JAC
[06] YABLOKO BROADENS ITS BASE
The number of Yabloko party members increased by 2.5 times last year,
Yabloko leader Grigorii Yavlinskii announced on 30 December, RosBalt
reported. According to Yavlinskii, the party now has 26,500 members in
60 regions. "We have seriously consolidated our position in the regions
and created a structure for the party that has more branches," he said.
JAC
[07] PUTIN YOUTH MOVEMENT FINDS ANOTHER LITERARY TARGET
The pro-Kremlin youth movement Walking Together has reportedly pasted
leaflets in the Moscow metro protesting against the work of Igor
Plotnik, newsru.com reported on 31 December. The leaflets urge a ban on
the publication and sale of Plotnik's "Kniga schastya" ("The Book of
Happiness") and calls on citizens to write to the Media Ministry
demanding that Plotnik's book be banned. According to newsru.com, both
the office of Walking Together and Plotnik's publisher were closed and
therefore no comments from them were available. For a description of
Plotnik's book, see http://www.vagrius.com/books/na/plotn01.shtml. If
Walking Together is indeed responsible for the protest against Plotnik,
it would be the latest effort in a broad campaign against contemporary
writers. Earlier the movement compiled a list of "pernicious" writers
and has interfered with the presentation of new books, in addition to
urging criminal pornography cases against writers Kirill Vorobev and
Vladimir Sorokin (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 5 September 2002). JAC
[08] MOSCOW BOASTS THE WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE HOTELS
According to data released by the Russian branch of the Thomas Cook
Travel Agency, Moscow's hotels are the most expensive in the world,
utro.ru reported on 2 January. The average cost of a single room in a
five-star Moscow hotel is $197 a day. For three stars, the price is
$171. In St. Petersburg, these figures are $165 and $141, respectively.
According to Thomas Cook, the comparable figures in Paris are $138 and
$118, respectively. In London, they are $141 and $122; in New York,
$128 and $110; in Hong Kong, $148 and $123. VY
[09] MAYOR NAMES HIS PRICE
Responding to a request by Kostroma Deputy Governor Oleg Lebedev that
he resign his post, Kostroma Mayor Boris Korobov said he would be
willing to quit if the governor contributed 1 million rubles ($31,250)
to the city's budget, VolgaInform reported on 27 December, citing the
Kostroma State Television and Radio Company. According to Korobov, that
sum would enable municipal authorities to cover all the needs of city
residents. Korobov and Kostroma Governor Viktor Shershunov have long
been at odds and ran against one another in the 2000 gubernatorial
election (see "RFE/RL Russian Federation Report," 22 November 2000).
JAC
[10] SARATOV COMMUNISTS TO ERECT STALIN MONUMENT
Valerii Rashkin, first secretary of the Saratov regional organization
of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF), has told
journalists his organization has decided to erect a monument to Soviet
dictator Josef Stalin in a Saratov park, "Sovetskaya Rossiya" reported
29 December. An announcement about the monument signed by several local
public figures was published in the 18 December issue of "Saratovskie
vesti." The party is apparently still split on who should pay for the
monument, with some calling for a collection of public donations and
others arguing the party should use its own funds. VY
[11] FOUR CONVICTED OF ILLEGALLY EXPORTING CHILDREN
A Volgograd Oblast court on 30 December sentenced Nadezhda Fratti and
three local officials to from three to seven years' imprisonment for
illegally sending children abroad for adoption, nns.ru reported.
According to the report, Fratti -- a Russian woman who acquired Italian
citizenship through her marriage to an Italian man -- was found guilty
of forging documents and paying bribes to the three officials, who were
identified only as the head doctor of the Mikhailovskii Orphanage, the
former director of the Kirov Orphanage, and a former adviser to the
oblast's Education Committee. In April, the court found Fratti and the
others innocent, but the Supreme Court sent the case back for another
hearing with different judges. RC
[12] PUTIN SAYS TERRORIST ATTACKS WILL NOT THWART CHECHEN PEACE PROCESS
President Putin told government ministers on 30 December that the 27
December car-bomb attack on the Chechen administration building in
Grozny was an attempt by "terrorists" to sabotage the search for a
political settlement in Chechnya, but added that such attempts are
doomed to failure, Reuters and Interfax reported. Meanwhile, the
Chechen Committee for National Salvation reported in a 31 December
press release posted on chechenpress.com that the population of Grozny
is convinced the Russian military was behind the assault. The press
release notes that a rocket or a mine -- but not car bombs -- could
have left a crater 4 meters in diameter. On 1 January, chechenpress.com
quoted field commander Ruslan Gelaev as saying he is again in Chechnya
and fighting under the command of Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov.
Gelaev added that Maskhadov has ordered his field commanders to refrain
from any military activities either in Chechnya or elsewhere that could
result in the deaths of civilians. LF
[13] OSCE MISSION IN CHECHNYA CLOSED
The OSCE mission in Chechnya, which resumed operations 18 months ago
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18 June 2001), was forced to close on 31
December after the OSCE failed to reach agreement with Moscow on the
terms for prolonging its mandate, Russian news agencies reported. The
Foreign Ministry had sought to narrow the mission's activities to
supervising the distribution of humanitarian aid and to deprive it of
the right to either monitor human rights violations or play a role in
mediating a political settlement of the Chechen conflict (see "RFE/RL
Caucasus Report," Vol. 6, No. 1, 3 January 2003). In a 1 January press
release, Human Rights Watch deplored the closure of the mission. U.S.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher on 2 January expressed
"disappointment" with Russia's position, Reuters reported. Boucher said
Washington is trying "to find a formula...that will allow the mission
to continue its constructive engagement and highly beneficial
humanitarian efforts." German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer likewise
said his country and other EU states will try to secure the extension
of the mission's mandate, according to dpa as quoted by
chechenpress.com. LF
[14] BUDANOV ACQUITTED
The North Caucasus District Military Court in Rostov-na-Donu on 31
December acquitted Colonel Yurii Budanov on the grounds that he was
insane when he murdered a young Chechen woman in the village of
Tangi-Chu in March 2000, Reuters and Interfax reported (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 17 December 2002). Budanov claimed that he thought she was a
sniper. The State Duma, Federation Council representative for Chechnya
Akhmar Zavgaev, Russian commissioner for human rights in Chechnya
Abdul-Khakim Sultygov, and Chechen deputy administration head Tauz
Dzhabrailov all criticized the verdict, according to Interfax. A lawyer
for the murdered woman's family told Interfax on 1 January that he will
appeal it to the Supreme Court's Military Collegiate. LF
TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[15] THREE ARRESTED IN CONNECTION WITH ARMENIAN TV HEAD'S MURDER
Three suspects have been arrested in connection with the 28 December
murder in Yerevan of Armenian State Television and Radio head Tigran
Naghdalian, AFP on 30 December quoted an unnamed official from the
Prosecutor-General's Office as saying (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 30
December 2002). The official did not disclose the identity of the
suspects, but Noyan Tapan on 30 December named the three arrested as
Fatherland and Honor Party Deputy Chairman Grisha Sargsian,
Christian-Democratic Party ex-Chairman Azat Arshakian, and Albert
Mkhitarian, a member of the board of the In Defense of the Liberated
Territories organization. Also on 30 December, the opposition
Hanrapetutiun Party issued a statement suggesting that Naghdalian was
killed because he had information that might have shed new light on the
27 October 1999 Armenian parliament shootings, Noyan Tapan reported. LF
[16] TWO ARMENIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES WITHDRAW...
Self-Determination Union (IM) Chairman Paruyr Hairikian announced in
Yerevan on 30 December his decision to withdraw his candidacy in the 19
February presidential election, Noyan Tapan and RFE/RL's Armenian
Service reported. He acknowledged that without the backing of a bloc of
parties his chances in that ballot were slim. Hairikian said the IM
will definitely back an opposition candidate, most likely either
U.S.-born former Foreign Minister Raffi Hovannisian or National Unity
Party Chairman Artashes Geghamian. Hairikian ran for president in 1992,
1996, and 1998, when he polled 5.4 percent (compared with 0.45 percent
for Geghamian). Democratic Fatherland Party Chairman Petros Makeyan
announced on 31 December that he will not contest the ballot in the
wake of Naghdalian's murder, ITAR-TASS and Armenpress reported. LF
[17] ...AND ONE FAILS TO SECURE REGISTRATION
The Central Election Commission on 31 December declined to register
National Democratic Party Chairman Arshak Sadoyan as a presidential
candidate as he failed to submit either the required signatures in his
support or a $10,000 deposit, according to ITAR-TASS and Armenpress as
cited by Groong. Eleven candidates have succeeded in registering to
date. A court will rule on 6 January on Hovannisian's appeal against a
ruling that his Armenian citizenship was granted only in 2001 (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 23 and 25 December 2002), a ruling that would
nullify his bid because presidential candidates must have been Armenian
citizens for a minimum of 10 years. LF
[18] OPPOSITION CANDIDATES LOSE OUT IN KAZAKH BY-ELECTIONS
Qarlyghash Zhaqiyanova, wife of imprisoned former Pavlodar Oblast
Governor Ghalymzhan Zhaqiyanov, was defeated in a 28 December
by-election in Pavlodar to the Mazhilis (the lower chamber of
Kazakhstan's parliament), garnering 33 percent of the vote, according
to "RFE/RL Central Asia Report " on 3 January. Vasilii Maksimenko, a
local factory official, polled 53 percent. In a second by-election the
same day in Qaraganda, Senator Mukhtar Tinikeev received 51 percent of
the vote after a regional court delayed until early on 28 December
issuing a ruling upholding a local election commission's annulment of
the registration of Bolot Abilov, who quit the pro-presidential OTAN
party in late 2001 to found the opposition Democratic Choice for
Kazakhstan. Local governor Uzakkali Elubaev was elected in an Atyrau
constituency with 84 percent of the vote. Opposition Republican
People's Party of Kazakhstan candidate Zhumabay Dospanov escaped injury
in a suspicious automobile accident in Atyrau on 25 December,
forumkz.org reported. LF
[19] INVESTIGATORS SUSPECT TERRORISM IN KYRGYZ MARKET BLAST
The 27 December explosion in Bishkek's Dordoy market that killed seven
people and injured 40 was almost certainly caused by explosives, rather
than by improperly stored fireworks as initially believed, akipress.org
and Interfax reported on 2 January, quoting Deputy Interior Minister
and Bishkek police department head Keneshbek Duyshebaev. Police are
hunting for two men "of Asiatic appearance" suspected of having planted
the explosive device. U.S. specialists from the antiterrorism force
stationed at Manas air base are assisting in the investigation. LF
[20] KYRGYZ OFFICIAL SAYS AKSY VERDICTS POLITICALLY MOTIVATED
Former Djalalabad Oblast Prosecutor Zootbek Kudaibergenov told RFE/RL's
Kyrgyz Service on 30 December that the three year prison sentence
handed down to him two days earlier by the Osh military court was
politically motivated (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 30 December 2002).
Kudaibergenov and two other local officials were found to have
"exceeded their authority" in the measures they took to counter a
protest demonstration in Aksy Raion in March 2002. Five people died
when police opened fire on demonstrators. Also on 30 December, the
independent Public Committee to Investigate the Aksy Events and the
Institute for Freedom and Human Rights issued a joint statement
branding the Osh court verdict an attempt by the authorities to hide
the true circumstances of the Aksy shootings, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau
reported. A lawyer representing Aksy residents told RFE/RL's Kyrgyz
Service on 2 January that his clients are demanding that former
Djalalabad Oblast Deputy Prosecutor Diushen Momunov be brought to
trial. They believe that Momunov ordered police to open fire. LF
[21] FRENCH DEFENSE MINISTER VISITS TAJIKISTAN
On a one-day visit to Dushanbe, Michele Alliot-Marie met on 30 December
with her Tajik counterpart Colonel General Sherali Khairulloev and with
President Imomali Rakhmonov, Interfax and Asia Plus-Blitz reported. The
two ministers signed an agreement on training Tajik military personnel
in France. Alliot-Marie told journalists her talks with Rakhmonov
focused on the situation in Central Asia and in post-Taliban
Afghanistan. LF
[22] FORMER TURKMEN FOREIGN MINISTER SENTENCED TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT...
On 29 December, Turkmenistan's Supreme Court sentenced former Foreign
Minister Boris Shikhmuradov to 25 years' imprisonment -- the maximum
allowable under the Criminal Code -- for his imputed role in the
reported 25 November attempt to assassinate President Saparmurat
Niyazov, Interfax reported. On 30 December, Niyazov acceded to demands
from delegates to the People's Council (the rubber-stamp legislature)
to increase that term to life imprisonment, but rejected what appear to
have been stage-managed calls for Shikhmuradov's execution. Interfax
quoted the official Turkmen press as reporting that thousands of people
have condemned Shikhmuradov's alleged crimes. But a letter posted on
the website of the People's Democratic Movement of Turkmenistan
(http://www.gundogar.org) and dated 26 December -- the day the Turkmen
authorities announced Shikhmuradov's arrest -- said people in Ashgabat
and throughout Turkmenistan are filled with admiration for his
"courageous" decision to surrender voluntarily to the Turkmen
authorities. LF
[23] ...AS U.S., HUMAN RIGHTS WATCHDOG EXPRESS CONCERN
In a written statement released on 31 December, U.S. State Department
spokesman Philip Reeker expressed "deep concern" over the widespread
arrests of persons suspected of involvement in the putative attempt to
assassinate President Niyazov and called for due process and U.S.
consular access to U.S. citizen Leonid Komarovsky, one of those
arrested, Reuters reported. Also on 31 December, Human Rights Watch
issued a statement condemning Shikhmuradov's trial and conviction. It
pointed out that "having the legislature, rather than a court, sentence
a defendant is an unthinkable violation of due process rights." "Neue
Zuercher Zeitung" on 31 December termed Shikhmuradov's televised
confession -- in which he said he is a heroin addict and a traitor and
praised Niyazov's polices as "absolutely correct" -- "grotesque" (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 30 December 2002). In a 24 December statement,
Shikhmuradov referred to the Turkmen law enforcement agencies'
customary practice of torturing suspects or treating them with
psychotropic drugs and warned that any statement he might make
incriminating himself should be regarded as having been extracted from
him by such methods. LF
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
[24] BELARUS AGREES TO NEW OSCE OFFICE IN MINSK...
The OSCE Permanent Council and a Belarusian government delegation
agreed on 30 December to the opening of a new OSCE office in Minsk on 1
January, Belapan reported. Under the agreement, the new office replaces
the OSCE Advisory and Monitoring Group, which ceased its activities on
31 December after Belarusian authorities gradually reduced the number
of staff by denying them visas. The mandate of the new office is to
"assist the Belarusian government in further promoting institution
building, in further consolidating the rule of law, and in developing
relations with civil society in accordance with OSCE principles and
commitments," Belapan quoted from an accord between the two sides.
Belarusian presidential aide Ihar Lyashchenya said in a statement that
the compromise decision on the new OSCE presence in Minsk is evidence
that Belarus abides by its OSCE commitments and seeks to start a new
stage in its relations with the organization. AM
[25] ...BUT WILL EU COUNTRIES LIFT VISA BAN ON BELARUSIAN OFFICIALS?
The EU countries that imposed travel bans on Belarusian top officials
"should immediately lift them," Belarusian Foreign Minister Mikhail
Khvastou told journalists on 30 December, Belapan reported. Khvastou
said the memorandum signed between the Belarusian government and the
OSCE in Vienna on 30 December and the agreement to open the OSCE's new
office in Minsk are evidence that Belarus has done its part: "We value
relations with the EU as a whole and with each specific country that is
a EU member, and would like them to have the same reciprocal attitude
toward us." Khvastou added: "The political barriers that the EU spoke
about have been lifted today." Khvastou also called on the United
States to launch an open dialogue "based on the principles of mutual
trust, free from stereotypes and double standards," and immediately
lift a travel ban on senior Belarusian officials. AM
[26] MINSK DENIES IT HAS CONSIDERED ASYLUM FOR SADDAM HUSSEIN
Khvastou said on 30 December that the Belarusian leadership has not
considered, even hypothetically, granting political asylum to Iraqi
President Saddam Hussein and his family, Belapan reported on 31
December. He was commenting on U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's
recent statement that Belarus is among countries that might offer
asylum to the Iraqi leader. Khvastou reiterated Belarus's position that
military action against Iraq would be inexpedient. He stressed that the
UN Security Council should seek a peaceful settlement of the Iraqi
crisis. AM
[27] PRESIDENT STRESSES ROSY PROSPECTS FOR BELARUS IN NEW YEAR'S
MESSAGE
"Despite all the false prophecy and direct counteraction by evildoers,
we have no economic recession; all those who want to work do work and
earn money in our country; it is warm, bright, and cozy in our homes;
[and] we have not lost control of problems that have emerged under the
influence of the ailing world economy," Belapan quoted Belarusian
President Alyaksandr Lukashenka as saying in his New Year's address to
the nation on 31 December. Lukashenka also pledged not to change his
course of enhancing the country's sovereignty, building an equitable
union with Russia, and maintaining good neighborly relations with
international partners. AM
[28] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT SAYS COUNTRY FINALLY HAS TRANSPARENT
GOVERNMENT
Leonid Kuchma said in his New Year's message on 31 December that for
the first time in its independent history, Ukraine has finally got a
"transparent power system that is comprehensible to everybody," the
"Ukrayinska pravda" website reported. Kuchma was referring to the
parliamentary majority and coalition government of Viktor Yanukovych
formed in November and December. The Ukrainian president also suggested
a shift in responsibility for state affairs under this new power
system. "[Now] the president will interfere [in state affairs] in the
event of political necessity, but the primary responsibility will rest
upon the [parliamentary] majority and its government," Kuchma said. He
said he has great expectations for the coming year: "All political
conditions have been created to improve the economic situation of every
Ukrainian; to put it simply, [to enhance] the prosperity of each of
you." AM
[29] NEW UKRAINIAN CENTRAL BANK CHIEF VOWS TO BE TOUGH ON MONEY
LAUNDERERS
Newly appointed National Bank head Serhiy Tyhypko has threatened to use
tough measures against Ukrainian banks involved in money laundering,
UNIAN reported on 3 January. Tyhypko pledged to issue official warnings
to banks suspected of money laundering and to withdraw their licenses
if they fail to heed such warnings. He did not name any banks suspected
of facilitating money laundering. AM
[30] ESTONIA RAISES MINIMUM WAGE BY 17 PERCENT
The country's minimum monthly wage was increased nearly 17 percent on 1
January on the basis of a tripartite agreement approved by the Estonian
government in December, ETA reported on 31 December. The hike increases
the wage threshold from 1,850 kroons ($124) to 2,160 kroons. The
minimum hourly wage was increased from 10.95 kroons to 12.90 kroons.
The government approved the increase after talks with trade unions and
employer organizations. The three sides agreed that the minimum wage
should represent 41 percent of the average wage by 2008. The average
monthly salary in the second quarter of 2002 was 6,353 kroons,
translating into a minimum wage of just 29.1 percent of that figure.
The government, however, rejected a proposal to raise the income-tax
exemption from 1,400 kroons a month. SG
[31] ESTONIA BUDGET GOT REVENUES BOOST IN 2002
Citing preliminary figures, the Finance Ministry announced on 2 January
that 2002 state budget revenues totaled 36.29 billion kroons, or 5.7
percent more than planned, ETA reported. Finance Minister Harri Ounapuu
said the surplus was due to a better-than-anticipated economic
situation in Estonia, better tax administration, along with a reduction
in value-added-tax (VAT) fraud, the black-market economy, and
unrecorded wages. The surplus would have been 1.2 billion kroons higher
if legislators had not adopted two supplementary budgets during the
year. The surplus is transferred into a reserve fund that may be used
exclusively for reducing general economic risks and financing
investments that deliver long-term returns. SG
[32] LATVIAN CABINET HIKES MINIMUM WAGE AT YEAR-END SESSION
The minimum monthly wage in Latvia rose from 60 lats ($102) to 70 lats
on 1 January, LETA reported. The minimum hourly wage is 0.419 lats for
full-time employees and 0.479 lats for adolescents and part-time
employees. The increase was approved by the government at its last
cabinet meeting of the year on 27 December. The minimum wage has
steadily increased in the eight years since a hike to 28 lats was
announced in October 1994. SG
[33] INCUMBENT RECEIVES FURTHER BACKING AHEAD OF LITHUANIAN
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
Valdas Adamkus has been endorsed by all of Lithuania's major political
parties except the left-wing Union of Farmers and New Democracy Parties
after the Social Democrats' executive council backed the incumbent on
30 December, according to BNS. Party Chairman and Lithuanian Prime
Minister Algirdas Brazauskas maintained his neutrality before and after
the executive council's endorsement, however, the news agency added.
The two-man runoff vote is slated for 5 January. All major parties
except the right-of-center Homeland Union (Conservatives of Lithuania)
(TSLK) nominated competing candidates for the first round to boost
their showing in the concurrent local-council elections but have since
urged followers to back Adamkus in the runoff. He thus has the support
not only of the TSLK, but also the right-of-center Christian Democrats,
Liberal Union, Center Union, and the left-of-center Social Liberals.
Adamkus received 35.06 percent of the first-round vote, while Liberal
Democratic Party Chairman and former Prime Minister Rolandas Paksas was
second with 19.4 percent (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 23 December 2002). The
only party that has urged its backers to support Paksas in the second
round is the leftist Union of Farmers and New Democracy Parties. SG
[34] POLISH SEJM SPEAKER ANNOUNCES REVISION OF MEDIA BILL
Lower house speaker Marek Borowski announced on 30 December that the
Sejm will review a new media bill for legal errors following recent
reports of bribery attempts in connection with its content (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 30 December 2002). "I have decided to ask the Sejm's
Expertise Bureau, the head of the prime minister's Legislative Council,
and the chairman of the National Radio and Television Broadcasting
Council to go over the bill with a legislative fine-tooth comb,"
Borowski said. He noted that the draft was "controversial" from the
beginning and added that the bribery affair has "further worsened the
atmosphere" around it. "It would be a very bad thing if we let out a
legislative monster," Borowski said. AM
[35] POLISH RADICAL FARM LEADER SAYS 2002 WAS YEAR OF MISSED CHANCES,
CORRUPTION
"This year we lost a chance to remove [National Bank Governor] Leszek
Balcerowicz from public finances for good and restrict the Monetary
Policy Council; we even failed to secure good EU membership conditions
for Poland," PAP quoted Self-Defense leader Andrzej Lepper as saying in
Lodz on 30 December. Lepper also said 2002 was characterized by
corruption. "Just look at the most recent affair with bribe offers for
media-law amendments. The case was uncovered by ["Gazeta Wyborcza"],
and [Prime Minister Leszek] Miller's name came up in it," Lepper noted.
He declared that Self-Defense will vote against Poland's EU entry if
membership conditions are not renegotiated. Referring to the purchase
of U.S.-made F-16 fighters, Lepper said, "This was a political and not
a practical move. What we have bought is 1970s technology; besides, the
planes will need extra fittings to meet our needs, which promises to
run into [the] billions." AM
[36] CZECH PREMIER, OPPOSITION LEADER WANT PRESIDENTIAL PREROGATIVES
CURTAILED
Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla and Civic Democratic Party (ODS)
Chairman Miroslav Topolanek told a television audience on 1 January
that some presidential powers should be curtailed, CTK reported. Both
said they want presidential pardons to be countersigned by a member of
the cabinet, adding that the president's prerogatives in appointing
some officials should also be restricted. Under the current system, the
president appoints some Constitutional Court judges and Czech National
Bank executive board members. Spidla's Social Democratic Party (CSSD)
and the ODS failed to bring about an amendment of the constitution in
this spirit when they were associates under the so-called opposition
agreement in 1998-2002 after the Senate rejected a CSSD-ODS draft
amendment to the constitution. Spidla said that under the current
system, Czech presidents enjoy some prerogatives that are greater than
those enjoyed by heads of state in countries that have a presidential
system. MS
[37] OPPONENTS OF CZECH NUCLEAR FACILITY LAUNCH HUNGER STRIKE
About a dozen opponents of the controversial Temelin nuclear-power
plant launched a four-day hunger strike in the Austrian border town of
Freistadt on 2 January to protest continued preparations for Temelin's
operation at full capacity, CTK and dpa reported. The plant's two units
are expected to become fully operational in April. It is the first time
that Temelin opponents have launched hunger strikes. They said a longer
hunger strike will be declared in April unless the EU and the Czech
Republic negotiate a new plan for the plant's operations under the
Czech Republic's EU accession treaty. MS
[38] HAVEL MAKES LAST NEW YEAR'S SPEECH AS CZECH PRESIDENT...
In his last New Year's speech as Czech president, Vaclav Havel said on
31 December that in the 10 years that have passed since the Czech and
Slovak republics divided Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic has become
a reliable and respected democratic state that enjoys internal
stability and provides an outlet for its people's creative potential,
CTK reported. Havel said he considers democratic development to be
irreversible but that this does not mean the process of democracy
building is over. Without disclosing a preference for any of the
candidates to succeed him -- with a vote slated for 15 January at a
joint session of the bicameral parliament -- Havel said he believes
that individual "will be a wise, open, and responsible person who will
be a creative partner of the political representatives elected in the
last elections and whom citizens can consider to be their ally." MS
[39] ...AND SAYS 'VELVET DIVORCE' WAS UNAVOIDABLE
Havel also said he regrets people were not granted the opportunity to
express their opinion on the "Velvet Divorce" that brought about the
split of Czechoslovakia on 1 January 1993, but that 10 years on he has
come to the conclusion that the split was a "positive step," even if it
was accompanied by "a certain bitterness and embarrassment," CTK and AP
reported. Havel said that due to the split, "Czechs and Slovaks may be
closer [to one another] than ever before." "There is no animosity, and
they are united in their goals," he added in an apparent allusion to
Czech and Slovak efforts to join the EU by 2004. MS
[40] SLOVAKIA MARKS 10 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE
In a ceremony attended by President Rudolf Schuster, Prime Minister
Mikulas Dzurinda, and other leading officials, Slovakia on 1 January
marked a decade of existence as a separate state, TASR reported. The
ceremony was held in the building of the former parliament, where the
Declaration on the Sovereignty and Constitution of the Slovak Republic
was adopted on 1 January 1993. Parliamentary speaker Pavol Hrusovsky
told the audience that the founding of an independent state in the wake
of the fall of the communist regime in 1989, along with the 2002
invitations to join NATO and the EU, are key events in the country's
modern history. Hrusovsky said the "Velvet Revolution" heralded the
creation of a "new, free society in Slovakia," adding that the
country's independence is now "generally accepted" and misgivings
regarding its viability "have been overcome." Dzurinda said the "birth
pangs" of the new Slovak state are over and a stage of "new hope" has
been ushered in with the invitations to join NATO and the EU, CTK
reported. MS
[41] SLOVAK PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER CALLS FOR OVERCOMING 'STAINS OF PAST'
In his speech marking the 10th anniversary of independence, Hrusovsky
also called for the acknowledgment of wrongs committed against
Slovakia's Hungarian minority after World War II and for recognition of
other "stains" on the country's history, CTK reported. Among the
latter, Hrusovsky mentioned the suffering of Slovak Jews during the
Holocaust and the deportation of Carpathian Germans after World War II.
He said he hopes Hungary will also acknowledge the oppression of
Slovaks at various times in history. "Mutual coping with history would
free our future of repeated returns to the past and open the path to
unburdened cooperation," he said. MS
[42] SLOVAK PREMIER FILING CRIMINAL COMPLAINT OVER INCIDENT ON SKI LIFT
Premier Dzurinda on 30 December said he is filing a criminal complaint
against a convicted criminal whom he saw violently pushing his way
through a group of skiers waiting for a lift, Reuters and TASR
reported. The incident took place at the ski resort of Strbske Pleso,
some 300 kilometers northeast of Bratislava. Dzurinda said he saw
Mikulas Cernak knock one hapless skier to the ground. Dzurinda said on
Slovak Television that people in Slovakia "are afraid of terror, [and]
afraid of the mafia and of criminals," and this is why he instructed
Interior Minister Vladimir Palko and Justice Minister Daniel Lipsic to
file charges against Cernak after the Prosecutor-General's Office
refused to do so. Dzurinda called prosecutor's reluctance to file
charges a display of "disgusting behavior." Cernak was paroled from
prison last month on good behavior after serving half of an
eight-and-a-half-year sentence for extortion. He is still on probation,
and the charges could land him behind bars again. Cernak was also
convicted of kidnapping and murdering a Polish businessman in 1999, but
that ruling was overturned after witnesses changed their testimony. MS
[43] HUNGARIAN PRESIDENT SAYS EU ACCESSION WILL BRING ABOUT
REUNIFICATION OF MAGYARS...
In a televised speech marking the New Year, President Ferenc Madl said
on 31 December that "the reunification of Europe also holds out the
promise of a chance for the reunification of our nation," Hungarian
media reported. Madl said that in one year, "We shall become
politically and economically part of that Europe to which our history
and culture are linked through myriad bonds ever since St. Stephen." MS
[44] ...BUT AMENDED STATUS LAW WILL NOT APPLY IN SLOVAKIA, SLOVENIA
The amended version of the Status Law stipulates that the legislation
does not apply to ethnic Hungarians in EU countries, "Nepszabadsag"
reported on 3 January. The amendments took into consideration criticism
of the law by EU Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen, who
said EU legislation forbids discrimination among citizens of member
states on ethnic grounds. The amendments also stipulate that Hungarian
identification cards issued to members of the minority in foreign
countries cannot be used as personal identification documents and that
certificates issued to family members can be distributed only to
citizens of countries that do not object. The text of the amended
version has been dispatched to Bratislava, and the Slovak and Hungarian
foreign ministers are to discuss the proposals later this month. The
amendments are slated for debate in parliament before February. MS
[45] HUNGARIANS MOST ENTHUSIASTIC AMONG EU CANDIDATES
Support for EU accession among the 10 countries invited to join the
organization is highest in Hungary, where 67 percent back joining the
EU, "Magyar Hirlap" reported on 31 December. However, half of the
respondents to the Eurobarometer survey -- which was carried out in
November -- also said they feel they lack sufficient information about
the consequences of EU membership. The findings confirm those of a poll
conducted by the Tarki pollster in May 2002. MS
[46] HUNGARIAN PREMIER SPENDS HOLIDAY IN CUBA
Government spokesman Zoltan Gal on 30 December confirmed earlier media
reports that Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy and his wife flew to Cuba
for the holidays, according to Hungarian media reports. He said the
premier will return to work on 6 January. Gal also said that Medgyessy
will neither take part in official activities in Cuba nor meet with
Cuban President Fidel Castro. FIDESZ parliamentary deputy Annamaria
Szalai told journalists on 2 January that her party expects an
explanation as to when exactly Medgyessy left for Cuba and for what
purposes. She said Gal should resign on grounds of misleading the
public, as a taped television interview broadcast at New Year's gave
the impression the premier was in Hungary, whereas he was already
abroad. Gal told journalists on the same day that Medgyessy spent
Christmas at home and then left for Cuba at his own expense. MS
[47] HUNGARIAN NEO-NAZI GROUP FACES BAN
The National Security Office on 2 January asked the
Prosecutor-General's Office to review the registration of the Blood and
Honor Cultural Society, as the association is run by a neo-Nazi group,
"Magyar Hirlap" and Hungarian Radio reported on 2 January. Interior
Ministry State Secretary Andras Toth said the group's official
registration aim was given as "preservation of [Hungarian] traditions"
but it is in fact a neo-Nazi group and thus transgressing Hungarian
law. An AFP report on 2 January has the group describing itself as
fighting for "survival and prosperity of the white race." On 31
December, "Nepszabadsag" reported that Blood and Honor intends to host
an international meeting of neo-Nazis in Budapest in February. The
intention was announced at a concert organized by the group in
Szoedliget on 21 December. Those attending the concert sang Arrow Cross
marches. Government spokesman Gal said a bill designed to ban meetings
of extreme-right groups is being drafted and will be submitted to
parliament in the first half of 2003. MS
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[48] EU TAKES OVER BOSNIAN POLICE MISSION...
The UN ended its mandate to monitor and train Bosnian police on 31
December, regional and international media reported (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 13 December 2002). U.S. diplomat Jacques Klein, who headed
the UN's International Police Task Force (IPTF), told dpa in Sarajevo
that the UN carried out the largest police-restructuring mission
anywhere by reducing the number of police in Bosnia from 40,000 to
about 16,000 and training them to meet European standards. He added
that the smaller European Union Police Mission (EUPM) will continue
several IPTF projects, including ending human trafficking and
strengthening the Bosnian State Border Service. An EUPM official told
Reuters on 1 January on condition of anonymity, "This is a big test
case for the EU's Security and Defense Policy, whether it can work or
not. This mission has to succeed, and the [European] Union cannot allow
it to fail." The EUPM consists of about 500 officers from EU member
states, 17 other European countries, and Canada. It is headed by
Commissioner Sven Fredriksen of Denmark. Reuters noted that the EUPM
faces few serious problems that could lead to its demise. PM
[49] ...AS MAJOR WAR CRIMINALS REMAIN FREE
High Representative Paddy Ashdown said in London on 1 January that
former Bosnian Serb leader and indicted war criminal Radovan Karadzic
will most likely be arrested once he has lost the support of local
Serbs and not on account of any military operation, RFE/RL's South
Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported. Ashdown stressed that
Karadzic's arrest and extradition to the war crimes tribunal in The
Hague will go far to normalize and calm the situation in Bosnia. Klein
said in Sarajevo on 31 December that NATO has not shown the political
will to arrest Karadzic (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 6 November 2002). PM
[50] NATO TROOPS SEARCH BOSNIAN SERB RADIO STATION
SFOR soldiers carried out a search on 2 January of the Pale-based
[Serbian] Orthodox Radio Sveti Jovan, which is owned by Karadzic's
daughter, Sonja, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service
reported. A spokesman for the Atlantic alliance said in Sarajevo that
the investigation took place in line with SFOR's mandate to monitor
communications facilities and had nothing to do with the elder
Karadzic. Dpa reported that "SFOR...had been trying to determine if the
facilities were being used by other organizations for military
communications, planting listening devices on communications equipment,
or illicit monitoring of Bosnia and Herzegovina citizens." PM
[51] BOSNIAN DUAL CITIZENSHIP PRESERVED
High Representative Ashdown announced legislation permitting dual
citizenship for a further 10 years, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian
Languages Service reported on 30 December. The Bosnian House of
Representatives has approved the new legislation, but the House of
Nations has not because it has not met since the elections in October.
Had Ashdown not acted, hundreds of thousands of people would have lost
their claims to Bosnian citizenship because they also hold passports of
countries with which Bosnia does not yet have an agreement on dual
citizenship. PM
[52] U.S. CALLS FOR STRICT COOPERATION WITH THE WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL...
Pierre-Richard Prosper, who is U.S. ambassador-at-large for war crimes
issues, told reporters in Belgrade on 31 December that Yugoslavia must
arrest General Ratko Mladic and other indicted war criminals if it
hopes to receive further U.S. aid after 31 March, when the State
Department is scheduled to certify whether Belgrade is cooperating with
the war crimes tribunal based in The Hague, Reuters reported. Prosper
also warned the Republika Srpska to stop "dancing around the issue" of
arresting war criminals. He called on Croatia to arrest former Generals
Janko Bobetko and Ante Gotovina, who are wanted in The Hague. PM
[53] SERBIAN PRESIDENT LEAVES OFFICE...
Milan Milutinovic, who has been indicted by the war crimes tribunal,
has left office but remains in Serbia, Reuters reported on 30 December
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 and 30 December 2002). Serbian Justice
Minister Vladan Batic said Yugoslav authorities are responsible for his
case. Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica is opposed to extraditing
Milutinovic and asked: "How many more presidents should we extradite to
get the tribunal's recognition [that Belgrade is cooperating fully]?"
An unnamed official of Serbia's governing Democratic Opposition of
Serbia (DOS) coalition said the tribunal rejected a request from
Belgrade that Milutinovic be tried in a Serbian court. An aide to
Milutinovic said the former president will neither go to The Hague
voluntarily nor "run and hide." It is not clear exactly what he intends
to do. PM
[54] ...AND A CARETAKER PRESIDENT IS INSTALLED
Natasa Micic, who is speaker of the Serbian parliament, took office as
interim president on 30 December, international and regional media
reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 30 January 2002). The date of a new
Serbian presidential vote is to be announced in February, Reuters
reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12 and 18 December 2002). In related
news, Montenegro will hold a new presidential vote on 9 February (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 23 December 2002). All 11 candidates who ran in the
previous, invalid election will be eligible to run again. PM
[55] CONTROVERSY SURROUNDS RESIGNATION OF KOSOVAR SERB PARLIAMENTARY
LEADER
Rada Trajkovic resigned on 29 December as head of the Povratak (Return)
coalition of ethnic Serbian deputies in the Kosovar parliament, "Vesti"
reported. She said she no longer has the confidence of her colleagues,
at least 18 of whom voted against her continuing in that post, Deutsche
Welle's "Monitor" reported. Her critics charge that she does not tell
all her colleagues about details of her meetings with officials of the
international community. Her supporters argue that she was ousted at
the behest of Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Nebojsa Covic in a power
play. Covic denied the charge. Povratak holds 22 of 120 seats in the
parliament. Serbs make up less than 10 percent of the population.
"Vesti" reported on 27 December that a delegation of Kosovar Serb
leaders, including Bishop Artemije, met in Belgrade with Kostunica,
Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic, and others. The article
suggested that some Belgrade leaders told the Kosovar Serbs that they
must take responsibility for their own future and not expect Serbia to
do it for them. PM
[56] KOSOVAR PRIME MINISTER CALLS FOR REVISING UN RESOLUTION
Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi said in Prishtina on 31 December that UN
Security Council Resolution 1244, which defines the mandate of the UN
civilian administration in Kosova (UNMIK), is out-of-date and needs to
be revised, Deutsche Welle's "Monitor" reported. Rexhepi stressed that
UNMIK should not exist as an end in itself or to give orders but to
assist the Kosovars in attaining self-government. He wants Resolution
1244 to make this clear and to create greater scope for self-rule. PM
[57] MACEDONIAN PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER ANNOUNCES AMBITIOUS AGENDA
Parliamentary speaker Nikola Popovski said on 30 December that
parliament will remain the center of political activity even though
some politicians might wish otherwise, MIA reported. Popovski alluded
to the latest meeting of party leaders under the auspices of President
Boris Trajkovski and to the opposition's recent announcement that it
will stage street protests against the government. He announced that
the parliament will discuss four packages of legislation in 2003,
including ratifying international agreements and setting up the legal
framework for economic reforms. Bringing legislation into harmony with
the recent constitutional amendments and decentralizing power as
stipulated in the 2001 Ohrid peace agreement will also be high on the
agenda. UB
[58] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR ERADICATING CORRUPTION
President Ion Iliescu said in his New Year's message on 31 December
that measures adopted thus far with the aim of eradicating corruption
in his country are insufficient and parliament must soon adopt new
legislation to cope with the phenomenon, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau
reported. Iliescu also said that those representing the people,
including the head of state and all government officials, must be
examples of "responsible behavior and high moral standards, honesty,
correctness, decency, and modesty." Prime Minister Adrian Nastase said
in his New Year's message that Romania's time as an isolated state
focused on interpreting its past has ended and that it must now
concentrate on its future. "Today's Romania has ceased to be an
isolated corner in a European continent divided between hostile
empires," he said. "We are now part of a powerful alliance that is not
based on arbitrary rule, but on commonly shared values. We received an
invitation to join NATO because we deserved it," he added, noting that
Romania recently received assurances that it will be part of the EU in
2007. MS
[59] LEADING ROMANIAN JOURNALIST DIES IN AUTO ACCIDENT
Dumitru Tinu, director of the daily "Adevarul," died on 1 January in a
car accident, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. Tinu apparently lost
control of his automobile while driving from Bucharest to his vacation
house in Breaza, in the Carpathian Mountains. The accident occurred in
the village of Romanesti, some 50 kilometers north of Bucharest. MS
[60] MOLDOVAN DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS COUNTRY SHOULD NOT JOIN NATO
Defense Minister Victor Gaiciuc recently said that Romania's invitation
to join NATO and Ukraine's announced intention to join that
organization must not lead Moldova to change its neutrality, which is
stipulated in the country's constitution, Flux reported on 2 January.
Gaiciuc said Moldova's chances of becoming an EU member will not be
negatively influence by its non-membership of NATO, since the EU does
not regard NATO membership as an obligatory condition. He said Moldovan
soldiers will continue to participate in Partnership for Peace
activities and that 11 such joint exercises with Moldovan participation
are planned for 2003. MS
[61] MOLDOVA CALLS ON FOREIGN COUNTRIES NOT TO ISSUE VISAS TO
TRANSDNIESTER OFFICIALS
The Moldovan Foreign Ministry on 30 December requested foreign
diplomatic missions accredited in Chisinau to refrain from issuing
entry visas to Transdniester officials, Infotag reported. The ministry
also requested that no such visas be issued by diplomatic missions
abroad and that Transdniester officials be refused entry visas even if
they produce foreign passports. In early December, Transdniester
separatist leader Igor Smirnov was briefly detained in Vienna, but was
freed after producing a Russian passport with a valid entry visa to the
Schengen zone. Smirnov is now in Germany for medical treatment. MS
[62] MOLDOVAN ECONOMY MINISTER UNDERLINES POSITIVE TRENDS
Economy Minister Stefan Odagiu on 30 December said the year 2002
produced positive trends in the country's economy, Infotag reported. He
said economic decline was stopped and GDP growth is likely to be 7
percent, as compared to 5.9 percent in 2001. MS
[63] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR CONCENTRATION ON SOCIAL POLICY
In his televised New Year's address to the nation, President Georgi
Parvanov said on 31 December that 2002 was a successful year on the
international stage for Bulgaria but also a year of frustrated hopes
and expectations, BTA reported. Parvanov said the country's road to
Europe remains difficult, since "there are new, even more complicated
negotiations ahead in which we must defend our national interests,
[while] preserving and developing our national identity at the same
time." "If we want to be good Europeans," he added, "then the first
sign of our Europeanism should be our solidarity and empathy with the
socially disadvantaged, the poor, the unemployed, the suffering -- with
all those who paid the heaviest social cost for our progress to
Europe." He called on politicians to put social issues high on the
agenda, adding that there are "no grounds to say that the state
prospers when there are still a lot of people who are struggling for
their mere survival." UB
[64] BULGARIAN COURT TO DECIDE IF NATO ACCESSION NECESSITATES
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
President Georgi Parvanov asked the Constitutional Court on 2 January
to determine whether the constitution must be amended for the country
to join NATO, bnn reported. Parvanov wants the court to interpret the
constitutional provisions regulating the presence of foreign troops on
Bulgarian territory. Under the current provisions parliament must grant
its permission for such situations on a case-by-case basis. Politicians
have voiced fears that the constitution might hinder the country's
ratification for accession by NATO member states. Parvanov has
previously stated that the constitution must be amended if it poses
problems to NATO accession. UB
[65] BULGARIA SHUTS DOWN OLDEST BLOCKS OF KOZLODUY NUCLEAR-POWER PLANT
The two oldest blocks of the Kozloduy nuclear-power plant were taken
off the grid on 31 December, BTA reported. Reactors in blocks No. 1 and
No. 2 were shut down during a ceremony attended by Energy Minister
Milko Kovachev and officials of the company running the plant. Kovachev
said in a short speech that the decommissioning of the blocks will not
have any impact on the country's energy supply nor on electricity
rates. Addressing fears that energy shortages might occur when blocks
No. 3 and No. 4 are closed down in 2006, Kovachev said the capacities
of these blocks will be compensated by conventional power plants, as
the planned new nuclear-power plant in Belene will not be ready by that
time. UB
SOUTHWESTERN ASIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST
[66] AFGHAN PRESIDENT PROMISES A DEMOCRACY BASED ON ISLAMIC VALUES
Hamid Karzai said in a radio address on 2 January that his
administration wants to establish a democratic system that will be in
full compliance with the historical and social circumstances of
Afghanistan and will respect the wishes of the people, Islamic
teachings, and national values, Radio Afghanistan reported. Karzai said
democracy is in complete harmony with the tenets of Islam. He pointed
to the traditional Afghan social system of grand assemblies (loya
jirgas) as an example of "traditional democracy," adding that democracy
is "deeply rooted" in Afghan history. AT
[67] U.S. AND PAKISTAN 'PLAY DOWN' AFGHAN BORDER CLASH...
A U.S. military spokeswoman on 2 January said the U.S. soldier shot by
a Pakistani border guard on the Afghan-Pakistani border on 29 December
(see "RFE/RL Afghanistan Report," 2 January 2003) is in stable
condition and the "person who fired is in the custody of the Pakistani
government," "The New York Times" reported on 3 January. U.S. and
Pakistani officials have "played down the shooting," the report added,
but Islamist lawmakers in Pakistan have condemned the United States for
bombing an abandoned compound that includes a seminary during the
incident. The United States has claimed the bombing in question took
place on Afghan territory, but Pakistani residents in the area claim
the attack took place inside Pakistan. Major General Rashid Qureshi, a
Pakistani military spokesman, "discounted what the residents said,
saying that the clash and the bombing had happened inside Afghanistan,"
according to the daily. The border between Afghanistan and Pakistan has
never been officially recognized by Afghanistan and has been at the
core of Afghan-Pakistani flare-ups since the creation of Pakistan in
1947. The lingering border dispute and the accompanying desire for a
friendly government in Kabul is seen by some as a factor in Islamabad's
erstwhile support for the Taliban. AT
[68] ...AS KARACHI PAPER ALLEGES U.S. BOMB LANDED IN PAKISTAN
A high-level inquiry into the U.S. bombing on 29 December of the
seminary has been launched by Pakistani defense authorities, the
Karachi daily "Dawn" reported on 3 January, identifying the damaged
location as South Waziristan in Pakistan. Inter-Services spokesman
Major General Qureshi said the inquiry was "ordered into the incident
of exchange of fire to ascertain the facts," the paper reported.
Qureshi -- who was quoted by "The New York Times" saying the bombing
happened inside Afghanistan (see item above) -- "confirmed that U.S.
planes did attack and a bomb fell [a] few hundred meters inside
Pakistani territory." The Provincial Assembly of the North-West
Frontier Province in Pakistan "strongly condemned" the bombing in a
resolution adopted on 1 January and demanded that Islamabad "lodge a
strong protest" to the United States over the incident, "Dawn" reported
(see "RFE/RL Afghanistan Report," 2 January 2003). Qazi Husayn Ahmad,
head of the Jamat-e Islami, an Islamist party in Pakistan, called for
mass rallies against the U.S. bombing, calling it "an open violation of
Pakistan's sovereignty," the paper reported. AT
[69] BALKH POLICE DETAIN MEN FOR GAMBLING
Twenty-one men have been detained in the northern Balkh Province city
of Mazar-e Sharif for gambling, Balkh Television reported on 1 January.
According to the report, an intelligence official dealing with the case
said gambling is unlawful according to Islam and must be eradicated in
Afghanistan; thus the men have been detained until their cases can be
reviewed. AT
[70] LARGE CACHE OF ROCKETS SEIZED IN AFGHANISTAN
Afghan border authorities seized more than 300 rockets on 1 January,
Reuters reported the next day. Colonel Sayyed Rahman, an overseer of
frontier security in Nangarhar Province, said his forces arrested men
near Torkham, a major border-crossing point between Afghanistan and
Pakistan, hauling the rockets with donkeys and horses, the reported
added. Sayyed Rahman said the artillery rockets are BM-12s, some of
which are Russian-made, Reuters reported. The identities of the men
arrested in the case, which is one of the largest rocket seizures since
the fall of the Taliban regime in December 2001, is being investigated
by Afghan authorities. AT
[71] CANDIDATES REGISTER FOR MUNICIPAL-COUNCIL ELECTIONS IN IRAN
Some 1,259 people had registered by 1 January for next month's
municipal-council elections in Tehran Province, ISNA reported. Council
elections, which are called for under Article 100 of the 1979 Iranian
Constitution, were held for the first time only in February 1999
because Article 68 of the constitution allows for the suspension of
elections during wartime. The Western press viewed the election results
as a sweeping victory for "reformists" allied with the relatively
moderate President Mohammad Khatami, but in reality they were victories
for populist candidates from across the political spectrum (see "RFE/RL
Iran Report," 1 March 1999 and 8 March 1999). Moreover, since that time
the councils have not been able to accomplish a great deal due to
legislative and financial shortcomings. BS
[72] ISFAHAN STUDENTS STAGE SIT-IN...
Students at Isfahan's University of Art staged a sit-in on 1 January to
protest university administrators' failure to consider their demands,
ISNA reported. The ISNA report did not mention their demands. BS
[73] ...AND MASHHAD STUDENTS END THEIR PROTEST
A protest at Mashhad's Ferdowsi University against the simultaneous
closure of three student publications and the suspension of a student
ended in the early morning of 2 January, ISNA reported. The deputy
chancellor for student affairs, identified as Dr. Davudi, said the
managing editors of the student publications can appeal the ruling.
Davudi also said nobody was arrested and that a complaint regarding an
assault on a student editor is being investigated. BS
[74] AHVAZ WORKERS HOLD PROTEST MARCH...
About 100 employees of a pipe-manufacturing factory in southeastern
Khuzestan Province marched in Ahvaz on 31 December to protest the
nonpayment of their salaries, ISNA reported. The protesting employees
have not been paid in several months and demanded their arrears.
Security personnel immediately appeared and forced the protestors onto
waiting buses. According to ISNA, the employees of the Ahvaz-based
company have been experiencing such problems since 1997-98. BS
[75] ...AND LOCALS STAGE RALLY
Some 50 residents of the Kut Abdullah area in Khuzestan Province staged
a rally on 28 December, blocking roads and attacking vehicles and
banks, "Entekhab" reported on 31 December. The newspaper did not give
the reason for the protest, but it did report that Law Enforcement
Forces arrested 21 people. BS
[76] PRISON RIOT IN AHVAZ...
Clashes between convicts and guards occurred at the Karun 4 prison in
Ahvaz when 300 inmates tried to prevent the transfer of a prisoner to
the execution site, "Entekhab" reported on 31 December. The prisoner
faced the death penalty for killing a policeman during a robbery. The
protesting prisoners set fires, but when the riot spread security
forces came in and some of the protestors were relocated to a prison in
Bandar-i Imam. BS
[77] ...AND PRISON FIRE IN GORGAN
A 30 December fire in a prison in northeastern Gorgan Province killed
27 inmates and injured 50 others, IRNA reported. Provincial prisons
head Abbasali Arab said all the victims were male and had been
convicted by local courts on charges that included theft and drug
trafficking. Arab also said a short circuit caused the fire. Prisons
Organization chief Morteza Bakhtiari said on 1 January that the fire is
being investigated by a special team. Iranian corrections facilities
suffer from overcrowding as the prison population grows due to
drug-related arrests. BS
[78] IRANIAN RADAR MIGHT BE BEHIND PLANE CRASH
Pavlo Naumenko, head of the Kharkiv aviation plant that built the
An-140 aircraft that crashed near Isfahan in late December (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 27 December 2002), said on 2 January that Iranian statements
attributing the crash to pilot error are premature, Ukrainian 1+1
television reported. Naumenko said the pilots were experienced and had
flown the route before, and that local radar systems could be to blame.
"Indeed, the radar system has some peculiar features," he said. "The
state commission [investigating the crash] will establish how those
features affected the causes of the tragedy. The pilots were
experienced.... Each of them flew along this route many times, they
flew to this airfield, [and] they flew both in daytime and at night."
Retired Ukrainian pilot Yuriy Lukin described the peculiarities of
radar in Iran. "The air-traffic controller virtually does not see you,
because there are no radars," he said. "The equipment is probably old;
there is no modern equipment. Ukraine is probably 100 times better
equipped than Iran." BS
[79] INTELLIGENCE MINISTER ISSUES WARNINGS ABOUT U.S.
Intelligence and Security Minister Hojatoleslam Ali Yunesi on 2 January
told a gathering of political party leaders that the United States
started a "political, economic, and cultural war against Islam" a few
months ago, Iranian state television reported. "The foreign
intelligence services are trying to set the stage for tribal and
religious wars," Yunesi claimed. "During the past year, the [Ministry
of Intelligence and Security's (MOIS)] agents have discovered and
neutralized a large number of these plots inside the country." He
reiterated this theme in a 20 December speech in Khorasan, saying, "The
enemy intends to take advantage of ethnic and religious differences in
the country," ISNA reported. And in a 21 October meeting with Lebanese
Hizballah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in Damascus, Yunesi said
that the United States is trying to cause discord among Muslims, IRNA
reported. BS
[80] IRAN'S REVOLUTION GUARDS REPEAT THREATS AGAINST UNITED STATES
Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) commander Yahya Rahim-Safavi
told a 2 January meeting of army commanders and martyrs that the
Iranian people's morale is the most important factor in resisting the
enemy and that is why the enemy has targeted Iran, especially its young
people, with a "cultural onslaught," the official Voice of the Islamic
Republic of Iran reported. "The warmongering hawks of America should
know that the Iranian people will stand up to threats and will once
again foil their conspiracies," Rahim-Safavi said. IRGC public
relations department chief General Masud Jazayeri said on 26 December
that the United States, Israel, counter-revolutionaries abroad, and
mercenaries in Iran are waging psychological warfare against Iran in
order to undermine popular resistance, ISNA reported. "Every so often,
the Americans think they should flex their muscles in the face of this
grand, experienced nation," Jazayeri said. "If America embarks on such
a stupid act, it will receive such a slap in the face from Islamic Iran
that will be remembered as an important turning point in the political
history of the world," he added. BS
[81] IRAN PREPARES FOR IRAQI REFUGEES
Government spokesman Abdullah Ramezanzadeh said on 1 January that Iran
is ready to help Iraqi refugees and indicated that they will not be
allowed to cross very far beyond the Iranian border, IRNA reported. "If
a number of Iraqi nationals require Iran's humanitarian assistance, we
would take actions to host them under UN supervision beyond the
border," Ramezanzadeh said. On 31 December, Interior Ministry official
Javid Mahmudi said Iran is readying 19 refugee camps along its western
border, AFP reported. Mahmudi said the camps are just a few meters
inside Iranian territory. Moreover, Interior Minister Abdolvahed
Musavi-Lari indicated Iran's reluctance to allow refugees to get too
far into the country. "We already have 2.5 million refugees, and no
international organization has seriously cooperated with us. We do not
have the capacity to accept new refugees," Musavi-Lari said. BS
[82] IRAQI NATIONAL MONITORING HEAD ON COOPERATION, SCIENTISTS
Husam Muhammad Amin, director of the National Monitoring Directorate
(NMD), said during a press conference on 2 January that inspections of
230 sites over the past five weeks have "proven the credibility of the
Iraqi declarations and showed that there are no banned activities and
no omitted paragraphs," Al-Jazzera television reported. Regarding the
list provided to UN inspectors on 28 December of scientists involved in
previous chemical, biological, and missile programs in Iraq, Amin said:
"The lists are aimed at making sure these scientists work at sites that
have nothing to do with their previous specialization and banned
activities. The second aim of the list is to conduct interviews with
some of the scientists to clarify some ambiguous things and alleged
gaps." Amin said the scientists thus far have refused to be interviewed
by UN inspectors without the presence of representatives of the NMD.
"We believe that it is up to the person to decide the manner of the
interview to guarantee his personal and human rights," he added. KR
[83] NEW IRAQI OPPOSITION PARTY ESTABLISHED
A statement published in the Al-Sulaymaniyah-based newspaper
"Al-Ittihad" on 28 December announced the establishment of a new Iraqi
opposition party -- the Iraqi Justice and Development Party, which was
described as a "political, social and civil party that calls for
political participation within a federal Iraq.... It is a party that
respects religious and ideological freedom...and believes that Iraqi
policy should be based on tolerance and dialogue." The statement added
that the party will not reject any form of governance that the Iraqi
people choose. The party's statement further noted Iraq's "honorable
national task" in serving Arab and Islamic causes, citing the
"Palestinian cause and the Arab-Zionist conflict." The statement said
Islam is the religion of Iraq and the basic source of the country's
legislation. It called for the government to guarantee the right of
equality for all Iraqis without discrimination and stated that the
final arbiter of differences is the ballot box. The Iraqi Justice and
Development Party also called for an independent military
establishment, the revitalization of agriculture and livestock in Iraq,
the protection of archaeological sites, and free education for
everyone. KR
[84] NEW 'OIL-FOR-FOOD' RESTRICTIONS ON IRAQ
The UN Security Council tightened restrictions on Iraqi imports of
antibiotics and communications equipment through its ratification of
Resolution 1454 on 30 December. While the Iraqi government has not
formally reacted to the resolution, the state-run press criticized it
in editorials on 2 January. The Iraqi daily "Al-Jumhuriya" stated that
Resolution 1454 is further evidence of U.S. "hegemony" over the
Security Council, AP reported on 2 January. "This is a bad resolution
which would lead to inflicting deliberate damage and harm to our
people," AP cited the daily as stating. Russian Ambassador to the UN
Sergei Lavrov said Russia managed to stave off proposals to tighten
supplies of other medicines and prevented the UN from being able to add
to the list at will, ITAR-TASS reported on 30 December. Lavrov
apparently called the ban on some commercial commodities groundless.
The Security Council passed the resolution unanimously, with Russia and
Syria abstaining. KR
[85] TURKISH DAILY REPORTS ON ESTABLISHMENT OF REFUGEE CAMPS
The Turkish daily "Cumhuriyet" reported on 2 January on the
establishment of 13 refugee camps in anticipation of an influx of up to
250,000 refugees that could result from a possible war in Iraq.
According to the report, 13 camps will be set up along two lines above
and below the 36th parallel in Iraq and five camps will be located on
Turkish soil. The report adds that the UN is recruiting English and
Kurdish-speaking medical personnel to work in the camps during the
anticipated war. KR
[86] INSPECTORS RETURN TO SOME SITES, VISIT NEW ONES...
Fifty-seven UN inspectors visited six sites on 2 January, according to
a Foreign Ministry statement. A team of 22 UNMOVIC inspectors made a
return visit to the Al-Fatah State Company in the Al-Amirya area of
Baghdad, where they inquired about the company's missile production.
Meanwhile, a team of four UNMOVIC inspectors made their third visit to
the Ibn Firnas State Company, located 15 kilometers north of Baghdad. A
UNMOVIC statement described the company as an engineering and
procurement facility that supports the air force. In addition, a team
of eight IAEA inspectors visited the Lead Foundry, an affiliate of the
State Company of Battery Industrialization that is located in Khan
Dhari, 30 kilometers west of Baghdad. Inspectors toured the buildings
and storage areas and conducted a radiological survey before visiting
the storage area of the Ibn Younis Center located in the same area,
where they inspected storage areas, tagged equipment, and conducted
radiological testing. KR
[87] ...AS BIOLOGICAL, CHEMICAL INSPECTIONS CONTINUE FULL FORCE
The Foreign Ministry also stated that a team of 15 biological
inspectors surveyed the Air Force Technical Armories in Al-Taji on 2
January and inquired about equipment deliveries over the last four
years. They also toured workshops and storage areas, where they took
samples of damaged fuel tanks and conducted radiological testing. A
team of eight chemical inspectors toured the Al-Hader State Company,
located 270 kilometers north of Baghdad (formerly known as the
Al-Sharqat Uranium Enrichment Facility). UNMOVIC defines the site as a
chemical plant that produces nitric acid and ammonium nitrate. KR
[88] MINSK DENIES IT HAS CONSIDERED ASYLUM FOR SADDAM HUSSEIN
Khvastou said on 30 December that the Belarusian leadership has not
considered, even hypothetically, granting political asylum to Iraqi
President Saddam Hussein and his family, Belapan reported on 31
December. He was commenting on U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's
recent statement that Belarus is among countries that might offer
asylum to the Iraqi leader. Khvastou reiterated Belarus's position that
military action against Iraq would be inexpedient. He stressed that the
UN Security Council should seek a peaceful settlement of the Iraqi
crisis. AM
END NOTE
[89] There is no End Note today.
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