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RFE/RL Newsline, 03-02-14
CONTENTS
[01] RUSSIA CALLS FOR UNITY ON IRAQ...
[02] ...AS U.S. OFFICIAL SAYS IRAQ THREATENS RUSSIA AS WELL AS U.S.
[03] MOSCOW AUTHORITIES HOLD ANTITERRORISM DRILL...
[04] ...AS GENERAL SAYS RUSSIA IS NOT READY FOR TERRORIST ACTS
[05] MINISTER'S APARTMENT ROBBED
[06] VOLUNTEERS TO DEFEND IRAQ STEP FORWARD IN RUSSIAN CITIES...
[07] ...AS CHIEF MUFTI SPEAKS AGAINST MILITARY ACTION AGAINST IRAQ
[08] CRITICS LAMBASTE PROPOSED MEDIA LEGISLATION
[09] FISHERIES HEAD SUSPENDED
[10] YABLOKO LEADER SLAMS ELECTRICITY-SECTOR REFORMS
[11] MMM CO-FOUNDER SENTENCED
[12] NEW PUBLICATION AIMS FOR THE ACQUISITIVE CLASS
[13] COMMUNISTS SAY THEY'RE GETTING YOUNGER...
[14] ...AS SPS, OVR REPEAT BID FOR TEEN VOTE
[15] PRO-PUTIN YOUTH GROUP MOCKS COMMUNISTS, BEREZOVSKII
[16] AND THEN THERE WERE 88?
[17] BUREAUCRATS ASPIRE TO WALK ALL OVER PUTIN
[18] CHECHEN PRESIDENT'S NEW ENVOY MAKES DEBUT
[19] ARMENIAN COURT RULES INCUMBENT ELIGIBLE TO CONTEST PRESIDENTIAL
[20] IMF GIVES POSITIVE ASSESSMENT OF ARMENIAN ECONOMIC TRENDS
[21] AZERBAIJANI VILLAGERS LOOK TO CONTINUE DIALOGUE WITH AUTHORITIES
[22] NEW AZERBAIJANI FIRST DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER NAMED
[23] DID GEORGIAN PRESIDENT OFFER USE OF AIRFIELDS FOR U.S. STRIKE
[24] ...AND DEMAND QUID PRO QUO?
[25] U.S. RECOMMENDS EXTENDING MANDATE OF CIS PEACEKEEPERS IN
[26] ...AS UN ENVOY MEETS WITH ABKHAZ LEADERS
[27] OSSETIANS FLEE GEORGIA'S PANKISI GORGE
[28] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT CONDEMNS HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN KAZAKHSTAN
[29] KAZAKHSTAN HOSTS CONFERENCE ON PEACE AND ACCORD
[30] U.S. HANDS OVER AID TO TAJIK ARMY, WILL FINANCE BUILDING BRIDGE TO
[31] UZBEKISTAN, CHINA SEEK TO EXPAND ECONOMIC COOPERATION
[32] REGIONAL EDITORS COMPLAIN OF STATE PRESSURE IN BELARUS
[33] UKRAINIAN, POLISH PRESIDENTS AGREE ON 'LIBERAL' VISA REGIME...
[34] ...AND JOINT COMMEMORATION OF 1943 MASSACRE
[35] FATF WITHDRAWS CALL FOR SANCTIONS ON UKRAINE
[36] ESTONIAN PREMIER: EU BODIES MUST HAVE NO POWER OVER GOVERNMENTS
[37] PROTEST AGAINST WAR IN IRAQ STAGED AT U.S. EMBASSY IN LATVIA
[38] LITHUANIA FRETS OVER RUSSIA'S ENVIRONMENTAL FOOT-DRAGGING...
[39] ...AHEAD OF PLANNED LUKOIL EXTRACTION
[40] LITHUANIA TO DOWNGRADE EU VOTE TO 'ADVISORY' REFERENDUM?
[41] POLISH FARMERS PELT DEPUTY PREMIER WITH EGGS
[42] POLISH CATHOLIC-RADIO HEAD GRANTED TV LICENSE
[43] POLAND'S EU REFERENDUM MIGHT LAST TWO DAYS
[44] EC PRESIDENT, CZECH AMBASSADOR DISCUSS EUROPEAN RIFT OVER IRAQ
[45] U.S. AMBASSADOR CALLS CZECH REPUBLIC ONE OF 'MOST STALWART
[46] ...BUT NOTES LINGERING CORRUPTION...
[47] ...AND SIGNALS TOUGHER VISA POLICY
[48] CZECH CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS READY TO SUPPORT SOKOL'S PRESIDENTIAL
[49] CZECH COURT CLEARS EXTRADITION TO GERMANY OF IRA SUSPECT
[50] SLOVAKIA CLEARS TRANSIT OF U.S. TROOPS IN THE EVENT OF WAR WITH
[51] REBEL DEPUTIES IGNORE SLOVAK OPPOSITION-PARTY CHAIRMAN'S WARNING
[52] SLOVAK GYNECOLOGISTS DENY REPORTS OF FORCED STERILIZATION
[53] HUNGARIAN PREMIER REFUSES LUNGO DROM REQUEST
[54] HUNGARY'S FIDESZ POLITICIAN SAYS EU CONSTITUTION SHOULD REFER TO
[55] CROATIA TO APPLY THIS MONTH FOR EU MEMBERSHIP
[56] POLICE UNIONS DEMAND RESIGNATION OF CROATIAN INTERIOR MINISTER
[57] BOSNIAN PRESIDENT NAMES PRIME MINISTER
[58] SERBIAN PARLIAMENT AGREES ON DIVISION OF SEATS IN NEW STATE'S
[59] ...AS DOES THE MONTENEGRIN PARLIAMENT
[60] ALBANIANS STAGE PROTEST IN SOUTHERN SERBIA...
[61] ...WHILE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY VOICES CONCERN ABOUT GROWING
[62] MACEDONIAN DEFENSE MINISTER MEETS UNMIK, KFOR HEADS
[63] ALBANIA, EU START TALKS ON STABILIZATION AND ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT
[64] STRUGGLE FOR SLOVENIAN RADIO IN AUSTRIA
[65] ROMANIAN POLL SHOWS PSD STILL LEADING, BUT LOSING STEAM
[66] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT MEETS WITH DEMOCRATIC PARTY LEADERSHIP
[67] REMAINS OF ROMANIAN KING CAROL II BROUGHT HOME FROM PORTUGAL
[68] CONFLICTING REPORTS ON TIRASPOL'S REACTION TO MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT'S
[69] MOLDOVAN GOVERNMENT APPROVES BILL OUTLAWING DEMONSTRATIONS IN
[70] MOLDOVAN PARLIAMENT REJECTS OPPOSITION BILL ON CHANGING ELECTORAL
[71] ...AND MAJORITY PARTY BILL LIMITING MAYORS' MANDATES TO TWO
[72] BULGARIAN SOCIALIST LEADER WARNS THAT GOVERNMENT POSITION ON IRAQ
[73] CANADIAN BANKS, COMPANIES EXPRESS INTEREST IN INVESTING IN
[74] CONTRIBUTION TO ISAF NOT RELATED TO GERMAN POLICY ON IRAQ
[75] U.S. SAYS NO CIVILIANS KILLED IN BAGHRAN BOMBING CAMPAIGN
[76] UNIDENTIFIED DISEASE KILLS SIX AFGHAN CHILDREN
[77] AFGHAN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR VOLUNTEERISM
[78] TEHRAN BACKS SUPPORT FOR HIZBALLAH
[79] TEHRAN DENIES AL-QAEDA LINKS
[80] BIN LADEN'S SON REPORTEDLY IN IRAN
[81] EVEN ROMANCE IS POLITICAL IN IRAN
[82] IRAN LOOKS INTO KUWAITI WATER DEMANDS
[83] WATER SHORTAGE IN ISFAHAN REGION
[84] UN SECURITY COUNCIL TO MEET AS U.S. WORKS ON NEW IRAQ RESOLUTION
[85] FRENCH UNMOVIC OFFICIAL SAYS BLIX REPORT WILL BE 'BALANCED, NOT
[86] IRAQI PARLIAMENT TO MEET IN EXTRAORDINARY SESSION
[87] IRAQI ENGINEER REPORTEDLY DEFECTS, GIVES NEW LEADS
[88] ANOTHER IRAQI DEFECTION?
[89] IRAQI OPPOSITION WORKING GROUPS PRESS FORWARD
[90] VOLUNTEERS TO DEFEND IRAQ STEP FORWARD IN RUSSIAN CITIES...
[91] ...AS CHIEF MUFTI SPEAKS AGAINST MILITARY ACTION AGAINST IRAQ
[92] There is no End Note today.
14 February 2003
NOTE TO READERS: Due to the observance of Presidents Day in the
United States, "RFE/RL Newsline" will not be published on 17 February
2003.
RUSSIA
[01] RUSSIA CALLS FOR UNITY ON IRAQ...
Speaking to journalists on 13 February in New York on the eve of a
crucial UN Security Council discussion of Iraq, Foreign Minister Igor
Ivanov called for the preservation of the unity of the Security Council
in order to resolve the crisis, RIA-Novosti reported. He said that the
council must demonstrate that it can solve this problem and "even more
complicated problems such as international terrorism, arms
proliferation, and drug trafficking." In an interview published in the
"Financial Times" on 14 February, Ivanov said he considers "the
preservation of a unified Euro-Atlantic community, with Russia now a
part of it" to be immensely important. He added that the 11 February
joint statement on Iraq by France, Germany, and Russia (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 12 February 2003) was not directed against the United
States. "Attempts to portray this initiative as an anti-American
maneuver are completely unfounded. Those who make such suggestions are
either unable to discern new trends in world politics or are unable to
abandon a Cold War mentality," Ivanov said. VY
[02] ...AS U.S. OFFICIAL SAYS IRAQ THREATENS RUSSIA AS WELL AS U.S.
U.S. national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, in an exclusive
interview with ITAR-TASS on 13 February, expressed the hope that Russia
will eventually adopt the U.S. position on Iraq. Rice said that the
Iraq dispute should be viewed through the prism of the war on terrorism
and combating the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. She
added that the international terrorists allegedly succored by Iraq
threaten not only the United States, but Russia as well. "We should not
allow the situation in Iraq to mar our relations [with Russia]," Rice
added. She noted that the United States is prepared to declare that
some Chechen militant groups are terrorist organizations, but added
that Washington remains committed to finding a political settlement in
Chechnya and urges Moscow to work toward peace talks with legitimate
Chechen leaders. VY
[03] MOSCOW AUTHORITIES HOLD ANTITERRORISM DRILL...
Major General Aleksandr Yeleseev, head of the Moscow Municipal Civil
Defense and Emergency Situations Administration, announced that his
agency on 14 February conducted an exercise in the Moscow metro "on the
liquidation of the consequences of a terrorist act involving chemical
and bacteriological weapons," ITAR-TASS and other Russian news agencies
reported. Rescue teams had three hours to identify what type of weapon
had been used, to decontaminate the affected metro station, and to
evacuate all those injured in the mock attack. Yeleseev added that the
drill was a success. VY
[04] ...AS GENERAL SAYS RUSSIA IS NOT READY FOR TERRORIST ACTS
Speaking to reporters in Moscow on 13 February, Duma Defense Committee
Chairman General Andrei Nikolaev (People's Deputy) said Russia is not
able to prevent terrorist attacks, RosBalt and other Russian news
agencies reported. Nikolaev added that he believes any U.S. military
intervention in Iraq would produce an increase in terrorist acts
globally. "The threat of terrorism comes from places where no one
expects it, and it is impossible to guarantee that there will be no
terrorist attacks," Nikolaev said. VY
[05] MINISTER'S APARTMENT ROBBED
Unidentified thieves broke into the Moscow apartment of Atomic Energy
Minister Aleksandr Rumyantsev during the day on 13 February, lenta.ru
and other Russian news agencies reported on 14 February, citing police
spokesmen. According to RTR, police are refusing to disclose details of
what was stolen, saying only that the take included "money and
valuables." RC
[06] VOLUNTEERS TO DEFEND IRAQ STEP FORWARD IN RUSSIAN CITIES...
Some 2,500 Russian citizens have told the Iraqi Embassy in Moscow that
they are interested in volunteering to defend Iraq against a possible
U.S. military action, Ekho Moskvy reported on 13 February. In Chally,
Rafis Kashapov, head of the local Tatar Public Center office, said that
several dozen Chally residents have appealed to his group to help them
fight in Iraq. However, Kashapov informed them that his group does not
involve itself in military-recruitment efforts, "Trud" reported on 13
February. Kashapov told RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir Service that the
would-be recruits belong to many ethnic groups, including Russians,
Chavashs, Tatars, Maris, and Udmurts. In Sverdlovsk Oblast, more than
10 residents between the ages of 30 and 40 have also expressed their
desire to assist Iraq, regions.ru reported, citing the local branch of
the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR). The volunteers include
not only Muslims but also ethnic Russians "who are ready to fight
against American commands and force," according to the agency. JAC
[07] ...AS CHIEF MUFTI SPEAKS AGAINST MILITARY ACTION AGAINST IRAQ
Regions.ru reported the same day that rallies against war in Iraq will
be held on 15 February in Voronezh, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhnii
Novgorod, Yaroslavl, Perm, and Yekaterinburg. On 11 February, the head
of the Ufa-based Central Religious Board of Muslims of Russia and the
European countries of the CIS, Supreme Mufti Telget Tajetdin, said
during his morning sermon that he opposes the use of force to resolve
the crisis in Iraq, RFE/RL's Ufa correspondent reported the next day.
JAC
[08] CRITICS LAMBASTE PROPOSED MEDIA LEGISLATION
"Nezavisimaya gazeta" provided on 13 February more details about a
presidential package of bills that would amend election and mass-media
laws to allow the authorities to shut down media outlets that violate
election rules during campaigns (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 6 February
2003). Under the bill, journalists would not be permitted to
disseminate any information -- even if it is accurate -- that could
harm a candidate's dignity or damage his or her reputation, unless the
media outlet is prepared to give the candidate similar space or air
time free of charge for a rebuttal, the newspaper reported. Commenting
on the bills, Sergei Markov of the Institute for Political Research
said they "might seriously distort the electoral process" and that
"politicians will stop canvassing for votes and will concentrate on
winning court cases." "The outcome of the election will depend on the
court bureaucracy rather than the will of the people," Markov said.
Georgii Satarov of the INDEM Foundation added that he considers the
amendments "extremely harmful." When the media are not allowed to
explain to citizens what is happening, "expect some highly negative
consequences," Satarov said. JAC
[09] FISHERIES HEAD SUSPENDED
Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov on 14 February "temporarily suspended"
State Fisheries Committee Chairman and former Primorskii Krai Governor
Yevgenii Nazdratenko, Russian news agencies reported. Kasyanov said he
took the step in response to continuous protests by Far Eastern
fishermen and officials complaining about the reductions of fishing
quotas, RFE/RL's Russian Service reported. At the same time, Kasyanov
annulled two of Nazdratenko's directives on quotas. Kasyanov noted that
on 31 December the government confirmed the national fisheries quotas
and that regional authorities then submitted their recommendations on
dividing those quotas among the regions, but the State Fisheries
Committee has failed to issue the required licenses, newsru.com
reported. Kasyanov commented that he has received many complaints from
regional authorities saying that Nazdratenko has overruled their
decisions. Such encroachment on the prerogatives of local
administrations is impermissible, Kasyanov said. VY
[10] YABLOKO LEADER SLAMS ELECTRICITY-SECTOR REFORMS
Yabloko leader Grigorii Yavlinskii told reporters on 13 February that
his party's Duma faction will vote against a set of six
electricity-sector reforms that was expected to be considered in its
second reading on 14 February, RFE/RL's Moscow bureau reported. The
bills were passed in their first reading on 9 October, newsru.com
reported. Yavlinskii said the "reforms will lead to unrestrained price
and rates increases and bring the reform of the communal-housing and
public-utilities sector to a dead end." The reforms "will also
stimulate inflation and lead to a further decapitalization of
businesses" and will "destabilize all economic markets," Yavlinskii
said. According to the bureau, Yavlinskii also charged that the reform
of Unified Energy Systems (EES) devised by EES head Anatolii Chubais
with the support of Prime Minister Kasyanov is a struggle not only for
influence over the economy but also for political power. EES "is
forming a supermonopoly so that in this year of elections -- and even
after that -- it can get as close to power as possible, and, if there
is an opportunity, wield it," Yavlinskii declared. JAC
[11] MMM CO-FOUNDER SENTENCED
A Moscow court on 13 February sentenced Vyacheslav Mavrodi, younger
brother of MMM investment firm founder Sergei Mavrodi, to five years
and three months in prison for his conviction on charges of conducting
illegal banking and precious-commodities operations, regions.ru and
other Russian news agencies reported. After the collapse of MMM, which
Vyacheslav Mavrodi founded with his brother, he formed two other
pyramid-type investment companies called MMM-96 and MMM-97. The court
ruled that by accepting "deposits" from investors, Mavrodi violated
Russian banking laws and that the companies acquired gold from the
Central Bank without having the necessary license. Mavrodi's lawyers
said they will appeal the conviction. Sergei Mavrodi was arrested in
Moscow on 31 January (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 3 and 4 February 2003)
after almost five years on the run and now faces fraud charges stemming
from MMM's activities. RC
[12] NEW PUBLICATION AIMS FOR THE ACQUISITIVE CLASS
The former publisher of "Kommersant-Daily" and some of its former staff
are starting a new weekly called "Stolichnaya," aimed at Russia's
growing middle class, smi.ru reported on 13 February. According to a
press release, the new publication will be aimed at people who "know
that they live better today than they did yesterday, and who want to
believe that they will live better tomorrow than they do today." The
weekly's potential readers are people "who already have what they lost
and who hope to have more in the future." Researchers at the
Sotsioekspress Research Center estimate that there are around 1.1
million such people in Moscow. JAC
[13] COMMUNISTS SAY THEY'RE GETTING YOUNGER...
At a conference in Moscow devoted to the 10th anniversary of the
Communist Party of Russia (KPRF), party leader Gennadii Zyuganov said
that those who consider the KPRF a party of pensioners are mistaken,
RFE/RL's Moscow bureau reported. He said that in the recent years, the
party's ranks have grown significantly younger, and the party
leadership is full of young, energetic cadres. However, RIA-Novosti
reported that Zyuganov acknowledged that the average age of party
members is over 55. Aleksandr Kuvaev, secretary of the Moscow city
Communist Party branch, told RFE/RL that his organization has become
younger as older members pass away. He said that this year more than
1,000 new members have joined his branch of the party, 700 to 800 of
whom are students. JAC
[14] ...AS SPS, OVR REPEAT BID FOR TEEN VOTE
The Union of Rightist Forces (SPS) and Fatherland-All Russia (OVR)
factions have proposed amending the law on voting rights to lower the
voting age to 16, "Izvestiya" reported on 12 February. The authors of
the amendment are Aleksandr Barannikov (SPS), Andrei Vulf (SPS), and
Vladimir Koptev-Dvornikov (OVR). According to "Gazeta," such a change
would add some 4.9 million voters to the rolls. A similar bill was
considered last April, but only 159 deputies of the required 226
supported it, "Izvestiya" reported. Central Election Commission
Chairman Aleksandr Veshnyakov opposes the bill for a number of reasons,
including the fact that the overall voter-participation rate would drop
since younger voters tend not to bother to vote. JAC
[15] PRO-PUTIN YOUTH GROUP MOCKS COMMUNISTS, BEREZOVSKII
The pro-Putin youth movement Walking Together, which has undertaken a
number of flamboyant public demonstrations in recent months, held a
downtown Moscow event on 13 February to mark the 10th anniversary of
the KPRF, strana.ru reported. Demonstrators hung a large banner on the
Moskva Hotel featuring portraits of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels,
Vladimir Lenin, Josef Stalin, Zyuganov, and self-exiled magnate Boris
Berezvoskii. Mikhail Myasoedov, spokesman and chief ideologue for the
movement, said the point of the demonstration was to show that the KPRF
has been transformed into something like a commercial brand, "just like
a type of washing machine." Marchers also played a "musical present"
for Zyuganov -- Liza Minelli's "Money Makes the World Go Round." VY
[16] AND THEN THERE WERE 88?
Legislators in Perm Oblast voted unanimously on 13 February to confirm
the text of a letter to President Putin calling for merging the oblast
with neighboring Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug, polit.ru reported.
Legislators in the okrug voted on 11 February to support the idea,
according to "Vedomosti." State Duma Deputy Andrei Klimov (Russian
Regions), who was elected from the okrug's single-mandate district,
told the daily that the desirability of joining the two regions has
been discussed for the last 12 years but starting the process only
became possible in 2002 with the passage of a federal bill outlining
the procedure for combining federation subjects (see "RFE/RL Russian
Political Weekly," 30 January 2003). Klimov said that regional leaders
plan to hold a referendum about merging the two regions this December
at the same time as the State Duma elections. JAC
[17] BUREAUCRATS ASPIRE TO WALK ALL OVER PUTIN
State officials at all levels from the presidential administration to
city hall have lined up to obtain a special limited-edition rug bearing
a portrait of President Putin, "Simbirskii kurer" reported on 11
February. In its first edition, the rug, which was produced by the
Nometeks textile factory in Dimitrovgrad, depicted Putin against the
background of the Russian flag. However, the plant ran out of red
thread, and the flag has subsequently been dropped. In the newer
version, the flagless Putin appears to be unshaven. However, the rug
makers explain that this is only because the density of the weave makes
it difficult to render straight lines. The factory declined to name
names, but it did acknowledge that officials from Moscow, Ulyanovsk,
Dimitrovgrad, Samara, and other cities have purchased the carpet, which
costs some 4,000 rubles ($126). An unidentified source told the
newspaper that Ulyanovsk Oblast Governor Vladimir Shamanov was among
the purchasers. JAC
[18] CHECHEN PRESIDENT'S NEW ENVOY MAKES DEBUT
Salambek Maigov, whom President Aslan Maskhadov named on 3 February as
his envoy in Moscow, told a press conference on 13 February that "there
are no doubts" that Maskhadov is currently in Chechnya, Russian news
agencies reported. Maigov admitted that Maskhadov does not control all
armed formations in Chechnya, especially the so-called
"irreconcilables," but argued that this does not detract from his
status as Chechnya's legitimate president. Maigov said the planned 23
March referendum on a new draft Chechen constitution will not
contribute to a political settlement of the conflict and that the only
way to do so is to resume talks between Maskhadov's representatives and
the Russian government. A former Russian military-intelligence (GRU)
officer, Maigov ran unsuccessfully against Maskhadov in the January
1997 Chechen presidential election. He is currently chairman of the
Chechen Anti-War Congress and one of the leading members of the Eurasia
Party. One veteran military analyst has compared his political charisma
with that of the late General Aleksandr Lebed. LF
TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[19] ARMENIAN COURT RULES INCUMBENT ELIGIBLE TO CONTEST PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION
A Yerevan court rejected on 13 February a suit brought by six
opposition presidential candidates asking the court to annul a police
document certifying that President Robert Kocharian has been a citizen
of, and resident in, the Republic of Armenia for 10 years, Noyan Tapan
and RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported. The six plaintiffs argued that
until March 1997 Kocharian lived in the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic, of which he was then president. But the court ruled that a
1989 vote by the Armenian SSR Supreme Soviet that designated Karabakh a
constituent part of Armenia remains valid. In the run-up to the March
1998 presidential election, the Armenian press published photographs of
Kocharian's newly issued Armenian passport. LF
[20] IMF GIVES POSITIVE ASSESSMENT OF ARMENIAN ECONOMIC TRENDS
An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team that recently spent two weeks
in Armenia has positively assessed the country's macroeconomic
performance and has signaled that there are no obstacles to the
disbursement of the fourth tranche -- worth approximately $13 million
-- of the fund's $91 million Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility
Loan, Noyan Tapan and RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported on 13 February.
In a statement released by its Yerevan office, the IMF noted that
Armenia met all but one of the quantitative targets set for December
2002. It further registered Armenia's strong economic performance, as
reflected in its 12.9 percent GDP growth, annual inflation of 2
percent, and reductions in its fiscal and current-account deficits. At
the same time, the fund urged the government to "improve the
transparency of the operations of state-owned companies in the energy
sector, control their large debts, and improve their efficiency and
accountability." The statement did not, however, indicate any timeframe
for the disbursement of the next loan tranche. LF
[21] AZERBAIJANI VILLAGERS LOOK TO CONTINUE DIALOGUE WITH AUTHORITIES
Islamic Party of Azerbaijan Deputy Chairman Gadji-aga Nuriev told
journalists in Baku on 13 February that following their talks on 10
February between village residents and Interior Minister Ramil Usubov
and Prosecutor-General Zakir Garalov they are confident of reaching
agreement with the authorities during further talks next week on
resolving the villagers' socioeconomic problems, zerkalo.az reported on
14 February (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 11 February 2003). But he warned
that if agreement is not reached, the villagers will resume their
protests. Nuriev said village representatives might also meet with Baku
Mayor Hadjibala Abutalibov and President Heidar Aliev. Turan on 13
February quoted Nuriev as saying that during the 10 February talks the
villagers gave Usubov and Garalov a carpet woven by the children of one
of the village elders depicting President Aliev, which they asked the
two officials to present to the president. LF
[22] NEW AZERBAIJANI FIRST DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER NAMED
President Aliev has appointed Deputy Prime Minister Yakub Eyyubov to
the post of first deputy premier, Turan reported on 13 February.
Eyyubov, who is 57, trained as a construction engineer and taught at a
Baku institute until 1997, when he was named to head the State
Committee on Safety in Factories and Mines. He was appointed deputy
prime minister in July 1999. LF
[23] DID GEORGIAN PRESIDENT OFFER USE OF AIRFIELDS FOR U.S. STRIKE
AGAINST IRAQ...
Georgian National Security Council Secretary Tedo Djaparidze told
journalists in Tbilisi on 13 February that during talks earlier this
week with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Stephen Rademaker,
President Eduard Shevardnadze offered both military and political
support for the United States in a possible war against Iraq, Caucasus
Press and Interfax reported. Djaparidze said the United States has not
yet formally responded to that offer. But acting presidential press
secretary Bondo Mdzinarishvili and parliament speaker Nino Birdjanadze
both declined to confirm that Shevardnadze had made such an offer.
ITAR-TASS quoted Georgian presidential adviser Gela Charkviani as
denying that the United States has requested the use of Georgian
airfields, while Interfax on 13 February quoted Georgian presidential
administration official Shalva Pichkhadze as denying that Shevardnadze
and Rademaker specifically discussed the use by the United States of
the Vaziani base near Tbilisi (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12 February
2003). Pichkhadze explained that Georgian airfields are not suitable
for use by U.S. military aircraft and that it would be too expensive to
upgrade them, according to Interfax. LF
[24] ...AND DEMAND QUID PRO QUO?
Reporting Tbilisi's alleged offer to the United States of the use of
its military infrastructure in the event of a war against Iraq,
Georgian news agencies quoted the BBC as saying that Shevardnadze
conditioned that offer on a pledge from Washington to pressure Russia
to close its remaining military bases in Georgia. Georgian parliament
Defense and Security Committee Chairman Irakli Batiashvili declined on
13 February to comment on that report, saying that "the president is
not obliged to inform me" about his decisions, Caucasus Press reported.
LF
[25] U.S. RECOMMENDS EXTENDING MANDATE OF CIS PEACEKEEPERS IN
ABKHAZIA...
Caucasus Press and ITAR-TASS on 13 February quoted U.S. State
Department spokesman Richard Boucher as saying that Washington supports
prolonging for a further six months the mandate of the Russian
peacekeeping force deployed under the CIS aegis in the Abkhaz conflict
zone. That mandate expired on 31 December, and Tbilisi has imposed
specific conditions for extending it (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 January
2003). Boucher said Washington "fully understands" Tbilisi's concern
over unilateral Russian actions, including the renewal of the
commuter-train service between Sochi and the Abkhaz capital, but
advises against any actions that would make the process of negotiating
a settlement to the conflict more difficult. He also urged Georgia and
Abkhazia to begin talks on the UN-drafted document "Basic Principles
for the Division of Competencies Between Tbilisi and Sukhumi." LF
[26] ...AS UN ENVOY MEETS WITH ABKHAZ LEADERS
Ambassador Heidi Tagliavini, who is UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's
special envoy for the Abkhaz conflict, has met in Sukhum with Abkhaz
Prime Minister Gennadii Gagulia and Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba,
Caucasus Press reported on 13 February. Tagliavini told journalists
they discussed the possibility of renewing talks between the Abkhaz and
Georgian sides within the framework of the UN-sponsored Coordinating
Council. Tagliavini too argued that it would be premature to withdraw
the CIS peacekeeping force from Abkhazia at this juncture, ITAR-TASS
reported. LF
[27] OSSETIANS FLEE GEORGIA'S PANKISI GORGE
Residents of five predominantly Ossetian-inhabited villages in the
Pankisi Gorge have solicited help in leaving Georgia to settle in North
Ossetia, according to the Georgian newspaper "Tribuna" on 13 February,
as quoted by Caucasus Press. The villagers cite increasing crime, the
influx of Chechen refugees, and appalling socioeconomic conditions as
their reasons for wishing to leave Georgia. LF
[28] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT CONDEMNS HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN KAZAKHSTAN
In a special resolution unanimously adopted on 13 February, the
European Parliament condemned in unprecedentedly tough terms the recent
trials of opposition politicians and an independent journalist in
Kazakhstan, Reuters and eurasia.org.ru reported. The resolution focuses
specifically on the trial on charges of statutory rape of journalist
Sergei Duvanov and on the sentencing last year on embezzlement charges
of opposition politicians Mukhtar Abliyazov and Ghalymzhan Zhaqiyanov.
It calls on the Kazakh authorities to conduct independent
investigations of all three cases and to make public their findings. It
also calls on Kazakhstan to make available information on all ongoing
investigations and trials, to criminalize the use of torture, to review
the new law on the reregistration of political parties, and to embark
on a dialogue with the opposition on ways to end the existing standoff
between them. LF
[29] KAZAKHSTAN HOSTS CONFERENCE ON PEACE AND ACCORD
Speaking on 13 February at the International Conference on Peace and
Accord in Almaty, Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbaev affirmed
participants' shared belief that all civilizations are equal and that
no one religion should be considered superior to others, Interfax
reported. Conference participants -- who included Kyrgyz President
Askar Akaev; Tajik President Imomali Rakhmonov; Turkish Minister of
State Mehmet Aydin; and Muslim, Christian, and Jewish religious leaders
-- adopted a resolution denouncing all manifestations of terrorism and
calling for a dialogue among civilizations in which, they said, all
religions can play important roles. Azerbaijan's President Heidar Aliev
declined to attend the conference, saying that it was "untimely" given
the impending crisis over Iraq, Interfax reported on 12 February.
Azerbaijan was represented instead by Foreign Minister Vilayat Quliev.
LF
[30] U.S. HANDS OVER AID TO TAJIK ARMY, WILL FINANCE BUILDING BRIDGE TO
AFGHANISTAN
U.S. Ambassador to Dushanbe Franklin Huddle presented Tajik Defense
Ministry officials on 13 February with the first of a consignment of
10,000 uniforms for the Tajik armed forces, Interfax reported. Huddle
termed that aid a token of U.S. appreciation for Tajikistan's
contribution to the international antiterrorism coalition. Huddle also
announced on 13 February that Washington will contribute 95 percent of
the estimated $12 million cost of building an automobile bridge linking
Tajikistan and Afghanistan across the Pyandj River, Interfax reported.
LF
[31] UZBEKISTAN, CHINA SEEK TO EXPAND ECONOMIC COOPERATION
Uzbek and Chinese government delegations attended the fifth session of
the intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation in
Tashkent on 13 February, Interfax, uza.uz, and uzreport.com reported.
The officials noted that bilateral trade turnover increased in 2002 by
more than 20 percent to reach $130 million. The possibility of creating
further joint ventures, of which there are already more than 100 in
Uzbekistan, was also discussed. LF
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
[32] REGIONAL EDITORS COMPLAIN OF STATE PRESSURE IN BELARUS
The editors and publishers of several private, regional newspapers have
appealed to the Belarusian public demanding the restoration of "law and
justice" with regard to their periodicals and readers, Belapan reported
on 13 February. According to the appeal, the authorities are currently
clamping down on the regional press through lawsuits and administrative
measures in order to "purge the information sector on the eve of the
local elections" of independent regional publications. The appeal cites
a recent court ban handed down against Ramuald Ulan, the publisher of
"Novaya gazeta Smorgoni," on entrepreneurial activities as an example
of such harassment. It also mentions administrative barriers erected by
regional authorities to the distribution process. The appeal was signed
by Anatol Hulyayeu, editor in chief of "Mestnoye vremya"; Yury
Kamzolau, editor in chief of "Regionalnye vedomosti" (Horki); Ramuald
Ulan; Andrey Shentarovich, editor in chief of "Mestnaya gazeta"
(Vaukavysk); and Uladzimir Yanukevich, publisher of "Inteks-pres"
(Baranavichy). JM
[33] UKRAINIAN, POLISH PRESIDENTS AGREE ON 'LIBERAL' VISA REGIME...
Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski on 13 February offered
Ukrainians visas at no fee under a new border regime that will be
introduced on 1 July, in line with EU demands, Ukrainian and Polish
media reported. "The Polish side announces that it will introduce the
most liberal visa regime for Ukrainian citizens while meeting the
demands of the European Union and the Schengen agreement. It will
include free visas for Ukrainians," said a joint statement issued after
Kwasniewski's talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Leonid Kuchma in
Ivano-Frankivsk, western Ukraine, earlier the same day. Speaking to
journalists after the talks, Kuchma said Polish citizens will not need
visas to visit Ukraine after 1 July. "A joint decision on the visa
regime between our countries -- free Polish visas for Ukrainian
citizens and a visa-free regime for Polish citizens -- is the Polish
president's personal achievement, I want to emphasize this," Kuchma
noted. JM
[34] ...AND JOINT COMMEMORATION OF 1943 MASSACRE
Kwasniewski and Kuchma also decided that both sides will organize -- in
Volhynia, northwestern Ukraine, in July -- joint commemoration of the
massacre of Poles by Ukrainian nationalists in 1943 (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 13 February 2003). Kuchma spoke in favor of clarifying all
the circumstances of the tragedy. "Crimes against humanity cannot be
justified. Let it be the last such 'celebration' in our relations," PAP
quoted Kuchma as saying. The joint statement stresses that it is
"extremely essential to make the commemoration of the anniversary [of
the 1943 massacre] a significant step toward overcoming divergences in
understanding mutual history." JM
[35] FATF WITHDRAWS CALL FOR SANCTIONS ON UKRAINE
The Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF) has decided
to withdraw the recommendation of countermeasures against Ukraine for
that country's insufficient efforts to combat money laundering (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 12 February 2003), the FATF website
(http://www1.oecd.org/fatf/) reported on 14 February. The FATF said its
move was prompted by Ukraine's recent enactment of "comprehensive
anti-money-laundering legislation" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 7 February
2003). The FATF added, however, that Ukraine will remain on its list of
"noncooperative countries and territories" until Kyiv has efficiently
implemented this legislation. JM
[36] ESTONIAN PREMIER: EU BODIES MUST HAVE NO POWER OVER GOVERNMENTS
Siim Kallas declared during a parliamentary discussion of EU
enlargement on 13 February that no institution or body wielding even
the slightest power over national governments may be created in the
enlarged EU, BNS reported. He decried talk of the creation of a
permanent president of the European Council and called for continuing
the practice of "the presidency of the European Union rotating on a
basis of equality." Kallas also said the EU should continue its current
policy of granting each member country a European commissioner. He said
he opposes plans to unify tax policy in the EU, adding that every state
should retain the right to determine its direct taxes independently. SG
[37] PROTEST AGAINST WAR IN IRAQ STAGED AT U.S. EMBASSY IN LATVIA
Three youth organizations -- the nationalist Visu Latvijai (All for
Latvia) and Klubs 415, along with the leftist Social Democratic Youth
Union -- organized a picket in front of the U.S. Embassy in Riga on 13
February to oppose Washington's seeming intention to use military force
against Iraq, BNS reported. The protest was attended by more than 100
people, including about 20 members of the Environmental Protection Club
and about a dozen members of the ultraright Latvian National Front.
Fearing that there might be an attempt to provoke public disorder, the
organizers asked police to remove a group from the radical-left Russian
National Bolshevik Movement who had come carrying a flag with a
swastika on it. All For Latvia leader Raivis Dzintars pledged that his
organization will soon stage a protest against Russian military
intervention in Chechnya by marching from the U.S. Embassy to the
Russian Embassy in Riga with burning torches. SG
[38] LITHUANIA FRETS OVER RUSSIA'S ENVIRONMENTAL FOOT-DRAGGING...
Foreign Minister Antanas Valionis and Environment Minister Arunas
Kundrotas on 12 February threatened to turn to the UNESCO World
Heritage Center in their ongoing effort to have an international
environmental-impact study conducted on oil extraction at the D-6
deposit in the Baltic Sea, BNS reported the next day. Vilnius will
request that UNESCO appoint international experts to conduct the
research if Russia continues to ignore Lithuania's insistence on such a
study, they said. Russia continues to rebuff requests that it conduct
such a study along with Lithuanian experts, prompting Lithuania to
issue a June deadline to Moscow. SG
[39] ...AHEAD OF PLANNED LUKOIL EXTRACTION
Russia's LUKoil has declared plans to begin extracting oil this year
from the D-6 deposit, which is located 22 kilometers off the Curonian
Spit and 7 kilometers from the Lithuanian-Russian maritime border. The
spit is a narrow strip of land in Lithuania and the Kaliningrad Oblast
with unique dunes and other natural features that was placed on the
UNESCO World Heritage Center's list of protected areas in 2001.
Ministers Valionis and Kundrotas also decided on 12 February to ask the
European Commission's Environment Directorate to acquire more
information about the environmental situation of D-6 at the March
meeting of the EU-Russian Energy, Environment, and Nuclear Energy
Subcommittee and to raise the D-6 issue at the 3rd session of the
Lithuanian-Russian intergovernmental commission at the end of March. SG
[40] LITHUANIA TO DOWNGRADE EU VOTE TO 'ADVISORY' REFERENDUM?
The Coordination Council of the Information Campaign for Entry to the
EU decided on 13 February to recommend to an extraordinary session of
parliament on 24 February that the upcoming EU-accession referendum be
downgraded to an "advisory" plebiscite rather than a "mandatory" one,
ELTA reported. The council is headed by parliamentary Chairman Arturas
Paulauskas. Lithuania's chief negotiator with the EU, Petras
Austrevicius, said other EU aspirants will hold advisory referendums
and there is no need for Lithuania to set higher standards. "An
advisory referendum is equally significant and will provide a
possibility for each Lithuanian citizen to express his opinion,"
Austrevicius said. Advisory referendums still require the participation
of a majority of eligible voters, but there is no requirement that at
least one-third of eligible voters (902,550 voters) must vote in favor
to ensure passage. The council also suggested that the voting take
place over the course of two days (10 and 11 May) and not one. SG
[41] POLISH FARMERS PELT DEPUTY PREMIER WITH EGGS
Angry farmers bombarded Deputy Premier and Agriculture Minister
Jaroslaw Kalinowski with eggs during a public meeting in Poznan on 13
September, Polish media reported. The incident came one day after
police were accused of brutality in a clash in which one farmer lost an
eye (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 13 February 2003). Kalinowski, who has
publicly suggested the farmers' roadblock tactics are justified, said
during the meeting that he does not approve of the use of force against
protesting farmers. JM
[42] POLISH CATHOLIC-RADIO HEAD GRANTED TV LICENSE
The National Radio and Television Broadcasting Council on 13 February
granted a license to Father Tadeusz Rydzyk, head of the ultra-Catholic
Radio Maryja, to operate a television channel called Trwam ("I abide"
in Polish), Polish media reported. The new station's stated goal is to
cover issues connected with religion and education, as well as to
provide information. It will be available by satellite and cable, and
will broadcast five hours a day at the outset with an eye to expanding
to 15-16 hours. Radio Maryja broadcasts a strident anti-EU message to a
regular listenership of several million Poles. JM
[43] POLAND'S EU REFERENDUM MIGHT LAST TWO DAYS
The Sejm on 13 February voted by 297 to 97, with seven abstentions, to
approve a bill on national referendums allowing such plebiscites to
last two days, Polish media reported. Foreign Minister Wlodzimierz
Cimoszewicz said a two-day referendum on Poland's EU entry would ensure
a higher turnout, Reuters reported. Polls in recent months show support
in Poland for EU entry to be stable around 70 percent, but the
government is afraid many EU supporters will not turn up to vote. JM
[44] EC PRESIDENT, CZECH AMBASSADOR DISCUSS EUROPEAN RIFT OVER IRAQ
European Commission President Romano Prodi told the new Czech
ambassador to the EU, Pavel Telicka, in Brussels on 13 February that
the EU is concerned over the lack of unity among EU candidate countries
and some current members over the Iraq crisis, CTK reported. Telicka,
who in his new position continues his previous duties as chief Czech
negotiator with the EU, informed Prodi of the Czech government's
position in the matter and said there is concern in Prague over the
EU's inability to adopt a joint position. Prodi mentioned the so-called
letter of the eight, to which former Czech President Vaclav Havel was a
signatory, saying that document's timing was "unfortunate." Prodi told
the Czech ambassador that the dispute over Iraq has left him "bitter,"
according to CTK, which quoted Telicka. Telicka told Prodi the Czech
Republic wants the EU to be strong and capable of action, with a
functioning joint foreign and security policy. MS
[45] U.S. AMBASSADOR CALLS CZECH REPUBLIC ONE OF 'MOST STALWART
ALLIES'...
U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic Craig Stapleton, addressing a
forum on Czech-U.S. relations on 13 February, called the Czech Republic
"among the most stalwart allies in the war against terrorism,"
according to an "RFE/RL Newsline" correspondent. He also welcomed the
Czech government's announcement the previous day that it is ready to
come to Turkey's defense if that country is threatened by any Iraqi
counterstrike in the event of conflict (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12
February 2003). Stapleton emphasized that a resolution approved by the
Czech government at the end of last month (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14
and 17 January 2003) specifies that the Czech nuclear, biological, and
chemical (NBC) unit stationed in Kuwait may be deployed in Turkey or
Israel, for instance, or "into battle if weapons of mass destruction
are used" by Iraq. He stressed that "there are no quid pro quos in the
U.S.-Czech relationship." AH
[46] ...BUT NOTES LINGERING CORRUPTION...
Addressing the same forum, Stapleton said corruption in the Czech
Republic creates problems for U.S. and other foreign companies
operating in the country, according to an "RFE/RL Newsline"
correspondent. "The Czech Republic continues to drop in Transparency
International's Corruption Perception Index," he said, noting that its
ranking is "below all other EU members and accession states." He added,
"Prime Minister [Vladimir] Spidla's reputation and public statements
are important, but what investors, friendly governments, and
international institutions want to see are concrete actions." If the
Czech Republic wants to see more investments coming from the U.S., he
said, it should "correct" the environment in which "too many
anticorruption campaigns or criminal investigations are launched with
great fanfare, but their results are either ambiguous or nonexistent"
and "high-powered individuals sometimes seem immune from prosecution."
AH
[47] ...AND SIGNALS TOUGHER VISA POLICY
Stapleton also said the visa requirement for Czechs visiting the United
States is unlikely to be lifted in the near future, and "in fact [the
U.S. visa regime] is going to be tightened," according to an "RFE/RL
Newsline" correspondent. He cited terrorism and the current
international situation as justifying the new tack. "The United States
is one of the most porous countries in the world, and that's going to
change," he warned. He told the audience that Czechs can expect longer
delays, interview processes, and other administrative precautions in
the future as a result of the more comprehensive security. AH
[48] CZECH CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS READY TO SUPPORT SOKOL'S PRESIDENTIAL
CANDIDACY
Christian Democratic Union-People's Party (KDU-CSL) Chairman and
Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda said on 13 February that his party would
support the presidential candidacy of former Education Minister Jan
Sokol if its Social Democratic Party (CSSD) coalition partner
officially proposes him, CTK reported. Sokol's name was recently
floated as a possible CSSD candidate by Premier Spidla (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 10 February 2003). Sokol, an education minister under the
Milos Zeman government who now teaches philosophy at Prague's Charles
University, told Czech Radio that, before accepting, he wants
"reasonable guarantees" that the fractured CSSD would rally behind his
candidacy. He added that he would not expect "100 percent support" in
the party, however, dpa reported on 13 February. Sokol also said he
wants CSSD's coalition partners, KDU-CSL and the Freedom
Union-Democratic Union, to support him. A dissident under the communist
regime, Sokol said he is not ready to renounce his critical stance
toward the expulsion from Czechoslovakia of ethnic Germans under the
1946 Benes Decrees. In 1995, he signed a petition calling for
reconciliation with the expelled German minority, calling the expulsion
"a shame" and adding that reconciliation should occur for the sake of
Czechs, not of Germans. "We should not have any skeletons in our
closet," CTK cited Sokol as saying. MS
[49] CZECH COURT CLEARS EXTRADITION TO GERMANY OF IRA SUSPECT
A Prague court on 13 February ruled that suspected Irish Republican
Army terrorist Michael Dickson should be extradited to Germany to face
charges linked to a 1996 grenade attack on British Army barracks in
Osnabruck, dpa and Reuters reported. Dickson, who was arrested on 6
December on an international warrant after arriving from Dublin,
immediately appealed the decision. Dickson is also suspected of
participating in a 1996 IRA bomb attack on military barracks in
Lisburn, Northern Ireland, in which one officer was killed, and in the
1999 shooting of former IRA member Martin McGartland. MS
[50] SLOVAKIA CLEARS TRANSIT OF U.S. TROOPS IN THE EVENT OF WAR WITH
IRAQ
The center-right government on 13 February granted a request by the
United States to use Slovak Railways and roads to transport military
personnel and machinery in the event of war with Iraq, TASR and
international news agencies reported. The request was received the same
day via the U.S. Embassy in Bratislava. According to CTK, two of the
three ministers representing the Christian Democratic Movement opposed
the decision: Interior Minister Vladimir Palko and Education Minister
Martin Fronc. Palko said the request was not one of a humanitarian
nature. On 29 January, the cabinet approved overflights by U.S.
military planes if war breaks out and dispatched a 75-strong NBC unit
to the Persian Gulf, a move that was subsequently approved by the
parliament (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 7 February 2003). MS
[51] REBEL DEPUTIES IGNORE SLOVAK OPPOSITION-PARTY CHAIRMAN'S WARNING
The deadline set by Movement for a Democratic Slovakia Chairman (HZDS)
and former Premier Vladimir Meciar to dissidents in the HZDS who formed
a separate group in parliament passed on 13 February without their
acting on it in any manner, TASR reported. Meciar on 10 February said
the group, which includes 11 of the 36 HZDS deputies in the
legislature, should either recant or quit the party (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 11 February 2003). Also on 13 February, HZDS Bratislava
Chairman Ladislav Polka resigned his position, citing a lack of
communication with the party's central leadership. Polka is one of the
11 dissenting HZDS deputies. TASR reported that just three of the eight
HZDS regional-branch leaders continue to back Meciar. It said Kosice
Chairman Gustav Krajci is expected to resign on 14 February, while
Banska Bystrica Chairman Ivan Kino resigned in January. The new
parliamentary group, led by Vojtech Tkac, has been joined by the
leaders of the Presov and Trnava regional branches -- Peter Chudik and
Igor Pinkava, respectively. MS
[52] SLOVAK GYNECOLOGISTS DENY REPORTS OF FORCED STERILIZATION
Gynecologists from eastern Slovakia on 13 February rejected as an
"expedient, unfounded, and unprovoked attack" on Slovak gynecology a
report by the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights and the
Kosice-based Center for Civic and Human Rights alleging that Romany
women underwent sterilization after being duped into signing consent
papers, TASR and CTK reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 30 and 31 January
2003). Professor Stefan Lukacin, an expert in natal care representing
the gynecologists, said they have filed charges against the authors of
the report, adding that the gynecologists suspect "political pressure
from abroad" is behind the allegations. MS
[53] HUNGARIAN PREMIER REFUSES LUNGO DROM REQUEST
Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy on 13 February stated in a letter to
Florian Farkas, president of the Romany Lungo Drom organization, that
the government cannot fulfill his request to appoint a government
commissioner to supervise repeat Romany-authority elections scheduled
for 1 March, "Nepszabadsag" reported. Last month the Supreme Court
established that the 12 January Romany assembly had no quorum, after
Lungo Drom representatives walked out of the election hall in protest
over voting procedures (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 and 17 January 2003).
Medgyessy said the government must not influence the voting, either by
appointing a commissioner or by instituting technical rules pertaining
to the elections. However, he has asked the Interior Ministry to ensure
that the National Elections Office examines other concerns and
proposals by Lungo Drom. MSZ
[54] HUNGARY'S FIDESZ POLITICIAN SAYS EU CONSTITUTION SHOULD REFER TO
GOD
Opposition FIDESZ parliamentary member Jozsef Szajer on 13 February
consulted Hungary's Roman Catholic Church leaders regarding the future
EU constitution, Budapest dailies reported. Szajer said that together
with more than 20 European parliamentary members, he will propose that
the EU constitution incorporate Christian values and a reference to
God. Bench of Catholic Bishops Chairman Archbishop Istvan Seregely
pointed out that Christianity is the predominant religion in all
European states. MSZ
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[55] CROATIA TO APPLY THIS MONTH FOR EU MEMBERSHIP
The Croatian government formally decided on 13 February that Croatia
will officially apply for EU membership, RFE/RL's South Slavic and
Albanian Languages Service reported. Prime Minister Ivica Racan will
hand over the country's application to the Greek EU Presidency in
Athens on 21 February. UB
[56] POLICE UNIONS DEMAND RESIGNATION OF CROATIAN INTERIOR MINISTER
Two police unions demanded on 13 February that Interior Minister Sime
Lucin resign, charging that he was responsible for the death of a
police officer killed the previous day, RFE/RL's South Slavic and
Albanian Languages Service reported. The unions insist that police have
neither the necessary equipment, adequate protection, nor sufficient
powers. The latest police killing was the third in the past year. UB
[57] BOSNIAN PRESIDENT NAMES PRIME MINISTER
Bosnian President Niko Lozancic on 13 February nominated Ahmet
Hadzipasic to be the next prime minister, while Dragan Vrankic and
Gavrilo Grahovac were named deputy prime ministers, RFE/RL's South
Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported. Cabinet nominations
still require approval by the House of Representatives. Meanwhile, the
parliament's second chamber, the House of Nations, on 13 February
passed legislation regulating arms exports. It also approved amendments
to the law on citizenship enabling the government to sign bilateral
treaties on dual citizenship until 2013. UB
[58] SERBIAN PARLIAMENT AGREES ON DIVISION OF SEATS IN NEW STATE'S
PARLIAMENT...
The Serbian parliament on 13 February agreed on the distribution of
seats reserved for legislators from Serbia in the new state of Serbia
and Montenegro's parliament, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian
Languages Service reported. The governing Democratic Opposition of
Serbia (DOS) will send 46 legislators to the new parliament, while 16
seats will be reserved for President Vojislav Kostunica's Democratic
Party of Serbia (DSS), 12 for the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS),
eight for the Serbian Radical Party (SRS), five for Party of Serbian
Unity (SSJ), and two each for the New Serbia group and the Socialist
People's Party. UB
[59] ...AS DOES THE MONTENEGRIN PARLIAMENT
Also on 13 February, the parliament in Podgorica decided on the
distribution of seats reserved for Montenegrin legislators in the new
joint parliament, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service
reported. The governing coalition led by Prime Minister Milo
Djukanovic's Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) will be given 19
seats in the federal parliament and the opposition Alliance for Change
coalition 14, while the opposition Liberal Alliance and ethnic Albanian
parties will have one seat each. UB
[60] ALBANIANS STAGE PROTEST IN SOUTHERN SERBIA...
Some 2,000 ethnic Albanians staged a peaceful protest in the southern
Serbian town of Bujanovac on 13 February to demand the release of seven
ethnic Albanians suspected of weapons violations, RFE/RL's South Slavic
and Albanian Languages Service reported. The suspects were arrested by
Serbian police in the area of Bujanovac on 8 February for illegal
possession of arms (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 10 February 2003). In other
news, the Serbian Interior Ministry has stepped up security measures in
the Presevo Valley region amid reports of a growing danger of terrorist
attacks, RFE/RL reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12 February 2003). UB
[61] ...WHILE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY VOICES CONCERN ABOUT GROWING
TENSIONS
EU foreign and security policy chief Javier Solana said in Brussels on
13 February that he is deeply concerned over growing tensions in the
Presevo Valley region, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages
Service reported. Solana demanded that all attacks on the multiethnic
police force and the intimidation of local authorities by extremist
groups stop immediately. Elsewhere, Ambassador Maurizio Massari, who
heads the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
mission to Serbia, told the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on 13
February that the latest incidents must not call into question the
reconciliation, adding that the economic development of Kosova is the
key to regional stability. UB
[62] MACEDONIAN DEFENSE MINISTER MEETS UNMIK, KFOR HEADS
Defense Minister Vlado Buckovksi met in Prishtina on 13 February with
Michael Steiner, who heads the UN civilian administration in Kosova
(UNMIK), and KFOR Commander Lieutenant General Fabio Mini to discuss
the security situation in the region, Macedonian media reported.
According to NATO's official website (http://www.nato.int/kfor),
Buckovski and Mini reviewed the existing liaison arrangements between
KFOR and the Macedonian Army and discussed cooperation to ensure border
security. Buckovski's talks with Steiner also focused on issues related
to the border between Kosova and Macedonia. In addition, they spoke
about plans to set up a Macedonian liaison office in Prishtina to
enhance cooperation between UNMIK and the Macedonian government on the
one hand, and between Macedonian and Kosovar companies on the other. UB
[63] ALBANIA, EU START TALKS ON STABILIZATION AND ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT
Minister for Integration Sokol Naku and EU representatives held the
first round of talks on the Association and Stabilization Agreement
between Albania and the EU in Tirana on 13 February, ATA reported. The
talks focused on the first three chapters of the agreement regarding
general principles, political dialogue, and regional cooperation. Also
in Tirana, the Joint Albania-European Union Committee met on 12-13
February to assess the country's progress in implementing reforms,
trade relations, and the impact of EU assistance. UB
[64] STRUGGLE FOR SLOVENIAN RADIO IN AUSTRIA
Representatives from the Austrian Center for Ethnic Groups and the
European Bureau for Lesser-Used Languages have wrapped up a three-day
visit to the Council of Europe and European Parliament in Strasbourg,
"Delo" reported on 14 February. The representatives drew attention to
the situation of the Slovenian language in the Austrian province of
Carinthia, prompted by a decision by the Austrian broadcasting
corporation ORF to stop funding the radio program "Radio Dva" (Radio
Two). "Radio Dva" has served Austria's Slovenian minority since 1998 in
line with Austria's obligations under the Framework Convention for the
Protection of National Minorities and the Charter for Regional or
Minority Languages, and its staff now works on a volunteer basis. Four
radio-staff members held a five-day hunger strike last week to raise
awareness and seek guarantees for all-day Slovenian-language
programming in the province. Otherwise, they threaten an unlimited
hunger strike starting in mid-March. Activists have gathered 8,600
signatures that they plan to deliver to Austrian State Secretary for
the Arts Franz Morak on 20 February, and "Radio Dva" has posted
messages of support on its website (http://www.radio-dva.at). DR
[65] ROMANIAN POLL SHOWS PSD STILL LEADING, BUT LOSING STEAM
A public-opinion poll released on 13 February by the Center for Urban
and Rural Research shows that the governing Social Democratic Party
(PSD) continues to lead the field, but its backing (46 percent) has
dropped below 50 percent for the first time in recent months, Mediafax
and the private Antena 1 television reported. The PSD is trailed at
great distance by the National Liberal Party (PNL), which has been the
second most popular party since the 2000 parliamentary elections, with
15 percent support. Third is the Greater Romania Party (14 percent),
followed by the Democratic Party (10 percent), the Hungarian Democratic
Federation of Romania (6 percent), and the PSD-allied Humanist Party (4
percent). Forty-nine percent of those questioned said they "greatly
trust" or "trust" President Ion Iliescu, who is trailed in popular
trust by Premier Adrian Nastase (42 percent), PNL Chairman Theodor
Stolojan (41 percent), Democratic Party Chairman Traian Basescu (37
percent), Greater Romania Party Chairman Corneliu Vadim Tudor (18
percent), and Humanist Party Chairman Dan Voiculescu and National
Peasant Party Christian Democratic Chairman Victor Ciorbea (14 percent
each). MS
[66] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT MEETS WITH DEMOCRATIC PARTY LEADERSHIP
President Iliescu on 13 February met with parliamentary groups of the
Democratic Party, in the absence of party Chairman Basescu, who was
attending an international forum in Brussels, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau
reported. Iliescu thus accepted the Democrats' invitation to meet --
the first time in Romania that a head of state has met with an
opposition party at the latter's request. He told the Democrats he will
try to mediate in the ongoing conflict between Chairman Basescu, who is
also Bucharest mayor, and the PSD majority in Bucharest's Municipal
Council over a loan granted to the mayoralty by the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and later nullified by the
council and the cabinet (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 13 and 16 January
2003). Iliescu said he considers it "normal" for an opposition party to
criticize the government, but that criticism should be based on real
facts and not on claims such as those that the economy fared better
under the 1996-2000 government. MS
[67] REMAINS OF ROMANIAN KING CAROL II BROUGHT HOME FROM PORTUGAL
The remains of controversial King Carol II and of his last wife, Elena
Lupescu, were flown from Portugal on 13 February and were to be
reburied at the Curtea de Arges Monastery the next day, RFE/RL's
Bucharest bureau and Mediafax reported. A military ceremony at
Bucharest's international Otopeni Airport was attended by Premier
Nastase, cabinet members, and Princess Margareta, who was representing
former King Michael I. The former monarch is not attending either of
the two ceremonies. In a message read by Margareta's spouse, Prince
Radu von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Michael I said the debates over his
father's achievements and failures must be left to historians and "will
undoubtedly continue." He saluted as " a patriotic and Christian"
gesture the government's decision to return to King Carol II's remains.
Prince Radu was quoted by Romanian Radio as saying that by agreeing to
have Carol II's remains returned from Portugal, the former monarch has
"once again fulfilled his [national] duty," while adding that Michael's
personal feelings are "a private matter that must be treated
discreetly." King Carol II divorced Michael's mother, Queen Elena,
because of his scandalous extramarital affair with Lupescu, whom he
married in exile. Queen Elena was banned from Romania until Carol was
forced to abdicate in 1940. MS
[68] CONFLICTING REPORTS ON TIRASPOL'S REACTION TO MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT'S
PROPOSAL
The official separatist Olivia Press agency on 13 February said in a
commentary that President Vladimir Voronin's recent proposals for
jointly working out a new constitution with the Tiraspol authorities
are unacceptable because they allegedly treat the Transdniester "from a
position of [Moldovan] superiority," RFE/RL's Romania-Moldova Service
reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12 and 13 February 2003). The
commentary said the only acceptable solution would be one based on the
Serbia-Montenegro model, ensuring "an equitable partnership" of both
sides. According to Infotag, however, the Transdniestrian Foreign
Ministry stated on 13 February that the proposals are "timely and
adequate." A spokesman for the ministry said the proposals amount to "a
public recognition of previous mistakes" by Voronin. The spokesman went
on to say that Voronin has thereby launched a "propaganda campaign
aimed at preparing public opinion for the necessity to transform the
unitary state into a federal one." He added that the nature of the
future federation "remains an open question that can be solved only in
the course of the current negotiation process." MS
[69] MOLDOVAN GOVERNMENT APPROVES BILL OUTLAWING DEMONSTRATIONS IN
CENTRAL CHISINAU
The government on 13 February approved a bill outlawing protest
demonstrations and other public gatherings on Chisinau's Grand National
Assembly Square, Flux reported. The bill, which has yet to be approved
by parliament, stipulates that protest demonstrations would be allowed
only at specially designated venues, at considerable distance from
official government buildings and where they would not block traffic.
It also stipulates that those requesting authorization for organizing
such public meetings would be required to submit 50,000-100,000 lei
($3,521-$7,042) "financial guarantees" that they would not violate the
conditions of the authorization. Government sources cited by Flux said
the cabinet intends to rush the bill through parliament in order for
President Voronin to promulgate it before a planned 23 February protest
demonstration organized by opposition parties. MS
[70] MOLDOVAN PARLIAMENT REJECTS OPPOSITION BILL ON CHANGING ELECTORAL
SYSTEM...
Parliament on 13 February rejected a bill proposed by the Braghis
Alliance to have the electoral system changed from proportional
representation to a mixed system, Infotag reported. The proposal
envisaged 50 out of Moldova's 101 lawmakers being elected in
single-mandate constituencies and the rest on party lists. The vote was
taken in the absence of Braghis Alliance and Popular Party Christian
Democratic deputies, who are boycotting parliamentary debates. The
Party of Moldovan Communists (PCM) majority also rejected a Braghis
Alliance bill that would have recognized the results of a plebiscite as
valid if 50-percent-plus-one-voter cast a ballot in the referendum.
Under current legislation, three-fifths of registered voters must
participate in order for a referendum to be considered valid. MS
[71] ...AND MAJORITY PARTY BILL LIMITING MAYORS' MANDATES TO TWO
Parliament also rejected on 13 February a bill submitted by the PCM
majority that would have limited the number of mandates mayors can
serve to two consecutive terms, RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported.
Chisinau Mayor Serafim Urechean is widely considered to be the target
of the proposed change. After the vote was taken in the legislature,
Urechean announced he will run for the post again in the local
elections scheduled for May. Moldovan observers believe the opposition
will unite in his support. MS
[72] BULGARIAN SOCIALIST LEADER WARNS THAT GOVERNMENT POSITION ON IRAQ
MIGHT IMPEDE EU ACCESSION
Socialist Party (BSP) Chairman Sergey Stanishev said after meeting on
13 February with the U.S., French, and Greek ambassadors to Bulgaria
that the government's one-sided position on Iraq might have a negative
effect on the country's chances of EU membership and the pace of
accession talks, BTA reported. "We [the Socialist Party] acknowledge
the fact that Bulgaria is in a delicate position, but a balance should
be sought more actively between the stands of the U.S. and of the EU,"
Stanishev said. He added that he believes there is a difference between
the government's words and actions. "During my talks with Prime
Minister Simeon Saxecoburggotski before the parliament put to a vote
the Bulgarian stand on the Iraqi situation, I was left with the
impression that [Saxecoburggotski] holds a more balanced and reserved
position than Foreign Minister Solomon Pasi and Bulgarian [Ambassador
to the UN Stefan Tafrov]," Stanishev said (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 10
and 13 February 2003). UB
[73] CANADIAN BANKS, COMPANIES EXPRESS INTEREST IN INVESTING IN
BULGARIA
The Energy Ministry announced on 13 February that the Canadian
International Development Agency (CIDA) and the Bank of Montreal have
told Energy Minister Milko Kovachev that they are interested in
participating in the construction of a nuclear-power plant near the
northeastern Bulgarian town of Belene, bnn reported (see "End Note"
"RFE/RL Newsline," 15 October 2002 and "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 April and
18 December 2002). Kovachev, who is on an official four-day visit to
Canada at the invitation of Canadian Natural Resources Minister Herb
Dhaliwal, on 11 February visited the Chalk River nuclear-power research
facility, which is run by the company Atomic Energy of Canada Limited.
On 13 February, the Economy Ministry announced that the Canadian
company Dundee Precious Acquisition, Inc. has been granted a 90-day
period of exclusivity to take over the Bulgarian assets of the
London-based Navan Mining company, including a gold mine near the
southeastern Bulgarian town of Krumovgrad, bnn reported. UB
SOUTHWESTERN ASIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST
[74] CONTRIBUTION TO ISAF NOT RELATED TO GERMAN POLICY ON IRAQ
Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Loebbering, a spokesman for the International
Security Assistance Force (ISAF), told RFE/RL on 13 February that there
is no link between Germany's refusal to contribute forces to a possible
military campaign against Iraq and Berlin's enhanced commitments in
Afghanistan. "Germany's commitment to ISAF has been very strong from
the very beginning onward. It has nothing to do with Iraq," he said.
However, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on 13 February told the
Bundestag that German special forces "are serving side by side with the
Americans in Afghanistan" because Germany places importance on fighting
international terrorism, RFE/RL reported. "German soldiers -- together
with the Netherlands -- assumed command of the UN ISAF international
security force in Kabul," as part of this commitment, he said. There
has been speculation that Germany assumed greater responsibility in the
ISAF as part of an effort to mend relations with the United States,
which have been strained by Germany's refusal to back U.S. policy
vis-a-vis Iraq (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12 November 2002). AT
[75] U.S. SAYS NO CIVILIANS KILLED IN BAGHRAN BOMBING CAMPAIGN
The U.S. Central Command on 13 February refuted reports that at least
17 Afghan civilians have been killed as a result of a bombing campaign
that began in Helmand Province on 10 February (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
13 February 2003), American Forces Press Service (AFPS) reported.
"Battle damage assessment conducted in support of Operation Eagle Fury
has not indicated any noncombatant casualties" as of 13 February, AFPS
quoted a U.S. military spokesman in Afghanistan as saying. AT
[76] UNIDENTIFIED DISEASE KILLS SIX AFGHAN CHILDREN
At least six Afghan children under the age of five have died in Chahab
District of Takhar Province, northeastern Afghanistan, from an
unidentified disease suspected to be meningitis, the Voice of the
Islamic Republic of Iran reported on 13 February. According to doctors,
preliminary analyses have indicated that the disease is meningitis, but
no conclusive diagnosis has been made. The report added that the
outbreak of the disease is under control in the area. Since
mid-November at least 300 children have died in northeastern
Afghanistan as a result of different diseases, especially whooping
cough, the Iranian radio station added. AT
[77] AFGHAN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR VOLUNTEERISM
Transitional Administration President Hamid Karzai on 13 February
called on Afghans to work together and to rebuild their country, Radio
Afghanistan reported. In his radio address, Karzai called volunteerism
a "very good Afghan custom" that should be followed. Karzai said that
if the Afghans begin to work together to rebuild Afghanistan, foreign
donors will also help in the effort, but he insisted that the task is
an Afghan one, Radio Afghanistan reported. The Afghan president warned
his people that if they do not unite and work in cooperation to repair
the damages incurred during years of war, despair will prevail in
Afghanistan. AT
[78] TEHRAN BACKS SUPPORT FOR HIZBALLAH
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Assefi on 13 February did not
deny that Iran supports the Lebanese Hizballah, according to Iranian
state television. U.S. Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet
said in his 11 February testimony before the Senate Select Committee on
Intelligence (SSCI) that Iran "sponsors" Hizballah and "supports the
most active Palestinian terrorist groups, Hamas and the Palestinian
Islamic Jihad" (see intelligence.senate.gov). According to Assefi,
however, Hizballah is not a terrorist organization. "The spiritual
support of Iran for the legitimate and legal Hizballah group is in line
with supporting the freedom-seeking struggles of the Lebanese nation
and government," he said. Assefi accused the United States of having
double standards and added, "America cannot hope to distort the
righteous popular struggles against the Israeli occupiers and label
them as terrorism." Tenet noted that conservatives in the Iranian
government control the "more aggressive aspects" of foreign policy,
such as sponsorship of "violent opposition to Middle East peace." BS
[79] TEHRAN DENIES AL-QAEDA LINKS
Foreign Ministry spokesman Assefi on 13 February rejected allegations
that Iran is hosting Al-Qaeda personnel, Iranian state television
reported. "The seriousness of Iran in fighting against terrorism and
its expulsion of individuals suspected of affiliation to Al-Qaeda are
abundantly clear," he said. Assefi was reacting to Director of Central
Intelligence Tenet's 11 February testimony to the SSCI in which he
said, "We see disturbing signs that Al-Qaeda has established a presence
in both Iran and Iraq." Earlier on 13 February, an Iranian state radio
analyst using the name "Mr. Kheradmand" said the U.S. Central
Intelligence Agency was the main creator of Al-Qaeda, and such
accusations reflect America's failure to defeat the Iranian revolution.
"America knows better than any other state that Iran fundamentally
disagrees with Al-Qaeda on the principles of [Islamic] belief and on
the principles of struggle [against the enemies]," Kheradmand said. BS
[80] BIN LADEN'S SON REPORTEDLY IN IRAN
An anonymous "diplomatic source" has said that Sa'd bin Laden, the
eldest son of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, has been sighted in
Iran, the London-based "Al-Sharq al-Awsat" reported on 13 February. The
anonymous source refused to provide details on the status of bin
Laden's son or on his relationship with the Iranian government. Sa'd
bin Laden is believed to have taken on more of a leadership role in
Al-Qaeda since many of its top officials have been killed. BS
[81] EVEN ROMANCE IS POLITICAL IN IRAN
Eighty-two couples participated in a mass wedding on 13 February in
Iran's northern Gulistan Province, ISNA reported. Local dignitaries and
families of the happy couples attended the ceremony in Gorgan's soccer
stadium. The wedding was staged by the headquarters responsible for
providing young couples with a dowry, an organization that was
established in 2001 with the express purpose of organizing mass
weddings in order to reduce the financial burden of weddings on
families who otherwise could not afford them. This event should put to
rest concerns that romance is forbidden in Iran, since on 12 February
the police in Tehran ordered shops to remove heart and flower
decorations and confiscated symbols of Valentine's Day. The police
forced several shops in northern Tehran to close. "For weeks, I've been
waiting for Valentine's Day to offer my boyfriend a gift of love and
affection," a 19-year-old woman identified only as Atena told AP. "The
crackdown only strengthens my position in rejecting the hard-line
clerical rule." BS
[82] IRAN LOOKS INTO KUWAITI WATER DEMANDS
Deputy Energy Minister Reza Amrollahi said during a 3 February ceremony
in Ahvaz, Khuzestan Province, that a joint commission is looking into
the legal, economic, and technical aspects of a Kuwaiti request for the
provision of fresh water, IRNA reported. Amrollahi said that the water
would come from the Karkheh and Karun rivers in southern Iran, "which
are currently unused and flow into the Persian Gulf." Iranian Energy
Minister Habibullah Bitaraf and Kuwaiti Minister of Electricity and
Water Talal al-Ayyar on 13 January signed an agreement on cooperation
in the water sector, IRNA reported. "Iran Daily" had reported on 12
November 2001 that the project to transfer water to Kuwait is expected
to be completed by 2004 and envisions a 330-kilometer pipeline from the
Karkheh Dam to the Persian Gulf coast, and then a 210-kilometer
pipeline along the seabed to Kuwait. The Energy Ministry devised the
plan in 1999 and 2000, when oil revenues were down, and the
water-export plan has the potential to earn billions of dollars,
according to "Iran Daily." The newspaper questioned the wisdom of such
a project, when residents of southern Iran are faced with a drought. BS
[83] WATER SHORTAGE IN ISFAHAN REGION
Isfahan Province official Mansur Shisheh-Forush said that rains from
this and last year have not compensated for the drought of previous
years in Isfahan, "Jomhuri-yi Islami" reported on 20 January. Water
behind the Zayandeh Rud Dam is 45 percent lower than normal, he said.
According to "Iran Statistical Yearbook, 1380 (March 2001-March 2002),"
which is the official publication of the Statistics Center of Iran,
inflow at the Zayandeh Rud Dam was 939 million cubic meters, and this
water was used for hydroelectric-power generation, agriculture, human
consumption, manufacturing, and other purposes. BS
[84] UN SECURITY COUNCIL TO MEET AS U.S. WORKS ON NEW IRAQ RESOLUTION
Diplomatic discussions are under way to prepare another UN Security
Council resolution concerning Iraq, White House Press Secretary Ari
Fleischer confirmed at a 12 February press conference
(http://www.whitehouse.gov). "Iraq is testing the United Nations,"
Fleischer said. "The president wants to make certain the United Nations
passes the test. And that's why we are going through the United
Nations." Asked whether a second UN Security Council resolution is
being discussed, Fleischer responded, "It is. I think it's fair to say
that there are conversations under way about the language. I'm not
going to get into the drafting of it in public. And, again, I think it
still remains somewhat early in UN time." Fleischer noted that U.S.
President George W. Bush set a timetable several weeks ago that allowed
for weeks, not months, of weapons inspections, adding that "the clock
is ticking" for Iraq. KR
[85] FRENCH UNMOVIC OFFICIAL SAYS BLIX REPORT WILL BE 'BALANCED, NOT
NEUTRAL'
Therese Delpech, French commissioner for the United Nations Monitoring,
Verification, and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), told Paris-based RTL
Radio on 14 February that UNMOVIC Executive Chairman Hans Blix will
present a balanced but critical report on Iraq to the UN Security
Council when it meets on 14 February. "Hans Blix considers that there
is regular progress, mainly with regard to procedures, but with regard
to disarmament, progress is extremely weak," Delpech said. She noted
that UNMOVIC has made headway regarding U-2 surveillance flights and
interviews with scientists, but added that Iraq has not been
forthcoming with the necessary documentation on weapons of mass
destruction. "The fact that the report is balanced doesn't mean that it
is going to be completely neutral," Delpech said. KR
[86] IRAQI PARLIAMENT TO MEET IN EXTRAORDINARY SESSION
The Iraqi parliament will meet in an extraordinary session on 14
February to address a draft law prohibiting individuals and companies
from owning certain weapons, Reuters reported on 13 February. "The
national assembly will hold an extraordinary session on Friday
afternoon. The assembly asks members to attend the session at the set
time," iribnews.com quoted an announcement that ran in Iraqi newspapers
on 13 February as saying. The parliament was reportedly scheduled to
meet nearly 2 1/2 hours prior to the planned opening of a UN Security
Council session at which UNMOVIC chief Blix and International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Mohammad el-Baradei are scheduled
to brief the council. The UN has been pushing in recent weeks for Iraq
to approve such a law. KR
[87] IRAQI ENGINEER REPORTEDLY DEFECTS, GIVES NEW LEADS
An Iraqi engineer described only as "close to several weapons
scientists" has defected to an unnamed European country and is
providing "new and credible leads," abcnews.go.com reported on 10
February. The defector reportedly told ABC News that Iraqi scientists
and researchers are under extreme pressure from Iraqi authorities and
are too afraid to speak freely to UN weapons inspectors. "They
[scientists] were scared and threatened in different ways, including
threatening to go after their families if they leave Iraq to meet with
inspectors and going after their relatives if their families go with
them and going after them even if they were in exile," the purported
defector added. He said many of the scientists working within Iraq's
weapons-of-mass-destruction (WMD) program are now being housed with
their families at a secret compound in downtown Baghdad. He added that
scientists have been forced to sign two documents -- one stating that
they will fully accommodate UN inspectors, the second stating that they
are "legally responsible" and will not divulge any Iraqi "secrets."
"The first pledge is public and a copy is sent to the UN, while the
second is only for some Iraqi security agencies," the defector
reportedly said. KR
[88] ANOTHER IRAQI DEFECTION?
Israel's Channel 2 Television reported on 13 February that Uday
Hussein's "bureau chief" has defected to the West. Adib Sha'ban
reportedly defected after a trip to Saudi Arabia, where he was
conducting official sports business. (President Saddam Hussein's son
Uday heads the Iraqi Olympic Committee.) Channel 2 Television reported
that Sha'ban left Saudi Arabia for Beirut and has not been heard from
since. While Sha'ban is generally regarded as a member of President
Hussein's inner circle, it is unclear what information, if any, he can
provide authorities in the West about the inner workings of the Iraqi
regime. KR
[89] IRAQI OPPOSITION WORKING GROUPS PRESS FORWARD
Iraqi Opposition Working Groups continued to meet in Washington, D.C.,
this week, according to 12 February press statements by the U.S. State
Department (http://www.state.gov). The local-government working group
was to meet on 12-13 February to discuss the "separation of local,
regional, and central government powers, local governmental
accountability, and how private institutions, community organizers, and
businesses can work with local governments to provide more effective
services to the Iraqi people," a briefing stated. Meanwhile, the
anticorruption working group was to meet on 14-15 February to discuss
"the importance of open and transparent government procedures in public
contracting, public appointments, banking, and other institutions that
must earn and keep the public trust," the State Department announced.
The meetings are part of an ongoing effort by the United States to
encourage the participation of Iraqis in any post-Hussein government.
KR
[90] VOLUNTEERS TO DEFEND IRAQ STEP FORWARD IN RUSSIAN CITIES...
Some 2,500 Russian citizens told the Iraqi Embassy in Moscow that they
are interested in volunteering to defend Iraq against a possible U.S.
military action, Ekho Moskvy reported on 13 February. In Chally,
Tatarstan, Rafis Kashapov, head of the local Tatar Public Center
office, said several dozen Chally residents have appealed to his group
to help them fight in Iraq. However, Kashapov informed them that his
group does not involve itself in military-recruitment efforts, "Trud"
reported on 13 February. Kashapov told RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir Service
that the would-be recruits come from many ethnic groups, including
Russians, Chavashs, Tatars, Maris, and Udmurts. In Sverdlovsk Oblast,
more than 10 residents between the ages of 30 and 40 have also
expressed their desire to assist Iraq, regions.ru reported, citing the
local branch of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR). The
volunteers include not only Muslims but also ethnic Russians "who are
ready to fight against American commands and force," according to the
agency. JAC
[91] ...AS CHIEF MUFTI SPEAKS AGAINST MILITARY ACTION AGAINST IRAQ
Regions.ru reported the same day that rallies against war in Iraq will
be held on 15 February in Voronezh, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhnii
Novgorod, Yaroslavl, Perm, and Yekaterinburg. On 11 February, the head
of the Ufa-based Central Religious Board of Muslims of Russia and the
European countries of the CIS, Supreme Mufti Telget Tajetdin, said
during his morning sermon that he opposes the use of force to resolve
the crisis in Iraq, RFE/RL's Ufa correspondent reported the next day.
JAC
END NOTE
[92] There is no End Note today.
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