 |
Compact version |
|
 |
        |
|
 |
||
|
Saturday, 21 December 2024
|
||
 |
 |
|
|
|
RFE/RL Newsline, 03-04-09Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>CONTENTS
[01] THOUSANDS OF PROTESTORS TAKE TO THE STREETS IN MOSCOWTens of thousands of Muscovites participated in a demonstration organized by the pro-Kremlin Unified Russia party on 9 April near U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russian media reported. Estimates of the crowd ranged from 20,000 to 100,000, according to Western news agencies. Organizers said the demonstration was intended to protest the U.S.-led military operation against the regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and the firing on a Russia diplomatic motorcade by U.S. forces on 6 April (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 7 and 8 April 2003). Protestors carried placards reading, "Shame on Bush, Shame on America." Duma Deputy Vladimir Lysenko (Russia's Regions) said the demonstration "must become a powerful argument in future talks between the presidents of the United States and Russia about Iraq's future, which must be determined by the United Nations and not by the United States and Great Britain," ITAR-TASS reported on 9 April. VY[02] IRAQI OPPOSITION LEADER TELLS MOSCOW TO FORGET ABOUT IRAQ'S DEBTS...Muwaffak Fattuhi, a leader of the Iraqi opposition and a member of the Central Committee of the Iraqi National Congress, said Russia should give up hope that Iraq will repay its Soviet-era debts and should begin relations with a new post-Hussein government with a blank slate, "Izvestiya" reported on 8 April. "Countries like Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus were friends of Saddam Hussein, and they worked against the interests of the Iraqi people," Fattuhi was quoted as saying. He added, though, that the new Iraqi government will respect Russia and will not exclude it from among its potential trading partners. According to the Economic Development and Trade Ministry, Iraq's debts to Moscow exceed $8.5 billion, "Izvestiya" reported. VY[03] ...PROVOKING HEATED REACTIONFormer Prime Minister and current head of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Yevgenii Primakov said that Fattuhi's statement has no legal status and makes no economic sense, polit.ru reported on 8 April. "Who are they, these leaders of the Iraqi opposition?" Primakov said. "Usually opposition leaders are commonly accepted fighters for something. But here there are some self-proclaimed figures making decisions about the country's future policies and the rules of the game." Moscow Institute of Political Forecasting Director Aleksandr Konovalov told ORT on 8 April that although it is unrealistic to expect the debts to be repaid, Russian companies do have considerable assets and investments in Iraq and these are subject to international law and conventions. Their fate must not be determined by the arbitrary decisions of political leaders, Konovalov said. VY[04] RUSSIAN MEDIA PROTEST DEATHS OF JOURNALISTS IN IRAQ...The Industrial Committee, a lobbying group that comprises leading Russian media executives, on 8 April issued a statement condemning the combat-related deaths of journalists in Baghdad, strana.ru reported. The statement was read on ORT by the channel's General Director and Industrial Committee head Konstantin Ernst, who also appealed to the ambassadors of Iraq, the United States, and Great Britain to forward the committee's concerns to their governments. "These journalists are not combatants, but are people performing their professional duty, and the governments of the coalition and of Iraq are responsible for their lives," the statement said. VY[05] ...AND REPORTS RUMORS OF CIA ACTIVITY...CIA teams tasked with finding and securing the archives of the regime of Iraqi President Hussein have reportedly moved into Baghdad together with U.S.-led coalition forces, Interfax, ORT, and RTR reported on 8 April. According to the unsourced reports, the CIA believes the archives might find their way or have already found their way to the Russian Embassy. Despite that facility's diplomatic protections, U.S. intelligence might stage a break-in at the compound that could be masked as a looting incident, under the cover of which agents will attempt to seize the documents, Interfax speculated. The news agency admits, however, that it has no corroboration of its information. VY[06] ...AND EMBASSY IN BAGHDAD REMAINS OPENThe Russian Embassy in Baghdad remains open in spite of disorder and sporadic fighting in the streets, Foreign Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Yakovenko said on 8 April, RTR reported. Yakovenko stressed that the mission is performing a vital function by keeping Moscow abreast of developments in Iraq. It is also providing shelter to many Russian journalists working in Baghdad and is representing the interests of Germany and France in Iraq, Yakovenko added. Finally, there are a number of Russians, primarily women, who live in Iraq and for whom the embassy continues to provide consular services, Yakovenko said. VY[07] MEDIA REPS SIGN 'ANTITERRORISM CONVENTION'...Representatives of the Industrial Committee on 8 April signed new guidelines that are intended to govern reporters' behavior during terrorist incidents and counterterrorism operations, RIA-Novosti and other Russian media reported. The "Antiterrorism Convention of the Mass Media," which was drawn up jointly by media representatives and law enforcement agencies, grew out of the October hostage drama at a Moscow theater, when some media coverage drew government criticism. During any similar situation, journalists must now inform authorities if they learn any information that could "save people's lives during an antiterrorism operation." They are prohibited from "interviewing terrorists during the commission of a crime and at their own initiative" and from allowing terrorists "to go on the air live without advance consultations with the operational staff." The rules also bar journalists from independently acting as mediators or "insulting and humiliating terrorists who have hostages' lives in their hands." SS[08] ...IN WHAT COULD BE A MAJOR CONCESSION TO THE GOVERNMENTThe new "Antiterrorism Convention of the Mass Media" contains provisions that could significantly limit media freedom. The document states that the journalist's right to gather information is subordinate to "the activities of the security services to protect people." This language has reportedly been incorporated into a new draft law on the mass media being drafted by the Media Ministry. VY[09] EX-EDITOR OF 'NOVYE IZVESTIYA' FACES CHARGESThe Prosecutor General's Office on 7 April formally charged Igor Golembiovskii, until February the editor in chief of "Novye Izvestiya," and his deputy, Sergei Agafonov, with intentionally causing the newspaper to go bankrupt, strana.ru reported the same day. Investigators allege that the two "artificially created indebtedness for the organization in order to deliberately cause insolvency, in their own personal interests." The total debt to various firms allegedly amounts to 195.1 million rubles ($6.2 million), plus a roughly $7.6 million debt to the company Tekhnolizing, which leases various types of equipment. "I know nothing about this," Goembiovskii was quoted by Interfax as saying. The two men could face fines of 500-800 minimum monthly salaries, which is currently 450 rubles, or six years in prison, plus a fine of up to 100 minimum salaries. "Novye Izvestiya" ceased publication on 28 February because of a clash between Golembiovskii and publisher Oleg Mitvol. Mitvol has said the paper will resume publication in May with a new editor and a new publisher. Golembiovskii has said he plans to start his own newspaper, "Rezonans," in May (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 26 February, 13 March, and 2 April 2003). SS[10] MOSCOW TO ERECT SAKHAROV STATUE DESPITE WIDOW'S OPPOSITIONThe Moscow City Commission on Monumental Art decided on 8 April to erect a statue of the late physicist and human rights advocate Andrei Sakharov, even though his widow, Yelena Bonner, firmly opposes the idea, RIA-Novosti reported. The plan originated in 1990, a year after Sakharov's death, but was never implemented. Liberal Russia party co-Chairman Sergei Yushenkov revived the proposal earlier this year. Lenta.ru reported on 27 February that Bonner wrote an open letter urging Russians not to contribute "a single ruble, a single kopek" to what she termed a "new bureaucratic venture." Citing the country's widespread poverty and the war in Chechnya, Bonner wrote, "This Russia is blatantly at odds with the idea of a monument to Sakharov." The city commission, apparently bent on changing her mind, said after its decision that it wanted to have "a conversation with Yelena Bonner in person." Commission Chairman Sergei Petrov said a competition will be held to select a design for the monument. SS[11] THREE-TIER STRUCTURE CONSIDERED FOR FEDERAL GOVERNMENTDeputy Economic Development and Trade Minister Mikhail Dmitriev told a group of journalists on 8 April that the government's ministries and agencies might be split into three tiers, RosBalt reported. "The prime minister physically cannot remember 59 members of the government with all of their problems and the structural reforms of the areas of their operations," Dmitriev said. "So a new configuration has been developed for the government, which provides for its downsizing." The official said that under the proposed structure, the government would consist only of ministries that handle "strategic areas of the country's development." Ministries engaged in regulatory and legal oversight would be consigned to a second tier, while agencies that oversee compliance with the law would be placed on a third tier, subordinate to the second. RosBalt said Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov supports the three-tier proposal. SS[12] MOSCOW COURT SENTENCES RACKETEERING GANG MEMBERSThe Moscow Municipal Court handed down long prison sentences on 8 April to three convicted members of a gang that terrorized some 100 businesses for a decade through racketeering, kidnapping, and murder, lenta.ru reported. The gang, headed by former soldier Sergei Zakharov, extorted millions of dollars from businessmen between 1992 and 2001, and those who refused were kidnapped or murdered. By the time authorities picked up their trail, Zakharov had $2.5 million in an Israeli bank, as well as hefty bank accounts in Lithuania, Estonia, and Greece. The court sentenced him to 21 years in prison, while his associates -- identified only as Borisov and Burlakov -- received 14 and seven years, respectively. Two other accused gang members are still at large. The same band is suspected of involvement in the 1999 killing of businessman Gennadii Fedulov and the kidnapping -- and apparent killing -- in the same year of oil executive Maksim Konygin. SS[13] DIAMOND AND PRECIOUS-METAL DATA WILL NO LONGER BE STATE SECRETSA top official of Russia's State Precious-Metals Repository told journalists on 8 April that the shroud of state secrecy will be officially lifted from statistics on diamond and precious-metal reserves, exports, and production, ITAR-TASS reported. Andrei Kutepov, first deputy director of the repository, predicted the measure will be implemented by the end of the year. He said the federal government, the Finance Ministry, and interested companies have all signed off in principle. Another official at the Finance Ministry said amendments to the state-secrecy law have been approved and submitted to the government, where they are now under review. SS[14] RUSSIANS STILL KEEP BILLIONS IN CASH AT HOMEA survey commissioned by American Express at the end of 2002 showed that the average Russian urban family holds 6,980 rubles ($223) at home, and almost half of the country's households keep quantities of dollars averaging about $860, Interfax reported on 8 April. The total amount of cash held by Russia's urban population at home is 243.7 billion rubles and $13.5 billion. The average dollar stashes of Moscow families amount to $1,218, while in St. Petersburg the figure is $819. According to the survey, which was conducted in 16 cities, 46 percent of respondents said they keep the cash on hand mainly for unforeseen expenses; 31 percent, for daily expenses; and 9 percent, as savings. Noting that 77 percent expressed fear that they could lose their cash in case of fire or flood, an American Express spokesman said the company will offer Russians new types of instruments this year to protect their savings. SS[15] EU AMBASSADORS VISIT NORTH CAUCASUSThe Greek and Italian ambassadors to Moscow, Dimitrios Paraskevopoulos and Giancarlo Bonetti, together with the deputy head of the European Commission office in Moscow, Vincent Picket, held talks in Grozny on 8 April with Chechen Prime Minister Anatolii Popov and Grozny Mayor Oleg Zhidkov, Russian media reported. ITAR-TASS quoted Paraskevopoulos as saying those talks were "very fruitful," while Interfax quoted him as saying that that the EU believes the 23 March referendum on a new Chechen draft constitution and election legislation is the first major step toward restoring Chechnya's economy and expediting a political settlement of the conflict. On 7 April, the three officials visited a camp in Ingushetia for displaced persons from Chechnya and met in Magas with Ingushetian President Murat Zyazikov, Interfax reported. LF[16] CHECHEN POLICE TIGHTEN SECURITY IN GROZNYChechen Interior Ministry Chief of Staff Colonel Akhmed Dakaev told Interfax on 8 April that security in Grozny has been intensified and additional searches of motor vehicles are being carried out in the wake of the explosions on 3 and 7 April as a result of which a total of 13 people died. He said it is too early to conclude that the two attacks were carried out by the same perpetrators. On 9 April, "Parlamentskaya gazeta" quoted Chechnya's Deputy Prosecutor-General Aleksandr Nikitin as saying the people believed to be responsible for the 3 April explosion in Grozny that killed eight bus passengers have been identified, and a search for both the planners and perpetrators of that attack is under way. He did not divulge the identity of the suspects. LFTRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA [17] MORE ARRESTS REPORTED IN WAKE OF ARMENIAN OPPOSITION DEMONSTRATIONArmenian opposition spokesmen told RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau on 8 April that at least nine people were arrested following an opposition rally in Yerevan the previous day (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 8 April 2003). Artak Zeynalian, a leading member of the opposition Hanrapetutiun Party that supports defeated presidential candidate Stepan Demirchian, estimated that "dozens" of people were detained and said their whereabouts remain unclear. Police and Justice Ministry officials have refused either to confirm or deny the reports of the most recent arrests. LF[18] ARMENIAN MURDER SUSPECT PLANS TO RUN FOR PARLIAMENTBusinessman Armen Sargsian, who was arrested on 15 March on suspicion of having commissioned the 28 December killing of Armenian Public Television and Radio Director Tigran Naghdalian (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 March 2003), has been nominated to contest the 25 May parliamentary election in a constituency in his home town of Ararat, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported on 8 April. He has the backing of the opposition Hanrapetutiun Party, of which his brother, former Prime Minister Aram Sargsian, is chairman. Party activists in Ararat have collected some 1,000 signatures in support of his nomination, far more than the minimum number required. Armen Sargsian, who has been remanded in pretrial detention, denies ordering Naghdalian's murder and claims the charges against him are politically motivated. LF[19] AZERBAIJAN REPORTS CEASE-FIRE VIOLATION ON LINE OF CONTACTArmenian forces opened fire with mortars, machine guns and grenade launchers on Azerbaijani army positions in the village of Alikhanly in Fizuli Raion during the night of 7-8 April, Turan reported on 8 April, quoting the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. The Azerbaijanis returned fire. No injuries were reported. LF[20] PARENTS OF CASHIERED AZERBAIJANI CADETS DEMAND DEFENSE MINISTER'S RESIGNATIONParents of some of the cadets expelled last fall after staging a protest walkout at Baku's Higher Military College (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 4 and 5 September and 10 October 2002) were forcibly dispersed by police on 8 April when they tried to picket the presidential administration building, according to Turan on 8 April and zerkalo.az on 9 April. Police reportedly confiscated banners calling for the dismissal of Defense Minister Colonel General Safar Abiev, manhandled one journalist, and removed film from a photographer's camera. A presidential administration official promised to meet with 10 of the parents on 9 April to discuss their grievances. LF[21] GEORGIAN LEADERSHIP COMMEMORATES VICTIMS OF SOVIET REPRISALThe entire Georgian leadership, including President Eduard Shevardnadze, Minister of State Avtandil Djorbenadze, and parliament speaker Nino Burdjanadze, laid wreaths on 9 April at the monument in Tbilisi to 22 people killed when Soviet troops attacked unarmed demonstrators in Tbilisi on 9 April 1989, Caucasus Press reported. LF[22] OSCE CALLS ON GEORGIA TO SPEED UP ELECTION PREPARATIONSIn a statement dated 7 April and posted on the OSCE website (htttp://www.osce.org), the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights called on the Georgian authorities to expedite both the passage of election legislation that would clarify the process of forming the Central Election Commission, and the process of compiling updated and accurate voter lists. The statement also suggested adopting various measures intended to preclude fraud in the parliamentary election scheduled for 2 November. LF[23] GEORGIAN COURT ACQUITS TWO CHECHENSA Tbilisi court on 8 April acquitted two ethnic Chechen Georgian citizens apprehended last August together with a group of Chechen fighters after having entered Georgia illegally, Russian media reported. The court ruled that the two men were shepherds who were detained purely by chance, and that unlike the other Chechen fighters, they were not armed. The prosecution said it will appeal the court ruling. The Russian authorities demanded the extradition of all 13 Chechens detained in Georgia last summer, five of whom were sent back to Russia in October. LF[24] ABKHAZ PRESIDENT ACCEPTS GOVERNMENT'S RESIGNATIONVladislav Ardzinba accepted on 8 April the resignation, offered the previous day, of the government headed by Gennadii Gagulia, Caucasus Press reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 8 April 2003). Ardzinba's spokesman Ruslan Khashig said that the change of government will not result in any revision of Abkhazia's policies toward either Russia or the central Georgian government. Ardzinba also reportedly issued a statement condemning the issuing of ultimatums as a means of addressing national problems, an allusion to the announcement by the opposition movement Aitaira of its intention to hold a mass demonstration on 10 April. Also on 8 April, the Abkhaz parliament issued a statement acknowledging that opposition movements' criticisms of the outgoing government are justified, but appealing to them to cancel the planned 10 April demonstration, Caucasus Press reported. LF[25] KAZAKH NATIONAL BANK CHAIRMAN OPPOSES RUBLE AS COMMON CURRENCYKazakhstan National Bank Chairman Grigorii Marchenko has said he will resign if the Russian ruble becomes the common currency of the unified economic space that is being set up by Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine, the Kazakhstan supplement to "Izvestiya" reported on 8 April. Marchenko said choosing the ruble as the common currency would be a threat to the national sovereignty of the three countries. For this reason, he would refuse to be involved. Also, he argued, the member states would have no influence over the actions of the Russian Central Bank, which would presumably continue to be motivated by Russian national interests. In Marchenko's view, a supranational central bank should be set up in the unified economic space to manage the single currency. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev has proposed creating a new currency for the four countries that would be called the altyn, the Kazakh word for gold. BB[26] KAZAKHSTAN STILL CONCERNED ABOUT POSSIBLE AIR ATTACKSKazakhstan's defenses against possible air attacks have been on alert for three weeks because military officials still fear the possibility of a stray U.S. missile from the Iraq conflict landing in the country, "Nezavisimaya gazeta" reported on 9 April. The Kazakh military reportedly feels its concerns are justified after seeing reports of the number of cruise missiles that have gone astray during the fighting. Sea-based cruise missiles are reported to have a range of 1,000 kilometers, which would theoretically enable a stray launched at Iraq to reach southwestern Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, or Turkmenistan. How seriously the Kazakh antiaircraft defenses are taking their job is illustrated, according to the article, by their actions last week in turning a U.S. military transport plane back to Khanabad air base in Uzbekistan because it lacked proper authorization to overfly Kazakhstan on its way to Kyrgyzstan. Reportedly, this is not the first incident of this type, and even civilian air traffic has been turned back from Kazakh airspace. BB[27] POLICE DETAIN MAN WITH HIZB UT-TAHRIR LEAFLETS IN SOUTH KAZAKHSTANA young man has been arrested in South Kazakhstan Oblast allegedly in possession of 22 leaflets of the banned Muslim extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported on 8 April, citing the press service of the oblast police department. The press service was quoted as saying that Hizb ut-Tahrir literature has been distributed in the South Kazakhstan Oblast towns of Kentau and Turkestan, the latter long a stronghold of Muslim piety, but Hizb ut-Tahrir supporters have not been identified in other parts of the oblast. Other sources are cited as reporting that Hizb ut-Tahrir leaflets in Kazakh calling for a war against the United States have started turning up in mailboxes in Shymkent, the oblast administrative center. In recent years, there have been a number of arrests of individuals, including some foreign Muslim preachers, for allegedly illegal religious activity in South Kazakhstan Oblast. BB[28] KYRGYZ FOREIGN MINISTER HOPES IRAQ WAR WILL NOT HINDER ANTITERRORISM CAMPAIGN IN AFGHANISTANAskar Aitmatov said on 8 April he hopes the war in Iraq will not lead to an upsurge of extremism and terrorism in Central Asia or hamper the progress of the antiterrorism campaign in Afghanistan, Interfax reported. Noting that Kyrgyzstan did not support the decision to use military force against Iraq, Aitmatov was quoted as saying it is important that the international community's trust in the UN and the UN Security Council be restored, because they are the highest international institutions for ensuring peace and security. He added that Kyrgyzstan will remain a reliable partner in the fight against terrorism. Aitmatov also said that Kyrgyzstan is considering giving its consent to a U.S. demand that its troops be given immunity before the International Criminal Court, akipress.org reported on 8 April. BB[29] KYRGYZ PROPERTY TAX HAS FULL PARLIAMENTARY APPROVALThe upper house of the Kyrgyz parliament approved the introduction of a property tax in the country at a special session on 8 April, khabar.kz and akipress.org reported the same day. The lower house approved the tax on 28 March (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 31 March 2003). The new law will go into effect as soon as the president signs it. The national government has said the tax will be used exclusively to finance local administrations. The tax will not be levied on land outside urban and suburban areas and resort towns. BB[30] KYRGYZ MUSLIM LEADER REJECTS JIHAD AGAINST U.S.The mufti of Kyrgyzstan, Hajji Murataly Juman-uulu, told RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service and Kyrgyz Public Television on 8 April that the Muslims of Kyrgyzstan do not support the appeal of Telget Tajetdin, head of the Muslim Spiritual Directorate of Russia, for a jihad against the United States. Juman-uulu was quoted as saying that the members of the Kyrgyz Muslim Spiritual Board, the Muslim clergy, and ordinary believers reject a jihad in connection with the war in Iraq, although they oppose that war. Juman-uulu said the Spiritual Board has appealed to Kyrgyz Muslims to pray for peace in Iraq, because this is all they can do. A jihad would merely cause more bloodshed, but would not resolve the conflict in Iraq, he said. BB[31] INDEPENDENT JOURNALISTS' GROUP IN UZBEKISTAN LAUNCHES WEBSITEAn independent organization of Uzbek journalists known as Ozod Ovoz (Free Voice) has launched an Internet site in English (http://www.ozodovoz.org), according to Central Asia News on 9 April. The group's leader, journalist Bobomurad Abdullaev, was reported to have said that Russian- and Uzbek-language versions of the site will follow. The site is intended to provide information on the Uzbek intelligentsia and journalists in Uzbekistan who are harassed by the authorities and will support freedom of expression in the country. Technical support is being provided by a newly formed information network based in Azerbaijan. The report notes that Ozod Ovoz is the first independent journalistic information resource to exist inside Uzbekistan. The 9 April posting contains interviews with Uzbek writer Muhammad Salih, wanted on charges of allegedly having been involved in the bombing of several buildings in Tashkent in 1999, and former Turkmen Foreign Minister Avdi Kuliev, one of the most prominent members of the opposition in exile. It also has a report on the Foreign Ministry's refusal to accredit a journalist, among other potentially controversial items. BBCENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE [32] EC EXPECTS NEW MEMBERS TO OUTPACE EU ECONOMIESThe European Commission (EC) on 8 April noted "solid growth" and "resilience" among EU candidate countries' economies even as it predicted slow economic growth for current EU member states, according to dpa. Acceding countries' economies should grow by a combined 3.1 percent of gross domestic product in 2003 versus a modest 1 percent in the EU, the EC forecast. The report allowed for a high amount of uncertainty in light of the Iraq conflict, however. "Acceding countries...have on average sustained solid growth despite the worsened international economic climate," the EC was quoted by dpa as saying, and it added, "Due to strong domestic demand, most candidate countries showed resilience and extent of the slowdown remained limited." The EC forecast that the highest growth among EU invitees will be posted by the Baltic states. AH[33] BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT WANTS ORBITING SATELLITE 'PRIMARILY FOR RUSSIA'President Alyaksandr Lukashenka announced on 8 April that he has ordered that a team be created to develop and launch in the very near future the country's first satellite, Belapan reported, quoting the presidential press service. Lukashenka said at a meeting with Russian and Belarusian researchers that he will personally supervise the project, adding that it should actively involve Belarusian enterprises along with Russian ones. "We would not like [to implement this project] with France or other countries that are offering their services," Belarusian Television quoted Lukashenka as saying. "We are unambiguously oriented toward Russia. The Russians should realize that we will develop this satellite not only for Belarus. It will be for Russia as well. Primarily for Russia." JM[34] BELARUSIAN CABINET SETS 'SUBBOTNIK' FOR 19 APRILThe Belarusian government has issued a directive that sets a nationwide "subbotnik," or day of voluntary unpaid labor, for 19 April, Belapan reported on 8 April. The directive says the subbotnik will be held "with a view to continuing the established tradition." It promises that the funds earned as a result of this year's subbotnik will be used for the construction of a new building for the National Library. JM[35] JAILED LEADER OF BELARUSIAN VENDORS COMPLAINS ABOUT CONDITIONSValery Levaneuski, the jailed leader of Belarus's small retailers, has complained about cell conditions in a letter to his wife, Belapan reported on 8 April. Levaneuski is serving a 15-day sentence in a Minsk detention center for his part in the unauthorized "People's March for a Better Life" on 12 March (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 13 March 2003). He was arrested and tried on 1 April. "Administrative-arrest conditions in Belarus are much worse than conditions in prisons," Levaneuski wrote. "Bedclothes are not given, everyone has to sleep on the floor. Food is disgusting: tea, porridge, and weird-tasting soup. Those kept under administrative arrest are not allowed to take a walk; they have to spend the whole sentence in their cell." JM[36] UKRAINIAN PREMIER URGES DIRECT TRADE WITH GREECEUkrainian Premier Viktor Yanukovych met with his Greek counterpart Konstandinos Simitis and Greek businessmen in Athens on 8 April, Ukrainian media reported. Yanukovych said after the meetings that Ukraine must overcome negative trends and cut out intermediaries in trade with Greece. "There have been some unhealthy relations recently.... In some cases, Ukrainian products are supplied to Greece via offshore zones, and the Ukrainian economy does not benefit from such operations," Interfax quoted Yanukovych as saying. JM[37] UKRAINIAN CABINET UPBEAT ON MAINTAINING ECONOMIC GROWTHThe Verkhovna Rada's Economic Policy Committee on 8 April endorsed a government action plan and will recommend that the legislature approve it, UNIAN reported, quoting First Deputy Premier Mykola Azarov. The plan aims for economic growth of 5-6 percent in 2003 and 8 percent in 2004. It also calls for raising the minimum monthly wage gradually to reach the subsistence minimum of 342 hryvnyas ($64) in early 2007. JM[38] UKRAINIAN JOURNALIST, GEORGIAN OFFICIAL DIE IN CAR CRASHProminent Ukrainian journalist Oleksandr Kryvenko, the president of Public Radio, and Georgian Foreign Ministry official Gizo Grdzelidze, an OSCE project officer in Ukraine, died in a car accident in the early hours of 9 April, Interfax reported. Details were not immediately available. JM[39] ESTONIA'S CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY ENCOUNTERS MORE PROBLEMSThe owner of the premises used by the financially troubled Concordia University, the Esmar company, has said it will lock the institution's doors to prevent the university's staff and students from using the facilities, BNS reported on 8 April. Electricity to the premises was recently turned off because of unpaid bills amounting to 2 million kroons ($135,000). The move was prompted by the decision by Latvia's Parex Banka on 7 April not to purchase the university. That day, officials from the central criminal police searched the office of Concordia's former Rector Mart Susi, and spent several hours studying the university's accounts. One of the criminal cases opened in relation to Concordia's financial problems deals with alleged abuse of office on the part of Susi and his wife, Mari-Ann, who served as deputy rector. SG[40] CHIRAC SAYS IRAQ WAR WILL NOT AFFECT FRIENDLY LATVIAN-FRENCH RELATIONSFrench President Jacques Chirac told his Latvian counterpart Vaira Vike-Freiberga during an hour-long meeting in Paris on 8 April that the war in Iraq has not affected and will not affect the cordial relations between Latvia and France, LETA reported. The presidents agreed that the United Nations should play an important role in postwar Iraq, although it is not yet clear how and when the UN will be able to assist in the political or humanitarian spheres. The two leaders also agreed that the equality between large and small EU member countries should be retained, with Vike-Freiberga adding that issues concerning reforms in the administration of the EU should not be decided without the complete involvement of the 10 EU candidate countries. In discussing relations with Russia, Chirac pointed out that following the EU signing ceremony in Athens on 16 April, Latvia-Russia dialogue will be absorbed into that between the EU and Russia. SG[41] LITHUANIA ADOPTS CONTROVERSIAL HEATING BILLParliament on 8 April passed a bill on the management of the heating system by a vote of 60 to 26, with 14 abstentions, ELTA reported. The bill was originally submitted to parliament in June 2002, but its passage was delayed by numerous amendments. One of the most controversial articles of the bill, which is to go into effect on 1 July, is the requirement that a home or apartment owner obtain permission from the local government to disconnect from a municipality's central heating system. The right-of-center Liberal Democrats said they will ask President Rolandas Paksas to veto the bill, a move that was also supported by the leaders of the United and Liberal faction. Social Democrat deputy Bronius Bradauskas, whose party was the main supporter of the bill, said he will propose more amendments to the bill because it does not contain any measures to reduce heating costs. SG[42] POLISH PRESIDENT BACKS PREMIER AHEAD OF EU PLEBISCITEPresident Aleksander Kwasniewski said on Polish Radio on 8 April that in the run-up to the referendum on joining the European Union and in view of the need for public-finance reform, it is necessary to cooperate with Prime Minister Leszek Miller. Kwasniewski stressed that it is unrealistic that the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) could run a minority government without Leszek Miller as prime minister. "In my opinion, opposition calls for the SLD to change prime ministers are even more unacceptable than the proposal to hold early elections [this year]," Kwasniewski said. Last week, Miller announced that he sees a need for early parliamentary elections in June 2004, simultaneously with the elections to the European Parliament, and Kwasniewski supported that stance (see "RFE/RL Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine Report," 8 April 2003). JM[43] POLISH OPPOSITION PARTY TO LAUNCH PRO-EU CAMPAIGNThe centrist Civic Platform will launch a campaign in support of Poland's EU membership ahead of the upcoming EU referendum in June, PAP reported on 8 April. Civic Platform leader Donald Tusk said EU membership represents an opportunity for Poland, and warned against rejecting it solely out of protest against the present government. He also spoke in favor of holding the referendum over two days in order to attract more voters. Asked how the Civic Platform's pro-EU campaign will differ from the government's, Tusk replied that it will be more convincing. "Sometimes when I see downcast people listening to an even more downcast Minister [for EU Referendum Lech] Nikolski, I have to wonder which of them is less interested in the EU," Tusk commented. JM[44] SLOVAKIA REQUESTS EXTRADITION FROM CZECH REPUBLIC OF REPUTED MOB BOSSThe Slovak Justice Ministry on 8 April formally submitted a request to the Czech Republic for the extradition of Mikulas Cernak, who was arrested in Prague on 5 April and accused of ties to organized-crime groups, CTK and TASR reported. A Czech court will consider the request, and it is subject to the personal approval of Justice Minister Pavel Rychetsky if the court rules in favor of extradition. A spokesman for the Czech Interior Ministry said the procedure may be prolonged if Cernak requests asylum. The spokesman declined to say whether Cernak has made such a request, citing laws to protect asylum seekers, although early reports suggested he has claimed political persecution (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 7 April 2003). MS[45] SLOVAKIA SEES BOLSTERING SPECIAL FORCES AS PRIORITYDefense Minister Ivan Simko on 8 April told journalists that strengthening Slovakia's special forces is becoming one of his ministry's priorities, CTK reported. Simko cited developments in international security and the threat of international terrorism as necessitating an improvement in unconventional combat methods. He said such special forces can better distinguish military targets from civilian ones and thus spare civilian lives. Jozef Tucek, an adviser to Simko, told the journalists that after Czechoslovakia's 1993 division the Slovak special forces were built on the former Soviet model but are currently trained and follow Western combat methods, and receive instruction in the United States, Belgium, and France. MS[46] DUTCH FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS SLOVAKIAVisiting Dutch Foreign Minister Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and his Slovak counterpart Eduard Kukan said on 8 April that their countries share the same views on the future of the EU and NATO, CTK reported. During their meeting in Presov, east Slovakia, Kukan thanked Scheffer for Dutch support of Slovakia's EU membership and said he hopes the Netherlands will also back Slovakia's bid for a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council. The ministers said they agree that military action against the Iraqi regime of President Saddam Hussein has been necessary in order to remove the threat of weapons of mass destruction and the possibility they could be made available to terrorist groups in the region. They also said the United Nations must play an important role in the postwar reconstruction of Iraq. MS[47] NEW SLOVAK PARTY FORMALLY REGISTEREDThe Slovak Interior Ministry on 8 April formally registered the People's Union as an independent political party, TASR reported. The founding congress of the party, formed following a split from Vladimir Meciar's Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS), is to be held on 3 May, according to Ladislav Polka, who is leader of the formation's parliamentary group. Polka confirmed that former HZDS Deputy Chairman Vojtech Tkac will run for the People's Union chairmanship. MS[48] HUNGARIAN MINISTER CONFIRMS END OF IRAQI TRAINING AT TASZAR AIR BASEDefense Minister Ferenc Juhasz on 8 April announced that the United States has completed its training of Iraqi opposition personnel at Hungary's Taszar military air base, Hungarian media reported. Juhasz said U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz informed him of the development in a telephone conversation earlier in the day, MTI news agency reported. Without giving specific figures, Juhasz said the Hungarian cabinet approved the training of more than 3,000 people, but only "more than 100 and less than 150" were actually trained at the base. Those who took part in the training have already left Hungary (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 1 April 2003). The training camp will be dismantled, and Taszar will continue with its mission of providing logistical support to peacekeeping operations in the Balkans, Juhasz concluded. MSZ[49] HUNGARIAN GOVERNMENT PLEDGES SUPPORT TO ROMANY RADIO STATIONThe political state secretary for Romany affairs in the Hungarian Prime Minister's Office, Laszlo Teleki, said on 8 April that the government has offered to provide financial support for Radio C, a Hungarian Romany radio station that one day earlier cut back its broadcasting due to a lack of funds (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 8 April 2003), "Magyar Hirlap" reported. At the same press briefing, National Gypsy Authority Chairman Aladar Horvath announced that the Romany Authority has begun collecting funds to support Radio C. The station's director, Gyorgy Kerenyi, said 70 million forints ($309,000) is needed to operate the radio station for the remainder of the year and pay off debts. MSZ[50] HUNGARIAN SUPREME COURT ACQUITS LAWYER INVOLVED IN 'PRIVATIZATION SCANDAL'Marta Tocsik, a Hungarian lawyer thrust into the public eye over a "success fee" she received six years ago from the State Privatization Agency (APV), was acquitted by the Hungarian Supreme Court on 8 April of a fraud charge but was ordered to pay 400,000 forints ($1,750) for falsifying private documents, "Nepszabadsag" reported. In 1995, Tocsik was commissioned by the APV to negotiate privatization revenues paid by the state to local governments for the sale of land and other assets; she later received an 800 million-forint honorarium ($6.4 million at the time) that represented 10 percent of the amount she ostensibly saved for the APV through her negotiations. Tocsik will now be given back her assets, which had been seized by authorities. Former APV legal adviser Peter Liszkai was also acquitted of all charges in connection with the deal. The former APV board members involved in the scandal have been given suspended prison sentences. MSZSOUTHEASTERN EUROPE [51] POLICE ARREST TWO AIDES OF FORMER YUGOSLAV PRESIDENTThe Serbian government said in a statement on 8 April that police have arrested two top aides of former Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica -- General Aco Tomic and Rade Bulatovic -- in conjunction with the recent assassination of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 28 June 2002 and 8 April 2003). The statement added that the two were arrested after unspecified "important facts" came to light about Tomic's and Bulatovic's contacts with the criminal "Zemun clan," which has been accused of carrying out the murder. Prime Minster Zoran Zivkovic told RFE/RL that the time has come to go beyond analyzing who carried out the crime and investigate which politicians stood behind the murderers. Kostunica told "Blic" of 8 April that he is "not aware" of any links between his aides and the "Zemun clan," adding that he sees no reason why police would want to question him about the case. Since the investigation began, police have questioned 7,763 people, 2,002 of whom remain in custody under the terms of the state of emergency. PM[52] FORMER SERBIAN PRESIDENT BURIED WITH FULL HONORSIvan Stambolic was buried in Belgrade's Topcider cemetery with full state honors on 8 April, Serbian media reported. Investigators into the Djindjic killing recently found the remains of Stambolic, who was abducted and murdered in August 2000 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 31 March and 1 April 2003). Police have since issued arrest warrants for the wife and son of former President Slobodan Milosevic in connection with the Stambolic case, which has gripped public attention. The cover of the 3 April issue of the weekly "Vreme" shows Stambolic's remains in a lime pit with the word "Crime" against a black background. The weekly "NIN" shows a photo of Stambolic speaking in the parliament with Milosevic seated behind him and a bust of Josip Broz "Tito" looking down on them both. The caption against a black background reads: "The depths of our darkness." PM[53] BELGRADE ENDS MILITARY LINKS TO BANJA LUKABoris Tadic, who is defense minister of Serbia and Montenegro, said in Belgrade on 8 April that his government has ended military relations with the Republika Srpska, which is a precondition for Serbia and Montenegro's admission to NATO's Partnership for Peace program, Deutsche Welle's "Monitor" reported. Tadic told a meeting of the Atlantic Council that his country is "not far" from membership in the program but added that Belgrade must act quickly to improve cooperation with The Hague-based war crimes tribunal and reform the military. PM[54] KOSOVAR SERBS DIVIDED OVER 'MILITANT APPROACH'Milan Ivanovic, a hard-line Serbian politician who chairs the Mitrovica-based Serbian National Council, said on 6 April that Michael Steiner, who heads the UN civilian administration (UNMIK), has yielded on too many points to the ethnic Albanian majority, Deutsche Welle's "Monitor" reported from Belgrade. Ivanovic stressed that if Kosova moves closer toward independence, he does not rule out the formation of "a Serbian liberation army," adding that the Albanians already have their own armed formations. But Oliver Ivanovic, who is a more moderate Serbian political leader and member of the presidency of the Kosovar legislature, warned that "militant declarations" will not help resolve the Kosova question. He suggested that Kosovar Serbs are more likely to respond to an intolerable political situation by leaving the province rather than by fighting, adding that "no one at the start of the 21st century is quite so willing to die" for a cause. He suggested that people who now use militant language are people who spent the 1999 war in Belgrade. PM[55] ALBANIA OFFERS TO MEDIATE BETWEEN SERBIA AND KOSOVAAfter meeting with Albanian Foreign Minister Ilir Meta in Belgrade on 8 April, Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Zivkovic said in a statement, "It is necessary to start a dialogue on the final status of Kosovo.... Delays in this process could endanger the stability of the region," dpa reported. "Meta agreed that Albanian can contribute in this process, as a mediator between governments in Belgrade and Pristina," he added. The international community opposes immediate talks on Kosova's status, which Belgrade has advocated for months (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12, 14, and 31 March 2003, and "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 31 January 2003). Most leading Kosovar politicians want independence sooner rather than later and without any substantial role for Belgrade in the process. Meta is in Belgrade for the annual meeting of the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP), which opened on 9 April. The SEECP includes Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, and Turkey. PM[56] MACEDONIAN PRESIDENT THANKS EUROPEANS, OVERLOOKS AMERICANS...Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski told the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 8 April that his country has moved beyond the conflict that almost led to a civil war in 2001. He added, "When a conflict is resolved peacefully and no longer makes newspaper headlines, it is sometime quickly forgotten, but the ceaseless efforts made by [EC President] Romano Prodi, [EU foreign- and security-policy chief] Javier Solana, [EU External Relations Commissioner] Chris Patten, and [NATO Secretary-General] Lord [George] Robertson deserve to be remembered as one of the most successful and timely interventions ever undertaken by the European Union and by NATO," RFE/RL reported. It is not clear why Trajkovski neglected to mention the roles of James Pardew and other U.S. diplomats, who were central to the agreement, particularly where winning and maintaining the trust of the Albanians was concerned (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 6 and 15 August 2001). PM[57] ...AND OUTLINES TASKS AHEADTrajkovski also said in Strasbourg on 8 April that "it would be a mistake, however, to become complacent and overlook just how much remains to be done to move not only Macedonia but the whole region [forward] toward a point where a return [to the problems of the past] becomes inconceivable," RFE/RL reported. He added: "We need to continue our efforts to strengthen the rule of law and fight against organized crime and corruption. We need to refocus our attention to deal more effectively [to promote] economic and social cohesion. And we need to work on [realizing] the vision of a Europe [that exists] not just for states but also for its citizens, enabling free movement of the citizens of the western Balkans across the borders of the European Union." PM[58] PRESIDENTIAL PARDON CAUSES CONTROVERSY IN MACEDONIATrajkovski on 7 April pardoned former Interior Minister Dosta Dimovska and Aleksandar Cvetkov, a one-time high-ranking Interior Ministry official, both of whom had been implicated in a bugging scandal, Macedonian media reported. According to Trajkovski, the case against the two officials was unfairly exploited by their political enemies in the then-opposition Social Democratic Union (SDSM) who broke the scandal in February 2001 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 February and 23 April 2001). Dimovska and Trajkovski are both members of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (VMRO-DPMNE), which is now in the opposition. Trajkovski's decision came just days before a Skopje city court was to decide when to begin the trial. In a first reaction, Prime Minister and SDSM Chairman Branko Crvenkovski said: "Until today, one could have doubts about the responsibility [in the affair] of Dimovska and Cvetkov. Room for doubt no longer exists, and there is one more person sharing responsibility, and that is Trajkovski." UB[59] ROMANIAN PREMIER IN GERMANYRomanian Prime Minister Adrian Nastase met in Berlin on 8 April with Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder to discuss German investment in Romania and German support for Romania's efforts to meet the conditions of EU accession by 2007, Romanian Radio reported. Schroeder said his cabinet has "accelerated" its approval of Romania joining NATO by sending a recommendation to parliament that the country's EU Accession Treaty be ratified. He also said Germany is ready to increase investments in Romania and help Romania in securing its borders against illegal immigration. Both premiers said the UN must play an important role in Iraq's postwar reconstruction. Nastase also met with German Economy Minister Wolfgang Clement. MS[60] CZECH FOREIGN MINISTER IN ROMANIAVisiting Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda and his Romanian counterpart Mircea Geoana said after a meeting in Bucharest that their countries' views on the war in Iraq are close, and "in some points even identical," RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported, citing Geoana. The two chief diplomats also discussed bilateral economic relations and the pending ratification by the Czech parliament of Romania's NATO-accession protocols. Svoboda was also received by President Ion Iliescu and met with the two speakers of Romania's bicameral parliament, Valer Dorneanu and Nicolae Vacaroiu, telling them that the Czech Republic "has a strong interest" in seeing Romania and Bulgaria join the EU by 2007, according to Mediafax. MS[61] SWEDISH ROYAL COUPLE IN ROMANIASwedish King Carl XVI Gustav and Queen Silvia, on a three-day visit to Romania, were the guests of President Iliescu at an official banquet on 8 April and met with Senate speaker Vacaroiu, Mediafax reported. Iliescu thanked the king for Sweden's support during its EU presidency for Romania's efforts to join the union. The two heads of state decorated each other with their countries' highest state orders. MS[62] ROMANIA CLOSES ADDITIONAL CHAPTER IN EU NEGOTIATIONSRomania closed the EU acquis communautaire chapter on the free circulation of capital in its negotiations with the union on 8 April, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported, citing chief Romanian negotiator Vasile Puscas. Under the terms of the agreement, Bucharest is to be granted a seven-year "transition period" during which EU citizens will not be allowed to purchase agricultural land in Romania, and a five-year "transition period" during which EU citizens will not be allowed to purchase secondary residences in the country. MS[63] ROMANIA FREEZES ACCOUNTS OF PROMINENT BUSINESSMANThe Prosecutor-General's Office on 8 April ordered that all bank accounts belonging to prominent businessman Sorin Ovidiu Vantu be frozen, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. Vantu has been named by returned fugitive Ioana Maria Vlas as the chief mastermind behind the collapse of the National Investment Fund in 2000. Mediafax quoted Vantu as saying he is "entirely at the disposal of the investigators" and has no intention of fleeing Romania (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 28 and 31 March 2003). MS[64] ROMANIAN ROMANY MARK HOLOCAUSTMembers of the Romany minority in Romania marked International Day of the Roma on 8 April by honoring the victims of the Holocaust from among their community. An estimated 25,000 Roma perished in the Holocaust after being deported to Transnistria. Ceremonies were held in Petrosani, Constanta, Tulcea, Sibiu, and Alba-Iulia. MS[65] MOLDOVAN BOARD APPROVES CAMPAIGN RULES FOR LOCAL ELECTIONSThe Coordinating Board for the Electronic Media on 8 April approved the rules for the 25 May electoral campaign, Infotag reported. The approved rules follow the recommendations issued last week by the Central Election Commission and cover both state and local radio and television, which must coordinate their coverage to avoid duplication. Under the rules, state television is to provide four minutes of airtime free of charge for each party or electoral bloc running in the elections, and two minutes free of charge to each independent candidate. Local television channels are to provide parties and blocs with 10 minutes of airtime free of charge and independent candidates with five minutes. Parties and blocs can also purchase airtime, provided they do not exceed two hours for the entire campaign, of which 1 hour and 15 minutes is allowed for television and 45 minutes for radio. Moldovan national radio is to provide eight minutes of free airtime for each party and bloc, and four minutes to independents; local radio stations are to provide 20 minutes and 10 minutes, respectively. Television clips can have a maximum length of 20 seconds and radio clips, 30 seconds. MS[66] 1903 POGROM REMEMBERED IN CHISINAUAn international symposium marking the centennial of the 1903 pogrom was held on 8 April in Chisinau under the auspices of the Moldovan Department of Interethnic Relations, Infotag reported. The pogrom was triggered by a blood libel, according to which Jews had killed a Christian boy in the town of Dubasari in order to prepare unleavened bread for Passover. Forty-nine Jews lost their lives, more than 500 were injured, and some 1,500 Jewish-owned homes and shops were plundered. Israeli Knesset parliamentary deputy Avigdor Liberman, who was born and raised in Moldova, told the forum that the Chisinau pogrom was the first of its kind in the 20th century in which the atrocities against the Jews were initiated by the (tsarist Russian) authorities themselves. Participants in the symposium included representatives of Jewish organizations from Belarus, Great Britain, Israel, Moldova, Romania, Russia, and Ukraine. MS[67] MOLDOVAN NATIONAL BOLSHEVIKS DISSOCIATE THEMSELVES FROM VANDALIZATION OF MONUMENTThe leadership of the Moldovan branch of the extremist National Bolshevik Party on 8 April denied any involvement in the vandalization of the Victory Arch in Chisinau's central square on 6 April, Infotag reported. The arch was painted with the inscription "Chisinau is a Russian city" and with the party's emblem. MS[68] TRANSDNIESTER NULLIFIES REFERENDUM ON LAND PRIVATIZATIONThe Transdniester Central Election Commission on 8 April declared the outcome of the 6 April referendum on land privatization null and void, Infotag reported. The decision was prompted by the low turnout, with only one-third of eligible voters casting ballots. Under current legislation, a plebiscite is only valid if 50 percent of eligible voters participate. MS[69] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT SEEKS REASSURANCE OF GREEK SUPPORTPresident Georgi Parvanov met in Athens on 8 April with his Greek counterpart Constantinos Stefanopoulos, Prime Minister Costas Simitis, and Foreign Minister George Papandreou to discuss bilateral relations and Bulgaria's bid for EU accession, BTA reported. Upon his return to Sofia, Parvanov told journalists that "there is a certain delay in the negotiation process and it was important for us to be reassured [of Greece's support] for Bulgaria's ambitions to close the talks on the technical chapters." He added that Bulgaria stands a good chance of closing the Justice and Home Affairs chapter of the EU's acquis communautaire during the Greek Presidency of the EU, which ends in June. Parvanov admitted that there are differences among certain EU member states on Bulgaria's stand on Iraq, but underscored that the success of the talks on specific chapters depends on how Bulgaria fulfills the accession criteria. UB[70] BULGARIA'S ROMA MARK THEIR HOLIDAY, DEMAND BETTER INTEGRATIONOn the occasion of the International Day of the Roma on 8 April, Prime Minister Simeon Saxecoburggotski received representatives of the Romany minority to discuss issues related to the community's pressing economic and social problems as well as the poor image of the Roma portrayed in the media, BTA reported. Saxecoburggotski and the Roma representatives also assessed the sensitive issue of education for the Roma and efforts to overcome segregation in schools. The largely marginalized minority officially accounts for about 5 percent of the population, or 370,000 people, but some experts say the number is much higher. The Day of the Roma marks the anniversary of the first World Roma Congress in London and the founding of the International Roma Union (IRU) in 1971. UBSOUTHWESTERN ASIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST [71] SPECULATION CONTINUES OVER FATE OF IRAQI PRESIDENT IN WAKE OF BOMBINGSeparate U.S. intelligence sources reportedly saw Iraqi President Saddam Hussein enter a Baghdad building on 7 April before four 1-ton Air Force bombs hit the building, leading one U.S. military official to state, "They say there is no doubt [Hussein] is dead," "The Washington Times" reported on 9 April. Intelligence officials have cautioned, however, that there has been no confirmation on whether the Iraqi president was killed in the bombing. Officials told "The Washington Times" that intelligence indicates that around 30 senior Ba'ath Party and Iraqi intelligence officials attended the meeting and likely perished in the strike, adding, "In terms of knowing who was killed, we just don't know." Major General Stanley McChrystal told a Pentagon press briefing on 8 April that coalition forces launched the strike within 45 minutes of receiving intelligence on the 7 April meeting of Iraqi officials in the Mansur neighborhood of Baghdad. KR[72] LOOTING ERUPTS IN BAGHDADInternational press reported the looting of government buildings, shops, and the UN headquarters in Baghdad on 9 April amid coalition advances into the Iraqi capital. CNN broadcast footage of looters carrying office furniture, computers, food, and even artificial flowers from various buildings. CNN also reported that it appears looters pilfered documents from government buildings, sparking speculation that valuable documents that could be used to prosecute members of the Iraqi regime might be lost in the pandemonium. The looting indicates that at least some Iraqis no longer fear the regime of Saddam Hussein, but it also points to a lack of central authority. Reuters reported that no Iraqi police presence can be seen in central Baghdad. In addition, Iraqi Information Ministry officials did not show up for work on 9 April, according to international press reports. The press has not been allowed to operate in Baghdad without the presence -- and guidance -- of Iraqi "minders," who track their movements. CNN has also broadcast large crowds of cheering Baghdad residents, some of whom are shown tearing down and trampling on posters of Hussein. KR[73] IRAQI TRIBAL CHIEF APPOINTED GOVERNORAl-Jazeera television reported on 9 April that the head of the Al-Bahadil tribe in Al-Amarah has been appointed as the temporary governor of Maysan by the town's citizens. There has been no confirmation that Isma'il Kazim al-Sa'd Khan has accepted the position. The governorate is located in southeastern Iraq, along the Tigris River and the Iranian border. KR[74] IRAQI INFORMATION MINISTER MIGHT HAVE GIVEN LAST SPEECHIn what might have been his last press conference, Iraqi Information Minister Muhammad Sa'id al-Sahhaf told reporters on 8 April that "everything [in the Iraqi capital] is under control," adding that Iraqi forces are in place and are prepared to "smash" coalition forces in the city, Al-Arabiyah television reported the same day. "We have imprisoned [coalition forces] in their tanks," al-Sahhaf claimed, adding that coalition forces "are in a hysterical state." He also claimed that Iraqi forces had severed the coalition's rear lines. He insisted that the coalition troops will surrender to the Iraqi forces and told reporters, "You do not need to be frightened. We are going to...destroy them. Do not be afraid." International correspondents in Baghdad have said there is no sign that al-Sahhaf or his staff reported for work on 9 April. Meanwhile, at U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on 9 April, U.S. military spokesman Captain Frank Thorp told Reuters that coalition troops have encountered pockets of resistance. "We are still seeing sporadic resistance, but when we see it it's fierce," Thorp said, adding, "The Iraqi forces are unable to fight as an organized fighting force. So what we're seeing is brief firefights." KR[75] REPORTS SUGGEST IRAQI REGIME STILL SPREADING TERROR IN NORTHKurdistan Satellite Television (KurdSat) reported on 8 April that citizens in northern Iraq continue to be terrorized by the Iraqi regime. "The Ba'ath authorities' repressive agencies have been spreading terror and fear among the citizens in a desperate attempt to cover up its defeat in the war," KurdSat reported, adding that "scores" of Kurdish citizens in Mosul and Kirkuk have been shot in recent days. The report said an "armed murder squad led by police officer Wadi and the head of Arabized Guwer Administrative Subdistrict look for Kurdish citizens,... arrest them, and lead them to an unknown fate." Meanwhile, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Hoshyar Zebari told reporters that U.S. and Kurdish forces seized Maqloub Mountain on the outskirts of Mosul in the early morning hours of 9 April, Reuters reported. Zebari said Kurdish forces were surprised at the lack of Iraqi resistance and called it the "most important gain of the northern front so far." He said he does not expect further resistance as coalition and Kurdish troops approached the city. KR[76] BA'ATH PARTY MEMBERS REPORTEDLY FLEEINGThe Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) television channel claimed on 8 April that a number of Ba'ath Party leaders have fled Iraq for Syria in recent days, IRNA reported the same day. Those leaders have reportedly applied for political asylum in Syria. PUK television also claimed that several members of the Iraqi leadership were arrested in the Al-Karkh neighborhood of Baghdad, but it did not provide details on the arrests except to say the individuals were arrested as they attempted to flee the capital. The reports could not be independently confirmed. KR[77] IRAQI OPPOSITION LEADER TELLS MOSCOW TO FORGET ABOUT IRAQ'S DEBTS...Muwaffak Fattuhi, a leader of the Iraqi opposition and a member of the Central Committee of the Iraqi National Congress, said Russia should give up hope that Iraq will repay its Soviet-era debts and should begin relations with a new post-Hussein government with a blank slate, "Izvestiya" reported on 8 April. "Countries like Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus were friends of Saddam Hussein, and they worked against the interests of the Iraqi people," Fattuhi was quoted as saying. He added, though, that the new Iraqi government will respect Russia and will not exclude it from among its potential trading partners. According to the Economic Development and Trade Ministry, Iraq's debts to Moscow exceed $8.5 billion, "Izvestiya" reported. VY[78] ...PROVOKING HEATED REACTIONFormer Russian Prime Minister and current head of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Yevgenii Primakov said that Fattuhi's statement has no legal status and makes no economic sense, polit.ru reported on 8 April. "Who are they, these leaders of the Iraqi opposition?" Primakov said. "Usually opposition leaders are commonly accepted fighters for something. But here there are some self-proclaimed figures making decisions about the country's future policies and the rules of the game." Moscow Institute of Political Forecasting Director Aleksandr Konovalov told ORT on 8 April that although it is unrealistic to expect the debts to be repaid, Russian companies do have considerable assets and investments in Iraq and these are subject to international law and conventions. Their fate must not be determined by the arbitrary decisions of political leaders, Konovalov said. VY[79] RUSSIAN MEDIA PROTEST DEATHS OF JOURNALISTS IN IRAQ...The Industrial Committee, a lobbying group that comprises leading Russian media executives, on 8 April issued a statement condemning the combat-related deaths of journalists in Baghdad, strana.ru reported. The statement was read on ORT by the channel's General Director and Industrial Committee head Konstantin Ernst, who also appealed to the ambassadors of Iraq, the United States, and Great Britain to forward the committee's concerns to their governments. "These journalists are not combatants, but are people performing their professional duty, and the governments of the coalition and of Iraq are responsible for their lives," the statement said. VY[80] ...AND REPORTS RUMORS OF CIA ACTIVITY...CIA teams tasked with finding and securing the archives of the regime of Iraqi President Hussein have reportedly moved into Baghdad together with U.S.-led coalition forces, Interfax, ORT, and RTR reported on 8 April. According to the unsourced reports, the CIA believes the archives might find their way or have already found their way to the Russian Embassy. Despite that facility's diplomatic protections, U.S. intelligence might stage a break-in at the compound that could be masked as a looting incident, under the cover of which agents will attempt to seize the documents, Interfax speculated. The news agency admits, however, that it has no corroboration of its information. VY[81] ...AND EMBASSY IN BAGHDAD REMAINS OPENThe Russian Embassy in Baghdad remains open despite disorder and sporadic fighting in the streets, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Yakovenko said on 8 April, RTR reported. Yakovenko stressed that the mission is performing a vital function by keeping Moscow abreast of developments in Iraq. It is also providing shelter to many Russian journalists working in Baghdad and is representing the interests of Germany and France in Iraq, Yakovenko added. Finally, there are a number of Russians, primarily women, who live in Iraq and for whom the embassy continues to provide consular services, Yakovenko said. VY[82] COALITION ROCKET REPORTEDLY KILLS IRANIAN BOYKhuzestan Province's deputy-governor for political and security affairs, Dr. Afqah, said on 8 April that at approximately 4 p.m. local time a rocket blast in the Khosroabad district outside Abadan killed a local boy, ISNA reported. He speculated that "the rocket has probably been fired by American-British aircraft." IRNA later identified the victim as 13-year-old Hussein Arizi. Iranian officials are following up on the matter, according to IRNA. Tehran alleged in the first days of Operation Iraqi Freedom that missiles -- fired either by Iraqi or by coalition forces -- landed on its territory (see "RFE/RL Iran Report," 24 March 2003). BS[83] IRAN-EU TALKS UNDER WAY IN BRUSSELSThe third round of Iran-European Union talks on a trade-and-cooperation agreement commenced on 8 April in Brussels, IRNA reported. Talks on the first day covered cooperation against drug trafficking, money laundering, immigration, and scientific and cultural cooperation, while trade and economic issues were to be the focus on 9 April. Earlier rounds were held in Brussels in December and Tehran in February. A political dialogue will be held in Brussels starting on 10 April and will cover issues such as antiterrorism cooperation, human rights, nonproliferation issues, and the Middle East conflict, according to IRNA. It is the second round of Iran-EU political dialogue, which began in Tehran in December. The EU side in the political talks will be led by Greek Foreign Ministry political director Elias Klis, and the Iranian delegation will be led by Ibrahim Rahimpur, director-general of the West Europe desk of the Iranian Foreign Ministry. SF[84] IRANIAN PARLIAMENT READIES PRESIDENTIAL POWERS FOR GUARDIANS COUNCILThe presidential powers bill that President Hojatoleslam Mohammad Khatami introduced last August was given final approval by the Iranian parliament on 8 April and is now set to be reviewed by the Guardians Council, IRNA reported. Khatami had said that the bill was a necessary means to bolster presidential powers to implement constitutional law. Reformist politicians see its passage as an important demonstration, at least symbolically, of their ability to stand up against the conservative faction. IRNA reported that the vice president for legal and parliamentary affairs, Mohammad Ali Abtahi, expressed confidence that the Guardians, whose duty it is to ensure that all legislation complies with religious law and the constitution, will not veto the bill. Abtahi said the bill is needed in order to strengthen Iran's ability to fend off "foreign threats" arising from the war in Iraq. However, in view of the concerns expressed by the conservative faction that the bill would lead to a presidential "dictatorship," it seems likely the Guardians will quash the bill, as they recently did a related bill introduced by Khatami that would have reformed the election law. The Tehran daily "Toseh" on 8 April predicted that the bill is likely to languish indefinitely as a result of the unsettled differences between the parliament and the Guardians Council. SF[85] MONTAZERI BACK IN HOSPITALDissident cleric Ayatollah Hussein Ali Montazeri-Najafabadi, who was released after more than five years of house arrest in Qom in January, was transferred to a Tehran cardiology center on 7 April, the Tehran daily "Jomhuri-yi Islami" reported. His son Ahmad said Montazeri was suffering from chest pains, chronic fatigue, and sleepiness. SF[86] IRANIAN CLERIC CRITICIZES EMBASSY DEMONSTRATIONSThe secretary of the Qom Seminary's cultural office and managing editor of the daily "Entekhab," Hojatoleslam Taha Hashemi, has criticized the unauthorized antiwar demonstrations that were held on 7 April outside the British Embassy in Tehran, IRNA reported. Referring to plans by some of the demonstrators to attack and occupy the embassy, he said, "The age of attacking and occupying foreign embassies is over." He said that such actions only isolate Iran and, referring to the 1979 U.S. Embassy hostage crisis, he said that "Iran's suffering today is the outcome of similar violent and fanatical actions" in the past. He warned that such actions could invite retaliatory attacks on Iran. Meanwhile, the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) reported on 8 April that the conservative branch of the Office of Consolidating Unity is seeking a permit to stage antiwar demonstrations in front of the British and Swiss embassies in Tehran on 9 April, although the Interior Ministry had not responded to the student organization's request. SF[87] U.S. ACCIDENTALLY BOMBS AFGHAN HOME, KILLING 11 CIVILIANSEleven Afghan civilians were killed -- seven of them women -- and one was wounded in the early morning of 9 April when a stray U.S. bomb hit a house on the outskirts of Shkin, a village in the eastern Afghan border province of Paktika, Reuters reported on 9 April. U.S. military spokesman Colonel Roger King delivered a press conference in Kabul later the same day, stating categorically that the incident was an accident, Radio Free Afghanistan reported. King said the incident occurred as U.S. troops were pursuing approximately five to 10 individuals who had fired upon an Afghan military post, injuring four Afghan soldiers. The 455-kilogram laser-guided bomb, according to King, missed its intended target by 1.5 kilometers. King said the U.S. military is conducting an investigation. The incident is likely to further provoke feelings of resentment that, according to Reuters, have "been growing in southern and eastern Afghanistan against the presence of U.S. troops and the way innocent civilians are often caught up in their operations." KM[88] PURPORTED BIN LADEN TAPE CALLS FOR SUICIDE ATTACKS AGAINST UNITED STATES, BRITAINAn audio-taped message purportedly made by Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has called on Muslims to launch suicide attacks against Americans and Britons. The message was obtained by AP on 7 April and the translated text was released on 8 April. "America has decided to eliminate all Islamic movements, (and) kill their religious leadership," bin Laden said. "America has attacked Iraq and soon will also attack Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Sudan." He advised, "Be united against [U.S. President George W.] Bush and [British Prime Minister Tony] Blair and defeat them through suicide attacks so that you may be successful before Allah." Bin Laden also denounced pro-American Muslim leaders. "One of the slaves of America is [President Hamid] Karzai in Afghanistan because he supported non-Muslims over Muslims. Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Saudi [Arabia] are also agents of America. There is no difference between the Karzai of Riyadh and Kabul." "All of them have been imposed upon you and jihad against them is your duty," he said. The message added that those who cannot participate in the suicide campaign should make financial contributions, Islamabad's "Ausaf" newspaper reported on 9 April. An address to which people could send their donations was not included. BS[89] AFGHANS VOLUNTEERING FOR REPATRIATIONA statement from the Iranian Interior Ministry's Bureau of Alien and Foreign Immigrant Affairs (BAFIA) on 7 March said that it is facilitating the voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees because peace has been restored in Afghanistan, IRNA reported. The statement added that assistance to the refugees is being coordinated with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Deputy Interior Minister Ahmad Husseini, who heads the BAFIA, said on 5 March that 500,000 Afghans are to be repatriated in the current Iranian year (which began on 21 March), IRNA reported. Husseini added that Iran is ready to repatriate 800,000 Afghans, and he urged the refugees to sign up for repatriation at registration centers in Fars, Isfahan, Kerman, Khorasan, Markazi, Qom, Sistan va Baluchistan, Tehran, and Yazd provinces. Husseini said 1.9 million Afghans currently reside in Iran, according to IRNA. BS[90] TAP PROJECT MEETING IN MANILA CANCELED DUE TO SARS FEARSThe meeting of oil-and-gas ministers of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan that was scheduled to take place in Manila, Philippines, on 8 April was cancelled at the last minute due to travel advisories warning against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), according to the "Hindu Times" on 8 April. The steering committee meeting was to discuss the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan Gas Pipeline Project (TAP Project) and was expected to consider asking India to join the project (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 8 April 2003). KM[91] KARZAI CALLS FOR ARMY RECRUITSAfghan Transitional Administration Chairman Karzai on 8 April called on young men to join the nascent national army in his twice-monthly state radio address, Reuters reported. Karzai said the government will speed up the process of training its new national army, which is to replace and disarm the regional militias. In addition, Karzai said the UN program funded by Great Britain, Japan, and Canada to "disarm, demobilize, and reintegrate 100,000 factional fighters" will be implemented in the next three months. He claimed that this is the "key to maintaining peace and stability." Afghanistan hopes to have an army of 70,000 by 2009, but the government has failed thus far to attract a sufficient number of recruits. Many men throughout the country remain loyal to the militias of regional leaders, and others are deterred by the low pay and poor living conditions available to army recruits. KM[92] KYRGYZ FOREIGN MINISTER HOPES IRAQ WAR WILL NOT HINDER ANTITERRORISM CAMPAIGN IN AFGHANISTANAskar Aitmatov said on 8 April he hopes the war in Iraq will not lead to an upsurge of extremism and terrorism in Central Asia or hamper the progress of the antiterrorism campaign in Afghanistan, Interfax reported. Noting that Kyrgyzstan did not support the decision to use military force against Iraq, Aitmatov was quoted as saying it is important that the international community's trust in the UN and the UN Security Council be restored, because they are the highest international institutions for ensuring peace and security. He added that Kyrgyzstan will remain a reliable partner in the fight against terrorism. Aitmatov also said that Kyrgyzstan is considering giving its consent to a U.S. demand that its troops be given immunity before the International Criminal Court, akipress.org reported on 8 April. BBEND NOTE [93] FORMER U.S. GENERAL SET TO TAKE OVER CIVILIAN POWER IN IRAQBy Jeffrey DonovanThe man set to become head of Iraq's new U.S.-led civilian administration has been dubbed variously as viceroy, proconsul, president-in-waiting, and even the "sheriff of Baghdad." Whatever you call him, Jay Garner has his work cut out for him. The 64-year-old retired U.S. Army general, officially the director of the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA), is set to lead Iraq's reconstruction and efforts to create an interim authority leading to a representative government. It is a challenging task, and one that has put him at the center of a growing debate about America's role in postwar Iraq. Critics fear the U.S. role will come at the expense of a central place for the United Nations. Garner is used to being in the spotlight, however. In 1991, Garner directed a U.S.-led humanitarian mission to protect northern Iraq's Kurds from Saddam Hussein's military. When his Operation Provide Comfort did just that, Garner was hoisted on the shoulders of Kurds, who gave him a hero's send-off. Twelve years later, Garner is back, a fact that the Kurds, for one, are pleased about, according to Mike Amitay, director of the Washington Kurdish Institute, an advocacy group. "I think the Kurds are very confident that he is going to do a good job. He is familiar with their situation there," Amitay said. "He certainly empathizes with their plight, having been with them during the Provide Comfort Operation. And certainly when he returns to the region after 12 years, he'll be quite amazed to see the progress that's been made. And I think he, more than anyone, can appreciate how they can contribute in the future of Iraq." Not everyone is so happy. International agencies, whose presence will be vital as soon as the shooting stops in Iraq, don't want to be closely associated with a military occupation force. Yet the U.S. and British military want to be seen as the benefactors of ordinary Iraqis, and are already involved in some humanitarian actions, such as food and water distribution. David Wimhurst, a spokesman for the United Nations, put it this way: "We don't see humanitarian aid as being adjunct to military force. Armies that are fighting are parties to the conflict. By definition, they are not impartial." The humanitarian problem is just one side of the issue. Garner, who since 1996 has directed a private defense consultancy, also faces criticism for being pro-Israeli. Many Muslims mistrust him, saying he has accepted gifts from a Jewish lobbying group that argues Washington needs a strong Israel to project force in the Middle East. Others question Garner's alleged support for the exiled Iraqi National Congress opposition group, whose members are part of the former general's 200-strong staff currently making preparations for Iraq in Kuwait City. Garner has said little about his plans for Iraq and did not honor a request to testify in March before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Garner is also at the center of a turf war between the State Department and the Pentagon over who should have more power in selecting the members of an interim Iraqi authority. Garner's office is under the Pentagon, and he will report to U.S. war commander General Tommy Franks, but his funding is controlled by the State Department. A Vietnam War veteran, Garner is an expert in air-defense systems and directed Patriot missile batteries used to defend Israel from Iraqi Scud missile attacks during the 1991 Gulf War. Some say Garner's mix of military and civilian management is just right for postwar Iraq. "That's the kind of experience base that you need to get the job done," said Phil Anderson, a former U.S. Marine Corps officer and now an analyst with Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, a private think tank. "I just think that somebody with his background is better suited to it than a diplomat. You're talking about some very practical issues related to restoring infrastructure, as much as you're talking about issues related to restoring government." Anderson compared Garner's role to that of U.S. General Douglas MacArthur, who led Japan's reconstruction and transition to democracy after World War II. "MacArthur did it in Japan, and did a heck of a great job at it -- but that was Douglas MacArthur," Anderson said. U.S. President George W. Bush has vowed that Garner's office will seek to hand over power to Iraqis as soon as possible. Critics, however, say that Washington, if it operates without the UN, will be hard-pressed to avoid setting up what will look like an American puppet regime in Baghdad. Others disagree. Nile Gardiner, from the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, says Garner's team will work hard to hand over power to Iraqis who are seen as legitimate in the eyes of the Iraqi people. "I don't think it's really an issue of imposing a Pentagon-appointed leader here," Gardiner said. "I think it's an issue of negotiating very carefully with various Iraqi opposition groups and ensuring that the new leader of a post-Saddam Iraq has the full support of as many Iraqi people as possible." A new report by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) says Iraqis would not view exiles in power favorably. The report was leaked to the press yesterday. The CIA report finds that Ahmad Chalabi, an Iraqi exile who is leader of the Iraqi National Congress (INC), and Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim, who leads the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, a Tehran-based Shiite opposition group, both have little support among the Iraqi population. In Belfast yesterday, Bush -- after a summit with British Prime Minister Tony Blair -- sought to dispel any notions that the United States will seek to hang on to power in Iraq or will turn it over to leaders who lack legitimacy inside Iraq. "I hear a lot of talk about how we are going to impose this leader or that leader -- forget it. From day one, we have said the Iraqi people are capable of running their own country. That's what we believe," Bush said. "The position of the United States of America is: The Iraqis are plenty capable of running Iraq and that is precisely what is going to happen." Garner's office, which will also run Iraq's oil fields, had its first taste of Iraq on 8 April, when a team of some 20 officials visited the southern port city of Umm Qasr. Their task was to assess local humanitarian needs and set up a dialogue with the local population. Meanwhile, with Garner's reported approval, British forces in the southern city of Al-Basrah said the same day that they had chosen a local "shaykh" to form a leadership council in the province, which has been beset by rampant looting in recent days. Jeffrey Donovan is an RFE/RL correspondent in Washington. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
|
All Rights Reserved.