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RFE/RL Newsline, 06-01-09
CONTENTS
[01] TALKS BETWEEN MOSCOW AND TEHRAN TO CONTINUE
[02] RUSSIA REJECTS U.S. CRITICISM OVER UKRAINE
[03] GERMAN CHANCELLOR HAS 'CONCERNS' ABOUT RUSSIA
[04] RUSSIAN OFFICIALS DIFFER OVER TRAVEL TO TURKEY
[05] AZERBAIJAN RAISES DIESEL, HEATING OIL PRICES
[06] AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITION PARTY SPLITS
[07] AZERBAIJAN, GEORGIA DENY REPORTS OF BIRD FLU
[08] SOUTH OSSETIA PUBLISHES 'BLACKLIST' OF GEORGIAN OFFICIALS...
[09] ...DECLINES INVITATION TO TBILISI TALKS
[10] GEORGIAN OPPOSITION PARTY ASSAILS RUMORED SALE OF GAS PIPELINE
[11] GEORGIAN DEMOCRATIC FRONT AGAIN REJECTS DECLARATION OF NATIONAL
CONSENSUS
[12] DIRECT FLIGHT NOW LINKS KAZAKH-AFGHAN CAPITALS
[13] KAZAKHSTAN ADOPTS NEW NATIONAL ANTHEM
[14] KAZAKH CASPIAN PORT SUFFERS MAJOR OIL SPILL
[15] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT ASSESSES DEFENSE REFORMS
[16] KYRGYZ FOREIGN MINISTER CALLS FOR GREATER ECONOMIC TIES WITH
RUSSIA
[17] FIRE AT TAJIK ORPHANAGE KILLS 13 CHILDREN...
[18] ...LEADING SOME TO QUESTION OFFICIAL RESPONSE TO BLAZE
[19] TAJIK PRESIDENT CONVENES EMERGENCY CABINET MEETING
[20] BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE MEETS WITH POLISH
PREMIER
[21] BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT MULLS COOPERATION WITH GAZPROM EXECUTIVE
[22] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT LAUDS GAS DEAL WITH RUSSIA AS 'BRILLIANT
ACHIEVEMENT'
[23] UKRAINIAN COURT OPENS TRIAL OF GONGADZE'S SUSPECTED KILLERS
[24] EUFOR DEFENDS ACTIONS IN FATAL SHOOTING
[25] SERBIAN GOVERNMENT ADOPTS KOSOVA PLATFORM FOR TALKS
[26] SERBIAN PRESIDENT ATTENDS KRAVICA MEMORIAL
[27] ART THIEVES IN SERBIA STEAL REMBRANDT, THREE OTHER PAINTINGS
[28] SERBIAN ORTHODOX LEADER IN CROATIA CALLS FOR RETURN OF REFUGEES
[29] MOLDOVA SEEKS GRADUAL PRICE HIKE FOR GAS, THREATENS TO RAISE
TRANSIT FEES
[30] AFGHAN PRESIDENT INVITES FORMER TALIBAN LEADER TO PEACE TALKS
[31] FORMER AFGHAN PRIME MINISTER HEKMATYAR ENCOURAGES JIHAD
[32] RELIGIOUS SCHOLARS IN NORTHERN AFGHANISTAN SEEK BAN ON NON-ISLAMIC
RELIGIOUS CELEBRATIONS
[33] KARZAI REITERATES POSITION ON RECOGNITION OF ISRAEL
[34] IRANIAN, RUSSIAN OFFICIALS DISCUSS ENRICHMENT PROPOSALS
[35] IRAN CALLS NUCLEAR TALKS 'POSITIVE'
[36] IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER TALKS WITH TURKISH, VENEZUELAN OFFICIALS
[37] IRANIAN OFFICIALS SEND CONTRADICTORY MESSAGES AFTER BIRD-FLU
OUTBREAK IN NEIGHBORING TURKEY
[38] U.S. FORCES RAID OFFICES OF IRAQ'S MUSLIM SCHOLARS ASSOCIATION
[39] U.K. FOREIGN SECRETARY MEETS WITH IRAQI PRIME MINISTER
[40] U.S. REPORTEDLY IN TALKS WITH IRAQI 'NATIONAL RESISTANCE'
GROUPS...
[41] ...AS IRAQI ISLAMIC PARTY DENIES REPORT
[42] FORMER CPA HEAD SAYS POOR MILITARY PLANNING AIDED INSURGENCY
[43] FRENCH HOSTAGE FREED IN IRAQ
[44] There is no End Note today.
Monday, 9 January 2006 Volume 10 Number 3
Russia
[01] TALKS BETWEEN MOSCOW AND TEHRAN TO CONTINUE
A spokesman for Iran's National Security Council said in Tehran on 9
January that the latest round of Russian-Iranian talks on nuclear
issues has concluded in a "positive" fashion and will continue on 16
February in Moscow, dpa reported. The spokesman did not elaborate.
Russia has proposed that Tehran carry out uranium enrichment on its
territory and then transfer the fuel to Iran to allay Western fears
that the technology could allow Iran to produce nuclear weapons. But
Iran reaffirmed on 7 January that it will resume its nuclear-fuel
research program, which has been suspended for more than two years due
to Western concerns (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 6 January 2006). PM
[02] RUSSIA REJECTS U.S. CRITICISM OVER UKRAINE
The Foreign Ministry said in a statement on 7 January that it does not
accept a recent statement by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
that Russia sought to pressure Ukraine in the recent gas price dispute
for political reasons, regnum.ru reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 6
January 2006). "The agreement reached on Russia's initiative in
bilateral format with Ukraine lays the basis for stable...supplies of
Russian gas to Europe in the long [term] and is an important
contribution to providing energy security for the European continent,"
the statement claimed. It added that Moscow "cannot agree with [Rice's]
opinion that Russian activities [are not in keeping] with its status as
a G-8 member... Without even mentioning the Russian-Ukrainian
agreement, Ms. Rice [in effect] accused Russia of politically motivated
actions." The statement concluded that "it is not at all clear on what
her assertions are based." PM
[03] GERMAN CHANCELLOR HAS 'CONCERNS' ABOUT RUSSIA
Chancellor Angela Merkel told the weekly "Der Spiegel" of 9 January
that she hopes that Russia will take as democratic a path of
development as possible. She added that one must understand the
traditions from which Russia is emerging and be careful not to
"systematically transfer our understanding of democracy" to Russian
conditions. Merkel noted, however, that "there are developments [in
Russia] that cause me concern, such as the new legislation regarding
NGOs." She argued that the lesson for her country of the recent
Russian-Ukrainian gas price dispute is that Germany needs to have
"good, stable relations with Russia," but also to diversify its energy
sources so as not to be dependent on any particular supplier. It will
be necessary to import Russian gas, but that must not be the only or
primary source of Germany's energy supplies, Merkel argued. She
described German-American relations as "friendship" because they are
deeply rooted in "the normal lives of the people." She used the term
"strategic partnership" for Berlin's ties to Moscow, however, adding
that "we do not yet share as many values with Russia as with America"
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 22 December 2005 and 6 January 2006). PM
[04] RUSSIAN OFFICIALS DIFFER OVER TRAVEL TO TURKEY
Gennadii Onishchenko, who heads the State Health Inspectorate, told RTR
state television on 8 January that Russian citizens should avoid
traveling to Turkey on account of the recent outbreak of bird flu
there, RFE/RL's Russian Service reported. He called on regional health
officials to more closely monitor the travels of people to and from
countries bordering Turkey, especially Armenia. Onishchenko said he is
"worried because of [Turkey's] direct proximity to our borders.
Secondly, we will be witnessing an increase in the human [non-bird] flu
rate this January. Under these circumstances, this kind of [bird] flu
may be carried to our territory. Specialists are closely watching the
bird flu situation in countries bordering on Turkey and Russia,
primarily Armenia." But a spokeswoman for the Russian tourist industry
told ITAR-TASS that Onishchenko's warning is "not very relevant"
because Russian tourists going to Turkey in winter tend to go to ski
resorts, which are far from the areas where bird flu has been reported.
PM
Transcaucasia And Central Asia
[05] AZERBAIJAN RAISES DIESEL, HEATING OIL PRICES
Azerbaijan's State Oil Company announced on 6 January increases of 100
percent or more, effective immediately, in the retail prices of diesel
fuel, kerosene, and domestic heating oil, day.az reported. Diesel will
now cost not 18 gyapiks but 36 gyapiks per liter (100 gyapiks = 1
redenominated manat = $0.9186). The rationale cited for the price
increase was to bring domestic prices in Azerbaijan closer to world
market levels and to deter the illegal export of gasoline. Economic
Development Minister Geidar Babaev told journalists on 7 January that
the price hikes will impact on the rate of inflation, but the effect
will not be "serious," day.az reported. On 7 January, some owners of
minibus taxis that shuttle between the Baku city outskirts and outlying
villages spontaneously decided to double their fares, and announced a
protest strike after passengers refused to pay the increased rate. The
municipal transport department intervened to defuse the situation,
day.az reported on 9 January. LF
[06] AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITION PARTY SPLITS
Supporters of former Azerbaijan National Independence Party (AMIP)
chairman Etibar Mamedov, who now occupies the honorary post of party
leader, and of Mamedov's successor as party chairman, Ali Aliev,
convened rival meetings on 8 January, day.az reported. Aliev told his
supporters, who met on the premises of the opposition Democratic Party
of Azerbaijan, that Mamedov has sought to discredit him ever since his
election in March 2005 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 8 February and 15 March
2005). He accused Mamedov of collaborating with the Azerbaijani
authorities and of seeking to split the Azerbaijani opposition, and he
decried the stated intention of some of Mamedov's camp to participate
in the repeat voting in May 2006 in 10 constituencies where the outcome
of the 6 November parliamentary election was invalidated. Mamedov in
turn accused Aliev of trying to marginalize AMIP and "to break me
morally." The meeting of Mamedov's supporters unanimously voted no
confidence in Aliev. Mamedov told journalists an emergency congress
will be held soon to elect a new chairman, but that he does not intend
to compete for that post. LF
[07] AZERBAIJAN, GEORGIA DENY REPORTS OF BIRD FLU
Tests conducted on dead poultry in the southern Azerbaijani region of
Masally have shown that the cause of death was not bird flu, Emin
Shahbazi, deputy head of the State Veterinary Service, told RFE/RL's
Azerbaijani Service on 6 January (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 6 January
2006). On 7 January, the chairman of the Georgian Food and Agriculture
Ministry's Veterinary Department, Djambul Maghlaperidze, told Caucasus
Press that on 6 January he visited a farm in the village of Shroma in
Lagodekhi, eastern Georgia, where several birds were reported to have
succumbed to bird flu. He said such reports proved untrue and there is
"no cause for panic." On 9 January, the Veterinary Department
similarly reported that the deaths of 40 birds in three villages in the
western Georgian region of Imereti were the result of Newcastle
disease, not of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, Caucasus Press
reported. LF
[08] SOUTH OSSETIA PUBLISHES 'BLACKLIST' OF GEORGIAN OFFICIALS...
The leadership of the unrecognized Republic of South Ossetia released
on 4 January an expanded version of its list of Georgian officials
whose actions or statements it considers criminal, Caucasus Press
reported. The initial list contained five names, and the expanded one
28, two of whom are dead, according to Prime News. Heading the list is
Georgian Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili, followed by Interior
Minister Vano Merabishvili and Mikheil Kareli, governor of the region
of Shida Kartli that theoretically encompasses South Ossetia.
Okruashvili, who is believed to be behind the abortive attack by
Georgian forces on South Ossetia in August 2004 and the mortar attack
on Tskhinvali in September 2005, was said to have merited the death
penalty. On 7 January, South Ossetian Interior Minister Mikhail
Mindzaev said all the officials on the list, including Okruashvili and
Merabishvili, will be arrested if they attempt to enter South Ossetian
territory, Caucasus Press reported. LF
[09] ...DECLINES INVITATION TO TBILISI TALKS
On 5 January, South Ossetian Minister for Special Assignments Boris
Chochiev was named a deputy prime minister and designated chief
negotiator for talks on resolving the unrecognized republic's conflict
with the central Georgian government, Caucasus Press reported. On 7
January, Caucasus Press quoted Chochiev as having written to Georgian
Minister for Conflict Resolution Giorgi Khaindrava declining the
latter's invitation to attend a session in Tbilisi on 18-20 January of
the four-party Joint Control Commission tasked with monitoring security
in the South Ossetian conflict zone (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 4 January
2006). Chochiev said South Ossetia considers it ill-advised to hold the
meeting in Tbilisi in light of unspecified belligerent statements by
Okruashvili and Merabishvili, and he proposed Vladikavkaz, capital of
the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, as an alternative venue.
Meanwhile, Okruashvili told the independent Georgian television station
Rustavi-2 on 4 January that the Russian peacekeeping force deployed in
the South Ossetian conflict zone has demonstrated its ineffectiveness,
and that when the deadline set last year by the Georgian parliament
expires next month (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12 October 2005), the
legislature will demand the Russian peacekeepers' withdrawal, Caucasus
Press reported. LF
[10] GEORGIAN OPPOSITION PARTY ASSAILS RUMORED SALE OF GAS PIPELINE
The opposition Republican party released a statement on 6 January
deploring statements by government officials that suggest willingness
to sell to Russia's state-controlled Gazprom the gas pipeline linking
Russia and Armenia via Georgia, Caucasus Press reported. Energy
Minister Nika Gilauri told a government session on 28 December that
privatization of that state-owned pipeline "is under consideration,"
but that no decision has yet been made, Civil Georgia reported on 30
December. The Republican party accused the Georgian government of
ineptness in its negotiations with Gazprom that culminated in an
agreement by Tbilisi to purchase Russian gas at a price of $110 per
1,000 cubic meters as of 1 January 2006, compared with the previous
price of $63 per 1,000 cubic meters, and compared the higher price
unfavorably with the compromise reached last week between Ukraine and
Gazprom (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 4 January 2006). In an article
published on 9 January in the "Washington Post," Georgian President
Mikheil Saakashvili condemned what he termed Russia's manipulation of
energy supplies and resources in an attempt to control supplies to
former Soviet republics. He said Gazprom sabotaged a preliminary
agreement Tbilisi reached last fall to buy Kazakh gas at lower prices
by refusing to allow Kazakhstan to transport the gas to Georgia via
Russian territory. LF
[11] GEORGIAN DEMOCRATIC FRONT AGAIN REJECTS DECLARATION OF NATIONAL
CONSENSUS
The opposition Democratic Front parliament faction will not accede to
the revised version of the Declaration on National Accord and
Conciliation presented by speaker Nino Burdjanadze, faction member
Kakha Kukava told Caucasus Press on 6 January. The revised declaration
was drafted by deputies from President Saakashvili's United National
Movement, according to Caucasus Press on 30 December. It lists primary
development objectives for 2006-2010, and mentions among foreign policy
goals integration into NATO and the EU. The heads of all parliamentary
parties and factions are required to sign the declaration. The
Democratic Front and the opposition New Rightists declined in November
to sign the initial draft of the declaration (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21
November and 6 December 2005). LF
[12] DIRECT FLIGHT NOW LINKS KAZAKH-AFGHAN CAPITALS
A civilian passenger aircraft landed at Almaty airport on 7 January,
marking the start of a new direct air link between Kazakhstan and
Afghanistan, Khabar TV reported. Carrying a group of more than 60
Afghan businessmen and government officials, the inaugural flight
signified a new effort to expand bilateral trade and commerce. A weekly
direct flight by an Afghan Boeing 737-800 will link the two capitals,
with flights from Kabul serving Almaty from the Middle East and
originating in Almaty to Europe and Asia. Kazakhstan is home to the
largest Afghan population in the former Soviet Union. RG
[13] KAZAKHSTAN ADOPTS NEW NATIONAL ANTHEM
The Kazakh parliament adopted a set of amendments on 6 January to the
country's law on state symbols approving a new national anthem,
ITAR-TASS and Kazinform reported. The new Kazakh national anthem,
titled "Menin Kazakhstanym" (My Kazakhstan), was originally written in
1956 but includes changes to the lyrics by President Nursultan
Nazarbaev. According to unnamed officials of the Kazakh Economy and
Budget Planning Ministry, some 204 million tenge ($1.5 million) has
been allocated for the formal introduction of the new national anthem.
The new law also sets forth instructions on proper etiquette and
behavior during the playing of the new state anthem, including
requiring listeners to stand and salute in public. RG
[14] KAZAKH CASPIAN PORT SUFFERS MAJOR OIL SPILL
An Azerbaijani-registered oil tanker spilled more than a ton of oil
into the Caspian Sea at the Kazakh port of Aktau on 6 January, Interfax
reported. The Kazakh Emergency Situations Ministry responded by trying
to enclose the immediate area and launching cleanup operations. The
immediate environmental damage from the spill has not yet been
determined. RG
[15] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT ASSESSES DEFENSE REFORMS
In a televised meeting in Bishkek on 8 January, Kyrgyz President
Kurmanbek Bakiev praised the pace of defense reform and modernization
within the Kyrgyz armed forces, Kyrgyz Television reported. Bakiev
noted an increase in the army's combat readiness, a significant
improvement in living conditions, and a demonstrable increase in unit
morale. Bakiev praised Defense Minister Lieutenant General Ismail
Isakov for what he described as effective defense reforms. RG
[16] KYRGYZ FOREIGN MINISTER CALLS FOR GREATER ECONOMIC TIES WITH
RUSSIA
Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Alikbek Jekshenkulov called on 6 January for
greater economic cooperation with Russia and welcomed Russian
investment in the country, ITAR-TASS reported. Jekshenkulov added that
Kyrgyzstan is particularly interested in jointly developing its
"strategically important industrial facilities with the participation
of Russia," and he praised Russian investment in two of the country's
major hydroelectric power stations. RG
[17] FIRE AT TAJIK ORPHANAGE KILLS 13 CHILDREN...
A fire broke out at a Tajik orphanage in Dushanbe early on 8 January,
killing at least 13 children and leaving at least one other with
injuries, RFE/RL's Tajik Service and Tajik Radio reported. The fire
totally engulfed the building, which houses about 95 mentally
handicapped children. Initial reports suggested an electrical problem
sparked the blaze, and an investigation was launched into its cause.
The chief of the Tajik fire service, Nazarboi Jangiev, said the
management of the orphanage was fined last year for not abiding by
fire-prevention regulations, according to RFE/RL's Tajik Service.
District prosecutors have opened a criminal case against the home's
economic director on charges of negligence, RFE/RL reported. RG
[18] ...LEADING SOME TO QUESTION OFFICIAL RESPONSE TO BLAZE
Tajik fire chief Jangiev on 9 January rejected suggestions that
firefighters were slow to react to the blaze, RFE/RL reported. Jangiev
said a call reporting the fire came only an hour after it had broken
out, adding that seven fire brigades were at the scene five minutes
after the call was received. A witness who said she and her family
helped evacuate children was quoted by RFE/RL's Tajik Service on 8
January as saying firefighters arrived only after all the survivors had
been evacuated. The children's home's director, Sadullo Yatimov, said
on 9 January that his employees had called the fire department
immediately after seeing the blaze. AH
[19] TAJIK PRESIDENT CONVENES EMERGENCY CABINET MEETING
Tajik President Imomali Rakhmonov responded to the tragic orphanage
fire by convening an emergency cabinet meeting in Dushanbe on 8
January, according to ITAR-TASS. Rakhmonov formed a special state
commission to investigate the fire and authorized it to provide
immediate assistance to the survivors and their families. Tajik Health
Minister Nusratullo Faizullaev officially confirmed the deaths of 13
children in the fire and reported that 79 children were rescued, with
one survivor with second-degree burns undergoing treatment at a
burn-treatment facility. Assistance was being distributed on 8 January
by soldiers from the Russian military base in Tajikistan under the
direction of base commander General Sergei Yudin, with a pledge of
additional funds to be raised on the base for the purchase of clothes
and food for the displaced orphans. RG
Eastern Europe
[20] BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE MEETS WITH POLISH
PREMIER
Alyaksandr Milinkevich, the Belarusian united opposition candidate for
the presidential election on 19 March, met with Polish Prime Minister
Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz in Bialystok, northeastern Poland, on 6
January, PAP and Belapan reported. Marcinkiewicz said Warsaw wants to
support Belarus by launching a radio station and by sending observers
for the presidential election. Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Anna
Fotyga said the previous day in the Senate that within the next two
months the government will open a radio station to broadcast to
Belarus. Fotyga added that the station, financed from NGO and
government funds, will broadcast in Belarusian and Polish and address
its programs primarily to Belarus' Polish minority. Warsaw-based
"Gazeta Wyborcza" wrote on 7 January that the station will be available
on the ultrahigh- and medium-frequency bands. The daily added that the
station's UHF signal is to be receivable in most localities in the
western part of Belarus. JM
[21] BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT MULLS COOPERATION WITH GAZPROM EXECUTIVE
President Alyaksandr Lukashenka met with Gazprom deputy chief Aleksandr
Medvedev in Minsk on 8 January, Belapan reported, quoting the
presidential press service. Lukashenka and Medvedev reportedly agreed
that Beltranshaz, Belarus's national gas pipeline operator, and Gazprom
will set up a special working group to consider cooperation areas,
including the expansion of the capacity of Belarus's underground gas
storage facilities to up to 1 billion cubic meters and an increase in
the transit of Russian gas to Europe via Belarus. JM
[22] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT LAUDS GAS DEAL WITH RUSSIA AS 'BRILLIANT
ACHIEVEMENT'
President Viktor Yushchenko said on Ukraine's NTN television channel on
7 January that last week's deal on gas supplies to Ukraine between
Russia's Gazprom, Ukraine's Naftohaz Ukrayiny, and the Swiss-based
RosUkrEnergo company (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 6 January 2006) is a
"brilliant achievement," Interfax-Ukraine reported. "Only those who do
not understand anything about the gas issue may criticize [the deal],"
Yushchenko noted. "Ukraine got the prize of $95 [for 1,000 cubic meters
of gas]. Look at the map of Europe. Who else has got such a price? What
have we surrendered? Nothing." Meanwhile, critics of the five-year gas
deal maintain that the price of $95 per 1,000 cubic meters is valid
only for the first six months of 2006 and will be revised upward in the
second half of the year, while the cost of Russian gas transit across
Ukraine -- $1.6 per 1,000 cubic meters per 100 kilometers -- was set
until 2011. "Ukraine and its energy diplomacy made a strategic mistake;
the night of 3-4 January [when the gas deal was worked out] was a Pearl
Harbor for the Ukrainian diplomatic service," former Ukrainian Foreign
Minister Oleksandr Chalyy told the BBC on 6 December. "The consequences
[of the deal] will be disastrous, particularly in the second half of
the year," he added. JM
[23] UKRAINIAN COURT OPENS TRIAL OF GONGADZE'S SUSPECTED KILLERS
The Kyiv Appellate Court on 9 January opened hearings in the case
involving the murder of Internet journalist Heorhiy Gongadze in 2000,
Ukrainian news agencies reported. Journalists have been barred from the
proceedings, which concern three former police officers -- Mykola
Protasov, Valeriy Kostenko, and Oleksandr Popovych -- suspected of
killing the journalist. "I've spent a lot of time in the
Prosecutor-General's Office reading files of the case and I think that
these people are guilty of perpetrating the murder," Myroslava
Gongadze, the widow of Heorhiy Gongadze, told journalists before the
hearings. "But I think this is insufficient, since these people had no
personal motives for killing Heorhiy, they were just fulfilling a
criminal order." Meanwhile, Lesya Gongadze, the mother of the slain
journalist, told journalists that she does not consider it necessary to
attend the trial. "The hearings in the case are the same game that has
been played by five prosecutors-general in a row," the "Ukrayinska
pravda" (http://www.pravda.com.ua) website quoted her as saying. JM
Southeastern Europe
[24] EUFOR DEFENDS ACTIONS IN FATAL SHOOTING
EU peacekeepers (EUFOR) defended their actions in killing the wife of a
war crimes suspect during a raid, saying the woman had opened fire on
them first with an automatic weapon, Reuters reported on 6 January.
Rada Abazovic died of kidney and abdominal wounds after a shootout with
EUFOR peacekeepers who had come to arrest her husband, Dragomir
Abazovic (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 6 January 2006). According to a
statement released by EUFOR, when troops attempted to apprehend
Abazovic, his wife and 11-year-old son opened fire with AK-47 assault
rifles. "She was immobilized by a EUFOR soldier with one shot. The boy
who had also been firing at EUFOR was also shot and immobilized," the
EUFOR statement said. Rada Abazovic later died of her wounds. Her
husband, who shot himself but survived, was arrested. Bosnian Serb
President Dragan Cavic has condemned the shooting and called for an
investigation. High Representative Paddy Ashdown expressed regret for
the loss of life but defended the peacekeepers. "People must understand
that if they open fire on the security forces, there are consequences,"
Ashdown said. BW
[25] SERBIAN GOVERNMENT ADOPTS KOSOVA PLATFORM FOR TALKS
The Serbian government adopted its official platform for final-status
talks for Kosova on 5 January, calling for the province to remain in
Serbia with broad autonomy, Beta and B92 reported the next day. The
platform, adopted at a meeting of senior government officials in
Belgrade, also calls for a Serbian entity in Kosova and for the
protection of Orthodox Churches and monasteries. The meeting also named
the team that will represent Serbia at the United Nations-sponsored
negotiations in Vienna in late January. BW
[26] SERBIAN PRESIDENT ATTENDS KRAVICA MEMORIAL
Serbian President Boris Tadic attended a memorial service in the
Bosnian village of Kravica on 6 January to commemorate the deaths of
Serbs killed in the 1992-95 war, dpa reported the same day. "The whole
world, not only us, should know about the suffering of our people. We
have a right to that because of those who lost their lives in the war,"
Tadic wrote in the guest book at the local Commemoration Center. Troops
led by Naser Oric raided the Serb-dominated village of Kravica on
Orthodox Christmas in 1993. They were accompanied by Muslim civilians
from the Srebrenica area in search of food. Bosnian Serbs say 49
civilians were killed, while Bosnian Muslims say 39 Serbs died and that
all were members of paramilitary forces. In July 2005, Tadic also
attended a memorial marking the 10th anniversary of the Srebrenica
massacre, in which Serbian militias systematically massacred some
8,000, mostly Muslim, men and boys in July 1995 (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
12 July 2005). BW
[27] ART THIEVES IN SERBIA STEAL REMBRANDT, THREE OTHER PAINTINGS
Art thieves stole four paintings, including a Rembrandt, from a museum
in the Serbian city of Novy Sad on 8 January, dpa reported the next
day, citing the daily newspaper "Blic." The thieves reportedly broke
into the museum in the morning as guards were changing shifts. The
stolen paintings, which Serbian authorities say are worth millions of
dollars, include Rembrandt van Rijn's "Portrait of Father" and Peter
Paul Rubens' "Seneca." Serbian police, who say they are investigating
whether the theft was orchestrated from abroad, are stepping up border
checks. BW
[28] SERBIAN ORTHODOX LEADER IN CROATIA CALLS FOR RETURN OF REFUGEES
During a Christmas service on 7 January, Metropolitan Jovan Pavlovic,
the leader of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Croatia, called on Zagreb
to facilitate the return of ethnic Serbian refugees, Hina reported the
same day. Pavlovic also appealed to the Croatian authorities to protect
the Orthodox Church, which he claimed is under threat. "I appeal for
ensuring the legal protection to the clergy, faithful, and facilities
of the Serb Orthodox Church that are again exposed to threats and
attacks, notably in Dalmatia," Pavlovic said during a Christmas
service. Police in Zagreb said on 8 January that they are investigating
an attack on a 75-year-old man who was assaulted after leaving
Christmas mass, Hina reported the same day. BW
[29] MOLDOVA SEEKS GRADUAL PRICE HIKE FOR GAS, THREATENS TO RAISE
TRANSIT FEES
Moldova Gaz CEO Gennadii Abashkin said on 6 January that Chisinau plans
to insist on a gradual price increase for natural gas in its
negotiations with Gazprom, ITAR-TASS reported the same day. Abashkin
also said that Moldova will raise transit costs for gas if Gazprom
insists on the higher price. "If gas prices double for Moldova, then
for purely technical reasons [Moldova] will have to increase charges on
gas transited to Balkan countries," Abashkin said. In talks in Moscow,
Moldovan negotiators failed to reach an agreement with Gazprom, which
is seeking to double the price of natural gas, from $80 per 1,000 cubic
meters to $160 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 4 and 6 January 2006). BW
Southwestern Asia And The Middle East
[30] AFGHAN PRESIDENT INVITES FORMER TALIBAN LEADER TO PEACE TALKS
President Hamid Karzai said on 8 January that several hundred former
Taliban fighters have accepted his government's reconciliation offer
and he suggested that Taliban spiritual leader Mullah Mohammad Omar
should "get in touch" if he wants to discuss peace, AP reported on 9
January. While leaving the possibility of talks with Omar open, Karzai
told AP that he does not think the leader of the former Taliban regime
will be making peace. "He has so much on his hands against
Afghanistan," Karzai said of Omar. In May 2004, the Afghan government
established the Commission for Strengthening Peace and Stability to
coordinate its reconciliation program with the neo-Taliban and other
antigovernment forces. While the commission has claimed success in
offering amnesty to neo-Taliban fighters willing to renounce their
opposition to the government, the neo-Taliban leadership has
consistently rejected such overtures (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14
November 2005). AT
[31] FORMER AFGHAN PRIME MINISTER HEKMATYAR ENCOURAGES JIHAD
In a message commemorating the end of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca
dated 8 January and published by the Peshawar-based Afghan Islamic
Press (AIP), former Afghan Prime Minister and Hizb-e Islami leader
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar writes that it is "incumbent on every Afghan" to
engage in jihad until "all occupation forces are driven out" of
Afghanistan and "an Islamic system is established" in that country "in
accordance with the people's wishes." In his message, Hekmatyar claims
that the foreign aid provided to nongovernmental groups in Afghanistan
is aimed at "converting Afghans to Christianity and spreading moral
corruption." He writes that the United States is trying to force
Pakistan to "give up" its struggle with India over Kashmir "in return"
for making the Durand Line -- a disputed boundary between Afghanistan
and Pakistan -- "permanent." The Durand Line -- named after Sir Henry
Mortimer Durand, the British signatory to the 1893 agreement that
demarcated the border between Afghanistan and British India -- has
never been officially recognized by Afghanistan and has been at the
core of disagreements between Afghanistan and Pakistan since the
creation of Pakistan in 1947 (see "RFE/RL Afghanistan Report," 2
January 2003). AT
[32] RELIGIOUS SCHOLARS IN NORTHERN AFGHANISTAN SEEK BAN ON NON-ISLAMIC
RELIGIOUS CELEBRATIONS
The Council of Ulema of Konduz Province has issued a resolution that
characterizes non-Islamic religious celebrations as against Islamic
law, Sheberghan-based Aina TV reported on 8 January. "Celebration of
ridiculous festivals such as Christmas, the Christian New Year, and
Indian holidays is against Shari'a law and means the propagation of
other religions," the resolution stated, according to Aina. Konduz
Governor Mohammad Omar has sought to stress the importance of respect
for the religious festivals of other faiths. "In my opinion, we should
respect other religions so that they respect ours," Mohammad Omar told
the Konduz Council of Ulema, adding that Islam teaches respect toward
other faiths. AT
[33] KARZAI REITERATES POSITION ON RECOGNITION OF ISRAEL
President Karzai said in Kabul on 8 January that his government will
establish diplomatic ties with Israel once the Palestinians have
established their own state, AP reported. "Israelis are people like we
are," Karzai said. "If I have the right to live, and have a home, and
have a country, Israel has the right to live and have a country."
Karzai also expressed the wish that God might grant ailing Israeli
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon "a longer life." Israeli Foreign Ministry
spokesman Mark Regev welcomed Karzai's remarks, "The Jerusalem Post"
reported on 8 January. Karzai first discussed the possibility of
Kabul's formal recognition of Jerusalem in an interview with Israeli
journalists in Kabul in October (see "RFE/RL Afghanistan Report," 28
November 2005). AT
[34] IRANIAN, RUSSIAN OFFICIALS DISCUSS ENRICHMENT PROPOSALS
Iranian and Russian diplomats met in Tehran on 7 and 8 January to
discuss details of a Russian proposal on Russian uranium enrichment on
behalf of Iran before adjourning until further talks in Moscow on 16
February, ISNA reported, quoting Supreme National Security Council
spokesman Hussein Entezami. Entezami said at the close of an evening
session with Russian officials that "after two days, these talks ended
tonight with a third session and some agreements. The Russian team
tried...to set out the details and ambiguities of their proposed idea."
He stressed that the discussions with Moscow are unrelated to ongoing
talks with the EU or to Tehran's dealings with the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA), ISNA reported. Earlier the same day, Russian
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak met with Iranian Foreign
Minister Manuchehr Mottaki, who contrasted Russia's perceived
willingness to resolve nuclear-related problems within the framework of
the IAEA with the United States' view "of the progress of relations
between Iran and Russia in various areas that has always been based on
resisting and weakening the influence and interests of" both states,
IRNA reported. Iranian officials, Mottaki said, "will examine the
detailed Russian proposal and announce their opinions and suggestions."
VS
[35] IRAN CALLS NUCLEAR TALKS 'POSITIVE'
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Assefi said in Tehran on 8
January that the 7-8 January talks with Russian officials were
"positive" and could "yield proposals with potential," ISNA reported
the same day. "The principle in negotiations is to accept Iran's rights
and respect its rights," he said. He confirmed Iran is ready to resume
research activities on 9 January (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 4 January
2006). "We have announced we are ready for this as of [9 January],"
ISNA quoted him as saying. On 7 January, Supreme National Security
Council spokesman Hussein Entezami told Reuters that IAEA officials
arrived in Iran on 6 January to oversee the imminent resumption of
research work. Assefi added on 8 January that research is not a part of
Iran's intermittent talks with the EU but "one of the rights of Iran
and other" Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) signatories, in line
with IAEA rules. "Research has nothing to do with the production of
nuclear fuel," he said, and in this case, it will "take place under
[IAEA] supervision," ISNA reported. He declined to elaborate on
intended research work: "Research has its own definition. We, the
Agency and the Europeans know it, and there is no need to discuss it,"
he told journalists. VS
[36] IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER TALKS WITH TURKISH, VENEZUELAN OFFICIALS
Foreign Minister Mottaki has informed Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah
Gul by telephone that Iran's decision to resume nuclear research "is
not the subject of talks between Iran and Europe, and has nothing to do
with the nuclear fuel cycle," ISNA reported on 8 January. Mottaki
reportedly thanked Turkey for its "positions and vigilance in the face
of targeted Western publicity," and refusal to be swayed by "media
processes" in its relations with Tehran, ISNA reported. Mottaki met
separately in Tehran with Venezuela's deputy foreign minister for
Asian, Middle Eastern, and Pacific affairs, Alcides Rondon Rivero,
telling him that "the current movement" in Venezuela has given Latin
America "self-belief and confidence," IRNA reported. Mottaki said Iran
is ready to transfer a century of experience in the oil industry to
Venezuela. Rondon said Iran's civilization, "wise leadership and
revolutionary process" could provide a "model" for Venezuela, which
sees Iran as a "trustworthy partner and colleague." Iran, he said,
should view Venezuela as its "gateway to Latin America," ISNA reported.
Also on 8 January, Mottaki named Morteza Saffari-Natanzi as the head of
the Foreign Ministry's Commonwealth of Independent States department,
IRNA reported. VS
[37] IRANIAN OFFICIALS SEND CONTRADICTORY MESSAGES AFTER BIRD-FLU
OUTBREAK IN NEIGHBORING TURKEY
Border officials at the Bazargan crossing on the Iran-Turkey border
reportedly announced a ban on the entry into Iran of Turkish passengers
and cars from 7 January in response to a bird-flu outbreak in Turkey,
Radio Farda reported on 8 January. But Foreign Ministry spokesman
Assefi said on 8 January that "Iran's frontier with Turkey is not shut,
and there is only supervision including a ban on the entry of birds
from that country.... Iranian nationals should not where possible
travel to areas in Turkey where they are liable to infection," ISNA
reported. Assefi added that there are no concerns over bird flu
spreading to Iran, adding that the cabinet discussed the threat on 7
January and is taking unspecified precautionary measures, ISNA added.
There have been several human deaths and at least a dozen people have
been diagnosed as having bird flu in Turkey over the past week. VS
[38] U.S. FORCES RAID OFFICES OF IRAQ'S MUSLIM SCHOLARS ASSOCIATION
U.S. forces, backed by helicopters, raided the offices of the Sunni
Arab Muslim Scholars Association in Baghdad on 8 January, detaining six
people in what the military described as an antiterrorist operation,
Reuters reported the same day. The raid was carried out at the Umm
Al-Qura Mosque complex after an informant's tip suggested "substantial
terrorist-related activity" there, according to Lieutenant Colonel
Barry Johnson. Association spokesman Muthanna Harith al-Dari told
reporters that U.S. forces drew crosses on some of the walls in the
office, a claim that Johnson denied. Association head Harith al-Dari
spoke recently of that group's ties to the insurgency, telling
Al-Arabiyah television in an 11 December interview: "We are close to
[insurgents] in terms of spirit and goal. But we are not their leaders
or instructors.... We support them with heart and soul, and we share
with them the same goal of liberating Iraq." KR
[39] U.K. FOREIGN SECRETARY MEETS WITH IRAQI PRIME MINISTER
U.K. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim
al-Ja'fari met with reporters in Baghdad on 7 January following a
meeting in the capital to discuss security and other issues, RFE/RL's
Radio Free Iraq (RFI) reported. Straw told reporters that U.K. policy
on troop levels in Iraq remains aligned with U.S. policies, stressing
that any troop withdrawal will be contingent on the Iraqi military's
readiness to assume responsibility for security. "We were hoping to see
a gradual withdrawal of British forces in parts of the south in a
matter of months, not weeks," Straw said, adding that such withdrawal
is conditional on the Iraqi government "being satisfied that it was
safe for this process to begin." Asked by RFI to comment on the recent
surge in terrorist attacks, al-Ja'fari said, "The larger the political
accomplishment that we achieve, the larger the reactions that we can
expect," adding, "Every political accomplishment is accompanied by
challenges posed by opposing forces." Al-Ja'fari noted that similar
attacks took place in the period surrounding the January 2004
elections, adding: "The political process is advancing even though
terrorism is trying to swoop down on it." KR
[40] U.S. REPORTEDLY IN TALKS WITH IRAQI 'NATIONAL RESISTANCE'
GROUPS...
An unidentified Western diplomat told nytimes.com that the U.S.
administration has entered into "significant" talks with members of the
Iraqi national resistance in an effort to draw them into the political
process and elicit their support for the defeat of Al-Qaeda-affiliated
insurgents, the website reported on 7 January. The diplomat said the
talks, which began in October, are taking place inside and outside
Iraq. The website quoted Tariq al-Hashimi, head of the Sunni-led Iraqi
Islamic Party, as saying that he does not believe the talks are making
much progress. It also quoted al-Hashimi as saying he has occasional
contacts with insurgent leaders and asked them not to launch attacks
during the 15 December elections. KR
[41] ...AS IRAQI ISLAMIC PARTY DENIES REPORT
In a 7 January interview with Al-Jazeera television, Tariq al-Hashimi
denied the claims made by nytimes.com about his role in purported talks
with national resistance leaders. "The report spoke about two issues.
The first issue has to do with the existence of periodic meetings
between me and the leaders of the resistance.... The second thing is
that I have not asked the resistance or any other side to maintain
order on the day of elections.... The two [claims] are utterly
baseless," al-Hashimi said. "We do not say that we do not know the
resistance. However, we say that we do not have political relations
with them at this time. They are independent and have their own
spokesman and their political plan. We have our own political plan. If
the parties concerned find that the Iraqi Islamic Party could be a
bridge for talks with the other side, then we will study this request
and make a decision about it." KR
[42] FORMER CPA HEAD SAYS POOR MILITARY PLANNING AIDED INSURGENCY
Ambassador L. Paul Bremer, the former head of the Coalition Provisional
Authority (CPA) in Iraq, told U.S.-based NBC news in an interview that
aired on 7 January that poor military planning affected the postwar
environment in Iraq. Bremer said that numerous memos sent to U.S.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on military-related issues went
unanswered, including a 2003 assessment that 500,000 soldiers would be
needed in Iraq to bring order to the country. He added that he also
raised questions with President George W. Bush and Rumsfeld over the
readiness of Iraqi forces to assume responsibility for security in
Iraq. NBC noted that in his new book, "My Year in Iraq: The Struggle to
Build a Future of Hope," Bremer wrote that he sent a message to
Rumsfeld in May 2004 requesting additional U.S. troops but never got a
reply. Asked by NBC if the war should have happened, Bremer said: "I
think this had to happen. In my view, the president made the correct
judgment.... It would be a mistake of historic proportions for us to
leave before we finish the job." The Pentagon did not respond to NBC's
request for comment on Bremer's criticism of Rumsfeld. KR
[43] FRENCH HOSTAGE FREED IN IRAQ
French hostage Bernard Planche managed to flee his abductors on 7
January after one month in captivity, international media reported.
French Foreign Affairs Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said that Planche
escaped after his abductors fled a vehicle during a road check by
coalition forces. A group identifying itself as the Surveillance for
the Sake of Iraq Brigade claimed to have kidnapped Planche on 5
December (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 6 December 2005). KR
End Note
[44] There is no End Note today.
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