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RFE/RL Newsline, 07-05-24
CONTENTS
[01] RUSSIAN MURDER SUSPECT PROMISES 'A SENSATION'
[02] RUSSIA UNLIKELY TO AGREE TO EXTRADITION
[03] BRITAIN WILL NOT 'SHY AWAY' FROM PURSUING MURDER CASE
[04] RUSSIAN LEGISLATOR WARNS AGAINST 'POLITICIZING A LEGAL' ISSUE
[05] BEREZOVSKY SAYS PUTIN IS LINKED TO MURDER CASE
[06] GAZPROM OFFICIAL WARNS AGAINST EAST EUROPEANS 'UNDERMINING SOUND
POLICY MAKING IN THE EU'
[07] RUSSIA RULES OUT COOPERATION WITH U.S. ON MISSILE DEFENSE
[08] COMMUNIST WINS VOLGOGRAD ELECTION
[09] ANOTHER INGUSH MUSLIM ABDUCTED
[10] CHECHEN MUFTI WARNS YOUNG MEN NOT TO JOIN ARMED RESISTANCE
[11] CHECHEN DIASPORA APPEALS TO PUTIN
[12] ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER SAYS PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION 'SET NEW
STANDARD'
[13] ARMENIAN POLICE AGAIN DENY SUSPECT TORTURED
[14] JAILED AZERBAIJANI JOURNALIST IMPLICATED IN TERRORISM
[15] FORMER GEORGIAN INTELLIGENCE HEAD SENTENCED
[16] PRO-GEORGIAN SOUTH OSSETIAN LEADERS DENIES MEETING WITH FORMER
DEFENSE MINISTER
[17] U.S. AMBASSADOR HAILS DEAL ON KAZAKH FROZEN FUNDS
[18] MISSING U.S. CITIZEN FOUND DEAD IN KAZAKHSTAN
[19] KAZAKH PROSECUTORS WARN MEDIA ON COVERAGE OF INVESTIGATION
[20] KYRGYZ PREMIER CLAIMS HE WAS VICTIM OF POISONING ATTEMPT
[21] U.S. AMBASSADOR SAYS KYRGYZ BASE WILL NOT BE USED FOR STRIKE
AGAINST IRAN
[22] TURKMEN LEADER SACKS RAILWAY MINISTER, MAYOR OF CAPITAL
[23] BELARUSIAN AUTHORITIES RELEASE TWO POLITICAL PRISONERS...
[24] ...BUT REFUSED TO FREE A THIRD
[25] BELARUS ASKS IRAN TO HELP ALLEVIATE ENERGY DEPENDENCE ON RUSSIA
[26] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT RULES OUT USE OF FORCE IN CRISIS...
[27] ...AS PREMIER URGES PARLIAMENT TO ADOPT BILLS ON EARLY ELECTIONS
[28] TURKEY BLOCKS MILITARY COOPERATION IN KOSOVA
[29] KOSTUNICA REAFFIRMS PLEDGE ON MLADIC
[30] KOSOVAR PREMIER DENIES PLAN TO FORM OWN PARTY
[31] KOSOVA WARNS CENSUS MAY BE DELAYED
[32] MUSLIMS URGED TO REMAIN IN SREBRENICA
[33] MACEDONIA WARNS AGAINST NATIONALISM IN GREEK ELECTIONS
[34] MACEDONIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH OPEN TO RUSSIAN MEDIATION
[35] PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE ACCUSES AFGHAN DEFENSE MINISTER OF
MISUSING FUNDS
[36] AFGHAN PRESIDENT RECEIVES THREE FOREIGN DIGNITARIES
[37] KARZAI APPOINTS OUSTED REFUGEES MINISTER IN CARETAKER ROLE
[38] IRANIAN COMMANDER VISITS BARRIER ON AFGHAN-IRANIAN BORDER
[39] IRANIAN PARLIAMENT STANDS BY CONTESTED BILL
[40] IRANIAN INTERIOR MINISTER SUGGESTS SPRING DATE FOR NEXT ELECTION
[41] IRAN RAISES SUBSIDIZED GASOLINE PRICES...
[42] ...AS OFFICIAL URGES LIMITING GASOLINE CONSUMPTION
[43] IRANIAN LIBERALS PROTEST STATE BAN ON GATHERING
[44] AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CITES HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN IRAQ
[45] IRAQI SUNNI LEADER 'SUSPENDS' THREAT OF WITHDRAWAL FROM GOVERNMENT
[46] IRAQI PREMIER MARKS GOVERNMENT MILESTONE...
[47] ...AND CALLS FOR NATIONAL RECONCILIATION
[48] SHI'ITE SPOKESMAN SAYS PARTY'S COUNCIL RUNS AFFAIRS
[49] UNICEF CALLS FOR URGENT AID TO IRAQI CHILDREN
[50] There is no End Note today.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007 Volume 11 Number 94
Russia
[01] RUSSIAN MURDER SUSPECT PROMISES 'A SENSATION'
Russian businessman and former KGB agent Andrei Lugovoi said in Moscow
on May 22 that he is "not guilty" of the murder charges that the
British authorities may bring against him for the 2006 poisoning death
of Aleksandr Litvinenko, international media reported (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," May 22, 2007). Lugovoi argued that he considers himself a
victim in the case because he and his "family members were subjected to
a radiation attack on British territory." He added that he does not
"consider the accusations brought against me today adequate, and I
don't even understand what kind of evidence they have or the motive why
I supposedly did it and how I did it." Lugovoi stressed that the
British prosecutors' statement in the case "causes nothing but sincere
astonishment at the inadequacy of actions by representatives of British
justice." He added: "We will probably express our position within a
week. We will get prepared, invite journalists, possibly hold a news
conference, and make statements about all those events that have taken
place in recent years, in the past year, around Litvinenko and myself.
And I think I can recall some facts that will cause a sensation for
British public opinion." PM
[02] RUSSIA UNLIKELY TO AGREE TO EXTRADITION
A spokeswoman for the Russian Prosecutor-General's Office confirmed on
May 22 earlier media reports that Russia has no intention of
extraditing Lugovoi, news agencies reported. She said that "in
accordance with Article 61 of the Russian Constitution, a citizen of
the Russian Federation cannot be handed over to another state. A
citizen who has committed a crime on the territory of a foreign country
can be prosecuted on the basis of materials provided by that country,
but only in Russia, if there is an analogous crime punishable under
Russian legislation." Prominent Russian defense lawyer Genri Reznik
noted, however, that he cannot recall such a case, the "International
Herald Tribune" reported on May 23. Litvinenko's widow, Marina, said
that the trial must take place "in London, in England" in order for
justice to be done. British extradition lawyer Julian Knowles said that
"there is no doubt that Russia is extremely irritated with Britain
because of the failure of a number of Russian extradition requests to
the United Kingdom," euronews.net reported. He added that "Russia will
take this opportunity to thumb its nose at the United Kingdom and
probably not cooperate in the way that it should." PM
[03] BRITAIN WILL NOT 'SHY AWAY' FROM PURSUING MURDER CASE
An unnamed spokesman for British Prime Minister Tony Blair said on May
22 that the authorities will "not in any way shy away" from pursuing
justice in the Litvinenko case, the "Financial Times" reported on May
23. The spokesman stressed that "murder is murder, [and] this is a very
serious case." The daily noted that "relations between Britain and
Russia hit a post-Cold War low...after Moscow said it [will] not
extradite" Lugovoi. The paper added that "the prospect of an extended
diplomatic and legal dispute with Moscow is likely to prove a test for
Gordon Brown, the U.K.'s premier in waiting." The U.S.-based daily "The
Wall Street Journal" wrote on May 23 that "the brazen murder of
Litvinenko is a test of international society's willingness to defend
its most fundamental principles." The paper argued that "the West now
is obliged to contend with irrational Russian policies regarding to
U.S. plans for a defensive antimissile system in Eastern Europe, as
well as regarding Iran, North Korea, Georgia, Ukraine, and terrorist
groups such as Hizbollah and Hamas. In every case, what is involved is
not national interest but protecting the ruling Russian oligarchy's
monopoly of money and power. Under these circumstances, the murder
of...Litvinenko, a British subject killed on British soil, is most
likely another instance of Russia's confidence that it can act with
impunity." PM
[04] RUSSIAN LEGISLATOR WARNS AGAINST 'POLITICIZING A LEGAL' ISSUE
State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Konstantin Kosachyov said
on May 22 that the indictment of Lugovoi could lead to a worsening of
Anglo-Russian relations, news agencies reported. He noted that "if we
see that these are political and not legal conclusions...this will have
the most negative impact on our relations." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry
Peskov said that it is now up to the British authorities to give their
evidence against Lugovoi to their Russian counterparts. The Russian
Foreign Ministry noted in a statement that "we have said, on numerous
occasions, that we are interested in an objective and unbiased
investigation of this case. As for an extradition, this would be a
direct violation of the Russian Constitution." Communist legislator
Viktor Ilyukhin, who is deputy chairman of the State Duma's Security
Committee and a former prosecutor, said that the British prosecutor's
statement is "all about politics. This is a public relations stunt
aimed at blaming the Russian state for this murder." But First Deputy
Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said in Moscow on May 23 that he does not
"see any major links between the case opened [in Britain] following
Litvinenko's death and the development of Russian-U.K. relations in
general," Interfax reported. PM
[05] BEREZOVSKY SAYS PUTIN IS LINKED TO MURDER CASE
Self-exiled Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky told the BBC in a
telephone interview from Israel on May 23 that Litvinenko's killers
could not have acquired the lethal polonium-210 isotope without state
support. He stressed that the murder could "not have happened without
his [President Vladimir Putin's] personal involvement, and that's
exactly what [Litvinenko] told me in the hospital" just prior to his
death. Berezovsky argued that "because of that, Lugovoi will never be
extradited to London. On the other hand, I think Lugovoi's own life is
in danger, because it is an absolutely typical KGB way to solve the
problem, to kill the witness to the crime." Economist.com noted on May
23 that "Russia and its security services are sufficiently chaotic and
fractious for there to be many other possible masterminds and assorted
motives. Unfortunately, even after the British prosecutors'
announcements, finding the ultimate culprit still seems unlikely. It
usually is when Russians die mysteriously." PM
[06] GAZPROM OFFICIAL WARNS AGAINST EAST EUROPEANS 'UNDERMINING SOUND
POLICY MAKING IN THE EU'
Aleksandr Medvedev, Gazprom's deputy CEO in charge of exports, was
quoted by Britain's "Financial Times" on May 23 as saying that his
company will press ahead with plans to invest in the EU despite the
poor relations between Brussels and Moscow (see "RFE/RL Newsline," May
21 and 22, 2007). He cautioned the EU against the "negative influence
of [Poland and other] countries, which are not taking care of the
problems of the whole of Europe but are pursuing their own egoistic and
very strange directions." The paper also quoted Kremlin spokesman
Peskov as noting on the eve of President Putin's visit to Austria that
Moscow-Vienna relations are developing "very positively...as opposed to
other countries of the EU, [because Austria] has respectful relations
to Soviet soldiers buried there." This is an allusion to the current
Russian campaign against Estonia, whose government recently moved a
Soviet-era war memorial out of the center of Tallinn into a military
cemetery. The Russian "RBK Daily" wrote on May 22 that Lithuania and
Poland are seeking at Washington's behest to drive a wedge between
Russia and Western Europe by promoting a new energy strategy aimed at
reducing European dependence on Russia. The daily quoted German Russia
expert Alexander Rahr as saying that "such plans aim to put an end to
Germany's moderate policy. I fear that Brussels may succumb to the
pressure applied by EU new members and revert to the policy of
deterrence." But iht.com on May 23 quoted several European experts as
saying that Russian heavy-handedness has served to promote cohesion
among EU member states. PM
[07] RUSSIA RULES OUT COOPERATION WITH U.S. ON MISSILE DEFENSE
First Deputy Prime Minister Ivanov said in Moscow on May 23 that Russia
has no intention of cooperating with the United States in its plans for
a missile-defense shield in Europe, Interfax reported. Ivanov told
reporters, "We are not going to cooperate against ourselves. We do not
like the explanation" that Washington has provided regarding the
system. He added that U.S. offers of cooperation are aimed only at
soothing European opinion. He said that Russia does not need a
missile-defense system of its own. Top U.S. officials have gone to
great pains in recent months to convince Russian leaders that the
proposed system is defensive and directed against possible threats from
rogue states like Iran and North Korea, not against Russia (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," May 22, 2007). Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called
the Russian objections "laughable." Many commentators in NATO countries
stress that Moscow's goal is justify its own military expansion and to
undermine the Atlantic alliance by separating the United States and
some of the newer member states on the one hand from some West European
states on the other. The German Foreign Ministry and political
establishment, for example, include many people who readily criticize
Washington and the leaderships in Prague and Warsaw but seek close ties
to Moscow. The Russian "RBK Daily" noted on May 22 that the United
States will go ahead with missile defense regardless of what Russia
says. The paper echoed some official Russian charges that the system
probably will be expanded to become a global, offensive system, an
accusation that Washington denies. PM
[08] COMMUNIST WINS VOLGOGRAD ELECTION
Communist regional legislator Roman Grebennikov won the May 20 mayoral
election in Volgograd with 32.47 percent of the vote, Interfax
reported, citing the city Election Commission's figures. The candidate
of the pro-Kremlin A Just Russia party finished second, while the
pro-Kremlin Unified Russia's candidate placed third. Nikolai Petrov,
who is an analyst at the Moscow Carnegie Center, was quoted by the
"International Herald Tribune" on May 23 as saying that the Communist
victory "shows that democracy can sometimes work in Russia." He added
that the reasons for the upset are rooted in local rather than national
conditions, however. This was one of the last ballots before the 2007
State Duma elections. PM
[09] ANOTHER INGUSH MUSLIM ABDUCTED
Unidentified masked men allegedly grabbed Akhmed Kartoyev on the street
in Nazran on May 22, forced him into a car and drove away, the
independent website ingushetiya.ru reported. Kartoyev, who was born in
1977, is reportedly a devout Muslim and graduate of Cairo's Al-Azhar
University. Between 150-200 Ingush, many of them practicing Muslims,
have disappeared without trace after being similarly snatched by
unknown abductors over the past two-three years. LF
[10] CHECHEN MUFTI WARNS YOUNG MEN NOT TO JOIN ARMED RESISTANCE
In a televised address on May 22, Chechen Republic Mufti Sultan-hadji
Mirzayev said that "in recent months" up to two dozen young men have
left their homes to join the resistance, caucasustimes.com reported on
May 23. He warned that anyone who takes up arms against the republic's
leader "is not a Muslim," and that there will be no further amnesties
for resistance fighters. LF
[11] CHECHEN DIASPORA APPEALS TO PUTIN
The Association of Chechen Community and Cultural Organizations that
represent Chechens in other regions of the Russian Federation has
written to President Putin asking him to put a stop to efforts to whip
up "anti-Chechen hysteria" among the Russian population, according to
"Novye izvestia" on May 22. The appeal enumerates reprisals against
Chechens in recent months and notes that in the wake of one such clash,
unsubstantiated rumors began circulating that a Chechen terrorist
network is active in Moscow. Association head Mavlit Bazhayev, who is a
member of the Public Chamber, told the newspaper that it will take
between five and 10 years to counter the stereotype image of Chechens
as having "problems with the law." LF
Transcaucasia And Central Asia
[12] ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER SAYS PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION 'SET NEW
STANDARD'
Serzh Sarkisian met in Yerevan on May 22 with Slovenian diplomat Boris
Frlec, who headed the mission deployed by the OSCE's Office for
Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to monitor the May 12
parliamentary election, Noyan Tapan and RFE/RL's Armenian Service
reported. Sarkisian thanked the observer mission for what he termed its
"impartial and objective" evaluation of the vote. He said the election
set a new standard for next year's presidential ballot, but at the same
time acknowledged that improvements are still needed to ensure that
future elections comply completely with international standards. He
pledged that all shortcomings listed in the ODIHR final assessment will
be "thoroughly studied." Also on May 22, the Dashink (Alliance) party,
which has one parliament mandate, issued a statement saying the
election was not free and fair and that the international monitors
turned a blind eye to procedural violations, Noyan Tapan reported. LF
[13] ARMENIAN POLICE AGAIN DENY SUSPECT TORTURED
Police on May 22 unveiled the findings of a preliminary enquiry into
the death on May 12 of Levon Ghulian, a restaurant owner who police say
fell to his death while under interrogation at police headquarters in
Yerevan, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported. Ghulian's family claim his
body bore injuries that could not have been sustained in such a fall,
and have accused the police of torture (see "RFE/RL Newsline," May 15
and 16, 2007). The preliminary enquiry did not substantiate those
claims. Medical experts from Belgium and Germany examined Ghulian's
body last week but have not made their findings public. The
International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights appealed on May 17
to police service chief Lieutenant-General Hayk Harutiunian to launch a
thorough and independent investigation into the circumstances of
Ghulian's death, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported on May 18. LF
[14] JAILED AZERBAIJANI JOURNALIST IMPLICATED IN TERRORISM
National Security Ministry personnel searched the offices of the
newspapers "Realny Azerbaijan" and "Gyundelik Azerbaijan" for five
hours on May 22, confiscating files and equipment, day.az reported.
Police sealed the premises several days earlier after the Emergency
Situations Ministry ordered the papers to vacate the building on safety
grounds (see "RFE/RL Newsline," May 21, 2007). National Security
Ministry personnel also searched the Baku apartment of Eynulla
Fatullayev, a journalist for the twin publications who was sentenced
last month to 2 1/2 years' imprisonment on charges of libel (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," April 23, 2007), and confiscated visiting cards,
cassettes, and photographs. Fatullayev's lawyer Isakhan Ashurov, who
was present during the apartment search, said the National Security
Ministry has opened a criminal case against Fatullayev on charges of
terrorism. LF
[15] FORMER GEORGIAN INTELLIGENCE HEAD SENTENCED
The Tbilisi City Court sentenced Irakli Batiashvili on May 23 to seven
years' imprisonment on charges of providing "intellectual support" to
renegade local official Emzar Kvitsiani, who in July 2006 called for
the overthrow of the Georgian leadership, Caucasus Press reported (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," July 31 and August 24, 2006). Those charges were
based on a tape recording, which Batiashvili insists was cut and
edited, of a telephone conversation between the two men. On May 22,
Batiashvili, who served under former President Eduard Shevardnadze as
intelligence service head, vowed to embark on an open-ended hunger
strike if he were sentenced to prison. A former parliament deputy,
Batiashvili founded the opposition party Forward, Georgia! two years
ago (see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 30, 2004). LF
[16] PRO-GEORGIAN SOUTH OSSETIAN LEADERS DENIES MEETING WITH FORMER
DEFENSE MINISTER
Dmitry Sanakoyev, whom Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili named
earlier this month to head a provisional pro-Georgian administration in
the breakaway republic of South Ossetia, rejected on May 22 as untrue
media reports that he met recently with former Georgian Defense
Minister Irakli Okruashvili, Caucasus Press reported. A member of
Sanakoyev's press service admitted, however, that Sanakoyev's close
friends include a Tbilisi-based businessman named Giorgi Okruashvili.
Irakli Okruashvili, who was born in the South Ossetian capital,
Tskhinvali, masterminded an abortive Georgian offensive in South
Ossetia in 2004 and pledged in early 2006 to restore Georgian control
over the region by the end of that year. Saakashvili dismissed him as
defense minister in November 2006 and named him to another government
post from which he resigned a week later. Unconfirmed media reports
claim that he will soon announce the foundation of a new political
party that he will head (see "RFE/RL Newsline," April 27, 2007). LF
[17] U.S. AMBASSADOR HAILS DEAL ON KAZAKH FROZEN FUNDS
John Ordway, the U.S. ambassador to Kazakhstan, told a briefing in
Almaty on May 22 that Kazakhstan and the United States recently reached
a mutually acceptable compromise on releasing $84 million frozen in a
Swiss bank account (see "RFE/RL Newsline," May 7, 2007),
Interfax-Kazakhstan reported. Ordway said, "The Kazakh government's
position is that the money was kept in the account of the Kazakh
treasury and that is why it belongs to the Kazakh government. The
position of the U.S. government is that the money was received as a
result of officials' corrupt actions in the case instituted against
[U.S.] citizen [James] Giffen." Giffen is currently awaiting trial in
New York on corruption charges relating to his activities in Kazakhstan
in the 1990s (see "RFE/RL Newsline," April 3, 2003). He is alleged to
have given more than $78 million in bribes to senior Kazakh officials.
DK
[18] MISSING U.S. CITIZEN FOUND DEAD IN KAZAKHSTAN
The body of Peter Tabarini, a U.S. citizen who had been missing in
Kazakhstan for nine days, has been found in a park in Atyrau, a
spokesperson for the Interior Ministry told Interfax on May 22.
Tabarini was an employee of Tengizchevroil, a U.S.-Kazakh oil and gas
joint venture. No details were available about the circumstances of
Tabarini's death or how his body was discovered. DK
[19] KAZAKH PROSECUTORS WARN MEDIA ON COVERAGE OF INVESTIGATION
Prosecutors in Almaty have warned the commercial television company KTK
and the "Karavan" and "Vremya" newspapers about covering the ongoing
investigation of a scandal involving Nurbank, Interfax-Kazakhstan and
"Kazakhstan Today" reported on May 22. A statement signed by Almaty
Prosecutor Bagpana Taimbetova asked the media outlets to "refrain from
publications or broadcasts on the course of the investigation into this
criminal case without the permission of agencies involved in the
preliminary investigation." The warning noted that violations could
lead to the shutdown of the media outlets. Police are investigating the
disappearance of Zholdas Timraliev, the deputy chairman of the board at
Nurbank. The bank has been at the center of allegations of improper
conduct by Rakhat Aliev, Kazakhstan's ambassador to Austria and the
son-in-law of President Nursultan Nazarbaev (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
February 7, 12, and 20 and May 14, 2007). DK
[20] KYRGYZ PREMIER CLAIMS HE WAS VICTIM OF POISONING ATTEMPT
Prime Minister Almaz Atambaev told journalists in Bishkek on May 22
that he was recently the victim of an attempted poisoning, news agency
24.kg reported. Atambaev said he fell ill after drinking a glass of
water in his office on May 11. He said, "It was clearly a poisoning
attempt. For two weeks they detoxified my blood, and now I feel
better." Akipress.org quoted parliamentary deputy Iskhak Masaliev as
saying, "It's obvious that he has been sick. I asked Atambaev how he
feels, and he said that they poisoned him. I don't know, he's the
judge." Atambaev linked the incident to death threats he said he
received in connection with the nationalization of the Kristall
semiconductor plant, AP reported. Atambaev stressed to reporters that
he intends to stay on as prime minister despite the alleged attempt on
his life, akipress.org reported. DK
[21] U.S. AMBASSADOR SAYS KYRGYZ BASE WILL NOT BE USED FOR STRIKE
AGAINST IRAN
Marie L. Yovanovitch, the U.S. ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, told
akipress.org and state-run Kyrgyz television KTR in Bishkek on May 22
that the U.S. airbase in Kyrgyzstan cannot and will not be used for any
possible military operations against Iran. "The agreement which was
signed between the United States and Kyrgyzstan in 2001, and approved
by the Kyrgyz parliament, defines the tasks of the base: it will be
used only for an operation in Afghanistan, which is aimed at fighting
terrorism," Yovanovitch said. She added, "It is absolutely out of the
question that this airbase could be used for an operation in Iran."
Murat Sultanov, the speaker of Kyrgyzstan's parliament, recently warned
that Kyrgyzstan will shut down the U.S. airbase if there are suspicions
it might be used for a strike against Iran (see "RFE/RL Newsline," May
22, 2007). DK
[22] TURKMEN LEADER SACKS RAILWAY MINISTER, MAYOR OF CAPITAL
President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov dismissed Orazberdi Khudaiberdiev
from his position as minister of railway transport at a cabinet meeting
in Ashgabat on May 21, the turkmenistan.ru website reported the next
day. Deryaguly Muhammetguliev, the first deputy railway minister, was
appointed to replace Khudaiberdiev. Berdymukhammedov also dismissed
Ashgabat Mayor Orazmurat Esenov and replaced him with Deryageldi
Orazov, who most recently served as chairman of the State Committee on
Tourism and Sports. The report did not give a reason for the
dismissals. DK
Eastern Europe
[23] BELARUSIAN AUTHORITIES RELEASE TWO POLITICAL PRISONERS...
Belarusian courts on May 22 decided to release on parole opposition
politician Mikalay Statkevich and opposition youth leader Pavel
Sevyarynets, two and three months before their respective prison terms
are due to end, Belapan and RFE/RL's Belarus Service reported.
Statkevich and Sevyarynets in May 2005 were each sentenced to three
years in prison for staging a series of unauthorized demonstrations in
Minsk in the fall of 2004 against the official results of the 2004
parliamentary elections and referendum, which are widely believed to
have been rigged. The sentences were subsequently reduced by one year
under an amnesty law. Both Statkevich and Sevyarynets believe that the
authorities decided to release them ahead of schedule in order to curry
favor with the EU as it considers the trade benefits Belarus receives
under the bloc's Generalized System of Preferences. the EU threatened
last year to suspend Belarus's benefits this coming June if Minsk fails
to observe trade union rights. The suspension might cost Belarus an
estimated 400 million euros ($536 million) per year. "No matter how I
tried to persuade the judge and the prosecutor [on May 22] that my
trial was illegal, they did not pay any attention," Sevyarynets told
RFE/RL. "I made the conclusion that they had simply been ordered to
free me. I link this move to the voting on the suspension of [EU trade]
preferences for Belarus that is to take place soon. So, my release was
a political decision and has no relation whatsoever to either justice
or a law-governed state." JM
[24] ...BUT REFUSED TO FREE A THIRD
Belarus's Supreme Court on May 22 rejected an appeal from former
presidential candidate Alyaksandr Kazulin, who was sentenced to 5 1/2
years in prison in 2006 on charges widely believed to be politically
motivated, Reuters and Belapan reported. Kazulin, who was arrested
during a post-election opposition protest in March 2006, was found
guilty of hooliganism and organizing group activities disturbing the
public peace. The appeal by Kazulin, the rector of Belarusian State
University from 1996-2003, can only be further examined by the
prosecutor general or the chairman of the Supreme Court. Kazulin's
release is a key demand by Western groups pressing for reforms in
Belarus. "Kazulin's release is now linked strictly to a change of
political regime in the country. By using Kazulin as an example, the
court has given a stiff rebuke to any optimists hoping for some sort of
liberalization," Kazulin's lawyer, Ihar Rynkevich, told journalists. JM
[25] BELARUS ASKS IRAN TO HELP ALLEVIATE ENERGY DEPENDENCE ON RUSSIA
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka told journalists at a joint
news conference with his Iranian counterpart Mahmud Ahmadinejad on May
22 that Minsk has asked Tehran to help Belarus reduce its energy
dependence on Russia, Belapan reported. "We talked about this honestly
and have asked the Iranian side to help solve this problem," Lukashenka
said at the news conference in Minsk. Lukashenka also said that
Belarusian companies will receive "special treatment" in Iran in
exchange for similar treatment of Iranian companies in Belarus.
Ahmadinejad told journalists that the stances of the two countries on
international and regional problems "coincide." "We've reached a
perfect mutual understanding and will assist and support each other at
the international and regional levels," he added. JM
[26] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT RULES OUT USE OF FORCE IN CRISIS...
President Viktor Yushchenko told a forum of foreign investors in Kyiv
on May 23 that he will not take any decision to resolve the ongoing
conflict between him and parliament by force, Ukrainian media reported.
"The only way to overcome the parliamentary crisis...is to hold
pre-term elections. I want to say that every step I'm going to take in
the future will be based only on law," Yushchenko said. The Ukrainian
president also said the anticrisis group that he and Prime Minister
Viktor Yanukovych set up earlier this month to deal with the crisis has
"exhausted itself," and is now being used to "drag out the negotiation
process." Yushchenko promised that lawmakers from the opposition Yulia
Tymoshenko Bloc and Our Ukraine will take part in a session of the
Verkhovna Rada next week, following the expected announcement later
this week of a date for early parliamentary elections. The Yulia
Tymoshenko Bloc and Our Ukraine stopped attending parliamentary debates
after Yushchenko issued a decree on April 2 dissolving the Verkhovna
Rada and calling for snap elections. JM
[27] ...AS PREMIER URGES PARLIAMENT TO ADOPT BILLS ON EARLY ELECTIONS
Prime Minister Yanukovych said at a government meeting on May 23 that
the Verkhovna Rada should urgently consider a number of bills on
holding early elections, Ukrainian media reported. Yanukovych said he
will meet with Yushchenko later on May 23 to press him to accept the
adoption as soon as possible of a "small package of bills to ensure
honest and transparent elections." Yanukovych reiterated his earlier
stance that pre-term elections should be held in the fall. "[Setting]
the date of early elections is now considered possible. If the
elections take place, they will be held in late September or early
October," Yanukovych noted. Presidential Secretariat head Viktor Baloha
told journalists on May 22 that the date set down in the president's
second decree -- June 24 -- remains in force, but he added that
Yushchenko is prepared to move back the date to enable the adoption of
necessary legislative changes. JM
Southeastern Europe
[28] TURKEY BLOCKS MILITARY COOPERATION IN KOSOVA
Reuters reported on May 22 that NATO member Turkey is blocking plans
aimed at ensuring the smooth cooperation of NATO's mission in Kosova
with the EU police force due to arrive in Kosova once the UN Security
Council decides on Kosova's final status. Unnamed diplomatic sources
quoted by Reuters say that Turkey wants more say over European security
policy, and wants Brussels to persuade EU member Cyprus to agree to let
Turkey, which began EU preaccession talks in October 2005, to become an
associate member of the European Defense Agency. NATO officials
reportedly confirmed the claims. NATO currently has around 16,000
troops in the region, and the EU expects to send 1,500 officers to
Kosova as part of the transition arrangement. AG
[29] KOSTUNICA REAFFIRMS PLEDGE ON MLADIC
Serbia's prime minister, Vojislav Kostunica, on May 22 gave his
clearest public commitment yet to hand the war crimes suspect Ratko
Mladic to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
(ICTY) in The Hague. Kostunica told Radio-Television Serbia that "it is
necessary to determine where the rest of the suspects are, including
Ratko Mladic," continuing, "That means they should be located,
detained, and handed over to the Hague tribunal." The UN court views
Mladic as one of the two key figures behind the 1995 massacre at
Srebrenica, Bosnia, and believes he is hiding in Serbia (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," May 16 and 18, 2007). Long-standing differences between
Kostunica and President Boris Tadic allegedly surfaced when talks about
a new government broke down in early May (see "RFE/RL Newsline," May 7,
2007). When a cabinet was eventually formed, overall responsibility for
Mladic's capture was effectively transferred to Tadic from ministries
previously held by Kostunica's Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," May 14 and 16, 2007). The EU's enlargement
commissioner, Olli Rehn, on May 16 said the EU expects to resume
preaccession talks with Serbia "very soon, when we see the program of
the government is rigorously being implemented concerning cooperation
with the ICTY" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," May 17, 2007). AG
[30] KOSOVAR PREMIER DENIES PLAN TO FORM OWN PARTY
Kosova's prime minister, Agim Ceku, has denied a report that he plans
to set up a new party. The daily "Koha ditore" on May 22 quoted Ceku as
saying "I only pay attention to the government's activities and not to
party activities," while the May 22 edition of "Express" quoted Ceku as
saying "I am committed only to the solution of final status and, as
well as possible, the functioning of this government cabinet." "Zeri,"
which published the claim on May 21, said that a new party will
probably be formed in late 2007, once Kosova has gained independence
and ahead of local and parliamentary elections. Ceku was a compromise
candidate for the ruling parties Alliance for the Future of Kosova
(AAK) and the Democratic League of Kosova (LDK). In its article, "Zeri"
quoted a range of AAK and LDK officials as saying Ceku has given no
indication that he plans to form a new party. Prior to his elevation to
the premiership in March 2006, Ceku was in charge of transforming the
Kosova Liberation Army (UCK), in which he was a commander, into an
emergency response unit, the Kosovo Protection Corps. AG
[31] KOSOVA WARNS CENSUS MAY BE DELAYED
Kosova's minister for public services, Melihate Termkolli, on May 21
said she is skeptical that Kosova will hold a census this autumn, the
news service KosovaOnline reported the same day. Termkolli said
technical preparations are well advanced, but that she foresees
political obstacles. That report and others in the Kosovar media do not
specify the potential political obstacles, but the census issue is tied
to a UN decision on Kosova's status. The proposal drawn up for the
future of Kosova by Martti Ahtisaari, the UN's special envoy to the
region, envisages a census being held shortly after the UN Security
Council rules on Kosova's status. The United States is promoting a
swift resolution on Kosova's status, but those efforts are currently
being opposed in the UN Security Council by Russia. Termkolli said a
decision on the timing of the census lies with Kosova's parliament and
the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). No census has been held in Kosova
since 1991. AG
[32] MUSLIMS URGED TO REMAIN IN SREBRENICA
The international community's high representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina
and a leading mufti have called for Bosnian Muslims to remain in
Srebrenica. The Office of the High Representative (OHR) on May 20 urged
Bosnian Muslims who left Srebrenica in April and set up a refugee camp
in Sarajevo to return to the eastern Bosnian city. Concerns arose about
worsening conditions and the health of the children in the camp after
one child was hospitalized suffering from bronchitis and pneumonia. The
mufti of Tuzla, Husein Kavazovic, said Muslims should remain in
Srebrenica, and he called for extra security to be provided, the daily
"Dnevni avaz" reported on May 18. The group of about 50 people left
Srebrenica in protest at conditions there and discrimination against
Bosnian Muslim returnees, and also cited security as a concern. An OHR
spokesman, Chris Bennett, on May 20 told Bosna-Hercegovina TV 1 (BHTV1)
that "the security situation in Srebrenica is much better than it was
last year, two years ago, or seven years ago, when people started to
return to Srebrenica." According to the news agency SRNA, the head of
the EU's police mission in Bosnia, Vincenzo Coppola, said on May 22
that he believes it is safe for Bosnian Muslims to return to Srebrenica
and that the EU force has bolstered its presence in the area. Their
exodus also coincided with a debate about the status of Srebrenica, in
which some Bosnian Muslims argue that Srebrenica, the site of a
UN-recognized "act of genocide," should not be administered by the
Bosnian Serb-dominated authorities in the Republika Srpska. There is
also heated discussion about the future constitutional make-up of
Bosnia. The Bosnian Muslims' most senior politician, Haris Silajdzic,
is calling for the abolition of the Republika Srpska (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," May 22, 2007). The Office of the High Representative and the
country's various ethnic groups recently agreed to set up a
coordinating commission to oversee efforts to improve the situation
under the leadership of a former U.S. ambassador to the country,
Clifford Bond (see "RFE/RL Newsline," May 2 and 10, 2007). However, in
a television interview with BHTV 1 on May 20, the man who initiated the
Bosnian Muslims' exodus from Srebrenica, Camil Durakovic, made clear
that step "is not enough. It will be enough when Srebrenica is excluded
from the Republika Srpska and if they do not work on this, they should
not ask us to go back, as we will not go back." AG
[33] MACEDONIA WARNS AGAINST NATIONALISM IN GREEK ELECTIONS
Macedonia's foreign minister, Antonio Milososki, suggested on May 22
that a recent, renewed threat by Greece to veto Macedonia's bid for EU
and NATO membership is linked to upcoming Greek parliamentary
elections. In comments carried on May 22 by the news agency MIA,
Milososki described Greece as being in a pre-election state and
predicted that populist efforts will ensure that the dispute over
Macedonia's name figures prominently in the campaign. Elections in
Greece are schedule for March 2008, but there is speculation they could
be brought forward to this autumn. Milososki was responding to a demand
by Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis on May 21 that Macedonia
"abandon its intransigence." Karamanlis said Greece, as an EU and NATO
member, could block Macedonia's accession bids. Milososki rejected
Greece's claim, saying "we have made several concessions in the past 15
years, showing a large dose of constructiveness." He added that it was
Greece that rejected the latest proposal by a UN special envoy, Matthew
Nimitz, while Macedonia accepted it (see "RFE/RL Newsline," May 18,
2007). Greece and Macedonia resumed UN-mediated talks on May 16, but
the proposal mentioned by Milososki probably dates back to 2005 when
Nimitz proposed that countries who currently recognize Macedonia by its
constitutional name, the Republic of Macedonia, should continue to do
so, while Greece should refer to it as Republika Makedonija-Skopje.
Greece insists that Macedonia should be known as the Former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia. The Greek newspaper "Kathimerini" reported on
May 19 that diplomats are warning that Nimitz may abandon his mediation
role, in which case, the paper said, Macedonia could take its case
directly to the UN Security Council. AG
[34] MACEDONIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH OPEN TO RUSSIAN MEDIATION
The head of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, Archbishop Stefan, on May
21 conditionally accepted the possibility of the Russian Orthodox
Church mediating in its dispute with the Serbian Orthodox Church, the
Macedonian news agency MIA reported the same day. The Russian Orthodox
Church made its offer in April, following a meeting with a number of
Macedonian Orthodox bishops (see "RFE/RL Newsline," April 23, 2007).
The Macedonian Orthodox Church objects to the Serbian authorities'
refusal to allow it to operate in Serbia, while the Serbian Orthodox
Church, which has been allowed to register in Macedonia, complains of
persecution, particularly in the case of embezzlement charges brought
against its archbishop in Macedonia, Jovan Vraniskovski (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," April 23, 2007). In comments paraphrased by MIA, Archbishop
Stefan said his church is willing to accept Russian involvement if it
is "well-intentioned," but he said mediation is premature. He also
stated unequivocally that the Macedonian Orthodox Church will not
change its position on the fundamental cause of the dispute: his
Church's 1968 declaration that it is completely independent of the
Serbian Orthodox Church. Orthodox leaders in Moscow do not recognize
the Macedonian Orthodox Church's canonical independence, or
"autocephaly." Archbishop Stefan described Macedonians as being
"divided as a homeland, as a country, and as a nation," and said they
should "cherish spiritual unity aimed at truly living freely." AG
Southwestern Asia And The Middle East
[35] PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE ACCUSES AFGHAN DEFENSE MINISTER OF
MISUSING FUNDS
Ali Akbar Qasemi, deputy head of Afghanistan's parliamentary committee
for defense and territorial integrity affairs, on May 22 accused
Defense Minister General Abdul Rahim Wardak of misusing government
funds, Kabul-based Tolo Television reported. Qasemi alleged that Wardak
spent $1,800,000 in five trips abroad, a charge Wardak rejected. Qasemi
said his committee has reviewed sample documents from the Defense
Ministry showing the costs of the trips in afghanis, but said other
reports his committee received indicated that the actual amounts are in
U.S. dollars. One dollar is worth approximately 50 afghanis. "If this
is so, will you be ready to stand in front of the media and admit that
whatever you said was wrong?" Wardak asked Qasemi. The accusations
against Wardak add to the current tensions between Afghan President
Hamid Karzai's administration and the Afghan National Assembly (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," May 14 and 21, 2007). AT
[36] AFGHAN PRESIDENT RECEIVES THREE FOREIGN DIGNITARIES
President Karzai received Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper,
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and Dutch Crown Prince
Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand in separate visits to the
presidential palace in Kabul on May 22, state-run Afghanistan National
Television reported. In a joint press conference, Harper and Karzai
said they discussed Canada's military role in Afghanistan and ways to
prevent civilian casualties during military operations. In his meeting
with Steinmeier, the Afghan leader expressed his grief over the recent
deaths of three German soldiers in northern Afghanistan (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," May 21, 2007). AT
[37] KARZAI APPOINTS OUSTED REFUGEES MINISTER IN CARETAKER ROLE
Karzai has appointed Mohammad Akbar as the acting minister of refugees
and returnees, state-run Radio Afghanistan reported on May 22. The
Afghan National Assembly's Wolesi Jirga (People's Council) voted to
remove Mohammad Akbar from his post as the refugees and returnees
minister on May 10 over the refugee crisis stemming from Iran's forces
repatriation of ten of thousands of Afghans since mid-April (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," May 11, 2007). AT
[38] IRANIAN COMMANDER VISITS BARRIER ON AFGHAN-IRANIAN BORDER
Commander Hossein Zolfaqari, the deputy chief of Iran's police force,
paid a visit to the construction sites where barricades are being built
along the Afghan-Iranian border, state-run Zahedan-based Vision of the
Islamic Republic of Iran Sistan-Baluchistan Provincial TV reported on
May 21. During Zolfaqari's visit to the Zabul and Zahak districts of
Iran's Sistan-Baluchistan Province, the chief of the border guards in
Sistan-Baluchistan, Colonel Mullahshahi, reported that canals and
fences have been constructed along 138 kilometers of the border. The
construction work is still underway. AT
[39] IRANIAN PARLIAMENT STANDS BY CONTESTED BILL
Iranian parliamentarians on May 22 voted to send a bill to the
country's top political arbitration body, the Expediency Council, after
it was rejected twice by a body of state jurists, agencies reported.
Parliament has twice voted to hold simultaneous presidential and
parliamentary elections in late 2008, but this was rejected as
unconstitutional, most recently in May, by the Guardians Council, a
body of jurists that must confirm the constitutionality of legislation
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," May 10, 2007). Parliament continues to stand by
the bill; 229 legislators on May 22 voted to send the legislation to
the Expediency Council, chaired by former President Ali Akbar
Hashemi-Rafsanjani. Ninety-four legislators voted against the referral.
Proponents of the bill say holding simultaneous elections would save
the country time and money, but jurists say the constitution has fixed
the presidential and parliamentary terms, and no legislation can change
them. Expediency Council member Majid Ansari said in Tehran on May 22
that the body will now have to decide whether this bill is important
enough for state interests to disregard the constitution for its sake,
Aftab news agency reported. He asked why, if legislators are so worried
about saving money, they have shown scant interest in removing costly
state subsidies, such as those on fuel. VS
[40] IRANIAN INTERIOR MINISTER SUGGESTS SPRING DATE FOR NEXT ELECTION
Interior Minister Mustafa Purmohammadi said his ministry has proposed
late March to early April 2008 as the date for the next parliamentary
elections. The date would depend on the final outcome of parliament's
proposal to hold simultaneous legislative and presidential polls (see
above). Purmohammadi said the ministry has made its proposal to the
Guardians Council, which supervises elections and confirms their
results; if it approves the proposal, the Guardians Council will inform
state officials of the election schedule in due course. Purmohammadi
said officials who wish to run for parliamentary seats would have to
resign six months before the date of elections, ISNA reported. VS
[41] IRAN RAISES SUBSIDIZED GASOLINE PRICES...
Iran raised gasoline prices on May 22 from 800 rials to 1,000 rials a
liter, or just under $0.09 to just under $0.11, agencies reported. But
the government is delaying implementing a more complicated two-tiered
pricing system that will require nationwide use of smart cards for
drivers. The new system will allow drivers to buy a set monthly amount
of gasoline at $0.11 cents a liter -- a heavily subsidized price -- but
they will have to pay much higher prices for amounts above the monthly
limit. The new system is a bid to cut consumption and save billions of
dollars in gasoline imports. Interior Minister Purmohammadi said in
Tehran on May 22 that the government will try to implement this system
from June 5, but it has been delayed so far by the complexities of the
card system, ISNA reported. Purmohammadi suggested drivers would have
to pay the market price of gasoline the government has to import. Oil
Minister Kazem Vaziri-Hamaneh gave June 7 as the starting date of the
new pricing scheme, by which time he said the government will have
determined the various prices and quotas, ISNA reported. Gasoline
stations have already begun accepting smart cards for gasoline
purchases by those drivers who have them, Mehr reported on May 22.
Drivers who have not yet obtained their cards are being asked to show
their drivers' licenses to allow vendors to record their consumption,
Mehr quoted Deputy Oil Minister Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh as saying. VS
[42] ...AS OFFICIAL URGES LIMITING GASOLINE CONSUMPTION
Ali Farahani, an official of the National Oil Products Distribution
Company affiliated with the Oil Ministry, told the Fars news agency on
May 22 that the state has spent nearly half its entire allocated
gasoline import budget for the Persian year that began on March 21.
Farahani said the annual budget allows the government to import $2.5
billion in gasoline this year, and it has already spent "more than $950
million." He said at the current consumption rate, the gasoline import
budget will run out in the last ten days of July. He said Iranians
consumed some 4.57 billion litres of gasoline in a 59-day period from
March 21, or 77.5 million liters a day. The figure showed a 9.4 percent
year-on-year rise in consumption, which Farahani said "is of concern."
VS
[43] IRANIAN LIBERALS PROTEST STATE BAN ON GATHERING
Reformist politicians and members of the Freedom Movement of Iran, a
party of religious liberals and moderate critics of Iran's government,
issued a public statement on May 22 protesting against the state's ban
on a party gathering in recent days, Radio Farda reported. Members were
scheduled to commemorate the party's 46th anniversary, but authorities
banned the meeting as illegal. The statement criticizing the official
decision was signed by 275 public figures and activists, including
party members and sympathizers such as Mustafa Tajzadeh, a deputy
interior minister in the reformist government of former President
Mohammad Khatami; Mohammad Reza Khatami, the deputy speaker of the last
reformist-majority parliament and President Khatami's brother; and Ali
Akbar Musavi-Khoeini, Rajabali Mazrui, and Fatemeh Rakei, all prominent
members of that chamber. The signatories criticized the "increasing
pressure" threatening the country's political parties. The Freedom
Movement frequently criticizes Iran's governmental system, but formally
accepts Iran's present constitution. The state barely tolerates the
party, though some of its members were ministers in the first
government after the 1979 revolution. Its secretary-general, Ibrahim
Yazdi, appeared at a branch of the Tehran Revolutionary Court on May 22
for questioning or on unspecified charges, ISNA reported. VS
[44] AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CITES HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN IRAQ
Amnesty International said in its Report 2007, released on May 23, that
Iraqi security forces committed widespread human rights violations in
2006, including killing civilians and torturing detainees, and
allegedly took part in sectarian killings. Sectarian fighting displaced
at least 400,000 Iraqis inside the country, while another 1.8 million
sought shelter in neighboring states. Non-Muslim religious minorities
were frequently targeted in attacks, including religious leaders.
Judges, lawyers, academics, and physicians were targeted or threatened,
prompting many professionals to flee Iraq. The situation of women
continued to deteriorate, and increased violence was noted, including
abductions, rapes, and honor killings by male relatives. The criminal
court system sentenced scores to death, and at least 65 men and women
were executed. By the end of 2006, some 170 men and women were on death
row. Amnesty also reported that thousands of people were detained by
multinational forces "without charge or trial and without the right to
challenge the lawfulness of their detention." The report said many
others were released after months or years in detention without
explanation, and thousands are still being held "without any effective
remedy." KR
[45] IRAQI SUNNI LEADER 'SUSPENDS' THREAT OF WITHDRAWAL FROM GOVERNMENT
Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi has "suspended" a threat to
withdraw from the government, according to a May 22 press release
posted to the Iraqi Islamic Party's website. The Iraqi Accordance
Front, to which the party belongs, threatened earlier this month to
withdraw from the government to protest the slow pace of reforms. The
Islamic Party statement cited al-Hashimi as saying the threat to
withdraw from government has not been canceled altogether. Kurdish and
Shi'ite officials, including Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, have tried
to persuade al-Hashimi in recent meetings to not pull out, and promised
to follow through with the reforms pledged to Sunni Arabs in 2005,
including constitutional reform. "We got off to a good start and had
solemn promises, but there is still a long and arduous path ahead of us
to review these files. I hope that these dialogues will end in Iraq's
favor and in the Iraqis' favor," al-Hashimi said of the meetings. KR
[46] IRAQI PREMIER MARKS GOVERNMENT MILESTONE...
Nuri al-Maliki marked the first anniversary of the formation of the
national unity government on May 22, Al-Iraqiyah television reported.
In a speech broadcast on the state-run news channel, al-Maliki
contended that 2006 tested the will of the Iraqi people, particularly
following the February bombing of the Al-Askari shrine (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," February 22, 2006), adding: "Sectarian war which threatened
our national unity is now behind us." He acknowledged the ongoing
insurgency, however, saying: "Regrettably, some have rebelled against
[national] dialogue and reconciliation. We will deal with them firmly
and in accordance with the law." KR
[47] ...AND CALLS FOR NATIONAL RECONCILIATION
Saying the national reconciliation plan is the "strongest weapon" to
fight terrorism, al-Maliki vowed that a reconciliation does not mean a
return of former Ba'athists to positions of power. He invited Iraqi
tribes and civil society organizations "to form national salvation
councils in all Iraqi governorates and to stand by the side of our
armed forces in order to destroy the epidemic of terrorism, which is
targeting Iraq." Regarding the current security situation, he said: "It
is an open war against the terrorists. We are determined to strike all
outlaws with an iron fist -- terrorist organizations, militias, armed
groups, and crime gangs that tamper with the security of the
country.... We will give a full chance for those who voluntarily lay
down their weapons and return to the national rank. We will exhaust all
political solutions before we begin taking military measures...to
impose the authority of law." KR
[48] SHI'ITE SPOKESMAN SAYS PARTY'S COUNCIL RUNS AFFAIRS
Hamid Ma'lah, a spokesman for the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC),
told Al-Sharqiyah television on May 22 that the party's Shura Council
is running the affairs of the party in the absence of Abd al-Aziz
al-Hakim, who is in Tehran for cancer treatment (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
May 21, 2007). "At present, we have the SIIC's Central Shura committee,
which regularly holds meetings to run SIIC affairs. There is no big
administrative problem because we have institutions, which are headed
by officials, and the SIIC has a central Shura committee that draws the
broad outlines of the [party's] work. Work continues as usual," Ma'lah
said. He added that if an important matter arises, the party will
consult al-Hakim via telephone. Al-Hakim's son, Ammar, who heads the
party's Badr Organization, told London-based "Al-Sharq al-Awsat" that
it is unlikely he will assume his father's position as head of SIIC in
the elder's absence, the daily reported on May 22. KR
[49] UNICEF CALLS FOR URGENT AID TO IRAQI CHILDREN
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said in a May 22 press
release that Iraqi children need urgent access to clean water,
sanitation, and immunization. The aid agency said in a separate press
release issued the same day that national water networks in Iraq are in
disrepair. "Even before the Iraq war began in 2003, millions of people
were struggling with broken pipes and faulty systems. But since then,
Iraq's water problems have multiplied." The country's main pumping
stations and water-treatment plants have been looted, and sabotage to
the pipeline has further damaged infrastructure. Children are now
exposed to contaminated water and waterborne diseases. UNICEF provided
water to 120,000 Iraqis daily last year in Baghdad, but water tanker
services have now been halted due to a lack of funds. UNICEF said it
will hold press briefings on May 23 to discuss urgent assistance needed
for Iraq. The aid agency Save the Children reported on May 8 that
Iraq's child mortality rate has increased by 150 percent since 1990. It
added that some 122,000 Iraqi children, or one in eight, died in 2005
before reaching their fifth birthday. Only 35 percent are immunized and
pneumonia and diarrhea account for over 30 percent of child deaths in
Iraq, Save the Children reported. KR
End Note
[50] There is no End Note today.
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