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RFE/RL Newsline, 07-06-14
CONTENTS
[01] RUSSIAN GENERAL SAYS U.S. IN 'AWE AND SHOCK' OVER RUSSIAN RADAR
OFFER
[02] PUTIN HAILS MISSILE SCIENTISTS AT KREMLIN GALA
[03] ANTI-KREMLIN PROTEST BROKEN UP WITH DUNG
[04] RUSSIA, U.S. REPORTEDLY AGREE ON TRANSFER OF NORTH KOREAN FUNDS
[05] RUSSIAN UPPER HOUSE SPEAKER SEES FEW PROSPECTS FOR HIS PARTY'S
MEDIA BILL
[06] WILL CIS REMAIN WITHOUT A TOP EXECUTIVE?
[07] POLICE IN NORTH OSSETIA FORCIBLY RESETTLE DISPLACED PERSONS
[08] NEW ARMENIAN OPPOSITION FACTION COLLECTS PARLIAMENT MANDATES
[09] AZERBAIJAN DENIES DISCRIMINATION AGAINST GEORGIAN MINORITY
[10] EU ENVOY VISITS ABKHAZIA
[11] KAZAKH PRESIDENT'S DAUGHTER DIVORCES FUGITIVE
[12] KAZAKH OFFICIAL REPORTS ON AEROSPACE SECTOR
[13] CRIMINAL CASE OPENED AGAINST KYRGYZ PARLIAMENT DEPUTY
[14] KYRGYZ SPEAKER ADVOCATES REGIONAL UNION
[15] TURKMENISTAN REOPENS ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
[16] UN RAPPORTEUR SAYS HUMAN RIGHTS WORSENED IN BELARUS IN 2006
[17] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT CALLS ON PARLIAMENT TO END WORK...
[18] ...AS SPEAKER QUESTIONS LEGAL GROUNDS FOR DISSOLVING PARLIAMENT
[19] WARTIME LEADER OF CROATIA'S SERBS JAILED
[20] BOSNIAN SERBS WANT TO VOTE IN SERBIA
[21] MONTENEGRIN PARLIAMENT VOTES TO HALT ENERGY PRIVATIZATION
[22] SERBIA FINDS ISLAMIST WEAPONS CACHE
[23] U.S. DISCUSSES KOSOVA WITH GREECE...
[24] ...AND TOUCHES ON ISSUE OF MACEDONIA'S NAME
[25] ETHNIC ALBANIANS GAIN NEW POST IN MACEDONIAN CABINET
[26] ALBANIAN OPPOSITION TO BOYCOTT FIRST ROUND OF PRESIDENTIAL VOTE
[27] GUNMEN KILL TWO GIRLS OUTSIDE SCHOOL IN AFGHANISTAN
[28] AFGHANISTAN, IRAN, AND PAKISTAN JOIN FORCES TO FIGHT DRUG
TRAFFICKING
[29] ICRC SAYS AFGHAN CIVILIANS PAYING PRICE OF VIOLENCE
[30] UN SAYS POOR TRAINING LEADS TO AFGHAN POLICE CASUALTIES
[31] MINISTER SAYS IRAQ IS NOT BATTLEGROUND FOR U.S., IRAN...
[32] ...AND VOICES ANGER OVER IRANIANS CAPTURED IN IRAQ
[33] IRAN TO CONSIDER BENEFITS OF TALKS ON IRAQ, SAYS OFFICIAL
[34] IRAN SENDS MESSAGE TO SAUDI KING
[35] STUDENTS REPORTEDLY 'TORTURED' IN TEHRAN PRISON
[36] INSURGENTS IN IRAQ ATTACK SAMARRA SHRINE...
[37] ...AS SHI'ITE LEADER CALLS FOR CALM, MOURNING
[38] OUSTED IRAQI PARLIAMENT SPEAKER THREATENS LAWSUIT
[39] IRAQI KURDISH PARLIAMENT REJECTS DELAY ON KIRKUK NORMALIZATION
MEASURES
[40] ISLAMIC STATE OF IRAQ CLAIMS CAPTURE OF 14 INTERIOR, DEFENSE
PERSONNEL
[41] PRIME MINISTER SAYS TURKEY SHOULD FIGHT MILITANTS ON ITS SOIL
[42] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY
Wednesday, June 13, 2007 Volume 11 Number 108
Russia
[01] RUSSIAN GENERAL SAYS U.S. IN 'AWE AND SHOCK' OVER RUSSIAN RADAR
OFFER
General Yury Baluyevsky, who heads the Russian General Staff, said in
Moscow on June 12 that American civilian and military officials
"experienced awe and shock" when President Vladimir Putin made his
recent offer on the joint use of a missile radar base in Qabala
(Gabala), Azerbaijan, in connection with the proposed U.S. missile
defense system, news agencies reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," June 8,
11, and 12, 2007). He added that "soon [U.S. officials] will recover,
and we will hear the official reaction." Baluyevsky argued that
"Putin's proposal nullifies all the plans that the United States had in
Poland and the Czech Republic." He said that Moscow hopes to begin
consultations with Washington in July on the joint use of Qabala. The
United States has, however, given no indication that it would allow any
decision on the Qabala facility to alter its plans for Poland and the
Czech Republic. Putin and U.S. President George W. Bush are expected to
pursue the issue during two days of talks starting July 1 in
Kennebunkport, Maine. On June 13, the online analytical publication
"Stratfor Commentary" noted that "Putin threw a classic Cold War
curveball" by making his Qabala proposal. The publication noted that
"having totally opposed the creation of a U.S. ballistic missile
defense (BMD) system in Poland and the Czech Republic, Putin suddenly
shifted his position, saying he might go along with a BMD system under
certain conditions. The system, he said, would be acceptable if the
United States used a Russian radar system placed in Azerbaijan and
based its interceptor missiles anywhere else, such as on ships or in
Turkey or Iraq -- anywhere but in Poland." "Stratford Commentary"
argued that "by rejecting the proposal, Washington would look hostile
and uncompromising. Accepting it would mean basing the missiles near
the Iranian border, possibly too close to intercept long-range missiles
fired from there. Using Russian radar -- which currently is
insufficient for U.S. needs -- would make the entire system dependent
on Russian cooperation." The article concluded that "pulling the system
from Poland would be a signal to Central Europe that military
agreements with the United States are subject to negotiation with the
Russians. That, of course, is exactly the signal Putin wants sent." PM
[02] PUTIN HAILS MISSILE SCIENTISTS AT KREMLIN GALA
President Putin led a lavish televised Kremlin reception on June 12 to
mark the Day of Russia, commemorating the adoption by the First
Congress of People's Deputies on June 12, 1990, of the Declaration on
Russia's National Sovereignty. Prior to 1998, the June 12 holiday was
known as Independence Day, according to RIA Novosti. Five of the 12
awards Putin presented were for military-related work, in addition to
which he announced a special award for the developers of the Iskandr-M
cruise-missile system. The developers were not named because their
identities are a state secret. Putin stressed that "labor in the name
of strengthening the country's defense capability has always been
greatly respected." Putin also presented several awards in the cultural
and scientific fields, as well as a State Award for lifetime
humanitarian achievement to Nobel Prize-winning author Aleksandr
Solzhenitsyn, which was accepted by his wife Natalya. Putin said that
"millions of people around the world associate" Solzhenitsyn's name and
work "with the very fate of Russia itself." In a prerecorded video
message played at the ceremony, the ailing 88-year-old Solzhenitsyn
said Russia's "bitter experience" in the 20th century "will warn and
divert us from ruinous failures" in the future. He restated his
previous warnings of "a possible repeat of unstable social conditions"
like those that preceded the February 1917 revolution (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," February 27, 2007). Putin later visited the home of
Solzhenitsyn, who greeted the president in a wheelchair. PM
[03] ANTI-KREMLIN PROTEST BROKEN UP WITH DUNG
Authorities in Murmansk spread dung around the Palace of Culture on
June 12, ostensibly to fertilize the land, Reuters reported. That move
also served to break up an anti-Putin protest near the building,
leaving only 150 people willing to brave the stench and continue
demonstrating. An opposition spokeswoman said that police previously
told local activists not to attend and prevented 10 sympathizers from
flying from Moscow by denying them tickets (see "RFE/RL Newsline," June
12, 2007). PM
[04] RUSSIA, U.S. REPORTEDLY AGREE ON TRANSFER OF NORTH KOREAN FUNDS
U.S. and Russian officials agreed on an unspecified method of
transferring $25 million in North Korean funds from Macao's Banco Delta
Asia, where they are frozen, to an unnamed Russian commercial bank via
U.S. and Russian "central banks," the international broadcasts of
Japan's NHK radio reported on June 13. The Japanese broadcaster quoted
South Korean Foreign Minister Song Min-soon as saying that he expects
the standoff over the funds to be resolved shortly. North Korea refuses
to take promised steps in dismantling its nuclear program until it
regains control over the funds, which were in effect frozen in 2005 in
an effort to make Pyongyang suspend its nuclear program. Banks in
several countries have reportedly been reluctant to offer to help
transfer the funds, lest they become subject to unspecified future U.S.
sanctions themselves. RIA Novosti reported on June 13 that Russia
recently agreed to help with the transfer after receiving U.S.
assurances that its banks will not be penalized for doing so. PM
[05] RUSSIAN UPPER HOUSE SPEAKER SEES FEW PROSPECTS FOR HIS PARTY'S
MEDIA BILL
Sergei Mironov, the speaker of the Federation Council and a leader of
the pro-Kremlin A Just Russia party, said on June 13 that he sees
little chance of passage for a bill introduced by his party in the
State Duma to give all parties equal access to state-run television,
newsru.com reported. Mironov said that the pro-Kremlin Unified Russia
party is in firm control of both television and the Duma, and has no
reason to allow deputies and senators from other parties equal access
to viewers. PM
[06] WILL CIS REMAIN WITHOUT A TOP EXECUTIVE?
On the eve of the CIS summit in St. Petersburg on June 10, Belarusian
President Alyaksandr Lukashenka reportedly informed President Putin and
Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbaev that he would veto any move
by them to nominate former Central Election Commission (TsIK) Chairman
Aleksandr Veshnyakov as the new executive secretary of the CIS,
according to the daily "Kommersant" on June 13. Lukashenka reportedly
did not explain his objections to Veshnyakov occupying that post, and
no alternative candidate was proposed. "Kommersant" on June 5
identified Veshnyakov, whom Putin failed in March to reappoint for a
third term as TsIK chairman (see "RFE/RL Newsline," March 14, 2007), as
a possible successor to former Security Council head Vladimir Rushailo,
whose term as CIS executive secretary expires on June 14. The next CIS
summit will take place in Dushanbe on October 5-6. LF
[07] POLICE IN NORTH OSSETIA FORCIBLY RESETTLE DISPLACED PERSONS
Some 500 North Ossetian policemen surrounded early on June 13 the
settlement in Maysky that is home to some 500 Ingush displaced persons
forced to flee their homes elsewhere in the disputed Prigorodny Raion
during the conflict in October-November 1992, the website
ingushetiya.ru reported. The trailers in which the displaced Ingush
have lived for the past 15 years are being transported to a new
settlement nearby named Novy. President Putin issued orders last year
that all trailers were to be moved from Maysky to Novy by December 31,
2006, but the displaced persons have repeatedly protested those plans
on the grounds that Novy has neither paved roads, nor mains water or
gas (see "RFE/RL Newsline," July 17 and 25, 2006). Meanwhile, the
Federation Council is scheduled to discuss the plight of the displaced
persons on June 13 following talks between Ingush displaced persons'
representatives and Senators Aleksandr Torshin and Vasily Likhachev,
who represents Ingushetia in the Federation Council (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," June 1, 2007). LF
Transcaucasia And Central Asia
[08] NEW ARMENIAN OPPOSITION FACTION COLLECTS PARLIAMENT MANDATES
U.S.-born former Armenian Foreign Minister Raffi Hovannisian and six
other members of his Zharangutiun (Heritage) party who won election to
the new parliament in the May 12 ballot formally collected their
parliament mandates from the Central Election Commission on June 12,
RFE/RL's Armenian Service and the Zharangutiun press office reported.
They failed to attend the opening session of the new parliament on June
7 because the Constitutional Court had not at that juncture ruled on
appeals by four opposition parties challenging the official election
results (see "RFE/RL Newsline," June 11 and 12, 2007). Hovannisian told
RFE/RL on June 12 his faction will promote "not only democratic,
national and liberal values, but also respect for the law and
constitution." He said at some point in the next five to 10 years a
"new generation of leaders" will decide whether or not Armenia should
formally apply for NATO membership, but meanwhile Armenia "must become
a sovereign state, a state that respects itself, not a banana
republic." LF
[09] AZERBAIJAN DENIES DISCRIMINATION AGAINST GEORGIAN MINORITY
Azerbaijani parliamentarian Ganira Pashayeva rejected on June 12 claims
made in Tbilisi the previous day that Georgian Education Minister
Aleksandre Lomaya was prevented while visiting Georgian-populated areas
of Azerbaijan on June 8 from meeting with Georgian schoolchildren,
echo-az.com and zerkalo.az reported on June 13 (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
June 12, 2007). She pointed out that the summer vacation has already
begun, and claimed that the stated purpose of Lomaya's visit was not to
meet with students but to bring computers and textbooks for local
schools. Pashayeva dismissed a demand by Georgia's opposition Labor
Party to send a Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe mission
to monitor conditions in Georgian-populated districts of Azerbaijan,
arguing that conditions there are sometimes better than in some
neighboring Azerbaijani-populated villages, which unlike Georgian
settlements do not have mains gas supplies. LF
[10] EU ENVOY VISITS ABKHAZIA
Peter Semneby, who is the EU's special representative for the South
Caucasus, traveled on June 11 together with the German ambassador to
Tbilisi and other European Commission representatives to Sukhum(i),
where they met with senior Abkhaz officials, including de facto
President Sergei Bagapsh, Vice President Raul Khadjimba, and Security
Council secretary Stanislav Lakoba, apsny.ru reported. Semneby outlined
to Bagapsh unspecified EU proposals intended to build mutual trust
between the conflict sides and expedite a settlement of the conflict,
and he stressed the importance of resuming direct talks between the
Abkhaz and Georgian leaderships. Bagapsh, however, explained, as he did
three days earlier to western diplomats (see "RFE/RL Newsline," June
11, 2007), that Abkhazia will return to the negotiating table only when
Georgia releases detained Abkhaz official David Sigua and withdraws
both its Interior Ministry troops and the so-called Abkhaz government
in exile from the Kodori Gorge, which straddles the territory of
Abkhazia and Georgia proper. He further asked if it is appropriate for
the EU to promote confidence-building measures involving a state "which
blatantly violates written agreements" and is "preparing for war."
Lakoba went further, accusing Georgia of pursuing a policy of
"state-sponsored terrorism" against Abkhazia. Semneby for his part was
quoted as saying that he thinks the Abkhaz leadership has "inflated
hopes" that the anticipated imminent recognition of Kosova as an
independent state could set a precedent for Abkhazia. LF
[11] KAZAKH PRESIDENT'S DAUGHTER DIVORCES FUGITIVE
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev's eldest daughter, Darigha
Nazarbaeva, confirmed on June 12 that she has formally divorced her
husband, Rakhat Aliev, who is currently being held in Austria on
charges of money laundering, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reported. Aliev
said that he was "unhappy" with the news, adding that he learned of the
divorce on June 11 only after receiving a faxed copy of the divorce
papers, which he said contained his forged signature. A former Kazakh
ambassador to Austria, Aliev now faces extradition to Kazakhstan, where
he is wanted on charges of abduction and assault against two senior
officials of a bank he controls, Nurbank, allegedly to force them to
sell their interests in a building in Almaty (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
June 4 and 6, 2007). RG
[12] KAZAKH OFFICIAL REPORTS ON AEROSPACE SECTOR
In a cabinet meeting in Astana, the head of Kazakhstan's Kazkosmos
national aerospace agency, Talgat Musabaev, presented on June 12 a
formal report on the aerospace program, ITAR-TASS reported. Musabaev
announced that his agency is considering the launch of new commercial
tours to the Baikonur Space Center. The Baikonur Center is regarded as
one of the world's leading space facilities and is leased by the
Russian state space agency, Roskosmos. He also unveiled plans to "set
up a space-reconnaissance and flight-control system" that will be
adapted for military use, including the positioning of "high-precision
weapons systems," according to Interfax. That plan will bolster the CIS
"collective missile-attack warning system, which is integrated into the
space-monitoring system of state borders and others." He added that the
space agency has cancelled plans to set up the Ishim aerospace rocket
system after a recent study by the National Security Committee
concluded that it is not economically viable. RG
[13] CRIMINAL CASE OPENED AGAINST KYRGYZ PARLIAMENT DEPUTY
Kyrgyzstan's prosecutor-general has opened a criminal case against four
people in connection with the incident in Aksy in March 2002 in which
police opened fire on peaceful demonstrators, killing six people,
lenta.ru reported on June 13 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," March 18, 19 and
20, 2002). The four suspects include former Jalalabad Governor Sultan
Urmanaev and Amanbek Karypkulov, who in 2002 headed the presidential
administration. Urmanaev, who is now an independent opposition deputy
in parliament, told RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service on June 12 that he is ready
to face trial in connection with the Aksy shootings. Successive
investigations into the killings, both before and after the March 2005
ouster of President Askar Akaev, have failed to establish who gave the
order to deploy armed police against peaceful demonstrators. LF
[14] KYRGYZ SPEAKER ADVOCATES REGIONAL UNION
Speaking at a press conference in Bishkek following the return of a
Kyrgyz parliamentary delegation from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz parliament
speaker Marat Sultanov announced on June 12 that he is in favor of
creating a union with Russia and Kazakhstan, but noted that such a
union should be neither a confederation nor a federal state, AKIpress
reported. Citing the European Union as a model, Sultanov explained that
his proposal would entail the same state and economic structures now in
place, but with a new "consultative group" empowered to harmonize laws
to overcome "big differences in legislation" and other "structural
differences." He added that as a "small country," Kyrgyzstan must
"strive toward integration and cooperation," and called for new
"projects and mechanisms for creating a union that will be beneficial"
to each country. RG
[15] TURKMENISTAN REOPENS ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
In a meeting at the Turkmen State University, President Gurbanguly
Berdymukhammedov announced on June 12 the immediate restoration of the
Turkmen Academy of Sciences, Turkmen television reported. The Academy
of Sciences, which was closed down by late President Saparmurat
Niyazov, is to be financed by a new state fund that Berdymukhammedov is
to establish "for the support of science and technology" and to promote
the "contribution to medical sciences." RG
Eastern Europe
[16] UN RAPPORTEUR SAYS HUMAN RIGHTS WORSENED IN BELARUS IN 2006
Adrian Severin, the UN Human Rights Council's special rapporteur on
Belarus, on June 12 noted a steady deterioration in the human rights
situation in Belarus in 2006, Belapan reported. Presenting his report
in Geneva, Severin stressed that all his recommendations have been
ignored by the Belarusian government, which he said has flatly refused
to cooperate with him for three consecutive years. "The present report
demonstrates that Belarus does not respect its obligations under the
international human rights instruments to which it has adhered,"
Severin said. Severin recommended that the UN Human Rights Council ask
the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to immediately
establish a group of legal experts "to investigate whether senior
officials of the government of Belarus are responsible for the
disappearances and murders of several politicians and journalists, and
make concrete proposals for their prosecution, in order to bring to an
end the impunity enjoyed by those involved in such crimes." Severin
also recommended that the UN secretary-general launch an investigation
into "the apparent involvement of senior [Belarusian] government
officials in international organized crime and illegal arms sales."
Syarhey Aleynik, Belarus's permanent representative to the United
Nations and other international organizations based in Geneva, called
on the UN Human Rights Council to abolish the mandate of the special
rapporteur on Belarus. According to Aleynik, Severin's report is a
"product of an incompetent and politically prejudiced expert who is
directly interested in creating a negative image of our country." JM
[17] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT CALLS ON PARLIAMENT TO END WORK...
Viktor Yushchenko on June 12 called on parliamentary speaker Oleksandr
Moroz and ruling-coalition deputies in the Verkhovna Rada to stop
performing their duties, Ukrainian media reported. Yushchenko stressed
that, according to his deal with Moroz and Prime Minister Viktor
Yanukovych on May 27, the withdrawal of more than 150 opposition
lawmakers from parliament earlier this month has made the Verkhovna
Rada illegitimate (see "RFE/RL Newsline," May 7, 2007). "I guess that
at present parliament reminds many of the anecdote about demobilized
soldiers who got so drunk that they missed their station," Yushchenko
said at a news conference in Kyiv. "We agreed that parliament would end
its work. Colleagues, end this work! Give peace to the country!"
Yushchenko said. JM
[18] ...AS SPEAKER QUESTIONS LEGAL GROUNDS FOR DISSOLVING PARLIAMENT
Parliament speaker Moroz told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service on June 12
that the 450-seat Verkhovna Rada has no legal grounds to dissolve
itself, since it still has more than 300 deputies, the minimum needed
for it to legitimately function. According to Moroz, just 79 opposition
lawmakers filed formally correct resignation statements, meaning that
Our Ukraine and the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc still need to supply at least
72 resignations in order to terminate the current legislature. Moroz
also asserted that Yushchenko's June 5 decree calling for new elections
on September 30 is unlawful. In Moroz's opinion, Yushchenko has the
right to issue such a decree no sooner than 60 days before the election
date, that is, on August 1. "I can say straightforwardly: The coalition
and the government work within the framework of the law, while the
president and the opposition work outside this framework," Moroz added.
JM
Southeastern Europe
[19] WARTIME LEADER OF CROATIA'S SERBS JAILED
Milan Martic, the leader of the Croatian Serbs' bloody bid for
secession in the early 1990s, was on June 12 sentenced to 35 years in
jail, Croatian and international media reported the same day. After a
13-month trial and five months of deliberations, three judges at the
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) found
Martic guilty on 16 of the 19 charges leveled against him, including
the murder, torture, deportation, and persecution of non-Serbs in
Croatia, as well as wanton destruction. He was cleared on one count --
extermination -- while two others were deemed to be covered by other
charges. Martic gave himself up to the ICTY in 2002, but the court
placed minimal value on his decision to surrender as by that stage he
had already been an indicted war criminal for seven years. A onetime
factory worker and local police chief, Martic swiftly became a
prominent figure in the large Serbian community in southern Croatia
after the collapse of communism. He served as interior minister,
defense minister, and president of the self-declared Republic of
Serbian Krajina (Srpska Krajina). According to testimony given by a
rival Croatian Serb leader, Milan Babic, Martic was instrumental in
arming local Serbs and triggering the conflict with the Croatian
government (see "RFE/RL Newsline," March 6, 2007). The judges concluded
that Martic was deeply involved in the project of a "Greater Serbia"
ascribed to the Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic. Martic is on record
as saying, when be became president of Srpska Krajina in 1993, that "'I
would like to be president for just five days and then hand the
position over to Milosevic." It was clear that Martic "endorsed the
goal of creating a unified Serb state," AP quoted a judge as saying.
The war in Croatia resulted in the deaths of about 15,000 people, and,
ultimately, the flight of several hundred thousand Serbs. The charges
against Martic related to the deaths of hundreds of non-Serbian
civilians, most of them women, old people, and captives. He was also
found guilty of a brief but deadly shelling of Zagreb in May 1995, an
attack that he acknowledged he ordered. The sentence was welcomed by
one of the Serbian community's current leaders, Milorad Pupovac, who
said the ruling was a "relief" and stated that Martic epitomized a
policy of war, persecution, murder, and destruction, according to
Croatian Radio on June 12. AG
[20] BOSNIAN SERBS WANT TO VOTE IN SERBIA
Milorad Dodik, the prime minister of the Bosnian autonomous region of
Republika Srpska, on June 12 urged Serbia to grant Bosnian Serbs the
right to vote in elections to the Belgrade parliament, the Bosnian
edition of the Croatian daily "Vecernji list" reported. Dodik said the
right to vote would be "of crucial importance both nationally and
politically." This is not the first time that Dodik has floated the
idea, but it was not acted on when, in September 2006, the Republika
Srpska and Serbia signed a "special ties agreement" aimed at fostering
greater economic and institutional cooperation (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
September 27, 2006). Further talks between the Republika Srpska and
Serbia are due shortly, but the timing of Dodik's statement may also
have been influenced by a debate in Croatia about the current right of
Bosnian Croats to vote in Croatia's elections (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
June 12, 2007). When he presented the idea, Dodik specifically pointed
to the Croatian example. Croats permanently resident outside Croatia
were barred from voting in 2001, but that right, which they enjoyed
through the 1990s, was restored by Croatia's Constitutional Court on
June 5. AG
[21] MONTENEGRIN PARLIAMENT VOTES TO HALT ENERGY PRIVATIZATION
In a decision that could trigger a government crisis and affect a large
chunk of Montenegro's economy, the Montenegrin parliament on June 12
voted to halt the sale of a state-owned coal mine and power plant,
local media reported the same day. The opposition was joined in its bid
to prevent the sale by a junior partner in the governing coalition, the
Social Democratic Party (SDP). The Russian tycoon Oleg Deripaska, who
holds a 40 percent stake in the slated buyer, had appeared set to add
to his substantial holdings in Montenegro, which include a bauxite mine
and the country's largest aluminum producer (see "RFE/RL Newsline," May
2, 2007). The Pljevlja power plant generates one-third of Montenegro's
electricity. Milo Djukanovic, who last year ended a long period as
president and prime minister but remains the head of the largest
governing party, had argued in favor of the sale, saying a private
owner would be more efficient and dismissing fears that Deripaska might
gain excessive political influence (see "RFE/RL Newsline," May 2,
2007). AG
[22] SERBIA FINDS ISLAMIST WEAPONS CACHE
Serbian Interior Minister Dragan Jocic stated on June 11 that Serbian
police have discovered a large cache of weapons and explosives in
southern Serbia, local media reported on June 11-12. Jocic said that
information gleaned after the capture of three suspected Islamist
terrorists last week led police to a stash of 10,000 weapons and over
15 kilograms of explosives (see "RFE/RL Newsline," June 8, 2007). That
was the latest in a series of related police operations since March,
which have resulted in the arrest of a dozen alleged terrorists and the
death of one (see "RFE/RL Newsline," April 20, 2007). Serbian reports
suggest that the weapons came from Kosova. AG
[23] U.S. DISCUSSES KOSOVA WITH GREECE...
The U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs, Nicholas Burns,
spent June 10-11 in Athens in talks in which the future of Kosova
featured prominently, Athens News Agency reported on June 12. No
details were given about the course of Burns' talks, which involved the
prime minister, foreign minister, defense minister, and the opposition
leader. Burns only reiterated that the United States is "anxious to
have a resolution that would lead the way to independence" for Kosova.
Greece has called for a solution acceptable to Belgrade as well as to
Prishtina, with Greece's ambassador to Serbia telling the Serbian daily
"Blic" on June 4 that "an imposed solution will not help the region's
stability." An adviser to Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica,
Aleksandar Simic, said in an interview with the Serbian newspaper
"Vecernje novosti" on June 7 that Greece fears independence for Kosova
could fuel secessionist claims. He added that Cyprus, Romania,
Slovakia, and Spain share those fears. Greece has testy relations with
Albania and Macedonia, roughly one-third of whose population is ethnic
Albanian (see "RFE/RL Newsline," March 6 and 16, and May 18, 2007). AG
[24] ...AND TOUCHES ON ISSUE OF MACEDONIA'S NAME
During his visit to Athens, U.S. Undersecretary of State Burns said
that "it's too early to try to force the question" about the name of
Macedonia, "because there have been no invitations extended by NATO,"
Athens News Agency reported on June 11. Macedonia hopes to be invited
to join NATO in April 2008, and recently expressed its willingness to
join the alliance under the temporary name by which it has been known
internationally since 1991, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
(FYROM) (see "RFE/RL Newsline," June 6, 2007). Burns' soft-pedal
approach was paralleled in an interview given by the U.S. ambassador to
Athens, Charles Ries, to the daily "Kathimerini" on June 11, in which
he said Washington understands "Greek sensitivity" about Macedonia's
name. The United States supports Macedonia's claim to be recognized by
its constitutional name, the Republic of Macedonia, or any agreement
that the UN might eventually broker (see "RFE/RL Newsline," May 18 and
23, 2007). Exchanges in the dispute have become sharper this year.
Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski on June 5 dismissed as
groundless a statement by Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis that
"if Macedonia wants to approach the EU, it should abandon irredentist
activities and pretensions and request a mutual solution to the name
problem." Greece has for decades feared that Macedonia harbors
territorial ambitions on its provinces of Macedonia and Thrace. AG
[25] ETHNIC ALBANIANS GAIN NEW POST IN MACEDONIAN CABINET
An ethnic Albanian, Abdurrahman Memeti, will assume the post of
minister for local government following the resignation on June 12 of
Zoran Konjanovski, the news agency MIA reported the same day.
Konjanovski said his decision was made "in the interest of government
policy as a whole, to secure a wider consensus in the realization of
the country's priorities." A cabinet reshuffle was required following
the decision taken by the party to which Memeti belongs, the Party for
Democratic Prosperity (PPD), to end a boycott of parliament and enter
government (see "RFE/RL Newsline," May 22, 2007). Macedonia's
government has been beset by problems since elections in July 2006,
prompting alarm in Brussels about the pace of reform and, in Skopje,
resulting in a prolonged political deadlock and a rejected vote of no
confidence in the government on June 7 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," June 11,
2007). AG
[26] ALBANIAN OPPOSITION TO BOYCOTT FIRST ROUND OF PRESIDENTIAL VOTE
Edi Rama, the leader of Albania's opposition Socialist Party, said on
June 11 that five opposition parties intend to boycott the first round
of presidential elections, local media reported on June 11-12. The
president is elected by parliament and requires a two-thirds majority,
which is impossible to achieve without the support of the five parties.
The election can run to five rounds. Rama said the opposition believes
the ruling coalition wants to impose Bamir Topi, the chief of the
coalition's leading parliamentary party, the Democrats, rather than
search for a consensus candidate. The election, the first round of
which is scheduled for June 20, has already proven contentious and
there has been little enthusiasm about the expressed willingness of
President Alfred Moisiu to stand as a consensus candidate, as he did in
2002 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," March 9 and April 11, 2007). Albania has
already had one highly divisive set of elections this year, for
mayoralties and local councils. The Socialists won that election with
just over 50 percent of the total (see "RFE/RL Newsline," June 11,
2007). AG
Southwestern Asia And The Middle East
[27] GUNMEN KILL TWO GIRLS OUTSIDE SCHOOL IN AFGHANISTAN
Gunmen riding on motorcycles opened fire on a group of girls outside a
school in central Afghanistan on June 12, killing two and wounding six,
Reuters reported. The attack occurred at the end of the school day in
Logar Province, south of Kabul. The attackers fled after the incident.
Education Minister Hanif Atmar called the attack "cowardly" and labeled
the attackers "enemies of the country," a term typically used by the
Afghan government to describe Taliban guerrillas and members of
Al-Qaeda. The Taliban has been blamed for burning schools and killing
several teachers in recent years, and authorities fear further attacks
on girls schools, according to Atmar. Women and girls have been allowed
to attend school since the Taliban were ousted in 2001, but
approximately 200,000 school-aged children cannot go to school in
southern and eastern areas of Afghanistan where the Taliban influence
remains strong, according to Reuters. JC
[28] AFGHANISTAN, IRAN, AND PAKISTAN JOIN FORCES TO FIGHT DRUG
TRAFFICKING
Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan said June 12 that they have agreed to
join forces to prevent cross-border drug trafficking, AFP reported that
day. In a joint statement issued after a meeting in Vienna hosted by
the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, ministers of public security and
counternarcotics from the three countries said they will act to reduce
the threats posed by opium production in Afghanistan. The three
countries also agreed to take steps to improve border management,
including more physical barriers, increased law enforcement capacity,
improved communication, greater intelligence sharing, and the launch of
joint counternarcotics operations, the statement said. The three sides
urged destination countries in the narcotics trade to seek to curb the
demand, and called on countries where the precursor chemicals of heroin
are produced to tighten their controls. Afghanistan's opium is the
source of 90 percent of the world's heroin production. JC
[29] ICRC SAYS AFGHAN CIVILIANS PAYING PRICE OF VIOLENCE
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned on June 12
that Afghan civilians are paying the price as violence between
coalition forces and Taliban militants spreads across Afghanistan, AFP
reported. The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is worse today than
it was a year ago, according to Pierre Kraehenbuehl, the ICRC's
director of operations, and the mounting number of civilian casualties
from military operations is a growing concern. Kraehenbuehl said some
air strikes by coalition forces are carried out without "necessary
precautions" to protect civilians, including the strikes in western
Afghanistan in May that killed dozens of civilians and left over 2,000
people homeless. On June 11, a NATO soldier shot at a civilian vehicle
that failed to stop at a checkpoint, killing three passengers (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," June 12, 2007). JC
[30] UN SAYS POOR TRAINING LEADS TO AFGHAN POLICE CASUALTIES
Casualty rates among Afghan police are rising due to poor training and
a lack of equipment as the armed insurgency intensifies in Afghanistan,
the UN's Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) reported on
June 12. According to Interior Ministry spokesman Zemeri Bashary, over
210 police officers have been killed and 330 wounded in Afghanistan in
the last three months. Sixteen police officers were killed by Taliban
fighters in an incident in May in Zabul Province, government officials
said. Many police officers have only old Kalashnikov rifles to defend
themselves against the Taliban's rocket-propelled grenades and other
sophisticated missiles, said Abdul Sattar, a police officer in Helmand
Province. Afghan police receive an average salary of $70 a month. The
majority of police have had just one to two weeks of training, leading
to a lack of professional knowledge that has been blamed for the high
casualty rate, IRIN reported. JC
[31] MINISTER SAYS IRAQ IS NOT BATTLEGROUND FOR U.S., IRAN...
Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki on June 11 rejected media
speculation that Iran and the United States are waging a proxy war in
Iraq, the daily "Jomhuri-yi Islami" reported. Speaking at a joint press
conference after meeting with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih
in Tehran, Mottaki said Iraq should not be the "setting for the
settlement of any account," and that Iran's problems with the United
States have nothing to do with Iraq. Mottaki said that if Iraqi Prime
Minister Nuri al-Maliki and Iraqi officials want U.S.-Iran talks on
Iraq to continue after an initial round held on May 28, "Iran will
consider the matter with a positive perspective," the daily reported.
Mottaki said Iranian officials have reviewed Iran's most recent talks
with U.S. diplomats in Baghdad, and believe that coalition forces must
abandon certain failed policies and initiatives in order to deal
effectively with Iraq's security problems. Mottaki said Iran and Iraq
agreed during Salih's visit to cooperate on increasing the number of
Iranian pilgrims visiting Iraq, to restore Tehran-Baghdad flights, and
to revive the CBC, an office regulating and dealing with shipping
affairs in the Shatt al-Arab waterway, based on a 1975 accord on
borders between Iran and Iraq. VS
[32] ...AND VOICES ANGER OVER IRANIANS CAPTURED IN IRAQ
Foreign Minister Mottaki said in Tehran on June 12 that Iran will make
the United States "regret" its "ugly and illegal" move to detain five
Iranians at an Iranian consular building in Irbil, northern Iraq, in
January. He was speaking at a joint press conference with Alpha Omar
Kenare, a visiting official of the African Union and a former president
of Mali, ISNA reported. Mottaki said Iran has repeatedly informed Iraq
of its duties over the captured Iranians, including during Deputy Prime
Minister Salih's June 11-12 visit to Tehran. He said Iran intends to
send a letter to the UN secretary-general in the coming days, reminding
him of the UN Security Council's "negligence, inaction, and evident and
indefensible discrimination" in failing to address the matter. "We warn
American statesmen" that they must release the Iranians "as quickly as
possible," he said. He reiterated his assertion that Iran will consider
resuming talks on Iraq if "the Americans are determined to change their
policies to resolve the problem of which they are a part." VS
[33] IRAN TO CONSIDER BENEFITS OF TALKS ON IRAQ, SAYS OFFICIAL
Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani said in Tehran
on June 12 that diplomacy and negotiations are not designed as "a media
show," and that Iran must consider what it has gained from its first
round of talks on Iraq with U.S. diplomats, ISNA reported. "After
examining this, we can take the next steps. The second round of talks
depends on the correct conclusion we might draw from the first round,"
he said. He stated that Iran's position is that it remains committed to
bringing security to Iraq and will negotiate for that purpose if
necessary, but he added that new "initiatives" are needed and repeating
"old talk" will resolve nothing, ISNA reported. VS
[34] IRAN SENDS MESSAGE TO SAUDI KING
Iran has delivered a letter to Saudi officials, intended for King
Abdullah, conveying Iran's dissatisfaction with reported abuse or
"rogue conduct" by some Saudi security officials toward Iranian
pilgrims traveling to Mecca, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman
Mohammad Ali Hosseini told the Fars news agency in Tehran on June 11.
Hosseini said Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African
Affairs Mohammad Reza Baqeri delivered the message to Saudi Foreign
Minister Saud al-Faisal at a meeting at the Saudi Embassy in Rabat,
Morocco. Baqeri received assurances that Saudi authorities are
concerned about the treatment of Iranian pilgrims, Fars reported,
without giving a date for the meeting. Hosseini referred to an
"imminent" visit to Tehran by Saud al-Faisal. VS
[35] STUDENTS REPORTEDLY 'TORTURED' IN TEHRAN PRISON
Eight students of Tehran's Amir Kabir University, currently detained
over the publication in April of allegedly impious student journals,
are now reportedly "subject to the most intense pressures and mental
and physical tortures" at a Tehran prison, Radio Farda reported on June
12, citing a student newsletter (see "RFE/RL Newsline," June 12, 2007).
The original publications caused scuffles at the university, but
students involved with the journals said the controversial issues were
forgeries and that the editors had nothing to do with them. Radio
Farda, citing the newsletter of the Amir Kabir University Islamic
Students' Association, reported that authorities have been pressuring
the detained students to confess to having published the sacrilegious
journals or pamphlets. Mehdi Arabshahi, a member of the umbrella
student grouping Office to Consolidate Unity, has told Radio Farda
there is "very great concern" over the detainees, and especially for
Abbas Hakimzadeh, who has a deformation of the spine and has had
surgery. He said those who arrested Hakimzadeh are "directly
responsible" for his well-being, Radio Farda reported on June 12. VS
[36] INSURGENTS IN IRAQ ATTACK SAMARRA SHRINE...
Insurgents attacked the Al-Askari Mosque in Samarra on June 13,
destroying the mosque's minarets, international media reported. The
mosque and the adjacent shrine complex were badly damaged in an
insurgent attack in February 2006 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," February 22,
2006). That attack set off bitter sectarian violence between Sunnis and
Shi'a that is still ongoing. According to initial media reports, an
Iraqi security force arrived at the site on June 12 to assume control
of security for the complex. A quarrel took place with those at the
site, resulting in gunfire, after which the Iraqi security force took
control of the complex. After the June 13 attack, Iraqi Army and police
units converged on the area. Salih al-Haydari, head of the Shi'ite
endowment in Iraq, called the attack "a criminal act which seeks to
create sectarian strife." Interior Ministry spokesman Abd al-Karim
Khalaf said the government is investigating the incident. The shrine
houses the remains of the 10th and 11th Shi'ite imams, Imam Ali and his
son, Imam Hasan al-Askari. Shi'a believe the revered 12th imam,
al-Mahdi, went into hiding at the site and will emerge on the day of
judgment. KR
[37] ...AS SHI'ITE LEADER CALLS FOR CALM, MOURNING
Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called on his followers to remain calm
in the wake of the attack, AP reported on June 13. Al-Sadr called for
three days of mourning, and in an attempt to further his new
nonsectarian agenda, he called on Sunnis and Shi'ites to unite against
those who promote sectarian violence (see "RFE/RL Iraq Report," May 24,
2007). AP reported that the cleric's statement implied that no Sunni
Arab could be responsible for the bombing. Meanwhile, al-Sadr aide Abd
al-Mahdi al-Mutiri told Reuters: "Our reaction is the opposite of what
the occupation wants. We are calling on our people to show restraint
[and] unity, and to reject sectarian strife. We are also urging them to
exercise calm." KR
[38] OUSTED IRAQI PARLIAMENT SPEAKER THREATENS LAWSUIT
Mahmud al-Mashhadani told reporters at a June 12 press conference in
Baghdad that he will take the Iraqi government to court to win back his
post as parliamentary speaker, RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq reported.
Al-Mashhdani said that he was unfairly removed from his position,
adding that the Council of Representatives did not give him a chance to
explain an incident in which he is accused of ordering a physical
attack on another parliamentarian (see "RFE/RL Newsline," June 12,
2007). "The Council of Representatives should have heard my side of the
story and should have waited for the findings of the investigation into
the incident that I ordered," al-Mashhadani said. He further contended
that his security guards were doing their job when they attempted to
search fellow parliamentarian Fariyad Muhammad on June 10. He added
that the guards were on alert after a threat was issued against him.
Neither he nor his guards recognized Muhammad as a parliamentarian,
al-Mashhadani claimed. KR
[39] IRAQI KURDISH PARLIAMENT REJECTS DELAY ON KIRKUK NORMALIZATION
MEASURES
A Kurdish regional parliament committee has rejected proposals to delay
implementation of Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution, which calls
for normalization measures in the disputed city of Kirkuk, the
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan website reported on June 12 (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," June 11, 2007). The Article 140 Follow-Up Committee stressed
that all of the clauses in the article should be implemented "on time."
The committee also rejected proposals that call for naming Kirkuk an
independent region and delaying the referendum on the governorate's
status. Voters in Kirkuk are slated to vote in December on whether or
not to join the Kurdistan region. KR
[40] ISLAMIC STATE OF IRAQ CLAIMS CAPTURE OF 14 INTERIOR, DEFENSE
PERSONNEL
The Al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq said in a video posted to
the Internet on June 12 that it has captured 14 Iraqi Interior Ministry
and Defense Ministry forces. The group threatened to kill the men, to
whom it referred as "sheep," if the "Bush-aligned government" fails to
meet its demands within 72 hours. The demands include releasing Sunni
women detained in Interior Ministry prisons and handing over those
responsible for the rape of a Sunni woman, Sabrin al-Janabi, while she
was detained by Interior Ministry officers (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
February 20, 2007). The insurgent group demanded that security forces
that took part in "the killing and displacing" of Sunnis in Tal Afar
earlier this year also be handed over. The Islamic State of Iraq issued
similar demands when it captured nine Iraqi security personnel last
month. It later followed through on its threat and killed the nine
hostages (see "RFE/RL Newsline," May 11, 2007). KR
[41] PRIME MINISTER SAYS TURKEY SHOULD FIGHT MILITANTS ON ITS SOIL
Tayyip Recep Erdogan said that Turkey should finish fighting Kurdistan
Workers Party (PKK) militants based inside the country before it
targets militants holed up in northern Iraq, Reuters reported on June
12. "Has the fight with the 5,000 terrorists finished domestically,
[so] that we should now be talking about Iraq?" Erdogan said in
comments to reporters. He said a final decision will be reached in
consultation with the Turkish military. Turkey has an estimated 50,000
troops on the border with Iraq in preparation for a possible incursion.
Iraq's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan claims that Turkey has shelled
several Iraqi villages in recent days in its attempt to target the PKK
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," June 11, 2007). KR
End Note
[42] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY
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