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RFE/RL Newsline, 07-08-27
CONTENTS
[01] PROSECUTOR ANNOUNCES ARRESTS IN JOURNALIST'S MURDER CASE
[02] RUSSIA REDUCES OIL EXPORTS TO GERMANY
[03] MINISTRY SAYS OPPOSITION HARMS RUSSIA'S IMAGE ABROAD
[04] SAMARA GOVERNOR BOWS OUT
[05] GROUP SEEKS TO BRING LEGAL ACTION AGAINST INGUSHETIAN PRESIDENT
[06] ARMENIAN REGIONAL PROSECUTOR SHOT DEAD
[07] GEORGIA ADMITS TO HAVING SHOT AT INTRUDING AIRCRAFT
[08] SUPPORTERS OF FUGITIVE GEORGIAN EX-MINISTER SENTENCED
[09] KAZAKHSTAN ISSUES ARREST WARRANT FOR FORMER SECURITY OFFICIAL
[10] TAJIK DELEGATION MEETS WITH KAZAKH OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS TIES PRIOR
TO PRESIDENTIAL SUMMIT
[11] KYRGYZ COURT SENTENCES TWO OPPOSITION PROTESTERS TO PRISON TERMS
[12] HUMAN-RIGHTS GROUPS EXPRESS CONCERN OVER ALLEGED TORTURE CASES IN
KYRGYZSTAN
[13] TAJIK PRESIDENT SIGNS CONTROVERSIAL INTERNET LIBEL LAW
[14] TAJIK PRESIDENT INAUGURATES NEW BRIDGE TO AFGHANISTAN
[15] TURKMENISTAN FORMS HUMAN-RIGHTS COMMISSION
[16] UZBEK PRESIDENT INAUGURATES NEW RAIL LINE
[17] BELARUSIAN AUTHORITIES REFUSE TO REGISTER HUMAN-RIGHTS GROUP...
[18] ...AND WARN SIX OPPOSITION PARTIES
[19] UKRAINIAN MINISTER VOWS NOT TO REVISE TERMS OF RUSSIAN FLEET
DEPLOYMENT
[20] EU ENVOY 'EXPECTS' NO DECISION ON KOSOVA THIS YEAR
[21] FORMER BOSNIAN SERB POLICEMAN JAILED FOR WAR CRIMES
[22] REPUBLIKA SRPSKA SAYS NO RECENT KILLINGS ETHNICALLY MOTIVATED
[23] ICTY'S CHIEF PROSECUTOR TO BECOME AMBASSADOR
[24] ALBANIA CREATES NEW INSTITUTION TO COORDINATE NATO BID
[25] PRINCE BECOMES ADVISER TO ALBANIAN GOVERNMENT
[26] SUICIDE BOMBINGS, FIGHTING IN AFGHANISTAN KILL MORE THAN 50
[27] U.S. CONCERNED OVER WEAKENING EUROPEAN COMMITMENTS IN AFGHANISTAN
[28] IRAN REITERATES DETERMINATION TO PURSUE NUCLEAR PROGRAM
[29] IRANIAN CENTRAL BANK CHIEF RESIGNS...
[30] ...AND GENERAL BECOMES DEPUTY MINISTER
[31] IRANIAN LEGISLATORS WARY OF TUPOLEVS
[32] IRAQI POLITICAL LEADERS REACH AGREEMENT ON SOME ISSUES...
[33] ...AND ISSUE STATEMENT DETAILING AGREEMENT
[34] IRAQI PREMIER'S SPOKESMAN DISMISSES FOREIGN CRITICISM
[35] FIVE DEAD IN CHOLERA OUTBREAK IN IRAQI KURDISTAN
[36] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY.
Monday, August 27, 2007 Volume 11 Number 158
Russia
[01] PROSECUTOR ANNOUNCES ARRESTS IN JOURNALIST'S MURDER CASE
Russian Prosecutor-General Yury Chaika said at a meeting with President
Vladimir Putin in Moscow on August 27 that "10 people have been
arrested in connection" with the October 2006 slaying of critical
journalist Anna Politkovskaya, Interfax reported. Chaika added that
they "will literally in the very near future be charged with committing
this grave crime." He did not elaborate. His office announced a press
conference for later on August 27. Oleg Panfilov, head of the Center
for Journalism in Extreme Situations, was quoted by Reuters as saying
that "the murders of journalists in the past 14 years have been so
poorly investigated that it's hard to have any faith in this. I suspect
[Chaika's announcement] is connected with the fact that the first
anniversary of [her] death is coming up. People will ask, 'Where are
the killers?' and this way they can say that the case is closed and
suspects have been detained." On May 28, the French daily "Liberation"
quoted former Russian Army Major Vyacheslav Ismailov, who now writes
for Politkovskaya's former paper "Novaya gazeta," as claiming that her
killing was ordered by two senior Chechen officials whose identity is
known to pro-Moscow Chechen Republic head Ramzan Kadyrov (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," May 29, 2007). PM/LF
[02] RUSSIA REDUCES OIL EXPORTS TO GERMANY
Britain's "Financial Times" reported on August 25 that "Russia has made
significant cuts to oil supplies sent to German refineries recently,
rekindling concerns in Germany over the reliability of Russian energy
supplies. LUKoil, Russia's second-largest oil producer, on [August 24]
acknowledged that supplies to Germany had been reduced by about
one-third in July and August but refused to explain why the reduction
had occurred." The paper added that "analysts said LUKoil's decision
not to provide previously contracted quantities of oil could be aimed
at extracting higher prices from German refineries or be part of
LUKoil's efforts to acquire stakes in German and European refineries."
The daily noted that "oil traders said a dispute between LUKoil and
Sunimex, Germany's biggest oil importer, might account for the supply
cut, but the aggressive Russian strategy to acquire European refining
assets could also play a role." Germany's "Frankfurter Allgemeine
Zeitung" reported on August 25 that an unnamed LUKoil official said
that the company found it more profitable to ship its oil "in other
directions" because of increased transit fees in Belarus. The daily
also noted, however, that "Russia itself drastically raised export
duties on oil in June and in August." The paper reported that the
German government confirmed on August 24 that oil deliveries from
Russia dropped recently, adding that "this is not the first time that
this has happened." On August 27, Interfax reported from Moscow that
"the volume of LUKoil oil supplies to Germany in August will return to
the levels seen in January-May 2007 following a disruption in
deliveries over the summer, [according to an unidentified] source at
the oil company." PM
[03] MINISTRY SAYS OPPOSITION HARMS RUSSIA'S IMAGE ABROAD
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said that unnamed Russian
opposition figures knowingly harm their country's image abroad, mid.ru
and Interfax reported on August 27, citing the daily "Trud." He added
that Moscow closely monitors "the writings and thoughts" about Russia
available abroad. He argued that some unnamed Western media outlets
often portray Russia in a bad light because the worldwide "rivalry for
resources is becoming more intense," and because some people are
unwilling to come to terms with the existence of today's "dynamically
developing Russia." Kamynin said that "a great deal of the harsh
criticism of Russia derives from our opposition, which does not
hesitate to neglect elementary ethical norms in the pursuit of its
political goals. Where does this strange and shameful wish to sacrifice
the interests of one's home country for personal gain come from?" PM
[04] SAMARA GOVERNOR BOWS OUT
On August 27, President Putin "accepted the resignation" of Samara
Oblast Governor Konstantin Titov, who has held that post since 1991,
RFE/RL's Russian Service reported. Putin appointed AvtoVAZ Group head
Vladimir Artyakov as acting governor. The daily "Vedomosti" commented
on August 10 that the Kremlin has begun asserting pressure on many
regional governors or ousting some outright in the run-up to the
December parliamentary elections (see "RFE/RL Newsline," August 13 and
17, 2007). The daily suggested that Titov and some other long-serving
governors were singled out for removal, along with other governors whom
the Unified Russia party considers ineffectual. The paper reported that
Titov strongly resisted pressure on him to go quietly. According to his
website, admin.samara.ru, Titov's "analytical mind enables him to make
a detailed analysis of national and regional economic processes in the
changing environment. It is thorough scientific research and careful
examination into a problem that is characteristic of his work before he
makes any managerial decision. Being a supporter of free-market
economy...Titov has promoted regional economic reform." PM
[05] GROUP SEEKS TO BRING LEGAL ACTION AGAINST INGUSHETIAN PRESIDENT
The initiative group Justice and Dignity has begin collecting
signatures in support of a collective legal action against Ingushetian
President Murat Zyazikov, whom they accuse of deliberately misinforming
the media and Russian President Putin about the true economic situation
in the republic, kavkaz-uzel.ru reported on August 27. The group
published an open letter to the republic's population four months ago
calling for coordinated protests and legal action to expedite
Zyazikov's replacement (see "RFE/RL Newsline," April 26, 2007).
Coordinator Bers Gadziyev told kavkaz-uzel.ru that young people are the
driving force behind the initiative. Between August 21-27, 685 people
responded to a questionnaire posted on the website ingushetiya.ru, of
whom 483, or 76 percent, expressed their readiness to sign a collective
action against Zyazikov on the grounds that "his lies can no longer be
tolerated." LF
Transcaucasia And Central Asia
[06] ARMENIAN REGIONAL PROSECUTOR SHOT DEAD
Albert Ghazarian, prosecutor of Armenia's northern Lori region, was
gunned down while walking home from his office in Vanadzor, the
regional capital, early on August 25, RFE/RL's Armenian Service
reported. The killer reportedly managed to escape. Ghazarian, who was
56, was named Lori prosecutor in March 2006. Armenian President Robert
Kocharian called for a special investigation into the shooting, which
he described as directed against Armenia's entire legal system. LF
[07] GEORGIA ADMITS TO HAVING SHOT AT INTRUDING AIRCRAFT
Georgian Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili told RFE/RL on
August 25 that "warning shots" were fired at an aircraft that entered
Georgian airspace over the upper Kodori Gorge on August 21. He said the
ministry has dispatched investigators to the gorge to check out
eyewitness reports by residents of a subsequent explosion, possibly
when the aircraft crashed. Utiashvili was earlier quoted by AP as
saying the incident occurred on August 22 and that the plane in
question was Russian. Sergei Bagapsh, president of the unrecognized
republic of Abkhazia, was quoted by Interfax on August 25 as saying no
evidence has been found that any plane crashed on Abkhaz territory; the
Abkhaz authorities control the lower reaches of the Kodori Gorge.
Abkhaz armed forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Anatoly Zaitsev
was quoted by kavkazweb.net as saying that an aircraft crashed in the
Kodori Gorge on August 22 after entering Abkhaz airspace from the
southwest, but he ruled out the possibility that it was downed by
Georgian fire, and denied having identified it earlier as a U.S.
reconnaissance plane. The website apsny.ru on August 27 quoted Abkhaz
Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba as having told RIA Novosti that the
incident took place on August 22 and that the Abkhaz authorities assume
that the aircraft in question was Georgian. Shamba said eyewitnesses
"heard a crash and a subsequent explosion," but he did not say that the
aircraft was fired on. On August 24, gazeta.ru quoted Russian Air Force
spokesman Colonel Aleksandr Drobyshevsky as denying earlier Georgian
allegations that a Russian aircraft violated Georgian airspace on
August 22 and was shot down (see "RFE/RL Newsline," August 23 and 24,
2007). LF
[08] SUPPORTERS OF FUGITIVE GEORGIAN EX-MINISTER SENTENCED
The Tbilisi City Court on August 24 passed sentence on 12 people allied
with fugitive former security-service head Igor Giorgadze who were
arrested one year ago and charged with plotting to overthrow the
Georgian leadership, Georgian media reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
September 7, 2006). Maia Topuria, a relative of Giorgadze who heads the
Georgian Anti-Soros movement, was sentenced to 8 1/2 years'
imprisonment; Kakha Kantaria to eight years; Monarchist Party Chairman
Temur Zhorzholiani and Ramiz Samnidze to seven years; Guram
Papukashvili, Vakhtang Talakadze, Gia Akhobadze, Koka Kvinikadze, Revaz
Bulia, Zaza Davitaya, and Giorgi Metreveli to 4 1/2 years; and Gia
Galdava to three years. Gennadi Archvadze, whose whereabouts remain
unknown, was sentenced in absentia to seven years' imprisonment. All 11
defendants, who claim the charges against them were unsubstantiated and
politically motivated, boycotted the August 24 court session. U.S.
defense lawyer Melinda Sarafa said in court on August 24 that the
prosecution's case was "weak," and that the decision to hold the trial
behind closed doors on the grounds that national security interests
were involved proved untenable. LF
[09] KAZAKHSTAN ISSUES ARREST WARRANT FOR FORMER SECURITY OFFICIAL
Saparbek Nurpeisov, a spokesman for the Kazakh Prosecutor-General's
Office, announced on August 24 that an international arrest warrant has
been issued for General Alnur Musaev, the former chairman of the Kazakh
National Security Committee, RFE/RL reported. Nurpeisov explained that
Musaev is wanted in connection with the kidnapping and suspected murder
of Zholdas Timraliev and Abilmazhen Gilimov, officials of the private
Nurbank, which was controlled by Rakhat Aliev, the former son-in-law of
President Nursultan Nazarbaev, until the authorities recently seized it
along with several of his other business interests. Musaev is a former
close associate of Aliev, who himself faces criminal charges ranging
from kidnapping and murder to corruption and money laundering (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," June 4, 6, 13, and 19, 2007). Musaev's whereabouts
are unknown, while Aliev remains in self-imposed exile in Vienna, where
he once served as the Kazakh ambassador. Nazarbaev dismissed Musaev as
National Security Council secretary in 2001, but named him to head the
presidential bodyguard service (see "RFE/RL Newsline," May 7, 2001). RG
[10] TAJIK DELEGATION MEETS WITH KAZAKH OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS TIES PRIOR
TO PRESIDENTIAL SUMMIT
A delegation led by Tajik Prime Minister Oqil Oqilov met on August 24
in Astana with Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Masimov and other senior
officials to discuss issues of bilateral cooperation in preparation for
Kazakh President Nazarbaev's state visit to Tajikistan set for sometime
next month, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reported. Masimov said that one of
the key issues of the talks was the sharing of water resources, as
Tajikistan controls about 60 percent of the region's freshwater
resources. Oqilov added that the expansion of bilateral relations will
also include a greater role for Tajikistan as a major provider of
electricity, noting that "when the Sangtuda hydroelectric power plant
is put into operation, we will able to export to Kazakhstan up to 2.5
billion kilowatt-hours of electricity during the summer period." The
Kazakh officials also agreed to increase wheat and sugar exports to
Tajikistan and pledged to open up markets to a wider rage of Tajik
agricultural products. RG
[11] KYRGYZ COURT SENTENCES TWO OPPOSITION PROTESTERS TO PRISON TERMS
A Bishkek district court imposed on August 24 prison sentences for two
Kyrgyz opposition supporters who participated in an opposition rally in
April following their conviction for "causing public disorder,"
according to RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service and AKIpress. The two protesters,
Erkin Aknazarov and Joldoshbek Abdiev, were sentenced to 4 1/2 and four
years in prison, respectively. Although the two men participated in a
series of daily rallies led by the opposition United Front For A Worthy
Future and the For Reforms movement in Bishkek throughout April, they
were arrested after police clashed with about 2,000 demonstrators
gathered outside the government building in Bishkek on April 19, the
ninth day of rallies demanding the resignation of President Kurmanbek
Bakiev and the introduction of constitutional reforms. After a small
group of demonstrators began to throw stones at the building, nearby
detachments of riot police moved in to disperse the protesters using
tear gas and percussion grenades and wielding batons, although
opposition leaders reject the official version of events, arguing that
the protesters only reacted to the unprovoked use of tear gas by the
police (see "RFE/RL Newsline," April 20, 2007). RG
[12] HUMAN-RIGHTS GROUPS EXPRESS CONCERN OVER ALLEGED TORTURE CASES IN
KYRGYZSTAN
In a joint statement released in Bishkek, an international and a local
human-rights group expressed alarm on August 23 over reports alleging
the routine use of deadly torture tactics by law-enforcement officers
in northern Kyrgyzstan, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported. Both the
International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights and the Kyrgyz
human-rights group Kylym Shamy (Torch of the Century) charged that
police in the northern city of Naryn appear to have recently tortured
at least three detainees to death. The Kyrgyz Committee for Human
Rights also expressed concern about those deaths. The Kyrgyz parliament
adopted a resolution in April criticizing the authorities in Naryn for
their "illegal" detention of opposition activist Bektemir Akunov who,
after his arrest by local police upon his return from opposition
demonstrations in Bishkek, was found hanged in his cell in what
officials labeled a suicide (see "RFE/RL Newsline," April 16, 2007).
Angrily reacting to the death of Akunov, a crowd of more than 400
people attempted to storm the provincial administration building
following his burial on April 18 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," April 20,
2007). RG
[13] TAJIK PRESIDENT SIGNS CONTROVERSIAL INTERNET LIBEL LAW
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon signed into law on August 23 a set of
legislative amendments to the media law that criminalizes libel and
other forms of defamation on the Internet, RFE/RL's Tajik Service
reported. The new measures, which intensify the existing strict
penalties for defamatory statements in print and broadcast media, would
allow courts to jail journalists for up to two years if they are found
guilty of libel or insults in their reporting. Several leading
media-rights groups in Tajikistan, including the National Association
of Independent Journalists of Tajikistan, urged the president not to
sign the new media law, warning that it violates international media
standards and norms, and they called on the Tajik authorities to "stop
prosecuting journalists for their professional activity" (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," August 13, 2007). RG
[14] TAJIK PRESIDENT INAUGURATES NEW BRIDGE TO AFGHANISTAN
President Rahmon participated on August 26 in a ceremony with Afghan
President Hamid Karzai marking the establishment of a new bridge
linking Tajikistan and Afghanistan, RFE/RL's Tajik Service and
ITAR-TASS reported. Rahmon hailed the 700-meter bridge, which spans the
Pyanj River and was largely financed by the United States, as a "bridge
of friendship," but stressed that the Tajik and Afghan authorities must
"prevent all kinds of inadmissible activities such as human, drug, and
weapons trafficking" over the bridge. Tajikistan and Afghanistan have
also agreed to create "free economic zones" on both sides of the bridge
and have pledged to ease customs and visa regimes to promote greater
bilateral trade. The ceremony was also attended by U.S. Secretary of
Commerce Carlos Gutierrez, who noted that the bridge will serve as the
"widest connection" between Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and the rest of
the world. He added that the bridge "will be open 24 hours a day with
customs and border facilities on both sides, and the capacity to handle
1,000 vehicles every day." The completion of the new $37 million bridge
replaces the intermittent ferry service that was the only previous link
over the river. RG
[15] TURKMENISTAN FORMS HUMAN-RIGHTS COMMISSION
Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov issued on August 25 a
presidential decree establishing a new interagency state commission
empowered to "implement international obligations" for the protection
of human rights, ITAR-TASS reported. The presidential press service
also announced that the decree was followed by a decision to establish
a UN-affiliated "regional center for preventive diplomacy" in Ashgabat,
to be opened with an international conference in December organized by
Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov to coincide with the national holiday
celebrating Turkmenistan's neutrality. RG
[16] UZBEK PRESIDENT INAUGURATES NEW RAIL LINE
In a ceremony held in the southern Derbent railway station, Uzbek
President Islam Karimov inaugurated on August 25 a new rail line
linking central and southern Uzbekistan, according to Interfax.
Construction of the new 223-kilometer line, which mostly transits the
country's mountainous southern terrain, was completed with Japanese
assistance in just 33 months, well ahead of schedule. Karimov hailed
the new rail link as a key to increasing the country's "export and
transit potential." RG
Eastern Europe
[17] BELARUSIAN AUTHORITIES REFUSE TO REGISTER HUMAN-RIGHTS GROUP...
Belarus's Justice Ministry has denied registration to the Vyasna
(Spring) human-rights group, Belapan reported on August 24. The
ministry explained in a statement published on its website that the
charter of Vyasna does not meet the requirements specified in a law on
nongovernmental organizations. In particular, the ministry said the
charter "contains vague purposes and implies the opportunity for this
nongovernmental organization to act for achieving purposes that are not
stated in the charter." The ministry also pointed out that 20 of the 69
founders of Vyasna "have convictions for committing various
administrative offenses, with some having five convictions." "This
testifies to the fact that the authorities are not ready for dialogue
and cooperation with independent civic groups, with human-rights
defenders in Belarus," Ales Byalyatski, vice president of the
International Federation for Human Rights, told the "Nasha Niva"
website (http://www.nn.by). "It was difficult to expect some other
outcome [of the registration bid] while there are political trials in
the country." JM
[18] ...AND WARN SIX OPPOSITION PARTIES
The Justice Ministry has issued official warnings to six political
parties, saying they failed to comply with a legal requirement for the
number of registered chapters, Belapan reported on August 24. The
ministry cited the provision of the law governing political parties
that requires them to have a Minsk city chapter and regional-level
chapters in at least four oblasts. The parties targeted by the
warnings, which may lead to their suspension or closure, are the
Belarusian Popular Front, the Belarusian Social Democratic Party
(Hramada), the Belarusian Social Sports Party, the Belarusian Party of
Greens, the Republican Party, and the Social Democratic Party of
People's Concord. Vintsuk Vyachorka, leader of the Belarusian Popular
Front, told Belapan that his party has the required number of chapters,
but they have no legal addresses. Vyachorka added that many chapters of
political parties were closed after the authorities required them to
move from residential buildings to offices. He stressed that it is
extremely difficult to lease an office for a political party. According
to Vyachorka, the warnings are "the authorities' way of preparing for
the 2008 parliamentary election," Reuters reported. JM
[19] UKRAINIAN MINISTER VOWS NOT TO REVISE TERMS OF RUSSIAN FLEET
DEPLOYMENT
Foreign Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said on 1+1 television on August 26
that Kyiv is not going to revise the terms of deployment of the Russian
Black Sea Fleet in Crimea. "All lease documents have been signed. We
should fulfill them regardless of whether one likes them or not. We do
not demand that the fleet be withdrawn, since we are a European country
and since the signed documents provide that the fleet is to stay in
Ukraine until 2017," Yatsenyuk said. Yatsenyuk's words seem to be in
response to last week's pronouncement by Russian diplomat Vladimir
Lysenko in Ukraine, who reportedly said that if Kyiv increases pressure
on the Russian Black Sea Fleet based in Sevastopol, Russia might
initiate a revision of the 1997 Russian-Ukrainian Treaty (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," August 24, 2007). Lysenko also said that Russia rejects
statements by Ukrainian politicians suggesting that Russia's rent for
the Black Sea Fleet base in Crimea be increased. Under the terms of the
1997 treaty, Russia pays $97 million annually for its naval base in
Sevastopol. JM
Southeastern Europe
[20] EU ENVOY 'EXPECTS' NO DECISION ON KOSOVA THIS YEAR
The EU's envoy at talks on the future of Kosova, Wolfgang Ischinger, on
August 24 ended a two-day trip to Prishtina during which, according to
unnamed sources cited by local media, he told Kosovar leaders that he
does not expect a decision on the disputed region's future this year.
However, Ischinger said nothing to reporters during the visit, which
was intended as a means of learning more about Prishtina's position
ahead of direct talks. Statements by Kosovar leaders suggest that, in
their meetings with Ischinger, they emphasized that Kosova is not
prepared to make "further" compromises and pressed the EU to recognize
Kosova as an independent state in December. Ischinger is due to visit
Belgrade early in September, most probably on September 3, the Serbian
daily "Blic" reported on August 24. Prior to that, the troika of
diplomats heading efforts to find a solution -- Ischinger, and envoys
from the United States and Russia -- will on August 30 hold separate
meetings in Vienna with delegations from Prishtina and Belgrade.
"Vecernje novosti" reported on August 24 that Serbian President Boris
Tadic and Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica will not attend the talks.
"Since the troika envisages separate meetings, it is clear that the
presence of the Serbian prime minister is not needed for this format of
talks," an adviser to Kostunica, Aleksandar Simic, explained. During
his visit to Kosova, Ischinger visited a primary school rebuilt after
the 1998-99 war with money raised by his late son. AG
[21] FORMER BOSNIAN SERB POLICEMAN JAILED FOR WAR CRIMES
Bosnia-Herzegovina's War Crimes Chamber on August 24 sentenced a
Bosnian Serb Nenad Tanaskovic to 12 years in prison for crimes against
humanity committed during the 1992-95 civil war, local media reported.
Tanaskovic, who was a reservist in the local police force, was
convicted for taking part in attacks on Bosnian Muslim villages near
the eastern town of Visegrad between April and June 1992, during which
ethnic Serbs torched local homes and killed and displaced thousands of
Muslims. Tanaskovic was also found guilty of abetting the rape of
Muslim women. Survivors criticized the sentence as being too lenient,
with a representative of the Women Victims of War saying that
Tanaskovic probably committed even graver crimes. The start of the
trial of Tanaskovic, who was arrested in July 2006, was delayed until
February 2007 after he joined a hunger strike by indictees demanding to
be tried under Yugoslav law rather than the Bosnian Criminal Code.
Bosnia's War Crimes Chamber was established in March 2005 as part of a
broader transfer of cases to regional courts from the International
Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague. AG
[22] REPUBLIKA SRPSKA SAYS NO RECENT KILLINGS ETHNICALLY MOTIVATED
The Interior Ministry of the Republika Srpska declared on August 23
that no recent murder in the Bosnian Serb-dominated entity had an
ethnic, religious or political motive, the news agency SRNA reported.
The ministry's statement followed a review of 60 murders committed
between 2005 and mid-2007, which the ministry said it commissioned "in
order to inform the public correctly" because "certain individuals and
media were causing public alarm with claims that [some] offenses were
ethnically motivated." Police in the Republika Srpska have solved 95
percent of the murders committed in the region over the past 10 years,
the ministry said. Five of those murdered over the past 2 1/2 years
were Bosnian Muslims who returned to the area after the war. AG
[23] ICTY'S CHIEF PROSECUTOR TO BECOME AMBASSADOR
The Swiss government has appointed Carla Del Ponte to become its
ambassador to Argentina when she leaves her post as chief prosecutor of
the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) at
the end of the year, news agencies reported on August 23. Del Ponte had
originally intended to step down in September, but was asked by the UN
to remain in her position until the end of the year while the UN
searched for a successor. An ICTY spokeswoman, Olga Kavran, confirmed
that it remains unclear who will succeed Del Ponte. "The New York
Times" reported on June 28 that unnamed UN officials expect the post to
be filled by Serge Brammertz, a Belgian prosecutor currently heading a
UN investigation into the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister
Rafiq Hariri. Brammertz is due to leave that post at the end of
December (see "RFE/RL Newsline," June 28, 2007). The ICTY is due to
start its last prosecutions in 2008 and to close its doors in 2010. AG
[24] ALBANIA CREATES NEW INSTITUTION TO COORDINATE NATO BID
Albania's prime minister, Sali Berisha, announced on August 23 the
creation of the a new institution to oversee the country's efforts to
join NATO and integrate its military forces with the alliance, local
media reported. Berisha said he will personally supervises its work.
Albania hopes NATO will in April 2008 invite it to join the alliance.
Croatia and Macedonia are expected to become members of NATO at the
same time as Albania. AG
[25] PRINCE BECOMES ADVISER TO ALBANIAN GOVERNMENT
Albania's Prince Leka began work on August 21 as an adviser to the
Foreign Ministry. The ministry has not made it clear what specific role
the 25-year-old prince will play, but in comments made to Albanian
television on August 21, the prince indicated that he sees the post
principally as an opportunity "to gain as much information as possible
in a specific direction in a state institution." "The fact that I am
the minister's adviser will enable me to gain as much information as
possible about the existing situation in and outside Albania," he said,
adding that "I believe that this will allow me to do even more in this
area in the future." Leka, whose education includes a stint at
Britain's Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, told reporters on his first
day in the job that "I will use the friendships of my family in the
interest of the Albanian nation." Leka made his last high-profile
public statement in March, when he backed independence for neighboring
Kosova, which is predominantly populated by ethnic Albanians (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," March 28, 2007). He indicated on August 21 that
Kosova will continue to be a major interest, saying, according to
Albanian television, that "as adviser and heir of the royal family, I
will always be close to Kosova. I will work, within my possibilities,
for the good of Kosova. I believe that the Kosova issue is presently at
a historic stage and I hope that I will be in a position to do more
about it." The prince's father, King Leka Zog, once worked as an
adviser to the Saudi government, and "Gazeta Shqiptare" suggested on
August 18 that the prince's appointment came at the king's instigation.
The Albanian royal family was removed from power by Italian forces in
1939 and subsequently settled in South Africa, where Leka was brought
up. Leka Zog reentered Albanian politics in the 1990s, but was charged
with sedition after questioning the results of a 1997 referendum that
rejected a motion to reinstate the monarchy. He withdrew from party
politics in February 2007 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," February 7, 2007). AG
Southwestern Asia And The Middle East
[26] SUICIDE BOMBINGS, FIGHTING IN AFGHANISTAN KILL MORE THAN 50
More than 50 people were killed in a wave of suicide attacks and gun
battles across Afghanistan on August 25, AP reported. Twelve Taliban
fighters died in an artillery battle near the Pakistani-Afghan border
following an insurgent attack involving rockets and mortars, a
coalition statement said. In southern Kandahar Province, eight police
officers were killed and one was missing after insurgents assaulted a
police patrol with a bomb, then opened fire with automatic weapons and
rocket-propelled grenades, police officer Umar Khan said. In eastern
Ghazni Province, police killed 24 militants, thought to be Arabs,
between August 25 and August 26, local police chief Ali Shah Ahmadzai
said. Police in Badghis Province killed five insurgents, according to a
police official there. In Helmand Province, a center of Taliban
activity and poppy production, Afghan soldiers shot and killed two
suspected militants who were planting a roadside bomb, police said. JC
[27] U.S. CONCERNED OVER WEAKENING EUROPEAN COMMITMENTS IN AFGHANISTAN
The United States has expressed concern over weakening European
commitments to the coalition mission in Afghanistan, as violence soars
and support for the mission in allied countries erodes, AFP reported on
August 26. The news agency quoted an unidentified U.S. official as
saying Italy, Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands are all debating
whether to keep troops in the NATO-led International Security and
Assistance Force in Afghanistan as planned votes approach on their
military, reconstruction, and training operations there. The official
described public opinion in Italy ahead of a referendum on the
country's military presence in Afghanistan as reflecting interest in
not so much in aiding Afghanistan, but in how closely the country wants
to be associated with the United States, indicating falling public
support for the mission. The United States is also concerned about the
potential for the withdrawal of military support to spill over into
other areas, such as reconstruction. JC
[28] IRAN REITERATES DETERMINATION TO PURSUE NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said in Tehran on
August 26 that there has been no "reduction, cessation, or retreat
from" Iran's "peaceful nuclear activities...and these activities are
continuing," Radio Farda reported, citing Iranian news agencies.
Hosseini said he hopes a report on Iran's cooperation with the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will be given to IAEA
Director-General Muhammad el-Baradei and will influence the next report
he issues to the IAEA governing board, probably in September. Iran has
recently held talks with IAEA envoys on how to clarify some lingering
questions on its nuclear program (see "RFE/RL Newsline," August 24,
2007). Hosseini also expressed hope that Iran's cooperation will
positively influence talks between Supreme National Security Council
Secretary Ali Larijani and Javier Solana, his EU interlocutor. VS
[29] IRANIAN CENTRAL BANK CHIEF RESIGNS...
Government spokesman Gholamhussein Elham said in Tehran on August 26
that President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has accepted the resignation of the
head of the Central Bank, Ibrahim Sheibani, Radio Farda reported,
citing news agencies (see "RFE/RL Newsline," August 23, 2007). He added
that the appointment of Tahmasb Mazaheri, the head of the Exports
Development Bank and former finance minister, to replace Sheibani is
"in its last stages, and the president will issue his [appointment]
writ after the Central Bank general assembly is convened" on August 28.
The change is seen as part of Ahmadinejad's plans to give the executive
branch firmer control over the economy, Radio Farda observed. It added
that Sheibani was opposed to Ahmadinejad's recent decision to lower and
fix bank interest and lending rates for state and private banks, at a
level many consider below the effective inflation rate in Iran.
According to the Fars news agency, Mazaheri was a deputy governor of
Kohgiluyeh va Boyrahmad Province in 1979-82, a deputy head of the
Planning and Budget Organization in the Persian year ending in March
1986, the head of the Oppressed and Injured Veterans' Foundation -- a
multifaceted state-sector financial and economic concern -- in the year
ending March 1992, and later finance minister in 2001-04 in the
reformist government of Mohammad Khatami, a deputy finance minister for
some months in 2005-06, and head of the state-affiliated Exports
Development Bank since the summer of 2006. VS
[30] ...AND GENERAL BECOMES DEPUTY MINISTER
Radio Farda, citing Iranian news agencies, also reported the imminent
appointment of Alireza Afshar, a deputy head of the Iranian armed
forces joint headquarters, as the new deputy interior minister for
political affairs and head of the ministry's election headquarters.
Afshar, a former head of the Basij militia, would replace Mujtaba
Samareh-Hashemi (see "RFE/RL Newsline," August 23, 2007), and be in
charge of organizing the parliamentary elections set for March 2008.
Radio Farda noted that Samareh-Hashemi has not confirmed or denied his
change of position, though his situation is to be clarified in the
coming days. Samareh-Hashemi is considered a close ally of President
Ahmadinejad, Radio Farda observed. VS
[31] IRANIAN LEGISLATORS WARY OF TUPOLEVS
Vali Azarvash, a member of the Iranian parliament's Construction
Committee, said in Tehran on August 26 that "there have been many
accidents in our country with Tupolev planes" and it would not be in
Iran's interests to buy more of them, "Aftab-i Yazd" reported on August
27. He was reacting to reports that Iran plans to buy Tu-204 passenger
planes (see "RFE/RL Newsline," August 23, 2007). He said, "we are
forced due to problems and sanctions and insufficient number of planes
in the domestic...fleet to buy and lease a number of airplanes, but
countries like Russia and China are not dependable parties in such
transactions." "We have repeatedly told the government not to bring
into the air fleet planes that are unsuited to the country's climate
conditions or are too old," he added. "Regarding Russia, we urge
officials to deal with that country with greater caution, especially in
buying planes of the Tupolev type, because this type of plane has
caused us many problems." Another legislator and member of the
parliamentary Industries and Mines Committee, Ismail Gerami-Moqaddam,
said on August 26 that Iran has no choice but to buy Russian planes,
"with the current sanctions," though he said that new Tupolev models
are updated and suited to Iran's climate and "their purchase should not
cause...problems." He said previous accidents in Iran were not so much
due to the mechanics of Tupolev planes as their age and excessive use,
"Aftab-i Yazd" reported. VS
[32] IRAQI POLITICAL LEADERS REACH AGREEMENT ON SOME ISSUES...
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani told reporters at an August 26 press
conference that Sunni, Shi'ite, and Kurdish leaders have reached
agreement on some key outstanding issues after several weeks of talks,
Iraqi media reported. Flanked by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Kurdish
regional President Mas'ud Barzani, Sunni Arab Vice President Tariq
al-Hashimi, and Shi'ite Vice President Adil Abd al-Mahdi, Talabani said
the leaders "agreed on very important foundations," adding that more
work needs to be done to resolve other outstanding issues. Iraqi
Accordance Front spokesman Salim al-Juburi told Reuters on August 27
that the agreement does not mean that Sunni Arabs are ready to end
their boycott of the cabinet. "We are not boycotting political
dialogue, but this does not mean that we are returning to the
government," he said. Al-Juburi said Sunni Arabs are waiting to see
"action on the ground" before they end their boycott. A man identified
as Abu al-Muhib al-Baghdadi, a spokesman for the deposed Ba'ath Party,
told Al-Jazeera television in an August 26 interview from Damascus that
the agreement is a trap and not binding because it was not endorsed by
parliament. He added that the Ba'ath Party will not negotiate with U.S.
and Iraqi forces until there is full withdrawal of coalition troops,
all post-Hussein laws are revoked, and Iraqi and Arab detainees are
released from prison. KR
[33] ...AND ISSUE STATEMENT DETAILING AGREEMENT
The parties said in a written statement distributed to the media that
they agreed to take steps to consolidate participation in the
decision-making process and to improve on government performance. They
agreed to form a joint parliamentary committee comprised of the heads
of political blocs to follow up on core issues. The also agreed to
approve "a proposal calling for the release of persons being detained
without judicial evidence and the issuance of a special pardon" for
some detainees, and to set up special committees on detainees. The
parties also have approved the draft law on a higher national
commission for accountability and justice to replace the
de-Ba'athification law. Also "approved" was the draft law on
governorates not belonging to a regional framework. The agreement also
called on the preparatory committee (see "RFE/RL Newsline," August 20,
2007) working on outstanding issues to continue to study proposed
constitutional amendments; the oil and gas law; the financial resources
law; the formation of committees to work toward securing a national
balance in state institutions; and activating the role of the Political
Council for National Security and regulating its work, the statement
noted. KR
[34] IRAQI PREMIER'S SPOKESMAN DISMISSES FOREIGN CRITICISM
Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told Al-Sharqiyah television
on August 26 that outside criticism of Prime Minister al-Maliki has
little impact on events inside Iraq. "Criticism coming from abroad does
not represent any legitimacy, as al-Maliki is elected by the
parliament," al-Dabbagh said. "In its turn, the elected parliament is
the side that has the authority to retain or replace al-Maliki. This is
an Iraqi issue. Therefore, any statements coming from abroad by people
from faraway places who want to make decisions on behalf of Iraqis are
of no value," he added. Al-Maliki has come under harsh criticism in
recent days from several members of the U.S. Congress, who have called
for his replacement. KR
[35] FIVE DEAD IN CHOLERA OUTBREAK IN IRAQI KURDISTAN
The Kurdistan region's health minister, Ziryan Uthman, announced on
August 26 that five people have died from cholera in the cities of
Al-Sulaymaniyah and Kirkuk, Kurdistan Satellite Television reported.
Saying there have been a few cases of diarrhea in Kirkuk, he added,
"There have also been about 2,000 cases of severe diarrhea in
Al-Sulaymaniyah, and medical examinations showed that three of [the
deaths] in Al-Sulaymaniyah were [due to] cholera." Uthman said those
infected were all elderly persons already battling other diseases,
suggesting that the victims may have had impaired immune systems.
Uthman added that there are currently 150 to 200 known cholera cases in
Al-Sulaymaniyah. "We have requested assistance from the World Health
Organization, the Red Cross, and the Ministry of Health in Baghdad," he
noted. KR
End Note
[36] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY.
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