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RFE/RL Newsline, 07-11-02
CONTENTS
[01] PUTIN SAYS NOBODY WILL LIMIT RUSSIAN ARMS EXPORTS
[02] RUSSIA SAYS THERE IS 'NO COLD WAR,' BUT STRESSES ITS
MISSILE-DEFENSE COMPLAINTS
[03] FOREIGN MINISTER STRESSES NEED FOR CAUTION ON IRAN
[04] WHY DID RUSSIA BAN GERMAN CARGO OVERFLIGHTS?
[05] IS NAVY PREPARING TO MOVE TO ST. PETERSBURG?
[06] UNIFIED RUSSIA PROMOTES ITS LOGO NATIONWIDE...
[07] ...AS ANALYST CONTINUES EVALUATING PARTY'S LIST OF CANDIDATES
[08] PROBE INTO TOLYATTI BUS BLAST CONTINUES
[09] DUMA PLANS TO STREAMLINE COMMITTEE STRUCTURE
[10] PRO-PUTIN DEMONSTRATIONS, RESOLUTIONS CONTINUE
[11] LAUGHING AT PUTIN IS NO LAUGHING MATTER
[12] MOSCOW POLICE RAID PROMSVYAZBANK OFFICES
[13] INGUSH APPEAL TO PUTIN ON CONFLICT ANNIVERSARY
[14] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT RESPONDS TO PREDECESSOR'S CRITICISMS...
[15] ...SAYS KARABAKH AGREEMENT UNLIKELY BEFORE 2008 ELECTIONS
[16] FORMER AZERBAIJANI MINISTER SENTENCED
[17] GEORGIA CALLS FOR TERMINATION OF CIS PEACEKEEPERS' MANDATE
[18] KAZAKHSTAN REINFORCES SECURITY ALONG UZBEK BORDER
[19] KAZAKH PARLIAMENT RATIFIES MILITARY TRANSIT ACCORD WITH GERMANY
[20] KAZAKH DEFENSE MINISTER MEETS WITH NATO OFFICIAL
[21] KAZAKHSTAN EXTRADITES SUSPECTED MILITANT TO RUSSIA
[22] KAZAKH OPPOSITION NEWSPAPERS FACE CLOSURE
[23] KYRGYZ INTERIOR MINISTRY SUGGESTS SLAIN JOURNALIST HAD 'LINKS' TO
BANNED ISLAMIST GROUP...
[24] ...SPARKING HARSH CRITICISM
[25] SOUTH KOREAN, JAPANESE COMPANIES TO PURCHASE MAJORITY STAKE IN
UZBEK INTERNET PROVIDER
[26] BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION APPEALS TO LUKASHENKA FOR FORMER CANDIDATE'S
RELEASE
[27] BELARUSIAN ENVOY TRIES FOR DAMAGE CONTROL AFTER PRESIDENT'S
ANTI-SEMITIC REMARKS
[28] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT TO WELCOME NEW DECLARATION OF NATIONAL UNITY
[29] UKRAINE PAYS OFF DEBT FOR RUSSIAN GAS SUPPLIES
[30] BOSNIA'S HIGH REPRESENTATIVE SECURES BACKING FOR REFORM...
[31] ...AND RELUCTANT SUPPORT OF RUSSIA
[32] EU REPORT SET TO DAMPEN BALKAN STATES' MEMBERSHIP HOPES
[33] SERBS REJECT HYPOTHETICAL KOSOVA-EU DEAL
[34] ...WHILE PRESIDENT NAMES EU AS PRIMARY OBJECTIVE
[35] MILITIA 'PATROLS' REPORTED IN NORTHERN MACEDONIA
[36] WAR CRIMES SUSPECTS ARRESTED IN BOSNIA, CROATIA
[37] VUKOVAR CASE GOES TO APPEAL IN ICTY
[38] MONTENEGRO, SERBIA SIGN WAR CRIMES AGREEMENT
[39] SCORES OF TALIBAN KILLED IN FIGHTING IN SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN
[40] KABUL REJECTS ACCUSATION OF INTERFERENCE IN CONFLICT IN PAKISTAN
[41] SUPREME LEADER REJECTS U.S. CHARGES AGAINST IRAN
[42] IRANIAN PRESIDENT PRESENTS CABINET NOMINEES...
[43] ...AND MOVES TO DISMISS PROVINCIAL OFFICIALS...
[44] ...IN WHAT HE SAYS IS 'NATURAL' MEASURE
[45] STUDENT PROTESTERS ARRESTED IN TEHRAN
[46] IRANIAN AUTHORITIES HANG TRAFFICKER
[47] IRANIAN HEALTH OFFICIAL WARNS OF HIDDEN HIV/AIDS THREAT
[48] U.S. PROVIDES TURKEY WITH INTELLIGENCE ON PKK NEAR IRAQ...
[49] ...WHILE ANKARA THREATENS SANCTIONS AGAINST IRAQI KURDS
[50] FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS IRAQ CONFERENCE SHOULD FOCUS ON IRAQ, NOT
PKK
[51] IRAQI SUNNI LEADER SAYS GOVERNMENT AGAINST RECONCILIATION
[52] IRAQI FORCES ARREST AL-QAEDA COMMANDER
[53] IRAQ REJECTS WARNING OVER IMMINENT COLLAPSE OF DAM
[54] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY
Thursday, November 1, 2007 Volume 11 Number 203
Russia
[01] PUTIN SAYS NOBODY WILL LIMIT RUSSIAN ARMS EXPORTS
President Vladimir Putin said on October 31 at a meeting of the
Commission for Military and Technical Cooperation in Moscow that Russia
will not permit anyone to restrict its arms exports, Russian and
international media reported. The United States often criticizes
Russian arms sales to countries such as Iran, Syria, and Venezuela (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," October 15 and 30, 2007). Rosoboroneksport is the
main state arms dealer, whose biggest customers are China and India.
Arms sales are one of several tools that Putin uses to demonstrate
Russia's claim to world-power status, even though its technology is not
always the most advanced. Putin said on October 31 that "Russia has
always complied and will continue to comply rigorously with all
international obligations in the military-technical field, particularly
the existing export-control regulations. At the same time, we cannot
and will not take into consideration any attempts to impose any
restrictions on us based on unilateral or politicized judgments." He
acknowledged that the quality of Russian technology must be improved if
arms exports are to grow. Putin said that "the confidence of foreign
partners in the potential of our military technology and our armed
forces depends directly on [improvement]. If the quality is better,
then confidence will be higher, and our arms and technology will be
more in demand on the world market, and the activities of our army and
navy will be more effective." The Gazprom-owned daily "Izvestia"
commented on November 1 that growing arms sales are a means by which
"Russia puts pressure on the Americans." The article drew attention to
Putin's remarks on improving the quality of military technology. PM
[02] RUSSIA SAYS THERE IS 'NO COLD WAR,' BUT STRESSES ITS
MISSILE-DEFENSE COMPLAINTS
Kremlin deputy spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on October 31 that recent
U.S.-Russian talks on missile defense were "quite constructive" and
added that "rumors of a Cold War are groundless," Russian and
international media reported. But Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail
Kamynin said on October 31 that Russia is still waiting for detailed,
written proposals from the United States on missile defense, along the
lines of those that U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and
Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently made orally in Moscow, Russian
and international media reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," September 24,
and October 22, 24, and 25, 2007). Kamynin also stressed Russia's
long-standing position that its offer to share radar facilities at
Qabala (Gabala) in Azerbaijan is an alternative to the proposed U.S.
missile-defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic, not a
supplement to it. He noted that Washington is continuing
missile-defense negotiations with Warsaw and Prague, which, Kamynin
suggested, "gives the impression that the United States wants to make
the implementation of its plans irreversible." On October 31, the daily
"Vremya novostei" wrote that "Russia and the United States seem to be
in a kind of long-distance missile-defense contest. A Russian
short-range missile interceptor was test-launched [on October 30] and
struck its target on schedule. The Americans performed a successful
[missile-defense] test over the Pacific on October 28" in the latest of
a series of tests by both countries. On October 31, General Vladimir
Verkhovtsev of the Defense Ministry's 12th Main Directorate, which is
in charge of nuclear weapons, wrote in the government daily
"Rossiiskaya gazeta" that "the situation to the south of our borders is
quite complicated. We border on nuclear powers, and therefore the fact
that Russia possesses tactical nuclear weapons serves as a factor
deterring potential aggressors." PM
[03] FOREIGN MINISTER STRESSES NEED FOR CAUTION ON IRAN
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told journalists in Moscow on October 31
after returning from Iran that Russia remains opposed to recently
announced U.S. sanctions against that country, Russian news agencies
reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 31, 2007). He said that "we
reaffirm our commitment to collective actions and confirm that the
unilateral actions taken now with regard to trade and economic
sanctions against Iran are certainly not helping the continuation of
collective efforts." On October 31, Foreign Ministry spokesman Kamynin
said that Russia has no interest in forming an international "Holy
Alliance" using missile defense against Iran "based on the dogmatic
logic that Iran is an enemy." The daily "Kommersant" wrote on October
31 that Lavrov made his "unexpected lightning" visit to Iran in "one
last attempt to talk some sense into Tehran." The paper noted that he
tried to convince President Mahmud Ahmadinejad of the seriousness of
the situation Iran will face if it fails to comply with UN Security
Council demands and abandon uranium enrichment. The daily suggested
that "if Tehran decides to cooperate with the international community,
Moscow has promised it a sensational gift" of direct talks with
Washington. "Kommersant" argued that Russia feels that it, along with
Iran, will be hurt by the new U.S. sanctions and therefore wants Tehran
to comply with UN demands. The daily "Nezavisimaya gazeta" wrote on
November 1 that Russia is anxious to put an end to the Iranian nuclear
imbroglio by persuading Tehran to stop its enrichment program, even on
a temporary basis. PM
[04] WHY DID RUSSIA BAN GERMAN CARGO OVERFLIGHTS?
Officials of the German government and the company Lufthansa Cargo,
which is the freight subsidiary of Lufthansa airlines, say they have no
idea why the Russian authorities announced on October 28 a de facto ban
on Lufthansa Cargo's flights over Siberia en route to Asia, including
its hub at Astana, Kazakhstan, the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung"
reported on November 1 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 31, 2007). A
spokesman for the German Transportation Ministry told the daily that
Russia claimed that the agreement regarding overflights has expired and
that no new flights can take place until it is replaced. The spokesman
added, however, that a new agreement was, in fact, recently concluded.
He stressed that "the ink was barely dry on it" when the Russians, in
effect, backed out of it without giving any real reason. The paper
noted that some German observers feel that Russia, which already
charges high Siberian overflight fees, wants to "cash in" on the
lucrative commerce between Europe and Asia even more in some
unspecified form. Lufthansa Cargo denied Russian suggestions that it is
behind in paying its overflight bills. The Frankfurt daily reported
that, immediately after the Russians banned the overflights, German
officials quickly imposed and then rescinded on October 29 a ban on
cargo flights by Aeroflot to the Frankfurt-Hahn airport. Some sources
suggested that the German decision to lift the ban was a goodwill
gesture to Moscow. Other sources indicated that the Frankfurt-Hahn
airport administration appealed to Kurt Beck, who heads the Social
Democratic Party (SPD), to use his influence with Transportation
Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee (SPD) to end a ban that could cost the
airport one of its most important clients. The paper noted that the
high costs charged by Moscow for Siberian overflights have been a
thorny issue for European airlines for over 20 years that is unlikely
to go away soon. PM
[05] IS NAVY PREPARING TO MOVE TO ST. PETERSBURG?
"The Moscow Times" reported on November 1 that Defense Minister Anatoly
Serdyukov instructed Russian Navy chief Vladimir Vysotsky to draft a
plan to move the navy headquarters from Moscow to the historical
Admiralty and neighboring buildings in St. Petersburg. The paper noted
that the move, if confirmed, would be "the latest instance of a federal
institution being shifted to the former capital -- and President
Putin's hometown." The Defense Ministry and the navy did not comment on
or take calls regarding the story, which was first reported by the
daily "Kommersant" on the basis of unspecified Defense Ministry sources
on October 31. PM
[06] UNIFIED RUSSIA PROMOTES ITS LOGO NATIONWIDE...
More details are emerging of Unified Russia's campaign tactics around
the country, as researched by Transparency International and the NGO
Golos, RFE/RL's Russian Service reported on October 31 (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," October 30, 2007). The activists told journalists in Moscow
that they have collected a wide range of free "gifts" being distributed
all over the county by the pro-Kremlin party, including gloves, lids
for canning jars, backpacks, books, notebooks, and bottles of vodka.
The Central Election Commission has ruled that items costing less than
400 rubles ($16) are permissible if they do not contain direct appeals
to vote for a particular party. As a result, they do not fall under
campaign rules and are not limited by campaign spending restrictions.
Activist Yelena Panfilova said cases have been documented where the
gowns of municipal hospital workers have been decorated with wishes
from Unified Russia for patients' speedy recovery. In Chelyabinsk,
buildings undergoing repairs are festooned with signs claiming Unified
Russia has donated 1 million rubles to municipal reconstruction. RC
[07] ...AS ANALYST CONTINUES EVALUATING PARTY'S LIST OF CANDIDATES
Political analyst Aleksandr Kynev, director of regional programs for
the Information Politics Foundation, told RFE/RL on October 31 that in
the 2003 elections 31 Unified Russia candidates refused their mandates
after that party won the election. By his estimate, that number will
rise to 118 with the current list, which includes 65 governors, four
federal ministers, 10 deputy governors and regional prime ministers, 26
mayors, and 12 heads of regional legislatures. He also noted that
political competition in the current election cycle is less than it has
been in any election since the Soviet period: in 1995, 43 parties
participated; in 1999, 26; in 2003, 23; and in 2007, 11. Kynev also
noted that many Unified Russia candidates are running from regions with
which they have no discernible connection. RC
[08] PROBE INTO TOLYATTI BUS BLAST CONTINUES
The investigation into the October 31 bombing of a bus in Toyatti that
left eight dead and 63 wounded continues, RFE/RL's Russian Service
reported on November 1. Investigators are assessing the possibility
that the explosion was caused by a suicide bomber on the bus. They are
also looking into comparisons with the August 21, 2006, bombing of the
Cherkizovsky Market in Moscow, which left 11 dead (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," August 22, 23, and 24, 2006). The explosives used in both
cases were described as "analogous." In the Moscow case, three men have
been charged in the case, which has been described by investigators as
"racially motivated." RFE/RL reports that local police and local
journalists have been prevented from approaching the scene of the
incident and that several journalists have had their film confiscated
by Federal Security Service (FSB) operatives on the scene.
Investigators are reportedly looking into the possibility that the
explosion was a terrorist act carried out by fighters from the North
Caucasus or that the explosives were being transported on the bus as
part of a business dispute. Political analyst Aleksei Makarkin said a
North Caucasus connection is possible, but it not the most likely
scenario. "Before looking for a Chechen connection," he told RFE/RL,
"or a Caucasus connection, you have to look around. I don't discount
those possibilities, but first of all we should think about the fact
that Tolyatti is a deeply criminalized city, a place of loud criminal
conflicts." RC
[09] DUMA PLANS TO STREAMLINE COMMITTEE STRUCTURE
The Duma is drafting a plan to drastically reduce the number of its
committees, "Gazeta" reported on November 1. The plan is to cut the
number from the current 29 to just 16, once for each government
ministry. According to the paper's sources, some of the committees will
be combined and enlarged. Political analyst Markarkin told the daily
that deputies fight to get on the main financial committees, which are
considered the most lucrative from the perspective of "lobbying
activity." He said that in 2003 almost half of all Duma deputies
applied to be on the Budget Committee. The tabloid "Tvoi den" on
November 1 reported that President Putin has asked St. Petersburg
Governor Valentina Matviyenko to serve as the speaker of the Duma after
the December legislative elections. According to the report, current
Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov, the leader of Unified Russia, will be asked
to head the Security Council. RC
[10] PRO-PUTIN DEMONSTRATIONS, RESOLUTIONS CONTINUE
A wave of "spontaneous" demonstrations calling for President Putin to
serve a third term as president or to otherwise remain the country's
leader following the expiry of his current term in March 2008 is
continuing, "Vremya novostei" reported on October 31. Since October 23,
such demonstrations have been held in Volgograd,
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Grozny, Voronoezh, Pskov, Novosibirsk, and
Magadan, the daily reported. In addition, numerous local legislatures
have passed resolutions calling for a third term for Putin (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," October 29, 2003). The legislature in Tyumen Oblast went one
step further and sent an appeal to all other regional legislatures in
Russia urging them to adopt similar measures. RC
[11] LAUGHING AT PUTIN IS NO LAUGHING MATTER
The Novosibirsk branch of the FSB is investigating as illegal campaign
activity a free-distribution newspaper that appeared recently in some
local mailboxes, gazeta.ru reported on November 1. A local officer was
quoted as saying the paper consists almost entirely of "compromising
materials against the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, A Just
Russia, and Unified Russia." The FSB complaint also charged that the
last page of the newspaper contained jokes about those parties and
about President Putin signed "from [Communist Party leader] Gennady
Zyuganov." A local Communist official said the newspaper was previously
approved by the local election commission. Zyuganov has reportedly sent
a letter to FSB Chairman Nikolai Patrushev expressing the hope that "at
least the highest echelons" still have a sense of humor. Novosibirsk
Oblast is considered an important battleground, since the Communists
did well there in the last legislative elections and the Communist
candidate in the 2004 presidential election actually outpolled Putin in
several districts. RC
[12] MOSCOW POLICE RAID PROMSVYAZBANK OFFICES
Police in Moscow on October 31 raided the headquarters of
Promsvyazbank, the country's 13th largest, "The Moscow Times" and other
Russian media reported. A bank employee told the daily that the raid
was "connected with the activities of one of our clients."
Promsvyazbank is controlled by brothers Aleksei and Dmitry Ananyev,
whose fortunes are estimated at about $1.7 billion each. Dmitry is a
member of the Federation Council and the head of its Committee on
Financial Markets and Monetary Policy. He has close connections with
Federation Council Chairman Sergei Mironov and is a funder of the A
Just Russia party. RC
[13] INGUSH APPEAL TO PUTIN ON CONFLICT ANNIVERSARY
The local branches of eight Russian political parties, including the
pro-Kremlin Unified Russia, have addressed open letters to President
Putin and to newly appointed federal envoy to the Southern Federal
District Grigory Rapota on the 15th anniversary of the start of the
clashes between Ingush and Ossetians in North Ossetia's disputed
Prigorodny Raion. In their address to Putin, which was posted on
October 31 on the website ingushetiya.ru, they pointed out that his
instructions to the federal government to complete by the end of 2006
the repatriation to Prigorodny Raion and Vladikavkaz of those Ingush
who were forced to flee their homes during the fighting was never
implemented. They advocated new and unconventional measures to
normalize the situation, including establishing in Prigorodny Raion a
temporary administration comprising federal officials from other parts
of Russia and excluding both Ossetians and Ingush. In their address to
Rapota, dated October 30, the eight parties highlighted and branded a
threat to stability and security across the North Caucasus what they
termed the obstructionist approach of the North Ossetian authorities to
the repatriation of the Ingush. They appealed to Rapota to take the
necessary measures to expedite the repatriation process, and also to
improve the security situation in Prigorodny Raion and Vladikavkaz,
where 22 Ingush have been abducted and disappeared without trace over
the past two years. Also on October 31, Ruslan Aushev, who served as
Ingushetian president from 1992-2002, appealed to his co-ethnics to
demonstrate "courage, solidarity, and unity," and expressed the hope
that following the failure of its "timid" efforts to enable the Ingush
displaced persons to return to Prigorodny Raion, the federal center
will adopt a more "complex" approach to resolving the problem,
ingushetiya.ru reported. LF
Transcaucasia And Central Asia
[14] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT RESPONDS TO PREDECESSOR'S CRITICISMS...
In comments broadcast on Armenian television on October 31, President
Robert Kocharian dismissed as "filled with malice" harsh criticisms of
the present leadership voiced at a rally in Yerevan on October 26 by
his predecessor, Levon Ter-Petrossian, Noyan Tapan and RFE/RL's
Armenian Service reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 29, 2007 and
upcoming "RFE/RL Caucasus Report"). Kocharian accused Ter-Petrossian
and his Armenian Pan-National Movement of destroying the country's
economy within a few years of coming to power and bequeathing him in
1998 "a country with a ruined economy." He downplayed the impact on
Armenia in the early 1990s of the collapse of the Soviet command
economy. Hrant Bagratian, who served as prime minister under
Ter-Petrossian from 1993-96, dismissed Kocharian's criticism of the
HHSh leadership as "a deliberate lie," pointing out in an interview
with RFE/RL's Armenian Service Armenia's victory in the Karabakh war,
his implementation of liberal economic reform, and the volume of
reconstruction during those years in the northern regions of the
country devastated by the December 1988 earthquake. Also on October 31,
tax police raided the offices in Giumri of the privately-owned Gala
television station, one of only two that defied government orders not
to broadcast a speech made by Ter-Petrossian in September that
similarly criticized the Kocharian regime (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
October 23, 2007). LF
[15] ...SAYS KARABAKH AGREEMENT UNLIKELY BEFORE 2008 ELECTIONS
Kocharian also said on October 31 that he does not share the optimism
expressed by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen over the prospect of an
interim agreement on resolving the Karabakh conflict, Noyan Tapan
reported. Visiting Baku and Yerevan last week, the co-chairmen said
there is a chance -- estimated at less than 50 percent -- that
Kocharian and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev could soon
conclude a "gentlemen's agreement," in verbal not written form, on the
basic principles for resolving the conflict, RFE/RL's Armenian Service
reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 26, 2007). Kocharian admitted
that unspecified progress has been made, but he added that repeated
bellicose statements by Azerbaijani politicians constitute a threat
that Armenia's policy must address. LF
[16] FORMER AZERBAIJANI MINISTER SENTENCED
Azerbaijan's Court for Serious Crimes passed sentence on October 31 on
former Economic Development Minister Farxad Aliyev, his brother Rafik,
chairman of the board of the Azerpetrol group of companies, and 17
other people accused of expropriation of state property, illegal
business activity, tax evasion, accepting bribes, and abuse of their
official position, day.az and zerkalo.az reported. Farxad Aliyev was
sentenced to 10 years' and Rafik Aliyev to nine years' imprisonment.
The two men were arrested two years ago; Farxad Aliyev was initially
accused of plotting a coup d'etat, but that charge was soon shelved. He
repeatedly protested his innocence and his loyalty to President Aliyev,
to whom he is not related. Lawyers for the two men said they will
appeal the sentences and objected that the entire trial was based on
unsubstantiated allegations. Human-rights activist Novella Jafararoglu
likewise said the prosecution's case was "illiterate" and the sentence
on Farxad Aliyev excessive, day.az reported on November 1. LF
[17] GEORGIA CALLS FOR TERMINATION OF CIS PEACEKEEPERS' MANDATE
Meeting on October 31 to discuss the implications of the standoff the
previous day in the Abkhaz conflict zone between Russian peacekeepers
and Georgian police (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 31, 2007), the
Georgian government and parliament leadership decided to revoke
unilaterally the mandate of the Russian peacekeeping force deployed
under the CIS aegis in the conflict zone, Georgian media reported.
Earlier on October 31, the Georgian Foreign Ministry issued a formal
statement requesting that the CIS Executive Committee and the Russian
Foreign Ministry recall the commander of the Russian peacekeeping
force, Major General Sergei Chaban, whom Georgian President Mikheil
Saakashvili on October 30 declared persona non grata on Georgian
territory. "Nezavisimaya gazeta" on November 1 quoted unnamed Georgian
parliamentarians as saying the Georgian authorities have already
approached unnamed Western states with a request to deploy a substitute
peacekeeping force. In Sukhum(i), capital of the unrecognized republic
of Abkhazia, de facto Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba said in a
statement posted on the presidential website
(http://www.abkhaziagov.org) on October 31 that while Georgia has the
right to demand the Russian peacekeepers' withdrawal, the international
community is unlikely to agree to a move that would inevitably
undermine the "fragile" stability in the conflict zone. He warned that
the peacekeepers' departure would result not in local clashes but in a
full-scale war. Meanwhile, Chaban's assistant Lieutenant Colonel
Aleksandr Diordiyev was quoted by kavkaz-uzel.ru on October 31 as
saying that a helicopter belonging to the Russian peacekeeping force
was fired on the previous day from the training camp at Ganmukhuri in
western Georgia where the standoff took place. LF
[18] KAZAKHSTAN REINFORCES SECURITY ALONG UZBEK BORDER
A regional commander of the Kazakh Border Service, Talgat Esetov,
announced on October 31 the reinforcement of border guards along
Kazakhstan's border with Uzbekistan, according to Interfax-Kazakhstan.
A new detachment of border guards was deployed along the 800-kilometer
southern Kazakh border in order "to improve the operational management
and the quality" of securing the border. Speaking to reporters in the
city of Shymkent, Esetov also noted the construction of six new border
posts along the Kazakh-Uzbek border, Kazakhstan Today reported. He also
reported that the construction of an additional eight border guard
posts and a new housing facility for the border guards are planned by
2010. The effort to secure the border with Uzbekistan is part of a
broader campaign to combat the proliferation of drugs and weapons and
to bolster Kazakhstan's counterterrorism operations in the area. RG
[19] KAZAKH PARLIAMENT RATIFIES MILITARY TRANSIT ACCORD WITH GERMANY
The Mazhilis, or lower house of Kazakhstan's parliament, on October 31
ratified a military transit accord with Germany, Interfax-Kazakhstan
reported. The accord provides German troops with the right to transit
Kazakh territory and covers the passage "by railway or air" of both
military personnel and equipment as part of the German contribution to
military operations in Afghanistan. The agreement, first signed in
Berlin in February 2007, will now be submitted to the Kazakh Senate for
consideration, but is widely expected to pass overwhelmingly. RG
[20] KAZAKH DEFENSE MINISTER MEETS WITH NATO OFFICIAL
Arriving in Astana following a visit to Kyrgyzstan, Robert Simmons, the
special representative of the NATO secretary-general for the South
Caucasus and Central Asia, met on October 31 with Kazakh Defense
Minister Daniyal Akhmetov, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported. They reviewed
implementation of the country's Individual Partnership Action Plan
(IPAP), a framework document laying out Kazakhstan's evolving
relationship with NATO. Akhmetov hailed "cooperation between Kazakhstan
and NATO" as having "huge potential," which can "effectively influence
the processes of strengthening regional and international security,
including the strengthening of a dialogue and cooperation in reforms in
the defense sphere and training military personnel." In addition to
being a member of NATO's Partnership for Peace program (PfP),
Kazakhstan also holds regular consultations with NATO through the
alliance's Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council. RG
[21] KAZAKHSTAN EXTRADITES SUSPECTED MILITANT TO RUSSIA
A spokesman for the Interior Ministry in Kazakhstan's Aktyubinsk
region, Almat Imangaliev, confirmed on October 31 that the authorities
extradited a suspected militant on October 27 to Russia, according to
Interfax-Kazakhstan. Imangaliev said that the man, a suspected Chechen
rebel wanted by Russia on charges of terrorism, was arrested by Kazakh
security forces in the Aktyubinsk region on July 25. RG
[22] KAZAKH OPPOSITION NEWSPAPERS FACE CLOSURE
In a press conference in Almaty, opposition "Svoboda slova" newspaper
editor Gulzhan Yergalieva, announced on October 31 that her paper,
along with four others, faces closure after several publishing houses
refused to print them, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported. Yergalieva noted
that the opposition "Vzglyad," "Taszhargan," and "Respublika"
newspapers were unable to secure a printer for their s and accused the
Kazakh authorities of pressuring the publishers "not to print" the
newspapers. A representative of the opposition "Taszhargan" newspaper,
Rozlana Taukina, added that although the staff is "preparing" the
newspaper's next edition and "will make an effort to publish," it is
uncertain "where and how it will be published." The editors also
accused the authorities of using the tax police to exert pressure on
them, citing visits of tax officials to several of the newspapers on
October 30. The Adil Soz group, a foundation for the protection of
freedom of speech, also expressed on October 31 its "concern over the
situation" and circulated a statement in support of the opposition
media at the news conference. RG
[23] KYRGYZ INTERIOR MINISTRY SUGGESTS SLAIN JOURNALIST HAD 'LINKS' TO
BANNED ISLAMIST GROUP...
Bakyt Seitov, a Kyrgyz Interior Ministry official, said on October 30
that the ministry's investigation of the murder of journalist Alisher
Saipov uncovered "close links" between him and the banned Islamist Hizb
ut-Tahrir and Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) groups, RFE/RL's
Kyrgyz Service and AKIpress reported. Seitov also said that Saipov
reportedly met with IMU leader Tohir Yoldoshev in April or May,
suggesting that the journalist "received money on a regular basis" from
the IMU, and that police found Hizb ut-Tahrir "material" on his
personal computer. Seitov also said that the slain journalist "had
links with" the leader of Uzbekistan's Erk opposition party, Muhammad
Solih. Saipov was killed in Osh on October 24 by an unknown gunman (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," October 25, 2007), and although another unidentified
security official also recently said that police now believe that
members of Hizb ut-Tahrir may have ordered his killing (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," October 30, 2007), initial suspicion centered on Uzbekistan,
as Saipov often reported on official corruption in Uzbekistan and was
recently strongly criticized by the Uzbek state media. RG
[24] ...SPARKING HARSH CRITICISM
Reacting to Interior Ministry spokesman Seitov's allegations that
Saipov had "close links" to a banned Islamist group, Adil Turdukulov, a
senior member of the opposition Social Democratic Party, on October 31
strongly criticized the Interior Ministry, saying that it "caved in to
pressure" from the Uzbek authorities, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz and Uzbek
services reported. Turdukulov warned that "good neighborly relations"
should not be allowed to hinder an "unbiased" investigation into
Saipov's murder, and he added that the ministry's allegations are "full
of biased and politically motivated interpretations." He also called on
the police to stop "manipulating the findings and misleading the
population" and to bring the killer or killers to justice. Daniil
Kislov, a former colleague of the murdered journalist and the
administrator of the Moscow-based ferghana.ru website, also accused the
Kyrgyz Interior Ministry of "deliberately trying to blacken our
friend's name." RG
[25] SOUTH KOREAN, JAPANESE COMPANIES TO PURCHASE MAJORITY STAKE IN
UZBEK INTERNET PROVIDER
Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister Abdulla Oripov confirmed on October 31 that
a group comprised of a South Korean and a Japanese telecommunications
firm will take over Uzbekistan's primary Internet service provider,
according to the Uzbek National News Agency's website. Oripov, who also
serves as the director-general of the Uzbek state agency for
communication and information, said that the move stemmed from the
strategic goal of "attracting foreign investment in various spheres of
the economy." According to the terms of the deal released by Oripov,
the Korea Telecom group and Japan's Sumitomo Corporation have agreed to
purchase, for an undisclosed sum, an 85 percent share of the country's
East Telecom Internet service provider, with the remaining 15 percent
stake to be retained by the state-affiliated Uzbektelecom company. RG
Eastern Europe
[26] BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION APPEALS TO LUKASHENKA FOR FORMER CANDIDATE'S
RELEASE
A group of Belarusian opposition politicians has sent an appeal to
President Alyaksandr Lukashenka asking him to free imprisoned former
presidential candidate Alyaksandr Kazulin, Belapan reported on October
31. Kazulin, who ran in the March 2006 elections, was arrested during
antigovernment demonstrations that followed the polls, and sentenced to
5 1/2 years in prison for organizing events that disturbed the public
order. The appeal was signed by United Civic Party leader Anatol
Lyabedzka, Belarusian Popular Front deputy head Viktar Ivashkevich,
Belarusian Party of Communists leader Syarhey Kalyakin, and Youth Front
activist Pavel Sevyarynets, among others. They urged Lukashenka to
"show civil courage and honesty, and use your power for good -- the
immediate release of Kazulin from prison." Kazulin's daughter, Volha
Kazulina, has sent a similar appeal to Lukashenka. According to
Kazulin's former lawyer, Ihar Rynkevich, judicial authorities are
prepared to review Kazulin's case, which he described as politically
motivated, but cannot make a move without approval from Lukashenka. AM
[27] BELARUSIAN ENVOY TRIES FOR DAMAGE CONTROL AFTER PRESIDENT'S
ANTI-SEMITIC REMARKS
Pavel Yakubovich, the editor in chief of "Sovetskaya Belorussiya," the
largest state-run newspaper, said on October 31 at the Israeli Foreign
Ministry that President Lukashenka's recent comments about Jews should
be regarded as "a joke" and "not serious," Belapan and RFE/RL's Belarus
Service reported. An Israeli Foreign Ministry official said the matter
has been resolved. Addressing a group of Russian journalists on October
12, Lukashenka said Jewish residents had turned the city of Babruysk in
Mahilyou Oblast into a "pigsty" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 18,
2007). Yakubovich said that Lukashenka's remarks should be assessed as
"anything but anti-Semitic," adding that accusations of anti-Semitism
insulted the president. AM
[28] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT TO WELCOME NEW DECLARATION OF NATIONAL UNITY
Viktor Yushchenko on October 31 welcomed the idea of signing a new
declaration of national unity, Ukrainian media reported. Yushchenko
said that the postelection situation in Ukraine provides a unique
opportunity for politicians to turn away from past disagreements in
favor of mutual understanding and cooperation. "As president, I respect
the election winners and will respect the opposition," Yushchenko said,
adding that the ruling coalition and the opposition should determine
the format of their mutual relations. "If it's necessary to divide the
seats in the leadership of parliament, I will be the first who supports
such a strategy. If it's necessary to divide the seats in the
leadership of the government, I will support that too," he said. Party
of Regions lawmaker Yuriy Myroshnychenko recently said that key
Ukrainian politicians should return to the idea of the declaration of
national unity, which was signed in August 2006 to defuse the
coalition-building crisis that followed the parliamentary elections
that March. AM
[29] UKRAINE PAYS OFF DEBT FOR RUSSIAN GAS SUPPLIES
Ukrainian Fuel and Energy Minister Yuriy Boyko announced on October 31
that UkrGazEnergo, a Ukrainian-registered joint venture between
RosUkrEnergo and Ukraine's state-owned gas company, Naftohaz Ukrayiny,
has paid its parent company RosUkrEnergo a large part of the $920
million debt owed for Russian gas supplies to Ukraine, Ukrainian media
reported. Under the current supply scheme, RosUkrEnergo -- a
Swiss-registered joint venture between Gazprom and Ukrainian
billionaire Dmytro Firtash -- buys gas from Russian gas giant Gazprom,
delivers it to Ukrainian border, and sells it to UkrGazEnergo.
UkrGazEnergo incurred massive debts to RosUkrEnergo because of
incomplete payments by Ukrainian gas consumers. In early October,
Gazprom announced that it would decrease its gas supplies to Ukraine if
UkrGazEnergo failed to pay its debts by the end of the month. AM
Southeastern Europe
[30] BOSNIA'S HIGH REPRESENTATIVE SECURES BACKING FOR REFORM...
Miroslav Lajcak has won backing for his reform efforts from the group
that appointed him as the international community's high representative
in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Peace Implementation Council (PIC).
According to international and local media, the group, which comprises
55 states and international agencies overseeing Bosnia's postwar
development, on October 31 supported his "decisions and proposed
actions," and specifically his planned changes to the quorum needed to
pass decisions in government and legislation in parliament. "The only
objective of these measures is to streamline the decision-making
process in the [federal] Council of Ministers and the parliament and
they are necessary to speed up the reform process," the PIC said in a
statement released at the end of a two-day meeting in Sarajevo.
"Decisions of the high representative must be fully respected and
promptly implemented," it said, adding that "in particular, the PIC
Steering Board calls upon Serb Republic [Republika Srpska] leaders to
abide by their obligations." Bosnian Serbs have been incensed by
Lajcak's vow that, on December 1, he will force through changes that
would prevent executive and legislative decisions being blocked by
absent ministers and parliamentarians, arguing that the changes are
part of a broader challenge to the autonomous region's continued
existence (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 31, 2007). Speaking at a news
conference on October 31, Lajcak said, "reactions to my decisions are
out of proportion and have caused an artificial crisis that could stop
any progress." AG
[31] ...AND RELUCTANT SUPPORT OF RUSSIA
The PIC's decision was endorsed by Russia, which added a note to the
statement in which it criticized Lajcak's timing. Lajcak should seek to
improve the performance of Bosnia's institutions "in a more stable
context," it said, arguing that the Slovak diplomat is ignoring the
"growing tensions in the Balkans." Bosnia's political scene is,
arguably, more unstable than at any time since the end of the war, and
the region is bracing itself for the effects of a decision on the
future of Kosova. Prior to the meeting, Russia's ambassador in
Sarajevo, Konstantin Shuvalov, blamed Lajcak for the deteriorating
political situation in Bosnia, criticized him for his "maximal use of
the mechanisms of outside influence," cast doubt on his motivations,
and noted that Lajcak's predecessors did not voice similar objections
to the decision-making mechanisms in Bosnia (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
October 26, 2007). Shuvalov's criticisms were not echoed in the PIC
statement. AG
[32] EU REPORT SET TO DAMPEN BALKAN STATES' MEMBERSHIP HOPES
An upcoming EU report will indicate that Croatia is the only western
Balkan state that can hope to join the EU in the next five years, the
"Financial Times" reported on October 30. The report, which the
"Financial Times" has seen, said that membership talks with Croatia are
"are advancing well and are entering a decisive phase," despite
Brussels' reservations about its treatment of its Serbian community.
Macedonia is behind only Croatia on the path to membership, but the
country has suffered from a "slowdown in reforms" owing to "frequent
tension and problems in achieving constructive dialogue between major
political actors." Two other countries in the region, Albania and
Montenegro, have taken the first step towards membership by signing a
Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA). Brussels sees "financial
transactions beyond the banking system" -- transactions susceptible to
money laundering -- as a problem in Montenegro, "especially in relation
to real estate and foreign investment." Throughout the region, the
European Commission found, reforms are being slowed by corruption,
organized crime, and ethnic tensions. Its assessment of the region's
economic progress is better, noting that "the degree of economic
integration with the EU is already high and growing." AG
[33] SERBS REJECT HYPOTHETICAL KOSOVA-EU DEAL
Nearly three in four Serbs would like to see Serbia join the EU, but 70
percent would refuse an offer of earlier membership in exchange for
recognition of Kosova as an independent state, a poll commissioned by
Serbia's ministry for Kosovar affairs has found, Reuters reported on
October 31. The EU has never offered such a deal in public and insists
that the issues of Serbia's EU prospects and Kosova's status are not
linked, but Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica has said in the
past that he has received such offers in private. He described them as
"indecent" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," July 17, 2007). The poll, which was
published on October 31, found that while 72 percent want Serbia to
become an EU member, 61 percent believe it should not join NATO.
Kostunica and his party, one of three members of the governing
coalition, oppose membership of the military alliance and on October 28
passed a resolution calling for Serbia to remain neutral (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," October 30, 2007). Asked what they believe the future of
Kosova should be, 57 percent said the technically Serbian province
should remain Serbian but enjoy autonomy, while nearly 28 percent
believe the province should be partitioned. AG
[34] ...WHILE PRESIDENT NAMES EU AS PRIMARY OBJECTIVE
EU membership is and must remain Serbia's primary foreign-policy goal,
Serbian President Boris Tadic said on October 30, Serbian television
reported. Membership is the only way that Serbia will achieve its
national interests and economic goals, he said. Tadic maintained his
opposition to independence for Kosova, but also acknowledged the
potential impact of the dispute over Kosova's future on Serbia's EU
prospects, saying the crisis could affect the EU hopes of the entire
region. Prime Minister Kostunica on October 25 said that Serbia's top
priorities are continued sovereignty over Kosova and the preservation
of the Republika Srpska, the Bosnian Serb-dominated region of
Bosnia-Herzegovina (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 26, 2007). AG
[35] MILITIA 'PATROLS' REPORTED IN NORTHERN MACEDONIA
Armed groups have been stopping cars along a stretch of road close to
Macedonia's border with Kosova, Macedonian media and the news service
Balkan Insight have reported. Macedonian radio said the men were
wearing the uniforms of the National Liberation Army (UCK), an
ethnic-Albanian militia that fought in Macedonia's separatist conflict
in 2001. The reports first emerged on October 30, but witnesses told
Balkan Insight that armed men began several weeks ago to stop cars
traveling along the Poroj-Jazince road and check the identity of
passengers. The area, near Tetovo, lies in the heart of an area
populated by ethnic Albanians and not far from where a policeman was
killed by an armed gang on October 25 when his car was fired upon (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," October 25, 2007). The Macedonian government
maintained after that incident that the security situation remains
stable and speculated that the gunmen were smugglers. It has yet to
comment on the reports of ethnic-Albanian National Liberation Army
(UCK) patrols. In another unexplained recent incident in northern
Macedonia, five employees of Macedonia's dominant energy supplier,
ESM-EVN, were kidnapped on October 27 and held captive for a number of
hours. There have also been reports of militia patrols in neighboring
Kosova (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 5 and 15, 2007). AG
[36] WAR CRIMES SUSPECTS ARRESTED IN BOSNIA, CROATIA
Four war crimes suspects have been arrested in recent days in
Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia. Three were seized in Bosnia on October
30 and named as Ljupko Savic, Mirko "Spiro" Pekez, and Mirko "Mile"
Pekez, local media reported. The three, who are all ethnic Serbs, are
suspected of taking part in September 1992 in the killing of 23 Bosnian
Muslims in the region of Jajce. On October 29, the Croatian authorities
arrested an ethnic Serb whom they suspect was a member of an armed
separatist force implicated in the disappearance of a Croatian
policeman in 1991. He has not been named. AG
[37] VUKOVAR CASE GOES TO APPEAL IN ICTY
Prosecutors at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia (ICTY) on October 30 lodged an appeal to increase the
sentences passed on two ethnic Serbs found to have been involved in the
slaughter of 264 Croats and other non-Serbs near the Croatian town of
Vukovar, Croatian media reported. The sentences -- 20 years for the
Serbian forces' commander, Mile Mrksic, and five years for another
senior commander, Veselin Sljivancanin -- caused outrage in Croatia and
prompted Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader to take his protests to
the UN General Assembly (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 1 and 16,
2007). However, the prosecutors' new move, which could address some of
the Croats' complaints, has also been controversial, as the prosecutors
have not asked the ICTY to overturn the acquittal of a third man who
stood trial for the same crime, Miroslav Radic. According to the news
agency Hina, Croatian President Stjepan Mesic on October 31 joined the
Croatian government in calling for an appeal to be lodged against
Radic's acquittal. The case has revived long-standing criticism in
Croatia of the ICTY as an institution. According to Hina, the
UN-mandated tribunal came in for further criticism on October 31 from
the Croatian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, one of whose members,
Zarko Puhovski, said that war crimes trials in Belgrade and Zagreb are
fairer than those at the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague. However,
Puhovski added that Zagreb and Belgrade would not have launched cases
but for the creation of the ICTY. AG
[38] MONTENEGRO, SERBIA SIGN WAR CRIMES AGREEMENT
Serbia's and Montenegro's top prosecutors agreed on October 31 to
deepen cooperation to find and convict war crimes suspects, the news
agency Mina reported. The deal, which also covers other serious crimes,
primarily facilitates the exchange of information. Vesna Medenica,
Montenegro's state prosecutor, said that "the Office for War Crimes in
Belgrade is far ahead of us and has vast experience which can be of
assistance to us, as we also have, although not as many as them, war
crimes cases." The two countries' security services have in the past
half-year successfully cooperated in capturing one of six men wanted at
the time by the ICTY, Vlastimir Djordjevic (see "RFE/RL Newsline," June
18, 2007). Montenegro has also carried out operations aimed at locating
one of the four who remain on the run, Radovan Karadzic, the political
leader of Bosnia's Serbs during the civil war. Among the war crimes
cases being brought by Montenegrin prosecutors is one that is just
starting, the prosecution of six reservists in the former Yugoslav
People's Army (JNA) for crimes committed in 1992-93 against civilians
in a detention camp in the Montenegrin village of Morinj. AG
Southwestern Asia And The Middle East
[39] SCORES OF TALIBAN KILLED IN FIGHTING IN SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN
In three days of clashes in southern Afghanistan, some 50 Taliban were
killed and another 50 wounded, with 12 arrested, according to Kandahar
Province police chief Sayed Aqa Saqib, AFP reported on October 31. He
said that civilians are leaving villages in the Arghandab district, on
the outskirts of Kandahar city, due to continued fighting, but that
"operations were very carefully planned so as not to harm civilians."
Afghan and NATO forces reportedly launched a "clean-up" operation in
Arghandab district to clear the area of Taliban insurgents on October
30. Meanwhile, Taliban spokesman Qari Yusof Ahmadi claimed that the
insurgents have captured the district, though this has been denied by
Afghan forces and NATO's International Security Assistance Force
(ISAF). MM
[40] KABUL REJECTS ACCUSATION OF INTERFERENCE IN CONFLICT IN PAKISTAN
During his weekly press conference in Kabul on October 30, presidential
spokesman Homayun Hamidzada rejected and condemned allegations of
Afghanistan's involvement in the Swat Valley unrest in Pakistan's North
West Frontier Province, Pajhwak Afghan News reported. A senior
Pakistani official in the region, Shamsul Mulk, accused both
Afghanistan and India of fomenting uprisings in the volatile region,
where Taliban-affiliated militants are attacking Pakistani government
assets and security personnel. The militants are led by Mullah
Fazlullah, a leader of the Tehrik Nifaz-e Shariat-e Muhammadi, a banned
pro-Taliban group that has been targeted by the Pakistani military in
the past. Hamidzada said that Afghanistan wants peace and prosperity in
Pakistan and would never indulge in activities that could undermine
relations between the two countries. MM
[41] SUPREME LEADER REJECTS U.S. CHARGES AGAINST IRAN
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told a gathering of thousands of students in
Tehran on October 31 that U.S. accusations that Iran is meddling in
Iraqi affairs and is responsible for some U.S. personnel fatalities
there are "total lies," and that it is "America's idiotic policies"
that are causing those deaths, IRNA reported. He told student members
of the Basij militia, a volunteer force affiliated with the Islamic
Revolution Guards Corps, that "the American government is being
criticized by its people for these policies, but deceitfully accuses
Iran, because it has no answer." He said, "the main agent of insecurity
in the Middle East...today is America, and it is America's
interventions in Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine that have caused
instability." He said people around the world are aware of these
policies, which is why there are "extensive popular demonstrations"
whenever U.S. officials visit abroad, and this testifies to the United
States' "isolation and the collapse of its superpower aura." Khamenei
accused "arrogant powers" led by the United States of trying to curb
Iran's technological and nuclear advances. VS
[42] IRANIAN PRESIDENT PRESENTS CABINET NOMINEES...
President Mahmud Ahmadinejad on October 31 formally presented to
parliament his nominees to head the Industries and Mines Ministry and
the Oil Ministry. They are the acting ministers, Ali Akbar Mehrabian
and Gholamhussein Nozari, Radio Farda reported, citing Iran reports
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," August 13 and October 9, 2007). Parliament is
to debate their approval in the coming days. VS
[43] ...AND MOVES TO DISMISS PROVINCIAL OFFICIALS...
President Ahmadinejad has said he will soon send provincial governors
lists of "weak and indifferent" officials, of whom the most incompetent
must be dismissed, Radio Farda reported on October 30, citing Iranian
media. His decision was announced at an October 29 meeting between
provincial governors and the central government. Ahmadinejad said the
confidential list was written after months of investigations into
letters of complaint written by members of the public, Radio Farda
reported. "The people have written us letters or made requests" which
were investigated by the central government, he told the governors, and
they have also sent requests to other state bodies. He said some
provincial agencies responded well to public complaints, but told the
provincial governors they must immediately dismiss the worst-performing
officials when they receive their names on a "blacklist," as well as
admonishing underperformers and publicly rewarding others who have
worked well. Radio Farda noted that the dismissals are not surprising,
as Ahmadinejad has changed several ministers and officials since his
2005 election. It observed that the move may be for publicity, as the
president is about to undertake another set of provincial tours, touted
as bringing him into direct contact with Iranians in the provinces. VS
[44] ...IN WHAT HE SAYS IS 'NATURAL' MEASURE
President Ahmadinejad said in Tehran on October 31 that it is "natural"
to dismiss incompetent or failed administrators, IRNA reported.
"Ahmadinejad is not shy with anyone," he told reporters after a cabinet
meeting. He added that after his last provincial visits, officials who
had contact with the public were divided into three groups according to
performance, and about 45 of the worst performers "must be dismissed."
He separately said that he likes dialogue, when asked if he is willing
to debate against previous presidents who have faced allegations of
incompetence and complacency from Ahmadinejad and his political allies.
Asked about the October 16 Caspian conference in Tehran, he said it did
not address the legal division of the Caspian Sea, in spite of media
reports claiming that that was the aim of the conference. "The Caspian
Sea's division has no legal meaning," Ahmadinejad said. He said the
conference issued a closing statement that indicated items of agreement
between the participants. "What we have concerning the Caspian Sea are
bilateral agreements between countries regarding their common borders,
which have to be demarcated. There was no question of dividing the
Caspian Sea," he said. VS
[45] STUDENT PROTESTERS ARRESTED IN TEHRAN
Iranian authorities arrested seven students at an October 30 protest
held by some 600-1,000 students from various universities on the
grounds of Allameh Tabatabai University in Tehran, Radio Farda
reported. The demonstration was held to protest perceived repression
and restrictions against students, the arrests of student activists in
recent months, the expulsion of various academics, and the suspension
of students for alleged misconduct. The "Amir Kabir newsletter"
published at Tehran's Amir Kabir University put the number of arrests
at up to 20, though many of those detained were apparently later
released, Radio Farda reported. Student activist Rashid Esmaili told
Radio Farda that three students arrested by police or plainclothes
agents were Arman Sedaqati from Amir Kabir, Maziar Samii from Allameh
Tabatabai, and Behnam Sepehrmand, a member of the nationwide student
grouping Office to Consolidate Unity (DTV). Esmaili said students
chanted slogans including "Death to the Dictator"-- a slogan heard at
several student protests in recent months -- and carried banners
calling for the release of three jailed students from Amir Kabir
University (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 26, 2007). VS
[46] IRANIAN AUTHORITIES HANG TRAFFICKER
Jomekhan Gumshazdehi, an "international trafficker" convicted of
killing nine Iranian policemen, was hanged on October 30 at the main
prison in Zahedan in the southeastern province of Sistan va
Baluchistan, "Iran" reported the next day. He was arrested in the
summer of 2007 in Tehran while trafficking 3 tons of drugs, a police
colonel named as Hosseinabadi told "Iran." He said police have caught
several accomplices and seized 10 tons of drugs since Gumshazdehi's
arrest. Hosseinabadi said Gumshazdehi smuggled drugs from Afghanistan
and Pakistan in armed convoys that included fuel trucks. VS
[47] IRANIAN HEALTH OFFICIAL WARNS OF HIDDEN HIV/AIDS THREAT
The head of the Tehran-based AIDS Research Center [Markaz-i tahqiqat-i
aids], Minu Mohrez, told ISNA on October 30 that there may be
96,000-100,000 Iranians infected with HIV who do not know they are
infected and may be spreading the virus through sexual contacts. She
indicated that the shared use of infected needles among drug addicts
remains the leading cause of HIV infections in Iran. She said this is
indicated by the fact that the majority of HIV-positive Iranians are
drug-using men, and the virus is not evenly divided between men and
women, as in many countries. Mohrez condemned the Iranian media's
silence on the disease. "They struggle to mention the word condom," she
said. Iran's religious laws forbid sexual relations outside matrimony.
"How much longer will the silence continue? How much longer are you
going to tell people AIDS is transmitted by going to foreign countries
and by foreigners? Why don't they tell people to take care [inside
Iran]? Why is there such a negative view of using preventive measures?"
she asked. Mohrez said 16,090 Iranians have been diagnosed as
HIV-positive, and 2,121 have died from AIDS. She praised the government
for opening drug rehabilitation centers providing addicts with edible
drugs to reduce needle use. VS
[48] U.S. PROVIDES TURKEY WITH INTELLIGENCE ON PKK NEAR IRAQ...
Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morell announced on October 31 that the U.S.
military is providing Turkey with intelligence on Kurdistan Workers
Party (PKK) positions along the Turkey-Iraq border, international media
reported the same day. "We are assisting the Turks in their efforts to
combat the PKK by supplying them with intelligence, lots of
intelligence," Morell said. "The key for any sort of military response
from the Turks or anyone else is having actionable intelligence and
that's a pretty high standard, and we are making efforts to help them
get actionable intelligence," he added. Meanwhile, the Turkish military
issued a statement the same day saying that it has killed 15 PKK
fighters in clashes in the Cudi Mountains near the Iraqi border. SS
[49] ...WHILE ANKARA THREATENS SANCTIONS AGAINST IRAQI KURDS
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on October 31 that Turkey
may seek to impose economic sanctions against northern Iraq in a bid to
force the Kurdistan regional government (KRG) to pursue the PKK,
"Today's Zaman" reported. "The strong economic structure that we have
today is also a source of our economic and political strength," Erdogan
said. "It should be known that we will not hesitate to use this power
whenever it is necessary. We will do whatever is needed without
hesitation," he added. Last week, the Turkish National Security Council
recommended that the government take economic action against the Iraqi
Kurds. Possible sanctions included cutting off electricity to northern
Iraq and preventing goods from entering Iraq through the Hasbur border
crossing. The KRG buys approximately 10 percent of its electricity from
Ankara and is reliant on food imports from Turkey. Turkish leaders have
repeatedly accused the KRG of protecting the rebel group. On October
30, Erdogan bluntly accused Kurdistan region President Mas'ud Barzani
of aiding and abetting the PKK (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 31,
2007). SS
[50] FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS IRAQ CONFERENCE SHOULD FOCUS ON IRAQ, NOT
PKK
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari stressed on October 31 that the
international conference on Iraq being held in Istanbul on November 1
should focus on Iraq's security, rather than tensions with Turkey,
state-run Al-Iraqiyah television reported. He was speaking during a
joint press conference with his visiting Iranian counterpart Manuchehr
Mottaki in Baghdad. "We stressed that the conference must focus on
Iraq's stability and security and not be distracted by the current
tension with Turkey and the terrorist operations by the PKK," Zebari
said. He also reiterated Iraq's willingness to cooperate with Ankara to
prevent the PKK from harming Turkish interests. Furthermore, Zebari
said he hopes Iran and the United States will resume direct talks
concerning the situation in Iraq, and stressed that Baghdad is ready to
host another round of talks. "We discussed the need to resume
U.S.-Iranian-Iraqi dialogue, which we view as useful for our two
countries and the entire region. Any halt to these talks will not
produce any positive results," he said. SS
[51] IRAQI SUNNI LEADER SAYS GOVERNMENT AGAINST RECONCILIATION
During an interview with Al-Sharqiyah television on October 30, Khalaf
al-Ulayyan, a member of the Sunni-dominated Iraqi Accordance Front,
accused Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government of opposing
efforts at national reconciliation. "We believe that the side that
obstructs national reconciliation is the government itself," Al-Ulayyan
said. "This is because the government is trying to contact some sides
that have nothing to do with national reconciliation and that have no
weight in the Iraqi [political] arena. However, in an attempt to delay
and obstruct this [reconciliation] process, it tries to contact these
sides." The front earlier issued a statement condemning the Iraqi
parliament's confirmation of two ministerial nominees, saying the vote
was illegitimate due to lackof a quorum (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October
31, 2007). Members of the Sunni bloc have repeatedly accused the
Shi'a-led government of pursuing a sectarian agenda that seeks to
marginalize the Sunni Arab population. SS
[52] IRAQI FORCES ARREST AL-QAEDA COMMANDER
The U.S. military released a statement on October 31 saying that Iraqi
special forces have detained an Al-Qaeda in Iraq network leader and
three other suspects. The arrests were made during a raid in Khadra on
October 29 with the assistance of U.S. Special Forces. The statement
said that the Al-Qaeda in Iraq leader is suspected of leading terrorist
groups involved in "conducting attacks on Iraqi security forces and
terrorizing local civilians." "Coalition forces believe he and his
network are involved in attacks on Iraqi infrastructure and medical
facilities, including the burning of Iraq's main drug storehouse, which
provided medicine to sick citizens," the statement added. SS
[53] IRAQ REJECTS WARNING OVER IMMINENT COLLAPSE OF DAM
Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh issued a statement on October
31 rejecting a warning by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that the
Mosul Dam along the Tigris River is in danger of imminent collapse, AFP
reported. Al-Dabbagh described the allegations as "totally untrue" and
insisted that "all precautionary measures in terms of maintenance are
regularly carried out." The warning, included in a U.S. Special
Inspector-General for Iraqi Construction report released on October 29,
described the Mosul Dam as being "the most dangerous in the world." "A
catastrophic failure of the Mosul Dam would result in flooding along
the Tigris River all the way to Baghdad," the report warned. SS
End Note
[54] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY
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