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RFE/RL Newsline, 07-11-12
CONTENTS
[01] FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS FACE 'MOMENT OF
TRUTH'
[02] RUSSIA AGAIN CALLS FOR WRITTEN PROPOSALS ON MISSILE DEFENSE
[03] DUMA BACKS NATIONALIST AS NATO ENVOY
[04] EU, RUSSIA POSTPONE TALKS ON OVERFLIGHTS
[05] GOVERNMENT POSTPONES ACTION ON 'STRATEGIC SECTORS' BILL
[06] PRO-PUTIN MOVEMENT PLANS ITS NATIONAL CONGRESS
[07] LATEST POLLS SHOW UNIFIED RUSSIA WITH A STRONG AND STABLE LEAD
[08] RIVAL POLLS SHOW DIFFERING ATTITUDES TOWARD DEMOCRACY, MARKET
ECONOMICS IN RUSSIA
[09] PUTIN URGES RUSSIA'S MUSLIMS TO VOTE
[10] CASE OF PURPORTED MATVIYENKO ASSASSINATION PLOT HEADS TO COURT
[11] MOSCOW MAYOR CALLS FOR RUSSIA TO RECOGNIZE ABKHAZIA
[12] ONE POLICEMAN KILLED IN DAGHESTAN, TWO INJURED IN INGUSHETIA
[13] FORMER ARMENIAN PRESIDENT, FOREIGN MINISTER MEET
[14] ARMENIA, IRAN SIGN MEMORANDUM ON DEFENSE COOPERATION
[15] TRADERS APPEAL AGAINST DEMOLITION OF MARKET IN AZERBAIJANI EXCLAVE
[16] GEORGIAN PRESIDENT PROPOSES PRETERM PRESIDENTIAL BALLOT
[17] NATO HEAD CONDEMNS GEORGIAN CRACKDOWN, UN HIGH COMMISSIONER
EXPRESSES CONCERN
[18] KAZAKHSTAN SIGNS ENERGY AGREEMENTS WITH CHINA
[19] SENIOR KAZAKH POLICE OFFICIALS DISMISSED AFTER RECENT ETHNIC CLASH
[20] KYRGYZ DEMONSTRATORS DEMAND RELEASE OF JAILED OPPOSITION YOUTH
LEADER
[21] KYRGYZ OPPOSITION WARNS OF PROTESTS AFTER ELECTION
[22] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT MEETS WITH VISITING CIS OFFICIALS
[23] TURKMEN DEFENSE MINISTER DISCUSSES NEW MILITARY COOPERATION DURING
VISIT TO CHINA
[24] UZBEK RIGHTS GROUP DENOUNCES NOMINATION OF INCUMBENT PRESIDENT AS
CANDIDATE
[25] EU DIPLOMATS CALL ON BELARUS TO RELEASE POLITICAL PRISONERS
[26] BELARUSIAN JOURNALIST ASSAULTED IN POLAND
[27] CRIMEAN TATARS PROTEST AGAINST UKRAINIAN POLICE
[28] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR SWIFT FORMATION OF DEMOCRATIC
COALITION
[29] UKRAINIAN RULING PARTY TO JOIN PREPARATIONS FOR FIRST
PARLIAMENTARY SESSION
[30] KOSOVA FUGITIVE AMONG DEAD IN MACEDONIAN CLASH
[31] SERBIAN LEADER DEFIANT IN ICTY DOCK
[32] BOSNIA OPENS SREBRENICA CASE
[33] CROATIAN JOURNALISTS FACE CHARGES FROM ICTY
[34] WHISTLE-BLOWER KILLED IN BOSNIA
[35] U.S. AMBASSADOR CALLS FOR ELIMINATION OF TALIBAN SANCTUARIES
OUTSIDE AFGHANISTAN
[36] AFGHAN PRESIDENT BARS SCHOOLCHILDREN FROM ATTENDING CEREMONIAL
EVENTS
[37] LEGISLATOR BLAMES FORMER WARLORDS FOR CONTINUING BLOODSHED IN
AFGHANISTAN
[38] AFGHAN OPPOSITION LEADER ADDS TO CONTROVERSY AFTER BAGHLAN BOMBING
[39] INTERPOL ADDS IRANIANS TO WANTED LIST FOR 1994 BUENOS AIRES
BOMBING
[40] STUDENT ACTIVIST ARRESTED IN IRAN...
[41] ...AS IS TEHRAN STUDENT
[42] IRAN SAYS KURDISH MILITANTS KILLED IN WEST
[43] IRANIAN ENVOY SAYS U.S. OPPOSES LEBANESE PEOPLE'S WISHES
[44] U.S. RELEASES NINE IRANIANS FROM CUSTODY IN IRAQ
[45] IRAQI GOVERNMENT INVESTIGATES TORTURE ALLEGATIONS IN KARBALA
[46] IRAQI SUNNI LEADER REJECTS POLITICAL APPOINTMENTS FOR AL-ANBAR
LEADERS
[47] U.S. RELEASES 500 DETAINEES IN IRAQ
[48] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY
Friday, November 9, 2007 Volume 11 Number 209
Russia
[01] FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS FACE 'MOMENT OF
TRUTH'
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a closed-door session of the
Federation Council on November 8 that the structures on which
international relations are based are incapable of resolving major
problems and that a "moment of truth" has arrived for breaking the
impasse, newsru.com and the government daily "Rossiiskaya gazeta"
reported on November 9. He blamed NATO, the OSCE, and the 1990 Treaty
on Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) -- which Russia seeks to
"suspend" -- but not the UN or the EU (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November
1 and 8, 2007). Lavrov said that "Russia is on the rise, Western Europe
lacks ideological unity, and the United States finds itself in a blind
alley." He warned that Russia could "bring down" the international
system based on NATO, the OSCE, and the CFE if it wanted to, which
would force the creation of an unspecified "new system." Typically,
Lavrov sought to highlight differences between the United States and
Western Europe on Iran, missile defense, and other issues. He taunted
Washington for not responding to repeated Russian requests for
detailed, written proposals on missile defense, along the lines of
those the proposals that U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and
Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently made orally in Moscow. Lavrov
stressed that it is no longer possible to solve European problems
without Moscow. PM
[02] RUSSIA AGAIN CALLS FOR WRITTEN PROPOSALS ON MISSILE DEFENSE
On November 8, Igor Neverov, who heads the Foreign Ministry's North
American Department, said that Russia wants the written proposals on
missile defense before the meeting of the working group dealing with
that issue scheduled for later this month, Interfax reported. He
described the proposals as "pioneering." Neverov called the United
States an old trade partner and noted that bilateral trade turnover
doubled since 2002 to reach $25 billion. On November 7, Deputy Foreign
Minister Sergei Kislyak denied persistent media reports that Washington
seeks a "package deal" to resolve its main outstanding issues with
Moscow, RIA-Novosti reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 22 and 31
and November 8, 2007). He stressed that "I have long worked on
Russian-U.S. agreements and have never heard of any package of
proposals from our American counterparts. Russia has an independent
position on each issue." Kislyak also denied media reports that
President Vladimir Putin and Lavrov made "secret" proposals to Tehran
during recent visits to Iran. On November 8, Lavrov discussed bilateral
and international relations with ex-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger,
mid.ru reported. On November 9, the Gazprom-owned daily "Izvestia"
reported that U.S. President George W. Bush recently told German
television reporters that the EU has a problem with Russia's use of its
energy resources, but that he does not see Russia as a military threat.
Bush said that U.S.-Russian relations are complex for historical and
other reasons. He noted that Putin listens to his views on some matters
but not on others. Bush said that he has not yet had a good opportunity
to discuss Putin's future plans with him, adding that Putin has told
him that he will not seek a third term as president. PM
[03] DUMA BACKS NATIONALIST AS NATO ENVOY
The Duma's Foreign Affairs Committee "unanimously" voted on November 8
to approve the nomination of veteran nationalist politician Dmitry
Rogozin as ambassador to NATO, replacing Konstantin Totsky, Interfax
reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 25, 2007). The nomination must
now be endorsed by the corresponding committee of the Federation
Council and by President Putin. Rogozin said after the hearings on
November 8 that "the hottest issue is Kosovo. Serbia relies on Russia,
the only country which defends international law.... If we stand firm,
we will restore our positions in the Balkans." Reuters wrote that the
appointment of Rogozin is "likely to be seen as a slap in the face for
the Western alliance." Andrei Klimov, who is a member of the Duma
Foreign Affairs Committee from the Unified Russia party, told the news
agency that Rogozin is fully aware that he must "change some aspects of
his behavior" when he takes up his new post. Klimov added that Rogozin
"must follow orders from the Kremlin" and not "speak out like some kind
of exotic Russian." The daily "Vremya novostei" wrote on October 25
that Rogozin and the Kremlin have been at odds over the past year, and
that Putin might welcome a chance to send him out of the country. The
paper also argued that Rogozin can be expected to take a tough line
with NATO, which he often criticizes as an aggressive tool of
Washington. Such a stance would also be in keeping with Putin's recent
aggressive rhetoric toward the West in general. PM
[04] EU, RUSSIA POSTPONE TALKS ON OVERFLIGHTS
Unnamed EU officials in Brussels said on November 8 that the bloc and
Russia agreed on November 7 to postpone a meeting to discuss Siberian
overflight fees "to allow for a more detailed elaboration of the issues
put on the agenda," dpa and Interfax reported. The talks were
originally scheduled for November 16-17 in Moscow. An unnamed spokesman
for the European Commission said that there has been "no real sign of
backsliding by Russia...so we hope we will receive a clear road map and
calendar from the Russian authorities on the signing of an agreement as
soon as possible." Russia charges EU airlines about $440 million
annually for overflights en route to Asia. The EU has threatened to
block Russian membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO) unless
an agreement is reached. Brussels wants the fees scrapped by 2014,
which Russia refuses to do. The disagreement recently came to a head
when Russia banned Lufthansa Cargo from overflights, although the
airline was subsequently granted a temporary reprieve until November
15. German media suggested that, among other things, Russia is trying
to bully Lufthansa Cargo into moving its Asian hub from Astana to
Krasnoyarsk (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 31 and November 1, 2, and
5, 2007). PM
[05] GOVERNMENT POSTPONES ACTION ON 'STRATEGIC SECTORS' BILL
Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko said on November 8 that
the government will not have time before 2008 to move through
parliament the "strategic sectors" bill that will determine which areas
of the Russian economy are off-limits to foreign control or investment,
"The Moscow Times" reported on November 9. The paper noted that "among
reasons for the delay are new proposals from the security services to
designate more industries as strategic, made since the cabinet shake-up
in September." The government also wants to add to the draft additional
proposals regulating foreign investment in natural resources. Further
delays in enacting legislation are likely to deter potential investors
from putting their money in Russia, the daily noted. It quoted Andrew
Somers, president of the American Chamber of Commerce, as saying "I am
surprised.... We expected the second and third reading to happen pretty
quickly.... What we are looking for is clarity of the rules of the game
and the sooner the clarity, the better." He said he is optimistic, but
added that "the only concern I have is that the amendments to the
subsoil law have taken forever. There've been hundreds of drafts." PM
[06] PRO-PUTIN MOVEMENT PLANS ITS NATIONAL CONGRESS
A group of representatives of Moscow NGOs met on November 8 to form an
organization to urge President Putin to remain as the country's leader
following the end of his current term in March 2008, "Rossiiskaya
gazeta" and other Russian media reported. The group also called for
continuity in the country's domestic and foreign policies. According to
the government daily "Rossiiskaya gazeta," some 200 "cultural figures
and representatives of public organizations and the business elite"
participated in the gathering. "The feeling is getting stronger that
our country has begun confident movement along the road that will lead
us to a good life," Moscow State University law student Nadezhda Larina
told the paper. "Only a blind person couldn't see the positive changes
that have happened in our country over the last seven years," added
fellow student Olga Smirnova. The paper noted that a call by history
teacher Ivan Yermolayev for "Russian society to find a political
formula under which Vladimir Putin can remain at the helm of the
country into the future" was met with a standing ovation. The event was
described as a "dress rehearsal" for the All-Russian Forum of the For
Putin! Movement, which is to be held in Tver on November 15. The leader
of For Putin! in Tver, Irina Blokhina, told the daily that "citizens
from all regions of the country without exception" will attend that
event. The movement has created a website at http://www.zaputina.ru/.
Over the last three weeks, For Putin! groups have been holding meetings
across the country (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 5, 2007). RC
[07] LATEST POLLS SHOW UNIFIED RUSSIA WITH A STRONG AND STABLE LEAD
A poll by the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) has found that support
for Unified Russia in the current Duma campaign has stabilized at some
43-45 percent, "Izvestiya" reported on November 9. The same poll found
that 7 percent of voters support the Communist Party (parties must
receive at least 7 percent of the vote in order to earn seats in the
Duma), while 5 percent plan to vote for the Liberal Democratic Party of
Russia (LDPR), 3 percent for A Just Russia, and 1 percent for Yabloko.
FOM President Aleksandr Oslon noted that these figures have been fairly
stable since President Putin announced on October 1 that he will run on
the Unified Russia list of candidates for the elections. He was
unwilling to predict how currently undecided voters will ultimately
vote. "Those who still need to decide for whom to vote might divide up
along these proportions," Oslon said. "But they might -- if the
campaign pushes them toward this -- all move along together according
to the principle of collectivism." Many analysts expect Unified Russia
to poll at least 75 percent in the elections. RBK reported on November
8 that Unified Russia is urging every party member to bring at least 10
people to the polls to vote for the party and for its platform,
"Putin's Plan." RC
[08] RIVAL POLLS SHOW DIFFERING ATTITUDES TOWARD DEMOCRACY, MARKET
ECONOMICS IN RUSSIA
According to a study by the European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development (EBRD), 40 percent of Russians favor a planned economy, the
highest among the 27 countries examined in the poll, "Vedomosti"
reported on November 9. The same study found that only 36 percent of
Russians favor democracy, while 33 percent prefer authoritarianism.
According to the All-Russia Center for the Study of Public Opinion (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," November 7, 2007), the percentage of Russians
supporting democracy and a market economy has fallen from 48 percent to
42 percent over the last 10 years. A Levada Center poll, however, has
found that 66 percent of respondents believe Russia needs a political
opposition, "Vremya novostei" reported on November 8. Only 20 percent
said that it does not. Forty-one percent said Russia already has
"significant opposition parties," while 33 percent said it does not. RC
[09] PUTIN URGES RUSSIA'S MUSLIMS TO VOTE
President Putin on November 8 met in Moscow with representatives of
Russia's Muslim community and expressed the hope that large numbers of
Muslims will participate in the country's December 2 legislative
elections, "Rossiiskaya gazeta" reported on November 9. Russian Council
of Muftis head Ravil Gainutdin, chief mufti of Russia's Central Muslim
Spiritual Directorate Talgat Tadzhuddin, and Northern Caucasus Muslim
Coordination Center head Ismail Berdiyev participated in the talks.
Putin said the Muslim community is playing a positive role in Russia's
development, and that they "have done much to establish our country as
a world power." According to official figures, Russia's predominantly
Muslim regions voted overwhelmingly for the pro-Kremlin Unified Russia
party in the 2003 legislative elections and for Putin in the 2004
presidential ballot. RC
[10] CASE OF PURPORTED MATVIYENKO ASSASSINATION PLOT HEADS TO COURT
The case against three men accused of plotting to assassinate St.
Petersburg Governor Valentina Matviyenko in May has been handed over to
the courts, "Kommersant" reported on November 9 (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
May 21, 2007). The three men -- 29-year-old Timur Saidgareyev,
20-year-old Ravil Muratov, and 17-year-old Fyodor Baranov -- are
accused of terrorism, illegally accumulating explosives, and plotting
the assassination of a senior official. According to police, the three
men were unhappy with the policies of local officials. Lawyers for the
suspects reject what they say are trumped-up charges. Officials,
however, say Muratov has confessed. RC
[11] MOSCOW MAYOR CALLS FOR RUSSIA TO RECOGNIZE ABKHAZIA
Speaking on November 8 at a conference in Moscow entitled
"Russia-Abkhazia: Toward A Single Economic Space," Moscow Mayor Yury
Luzhkov declared that "Abkhazia has long been a sovereign state,"
"Vremya novostei" reported on November 9. Luzhkov went on to argue that
Russia "should take the bold step of recognizing Abkhazia's
sovereignty." In recent years, the Moscow City government has purchased
a sanatorium and a chemical plant in Abkhazia and provided the
unrecognized republic's government with trams, trolleybuses, fire
engines, and construction equipment. Also on November 8, the Russian
Foreign Ministry declared three Georgian diplomats persona non grata in
retaliation for an analogous move by the Georgian Foreign Ministry on
November 7 with regard to three Russian diplomats accused of
involvement in the mass demonstrations that began in Georgia on
November 2, lenta.ru reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 8,
2007). LF
[12] ONE POLICEMAN KILLED IN DAGHESTAN, TWO INJURED IN INGUSHETIA
A police officer was shot dead late on November 8 in his home in the
village of Pokrovskoye in Daghestan's Khasavyurt Raion, kavkaz-uzel.ru
reported. In Ingushetia, two policemen were seriously injured the same
evening when gunmen opened fire on them in the center of Karabulak,
northeast of Nazran, from a passing car. LF
Transcaucasia And Central Asia
[13] FORMER ARMENIAN PRESIDENT, FOREIGN MINISTER MEET
Levon Ter-Petrossian met in Yerevan on November 8 for 1 1/2 hours with
Raffi Hovannisian, who served as Armenian foreign minister in 1992-93
during Ter-Petrossian's first presidential term, Noyan Tapan and
RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported. The two reportedly discussed the
domestic political situation in the run-up to the presidential election
due in early 2008. Ter-Petrossian announced two weeks ago he plans to
run as a candidate in that ballot, which Armenia's Central Election
Commission on November 9 scheduled for February 19, 2008 (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," October 29, 2007). It remains unclear whether Hovannisian,
who now heads the opposition Zharangutiun (Heritage) party, will back
Ter-Petrossian's presidential bid or run himself. LF
[14] ARMENIA, IRAN SIGN MEMORANDUM ON DEFENSE COOPERATION
Armenian Defense Minister Mikael Harutiunian and his visiting Iranian
counterpart Major General Mostafa Mohammad Najjar signed a memorandum
in Yerevan on November 8 on bilateral cooperation between their two
ministries, Noyan Tapan and RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported. The
agreement apparently covers logistics and supplies and entails
cooperation between companies subordinate to the two countries' defense
ministries in supplying food and other unspecified commodities.
Harutiunian told journalists that as yet no military-technical
cooperation programs have been drafted. Najjar stressed that closer
bilateral cooperation will contribute to strengthening regional
stability. Najjar also met on November 8 with Armenian President Robert
Kocharian. LF
[15] TRADERS APPEAL AGAINST DEMOLITION OF MARKET IN AZERBAIJANI EXCLAVE
Representatives of the several thousand traders at Naxicevan's Bazar 57
flew to Baku on November 8 to submit to the presidential apparatus an
appeal against the regional authorities' recent decision to demolish
the market, zerkalo.az reported on November 9. Some 3,000 market
traders staged a demonstration on November 5 to protest those plans
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 6, 2007). LF
[16] GEORGIAN PRESIDENT PROPOSES PRETERM PRESIDENTIAL BALLOT
Mikheil Saakashvili announced in a televised address on the evening of
November 8 that preterm presidential elections will be held on January
5, 2008, together with a referendum to determine whether the next
parliamentary elections should be held in the spring or the fall of
2008, Georgian media reported. According to the Georgian Constitution,
the parliamentary ballot is due in the spring, but in December 2006 --
at Saakashvili's insistence -- parliament rescheduled it for the fall.
Holding the elections in the spring is one of four key opposition
demands to the president (see "End Note," "RFE/RL Newsline," November
5, 2007). Saakashvili explained that by bringing forward the date of
the presidential ballot (due only in early January 2009), he is giving
the opposition the chance "to be chosen by the people." Holding the
presidential ballot in January 2008 rather than in the fall, as
Saakashvili earlier demanded, precludes the participation of former
Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili, who will turn 35 -- the minimum
age for a presidential candidate -- only on November 6, 2008.
Saakashvili admitted that the brutal police crackdown on November 7 on
opposition protesters damaged Georgia's international image, but
affirmed at the same time that the authorities' response to the
protests was necessitated by the need to "defend statehood and order,"
Caucasus Press reported. Saakashvili also hinted that the 15-day
nationwide state of emergency he declared late on November 7 may be
lifted "in the nearest future." Representatives of several of the 10
opposition parties aligned in the National Council said they hope to
field a single candidate to run against Saakashvili, kavkaz-uzel.ru
reported. David Gamkrelidze, leader of the New Rightists (aka New
Conservatives) party, which is not a member of the National Council,
told journalists late on November 8 he is ready to put forward his
candidacy, Caucasus Press reported. LF
[17] NATO HEAD CONDEMNS GEORGIAN CRACKDOWN, UN HIGH COMMISSIONER
EXPRESSES CONCERN
In a statement posted on November 8 on the NATO website (www.nato.int),
Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said that "the imposition of
Emergency Rule, and the closure of media outlets in Georgia, a Partner
with which the Alliance has an Intensified Dialogue, are of particular
concern and not in line with Euro-Atlantic values." He said he has
asked NATO's special representative for the Caucasus, Robert Simmons,
to inform the Georgian Foreign Ministry that all parties should
"exercise restraint, avoid violence, and act within the law." Caucasus
Press on November 8 similarly quoted UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights Lousie Arbor as expressing concern over the police use of force,
especially against Georgian ombudsman Sozar Subar, and the closure of
independent media outlets. Subar on November 7 deplored the police
brutality, saying Georgia is no longer a "beacon of democracy," but
closer to the authoritarian regime of Belarusian President Alyaksandr
Lukashenka. Amnesty International and Transparency International issued
separate statements on November 8 deploring the police brutality and
the media crackdown. Meanwhile, opposition Labor Party leader Shalva
Natelashvili has not been seen since late November 7 and his
whereabouts are unknown, according to a November 8 Eurasia View
analysis. Deputy Prosecutor-General Niko Gvaramia said on November 8
that Natelashvili and Tsotne Gamsakhurdia, the half-brother of
Tavisupleba (Liberty) party leader Konstantine Gamsakhurdia, are wanted
on charges of spying for Russia and conspiring to overthrow the
Georgian leadership, Caucasus Press reported. LF
[18] KAZAKHSTAN SIGNS ENERGY AGREEMENTS WITH CHINA
Following a meeting in Astana with visiting Chinese Deputy Prime
Minister Wu Yi, Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Masimov announced on
November 8 the signing of a number of new bilateral agreements on
cooperation in the energy sector, ITAR-TASS and Interfax-Kazakhstan
reported. An agreement on the planned construction of a
Kazakhstan-China natural-gas pipeline was signed on November 8 between
the state-owned KazMunaiGaz company and the China National Petroleum
Corporation. Following the fourth meeting of the Kazakh-Chinese
Cooperation Committee, Wu told reporters that China has agreed to
expand cooperation in the areas of biotechnology and the use of uranium
resources, and welcomed the "steady and healthy development of
bilateral relations." The agreement on uranium resources was concluded
between Kazakhstan's state-owned nuclear-energy company, Kazatomprom,
and China's Guangdong Nuclear Power Corporation (GNPC) on the joint use
of uranium resources and the production of nuclear fuel and energy.
That agreement comes in the wake of the formation of several earlier
joint ventures between Kazatomprom, the GNPC and the Chinese National
Nuclear Corporation, focused on exploiting uranium deposits in
Kazakhstan (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 15, 2007). Kazakhstan
possesses some 21 percent of the world's natural uranium reserves and,
in a deal completed in August, Kazatomprom acquired a sizable share in
the U.S. nuclear-power-plant maker Westinghouse (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
August 14, 2007). A third agreement was also signed for the Kazakh
import of $34 million worth of telecommunication equipment from China.
RG
[19] SENIOR KAZAKH POLICE OFFICIALS DISMISSED AFTER RECENT ETHNIC CLASH
At a press conference in Shymkent, senior police spokeswoman Saltanat
Karakozova announced on November 8 that the head of internal affairs in
the South Kazakhstan region's Tolebiy district, Zhaksylyk Namazbaev,
and his deputy Zhanasyl Nurashev, have been dismissed for their
handling of a recent ethnic clash in the district, Interfax-Kazakhstan
reported. Karakozova noted that the police chief for the region,
Khibratulla Doskaliev, ordered the dismissals and stressed that the
local police remain committed to carrying out a thorough investigation,
adding that "more than 200 people have been questioned, and 18 suspects
have been detained to date." The clash, which erupted on November 1
between ethnic Kazakhs and ethnic Kurds, was triggered by an alleged
sexual assault (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 2, 2007). RG
[20] KYRGYZ DEMONSTRATORS DEMAND RELEASE OF JAILED OPPOSITION YOUTH
LEADER
An undetermined number of demonstrators gathered on November 8 in front
of the Bishkek headquarters of the Kyrgyz State National Security
Committee demanding the release of a jailed opposition youth leader,
AKIpress reported. According to one of the organizers of the
demonstration, Adil Turdukulov, a member of the Forum of Young
Politicians youth group, the protesters are seeking the immediate
release of Adilet Aytikeev, a leader of the Kandzhar (Dagger)
opposition youth organization. Aytikeev was arrested after he fled to
Almaty to avoid trial after he was first arrested in April on charges
of "inciting mass disturbances" related to an April 19 opposition rally
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 26, 2007). His Kandzhar group is the
former youth wing of the now-defunct opposition movement led by Feliks
Kulov, the United Front for a Worthy Future for Kyrgyzstan, which was
disbanded in September. RG
[21] KYRGYZ OPPOSITION WARNS OF PROTESTS AFTER ELECTION
Speaking at a press conference in Bishkek, Kyrgyz opposition leader
Kulov on November 8 accused the authorities of taking "unlawful
actions" prior to the elections for a new parliament and warned that
"mass protests may erupt" in the event of "considerable violations"
during the December 16 ballot, ITAR-TASS reported. Kulov added that
illegal acts and violations of the election laws were also committed by
the Central Election Commission, which "has assumed the right to
interpret several laws" in the absence of a parliament, which was
dissolved on October 22 following the adoption of a new constitution.
He also argued that some members of his own Ar-Namys party "have
already been offered large amounts of money to leave the party."RG
[22] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT MEETS WITH VISITING CIS OFFICIALS
Kurmanbek Bakiev met on November 8 in Bishkek with Commonwealth of
Independent States (CIS) Executive Secretary Sergei Lebedev for an
organizational meeting related to Kyrgyzstan's recent accession to the
rotating chairmanship of the CIS, Kabar and Kyrgyz Television reported.
Lebedev reviewed the planned implementation of a "blueprint for the
further development" of the CIS, but also discussed establishing a
mission of CIS observers to monitor the early parliamentary elections
in Kyrgyzstan set for December 16. In an earlier meeting with Kyrgyz
Foreign Minister Ednan Karabaev, Lebedev also discussed issues
pertaining to "the transport policy of the CIS," which has been
identified as a priority for the group in the coming year. Accompanying
Lebedev to the meeting with Karabaev, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister
Grigory Karasin also raised the broader issue of bilateral relations
and promised to seek to expand greater trade and investment between
Kyrgyzstan and the other CIS states. RG
[23] TURKMEN DEFENSE MINISTER DISCUSSES NEW MILITARY COOPERATION DURING
VISIT TO CHINA
During a meeting in Beijing with Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan
on the second day of an official five-day visit to China, Turkmen
Defense Minister Agageldy Mametgeldiev agreed on November 7 to begin
discussions over a possible new agreement on bilateral military
cooperation between Turkmenistan and China, according to AKIpress.
During the meeting, Cao pledged that "the Chinese armed forces are
ready to develop the friendly and cooperative ties in various fields
and at multiple levels with the armed forces of Turkmenistan." RG
[24] UZBEK RIGHTS GROUP DENOUNCES NOMINATION OF INCUMBENT PRESIDENT AS
CANDIDATE
The Human Rights Alliance of Uzbekistan issued a statement in Tashkent
on November 7 denouncing any suggestion that Uzbek President Islam
Karimov may run in the coming presidential election, in clear violation
of the constitutional terms limits on his presidency, AKIpress
reported. According to human rights activists Abdillo Tozhiboi ugli and
Akhtam Shaimardanov, the group has filed a formal claim with the
Prosecutor-General's Office seeking a formal statement on the legality
of the recent nomination of Karimov as the presidential candidate of
the Liberal Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
November 8, 2007). According to the Uzbek Constitution, Karimov, now
serving his second seven-year presidential term, is prohibited from
running for another term, although he has already extended his term in
office twice through national referendums in 1995 and 2002. RG
Eastern Europe
[25] EU DIPLOMATS CALL ON BELARUS TO RELEASE POLITICAL PRISONERS
The Slovak Embassy in Minsk has issued a statement calling on the
Belarusian authorities to end their "repressive practices" against
civil society, respect the human rights of Belarusians, and release all
political prisoners, Belapan and RFE/RL's Belarus Service reported on
November 8. Slovakia acts as the local EU president in Minsk, where EU
president Portugal does not have diplomatic representation. The Slovak
Embassy issued the statement after a November 7 meeting between the
heads of EU countries' diplomatic missions in Minsk and Alyaksandr
Milinkevich, a former presidential candidate and the leader of the
unregistered Movement for Freedom. Milinkevich drew attention to the
situation of Alyaksandr Kazulin, Artur Finkevich, Zmitser Dashkevich,
and Andrey Klimau, all described as political prisoners. Milinkevich
noted Klimau's deteriorating health, and added that Dashkevich is
currently on trial behind closed doors. "The EU's local presidency
expresses the deep concern of European diplomats in Minsk over the
situation of Belarusians who are believed by the international human
rights organizations to be political prisoners," the Slovak statement
reads. AM
[26] BELARUSIAN JOURNALIST ASSAULTED IN POLAND
Belarusian journalist Volha Klaskouskaya was stabbed several times by
an unknown attacker on the night of November 7 in Warsaw, Belapan
reported. Klaskouskaya, who was granted political asylum in Poland two
years ago, is involved in a dispute with her ex-husband, Vital
Naumovich, over the custody of their 6-year-old daughter, Miraslava. A
Warsaw court on November 6 heard a request from the Belarusian Justice
Ministry for the girl to be returned to Belarus. Naumovich was detained
after attending the hearing, questioned by the police, and released the
same day. After the attack, Klaskouskaya reportedly said that the
assailant resembled a man who was accompanying her ex-husband during
the court hearing. Naumovich told RFE/RL's Belarus Service that he was
accompanied during the proceedings only by his Polish lawyer and
interpreter, and denied any connection to the assault on Klaskouskaya.
AM
[27] CRIMEAN TATARS PROTEST AGAINST UKRAINIAN POLICE
A group of Crimean Tatars has set up a tent city near the Crimean
Council of Ministers in Simferopol, Ukraine, and is demanding the
dismissal of the head of the Crimean police, Anatoliy Mohilyov,
RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reported on November 9. Ukrainian police
clashed with ethnic Tatars, four of whom were injured, while dispersing
vendors from illegal market stalls in Simferopol on November 6 (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," November 7, 2007). Refat Chubarov, the deputy head
of the Mejlis, the body representing the Crimean Tatars, told RFE/RL's
Ukrainian Service that "protest actions will break out all over
Crimea." Chubarov said the authorities should hold talks with ethnic
Tatars on how to prevent similar clashes in the future and, above all,
punish those responsible for the violence on November 6. AM
[28] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR SWIFT FORMATION OF DEMOCRATIC
COALITION
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko on November 8 called on political
forces in the newly elected Verkhovna Rada to take the necessary steps
toward forming a democratic coalition in the parliament, the
"Ukrayinska pravda" website reported. Yushchenko said he expects an
"orange" coalition to be formed, on the basis of election results and
the announcements that have been made so far by the political forces.
"You came to the Verkhovna Rada and your task consists of the creation
as soon as possible of the majority leadership of the parliament,"
Yushchenko said. "Political stability is mission number one, and that
task should be recognized by political forces in the parliament," he
added. He noted, however, that the narrow majority held by the
coalition of the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc (BYuT) and the Our
Ukraine-People's Self-Defense bloc should not be regarded as stable. AM
[29] UKRAINIAN RULING PARTY TO JOIN PREPARATIONS FOR FIRST
PARLIAMENTARY SESSION
First Deputy Premier and Finance Minister Mykola Azarov has said that
the Party of Regions will attend a November 12 meeting of the committee
tasked with preparing for the first session of the newly elected
Verkhovna Rada, Interfax reported on November 8. Volodymyr Lytvyn has
made a similar pledge on behalf of his bloc, according to RFE/RL's
Ukrainian Service. Azarov denied allegations that the Party of Regions
is obstructing the work of the committee, claiming that his party is
now drafting the document required for the group's work. The committee
preparing for the first session of parliament could not gather a quorum
during several consecutive meetings due to the absence of
representatives of the Party of Regions, the Lytvyn bloc, and the
Communist Party; the lack of a quorum threatened to delay both the
committee's work and the opening of the next parliamentary session. AM
Southeastern Europe
[30] KOSOVA FUGITIVE AMONG DEAD IN MACEDONIAN CLASH
The death toll from the Macedonian authorities' attempt to capture a
fugitive former militia leader is now officially six, rather than
eight, as previously reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 8,
2007). Five of the six have now been identified. They do not include
the key target of the operation, Lirim Jakupi, but among their number
is one of the six other men who escaped in August from a Kosovar
prison, Dubrava, together with Jakupi. He was named as Ramadan Shiti, a
Saudi expelled from his homeland for plotting an attack on senior
public figures and subsequently jailed in Macedonia for murder. He then
escaped to Kosova, where he was captured and imprisoned. Relatively few
details have been provided about the background of the other men:
Fisnik Ahmeti, Fatos Aliu, Hasan Durmishi, and Amir Sopa. All had
Albanian names, but they came from across the region. Sopa was from
Kosova and Aliu from Albania, where he reportedly killed a member of
parliament. Ahmeti and Durmishi were Macedonians. Jakupi reportedly
escaped and is still being pursued. Four of the men were killed near a
mosque in the village of Brodec, and two near the village of Vesala.
Most of the weapons found by the police were mortars and rifles.
Reports now indicate that one policeman was slightly wounded in the
operation. Unofficial reports suggest 10-13 men have been arrested. A1
TV claimed that they were all members of a group of possibly 50 men who
had been operating in the area since August, when the seven prisoners
escaped from Kosova. AG
[31] SERBIAN LEADER DEFIANT IN ICTY DOCK
On the first day of his trial at the International Criminal Tribunal
for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague, Vojislav Seselj, the
leader of Serbia's largest party, the Serbian Radical Party, indicated
that he believes he will become a martyr in the eyes of the Serbian
people. According to local and international media, Seselj said he
regretted that the UN court is not empowered to sentence him to death,
"so that proudly, with dignity, upright like my friend Saddam Hussein I
could put the final seal on my ideology.... I have lived long enough
but I want immortality for my ideology." He is accused of inciting
genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, all of which he
rejects. "If I encouraged [Serbs to fight], I encouraged them to win
the war, I never encouraged them to commit crimes," he said. He also
denied that Serbia committed any such crimes, saying: "We Serbs are a
chivalrous people. We do not commit genocide." At the start of the
trial, the prosecution dubbed Seselj "the man who gave the world ethnic
cleansing," and showed recordings in which Seselj called for, among
other things, the "annihilation of others." Seselj, who accused the
court of "falsifying modern Serbian history," sought to portray the
Balkan wars as part of a broader war in which other ethnic groups in
the former Yugoslav state became embroiled. "Any war we waged was not
against the Muslims and the Croats, or the Albanians for that matter
but against their bosses: Germany, the Vatican, America, and NATO," he
said. AG
[32] BOSNIA OPENS SREBRENICA CASE
For only the second time, a Bosnian court has opened a trial against a
man accused of participating in the Srebrenica massacre in 1995, local
media reported on November 8. The case against Milorad Trbic, which
opened in Sarajevo on November 8, was originally to have been heard by
the ICTY, but it was transferred to Bosnia-Herzegovina's War Crimes
Chamber in June, in part because the ICTY, which is winding down its
operations, viewed Trbic as a relatively minor officer (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," June 14, 2007). That was the 10th time that the ICTY has
passed a case over to be heard in Sarajevo. At the time of the
massacre, Trbic was a security officer in the Zvornik Brigade of the
Bosnian Serb Army. According to the news service Balkan Insight, the
prosecutor, Kwai Hong Ip, said that, among Trbic's various crimes, he
personally committed "at least 55 murders" and sought to ensure that
the "systematic execution" of Bosnian Muslim men was carried out as
efficiently as possible. After the massacre, Trbic is believed to have
helped in efforts to cover up the crime. During his detention, which
began in April 2005, concern has regularly been expressed about Trbic's
state of health and mind, with one psychiatrist concluding it was
"questionable" that Trbic was mentally fit to stand trial. In January,
Trbic said he wished to be tried in Sarajevo, but since his return to
Bosnia he has twice gone on extended hunger strikes. AG
[33] CROATIAN JOURNALISTS FACE CHARGES FROM ICTY
Eight Croatian journalists face charges of contempt of court after the
UN war crimes tribunal announced on November 7 that it has asked police
to investigate whether they published confidential information about
indictments brought against three Croatian generals who served in the
1991-95 war. The journalists include three senior reporters on national
television as well as journalists from several of Croatia's main
newspapers. According to local media, they include the columnist Ivan
Zvonimir Cicak and Goran Rotim, a former deputy editor in chief at
Croatian Television, as well as another editor from the same channel,
Djurica Drobac. Two editors were questioned last month on similar
grounds: Mladen Plese, editor of the local "Slobodna Dalmacija" daily,
and Vladimir Roncevic, a former senior editor at Croatian Television
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 11, 2007). The three generals -- Ante
Gotovina, Ivan Cermak, and Mladen Markac -- are awaiting trial by the
ICTY for crimes connected with Operation Storm, a decisive campaign
that resulted in the exodus of several hundred thousand ethnic Serbs in
2005. AG
[34] WHISTLE-BLOWER KILLED IN BOSNIA
A civil servant who accused officials in Bosnia-Herzegovina's Republika
Srpska of corruption was killed on November 7 when his car exploded.
Milan Vukelic, a town planner for Banja Luka's municipal authority,
accused both his boss of corruption and the police of threatening him.
The explosion, which occurred as Vukelic was passing the Interior
Ministry in Banja Luka, injured two other people. According to police,
another car owned by Vukelic was bombed in May and his mother's home
set ablaze in August. AG
Southwestern Asia And The Middle East
[35] U.S. AMBASSADOR CALLS FOR ELIMINATION OF TALIBAN SANCTUARIES
OUTSIDE AFGHANISTAN
In a UN General Assembly debate on Afghanistan on November 5, U.S.
Ambassador to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad reiterated that the
availability of external sanctuaries for the Taliban and Al-Qaeda has
undermined security and progress in Afghanistan, and he called on the
insurgents to lay down their arms, Pajhwak Afghan News reported on
November 6. "These sanctuaries should be eliminated and replaced by
increased regional cooperation against extremists and terrorists," he
said. Khalilzad also pointed out that a lack of good governance at the
provincial and local levels remains a major obstacle to development and
stability in Afghanistan despite successes in other fields. "Where
officials are weak, ineffective, or abusive, the goodwill and support
of the people is put at risk," he said. "And Afghanistan cannot succeed
if its people do not actively support their government." Separately,
the Afghan ambassador to the United Nations, Zahir Tanin, expressed
similar views, but Pakistani UN Ambassador Munir Akram argued that the
problem is inside Afghanistan and there is no need to externalize the
issue. MM
[36] AFGHAN PRESIDENT BARS SCHOOLCHILDREN FROM ATTENDING CEREMONIAL
EVENTS
President Hamid Karzai issued a decree in Kabul on November 8 barring
schoolchildren and university students from participating in ceremonial
events across the country, the Bakhtar News Agency reported. The decree
is in response to the deadly Baghlan Province suicide bombing on
November 6 that killed and wounded dozens, including many children who
were assembled to greet a high-level government delegation sent from
Kabul to inaugurate a sugar factory (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 7,
2007). The decree instructs the Afghan central and provincial
authorities to cease sending children and young people to ceremonial
and formal functions in order to avoid endangering their lives.
Furthermore, the decree ordered the ministries of Education, Higher
Education, and Interior to take additional administrative and security
measures to ensure the safety and well-being of young people in
Afghanistan. MM
[37] LEGISLATOR BLAMES FORMER WARLORDS FOR CONTINUING BLOODSHED IN
AFGHANISTAN
Malalai Joya, a suspended member of the Wolesi Jirga, the Afghan
parliament's lower house, alleged in an interview with CTV in Canada on
November 7 that former Afghan warlords from the former Northern
Alliance are "mentally no different from the Taliban," and are
responsible for continued bloodshed and instability in Afghanistan, the
news website e-ariana.com reported. She accused her foes in parliament
of having committed atrocities in the past and grabbing power at the
expense of ordinary Afghans. Joya said that particularly women and
children are suffering amid the rising violence and corruption, citing
the recent suicide bombing in Baghlan Province. She pointed to former
warlords serving in the government and parliament, saying: "Today, they
control Afghanistan. Some of them are ministers, governors, commanders
or ambassadors. They control Afghanistan and our people are like
hostages. The Taliban make use of the situation and become powerful.
And also countries like Iran, Pakistan, Russia, and Uzbekistan make use
of the situation, by either supporting the Taliban or the Northern
Alliance. This is the reason why the situation becomes worse day by
day." Joya, an outspoken female parliamentarian from Farah Province, is
in Canada to rally support for her views, which have put her life and
career inside Afghanistan in jeopardy. MM
[38] AFGHAN OPPOSITION LEADER ADDS TO CONTROVERSY AFTER BAGHLAN BOMBING
Burhanuddin Rabbani, the leader of the main opposition party, the
United National Front, claimed in a news conference in Kabul on
November 7 that the six slain lawmakers presumed killed in the November
6 Baghlan bombing were instead shot dead afterward, Pajhwak Afghan News
reported. Furthermore, he accused the Karzai administration and its
international allies of failing to establish security in Afghanistan,
adding to the uproar and controversy in the aftermath of the tragic
incident. Similarly, Syed Aqa Fazil Sancharaki, another member of the
opposition front and head of the National Union of Journalists, raised
the spectrum of a conspiracy to liquidate the legislators, asking,
"Where were the hosts when the guests were visiting the province?" The
opposition also called for the arrest of the Baghlan governor and
police chief for interrogation in connection with the attack. President
Karzai has promised a thorough investigation of the incident. MM
[39] INTERPOL ADDS IRANIANS TO WANTED LIST FOR 1994 BUENOS AIRES
BOMBING
Interpol's general assembly voted on November 7 to put five senior
Iranians and a Lebanese militant on the international law-enforcement
body's wanted list for their suspected involvement in the 1994 bombing
of the AMIA Jewish center in Buenos Aires, international news agencies
reported. Argentinian judicial authorities suspect Iran helped plan the
bombing and had it carried out by operatives of the Lebanese Hizballah.
Iran has rejected the charges and denounced the vote as
"unprofessional" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 10, 2006 and March
19, 2007); its delegates have sought in recent days to persuade other
delegates not to vote against Iran. The assembly vote confirms the red
notices issued last March by Interpol's executive board, which Iran has
challenged. The red notices do not apparently constitute warrants for
the arrests of the Iranians concerned, but effectively limit their
international travel, AP reported on November 7, citing Interpol
Secretary-General Donald Noble. The Iranians concerned include an
intelligence minister in the 1990s, Ali Fallahian, and the current
Expediency Council secretary and former Revolutionary Guards chief,
Mohsen Rezai. Iran's Foreign Ministry has denounced the vote as
unprofessional, unacceptable, and against international norms, Radio
Farda reported on November 8. VS
[40] STUDENT ACTIVIST ARRESTED IN IRAN...
Iranian agents arrested Ali Nikunesbati, a member of the nationwide
student grouping Office for Strengthening Unity, in his Tehran home on
November 8, Radio Farda reported. He was arrested months ago and
released on bail after participating in a Tehran protest (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," August 10, 2007). His brother Mohammad Nikunesbati told
Radio Farda the same day that seven or eight armed agents entered the
house, conducted a thorough search, and were rude to the family. He
said they had no warrant and declared, "we can do anything we like," or
"we can even burn this place down if we like, so do not ask us for a
warrant." The agents did not say anything about charges Ali Nikunesbati
could face, his brother said, but the arrest was apparently ordered by
the deputy prosecutor of Tehran, Hasan Haddad, who has in recent months
handled student and dissident cases. He phoned the house to see whether
the agents had arrested Nikunesbati, and spoke to the agents and to
Nikunesbati's mother. She was told not to worry, Mohammad Nikunesbati
told Radio Farda. VS
[41] ...AS IS TEHRAN STUDENT
About a week ago, Iranian authorities also arrested Pedram Rafati, a
student of Tehran's Amir Kabir University, Radio Farda reported on
November 7. He was reportedly detained, then released, after a recent
student protest (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 1, 2007), then
arrested two days later when summoned by state agents to collect his
confiscated mobile phone. The family recently told the Amir Kabir
University newsletter that they were without news of Rafati for days
until they enquired with the Tehran Revolutionary Court. The court told
them that he was detained, but not where, or when he would be released,
Radio Farda reported, citing the newsletter. The newsletter has also
revealed that another Amir Kabir student, Babak Zamanian, has gone on
trial, perhaps on security-related charges, following legal action
taken against him by the head of the university, Alireza Rahai, Radio
Farda reported on November 7. Zamanian was arrested on April 21 and
held for 40 days, in which time a case was seemingly concocted against
him based on his record of student activism (see "RFE/RL Newsline," May
29, 2007). The court is to announce a sentence for him by December 17,
Radio Farda reported. VS
[42] IRAN SAYS KURDISH MILITANTS KILLED IN WEST
The "Iran" newspaper has reported that Iranian forces recently killed
three members of the Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan (PJAK) near its
western frontier, Radio Farda reported on November 8. The daily cited
an unnamed source who also accused the United States and other Western
states of backing the group. The PJAK are thought to have links with
the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), another guerrilla group that is
battling Turkish troops from hideouts in northern Iraq's Kurdish
region. VS
[43] IRANIAN ENVOY SAYS U.S. OPPOSES LEBANESE PEOPLE'S WISHES
Iran's ambassador in Beirut, Mohammad Reza Sheibani, met on November 8
with Christian Lebanese politician Michel Aoun and told him the United
States refuses to accept the wishes of the Lebanese people and does not
wish to see an end to current political divisions in Lebanon, IRNA
reported. Lebanese political forces are broadly divided now between the
pro-Western government of Fuad Siniora and its parliamentary allies,
and forces thought to enjoy the backing of Syria and Iran, notably
Hizballah. Aoun is closer to the latter, though most Christian
politicians oppose Syrian intervention in Lebanon. The important point,
Sheibani said, is for foreign forces not to meddle in other countries'
affairs. He voiced Iran's support for an agreement on the choice of the
next president. Lebanese legislators are to meet to select a president
on November 21, IRNA reported. VS
[44] U.S. RELEASES NINE IRANIANS FROM CUSTODY IN IRAQ
The U.S. military released nine Iranians held in U.S. custody in Iraq
on November 9. IRNA reported that two diplomats detained in Irbil in
January were among those released (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 7,
2007). The two were accused of being members of Iran's elite Quds
Force. Iran claims the other seven released from custody were pilgrims.
"All nine individuals were determined to no longer pose a security risk
and to be of no continued intelligence value," the U.S. military said
in a statement. Rear Admiral Gregory Smith, director of communications
for the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, told reporters at a November 7
press briefing in Baghdad that the Iranians "were all detained for
various different reasons and I won't...there's not a universal reason
why they were detained except for one universal thing and that, of
course, is their activities at the time of their detention suggested
that there were obviously involved in a criminal activity, illegal
activity, or were attacking or directly supporting the attack on
coalition, Iraqi, or innocent civilians. All nine have now been judged
to, again, not pose a current threat as individuals to the Iraqis'
security and pose no continuing value as individuals in terms of
intelligence." Asked why the United States would release members of
what it considers a foreign terrorist organization, Smith said: "We
should remind ourselves that the Iranian government has said it will do
all it can to cease any activity that's maligned here in Iraq. So
again, we look forward to those kinds of positive steps." Eleven other
Iranian nationals remain in U.S. custody in Iraq. KR
[45] IRAQI GOVERNMENT INVESTIGATES TORTURE ALLEGATIONS IN KARBALA
The Interior Ministry announced on November 8 it will send an
investigative committee to Karbala Governorate to look into allegations
of torture of civilians by local security forces (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," November 7, 2007). According to media reports, one incident
involves the torture of an entire family, including the disfigurement
of two female children who apparently died as a result of the abuse.
The security officials under investigation include Karbala police
commander Brigadier General Ra'id Shakir, Lieutenant Colonel Abbas
Hamid Hashim, Governorate Council member Muhammad Hamid Hashim, and
police Major Ali Hamid Hashim, who is considered the main defendant and
perpetrator of the torture. All of the victims were supporters of
Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Police commander Shakir called a press
conference on November 8 to deny the allegations. He accused al-Sadr's
Imam Al-Mahdi Army of carrying out hundreds of assassinations over the
past four years, and said the militia killed 606 people, including 69
women and 62 policemen. He also accused the Al-Mahdi Army of 37
criminal acts and 134 kidnappings in the governorate. Al-Sadr spokesman
Liwa Sumaysim responded in an interview with Al-Sharqiyah television,
saying Shakir is trying to change the media focus. "If these crimes
were really committed [by the Al-Mahdi Army], we wonder why [the
police] have been silent over the past three years," Sumaysim said. KR
[46] IRAQI SUNNI LEADER REJECTS POLITICAL APPOINTMENTS FOR AL-ANBAR
LEADERS
Iraqi Accordance Front member Khalaf al-Ulayyan told Al-Sharqiyah
television on November 8 that the front will object to any political
appointments of members of the Al-Anbar Salvation Council. Media
reports indicate Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki may nominate at least
one member of the council to an open ministerial portfolio. Asked what
the front's response might be, al-Ulayyan said: "Of course we have
reservations, because these people don't represent anyone. It is the
Accordance Front that is representative, because it was elected by the
people. It represents the citizens of Al-Anbar.... The others are not
elected and they cannot represent anyone." The council nominated 15
candidates in August to replace ministers from the Accordance Front who
resigned. Al-Ulayyan attacked the character of Al-Anbar Salvation
Council Chairman Hamid al-Hayyis, calling him an opportunist.
Al-Ulayyan said al-Hayyis does not hold an academic diploma. He added
that al-Hayyis previously worked in Al-Anbar as a male nurse and
performed circumcisions, and has no base of support. KR
[47] U.S. RELEASES 500 DETAINEES IN IRAQ
The U.S. military released 500 detainees from prison on November 8,
RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq reported. The detainees were no longer deemed
a threat to Iraqi security, the military said in a statement. Speaking
at a ceremony marking the release of detainees at Camp Victory, Prime
Minister al-Maliki said: "Out of an interest in the [detainees] and
their families, we had to take action to ensure their release and
return to a normal life. We want them to participate in the process of
reconstruction, stability, and development." Al-Maliki said the release
will aid the process of national reconciliation, and vowed to make 2008
the year of reconstruction. Nearly 26,000 detainees remain in U.S.
custody awaiting charges. "The New York Times" reported on November 9
that 10,000 of the prisoners were detained in military operations this
year, while AP put the number detained this year at 17,000. Some 6,300
other detainees have been released since January, AP reported. KR
End Note
[48] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY
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