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RFE/RL Newsline, 07-11-15
CONTENTS
[01] GENERAL WARNS THAT RUSSIA MIGHT DEPLOY MISSILES IN BELARUS
[02] STUDY SAYS THAT DECLINE OF THE MILITARY CONTINUES
[03] RUSSIA ASSESSES TOLL FROM BLACK SEA STORM
[04] RUSSIA, GERMAN FIRM SIGN NUCLEAR COOPERATION PACT
[05] FOREIGNERS BARRED FROM 'SPECIAL SERVICES'
[06] WEBSITE CLAIMS KREMLIN ORCHESTRATES PRO-PUTIN MOVEMENT
[07] NASHI ACTIVISTS PREPARE TO RESIST OPPOSITION DEMONSTRATIONS
[08] PRESIDENT HITS THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
[09] CANDIDATES QUIT RIGHTIST PARTY...
[10] ...WHICH DECIDES TO JOIN UP WITH MARCH OF DISSENT ACTION
[11] CENTRAL BANK REVIEWS CURRENCY POLICIES
[12] CHECHEN PARLIAMENT APPEALS TO RESISTANCE FIGHTERS
[13] HUMAN-RIGHTS WATCHDOG PROTESTS FORMER GENERAL'S RETURN TO MILITARY
[14] INGUSHETIAN INTERNET PROVIDERS DENY BLOCKING ACCESS TO
CONTROVERSIAL SITE
[15] UNICEF DEPLORES SHOOTING OF CHILD IN INGUSHETIA
[16] ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES SEND MIXED SIGNALS OVER FORMER PRESIDENT
[17] GEORGIA CALLS FOR INTERNATIONAL INSPECTION OF ABKHAZ CONFLICT ZONE
[18] GEORGIAN NGOS LIST PRECONDITIONS FOR FREE AND FAIR ELECTION
[19] MURDERER OF GEORGIAN ACADEMICIAN SENTENCED
[20] KAZAKH PRESIDENT REPLACES TWO MINISTERS
[21] OFFICIAL DISCUSSES KAZAKH BID TO CHAIR OSCE IN WASHINGTON
[22] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT DISCUSSES BORDER DEMARCATION WITH KAZAKH MINISTER
[23] KYRGYZ ACTIVISTS WARN CIVIL FREEDOMS UNDER THREAT
[24] KYRGYZ SCIENTISTS POINT TO RISK OF POWERFUL EARTHQUAKES
[25] EXPLOSION ROCKS TAJIK CAPITAL
[26] TURKMEN PRESIDENT DISMISSES MINISTERS, REGIONAL GOVERNORS
[27] EU TEMPORARILY SUSPENDS VISA BAN ON UZBEK OFFICIALS
[28] UZBEK DETAINEE DIES FROM ALLEGED TORTURE
[29] U.S. FREEZES ASSETS OF BELARUS'S LARGEST PETROCHEMICAL COMPANY
[30] UKRAINE, RUSSIA TO RESPOND TO ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER TOGETHER
[31] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT SIMPLIFIES VISA REGIME FOR UKRAINE
[32] ARE MOST EU MEMBERS SET TO RECOGNIZE KOSOVA?
[33] KOSOVA SAYS ALL SET FOR ELECTIONS
[34] BELGIAN NAMED TO SUCCEED DEL PONTE AS ICTY PROSECUTOR
[35] DISPUTE BETWEEN BOSNIA, CROATIA OVER CONTROVERSIAL BRIDGE
ESCALATES
[36] MACEDONIAN POLITICIANS UNHAPPY WITH U.S. COMMENTS
[37] U.S. AMBASSADOR KHALILZAD URGES AFGHAN GOVERNMENT TO REFORM
[38] U.S. AMBASSADOR CALLS FOR NATIONAL UNITY IN AFGHANISTAN
[39] AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SAYS AFGHAN DETAINEES FACE TORTURE
[40] KARZAI BOLSTERS RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN AFGHANISTAN
[41] IRANIAN ACTIVIST ARRESTED AGAIN IN TEHRAN
[42] IRAN REJECTS PROPOSED TALKS WITH U.S. ON NUCLEAR PROGRAM...
[43] ...AND SAYS IT IS CLARIFYING NUCLEAR PROGRAM WITH IAEA
[44] IRANIAN JURISTS TO DECIDE THIS MONTH ON COMPUTERIZED VOTING
[45] TURKISH AIRCRAFT BOMB PKK TARGETS IN IRAQ
[46] AL-SADR ALLY CALLS FOR DISSOLUTION OF IRAQI PARLIAMENT
[47] U.S. CONTINUES TO HOLD THREE FORMER IRAQI OFFICIALS...
[48] ...WHILE PREMIER HINTS EX-MINISTER'S SENTENCE COULD BE COMMUTED
[49] U.S. CONTRACTOR KILLS TAXI DRIVER IN IRAQI CAPITAL
[50] U.S. TO BUILD BASE ON OIL PLATFORM TO PROTECT IRAQI OIL EXPORTS
[51] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY
Wednesday, November 14, 2007 Volume 11 Number 211
Russia
[01] GENERAL WARNS THAT RUSSIA MIGHT DEPLOY MISSILES IN BELARUS
Major-General Vladimir Zaritsky, who commands the artillery and missile
forces for the Russian Ground Troops, said in Moscow on November 14
that Russia might deploy an unspecified number of short-range missiles
in Belarus if the United States goes ahead with its planned
missile-defense program in Poland and the Czech Republic, newsru.com
reported. Zaritsky was referring to Iskandr missiles with a range of up
to 500 kilometers. He argued that "every action meets with an opposite
reaction, and this is the case with elements of U.S. missile defense."
Asked about a recent statement by his Belarusian counterpart, Mikhail
Puzikaw, about stationing Iskandr systems in Belarus, Zaritsky replied:
"Why not? Under the right conditions and with the corresponding
agreement of Belarus, it is possible." He noted that the Iskandrs could
be modernized if Russia quits the 1987 U.S.-Soviet Intermediate Range
Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), with which it is dissatisfied. "What the
motherland demands will be done," Zaritsky concluded. In June,
President Vladimir Putin and First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov
threatened to target European sites with missiles if the United States
proceeds with its program (see "RFE/RL Newsline," June 14, 19, 26, and
27, and October 29, 2007). On November 12, independent Russian military
analyst Pavel Felgengauer wrote in the newspaper "Novaya gazeta" that
it would be unwise for Russia to carry out its planned "suspension" of
the 1990 Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) lest it frighten
its neighbors into making new security arrangements among themselves.
Felgengauer believes that the removal of the CFE structure from the
security landscape would ultimately lead to further NATO expansion,
which is precisely what Moscow wants to avoid. PM
[02] STUDY SAYS THAT DECLINE OF THE MILITARY CONTINUES
In a newly released report, a group of independent Russian experts said
that despite President Putin's repeated pledges to modernize and
improve the military, the decline characteristic of the post-Soviet
period is continuing, the "International Herald Tribune" reported from
Moscow on November 13 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 19, 2007). The
study argues that the Russian military "continues to suffer from
rampant corruption, inefficiency, and poor morale.... The Kremlin has
also failed to deliver on its promises to modernize arsenals."
Stanislav Belkovsky, who head the Institute for National Strategy, said
in Moscow on November 12 that "the revival of Russia's military might
under Putin is merely a myth. The Russian armed forces have degraded
completely under Putin." The report notes that Russia's arsenal will
shrink "from about 680 intercontinental ballistic missiles now to
between 100 and 200 missiles over the next 10 years" unless massive
investments are made. Aleksandr Khramchikhin, an expert with the
Institute for Military and Political Analysis, said on November 12 that
the decline, if it continues, will bring Russia's nuclear forces down
to the level of China's. He also noted that "because of corruption, the
military gets a lesser number of weapons at a higher cost" than it
would otherwise. PM
[03] RUSSIA ASSESSES TOLL FROM BLACK SEA STORM
Between November 11 and 13, Russian officials deployed at least 600
rescue workers and soldiers to help clean up a 2,000-ton oil spill in
the Kerch Strait, which connects the Black Sea and Sea of Azov and
forms part of the border between Russia and Ukraine, Russian and
international media reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 13,
2007). An unusually severe storm on November 11 wrecked at least 12
ships in what several Russian officials called an "environmental
catastrophe." At Port Kavkaz in Krasnodar Krai, Oleg Mitvol, the deputy
head of the Natural Resources Ministry's Federal Service for the
Oversight of Natural Resources Use (Rosprirodnadzor), said on November
13 that "we have two environmental problems today: fuel oil and light
oil products that spilled into the sea, and high levels of
contamination [from oil washed up onto] the Tuzla and Chushka spits."
On November 13, President Putin ordered Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov to
fly to the region to assess the disaster and clean-up efforts. Upon
arriving in Port Kavkaz, Zubkov said that the shipwrecks in the Kerch
Strait amounted to the "biggest mass sinking of ships in the history of
modern Russia." He called for prosecutors to determine how much of the
damage was unavoidable due to the weather and how much was the result
of negligence. The sunken tanker "Volgoneft-139" was over 30 years old
and did not have a double hull for safety, as is common on such ships
nowadays. Furthermore, it was designed for use on the Don and Volga
Rivers and not for stormy seas. Much of its fuel oil is believed to
have hardened and sunk to the bottom of the sea, which will further
complicate cleanup. Some estimates put the toll of dead birds from the
oil at over 30,000. RFE/RL's Russian Service reported on November 14
that neither Moscow nor Kyiv has responded to the European Commission's
offer of assistance. PM
[04] RUSSIA, GERMAN FIRM SIGN NUCLEAR COOPERATION PACT
On November 12 in Moscow, the Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency
(Rosatom) signed an agreement for cooperation on nuclear projects with
the German technology company Siemens, dpa reported. The two companies
have worked together before. Rosatom wants to use Siemens technology in
building power plants and modernizing older reactors in Russia and
abroad. PM
[05] FOREIGNERS BARRED FROM 'SPECIAL SERVICES'
On November 12 , the State Duma passed in its third and final reading a
bill placing restrictions on the employment of foreigners by Russian
military and security agencies, Interfax reported. The legislation bars
Russian citizens with dual citizenship from working for the Federal
Security Service (FSB) and the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR). PM
[06] WEBSITE CLAIMS KREMLIN ORCHESTRATES PRO-PUTIN MOVEMENT
Sources in several regional administrations have confirmed that the
presidential administration is controlling the growing "popular"
movement to persuade President Putin to retain political power after
his current term expires, according to a special report in gazeta.ru on
November 13. The unnamed sources said the governors of their regions
last week received detailed instructions from the Kremlin on how to
select delegates and send them to participate in the national forum of
the For Putin! movement in Tver on November 15. A source in one region
in southern Russia told the website that his region has been ordered to
send 10 delegates from a wide range of public organizations and to pay
for their travel to Tver. The sources told the website that delegates
will be housed at the Verkhnevolzhsky resort, and officials at the
resort confirmed that the entire facility has been rented, although it
refused to confirm by whom. For Putin! activists have insisted that
their movement is a spontaneous national initiative that has no
connection to the Kremlin, the Unified Russia party, or local
administrations (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 13, 2007). RC
[07] NASHI ACTIVISTS PREPARE TO RESIST OPPOSITION DEMONSTRATIONS
Police continue training activists from the pro-Kremlin youth movement
Nashi to counter possible demonstrations by opposition forces, "The
Moscow Times" reported on November 14 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," September
21, 2007). According to the daily, about 1,000 activists from at least
three cities gathered in Moscow on November 9 for training "to
familiarize the activists with central Moscow so, come [December 2],
they can mobilize more quickly should protests spring up," the paper
wrote. The Other Russia opposition coalition plans a protest in Moscow
on November 24, although permission for that rally has not been granted
to date. The youth wing of the liberal Yabloko party is planning a
demonstration in the capital on November 18. RC
[08] PRESIDENT HITS THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
President Putin on November 13 made his first open campaign appearance
for Unified Russia, meeting with road-construction workers in
Krasnoyarsk, Russian media reported on November 13 and 14. Putin
offered some criticism of the party, telling listeners that it lacked a
"solid ideology and principles" and that some of its members are
working "not for the good of the people, but for their own enrichment."
However, he added, he agreed to head the party's list because "all the
same we don't have anything better." Putin said he has relied on the
party's control of the Duma in recent years to push his agenda forward.
Meanwhile, Federation Council Chairman Sergei Mironov, who heads the A
Just Russia party, on November 14 urged Putin to head the upper chamber
of parliament after his term as president expires, ITAR-TASS reported.
"The post of chairman of the Federation Council is not a bad place for
the head of state after March 2008," Mironov said, noting that the
upper chamber has the power to reject legislation passed by the Duma
and has some power to control the government by summoning ministers.
Mironov, who ran for president against Putin in 2004, also told
reporters he will not run again in 2008 and said he is not sure whether
A Just Russia would nominate a candidate. RC
[09] CANDIDATES QUIT RIGHTIST PARTY...
A growing number of leading regional candidates from the Union of
Rightist Forces (SPS) for the December 2 Duma elections are quitting
the campaign, "Nezavisimaya gazeta" and other Russian media reported on
November 13 and 14. According to "Nezavisimaya gazeta" on November 13,
top candidates of the SPS regional lists in Udmurtia, Penza Oblast,
Tyva, Daghestan, Bryansk Oblast, Ingushetia, Ulyanovsk Oblast,
Krasnodar Krai, and other regions have all left the party since the
last week of October. The Krasnodar candidate, Yury Tebin, told the
daily that he quit because of the "absence of a mechanism for realizing
our goals." Political analyst Dmitry Gusev commented that some of the
defections were because the party's national leadership has taken a
turn to the left, emphasizing its plan to control inflation and help
pensioners. SPS national leader Nikita Belykh was quoted in
"Kommersant" on November 13 as urging candidates "to hang on until the
end." He blamed the defections on pressure from the authorities. SPS
Political Council member Boris Nadezhdin said the party has come under
particular attack because "we are the only party that is harshly
criticizing Unified Russia and Putin himself." RC
[10] ...WHICH DECIDES TO JOIN UP WITH MARCH OF DISSENT ACTION
SPS leader Belykh announced on November 13 that the party will
participate in March of Dissent opposition actions scheduled for
November 24 and 25 in Moscow and St. Petersburg, gazeta.ru reported.
The decision marks the first time the SPS has participated in the
series of protest actions, although Belykh emphasized that the SPS is
not joining the Other Russia coalition headed by former world chess
champion Garry Kasparov. The website speculated that the decision was
prompted by the difficulties SPS is having in connection with its Duma
campaign, including harassment (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 15,
2007) and the confiscation of its campaign materials (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," November 8, 2007). RC
[11] CENTRAL BANK REVIEWS CURRENCY POLICIES
Beginning in January, the Central Bank plans to take active measures to
combat inflation, "Rossiiskaya gazeta" reported on November 14. Central
Bank Deputy Director Aleksei Ulyukayev said the bank will reduce its
ruble emissions in the coming year and buy less foreign currency. At
the same time, Ulyukayev said the bank has agreed with the government
that in 2008 it will begin converting some of the funds in the
Stabilization Fund from rubles to foreign currency. Deputy Finance
Minister Sergei Storchak, however, told the daily that the Finance
Ministry opposes large-scale conversions from the fund, which could
lead to unpredictable consequences on currency markets. RC
[12] CHECHEN PARLIAMENT APPEALS TO RESISTANCE FIGHTERS
The Chechen Republic Ichkeria (ChRI) parliament has released a
statement addressed to resistance fighters in connection with the
proclamation last month by ChRI President and resistance commander Doku
Umarov of a North Caucasus emirate which he claims to head (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," October 30, 2007). The statement, posted on November 13 on
chechenews.com, recalled that while the ChRI Constitution adopted in
March 1992 designated Islam the state religion, it also guaranteed
freedom of belief for members of other confessions, thereby
establishing a "balance between the profound religiosity of our people
and the civilized forms of our sovereign statehood." The statement
argued that the proclamation of a North Caucasus emirate inflicts
serious damage on Chechen statehood and the constitution, and that
Umarov's rhetoric carries the risk that the Chechen national liberation
struggle will be classified as an offshoot of international terrorism,
and strips the armed resistance of its legitimacy. It noted that a
group of Chechen Islamic scholars has already condemned Umarov's
proclamation on those grounds, and it appealed to all those who value
freedom and Chechen statehood to reject that proclamation as the
product of pressure on Umarov from the "anti-Islamic and anti-Chechen
grouping" centered on ideologues Movladi Udugov and his half-brother
Isa Umarov (no relation to Doku). LF
[13] HUMAN-RIGHTS WATCHDOG PROTESTS FORMER GENERAL'S RETURN TO MILITARY
The human-rights organization Memorial released a statement on November
13 expressing concern at reports that former Lieutenant General
Vladimir Shamanov will soon be appointed to a senior defense minister
post, kavkaz-uzel.ru reported. Shamanov, 50, served in 1999-2000 as
commander of the western group of Russian forces fighting in Chechnya,
in which capacity he oversaw the storm of Grozny in early 2000.
Memorial recalled that forces under his command committed serious
human-rights violations, including opening fire on fugitives in October
1999 and on the civilian population of two villages in December 1999
and February 2000. On retiring from the military, Shamanov served from
December 2000-04 as governor of Ulyanovsk Oblast, and then as an aide
to First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov. "Moskovskiye novosti" in
its most recent edition (November 9-15) carried an interview with
Shamanov in which he argues that while Chechen Republic head Ramzan
Kadyrov has succeeded in restoring order and stability to Chechnya,
corruption, cronyism, poverty and unemployment continue to destabilize
neighboring republics and to drive disaffected young men to join the
armed resistance. To counter that instability, Shamanov advocated a
crackdown on "extremist" religious tendencies and the gradual
replacement of corrupt local leaders. LF
[14] INGUSHETIAN INTERNET PROVIDERS DENY BLOCKING ACCESS TO
CONTROVERSIAL SITE
The website kavkaz-uzel.ru on November 13 quoted representatives of
Ingushetia's two main Internet providers, ITT and Telekom, as denying
having undertaken any measures to block access by Internet users to the
independent website ingushetiya.ru, which has incurred the anger of the
republic's leadership by its relentless coverage of corruption and
mismanagement (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 13, 2007). Also on
November 13, Magomed Yevloyev, the owner of ingushetiya.ru, said he
believes the orders to block access to his site were issued by
Ingushetian President Murat Zyazikov, who, according to Yevloyev, is
afraid that the true situation in Ingushetia will otherwise become
known not only to most of the republic's population but also to the
federal authorities in Moscow. LF
[15] UNICEF DEPLORES SHOOTING OF CHILD IN INGUSHETIA
In a statement dated November 13 and reposted on ingushetiya.ru, the UN
International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) condemned as "a gross
violation of child rights" the shooting of a six-year-old child by
security forces on November 9 in his family home in the Ingushetian
village of Chemulga (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 13, 2007). The
statement urges "all parties involved [to] take utmost care to uphold
all rights of all children, particularly the right to survive." LF
Transcaucasia And Central Asia
[16] ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES SEND MIXED SIGNALS OVER FORMER PRESIDENT
Three days after harshly criticizing former President Levon
Ter-Petrossian and calling on him to "repent and apologize" for his
policy errors, Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian adopted a more
conciliatory note on November 13, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 13, 2007). Outlining the draft budget
for 2008, Sarkisian told parliament on November 13 that Armenia's
political forces should "not get petty and squander our resources in
debates on the mistakes and omissions of the past.... Let us debate and
cooperate on issues relating to the future." He said his cabinet will
work over the next five years to promote an atmosphere of solidarity,
cooperation, magnanimity, and mutual respect. Also on November 13,
several opposition newspapers printed a joint statement by
Ter-Petrossian and former Prime Minister and Hanrapetutiun party leader
Aram Sargsian accusing the authorities of resorting to "frantic" and
"illegal" measures to minimize attendance at a planned rally in Yerevan
on November 16 in support of Ter-Petrossian's candidacy in the February
19, 2008, presidential ballot. Meanwhile, tax inspectors and police
have launched a further raid on a company owned by Khachatur Sukiasian,
a millionaire businessman with close ties to Ter-Petrossian, RFE/RL's
Armenian Service reported on November 13 (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
November 6, 2007). LF
[17] GEORGIA CALLS FOR INTERNATIONAL INSPECTION OF ABKHAZ CONFLICT ZONE
Parliament speaker Nino Burjanadze called on November 13 for the UN to
send international observers to assess the Russian military presence in
the Abkhaz conflict zone, Caucasus Press reported. On November 12,
Burjanadze and Georgian Minister for Conflict Resolution Davit Bakradze
claimed in separate statements that Russia has dispatched heavy
armaments, including five tanks and five armored vehicles, to the
Abkhaz district of Ochamchira, together with some 200 Russian
servicemen, tentatively identified as Chechens from the Russian Defense
Ministry's Vostok battalion, which reports to the GRU (military
intelligence). Russian and Abkhaz officials have rejected those
allegations as untrue. Also on November 12, Georgian President Mikheil
Saakashvili claimed that during their meeting in late November 2006 on
the sidelines of the CIS summit in Minsk, Russian President Vladimir
Putin threatened to replicate "the Cyprus model" in Abkhazia, the
website civil.ge reported. Saakashvili did not explain why he waited
almost one year to divulge that information. At the time, he
characterized his meeting with Putin as a positive step (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," November 29, 2006), and on February 23, he described it as
"a very pleasant talk" even though the two men did not agree on
everything, RFE/RL's Georgian Service reported. LF
[18] GEORGIAN NGOS LIST PRECONDITIONS FOR FREE AND FAIR ELECTION
The Georgian Young Lawyers' Association, the International Society for
Fair Elections and Democracy, and the Georgian chapter of Transparency
International released a statement on November 10 listing 10
preconditions that they believe must be met for the preterm
presidential election scheduled for January 5, 2008, to be considered
free and fair, Caucasus Press reported. The first of those conditions
is the lifting of the nationwide state of emergency President
Saakashvili imposed on November 7. U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of
State Matthew Bryza told journalists in Tbilisi on November 13 that "it
sounds like the state of emergency will be lifted in the next two or
three days, in fact I think on [November] 16," RFE/RL's Georgian
Service reported, while parliament speaker Burjanadze was similarly
quoted by Caucasus Press as saying it will be lifted "by the end of the
week." Other conditions include the restoration of media freedom and
the right to freedom of assembly, and clarification of the legislative
framework for the ballot. Meanwhile, Georgian ombudsman Sozar Subar
told Caucasus Press on November 13 that official harassment of persons
who participated in the Tbilisi protests between November 2-6
continues. Seven of the 22 people apprehended during the police
crackdown on November 7 remain in detention, Caucasus Press quoted an
Interior Ministry official as saying on November 13. LF
[19] MURDERER OF GEORGIAN ACADEMICIAN SENTENCED
The Tbilisi City Court on November 13 sentenced Giorgi Barateli to 27
years' imprisonment for the murder six months ago of Guram Sharadze, an
academician notorious for his sometimes radically nationalistic views,
Caucasus Press reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," May 21, 2007). Barateli
pleaded guilty, saying he killed Sharadze in retaliation for having
been robbed years ago by Sharadze's son. Sharadze's daughter voiced
suspicions shortly after his death that he was murdered for his
political views, and that Barateli was merely a scapegoat. LF
[20] KAZAKH PRESIDENT REPLACES TWO MINISTERS
President Nursultan Nazarbaev issued a decree dismissing Finance
Minister Natalya Korzhova on November 13 and replacing her with Bolat
Zhamishev, Interfax-Kazakhstan and Khabar TV reported. A second decree
also named Vladimir Bozhko as the new minister of emergency situations.
Prior to the appointment, the 58-year-old Bozhko served as a deputy
chairman of the National Security Committee. Nazarbaev also appointed
Zautbek Turisbekov as the new ambassador to Uzbekistan. Turisbekov
formerly was the chairman of a state agency on "the issues of state
service." RG
[21] OFFICIAL DISCUSSES KAZAKH BID TO CHAIR OSCE IN WASHINGTON
During a visit to Washington, State Secretary Kanat Saudabaev discussed
on November 12 Kazakhstan's bid to chair the Organization for Security
and cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in a meeting with U.S. Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice, Khabar TV reported. Saudabaev also met with
various senior U.S. officials, including Senator Mary Landrieu
(Democrat, Louisiana). RG
[22] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT DISCUSSES BORDER DEMARCATION WITH KAZAKH MINISTER
President Kurmanbek Bakiev met on November 13 in Bishkek with Kazakh
Foreign Minister Marat Tazhin to finalize discussions of a new
bilateral agreement on the demarcation of the Kyrgyz-Kazakh border,
according to Interfax-Kazakhstan. Following the meeting, Bakiev said
that the new agreement will be submitted to the parliaments of both
countries for ratification, and he predicted that the agreement will be
swiftly adopted and expects it to be implemented next year. The
border-demarcation agreement is actually a framework treaty consisting
of some 150 articles and legal accords. Bakiev also said that
Kyrgyzstan strongly supports Kazakhstan's bid to assume the rotating
chairmanship of the OSCE in 2009 and pledged to increase efforts with
Kazakhstan within various international organizations, including the
OSCE, the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. He
also welcomed Kazakh investment in Kyrgyzstan, noting that during the
first six months of this year, Kazakh investment reached $90 million, a
level some 2 1/2 times greater than the same period last year. Kyrgyz
Prime Minister Almazbek Atambaev also met on November 13 with Tazhin
and stressed that Kyrgyzstan also supports Kazakh efforts aimed at
"forming a single space" in the region, referring to Kazakh President
Nazarbaev's proposal to form "a union of Central Asian countries,"
according to AKIpress. RG
[23] KYRGYZ ACTIVISTS WARN CIVIL FREEDOMS UNDER THREAT
A rally organized by leading Kyrgyz human rights activists was held on
November 13 in Bishkek with about two dozen demonstrators warning that
civil rights are "under threat" and demanding the protection of the
right to hold public gatherings and meetings, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service
and AKIpress reported. The rally was held outside the main government
building in the Kyrgyz capital and was organized by Aziza Abdyrasulova,
the head of the Kylym Shamy (Torch of the Century) human rights center;
Dinara Oshurakhunova, the director of the Coalition for Democracy and
Civil Society; Tolekan Ismailova, the head of the Citizens against
Corruption civic group; and civil society activists Chinara Aytbaeva
and Maksim Kuleshov. Speaking at the rally, the organizers stressed
that "citizens' rights for freedom of gathering in public, speech, and
expression are under threat" in Kyrgyzstan, noting that over the past
month, police have arrested members of the Green Party three times, and
searched the headquarters of the party. The rally was also aimed at
protesting the arrests of six demonstrators on November 10 during a
peaceful demonstration organized by youth groups in central Bishkek.
Those demonstrators were later released, but face charges of "attending
an illegal gathering." Tursunbek Akun, the chairman of the presidential
human rights commission, said that the detentions were an outrageous
move by security forces, adding that "even our commission is saying
that the detention of these young men is regarded as an abuse of the
freedom of speech." RG
[24] KYRGYZ SCIENTISTS POINT TO RISK OF POWERFUL EARTHQUAKES
Marat Abdrakhmanov, the chief of seismic monitoring for the Kyrgyz
Ministry for Emergency Situations, announced on November 13 that a team
of scientific researchers has issued a new report predicting a series
of powerful earthquakes, ITAR-TASS reported. The report, based on data
collected by the Seismic Research Institute of the National Academy of
Sciences, specifically pointed to a risk of severe tremors striking the
areas along the borders with Tajikistan and China. It also noted
heightened seismic risks in the Jalal-Abad and Osh regions, located in
the Ferghana Valley. Several serious earthquakes have been registered
in the Naryn and Batken regions in the past year, resulting in
substantial property damage but with few casualties. RG
[25] EXPLOSION ROCKS TAJIK CAPITAL
An early-morning explosion on November 14 damaged a government building
complex in the center of the Tajik capital Dushanbe and killed at least
one person, RFE/RL's Tajik Service and ITAR-TASS reported. The
explosion targeted the building housing the headquarters of the ruling
National Democratic Party and killed a nearby street cleaner in the
blast. The site is located near the Uzbek Embassy and only a few
hundred meters form the presidential palace. The complex was to host a
conference attended by Deputy Prime Minister Aqil Aqilov later in the
day. Tajik police launched an immediate investigation, saying that the
bombing is being treated as "an act of terrorism," the Avesta website
reported. RG
[26] TURKMEN PRESIDENT DISMISSES MINISTERS, REGIONAL GOVERNORS
During a cabinet meeting in Ashgabat, President Gurbanguly
Berdymukhammedov announced on November 12 the dismissal of three of
Turkmenistan's five regional governors, RFE/RL's Turkmen Service
reported. Berdymukhammedov fired the governors of the Ahal and Mary
regions, citing "serious shortcomings" in their work, and "accepted the
resignation" of the Lebap province governor for "health reasons." The
three regional governors were all appointed by the late President
Saparmurat Niyazov prior to his death in December 2006. Kakageldy
Gurbanov was named as the new governor of the southern Mary region,
Caryyarguly Odeberdiev was appointed as the governor of the eastern
Lebap region, and Mammetnyyaz Nurmammedov was promoted to become the
governor of the central Ahal region, Turkmen Television reported.
Berdymukhammedov also replaced the deputy chairman of the cabinet of
ministers and the minister of trade and foreign economic relations.
According to a subsequent presidential decree, Hojamuhammet Muhammedov
was named as the new deputy chairman of the cabinet of ministers, and
Tuvakmammet Japarov was appointed as the head of the Supreme
Supervisory Chamber, a post formerly held by Muhammedov. Nokerguly
Atagulyyev was also appointed as the new minister of trade and foreign
economic relations. RG
[27] EU TEMPORARILY SUSPENDS VISA BAN ON UZBEK OFFICIALS
In an announcement from Brussels, the European Union said on November
13 that it will temporarily lift its visa ban for Uzbek officials,
ITAR-TASS reported. The ban on visas, which was imposed on 12 specific
Uzbek officials, will be suspended for a six-month period, allowing the
officials to enter the European Union. The initial EU decision to
impose a visa ban on the dozen Uzbek officials was imposed for their
complicity and the "disproportionate use of force" during clashes
between police and unarmed demonstrators in the eastern Uzbek city of
Andijon in May 2005 that left an estimated 187 people dead, although
human rights groups report several hundred deaths. In a statement
accompanying the announcement of the temporary suspension of the visa
ban, the EU noted that its embargo on the supply of weapons to
Uzbekistan will remain in force, however. RG
[28] UZBEK DETAINEE DIES FROM ALLEGED TORTURE
Uzbek human rights activist Surat Ikramov said on November 13 that a
detainee recently died while in police custody, reportedly after being
tortured by police in the city of Andijon, RFE/RL's Uzbek Service
reported. The body of the prisoner, Fitrat Salohiddinov, was returned
to his family for burial in Tashkent on November 12. Salohiddinov was
arrested in 2000 for his alleged membership in the banned Islamic group
Hizb ut-Tahrir. His death and the allegations of torture come only a
week after the release of a Human Rights Watch report that contended
that torture is "endemic" to the country's criminal justice system. RG
Eastern Europe
[29] U.S. FREEZES ASSETS OF BELARUS'S LARGEST PETROCHEMICAL COMPANY
The U.S. Treasury Department on November 13 announced financial
sanctions against Belneftekhim, a Belarusian state-owned petrochemical
company, stating that it is controlled by Belarusian President
Alyaksandr Lukashenka, Belapan and RFE/RL's Belarusian Service
reported. The move by the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control
freezes any assets under U.S. jurisdiction belonging to Belneftekhim,
and bars U.S. citizens from doing business with the company. The
measures apply to Belneftekhim's offices in Germany, Latvia, Ukraine,
Russia, China, and its wholly owned U.S. subsidiary, Belneftekhim USA..
Adam Szubin, the director of the Treasury Department's Office of
Foreign Assets Control, said the "action tightens sanctions against
Lukashenka by imposing financial sanctions against a massive
conglomerate under the regime's control." In a statement, the Treasury
Department noted that "today's action follows the 2006 blocking of the
assets of Lukashenka and nine other senior officials of his
administration. In February 2007, Treasury blocked the assets of
another six high-ranking Belarusian officials, bringing the total
number of designated officials to 16." U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary
of State for European and Eurasian Affairs David Kramer recently warned
of new sanctions against Belarus because of the pressures its
government places on civil society and its violations of democratic
standards. AM
[30] UKRAINE, RUSSIA TO RESPOND TO ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER TOGETHER
Ukrainian Premier Viktor Yanukovych and his Russian counterpart Viktor
Zubkov on November 13 in Anapa, Russia, set up a joint group to deal
with the recent environmental disaster in the region of the Black Sea
and Sea of Azov, Interfax reported. A storm on November 11 sank several
ships and damaged others, causing spills of oil and other toxic cargo
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 13, 2007). The joint group, which will
convene for its first meeting on November 15, will be based in the
ports of Kerch, Ukraine, and Kavkaz, Russia, and will be led by Russian
Deputy Transport Minister Boris Korol and Ukrainian First Deputy
Transport Minister Volodymyr Korniyenko. Zubkov said that the spills
should be cleaned up within 40 or 45 days. Yanukovych proposed that
both sides establish principles governing the future use of the Kerch
Strait to bring transport there in line with international regulations.
AM
[31] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT SIMPLIFIES VISA REGIME FOR UKRAINE
The European Parliament on November 13 ratified agreements with Ukraine
on simplifying visas for Ukrainians entering and re-entering countries
in the Schengen zone, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reported. The measures
limit the period of time in which a visa must be issued, and reduce or
eliminate visa fees for students, journalist, pensioners, children, and
participants of cultural and educational projects. For those who are
not entitled to discounts, visas will cost now 35 euros ($51). The
agreements will now be considered by the Council of the European
Parliament, where a final decision will be made. Romania and Bulgaria
have threatened to block the ratification of the agreements. AM
Southeastern Europe
[32] ARE MOST EU MEMBERS SET TO RECOGNIZE KOSOVA?
A senior British official has said that 22 of the EU's 27 member states
are ready to recognize the independence of Kosova, the news service
Balkan Insight reported on November 13. Balkan Insight noted that major
EU countries are now considering recognizing a unilateral declaration
of independence even without waiting for a consensus within the EU.
Other reports indicate that the five doubters are Cyprus, Greece,
Romania, Spain, and Slovakia. Recognition by the EU heavyweights is
unlikely to come before the second half of next year, however, while
the United States is expected to recognize an independent Kosova
without much delay. Balkan Insight quoted an EU source who suggested
that the recognition would come during next year's French EU
Presidency, which starts on July 1, since the French are eager to
resolve the Kosova status and advance Serbia's EU integration during
their half-year term. TV
[33] KOSOVA SAYS ALL SET FOR ELECTIONS
Kosova's Central Election Commission has announced that the province is
prepared for the November 17 local and parliamentary elections, local
media reported on November 12. The commission said some 620 polling
stations are ready to accommodate the more than 1.5 million citizens
who are eligible to cast their votes, and that ballots have been
printed. Voters outside Kosova can still register until the day of the
vote, hence no definitive figures are available. The parliamentary and
municipal elections were called by the head of the UN Mission in Kosova
(UNMIK), Joachim Ruecker, at the end of August (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
September 4, 2007) and are being boycotted by some ethnic-Serbian
parties in line with calls from Belgrade (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
November 2, 2007). TV
[34] BELGIAN NAMED TO SUCCEED DEL PONTE AS ICTY PROSECUTOR
In a letter made public on November 13, UN Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon nominated Belgian lawyer Serge Brammertz as the new chief
prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague. If Brammertz is indeed approved by the
Security Council, he will succeed Carla Del Ponte, who has been named
Swiss ambassador to Argentina and who will step down from the ICTY at
the end of the year (see "RFE/RL Newsline," June 29, 2007). Brammertz,
who currently heads the UN's investigation into the assassination of
former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, was widely expected to be
named to the post, prompting senior ICTY lawyers to urge Ban to appoint
Del Ponte's deputy, David Tolbert, instead. Many human rights groups
also backed Tolbert. TV
[35] DISPUTE BETWEEN BOSNIA, CROATIA OVER CONTROVERSIAL BRIDGE
ESCALATES
Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader has warned the Bosnian Muslim
member of Bosnia's tripartite Presidency, Haris Silajdzic, not to
aggravate the controversy over a bridge Croatia has begun building on
the Adriatic, the Bosnian Croat daily "Dnevni list" reported on
November 11. The bridge will span the bay separating the Dalmatian
mainland and the Peljesac Peninsula and is scheduled for completion in
2011 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 25, 2007), making it possible to
travel to the southern Croatian seaside city of Dubrovnik without
crossing a short strip of Bosnian territory around Neum, which lies on
the bay. Bosnia fears that Neum might be cut off from the open sea and
Bosnia's territorial waters. Sanader said that Croatia has changed the
design of the bridge to allay Bosnian fears that Neum might be cut off,
but the row escalated in recent weeks with a Bosnian threat of a
lawsuit against Croatia over the bridge. Referring to Silajdzic,
Sanader told "Dnevni list," "I think that it is dangerous to seek
Croatian territory, and I advise him not to do so." TV
[36] MACEDONIAN POLITICIANS UNHAPPY WITH U.S. COMMENTS
During talks with Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski last week,
the U.S. ambassador to NATO, Victoria Nuland, suggested that Macedonia
ranked last among the three Balkan countries seeking membership in the
alliance, local media reported on November 8. Macedonia is hoping,
together with Croatia and Albania, to be invited to join the alliance
during a NATO summit in Bucharest in April 2008. "My president wants to
see you in NATO, but unfortunately, among the three candidate countries
you come third now," Nuland said, according to excerpts from a
transcript made public by Crvenkovski's cabinet. Crvenkovski was
subsequently criticized by Macedonia's prime minister, Nikola Gruevski,
who accused him of trying to "demoralize" Macedonians and to
"discourage" the government's progress by making Nuland's statements
public. The United States also criticized the publication of parts of a
conversation it considered confidential, according to a report by
Macedonia's TV A1 on November 9. The country's entry into NATO could
yet be vetoed by Greece, a current alliance member and neighbor which
says that the name "Macedonia" is unacceptable and implies territorial
aspirations on the part of Skopje (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 6,
2007). TV
Southwestern Asia And The Middle East
[37] U.S. AMBASSADOR KHALILZAD URGES AFGHAN GOVERNMENT TO REFORM
Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. envoy to the UN, said on November 12 that
"there is a serious problem of governance in Afghanistan," and called
for governmental reform, news website e-ariana reported, citing AFP.
Khalilzad was speaking at a meeting of the Afghan-American Chamber of
Commerce in Washington, D.C.. Khalilzad, an Afghan-American and a
former ambassador to Kabul, expressed concern that deteriorating
security conditions and corruption are undermining reconstruction and
economic development in Afghanistan, particularly in the southern and
eastern provinces. He also cited the growing drug trade, widespread
unemployment, and the slow pace of reconstruction as among the serious
problems Afghanistan faces. Khalilzad said key reforms should include
"making appointments based on merit, countering corruption,
implementing programs for institutionalizing the rule of law, and
working systematically to [impose] state authority and good governance
at the provincial and district levels." MM
[38] U.S. AMBASSADOR CALLS FOR NATIONAL UNITY IN AFGHANISTAN
In his November 12 comments, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Khalilzad
stressed the need for unity among political leaders in Afghanistan,
Ariana Television Network reported. He said "political polarization" is
endangering the ability of Afghan leaders to unite behind their
"national interests." "There is nothing wrong with debating different
perspectives or with political competition, provided that this takes
place within a framework of national unity that serves the nation's
interests and does not harm Afghanistan's long-term interests," he
said. "Leaders should be concerned about all Afghan people regardless
of their ethnic or sectarian background, and should reject the approach
of seeking to divide Afghans because of ethnic and sectarian issues,"
he said. In his concluding remarks, he linked success in Afghanistan to
wider international efforts to stabilize the region and spur progress
and development. MM
[39] AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SAYS AFGHAN DETAINEES FACE TORTURE
Amnesty International said in a report on November 13 that scores of
Afghan detainees are being held incommunicado, without access to
lawyers, courts, or their families, Al-Jazeera reported. Detainees
"have been subjected to torture and other ill-treatment, including
being whipped, exposed to extreme cold, and deprived of food," the
report says. Amnesty senior research director Claudio Cordone called on
the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) "to suspend handing
over prisoners to Afghanistan's intelligence services until effective
safeguards are in place." He noted that "ISAF states are under an
international obligation not to hand over detainees to Afghan
authorities where they will be at risk of torture and other
ill-treatment." International law prohibits the transfer of prisoners
if they will be at risk of abuse or torture. Reacting to the report's
findings, Afghan presidential spokesman Homayun Hamidzada said: "The
laws of Afghanistan do not allow torturing of prisoners. If they're
tortured, we take this issue very seriously." MM
[40] KARZAI BOLSTERS RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN AFGHANISTAN
President Hamid Karzai on November 12 addressed a national conference
of village councils, or shuras, in Kabul to promote rural development
projects, Bakhtar News Agency reported. "Rural development leads to
national progress and economic success in Afghanistan," Karzai said,
adding that the majority of Afghans live in villages, which have for
years lacked opportunities for education and development. He said that
today rural development projects affect more than 15,000 villages
across the country, improving the lives of rural populations. Karzai
also observed that Afghanistan has historically been governed through
consultation and coordination with village leaders, and that rural
development projects therefore fit well into the traditional Afghan
governance and development mold. MM
[41] IRANIAN ACTIVIST ARRESTED AGAIN IN TEHRAN
Rights activist and journalist Heshmatollah Tabarzadi was arrested at
the Tehran chief prosecutor's office on November 11, "Etemad" reported
on November 13, quoting his family. Tabarzadi was the head of a
reformist grouping, the Democratic Front, and ran several now-banned
publications, including "Report of the Day" (Gozaresh-i Ruz). He was
previously jailed for 14 years for his activism, but a higher court
reduced the sentence to seven years and he was released on parole
toward the end of the sentence (see "RFE/RL Iran Report," June 10,
2005). He was summoned for questioning at the security department of
the Tehran prosecutor's office on November 11, then sent to jail on the
orders of Tehran's deputy chief prosecutor Hasan Haddad. The charges
were not immediately clear. Separately, three students had their jail
sentences commuted to fines, their lawyer Mahmud Alizadeh-Tabatabai
told ISCA News in Tehran on November 12. The students -- Mehdi Tajik,
Yaser Zohrei and Mohammad Hossein Kamali -- were each sentenced to 2
1/2 years in jail on unspecified charges, but have now instead been
fined a little over $3,000 each. They are also banned from starting
post-graduate courses for which they had won places at Tehran
University, "Etemad" reported on November 13. VS
[42] IRAN REJECTS PROPOSED TALKS WITH U.S. ON NUCLEAR PROGRAM...
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said in Tehran
on November 13 that discussing Iran's nuclear program with the United
States is "not an option" while Washington maintains its "hostile
policies" toward Tehran, Radio Farda reported, citing Iranian state
television. He was responding to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice's suggestion, made on ABC television on November 11, that she will
hold talks with Iranian officials if Iran suspends its nuclear
fuel-making activities. Hosseini said this is not the first time the
United States has made such a suggestion while at the same time
maintaining a "negative" attitude toward Iran's "development and
progress," Radio Farda reported. VS
[43] ...AND SAYS IT IS CLARIFYING NUCLEAR PROGRAM WITH IAEA
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs
Abbas Araqchi told British lawmakers in Tehran on November 13 that Iran
is currently answering the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA)
questions on its nuclear program, IRNA reported. He said it has
answered questions on experiments with plutonium and is responding to
others on the P1 and more advanced P2 centrifuge models used for
uranium enrichment -- areas of concern to the IAEA and the West.
Araqchi said other questions will be duly answered. He told the British
delegation that the IAEA is satisfied with Iran's cooperation, and Iran
expects the next IAEA report to its governing board to convey a
"suitable assessment." The visiting lawmakers are reportedly members of
the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee. They met on November 12
with members of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign
Policy Committee, Fars reported. Its spokesman, Kazem Jalali, told Fars
the British lawmakers said Great Britain is not trying to close down
Iran's nuclear program, and considers access to modern technology a
right for Iran. He said committee members had a "clear and frank"
two-hour meeting, in which the British said confidence-building is the
main issue with Iran's nuclear program. Jalali said the Iranians said
confidence-building is not a "one-way street," and that they too have
questions to ask British and U.S. lawmakers. VS
[44] IRANIAN JURISTS TO DECIDE THIS MONTH ON COMPUTERIZED VOTING
Abbas Ali Kadkhodai, the spokesman for the Guardians Council, the body
of jurists that must validate election results in Iran, said on
November 12 that the body will formally decide by November 20 or 21
whether votes in parliamentary polls set for mid-March should be
counted by hand or with the help of computers, ISNA reported. Many
Iranian politicians and the Interior Ministry favor computerized
vote-counting to avoid the bitter wrangling and accusations that often
accompany the final stages of Iranian elections. Kadkhodai indicated on
November 10 that there will be no computerized elections in March,
causing frustration among politicians. But he said on November 12 that
the Interior Ministry has not given it specific proposals or identified
the necessary software for computerizing voting. "We cannot drive with
our eyes shut," he said. "We need the necessary guarantees that the
process would be accurate." He continued, "Until we are given these
assurances and programs...we cannot take risks here, and...hold
elections when we have no information on the conditions." He suggested
that it is now too late to plan computerized voting for March, and
expressed hope that subsequent polls will be computerized. VS
[45] TURKISH AIRCRAFT BOMB PKK TARGETS IN IRAQ
Turkish aircraft on November 13 reportedly bombed Kurdistan Workers
Party (PKK) positions in northern Iraq, international media reported.
CNN Turk and NTV, citing an unnamed Iraqi military official, reported
that Turkish helicopters attacked an uninhabited village in the Zakho
district in northern Iraq near the Turkish border. But a spokesman for
the Kurdistan regional government, Jamal Abdallah, denied that the
village had been bombed, and said that Turkish helicopters had only
dropped flares while flying over the village. Meanwhile, the Turkish
military announced earlier that four soldiers were killed in clashes
with PKK fighters in Turkey's Sirnak Province near the Iraqi border.
Turkey has approximately 100,000 troops stationed near the Iraqi
border, and Turkish military sources have said that hundreds of special
forces are also being deployed to the border region, Reuters reported.
The latest casualties in Sirnak are likely to increase public pressure
on Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to launch a major
military campaign inside northern Iraq to root out PKK fighters. SS
[46] AL-SADR ALLY CALLS FOR DISSOLUTION OF IRAQI PARLIAMENT
Baha al-A'raji, a leading figure in the political bloc of Shi'ite
cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, on November 13 called on Iraqi President Jalal
Talabani to dissolve the Iraqi parliament and hold new elections,
Al-Sharqiyah television reported. Al-A'raji said the parliament has
become weak and politicized instead of fulfilling its purpose of
helping to rebuild Iraq. He described the parliament as "an obstacle to
democracy," noting that key pieces of legislation vital to Iraq's
future, such as a comprehensive oil law and revision of the
de-Ba'athification law, have yet to be passed. "This parliament is a
source of worry to the Iraqi people. The sectarian differences are
evident among its members, and that is affecting the people," al-A'raji
said. But another prominent member of the al-Sadr bloc, Ali al-Mayyali,
stressed during an interview with Al-Jazeera satellite television that
al-A'raji's comments were his own personal opinion, and do not reflect
the official position of the al-Sadr bloc. SS
[47] U.S. CONTINUES TO HOLD THREE FORMER IRAQI OFFICIALS...
The "Los Angeles Times" reported on November 13 that the U.S. military
will continue to maintain physical custody of three officials of the
former Iraqi regime until the Iraqi government decides whether to
execute them. The military informed the Iraqi government of its
position in a statement on November 12. "The coalition forces are not
refusing to relinquish custody," the statement said. "We are waiting
for the government of Iraq to come to consensus as to what their law
requires before preparing a physical transfer." The three men are
former Ba'ath Party official Ali Hasan al-Majid, also known as
"Chemical Ali"; former Defense Minister Sultan Hashim Ahmad; and
Hussein Rashid Muhammad, the former deputy director of operations for
the Iraqi armed forces. The three men were sentenced to death in June
for their roles in the 1987-88 Anfal campaign, which killed an
estimated 180,000 Kurds. According to the Iraqi Constitution, the
three-man Presidential Council must sign off on all executions.
President Talabani and Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi -- two of the
three leaders on the Presidential Council -- have both refused to sign
off on Ahmad's execution, creating a constitutional impasse. Prime
Minister Nuri al-Maliki has repeatedly said the executions will take
place even without the consent of the presidential council. SS
[48] ...WHILE PREMIER HINTS EX-MINISTER'S SENTENCE COULD BE COMMUTED
Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki said on November 13 that the government
might commute the death sentence of former Iraqi Defense Minister Ahmad
if it is lawful to do so, state-run Al-Iraqiyah television reported.
Asked by a reporter whether he would commute Ahmad's death sentence if
it would help foster national reconciliation, al-Maliki responded, "I
have no objection." However, he stressed that the decision must be made
in accordance with the law and within the framework of the
constitution. Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh added that the
government does not object to working out a legal framework to commute
the sentences, as long as no laws are violated. SS
[49] U.S. CONTRACTOR KILLS TAXI DRIVER IN IRAQI CAPITAL
Guards from the U.S.-based private security firm DynCorp killed an
Iraqi taxi driver in Baghdad on November 10, international media
reported on November 13. Gregory Lagana, a spokesman for DynCorp, said
one of the guards fired at the taxi to disable it after it approached a
convoy the security firm was protecting in a "threatening manner."
Iraqi officials reported that the driver was shot in the chest and died
on his way to the hospital. Police at the scene said that a search of
the taxi found no weapons or other signs of threatening activity. U.S.
Embassy spokesman Philip Reeker said DynCorp reported a "security
incident" involving one of its teams, and that the embassy's regional
security office is "following this closely." Reeker could not confirm
any details of the incident, including whether anyone was killed or
wounded. The shooting is the latest in a series of incidents in which
private security firms in Iraq have injured or killed civilians. The
most infamous occurred on September 16, when security contractors from
the U.S. firm Blackwater killed 17 Iraqis in a shoot-out on Baghdad's
Al-Nusur Square (see "RFE/RL Newsline," September 18, 2007). SS
[50] U.S. TO BUILD BASE ON OIL PLATFORM TO PROTECT IRAQI OIL EXPORTS
"The Wall Street Journal" reported on November 12 that the U.S. Navy is
building a military installation atop an oil platform in Iraqi
territory to protect Iraqi oil exports. The installation, once
complete, will house U.S., British, and Australian forces deployed in
Iraqi waters at the northern end of the Persian Gulf. The Pentagon
stressed, however, that the construction of the facility does not mean
that the United States is planning to keep a permanent military
presence in Iraq. U.S. Navy officials were quick to point out that they
intend to hand over the facility to Iraqi forces once they are prepared
to operate it on their own. "Iraqi forces are a long way from being
able to take over the mission," said Vice Admiral Kevin Cosgriff, the
commander of U.S. naval forces in the Persian Gulf. "They are going to
need help for years to come." According to Cosgriff, the main purpose
of the installation will be to monitor and protect oil exports out of
the Khawr and Al-Basrah oil-producing facilities, which are expected to
supply approximately 2.4 percent of current world oil requirements once
they reach full capacity. "As a contributor to an increasingly
inelastic supply, that is a significant percentage. That isn't just an
Iraq issue, that's a global economic-stability issue," Cosgriff said.
SS
End Note
[51] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY
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