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RFE/RL Newsline, 07-11-20
CONTENTS
[01] FEDERATION COUNCIL VOTES TO SUSPEND CFE TREATY
[02] FOREIGN MINISTRY SAYS OSCE IS AT FAULT IN ELECTION OBSERVERS
FLAP...
[03] ...AS U.S. BLAMES RUSSIA FOR 'UPRECEDENTED' RESTRICTIONS ON OSCE
MISSION
[04] RUSSIA REPORTEDLY MOVES CLOSER TO SENDING NUCLEAR FUEL TO IRAN
[05] PRO-PUTIN MOVEMENT LEADER PROMISES 'SURPRISES' AT NOVEMBER 21
CAMPAIGN RALLY
[06] LEVADA POLL SHOWS UNIFIED RUSSIA WITH COMMANDING LEAD IN DUMA RACE
[07] CHUBAIS DENIES RUMORS HE WILL QUIT RIGHTIST PARTY
[08] SENIOR FINANCE MINISTRY OFFICIAL ARRESTED ON CORRUPTION CHARGES
[09] FIVE SUSPECTED MILITANTS KILLED IN DAGHESTAN
[10] GUNMEN KILL TRANSPORT POLICE CHIEF IN INGUSHETIA
[11] WEBSITE SEEKS TO EMBARASS INGUSHETIAN PRESIDENT
[12] TERRORISM SUSPECT DIES IN NALCHIK TRYING TO ESCAPE INTERROGATION
[13] FORMER ARMENIAN PRESIDENT APOLOGIZES FOR 'DISASTROUS' PERSONNEL
APPOINTMENTS
[14] CHECHEN OPPOSITIONIST GUNNED DOWN IN AZERBAIJAN
[15] GEORGIAN PRESIDENT DISMISSES PRIME MINISTER, NAMES SUCCESSOR
[16] TRIAL IN ABSENTIA BEGINS OF FORMER GEORGIAN DEFENSE MINISTER
[17] KAZAKH MINISTER CLAIMS NEW AGREEMENT REACHED WITH INDEPENDENT
MEDIA...
[18] ...AND CALLS FOR STATE REGULATION OF INTERNET
[19] KAZAKH DEFENSE MINISTER PLEDGES ADOPTION OF 'SPACE TECHNOLOGY' BY
MILITARY
[20] KYRGYZSTAN VOTES TO JOIN UN CONVENTION AGAINST CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
[21] KYRGYZ COURT CONVICTS TWO CIVIL SOCIETY FIGURES
[22] KYRGYZ ELECTION COMMISSION REGISTERS OPPOSITION PARTY
[23] TAJIK FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS WITH TOP EU OFFICIAL
[24] TURKMEN PRESIDENT MEETS WITH VISITING U.S. OFFICIAL
[25] SECOND UZBEK DETAINEE DIES FROM ALLEGED TORTURE
[26] BELARUSIAN EDUCATION MINISTER HEADS PRO-PRESIDENTIAL MOVEMENT
[27] U.S. OFFICIAL LINKS SANCTIONS ON BELARUS TO STATUS OF POLITICAL
PRISONERS
[28] GAS BLAST KILLS AT LEAST 69 UKRAINIAN MINERS IN DONETSK
[29] CRIMEAN TATARS CALL FOR INVESTIGATION INTO CLASHES WITH POLICE
[30] KOSOVAR OPPOSITION EMERGES VICTORIOUS...
[31] ...IN ELECTIONS MARRED BY SERBIAN BOYCOTT...
[32] ...AND BY LOW OVERALL TURNOUT
[33] VICTOR SAYS KOSOVA TO DECLARE INDEPENDENCE 'IMMEDIATELY'
[34] HOME OF KOSOVAR SERB POLITICIAN ATTACKED
[35] SERBIA FINDS WEAPONS IN HUNT FOR WAR CRIMINALS
[36] CLASH BETWEEN SERBIA'S MUSLIMS TURNS VIOLENT
[37] UN WARNED OF WORSENING SITUATION IN BOSNIA
[38] SWITZERLAND REPORTEDLY SEEKING FOREIGN FIGHTERS' EXTRADITION TO
BOSNIA
[39] TALIBAN MILITANTS EXECUTE FIVE POLICE OFFICERS IN SOUTHERN
AFGHANISTAN
[40] AFGHAN DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS TALIBAN POSES NO LONG-TERM THREAT
[41] AFGHANISTAN'S TOLO TV PROVOKES CONSERVATIVE BACKLASH
[42] JAPAN'S NEW PRIME MINISTER AFFIRMS SUPPORT FOR AFGHANISTAN
[43] IRANIAN AUTHORITIES ARREST WOMEN'S RIGHTS ACTIVIST
[44] OFFICIAL SAYS UN INSPECTORS COMING TO IRAN...
[45] ...AS IRANIAN, EU DIPLOMATS PREPARE TO MEET
[46] IRAN, BAHRAIN SIGN AGREEMENTS
[47] IRANIAN PRESIDENT URGES OPEC TO ABANDON DOLLAR
[48] MURDERERS HANGED IN WESTERN IRAN
[49] MASS GRAVE DISCOVERED IN BAGHDAD
[50] TWO FORMER IRAQI HEALTH MINISTRY OFFICIALS TO STAND TRIAL
[51] SUNNI BLOC SAYS IT DOES NOT AIM TO BRING DOWN GOVERNMENT
[52] IRAQ SAYS IRAN IS HELPING PREVENT FLOW OF WEAPONS
[53] U.S. FORCES KILL TWO CIVILIANS IN SOUTHERN IRAQ
[54] IRAQI FINANCE MINISTRY OFFICIAL ESCAPES ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
[55] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY.
Monday, November 19, 2007 Volume 11 Number 214
Russia
[01] FEDERATION COUNCIL VOTES TO SUSPEND CFE TREATY
The Federation Council voted unanimously on November 16 to suspend
Moscow's participation in the Conventional Forces In Europe (CFE)
treaty, which limits the deployment of tanks and other conventional
weapons west of the Urals. RFE/RL reported that the bill, which was
passed earlier this month by the State Duma, effectively confirms a
presidential decree issued in July announcing Russia's intention to
suspend its participation in the treaty after a 150-day waiting period.
Russia's chief of the General Staff, Yury Baluyevsky, told Federation
Council members on November 16 that Russia's decision to suspend
participation in the CFE treaty as of December 12 was correct and
logical and that NATO also clearly understands the reasoning behind
Russia's decision. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after
the Federation Council vote that Russia is seeking to "restore
strategic stability and the military and political balance on the
European continent" and expects "a reaction that would allow putting
arms controls in Europe in order." This can only be done, he said, "by
adopting an agreement on adjusting the Conventional Forces in Europe
treaty and, in general, by modernizing what is a hopelessly outdated
[arms control] regime." In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman
Sean McCormack called the Federation Council vote to suspend CFE
compliance "an unfortunate decision," Agence France Presse reported on
November 16. Russia has "some deeply held concerns about implementation
of the treaty," he said, adding that the United States and other CFE
signatory states "are working in good faith to try and address their
concerns in a constructive way, within the confines of the treaty." JB
[02] FOREIGN MINISTRY SAYS OSCE IS AT FAULT IN ELECTION OBSERVERS
FLAP...
Russia's Foreign Ministry has said that Russia will not "cry" over the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's decision not to
send election observers to monitor Russian parliamentary elections on
December 2, newsru.com reported on November 19. Those elections will in
any case "testify to the strengthening of democracy in Russia," the
ministry said in a statement. Urdur Gunnarsdottir, a spokeswoman for
the OSCE's Office For Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR),
blamed Russia for the decision not to send election observers, telling
RFE/RL on November 16 that despite having received assurances from
Moscow that an invitation for 70 ODIHR election monitors was
"forthcoming," the invitation took two months to arrive, which was not
enough time for the observers to receive visas before the election. The
only other time that the OSCE has called off an election-observer
mission was in 1996, in Albania. During Russia's last State Duma
elections in 2003, ODIHR dispatched 450 observers to monitor the poll,
but this year Russia's Election Commission said only 70 monitors from
the OSCE would be allowed. Russia's Foreign Ministry said in its
statement that it was ODIHR's own "confusion" and the "disparaging
manner of the actions of its leadership," which did not pay attention
to "universally accepted" procedures, which kept ODIHR observers from
coming to Russia. Responding to criticism over Russia's decision to cut
the number of international observers for this year's parliamentary
elections, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said on November 18 that
"all countries, including Russia, have only one obligation, written in
the OSCE documents of 1990, and that is the obligation to invite
international observers to elections," newsru.com reported. JB
[03] ...AS U.S. BLAMES RUSSIA FOR 'UPRECEDENTED' RESTRICTIONS ON OSCE
MISSION
The United States said Russia is to blame for the fact that ODIHR will
not send observers to monitor the December 2 parliamentary elections.
AFP on November 16 quoted U.S. National Security Council spokesman
Gordon Johndroe as saying, "We are troubled that Russia imposed
conditions that forced ODIHR to make this decision." According to AFP,
Johndroe said Washington fully supports the OSCE decision. "The Russian
government should honor its commitments as an OSCE member, lift any
constraints on ODIHR and permit them to observe the...voting in a
manner consistent with free and fair elections," he said. Earlier on
November 16, U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in a
statement posted on the State Department's website, state.gov, that
ODIHR's decision "was made as a result of what ODIHR termed
'unprecedented' restrictions on its mission, which included limits on
the number of observers and the duration of their stay in Russia, as
well as other constraints." AFP quoted McCormack as telling reporters
"I am not sure that you can find a case in the past where a member
country put up such obstacles to the OSCE conducting such a monitoring
mission. We ourselves had hundreds of OSCE monitors in the U.S. during
our last presidential election." JB
[04] RUSSIA REPORTEDLY MOVES CLOSER TO SENDING NUCLEAR FUEL TO IRAN
Russia's state-owned nuclear-fuel producer, TVEL, said on November 16
that inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the
United Nations' nuclear watchdog, will later this month start sealing
nuclear fuel bound for Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant, Reuters
reported. The news agency described the move as "a major step toward
shipping the fuel" to Bushehr and "the clearest indication" yet from
Russia that it is "ready to send uranium to fuel Iran's first atomic
power station." In a report issued on November 15, the IAEA said it has
"made arrangements to verify and seal the fresh fuel" on November 26
"before shipment of the fuel from Russia to Iran." The IAEA inspectors
will go to Russia's Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrate Plant, which is
preparing the fuel, and will work there through November 29, Reuters
quoted plant officials as saying. While in Tehran last month, President
Vladimir Putin refused to promise that Russia will supply nuclear fuel
for Bushehr before he steps down from the presidency in 2008, telling
an Iranian journalist, "I only gave promises to my mom when I was a
small boy." Putin said IAEA rules dictate that fuel "is to be supplied
for such a facility several months before the nuclear reactor is put
into operation," but indicated that it remains unclear when the Bushehr
reactor will be put into operation (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 17,
2007). JB
[05] PRO-PUTIN MOVEMENT LEADER PROMISES 'SURPRISES' AT NOVEMBER 21
CAMPAIGN RALLY
Pavel Astakhov, one of the leaders of the national For Putin! movement,
told Interfax on November 19 that the country can expect "surprises"
when his movement and Unified Russia hold a joint rally in Moscow's
Luzhniki stadium on November 21. President Putin is expected to
participate in that rally and, according to numerous media reports, may
agree to become the head of the Unified Russia party. Astakhov admitted
that his movement is working closely with Unified Russia because of
their shared views and goals and said that Unified Russia has paid to
have the For Putin! movement's recent national resolution printed in
newspapers (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 16, 2007). In that
resolution, the organization called for Putin to remain as the
country's "national leader" following the end of his current term as
president. Astakhov said the concept of "national leader" does not need
to be incorporated into the constitution and that Putin's formal
position will become clear on December 3, the day after the Duma
elections. Gazeta.ru reported on November 19 that Unified Russia
officials have said the party plans an all-out national campaign over
the next two weeks, including numerous campaign appearances by Putin.
According to the website, the campaign will end two or three days
before the voting, with a major concert and fireworks show in Murmansk.
RC
[06] LEVADA POLL SHOWS UNIFIED RUSSIA WITH COMMANDING LEAD IN DUMA RACE
The latest opinion poll by the Levada Center concerning the December 2
State Duma elections shows the pro-Kremlin Unified Russia party with 66
percent of the vote and the Communist Party coming in second with 14
percent, gazeta.ru reported on November 16. No other parties so far
surmount the 7 percent barrier needed to earn mandates in the new lower
chamber. The poll showed the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia with 6
percent and A Just Russia with 5 percent. All other parties polled less
than 3 percent of the vote. According to those results, Unified Russia
would have 371 seats in the Duma, and the Communists would have the
remaining 79. Three hundred seats are needed for a constitutional
majority. The results of the November poll are virtually identical to
those the Levada Center published in mid-October; that poll gave
Unified Russia 68 percent (369 seats) and the Communist Party 15
percent (81 seats). RC
[07] CHUBAIS DENIES RUMORS HE WILL QUIT RIGHTIST PARTY
Unified Energy Systems (EES) CEO Anatoly Chubais, who is a founding
leader and a national Political Council member of the Union of Rightist
Forces (SPS) political party, on November 19 rejected media reports
that he will quit the party, Interfax reported. "I have not planned and
do not plan to take such an action," Chubais said. "Kommersant"
reported in its November 19 morning edition that Chubais planned to
leave the party, citing SPS officials. "Chubais had a choice between
[President] Putin and the SPS," fellow SPS Political Council member
Boris Nemtsov told the daily. "And he chose Putin, because he works for
him" in his role as EES head, Nemtsov said. Boris Nadezhdin, who is
also an SPS Political Council member, emphasized that Chubais has not
participated in the management of the party for some time now, as did
SPS Political Council Deputy Chairman Leonid Grozman. The SPS has been
actively positioning itself as an anti-Putin party in the Duma campaign
and has appealed to the Supreme Court to disqualify Putin from
participating as a candidate (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 15,
2007). RC
[08] SENIOR FINANCE MINISTRY OFFICIAL ARRESTED ON CORRUPTION CHARGES
Deputy Finance Minister Sergei Storchak was arrested on November 15 on
suspicion of large-scale corruption, "Vremya novostei" and other
Russian media reported on November 19. The arrest was announced
publicly on November 17. Storchak is a close aide of Deputy Prime
Minister and Finance Minister Aleksei Kudrin and has been Russia's main
foreign-debt negotiator. He also oversees the country's $148 billion
Stabilization Fund, "The Moscow Times" reported on November 19. A
source close to the investigation told Reuters on November 17 that more
arrests can be expected and that "a number of banks are involved." The
case apparently involves the calculation and repayment of Soviet-era
debt to a firm called Sodeksim. Sodeksim General Director Viktor
Zakharov and Interregional Investment Bank (MIB) board Chairman Vadim
Volkov, who served as deputy finance minister in 1999-2004, were also
arrested. Speaking to reporters during a trip to South Africa, Kudrin
defended Storchak as someone who "every day struggled for every kopek,"
"The Moscow Times" reported. "Vremya novostei" speculated that the
arrest is the latest twist in the emerging conflicts among Russia's
ruling clans as the country's power transition proceeds (see "
Political Environment Dooms Bid To Fight Corruption," rferl.org,
September 21, 2007, and "Uncertainty Over Putin Succession Fuels
'Siloviki War,'" rferl.org, November 9, 2007). RC
[09] FIVE SUSPECTED MILITANTS KILLED IN DAGHESTAN
Police surrounded and stormed a house in the settlement of Stepnoi on
the southern outskirts of Makhachkala, killing two of a group of
militants ensconced there, kavkaz-uzel.ru reported on November 15. Also
on November 15, police exchanged fire with two men in a parked car on
the Makhachkala-Kaspiisk highway, killing both of them. They were
subsequently identified as Kamil Musalieyv and Roman Shirinbekov, both
suspected of belonging to, or maintaining ties with, illegal armed
formations, according to Daghestan Interior Ministry acting spokesman
Mark Tolchinsky. On November 17, police again stormed a private home in
Makhachkala, killing Ulluby Balatkhanov, a suspect in the murder of
several policemen, kavkaz-uzel.ru reported. LF
[10] GUNMEN KILL TRANSPORT POLICE CHIEF IN INGUSHETIA
Unidentified gunmen late on November 14 opened fire on Colonel Salman
Arapkhanov, the head of Ingushetia's transport police, in the yard of
his home in Ordjonikidzevskaya in Sunzha Raion, kavkaz-uzel.ru.
Arapkhanov died shortly afterwards in hospital. The website
ingushetiya.ru on November 16 quoted his friends as expressing doubt
that he was killed by armed militants; they pointed out that his
position was considered a lucrative one, and one of several criminal
groups could have ordered his murder with the objective of engineering
the appointment of one of its members to succeed him. Also in
Ordjonikidzevskaya, Russian Interior Ministry troops stopped three
young Ingush men and then opened fire on them without any pretext late
on November 15, killing one and seriously injuring the other two,
ingushetiya.ru reported. LF
[11] WEBSITE SEEKS TO EMBARASS INGUSHETIAN PRESIDENT
Internet providers in Ingushetia on November 14 stopped rerouting users
within Ingushetia from the independent website ingushetiya.ru to a site
featuring pornographic movies, but instead blocked access to the
independent website, kavkaz-uzel.ru reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
November 13 and 14, 2007). The website appealed to Internet users to
annul contracts with the providers in question, Telekom and ITT. On
November 16, ingushetiya.ru claimed to have obtained, and said it will
soon post, video footage showing Ingushetian President Murat Zyazikov
consorting naked with prostitutes in Moscow. Magomed Mutsolgov, the
head of the human rights organization Mashr, condemned that website's
intention as incompatible with the Ingush concept of honor,
kavkaz-uzel.ru reported on November 17. Ingush oppositionist Musa
Ozdoyev, the sole parliament deputy to oppose Zyazikov's appointment in
June 2005 for a second presidential term, appealed on November 18 to
ingushetiya.ru's owner Magomed Yevloyev and its editors not to post
footage of what he termed "an orgy," arguing that doing so would
reflect negatively on both the website itself and on the Ingush people.
LF
[12] TERRORISM SUSPECT DIES IN NALCHIK TRYING TO ESCAPE INTERROGATION
Police in the suburbs of Nalchik halted and searched a car driven by
Zeitun Gayev, 29, late on November 15, and arrested him after finding
hand grenades, ammunition and explosives in his car, kavkaz-uzel.ru
reported, quoting a police spokesman. Gayev was refused access to a
lawyer, and police announced late on November 16 that he jumped to his
death from a fourth-story window during interrogation. Also on November
15, police found and defused a powerful bomb in a Nalchik park,
kavkaz-uzel.ru reported. Two weeks earlier, Kabardino-Balkaria Republic
(KBR) police claimed to have found a powerful explosive device at the
home of an unemployed man in the village of Yanikoy in Chegem Raion,
kavkaz-uzel.ru reported, quoting RIA Novosti. KBR police on November 15
also named nine suspects in the killing earlier this month of a group
of hunters near the village of Lechinkai, kavkaz-uzel.ru reported (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," November 5, 6, and 7, 2007). The nine include Anzor
Astemirov, a.k.a. Seyfullah, leader of the Kabardino-Balkaria jamaat.
LF
Transcaucasia And Central Asia
[13] FORMER ARMENIAN PRESIDENT APOLOGIZES FOR 'DISASTROUS' PERSONNEL
APPOINTMENTS
Speaking on November 16 to some 20,000 supporters at a rally in
Yerevan, Levon Ter-Petrossian admitted to having made major errors
during his tenure as president from 1991-1998, for which he expressed
"belated but sincere" apologies, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported.
Ter-Petrossian singled out as his gravest error of judgment having
appointed two Armenians from the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic, Robert Kocharian and Serzh Sarkisian, to government positions
in Yerevan. The two men were instrumental in forcing Ter-Petrossian to
resign in February 1998, whereupon Kocharian was elected to succeed
him. Sarkisian, now prime minister, is widely expected to win the
presidential election on February 19, 2008, in which Kocharian is
barred from seeking a third term. Ter-Petrossian has said he will run
in the presidential election. He noted that Sarkisian, who on November
10 challenged Ter-Petrossian to "repent and apologize to the Armenian
people" for his errors, never criticized the regime's policies prior to
1998 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 13, 2007). Ter-Petrossian also
rejected out of hand claims by Kocharian that his leadership "ruined"
the Armenian economy. He admitted that government corruption was a
problem during his tenure as president, but argued that his leadership
team, in contrast to Kocharian's, was not "criminal." Ter-Petrossian
called on three potential rivals to back his presidential bid,
including his main challenger in the 1996 presidential ballot,
opposition National Democratic Union Chairman Vazgen Manukian, and he
vowed that if elected, he would step down after three years and "leave
the political arena for good." He appealed to the international
community to monitor closely the preparations for and conduct of the
February 2008 election, claiming that the parliamentary ballot in May
2007 was marred by fraud "disguised with such ingenuity that no
observer could detect" it. Ter-Petrossian further called for the
immediate dismissal of Yerevan police chief Major General Nerses
Nazarian, whom Ter-Petrossian's supporters identified as one of the
police officers responsible for the beating the previous day of youth
activist Narek Galstian (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 16, 2007). LF
[14] CHECHEN OPPOSITIONIST GUNNED DOWN IN AZERBAIJAN
Imran Gaziyev, the first deputy head of the now closed representation
in Azerbaijan of the unrecognized Chechen Republic Ichkeria, was shot
dead while parking his car outside his home in Baku late on November
18, Azerbaijani media reported. The weapon used in the killing was
reportedly identical to those issued to senior members of Azerbaijan'
National Security Ministry. LF
[15] GEORGIAN PRESIDENT DISMISSES PRIME MINISTER, NAMES SUCCESSOR
President Mikheil Saakashvili on November 16 dismissed Prime Minister
Zurab Noghaideli due to his deteriorating health, less than 24 hours
after Noghaideli's office rejected as untrue reports that he would step
down, Georgian media reported. Noghaideli, who is 43, underwent open
heart surgery in the United States in April (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
April 19 and May 2, 2007), but on a visit to RFE/RL's Prague
headquarters two months later appeared to have made a remarkable
recovery. Saakashvili named as the new prime minister Vladimir (Lado)
Gurgenidze, 36, a career banker who worked from 1998-2002 for ABN AMRO.
Saakashvili assured journalists that Gurgenidze will remain in the post
after the presidential election scheduled for January 5, 2008.
Gurgenidze told journalists his primary focus will be the social
sphere, in particular reducing unemployment. (Meanwhile, Caucasus Press
reported that a new state program to create 100,000 new jobs at a cost
of just 8 laris [$4.9] each -- originally scheduled to launch on
November 19 -- has been postponed.) The dismissal of the prime minister
automatically entails the resignation of the entire cabinet, but
Minister for Economic Reform Kakha Bendukidze told Caucasus Press on
November 17 that he expects all "key ministers" will retain their posts
in the new cabinet. He praised Noghaideli as "one of Georgia's best
prime ministers." LF
[16] TRIAL IN ABSENTIA BEGINS OF FORMER GEORGIAN DEFENSE MINISTER
The trial opened in Tbilisi on November 16 of former Defense Minister
Irakli Okruashvili, who was forced to leave Georgia on October 31 and
is reported to be seeking political asylum in Germany, Caucasus Press
reported. Okruashvili was arrested on September 27 and charged with
dereliction of duty and extortion; he was released on bail of 10
million laris ($6.17 million) on October 8 after publicly retracting
damaging allegations he made against President Saakashvili in a live
interview with the independent Imedi television channel two days prior
to his arrest (see "RFE/RL Newsline," September 26 and October 9,
2007). LF
[17] KAZAKH MINISTER CLAIMS NEW AGREEMENT REACHED WITH INDEPENDENT
MEDIA...
Kazakh Minister of Culture and Information Yermukhamet Yertysbaev said
on November 16 that a new agreement was reached at a recent meeting
with representatives from the country's non-state media,
Interfax-Kazakhstan reported. Yertysbaev explained that he had "a
normal conversation" with "opposition" media officials, who he
characterized as "sensible people," and agreed "to observe certain
rules of the game and adhere to ethical norms." Some of the opposition
media officials disputed the minister's claims, however, and the
editors of the opposition "Respublika," "Taszhargan," and "Vzglyad"
newspapers published an address to their readers describing the meeting
as "an attempt to interfere in editorial policy." The opposition
editors went on to stress that "no one -- not even the information
minister or the government or the parliament -- has the right to
dictate to the independent press what it should publish." The head of
Kazakhstan's Union of Journalists, Seitkazy Mataev, also dismissed the
minister's claim of an agreement, adding that Yertysbaev was attempting
to impose "censorship" by pressuring the media not to publish materials
based on "audio recordings of telephone conversations of high-ranking
Kazakh officials" recently posted on the Internet (see "Kazakhstan:
More Leaked Recordings Target Presidential Party," November 15, 2007,
rferl.org). RG
[18] ...AND CALLS FOR STATE REGULATION OF INTERNET
Kazakh Minister of Culture and Information Yertysbaev called on
November 16 for "state regulation" of the Internet, arguing that "rules
of behavior in Kazakhstan's virtual space should be clearly specified,"
Kazakhstan Today reported. He went to recommend that "certain problems"
related to the improper use of the Internet should be subject to
"criminal punishment," just as cyber-crime and cyber-terrorism are
defined as criminal acts. Although the minister's comments are seen as
a response to the posting of audio tapes allegedly of telephone
conversations of several senior Kazakh officials on several opposition
websites (see above), it also follows a recent "cyber attack" that
disrupted the main computer network used by the Kazakh police
department in Almaty for almost two days (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
November 16, 2007). RG
[19] KAZAKH DEFENSE MINISTER PLEDGES ADOPTION OF 'SPACE TECHNOLOGY' BY
MILITARY
Daniyal Akhmetov announced on November 17 new plans to adopt "space
technology" and apply it to the Kazakh military's command and control
system, with a specific focus on military communications, navigation,
cartography, and surveillance, according to "Kazakhstan Today."
Akhmetov added that the planned application of the technology is the
latest element in Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev's goal of
developing more advanced armed forces and would supplement additional
measures of introducing "new systems of armaments and military
equipment" and "modern forms and methods of combat operations" to the
Kazakh military. Akhmetov further cited the recent adoption of "a
number of measures on strengthening air defense, providing the troops
with missiles, air and armored equipment, communications and command
systems," as well as the formation of a Kazakh navy and the
establishment of new "military infrastructure" assets on the Caspian
Sea coast. RG
[20] KYRGYZSTAN VOTES TO JOIN UN CONVENTION AGAINST CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
Tolekan Ismailova, the head of the Citizens against Corruption
human-rights center, announced on November 16 that the Kyrgyz
delegation to the United Nations voted the day before to join the UN
convention banning the use of the death penalty, according to 24.kg.
Although the resolution is not binding, Ismailova welcomed it as "a
real step towards humanizing life" and called on the Kyrgyz government
to introduce "the practice of reviewing convicts' cases every five
years" in order to "relieve our prisons and reduce the number of
convicts." RG
[21] KYRGYZ COURT CONVICTS TWO CIVIL SOCIETY FIGURES
A district court in Bishkek convicted on November 16 the leaders of two
prominent Kyrgyz civil society groups for committing an "administrative
offense" stemming from their participation in a recent "unsanctioned"
demonstration, AKIpress reported. The deputy leader of the Greens
Party, Anara Sultangazieva, and the leader of the Tokmak Resource
Center, Maksim Kuleshov, led a rally in central Bishkek's Ala-Too
Square called "Say 'No' to Dictatorship" on November 10 protesting "the
usurpation of power" by Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," November 13, 2007). The court found the two guilty of
"defying" police requests to "remove caricatures containing obscene
gestures." The court also issued a formal warning to four other
participants. Defense lawyer Nurbek Toktakunov criticized the
conviction and promised to submit an appeal to the Bishkek city court
challenging the district court's decision. The conviction follows a
recent rally organized by leading Kyrgyz human-rights activists
protesting that civil rights are "under threat" and demanding the
protection of the right to hold public gatherings and meetings (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," November 14, 2007). RG
[22] KYRGYZ ELECTION COMMISSION REGISTERS OPPOSITION PARTY
The Kyrgyz Central Electoral Commission (CEC) formally registered on
November 16 the opposition Ata-Meken party's 98 candidates for the
upcoming December 16 parliamentary election, AKIpress reported. The CEC
also endorsed the application of Erika Iriskulbekova, from the Adilet
human-rights group, as the party's authorized representative. On the
same day, the leadership of the Patriotic Party of Kyrgyzstan's Unity
announced the dissolution of the party, with its members pledging to
join the pro-government Ak-Jol party. The CEC also approved a request
by Toygonbek Kalmatov, the head of the State Agency for Religious
Affairs, to allow Kyrgyz voters leaving for the annual hajj to Saudi
Arabia to cast their votes before the elections, with voting booths to
be established at Kyrgyz airports on December 10, ITAR-TASS reported.
The CEC also confirmed that some 48 political parties will field
party-list candidates in the December parliamentary election, which the
CEC recently said would cost an estimated 151.5 million soms ($4.2
million), including more than 43 million soms ($1.19 million) for the
operation of precinct election commissions (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
October 29, 2007). RG
[23] TAJIK FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS WITH TOP EU OFFICIAL
Hamrokhon Zarifi met on November 13 in Berlin with European
Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner to discuss
the development of Tajikistan's "water and energy potential" and
border-security issues, Asia-Plus reported. Ferrero-Waldner noted that
the EU is actively engaged in assisting Tajikistan in "border
management" and "creating conditions for developing border trade," and
said that she will consider Zarifi's request for "further technical and
financial assistance" to the Tajik border and customs services.
Ferrero-Waldner also stated that the EU sees a necessity to implement
"projects aimed at developing the transport infrastructure" of the
region, with a focus on joint efforts to link Tajikistan and
Afghanistan and to develop greater trade between those two countries.
She also welcomed a recent Tajik proposal to open a Central Asian
research institute for alternative and renewable energy sources in
Dushanbe, and noted that the problem of water resources is a vital
issue for the region. Zarifi also met on the same day with German
Foreign Affairs Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and discussed measures
to expand bilateral "political, economic, cultural, and humanitarian
cooperation." RG
[24] TURKMEN PRESIDENT MEETS WITH VISITING U.S. OFFICIAL
Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov met on November 16 in Ashgabat with
visiting U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central
Asian Affairs Steven Mann, Turkmen Television reported. Mann praised
Turkmenistan's energy policy for being "open to foreign investment" and
for its "efficient use" of its natural resources. Berdymukhammedov also
stressed that the country's agricultural and industrial sectors are
similarly "priority areas" for foreign investment and discussed a
proposal to establish a "tourism zone" in western Turkmenistan. The
meeting follows a recent international energy conference in Ashgabat,
where EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs also welcomed what he
called Turkmenistan's "openness" to foreign investment in its energy
sector and pledged that the EU is "ready to work with Turkmenistan" as
one of the major exporters of energy to Europe (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
November 16, 2007). RG
[25] SECOND UZBEK DETAINEE DIES FROM ALLEGED TORTURE
The Initiative Committee of Independent Human Rights Activists in
Uzbekistan released a statement on November 17 detailing the recent
death of a second Uzbek inmate from alleged torture, RFE/RL's Uzbek
Service reported. The inmate, Tohir Nurmuhammedov, was a suspected
Islamic extremist and reportedly died of torture on November 13 while
in prison in the eastern city of Andijon. Uzbek human-rights activist
Surat Ikramov said members of Nurmuhammedov's family reported that his
body "bore multiple traces of torture, numerous wounds, grazes, and
bruises." Nurmuhammedov was sentenced to eight years in prison in April
2002 for his membership in the banned Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir.
Another alleged member of the group, Fitrat Salohiddinov, also
reportedly died recently of torture while in prison in Andijon (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," November 14, 2007). Both deaths and the similar
allegations of torture follow the release of a recent Human Rights
Watch report that contends that torture is "endemic" in the country's
criminal justice system. RG
Eastern Europe
[26] BELARUSIAN EDUCATION MINISTER HEADS PRO-PRESIDENTIAL MOVEMENT
The founding conference of the pro-presidential nationwide movement
Belaya Rus (White Russia) on November 17 elected Education Minister
Alyaksandr Radzkou as the movement's chairman, Belapan reported. The
conference in Minsk brought together 380 delegates representing all
regions of Belarus. They adopted a charter for the movement stating
that the mission of Belaya Rus will be to "contribute to the building
of a strong and prosperous Belarus and participate in matters of the
development of the country." Radzkou promised that the movement will
soon develop into the "most numerous public force" in Belarus, and will
certainly take part in the 2008 parliamentary elections. Radzkou also
said that all of independent Belarus's achievements are closely linked
to Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka. "Today it's obvious to
all that the course chosen by the president has proved its viability,"
Radzkou said. AM
[27] U.S. OFFICIAL LINKS SANCTIONS ON BELARUS TO STATUS OF POLITICAL
PRISONERS
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian
Affairs David Kramer told RFE/RL's Belarusian Service that the United
States will maintain its sanctions against Belarus unless the
government releases all political prisoners, the service reported on
November 16. Kramer said that there is a small number of political
prisoners in Belarus, but "all of them are important." As long as they
are incarcerated, Kramer continued, U.S. authorities will be forced to
take steps against Belarus. "It is time for Belarus to act as a
respectful member of the OSCE," he added. The United States has imposed
financial sanctions and travel bans on Belarusian officials over
Minsk's violations of human rights and democratic principles. In the
latest financial sanctions, the U.S. Treasury Department on November 13
froze all assets under U.S. jurisdiction belonging to Belarus's largest
petrochemical company, Belnaftakhim, and its representatives, and
forbids Americans from doing business with the company on the grounds
that it is controlled by President Lukashenka. AM
[28] GAS BLAST KILLS AT LEAST 69 UKRAINIAN MINERS IN DONETSK
A gas blast at the Zasyadko coalmine in the Donetsk region on November
18 killed at least 69 miners and injured many others, 28 of whom were
hospitalized, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reported. Rescue workers are
searching for another 30 miners. Around 450 miners were working in the
vicinity when the explosion occurred at a depth of 1,000 meters.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych said that an expert
committee is currently investigating the cause of the blast. The
Ukrainian government has offered the families of the slain miners
$20,000 each in compensation. Donetsk authorities have designated
November 19-21 as days of mourning in the region. Nearly 140 miners
have died in disasters at the Zasyadko coalmine since 1999. AM
[29] CRIMEAN TATARS CALL FOR INVESTIGATION INTO CLASHES WITH POLICE
Nearly 5,000 Crimean Tatars demonstrated on November 18 in Simferopol,
demanding that Ukrainian authorities investigate the clashes that broke
out two weeks ago between police officers and market vendors, RFE/RL's
Ukrainian Service reported. While attempting to clear illegal market
stalls in Simferopol on November 6, Ukrainian police clashed with
ethnic Tatars, four of whom were injured. Mustafa Dzhemilev, the leader
of the Mejlis -- the body representing the Crimean Tatars -- addressed
the demonstration, and cited "a new spiral of discrimination against
Crimean Tatars" and "Crimean authorities' undermining the process of
reinstating rights for Crimean Tatars." The Mejlis recently called for
protests to be held throughout the peninsula. Crimean Tatars have also
erected a tent city in downtown Simferopol as part of their protest. AM
Southeastern Europe
[30] KOSOVAR OPPOSITION EMERGES VICTORIOUS...
Unofficial results show that Kosova's largest opposition party, the
Democratic Party of Kosova (PDK), won parliamentary elections held on
November 17. The PDK's share of the vote rose from 28 percent in 2004
to 35 percent, while the leader of the governing coalition and the
strongest party in each of the past two parliamentary elections, the
Democratic League of Kosova (LDK), saw its support slump from 45
percent to 22 percent. Current figures suggest that a new party, the
New Kosova Alliance (AKR), came third with 12 percent, followed by an
alliance of the Democratic League of Dardania (LDD) and the Albanian
Christian Democratic Party of Kosovo (PShDK) with 10 percent, and the
Alliance for the Future of Kosova (AAK) with 9 percent. The AAK is led
by Ramush Haradinaj, a former prime minister currently awaiting trial
in The Hague for war crimes (see "RFE/RL Newsline," September 6, 2007).
The official results are due to be published on November 20 and
certified by the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), which oversees the
province, on December 4. AG
[31] ...IN ELECTIONS MARRED BY SERBIAN BOYCOTT...
As in the last elections, in 2004, Kosovar Serbs chose to boycott the
vote, a decision that will mean that the 10 seats reserved under the
constitution for ethnic-Serbian representatives in the 120-seat
assembly will not be occupied. A November 17 report by the Serbian
broadcaster B92 said that just five ethnic Serbs voted in the north of
the region, their main base, and that in central Kosova turnout "was
somewhat higher but still extremely low, with 3 percent of the 5,000
Serbs registered" going to the polls. Kosovar Serbs were split on the
wisdom of a boycott, with some moderates arguing that the previous
boycott did nothing to improve the everyday lot or the political
position of Kosovar Serbs. But the extremely low Serb turnout indicates
that ultimately almost all Serbs heeded the call for a boycott made by
the Serbian government (see "RFE/RL Newsline," July 30, August 9 and
20, and September 4, 12, and 19, 2007). The boycott was criticized by
Western powers, UNMIK, and the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which organized the vote. AG
[32] ...AND BY LOW OVERALL TURNOUT
There was also concern -- voiced most publicly in a statement by an
"alarmed" Council of Europe -- that just 43 percent of the Kosovar
electorate voted, 10 percentage points lower than in the 2004 elections
and the lowest figure yet in elections in the region. Snow and cold
temperatures may have dissuaded some voters, but analysts quoted in the
local and international media attributed the drop chiefly to apathy,
disappointment with living standards and politicians, and a protest
vote against the LDK. Election monitors said there were some minor
incidents but concluded that the elections met international standards.
However, one Kosovar Albanian party, the AKR, has complained of "many
irregularities," and a senior figure in Serbia's Ministry for Kosovo
Affairs, Dusan Prorokovic, claimed on TV Pink on November 18 that "too
many people were registered on voter lists," which, he asserted, was
one of several explanations for the low turnout. Mobile voting stations
were used in some Serb-populated areas as local officials refused to
allow polling stations to be set up. The Serbian news agency FoNet
reported that at two polling stations in Strpce, former policemen
threatened would-be voters. AG
[33] VICTOR SAYS KOSOVA TO DECLARE INDEPENDENCE 'IMMEDIATELY'
The leader of the victorious PDK, Hashim Thaci, said on November 17
that Kosova will declare independence "immediately" after December 10,
when international mediators seeking to broker an agreement on Kosova's
final status are due to report to the UN's secretary general. Thaci,
who has repeatedly said that a declaration of independence should be
coordinated with the international community, did not indicate whether
his putative government would take unilateral action and whether
"immediately" means days, weeks, or months. Parliamentary support for
independence is assured, but the uncertainty about the status talks,
about international support for Kosova's independence, and about
regional security is widely expected to result in the rapid formation
of a new government. Since the PDK and the LDK have previously said
they will not enter a coalition with the AKR or the LDD-PShDK alliance,
a coalition between the two largest parties is highly probable.
Unofficial comments by PDK officials quoted in the local and
international media suggest the PDK is already planning to pursue a
partnership with the LDK, which has been in the region's government
since the end of the 1998-99 war. A deal could involve the seat of
prime minister. Although Thaci on November 17 described himself as
Kosova's new prime minister, the post of premier has traditionally not
been occupied by a member of the largest party. The post-election
rebalancing of power may also have an effect on the composition or
strength of the five-member "Unity Team" representing Kosova in the
talks on the region's status. The serving prime minister, Agim Ceku,
did not contest the election; one of the Unity Team's members, Veton
Surroi, heads a party that may not clear the 5 percent hurdle needed to
enter parliament; and the new parliament will also choose a new
speaker, a post that also brings with it membership in the Unity Team.
Thaci was already a member of the team in his capacity as leader of the
opposition. Thaci was a military commander during the Kosovar
Albanians' war with Serbia in 1998-99, as were two of Kosova's previous
prime ministers, Agim Ceku (premier since March 2006) and Ramush
Haradinaj (December 2004-March 2005). AG
[34] HOME OF KOSOVAR SERB POLITICIAN ATTACKED
Three "explosive devices" were thrown at the home of a Kosovar Serb
politician on November 16, the Serbian news agency B92 reported. The
news agency quoted the target of the attack, Stojanka Petkovic, as
saying ethnic Serbs were responsible. "Albanians didn't do this; this
was the work of Serbs and I want the public to know this," Petkovic
said in comments also carried by the news agencies Beta and Tanjug.
Petkovic is a member of the G17 Plus coalition, which is part of the
Serbian government. Petkovic did not link the attack to Kosova's
parliamentary elections, from which G17 Plus withdrew several weeks
ago, but instead to previous threats connected to her "fight against
corruption and crime, and for truth and justice." No one was hurt in
the incident, which is currently being investigated. In contrast to
Petkovic, Serbia's minister for Kosovar affairs, Slobodan Samardzic,
pointed the finger at Kosovar Albanians. "Just as before, Serbs live in
fear and uncertainty, and with this act, the perpetrators want to
intensify those feelings among Kosovo Serbs," he said in comments
carried by Serbian media. "Now that everyone, especially the Serbian
side, wants to prove that it is possible to resolve the issue of
Kosovo's status, it is very important to see clearly who causes these
incidents and intimidates Kosovo Serbs," Samardzic said. AG
[35] SERBIA FINDS WEAPONS IN HUNT FOR WAR CRIMINALS
The Serbian authorities last week staged four operations in an effort
to find suspected war criminals, Serbian Labor Minister Rasim Ljajic
told the Serbian daily "Blic" on November 18. Ljajic, who heads the
committee that oversees cooperation with the International Criminal
Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), said that during one of the
operations "enough weapons to arm a platoon" were found. He said one
operation was in Belgrade, one in central Serbia, and two in the
northern province of Vojvodina, but provided no other details. Ljajic
also said that Serbia's war crimes prosecutor, Vladimir Vukcevic, had
in the preceding days visited the ICTY in The Hague to question former
Serbian President Milan Milutinovic and wartime Bosnian Serb politician
Momcilo Krajisnik about allegations that Richard Holbrooke, a former
U.S. envoy in the Balkans, had offered Radovan Karadzic, the Bosnian
Serbs' wartime leader, immunity from prosecution if he left the
political stage in post-war Bosnia. Serbia began investigating this
longstanding allegation against Holbrooke earlier this year following
the publication of a book by a former ICTY spokeswoman alleging that
Russia and Western powers systematically prevented the capture of
Karadzic (see "RFE/RL Newsline," September 11, 12, and 21, and October
5 and 17, 2007). Holbrooke has dismissed the claim. AG
[36] CLASH BETWEEN SERBIA'S MUSLIMS TURNS VIOLENT
Four people were injured on November 16 when supporters of two rival
factions in the Muslim community in Sandzak clashed in a mosque in the
southern region's capital, Novi Pazar. Reports indicate the violence
erupted when about 200 supporters loyal to a Belgrade-based community
leader, Hamdija Jusufspahic, tried to enter a mosque in which 60 people
were attending prayers led by Muamer Zukorlic, a Muslim leader who
continues to defend Sarajevo as the spiritual center of Serbia's
Muslims. Jusufspahic's supporters had reportedly been praying outside
the mosque for much of the past two weeks. Three people -- including
two policemen -- were injured by stones and bricks, and another by a
gunshot, a police commander told the Serbian news agency Tanjug. The
violence is further evidence that tensions continue to simmer after
they boiled over into violence in early October (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
October 10, 2007). AG
[37] UN WARNED OF WORSENING SITUATION IN BOSNIA
The political situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina is deteriorating and the
EU's military force in the country, EUFOR, should remain there,
Bosnia's outgoing Prime Minister Nikola Spiric and the international
community's High Representative Miroslav Lajcak warned the UN Security
Council on November 15. EUFOR's mandate runs out on November 21. The
assessment of the general trend and the need for continued security
guarantees were isolated points of agreement between the two men.
Spiric resigned in October after Lajcak won international backing for
his plan to streamline decision-making in the country, a move that
Spiric and other Bosnian Serb leaders believe undermines the rights
guaranteed for ethnic Serbs in the peace accords that ended the Bosnian
war in 1995. Although Russia ultimately backed Lajcak's reforms, it
repeated its criticisms of Lajcak on November 14, when, according to
the news agency STA and the news service Balkan Insight, Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters in Slovenia that the "crisis" was
"created by High Representative Lajcak's actions." It is highly likely
EUFOR's mandate will be renewed, as it has been in previous years.
EUFOR cut its presence in Bosnia from 6,000 troops to about 2,500
earlier this year, but its commander recently warned of the possibility
of war (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 31, 2007). Lajcak was in New
York to review developments between April and September this year,
prior to the crisis triggered by his reforms. AG
[38] SWITZERLAND REPORTEDLY SEEKING FOREIGN FIGHTERS' EXTRADITION TO
BOSNIA
Switzerland wants to send back to Bosnia seven North African asylum
seekers who fought in Bosnia's civil war in 1992-95, Swiss and Bosnian
media have reported. Details are scant, but the seven men, who are said
to be Tunisian and Moroccan in origin, are believed to have been
granted Bosnian passports for fighting alongside Bosnian Muslims in the
1992-95 civil war. Bosnia this summer began to review the citizenship
of hundreds of foreigners who fought in the war as part of a broader
review of naturalization procedures (see "RFE/RL Newsline," March 23,
April 12, June 28, and August 22, 2007). The Bosnian daily "Nezavisne
novine" on November 16 quoted an official in Bosnia's Security
Ministry, Dragan Mektic, as saying that Bosnia is "now checking the
citizenship of those persons as well as their stays here. We have not
replied yet to the Swiss." Mektic also said the men are married to
Bosnian women and have five to six children each. The Swiss authorities
told AP on November 17 that the case is "pending," but gave no details.
AG
Southwestern Asia And The Middle East
[39] TALIBAN MILITANTS EXECUTE FIVE POLICE OFFICERS IN SOUTHERN
AFGHANISTAN
Five Afghan policemen who were abducted by suspected Taliban insurgents
were found mutilated and hanging from trees on November 17 in Oruzgan
Province in southern Afghanistan, presumably as a warning to other
Afghan security forces and locals, the Bakhtar News Agency reported on
November 18. Provincial police chief Juma Gul Hemmat said "the Taliban
told people that whoever works with the government will suffer the same
fate as these policemen." The victims were apparently among 32 police
officers who were kidnapped in Dehrawod district by Taliban militants
two months ago. Violence is widespread in southern Afghanistan, where
two Canadian soldiers and dozens of Taliban militants were killed in
clashes in recent days. Afghan and international sources estimate that
the number of insurgency-related casualties in Afghanistan has reached
6,000 this year. MM
[40] AFGHAN DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS TALIBAN POSES NO LONG-TERM THREAT
Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak on November 18 said the
Taliban insurgency will pose no threat once the Afghan Army reaches
full strength and acquires the necessary training and weapons, Bakhtar
News Agency reported. At a news conference in Kabul, he appealed for
perseverance in fighting the Taliban insurgency, and reassured the
U.S.-led coalition forces that "the enemies have resorted to fighting
in small groups and conducting guerrilla warfare and ambushes, but they
do not pose any threat to long-term security in Afghanistan." Wardak
described Taliban tactics and strategy as undermining domestic and
foreign confidence in the Afghan government, and as such, "the
psychological effects...are to make people think that the situation is
getting worse." He suggested that U.S. and NATO forces should conduct
house-to-house searches alongside Afghan forces, and make every effort
to avoid civilian casualties. MM
[41] AFGHANISTAN'S TOLO TV PROVOKES CONSERVATIVE BACKLASH
Amid growing tensions between independent media and conservative forces
in Afghan government and society, Tolo TV on November 18 provoked sharp
criticism from the Culture Ministry and key Muslim clerics by
broadcasting a hip-shaking performance by Colombian pop star Shakira,
the U.K.'s "Daily Telegraph" reported. Tolo TV, Afghanistan's largest
commercial station, has often faced condemnation for broadcasting
Western-style programs including versions of MTV, Oprah, and Pop Idol.
Afghan authorities have warned Tolo that it faces possible legal action
for offending the religious sensibilities of the Afghan public. The
incident is the latest sign of a growing backlash by the country's
powerful conservative forces against the tide of liberalization since
the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001. President Hamid Karzai's
government is under increasing pressure from lawmakers and Muslim
scholars who consider such shows indecent and condemn the media's
perceived excesses for providing "inspiration to suicide bombers." MM
[42] JAPAN'S NEW PRIME MINISTER AFFIRMS SUPPORT FOR AFGHANISTAN
Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said during his first trip to the
United States on November 16 that he supports the international
community's efforts to ensure that Afghanistan does not fall back into
the hands of extremists, Pajhwak Afghan News reported. "We should never
allow Afghanistan to once again become a hotbed for terrorism," Fukuda
said in Washington, D.C. Fukuda added that he "communicated to
President [George W.] Bush that I shall do my level best to achieve an
early passage of a bill for the early resumption of refueling
activities in the Indian Ocean by the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense
Force." Japanese naval forces recently stopped refueling supply ships
bound for Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom due to
domestic opposition to Japanese participation in the operation. MM
[43] IRANIAN AUTHORITIES ARREST WOMEN'S RIGHTS ACTIVIST
A Tehran court had feminist and writer Mariam Hosseinkhah arrested on
November 18 after she was called in for questioning, Radio Farda and
Iranian papers have reported. She helped run the "Zanestan" website,
which reported on the privately run Women's Cultural Center, and which
was blocked days ago, "Etemad" reported on November 19. The daily
quoted her husband, Shahab Mirzai, as saying that the security
department of the Tehran Revolutionary Court summoned her on November
17 and 18 for questioning in relation to charges of inciting public
opinion, publishing false reports, and engaging in propaganda against
the Iranian polity, after which she was arrested and sent to Evin
prison in Tehran. VS
[44] OFFICIAL SAYS UN INSPECTORS COMING TO IRAN...
The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Gholamreza Aqazadeh, has
said that inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
will arrive in Iran within the next two weeks to examine the sources of
traces of highly enriched uranium -- usable in nuclear bomb-making --
in "one of Iran's technical universities," Radio Farda reported on
November 17, citing ISNA. The broadcaster was apparently referring to
remarks made by Aqazadeh in Tehran late on November 15. He said this
was part of the "modalities" for the clarification of Iran's nuclear
program under terms agreed with the IAEA in late August. The IAEA
presented a report of Iran's cooperation on November 15, observing that
Iran is cooperating, but continuing to enrich uranium in defiance of UN
demands. Iranian officials have warned that more punitive measures
against Iran may jeopardize its cooperation. Javad Vaidi, a deputy
secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, told Mehr
news agency on November 17 that Iran's continued cooperation depends on
"rational and lawful" conduct by the 5+1 powers, the five permanent
members of the UN Security Council and Germany. VS
[45] ...AS IRANIAN, EU DIPLOMATS PREPARE TO MEET
Iranian Supreme National Security Council Deputy Secretary Vaidi told
reporters in Tehran on November 17 that he will meet with Robert
Cooper, a deputy to Javier Solana, the top EU diplomat dealing with the
Iranian nuclear issue, on November 21 in Vienna. He said the two will
plan for the next meeting between Solana and Supreme National Security
Council Secretary Said Jalili. He said he will not discuss IAEA
Director-General Muhammad el-Baradei's recent report with Cooper. Vaidi
said Iran has in past years cooperated with the IAEA and the IAEA is
now in a position to reveal "some of the facts" about Iran's program.
Vaidi accused hostile Western powers of seeking to disrupt Iran's
cooperation with the IAEA. He said the past postures and "illegal
wishes of" the United States and "some Western states" have shown that
"reporting on [Iran's] lawful and responsible" conduct seems to have no
effect on their "problematic" behavior. VS
[46] IRAN, BAHRAIN SIGN AGREEMENTS
Iran and Bahrain signed three cooperation agreements during a visit
there by President Mahmud Ahmadinejad on November 17, the daily
"Jomhuri Islami" reported on November 18. The agreements concern
expanding cooperation in the gas and fishing sectors and avoiding
double taxation. A joint statement was issued calling for enhanced
bilateral cooperation. The daily quoted Ahmadinejad as saying during
his talks with Bahraini King Sheikh Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa that
regional states should assure their own security without foreign
interference. He later told a news conference that Iran does not
anticipate any new conflict in the region, but said the enemy likes to
maintain "the shadow of threats" over Iran. He said Iran has not
encouraged tensions, but "our response will be clear" if "enemies"
commit a "mistake." He told a reporter that Iran does not feel there is
any crisis brewing on the nuclear issue, even if the United States
does. "There is no nuclear issue as far as we are concerned, and the
matter is over, and the Americans are not happy about this...ultimately
we think the crisis is in Washington, not in the region," Ahmadinejad
reportedly said. He accused Western powers of "plotting" in the region
to avoid having to "evacuate," "Jomhuri Islami" reported. VS
[47] IRANIAN PRESIDENT URGES OPEC TO ABANDON DOLLAR
President Ahmadinejad went from Bahrain to Riyadh, where he attended
the third-ever meeting of OPEC heads of state on November 18, Radio
Farda reported, citing agency reports. Ahmadinejad said the oil
producers' cartel should start charging for oil in currencies other
than the dollar, given the U.S. currency's recent and steady
depreciation. Iran and Venezuela had reportedly asked for the session
to consider exchanging the dollar for one or a basket of alternative
currencies, a request opposed by Saudi Arabia, the world's largest
single producer. Ahmadinejad told OPEC leaders that while the nominal
price of oil might have risen, a 45 percent drop in the value of the
dollar in the past couple of years had dented an apparent rise in OPEC
members' revenues, Radio Farda reported. He said the United States is
trying to hide the damage the dollar's slide can do, presumably to
states earning dollars. He also urged members to work on starting a
regional oil bourse. Ahmadinejad accused "certain forceful powers" of
disrupting the energy market with talk of war in the Middle East or
threats of action against Iran. The "selfishness and incorrect
decisions" of one unnamed power, he said, are having increasingly
negative effects on the world economy. Ahmadinejad said OPEC should
resist raising its production level in response to an "often artificial
increase in demand" for crude oil, Radio Farda reported. VS
[48] MURDERERS HANGED IN WESTERN IRAN
Authorities on November 15 hanged three men convicted of murdering
three children in apparent family feuding in the western city of
Hamedan, "Jomhuri Islami" reported on November 18. Manuchehr Tork,
Mohammad Reza Tork, and Sefrali Varmaziar had been convicted of
stabbing children aged 10, 12, and 15 to death in November 2005 in the
village of Zamanabad near Malayer, a district of the Hamedan Province.
The three were hanged in the Hamedan city prison in the presence of
judiciary and police officials and the victims' relatives. Iran's
supreme court has separately approved the death penalty given to a
"young boy" or "young man" convicted of "abusing" and killing an
8-year-old boy on an unspecified date, in a dump or wasteland outside
Shahedshahr in the Tehran province, "Iran" reported on November 18. The
daily said the convict is awaiting execution, but did not give his age.
VS
[49] MASS GRAVE DISCOVERED IN BAGHDAD
The remains of about 33 bodies were discovered in a mass grave on
November 17 in a predominantly Sunni district in southern Baghdad,
international media reported. Local police sources said the mass grave
in the Al-Daura neighborhood was discovered by members of the Hawr
Rajab Awakening Council, a coalition of former Sunni insurgents allied
with U.S. and Iraqi forces to rid the region of Al-Qaeda in Iraq.
Al-Daura was once under the control of militants loyal to Al-Qaeda in
Iraq. Police estimated that the victims in the mass grave, some of whom
were reportedly women and children, were killed about seven months ago.
The remains were later taken to the Al-Kazimain mosque where locals who
had lost relatives gathered to try to identify the bodies. However,
police indicated that some of the bodies were so decomposed that it
would be difficult for relatives to determine their identities. It was
the third mass grave discovered in Iraq this month. SS
[50] TWO FORMER IRAQI HEALTH MINISTRY OFFICIALS TO STAND TRIAL
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced on November 17 that two
former Health Ministry officials will stand trial for alleged sectarian
abductions and killings, Al-Sharqiyah television reported. The two
officials were identified as former Deputy Health Minister Hakim
al-Zamili and Hamid al-Shammari, the former commander of the ministry's
security forces. Al-Zamili and al-Shammari, supporters of radical
Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, were arrested in February on suspicion
of using the health ministry to funnel money to al-Sadr's Imam Al-Mahdi
Army to carry out sectarian killings. Government spokesman Ali
al-Dabbagh said the trial "shows the government wants to implement the
rule of law for these two people." "There have been a lot of problems
in the Ministry of Health during the period in which they served. There
is no favor because they are Al-Sadrists," al-Dabbagh said. SS
[51] SUNNI BLOC SAYS IT DOES NOT AIM TO BRING DOWN GOVERNMENT
During a November 16 interview with the Qatari daily "Al-Sharq," Iraqi
Vice-President Tariq al-Hashimi said that the Iraqi Accordance Front,
the largest Sunni political bloc in the Iraqi Parliament, does not aim
to bring down the Iraqi government. Al-Hashimi, who is also the leader
of the Iraqi Islamic Party, one of the main members of the Iraqi
Accordance Front, insisted that the front's current boycott of the
Iraqi government is meant to help reform the government, not to topple
it. "The front's stance should not be misinterpreted," Al-Hashimi said.
"It does not seek to create a constitutional or political vacuum in the
country. Had we had the intention to topple the government, we would
have made that clear.... What concerns us is reforming the current
situation." In August, the Iraqi Accordance Front withdrew six
ministers from Prime Minister al-Maliki's government to protest the
government's failure to meet the bloc's demands for reform (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," August 1, 2007). The front currently holds 44 seats in the
275-seat Iraqi Parliament. SS
[52] IRAQ SAYS IRAN IS HELPING PREVENT FLOW OF WEAPONS
At a press conference on November 18, Iraqi government spokesman
al-Dabbagh said Iran is helping to curb the flow of weapons and
fighters into Iraq. Al-Dabbagh said that while elements in Iran had
previously sent people and weapons to destabilize Iraq, Tehran is now
trying to fulfill its pledge to prevent such transfers. He said that
the shift in Iran's stance came after Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki's
visit to Tehran in August, where he received assurances from the
Iranian leadership that they would clamp down on the flow of weapons,
fighters, and money from the Islamic Republic. Al-Dabbagh said Tehran
has also persuaded Shi'ite cleric al-Sadr to call on his militia to
freeze its operations. "The freezing of the [Imam] Al-Mahdi Army makes
us feel there is a good intention. Iran has played a role in this one
and we definitely think Muqtada al-Sadr should be thanked," he said.
Al-Sharqiyah television also reported the same day that Ali al-Mayyal,
a member of al-Sadr's political bloc, revealed that security forces
discovered a large cache of weapons belonging to a company in
Al-Diwaniyah that transports Iranian pilgrims to Iraqi holy sites.
Al-Dabbagh stressed that there is no doubt that Iran has influence in
Iraq, but he urged Iran to use its "influence in a positive way." SS
[53] U.S. FORCES KILL TWO CIVILIANS IN SOUTHERN IRAQ
The provincial governor of Al-Muthanna Governorate, Ahmad Marzuk, said
U.S. forces on November 18 opened fire on several civilian cars,
killing two Iraqis and wounding six, international media reported.
Marzuk described the incident near the town of Al-Rumaitha as
"barbaric, brutal, and illegal," and demanded a full investigation by
the Iraqi government. He also called on officials in the governorate to
stop working with the U.S. military, including members of provincial
reconstruction teams. The U.S. military issued a statement expressing
regret that an incident occurred in the governorate that resulted in
the deaths of two Iraqis and the wounding of four. "Coalition forces
will work closely with the families and tribal and government leaders
in Al-Muthanna to convey our deep regret and ensure that the families
of those killed, and those who were injured, are properly cared for.
This incident is being fully investigated," the statement said. SS
[54] IRAQI FINANCE MINISTRY OFFICIAL ESCAPES ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
A senior official in Iraq's Finance Ministry escaped an apparent
assassination attempt in central Baghdad on November 18, Iraqi media
reported. Iraqi security officials said a car bomb exploded near the
motorcade of ministry official Salman Mukoter near Al-Hurriyah Square
in the central Baghdad neighborhood of Al-Karradah, killing five people
and wounding 10. Two of those killed were Mukoter's bodyguards. Local
police immediately sealed off the area and rushed the wounded to nearby
hospitals. Among those injured in the attack was Sattar Jabr, the
editor in chief of the "Al-Bayana Al-Jadida" newspaper, who was
accompanying Mukoter. SS
End Note
[55] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY.
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