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RFE/RL Newsline, 07-11-28
CONTENTS
[01] PUTIN BLAMES U.S. FOR MONITORS' WITHDRAWAL FROM RUSSIAN ELECTIONS
[02] FOREIGN MINISTER BLASTS OPPOSITION'S 'PROVOCATIONS'
[03] WESTERN CRITICISM OF RUSSIAN CRACKDOWN GROWS
[04] RUSSIA SLAMS U.S. MISSILE-DEFENSE OFFER
[05] INDIA 'ANGRY' OVER RUSSIAN PRICE HIKE ON ARMS DEAL
[06] ELECTION OFFICIAL CHARGES THAT FRAUD IS IN THE OFFING...
[07] ...AS CAMPAIGN ENTERS FINAL PHASE...
[08] ...AND ELECTION OFFICIALS PREPARE FOR VOTE
[09] INDEPENDENT DUMA DEPUTY DEMANDS ACCESS TO KASPAROV
[10] RUSSIA-WATCHERS SPECULATE PUTIN COULD RESIGN THIS WEEK
[11] PUTIN CREATES NEW STATE MEGACORPORATION
[12] ACADEMICIAN GUNNED DOWN IN DAGHESTAN
[13] EMBATTLED BALKAR ACTIVIST AFFIRMS SUPPORT FOR PRO-KREMLIN PARTY
[14] CHECHEN HUMAN RIGHTS BODY DEMANDS RELEASE OF INGUSH ACCUSED OF
TRAIN BOMBING
[15] FORMER KARABAKH MILITARY COMMANDER DEFENDS ARMENIAN PREMIER
AGAINST CRITICISM
[16] AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITIONIST DIES IN PRETRIAL DETENTION
[17] GEORGIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN GETS UNDER WAY
[18] CIS ENDORSES COMMANDER OF ABKHAZ PEACEKEEPING FORCE
[19] KAZAKH PREMIER DISCUSSES ENERGY TIES WITH VISITING RUSSIAN
MINISTER
[20] KYRGYZ ELECTION OFFICIALS REGISTER FIVE MORE PARTIES FOR COMING
ELECTION
[21] KYRGYZ OFFICIALS SET ASIDE ACTIVITIES TO STAND IN PARLIAMENTARY
ELECTIONS
[22] KYRGYZ OPPOSITION PARTIES LAUNCH ELECTION CAMPAIGN
[23] TAJIK PRESIDENT DISCUSSES DRUG TRAFFICKING WITH VISITING EU
OFFICIAL
[24] UZBEK PRESIDENT KICKS OFF REELECTION CAMPAIGN
[25] BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT ACCUSES EUROPE OF 'UNACCEPTABLE TERMS'
[26] FORMER PREMIER URGES OUR UKRAINE, TYMOSHENKO TO REVISE, SIGN
COALITION DEAL
[27] AIDE SAYS UNIFICATION OF UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT'S BLOC SUSPENDED
[28] NEW INQUIRY URGED INTO DEATH OF MACEDONIAN PRESIDENT
[29] MACEDONIAN GOVERNMENT 'PRESSURES' BROADCASTER
[30] SERBIA RECEIVES BODIES FROM KOSOVA CONFLICT...
[31] ...AND BOSNIA UNCOVERS ANOTHER LARGE MASS GRAVE
[32] FIRST PLEA BARGAIN AGREED IN BOSNIAN WAR CRIMES CASE
[33] ALBANIA APPOINTS NEW PROSECUTOR, JUSTICE MINISTER
[34] ALBANIAN ORPHANS NEGLECTED, AMNESTY SAYS
[35] SERBIAN COMMISSION REJECTS FINDINGS OF REPORT ON DISABLED
[36] AFGHAN EXPLOSIONS KILL FOUR SOLDIERS, FOUR CIVILIANS
[37] AFGHAN LAWMAKERS STAGE WALKOUT AFTER DEMANDING BAGHLAN DISMISSALS
[38] KABUL'S UNREGULATED GROWTH REACHES CRISIS PROPORTIONS
[39] IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER SAYS MIDDLE EAST SUMMIT WILL FAIL...
[40] ...AS HAMAS OFFICIAL VISITS IRAN
[41] IRANIAN GROUPS CALL FOR DETAINEES' RELEASE
[42] DEPUTY MINISTER SAYS IRAN FIRM ON GASOLINE RATIONING
[43] IRAN SAYS KURDISH MILITANT ARRESTED
[44] IRANIAN FIGHTER JET PLUNGES INTO SOUTHERN SEA
[45] IRAQ, U.S. SIGN FRAMEWORK FOR FUTURE BILATERAL PACT
[46] IRAQI KURDISH LEADER SAYS OIL DEALS ARE VALID
[47] IRAQI GENERAL SAYS MANY REFUGEES ARE RETURNING TO IRAQ
[48] SHI'ITE LEADER DEFENDS IRAN
[49] SHI'ITE MILITIA KILLS FAMILY OF IRAQI JOURNALIST
[50] IRAQ ENDORSES UN CHEMICAL-WEAPONS CONVENTION
[51] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007 Volume 11 Number 218
Russia
[01] PUTIN BLAMES U.S. FOR MONITORS' WITHDRAWAL FROM RUSSIAN ELECTIONS
President Vladimir Putin said in St. Petersburg on November 26 that the
U.S. State Department is behind the recent decision by the Office For
Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) not to send an election
observer team to Russia, Russian and international media reported (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," November 19, 20, and 26, 2007). Putin argued that
"according to information we have, [the decision was made] at the
recommendation of the U.S. State Department, and we will take this into
account in our interstate relations with that country. Their goal is to
deny legitimacy to the elections. But they will not achieve it." He
stressed that Russia will maintain a strong military so that nobody can
"poke their snotty nose into our affairs." Urdur Gunnarsdottir, a
spokeswoman for the Warsaw-based ODIHR, called Putin's remarks
"nonsense," adding that he was misinformed about the reasons for the
group's withdrawal. She argued that "this was a decision that was
simply based on the fact that we were not receiving any visas, and time
had run out. The only consultation that took place was within our
office." In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack noted
that "there was no interference" by U.S. officials in their talks with
the OSCE on monitoring. McCormack stressed that the decision was the
OSCE's alone. The "International Herald Tribune" reported from Vienna
on November 27 that Russia raised few obstacles to monitors from the
OSCE's Parliamentary Assembly in a move that "annoyed diplomats in
Vienna. They said Russia was trying to play off one part of the
organization against the other so as to weaken particularly the strong
election-monitoring program of the [ODIHR]." "The Moscow Times"
reported on November 27 that several Russian political analysts said on
November 26 that "Putin's remarks demonstrated that a more aggressive
policy toward the West was a central part of Unified Russia's campaign
policy." The paper quoted Fyodor Lukyanov, who is chief editor of the
quarterly journal "Russia in Global Affairs," as saying that "talking
about foreign powers scheming against Russia is still a fruitful
campaign strategy, but it harms Russian foreign policy" by making
Moscow appear bellicose in Western eyes. PM
[02] FOREIGN MINISTER BLASTS OPPOSITION'S 'PROVOCATIONS'
U.S. President George W. Bush said in a statement on November 26 that
he is "particularly troubled by the use of force by [Russian]
law-enforcement authorities [over the previous weekend] to
stop...peaceful [demonstrations] and to prevent some journalists and
human rights activists from covering them," international media
reported. He added that he is "hopeful that the government of Russia
will honor its international obligations in these areas, investigate
allegations of abuses, and free those who remain in detention..... The
freedoms of expression, assembly, and press, as well as due process,
are fundamental to any democratic society." But Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov said in an interview with state-run Vesti-24 television from
Washington on November 26 that police responded properly to
"provocations" by protesters who refused to remain in an area where
city authorities had permitted them to demonstrate, newsru.com
reported. Lavrov argued that "it is clear to everyone that each
democratic country has laws, and these laws should be observed. And
when we are urged to ensure freedom of speech and freedom of assembly
in line with our international obligations, it's probably a superfluous
demand, as all that is fixed in our constitution." He added that "if
initiators of demonstrations or rallies are told that they can hold
their rallies at places where they will not create problems for the
normal functioning of the city, then this should be respected, and any
deliberate violation of these rules is, of course, a provocation. I
didn't see anything in this situation that showed that our
law-enforcement bodies exceeded their authority." PM
[03] WESTERN CRITICISM OF RUSSIAN CRACKDOWN GROWS
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in Brussels on
November 26 that the recent crackdown by Russian police on
demonstrators in Moscow and St. Petersburg was "heavy-handed," Reuters
reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 26, 2007). He stressed that
"the right to peaceful free speech and assembly are basic fundamental
human rights. I very much regret that the authorities found it
necessary to take such heavy-handed action." In Berlin, Chancellor
Angela Merkel's government spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm called for the
"immediate" release of detained opposition leader Garry Kasparov, dpa
reported. A spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry, which is headed by
Frank-Walter Steinmeier of the Social Democrats (SPD), who rarely
criticizes Russia, said that criteria for the rule of law were not
observed in dealing with Kasparov. She noted that all political groups
should have the opportunity to express themselves freely, especially
shortly before an election. In Paris, Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner
told RTL radio that Russia must explain the action of its police. He
added that he cannot conceive that former world chess champion Kasparov
could be a threat to his country's security. Kouchner nonetheless
denied that Russia is becoming a dictatorship. PM
[04] RUSSIA SLAMS U.S. MISSILE-DEFENSE OFFER
Foreign Minister Lavrov said in his interview with Vesti-24 television
from Washington on November 26 after meeting earlier that day with U.S.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that the latest U.S. proposals on
cooperation on missile defense constitute a "significant rollback from
what American representatives said" when he met with Rice in October,
Russian media reported. He argued that "if 'joint work' means
continuing [to implement] one-sided plans to build antimissile
facilities in Eastern Europe, and we are only invited to assist in
these plans and to provide the information we have, this is hardly what
we have in mind when we propose to work together from the very
beginning in carrying out an analysis, defining the threats, and
agreeing jointly on what measures should be taken to counter them."
Lavrov said he and Rice will hold further talks on missile defense. The
daily "Kommersant" commented on November 27 that Lavrov's statement
means that chances of a Washington-Moscow compromise on missile defense
are even farther off than before (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 1, 9,
and 26, 2007). Lavrov also said in Washington that Russia is prepared
to host a conference on Middle Eastern issues, RIA Novosti reported. PM
[05] INDIA 'ANGRY' OVER RUSSIAN PRICE HIKE ON ARMS DEAL
The "Hindustan Times" reported from New Delhi on November 27 that
Indian officials are "upset with Russia's unilateral decision to more
than double the cost of the refurbishment of the aircraft carrier
'Admiral Gorshkov'" from $1 billion to $2.2 billion. Indian
representatives will discuss the matter in Moscow shortly. India
maintains that the existing deal, which is already at least two years
behind schedule, was for a fixed price contract (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
February 3, 2006, and November 13, 2007). PM
[06] ELECTION OFFICIAL CHARGES THAT FRAUD IS IN THE OFFING...
An unidentified regional election official has charged that local
officials have been ordered to double the number of votes Unified
Russia receives in the December 2 legislative elections in their
official tallies, "The Moscow Times" reported on November 27. The
official, who asked not to be identified, said the inflated results
will most likely be achieved by doctoring voter protocols to boost the
number of voters who show up at the polls. A spokeswoman for the
Central Election Commission denied the allegations and assured the
daily that "no vote rigging will be allowed." The official discussed
how Unified Russia's call for each supporter to bring 10 people to the
polls to vote for the party will work. "This means that each one of us
has to get 10 people to vote for Unified Russia, and we have to provide
our superiors with a list of the names of these people," he said.
"Everyone in the region is working on this." Communist Party Duma
Deputy Viktor Ilyukhin told the daily that his party has also heard
that officials are being required to double Unified Russia's vote
totals. A journalism student at Oryol State University told the paper
that professors have ordered students to vote for Unified Russia or
face expulsion. Students have reportedly been ordered to vote at an
on-campus polling station supervised by university faculty.
Sankt-peterburg.ru reported on November 27 that local A Just Russia
official Oksana Dmitriyeva has accused Unified Russia of bribing
voters. She said the pro-Kremlin party has given voters blankets, pet
food, free massages, and other gifts. She showed reporters a video of
local cadets handing out packages of food bearing the Unified Russia
logo. She added that local students have been promised places in
dormitories in exchange for supporting Unified Russia. RC
[07] ...AS CAMPAIGN ENTERS FINAL PHASE...
Russia's legislative election campaign has entered its final phase with
just days remaining before the December 2 vote, Russian media reported.
President Putin and Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov on November 26 attended
a Unified Russia-sponsored competition in St. Petersburg to honor the
country's best managers. On November 27, Unified Russia will hold a
concert in Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral under the slogan, "We
are united. We are Russia." On November 28 in St. Petersburg, Putin
supporters will hold a demonstration similar to the one in Moscow's
Luzhniki complex on November 21 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 21,
2007), "Vedomosti" reported. The youth wing of the party, the Young
Guard, will hold rallies in numerous regional cities on November 29 and
30. RC
[08] ...AND ELECTION OFFICIALS PREPARE FOR VOTE
Central Election Commission Chairman Vladimir Churov on November 26 met
with the ambassadors of neighboring countries to discuss the December 2
elections, "Rossiiskaya gazeta" reported on November 27. Churov said
the commission has created a special medal with the image of
ethnographer Nikolai Girenko that will be awarded to election monitors
who help the commission correct errors in the voting system. Girenko,
an expert on racist extremism who frequently testified at trials
involving skinheads, was murdered at his apartment in St. Petersburg by
neo-Nazis in June 2004 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," June 21, 2004). Churov
said the official election results must be published by December 17,
but that he expects them to be available much sooner, by December 7-8.
He said the commission expects some 1.5 million domestic election
observers, mostly from the 11 parties competing in the polls. Interfax
reported on November 27 that some 1,500 journalists will be accredited
to cover the voting. Russian media will be represented by journalists
from 14 radio stations, 17 television networks, 18 news agencies, and
31 newspapers and magazines. Churov was quoted as saying about 400
foreign journalists from 34 countries will also be covering the polls.
Interfax also reported that some 45,000 police officers will be on duty
on December 2 to maintain order during the voting. Deputy Interior
Minister Aleksandr Chekalin told journalists on November 26 that
officers have been studying the country's election laws. He said during
the campaign police seized some 5.4 million pieces of campaign material
that have since been turned over to judicial authorities for
evaluation. RC
[09] INDEPENDENT DUMA DEPUTY DEMANDS ACCESS TO KASPAROV
United Civic Front leader Kasparov, who was arrested on November 24 and
sentenced to five days in jail for conducting an illegal demonstration,
has been denied access to lawyers and has been unable to receive
visitors or parcels, RFE/RL's Russian Service and other Russian media
reported. Independent Duma Deputy Vladimir Ryzhkov issued a public
statement on November 26 demanding that he and Kasparov's lawyer be
granted access to him. On November 27, United Civic Front activist
Aleksandr Ryklin said police have informed Kasparov's mother that
Kasparov will not be allowed to receive parcels for his entire term of
detention. RC
[10] RUSSIA-WATCHERS SPECULATE PUTIN COULD RESIGN THIS WEEK
The Federation Council's adoption on November 26 of a measure setting
the date for the presidential election as March 2, 2008, has set off
speculation that President Putin will resign in the next few days,
RFE/RL's Russian Service reported on November 26. Federation Council
Chairman Sergei Mironov commented that the election law would allow
Putin to run for another term if he resigns as president before the
Federation Council's resolution is officially published, which must
happen by December 1. Central Election Commission Chairman Churov said
on November 26 that he believes the law would forbid Putin from seeking
another term even if he did resign. "The Federation Council will set
the election for president of Russia for March 2," analyst Stanislav
Belkovsky told RFE/RL. "On November 30, Friday, that decision will be
published in 'Rossiiskaya gazeta.' If at the moment of publication of
that decision Putin is formally the president, he cannot run again and
that means there will not be a third term and he will leave power
forever. Therefore, he has Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday to resign
and then run again. But only by remaining president can he maintain
power and I think that in this regard he doesn't have any illusions."
RIA Novosti reported on November 23 that Putin has recorded a statement
that will be broadcast on national television on November 29. It did
not reveal what the content of the statement is, but cited "Kommersant"
as reporting it was recorded not in the Kremlin, but at the Ostankino
broadcast center because "the president wanted to be seen as the lead
candidate of Unified Russia's election list rather than as head of
state." RC
[11] PUTIN CREATES NEW STATE MEGACORPORATION
President Putin on November 24 signed a decree creating the Russian
Technologies state corporation and naming Rosoboroneksport head Sergei
Chemezov as its head, Russian media reported on November 27, citing a
Kremlin press release of the previous day. Chemezov, a powerful Kremlin
insider with close ties to Putin, has long lobbied for the new
megacorporation, which will include Rosoboroneksport; carmaker AvtoVAZ;
steelmaker RusSpetsStal; VSMPO-Avisima, the world's largest producer of
titanium; and other companies. Interfax reported that deputy
Rosoboroneksport CEO Anatoly Isaikin will replace Chemezov at the helm
of the state arms-export monopoly. Chemezov told "Nezavisimaya gazeta"
on November 26 that the goal of the new company will be to lift Russian
machine-building to world leadership both in the civilian and military
spheres. Chemezov defended the new corporation by citing the problems
faced by Rosoboroneksport: "Our enterprise is a state special exporter,
the last stop before the export of the products of the Russian
military-industrial complex onto world markets, which answers for its
commercial success. But at the same time we do not have any opportunity
to regulate and control cooperative ties among the participants in the
chain of production." "Vremya novostei" reported on November 27 that
the new megacorporation's oversight board will be headed by Defense
Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and does not include First Deputy Prime
Minister Sergei Ivanov, who oversees defense and technology issues for
the government. RC
[12] ACADEMICIAN GUNNED DOWN IN DAGHESTAN
Academician Nariman Aliyev, 77, a renowned viticulture specialist, was
found shot dead together with his wife at their home in the village of
Mamedkala in Derbent Raion on November 26, kavkaz-uzel.ru reported.
Daghestan's President Mukhu Aliyev told journalists the murder was the
work of "destructive forces" out to destabilize the situation in the
run-up to the December 2 elections to the Russian State Duma,
riadagestan.ru reported. Aliyev convened a meeting of law-enforcement
and security officials the same day to discuss the investigation into
the killings of the Aliyevs and of Farid Babayev, who headed the
Daghestan organization of the opposition Yabloko party (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," November 26, 2007). Speaking in Makhachkala on November 25,
Yabloko leader Grigory Yavlinsky said Babayev was "a victim of Putin's
authoritarian regime, which makes a point of physically annihilating
its opponents," and that the Daghestan leadership shares responsibility
for Babayev's murder, kavkaz-uzel.ru reported. Yavlinsky recalled that
Babayev repeatedly protested official corruption and human-rights
violations and criticized the republic's leadership. He further
characterized Daghestan as "the most complex and dangerous region" of
Russia and said the central government should intervene to stabilize
the situation there. Meeting with Yavlinsky on November 26, President
Aliyev categorically rejected his criticisms. LF
[13] EMBATTLED BALKAR ACTIVIST AFFIRMS SUPPORT FOR PRO-KREMLIN PARTY
Ismail Sabanchiyev, who heads the embattled Council of Elders of the
Balkar People, told a press conference in Nalchik on November 26 that
the council has appealed to Balkars to vote in the December 2 State
Duma elections for the pro-presidential Unified Russia party,
kavkaz-uzel.ru reported. He explained that Unified Russia was
instrumental in the passage of legislation on local self-government, on
the basis of which the Russian Constitutional Court ruled in April 2007
that the parliament of the Kabardino-Balkaria Republic (KBR) was not
empowered to annul the status of the villages of Khasanya and Belaya
Rechka on the southwestern outskirts of Nalchik and subsume those
districts into the Nalchik municipality. He said the Balkars as a small
ethnic group should be grateful to Unified Russia and should also
recognize the need for "strong executive power." Sabanchiyev rejected
the accusations of "extremism" leveled against the council, on the
basis of which the republican prosecutor's office suspended its
registration earlier this month (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 13,
2007). The Council has appealed that suspension to the KBR Supreme
Court. LF
[14] CHECHEN HUMAN RIGHTS BODY DEMANDS RELEASE OF INGUSH ACCUSED OF
TRAIN BOMBING
The Chechen Committee for National Salvation released a statement on
November 26 deploring the formal indictment of two Ingush brothers,
Amirkhan Khidriyev, 30, and Maksharip Khidriyev, 29, on charges of
terrorism connected with the August 13 bombing of the Neva Express
train, kavkaz-uzel.ru reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 26,
2007). The statement noted that the two men, who were permanently
employed as construction workers in Ingushetia prior to their arrest
last month, both have cast-iron alibis. It also pointed out that they
were detained without a warrant and not informed the reason for their
detention or where they were being taken. The two men are currently
being held in pretrial detention in Novgorord Oblast; neither their
relatives nor their lawyers have been permitted to met with them since
October 31. LF
Transcaucasia And Central Asia
[15] FORMER KARABAKH MILITARY COMMANDER DEFENDS ARMENIAN PREMIER
AGAINST CRITICISM
Dashink party head Samvel Babayan, a former commander of the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic defense forces, rejected on November 24
criticisms of Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian made earlier this
month by former President Levon Ter-Petrossian, RFE/RL's Armenian
Service reported on November 26. Addressing a Dashink congress, Babayan
explicitly denied Ter-Petrosian's allegation that Sarkisian was
"expelled " from Karabakh in 1993 following "serious disputes" and
settled for a while in Moscow. Babayan claimed he and Sarkisian jointly
planned the capture of six Azerbaijani raions contiguous to Karabakh
between April-October 1993, and that Sarkisian was exiled to Moscow
because the Armenian leadership sought to prevent what he termed "the
liberation of territories." Babayan said that while in Moscow,
Sarkisian "did a useful, important job" in negotiating the supply of
Russian arms to Armenia. Sarkisian was named Armenian defense minister
later in 1993. Babayan said that in light of Ter-Petrossian's
conciliatory line on Karabakh, he will not endorse his candidacy in the
February 2008 presidential ballot, but neither did Babayan explicitly
express his support for Sarkisian. The congress approved on November 24
the planned merger of Dashink, which has one parliament mandate, with
the extraparliamentary Ramkavar-Azatakan party (see "Armenia: Three
Parties To Merge In Opposition," rferl.org, August 22, 2007). But the
third proposed member of that planned new party, the National Rebirth
party headed by former Yerevan mayor Albert Bazeyan, is divided on the
merger, which will be put to a vote at its congress on December 5,
Noyan Tapan reported on November 26. LF
[16] AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITIONIST DIES IN PRETRIAL DETENTION
Faina Kungurova, a former member of the opposition Democratic Party of
Azerbaijan, died in pretrial detention on November 18 of unknown
causes, Turan and day.az reported on November 26. Kungurova was
detained on October 5 close to a highway along which the presidential
motorcade was scheduled to pass and charged with possession of drugs.
She was arrested on charges of hooliganism in 2002 but released under
the terms of an amnesty two years later. LF
[17] GEORGIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN GETS UNDER WAY
No fewer than 22 potential candidates submitted documentation to
Georgia's Central Election Commission on November 26 with the aim of
registering to participate in the preterm presidential election
scheduled for January 5, 2008, Caucasus Press reported. By contrast,
six candidates succeeded in registering for the January 2004
presidential ballot and seven in April 2000, of whom one withdrew at
the last minute. The hopefuls include incumbent President Mikheil
Saakashvili; Levan Gachechiladze, who is backed by the nine-party
opposition National Council; oligarch Badri Patarkatsishvili; David
Gamkrelidze of the New Rightists; Labor Party leader Shalva
Natelashvili; Gia Maisashvili, head of the Georgia's Future party;
former Imereti Governor Temur Shashiashvili; Soviet-era dissident Irina
Sarishvili-Chanturia; lawyer Kartlos Gharibashvili, who ran
unsuccessfully in the 1991, 1995, 2000, and 2004 elections; former
Communist Party of Georgia leader Avtandil Margiani, and Fazil Aliyev,
who represents Georgia's 500,000-strong Azerbaijani minority. In a
televised address to the nation on November 26, parliament speaker Nino
Burjanadze, who assumed the powers of president the previous day after
Saakashvili stepped down to embark on his election campaign, called for
"unity and calm" in the run-up to the January ballot and appealed to
voters to "think carefully" before casting their ballots, Caucasus
Press reported. Concurrently with the preterm election, a referendum
will be held in which voters will be asked to say whether they think
the next parliamentary elections should be held in the spring or the
fall of 2008 and whether they support Georgia's hoped-for accession to
NATO. LF
[18] CIS ENDORSES COMMANDER OF ABKHAZ PEACEKEEPING FORCE
CIS defense ministers voted on November 27 in Astana to extend the
tenure of Major General Sergei Chaban as commander of the Russian
peacekeeping force deployed since July 1994 under the CIS aegis in the
Abkhaz conflict zone, civil.ge and kavkaz-uzel.ru reported. Russian
Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said the peacekeepers are performing
their duties well, but that Chaban will be replaced "in the near
future." Saakashvili demanded Chaban's immediate expulsion from Georgia
in the wake of a standoff between Russian peacekeepers and Georgian
police last month (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 31, 2007). Speaking
in Tbilisi later on November 27, Georgian Foreign Minister Gela
Bezhuashvili said the vote to extend Chaban's tenure was illegal
because Georgia did not participate, civil.ge reported. Saakashvili
signed a decree on November 25 on Georgia's withdrawal from the CIS
Defense Ministers' Council. LF
[19] KAZAKH PREMIER DISCUSSES ENERGY TIES WITH VISITING RUSSIAN
MINISTER
Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Masimov met in Astana on November 26 with
visiting Russian Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko to
discuss energy ties and reviewed plans to expand bilateral trade and
investment, according to Interfax-Kazakhstan. Khristenko, in Astana to
participate in a meeting of the Kazakh-Russian intergovernmental
commission that opened in Astana the same day, told reporters that
Russia is "shifting from trade operations to big, systemic investment
projects" in the energy sector and has a new focus on "electricity
generation." Although bilateral trade is expected to reach about $16
billion by the end of 2007, the energy sector constitutes the
overwhelming share of investment and trade. RG
[20] KYRGYZ ELECTION OFFICIALS REGISTER FIVE MORE PARTIES FOR COMING
ELECTION
Meeting in Bishkek, the Kyrgyz Central Election Commission formally
issued a list of 12 parties eligible to participate in December 16
parliamentary elections, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service and Kabar reported.
The commission approved party lists submitted by: Ata-Meken
(Fatherland); Communists of Kyrgyzstan; Ar-Namys (Dignity); Aalam (The
Universe), the party of independent people; Erkindik (Freedom); Asaba
(Flag); Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan; Jangy Kuech (The New
Force); the party of women and youth of Kyrgyzstan; Ak-Jol (Ak-Jol
Eldik Partiyasy [Best Path Popular]) Party; Erkin Kyrgyzstan (Free
Kyrgyzstan); El Dobushu (People's Voice); and Turan. With the close of
the registration process, the official campaign period opened on
November 26. RG
[21] KYRGYZ OFFICIALS SET ASIDE ACTIVITIES TO STAND IN PARLIAMENTARY
ELECTIONS
To comply with the recently revised Electoral Code, Kyrgyz Ombudsman
Tursunbai Bakir-uulu and the Constitutional Court's presiding judge,
Cholpon Baekova, both stepped down on November 26 in order to stand as
candidates in the December 16 parliamentary elections, AKIpress and
Kabar reported. Bakir-uulu heads the Erkin (Free) Kyrgyzstan party and
tops that party's list of candidates. Kanybek Joroev, the presidential
representative in the parliament, also resigned on November 26 to run
for a seat in the new parliament. RG
[22] KYRGYZ OPPOSITION PARTIES LAUNCH ELECTION CAMPAIGN
Senior leaders of the Kyrgyz opposition Ata-Meken party on November 26
opened their party's election campaign with a series of rallies and
public meetings in the northern Talas region, AKIpress reported. The
Ata-Meken party is led by a former parliament speaker and prominent
opposition figure, Omurbek Tekebaev, and its campaign for the
approaching parliamentary elections was bolstered by the support from
former deputies Bolot Sherniyazov, Temir Sariev, Kubat Baibolov,
Tashbolot Baltabaev, and former Interior Minister Bakirdin Subanbekov.
The opposition Social Democratic Party staged a rally the same day in
Bishkek's central Ala-Too Square. The Social Democrats are led by Prime
Minister Almazbek Atambaev. RG
[23] TAJIK PRESIDENT DISCUSSES DRUG TRAFFICKING WITH VISITING EU
OFFICIAL
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon met in Dushanbe on November 26 with the
head of the European Union's East Europe and Central Asia working
group, Darja Bavdaz Kuret, Tajik television reported. Rahmon presented
Kuret with a review of his government's efforts to combat drug
smuggling in the region and noted the need for greater border security.
Rahmon also discussed overall relations with the EU, with a focus on
"integration in the fields of energy and the creation of a regional
market of electricity." RG
[24] UZBEK PRESIDENT KICKS OFF REELECTION CAMPAIGN
Uzbek President Islam Karimov on November 26 launched his reelection
campaign with a series of public events in the southern region of
Surxondaryo, Uzbek Television reported. Karimov, who has served as the
president of Uzbekistan since 1989, was recently certified as a
candidate in the December 23 election despite a constitutional ban on
third terms (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 26, 2007). RG
Eastern Europe
[25] BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT ACCUSES EUROPE OF 'UNACCEPTABLE TERMS'
Alyaksandr Lukashenka on November 26 said in an interview with the
Spanish daily "El Pais" that the European Union does not want the
normalization of relations with Belarus. Lukashenka said that "Europe
has gone too far and does not know today how to get out of this, saving
its face." "If the European Union has enough determination to do that,
we will be sitting at one table and holding a dialogue to be closer. We
want this, but the EU does not want this and puts forward unacceptable
terms," he said. The Kyiv-based European Commission delegation to
Belarus and Ukraine issued a statement last week on the occasion of the
first anniversary of the European Commission report titled "What the
European Union Could Bring to Belarus." "The EU's offer to Belarus
remains valid," the delegation said, adding that the conditions for the
improvement of relations between Belarus and the EU include "the
release of all political prisoners, respect for freedom of speech and
of association, the holding of free and fair elections, the
investigation of the cases of missing persons, and respect for the
rights of minorities." AM
[26] FORMER PREMIER URGES OUR UKRAINE, TYMOSHENKO TO REVISE, SIGN
COALITION DEAL
Yuriy Yekhanurov, a former prime minister and currently a lawmaker for
the Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defense bloc (NUNS) in the new
parliament, on November 26 posted on his website a letter urging the
Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc (BYuT) and NUNS to revise some provisions of
their coalition deal and sign the document in public, RFE/RL's
Ukrainian Service reported. In particular, Yekhanurov wants some
election pledges of the BYuT to be postponed, including the abolition
of value-added tax, the compensation within two years of depreciated
deposits at the savings bank of the former Soviet Union, the switch to
a fully professional army from January 1, 2009, and the abolition of
the military draft from January 1, 2008. Leaders of the BYuT and NUNS
in mid-October initialed the coalition accord, but six NUNS lawmakers
have so far refused to sign it. The BYuT and NUNS control 228 seats in
the new Verkhovna Rada -- just two more than the number required to
pass most legislation. AM
[27] AIDE SAYS UNIFICATION OF UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT'S BLOC SUSPENDED
Presidential Secretariat head Viktor Baloha said on November 26 that
the Christian Democratic Union Party and the Forward Ukraine! party,
which are part of the NUNS bloc, have suspended their participation in
the transformation of NUNS into a single party, Interfax and RFE/RL's
Ukrainian Service reported. Baloha also said that the commitment to
unify the bloc into a strong single party was one of the conditions for
President Viktor Yushchenko's support for NUNS during the early
parliamentary elections. Baloha believes that such a commitment
increased NUNS' chances among Ukrainian voters. "Politicians who gained
seats in the parliament should bear in mind their promises to the head
of state," Baloha said. The NUNS bloc comprises nine political parties
and movements. AM
Southeastern Europe
[28] NEW INQUIRY URGED INTO DEATH OF MACEDONIAN PRESIDENT
The Council of Europe on November 22 urged the Macedonian authorities
to open a new investigation into the death three years ago of President
Boris Trajkovski, citing "worrying" inconsistencies in the findings of
an official investigation. In a statement to accompany the release of a
report commissioned by a Council of Europe committee and headed by a
Swiss member, Andreas Gross, concluded that the plane crash that killed
Trajkovski was "most likely" an accident, but added that there were
"numerous inconsistencies and contradictions in the official inquiry."
Gross suggested that the Council of Europe should itself be involved in
the investigation. Trajkovski's plane crashed in poor weather in
February 2004, near the Bosnian town of Mostar. The official inquiry,
which was conducted by Bosnian authorities and NATO-led forces
stationed in Bosnia at the time, concluded that the crash occurred
because the pilot was flying too low. However, Gross said there were
"possible indications of negligence on the side of the NATO-led
stabilization force SFOR, which could have prompted a cover-up," and he
also said there were "quite worrying" questions, such as "the long time
needed to find the wreckage" and "the dysfunctional black box flight
recorder." AG
[29] MACEDONIAN GOVERNMENT 'PRESSURES' BROADCASTER
One of Macedonia's most popular television stations, Alsat-M, has
accused the government of leading a concerted, two-month campaign aimed
at curtailing its independence. In a statement released on November 21,
Alsat-M said the government has since September sent in numerous
inspectors and -- most recently -- threatened, through Transport and
Communications Minister Mile Janakieski, not to renew its broadcasting
license. The statement also raised questions about two recent incidents
on November 16, in which its broadcasting relay points were damaged by
intruders. The station dated its problems to an incident in September
when police roughed up one of its cameramen during an operation in the
wake of violent scenes in parliament between ethnic-Albanian parties
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," September 27, 2007). Alsat-M's editor in chief,
Muhamed Zeqiri, told the news service Balkan Insight that the pressure
mounted in early November after Deputy Interior Minister Refet Elmazi
stated publicly that Alsat-M could face criminal charges over the way
that it covered a police operation in which six people were killed (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," November 8 and 9, 2007). Alsat-M is the newest
broadcaster in Macedonia, but it has secured popularity across the
country, in part by broadcasting in both Macedonian and Albanian. AG
[30] SERBIA RECEIVES BODIES FROM KOSOVA CONFLICT...
The bodies of eight non-Albanians killed during the 1998-99 war in
Kosova were on November 23 handed over to Serbia for burial, the UN
Mission in Kosova said. The ethnic background and the identities of the
dead were not given, but, according to AP, a Serbian official, Veljko
Odalovic, said the victims were killed after the international
coalition entered Kosova in June 1999 to halt the fighting. The eight
were among the 2,398 people who, according to the International
Committee of the Red Cross, remain listed as missing. Around 10,000
people were killed in the conflict. Serbian President Boris Tadic said
on November 23 that he expects the search for the missing to continue,
"because that is a precondition for good relations." There was some
potentially positive news for the families of the missing on November
21, when, according to the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS, Russia's
mediator in talks on Kosova's future, Aleksandr Botsan-Kharchenko, said
that Belgrade and Prishtina have agreed "to look for the missing." The
families of Kosovar Serbs and Albanians missing since the war have
previously sought unsuccessfully for the issue to feature in the talks.
AG
[31] ...AND BOSNIA UNCOVERS ANOTHER LARGE MASS GRAVE
Forensic experts have exhumed the remains of 616 Bosnian Muslims killed
during the Srebrenica massacre from a mass grave in the eastern Bosnian
village of Kamenica, Reuters and local media reported on November 22.
This is the largest number of bodies recovered this year from one site.
"We found 76 complete and 540 incomplete bodies," an official of the
regional commission for missing persons, Ismet Music, told reporters at
the end of the monthlong excavation. In an effort to hide their crimes,
ethnic-Serbian soldiers frequently reburied victims, resulting in
incomplete bodies being found. Many of those buried in this "secondary"
grave were originally buried in Kravice and Pilica, local media
reported. However, the grave contains documents identifying many of the
victims and unusual soil conditions mean that many of the bodies found
in the latest excavation are well-preserved. The arms of many of the
victims had been tied before they were killed. This is the ninth mass
grave found in Kamenica, which is not far from Srebrenica, where 8,000
Muslim men and boys were slaughtered (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October
29, 2007). AG
[32] FIRST PLEA BARGAIN AGREED IN BOSNIAN WAR CRIMES CASE
For the first time, a war crimes indictee has struck a plea-bargain
agreement with Bosnian prosecutors, the news service Balkan Insight
reported on November 23. The suspect, Idhan Sipic, now faces six to 10
years in prison, his attorney said, for murdering a woman in September
1995 and throwing her body into a well. He was serving with Bosnian
Muslim forces at the time. The agreement has yet to be accepted by
Bosnia's War Crimes Chamber. In other news, the War Crimes Chamber on
November 20 upheld a 34-year sentence passed on a Bosnian Serb
paramilitary commander, Gojko Jankovic, for the murder and rape of
seven Bosnian Muslim and Croat civilians in Foca between 1992 and 1993.
Jankovic's sentence, which was handed down in February, is the longest
given by the Bosnian court (see "RFE/RL Newsline," February 20, 2007).
AG
[33] ALBANIA APPOINTS NEW PROSECUTOR, JUSTICE MINISTER
Albania's parliament on November 22 approved the appointment of a new
chief prosecutor, a day after Prime Minister Sali Berisha succeed in
removing his one-time adviser, Theodhori Sollaku, from the post.
Sollaku is replaced by Ina Rama, the first woman to occupy the
position. The vote -- 83 in favor and 33 against -- reflected the sharp
divisions between the government and the opposition in the dispute over
Sollaku's ouster. Sollaku was sacked and Rama appointed at the
recommendation of President Bami Topi and of a parliamentary
commission, which on November 5 concluded that Sollaku had failed
adequately to tackle organized crime and had released 22 prisoners too
early. Topi's membership of the Democrat Party and the speed at which
the inquiry reached its conclusion -- within days of starting a
monthlong process -- have all stoked opposition concerns that the
Democrats are engaged in a campaign to politicize the judiciary in
their favor. In the months before his removal, Sollaku led
investigations into claims of corruption in the government,
investigations that some claimed were an attempt to forestall his
removal. One minister, Foreign Minister Lulzim Basha, was implicated.
Parliament refused to strip Basha of immunity, and Berisha ordered
police not to cooperate with prosecutors in their efforts to
investigate Basha (see "RFE/RL Newsline," July 10, October 16 and 20,
and November 6, 2007). At the time of his dismissal, Sollaku was also
investigating another minister, Ilir Rusmajli, who gave up his justice
portfolio on November 14 after evidence emerged that his brother put
pressure on the director of prisons to award him a construction
contract (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 15, 2007). Berisha, who
served five years as Albania's president in the 1990s, won the post of
prime minister in 2005 largely thanks to a campaign that focused on
fighting corruption. AG
[34] ALBANIAN ORPHANS NEGLECTED, AMNESTY SAYS
Albania is failing to meet its obligation to provide support for adults
who emerge from its institutions, Amnesty International argued in a
report released on November 21. Orphans struggle to find work, housing,
or understanding of their marginalization in a country where family
ties are particularly strong, the human rights watchdog said, but it
particularly stressed that they are unable to gain "secure and adequate
housing," which, it stressed, is a human right recognized by
international treaties to which Albania is a signatory. In a society
where a network of parents and relatives is often the route to
employment and marriage, adult orphans who have grown up in
institutional care in Albania are also vulnerable to abuse,
exploitation, and criminals, and are themselves more likely to become
criminals. The numbers affected are relatively small -- 340 orphans
aged between 25 and 40 -- but that is a large proportion of the 600
orphans currently in institutions. The small number of
institutionalized orphans reflects the strong family ties in Albania, a
country of about 3.5 million people. Amnesty called on the government
to pay more attention to orphans when it allocates the roughly 4,000
flats in a new, internationally funded social-housing program targeted
at low-income families. Under Albanian law, orphans already have
priority rights to housing. AG
[35] SERBIAN COMMISSION REJECTS FINDINGS OF REPORT ON DISABLED
A commission established by the Serbian government has rejected many of
the criticisms leveled by a U.S.-based nongovernmental organization at
Serbia's care system for children with mental and physical
disabilities. A statement issued on November 23 said that the report's
author, Mental Disability Rights International (MDRI), "created a
grossly distorted picture" and "used incorrect data in its research."
It said that "the number of mentally ill who are kept in special
hospitals is one-third" the figure of 17,200 given in the MDRI report
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 21, 2007). However, the commission
acknowledged failings and one of its members, Minister for Labor and
Social Affairs Rasim Ljajic, said on November 22 that the government
has now adopted a plan to modernize and upgrade facilities, pay staff
more, increase staff levels, and develop additional rehabilitation
programs. Neither he nor the commission as a whole repeated broader
criticisms voiced by Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, who
portrayed the report as part of a broader international campaign of
"systematic propaganda" against Serbia timed to undermine Serbia's bid
to retain sovereignty over Kosova (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 21,
2007). AG
Southwestern Asia And The Middle East
[36] AFGHAN EXPLOSIONS KILL FOUR SOLDIERS, FOUR CIVILIANS
A roadside explosion targeted a convoy of Afghan soldiers traveling to
their base in the eastern Paktia Province on November 26, killing four
soldiers and injuring two others, Chinaview reported. "The Taliban
rebels detonated a roadside bomb by remote control in Zurmat district
today at noon, destroying a military vehicle and killing four soldiers
on the spot," said Deen Mohammad Darwish, a local government spokesman.
Separately, an explosion destroyed a civilian car south of Kabul,
killing four civilians, according to regional police commander General
Zalmay Oryakhail. No group has claimed responsibility for either blast.
MM
[37] AFGHAN LAWMAKERS STAGE WALKOUT AFTER DEMANDING BAGHLAN DISMISSALS
In a stormy session of the Wolesi Jirga on November 26, speaker Yunos
Qanuni repeated a demand that six senior officials responsible for
security in the northern Baghlan Province be dismissed and then led a
walkout by several dozen deputies, Bakhtar News Agency and
international agencies reported. Opposition leader Qanuni cited the
findings of an investigative committee dispatched to Baghlan by the
Wolesi Jirga after a devastating suicide bombing on November 6 that
killed six members of parliament along with scores of schoolchildren
and bystanders (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 7, 2007), saying
provincial security officials had been guilty of "negligence and
incompetence." He accused Hamid Karzai's government of ignoring
legislators' previous demand for officials including Baghlan's
governor, to be sacked. "I do not want to stay here and sit in this
position until your demands are fulfilled," AP quoted Qanuni as saying
before the walkout. MM
[38] KABUL'S UNREGULATED GROWTH REACHES CRISIS PROPORTIONS
Afghan Urban Development Minister Yusuf Pashtun and University of
California researcher on urban development Pietro Calogero told a joint
news conference in Kabul on November 26 that the Afghan capital has
fallen victim to "rapid, unregulated, and unequal" urbanization, IRIN
reported. "Almost 70 percent of houses and commercial buildings have
been built irregularly and in contravention of the Kabul city master
plan," Pashtun told IRIN. Kabul's population has grown from an
estimated 500,000 people in 2001 to over 3 million in 2007, largely due
to the return of Afghan refugees from Iran and Pakistan. The vast
majority of Kabul residents live in slums that lack electricity,
plumbing, schools, clinics, or other facilities. "Only 2 percent of
Kabul residents have regular access to electricity, while over half of
them lack access to sanitation," Mohammad Yasin Hellal, a Kabul city
official, was quoted as saying. Calogero emphasized the future needs of
urbanization in Afghanistan and warned that "there should be more
funding for urban development and building urban infrastructure because
people will choose to live in urban areas." Pashtun blamed a lack of
resources and capacity within the Afghan government, adding that his
ministry needs more funding, more professional staff, and at least 15
years to resolve the crisis. Meanwhile, President Karzai used a regular
cabinet session on November 26 to express concern about worsening air
pollution in Kabul and discuss ways to reduce environmental damage,
Bakhtar News Agency reported. The cabinet decided to task Second Vice
President Karim Khalili with leading a team of ministers and senior
environmental officials to examine the causes and effects of pollution
in the capital and recommend policy solutions for consideration. Much
of Kabul's pollution is blamed on its unpaved roads, diesel-fueled cars
and generators, and the burning of rubber tires to heat public baths or
to bake the bricks used in construction. MM
[39] IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER SAYS MIDDLE EAST SUMMIT WILL FAIL...
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told a gathering of Basiji militiamen in Tehran
on November 26 that the November 27 Annapolis summit to discuss peace
between Israelis and Palestinians is doomed to fail, Radio Farda
reported, citing Iranian media reports. He said that "all the world's
statesmen" know the U.S.-hosted conference "is already condemned to
failure." He said the United States is trying to help Israel, and
warned Arab states to "beware of the plots of the Zionist enemy." The
conference is being attended by representatives from several Arab
states, including Saudi Arabia and Syria, Iran's regional ally. Iran's
President Mahmud Ahmadinejad told Saudi King Abdullah by telephone on
November 25 that he is disappointed that the kingdom will send a
delegate to the summit, Radio Farda reported, citing Iranian news
agencies. Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal is to represent the kingdom.
Ahmadinejad reportedly told the king the United States is an
"accomplice" in Israel's crimes and could hardly be an impartial host.
Iranian news agencies have reported that Abdullah assured him that
Saudi Arabia will never recognize Israel and would defend Palestinian
rights, Radio Farda reported. VS
[40] ...AS HAMAS OFFICIAL VISITS IRAN
Iranian senior Deputy Foreign Minister Alireza Sheikh-Attar told the
visiting deputy head of the Hamas political bureau, Musa Abu Marzuq, in
Tehran on November 25 that the Annapolis meeting is not intended to
help the Palestinians and its organizers "are pursuing their own
goals," "Iran" reported on November 26. Hamas has stated its opposition
to the summit. The two also discussed current divisions between Hamas
and the Fatah organization of Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas. Abu
Marzuq told Sheikh-Attar that Hamas considers the Palestinian
constitution the "framework" for government and that he believes talks
could help resolve differences with Fatah. He said U.S. policy on
Palestine is "confused" and the United States has no "means of
resolving the Palestinian issue." The Annapolis conference, he
predicted, will fail. VS
[41] IRANIAN GROUPS CALL FOR DETAINEES' RELEASE
The Association in Defense of Prisoners' Rights has issued a statement
asking for the release of its head, Emadeddin Baqi, "Etemad" reported
on November 26 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 26, 2007). The group
stated that it was formed to help improve the lot of prisoners and is
working in line with international treaties and Iran's own laws, and
with permission from the state. The group vowed in its statement to
continue its activities and efforts to have Baqi released. Separately,
the judiciary has refused to pardon blogger Arash Sigarchi following a
request to judiciary chief Ayatollah Mahmud Hashemi-Shahrudi by the
Iranian Association of Journalists, the country's main professional
press group (see "RFE/RL Newsline," March 1, 2005, and February 7,
2007). A court in Gilan, northern Iran, sentenced Sigarchi to 14 years
in prison in 2005 for his writings, though a second court reduced this
to three years. He served 16 months of his sentence in a prison in
Rasht, northern Iran, but "Etemad" reported that the prison doctor
called for his release in November or December 2006 when he was
diagnosed with cancer in his mouth. The report suggested he has not
been released, and the judiciary has rejected the request for his
release or pardon, citing opposition to this by the Gilan provincial
intelligence department. VS
[42] DEPUTY MINISTER SAYS IRAN FIRM ON GASOLINE RATIONING
Deputy Oil Minister Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh stated his approval for
the current gasoline-restriction policies in Tehran on November 25 and
said the government is not contemplating allowing Iranians to buy
gasoline at free-market prices above a monthly 100-liter-per-month
quota currently sold at a subsidized price. He said it would only do so
if parliament forced it to do so by passing a law. Legislators have
urged the government to allow extra purchases, to resolve shortages in
some areas, and end a growing black market in gasoline, but Nematzadeh
said there is already enough traffic in Tehran and the government is
disinclined to let Iranians buy more gasoline. Iran imposed the
restrictions in June to curb traffic, pollution, and fuel wastage;
critics have said it has not properly implemented fuel-restriction
legislation ratified by parliament. Fars news agency reported on
November 25 that Iran imported almost 3 billion liters of gasoline,
worth just over $1.47 billion, in the seven-month period from March 21,
2007. VS
[43] IRAN SAYS KURDISH MILITANT ARRESTED
Iran's Intelligence Ministry announced in Tehran on November 26 that it
has busted a "propaganda and military cell" and arrested 11 members of
the Kurdish militant group Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan (PJAK),
which has battled Iranian forces in the western regions in recent
months, Radio Farda reported. The ministry said the group was
responsible for actions including a bomb explosion at an exhibition, an
attack on a police post, and starting a fire, all in the western city
of Sanandaj. The PJAK is often associated with the Kurdistan Workers
Party (PKK), another Kurdish group that has fought Turkish forces in
southeastern Turkey and now from northern Iraq, where the PJAK is also
thought to have positions. The ministry said the 11 were handed over to
judicial authorities, without elaborating. VS
[44] IRANIAN FIGHTER JET PLUNGES INTO SOUTHERN SEA
An Iranian fighter jet crashed into the Oman Sea off Iran's
southeastern coast near the port of Kenarak, Radio Farda reported on
November 26, citing IRNA. The plane was an F-4 fighter jet, in use in
Iran since such planes were bought in the 1970s by the shah's
government. It reportedly crashed during maneuvers in the afternoon.
IRNA did not elaborate on the causes of the crash or fate of the pilot,
Radio Farda reported. VS
[45] IRAQ, U.S. SIGN FRAMEWORK FOR FUTURE BILATERAL PACT
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced on November 26 that he
and U.S. President George W. Bush have agreed to begin negotiating on
future military, economic, and diplomatic cooperation, Iraqi media
reported. In addition, al-Maliki said that Baghdad will ask for the
renewal of the U.S.-led coalition's UN mandate for a final year, ending
in 2008. The UN Security Council has been renewed the multinational
troops' mandate annually since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Al-Maliki indicated that a more robust bilateral Iraq-U.S. pact will
eventually replace the UN mandate. "What President Bush and I signed
today is just a declaration of principles and intentions to reflect our
desire to have such a relationship that enables us to remove Iraq from
Chapter 7 [of the UN mandate] as well as to end the presence of the
multinational force in 2008," al-Maliki said. During a press conference
in Washington, D.C. on November 26, Lieutenant General Douglas Lute,
the deputy national security adviser for Afghanistan and Iraq, said the
agreement will set the agenda to help build a future U.S.-Iraqi
relationship. "The two negotiating teams, Iraq and the United States,
now have a common sheet of music with which to begin the
negotiations.... What we expect this to do is provide a bilateral
mandate," Lute said. SS
[46] IRAQI KURDISH LEADER SAYS OIL DEALS ARE VALID
At a November 25 news conference in Irbil, Kurdistan region Prime
Minister Nechirvan Barzani said Iraqi Oil Minister Husayn
al-Shahristani could not cancel any oil contracts signed by the
Kurdistan regional government (KRG), "Peyamner" reported the same day.
Al-Shahristani recently voided all oil exploration and exportation
deals between the KRG and foreign companies (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
November 26, 2007). Barzani also stressed that the oil contracts comply
with provisions enshrined in the Iraqi Constitution and said the KRG
does not attach any value to al-Shahristani's comments. "The KRG will
continue its work [on oil contracts] within the Iraqi Constitution. We
have a constitutional tribunal, if there is any problem, al-Shahristani
can take it there in order to be solved," Barzani said. He also
expressed regret that al-Shahristani is trying to coordinate with
Iraq's neighboring states to prevent the KRG from exporting its oil,
describing the tactic as reminiscent of those used by the former
regime. SS
[47] IRAQI GENERAL SAYS MANY REFUGEES ARE RETURNING TO IRAQ
At a November 25 news conference in Baghdad, Muhsin Abd al-Hasan, head
of the Iraqi border guards, said that large numbers of Iraqi refugees
have started to return, Al-Sharqiyah television reported the same day.
"We are receiving tremendous numbers of displaced families at the
borders of Syria and Jordan," al-Hasan said. "We are having
difficulties dealing with the large numbers." Al-Hasan said that in an
effort to prevent the smuggling of weapons into Iraq, refugees are
being subjected to intense searches by border guards, which in turn has
led to long lines at border crossings. Meanwhile, Adnan Jawad Ali,
deputy commander of the Iraqi ground forces, said that many refugees
who have returned to their homes in Baghdad found them looted or
destroyed, AFP reported on November 26. He said the Iraqi military has
deployed units into areas where refugees are returning to provide
security, but stressed that it is up to the government to deal with the
problems of damaged or destroyed homes. On November 23, the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees downplayed the return of thousands of Iraqi
refugees, stressing that it is due more to necessity than an indication
of improved security in Iraq (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 26,
2007). SS
[48] SHI'ITE LEADER DEFENDS IRAN
Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim, the leader of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council,
said at a November 25 press conference that U.S. accusations that Iran
is behind much of the violence in Iraq are unfounded, state-run
Al-Iraqiyah television reported the same day. Al-Hakim said U.S. forces
need more proof that Iran is fomenting violence in Iraq and he stressed
that the Islamic Republic has repeatedly expressed its willingness to
support the government and people of Iraq. "During my meetings with
[Iranian] officials, they reiterated what they had announced before;
namely, that they really want to support the Iraqi government...and
stand by the Iraqi people, especially since they have a long history of
support for the Iraqi people," al-Hakim said. U.S. military spokesman
Rear Admiral Gregory Smith said on November 24 that an Iranian-linked
Shi'ite militia was responsible for the November 23 bombing at a
Baghdad pet market that killed 13 people (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
November 26, 2007). SS
[49] SHI'ITE MILITIA KILLS FAMILY OF IRAQI JOURNALIST
An Iraqi journalist living in Jordan said 11 members of his family
living in Baghdad were killed by a Shi'ite militia, the BBC reported on
November 26. Dia al-Kawwaz, the editor in chief of the news website
Shabakat Akhbar Al-Iraq (Iraq News Network), said Shi'ite militants
stormed his family's house in northern Baghdad on November 25 and
killed everyone inside, including his wife and children. Shabakat
Akhbar Al-Iraq has long been critical of the Iraqi government and the
U.S. military presence in Iraq. The Iraqi Association to Defend
Journalists' Rights issued a statement condemning the "brutal crime"
against al-Kawwaz's family. "We call on the government to review the
crimes and violations being perpetrated against journalists and their
families. They should take responsibility to protect journalists who
are the main targets of gunmen," it said in a statement. Reporters
Without Borders said approximately 206 journalists and media assistants
have been killed since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003. SS
[50] IRAQ ENDORSES UN CHEMICAL-WEAPONS CONVENTION
The Iraqi Foreign Ministry announced on November 26 that Iraq has
endorsed the UN Chemical Weapons Convention, which bans the use and
storage of chemical weapons, KUNA reported. Surud Najib, head of
foreign relations in President Jalal Talabani's office, said the
three-member Presidential Council recently endorsed Iraq's accession to
the convention after the parliament approved the measure. "The decision
will present a new civilized face of Iraq when it deals with the
international community," Najib said. He also noted that the move
enables Iraq to seek greater international assistance to eliminate
remnants of chemical weapons produced by the former regime as well as
to ensure that a new Iraq will be free of weapons of mass destruction.
SS
End Note
[51] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY.
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