|
|
RFE/RL Newsline, 07-11-30
CONTENTS
[01] PUTIN WARNS FOREIGN AMBASSADORS AGAINST INTERFERENCE...
[02] ...AND CALLS FOR RUSSIAN NGO'S TO WORK IN AMERICA
[03] STATE DEPARTMENT SLAMS RUSSIAN ELECTION MONITORING ALLEGATION
[04] RUSSIA CALLS FOR STRENGTHENING PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT
[05] BRITISH OPPOSITION LEADER WARNS OF RUSSIAN ARMED THREAT
[06] BEREZOVSKY CONVICTED, SENTENCED IN ABSENTIA
[07] PUTIN MAKES TELEVISED CAMPAIGN APPEARANCE
[08] UNIFIED RUSSIA TO DOMINATE OFFICIAL VOTE-COUNTING WORKING GROUP
[09] COMMUNISTS MOBILIZE FORMER SILOVIKI TO MONITOR ELECTIONS
[10] PRO-PUTIN RALLY IN PETERSBURG PASSES WITHOUT SENSATION
[11] KASYANOV PRESENTS COALITION PLAN FOR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
[12] GREF TAKES OVER AT SBERBANK
[13] KASPAROV RELEASE EXPECTED
[14] RIGHTS ACTIVISTS SLAM WORK OF OUTGOING DUMA
[15] RUSSIA DENIES PEACEKEEPING FORCE ENGAGED IN CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES
[16] A JUST RUSSIA REJECTS ALLEGATIONS OF VOTE-BUYING IN DAGHESTAN
[17] ANOTHER CHECHEN FIELD COMMANDER DISTANCES SELF FROM PRESIDENT
[18] BESLAN RESIDENTS JOIN 'AGAINST PUTIN' MOVEMENT
[19] ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES 2008 BUDGET
[20] RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTER VISITS AZERBAIJAN
[21] FORMER GEORGIAN DEFENSE MINISTER DETAINED IN GERMANY
[22] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT APPOINTS NEW ACTING PRIME MINISTER...
[23] KYRGYZ COURT DISMISSES CHALLENGE TO REGIONAL THRESHOLD FOR PARTIES
[24] VISITING RUSSIAN OFFICIAL CONCLUDES NEW AGREEMENTS WITH UZBEKS
[25] AMNESTY COMES INTO FORCE IN BELARUS
[26] PACE PRESIDENT CALLS ON BELARUS TO COMMUTE THREE DEATH SENTENCES
[27] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT PERSUADES LAWMAKERS TO SIGN COALITION WITH
TYMOSHENKO...
[28] ...SETS DEADLINE FOR SWITCHING TO PROFESSIONAL ARMY
[29] HOPES OF A KOSOVA BREAKTHROUGH DIE...
[30] ...AS BELGRADE, PRISHTINA DRAW BATTLELINES
[31] ALBANIANS MARK INDEPENDENCE DAY...
[32] ...AS SERBIAN POLICE THWART MILITIA GROUP
[33] MUSLIM RADICALS SET FOR TRIAL IN SERBIA
[34] BOSNIA RISKS 'SPIRALING OUT OF CONTROL'
[35] UN, NETHERLANDS FACE PROSECUTION OVER SREBRENICA MASSACRE
[36] BOSNIAN SERB SENTENCED TO 28 YEARS FOR WAR CRIMES...
[37] ...AS CROATIA INDICTS MAN CLEARED BY ICTY
[38] U.S. AIR STRIKE KILLS AFGHAN ROAD WORKERS
[39] NATO USES WEB VIDEO TO COUNTER TALIBAN PROPAGANDA
[40] AFGHAN COUNTERINSURGENCY TRAINING REPORTEDLY BEHIND SCHEDULE
[41] PAKISTANI BALUCH LEADER ASSASSINATED IN AFGHANISTAN
[42] IRANIAN LEADERS DISPLEASED WITH FORMER DIPLOMAT'S ACQUITTAL
[43] IRAN APPOINTS NEW JUDGES TO INVESTIGATE JOURNALIST'S DEATH
[44] JOURNALIST ARRESTED IN TEHRAN
[45] IRANIAN LEGISLATOR SEES GOVERNMENT FAILURES
[46] TOP SHI'ITE CLERIC CALLS FOR PROTECTION OF SUNNIS
[47] SIXTY IRAQI OIL EXPERTS SUPPORT OIL MINISTER ON KURDISH DEALS
[48] SUNNI WAQF LEADER CALLS FOR TRIBAL GROUPS TO MERGE WITH SECURITY
FORCES
[49] RUSSIA OPENS CONSULATE IN IRAQI KURDISH CAPITAL
[50] FEMALE SUICIDE BOMBER WOUNDS SEVEN U.S. SOLDIERS IN IRAQ
[51] UNICEF WARNS OF POSSIBLE CHOLERA OUTBREAK IN BAGHDAD
[52] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY.
Thursday, November 29, 2007 Volume 11 Number 220
Russia
[01] PUTIN WARNS FOREIGN AMBASSADORS AGAINST INTERFERENCE...
President Vladimir Putin said at a reception for the heads of foreign
diplomatic missions on November 28 that Russia is determined to take
its place among the major powers of the world and will not tolerate any
attempts from the outside to "correct" its domestic political
development, kremlin.ru reported. He pledged that the upcoming
parliamentary elections will be "honest..., transparent, and open as
possible, without organizational failures and problems," in a possible
dig at the United States, where the 2000 presidential election was
riddled with organizational difficulties. He pointed out that "Russia
is one of the world's 10 largest economies." Putin argued that Moscow
seeks to solve international problems through the "honest and direct
dialogue...that I called for [in] Munich in February" in a speech that
many Western observers, however, considered bellicose and
anti-American. Using a favorite term of America's European critics,
Putin on November 28 called for "multi-polarity" in world affairs and
defended his tough policies on "missile defense, the Conventional
Forces in Europe Treaty, and the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty" as
contributing to "strategic stability." He rarely mentioned the United
States by name but made it clear indirectly that Washington remains
Moscow's chief priority (see "RFE/RL Newsline," September 4, 2007). He
stressed the importance of international cooperation against terrorism,
arguing that "Russia felt the effects of this threat long
before...September 11, 2001 [through] large-scale aggression by
international terrorists in Chechnya and Daghestan." In a possible
allusion to the 1997 book "The Grand Chessboard" by U.S. strategic
expert Zbigniew Brzezinski, Putin warned that Russia's first priority
is its relations with the CIS countries, which are not "a 'chess board'
on which geopolitical games are played out." He called the EU an
"important partner for Russia," noting that "we understand the
difficulties the EU is going through and are confident that life will
put everything in its place." He hailed "most importantly, the
intensive bilateral relations" between Russia and some individual EU
member states. Putin has been criticized by many in the EU for trying
to split the bloc by avoiding dealing with the EU as a whole and
concentrating on making deals with individual West European countries.
PM
[02] ...AND CALLS FOR RUSSIAN NGO'S TO WORK IN AMERICA
In one of his few explicit references to the United States in his
November 28 speech, President Putin suggested that unnamed Russian
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) should "be able to work in...the
United States and other countries in an environment as comfortable as
that which we provide for their counterparts working in Russia,"
kremlin.ru reported. He did not mention that his government has
harassed or shut down many NGOs through tough legislation. The daily
"Vremya novostei" noted ironically on November 29 that Putin
effectively announced on November 28 that Russia wants to export its
defense of human rights. The paper recalled that Putin first floated
the idea of setting up a joint "Russian-European institute for freedom
and democracy" at the Russia-EU summit in October in Portugal (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," October 29 and 30, and November 6, 2007). Western
human rights organizations and official agencies quickly dismissed the
proposal as politically motivated and "not serious." "Vremya novostei"
pointed out on November 29 that Putin is simply reviving an old Soviet
propaganda technique by claiming that his country can help protect
human rights abroad. The daily recalled that the Soviet authorities
sought to spread the view among their citizens that human rights are
not respected in the West and that Moscow must act to help the
oppressed. The paper pointed out some specific cases that became the
objects of Soviet propaganda campaigns, like the one in the early 1970s
involving Angela Davis, a U.S. civil rights activist and communist
organizer. The daily suggested that "the only thing [the Kremlin] needs
to do now is find a contemporary Angela Davis." PM
[03] STATE DEPARTMENT SLAMS RUSSIAN ELECTION MONITORING ALLEGATION
Speaking in Madrid on November 28, U.S. Undersecretary of State for
Political Affairs Nicholas Burns called "preposterous" President
Putin's recent claim that the State Department is behind the 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, news agencies reported (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," November 27 and 28, 2008). Burns argued that "it was
clear to everybody in Vienna at the OSCE that Russia had broken
precedence, that Russia had inflicted upon the OSCE, or impressed upon
the OSCE, conditions for the monitors that were unworkable, [and] that
it was the first country in memory over the last 15 years to demand the
types of conditions that would make it impossible for ODIHR to act." He
added that a Russian draft proposal on reducing the OSCE's
vote-monitoring "would severely weaken and undermine ODIHR. And I know
that some of the cosponsors are Uzbekistan and Belarus, and I know
Kazakhstan is. We think it's very unfortunate that those countries
developed this proposal. We are absolutely opposed to it." He stressed
that "we will not compromise." The OSCE's ministerial council meets in
Madrid on November 29-30. Burns said that the U.S. delegation will hold
talks during those days with its Russian counterpart, which is headed
by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. On November 28, the daily
"Kommersant" wrote that Lavrov and Putin have recently dealt a blow to
relations with Washington by "outlining the concept of a foreign
conspiracy against Russia's elections, with the OSCE acting as the
contractor and the Bush administration as the client." PM
[04] RUSSIA CALLS FOR STRENGTHENING PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT
Foreign Minister Lavrov said in Moscow on November 28 that Russia wants
to bolster the position of moderate Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas,
Interfax reported. Lavrov stressed that Abbas, like Israeli Prime
Minister Ehud Olmert, won his post legitimately in an election. Lavrov
stressed that strengthening Abbas's position will help promote
Palestinian unity. Russia also defends its ties with the radical
Palestinian Hamas on the grounds that it legitimately won the June 2006
Palestinian legislative elections (see "RFE/RL Newsline," February 28
and June 25 and 29, 2007). PM
[05] BRITISH OPPOSITION LEADER WARNS OF RUSSIAN ARMED THREAT
Britain's "Daily Telegraph" reported on November 29 that Conservative
Party leader David Cameron argued in Washington on November 28 that
"Western forces, which could include British troops, must be sent into
the Balkans to prevent Russia sparking a new European war" over Kosova.
Cameron said "let me make it clear: there could be a new crisis in the
Balkans by Christmas.... That [would be] a direct threat to our
national security, and we must therefore take decisive action now to
prevent it. We need to reinforce the military presence in the region
now, by drawing on some of NATO's dedicated operational reserve, to
prevent trouble later." The daily suggested that "British diplomats
privately share Mr. Cameron's fears of a Balkan crisis, but ministers
have stopped short of proposing a further military deployment, and the
Tory leader's call could dramatically increase the diplomatic stakes
over Kosovo." PM
[06] BEREZOVSKY CONVICTED, SENTENCED IN ABSENTIA
The Savyolovsky Raion Court in Moscow on November 29 convicted
self-exiled tycoon Boris Berezovsky of embezzling more than 2 million
rubles ($7.7 million) from the Aeroflot airline and sentenced him to
six years' imprisonment, Ekho Moskvy and other Russian media reported
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," September 5, 2007). Berezovsky, who has been
granted political asylum in the United Kingdom, called the case "a
political farce." Prosecutors had asked for a nine-year prison term,
and the Prosecutor-General's Office announced it will renew Russia's
application to Great Britain for Berezovsky's extradition. RC
[07] PUTIN MAKES TELEVISED CAMPAIGN APPEARANCE
President Putin appeared on national television on November 29 in a
brief prerecorded statement to urge the public to vote in the December
2 Duma elections, Russian and international media reported. Earlier
speculation that Putin might make a dramatic announcement, including
possibly his resignation or that he would enter the Duma following the
elections, proved unfounded (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 28, 2007).
Putin, who appeared in his capacity as a Duma candidate for Unified
Russia, called on Russians to maintain the country's current course.
"We cannot allow those who already tried to run the country to return
to power," Putin said. He said that it is "a dangerous illusion" to
think that the results of the elections are predetermined. Moreover,
Putin said the Duma elections will "set the tone" for the presidential
election set for March 2008. He also said the country must continue the
fight against terrorism, crime, and corruption. The initial broadcast
of Putin's statement was reportedly paid for by the Unified Russia
campaign fund, newsru.com reported. RC
[08] UNIFIED RUSSIA TO DOMINATE OFFICIAL VOTE-COUNTING WORKING GROUP
The Central Election Commission on November 28 named the members of the
working group that will be responsible for approving the final
protocols for the December 2 legislative elections, "Vedomosti"
reported on November 29. The group will be chaired by commission Deputy
Chairman Stanislav Vavilov, a former Federation Council member who is a
member of the pro-Kremlin Unified Russia party. His deputy will be Duma
Deputy Gennady Raikov, who was a member of the Unified Russia Duma
faction until he left in March. The group's secretary will be Duma
Deputy Valery Kryukov, a member of the Unified Russia Duma faction who
has been assigned to assist the commission. The remaining members of
the working group are all Central Election Commission staff workers.
The working group will be responsible for receiving voting protocols
from local election commissions and analyzing them in the light of data
from the Vybory electronic voting system. It will assemble and prepare
for Central Election Commission approval all documents relating to the
official vote tally. Central Election Commission member Yevgeny
Kolyushin, who represents the Communist Party, told the daily that the
working group violates election law and is designed to distance
commission members from participating in the vote count. Commission
member Sergei Danilenko, from A Just Russia, noted that the commission
has never had such a working group before. RC
[09] COMMUNISTS MOBILIZE FORMER SILOVIKI TO MONITOR ELECTIONS
The Communist Party has created a special working group to monitor the
voting and the counting of ballots in the December 2 legislative
elections, Interfax reported on November 28. The group is made up
entirely of veterans of the prosecutor's office of the Soviet Union,
the Soviet-era KGB, the Soviet-era Interior Ministry, and former
Soviet-era judges, party official Ivan Melnikov was quoted as saying.
Melnikov said the group will investigate all suspicions of
falsification and will push for prosecution both of the suspected
perpetrators and of those who may have ordered the crimes. RC
[10] PRO-PUTIN RALLY IN PETERSBURG PASSES WITHOUT SENSATION
A rally in support of President Putin, analogous to one held in Moscow
on November 21 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 21, 2007), was held in
St. Petersburg on November 27, Russian media reported on November 27
and 28. Although it had been widely rumored the Putin might attend and
even that he might make a sensational announcement (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," November 28, 2007), he was not present at the event and
attendees were show a recorded version of the speech he delivered in
Moscow. Unified Russia party leader and Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov told
the crowd of several thousand gathered at a local concert hall that the
elections "will be a referendum on Vladimir Putin, a referendum in
support of his course." He added that everyone who "believes in the
president" should turn out to vote. St. Petersburg Governor Valentina
Matviyenko also addressed the crowd and praised Putin's achievements
during the eight years of his presidency. RC
[11] KASYANOV PRESENTS COALITION PLAN FOR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov on November 29 confirmed his
intention to run for president in the March 2, 2008, election, RFE/RL's
Russian Service reported. Kasyanov said his candidacy will be confirmed
by his unregistered National Democratic Union at a national conference
in Moscow on December 7. "The new power will be formed on the basis of
the presidential election," Kasyanov said. "The legislative elections
are very important, but that is question No. 2. Today the situation in
the country is developing in such a way that question No. 2 has been
taken away from us, from the lives of Russian citizens and from the
life of the political forces of the Russian Federation. Of course, the
current authorities are nervous, as we can see. And this is expressed
in the uncertainty of various actions, including the reaction to
protest actions that take place." Kasyanov repeated his call for the
opposition to unite behind a single candidate in the presidential
election. He presented a draft coalition agreement under which the
joint candidate, if he or she wins the election, pledges to draft his
or her address to the Federal Assembly in consultation with all members
of the coalition, as well as to consult on nominees for key posts
including the prime minister, judges, the prosecutor-general, the
chairman of the Central Bank, and others. Kasyanov called on Yabloko,
the Union of Rightist Forces, the Other Russia coalition, and the
Republican Party to join the coalition. RC
[12] GREF TAKES OVER AT SBERBANK
Former Economic Development and Trade Minister German Gref was approved
as the head of the Sberbank state savings bank by shareholders on
November 28, Russian media reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 17,
2007). "We have to prove that elephants can dance," Gref told
shareholders. "We must create flexible signals that react to the market
and a reliable structure that is friendly to depositors." The bank is
60 percent controlled by the Central Bank of Russia. Its capitalization
is $95.7 billion, "Vremya novostei" reported on November 29. RC
[13] KASPAROV RELEASE EXPECTED
United Civic Front leader Garry Kasparov, who is serving a five-day
jail term for conducting an illegal demonstration in Moscow on November
24, is expected to be released on November 29 at 3:45 p.m. Moscow time,
Ekho Moskvy reported on November 29. The unregistered United Civic
Front plans to mark the event with a demonstration, which has been
authorized by the city authorities. On November 28, about 10 people
were briefly detained during an effort to see Kasparov. Those detained
included journalists from Ekho Moskvy, "Kommersant," and lenta.ru, as
well as the well-known satirist Viktor Shenderovich, Yabloko youth
group head Ilya Yashin, and other activists. All were released after a
brief detention. The New York-based NGO Amnesty International on
November 28 declared Kasparov a prisoner of conscience and called for
his immediate release. He has been held without access to a lawyer or
visitors since his arrest on November 24. RC
[14] RIGHTS ACTIVISTS SLAM WORK OF OUTGOING DUMA
A committee of leading human-rights activists headed by Andrei
Babushkin on November 28 presented its assessment of the work of the
Duma that just completed its term of office, gzt.ru reported on
November 28. The report asserts that the Duma passed numerous laws
greatly restricting human rights; that the Duma failed to act as an
independent branch of government; that the Duma did not involve
nongovernmental organizations in the process of drafting legislation;
that the process of passing major laws was opaque and overly hasty,
with many major bills being adopted in all three readings in 10 days or
less. The report was particularly critical of a 2004 law that converted
in-kind social benefits to cash payments (see "Analysis: Battling Over
Benefits," rferl.org, August 17, 2004), which the activists claim
infringed the rights of 76 categories of citizens, particularly
pensioners, veterans, and the handicapped. The report also criticized a
2004 law that restricted the circumstances under which referendums may
be conducted. "That law is simply absurd, since [it makes it]
impossible in principle to organize a referendum," Babushkin said. The
report concluded that the deputies elected in 2003 were "neither
morally nor professionally prepared for law-making activity." Maria
Slobodskaya, a member of the governmental Public Chamber, which
oversees civil-society development, criticized the report, saying it
was wrong to "evaluate the activity of this parliament as completely
negative." The Public Chamber is expected to issue its own report on
the state of Russia civil society in December. RC
[15] RUSSIA DENIES PEACEKEEPING FORCE ENGAGED IN CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES
Igor Konashenkov, who is an aide to the commander of Russia's Land
Forces, rejected on November 28 the allegation made earlier that day by
recently named Georgian National Security Council Secretary Aleksandre
Lomaia that Russian peacekeepers deployed in the Abkhaz conflict zone
are involved in money-laundering and the smuggling of weapons and
drugs, lenta.ru reported. Konashenkov further said that the replacement
of Colonel Aleksandr Pavlushko, the chief of staff of the Russian
peacekeeping force, by the former head of the Russian military base in
Akhalkalaki, Major-General Yevgeny Avchalov, was "routine." Caucasus
Press on November 28 reported that Pavlushko was replaced in the wake
of an incident last month in which Russian peacekeepers beat up
Georgian police near the Ganmukhuri training camp in western Georgia.
Footage of that incident was subsequently screened on Georgian
television (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 31 and November 1, 2007). LF
[16] A JUST RUSSIA REJECTS ALLEGATIONS OF VOTE-BUYING IN DAGHESTAN
The Daghestan regional organization of the A Just Russia party released
a statement on November 28 rejecting as a "provocation" and "black PR"
the announcement the previous day by the republic's Interior Ministry
of the arrest of a member of its staff on suspicion of offering
residents of Kizlyar 200 rubles ($8.19) apiece to vote for A Just
Russia in the December 2 election State Duma elections, regnum.ru
reported. A Just Russia denied that the woman in question is or ever
was one of its members. Also on November 28, a raion court in
Makhachkala sentenced Nukh Nukhov to two months' pre-trial detention on
charges of hooliganism and illegal possession of arms, kavkaz-uzel.ru
reported. Nukhov is the Union of Rightist Forces' candidate for the
post of Dakhadayev Raion administration head; that ballot is to be held
concurrently with the Duma elections (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November
28, 2007). Meanwhile, kavkaz-uzel.ru published on November 28 comments
it solicited from Farid Babayev, head of the Daghestan organization of
the opposition Yabloko party, shortly before his recent assassination
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 26, 2007). Babayev claimed that the
Daghestan authorities are using every available means to ensure an
election victory for the party of power, but he predicted that Yabloko
would nonetheless win no less than 12 percent of the vote in
Makhachkala and Derbent. LF
[17] ANOTHER CHECHEN FIELD COMMANDER DISTANCES SELF FROM PRESIDENT
Amir Rashid, commander of the Shali front, has come out against the
proclamation by resistance commander Doku Umarov of a North Caucasus
emirate Umarov claims to head, chechenews.com reported on November 28
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 30, 2007). Rashid added that the
decision to proclaim a North Caucasus emirate was taken by a small
group of people, including "representatives of Daghestan, Ingushetia
and Kabardino-Balkaria," presumably meaning field commanders Magas
(Akhmed Yevloyev) and Seyfulla (Anzor Astemirov), and that no senior or
middle-level Chechen commander was informed of Umarov's intention in
advance. Rashid is the fifth field commander to register openly his
rejection of Umarov's decision. LF
[18] BESLAN RESIDENTS JOIN 'AGAINST PUTIN' MOVEMENT
Some 50 people, mostly residents of Beslan, have signed up to join the
movement "Against Putin" in North Ossetia, regnum.ru reported on
November 28. The movement's leader Vissarion Aseyev, who heads the
North Ossetian branch of the United Civic Front and is a candidate in
the December 2 elections to the North Ossetian parliament, told
regnum.ru he signed up seven new members in 90 minutes in Vladikavkaz
on November 25 before being detained for two hours by police and FSB
personnel. LF
Transcaucasia And Central Asia
[19] ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES 2008 BUDGET
Lawmakers approved the amended 2008 budget in the third and final
reading on November 28 by a vote of 87 in favor and two against,
RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported. Eight deputies from the opposition
Orinats Yerkir (Law-Based State) and Zharangutiun (Heritage) factions
abstained from voting, according to Noyan Tapan. The final version of
the budget sets revenues at 746 billion drams (about $2.5 billion), and
expenditures at 822 billion drams, resulting in a deficit of 76 billion
drams. Both targets are some 40 percent higher than the comparable
figures for 2007. GDP growth is projected at around 10 percent. The
budget is predicated on an exchange rate of 325 drams to the U.S.
dollar and 470 drams to the euro. Spending on education is to increase
by 20 percent and on healthcare by almost 20 percent. No details were
made public of planned defense spending, which Prime Minister Serzh
Sarkisian said in September would amount to the dram equivalent of $400
million in 2008, a 33 percent increase in dollar terms over the figure
for 2007. LF
[20] RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTER VISITS AZERBAIJAN
Anatoly Serdyukov traveled on November 28 to Baku, where he met with
Prime Minister Artur Rasizade and with Azerbaijani Defense Minister
Colonel General Safar Abiyev, Azerbaijani media reported. Serdyukov and
Abiyev signed an agreement on bilateral military and military-technical
cooperation for 2008. The two ministers then traveled to the Qabala
(Gabala) radar facility, the joint use of which Russian President
Vladimir Putin proposed to his U.S. counterpart George W. Bush in June
as an alternative to U.S. plans for developing a missile-defense system
that would include deploying interceptors in Poland and establishing a
radar base in the Czech Republic (see "RFE/RL Newsline," June 22, July
3, and August 17, 2007). Abiyev stressed that Qabala belongs to
Azerbaijan and no decision on its joint use by Russia and the U.S. can
be taken without the participation of the Azerbaijani government,
zerkalo.az reported on November 29. LF
[21] FORMER GEORGIAN DEFENSE MINISTER DETAINED IN GERMANY
German police detained former Georgian Defense Minister Irakli
Okruashvili in Berlin late on November 27, together with a second
former Defense Ministry official, Iason Chikhladze, Georgian media
reported the following day. Okruashvili was arrested in Georgia in late
September on charges of extortion and abuse of his official position,
two days after publicly accusing then President Mikheil Saakashvili of
condoning corruption and seeking to engineer the murder of a political
opponent. He was released on $6 million bail 10 days later and left
Georgia in late October (see "RFE/RL Newsline," September 26 and
October 9, 2007). His trial in absentia opened in Tbilisi 10 days ago.
A spokesman for the Berlin Prosecutor's office told RFE/RL's Georgian
Service on November 28 that Okruashvili was taken into custody on the
basis of an application filed by the Georgian authorities through
Interpol, and that the General Prosecutor's office must decide whether
to approve his extradition to Georgia. The Georgian daily "Alia" on
November 29 quoted Okruashvili's lawyer Eka Beselia as predicting that
her client will not be sent back to Georgia to stand trial. LF
[22] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT APPOINTS NEW ACTING PRIME MINISTER...
Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev on November 27 elevated Iskenderbek
Aidaraliev to the post of acting prime minister within hours of
appointing him first deputy prime minister, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service and
AKIpress reported. The move followed Bakiev's surprise decision to
"relieve" Prime Minister Almazbek Atambaev of his post on November 27
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 28, 2007). The first deputy prime
minister's post had been vacant since the removal in April of current
Bishkek Mayor Daniyar Usenov. Aidaraliev is perhaps best known for his
recent call to "abolish" the post of prime minister and "concentrate
power in the hands of the president" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," July 23,
2007). Aidaraliev was previously governor of the southern Jalal-abad
region, where he was replaced by Koshbay Masirov, Kyrgyz Television
reported. Atambaev continued to tout his opposition credentials
following his appointment in March, and heads the opposition Social
Democratic Party, one of the most active challengers to Bakiev's new
Ak-Jol Eldik Partiyasy (Best Path Popular Party). In comments to
reporters following his removal as prime minister the previous day,
Atambaev said on November 28 that he was "very grateful" to President
Bakiev for his support but vowed to "devote himself" to forging a
victory for his opposition Social Democratic Party in the December 16
elections for a new Kyrgyz parliament, AKIpress and Kyrgyz Television
reported. Atambaev added that the country's current priority should be
"stability" to ensure that "the parliamentary election by party lists
is held fairly and transparently." Atambaev also recently warned of the
"dangers of vote-rigging" in the upcoming election and expressed
concern that "if the authorities elect a one-party parliament," it may
"undermine stability" in the country (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November
26, 2007). Former Foreign Minister Alikbek Jekshenkulov argued that
Atambaev's dismissal was intended "to strengthen the president's
position" and noted that "no matter what Almazbek Atambaev may say to
support the president's policy, he is likely to choose the opposition,"
according to the 24.kg website. RG
[23] KYRGYZ COURT DISMISSES CHALLENGE TO REGIONAL THRESHOLD FOR PARTIES
A Bishkek court on November 28 dismissed a legal challenge by Ak-Jol to
a recently imposed 0.5 percent regional election threshold for parties
to enter the Kyrgyz parliament, AKIpress reported. The Central Election
Commission recently backed amendments excluding from parliament parties
that fail to win 0.5 percent of the vote in each region and 5 percent
nationally. Ombudsman and candidate Tursunbai Bakir-uulu has criticized
the threshold as an infringement of "Kyrgyz citizens' rights" (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," November 26, 2007). The leaders of the country's 12
main political parties participating in the December 16 parliamentary
elections recently demanded the abolition of the minimum national and
regional thresholds for parties, arguing that they "would substantially
reduce many parties' chances to win" seats in parliament (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," November 21, 2007). In a separate ruling, the court also
upheld on November 28 a decision by the election commission to deny
registration of the party list of candidates submitted by the Communist
Party of Kyrgyzstan for its failure to meet the required gender balance
of candidates. RG
[24] VISITING RUSSIAN OFFICIAL CONCLUDES NEW AGREEMENTS WITH UZBEKS
Meeting in Tashkent on November 28, Uzbek Prime Minister Shavkat
Mirziyoev and visiting Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Sergey
Ivanov signed a new set of bilateral agreements on cooperation in
energy and customs, as well as a specific accord on aircraft
construction, ITAR-TASS and AKIpress reported. Ivanov also led an
official delegation to an Uzbek-Russian business forum, where he hailed
the "strategic" nature of Russian-Uzbek relations. Ivanov noted Russian
plans to increase investment in Uzbekistan's mining and agriculture
sectors, with a particular focus on exploring and extracting the
country's uranium reserves. Additional agreements were signed by
Russian Deputy Justice Minister Nikolay Savchenko and Uzbek Foreign
Economic Relations, Investments, and Trade Minister Elyor Ganiev
covering intellectual-property protection and bilateral military and
technical cooperation. The Russian delegation expressed its commitment
to helping finance a project to construct a liquefied-gas plant at the
Muborak gas refinery in Uzbekistan's southern Qasqadaryo region. Russia
currently accounts for roughly 22 percent of Uzbekistan's external
trade, which totaled $2.3 billion for the first nine months of this
year. RG
Eastern Europe
[25] AMNESTY COMES INTO FORCE IN BELARUS
An amnesty providing for the release of almost 1,700 prisoners came
into force in Belarus on November 28 with its publication in the
"Respublika" newspaper, Belapan reported. The Belarusian legislature
adopted the bill on October 24, and Belarusian President Alyaksandr
Lukashenka signed it on November 22. The amnesty was issued with the
goal of saving $935,000 in public funds each year. It applies to people
convicted of crimes punishable by no more than six years in prison and
who have served at least one-third of their sentences; war veterans;
people of retirement age; pregnant women; people with disabilities;
youths under 18; parents of children under 18; former Chornobyl cleanup
workers; people with HIV or tuberculosis; and those injured while
working. The amnesty does not apply to those who committed crimes after
having been amnestied previously, or those with poor disciplinary
records. AM
[26] PACE PRESIDENT CALLS ON BELARUS TO COMMUTE THREE DEATH SENTENCES
Rene van der Linden, the president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe (PACE), has called on the Belarusian authorities to
commute three death sentences to milder sentences, RFE/RL's Belarusian
Service reported on November 28. A Belarusian court in 2006 sentenced
Syarhey Marozau, Ihar Danchanka, and Valery Harbaty to death for
running an organized crime group. Van der Linden also called on
President Lukashenka to immediately place a moratorium on the death
sentence. "The intention to introduce a moratorium on the death
sentence and its future abolition are preconditions for joining PACE,"
van der Linden added. The Belarusian authorities recently executed
Alyaksandr Syarheychyk, a former police officer sentenced to death for
serial killings. AM
[27] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT PERSUADES LAWMAKERS TO SIGN COALITION WITH
TYMOSHENKO...
Presidential staff head Viktor Baloha said on November 28 that
President Viktor Yushchenko has talked with the seven lawmakers of the
Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defense bloc (NUNS) who have so far failed to
sign the coalition agreement with the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc (BYuT), and
persuaded them to do so, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reported. According
to Baloha, Yushchenko used exhaustive arguments to dispel the doubts
that prevented the lawmakers from signing the agreement. The
broadcaster reported that Yushchenko believes that there are no longer
any obstacles to concluding a coalition agreement between the BYuT and
NUNS, forming a parliamentary majority, and approving a new government.
AM
[28] ...SETS DEADLINE FOR SWITCHING TO PROFESSIONAL ARMY
President Yushchenko on November 28 said the military draft in the fall
of 2009 will be the last one before the Ukrainian armed forces become a
fully professional army, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reported.
Yushchenko ordered the government and the General Staff to determine by
the end of this year the expenses connected with the transition to a
contractual military, and to prepare a detailed action plan by February
1, 2008. Yushchenko also asked the government to revise the 2008 draft
budget and raise its expenditures for the armed forces. He described
the providing decent pay and conditions for military service people as
a priority for Ukraine. AM
Southeastern Europe
[29] HOPES OF A KOSOVA BREAKTHROUGH DIE...
Kosova's and Serbia's leaders announced on November 28 that they failed
to reach an agreement on Kosova's future in their last direct talks,
which were held in Baden, Vienna. While the "troika" of diplomats
mediating the talks will head to Belgrade and Prishtina on December 3
for separate meetings with the two negotiating teams, EU mediator
Wolfgang Ischinger effectively ended the international community's
second effort to broker an agreement with his statement that the
failure of the November 26-28 talks "marks the end of Troika-sponsored
face-to-face negotiations." The first international effort, which
lasted 15 months, resulted in the UN's mediator, Martti Ahtisaari,
proposing that Kosova be granted "supervised independence," an idea
torpedoed by Russia when it was brought before the UN Security Council.
It is now up to the UN secretary-general to decide whether there should
be a third attempt to end the deadlock, as Serbia wishes. However,
Ischinger's comments on November 28 underscored his conviction, stated
on November 27, that further talks would be futile (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," November 28, 2007). "We did what we promised to do...to
leave no stone unturned," he said, adding that the talks "explored
every humanly known option." Ischinger's U.S. counterpart, Frank
Wisner, echoed his comments, saying "all efforts that we could make, we
made" in Baden, and predicted that "we're going into a very difficult
time." Peace in the region is now "very much at stake," Wisner added,
but both he and Ischinger said that the two sides made it clear that
that they are committed to avoiding violence. Ischinger struck at least
one positive note, though. He indicated that the conference achieved
one of its main goals -- to bring the leaders together "to interact and
to have ample opportunity for discussion not only at the conference
table...but over many hours, over dinner." He noted that Serbian
President Boris Tadic and Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic, on one side,
and Kosova's serving prime minister, Agim Ceku, and his probable
successor, Hashim Thaci, "spent hours speaking personally and without a
note-taker about their issues." "That level of communication," he said,
will hopefully "be maintained for political purposes as we look down
the road." Wisner also spoke of the "hard work" put in by the two sides
and their "careful exploration of all the options." AG
[30] ...AS BELGRADE, PRISHTINA DRAW BATTLELINES
The end of the talks gave fresh significance to Prishtina's and
Belgrade's repetition of their long-standing statements of intent, as
Serbia will very soon have to decide just how far it is willing to go
in its efforts to frustrate Kosova's bid for independence. Kosovar
President Fatmir Sejdiu made clear Prishtina will press ahead swiftly,
telling reporters that "we cannot say the exact time and date when
independence will be declared, but it will happen very quickly." He
added that a declaration will be made "in coordination with the
international community," a comment that may allay some EU concerns
about an unmanaged push for independence, but a policy that also risks
exposing the EU states' failure to reach a consensus (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," November 20, 2007). Kosova would ignore Serbia's protests,
because, Sejdiu said, Kosova "will not be held hostage." Meanwhile,
Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said a unilateral declaration
of independence would be a "crime," and would be "annulled" by the
Serbian authorities. The same position was voiced by Serbian President
Tadic, who similarly warned that "a declaration of independence would
not only destabilize Serbia, but the region, and would introduce a
domino effect which could destabilize Europe." Neither they nor the
other members of the Serbian negotiating team expanded on statements
made on November 27 that Serbia is preparing responses to a unilateral
move by Kosova, though Serbian President Tadic flagged the first likely
steps when he said "we will take all legal and diplomatic measures to
fight" any declaration of independence. The key legal arena may be the
UN, with Kostunica arguing that "the negotiations must end the way they
started -- at the Security Council." Kosova's leaders, by contrast,
emphasized that there is no alternative to independence and that, as
Sejdiu said on November 27, "Serbia wishes to deny the democratic will
of [the] over 2 million people" of Kosova. There was, though, some
nominal appreciation of the Serbian position among Kosovars, albeit
intended to underscore Kosova's argument. "The good news" is that Tadic
said "neither the status [question] nor any other issue will push
Serbia toward a war," opposition leader Veton Surroi said on November
27 in comments carried by Radio-Television Kosova. "For Kosova, which
over the last 100 years has been used to getting war news from
Belgrade, this is good news and a change of approach," he said. AG
[31] ALBANIANS MARK INDEPENDENCE DAY...
Albanians across the Balkans on November 28 celebrated the 95th
anniversary of Albania's independence, but in Kosova, where Prime
Minister Ceku once proposed that independence should be declared on
November 28, the anniversary was largely eclipsed by the talks in
Austria. The chief event was a parade by the Kosova Protection Corps,
which works with NATO troops to provide security in the disputed
region. November 28 is known as Flag Day in Kosova, but international
pressure has ensured that the Albanian flag, which was the emblem of
Kosovar separatists in the 1998-99 war, will not be the flag of Kosova.
In the Presevo Valley in Serbia, veterans of a 1999-2001 military
campaign against the Serbian authorities organized a range of
activities, and the mayors of the region's largest towns permitted the
Albanian flag to be flown. Presevo Mayor Ragmi Mustafa on November 27
told the news agency Beta that the flying of the flag was in part "a
demand to the Serbian authorities that they legalize the free use of
our national symbols and the celebration of national holidays." In
Albania itself, the country's leading politicians gathered in the
coastal city of Vlora, where the flag of an independent Albania was
first lifted in 1912, and listened to President Bamir Topi urge greater
dialogue and political unity. AG
[32] ...AS SERBIAN POLICE THWART MILITIA GROUP
The Serbian police on November 28 prevented a paramilitary group from
gathering to mark the end of the talks on Kosova's future. The St. Tsar
Lazar Guard earlier said they planned on that date to establish a
"headquarters" on Serbia's border with Kosova to prepare for operations
should Kosova declare independence (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 26,
2007). But the police stopped the group as they headed to an Orthodox
monastery at Kursumlija, in southern Serbia, still some distance from
the Kosovar border. The Guards' leader, Hadzi Andrej Milic, was
detained and questioned for several hours. AG
[33] MUSLIM RADICALS SET FOR TRIAL IN SERBIA
A group of radical Muslims will go on trial on January 14 on charges of
plotting to kill a Muslim leader and attack sites in the southern city
of Novi Pazar and the capital, Belgrade, the Serbian authorities
announced on November 28. According to the news service Balkan Insight,
the dozen or so radicals, who are typically referred to as Wahhabis,
adherents of the strict form of Islam practiced in Saudi Arabia, were
arrested in operations earlier this year following the discovery of
arms at an alleged terrorist training camp (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
March 19 and 24 and April 20, 2007). The alleged target of their
assassination plot was Muamer Zukorlic, a senior cleric in the
southwestern region of Sandzak. Zukorlic, who says he has received
numerous death threats from Wahhabis, has repeatedly warned against the
threat posed by radical Muslims and criticized the Serbian authorities
for doing too little to counter their activities. Zukorlic was formerly
the senior Muslim leader in Sandzak, but in October violence erupted
between his supporters, who argue that Serbia's Muslims should look to
Sarajevo for guidance, and those who argue that they should answer to a
new Islamic leadership formed specifically for Serbian Muslims (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," October 10, 2007). There was another violent
confrontation between the two sides on November 16 (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," November 19, 2007). In the wake of that clash, police
arrested an unspecified number of people on November 27, the news
agency Beta reported. The dispute, which is deeply entwined with local
politics, has also exposed differences within Serbia's coalition
government, with one minister from Sandzak, Rasim Ljajic, backing
Zukorlic strongly and the minister for religious affairs, Radomir
Naumov, appearing to endorse a bid to oust Zukorlic (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," October 10, 2007). AG
[34] BOSNIA RISKS 'SPIRALING OUT OF CONTROL'
Miroslav Lajcak, the Slovak diplomat charged with steering
Bosnia-Herzegovina's postwar recovery and development, again warned on
November 27 that the political situation in the country could "spiral
out of control." Lajcak made the comments in a speech to the European
Parliament that echoed one given to the UN on November 15 (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," November 19, 2007). On November 23, the leaders of the
country's three communities followed through on a framework agreement
on police reform, a key requirement of the EU, by agreeing on an action
plan. However, in recent weeks the key source of tension within the
country has shifted from differences between the three communities on
the police to differences between Lajcak and the Bosnian Serbs about
reform of the governance system. A fresh attempt on November 27-28 to
forge an agreement on one aspect of Lajcak's reform -- changes to
procedures in the federal parliament -- produced no breakthrough,
leaving open the possibility that the Bosnian Serbs might abandon the
country's central institutions, a move that could potentially paralyze
action at the federal level. In his speech to the European Parliament's
Foreign Policy Council, Lajcak stressed the failings of local
politicians, saying that "each of the political leaderships...clearly
wants to impose its own vision of the country," AP reported. The
prospects are poor, he said. "The legacy of war and the logic of
nationally based and zero-sum politics make any significant compromise
profoundly difficult, if not entirely impossible," he said. As a
result, "for the time being, there are no real prospects of restarting
the process" of bringing Bosnia into the EU's stabilization and
association regime, a prelude to any formal bid for membership. While
major changes, such as a new constitution, must be a "domestic
product," he indicated that much depends on international resolve. "If
we do not act quickly and decisively, problems will spiral out of
control. This is a lesson from the early 1990s and one that is relevant
for the present and for the future," Lajcak said. Bosnia is now the
only state to emerge from Yugoslavia that has not signed a
Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU. AG
[35] UN, NETHERLANDS FACE PROSECUTION OVER SREBRENICA MASSACRE
A district court in The Hague ruled on November 27 that relatives of
victims of the 1995 massacre in Srebrenica, Bosnia, can bring a case
against the UN and the Netherlands for their troops' failure to protect
what was at the time designated a UN "safe area" and prevent the
killings. The case will be the first suit against the UN. The UN has
yet to respond to the ruling, but when the suit was first lodged in
June, it invoked its immunity from prosecution, citing a 1946 treaty,
and said it will not participate in any court hearings (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," June 5 and 12, 2007). About 450 Dutch soldiers, serving
under a UN mandate, abandoned the city after it was entered by Bosnian
Serb troops in July 1995. Within days, the Bosnian Serb troops executed
around 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys. A subsequent Dutch inquiry
brought down the Dutch government in 2002. Munira Subasic, the head of
a group representing the victims' relatives, told local media that the
slaughter, which has been recognized by a UN court as an "act of
genocide," occurred "under the flag, protection, and eyes of the UN,"
and that the UN was therefore an accomplice in the crime. AG
[36] BOSNIAN SERB SENTENCED TO 28 YEARS FOR WAR CRIMES...
An officer in the Bosnian Serbs' wartime military police force was
sentenced on November 28 to 28 years in prison for murder, rape, and
the abuse of prisoners of war. Bosnia-Herzegovina's War Crimes Chamber
found Jadranko Palija guilty of participating in the slaughter of
villagers in the northwest of the country, near Sanski Most, in May
1992, raping a woman in 1992, and mistreating Bosnian Muslim and
ethnic-Croatian prisoners over an extended period, between 1993 and
1995. Palija was arrested in October 2006 (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
October 30, 2006). Local courts are increasingly assuming the workload
of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
(ICTY), which is due to start its last proceedings in 2008 and close
its doors in 2010. AG
[37] ...AS CROATIA INDICTS MAN CLEARED BY ICTY
Croatian prosecutors said on November 27 that they have indicted a
former officer in the Yugoslav Army for war crimes committed after the
fall of Vukovar in November 1991, despite his acquittal this September
by the ICTY. Prosecutors believe there is fresh evidence that Miroslav
Radic ordered crimes committed in Vukovar, and shot a Croatian prisoner
of war. The acquittal of Radic and the perceived lightness of sentences
passed at the same time on two other men -- Mile Mrksic and Veselin
Sljivancanin -- caused outrage in Croatia and prompted Croatia's prime
minister, Ivo Sanader, to protest to the UN (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
November 1, 2007). ICTY prosecutors have lodged an appeal against the
20-year sentence on Mrksic and five-year term given to Sljivancanin,
but are not seeking to overturn Radic's acquittal. AG
Southwestern Asia And The Middle East
[38] U.S. AIR STRIKE KILLS AFGHAN ROAD WORKERS
At least 14 civilian workers building a road in Afghanistan's eastern
Nuristan Province were killed by an apparently misdirected U.S.
airstrike on November 26, news website e-ariana reported on November
28, citing other media sources. The laborers and engineers were
building a U.S.-financed road in the region. Sayed Noorullah Jalili,
the director of the Amerifa road construction company, said, "I don't
think the Americans were targeting our people. I'm sure it's the enemy
of the Afghans who gave the Americans this wrong information." Nuristan
Governor Tamim Nuristani said that "U.S. troops were tipped off that a
feared local Taliban commander was in the area, but they hit the wrong
target." The U.S.-led coalition said it is investigating the incident.
The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) confirmed that it
conducted air strikes against Taliban fighters in the area, but did not
say when. Rising civilian casualties in Afghanistan, sometimes caused
by faulty intelligence, have fueled public resentment toward
international military operations. MM
[39] NATO USES WEB VIDEO TO COUNTER TALIBAN PROPAGANDA
CNN reported on November 28 that the NATO command in Afghanistan is
seeking to counter Taliban propaganda by posting videos on youtube.com.
The videos, formerly kept secret, seemingly aim to undermine support
for the Taliban by showing the true nature of the militants' activities
and tactics. CNN cited one video excerpt showing "an armed Taliban
fighter disguised as a woman in a full burqa, taking refuge with women
and children to avoid being targeted by NATO." Another clip shows
Taliban commanders meeting in a house in southern Afghanistan while a
young boy is posted "at the door as a human shield, forcing the NATO
chopper pilot to hold fire," CNN reported. According to CNN, the NATO
strategy is "to counter years of propaganda video posted on the
Internet showing Taliban attacks on NATO forces which fighters use to
claim that NATO's position in the Afghan war is deteriorating." MM
[40] AFGHAN COUNTERINSURGENCY TRAINING REPORTEDLY BEHIND SCHEDULE
India-based Asia Times Online reported on November 28 that
Afghanistan's Counterinsurgency Academy, also known as the COIN
Academy, is still under construction and struggling to remain
operational, and is hampered by the diversion of resources and
attention to Iraq. The report quotes U.S. Army Major Luke Meyers, the
academy's operations chief, as saying that "We're trying to build this
as fast as we can but it's taking time. We're six years behind, to be
honest. We're glad we've made this step at least." The academy on the
outskirts of Kabul finally opened its doors in April, although
construction is still continuing. It is tasked with teaching
counterinsurgency strategies to newly deployed international trainers
embedded with the Afghan security forces and coalition forces. Asia
Times Online quoted Lawrence Korb, a senior fellow at the Center for
American Progress, a Washington-based think-tank, as saying that
Afghanistan is the central front in the war against terrorism. "This is
where the attacks came from. This is where Al-Qaeda central has
reconstituted itself," Korb said, adding that the efforts must continue
to complete the facilities and make COIN fully operational. MM
[41] PAKISTANI BALUCH LEADER ASSASSINATED IN AFGHANISTAN
A senior Pakistani Baluch leader, Balash Khan Marri, was assassinated
by unknown assailants on November 28 in southern Afghanistan,
Al-Jazeera reported. Marri was the head of the Baluchistan Liberation
Army (BLA), which is suspected of terrorism in Pakistan's volatile
Baluchistan Province, bordering Afghanistan. He was wanted by Pakistani
security forces, which have been involved in repeated clashes in
Baluchistan to quell a number of insurgency movements, including the
BLA, that demand greater autonomy for the region and greater access to
the benefits of the area's mineral wealth. An Al-Jazeera correspondent
in Islamabad commented that "this will come as a major blow to the
Baluch Liberation Army, and already we are seeing protests in the
[Baluchistan] provincial capital, Quetta." MM
[42] IRANIAN LEADERS DISPLEASED WITH FORMER DIPLOMAT'S ACQUITTAL
Iran's Intelligence Ministry and President Mahmud Ahmadinejad are
reportedly displeased with a Tehran court's decision to acquit former
diplomat Hossein Musavian on espionage-related charges, Radio Farda
reported on November 28, citing Iranian agency reports (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," November 28, 2007). Musavian was a member of Iran's nuclear
negotiating team under former President Mohammad Khatami, and is
considered close to political moderates critical of Ahmadinejad's
administration. Observers suspect that his arrest last May and
prosecution were politically motivated. Ahmadinejad told the press
after a November 28 cabinet meeting that Musavian has had "10 to 15
sessions with foreigners and talked to them; information was given, and
we suggest, indeed insist, that this information be published to inform
the nation," Mehr reported. He said this would clarify the facts, and
asked why "the nation should not know what foreigners know." The
Intelligence Ministry has called on the courts to reconsider the case,
Radio Farda reported on November 28. VS
[43] IRAN APPOINTS NEW JUDGES TO INVESTIGATE JOURNALIST'S DEATH
Iranian judiciary spokesman Alireza Jamshidi said on November 27 that
Iran is appointing a new panel of judges to investigate the case of
Zahra Kazemi, an Iranian-Canadian photojournalist who died in unclear
circumstances while detained by Tehran authorities in 2003 (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," April 5 and July 3, 2007). Jamshidi said the Iranian Supreme
Court has found procedural problems with the last court's
investigation, and is reconsidering its competency in handling the
case, Radio Farda reported. Lawyers for Kazemi's family have long
challenged many aspects of the investigation, which has so far led to
no convictions for murder or manslaughter. AFP cited Canadian lawyer
John Terry as saying on November 27 that he questions whether the
change of judges indicates the judiciary's resolve to "seriously
investigate" Kazemi's death. Kazemi's son Stephane Hashemi also
expressed doubt on November 28, and speculated the move might be a
response to a civil suit filed against Iran over Kazemi's death in the
province of Quebec, Montreal's "The Gazette" reported. VS
[44] JOURNALIST ARRESTED IN TEHRAN
Plainclothes agents arrested Reza Valizadeh, a journalist and the
editor of the Baznegar website, in Tehran on November 27, Radio Farda
reported the next day, citing Iranian reports. The broadcaster quoted
unnamed sources close to Valizadeh as saying that he might have been
arrested for his recent reports on the purchase of expensive security
dogs to protect President Ahmadinejad. Valizadeh reportedly contacted
the Iranian Association of Journalists, an independent press freedom
body, before his arrest and informed the group that security or police
officers were coming to his office to present him with a court summons.
He is apparently being held at an unknown location. Radio Farda
reported that Valizadeh's website reported less than two weeks ago on
the purchase of four bomb-sniffing dogs from Germany, each costing a
little over $150,000, as part of Ahmadinejad's security team. The
report has been carried by other media, including the Fars news agency
and "The Guardian." VS
[45] IRANIAN LEGISLATOR SEES GOVERNMENT FAILURES
Lawmaker Darius Qanbari, a deputy from Ilam and a member of the
parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, told
parliament on November 28 that President Ahmadinejad's government has
neither been "kind" and inclusive nor managed to realize social and
economic justice, as the president promised before his election in
2005, "Etemad" reported. Qanbari said the government has instead been
"vindictive" toward previous governments, which followed moderately
liberalizing or reformist policies. Qanbari said there can be no social
justice in Iran with the current "unprecedented" inflation rate --
estimated to be anywhere between 14-25 percent -- which he said is
deepening class differences. "The poor have become poorer and the rich
richer," and the middle class is under pressure, Qanbari said. He added
that the government rejects specialist advice in its policy-making, and
has turned to propaganda to justify its actions. "People are asking
how...government officials are calculating the inflation rate and
reaching figures like 14 or 15 percent. They say housing prices have
more than doubled in the past two years and prices of basic
goods...have doubled," Qanbari said. Also on November 28, Parliamentary
Economic Committee member Iraj Nadimi said the parliamentary economic
and budget committees and representatives of the Central Bank recently
met to discuss inflation and its causes, "so people do not think we are
indifferent," "Aftab-i Yazd" reported on November 29. He noted sharp
inflationary trends in housing, food, and transport, and blamed state
policies. VS
[46] TOP SHI'ITE CLERIC CALLS FOR PROTECTION OF SUNNIS
Iraq's top Shi'ite religious authority, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani,
issued a statement on November 27 denouncing sectarian killings and
calling on Shi'as to help protect their Sunni brothers, Iraqi media
reported on November 28. Al-Sistani made his remarks during a two-hour
meeting with top religious leaders and scholars in the southern holy
city of Al-Najaf. The meeting, labeled the First National Conference of
Shi'as and Sunnis, focused on ways to strengthen Iraqi unity and end
the sectarian conflict (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 28, 2007).
According to Khalid al-Mullah, the leader of the southern branch of the
Sunni-led Muslim Scholars Association, al-Sistani said, "I am a servant
of all Iraqis, and there is no difference between a Sunni, a Shi'a, a
Kurd, and a Christian." Al-Sistani also warned Sunni clerics to beware
of "enemies' plots to sow discord among Iraqis." SS
[47] SIXTY IRAQI OIL EXPERTS SUPPORT OIL MINISTER ON KURDISH DEALS
A letter signed by 60 Iraqi oil professionals backing Oil Minister
Husayn al-Shahristani in opposing direct deals between the Kurdistan
regional government (KRG) and foreign firms was presented to the Iraqi
Parliament on November 26, Iraqi media reported. The letter described
such deals as a "deliberate and dangerous action" by the KRG without
any "legal or political standing whatsoever." The letter also stressed
that the only authority with the legal right to sign petroleum
contracts is the Iraqi Oil Ministry. "The position taken previously by
Iraqi oil professionals was a correct one, and they would like to
confirm their stance and declare their support for the stance taken by
the Minister of Oil and the Oil and Gas parliamentary committee in
rejecting those [KRG] contracts." The KRG has long argued that in the
absence of a comprehensive national petroleum law, it has the right to
sign deals with foreign firms within the framework of its own regional
oil law, passed in August. Al-Shahristani has referred to those deals
as null and void, and warned that any firms that conclude deals with
the KRG will be barred from signing contracts with the Baghdad
government in the future. SS
[48] SUNNI WAQF LEADER CALLS FOR TRIBAL GROUPS TO MERGE WITH SECURITY
FORCES
At a November 28 press conference in Baghdad, Abd al-Ghafur
al-Samarra'i, the head of the Sunni Waqf (Endowments) Office, called on
the Iraqi government to merge thousands of Sunni tribal fighters, who
have been waging a campaign against Al-Qaeda in Iraq, into the Iraqi
security forces, Al-Sharqiyah television reported. Al-Samarra'i noted
that the estimated 70,000 tribal fighters receive no government support
beyond the $300 monthly salary paid by the U.S. military, and suggested
that the best course of action is for the militiamen to be placed under
the command of the Baghdad government. "These fighters must be
integrated into the police and army. These are honorable, courageous
men who want to protect their relatives and property from Al-Qaeda,"
al-Samarra'i said. Shi'ite leaders have expressed concern that arming
Sunni tribesmen is akin to creating a Sunni militia that may one day
turn against the Shi'a-led government. SS
[49] RUSSIA OPENS CONSULATE IN IRAQI KURDISH CAPITAL
Russian announced on November 28 that it has opened a consulate in the
northern city of Irbil, the capital of the Kurdish administered region
in Iraq, PUKMedia.com reported. Vladimir Jamov, the Russian ambassador
to Iraq, welcomed the move, saying it will enhance Russia's diplomatic
presence in Iraq. "From this moment the Russian flag will fly on the
ground of the Kurdistan region. The consulate will be of great
importance for the citizens of the region," Jamov said. Kurdistan
regional Prime Minister Nichervan Barzani described the move as a new
phase in relations between Russia and the KRG. "The opening of this
consulate in Irbil is an indication of the desire Russia has to extend
its cooperation to the Kurdistan region to serve the common interests
of both sides," Barzani said. SS
[50] FEMALE SUICIDE BOMBER WOUNDS SEVEN U.S. SOLDIERS IN IRAQ
The U.S. military announced on November 28 that a female suicide bomber
attacked a U.S. patrol in the Al-Amin neighborhood of central Ba'qubah
the previous day, wounding seven American soldiers and five Iraqi
civilians. The wounded were flown to a military hospital, and U.S.
officials said the incident was under investigation. Ba'qubah is the
capital of Diyala Governorate, which, according to U.S. military
commanders, has become one of the most dangerous areas in the country
since Al-Qaeda in Iraq shifted its operations there after being driven
out of Al-Anbar Governorate. Suicide attacks by women in Iraq are
relatively rare, but not unprecedented. In November 2005, a Belgian
woman who converted to Islam blew herself up in an attempted attack on
U.S. forces, in which she was the only casualty. SS
[51] UNICEF WARNS OF POSSIBLE CHOLERA OUTBREAK IN BAGHDAD
The UN children's organization, UNICEF, on November 28 warned that
there are signs of a major cholera outbreak in Baghdad, international
media reported. UNICEF said 101 cases have been recorded in the Iraqi
capital in the past three weeks, making it the site of 79 percent of
all new cases in Iraq. The organization said the Shi'ite neighborhood
of Al-Sadr City is among the worst-affected areas. "While national
caseloads are declining, we are increasingly concerned about a possible
outbreak in Baghdad. UNICEF is working with the WHO [World Health
Organization] to try to limit the spread in the capital and treat the
sick as Iraq's rainy season sets in," UNICEF said in a statement. Since
the middle of August, the WHO has confirmed more than 3,300 cholera
cases in Iraq, with at least 14 deaths resulting from the disease. On
November 22, the Health Ministry warned that with the steep rise in new
cholera cases, Iraq is facing a potential health catastrophe (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," November 26, 2007). SS
End Note
[52] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY.
|