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RFE/RL Newsline, 08-01-03
CONTENTS
[01] PUTIN SAYS RUSSIA IS 'BECOMING STRONGER'
[02] WILL SERBIA REPAY RUSSIAN DIPLOMATIC SUPPORT BY SELLING ENERGY
INFRASTRUCTURE CHEAPLY?
[03] RUSSIA EXPECTS NEW TALKS WITH EU
[04] MOSCOW DENIES IT WILL SELL TEHRAN SOPHISTICATED ANTIMISSILE SYSTEM
[05] RUSSIA MAY GIVE GREEN LIGHT FOR ART EXHIBIT IN BRITAIN
[06] SOME ANALYSTS SEE MEDVEDEV AS A QUIET REFORMER
[07] HIGH COURT REJECTS BUKOVSKY'S APPEAL
[08] PUTIN OPENS FIRST FACILITY FOR SOCHI OLYMPICS
[09] PETERSBURG ACTIVISTS PROTEST YABLOKO'S EVICTION
[10] MAKHACHKALA RESIDENTS PROTEST POWER CUTS
[11] THREE ACQUITTED OF TERRORISM IN DAGHESTAN
[12] RUSSIAN SERVICEMEN APPEAL JAIL TERMS FOR KILLING CHECHENS
[13] HOMELESS CHECHENS EVICTED FROM TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION
[14] ALLEGED MILITANT KILLS SELF, POLICEMAN IN KARACHAYEVO-CHERKESSIA
[15] CRIMINAL CASE OPENED IN KABARDINO-BALKARIA IN CONNECTION WITH
DETAINEE'S DEATH
[16] U.S. REJECTS DOUBTS OVER OBJECTIVITY OF ARMENIAN SURVEYS
[17] AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT PARDONS 119 PRISONERS
[18] GEORGIAN OPPOSITION CONVENES ELECTION RALLY
[19] PROSECUTION CALLS FOR 20-YEAR PRISON TERM FOR EMBATTLED FORMER
KAZAKH OFFICIAL
[20] CURRENT, FORMER KYRGYZ PRESIDENTS CONVEY NEW YEAR'S GREETINGS
[21] TURKMEN PRESIDENT OUTLINES PRIORITIES FOR 2008
[22] ABOLITION OF DEATH PENALTY COMES INTO FORCE IN UZBEKISTAN
[23] BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT THREATENS TO EXPEL U.S. AMBASSADOR...
[24] ...CONFIRMS POLICY ON SMALL BUSINESSES...
[25] ...AND CALLS 2007 'MOST DIFFICULT' YEAR FOR MODERN BELARUS
[26] UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT ADOPTS 2008 BUDGET
[27] GORBACHEV CRITICIZES WEST OVER KOSOVA
[28] SERBIA SETS DATE OF LOCAL ELECTIONS
[29] BOSNIAN PREMIER RETURNS TO POST...
[30] ...AND BOSNIAN SERB PRESIDENT TAKES OFFICE
[31] TOP TALIBAN COMMANDER IN AFGHANISTAN ALLEGEDLY DISMISSED
[32] SPANISH KING VISITS TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN
[33] TALIBAN MILITANTS KILL 16 POLICE OFFICERS IN SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN
[34] GAS SUPPLIES CUT OFF IN PARTS OF NORTHERN IRAN
[35] IRAN SECURITY CHIEF REPLACES PERSONNEL...
[36] ...AS PREDECESSOR VISITS CAIRO
[37] IRANIAN INTERIOR MINISTRY READY FOR MARCH ELECTIONS
[38] IRANIAN CLERIC CALLS FOR FAIR ELECTIONS
[39] IRANIAN POLICE GUN DOWN 'BANDITS'
[40] IRAQI PREMIER CALLS 2008 'YEAR OF RECONSTRUCTION'
[41] AL-MALIKI IN GOOD HEALTH FOLLOWING CHECKUP IN LONDON
[42] IRAQI GOVERNMENT COMPENSATES FAMILIES IN DIYALA AND DAHUK
[43] IRAQI OIL EXPORTS REACH NEW HIGH
[44] IFJ SAYS 65 JOURNALISTS KILLED IN IRAQ IN 2007
[45] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY
Wednesday, January 2, 2008 Volume 12 Number 1
Russia
[01] PUTIN SAYS RUSSIA IS 'BECOMING STRONGER'
President Vladimir Putin said in his annual New Year's address to the
nation on December 31 that it was the support, trust, and efforts of
ordinary Russians that made possible "everything that we have done
together with you during the past eight years" of his two-term
presidency, kremlin.ru reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 28,
2007). He stressed that "we have not only restored the territorial
integrity of Russia, but once again we are able to feel we are a united
people. And all these years we worked together to preserve our country,
to transform it into a modern, free, and strong state able to provide
its citizens with a comfortable life." Putin argued that "we have seen
how, from year to year, Russia has been gaining in strength.... How our
economy has been growing. How new opportunities have been opening up
for the people." He noted that "we have not managed to do everything.
But I am quite certain that the road the people have chosen for Russia
is the right road and that it will lead us to success. We have
everything [needed] to achieve our goal -- our great history, colossal
resources, courage, and the industriousness and intellectual potential
of our great nation." The daily "Komsomolskaya pravda" reported on
December 29 that several highly decorated senior military commanders
have proposed that Putin be awarded the Hero of Russia order for his
achievements as president. The commanders noted that "from 1985 to
2000, our presidents only disgraced us by selling out the country's
interests or through their ridiculous personal behavior. Whenever they
got ready for a trip, we prayed that they would not disgrace our
country once again." PM
[02] WILL SERBIA REPAY RUSSIAN DIPLOMATIC SUPPORT BY SELLING ENERGY
INFRASTRUCTURE CHEAPLY?
Serbian Finance Minister Mladjan Dinkic was quoted by the Belgrade
daily "Politika" on December 31 as saying that the Serbian authorities
have "humiliated" their country by considering a deal from a
Gazprom-led Russian business group to acquire Serbia's state oil
monopoly, NIS, at a fraction of its market value, ostensibly for
political reasons. He said that unnamed government colleagues told him
it would be "indecent" to ask Russians to pay a fair market price.
Dinkic said that Gazprom would reportedly acquire 51 percent of NIS for
$588 million, which is half the initial estimated value of the company,
without having to bid competitively. He argued that, in open bidding,
NIS could bring the government several times what the Russians are
offering, which he called "crumbs." As an incentive, Gazprom offered to
build a branch of the proposed South Stream gas pipeline through
Serbia. Dinkic said that he is not angry with the Russians, whom he
called "great negotiators," but with his own colleagues, for what he
called selling off Serbia's natural resources for only part of their
value. In his New Year's message on December 31, Prime Minister
Vojislav Kostunica said the government wants "to reach a strategic
energy agreement with Russia." Dpa reported on December 31 that such a
pact could be concluded by the end of January. Kostunica is a strong
supporter of close ties with Russia and relatively cool toward Serbia's
possible Euro-Atlantic integration. Russia's "RBC Daily" reported on
December 27 that "Gazprom is shopping for assets in Serbia" and that
the Serbian government is a willing partner. The daily published
somewhat different figures from those given by Dinkic on the NIS deal
and noted that Gazprom and Gazpromneft declined to comment on the
report. The paper suggested that Gazprom's real interest is in the gas
pipeline and a possible storage facility at Banatski Dvor. The daily
wrote that Gazpromneft has little need for "Balkan refineries" and that
LUKoil was until recently considered the main Russian bidder for NIS.
Russian businesses and wealthy entrepreneurs have bought numerous
industries and properties in Montenegro and Serbia in recent years,
fueling a real-estate boom on the Montenegrin coast and in central
Belgrade, the BBC reported on January 1. PM
[03] RUSSIA EXPECTS NEW TALKS WITH EU
Sergei Yastrzhembsky, who is President Putin's aide and special envoy
to the EU, said on January 1 in Moscow that Russia expects to launch
negotiations soon on a new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA)
with the EU following Slovenia's assumption of that body's rotating
presidency on January 1, the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" reported
on January 2. The current PCA expired in December but was automatically
extended for one more year in the absence of a new agreement. Poland
previously blocked PCA negotiations because of a dispute over a Russian
ban on Polish meat shipments, which has since been settled (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," October 29 and December 21, 2007). Yastrzhembsky said on
January 1 that it is "psychologically" important for Russia that
Slovenia now chairs the EU because Slovenia is the first Slavic country
to hold that position. He noted that relations between Moscow and
Ljubljana are free of problems and that the two countries are close
partners. PM
[04] MOSCOW DENIES IT WILL SELL TEHRAN SOPHISTICATED ANTIMISSILE SYSTEM
Russia's Federal Military and Technical Cooperation Service said in a
statement on December 28 that "the issue of the delivery of S-300
air-defense missile systems to Iran, raised by the media, is not a
subject of current negotiations and has not been discussed with the
Iranians," RIA Novosti reported. The statement added that "Russia and
Iran are continuing to develop cooperation in the military-technical
sphere in full accordance with international arms export regulations
and obligations" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 27 and 28, 2007). PM
[05] RUSSIA MAY GIVE GREEN LIGHT FOR ART EXHIBIT IN BRITAIN
Anatoly Vilkov, who is the deputy head of Russia's cultural protection
agency, Rosokhrankultura, said on December 31 that Russia will send
paintings for a planned exhibition of Russian art in London because
Britain has provided "immunity from seizure" to protect the works from
being confiscated in connection with possible legal disputes, news
agencies reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 20 and 21, 2007).
The British order was issued on December 30 and took effect the
following day. A Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on December
31, however, that Russian officials are still studying the British
order, ITAR-TASS reported. On January 1, a British Embassy spokesman
said in Moscow that British Council offices outside the capital will
open on January 2 despite an order by the Russian authorities that they
remain closed, newsru.com reported. The spokesman said it would be
"very unwise" for the Russian authorities to "put at risk" the
council's employees. It is not clear whether the offices in fact opened
on January 2. Russia maintains that the council has no legal basis to
operate outside Moscow, which the British authorities deny. Bilateral
relations are at a low point in the continuing row over the 2006 London
murder of former Russian security agent Aleksandr Litvinenko. PM
[06] SOME ANALYSTS SEE MEDVEDEV AS A QUIET REFORMER
Experts and analysts within the business community expect economic
reform and liberalization from First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry
Medvedev, if he -- as widely expected -- becomes president in May, RBK
reported on December 29. The news agency argued that an expected 2-3
percent jump in inflation this month and "problems that have
accumulated with the national projects," which Medvedev currently
oversees, will push him toward reform, while the possibility of
conflict with the current ruling elite and an unwillingness to be seen
to be departing from the course of President Putin could restrain him.
Yunikon analyst Yelena Matrosova told RBK that Medvedev has played key
roles in many major Putin-era reforms, notably a quiet but radical
reform of the state-service system. Political Technologies Center
Deputy Director Aleksei Makarkin contrasted Medvedev with Regional
Development Minister Dmitry Kozak, whom he described as prone to
high-profile, radical reforms. Makarkin also credited Medvedev with
liberalizing the shareholding policies of Gazprom, of which Medvedev is
chairman of the board. He said he expects Medvedev will work "in an
evolutionary manner," in a way that will not make headlines. Makarkin
said he expects Medvedev to undertake judicial reform and to "pass
genuine anticorruption legislation." However, he said major change will
have to wait until 2009, since the current year will be largely "lost
for reform" because of the election in March and the ensuing transition
of power. RC
[07] HIGH COURT REJECTS BUKOVSKY'S APPEAL
The Supreme Court on December 28 rejected an appeal by Soviet-era
dissident Vladimir Bukovsky against a Central Election Commission
(TsIK) decision barring him from participating in the March
presidential election, RFE/RL's Russian Service reported the same day.
Bukovsky's lawyer said that he will appeal the decision to the Supreme
Court's presidium. The court did not give a reason for rejecting the
appeal. According to Bukovsky's lawyer, the TsIK's decision not to
allow Bukovsky to run for president is based on three points. First,
the TsIK claims it has an Interior Ministry document attesting that
Bukovsky has British citizenship. Bukovsky, however, claims merely to
have permanent-resident status there. Second, the TsIK cited a
provision of the election law that requires presidential candidates to
have lived in the country for at least 10 years. Bukovsky's supporters
note that neither Boris Yeltsin nor Vladimir Putin had lived for 10
years in the Russian Federation before they became president, since the
country was only formed in 1991. Third, the TsIK disputes Bukovsky's
claim that his profession is "writer." RC
[08] PUTIN OPENS FIRST FACILITY FOR SOCHI OLYMPICS
President Putin on January 2 participated in the ceremonial opening of
a ski resort near Sochi, the first newly constructed facility earmarked
for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, Interfax reported. The resort,
called Krasnaya Polyana (Red Meadow), was built by the state
natural-gas monopoly Gazprom. Putin told participants that the facility
will become "a real competitor to foreign alpine-ski resorts." RIA
Novosti reported that the resort can host some 8,000 visitors a year
and has 14 separate ski runs with a total length of some 14,500 meters.
The land on which the resort is built was provided by the city of Sochi
and the Sochi National Park. RC
[09] PETERSBURG ACTIVISTS PROTEST YABLOKO'S EVICTION
Human rights activists and other public figures have sent an open
letter to St. Petersburg Governor Valentina Matviyenko to protest the
eviction of the local branch of the liberal Yabloko party from its
offices, RFE/RL's Russian Service reported on December 29. The 24
signatories said the eviction was a sign of "deep disrespect" for the
citizens who voted for Yabloko in the December 2, 2007, Duma elections,
and will "cause serious harm" to the city's civic life. Earlier,
Matviyenko announced the city will lease the downtown building to a
local business association. St. Petersburg activist Leonid Romankov
told RFE/RL that Matviyenko's decision is deeply ironic, considering
that Yabloko has been active in defending small business from the
authorities. Fellow activist Olga Kurnosova told RFE/RL that the
eviction is a political act because "the authorities do not want there
to be a place in the center of the city, known to everyone, where
people can go with complaints about violations of their rights." RC
[10] MAKHACHKALA RESIDENTS PROTEST POWER CUTS
Several hundred people blocked a major traffic intersection in
Makhachkala on December 29 to protest a four-day power outage,
kavkaz-uzel.ru reported. Resuming their protest on December 30, they
demanded the resignation of city Mayor Said Amirov and of President
Mukhu Aliyev, whom they blamed for repeated power cuts over the past
three months. Police used force on December 30 to disperse the protest
participants, injuring an unspecified number of them, but the protest
resumed on December 31. Daghestan's Emergency Situations Ministry said
on January 1 that electricity supplies to the districts affected have
been restored, kavkaz-uzel.ru reported. LF
[11] THREE ACQUITTED OF TERRORISM IN DAGHESTAN
Following a hearing that lasted 11 days, Daghestan's Supreme Court on
December 28 acquitted for the second time three men accused of various
terrorist acts, including the murder in May 2005 of Minister for
Nationality Policy, Information, and External Ties Zagir Arukhov,
ITAR-TASS and kavkaz-uzel.ru reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," May 23,
2005). Magomedtagir Gashimov and Amirkhan Musayev were found not guilty
of all charges of terrorism, attempted murder, and belonging to illegal
armed formations; Jamil Kibedov was acquitted of killing Arukhov but
found guilty of causing an explosion in Makhachkala in April 2005. The
three men were tried and acquitted last year, but the Russian Supreme
Court overturned that acquittal and ordered a retrial. LF
[12] RUSSIAN SERVICEMEN APPEAL JAIL TERMS FOR KILLING CHECHENS
Lawyers for Russian Interior Ministry officers Sergei Arakcheyev and
Yevgeny Khudyakov, who were sentenced by the North Caucasus Military
Court on December 27 to 15 and 17 years in prison, respectively, for
shooting three Chechen construction workers in cold blood in January
2003, have appealed those sentences, kavkaz-uzel.ru reported on
December 28. The two men were first acquitted of the same charges in
June 2004 after a five-month trial in which they pled not guilty. The
Russian Supreme Court called in November 2004 for a retrial, but one
year later a jury ruled that there was insufficient evidence to convict
the two men, a verdict that the Supreme Court overturned in May 2006.
The two went on trial for the third time in January 2007. LF
[13] HOMELESS CHECHENS EVICTED FROM TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION
Between December 23-25, Chechen police accompanied by municipal
officials forcibly evicted almost all the 800 displaced Chechens housed
in temporary accommodation in Grozny's Oktyabr Raion, kavkaz-uzel.ru
reported on December 27,citing the Chechen Committee for National
Salvation. On December 27, Chechen Republic head Ramzan Kadyrov
appealed to Chechens who fled the republic during the fighting of the
past 13 years to return, assuring them that the Russian and Chechen
governments will provide them with adequate living conditions,
kavkaz-uzel.ru and the Chechen government website chechnya.gov.ru
reported. LF
[14] ALLEGED MILITANT KILLS SELF, POLICEMAN IN KARACHAYEVO-CHERKESSIA
A young man identified as an Islamic militant detonated a hand grenade
during a shoot-out with police in Cherkessk, the capital of the
Karachayevo-Cherkessia Republic (KChR), on December 26, killing himself
and one police officer, kavkaz-uzel.ru reported. A total of 12 police
officers died in terrorist attacks in the KChR in 2005-06, but
following a series of police operations last year targeting suspected
militants, the republic's Interior Ministry announced in October 2007
that there was no danger of any further such attacks (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," September 6 and 7, 2007). LF
[15] CRIMINAL CASE OPENED IN KABARDINO-BALKARIA IN CONNECTION WITH
DETAINEE'S DEATH
The Nalchik city prosecutor's office opened a criminal investigation on
December 15 into the circumstances of the death one month earlier of
Zeitun Gayev, kavkaz-uzel.ru reported on December 19. Gayev was
detained on the outskirts of Nalchik on November 15 after police
reportedly found weapons in his car; he is said to have jumped to his
death from a fourth-story window during interrogation the following day
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 19 and 30, 2007). Kabardino-Balkaria's
Interior Minister Major General Yury Tomchak denied on November 29 that
Gayev was maltreated or tortured, but a subsequent autopsy established
that the injuries that caused his death were inflicted between six and
12 hours before he died, according to kavkaz-uzel.ru on December 19.
Gratuitous brutality by police under Tomchak's predecessor Khachim
Shogenov was identified as one of the factors that impelled many young
men to join the armed militants responsible for the multiple attacks on
police and security facilities in Nalchik in October 2005 (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," October 13 and 14, 2005, March 20, 2006, and February 2,
2007). LF
Transcaucasia And Central Asia
[16] U.S. REJECTS DOUBTS OVER OBJECTIVITY OF ARMENIAN SURVEYS
The U.S. Embassy in Yerevan rejected on December 27 claims by
opposition media that opinion polls financed by the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID) are inaccurate and unreliable,
RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported on December 28. The polls have been
conducted regularly since March 2006 by pollsters from the Armenian
Sociological Association (ASA) under the supervision of the U.S. Gallup
Organization. Critics allege that the ASA has close ties to the
Armenian government. They question specifically the findings of a
recent survey showing that Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian is the clear
favorite to win the February 19 presidential ballot, with his support
increasing from 29 percent to 35 percent last month. By contrast,
support for former President Levon Ter-Petrossian was estimated in
single figures. Ter-Petrossian and Armenian Revolutionary
Federation--Dashnaktsutiun presidential candidate Vahan Hovannisian
have both questioned the reliability of those statistics. In related
news, U.S. President George W. Bush has signed into law a congressional
bill that will reduce by 23 percent, from $76 million to $58.5 million,
U.S. economic aid to Armenia for the fiscal year 2008, RFE/RL's
Armenian Service reported on December 28. LF
[17] AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT PARDONS 119 PRISONERS
Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on December 28 pardoning 119 prisoners, of
whom 114 have been released from jail, day.az reported. Those released
include six journalists; several more journalists are, however, still
serving prison terms or being held in pretrial detention. The
Organization for Security and Development (OSCE) hailed Aliyev's
decree, but Azerbaijani human rights activists expressed disappointment
that the only political prisoners to benefit from it were those who
only had weeks of their sentence left to serve, zerkalo.az reported on
December 29. LF
[18] GEORGIAN OPPOSITION CONVENES ELECTION RALLY
Up to 10,000 people participated on December 29 in a rally in Tbilisi
organized by the nine-member opposition National Council to demonstrate
their concern lest the authorities seek to rig the outcome of the
January 5 preterm presidential ballot to secure a second term for
incumbent Mikheil Saakashvili, Georgian media reported. Also on
December 29, Caucasus Press summarized the second interim report
released by the OSCE Election Monitoring Mission, which covers the
period from December 14-24. That report noted that the campaign has
been "soured" by allegations that Saakashvili has resorted to
vote-buying, intimidation, and the widespread use of administrative
resources to promote his campaign, and it concluded that "some of these
claims are credible." For its part, the Ambassadorial Working Group
comprising the diplomatic representatives in Tbilisi of OSCE and
Council of Europe member states has released a statement calling on all
concerned to ensure that the January 5 ballot is free and fair and
takes place in "an environment free of intimidation, where Georgian
citizens can fully exercise their constitutional right to vote,"
Caucasus Press reported on December 31. LF
[19] PROSECUTION CALLS FOR 20-YEAR PRISON TERM FOR EMBATTLED FORMER
KAZAKH OFFICIAL
The prosecution in the trial of Rakhat Aliev, the former son-in-law of
Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbaev, on charges of corruption,
money laundering, extortion, and abduction has called for a 20-year
prison sentence for Aliev and prison terms ranging from 10-17 years for
four of his co-defendants, Interfax reported on December 29, citing
"Vremya." The five are accused of abducting in late January 2007 two
managers of Nurbank, which Aliev formerly owned, in an attempt to
coerce them to turn over sizable property holdings (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," May 14 and 23, 2007). One of the two managers was later
released; a body believed to be that of the second was found three
months ago. All five men are currently in Vienna, where Aliev
previously served as Kazakhstan's ambassador; the Austrian authorities
refused a request for his extradition on the grounds that he would be
unlikely to receive a fair trial in Kazakhstan. His trial in absentia
began on November 8 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," August 9 and November 13,
2007). LF
[20] CURRENT, FORMER KYRGYZ PRESIDENTS CONVEY NEW YEAR'S GREETINGS
Kurmanbek Bakiev delivered his New Year's address, posted on gazeta.kg
on January 1, standing outside in sub-zero temperatures near the new
government building and presidential palace in Bishkek. Speaking first
in Kyrgyz and then in Russian, Bakiev characterized 2007 as a year
"rich in momentous events," and the December 16 elections to a new
parliament, in which his Ak Jol Eldik (Best Path Popular) Party won 71
of the 90 mandates, as a "new page" in political life. He stressed that
the country's leadership continued in 2007 to implement programs
intended to lay the foundations for future progress and a "worthy life"
for the population. At the same time, he acknowledged the negative
impact of world economic developments, including specifically the sharp
rise in food prices in recent months, adding that the government has
drafted measures to preclude a repetition. Bakiev predicted that 2008
will bring an economic breakthrough and identified as priorities the
strengthening of statehood and security and solving social problems.
Bakiev's ousted predecessor, Askar Akaev, currently living in exile in
Russia, for his part affirmed in his New Year's greetings that
"Kyrgyzstan has emerged as a sovereign, democratic, stable state," the
website 24.kg reported on December 28. Akaev called on his compatriots
to preserve their "historic optimism" and to continue the struggle for
"the stable development of the country" and for human rights and
freedoms. LF
[21] TURKMEN PRESIDENT OUTLINES PRIORITIES FOR 2008
Addressing a cabinet session on December 27, Gurbanguly
Berdymukhammedov identified gradual democratization and strengthening
law and order as key priorities for the new year, turkmenistan.ru
reported on December 28. In the economic sphere, he singled out the
transition to a market economy; developing new oil and natural-gas
deposits; expanding the construction industry; improving transport
infrastructure; and revamping the textile industry with a view to
increasing exports. He further noted the need to bring national
legislation into line with international law. In his New Year's
address, Berdymukhammedov pledged measures to improve living standards,
including unspecified increases in pensions and wages and a cut in the
price of gasoline, turkmenistan.ru reported on January 1.
Berdymukhammedov has also signed a decree abolishing as of January 1
the ban imposed by his deceased predecessor, Saparmurat Niyazov, on the
sale and purchase of foreign currency, AP reported on January 2.
Berdymukhammedov said that move will put an end to black-market
currency speculation and help to attract foreign investment. LF
[22] ABOLITION OF DEATH PENALTY COMES INTO FORCE IN UZBEKISTAN
President Islam Karimov's decree of August 2005 abolishing capital
punishment in Uzbekistan took effect on January 1, Russian media
reported, citing the press service of the Uzbek Supreme Court (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," August 2, 2005). Particularly brutal murders and
acts of terrorism will in future be punished by lifetime imprisonment,
but women, men over 60, and persons under 18 will be exempt. In
addition, the power to issue arrest warrants has been transferred to
the courts. LF
Eastern Europe
[23] BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT THREATENS TO EXPEL U.S. AMBASSADOR...
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka said on December 30 that
U.S. Ambassador to Belarus Karen Stewart will be the first person
expelled from Belarus if Washington introduces new economic sanctions
against Minsk, Belapan and RFE/RL's Belarus Service reported. "She
attends opposition gatherings and speaks about the possibility of
economic sanctions against Belarus, fueling the situation," Lukashenka
said. "Let the American ambassador mind her own problems, as she may
leave her position in Belarus early," he added. In November, the U.S.
Treasury Department froze all assets under U.S. jurisdiction belonging
to Belarus's largest petrochemical company, Belnaftakhim, and its
representatives, and forbade Americans from doing business with the
company on the grounds that it is controlled by Lukashenka. Stewart
said in December that the United States intends to impose economic
sanctions against other Belarusian enterprises unless the authorities
release political prisoners. AM
[24] ...CONFIRMS POLICY ON SMALL BUSINESSES...
President Lukashenka on December 30 confirmed his intention to make
business conditions the same for small-business owners and legal
business entities, Belapan reported. Lukashenka said that
small-business owners who do not have legal entity status sometimes
employ up to 100 people and pay much less in taxes than similar
enterprises operating as a legal business entities. "If you want to
operate in this way, then please register your enterprise and pay all
taxes," Lukashenka said. A presidential decree that came into force on
January 1 bans certain small-business owners from hiring employees
other than three family members. The restriction triggered protests
among entrepreneurs, who demand that the limitations on employees be
abolished. In another decree, Lukashenka gave small-business owners
until March 1 to register their businesses as legal entities through a
simplified procedure. AM
[25] ...AND CALLS 2007 'MOST DIFFICULT' YEAR FOR MODERN BELARUS
In his New Year's address to the nation on December 31, President
Lukashenka said 2007 was "the most difficult year in the history of our
young state," due to "extremely severe political and economic pressure,
the imposition of various sanctions, and torrents of lies and
misinformation," as well as a hike in energy prices, Belapan reported.
"In order to divert attention from their domestic problems, the leaders
of some countries suddenly became concerned about the situation in
Belarus, ignoring the fact that this is a sovereign European nation,
not a part of their own countries," Lukashenka said. "What such
democratization leads to became clearly visible in Yugoslavia, Iraq,
Afghanistan, as well as on the territory of the former Soviet Union,"
where, he said, unspecified countries have experienced "endless
political intrigues, corruption, economic recession, and devastation."
"But the most important thing is that these countries have become
wholly dependent on their 'teachers,'" Lukashenka said. "They can't
forgive us that Belarus...does not consent to become their puppet." AM
[26] UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT ADOPTS 2008 BUDGET
The 450-seat Verkhovna Rada on December 28 passed the draft budget for
2008, Ukrainian media reported. The bill was supported by 227 coalition
lawmakers from the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc and the Our Ukraine-People's
Self-Defense bloc, as well as eight lawmakers from the Communist Party.
The Party of Regions and the Lytvyn Bloc factions did not attend the
vote. The document projects revenues at 215.36 billion hryvnyas ($42.6
billion) and expenditures at 235.43 billion hryvnyas ($46.6 billion).
The document comprises the budget itself and over 100 amendments
regarding taxation and social legislation. The government explained
that the budget deficit of nearly 105 billion hryvnyas made the
amendments necessary. AM
Southeastern Europe
[27] GORBACHEV CRITICIZES WEST OVER KOSOVA
Recognition of Kosova as an independent state would set a "dangerous
precedent" for "international law and international security," former
Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev wrote in an article published by the
state-run daily "Rossiiskaya gazeta" on December 29. Gorbachev also
questioned plans for the EU to assume responsibility for overseeing
Kosova, arguing that "for the first time in history, two organizations
are trying to assume responsibility for the future of a country --
Serbia -- which is not a member of either of them." Since 1999, Kosova
has been administered by the UN, while a NATO-led international force
has provided security. "By destroying international law and replacing
it with a poorly disguised tyranny, the proponents of this approach
have certainly miscalculated the outcome of their actions," Gorbachev
warned. AG
[28] SERBIA SETS DATE OF LOCAL ELECTIONS
The speaker of Serbia's parliament, Oliver Dulic, has called local
elections for May 11, the Serbian broadcaster B92 reported on December
30. The decision was made on December 29, two days before a
constitutional deadline, and ends a prolonged period of uncertainty
about the timing of both these and the presidential election. The
presidential election will be held on January 20, eight days before a
summit at which EU leaders are expected to clarify their positions on
independence for Kosova (see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 13, 2007).
There had been speculation that local elections would be held on
February 3, the date of the expected runoff in the presidential
election. The May date for the local elections goes some way to
addressing calls by some political parties for all elections to be
postponed until the status of Kosova is resolved. AG
[29] BOSNIAN PREMIER RETURNS TO POST...
Nikola Spiric, 51-year-old ethnic Serb, was confirmed by the federal
parliament on December 28 as the prime minister of Bosnia-Herzegovina,
a post from which he resigned on November 1 (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
November 2, 2007), the news agency SRNA reported. Spiric's return
follows political breakthroughs on several key issues in the past two
months, including the issue that prompted him to step down -- reform of
decision-making procedures in the federal government and parliament
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 22, 2007). According to local media,
Spiric told parliament that he will name his team by mid-January and
that his priority is bringing EU membership closer by completing the
formal adoption of a Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA). In
December, Bosnia initialled a preliminary SAA (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
December 5, 2007), the last country in the region to do so. Both Bosnia
and Serbia now need their SAAs with the EU to be signed by EU leaders.
"The initialing the SAA is proof that many things have changed since
the time I resigned," Spiric told parliament. AG
[30] ...AND BOSNIAN SERB PRESIDENT TAKES OFFICE
Rajko Kuzmanovic was sworn into office as the president of the Bosnian
Serb-dominated Republika Srpska on December 28. Kuzmanovic, a
76-year-old former lawyer, was elected to the post on December 9 (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," December 11, 2007). Both Kuzmanovic and Spiric are
members of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), the
largest party in the Republika Srpska and the most popular in the
country. According to local media, Kuzmanovic, whose post is largely
ceremonial, vowed in his inauguration speech to block any effort to
weaken the powers of the Republika Srpska's institutions. AG
Southwestern Asia And The Middle East
[31] TOP TALIBAN COMMANDER IN AFGHANISTAN ALLEGEDLY DISMISSED
Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar has reportedly dismissed
top southern commander Mansur Dadullah from his post for
"insubordination and disobeying orders," according to a Taliban
statement released to the media on December 29. Until his dismissal,
Dadullah was the leader of the Taliban faction ideologically aligned
with Al-Qaeda and formerly led by his older brother, Mullah Dadullah,
who was killed by U.S. and Afghan forces in Helmand Province in May
2007. According to "El-Emerah," the Taliban's daily newspaper, Mansur
Dadullah was "not obedient to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in his
actions and has carried out activities which are against the rules of
the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan." Dadullah has reportedly denied
being dismissed. "It is not true that Mullah Omar kicked me out of the
Taliban," Dadullah was quoted as saying in Britain's "Daily Telegraph."
"If he wanted me to leave the Taliban, he would send me a message and I
would put down my weapons, because he is our top commander," Dadullah
said. He claimed that he is the victim of a conspiracy by his enemies.
MM
[32] SPANISH KING VISITS TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN
Spanish King Juan Carlos and Defense Minister Jose Antonio Alonso on
December 31 paid a surprise visit to Spanish troops deployed in Herat
Province in western Afghanistan, Bakhtar News and international media
reported. While having lunch with the soldiers, Juan Carlos wished them
success in their mission in the New Year so that they can "return to
Spain with the fulfillment of your duty." Spain has contributed 700
soldiers to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)
in Afghanistan; four Spanish soldiers were killed in fighting there in
the past year. Leaders from Australia, France, and Italy have recently
visited their troops serving in Afghanistan, at the end of a year that
witnessed increased Taliban attacks on ISAF and Afghan forces,
resulting in rising casualties. MM
[33] TALIBAN MILITANTS KILL 16 POLICE OFFICERS IN SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN
Taliban insurgents attacked a police checkpoint in the southern
Kandahar Province on December 31, killing 16 police officers, Afghan
and international media reported. Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman
Zemarai Bashary told AP that more than 850 police officers were killed
in attacks and combat since the beginning of 2007, out of a force of
some 73,000 officers nationwide. The past year has seen the highest
level of casualties in Afghanistan since the ouster of the Taliban in
2001, with militant attacks primarily targeting security forces, but
resulting in many civilian casualties. More than 6,500 people -- mostly
militants -- died in fighting in Afghanistan in 2007, according to an
AP count based on figures from Afghan and Western officials. 2007 also
saw the highest death toll for U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan since the
2001 invasion, with 110 soldiers killed. MM
[34] GAS SUPPLIES CUT OFF IN PARTS OF NORTHERN IRAN
A number of towns along Iran's northern Caspian coast reportedly had
their gas supplies cut off in the last days of December, amid rising
demand and falling winter temperatures. Iran's state gas supplier
meanwhile threatened to cut supplies to North Khorasan Province in
Iran's northeast, Radio Farda reported on December 31, citing Iranian
agency reports. The shortages have forced shops and schools to close,
and prompted protests outside gas company offices in some towns in the
Caspian province of Mazandaran. The affected towns include Sari,
Semnan, Shahrud, Gorgan, and Qaemshahr, all in northern or northeastern
Iran. Radio Farda cited the daily "Tehran-i Emruz" as reporting on
December 31 that a number of ministries and offices in Tehran also had
their gas supplies cut in recent days for surpassing government-imposed
consumption limits. The cuts may have been caused in part by an
interruption of gas exports to Iran from its northern neighbor,
Turkmenistan, which in turn prompted Iran to reduce its gas exports to
Turkey, "Khaleej Times" reported on January 1, citing Fars news agency.
An unidentified source told Fars that Iran has reduced the daily 20
million cubic meters it is contractually obliged to pipe to Turkey to 4
million-5 million cubic meters. However, the Turkmen Foreign Ministry
released a statement on January 1 rejecting reports that Turkmenistan
has completely suspended gas exports to Iran, turkmenistan.ru reported.
The statement quoted Petrochemical Industry and Natural Resources
Minister B. Khodjamukhammedov as saying that exports have been reduced
temporarily due to the need to carry out repair work on export
pipelines. VS/LF
[35] IRAN SECURITY CHIEF REPLACES PERSONNEL...
Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Said Jalili has
replaced three council members reportedly close to his predecessor Ali
Larijani, AFP reported on January 1. Jalili appointed Mehdi
Bokharaizadeh as head of foreign policy at the council secretariat;
Ahmad Khaleqi as head of economic affairs; and Ahmad Khadem ol-Melleh
as head of media affairs and communications, Radio Farda reported.
Bokharaizadeh was previously a secretary of the strategic research
center at the armed forces joint headquarters; Khaledi was a deputy
trade minister and head of the state body monitoring consumer prices;
and Khadem ol-Melleh was an IRNA chief and the news agency's
representative at the UN in New York, Radio Farda reported. The new
appointments replace three conservative figures and allies of Larijani,
who resigned unexpectedly in October; Mohammad Nahavandian oversaw
economic affairs, Abdulreza Rahmani-Fazli headed media and
communications, and Ali Monfared oversaw foreign policy. VS
[36] ...AS PREDECESSOR VISITS CAIRO
Former National Security Council chief Larijani, who is now the Iranian
supreme leader's representative on the council, told the press in Cairo
on January 1 that talks between Iran and Egypt are "rational and moving
forward," IRNA reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 28, 2007).
Larijani started his visit to Cairo on December 24, apparently as part
of tentative moves to improve ties after almost three decades of
antagonism between Iran's revolutionary regime and pro-Western Egypt.
Larijani asked the press not to focus too much on current talks and to
"allow the direction and atmosphere of talks to keep their natural
form." He indicated that his discussions with Egyptian officials have
covered "strategic subjects" and focused on the overall shape of
relations rather than details. VS
[37] IRANIAN INTERIOR MINISTRY READY FOR MARCH ELECTIONS
Interior Minister Mostafa Purmohammadi said in Tehran on January 1 that
his ministry is ready to hold "peaceful and reassuring" elections in
March for Iran's eighth parliament since 1979, IRNA reported.
Purmohammadi told the press after a meeting of provincial officials
that election supervisors have already been appointed and the ministry
is finalizing its choice of personnel overseeing the elections. He said
the ministry has issued national identity cards, needed to vote, to
some 42 million eligible voters, and that 98 percent of the some 43
million eligible voters will have their identity cards ready by the end
of the Persian year to March 20. Purmohammadi separately said he favors
the idea, discussed in Iran in the past, of moving the capital from
Tehran, IRNA reported. He said the government of President Mahmud
Ahmadinejad is studying the idea, adding that the cost of changing
capitals would be less than the money millions of Iranians would save
by not having to travel to Tehran. Isfahan, in central Iran, has been
suggested as one option due to its central location. The city was the
capital of the Persian state in the 17th and 18th centuries. VS
[38] IRANIAN CLERIC CALLS FOR FAIR ELECTIONS
Expediency Council chief and former President Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani
told clerics in Tehran on December 31 that the March elections should
be held in a "healthy environment" and that "we must not do anything to
deepen grudges," Mehr reported. He told clerics belonging to the
reformist National Trust Party, headed by former parliament speaker
Mehdi Karrubi, that Iranians must be brought to the polls "by the right
means" so they can show their loyalty to Iran's political system.
Reformists have voiced concerns that the Guardians Council, a mainly
right-wing body of clerics with a decisive say in election matters,
will disqualify many of their proposed candidates. Separately, deputy
speaker of parliament Mohammad Reza Bahonar told IRNA on January 1 that
conservatives are trying to persuade certain prominent figures to run
in the March elections. Some Iranian media have reported intractable
divisions among the conservatives, who have sought to downplay the
significance of the disagreements. Bahonar said politicians have
suggested that Ali Larijani and former parliamentary speaker Ali Akbar
Nateq-Nuri should be among the candidates. VS
[39] IRANIAN POLICE GUN DOWN 'BANDITS'
Iranian police officers shot dead three "bandit chiefs" near Taibad in
eastern Iran over a period of several days beginning on December 28,
after tracking their entry from Afghanistan, ISNA reported. Hamid
Fahimi-Rad, the police chief of eastern Khorasan-i Razavi Province,
said one police officer was killed in a gun battle that erupted when
police ambushed a group of drug traffickers on or after December 28.
Some of them fled back to Afghanistan, Fahimi-Rad said. Police seized
arms and ammunition and 56 kilograms of opium after searching the area.
Separately, police or troops shot dead three "armed bandits" north of
Kerman in southeastern Iran on an unspecified date, ISNA reported on
December 31, quoting Abbas Atai, a deputy head of the Rasul-i Akram
security base in eastern Iran. Police destroyed several vehicles
belonging to the criminals, ISNA reported. VS
[40] IRAQI PREMIER CALLS 2008 'YEAR OF RECONSTRUCTION'
In a New Year's address to the Iraqi people, Prime Minister Nuri
al-Maliki called 2008 the Year of Reconstruction, the state-run
Al-Iraqiyah news channel reported on January 1. "The year 2007 has
ended and we experienced sorrow and pain during this year. However, the
Iraqis' determination, fraternity, and persistence to develop their
country crowned the year 2007 with success and victory," al-Maliki said
in a recorded statement. "As I said before, the year 2007 was the year
of security and we succeeded in [establishing] it. We must all succeed
as we decided that the year 2008 will be the year of reconstruction,
economy, fighting corruption, and development," he added. Al-Maliki
called on all political forces to unite and help meet the government's
goals for 2008. KR
[41] AL-MALIKI IN GOOD HEALTH FOLLOWING CHECKUP IN LONDON
Medical tests in London have determined that Prime Minister al-Maliki
is in good health, the Iraqi government announced on December 31. A
statement released by al-Maliki's office called the results of
undisclosed tests "good and very reassuring." Al-Maliki left for London
on December 29, telling reporters that he had put off routine medical
exams for some time. Al-Sharqiyah television reported on December 29
that al-Maliki has been battling diabetes and hypertension for several
years. Sources close to the prime minister told the news channel on
January 1 that al-Maliki will be discharged from a London hospital on
January 3, and will probably return to Baghdad on January 5. KR
[42] IRAQI GOVERNMENT COMPENSATES FAMILIES IN DIYALA AND DAHUK
The Iraqi government will compensate families affected by violence in
Diyala and Dahuk governorates, Al-Iraqiyah television reported on
December 31. Prime Minister al-Maliki ordered that the Baghdad
government will compensate the families of those injured or killed when
a suicide bomber attacked a reconciliation meeting for tribal leaders
and government officials in the village of Shifta in Diyala Governorate
on September 24. Fifteen people were killed in the attack and some 36
injured (see "RFE/RL Newsline," September 25, 2007). Each family of the
wounded victims will be paid 1 million dinars ($824), while each family
with a relative killed in the attack will receive 3 million dinars
($2,472). Meanwhile, families in Dahuk Governorate displaced as a
result of a recent Turkish bombing campaign along the Turkey-Iraq
border will also be compensated 1 million dinars. The government will
also pay 1 million dinars to the families of people who were injured,
and 3 million dinars to the families of those killed by the bombing
campaign. Al-Iraqiyah reported that the government's assistance to
Iraqi families in Dahuk Governorate will amount to some 450 million
dinars ($370,828). KR
[43] IRAQI OIL EXPORTS REACH NEW HIGH
The Iraqi Oil Ministry announced on December 30 that monthly revenues
from oil exports reached $4.9 billion in November, with oil selling at
an average price of $83.87 per barrel. Ministry spokesman Asim Jihad
said the exports averaged 1.6 million barrels per day from Al-Basrah
and more than 300,000 barrels per day from Kirkuk in northern Iraq. The
November exports mark a three-year high for Iraq. The ministry expects
to increase crude exports to 2 million barrels per day in early 2008.
KR
[44] IFJ SAYS 65 JOURNALISTS KILLED IN IRAQ IN 2007
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said on December 31
that Iraq remained the deadliest country in the world for journalists
in 2007, with 65 journalists and media workers killed there out of 171
who died in the line of duty worldwide. The IFJ reported that, with one
exception, all media workers killed in Iraq in 2007 were Iraqi
nationals. The organization said that 134 journalists were murdered or
otherwise died violent deaths, while another 37 were killed in
accidents. Somalia was the second-deadliest country for journalists,
followed by Pakistan, Mexico, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines. The IFJ
said the majority of media workers targeted in 2007 were working for
national or regional media outlets and were killed in their own
communities. "Many killers of journalists are just getting away with
murder. Governments must take these issues seriously. Every case must
be investigated. Those responsible must be punished," IFJ General
Secretary Aidan White said. In 2006, the IFJ reported 177 journalists
and media workers killed worldwide. KR
End Note
[45] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY
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