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RFE/RL Newsline, 08-01-07
CONTENTS
[01] RUSSIA AGAIN OFFERS TO HOST MIDEAST CONFERENCE
[02] GAZPROM SEEKS TO EXPAND IN FRANCE, NIGERIA
[03] RUSSIA MARKS ORTHODOX CHRISTMAS
[04] MOSCOW SUBWAY SYSTEM CONTINUES EXPANSION
[05] RATIONALE FOR CRACKDOWN IN DAGHESTAN QUESTIONED
[06] ARMENIA REGISTERS RISE IN VIOLENT CRIME
[07] EVEN BEFORE RESULTS ANNOUNCED, AIDE HAILS GEORGIAN PRESIDENT'S
REELECTION
[08] GEORGIAN OPPOSITION SLAMS OFFICIAL POLL RESULTS AS FALSIFIED,
CONVENES PROTEST
[09] INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS NOTE SHORTCOMINGS
[10] RUSSIA SLAMS GEORGIAN PRETERM PRESIDENTIAL BALLOT
[11] GEORGIAN VOTERS REGISTER SUPPORT FOR ACCESSION TO NATO
[12] ACTING GEORGIAN PRESIDENT PARDONS TWO IMPRISONED SENIOR OFFICIALS
[13] KAZAKHSTAN RAISES QUOTA ON FOREIGN LABOR
[14] TAJIK SUPREME COURT SENTENCES FORMER MILITARY COMMANDER FOR CRIMES
DURING CIVIL WAR
[15] UZBEK HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST RELEASED FROM PRISON
[16] BELARUSIAN AUTHORITIES BAN OPPOSITION LEADER FROM TRAVELING ABROAD
[17] UKRAINIAN PREMIER ACCUSES PREDECESSORS OF 'UNPRECEDENTED
INFLATION'
[18] SERBIAN GOVERNMENT SPLIT OVER PRESIDENTIAL BIDS...
[19] ...WHILE CROWN PRINCE CALLS FOR MONARCHY IN SERBIA
[20] PRISONERS IN KOSOVA END HUNGER STRIKE
[21] MACEDONIAN POLICE ATTACKED
[22] ROMANIAN PRIESTS BARRED, EXPELLED FROM MOLDOVA
[23] FEUD BETWEEN ROMANIAN, RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCHES CONTINUES
[24] AFGHANISTAN'S ISLAMIC COUNCIL CALLS FOR CRACKDOWN ON TV
STATIONS...
[25] ...AND WARNS AGAINST MISSIONARY ACTIVITIES
[26] U.S. TO CONSIDER STRIKES AGAINST EXTREMISTS OPERATING OUT OF
PAKISTAN
[27] FOOD SHORTAGES SPREAD IN AFGHANISTAN
[28] WOMEN'S RIGHTS CAMPAIGNS LAUNCHED IN AFGHANISTAN
[29] IRAN CAUTIOUS ON U.S. TIES
[30] IRANIAN LAWMAKER WANTS TO BEEF UP ARMED FORCES
[31] HOPEFULS REGISTER FOR IRANIAN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS...
[32] ...AS SUPERVISORY OFFICIAL SAYS VETTING WILL BE LAWFUL
[33] TEHRAN JAIL WILL NOT RELEASE INMATES
[34] IRANIAN AGENTS BATTLE DRUG TRAFFICKERS
[35] IRAN APPOINTS AMBASSADORS
[36] IRAQI SOLDIERS DIE ATTEMPTING TO SUBDUE SUICIDE BOMBER
[37] IRAQ'S KURDISH LEADERS MEET TO DISCUSS FUTURE...
[38] FORMER IRAQI PREMIER TO FORM NEW POLITICAL ALLIANCE
[39] FOUR CHRISTIAN SITES BOMBED IN NORTHERN IRAQ
[40] GUNMEN KIDNAP 13 MEMBERS OF IRAQI TRIBAL LEADER'S FAMILY
[41] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY
Monday, January 7, 2008 Volume 12 Number 4
Russia
[01] RUSSIA AGAIN OFFERS TO HOST MIDEAST CONFERENCE
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said on January 6 that
Russia is still interested in hosting an international conference on
the Middle East, but only if "stability is in the offing in that
region," Interfax reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 27, 28, and
30, 2007). "The Russian Federation is not going to host the conference
for the sake of mere formality," he noted. Although Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov told reporters on his plane while returning home from
Annapolis on November 27 that Russia will host the next Mideast peace
conference, it soon became clear that this is not yet a done deal.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on November 29 that Lavrov's
proposal "received support" at the Annapolis gathering but he stopped
short of saying that the plan is definite. On December 25, Deputy
Foreign Minister Aleksandr Yakovenko said the proposed Moscow
conference will go ahead if "our interaction with our American partners
and the other members of the [so-called Mideast] Quartet [is]
fruitful." The quartet consists of the United States, Russia, the UN,
and the EU. Yakovenko added that "the date, format, and agenda for the
planned [conference] depend on developments in Palestinian-Israeli
negotiations." On January 5, Yakovenko said that Russia is still
interested in hosting a Mideast conference, RIA Novosti reported. PM
[02] GAZPROM SEEKS TO EXPAND IN FRANCE, NIGERIA
Aleksandr Medvedev, who is Gazprom's deputy CEO in charge of exports,
said in Paris on January 5 that his company hopes to acquire a 10
percent share of the French gas market by 2013, Interfax reported. He
repeated Russia's position that some of the EU's policies on energy
security unfairly target Gazprom (see "RFE/RL Newsline," September 20,
2007). The EU has long sought to persuade Moscow to ratify the EU's
Energy Charter Treaty, which Russia signed in 1994 but never ratified,
and whose Transit Protocol would require Russia to open up access to
its pipelines. Medvedev said on January 5 that Gazprom does not have in
mind any specific projects in France but will assess possible
opportunities as they arise. On January 7, Britain's "Financial Times"
reported that Gazprom wants to acquire natural gas in Nigeria, possibly
for export in liquefied form. Nigeria is believed to hold some of the
world's largest gas reserves, largely in areas already allocated to
Western multinationals. The daily quoted an unnamed Nigerian oil
official as saying that "the Russian government wants Gazprom to anchor
the expanding relationship between Nigeria and the Russian Federation.
They now have to come down to the detail of what they want to do. We
are waiting for them." The British paper noted that "Russia's moves to
tap Nigeria's huge energy reserves will send shivers through Western
governments already concerned about a shortage of global gas supplies."
PM
[03] RUSSIA MARKS ORTHODOX CHRISTMAS
January 7 marked Orthodox Christmas, which was celebrated with church
services across Russia, Russian media reported. Russian Orthodox
Patriarch Aleksy II led a service at Moscow's Christ the Savior
Cathedral that was attended by First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry
Medvedev, who is widely expected to succeed Vladimir Putin as
president. Ekho Moskvy reported that Aleksy specifically wished
Medvedev strength and courage in his work for the country. Putin
celebrated Christmas in the town of Veliky Ustyug in Vologda Oblast,
where he met with Grandfather Frost. The latter showed Putin a model of
a residence that is being built for Grandfather Frost in Sochi, which
is to be ready for the 2014 Winter Olympics there. RC
[04] MOSCOW SUBWAY SYSTEM CONTINUES EXPANSION
The Moscow subway system on January 7 opened its 175th station,
Strogino, ITAR-TASS reported. According to the report, the station is
the brightest and most spacious in the city's rapidly growing
underground system. The network will now focus on expansion in the
Mitino area, extending beyond the Moscow ring road and into the
territory of Moscow Oblast. A detailed map of the system's expansion
can be found at https://www.mk.ru/f/b/mk/85/206887/12.pdf. RC
[05] RATIONALE FOR CRACKDOWN IN DAGHESTAN QUESTIONED
The punitive operation launched in mid-December in the village of Gimri
in Daghestan's mountainous Untsukul Raion may not be aimed solely at
apprehending Islamic militants, RFE/RL's North Caucasus Service
reported on January 4, quoting a government official who asked to
remain anonymous (see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 17, 18, and 28,
2007). He identified as responsible for the December 9 killing of
former Daghestan parliament deputy Gazimagomed Magomedov (aka
Gazimagomed Gimrinsky) (see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 11, 2007) a
group of young men led by Ibragim Gadjidadayev that formerly undertook
various dubious commissions on behalf of Magomedov, but broke with him
one year ago. Magomedov's death left his former proteges -- including
Nurmagomed Aliyev, director of the hydroelectric complex Sulakenergo
that receives huge sums in subsidies from the federal budget -- without
a protector and vulnerable to blackmail, and the official said many
Gimri inhabitants are convinced the ongoing crackdown is the direct
consequence of an appeal for help from Aliyev to unidentified senior
Russian officials to neutralize the group led by Gadjidadayev. Major
General Sergei Chenchik, the Interior Minister officer in charge of the
operation, was quoted as saying it will continue until all "terrorists"
have been apprehended. Meanwhile, a strict curfew remains in force and
residents are forbidden to leave Gimri. Meeting on December 28 with the
presidential Council of Elders, Daghestan's President Mukhu Aliyev
described Gimri and the neighboring villages of Untsukul and Balakhani
as a hotbed of criminality and extremism and similarly warned that the
crackdown will continue until the last militant has been apprehended,
RIA Dagestan reported. LF
Transcaucasia And Central Asia
[06] ARMENIA REGISTERS RISE IN VIOLENT CRIME
The number of serious or violent crimes committed in Armenia between
January-November 2007 rose by 6.7 percent compared to the previous
year, to 159, kavkaz-uzel.ru reported on January 3, quoting Armenia
Today. Although the number of murders fell by 12 percent, the number of
crimes in which a firearm was used rose by 22.7 percent, and the number
of crimes directed against government officials by 36.8 percent.
Statistics for the first six months of 2007 showed the total number of
crimes committed falling by 9.3 percent compared to 2006. LF
[07] EVEN BEFORE RESULTS ANNOUNCED, AIDE HAILS GEORGIAN PRESIDENT'S
REELECTION
Voters in Georgia went to the polls on January 5 in a preterm
presidential ballot in which incumbent Mikheil Saakashvili sought
reelection for a second term. Voter turnout was estimated at 56.17
percent, compared to almost 90 percent in the 2004 election that
Saakashvili won with 96 percent of the vote. Shortly after polling
stations closed on January 5, Minister for Conflict Resolution Davit
Bakradze, who headed Saakashvili's election campaign, announced that
exit polls involving 7,000 voters showed Saakashvili winning 53.8
percent of the vote, compared to 28.3 percent for his closest rival,
businessman Levan Gachechiladze, who was backed by the nine-party
opposition National Council. Businessman Badri Patarkatsishvili was in
third place, with 6.2 percent, followed by Labor Party leader Shalva
Natelashvili with 5.6 percent; David Gamkrelidze of the New Rightists
with 3.6 percent; economist Giorgi Maisashvili with 0.9 percent; and
Soviet-era dissident Irina Sarishvili-Chanturia with 0.4 percent,
Caucasus Press reported. The remaining 28 percent of respondents
refused to say for whom they had voted. Saakashvili early on January 6
characterized the vote as "a huge victory for Georgia," expressing his
gratitude to all those who cast ballots, Caucasus Press reported. "We
shall wait for the official result from the Central Election
Commission, however the indications from independent exit polls
conducted according to international standards show that we are winning
in the first round," he added. Late on January 6, with some two-thirds
of votes counted, Saakashvili was in the lead with 51.3 percent,
followed by Gachechiladze with 27.32 percent; no data was available on
the Central Election Commission website (http://www.cec.gov.ge) as of
midday on January 7. Saakashvili needs 50 percent plus one vote in the
first round to avoid a runoff. The presidents of Poland, Estonia, and
Kazakhstan all congratulated Saakashvili on his reelection before the
official preliminary results of the ballot were made public, Caucasus
Press reported on January 6. LF
[08] GEORGIAN OPPOSITION SLAMS OFFICIAL POLL RESULTS AS FALSIFIED,
CONVENES PROTEST
Opposition challenger Gachechiladze on January 6 denounced as falsified
the findings of the exit polls, which were conducted by four media
outlets with close ties to the government. He told several thousand
supporters at a rally in Tbilisi on January 6 that while outside
Tbilisi he polled 34 percent of the vote compared to 44 percent for
Saakashvili, in the capital he has a big majority that puts him in the
lead, civil.ge reported. Gachechiladze vowed to protest the official
results to the Central Election Commission, and called on supporters to
reconvene in Tbilisi on January 8. Gamkrelidze, Maisashvili, and
Natelashvili similarly refused to accept the official returns.
Gamkrelidze congratulated Gachechiladze on garnering the highest number
of votes in the first round, and he and Maisashvili called for a runoff
between Saakashvili and Gachechiladze, while Natelashvili demanded that
the vote be annulled and a repeat ballot held in two months, Prime News
and civil.ge reported on January 6. Observers deployed by the National
Council registered hundreds of procedural violations on January 5,
including intimidation of opposition representatives on district
election commissions, Caucasus Press reported. Tina Khidasheli of the
opposition Republican Party and Natelashvili's campaign manager, Giorgi
Gugava, both claimed that Saakashvili supporters were being transported
in buses from one polling station to another to enable them to vote
more than once. A spokesman for Saakashvili's United National Movement
admitted the party hired buses to transport voters to polling stations.
LF
[09] INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS NOTE SHORTCOMINGS
International observers deployed to monitor the run-up to the preterm
ballot and the conduct of the vote concluded in a January 6 statement
posted on the OSCE website (http://www.osce.org) that the election "was
in essence consistent with most international standards for democratic
elections." At the same time, the statement noted "significant
challenges which need to be addressed urgently." Ambassador Dieter
Boden, who headed the OSCE/ODIHR long-term monitoring mission, told a
press conference that the election "was prepared in a professional
manner, but we would do a disservice to Georgian democracy if we did
not also speak out openly where it was not in line with OSCE
commitments, such as cases of intimidation." The statement further
noted that members of the Central Election Commission "acted in a
partisan manner, not always observing the neutrality required of an
election administration. The campaign was overshadowed by widespread
allegations of intimidation and pressure, a number of which were
substantiated. The implementation of social welfare programs was
frequently combined with campaigning " for Saakashvili. Matyas Eorsi,
who headed the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
monitors, observed that the election, although "clearly not perfect,"
provided an opportunity for "a democratic response to the recent
political crisis." Both he and Marie Anne Isler-Beguin of the European
Parliament called on the Georgian authorities to address urgently the
shortcomings that marred the vote. In mid-December, Levan
Berdzenishvili, a leading member of the opposition Republican Party,
said the opposition would accept the outcome of the ballot as valid if
international observers concluded it was free and fair (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," December 19, 2007). But Gachechiladze told supporters in
Tbilisi on January 6 that "if the observers just close their eyes to
everything that happened yesterday, that will be very bad for democracy
in Georgia," Eurasianet reported. The National Council duly released a
statement later on January 6 rejecting as unacceptable the verdict of
the International Observer Mission, the independent television channel
Mze reported. LF
[10] RUSSIA SLAMS GEORGIAN PRETERM PRESIDENTIAL BALLOT
In a statement posed on January 6 on its website (http://www.mid.ru),
the Russian Foreign Ministry noted that opposition representatives and
NGOs reported "numerous" procedural violations during the January 5
ballot, violations that it commented were only to be expected given
that the election campaign "can hardly be said to have been 'free and
fair.'" The outrage expressed by opposition candidates over
Saakashvili's claim before the preliminary results were made public to
have won the ballot is therefore entirely understandable, the statement
continued. It further quoted Western observers as describing the ballot
as "a triumph for Georgian democracy" and dismissed that imputed
conclusion as "superficial." LF
[11] GEORGIAN VOTERS REGISTER SUPPORT FOR ACCESSION TO NATO
In addition to electing a new president, Georgians on January 5 also
voted in nonbinding plebiscites on NATO membership and the timing of
the next parliamentary elections. Quoting exit polls, "The Washington
Post" on January 6 reported that 61 percent voted in favor of NATO
membership and 63.6 percent want the parliamentary elections to take
place in the spring, not the fall of 2008. LF
[12] ACTING GEORGIAN PRESIDENT PARDONS TWO IMPRISONED SENIOR OFFICIALS
Nino Burjanadze has pardoned Sulkhan Molashvili and Davit Mirtskhulava,
who served under former President Eduard Shevardnadze as Control
Chamber head and energy minister, respectively, Caucasus Press reported
on January 7. Molashvili was arrested in April 2004 and tried and
jailed for nine years on charges, which he denied, of misappropriating
state funds. He subsequently appealed his mistreatment during pretrial
detention to the European Court of Human Rights. Mirtskhulava was
arrested in December 2003 on similar charges and sentenced to 10 years'
imprisonment; that term was reduced to six years in July 2006. LF
[13] KAZAKHSTAN RAISES QUOTA ON FOREIGN LABOR
An unidentified Kazakh official said on January 4 that Kazakhstan will
raise a quota on foreign labor in the country for 2008, the Russian
news agency Regnum reported. According to the official, the government
recently adopted a new regulation increasing the limits on the influx
of foreign workers into Kazakhstan to a level of 1.6 percent of the
roughly 7.5 million-strong labor force. The new limits will also impose
specific restrictions on foreign workers across several categories,
raging from low-wage unskilled laborers to white-collar managerial
positions. The limits for 2007 were approximately half of the new
quota, set at 0.8 percent of the overall labor force. Kazakhstan also
announced on January 5 that it is ready to accept some 15,000 "ethnic
Kazakhs" hoping to return to the country from abroad, according to
Interfax-Kazakhstan. RG
[14] TAJIK SUPREME COURT SENTENCES FORMER MILITARY COMMANDER FOR CRIMES
DURING CIVIL WAR
The Supreme Court on January 4 sentenced former military commander
Mahmadahdi Nazarov to 15 years in prison for crimes committed during
Tajikistan's 1992-97 civil war, Asia-Plus reported. In addition to
Nazarov, also known as "Makhsum Mahdi," the court sentenced two of his
associates, Murod Saidov and Mirzo Mulloev, to 14 years in prison each.
Immediately following the sentencing, presiding Supreme Court Justice
Salima Khojaeva reduced the prison terms by one-third, because of the
general amnesty adopted by parliament in November 1998 for crimes
committed during the civil war. As a former leader of the Popular
Front, Nazarov was convicted of committing a number of crimes during
the civil war, including the October 1992 murder of a popular Tajik
singer, Karomatullo Qurbonov. He was first arrested in December 2006
and his two associates were detained in August 2007. RG
[15] UZBEK HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST RELEASED FROM PRISON
The chairman of the Uzbek human rights group Esguliq, Isroil Rizaev,
announced on January 4 in Tashkent that Karim Bozorboev, a deputy
chairman of the group, was freed from prison under a general amnesty
commemorating the 15th anniversary of Uzbekistan's constitution,
according to AP. Bozorboev was released after serving part of a
six-year sentence for fraud after a trial widely condemned by rights
activists and international observers. He was one of at least 15 Uzbek
rights activists who contend that they have been assaulted, imprisoned,
or subjected to forced psychiatric treatment since the May 2005
uprising in the eastern Uzbek city of Andijon. Bozorboev joined the
human rights group in 2004 after resigning from a state-affiliated
political party, saying he was disgusted by corruption among Uzbek
officials (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 25, 2007). RG
Eastern Europe
[16] BELARUSIAN AUTHORITIES BAN OPPOSITION LEADER FROM TRAVELING ABROAD
The Belarusian police's migration department has notified Anatol
Lyabedzka, the leader of the United Civic Party, that he is listed in
the Interior Ministry's database of people barred from leaving Belarus,
Belapan reported on January 4. The Belarusian authorities imposed the
travel ban on Lyabedzka over the defamation case brought against him in
2004. Lyabedzka allegedly slandered Belarusian President Alyaksandr
Lukashenka while appearing on Russian television. Belarusian
investigators in 2004 suspended the proceedings due to the lack of
cooperation from Russia, but did not close the case. The government
introduced the travel-ban database on January 1, replacing permit
stamps in passports. AM
[17] UKRAINIAN PREMIER ACCUSES PREDECESSORS OF 'UNPRECEDENTED
INFLATION'
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said on January 4 that "the
former government has left an unprecedented inflation rate of 17
percent," RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reported. Tymoshenko instructed
the Economy Ministry, the Finance Ministry, the Agriculture Ministry,
the Fuel and Energy Ministry, the State Tax Administration, and the
Customs Service to work out "a precise plan of anti-inflation
measures." Tymoshenko said that "the inflation processes should be
immediately curbed" within the framework of requirements of Ukraine's
accession to the World Trade Organization. AM
Southeastern Europe
[18] SERBIAN GOVERNMENT SPLIT OVER PRESIDENTIAL BIDS...
The party of Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica decided on
January 3 that it will support the presidential candidate put forward
by its coalition partner rather than the candidate of the government's
largest party, local media reported. The decision by Kostunica's
Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) to back Velemir Ilic, leader of New
Serbia (NS), its coalition partner in parliamentary elections held in
January 2007, appears to contravene the governing coalition's founding
agreement, under which the DSS agreed to back the reelection of
President Boris Tadic, whose Democratic Party (DS) is the strongest
member of the governing coalition (see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 14,
2007). There has been little high-level response from the DS so far.
However, in general comments made in an interview with the broadcaster
B92 on January 5, the speaker of parliament, Oliver Dulic of the DS,
said that the ruling coalition is "the least stable since the days of
the Democratic Opposition of Serbia," a wide alliance of parties that
ruled Serbia from shortly before the ouster of President Slobodan
Milosevic in 2000. Despite its internal tensions, the Democratic
Opposition of Serbia survived in power until December 2003. Dulic
likewise predicted that, for all its instability, the government will
be able to "implement certain key parts of the manifesto around which
it was formed" in May 2007. AG
[19] ...WHILE CROWN PRINCE CALLS FOR MONARCHY IN SERBIA
Aleksandar Karadjordjevic, the son of the last king of Yugoslavia,
called on January 5 for Serbia to become a constitutional monarchy,
arguing that Serbia needs "a similar situation to the one in Norway,
Denmark, and so on," where a monarchical system works "very well."
Asked whether his weak command of Serbian rules him out as Serbia's
sovereign, Karadjordjevic said "I know I've got a bit of a problem with
Serbian, but I understand what Serbia needs:... Serbia has to be a
democratic country, where the head of state is neutral, and not a
member of a political party. Power is with the government, and is
having free elections and moving on." Asked about the candidates in the
presidential election to be held on January 20, Karadjordjevic said, "I
get on well with [President] Tadic" and "I've got nothing against
Tomislav Nikolic," an extreme nationalist who is Tadic's principal
rival and also a strong opponent of any restoration of the monarchy.
Karadjordjevic's father, Peter II, never regained the throne after
leaving Yugoslavia to form a government-in-exile in 1941 and eventually
settled in the United States, where he died in 1970. Karadjordjevic,
who is 62, was born and raised in Britain and served in the British
Army before entering business. He first visited Belgrade in 1991. He
allied himself with the opposition to late President Milosevic in the
1990s, settled in the then-Yugoslavia in 2000 after Milosevic's ouster,
was granted Yugoslav citizenship in 2001, and was restituted some of
the family's property. AG
[20] PRISONERS IN KOSOVA END HUNGER STRIKE
Hundreds of prisoners in a high-security prison in Kosova have ended a
hunger strike after Kosovar President Fatmir Sejdiu personally
intervened and promised a review of rules on amnesties and temporary
releases, local newspapers reported on January 5. Some 480 of the 688
inmates went on hunger strike on December 29 to demand amnesties and
reductions in their sentences, as well as the right to unrestricted
visits and temporary leave, according to local and international media
reports. The UN, which administers Kosova, on January 3 urged the
prisoners to halt their strike, but described most of the prisoners'
demands as "privileges,... not rights." A prisoner told the daily "Koha
ditore" on January 4 that the strike has left "more than 100
prisoners...in a critical condition." In August, seven prisoners,
including a number of convicted ethnic-Albanian terrorists and one
Saudi-born terrorist, escaped from the same prison in Dubrava (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," August 20, 22, and 23, 2007). Two were subsequently
recaptured in Kosova in October and another was killed in police
operations in Macedonia in November, just days after a fourth fugitive
was killed in Macedonia in a gun battle with unknown men (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," October 9, and November 5 and 9, 2007). AG
[21] MACEDONIAN POLICE ATTACKED
A member of an elite police unit was shot and killed on January 4 by
unknown gunmen, local media reported. The attack, which injured two
other officers, occurred on a highway on the outskirts of the capital,
Skopje. The car believed to have been used by the gunmen was later
found in the nearby village of Aracinovo, a stronghold of
ethnic-Albanian rebels in the separatist conflict in 2001. There is as
yet no indication who the gunmen were. This is the second time in
recent months that a police officer has been killed (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," October 25, 2007). That death and other signs of unrest,
coupled with the uncertainty over the future of neighboring Kosova,
have stirred fears of renewed ethnic violence (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
September 5, October 31, and November 5, 2007). Macedonian ministers
and the National Security Council have attributed the violence to
"criminal groups and individuals," but have warned that it could be
exploited for political reasons (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 5,
2007). The bloodiest incident of recent months, in which six people
were killed, was the result of a police operation aimed at capturing a
former militia leader (see above and "RFE/RL Newsline," November 8 and
9, 2007). AG
[22] ROMANIAN PRIESTS BARRED, EXPELLED FROM MOLDOVA
Two Bessarabian Orthodox priests have in the past week been denied
entry to Moldova and two others are currently facing expulsion. All are
Romanian citizens. Their difficulties began in December when one --
Ioan Bigea from the village of Vadul lui Isac -- was fined for not
having a work permit and subsequently, on December 29, turned back at
the border, the news service Forum 18 reported on January 4. Bigea was
reportedly told he could not apply for a new work permit until after
the Orthodox Christmas, which falls on January 6. Another Romanian
priest, Constantin Dumitrascu from Larga Noua, a village in the
southern Cahul district, was turned back from the border on January 3,
the private television station ProTV reported the same day. Dumitrascu
said no reason was given for refusing him entry. Bigea has worked in
Moldova for 14 years and Dumitrascu for 10 years, and they say they
have encountered no visa problems during that time, but new, tighter
regulations were recently introduced. Two more priests from the Cahul
district, Iulian Budescu and Ion Tivlea, also face expulsion, with
Budescu due to leave by January 6 and Tivlea to follow after a court
appearance on January 9, Forum 18 reported. ProTV said that Bigea,
Budescu, and Dumitrascu believe that Moldova's largest religious
community, the Moldovan Orthodox Church, is seeking to take over
churches they built. An official of the Bessarabian Church, Deacon
Andrei Deleu, told Forum 18 that only seven of the priests working in
the church's 186 parishes are Romanian. The Moldovan Orthodox Church
has 1,250 parishes. Officials from the Moldovan Orthodox Church and the
Moldovan government have not commented. AG
[23] FEUD BETWEEN ROMANIAN, RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCHES CONTINUES
The Bessarabian Orthodox priests' problems come just weeks after
Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin appeared on national television
and, according to Forum 18, threatened to revoke the church's right to
registration. The threat came in response to a decision by the Romanian
Orthodox Church, to whose patriarchy the Bessarabian Orthodox Church
belongs, to establish three additional dioceses in Moldova under the
control of the Bessarabian church. Speaking on November 30, Voronin
called the move "a provocative scheme against us, against our
independence and sovereignty, against our country, identity, and
people. We cannot," he continued, "bargain with our faith and we cannot
make it a prisoner of our politics." This is only one of several issues
relating to Moldovan national identity that have marred relations with
Romania over the past year(see "RFE/RL Newsline," February 26, August
23, and December 17 and 27, 2007). A church official quoted by Forum 18
on January 4 linked the dispute to what he described as the deliberate
harassment of the head of the Bessarabian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan
Petru Paduraru, who was frisked and kept waiting for several hours at
the border when he returned from Romania on December 26. The Moldovan
Orthodox Church has won the support of the patriarchy of the Russian
Orthodox Church, which does not recognize the Bessarabian Orthodox
Church's legitimacy. The Moscow patriarch in October criticized his
counterpart in Bucharest over the latter's decision to establish new
dioceses and, according to the news agency Interfax, the synod of the
Russian Orthodox Church on December 27 reiterated the church's anger at
the Romanian Orthodox Church's refusal to back down. Moldova registered
the Bessarabian Orthodox Church in 2001 only after being obliged to by
the European Court of Human Rights, and Moldova's religious minorities
have repeatedly criticized their treatment by the government. The
Moldovan parliament passed a new law on religion in July, which, while
more liberal, controversially stipulates that "property rights on
buildings of worship belong to the religious communities that founded
them." Since the law's promulgation, Forum 18 noted, little has been
done to implement key institutional changes mandated by the new
legislation (see "RFE/RL Newsline," August 1, 2007). AG
Southwestern Asia And The Middle East
[24] AFGHANISTAN'S ISLAMIC COUNCIL CALLS FOR CRACKDOWN ON TV
STATIONS...
Clerics who are members of Afghanistan's influential Islamic Council
reportedly met with President Hamid Karzai in Kabul on January 4 to
demand a clampdown on a burgeoning private television industry that
they say is spreading "immorality and un-Islamic culture," Afghan and
international media reported. "The unrestrained programs on television
have angered and prompted the [council] to react," the conservative
council said in a statement to Karzai, according to a copy released to
the news media. The statement pointed to the MTV-style "Afghan Star"
show on Tolo TV that is modeled on the "American Idol" show as an
example, alleging that "'Afghan Star'...encourages immorality among the
people and is against Shari'a [Islamic law]." Over a dozen privately
run television stations have sprung up in Afghanistan following the
fall of the Taliban regime in 2001, which banned television as
un-Islamic during its rule from 1996 to 2001. MM
[25] ...AND WARNS AGAINST MISSIONARY ACTIVITIES
During the meeting with President Karzai, the Afghan clerics also
expressed concern over the activities of some international
nongovernmental groups that in their eyes are trying to spread
Christianity among Afghans. The council warned in its statement of what
they termed "catastrophe" if these activities are not prevented. "The
council is concerned about the activities of some missionary and
atheistic organs and considers such acts against Islamic Shari'a, the
constitution, and political stability," the statement said. Ahmad Ali
Jebrayeli, a member of both the council and the Afghan parliament, told
Reuters on January 5 that reliable sources tell him that Christian
missionaries are using NGO offices in Kabul and in other provinces as
bases to convert the local population, alleging that "some NGOs are
encouraging them [to convert], give them books [Bibles], and promise to
send them abroad." In July 2007, Taliban militants took some 23 South
Korean Christian missionaries hostage, killing two of them before
releasing the remainder (see "RFE/RL Newsline," August 31, 2007). MM
[26] U.S. TO CONSIDER STRIKES AGAINST EXTREMISTS OPERATING OUT OF
PAKISTAN
According to "The New York Times" on January 5, the Bush administration
is considering a proposal to grant the Pentagon and the CIA authority
to conduct covert operations in the tribal areas of Pakistan where
Al-Qaeda and Taliban are gaining strength and destabilizing both
Afghanistan and Pakistan. The plan was discussed by Vice President
Richard Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and top White
House national security aides on January 4 when they met at the White
House to reassess U.S. strategy in the wake of the December 27
assassination of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. In
response to the report, Pakistani military spokesman Waheed Arshad said
in Rawalpindi on January 6 that the Pakistani government will not allow
the United States or any country to conduct covert military operations
in its tribal areas, saying, "There have never been any operations
other than by our own security forces and there will never be any
operations other than our own security forces." The Afghan government
frequently blames the sanctuary and support given militants in
Pakistan's tribal areas for growing insurgency and instability in
Afghanistan and the region. MM
[27] FOOD SHORTAGES SPREAD IN AFGHANISTAN
Commerce Minister Mohammad Amin Farhang told journalists in Kabul on
January 5 that Afghanistan is facing a shortage of wheat flour, and the
international community should increase wheat supply to the country to
alleviate the looming crisis, the Bakhtar news agency reported. Owing
to the shortage of wheat flour in Pakistan, residents of many areas in
Afghanistan, including the capital Kabul, are suffering from price
hikes on basic commodities and a food shortage. Although the rise in
the price of wheat flour was also caused by a hike in prices on the
international market, the situation in Afghanistan is the direct result
of an increase in prices of food items in Pakistan, the main route and
supplier of food commodities, like wheat flour, rice, pulses, milk,
cream, and sugar to Afghanistan. In recent months, the UN Food and
Agriculture Organization has also warned that mounting attacks on food
convoys by Taliban militants are affecting the smooth and timely supply
of food, warm clothes, and medicines to remote areas in Afghanistan
that will be covered by snow and inaccessible for the coming three to
four months. The spiraling prices and shortage of food, especially
wheat, are fast becoming a concern for the government in a country
where most people live below the subsistence level. MM
[28] WOMEN'S RIGHTS CAMPAIGNS LAUNCHED IN AFGHANISTAN
The daily "Afghanistan Times" reported on January 6 that two new
programs, "Healthy Family, Happy Society" and "Law and Women," have
been launched with the aim of eliminating violence against women and
promoting women's rights in Afghanistan, the news website e-ariana.com
reported. Minister for Women's Affairs Hosn Bano Ghazanfar, said the
"Healthy Family, Happy Society" campaign will be carried out by
religious leaders in several provinces to promote awareness of women's
rights, while the second program, "Law and Women," will be run by
lawyers and prosecutors. "Lawyers and prosecutors will, by publishing
posters and launching informative campaigns, highlight the right of
women envisaged in the country's constitution and guaranteed by Islam,"
she said. Afghan women suffered enormous oppression under the Taliban
regime and are still denied some basic human rights in Afghanistan's
conservative society. MM
[29] IRAN CAUTIOUS ON U.S. TIES
At his weekly press conference, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman
Mohammad Ali Hosseini told the press in Tehran on January 6 that Iran
has no plans for now to restore ties with the United States, which were
severed in 1979, Radio Farda reported. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei said in Yazd, central Iran, on January 3 that the two
countries might one day resume ties if these were beneficial to Iran.
That is not presently the case, he said. Hosseini said there are no
plans to resume ties while Washington continues "hostile" policies
toward Iran; the United States and some Western allies are concerned by
Iran's ongoing nuclear program and have accused it of playing a
disruptive role in the Middle East. Hosseini said U.S. President George
W. Bush's planned visit to the region is intended to isolate Iran. Bush
is expected in Israel on January 9, and is to visit other states where
he is expected to discuss Iran. "The numerous visits of American
officials to the region are an attempt to make up for their failed
regional policies," Hosseini said, adding that Bush has indicated "he
wishes to control certain regional policies and interfere with certain
regional states," ISNA reported. VS
[30] IRANIAN LAWMAKER WANTS TO BEEF UP ARMED FORCES
The head of the parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy
Committee, Alaeddin Borujerdi, has written to the government asking for
more money for the defense sector in the 2008-09 state budget, ISNA
reported. Borujerdi told the press in Tehran on January 6 that Iran has
the smallest defense budget proportionate to its size and population
and compared to regional states, "and one of the ways of removing
America's threats in the region" is to increase defense spending, ISNA
reported. He said U.S. policies in the Middle East have failed and
President Bush is visiting the region to "disrupt" the "post-Christmas
peace.... Bush is trying to restore his position in the region, with
approaching elections in America." He said there can be no resumption
of ties until the United States ends "hostile policies," including
"ratifying a budget against Iran." He may have been referring to
Congressional votes to support civil bodies or initiatives in Iran. He
separately described as "unacceptable" Turkmenistan's reduced gas
exports to Iran in the winter cold (see "RFE/RL Newsline," January 2,
2007). VS
[31] HOPEFULS REGISTER FOR IRANIAN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS...
Hundreds of aspiring candidates for Iran's mid-March parliamentary
polls began registering on January 5, with over 460 registering that
day, Iranian and international media reported. Registration is to
continue for a week, after which vetting authorities, including those
appointed by the Guardians Council, a body of senior jurists, will
check the eligibility of aspirants. The majority or a very large number
of registrants are usually disqualified at this stage, prompting public
objections and interfactional disputes that are rarely resolved. On
January 6, the deputy interior minister for parliamentary affairs,
Mohammad Hussein Musapur, asked people who know they are not eligible
to compete under election laws not to register, IRNA reported. He said
these people are covered by Article 30 of the parliamentary elections
law, including persons convicted of acting against the Islamic republic
or associated with the overthrown monarchy, or members of disbanded
parties. Musapur said the Interior Ministry will soon provide official
figures for the number of registrants. "The figures cited so far are
for Internet registrations," he said, referring to the initial,
computerized stage of the registration process. Registered aspirants
must then go to local authorities with their printed registration
forms. VS
[32] ...AS SUPERVISORY OFFICIAL SAYS VETTING WILL BE LAWFUL
Guardians Council spokesman Abbas Ali Kadkhodai told the press in
Tehran on January 5 that the council and its supervisors will vet
aspiring candidates in line with the law as they have done in past
elections, "Kayhan" reported on January 6. "The law is the only
yardstick" for the council in vetting aspirants, he said. A reporter
observed that reformists are concerned that election agents from the
Interior Ministry and Guardians Council-appointed supervisors share the
same, conservative, political views. Kadkhodai said: "Our duty is not
to resolve the concerns of people and parties. Our task is to implement
the law." He added that the law allows representatives of candidates to
witness voting and vote-counting at polling stations, provided they do
not interfere in the electoral process. VS
[33] TEHRAN JAIL WILL NOT RELEASE INMATES
Tehran's Evin prison has refused so far to free three inmates acquitted
of charges against them and whose release has been ordered by the
judiciary, Radio Farda reported on January 5, citing lawyer Mohammad
Ali Dadkhah. Dadkhah, who represents Ehsan Mansuri, Majid Tavakkoli,
and Ahmad Qassaban (see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 20, 2007), told
Radio Farda that the head of a Tehran court he recently visited has
promised to discuss the matter with the Tehran judiciary chief. Dadkhah
said he will take legal action against prison authorities if they do
not release the three. It was not immediately clear why they were not
released, though Dadkhah said prison authorities have confirmed they
received the release order. The three were recently acquitted of
charges of insulting religion and the Iranian president. VS
[34] IRANIAN AGENTS BATTLE DRUG TRAFFICKERS
Iranian Intelligence Ministry agents shot dead five members of an
"organized and armed drug-trafficking caravan" west of Jiroft, in
southeastern Iran, on January 4, the Jiroft public and revolutionary
prosecutor, Ali Maddahipur, told IRNA the next day. Two others who fled
were later arrested, while others were injured in the shoot-out and are
in hiding, he said. Agents have confiscated a total of 3.9 tons of
opium in various stages of the operation, five army-type rifles,
ammunition, and a vehicle. Another car belonging to the gang was
destroyed, Maddahipur said. Police have separately confiscated 3.2 tons
of opium and hashish in two separate operations in the Minab and
Hajiabad districts in the southern Hormozegan Province, "Kayhan"
reported on January 6, citing the provincial police chief, Mansur
Dashti. He said police also arrested 10 traffickers and took two
weapons from them. A convicted drug trafficker was separately hanged at
an unspecified date in the prison in Gorgan in the northern Golestan
Province, "Jomhuri-yi Islami" reported on January 6, citing the
provincial judiciary. The 53-year-old man was convicted of selling 5
kilograms of opium, for which he was sentenced to death, fined,
imprisoned, and had his property confiscated. VS
[35] IRAN APPOINTS AMBASSADORS
Iran has appointed Ahmad Musavi as its ambassador in Damascus, and
Abbas Araqchi as its ambassador in Japan, "Jomhuri-yi Islami" reported
on January 6. The appointments were proposed by the foreign minister
and approved by the president. Musavi was previously the vice president
for legal and parliamentary affairs, and Araqchi the deputy foreign
minister for legal and international affairs. Separately, Ali Larijani,
the supreme leader's representative on the Supreme National Security
Council, was in Damascus on January 4 to discuss bilateral ties and the
situation in Lebanon with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallim,
IRNA reported. He arrived in Syria on January 3 and was to meet with
President Bashar al-Assad and Vice President Faruq al-Shara, IRNA
reported. VS
[36] IRAQI SOLDIERS DIE ATTEMPTING TO SUBDUE SUICIDE BOMBER
Three Iraqi soldiers were killed on January 6 as they tried to prevent
a suicide bomber from blowing himself up in the middle of an Iraqi Army
Day celebration in Baghdad, international media reported the same day.
The celebration commemorated the 87th anniversary of the army's
founding. According to a statement by the U.S.-led coalition, the
bomber tried to detonate his explosives vest outside the neighborhood
advisory council building in Karradah. "The selfless sacrifice of the
three Iraqi soldiers should not be forgotten. These martyrs gave their
lives so that others might live," spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Steven
Stover said. "The valor and devotion to the mission displayed by these
Iraqi soldiers embodies the character of the Iraqi Army, especially on
the Iraqi Army Day." The coalition said two civilians were killed and
four wounded in the attack. Other media quoted Iraqi police as saying
nine civilians were killed and 12 wounded. KR
[37] IRAQ'S KURDISH LEADERS MEET TO DISCUSS FUTURE...
President Jalal Talabani and Kurdistan regional President Mas'ud
Barzani told reporters at a January 5 press conference in Dukan that
they have reached agreement on a number of issues regarding governance
of the region, as well as on several political differences between the
Kurdistan region and Baghdad. Asked about Kurdish relations with Prime
Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Talabani said, "We call for dialogue and talks
with Nuri al-Maliki to reach a joint conclusion on the issues we need
to agree on and are currently working on." He added that there "is no
intention" to pull out of the government. Kurdish leaders sent a list
of demands to al-Maliki last week. Kurdish parliamentarian Mahmud
Uthman suggested in an interview with the Kurdish website "Sbay" on
January 4 that the Kurdish Coalition may be forced to "revise its
cards, its presence in the ministries, and its relations with the
[Iraqi] parties" should its demands not be met. The demands reportedly
included defining the region's borders, and a resolution of disputes
between the region and Baghdad over oil, budgetary issues, and the
peshmerga militia forces. Talabani also told reporters at the January 5
press conference that Kurdistan regional Prime Minister Nechirvan
Barzani will remain in his post. Under a power-sharing agreement
between the two leading Kurdish parties, Barzani was to be replaced at
the end of the year by a representative of Talabani's Patriotic Union
of Kurdistan party. Talabani declined to provide further details to
reporters, saying, "We will disclose these details later." Asked about
the unification of the Kurdistan regional government, which was to have
been completed several months ago, Barzani said: "We discussed this
topic. The ministries will merge in the near future and there is no
political reason [for the delay], just some technical issues." KR
[38] FORMER IRAQI PREMIER TO FORM NEW POLITICAL ALLIANCE
Former Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Ja'fari is reportedly set to announce
the formation of a new nonpartisan political alliance, Iraqi media
reported in recent days. Al-Ja'fari told Al-Arabiyah television on
January 4 that a "reorganization of ranks" is taking place in Iraq.
"The previous lineup of opposition ranks before the downfall of the
regime is not necessarily suitable for the stage that followed," he
said. He said his alliance will not be influenced by sectarian policies
or quotas. "It is not dictated to the people by some elite party, but
has come as a reaction to the people's responsiveness to and
interaction with it." He noted, however, that the new alliance will
conform to the principles of his Islamic Al-Da'wah Party. Asked to
comment on Prime Minister al-Maliki's attempts to forge national
reconciliation, al-Ja'fari said: "Al-Maliki represents one side only,
not all. Therefore, all sides, inside and outside the government,
should move actively toward achieving national reconciliation." Asked
why reconciliation efforts are delayed, he said, in an apparent
reference to al-Maliki's leadership: "It could be related to the lack
of seriousness, of clear visions, of weak relations, or a lack of a
theory. National reconciliation is actually a theory that is based on a
practical and realistic visualization as well as on field work by all
sides." KR
[39] FOUR CHRISTIAN SITES BOMBED IN NORTHERN IRAQ
Three churches and a convent were bombed in terrorist attacks in the
northern city of Mosul on January 6, Al-Sharqiyah television reported
the same day. Two of the churches, the Virgin Mary Church and the
Chaldean St. Paul Church, were targeted by car bombs, which left four
civilians injured. The outer walls and entrances of the churches were
destroyed by the blasts. Meanwhile, two explosive charges went off
outside the St. Maskanta Church, destroying its outer walls. Another
explosive charge targeted the Catholic Nunnery. No injuries were
reported in the latter two attacks. "The Washington Post" reported on
January 7 that one of the sites bombed was an orphanage, not a church.
KR
[40] GUNMEN KIDNAP 13 MEMBERS OF IRAQI TRIBAL LEADER'S FAMILY
Unidentified gunmen kidnapped 13 members of an Iraqi tribal leader's
family near Ba'qubah, Al-Sharqiyah television reported on January 6.
The civilians were all relatives of Abd al-Wahhab al-Mindil, a
chieftain of the Al-Ubayd tribe. Al-Sharqiyah reported they were
kidnapped in their village of Al-Tahwilah outside Ba'qubah. Security
sources said the gunmen were members of Al-Qaeda in Iraq who were angry
over al-Mindil's plans to form an awakening council in his village. KR
End Note
[41] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY
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