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RFE/RL Newsline, 08-02-13
CONTENTS
[01] RUSSIA, CHINA SUBMIT DRAFT TREATY ON SPACE WEAPONS
[02] RUSSIA, IRAQ REACH AGREEMENT ON DEBT
[03] DAILY SAYS TEHRAN MAKES PROBLEMS FOR MOSCOW
[04] RUSSIA SHUTS DOWN EU UNIVERSITY
[05] CABINET SHAKE-UP REPORTEDLY IN THE WORKS
[06] PLURALITY OF RUSSIANS ARE CERTAIN PUTIN WILL BE PRIME MINISTER
[07] CHANNEL ONE TV HOST SAYS KASPAROV IS BLACKLISTED
[08] CHUBAIS WARNS OF LOOMING FINANCIAL CRISIS
[09] CHECHEN OFFICIAL CRITICIZES SUSPENDED SENTENCE FOR RUSSIAN OFFICER
[10] ARMENIAN CONSTITUTIONAL COURT CALLS FOR ACTION ON ELECTION
OBSTACLES
[11] OPPOSITION PARTY ANNOUNCES SUPPORT FOR FORMER ARMENIAN PRESIDENT
[12] AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT REVIEWS REGIONAL ECONOMIC-DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAM
[13] GEORGIAN GOVERNMENT, OPPOSITION AGREE ON TERMS FOR RESUMPTION OF
TALKS
[14] FORMER GEORGIAN MINISTER QUESTIONS RATIONALE FOR ISSUING EUROBONDS
[15] KAZAKH PRESIDENT MEETS WITH VISITING U.S. OFFICIAL
[16] KAZAKH PRESIDENT APPOINTS NEW HEAD OF RULING PARTY'S PARLIAMENTARY
FACTION
[17] TAJIK ENERGY CRISIS HITS NEWSPAPERS
[18] RUSSIA TO PRESERVE FAVORABLE GAS PRICE FOR BELARUS
[19] INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER TO PAY DAMAGES TO BELARUSIAN LAWMAKER
[20] UKRAINIAN CABINET ADMITS GAS DEBTS TO RUSSIAN SUPPLIER
[21] UKRAINIAN COURT ORDERS FORMER TRANSPORT MINISTER'S ARREST
[22] EU 'TO APPROVE' KOSOVA MISSION THIS WEEK
[23] SERBIAN RADICAL BACKS STATE OF EMERGENCY
[24] SERBIAN PROTESTERS PRESS FOR EU DEAL
[25] MACEDONIA TO LIFT PROPERTY RESTRICTIONS ON EU CITIZENS
[26] CROATIAN PRESIDENT DISMISSES ATTACK ON TITO
[27] TALIBAN NOT 'THREAT TO THE WORLD,' ONLY TO FOREIGN TROOPS IN
AFGHANISTAN
[28] PAKISTAN'S AMBASSADOR TO AFGHANISTAN KIDNAPPED
[29] PROMINENT TALIBAN COMMANDER CAPTURED IN PAKISTAN
[30] SOUTHERN AFGHAN GOVERNOR SURVIVES BOMB EXPLOSION
[31] IRANIAN LEADER DEFIES WEST OVER NUCLEAR PROGRAM
[32] IRANIAN LEGISLATOR SEES NO GROUNDS FOR IRAN-U.S. TALKS ON NUCLEAR
PROGRAM...
[33] ...AS INSPECTORS' REPORT ON IRAN MAY BE DELAYED
[34] IRANIAN LEADER TO VISIT IRAQ BEFORE MARCH
[35] TEHRAN COURT TO REEXAMINE KAZEMI CASE
[36] IRANIAN MINISTRY DEFENDS ITSELF OVER ELECTORAL VETTING
[37] SUNNI ARAB TRIBAL LEADERS TARGETED IN IRAQI CAPITAL BOMBINGS
[38] SHI'ITE LAWMAKER DENIES PARTY WANTS TO REPLACE IRAQI PREMIER
[39] INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS LAUNCHES AID DRIVE FOR IRAQ
[40] CBS JOURNALIST, TRANSLATOR ABDUCTED IN SOUTHERN IRAQ
[41] SHI'ITE CLERIC'S OFFICE DISAVOWS RELATIONS WITH IRAQI NATIONAL
GATHERING
[42] RUSSIA, IRAQ REACH AGREEMENT ON DEBT
[43] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008 Volume 12 Number 29
Russia
[01] RUSSIA, CHINA SUBMIT DRAFT TREATY ON SPACE WEAPONS
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov submitted to the 65-member
Conference on Disarmament in Geneva on February 12 a treaty jointly
drafted by Russia and China on "preventing the deployment of arms in
space and the use of force or threats of force in relation to the
space-based objects," news agencies reported. He added that "recently,
the scale and significance of research and use of outer space has
increased substantially. The interests of the further dynamic
development of international space cooperation strongly require
adopting measures aimed at not allowing turning space into an arena of
confrontation, ensuring it remains free of weapons of any kind." Lavrov
said that "the proposed agreement seeks to eliminate the current blank
spots in international space law and to create conditions for further
research into and use of space, to ensure the integrity of common space
ownership, and to strengthen general security and control over
weapons." He added that "the nuclear arms race began with the
calculation that a monopoly would be retained on this type of weapon.
But this monopoly lasted only four years. And even this period was
enough to set world politics on a Cold War track, in which it remained
for over four decades, entailing enormous expenditures and use of
resources that could have instead been invested in development. Must
history be repeated?" The "International Herald Tribune" noted on
February 12 that the proposal is a "challenge" to the United States,
which has described the draft as "a diplomatic ploy by the two nations
to gain a military advantage." Washington also believes that the
proposal is directed against U.S. technology and would still allow
Moscow and Beijing to "fire ground-based missiles into space or use
satellites as weapons of war." PM
[02] RUSSIA, IRAQ REACH AGREEMENT ON DEBT
Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said in Moscow on February 12
that "doors are open" in Iraq for Russian business on the basis of fair
competition with other companies, news agencies reported. On February
11, Zebari and Russian Finance Minister Aleksei Kudrin agreed to write
off most of Iraq's $12.9 billion debt to Russia, primarily from
Soviet-era sales of military equipment. A further $900 million in debt
will be restructured to give Russia an extra $1.1 billion in interest.
The two ministers also signed a separate agreement paving the way for
$4 billion in Russian investments in Iraq. Zebari said on February 12
that the write-off and the prospects for Russian companies in Iraq are
"two totally unrelated things." He told reporters that his government
is "not hiding from existing problems, such as the old contracts" won
by Russian companies before 2003 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," September 20
and 21, 2007). LUKoil wants to develop the West Qurna II field, for
which it had a $3.7 billion contract dating from 1997 under the
previous regime. The daily "Kommersant" wrote on February 12 that
Foreign Minister Lavrov told Zebari the previous day that "we expect
new joint projects." Kudrin said that "it is in our interests to see
the Iraqi economy restored," adding that Tekhnopromeksport,
Interenergoservice, Zarubezhneft, Mashinoimport, and LUKoil are ready
to expand into the Iraqi market. The paper noted that its unnamed
Russian "government sources claim that the political decision to write
off Iraqi debts was made at President Vladimir Putin's meeting with the
cabinet on January 14. By and large, it is like this: the more oil Iraq
produces, the more debts its rival Russia writes off." "The Moscow
Times" on February 12 quoted LUKoil spokesman Dmitry Dolgov as saying
that "we are literally sitting on our suitcases. If the Iraqis give us
the nod today, we would be ready for exploration and production within
a year." PM
[03] DAILY SAYS TEHRAN MAKES PROBLEMS FOR MOSCOW
The daily "Kommersant" wrote on February 12 that recent "missile tests
in Iran and Tehran's statements and [apparent] intentions weaken the
Kremlin's stand in the dispute with Washington over the U.S. national
missile defense in Europe." The paper noted that Russia recently
"joined the chorus" of Western critics of Iran, although President
Putin and numerous other top Russian officials said repeatedly in 2007
that Washington is exaggerating Iran's potential nuclear threat and its
ability to develop long-range ballistic missiles. Deputy Foreign
Minister Aleksandr Losyukov said on February 6 that Iran's recent test
launch of a missile raises "suspicion" about the real nature of
Tehran's nuclear program (see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 5, 2007, and
February 7 and 8, 2008). First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov
argued on February 10 that "these planned launches do not exactly
heighten the international community's trust in the Iranian missile
programs." "Kommersant" noted on February 12 that "all in all, Tehran
once again put Moscow behind the eight ball.... Russia has always
stressed that Washington's arguments are wrong concerning the [alleged]
Iranian missile threat and the supposed need for protection against it.
Tehran's latest escapades are truly a godsend for Washington, proof
that the Iranian ballistic missiles might leave the realm of myth soon
to become a hard fact of life." The daily "Nezavisimaya gazeta"
suggested on February 12 that "Tehran is trying to blackmail Russia by
threatening to support [proposed] alternative gas pipelines," namely
White Stream, which is backed by Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia
Tymoshenko "to spite Moscow." The paper noted that "Tehran sprang
another nasty surprise on the Kremlin. Last Saturday, the Iranian
ambassador in Azerbaijan allowed for the possibility of joining White
Stream.... Barely a fortnight ago, Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki
said Iran was prepared to export gas through Nabucco, [the EU's
proposed] rival to the Russian South Stream." PM
[04] RUSSIA SHUTS DOWN EU UNIVERSITY
Britain's "The Guardian" reported on February 12 that "the Kremlin was
yesterday accused of mounting an unprecedented attack on academic
freedom after one of Russia's top universities was closed. The European
University at St. Petersburg (EUSP) has been forced to suspend its
teaching after officials claimed that its historic buildings were 'a
fire hazard.' On Friday a court ordered that all academic work cease,
classrooms be sealed, and the university's library shut." The daily
noted that "academics at the EUSP said the move was politically
motivated and followed a row last year over a program funded by the
European Commission to improve the monitoring of Russian elections. The
university accepted a three-year, nearly $1 billion EU grant to run a
project advising Russia's political parties on matters such as how to
ensure elections are not rigged." A St. Petersburg spokesman for the
liberal Yabloko party was quoted by "The Moscow Times" on February 12
as saying that the fire-safety argument "was just an excuse" to shut
the university for political reasons. In October 2007, Putin called the
EUSP "an agent of foreign meddling" in Russian affairs. PM
[05] CABINET SHAKE-UP REPORTEDLY IN THE WORKS
RBK Daily reported on February 12 that the presidential administration
is preparing to carry out "structural and personnel changes in the
government even before the inauguration of the new head of state." The
business daily reported that this may mean either that the cabinet will
be dismissed as soon as February 20, or simply that certain ministries
and agencies will be "reformatted." According to RBK Daily, in carrying
out this "preterm restructuring of executive power," President Putin,
who has agreed to serve as prime minister under his chosen successor,
Dmitry Medvedev, is seeking to ensure that he has a "capable"
government built under him before transferring power to Medvedev.
However, Dmitry Badovsky, deputy director of the Institute for Social
Systems, told RBK Daily that while Putin has questioned the efficacy of
the system of executive power formed in 2004, and although "in the new
system there will be other principles for coordinating ministries,
federal services, and agencies," it would be risky in terms of
political stability to "shake up" the government during an election
campaign. Political analyst Stanislav Belkovsky told the newspaper that
rumors about "reforming" the government have been disseminated by
"people close to Dmitry Medvedev's staff and the entourage of Federal
Antinarcotics Service head Viktor Cherkesov." According to Belkovsky,
Cherkesov "is not averse" to seeing the position of siloviki in the
government weakened. Cherkesov is said to be part of a Kremlin group
involved in a turf war with another faction of siloviki that includes
deputy Kremlin administration chief Igor Sechin and Federal Security
Service (FSB) Director Nikolai Patrushev. JB
[06] PLURALITY OF RUSSIANS ARE CERTAIN PUTIN WILL BE PRIME MINISTER
In a recent poll conducted by the Levada Center on behalf of RFE/RL and
the Washington-based InterMedia Survey Institute, 46.4 percent of the
respondents said they are certain that following the March 2
presidential election Putin will become prime minister, 11 percent said
they see Putin in the role of "national leader," 8 percent said he will
somehow or another become president again, and 18 percent said that he,
rather than the formally elected president, will run the country. Asked
whether he agrees with the 46.4 percent of the respondents who believe
Putin will settle for the role of prime minister after the March 2
presidential election, Nikolai Petrov of the Moscow Carnegie Center
told RFE/RL's Russian Service: "Although earlier I shared a different
opinion -- that Putin might become the head of the [Kremlin's] Security
Council with expanded powers -- on reflection it seems to me that the
position of prime minister is rather opportune, because it will not
only give Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin a formal basis to maintain or
strengthen his authority in a whole series of spheres, but it will
allow him to take the place of the president quickly, since, according
to the constitution, the premier takes the place of the president in
the event of the temporary or permanent absence of the latter. What is
more, that position [prime minister] allows the transfer of power to be
replayed absolutely legally if...something doesn't go as is now
planned." JB
[07] CHANNEL ONE TV HOST SAYS KASPAROV IS BLACKLISTED
The "Novyi region" information agency reported on February 11 that
during a conference held at the Central House of Journalists in Moscow,
Vladimir Pozner, host of the "Vremena" program on the state's Channel
One, said he had been told that several people were not to be invited
to appear on his show. Pozner denied Yabloko leader Grigory Yavlinsky's
claim that he is on a so-called "stop list" of people banned from
appearing on Channel One: the veteran talk-show host said he has
invited Yavlinsky to appear on his show several times but the Yabloko
leader did not come. However, according to "Novyi region," Pozner later
on in the conference said that Channel One's general director,
Konstantin Ernst, has named three specific people who are not to be
invited to appear on "Vremena." Pozner initially refused to name the
three people, but subsequently said that "if Kasparov is invited, there
will be trouble" -- a reference to former chess champion and opposition
leader Garry Kasparov. Pozner did not name the other two blacklisted
people. According to "Novyi region," the subject of "the infringement
of freedom of speech in Russia" is increasingly discussed among
journalists, with many saying that "internal censorship" has been
imposed in their editorial offices and that "stop lists" forbidding
"the mention of individual public figures and some socially significant
events" are "gaining ground." JB
[08] CHUBAIS WARNS OF LOOMING FINANCIAL CRISIS
In an interview with "The New Times" published on February 11, Unified
Energy Systems CEO Anatoly Chubais said that Russia will soon face a
financial crisis. According to Chubais, Russia's trade balance is
deteriorating sharply as a result of global financial problems and the
country will lose its trade surplus not in five to seven years, as some
experts predict, but in two or three years at the latest, resulting in
the disappearance of its "motor of growth." Chubais said he fears that
the financial problems will spill over into the political sphere,
presenting Russia with a choice. On the one hand, he said, Russia can
blame the crisis on "imperialists in the West" who are trying to make
Russia dependent, and then maximally close off the country's economy,
increase state support for domestic commodity producers, and increase
overall state budget expenditures. The consequences of such a policy
would be "catastrophic," Chubais said. The alternative, he said, is to
restore "the bedrock principles of liberal economic policy." Last
month, Chubais said that Russian foreign and domestic policies are
"absolutely unprepared" to take advantage of the latest developments in
world financial markets and that Russians "need to ask ourselves a
question: How much does its foreign policy cost Russia and can we pay
that price?" He added that Russia's foreign policy, which is widely
perceived in the West as aggressive, prevented it from being allowed to
participate in an unspecified "rescuing of U.S. banks" hit by the
sub-prime mortgage crisis (see "RFE/RL Newsline," January 30, 2008). JB
[09] CHECHEN OFFICIAL CRITICIZES SUSPENDED SENTENCE FOR RUSSIAN OFFICER
Chechen human-rights ombudsman Nurdi Nukhadjiyev has condemned as "an
affront to everyone in Chechnya" the three-year suspended sentence
handed down last week to Russian Interior Ministry troops Lieutenant
Colonel Aleksei Korgun, who in March 2007 ordered his men to open fire
on three Chechen women, killing one of them and wounding the other two,
kavkaz-uzel.ru reported on February 11 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," March
27, 2007 and February 8, 2008). Nukhadjiyev earlier criticized the
acquittal of Captain Eduard Ulman, who in 2000 shot five Chechen
civilians in cold blood; he claimed last year that the Chechen
authorities only with difficulty averted mass protests in the wake of
the shooting of the three women. LF
Transcaucasia And Central Asia
[10] ARMENIAN CONSTITUTIONAL COURT CALLS FOR ACTION ON ELECTION
OBSTACLES
Armenia's nine Constitutional Court judges convened on February 11 to
discuss the formal complaint lodged four days earlier by former
President and opposition presidential candidate Levon Ter-Petrossian,
RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported. Ter-Petrossian alleged
insurmountable obstacles to normal election campaigning, specifically
the overwhelmingly negative coverage of his political activities by
state-controlled Armenian Public Television (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
February 8, 2008). In the event that such obstacles are not removed,
election legislation requires the postponement of the election by two
weeks. The court ruled after four hours of discussions that while
Ter-Petrossian's complaints were "legitimate" and require action by the
regulatory National Commission on Television and Radio and by the
Central Election Commission, the actions he cited do not constitute an
insurmountable obstacle to his campaign, and there are therefore no
grounds to postpone the election, which is scheduled for February 19.
LF
[11] OPPOSITION PARTY ANNOUNCES SUPPORT FOR FORMER ARMENIAN PRESIDENT
The opposition Zharangutiun party headed by U.S.-born former Foreign
Minister Raffi Hovannisian released a statement on February 12 calling
on its members to vote for Ter-Petrossian, whom it described as "the
most popular candidates," in the February 19 presidential ballot, Noyan
Tapan reported. The statement also appealed to voters to not to ignore
the ballot and not to accept bribes or other inducements to vote for a
specific candidate. On February 9, tens of thousands of people attended
a Ter-Petrossian election rally in Yerevan, the largest number to turn
out for such a meeting since the election campaign began last month,
RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported. Ter-Petrossian claimed at that
rally that in 1999 President Robert Kocharian agreed to a territorial
exchange with Azerbaijan that would have deprived Armenia of its land
border with Iran in exchange for international recognition of
Nagorno-Karabakh as Armenian territory. He implied that parliament
speaker Karen Demirchian and Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsian were gunned
down in the Armenian parliament in October 1999 because they objected
strongly to that proposal. The documentation pertaining to the official
investigation into those killings was destroyed during the fire that
damaged the Armenian Justice Ministry building during the night of
February 8-9 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," February 11, 2008). Armenian
President Robert Kocharian disclosed in February 2000 that
international mediators had again proposed the prospect of a
territorial exchange to resolve the Karabakh conflict, and that
Kocharian discussed that possibility during one of his meetings with
his Azerbaijani counterpart Heydar Aliyev. But both Kocharian and
Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian subsequently said repeatedly that the
Armenian side rejected such a territorial exchange out of hand (see
"RFE/RL Caucasus Report," June 8, 2000). Kocharian's spokesman Viktor
Soghomonian dismissed Ter-Petrossian's allegations as "a cheap
preelection ploy." LF
[12] AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT REVIEWS REGIONAL ECONOMIC-DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAM
Ilham Aliyev on February 11 addressed a conference on implementation of
the state program for development of Azerbaijan's rural regions,
1news.az and day.az reported. He said implementation of the program was
a major factor in doubling GDP since 2004 and in reducing poverty.
Aliyev also noted that in line with his 2003 election campaign promise,
some 650,000 new jobs have been created over the past four years. He
stressed the need to develop the non-oil-and-gas sector, and pledged
that government support for small businesses will continue, as will the
process of providing permanent accommodation for persons forced to flee
their homes during the fighting over Karabakh in 1992-93. Also on
February 11, Ali Gasanov, who chairs the State Committee for Work with
Refugees and Forcibly Displaced Persons, said those persons will be
moved to better accommodation over the next three to four years, day.az
reported. Gasanov said 11,000 displaced persons are still housed in
schools and 6,000 in military barracks. He added that the daily
subsistence allowance for displaced persons will be raised to nine
manats ($10.66) and the state will provide 67 million manats this year
to cover those costs. LF
[13] GEORGIAN GOVERNMENT, OPPOSITION AGREE ON TERMS FOR RESUMPTION OF
TALKS
Meeting late on February 11, representatives of the Georgian parliament
majority and the opposition National Council reached agreement on
drafting over the next few days a joint formal memorandum that will
clarify the timeframe for implementing the demands contained in the
opposition's January 29 memorandum to parliament speaker Nino
Burjanadze, civil.ge reported on February 12. She said agreement is
possible on "most" of the opposition's 17 demands; other negotiators
from the parliament majority put the figure at 13 out of the 17. The
opposition on February 8 decided to suspend participation in the talks,
complaining that the authorities were playing for time by agreeing to
demands that cannot be implemented without amendments to existing
legislation while rejecting those demands that could be resolved
immediately (see "RFE/RL Caucasus Report," February 8, 2008). The
latter category includes the dismissals of Interior Minister Vano
Merabishili, Central Election Commission Chairman Levan Tarkhnishvili,
and Georgian Public Broadcaster Director General Tamara Kintsurashvili,
and the release of some 40 people whom the opposition considers
political prisoners. Meanwhile, the Labor Party, which did not sign the
opposition memorandum, on February 11 declared a campaign of civil
disobedience on the grounds that both President Mikheil Saakashvili and
the government lack legitimacy, Caucasus Press reported. LF
[14] FORMER GEORGIAN MINISTER QUESTIONS RATIONALE FOR ISSUING EUROBONDS
Former Economy Minister Vladimir Papava, now an independent parliament
deputy, questioned on February 12 why, at a time of worldwide financial
volatility triggered by the U.S. mortgage crisis, the Georgian
government plans to proceed with a $500 million eurobond issue,
civil.ge reported. Papava argued that those plans are "incomprehensible
and unclear," especially in light of repeated government claims of a
huge budget surplus. LF
[15] KAZAKH PRESIDENT MEETS WITH VISITING U.S. OFFICIAL
President Nursultan Nazarbaev met on February 11 in Astana with
visiting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia
Richard Boucher and discussed the expansion of bilateral relations in
the economic, trade, and energy sectors, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported.
Boucher noted Washington's support for Kazakhstan's successful bid to
assume the rotating chair of the chairmanship of the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2010, but warned that the
Kazakh government must fulfill its pledge to advance a set of political
reforms, including "a number of commitments to bring its legislation"
into conformity with international standards for "elections, media
activities, and registration of political parties." Boucher also met
with Prime Minister Karim Masimov and Foreign Minister Marat Tazhin
earlier in the day, and promised that the United States will support
the Kazakh government's "Road to Europe" program, a new strategic
framework to deepen the its integration with European economic,
political, and security structures. RG
[16] KAZAKH PRESIDENT APPOINTS NEW HEAD OF RULING PARTY'S PARLIAMENTARY
FACTION
President Nazarbaev on February 11 appointed Ural Mukhamedzhanov as the
head of the parliamentary faction of the ruling Nur Otan (Light of the
Fatherland) party in the Mazhilis, or lower chamber of parliament,
Interfax Kazakhstan reported. The Nur Otan faction was previously led
by deputy parliament speaker Bakhytzhan Zhumagulov. In a separate
decree the same day, Nazarbaev also named Deputy Foreign Minister
Yerzhan Kazykhanov as a new presidential adviser. RG
[17] TAJIK ENERGY CRISIS HITS NEWSPAPERS
Speaking to reporters in Dushanbe, the director of Tajikistan's
state-owned Sharq-i Ozod printing house, Manzurkhon Dodokhonov,
confirmed on February 11 that many of the country's newspapers will be
unable to print editions due to the impact of a mounting energy crisis
in Tajikistan, Asia-Plus reported. In the latest in a series of crises
exacerbating an already severe shortage of power, a record cold snap
recently froze a key river feeding the lake that drives the key Norak
hydroelectric power station. With cuts in power supplies from
neighboring Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, nearly all of the 80 sets of
traffic lights in Dushanbe were not functioning during the daytime.
Dushanbe Mayor Mahmadsaid Ubaydulloev has also introduced restrictions
on electricity supplies throughout the network, with serious power cuts
for residents and businesses, according to the Avesta website. RG
Eastern Europe
[18] RUSSIA TO PRESERVE FAVORABLE GAS PRICE FOR BELARUS
Russian Ambassador to Belarus Aleksandr Surikov said on February 11 in
Minsk that starting on April 1 Russia will increase the price for
natural gas supplied to Belarus by no more than 10 percent, RFE/RL's
Belarus Service reported. Belarus currently pays $119.5 per 1,000 cubic
meters of Russian gas. Under a five-year contract signed in December
2006, Belarus and Russia are transiting toward market relations in gas
supplies. The price of Russian gas is to gradually increase to the
European market level by 2011, reaching 67 percent of the market level
in 2008, 80 percent in 2009, 90 percent in 2010, and 100 percent in
2011. AM
[19] INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER TO PAY DAMAGES TO BELARUSIAN LAWMAKER
A Minsk city court on February 11 rejected an appeal filed by the
newspaper "Novy chas" against a December ruling by the district court
to pay 50 million rubles ($23,225) in damages to Syarhey Charhinets,
RFE/RL's Belarus Service reported. Charhinets, a deputy in the upper
chamber of the Belarusian legislature, accused "Novy chas" and
journalist Alyaksandr Tamkovich of publishing in September 2007 an
article that insulted his honor and dignity. Alyaksey Karol, editor in
chief of "Novy chas," said that 50 million rubles is more than the
newspaper's annual budget and that the court ruling is yet another step
toward the liquidation of the independent press in Belarus. AM
[20] UKRAINIAN CABINET ADMITS GAS DEBTS TO RUSSIAN SUPPLIER
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said on February 11 that her
cabinet is willing to admit to some debts for Russian natural gas, but
she said that the debt was incurred by the former government, RFE/RL's
Ukrainian Service reported. Tymoshenko also said, citing Russian First
Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov, that Ukraine does not face a
cutoff in the supply of gas from Russia's Gazprom. Gazprom has claimed
that Naftohaz Ukrayiny, Ukraine's state-owned gas operator, owes $1.5
billion for gas delivered to Ukraine and threatened to cut off further
supplies if Ukraine fails to pay or sign agreements on gas supplies.
According to Presidential Secretariat head Viktor Baloha, Naftohaz has
not paid for gas delivery since October 2007, and in connection with
the government's intention to change the gas-delivery scheme to direct
contracts it also has not concluded agreements on gas supplies with
intermediary companies. Gas supplies are expected to be the main issue
of the meeting between Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko and his
Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on February 12 in Moscow. AM
[21] UKRAINIAN COURT ORDERS FORMER TRANSPORT MINISTER'S ARREST
A Kyiv district court on February 11 ruled against continuing former
Transportation Minister Mykola Rudkovskyy's house arrest and ordered
him to be remanded into pretrial detention, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
reported. The court ruled that Rudkovskyy has not complied with the
conditions of his house arrest. The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU)
detained Rudkovskyy the previous day in connection with several
investigations into misuse of state funds in the Transportation
Ministry during his term. Nestor Shufrych, a lawmaker of the opposition
Party of Regions, said that Rudkovskyy's arrest could be a provocation
aimed at complicating the situation in parliament. AM
Southeastern Europe
[22] EU 'TO APPROVE' KOSOVA MISSION THIS WEEK
The EU will this week give the final go-ahead for the deployment of an
EU mission to Kosova, Reuters reported on February 11, citing unnamed
diplomats and EU officials. The mission, EULEX, will assume oversight
of Kosova from a UN mission, but, unlike the UN mission, which has
administered Kosova since 1999, EULEX will focus on policing and the
judicial system (see "RFE/RL Newsline," February 4 and 11, 2008).
According to a senior EU diplomat quoted by Reuters, the timing of a
deployment does not need to decided by ministers as national leaders
agreed in principle in December to send the mission (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," February 11, 2008). In the latest public statement on the
timing of a deployment, the EU's foreign-policy chief, Javier Solana,
on February 10 restricted himself to saying that a decision will be
made soon, Kosovar and Serbian media reported. The Reuters report adds
substance to recent reports that Kosova will declare independence on
February 17, and the leaders of most EU states will recognize Kosova as
a state at a summit on February 18 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," February 11,
2008). According to a leaked report on discussions between U.S. and
Slovenian officials, Washington believes it has "guarantees" from UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon not to prevent the deployment of an EU
mission to replace the UN mission. The report, whose authenticity has
not been questioned, also claimed that Ban believes it would be easier
first to deploy the EULEX mission in Kosova and then to discuss its
establishment in the UN Security Council (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
January 30, 2008). Serbia and Russia, which has veto powers in the
Security Council, both believe that EULEX can be established only with
the authorization of the Security Council. The EU has so far failed to
unify national positions on Kosovar statehood, with diplomats
indicating that as many as five countries -- Cyprus, Greece, Romania,
Slovakia, and Spain -- may not immediately recognize Kosova as a state.
That does not mean, however, that they oppose the EU mission: Greece,
for example, has indicated that it would back an EU mission, the Greek
daily "Ta Nea" reported on February 5, as have Kosovar Albanian media
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," January 25, 2008). AG
[23] SERBIAN RADICAL BACKS STATE OF EMERGENCY
The leader of Serbia's largest parliamentary party, Tomislav Nikolic of
the Serbian Radical Party (SRS), said on February 11 that he would back
a declaration of a state of emergency in Serbia if Kosova were to
declare its independence, local media reported. Nikolic touted the
possibility of a state of emergency in May 2007 after he briefly became
the speaker of parliament (see "RFE/RL Newsline," May 10 and 14, 2007).
The ensuing backlash is viewed as helping to bring together into a
coalition the parties of Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica and
President Boris Tadic. The government has made no public statement that
a state of emergency might be possible. It has developed a plan to
respond to a declaration of independence by Kosova, but most of the
details remain secret (see "RFE/RL Newsline," January 15, 2008).
Serbian television reported on February 11 that the National Security
Council, which Tadic heads, will review the plan on February 12 and
that, on February 14, the cabinet will meet to decide on legal efforts
to annul a declaration of independence. AG
[24] SERBIAN PROTESTERS PRESS FOR EU DEAL
Around 2,000 Serbs rallied in central Belgrade on February 11 to urge
the government to sign an agreement with the EU, local and
international media reported. The deal was due to be signed on February
7, but the EU postponed the ceremony and accused Serbian Prime Minister
Kostunica of obstructionism (see "RFE/RL Newsline," January 29, and
February 6 and 7, 2008). Kostunica objected to the agreement on the
grounds that it would be a de facto recognition of the EU's plans to
send a mission to Kosova and to recognize Kosova as a state.
Kostunica's stance has effectively frozen the mandate to press ahead
with EU membership that President Tadic believed he gained when he won
Serbia's presidential election on February 3 (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
February 4, 2008). Tadic portrayed the election as a referendum on
Serbia's relationship with the EU. The demonstration took on a strongly
anti-Kostunica character, with some banners likening Kostunica to
Slobodan Milosevic, the authoritarian and nationalist leader of
Yugoslavia/Serbia through the war-torn 1990s. AG
[25] MACEDONIA TO LIFT PROPERTY RESTRICTIONS ON EU CITIZENS
EU citizens and companies will soon be allowed to buy property in
Macedonia, Macedonia's government announced on February 10. According
to the news service Balkan Insight, Deputy Prime Minister Zoran
Stavreski said the planned changes lift almost all current restrictions
on EU citizens. There is, however, one major exception: agricultural
land will not be open to sale to foreigners. No indication was given
when the proposed changes are expected to come into effect. Stavreski
also said that these and other planned chances will boost foreign
investment in Macedonia. EU companies are currently allowed to buy
property in Macedonia if they are registered in Macedonia. The EU
granted Macedonia candidate status in 2005, but its bid for membership
has languished since then. Macedonia hopes to open membership talks
this year. That appears unlikely, but EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli
Rehn said on January 17 that the EU might be able this year to decide
on the starting date for membership talks (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
January 22, 2008). AG
[26] CROATIAN PRESIDENT DISMISSES ATTACK ON TITO
Several thousand Croats gathered in central Zagreb on February 9 to
demand the renaming of one of the city's central squares, Marshall Tito
Square. According to local media reports, the demonstrators denounced
the longtime Yugoslav leader as a murderer and demanded that the square
revert to its pre-Word War II name, Theater Square. Tito led Yugoslavia
from 1945 until his death, in 1980. A counterdemonstration rallied
around 200 Tito supporters. Speaking on national radio on February 9,
President Stjepan Mesic criticized the demonstration. "The problem is
not with Tito," he said. "The problem is with some circles that are
nostalgic for the times of the pro-Nazi Croatian regime." AG
Southwestern Asia And The Middle East
[27] TALIBAN NOT 'THREAT TO THE WORLD,' ONLY TO FOREIGN TROOPS IN
AFGHANISTAN
Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar has said the movement he leads is
not a threat to the world, and is only fighting to drive the foreign
troops out of Afghanistan, Reuters reported on February 11. The Taliban
leader made the remarks in response to a U.S. statement that
Afghanistan will become a "failed state" if the fight against the
Taliban is lost. "We are not a threat to anyone, we want legitimate
relations with all countries," said a statement allegedly signed by
Omar and published by the Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press. "America
portrays the Taliban as a threat to countries of the world, and with
such propaganda, wants to use the countries and governments of the
world in pursuit of its own interest. If the foreign troops leave
Afghanistan, that will be a victory for the people of Afghanistan,"
Omar said. More than 6,000 people were killed in Afghanistan last year.
The Taliban's strategy of guerrilla attacks is aimed at undermining
foreign governments' political determination to continue the war. AT
[28] PAKISTAN'S AMBASSADOR TO AFGHANISTAN KIDNAPPED
Ambassador to Afghanistan Tariq Azizuddin has been kidnapped in
Pakistan, close to the Afghan border, the BBC reported on February 11.
Azizuddin was traveling to Afghanistan by road through strongholds of
pro-Taliban militants. Recently, four Pakistani Red Cross workers
disappeared from the same area. Pakistani Foreign Office spokesman
Mohammad Sadiq said, "We are looking into the matter, at this point, we
cannot confirm or deny the kidnapping of the ambassador." Afghan
President Hamid Karzai expressed hope that "our dear friend" Azizuddin
"is safe and our brotherly neighboring country Pakistan can free him
from the hands of terrorists as soon as possible." AT
[29] PROMINENT TALIBAN COMMANDER CAPTURED IN PAKISTAN
Mullah Mansur Dadullah and three of his accomplices have been captured
by Pakistani security forces in the Gawal area on the
Pakistan-Afghanistan border, Karachi-based Aaj TV reported on February
11. The police have taken the four men -- identified as Dadullah,
Mullah Khoda Dad, Mullah Khaleq Dad, and Reza Mohammad -- to an unknown
location for interrogation. AT
[30] SOUTHERN AFGHAN GOVERNOR SURVIVES BOMB EXPLOSION
Asadullah Khaled, the governor of the southern province of Kandahar,
has escaped unhurt from a roadside bomb explosion, the BBC reported on
February 11. The explosion injured three unidentified people. The
governor's group was visiting some reconstruction sites around the city
of Kandahar. Although the police have arrested two men, it is not clear
if they are members of the Taliban. AT
[31] IRANIAN LEADER DEFIES WEST OVER NUCLEAR PROGRAM
President Mahmud Ahmadinejad told a crowd in Tehran on February 11 that
the Western powers can do nothing about Iran's nuclear program except
"play with bits of paper" and engage in hostile "publicity," RFE/RL's
Radio Farda reported, citing Iranian media reports. Speaking to a rally
of thousands marking the 29th anniversary of the 1979 revolution in
Iran, Ahmadinejad said Iran's nuclear program is complete "as far as we
are concerned," and the world has confirmed that Iran has a right to
that program. He said Western powers have incorrect information on
Iran's program and have imposed their mistaken views on the UN Security
Council, pushing it to make "baseless decisions" against Iran. He was
referring to two sets of Security Council sanctions the council has
passed against Iran for refusing to halt nuclear fuel-making activities
that have potential uses for weapons production. VS
[32] IRANIAN LEGISLATOR SEES NO GROUNDS FOR IRAN-U.S. TALKS ON NUCLEAR
PROGRAM...
Mohammad Nabi Rudaki, a deputy chairman of the Iranian parliament's
National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said in Tehran on
February 11 that Iran will talk to the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA), but not to the 5+1 powers -- the five permanent members
of the UN Security Council and Germany -- or the United States, about
its nuclear program, ISNA reported. He said IAEA Director-General
Muhammad el-Baradei's proposal that direct talks between Iran and the
West replace sanctions are realistic, but Iran will only talk directly
to the IAEA and "we see no room for direct talks with America." The
report indicated he was responding to comments el-Baradei made at the
Munich Conference on Security Policy on February 10. ISNA quoted
another, unnamed member of the parliamentary committee from Tehran as
saying on February 11 that the IAEA's various reports on Iranian
nuclear activities are undermining the likelihood of a "a serious
resolution against Iran or the creation of a current of sanctions." VS
[33] ...AS INSPECTORS' REPORT ON IRAN MAY BE DELAYED
Unnamed diplomats said on February 11 in Vienna, where the IAEA is
based, that the agency's report on months of cooperation with Iran may
be delayed because of disagreements between el-Baradei and his staff,
AFP reported. The report was expected by some on February 20, but may
come out at the end of February, one diplomat said. The agency quoted
another diplomat as saying that concern remains that in spite of
appearances, some "big issues" of concern to the IAEA have not been
resolved. Iran has played up its cooperation since August as another
indication that it runs a lawful, open, and strictly civilian nuclear
program; Western powers suspect it may be hiding some of its
activities. The report is to be presented to the IAEA board of
governors on March 3-7, and may well be taken into account by the
Security Council, which is currently examining a third set of sanctions
against Iran. VS
[34] IRANIAN LEADER TO VISIT IRAQ BEFORE MARCH
Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki said in Tehran on February 11 that
President Ahmadinejad will visit Iraq before the end of the Persian
year to March 20, ISNA reported. He was speaking to the press after a
meeting between the Iranian and Tajik presidents. Mottaki said
conditions and preliminaries have to be in place before Ahmadinejad's
trip, ISNA reported. VS
[35] TEHRAN COURT TO REEXAMINE KAZEMI CASE
A panel of judges at a Tehran provincial penal court is to reexamine
"soon" the case of Zahra Kazemi, a Canadian-Iranian photojournalist who
died in custody in Tehran in 2003, apparently from beatings received
during interrogation, and for which no one has been convicted, ISNA
reported on February 11 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 12, 2007). The
case was reopened after lawyers protested against the initial acquittal
of a defendant they suggested was merely a scapegoat, and after they
persisted in pointing out procedural flaws in the initial prosecution
of the case. VS
[36] IRANIAN MINISTRY DEFENDS ITSELF OVER ELECTORAL VETTING
The Iranian Interior Ministry has written to right-wing lawmaker Ahmad
Tavakkoli to defend the registration and vetting processes it has
implemented ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for March 14
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," February 11, 2008), ISNA reported on February
11. Tavakkoli criticized the ministry for introducing what he termed a
flawed registration process for hopefuls, who have had to register on
the Internet first and then complete their registration in person with
local authorities. Tavakkoli said the inexperience of some ministry
staff led to unjustified disqualifications harmful to the public
reputations of many hopefuls. The ministry responded that "there is no
rational relationship between Internet registration and damage to
people's rights and reputations," ISNA reported. It added that if by
inexperienced officials Tavakkoli meant provincial and district
governors or local administrators, these have already passed the test
of organizing two simultaneous elections in December 2006. Many
applicants have already been disqualified, though officials reject
allegations that they were barred for their reformist or dissenting
views. The ministry affirmed in its letter to Tavakkoli that "no member
of parliament or hopeful has been rejected...for criticizing or
objecting to the government." Separately on February 11, Deputy
Interior Minister Mohammad Hussein Musapur accused "some" in Iran of
"playing the role of the enemy's fifth column" in coming elections.
Musapur told IRNA that while "the people, groups, and parties" are
preparing for the polls, others are trying to undermine public
confidence in the voting process. He may have been referring to
reformists who have publicly said the elections will not be fair or
competitive, following the disqualification of most of their would-be
candidates. Musapur said the elections will be "lively and competitive"
and the Guardians Council -- the clerical body supervising elections --
may yet reverse some disqualifications. VS
[37] SUNNI ARAB TRIBAL LEADERS TARGETED IN IRAQI CAPITAL BOMBINGS
Sunni Arab tribal leaders from Al-Anbar Governorate were apparently
targeted in two booby-trapped car attacks outside their Baghdad
compound on February 11, Iraqi media reported. Ali Hatim al-Sulayman, a
leader of the Al-Dulaym tribes, blamed "Al-Qaeda and those behind it"
for the bombings. Hatim and the Al-Anbar tribal leaders are currently
engaged in a bitter struggle with the Iraqi Islamic Party for control
over Al-Anbar. Speaking with Al-Arabiyah television on February 11,
Hatim said: "We have been attacked several times by explosive belts and
car bombs, but not only by Al-Qaeda. There are those who stand behind
Al-Qaeda who are bigger and who know how to run these things and
tactics," he said, which appears to be a veiled reference to the Iraqi
Islamic Party or the Iraqi Accordance Front (Al-Tawafuq), the Sunni
front to which the party belongs. Al-Anbar Salvation Council head Hamid
al-Hayis claimed in a February 7 interview with RFE/RL that the Islamic
Party supports Al-Qaeda. Al-Hayis has given the party 30 days to leave
the governorate or else the Al-Anbar tribes will take armed action
against Islamic Party members. Hatim apparently supports the plan. He
told Al-Arabiyah, "The subject now has become one of revenge." He added
that the government cannot be counted on to intervene in the situation.
KR
[38] SHI'ITE LAWMAKER DENIES PARTY WANTS TO REPLACE IRAQI PREMIER
Parliamentarian Abd al-Hamid al-Mu'allah has denied media reports that
the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI) wants to replace Prime
Minister Nuri al-Maliki, "Al-Zaman" reported on February 12.
Al-Mu'allah said there is no will within the ISCI to change the
leadership. ISCI is aligned with al-Maliki's Islamic Al-Da'wah Party in
the United Iraqi Alliance. Rumors have been circulating that ISCI wants
to replace al-Maliki with one of its members, Adil Abd al-Mahdi, who
currently serves as deputy prime minister. President Jalal Talabani
from the Kurdistan Coalition has also denied the rumors. Talabani told
reporters in Al-Najaf following a meeting with Shi'ite Grand Ayatollah
Ali al-Sistani on February 9: "There is consensus [among political
party leaders] to keep Nuri al-Maliki as prime minister. There is also
consensus on making changes in the government, as I said, by reducing
the number of ministers by half and forming a new government headed by
Nuri al-Maliki." KR
[39] INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS LAUNCHES AID DRIVE FOR IRAQ
The Red Cross launched an appeal on February 12 to raise $19 million to
provide food, health care, and other emergency aid to Iraqis in need,
AP reported. The aid will be distributed through the Iraqi Red Crescent
to the 900,000 most vulnerable over the next year. The announcement
said the UN estimates up to 6 million people in Iraq are in need of
some form of assistance. The current appeal will benefit the poorest
families, including single-parent families and widows. The Red Cross
said the Iraqi Red Crescent is best placed to distribute the aid
because it has more than 3,200 employees and 10,000 volunteers in Iraq.
KR
[40] CBS JOURNALIST, TRANSLATOR ABDUCTED IN SOUTHERN IRAQ
A Western journalist and his Iraqi translator were abducted on February
10 from a hotel in the southern Iraqi city of Al-Basrah, international
media reported February 12. A police report states that eight SUV
vehicles arrived at the hotel earlier in the day and the occupants of
the vehicles demanded to see the hotel's guest list, the "Los Angeles
Times" reported. When the two employees of CBS News left the hotel
later in the day, two SUVs were waiting for them and took the pair
away. CBS did not release the names of the abducted, but said in a
statement that it is exerting all efforts to locate the pair. It asked
that news outlets not attempt to speculate on the identity of the
journalists for obvious security reasons. Iraq remains the most
dangerous place in the world for journalists, with more than 125
journalists killed since 2003 and more than 50 kidnapped. KR
[41] SHI'ITE CLERIC'S OFFICE DISAVOWS RELATIONS WITH IRAQI NATIONAL
GATHERING
Liwa Sumaysim, a spokesman for Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, has
denied any relationship between al-Sadr and the newly established Iraqi
National Gathering, a pro-Sadr website reported on February 11. "This
gathering does not represent the al-Sadr trend; the gathering used to
have a connection to the al-Sadr trend, but this link has been severed
for a while now," Sumaysim said. He added: "The al-Sadr bloc belongs to
the al-Sadr trend and sticks to the directives of His Eminence Sayyid
Muqtada al-Sadr and [the Martyr] al-Sadr's office. There is no
insurgency, other directives, or disobedience to the directives issued
by [Muqtada] al-Sadr." The report says that a number of former al-Sadr
loyalists formed the Iraqi National Gathering. The founders were
identified as Adnan al-Shahmani, Rahim al-Ukayli, and former Health
Minister Abd al-Mutalib Mahmud, "who embarrassed the al-Sadr trend by
mismanaging the Health Ministry." KR
[42] RUSSIA, IRAQ REACH AGREEMENT ON DEBT
Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said in Moscow on February 12
that "doors are open" in Iraq for Russian business on the basis of fair
competition with other companies, news agencies reported. On February
11, Zebari and Russian Finance Minister Aleksei Kudrin agreed to write
off most of Iraq's $12.9 billion debt to Russia, primarily from
Soviet-era sales of military equipment. A further $900 million in debt
will be restructured to give Russia an extra $1.1 billion in interest.
The two ministers also signed a separate agreement paving the way for
$4 billion in Russian investments in Iraq. Zebari said on February 12
that the write-off and the prospects for Russian companies in Iraq are
"two totally unrelated things." He told reporters that his government
is "not hiding from existing problems, such as the old contracts" won
by Russian companies before 2003 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," September 20
and 21, 2007). LUKoil wants to develop the West Qurna II field, for
which it had a $3.7 billion contract dating from 1997 under the
previous regime. The daily "Kommersant" wrote on February 12 that
Foreign Minister Lavrov told Zebari the previous day that "we expect
new joint projects." Kudrin said that "it is in our interests to see
the Iraqi economy restored," adding that Tekhnopromeksport,
Interenergoservice, Zarubezhneft, Mashinoimport, and LUKoil are ready
to expand into the Iraqi market. The paper noted that its unnamed
Russian "government sources claim that the political decision to write
off Iraqi debts was made at President Vladimir Putin's meeting with the
cabinet on January 14. By and large, it is like this: the more oil Iraq
produces, the more debts its rival Russia writes off." "The Moscow
Times" on February 12 quoted LUKoil spokesman Dmitry Dolgov as saying
that "we are literally sitting on our suitcases. If the Iraqis give us
the nod today, we would be ready for exploration and production within
a year." PM
End Note
[43] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY.
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