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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 2, No. 67, 98-04-07Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>RFE/RL NEWSLINEVol. 2, No. 67, 7 April 1998CONTENTS[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[C] END NOTE
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA[01] WERE GAMSAKHURDIA SUPPORTERS BEHIND ZUGDIDI SHOOTINGS?Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze and Security Minister Djemal Gakhokidze have both said that supporters of former president Zviad Gamsakhurdia were responsible for the 5 April attack on mourners at the funeral of Gocha Esebua. Two of the five persons killed in that attack had participated in the February abduction of four UN observers but later surrendered to Georgian security forces. In his weekly radio address, Shevardnadze said the shootings testify to deep splits within the ranks of Gamsakhurdia's supporters and were aimed at further destabilizing the internal political situation and preventing reconciliation. LF[02] FINAL RESULTS OF ARMENIAN PRESIDENTIAL POLL RELEASEDThe Central Electoral Commission on 6 April released the final results of the 30 March presidential runoff, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. Prime Minister and acting President Robert Kocharyan received 59.49 percent of the vote and former Armenian Communist Party First Secretary Karen Demirchyan 40.51 percent. Voter turnout was 68.14 percent. Of the 18 members of the Central Electoral Commission, two representing the National Democratic Union refused to sign the final protocol. The union is headed by Vazgen Manukyan, who came in third in the first round of voting on 16 March. Meanwhile, the commission is to rule later this week on whether Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe is entitled to continue its election observer mission in Armenia after the final election results have been announced (see also "End Note" below). LF[03] TURKISH, AZERBAIJANI LEADERS DISCUSS BAKU- CEYHAN PIPELINEIn a three-way telephone conversation on 5 April, Azerbaijani President Heidar Aliev, his Turkish counterpart, Suleyman Demirel, and Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz agreed on the need to expedite the planned construction of a $2.5 billion oil export pipeline from Baku to the Turkish port of Ceyhan, Interfax and Turan reported. A meeting of the steering committee of the Azerbaijani International Operating Committee--the international consortium currently exploiting three offshore Caspian oil fields--has been postponed indefinitely due to disagreements between the AIOC and the Azerbaijani state oil company SOCAR, Akhmed Zeynalov, the vice president of SOCAR, told Turan. The meeting was to have discussed enlarging from 22 inches to 42 inches the diameter of the existing pipeline from Baku to the Georgian Black Sea terminal at Supsa. That move would increase the pipeline's annual throughput capacity from 5 to 10 million metric tons. LF[04] TAJIK OFFICIAL SAYS WITHDRAWAL FROM KOFARNIHON "COMPLETE"Tajik Deputy Prime Minister Abdurakhmon Azimov told Reuters on 6 April that the agreement reached the previous day on the withdrawal from the Kofarnihon region of both government and Islamic opposition forces "has been implemented in full." Azimov said several hundred opposition troops have been sent to a new base in the nearby Ramit Gorge, where they will be officially registered. Habib Sanginov, the chairman of the military sub- committee of the National Reconciliation Committee, told ITAR-TASS that the withdrawal of both sides' forces "encourages hope" for the consolidation of the peace process. Also on 6 April, a Russian military officer was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Dushanbe. LF[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE[05] U.S. TO KEEP TROOPS IN MACEDONIASecretary of Defense William Cohen said in Washington on 6 April that the U.S. wants to keep peacekeepers in Macedonia even after the current UN force's mandate expires on 31 August. He told his Macedonian counterpart, Lazar Kitanovski, that "the U.S. supports a continued international military presence" in Macedonia because "the key to maintaining stability in the region is now the success of efforts to calm tensions in Kosova." Cohen added that Washington is studying options for keeping the troops in Macedonia. Some 350 Americans take part in the 750-strong UNPREDEP, which is the first UN mission aimed at preventing the spread of a conflict rather than at keeping the peace after fighting. PM[06] WARNING ON MACEDONIAN POLICE VIOLENCEThe prominent New York-based Human Rights Watch charged in a statement on 6 April that Macedonian police frequently engage in illegal behavior and that the international community "turns a blind eye" because it does not want to undermine the Macedonian government's authority. The statement noted that members of minority groups, in particular, are frequently the victims of police brutality. The text added that "long-term security in the Balkans can only be achieved through establishing the rule of law and respect for human rights, especially minority rights." PM[07] RUGOVA NAMES NEGOTIATORSA spokesman for Kosova shadow-state President Ibrahim Rugova said in Prishtina on 6 April that a four-man team will represent the Kosovars in talks with the Serbs whenever Belgrade is ready to offer unconditional talks. The prominent politicians are: Rugova's deputy Fehmi Agani, former communist-era leader Mahmut Bakalli, leading journalist Veton Surroi, and Pajazit Nushi, who is president of the [Kosovar] Committee of Human Rights (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 25 March 1998). Also in Prishtina, Agani described Serbian offers of conditional talks as "tricks," RFE/RL reported. PM[08] SERBIAN PARLIAMENT BACKS REFERENDUMThe Serbian legislature on 6 April passed a law that enables the parliament to call a referendum with only 15 days' notice. "Nasa Borba" wrote the next day that the legislators approved the bill with unusual speed and that the new law will enable Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic's proposed referendum on international mediation in Kosova to be held on 23 March (see "RFE/RL Newsline, 6 April 1998). Referring to international opposition to the referendum, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Vojislav Seselj said: "What do we care about the world's reaction? We are dealing with our country's own internal affair and are not interested in what the world thinks about it. The important thing is that we solve the problem democratically, according to our laws." PM[09] SIX FOUND DEAD IN KOSOVAKosovar spokesmen in Prishtina reported the discovery on 6 April of the bodies of six ethnic Albanians about 60 km southwest of Prishtina. The spokesmen said that investigations into the deaths are in progress. The next day, pro-Milosevic Belgrade dailies wrote that the six Kosovars had been loyal to the Serbian government and were kidnapped by masked men on 3 April. No one has claimed responsibility for the killings. PM[10] CHIRAC MEETS BOSNIAN LEADERSFrench President Jacques Chirac met with the three members of the Bosnian joint presidency in Sarajevo on 7 April. The previous day, Ejup Ganic, who is the president of the mainly Croatian and Muslim federation, told the BBC that Western leaders come to Sarajevo primarily to seek "therapy" for themselves and their political careers. He charged that France "did not do much for Bosnia before the Dayton agreement" was signed at the end of 1995 and had stood by and "witnessed the genocide" during the war in the republic. He stressed that the French government must let French officers and other officials testify freely before the Hague-based war crimes tribunal if Paris wants to show its good faith to Sarajevo. PM[11] OSCE SETS UP SREBRENICA COUNCILA spokesman for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe announced in Sarajevo on 6 April the formation of a temporary government for Srebrenica. In last year's local elections, Muslim refugees elected a Muslim-majority council for the Serb-held town, but the Serbian authorities have refused to let the council members take office. The temporary body consists of four Muslims and four Serbs, in addition to an OSCE chairman, who will be named later, RFE/RL reported. PM[12] CROATIA GETS NEW DAILYThe Zagreb-based "Jutarnji list," Croatia's first independent nationwide daily, appeared for the first time on 6 April. The independent weekly "Globus" invested $7.5 million in the newspaper, which will employ 200 people and have an initial circulation of 200,000. The pro-government daily "Vecernji list" has a print-run of 120,000 copies, which until now has been Croatia's largest. The independent daily "Novi List" appears in Rijeka but is primarily a regional publication. "Globus" has previously been the target of lawsuits by government officials. Elsewhere in Zagreb, unemployed journalists have set up a union called Right to One's Profession, an RFE/RL correspondent reported from the Croatian capital. PM[13] ALBANIAN POLICE ARREST SUSPECTED RIVAL GANGSIn a large-scale operation, police arrested 18 suspected members of two prominent criminal gangs in Korca on 6 April. The rival gangs had robbed and blackmailed shop owners in that southern city since March 1997, "Koha Jone" reported. Early last month, they had engaged in a shoot- out. Also on 6 April, gangsters in Tirana held up a bank security van and absconded with some $30,000 intended as wages for the employees of the state electric company. FS[14] GREEK FORCES TO STAY IN ALBANIAMilitary spokesmen in Athens said on 6 April that Greek troops will remain in Albania until at least 25 September. Greece has 180 soldiers in Albania, who are assisting in rebuilding military facilities and training troops. Turkey and Italy are involved in similar military reconstruction projects. FS[15] ROMANIAN DEFENSE MINISTER CRITICIZED FOR PROPOSED AMNESTYDudu Ionescu has been sharply criticized for a plan to pardon former army officials who suppressed pro-democracy demonstrations that led to the deaths of hundreds in 1989. The defense minister argues that the troops followed orders and that their actions were thus "legal." Traian Orban, a former leader of the uprising that led to the overthrow of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, said such an amnesty would be the "most embarrassing mistake" the government could make. More than 1,000 people died in the clashes, which observers say were never thoroughly investigated. In other news, the Civic Alliance Movement announced it is suspending its membership in the Democratic Convention of Romania. The party, which strongly supported former Premier Victor Ciorbea, had criticized the coalition's close cooperation with the Democratic Party. PB[16] ROMANIA RECALLS DIPLOMAT FROM BONNThe Romanian Foreign Ministry recalled a diplomat and a chauffeur from Germany for allegedly dispensing fake documents to criminals, AFP reported on 6 April. German police broke up a Romanian criminal gang last week that it said had received false documents from the Romanian embassy in Bonn (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 25 March1998). The Foreign Ministry apologized to the German government and said it will take measures to prevent such activities in the future. PB[17] UNCERTAINTY SURROUNDS SMIRNOV'S CONDITIONThe condition of Transdniester separatist leader Igor Smirnov, who is in a Tiraspol hospital, is unclear, RFE/RL's Romanian Service reported on 6 April. Smirnov has been in the hospital for several days, although it is unclear when he was admitted. According to some reports, he suffered a severe heart attack, while others reports say he has influenza. Moreover, there is speculation in the media that Smirnov's hospitalization may have been a response to the dire economic situation in the region. The Transdniestrian ruble recently collapsed and is now trading at around 2 million to $1. The Tiraspol Supreme Soviet has accused several ministers, including security minister and Smirnov's close associate Vladimir Antyufev, of being responsible for the devaluation. PB[C] END NOTE[18] DEJA VU IN ARMENIAby Emil DanielyanHistory is repeating itself in Armenia following last month's presidential election. Once again, the opposition candidate refuses to admit defeat by the country's incumbent leader and is claiming election fraud. And once again, the authorities deny those charges. But whereas in September 1996, supporters of the unsuccessful challenger Vazgen Manukyan took to the streets to protest alleged fraud, last month's defeated candidate, former Armenian Communist Party First Secretary Karen Demirchyan, has urged supporters to stay at home and prepare for a "civilized and constitutional struggle." However, the fact that many Armenians do not believe in the legitimacy of the new president is hardly conducive to the development of democracy. The presidential ballot has only reinforced their belief that the government cannot be changed through elections. The long-term consequences of that belief may prove serious. President-elect Robert Kocharyan, however, enjoys certain advantages over his predecessor, Levon Ter- Petrossyan. First, the international community appears unlikely to question the validity of the official results, even though Yerevan will not gain a reputation of holding free and fair elections. Second and perhaps more important, a broad coalition of mostly leftist and nationalist parties has rallied behind Kocharyan, whom they consider to embody "national unity." Two of those parties, the Dashnak party and Self-Determination Union led by prominent Soviet-era dissident Paruyr Hayrikyan, are quite influential, although the leaders of the smaller parties may be better known to the public than the party names. Those political parties are united by their many years of opposition to and, especially in case of the Dashnaks, persecution by the Ter-Petrossyan regime. By joining the Kocharyan camp, those parties will enhance their status and may also obtain some government posts. A parallel may be drawn with the now defunct Hanrapetutyun bloc, cobbled together by Ter-Petrossyan in 1995 to ensure the triumph of "right-wing ideology." But Kocharyan has replaced that ideology with one that attracts many parties and appeals to a majority of Armenian intellectuals: namely, nationalism, or as Armenians put it, "national ideology." Ter- Petrossyan had despised the intelligentsia and, pursuing his "wild liberalism," had pushed it to the fringes of society to make room for a new, often corrupt, economic elite. Now, the country's intellectuals are embracing nationalism in the desperate hope of regaining the privileged status they enjoyed during the last decades of Soviet Armenia. Kocharyan's concept of national ideology is best defined as a set of ethical norms based on "Armenian traditions and values." He has also affirmed that he wants to give the intelligentsia a say in the new political order. But nationalist euphoria is not shared by the sizable portion of the population that voted for Demirchyan, primarily in the hope that their living conditions would improve, and is unlikely to be embraced by them in the future, as they grapple with more mundane matters. At the same time, the pro-government coalition will not be immune to splits. Despite his stated intention to share power with his allies, Kocharyan will almost certainly not cede control of various key ministries. One of the liberal economists from his entourage seems likely to become Armenia's next prime minister, but the economic policy of the new premier may not be approved by the satellite parties that want a rapid improvement in the country's economy. Moreover, discord may emerge among the various pro-government groups in the runup to the early parliamentary elections, which are scheduled to be held by the end of the year. It is unclear whether the pro- government forces will stand in a single bloc. But tough competition is likely between local mafia-like clans and pro-Kocharyan parties. And together or separately, those parties that support the president-elect will have to face Demirchyan, who plans to set up his own political movement, and Vazgen Manukyan's National Democratic Movement. Both those parties will be determined to ensure that the next elections are free and fair. The author is an RFE/RL correspondent based in Yerevan. 07-04-98 Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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