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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 2, No. 77, 98-04-23Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>RFE/RL NEWSLINEVol. 2, No. 77, 23 April 1998CONTENTS[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[C] END NOTE
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA[01] BAKU DEMONSTRATORS PROTEST RFE/RL BANPolice and security officials on 22 April forcibly dispersed some 100 young protesters who picketed the Ministry of Communications to protest the government's decision to suspend the rebroadcasting on medium-wave of RFE/RL's Azerbaijani-language programs. Fifteen demonstrators were detained and an unknown number injured, an RFE/RL correspondent reported. The opposition Liberal Party has created a Radio Liberty Defense Committee, and that body has drafted a letter to the UN and U.S. leaders protesting the Azerbaijani government's move. Representatives of four newspapers and 26 political parties in Baku have signed the letter. LF[02] AZERBAIJAN PREVENTS EXPORT OF DUAL TECHNOLOGY TO IRANAccording to a statement released on 22 April by the Azerbaijani National Security Ministry, Azerbaijani customs officials at the Astara frontier crossing with Iran on 26 March intercepted a consignment of stainless steel plates allegedly intended for construction of liquid-fuel ballistic missiles, Turan and ANS-Press reported. International law prohibits the export of such components to third countries. The consignment was shipped by a Russian company. LF[03] CRIME RATE IN ARMENIA CONTINUES TO FALLInterior and National Security Minister Serzh Sarkisian told journalists in Yerevan on 22 April that some 1,300 crimes were committed in the country during the first quarter of 1998, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. That figure represents a 25 percent decrease, compared with 1,724 crimes committed during the first quarter of 1997, and a continuation of the fall in crime registered last year. Sarkisian said the investigation into the case of some two dozen men arrested in February on charges of murder, armed robbery, and illegal possession of weapons has yielded "interesting revelations." But he declined to confirm speculation that the group is connected with the chairman of the former ruling Armenian Pan-National Movement, former Yerevan Mayor Vano Siradeghian. LF[04] ADJAR-GEORGIAN TENSIONS INTENSIFYThe Revival faction within the Georgian parliament has announced that it will boycott future parliament sessions, an RFE/RL correspondent in Tbilisi reported on 22 April. The same day, the chairman of the Adjar Supreme Council, Aslan Abashidze, said Adjaria will boycott the next Georgian parliamentary elections unless his republic's demands are met. Those demands include the creation in the Adjar capital, Batumi, of a free economic zone and the revision of the Georgian election law to reduce the number of deputies elected by proportional representation. He also announced that Adjaria plans to amend its constitution and that in cases where those amendments contradict the Georgian Constitution, the Adjar basic law will take precedence. Abashidze did not rule out the possibility that he will run against incumbent Eduard Shevardnadze in the presidential elections in 2000. LF[05] KULIEV RETURNS TO MOSCOWAvdy Kuliev, a Turkmen opposition leader and former Turkmen foreign minister, returned to Moscow on 22 April after nearly a week in Turkmenistan, RFE/RL correspondents reported. Kuliev had been detained by Turkmen authorities after his arrival in Ashgabat on 17 April; following his release, he was kept under house arrest. Officials from the Russian Embassy requested that Kuliev, a Russian citizen, return to Moscow. They said that Turkmenistan and Russia had agreed it would be better for Kuliev to leave Turkmenistan to avoid creating turmoil there. BP[06] FOUR DIE IN DUSHANBE SHOOT-OUTFour men were killed in a shoot-out in Dushanbe on 22 April, RFE/RL correspondents reported. All four were reportedly members of the Tajik armed forces. The reasons for the shoot-out are unclear, but RFE/RL correspondents in Tajikistan say a group loyal to the Chalov brothers in Kulyab was involved. One of the Chalov brothers was arrested several weeks ago in possession of a large amount of heroin. Since then, some of his relatives and their followers have been disarming guards at roadside checkpoints between the southern city of Kulyab and Dushanbe. The group, which is reported to be just outside the capital, is seeking the release of the arrested brother. BP[07] WORLD BANK TO LOAN TAJIKISTAN $50 MILLIONTajik President Imomali Rakhmonov met with a representative of the World Bank in Dushanbe on 22 April, Interfax reported. After the meeting,it was announced that the World Bank will extend $50 million in soft loans to Tajikistan this year. The first installment of the loan, worth $20 million, will be released in the third quarter and is intended for health care, education, telecommunications, highways, and public transportation. The release of the remainder will depend on how successfully the first installment is used. BP[08] KYRGYZ LAWMAKERS APPROVES PLAN FOR FURTHER PRIVATIZATIONThe upper house of the Kyrgyz parliament has approved a plan for the fourth stage of privatization, RFE/RL correspondents in Bishkek reported on 22 April. That stage will involve sales of state enterprises in sectors such as telecommunications, mining, and energy industries. Deputy Daniyar Usenov called for an investigation into whether members of parliament are making personal profit from the privatization process. Another deputy, Adakhan Madumarov echoed Usenov's call, noting that many mistakes have been made already. By way of example, Madumarov pointed out that former Bishkek Mayor Boris Silayeva sold a large home repairs store for 4 million som (about $220,000) when its real value was 60 million som. Silayev is now deputy prime minister. BP[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE[09] KOSOVAR ALBANIANS CALL FOR INTERNATIONAL MEDIATIONA delegation of Kosovar Albanians have called on the international community to become involved in seeking a solution to the crisis in the Yugoslav province, AFP reported on 22 April. The delegation was in Strasbourg to meet with officials from the Council of Europe, whose Parliamentary Assembly released a statement saying a solution can be found only "on the basis of greater autonomy" for Kosova within Yugoslavia "where democratic reforms will intervene." Edita Tahiri, the leader of the delegation and a member of the leading Democratic League of Kosova, said talks between Belgrade and ethnic Albanians to be moderated by the EU, the UN, and the U.S. should be held as soon as possible. She said the situation in Kosova "has reached the point of no return." Yugoslavia is holding a controversial referendum on 23 April to ask if international mediators should be involved in resolving the crisis in Kosova. PB[10] HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION SLAMS YUGOSLAVIAThe UN Human Rights Commission approved a resolution on 22 April condemning Serbian officials for violently repressing the expression of political views in Kosova, Reuters reported. The resolution was adopted by a 53- country grouping in Geneva, although 12 countries, including Russia, abstained. It said ethnic Albanians in Kosova have experienced "harassment, beatings, brutality, torture, warrantless searches, and unfair trials." It called for the withdrawal of special Serbian police units from Kosova. The document also called on Yugoslav authorities to capture indicted war criminals. PB[11] ALBRIGHT PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR MONTENEGROU.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said Washington supports Montenegro and will assist the Yugoslav republic in the event that sanctions are imposed against Belgrade, an RFE/RL correspondent reported in Washington on 22 April. Albright made her comments before meeting with Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic, who is on a four- day U.S. visit. Albright praised Montenegro's reforms and said she hoped "the spirit of Montenegro" will extend throughout Yugoslavia. Djukanovic said his government opposes extreme positions in Kosova. He argued that the ethnic Albanians there need to have a say in government but he ruled out independence. A third party is needed to conduct discussions between Belgrade and the Kosovar Albanian leadership, he added. PB[12] MONTENEGRO WANTS YUGOSLAV DEFENSE MINISTER TO RESIGNMontenegrin Prime Minister Filip Vujanovic called for the dismissal of Yugoslav Defense Minister Pavle Bulatovic after the latter accused Montenegro of supporting terrorism in and independence for the Serbian province of Kosova, AFP reported on 22 April. Vujanovic said that Bulatovic, who is Montenegrin, made the charges in a letter to Yugoslav Prime Minister Radoje Kontic and that the comments were "political manipulations." Bulatovic was a strong supporter of and is related to former Montenegrin President Momir Bulatovic, who lost a tense election last year. Vujanovic said Montenegro condemns terrorism and supports a peaceful settlement of the crisis in Kosova, which, he said, must remain part of Yugoslavia. PB[13] UN PROSECUTOR WOULD SEEK LIFE SENTENCE FOR KARADZICLouise Arbour, the chief prosecutor at the war crimes tribunal at The Hague, said on 22 April that she will demand a life sentence for former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic if he is brought to face charges of genocide, AFP reported. Arbour, speaking from Sarajevo, said the tribunal has enough evidence to convict Karadzic. In Washington, senior U.S. political and military officials said that an operation to capture Karadzic was called off after French Major Herve Gourmillon had clandestine meetings with Karadzic, "The Washington Post" reported. French officials confirmed the meetings took place and subsequently recalled Gourmillon from Bosnia. U.S. officials said the incident seriously damaged cooperation between the U.S. and French militaries in Bosnia. PB[14] FORENSIC OFFICIALS SAY MASS GRAVE SITE DISTURBEDInternational forensic experts exhuming a mass grave near Brnice say the site has been tampered with. Kelly Moore, a spokeswoman for the UN war crimes tribunal, said there is evidence that objects have been removed from the site. She stressed, however, that exhumation work will continue and that, despite the tampering, "valuable evidence" has been found. Hard-line Bosnian Serb officials previously refused permission to officials from The Hague to investigate the mass graves. In the southern Bosnian village of Pljesivica, five Muslim houses were blown up, cantonal officials reported on 22 April. The area is dominated by Bosnian Croats. PB[15] GERMAN OFFICIAL WANTS SANCTIONS UNLESS ZAGREB COOPERATES ON REFUGEESDietmar Schlee, Germany's chief of refugee affairs, said on 22 April that Croatian President Franjo Tudjman is not keeping a promise he made to allow Serbian refugees back to their homes in the Krajina region, Reuters reported. Schlee said that the international community can no longer accept this and that "sanctions will soon be needed." German Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Erdmann said it is too early to discuss sanctions but that the EU is discussing ways of increasing pressure on Zagreb to allow refugees to return. Schlee said that border guards are obeying orders from Zagreb to turn back Serbs when they try to enter Croatia. Some 200,000 Serbs fled Krajina ahead of the advancing Croatian army in 1995 as it retook territory captured by rebel Serbs. The UN High Commission for Refugees says some 18,000 Serbs have returned to their homes. PB[16] ALBANIA RELEASES PYRAMID SCHEME CHIEFA court in Tirana released Vehbi Alimucaj, the head of Albania's largest pyramid scheme, from house arrest on 22 April. Alimucaj is the head of Vefa Holding, which reportedly defrauded thousands of Albanians of some $300 million. The pyramid scheme's collapse last year helped prompt riots that threw the country into chaos. Alimucaj had been under house arrest since February. No reason for his release was given. Meanwhile, Albanian President Rexhep Meidani decreed that local elections will be held 16 electoral districts on 21 June. It will be the first time local elections have been held since 1996. Many areas of Albania are currently run by self- appointed officials. PB[17] ROMANIA TO RENEGOTIATE IMF LOANPrime Minister Radu Vasile on 22 April said he has invited IMF chief negotiator for Romania Poul Thompsen to Bucharest on 26 April to re- negotiate the terms of the IMF stand-by agreement, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. Vasile said the government has restructured its budget and has a new program, which, he said, means new negotiations are necessary. In February the IMF suspended the release of a $86 million tranche from a $430 million stand-by loan because of the slow progress toward reform. Finance Minister Daniel Daianu said on 22 April that Romania may not be able to meet the loan's conditions because of the recent political crisis and that a new accord may have to be negotiated. MS[18] ROMANIAN PEASANT PARTY CHOOSES MAYORAL CANDIDATEThe Bucharest leadership of the National Peasant Party Christian Democratic (PNTCD) on 21 April elected Viorel Lis, the acting mayor of Bucharest, as its candidate for the Bucharest mayoralty. PNTCD chairman Ion Diaconescu said he hoped to persuade other parties within the Democratic Convention of Romania (CDR) to accept Lis as the CDR joint candidate. The National Liberal Party, however, has decided to nominate its own candidate, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. Also on 22 April, the Party of Social Democracy in Romania failed to reach an agreement with the Greater Romania Party and the Party of Romanian National Unity to back its candidate, Sorin Oprescu. But the three parties, together with the Socialist Labor Party, the Socialist Party, and other smaller formations, have concluded a "non- aggression pact" whereby they will refrain from mutual attacks during the campaign. MS[19] ROMANIAN-FRENCH DEAL ON BLACK SEA OIL DRILLINGThe French company Elf Aquitaine and the Romanian oil company Petrom on 22 April signed an agreement to jointly explore for oil in the Black Sea, AFP reported. The French company will initially invest $15 million in seismic studies and trial drilling. MS[20] DETAILS OF MOLDOVAN COALITION AGREEMENT REVEALEDThe center-right coalition agreement reached on 21 April in Chisinau stipulates that the three signatories--For a Democratic and Prosperous Moldova Bloc (PMPD). the Democratic Convention of Moldova (CDM), and the Party of Democratic Forces--will receive government representation proportional to the number of votes they received in last month's elections. At the same time, it states that for every two portfolios given to the PMPD and the CDM, the Party of Democratic Forces will receive one. The agreement also stipulates that the PMPD will have the chairmanship of the parliament and the premier will be a member of the CDM, RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. The agreement will be declared void if those provisions cannot be implemented. MS[21] MOLDOVAN PARLIAMENT AGAIN POSTPONES VOTE ON CHAIRMANThe parliament on 22 April again postponed electing its new chairman, RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. The Communists first requested a five- minute consultation pause and then failed to return for the debates. Dumitru Diacov, who is the candidate of the center-right coalition for the chairmanship, told journalists that the Communists' accusations that the alliance will adhere to the CDM's pro-Romanian union principles are "groundless." He added that the coalition reflects "national reconciliation" and will allow the government to concentrate on continuing reforms and raising living standards. MS[22] NATO INFORMATION CENTER OPENED IN SOFIAForeign Minister Nadezhda Mihailova attended the formal opening of the NATO information center in the Bulgarian capital on 22 April, RFE/RL's Sofia bureau reported. The same day, an AWACS surveillance aircraft carried out its first mission to Bulgaria--a three-hour demonstration flight over Plodviv, with 10 Bulgarian military officers on board. MS[C] END NOTE[23] MOVES TOWARD A REAL PEACE IN TAJIKISTANby Roland EgglestonThe chairman of Tajikistan's Commission for National Reconciliation, Said- Abdullo Nuri, says that by the end of this week, most opposition armed forces should have gathered in demobilization centers in the Garm and Karatigen valleys. Nuri told the visiting chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Polish Foreign Minister Bronislaw Geremek, at the weekend that those forces include about 5,000 armed men in Tajikistan and about 500 others across the border in the Taloquan region of Afghanistan. The men are supposed to surrender their weapons on arrival at the demobilization centers. Within a month or less, they are to be offered the chance of either joining the regular Tajik forces or taking a civilian job. The disarmament of the armed forces is a core element in the peace agreement reached between the government and opposition last June to end five years of civil war that cost the lives of thousands. However, this first stage of what is called the "military protocol" of the peace agreement is months behind schedule. As a result, the elections scheduled for this June or July will now probably be delayed until next year. Despite the delay, Foreign Minister Talbak Nazarov told journalists accompanying Geremek that--if the disarmament is successful--it will be a "considerable step forward" in implementing the peace agreement. But he warned that the peace progress is "at the very beginning.... It is not easy to pass from the dialogue of the Kalashnikov to the dialogue of words and thoughts," he said. Both Nazarov and Nuri acknowledged that even under the best circumstances, not all the armed forces in Tajikistan would be brought safely under control in the demobilization center. Large areas of the countryside outside Dushanbe is under the control of local warlords who have unknown numbers of troops and have ignored the demands of the peace agreement. Despite the peace agreement, tensions remain high in Dushanbe, and kidnapping is a constant danger. A curfew is enforced from 7:00 p.m., but the silence of the night is still shattered by gunfire. Nuri himself lives in constant danger of assassination. His meeting with Geremek took place in a heavily guarded building in central Dushanbe. Men armed with Kalashkinovs, pistols, and other weapons stood outside the entrance and lined the stairways to the meeting place on the second floor. Nuri spends each night in a guarded government compound in downtown Dushanbe, where officials sent to Dushanbe by the UN, the IMF, and the World Bank also live. Officials attached to the OSCE' s permanent mission in Dushanbe said they are "hopeful" that the gathering of opposition armed forces in the demobilization centers will bring a real end to the outbursts of fighting, but they say it is unlikely that all shooting will come to an end. "The peace treaty ended real fighting, but there are still frequent skirmishes," said one official who preferred not to be identified. "Both sides have a problem with teenage boys who have known nothing but conflict since they were young. They don't have work and so they run around with their guns. Often it comes to shooting." Some officials query the figure of 5,000 opposition fighters named by Nuri. They say not all opposition fighters are in the "regular" opposition. Officials believe there are also others who have jobs in the countryside and a gun at home. At times, they leave those jobs to become involved in a shooting operation and then return to their daily work. There are also armed gangs, some of which seize foreigners as hostages. Opposition leader Nuri told journalists accompanying Geremek that the United Tajik Opposition (UTO) genuinely wants the peace agreement to work and elections to be held. He added that he believes that President Imomali Rakhmonov also wants peace. "We are on the threshold of democratization," he said. "But it is impossible to move toward democracy in the situation we now have in Tajikistan." Nuri said the reason for the delay in implementing last year's peace agreement is the lack of trust between the government and the opposition. He also said that the war was "imported from outside" and had involved "those who wanted democracy and freedom and those who wanted totalitarianism and bureaucracy." He charged that those who favored totalitarianism had "misused the religious and nationalist feelings of the people." There are eight legal political parties in Tajikistan and several others that were banned, including Nuri's own group the Islamic Revival party . Last year' s peace agreement included a lifting of that ban. Nuri said he is confident that the UTO will do well in the elections, whenever they are held. That vote must be preceded by meetings of various commissions on military, political, and legal issues in which the government and the opposition have equal representation. The ideas generated by those groups are intended to produce a series of amendments to the 1994 constitution, which must first be approved by President Rakhmonov and then put to the public in a referendum. With considerable luck, such a referendum may be held later this year. The author is an RFE/RL correspondent based in Munich, Germany. 23-04-98 Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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