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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 3, No. 104, 99-05-28Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>RFE/RL NEWSLINEVol. 3, No. 104, 28 May 1999CONTENTS[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[C] END NOTE
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA[01] KARABAKH MILITARY COMMANDER TO MONITOR ARMENIAN ELECTIONS?The commander-in-chief of the defense army of the unrecognized Nagorno- Karabakh Republic is currently in Yerevan, together with the enclave's defense minister, Samvel Babayan, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported on 28 May, citing "Oragir." The commander intends to monitor the 30 May parliamentary elections in order to preclude irregularities, the newspaper writes. Babayan is backing the Right and Accord bloc. His Armenian counterpart, Vazgen Sargsian, one of the two leaders of the Miasnutyun alliance, which is tipped to win the polls, appealed to the Armenian military in a statement in "Hayastani Hanrapetutyun" on 27 May. Sargsian warned the armed forces not to try to interfere with the voting, arguing that another flawed election would deal "a heavy blow to the country's interests." LF[02] PICKETERS DEMAND AZERBAIJANI JOURNALIST'S RELEASESome 50 people picketed the Supreme Court building in Baku on 27 May to demand the release of Fuad Gakhramanly, who was sentenced last November to 18 months in prison for an unpublished article considered subversive, Turan reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 30 November 1998). Acting Supreme Court judge Gulzar Rzaeva promised to review the case. Also on 27 May, Ali Mustafaev, chairman of Azerbaijan's Helsinki Human Rights Committee, told journalists that the granting of an amnesty to mark Azerbaijan's 1918 Independence anniversary is not solely the prerogative of the president and that the parliament should proclaim such an amnesty in the president's absence. Mustafaev also criticized the continued detention of 62 people for taking part in opposition demonstrations in October-November 1998, saying it violates the constitutionally guaranteed right of Azerbaijani citizens to participate in rallies. LF[03] OIL TRANSIT THROUGH BAKU-SUPSA PIPELINE HALTEDThe western oil export pipeline from Baku to the Georgian Black Sea port of Supsa has been shut down for scheduled maintenance for several days, Interfax and ITAR-TASS reported on 27 May. Extraction by the Azerbaijan International Operating Company of crude from 12 off-shore Caspian wells has been halted as a result. The Baku-Supsa pipeline went into operation early this year, and some 500,000 tons of crude have been transported through it since then (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12 March 1999). The alternative pipeline from Baku via the Russian Federation to Novorossiisk has been out of commission for most of the past month. LF[04] KAZAKH PRESIDENT LAMBASTS GOVERNMENTSpeaking at a financial conference on 28 May, Nursultan Nazarbaev criticized the country's government for its lack of both concrete ideas for developing the economy and qualified economists, Interfax reported. Nazarbaev also accused officials from ministries responsible for specific branches of the economy of interfering in the work of other agencies. "Izvestiya" on 20 May had predicted the government's imminent resignation, noting specifically intrigues and back-biting among its members and the inability of Premier Nurlan Balghymbaev to implement decisive measures to revive the economy. LF[05] KAZAKH CURRENCY NOSEDIVESThe tenge fell by 7.8 percent against the U.S. dollar on 27 May, closing trading on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange at 131.41 to the dollar compared with 121.85 the previous day, Interfax reported. Commercial banks suspended trading in dollars on the morning of 27 May. Interfax quoted an unnamed Finance Ministry spokesman as saying that on 28 May, Kazakhstan will begin selling some $24 million in hard currency raised from privatization and grain exports. The Kazakh government set a floating exchange rate for the tenge in early April after it fell from 88 to 100 to the dollar (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 6 April 1999). LF[06] KYRGYZSTAN RESUMES WATER SUPPLIES TO KAZAKHSTANAn official from Kyrgyzstan's Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources told RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau on 27 May that the water supply to Kazakhstan's Jambyl and Chimkent Oblasts from Kyrgyzstan's Kara-Bura water reservoir has been resumed. Those supplies were cut 10 days ago in retaliation for Kazakhstan's failure to deliver coal, as agreed, in payment for those supplies (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 25 May 1999). LF[07] KYRGYZ PARLIAMENT COMMITTEE ADVOCATES REREGISTERING HUMAN RIGHTS BODYThe parliamentary Committee on Legal Issues recommended on 27 May that the Ministry of Justice should reregister the Kyrgyzstan Committee for Human Rights, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported. That committee was originally registered in 1996, but the Ministry of Justice revoked the registration last year, and the committee has been unable to reregister since then. After two demonstrations by committee members in Bishkek earlier this month, government and parliament representatives formed a committee to look into the issue (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 13 and 20 May 1999). LF[08] KYRGYZ PENSIONERS PROTEST PRICE RISESSome 70 pensioners picketed the government building in Bishkek on 27 May to protest recent hikes in the price of bread and flour and to demand that pensions be raised and paid on time, RFE/RL's bureau in the Kyrgyz capital reported. The Kyrgyz government owes several million dollars in back pensions. On 26 May, the chairwoman of Kyrgyzstan's teachers trade union told RFE/RL that the government owes teachers 42 million soms (about $1 million) in back wages for 1999, including 30 million soms for the month of April. An additional 90 million som in salaries for 1998 remains unpaid. LF[09] TAJIK OPPOSITION LEADER REAFFIRMS DEMANDSFollowing a meeting on 27 May with Jan Kubis, who is the UN Secretary- General's special envoy for Tajikistan, United Tajik Opposition leader Said Abdullo Nuri told journalists that the opposition will not withdraw the conditions it has set for continued participation in the work of the Commission for National Reconciliation, Reuters and Interfax reported. Nuri said that those demands, including the allocation to the opposition of 30 percent of posts in national and local governments and the release of 93 imprisoned opposition figures, do not exceed concessions contained in the 1997 peace agreement. At a meeting with President Imomali Rakhmonov earlier on 27 May, Kubis suggested a meeting between Nuri and the president (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 May 1999). LF[10] U.S. ENVOY IN TURKMENISTANStephen Sestanovich, who is special adviser for the Newly Independent States to the U.S. Secretary of State, met with Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov in Ashgabat on 27 May, ITAR-TASS and Interfax reported. Sestanovich expressed continued U.S. support for plans to build an underwater Trans-Caspian pipeline to export Turkmenistan's natural gas to Turkey via Azerbaijan and Georgia. At the same time, he steadfastly opposed the idea of a gas export pipeline via Iran. Sestanovich also expressed approval of Turkmenistan's ongoing efforts to mediate talks between the two rival factions in Afghanistan, but he suggested that a new meeting under UN auspices of the countries bordering on Afghanistan plus Russia and the U.S. could also promote a settlement. Also discussed were the prospects for broadening bilateral defense cooperation, human rights issues, and the Turkmen parliamentary elections due in December, RFE/RL's Turkmen Service reported. LF[11] GAZPROM BOSS VISITS UZBEKISTANRem Vyakhirev held talks on "matters of mutual interest" with President Islam Karimov in Tashkent on 27 May, according to Interfax. No other details were revealed. Uzbekistan is one of the world's 10 largest gas producers but has no export route to world markets other than via Russia. LF[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE[12] HAGUE COURT INDICTS FIVE BELGRADE LEADERSLouise Arbour, who is the chief prosecutor for the Hague-based war crimes tribunal, announced on 27 May that the court has indicted Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic on three counts of crimes against humanity and one count of a violation of the laws or customs of war (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 May 1999). The court also indicted Serbian President Milan Milutinovic, Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister Nikola Sainovic, General Dragoljub Ojdanic, and Serbian Interior Minister Vlajko Stojiljkovic for their roles in carrying out deportations, murders, and persecutions of Kosovars. Arbour said: "I believe that it is an extraordinary achievement, by any law enforcement standard, for us to have brought to successful confirmation, an indictment against the five accused for crimes of this magnitude committed since the beginning of this year. This has been achieved in less than five months." PM[13] MIXED REACTIONS TO MILOSEVIC INDICTMENT IN WEST...French President Jacques Chirac said in Paris on 27 May that "we will not negotiate with Milosevic, but rather make Yugoslavia accept a peace plan that is fair and balanced." U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said in Washington that "we want to see [Milosevic] in The Hague." Her spokesman James Rubin noted, however, that "we are not going to rule out contacts if they can achieve our objectives." Spokesmen for several U.S.-based human rights organizations told VOA that it is unlikely that Milosevic and his colleagues will be arrested unless international peacekeepers in Kosova receive a much tougher mandate to arrest war criminals than SFOR has in Bosnia. For his part, former President Jimmy Carter told CNN that he fears the indictment will make it more difficult for diplomats to end the crisis soon. PM[14] ...AND IN YUGOSLAVIAThe federal Yugoslav government said in a statement on 27 May that the indictment shows that Arbour is a "puppet in the hands" of those "conducting a war" against Yugoslavia. The statement called the indictment a "disgraceful act" and the tribunal a "private court of Madeleine Albright, James Rubin and [NATO commander General] Wesley Clark." In Podgorica, Montenegrin Justice Minister Dragan Soc said that the indictment increases the possibility that Milosevic will stage a coup against the Montenegrin government, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. PM[15] CLINTON SPEAKS TO KOSOVARS...U.S. President Bill Clinton, in a 27 May radio address to the Kosovars broadcast in the Albanian language by RFE/RL and VOA, said he personally has heard from Kosovars "stories of innocent people beaten and brutalized for no reason but their ethnicity and faith-- people rounded up in the middle of the night, forced to board trains for unknown destinations, separated from their families." He stressed that NATO and the Kosovars alike want the refugees to be able to "return in safety" to their homes. Clinton added that this "will take time...[but] there is no doubt what the outcome will be. The campaign of ethnic cleansing...will end. You will return. Our military campaign is daily increasing the pressure on the Serbian leadership and on Serbian forces.... We will persevere until the Serbian forces leave and you are allowed to return home, with NATO there to prevent a return to violence," he concluded. PM[16] ...THANKS ALBANIA, MACEDONIAClinton also said in his 27 May radio address: "We are grateful to the people of Albania and Macedonia for accepting refugees into their countries and their homes. It is not easy for any nation to absorb huge numbers of people; and it is certainly not easy for two nations still struggling to meet the needs of their people. We recognize your sacrifices and we are committed to help, by easing your burden, and helping you build security, prosperity and democracy at home and in your neighborhood," he concluded. Meanwhile on the Macedonian-Kosovar border, UN spokesmen said that the flow of refugees has "slowed to a trickle." The spokesmen added that they are not sure why the recent wave of refugees has all but stopped (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 26 May 1999). PM[17] NATO 'LEVELS PLAYING FIELD' FOR UCKRear Admiral Thomas Wilson told a Washington press conference on 27 May that NATO air strikes have helped the Kosova Liberation Army (UCK). "We believe that it's important to continue to destroy [Yugoslav army heavy] equipment and also to try to make it immobile and keep them...out of the fight, because it tends to level the playing field between the [UCK] and the army." Meanwhile at Morina on the Kosovar-Albanian frontier, Serbian forces and the UCK fought for control of the key border crossing. PM[18] RUGOVA REFUSED TO GO TO TIRANAModerate Kosovar leader Ibrahim Rugova recently turned down an invitation from the Albanian government to meet with Albanian officials and Kosovar leaders in Tirana, dpa reported on 27 May. Foreign Minister Pascal Milo said that the government had wanted Rugova to come to Albania following his brief trip to Macedonia on 26 May but he had refused to do so. Majko suggested that Rugova did not want to face embarrassing questions from other Kosovars about his contacts with Milosevic and other Serbian authorities during Rugova's month of house arrest in Prishtina this spring. PM[19] UCK WILL NOT MEET WITH RUGOVARugova said in Paris on 28 May that the UCK's Hashim Thaci and other leaders left the French capital without meeting him (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 May 1999). Thaci recently said that Rugova represents no one but himself and his body guards. He and other critics charge that Rugova has since spent too much time talking to foreign politicians and diplomats and that he has not spent time with the refugees and other Kosovar leaders (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 19 May 1999). PM[20] GERMANY HOSTS BALKAN DEVELOPMENT MEETINGForeign Minister Joschka Fischer told representatives of more than 30 countries and 10 non-governmental organizations in Bonn on 27 May that his proposed "Balkan stabilization pact" must include realistic prospects for EU membership for Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Yugoslavia, and Albania, the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" reported. He added, however, that the process will take years and does not mean that the five countries will receive easy terms for membership. The stability pact will also include Bulgaria, Romania, and Slovenia. Its aim is to promote a regional approach to political and economic development and to security issues. The previous day in Brussels, EU Commissioner Hans van den Broek said that Balkan regional cooperation is an essential means to prevent future conflicts there. He stressed that the EU will offer long-term development assistance to Albania, Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, and Yugoslavia, the "Berliner Zeitung" reported. PM[21] ROMANIAN SENATE COMMISSION STRIPS TUDOR OF IMMUNITYThe Senate's Legal Commission voted to strip Senator Corneliu Vadim Tudor of the Greater Romania Party of his parliamentary immunity from criminal prosecution, according to a 27 May Mediafax report cited by the BBC. Tudor will be investigated in connection with seven criminal charges. The opposition staged a walkout during the commission meeting to protest the governing coalition senators' refusal to consider delaying the vote so that Tudor could defend himself. Meanwhile, the National Peasant Party Christian Democratic on 26 May announced that it will support President Emil Constantinescu for a second mandate as head of state. In other news, the government on 27 May approved a package of incentives for the Renault car manufacturer to pave the way for the sale of shares in the Romanian car maker Dacia Pitesti to the French company. The package of incentives includes exemptions from value-added tax and customs duties, Rompres reported. VG[22] WORRIED DEPOSITORS CROWD ROMANIAN BANKThousand of worried depositors lined up at branches of Romania's Bankcoop bank on 27 May in an attempt to withdraw their savings, AP reported. Two days earlier, the Central Bank had ordered Bankcoop to limit its payouts to depositors. Central Bank officials expressed concern at the outbreak of general panic. VG[23] MOLDOVAN PARLIAMENT CRITICIZES ELECTORAL COMMISSIONDeputies from the Moldovan parliament have criticized the Moldovan Central Electoral Commission (CEC) for delaying the vote- counting process for the 23 May referendum and local elections, BASA-Press reported on 27 May. Deputy Alexandru Mosanu said the manner in which preliminary information about the election results have been released to the media by CEC officials raises "suspicions." The parliamentary commission for control and petitions is preparing a report on the CEC's handling of the vote. CEC spokesman Anatol Semionov dismissed the criticism. Meanwhile, the CEC on 27 May announced that turnout in the referendum may have been larger than the 56 percent announced in the preliminary results. VG[24] BULGARIA'S ETHNIC TURKS COMPLAIN ABOUT GOVERNORRepresentatives of the largely ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms as well as mayors from the region of Kurdzhali have called for the dismissal of the region's governor, Plamen Ivanov, according to a 26 May Anatolia report cited by the BBC. Kurdzhali Mayor Radim Musa said that Ivanov has threatened some Turkish mayors in the region and that his actions may cause ethnic tensions to escalate. Bulgarian Prime Minister Ivan Kostov has launched an investigation into the complaints against Ivanov. In other news, the Bulgarian parliament on 27 May passed a law on refugees, which envisages creating an agency for dealing with refugees. The law defines a refugee as "an alien who has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion." In other news, thousands of Bulgarian workers from metalworking, machine building, and arms industries marched through Sofia on 27 May to protest against plant closures and decreasing living standards, Reuters reported. VG[25] GREEK PRESIDENT PLEDGES TO HELP BUILD BRIDGEKostas Stephanopoulos has said his country will take the initiative in organizing a trilateral meeting with Bulgaria and Romania on the construction of a new bridge linking the latter two countries, according to a 27 May BTA report cited by the BBC. Stephanopoulos, who is on a state visit to Bulgaria, said Greece wants the issue resolved without delay. Meanwhile, Bulgarian Prime Minister Ivan Kostov asked Stephanopoulos for his country's assistance in getting aid to the ethnic Bulgarian minority in eastern Serbia (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 24 May 1999). Stephanopoulos and Kostov also discussed joint Bulgarian-Greek investment. VG[C] END NOTE[26] FOREIGN-POLICY CONFUSION IN THE CZECH REPUBLICby Victor GomezThe ongoing NATO campaign in Yugoslavia seems to have elicited all manner of reactions across Central and Eastern Europe. But perhaps few countries have presented such a mixed array of foreign-policy statements from politicians in leading positions as has the Czech Republic. Foreign observers and statesmen might be excused for wondering what exactly the country stands for in this conflict. Moreover, the Czech political authorities seem to be at odds over other questions of foreign relations, revealing problems of coordination and leadership in the development of a clear foreign policy. The Kosova conflict has seen the development of differing positions among Czech politicians. First, there is President Vaclav Havel's firm stance in support of the NATO campaign. Second, there is Foreign Minister Jan Kavan's "peace initiative," which he has presented in cooperation with his Greek counterpart, George Papandreou. Among other things, the plan calls for a NATO initiative for a cease-fire and only a partial withdrawal of Yugoslav forces from Kosova, which NATO is not prepared to accept. Third, there is Chamber of Deputies Chairman Vaclav Klaus's repeated insistence that the NATO campaign was wrong from the start, that it has clearly failed, and that the alliance is now merely trying to "save face." Such disagreements are evident in other areas of the Czech Republic's foreign policy. When Kavan visited China as part of a Far East tour in mid- May, government spokesman Libor Roucek noted that not only did the current Social Democratic administration disagree with the previous government's stance toward China, but it also conflicted with Havel's opinions on relations with that country. While such conflicting statements do not always reflect long-term policy, they tend to confuse the domestic public and send mixed signals to partners abroad. Observers note that over the years Czech political leaders have largely agreed on the country's most important foreign-policy objectives, such as gaining membership in NATO and the EU. It would not have taken an extraordinary amount of coordination for the country's key politicians to formulate a common policy on Kosova--one that would take into account both concern over the humanitarian aspects of the conflict and the country's obligations as a NATO member. The same could be said about the Czech Republic's relations with China. However, the inability or unwillingness of Czech politicians to formulate a consistent foreign policy line hints at a deeper problem. While Havel's position on the Kosova crisis has been relatively clear and consistent from the beginning of the conflict, there appears to be less consistency among some other politicians. At first glance, Klaus appears to have been relatively consistent in his criticism of the NATO campaign. However, it is odd for a politician to emphatically state that he respects his country's obligations as a NATO member while continuing to publicly blast NATO strategy. Meanwhile, the cabinet of Milos Zeman has continued to waver on the issue. Zeman says the Czech Republic must fulfill its obligations as a NATO member; at the same time, he points out that the decision to bomb Yugoslavia was made before the Czech Republic became a member. His interior minister says the country will accept 5,000 Kosova refugees, but a lower- ranking official says the country cannot afford to take in that many. First, Foreign Minister Kavan says his ministry is working on a "peace plan" for the conflict, then he says it is a "political initiative," finally insisting that it is a "supplement" to the G-8 plan that contains "suggestions" for NATO with regard to the conflict. Obviously, there are differences between the positions of Havel and Zeman. Havel is finishing off what will be his last term as president, having never been directly elected by the Czech people. Zeman, in contrast, is at the head of a minority government, and both the government and Klaus's party are aware that a growing number of Czechs are opposed to the NATO bombing campaign. On the other hand, Zeman is aware that as a new member of NATO, his country cannot adopt an attitude that would be perceived as breaking the alliance's unity on the Kosova conflict. Hence the wavering attitude toward the NATO campaign in Yugoslavia. The problem is that the wavering has been noticed in the West. And if its neighbors and allies--not to mention countries like China--are to take the Czech Republic seriously as an independent state, some of Prague's politicians will have to start working out common and firm stances on key foreign-policy issues. On the home front, perhaps the Czech public would be more appreciative of a government that showed some leadership and took a firm stand on issues such as the Kosova conflict. While many Social Democrats may bemoan the fact that they are losing support to the Communists in the polls "because of Yugoslavia," they themselves can hardly deny that few things look worse than a government that wavers in the face of a major international crisis. 28-05-99 Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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