RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 3, No. 140, 99-07-21

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From: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>

RFE/RL NEWSLINE

Vol. 3, No. 140, 21 July 1999

CONTENTS

[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA

[01] AZERBAIJAN'S ALIEV WELCOMES TALKS WITH KOCHARIAN

[02] AZERBAIJANI OFFICIALS MOVE AGAINST OPPOSITION

[03] IRANIAN ENVOY REFUSES BAKU POST

[04] GEORGIAN ANGER AT LEBED COMMENTS GROWS

[05] KAZAKHSTAN POLICE ARREST SUNNI FAITHFUL

[06] FIRST CENSUS RESULTS IN KYRGYZSTAN

[07] TAJIKISTAN BANS CARRYING ARMS IN PUBLIC

[08] NIYAZOV RENAMES TURKMENISTAN CITY

[09] NO AFGHAN ACCORD AT TASHKENT TALKS

[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

[10] UCK DISARMAMENT ON SCHEDULE...

[11] ...BUT VIOLATIONS OF AGREEMENT CONTINUE

[12] UNMIK LAUNCHES POLICE RECRUITMENT

[13] BELGRADE WANTS TO RETURN SOME PERSONNEL TO KOSOVA

[14] SERBIAN POLICE ARRESTED IN KOSOVA

[15] ANNAN CALLS FOR RESTORING BASIC SERVICES

[16] TWO KEY SERVICES RETURN TO KOSOVA

[17] POOR CONDITIONS FOR SERBIAN REFUGEES

[18] MORE REPORTS OF TUBERCULOSIS

[19] SERBIAN MINISTER REOPENS BRIDGE

[20] BELGRADE BARS MONTENEGRIN STUDENTS

[21] MONTENEGRO TO GIVE BELGRADE DEADLINE?

[22] ALBANIA, GREECE PLEDGE COOPERATION TO FIGHT CRIME

[23] ALBANIAN SYNOD SAYS ORTHODOX CHURCHES IN SARANDA

[24] WESTENDORP SACKS MAYOR

[25] ARBOUR TO CHARGE CROATIA WITH 'NON-COMPLIANCE'

[26] EU URGES CROATIA TO DEMOCRATIZE

[27] U.S. HELPS DEFEND CROATIAN JOURNALISTS

[28] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT INTERVENES IN 'GENERALS' CONTROVERSY

[29] ROMANIA'S CIVIC ALLIANCE MOVEMENT TO SUPPORT CIORBEA?

[30] IMF DELEGATION VISITS MOLDOVA

[31] BULGARIAN DEFENSE MINISTER IN U.S.

[32] BULGARIAN ETHNIC TURKISH LEADER CALLS FOR 'MODEL OF

[C] END NOTE

[33] MEDIA TENSIONS IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC

[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA

[01] AZERBAIJAN'S ALIEV WELCOMES TALKS WITH KOCHARIAN

Ambassador to Baku Stanley Escudero that he felt his 16

July meeting with Armenian President Robert Kocharian was

"very significant," even though the two sides remained far

apart, Turan news agency reported on 20 July. "I feel we

are both trying to understand each other, and I want this

to yield results and bring peace," Aliev said. PG

[02] AZERBAIJANI OFFICIALS MOVE AGAINST OPPOSITION

last few days, the Baku authorities have moved against

several opposition figures and groups. On 20 July, the

trial of Geyrat Party chairman Ashraf Mekdiyev on charges

of insulting President Aliev continued, Turan reported. On

19 July, Baku police prevented United Azerbaijan Movement

leader Ashdar Tagizade from flying to Switzerland. And on

18 July, officials in Ganja prevented Democratic Party of

Azerbaijan (DPA) activists from holding a meeting by

briefly detaining 10 DPA members, Baku's "525 Gazet"

reported on 20 July. PG

[03] IRANIAN ENVOY REFUSES BAKU POST

was recently named Tehran's ambassador to Azerbaijan, has

refused to take up his position, "525 gazet" reported on 20

July. An ethnic Azerbaijani from Iran's Hamadan, Himmati

reportedly cited personal reasons. This is the second time

an Iranian appointee to Baku has refused to serve there;

the first was in 1994. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan's Space

television reported that various Azerbaijani opposition

groups have picked the Iranian embassy in Baku to protest

what they say is Iranian repression of ethnic Azerbaijanis

in Iran. PG

[04] GEORGIAN ANGER AT LEBED COMMENTS GROWS

chairman of the Georgian parliament's Defense Committee,

sharply criticized Aleksandr Lebed, the governor of

Russia's Krasnoyarsk Krai, for his comments in Ajaria (see

"RFE/RL Newsline, 19 July 1990), Prime News reported on 20

July. Part of the reason for this reflects Tbilisi's

concern about unsettled conditions in that region, the

Georgian news agency reported. PG

[05] KAZAKHSTAN POLICE ARREST SUNNI FAITHFUL

arrested 70 people in Zhambul region on 19 July, Kazakh

Khabar television reported on 20 July. Originally suspected

of being Wahhabis or escaped prisoners, those arrested

proved to be Sunni Muslims, a group permitted by

Kazakhstan's legislation. PG

[06] FIRST CENSUS RESULTS IN KYRGYZSTAN

authorities on 20 July released the first results of a

census conducted there last spring, Interfax reported. The

country's population now stands at 4.856 million, up 13

percent since 1989. Final results from this first post-

independence count are to be released by the end of the

year. PG

[07] TAJIKISTAN BANS CARRYING ARMS IN PUBLIC

government and the United Tajik Opposition on 17 July

agreed to ban carrying arms in public, Interfax reported on

20 July. The Russian news agency said the order seems to

have had an effect almost immediately in Dushanbe. PG

[08] NIYAZOV RENAMES TURKMENISTAN CITY

Saparmurad Niyazov renamed Chardzhou Turkmenabad, Interfax

reported. He said he took this step to ensure that the

names in the country reflect its rebirth. PG

[09] NO AFGHAN ACCORD AT TASHKENT TALKS

Tashkent between Afghan factions and the six countries

supporting a peace effort there have ended without

significant progress. The meeting concluded with a

declaration that a military solution is impossible and that

there must be further talks, Interfax reported on 20 July.

PG

[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

[10] UCK DISARMAMENT ON SCHEDULE...

Mike Jackson inspected an arms collection site of the

Kosova Liberation Army (UCK) in Isnic on 20 July, together

with UCK commander Agim Ceku, an RFE/RL correspondent

reported from Prishtina. That day marked the deadline for

the first phase of the UCK's disarmament plan. According to

the plan, which guerrilla leader Hashim Thaci signed and

presented to NATO 30 days earlier, by now the UCK was to

have turned in all its heavy weapons and 30 percent of its

small arms. At the storage site are, among other things,

heavy machine guns, anti-tank rockets, a Chinese multi-

barreled anti-aircraft gun, several other arms, and about 2

million rounds of ammunition. Most of the arms originated

from the Yugoslav Army. There are a total of 19 collection

sites throughout Kosova. FS

[11] ...BUT VIOLATIONS OF AGREEMENT CONTINUE

Louis Garneau said in Prishtina on 20 July that KFOR

soldiers have arrested 13 men in UCK uniforms in Mihalic

and confiscated an unspecified number of arms, an RFE/RL

correspondent reported. Despite these violations of the

demilitarization agreement, UCK commander Ceku told Reuters

in Isnic that "I am sure I have control of the UCK units."

FS

[12] UNMIK LAUNCHES POLICE RECRUITMENT

(UNMIK) opened an office for the recruitment of police for

the planned UN-trained force for the province in Prishtina

on 20 July. UCK commander Ceku told General Jackson in

Isnic that about 4,000 former UCK soldiers will apply for

positions in the force, Reuters reported. FS

[13] BELGRADE WANTS TO RETURN SOME PERSONNEL TO KOSOVA

Prime Minister Momir Bulatovic said in a letter to UN

Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 20 July that international

peacekeepers and the UN-sponsored civilian authority "do

not have sufficient strength to ensure the full security of

Kosova's borders, population, and property." Bulatovic

asked Annan to allow an unspecified number of Yugoslav

soldiers, police, and customs officials to return to the

province soon, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported.

Under the June peace agreement on Kosova, Belgrade will be

allowed to send a limited number of forces to guard the

frontiers and Serbian cultural monuments but only when the

UN agrees. PM

[14] SERBIAN POLICE ARRESTED IN KOSOVA

Prishtina on 20 July that peacekeepers arrested four

Serbian policemen in eastern Kosova near the border with

Serbia. The four were armed with automatic weapons. The

June peace agreement bans Serbian paramilitary police from

the province. PM

[15] ANNAN CALLS FOR RESTORING BASIC SERVICES

general said in Vienna on 20 July that the UN's mission

will be on the ground [in Kosova] at least for several

years but the reconstruction of [the province and the

region]...will take at least 10 years." He added that "even

if one were to limit assistance to Yugoslavia for example

to only humanitarian assistance, one should define

humanitarian aid in broad enough terms to allow assistance

to go to repairs of electrical systems, water supplies, and

hospitals." Annan stressed that Kosova's remaining Serbs

might leave if basic infrastructure is not restored. PM

[16] TWO KEY SERVICES RETURN TO KOSOVA

Service correspondent reported from Prishtina on 20 July

that KFOR troops have restarted a key power plant nearby.

It employs 850 persons, of whom 600 are ethnic Albanians

and 250 ethnic Serbs. Elsewhere, the Albanian-language

daily "Rilindja" resumed publication in Prishtina after an

interruption of nine years. Serbian authorities closed the

daily in 1990. It continued to publish in Zofingen,

Switzerland, and Tirana. FS

[17] POOR CONDITIONS FOR SERBIAN REFUGEES

UNHCR said in Belgrade on 20 July that an unspecified

number of Serbian refugees from Kosova live in poor

conditions in Kragujevac, Kraljevo, and other cities. Many

refugees charge that the Serbian authorities mistreat them

in the hope of forcing them to return to Kosova. PM

[18] MORE REPORTS OF TUBERCULOSIS

Belgrade on 20 July that an unspecified number of cases of

tuberculosis have emerged among the 7,500 Roma in a

makeshift refugee camp near Podgorica. Observers note that

tuberculosis never disappeared from the former Yugoslavia,

despite great efforts by communist-era health authorities

to eradicate it. There have been increasing reports of

cases of tuberculosis in much of the former Yugoslavia in

recent years, particularly in those areas affected by war

or by deteriorating economic and social conditions. PM

[19] SERBIAN MINISTER REOPENS BRIDGE

Marjanovic reopened the bridge over the Danube at Beska

near Novi Sad on 20 July. He told a crowd of several

hundred persons, some of whom carried portraits of Yugoslav

President Slobodan Milosevic, that Serbia "has once again

become a major European transportation link." The bridge

sustained only minor damage during NATO's recent bombing

campaign. PM

[20] BELGRADE BARS MONTENEGRIN STUDENTS

Education said in a statement on 20 July that students from

Montenegro will no longer be allowed to register at

Belgrade University, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service

reported. Observers note that most Montenegrin students

seeking a higher education have traditionally sought

admission to Belgrade University. In Belgrade, Serbian

Education Ministry officials said that priority for

university admissions will go to soldiers and their

families. PM

[21] MONTENEGRO TO GIVE BELGRADE DEADLINE?

heads the governing Democratic Party of Socialists, said

that the Montenegrin government "will probably" give the

Belgrade authorities until "the beginning of September" to

respond to Montenegrin proposals to change the federal

system, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported from

Belgrade on 20 July. PM

[22] ALBANIA, GREECE PLEDGE COOPERATION TO FIGHT CRIME

Public Order Minister Spartak Poci and his Greek

counterpart, Mikhailis Khrisokhoidhis, pledged in Ioannina

on 20 July to increase cooperation in fighting crime, AP

reported. The ministers agreed to increase border patrols

to prevent illegal immigrants from entering Greece (see

"RFE/RL Newsline," 20 July 1999). Poci agreed to provide

Greek police with information on convicted Albanian

criminals, including fingerprints, photographs, and

official records. Khrisokhoidhis said he will assist the

Albanian police force by providing training, computers,

weapons, and other equipment. To facilitate the exchange of

information, police officials in northern Greece and

southern Albania will hold weekly meetings. Khrisokhoidhis

said that document checks and expulsions of illegal

immigrants will continue, but he promised that immigrants

who have obtained temporary residence and work permits in

Greece will not be affected. FS

[23] ALBANIAN SYNOD SAYS ORTHODOX CHURCHES IN SARANDA

The Holy Synod of Albania's Orthodox Church

issued a statement on 20 July saying that unknown persons

burned one church, vandalized another, and burned icons in

a third during June and July in the Saranda region, Reuters

reported. The statement says: "We appeal for an end to

these acts and ask the authorities to take the necessary

measures to stop this dangerous and unprecedented

escalation, which spoils Albania's image in this critical

historical period.... We raise our voice not only to defend

our churches and monasteries but also the religious harmony

and the peaceful coexistence characteristic of our

country." FS

[24] WESTENDORP SACKS MAYOR

community's Carlos Westendorp said in Sarajevo on 20 July

that Westendorp has "suspended from office" Sanski Most

Mayor Mehmed Alagic (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12 July 1999).

Bosnian media have recently linked Alagic to abuse of

office and corruption. He has denied the charges and

insisted that he will continue in office. PM

[25] ARBOUR TO CHARGE CROATIA WITH 'NON-COMPLIANCE'

Arbour, who is the Hague-based war crimes tribunal's chief

prosecutor, said on 20 July in Zagreb that she will report

to the UN Security Council that Croatia is not cooperating

with the court. Croatian officials had refused her request

for extradition of two Bosnian Croat war crime suspects and

the transfer of a quantity of documents regarding

mistreatment of Serbs in Croatia between 1991 and 1995 (see

"RFE/RL Newsline," 20 July 1999). She charged that Zagreb's

behavior toward the tribunal differs little from that of

Belgrade, which does not recognize the court's authority,

AP reported. Arbour noted that Croatian officials have

nonetheless given the tribunal "excellent" cooperation in

investigating Serbian atrocities in Croatia. She said that

this "proves that it's very much a matter of a political

will of what kind of support the tribunal will receive.

When it's deemed desirable to do so, there are very few

impediments" from Zagreb. PM

[26] EU URGES CROATIA TO DEMOCRATIZE

Tarja Halonen, who holds the rotating EU chair, told

Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic in Brussels on 20

July that Croatia must promote democratization, reform its

electoral law, and allow the return of ethnic Serbian

refugees if it wants closer integration with the EU. PM

[27] U.S. HELPS DEFEND CROATIAN JOURNALISTS

U.S. embassy in Zagreb said on 20 July that the embassy has

donated $100,000 to the Journalist Association's Legal

Defense Fund to help pay lawyers' fees and court costs.

Most of the 500 lawsuits filed against journalists in

recent years have been filed by government officials, their

associates, or their families, AP reported. The government

has used lawsuits and any resulting fines to intimidate

critical journalists and to try to bankrupt independent

periodicals. PM

[28] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT INTERVENES IN 'GENERALS' CONTROVERSY

the Supreme Court was influenced by "political

considerations" in sentencing Generals Victor Stanculescu

and Mihai Chitac are "grave" and constitute negations of

the "independence of the judiciary at its highest levels."

Those who make such allegations, Constantinescu said, must

produce proof. He added that the sentence could not be

regarded as "one passed on the army as a whole." Finding

out the truth about the 1989 revolution, he continued,

"must exclude any idea of collective guilt" and should not

"affect the army's honor and prestige," RFE/RL's Bucharest

bureau reported. Prime Minster Radu Vasile said the

sentence has "provoked a sense of restlessness in the

army," which is "counterproductive at a time [the army] is

undergoing reform." MS

[29] ROMANIA'S CIVIC ALLIANCE MOVEMENT TO SUPPORT CIORBEA?

Movement, said on 20 July that the movement might back

former Prime Minister Victor Ciorbea's National Christian

Democratic Alliance in the 2000 parliamentary elections. He

said the formation set up by the former premier in April

has adopted "many ideas and principles backed by the Civic

Alliance," adding that Ciorbea is "a reliable politician."

On 17 July, the alliance's National Council decided that

the alliance will not re-join the Democratic Convention of

Romania as long as the convention fails to promote

"legislation leading to society's moral cleansing." MS

[30] IMF DELEGATION VISITS MOLDOVA

delegation currently visiting Moldova, said on 20 July that

during talks with members of the cabinet and the National

Bank, agreement was reached on a program that is to be

implemented in the second half of this year, ITAR-TASS

reported. The IMF delegation is reviewing the

implementation of an IMF-Moldovan memorandum during the

first half of the year. Haas said that if the review is

positive, Moldova will receive a $35 million loan from the

fund and a $20 million loan from the World Bank this year.

MS

[31] BULGARIAN DEFENSE MINISTER IN U.S.

Bulgarian Defense Minister Georgi Ananiev in Washington on

20 July, U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen told

journalists that he has handed his guest a U.S.-developed

"action plan" to help guide Bulgarian military reforms as

the country prepares for eventual NATO membership. Cohen

said that the plan recommends Bulgaria focus on improving

training and the life quality of soldiers. It also urges

measures to improve logistics, command and control, and

communication. A senior U.S. defense official said that the

guidelines call for Bulgaria's military force to be reduced

to 45,000 troops from the present 100,000, AFP reported.

The two ministers also discussed the situation in the

Balkans. Ananiev noted that Bulgaria and other countries in

the region have suffered heavy economic losses from the war

in Yugoslavia. MS

[32] BULGARIAN ETHNIC TURKISH LEADER CALLS FOR 'MODEL OF

Ahmed Dogan, leader of the ethnic

Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) and co-

chairman of the Liberal Democratic Union (LDS), has called

for a "model of moderate nationalism" in Bulgaria, BTA

reported on 20 July. Addressing a forum on liberalism,

Dogan said nationalism has been "toned down" in Bulgaria

but this has created a "political vacuum that could be

filled by forces of aggressive nationalism, such as

skinheads." He said that the two main political forces in

the country, the Union of Democratic Forces and the

Socialist Party, are not taking the opportunity to "use the

ethnic card" in local elections scheduled for the fall. He

also regretted that his own DPS has shed many of its

nationalist features as a result of its LDS membership. MS

[C] END NOTE

[33] MEDIA TENSIONS IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC

Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman would like

to have better relations with the media. At

least that's what he said after a group of

journalists wrote an open letter publicly

accusing him of worsening those ties. A recent

slew of remarks by Zeman has made it hard for

anyone to disagree with those journalists.

Furthermore, the conflict between the current

minority government and the majority of the

country's media has accelerated to a fever

pitch, just as the government has introduced a

new press bill and proposed changes to the

status of the Council for Radio and Television

Broadcasting.

Obviously, relations between politicians

and the media are often somewhat tense in a

democracy, but the situation in the Czech

Republic has become particularly difficult in

the past few months. Anyone who thought that the

Zeman administration could not possibly alienate

the press as much as the government of former

Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus has been forced to

reconsider. Rarely has the relationship between

the Czech press and government been as poisoned

as it is now. While Klaus was well known for his

put-downs of reporters and his infamous

statement about journalists being the "enemy of

the people," Zeman has more than matched him. In

his characteristically outspoken style, the

current prime minister has dismissed journalists

as "idiots" and "simpletons" and commented that

"the number of idiots per square meter is by far

the highest among Czech journalists." Not

content, however, to restrict his comments to

insults, Zeman has also engaged in concrete

accusations of corruption. For example, he

recently charged a journalist with having

accepted money from the energy company CEZ in

exchange for writing articles supporting the

completion of the Temelin nuclear power plant.

Recently, Zeman even offered an explanation

for his attitude toward journalists. He said he

decided to "destroy" Czech journalists with

"fire and sword" after what he described as an

attempt by "Lidove noviny" to politicize his

son's attempted suicide. In any case, regardless

of the motivation for his actions, Zeman's

sweeping and aggressive attacks on the press

have done little to help his party cultivate a

favorable media image.

In this poisoned atmosphere, the government has

introduced a press bill that has had many of the country's

journalists up in arms. The bill, which recently passed in

its first reading in parliament, has been severely

criticized in the media for two reasons. First, it would

allow any citizen to bring charges against a newspaper for

spreading hatred aimed at any group on the basis of its

race, nationality, or religion. If accepted by a court,

such a complaint could lead to a newspaper being fined or

even suspended from publication for one year. Opponents of

this provision argue existing laws already enable charges

to be brought against any editor or reporter suspected of

spreading racial hatred. In addition, they argue that the

provision could be used by politicians against newspapers

that are too critical of them or their policies.

However, most of the bill's opponents have focused

their ire on another provision of the draft law. According

to that provision, readers would have the right to respond

to any article that has harmed their reputation. Newspapers

would be required to publish responses written by the

reader even if the facts in the original article were

correct.

The government argues that its press bill

is in line with similar laws in Western Europe.

However, the bill is much vaguer than media laws

in other countries where the right to respond

exists. In Germany, for example, responses from

readers must be strictly factual. In contrast,

the Czech press bill would effectively enable

readers to include their personal opinions as

well as other commentary. Oddly enough, even

members of Zemanės party have admitted that

parliament will have to amend the bill during

the second reading. Even more surprisingly,

considering his own disdain for journalists,

Klaus himself has come out against the bill.

Another focus of tension is the proposal to

change the laws governing public Czech

Television and Czech Radio. Several politicians

have argued that the parliament's role in

overseeing and supervising the Council for Czech

Television should be increased. While all

parties concerned insist that they do not want

to cast doubt on the publicly owned

broadcaster's independence, it is no secret that

some politicians are not happy with the manner

in which their parties have been covered on the

stations. For example, at a recent meeting of

the Council for Czech Television, deputies from

Klaus's Civic Democratic Party reportedly

criticized the council for not granting their

party enough air time. Once again the

government's behavior has aggravated the

situation, with journalists complaining that

Culture Minister Pavel Dostal did not seek

enough input from broadcasters in preparing the

new regulations.

These disputes illustrate the current

tensions between the Czech Republic's

journalists and politicians. On the one hand, it

is true that Czech journalism is still marked by

a high degree of partisanship and lack of

professionalism. Key stories are often based on

dark statements by shadowy "unnamed sources" or

else blatantly reflect the political biases of

the reporter. On the other hand, many Czech

politicians make little effort to hide their

aversion for journalists or their desire to have

their views given precedence in the media.

Zeman's slanderous comments about reporters

indicate that he himself is not above damaging

the reputations of journalists. These are

questions of professionalism and political

culture. No amount of laws will be able to

resolve the problem of journalistic

professionalism and establish a climate of

professional responsibility between journalists

and politicians.

21-07-99

Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
URL: http://www.rferl.org

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