RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 3, No. 166, 99-08-26

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

RFE/RL NEWSLINE

Vol. 3, No. 166, 26 August 1999

CONTENTS

[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA

[01] 'SHANGHAI FIVE' SIGN SUMMIT DECLARATION...

[02] ...DISCUSS SECURITY, ECONOMIC COOPERATION

[03] PRESIDENTS OF RUSSIA, KAZAKHSTAN RESOLVE BAIKONUR PROBLEM

[04] CHINA, KAZAKHSTAN, KYRYZSTAN SIGN BORDER AGREEMENT

[05] MILITANTS SEIZE 20 KYRGYZ TROOPS...

[06] ...AS KYRGYZ, TAJIK, RUSSIAN LEADERS DISCUSSES COUNTER-

[07] CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS OPENED AGAINST KYRGYZ NEWSPAPER

[08] TAJIKISTAN SEEKS SOLUTION TO UZBEK FUGITIVE PROBLEM...

[09] ...EXTENDS DEADLINE FOR SURRENDERING WEAPONS

[10] ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT RATIFIES ENERGY SECTOR LOANS

[11] AZERBAIJANI JOURNALIST CAUTIONED OVER REPORTING ON KARABAKH

[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

[12] BOSNIAN SERBS ABANDON VIENNA CONFERENCE

[13] DODIK SLAMS TALIC'S ARREST...

[14] ...AS DO OTHER BOSNIAN SERBS

[15] BOSNIAN SERB MILITARY, NATO TO CONTINUE COOPERATION

[16] WESTERN PRAISE FOR TALIC'S ARREST

[17] HAGUE COURT FILES COMPLAINT AGAINST CROATIA

[18] CROATIAN OPPOSITION SAYS NO CONSENSUS ON ELECTORAL REFORM

[19] KOUCHNER RULES OUT 'CANTONIZATION' OF KOSOVA...

[20] ...BUT PLEDGES TO LAUNCH EXECUTIVE BODIES

[21] NEGOTIATIONS OVER RUSSIAN DEPLOYMENT IN RAHOVEC CONTINUE

[22] HIGH DEATH-TOLL IN MONTENEGRIN REFUGEE BOAT DISASTER

[23] ALBANIAN POLICE FIND LARGE ARMS CACHE NEAR TROPOJA

[24] ROMANIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES RESTITUTION LAW

[25] ROMANIA RECEIVES WORLD BANK TRANCHE

[26] MOLDOVAN GOVERNMENT REJECTS RUSSIAN ACCUSATIONS

[27] UKRAINIAN AIRLINE STARTS COURT PROCEEDING AGAINST MOLDOVA

[28] JAPAN HELPS BULGARIA OVERCOME KOSOVA CRISIS CONSEQUENCES

[C] END NOTE

[29] HUNGARY'S MOST CELEBRATED CRIMINAL

[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA

[01] 'SHANGHAI FIVE' SIGN SUMMIT DECLARATION...

Bishkek on 25 August, the heads of state of Russia, China,

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan signed an 11-point

declaration pledging cooperation in fighting terrorism,

drugs- and arms-smuggling, illegal migration, national

separatism, and religious extremism. They also undertook to

"prevent the use of their territories for activities

detrimental to the sovereignty, security, and public order"

in any of the five countries. At the request of China and

Kazakhstan, the draft declaration was amended to state that

the signatories undertake not to intervene in the internal

affairs of other states under the pretext of protecting human

rights. That amendment is presumably intended to give China a

free hand in cracking down on its Uighur minority. The heads

of state affirmed support for efforts by regional leaders to

promote a nuclear-free zone in Central Asia. And they also

noted the "positive experience" of reaching a settlement to

the civil war in Tajikistan and expressed concern at the

current situation in Afghanistan. LF

[02] ...DISCUSS SECURITY, ECONOMIC COOPERATION

between the five leaders focused on regional security

problems, expanding trade, and reviewing implementation of

earlier agreements signed. Noting that the summit is being

held against the backdrop of "a deteriorating international

situation," Russian President Boris Yeltsin accused unnamed

states of trying "to build a world order suiting their

inclusive interests," Interfax reported. Yeltsin stressed

Russia's "strategic interest" in security in Asia and called

for more intense discussion of regional security issues.

Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbaev announced that a

conference to discuss a proposed Asian security system

modeled on the OSCE will take place in Kazakhstan on 14

September. The five presidents undertook to task their

respective governments with creating joint consulting groups

to draft proposals on expanding trade and economic ties,

according to Interfax. And they agreed that their next summit

will be held in May 2000 in Dushanbe. LF

[03] PRESIDENTS OF RUSSIA, KAZAKHSTAN RESOLVE BAIKONUR PROBLEM

Nazarbaev reached agreement on the resumption of cooperation

in the launching of Russian rockets from the Baikonur

cosmodrome, ITAR-TASS reported, quoting presidential deputy

chief of staff Sergei Prikhodko. Astana had shown reluctance

to allow a resumption of the launching of proton rockets of

the type that exploded shortly after blast-off from Baikonur

in early July (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 7 July and 20 August

1999). The two presidents also reviewed economic cooperation,

focusing on agriculture and the machine-building and energy

sectors. They agreed on the need to embark on Russian-Kazakh

joint ventures. (Plans for a Russian-Kazakh joint coal

company with the participation of Russia's United Energy

Systems are being sabotaged by a local Kazakh official,

"Nezavisimaya gazeta" reported on 12 August.) LF

[04] CHINA, KAZAKHSTAN, KYRYZSTAN SIGN BORDER AGREEMENT

sidelines of the Bishkek summit, Jiang Zemin, Nazarbaev, and

Askar Akaev signed what Akaev termed "a final agreement" on

delimiting the frontiers between the three countries where

they converge at the Khan-tengri peak, RFE/RL's Bishkek

bureau reported. China signed a similar agreement in May 1999

with Russia and Kazakhstan. LF

[05] MILITANTS SEIZE 20 KYRGYZ TROOPS...

militants who have infiltrated southern Kyrgyzstan from

neighboring Tajikistan on 25 August took hostage 20 Kyrgyz

troops sent to locate them, ITAR-TASS reported. The militants

are also holding a Kyrgyz Interior Ministry general and four

Japanese geologists and are occupying several villages.

Kyrgyzstan's Foreign Minister Muratbek Imanaliev told

journalists in Bishkek on 26 August that Kyrgyz troops are

preparing for an operation against the militants, whose

strength he estimated at between 400 and 1,000. LF

[06] ...AS KYRGYZ, TAJIK, RUSSIAN LEADERS DISCUSSES COUNTER-

Kyrgyz President Akaev and his Tajik counterpart

Imomali Rakhmonov agreed on the sidelines of the Bishkek

summit on 25 August to close border crossings between their

two countries, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported. Kyrgyz

officials also discussed the hostage situation with Russian

Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and the head of the Russian

Border Guard Service, General Konstantin Totskii. Totskii

said that the hostage taking will not affect the withdrawal

of the final Russian border guard contingent in Kyrgyzstan.

He added that Moscow will almost certainly agree to provide

Kyrgyzstan with assistance in resolving the hostage situation

if asked to do so, according to Interfax. LF

[07] CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS OPENED AGAINST KYRGYZ NEWSPAPER

spokesman for the State Tax Police said in Bishkek on 25

August that criminal proceedings have been brought against

Aleksandr Kim, chief editor and owner of "Vechernii Bishkek,"

RFE/RL's bureau in the Kyrgyz capital reported. Kim had been

summoned to the tax police the previous day but did not go

because of ill health, according to other members of the

editorial board. Kim had convened a news conference on 24

August to rebut reports by colleagues at the newspaper that

he has been arrested (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 24 August 1999).

Some 20 journalists on the staff of "Vechernii Bishkek"

launched a hunger strike on 24 August to protest government

harassment. LF

[08] TAJIKISTAN SEEKS SOLUTION TO UZBEK FUGITIVE PROBLEM...

Tajik Opposition chairman Said Abdullo Nuri told the BBC's

Persian Service that Tajikistan should undertake to guarantee

the security of fugitives from Uzbekistan who decide

voluntarily to return home, Asia Plus-Blitz reported on 24

August. Nuri was speaking after visiting the Karategin region

of Tajikistan where the majority of those estimated 1,600

Uzbeks are located. But in a clear distinction between

genuine fugitives and renegade militants, Nuri added that

"not a single armed citizen of Uzbekistan should remain in

regions controlled by the UTO." UNHCR mission head Gong Li

told journalists in Dushanbe on 24 August that his

organization has not yet decided whether the Uzbeks in

Karategin qualify for the status of refugees, Asia Plus-Blitz

reported. LF

[09] ...EXTENDS DEADLINE FOR SURRENDERING WEAPONS

Interior Minister Humdin Sharipov told journalists in

Dushanbe on 25 August, one day after expiry of the deadline

for armed groups not subordinate to the UTO to surrender

their arms, that only 150 weapons have been handed in, Asia

Plus-Blitz reported. He said the deadline for surrendering

weapons has been extended, but added that "within a few days"

his men will begin special actions to locate and confiscate

illicitly owned arms. LF

[10] ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT RATIFIES ENERGY SECTOR LOANS

Armenian parliament voted on 25 August to approve two new

loans to the energy sector totaling $33 million, RFE/RL's

Yerevan bureau reported. The loans are from the World Bank

($19.5 million) and a Japanese government agency ($13.5

million) and will be used to upgrade the country's power

distribution network. First Deputy Energy Minister Karen

Galstyan told deputies that the loans will save Armenia $5

million annually in energy lost during transmission,

according to AP. LF

[11] AZERBAIJANI JOURNALIST CAUTIONED OVER REPORTING ON KARABAKH

was summoned to Azerbaijan's National Security Ministry on 25

August and questioned about an article he recently wrote on

the Karabakh peace process, according to a Trade Union of

Journalists press release. Kazimli was asked who had provided

him with details of discussions within Azerbaijan's Security

Council on the possibility of ceding to Armenia part of the

territory currently occupied by (Karabakh) Armenian forces.

He refused, however, to reveal the name of that source.

Security officials warned Kazimli not to write any similar

articles in future. LF

[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

[12] BOSNIAN SERBS ABANDON VIENNA CONFERENCE

delegation stopped participating in an OSCE-sponsored

military conference in Vienna soon after army chief-of-staff

General Momir Talic's arrest there on 25 August (see "RFE/RL

Newsline," 25 August 1999). Talic later arrived in The Hague.

The war crimes tribunal had secretly indicted him for crimes

against humanity in conjunction with ethnic cleansing of the

Prijedor and Sanski Most areas in 1992. At that time, Talic

commanded the First Krajina Corps. NATO forces in Bosnia

arrested former Bosnian Serb Deputy Prime Minister Radoslav

Brdjanin on similar charges in July. Talic's arrest in

Austria is the first of a major war criminal outside the

former Yugoslavia. BBC Television reported on 26 August that

top NATO peacekeepers, including General Sir Mike Jackson,

often met with Talic in Bosnia but "did not feel confident

enough to arrest him on his own turf." NATO commanders

approved then President Biljana Plavsic's decision to name

him chief-of-staff in February 1998, AP noted. PM

[13] DODIK SLAMS TALIC'S ARREST...

Minister Milorad Dodik said in Banja Luka on 25 August that

the arrest was an "inappropriate action" that "ignored the

basic code of diplomatic behavior." Dodik added that "the

government is deeply concerned about the safety of any of its

citizens.... [It now appears that] anyone can be arrested

anywhere, at any time. There is considerable doubt that

Bosnia Serb representatives will take part in any future

international meetings," AP reported. British Balkan expert

Christopher Bennett said, however, that the top Bosnian Serb

leaders can do little in the face of indictments from The

Hague. Bennett added that the leaders "are all terrified that

they are next," Reuters reported. PM

[14] ...AS DO OTHER BOSNIAN SERBS

representing different parts of the political spectrum

expressed outrage on 25 August over Talic's arrest. Zivko

Radisic, who is the Serbian representative on the Bosnian

joint presidency, said in Banja Luka that the tribunal's use

of secret indictments may "pose a serious obstacle to the

functioning of the institutions of the Republika Srpska,"

RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. He added that the

arrest threatens to jeopardize future cooperation between the

Bosnian Serbs and the international community. Plavsic said

that the arrest could lead to a "revolt" among Serbs. A

spokesman for Radovan Karadzic's Serbian Democratic Party

demanded that Talic be freed immediately. The spokesman

added: "The secret indictments exist only at The Hague

tribunal and are aimed only at the Serbs." Bosnian Serb Vice

President Mirko Sarovic called the arrest "humiliating" and a

harbinger of "the preparations against us." He did not

elaborate. PM

[15] BOSNIAN SERB MILITARY, NATO TO CONTINUE COOPERATION

commander for operations, held "detailed discussions" with

Bosnian Serb Colonel-General Novica Simic, who is Talic's

acting deputy, in Banja Luka on 25 August, an SFOR spokesman

said the next day. The two top officers agreed to continue

cooperation. The spokesman stressed that SFOR and the Bosnian

Serb military work together on a "good footing," Reuters

reported. He also noted that it was Austrian police, and not

SFOR, that arrested Talic. PM

[16] WESTERN PRAISE FOR TALIC'S ARREST

Robin Cook said in a statement in London on 25 August that

Talic's arrest proves that "the international community has

not forgotten about the war crimes committed in Bosnia as we

will not forget the crimes committed in [Kosova] until all

those indicted appear at The Hague" tribunal. In Washington,

State Department spokesman James Foley added that "the arrest

of General Talic underscores the need for new military

leadership in the Republika Srpska to go along with the new

political leadership there," Reuters reported. It is unclear

which "new political leadership" he is referring to. At The

Hague, spokesman Paul Risley stressed "that neither the OSCE

nor Austria had been informed [in advance] that [Talic] had

been charged," AFP reported. Risley added that the practice

of indicting war criminals in secret has proven "most

effective," the BBC Serbian Service reported. PM

[17] HAGUE COURT FILES COMPLAINT AGAINST CROATIA

McDonald, who heads the Hague-based tribunal, said in a

letter to the UN Security Council on 25 August that the

Croatian government refuses "to cooperate with the

international tribunal." Specifically, Croatia refuses "to

recognize the international tribunal's jurisdiction over

alleged criminal activity." The Zagreb authorities have also

declined to "surrender and transfer" indicted suspects, she

continued. In Zagreb, Croatian Justice Minister Zvonimir

Separovic told Croatian television that his government

"rejects claims that it does not cooperate with the

tribunal." He repeated that the authorities will prove that

they do cooperate (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 4 August 1999). PM

[18] CROATIAN OPPOSITION SAYS NO CONSENSUS ON ELECTORAL REFORM

Social Democratic spokesman told Reuters in Zagreb on 25

August that opposition leaders see "no sense" in holding

further talks on electoral reform with the governing Croatian

Democratic Community (HDZ). He charged that the HDZ has "no

intention" of giving up its control over public television,

Reuters reported. He added that the opposition and the HDZ

have reached no compromise on the law reserving 12 seats in

the 128-seat lower house for Bosnian Croats, who generally

vote for the HDZ. The international community has repeatedly

stressed that Croatia must reform its electoral and media

laws and enable more ethnic Serbian refugees to go home if

Zagreb wants integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions. PM

[19] KOUCHNER RULES OUT 'CANTONIZATION' OF KOSOVA...

Representative Bernard Kouchner told AFP after the third

session of the Kosova Transitional Council in Prishtina on 25

August that he does not want a formal partition of Kosova

along ethnic lines. Serbian leader Momcilo Trajkovic earlier

proposed "cantonization" to protect the Serbian minority

there (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 25 August 1999). All ethnic

Albanian representatives rejected that proposal. Trajkovic

told RFE/RL's South Slavic Service after the meeting that

Kouchner suggested "regrouping" Serbs under international

protection: "The discussion focused on the possibility of

creating security zones for the Kosovar Serbs including

Prishtina, Mitrovica, some areas in the Sharr mountains, and

Gjilan." After the meeting, Kouchner explained that

"cantonization is not a good word...it reminds us a lot of

bad things." He pledged that he and Serbian representatives

will present a new plan next week. The Kosova Liberation

Army's Hashim Thaci, however, said the ethnic Albanian

representatives consider the discussion closed. FS

[20] ...BUT PLEDGES TO LAUNCH EXECUTIVE BODIES

Prishtina on 25 August that the council meeting was "very

difficult but constructive." He explained that the discussion

focused on the creation of executive and governing bodies. He

gave no details, however. Kosovar moderate leader Ibrahim

Rugova told RFE/RL's South Slavic Service that "we have

agreed to create executive bodies of the transitional

council. This is most important, and they will begin to work

soon." Thaci, however, said that the precise composition of

those bodies is not yet clear: "We do not know how they will

be composed because the issue is undefined and there is no

judicial and legal basis on which to set up these bodies." FS

[21] NEGOTIATIONS OVER RUSSIAN DEPLOYMENT IN RAHOVEC CONTINUE

August, ahead of another round of negotiations with KFOR (see

Part I). Talks the previous day brought no breakthrough,

Reuters reported. The "Sueddeutsche Zeitung" reported on 26

August that "KFOR is hesitating and has given the Kosovars

two weeks to think matters over. The Russians will continue

to swelter in their tanks. The Albanians have scored a

partial victory with their stubbornness. Not just Moscow but

the whole international community has once again been duped

in Kosova." FS

[22] HIGH DEATH-TOLL IN MONTENEGRIN REFUGEE BOAT DISASTER

have found 33 bodies of the victims of a boat accident on 20

August (see "RFE/RL Kosovo Report," 24 August 1999). The boat

was carrying more than 100 mostly Roma refugees from Kosova,

who were attempting to enter Italy illegally. A ship serving

the Tivar-Bari line earlier rescued 69 people. Meanwhile,

Montenegrin police arrested several people suspected of

organizing the smuggling of Kosovar Roma to Italy, "Pobjeda"

reported on 25 August. Survivors said that the smugglers

charged about $1,100 for each adult and between $10 and $550

for children, depending on their age. FS

[23] ALBANIAN POLICE FIND LARGE ARMS CACHE NEAR TROPOJA

special police forces on 24 August discovered an arms cache

containing grenade launchers, heavy machine guns, mortars,

and other weapons, "Gazeta Shqiptare" reported. The cache was

located in a tunnel near Pac in the Tropoja region. Police in

the same region also confiscated two tanker trucks smuggling

gasoline into Gjakova as well as several cars stolen in

Albania and bound for Kosova. One of them was stolen from the

OSCE in the Tropoja region earlier in the year. Earlier this

summer, the OSCE closed its local office there after gunmen

killed two of its local staff (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 June

1999). A spokesman of the Public Order Ministry told an

RFE/RL South Slavic Service correspondent that he cannot

confirm the newspaper report. An OSCE spokeswoman in Tirana,

however, said that OSCE officials will visit Tropoja to

investigate the report. FS

[24] ROMANIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES RESTITUTION LAW

of Deputies on 25 August voted by 168 to six with one

abstention to approve the law on the restitution of real

estate to former owners and their heirs, RFE/RL's Bucharest

bureau reported. The three main opposition parties

boycotted the vote and Adrian Nastase, first deputy

chairman of the Party of Social Democracy in Romania, said

the law will be changed if his party is returned to power

in 2000. Under the law, former owners can claim property

within five years of the legislation's going into effect,

in order to protect tenants still living in nationalized

houses. In cases where property was destroyed or is now

being used for a purpose other than its original one,

owners will be compensated over 20 years through bonds,

shares, or cash. The Senate has still to vote on the bill.

MS

[25] ROMANIA RECEIVES WORLD BANK TRANCHE

August disbursed the first $150 million tranche of a $325

million stand-by loan for restructuring the private sector

and privatizing state enterprises, RFE/RL's Bucharest

bureau reported. That loan was approved in March. Prime

Minister Radu Vasile said he hopes the second tranche will

be soon disbursed. Under the loan agreement, that tranche

is conditional on the privatization of 64 state

enterprises. MS

[26] MOLDOVAN GOVERNMENT REJECTS RUSSIAN ACCUSATIONS

government press service on 25 August rejected as "scandal-

mongering" allegations by "Komsomolskaya pravda" that a

draft law regulating advertising is reminiscent of Nazi

Germany practice. The service says it is not true that the

envisaged legislation allows advertising only in

"Moldovan," as claimed by the Russian daily. Advertising

will be mandatory in the official state language but

translations are not prohibited. The press service says

that "every country is entitled to...preserve its cultural

specificity in line with its own historical development."

The "continuous Sovietization of Moldovans in the [post-

war] period has done great damage to [Moldovan] national

consciousness and distorted the language spoken by the

people," Flux reported. MS

[27] UKRAINIAN AIRLINE STARTS COURT PROCEEDING AGAINST MOLDOVA

Moldova since 7 April, has filed suit with the Moldovan

Economic Court demanding the release of the plane and

compensation for losses incurred, Infotag reported on 25

August. The agency, citing Ukrainian media sources,

reported that Aeroalliance President Valeriy Marinichenko

has said his company is ready to accept responsibility for

the fact that the crew of the plane, which made an

unscheduled landing in Chisinau, declared the cargo as oil

pumps and other equipment en route from Budapest to Burgas,

Bulgaria. The plane, however, was carrying 5,000 pistols

ordered by Yemen. MS

[28] JAPAN HELPS BULGARIA OVERCOME KOSOVA CRISIS CONSEQUENCES

Bulgaria overcome the economic consequences of the Kosova

crisis, dpa reported on 24 August. The announcement was made

after Koki Chuma, chairman of the Japanese parliament's

Foreign Policy Committee, met with Bulgarian parliamentary

chairman Yordan Sokolov in Sofia. MS

[C] END NOTE

[29] HUNGARY'S MOST CELEBRATED CRIMINAL

On the surface, it's a bit baffling. Hungary--a small

country proud of its contributions to world culture and

science and currently striving to join the club of Western

democracies--is holding up as its hero a man accused of 28

bank robberies. Vendors are hawking mugs and T-shirts of

Attila Ambrus. Fans have set up a Web site. A U.S. company is

considering buying the movie rights to his life story, and a

German firm wants Ambrus to promote its new energy drink.

So why the hoopla for a hood? The answer lies buried in

the Hungarian psyche. After nearly 500 years in the yoke of

foreign powers and 10 years of scandal-tainted capitalism,

the public has channeled its loathing of the "state" into

support for a criminal who holds up state-owned banks and who

recently humiliated police with a daring escape from a high-

security jail.

"It's like the mouse laughing at the cat," says Gyorgy

Csepeli, a Hungarian social psychologist, who admits to being

an Ambrus admirer. "Here there has always been a clash

between state institutions and the people, with the state not

seen as a part of society but as something distant and

dangerous. So people love to see when the state can't control

a situation." He adds, "I also have no empathy for the

police. Before 1989, I was beaten several times."

Indeed, Hungarians are thrilled to see Ambrus preying on

two of society's most despised institutions: the banks and

the police. During four decades of communism, the police

gained a reputation for ruthlessness in persecuting opponents

of the regime. Not only were they feared, but their perceived

"stupidity" made them the butt of many Hungarian jokes.

Meanwhile, banks and the bosses who run them are a

powerful symbol of the postcommunist transition. While a

handful of Hungarians have become very rich, most of the

public is not doing as well. The average salary is about $200

per month.

The perception is that Ambrus is giving banks and police

their comeuppance. He is often compared with Sandor Rozsa, a

Hungarian Robin Hood-like figure of the early 19th century

who ambushed the wealthy as they traveled between Budapest

and Vienna.

Ambrus's modus operandi has been just as important for

his image as have his targets. A former goalie in Hungary's

professional hockey league, Ambrus is viewed as a

"gentlemanly" criminal: clean-cut, polite, and good-looking.

He sometimes arrives at heists dressed in a jacket and tie;

sometimes he leaves flowers for the bank teller.

And he has robberies down to a science: The police have

a four-minute response time, so he usually gets the job done

in two or three minutes. His getaways display similar

panache. Ambrus has routinely hailed taxis, but once he swam

across the mighty River Danube.

In a telephone poll of Hungarians earlier this month,

three-quarters of respondents said they are rooting for

Ambrus. "I support [Ambrus] even though by stealing from

banks he's also taking from us," says Zoltan Hajos, a street

cleaner. "So I'd rather see him go after the rich."

Of course, there are Hungarians with a more sober

attitude. "Ambrus is a criminal who should be punished," says

Szilard Morzsa, a retired economist. "I think the people who

like him are those who watch these idiotic American movies

and think this situation is like America."

Ambrus's six-year crime spree appeared to be over in

January. As police staked out his home, Ambrus was captured

when he came to collect his dog. Hungarians saw this as

another sign of his humanity.

Then on July 12, he again grabbed headlines by tying

together bed sheets and rappelling from the fourth-floor

window of his Budapest jail cell. The escape was caught on

videotape, but the guards were short-handed that weekend and

failed to respond.

However, what many of Ambrus's fans are unaware of is

that Ambrus has also been charged with attempted murder in

connection with a March 1998 robbery. With police in hot

pursuit, Ambrus reportedly turned and fired a pistol at them

several times. Police failed to publicize the alleged

incident at the time, however, and the belated charge has

some supporters claiming it is an attempt to frame Ambrus.

Jozsef Jonas, a Hungarian crime reporter who had an

exclusive jail-house interview with Ambrus before his escape,

says police are in a quandary over how to proceed. "If they

criticize Ambrus and try to convince the public he's not a

good guy, the public may think just the opposite."

The media, for their part, are finally taking a more

critical look at Ambrus. Television news has now revealed

that he had numerous brushes with the law earlier in life and

has failed to provide for his impoverished parents in the

countryside. Meanwhile, Ambrus, through his lawyer, Gyorgy

Magyar, is parlaying his notoriety into profits. There's the

possible movie deal with an unidentified U.S. company and the

energy-drink promotion. In addition, his published memoirs

will be hitting the book stores shortly.

While doing business with a convicted criminal is not

illegal in Hungary, critics question the morality and ethics.

"My client has realized he could make more money being on the

wrong side of the law, in more ways than one," Mr. Magyar

says. "I'm just representing his interests, ensuring that his

name and image are not used improperly. Ethics have nothing

to do with this."

The author is a Budapest-based journalist

(michaeljjordan@csi.com).

26-08-99

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

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