RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 3, No. 190, 99-09-29

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

RFE/RL NEWSLINE

Vol. 3, No. 190, 29 September 1999

CONTENTS

[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA

[01] ARMENIAN CLERICS PROTEST GOVERNMENT PRESSURE OVER NEW

[02] ARMENIA, RUSSIA TO CONTINUE DEFENSE INDUSTRY COOPERATION

[03] U.S. CALLS ON AZERBAIJAN TO RESUME KARABAKH TALKS...

[04] ...TO DISMAY OF OPPOSITION

[05] GEORGIA PROTESTS DETENTION OF DEFENSE MINISTRY OFICIALS IN

[06] GEORGIAN OFFICIALS DENY BASAEV PLANNING TO WINTER IN SVANETI

[07] GEORGIA SEEKS TO EXTRADITE SUSPECT IN PRESIDENTIAL

[08] KAZAKHSTAN'S PARLIAMENT APPROVES BUDGET IN FIRST READING...

[09] ...BUT IMF REPORTEDLY SKEPTICAL

[10] LEADING KAZAKH OPPOSITION PARTY RETHINKS ELECTION TACTICS

[11] NEW FIGHTING IN KYRGYZSTAN

[12] UZBEKISTAN SEEKS TO TIGHTEN SECURITY

[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

[13] TWO DEAD IN EXPLOSION AT MARKET IN KOSOVA

[14] THACI REASSURES TURKISH MINORITY

[15] DOLE SAYS INDEPENDENCE COULD BE ATTAINED

[16] LARGE RALLY IN NIS AS THOUSANDS PROTEST ACROSS SERBIA

[17] MILOSEVIC MAKES RARE APPEARANCE TO REOPEN REFINERY...

[18] ...AS SERBIAN PATRIARCH URGES HIM TO GO TO THE HAGUE

[19] UN ENVOY TO BALKANS SAYS BOSNIA TOO DEPENDENT ON AID

[20] HUNGARIAN PRESIDENT PROPOSES COOPERATION WITH CROATIA

[21] ALBANIA RATIFIES COUNCIL OF EUROPE CONVENTION ON MINORITIES

[22] NATO FORCES CONDUCT EXERCISES IN ALBANIA

[23] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT VISITS FRANCE

[24] TWO LEGISLATORS QUIT ROMANIAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY

[25] EU TO GIVE CREDIT, AID TO MOLDOVA

[26] BULGARIAN PREMIER COMMENTS ON NUCLEAR PLANT

[C] END NOTE

[27] LUKASHENKA PREFERS MONOLOGUE

[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA

[01] ARMENIAN CLERICS PROTEST GOVERNMENT PRESSURE OVER NEW

Six Armenian archbishops on 28 September issued a

"pastoral appeal" expressing concern that senior members of

the government are supporting a specific candidate for the

post of Catholicos, Noyan Tapan reported. That post has been

vacant since the death of Garegin I in late June. The appeal

said such intervention calls into doubt "the moral and legal

process" of electing a new catholicos. On 25 September,

Archbishop of Artsakh Parkev Martirosian, one of the six

signatories to the appeal, told RFE/RL that government

officials told two of the other signatories who the Armenian

leadership's preferred candidate is, but he declined to

divulge that candidate's identity. AP on 28 September quoted

Martirosian as saying that Garegin Nersisian, archbishop of

the Ararat Diocese, which includes Yerevan, is the

government's favorite for the post. Presidential spokesman

Vahe Gabrielian has denied any official interference in the

election process, AP added. LF

[02] ARMENIA, RUSSIA TO CONTINUE DEFENSE INDUSTRY COOPERATION

approved a draft Russian-Armenian agreement on continuing the

present production and specialization of firms engaged in the

development, production and testing of weapons and materiel,

ITAR-TASS reported. LF

[03] U.S. CALLS ON AZERBAIJAN TO RESUME KARABAKH TALKS...

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has written to

Azerbaijan's President Heidar Aliev urging him to agree on a

declaration of principles for the resumption of talks under

the OSCE's aegis on resolving the Karabakh conflict, Reuters

and AFP reported on 28 September. Albright said she believes

it is possible to agree on a date and venue for the

resumption of those talks before the November OSCE summit.

She added that the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic

should also be represented at those talks. The talks have

been deadlocked for almost one year owing to Baku's rejection

of the most recent peace plan, proposed by the OSCE Minsk

Group. Albright has also written to Armenian President Robert

Kocharian welcoming the latter's dialogue with Aliev,

Interfax reported on 28 September, quoting presidential

spokesman Gabrielian. LF

[04] ...TO DISMAY OF OPPOSITION

Turan on 28 September that they consider Albright's proposals

detrimental to Azerbaijan's national interests. Azerbaijan

National Independence Party Chairman Etibar Mamedov argued

that if the Karabakh Armenians are brought into the

negotiating process, then Yerevan should withdraw. He claimed

that the Azerbaijani leadership is planning to conduct a

referendum on the Karabakh peace settlement simultaneously

with the 12 December municipal elections. He did not

elaborate. Azerbaijan Popular Front Party chairman Abulfaz

Elchibey termed Albright's proposals "unacceptable," noting

that they make no mention of four UN resolutions calling for

the withdrawal of Armenian forces from occupied Azerbaijani

territory. Musavat Party Chairman Isa Gambar argued that if

representatives of the Karabakh Armenian population are

brought into the peace talks, then representatives of the

region's expelled Azerbaijani population should also be

included. LF

[05] GEORGIA PROTESTS DETENTION OF DEFENSE MINISTRY OFICIALS IN

Speaking at a press conference in Tbilisi on 28

September, a Georgian Defense Ministry spokesman condemned

the 5 September arrest in Adjaria of two Georgian Defense

Ministry officials, Caucasus Press reported. He added that

the arrest was intended to discredit the central Georgian

authorities in the runup to the 31 October parliamentary

elections. The "Batumi alliance" of five political parties,

including the Union of Revival of Adjar Supreme Council

Chairman Aslan Abashidze, is considered the most serious

challenger to the ruling Union of Citizens of Georgia in that

poll. Lawyers for the two men said that legal procedures were

violated in the course of charging them with possession of

drugs. Adjar authorities claim the two officers infiltrated

the Adjar Republic in order to destabilize the situation

there. LF

[06] GEORGIAN OFFICIALS DENY BASAEV PLANNING TO WINTER IN SVANETI

told Caucasus Press on 28 September there is no truth to

Russian military intelligence reports that Chechen field

commander Shamil Basaev plans to move his headquarters to the

western Georgian mountain region of Svaneti for the winter.

Those reports claim that Basaev has already sent envoys to

the region for talks with the separatist "Free Svaneti"

organization, which has agreed to the temporary Chechen

presence. Iveri Chkheidze, governor of the Kodori valley in

Svaneti, told Caucasus Press that no such separatist

organization exists. He said the Russian reports were

intended to create a pretext to increase the Russian military

presence in Abkhazia, which borders on Svaneti. LF

[07] GEORGIA SEEKS TO EXTRADITE SUSPECT IN PRESIDENTIAL

Georgian security services are negotiating

with their counterparts in North Ossetia over the extradition

to Georgia of Nugzar Khuchua, who they believe participated

in the February 1998 unsuccessful attempt to assassinate

Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze, ITAR-TASS reported.

Khuchua is also suspected on involvement in the bomb attack

on Vladikavkaz central market in March 1999 (see "RFE/RL

Newsline," 27 September 1999). LF

[08] KAZAKHSTAN'S PARLIAMENT APPROVES BUDGET IN FIRST READING...

no confidence vote in Prime Minister Nurlan Balghymbaev's

government was averted on 28 September when Constitutional

Court Chairman Yuri Kim ruled that the 25 September decision

by both chambers of the parliament to reject the cabinet's

proposed draft budget for 2000 was invalid, ITAR-TASS

reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 September 1999). Kim

explained that the required majority vote was not achieved.

The parliament then voted on 28 September to approve the main

budget indicators for revenues and spending as well as

pegging the deficit at 3 percent of GDP. Balghymbaev told

deputies after the vote that Kazakhstan is over the worst of

its budget crisis and that there is "a good chance" that the

economic situation will improve, according to Interfax. LF

[09] ...BUT IMF REPORTEDLY SKEPTICAL

however, quoted an unnamed senior Kazakh official as saying

that the IMF believes that the draft's tax revenue target is

unrealistic and should be lowered by $100 million. That

target is 23.3 percent higher than the corresponding figure

for 1999. LF

[10] LEADING KAZAKH OPPOSITION PARTY RETHINKS ELECTION TACTICS

Republican People's Party of Kazakhstan told journalists in

Almaty on 28 September that the party is withdrawing its list

of 10 candidates to contest the seats in the lower chamber of

the parliament to be allocated on a proportional basis,

Interfax and Reuters reported. They said the reason for the

move is that the Central Electoral Commission refused to

register Kazhegeldin, whose name topped the list, as a

candidate. Another 20 candidates from the party who plan to

run in the 10 October elections in single-mandate districts

may withdraw to protest "strong pressure" from the

authorities, they added. But Central Electoral Commission

Chairwoman Zaghipa Balieva told RFE/RL on 29 September that a

letter submitted by the party informing the commission of its

decision to withdraw its list is inadequate. She noted that a

written request by the party leadership must be submitted no

later than 10 days before the poll. LF

[11] NEW FIGHTING IN KYRGYZSTAN

Secretary-General Bolot Djanuzakov told journalists in

Bishkek on 28 September that a group of the militants who are

holding 13 hostages in southern Kyrgyzstan attacked a

government post during the night of 27-28 September but

retreated after government troops counterattacked, RFE/RL's

bureau in the capital reported. Also on 28 September, Prime

Minister Amangeldy Muraliev convened a cabinet meeting to

assess the readiness of government bodies to provide support

for a military operation against the militants, according to

ITAR-TASS. Uzbekistan's Defense Minister Khikmatulla Tursunov

told journalists in Tashkent on 28 September that Uzbekistan

has been informed of the militants' location and movements

and is ready to launch operations against the rebels at any

time, according to Interfax. Tursunbek Akunov, who has

mediated between the militants and the Kyrgyz leadership,

arrived in Pakistan on 28 September for talks with Taliban

representatives aimed at securing the hostages' release. LF

[12] UZBEKISTAN SEEKS TO TIGHTEN SECURITY

press service reported on 28 September that the cabinet has

adopted a special resolution introducing additional security

measures both in Tashkent and the provinces, Interfax

reported. Those measures include additional passport checks

and barring access to cellars and attics. On 20 September,

the Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan issued a press release

reporting the construction of a vast concentration camp for

Uzbek Muslims sentenced for their religious belief. LF

[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

[13] TWO DEAD IN EXPLOSION AT MARKET IN KOSOVA

killed and at least 40 people wounded when two rifle-

propelled grenades landed in a crowded market outside Kosovo

Polje on 28 September, AFP reported. NATO-led peacekeeping

forces in Kosova (KFOR) arrested four people suspected of

being involved in the attack. Local Serbs, who make up the

majority of the people in the area, blockaded a road between

the town and Prishtina's airport to protest what they say is

a lack of security. Bernard Kouchner, head of the UN mission

in Kosova, said "this outrageous attack against innocent

civilians puts in danger all efforts at building democracy in

Kosovo." Stanimir Vukicevic, head of a Yugoslav government

liaison with KFOR, said "this extremely inhuman act of

madness is the consequence of KFOR and [the UN mission's]

tolerant and benevolent attitude toward the terrorist Kosovo

Liberation Army." PB

[14] THACI REASSURES TURKISH MINORITY

Hashim Thaci told a group of ethnic Turks on 28 September

that they are welcome in Kosova and will help build a "free

and democratic Kosova," the Albanian news agency ATA

reported. Thaci made his comments in the village of Mamusha,

near Prizren, which has an ethnic Turkish majority. Thaci

said that Mamusha's "sons will join the protective troops of

Kosova." Thaci said during a meeting with officials in the

village that his goal is to establish a mission at the UN and

allow the Kosova Protection Corps to participate "in NATO

mechanisms in the framework of [its] Partnership for Peace"

program. PB

[15] DOLE SAYS INDEPENDENCE COULD BE ATTAINED

former U.S. Senator Bob Dole told the Senate Foreign

Relations Committee on 28 September that if Kosovar leaders

hold free elections, renounce violence, and move toward a

market economy, "then I believe independence will be

forthcoming and should be," AP reported. Dole criticized the

U.S. for not "acting against [Yugoslav President Slobodan]

Milosevic much earlier." Dole served as an envoy to Kosova

for President Bill Clinton earlier this year. At the White

House, Clinton said "what we have supported for Kosovo and

what we continue to support is autonomy." PB

[16] LARGE RALLY IN NIS AS THOUSANDS PROTEST ACROSS SERBIA

largest city, Nis, on 28 September to call on President

Milosevic to resign, the Beta news agency reported. Some 20

opposition rallies were held throughout Serbia the same day.

Only 10,000 or so turned out in Belgrade, far fewer than the

55,000 who demonstrated on 25 September. Speaking in Nis,

Alliance for Change leader Zoran Djindjic said "the Serbian

system cannot be altered by talks, only by action." He

derided Milosevic for "ruining the country" over the last

decade. Organizers said a march on Milosevic's home in the

Belgrade district of Dedinje will be held on 29 September.

Police, who until now have kept a low profile at Belgrade

rallies, are expected to try to prevent the march as they did

during protests in 1991 and in 1996-1997. PB

[17] MILOSEVIC MAKES RARE APPEARANCE TO REOPEN REFINERY...

speak at the reopening of an oil refinery in Pancevo that was

destroyed by NATO air strikes, AP reported. Milosevic told

company officials and employees that "in a year, two, or

three, things will be better." He said "throughout these

seven years of sanctions and even during the time of the

brutal bombings we have been achieving [constant] progress."

Milosevic was accompanied by Serbian President Milan

Milutinovic, Serbian Premier Mirko Marjanovic, Serbian

parliamentary speaker Dragan Tomic, and other officials. PB

[18] ...AS SERBIAN PATRIARCH URGES HIM TO GO TO THE HAGUE

Orthodox Patriarch Pavle said on 28 September that President

Milosevic should "resign peacefully so that people who enjoy

the trust of the world can step in," Pancevo Radio reported.

Pavle, speaking in the Kosovar town of Gorazdevac, said "it

is clear at the moment that it is as if we are in a prison,

behind a wall. There are no political, economic, or social

ties with any other country." Pavle said he "would rather

die...than [be] a true war criminal and have them say I'm a

hero." PB

[19] UN ENVOY TO BALKANS SAYS BOSNIA TOO DEPENDENT ON AID

Bildt said in Washington on 28 September that Bosnia-

Herzegovina has been given too much unconditional aid by the

West, Reuters reported. Bildt said he fears that the Bosnian

economy would collapse if foreign aid were to be withdrawn.

Bildt also criticized Bosnian leaders, saying "they have not

been willing to undertake economic reforms. We have not been

sufficiently tough with them." In other news, Alija

Izetbegovic, the Muslim member of Bosnia's presidency, said

upon returning from a trip to the Middle East on 28 September

that it "was first and foremost a visit to friends of Bosnia-

Herzegovina." He said the visit did not violate any rules of

the presidency. PB

[20] HUNGARIAN PRESIDENT PROPOSES COOPERATION WITH CROATIA

Goencz, speaking in Zagreb on 28 September, pledged greater

cooperation between his country and Croatia and praised the

situation of ethnic Hungarians in Croatia, MTI reported on 28

September. Goencz told Croatian Premier Zlatko Matesa in

Zagreb that cross-border cooperation between Hungarian and

Croatian regions should be developed. He also praised state

support for ethnic Hungarian communities in Croatia. Matesa

said he is hopeful that a free trade agreement between the

two countries will be signed soon. Goencz also met with

representatives of six Croatian opposition parties during his

two-day visit. PB

[21] ALBANIA RATIFIES COUNCIL OF EUROPE CONVENTION ON MINORITIES

the protection of ethnic minorities on 28 September, ATA

reported. Albania's ambassador to the Council of Europe,

Fotaq Andrea, handed the ratification documents to Council of

Europe Secretary-General Walter Schwimmer in Tirana. The

convention demands that members "ensure an effective equality

between minorities and the majority, to ensure the necessary

conditions for developing culture and preserving the identity

of national minorities." Albania's ethnic Greeks constitute

the country's largest minority, accounting for 3 percent of

the population. PB

[22] NATO FORCES CONDUCT EXERCISES IN ALBANIA

Albanian Force 2 (AFOR 2) began exercises in Albania on 28

September, ATA reported. The exercises are being held in

conjunction with the Defense Ministry in Tirana and are code-

named Caravan of Friendship 99. They are aimed at promoting

communication and infrastructure capacities in rural areas of

the country. Also on 28 September, Albania's defense

minister, Luan Haidaraga, met with the commander of the

German contingent in Kosova, General Freidrich Riechman. They

discussed cooperation between AFOR 2 and Albanian forces as

well the situation in Kosova. PB

[23] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT VISITS FRANCE

Chirac told his visiting Romanian counterpart, Emil

Constantinescu, that France will push to have Romania invited

to accession negotiations with the EU at the December summit

in Helsinki, according to a Rompres report cited by the BBC.

The two presidents emphasized the warm historical relations

between their two countries. Constantinescu called on French

companies to invest in Romania, noting that his country's

economy is steadily improving in several areas. Chirac added

that trade between the two countries has been growing by an

average of 30 percent every year. France is Romania's chief

trading partner and main source of foreign investments. VG

[24] TWO LEGISLATORS QUIT ROMANIAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Alexandru and Deputy George Serban on 28 September announced

their resignation from the Democratic Party (PD). Alexandru

said he has "reached the limits of humiliation and nonsense

imposed by the entire PD leadership and especially by PD

President Petre Roman," Romanian Radio reported. VG

[25] EU TO GIVE CREDIT, AID TO MOLDOVA

the EU will provide Moldova with a 15 million euro ($15.7

million) credit line and humanitarian assistance totaling 2.2

million euros, Infotag reported on 28 September. Timo Summa,

the head of an EU delegation visiting Moldova, said the

previous day that he is satisfied with the Moldovan

government's efforts to continue the reform process. In other

news, Moldovan Prime Minister Ion Sturza and Romanian Defense

Minister Victor Babiuc attended a ceremony to officially open

a new border crossing linking the Moldovan village of

Costesti to the Romanian village of Stinca. The new crossing

is part of a transport corridor that will link Turkey with

Europe. VG

[26] BULGARIAN PREMIER COMMENTS ON NUCLEAR PLANT

he does not think the Soviet-made Kozloduy nuclear power

plant will become a stumbling block to Bulgaria's entry into

the EU, according to a BTA report cited by the BBC. Kostov

said the time-frame for the closure of four reactors at the

plant will be set within a month. He said the decision will

be partly based on whatever financial support the country

receives for the closures. Kostov added that he is satisfied

with Bulgaria's discussions on the issue with the European

Commission. In other news, the cabinet on 28 September held a

special meeting to discuss a plan to reform the Bulgarian

military. VG

[C] END NOTE

[27] LUKASHENKA PREFERS MONOLOGUE

The OSCE-mediated talks between the authorities and the

opposition in Belarus seem to be nearing an end even without

having really begun. That, at least, is the perception of

commentators in Belarus's independent press, based on

President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's 16 September meeting with

the leaders of power ministries and law enforcement bodies

and subsequent developments.

At that meeting, Lukashenka took advantage of the public

anxiety that followed the blasts in Moscow and Volgodonsk, in

southern Russia, by ordering his subordinates to take tough

security measures to prevent terrorist attacks in Belarus.

According to Lukashenka, Belarus faces a threat not from

elements in Russia but from domestic "extremists" and

"nationalists" who intend "to destabilize" the situation in

Belarus.

In particular, Lukashenka ordered the border guards and

customs officers to monitor the border so that "a mouse could

not creep through it." He demanded that the authorities of

Minsk and other cities identify venues where "all kinds of

oppositionists and other scum" can hold demonstrations;

protests in all other locations were to be banned.

Lukashenka demanded that within the next three days, the

state-controlled media inform the public both at home and

abroad where "Belarusian nationalists" find money "to

destabilize" the situation in Belarus. And he also ordered

his administration to close down those newspapers that

"assail state officials" without good reason, pointing to an

allegedly libelous article about State Security Secretary

Viktar Sheyman in the opposition newspaper "Naviny."

The disappearance of opposition politician Viktar

Hanchar several hours after the 16 September meeting is seen

as an ominous indication of events to come in Belarus as a

result of Lukashenka's instructions. As deputy chairman of

the opposition Supreme Soviet and organizer of the

alternative presidential elections in May, Hanchar fell into

the category of domestic "extremists." The opposition regard

Hanchar's disappearance as a kidnapping organized by the

authorities to intimidate political opponents of the current

regime. Hanchar was to have presided over a Supreme Soviet

session on 19 September at which the opposition delegation to

the talks with the authorities was to have been approved.

Shortly after Hanchar's disappearance, law officers

seized property belonging to "Naviny" and the author of the

allegedly defamatory article about Sheyman, without waiting

for a court order. Sheyman duly filed suit against "Naviny,"

demanding exorbitant damages (under Belarusian economic

conditions) totaling 15 billion Belarusian rubles

($52,000).Two days later, a Minsk court ruled in Sheyman's

favor. "Naviny", which turns a monthly profit of some $2,700,

now faces closure.

Western ambassadors to Minsk who expressed their concern

over Hanchar's disappearance met with Lukashenka's response

that they should look for Hanchar in the West before alluding

to any sinister goings-on in Belarus. Echoing a high-ranking

official in the presidential administration, official media

said Hanchar staged his disappearance in order to gain more

publicity. But as protests have increased around the globe,

Minsk has launched an investigation into both Hanchar's

disappearance and that of former Interior Minister Yury

Zakharanka in May.

The latest developments in Belarus highlight some

unanswered questions about Lukashenka's regime and the

attitude of Western democracies toward it.

First, was Lukashenka's declaration to enter into a

dialogue with the opposition really sincere? Or was he

perhaps acting on a political calculation--as some Belarusian

commentators suggest--to "simulate" negotiations in order to

gain legitimacy for himself and his government in the West?

"I have few illusions that we will be able to conduct talks

with Lukashenka. He prefers to give endless monologues,"

Stanislau Bahdankevich, head of the opposition United Civic

Party, noted in mid-August. Judging from developments since

then, Bahdankevich was right.

Second, has the OSCE--the proponent of political

dialogue in Belarus--any leverage to make that dialogue

happen? The answer again appears to be "no." Lukashenka's

regime has not created any conditions for a "favorable

political climate," as requested by the Belarusian opposition

ahead of the OSCE-mediated talks. Those conditions included

access to the state-run media for the opposition and the

release of former Premier Mikhail Chyhir and other political

prisoners. In fact, the political climate in Belarus has

become even more oppressive than was the case before the

preparations for the dialogue began.

Third, what should be done by the West to promote

democracy in Belarus, which is overtly defying Western

political and moral values? Belarus offers embarrassing and

puzzling proof of a regime in Europe that suppresses

political opponents and tramples on human rights while

enjoying a substantial measure of popular support and

remaining virtually unpunished in the international arena.

Unlike Turkmenistan, which engages in similiar practices with

impunity, Belarus has no strategic reserves of natural gas.

In this context, any Western response to Lukashenka's

latest challenge will reflect not only the measure of his

credibility in the international arena. It will also attest

to the West's commitment to promoting democracy where it is

so sadly lacking and so desperately needed.

29-09-99

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

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next Article