RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 3, No. 204, 99-10-19

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. 204, 19 October 1999 "RFE/RL Caucasus Report," Vol. 2, No. 41,

CONTENTS

[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA

[01] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT CONFIDENT KARABAKH SETTLEMENT IS CLOSE

[02] KARABAKH PRESIDENT URGES LEGAL REFORM

[03] ARMENIA, GREECE SIGN DEFENSE AGREEMENT

[04] TURKISH PRESIDENT VISITS AZERBAIJAN

[05] GEORGIA LOBBIES FOR NEW UN ABKHAZ ENVOY

[06] SPOKESMAN DENIES KAZAKHSTAN'S PRESIDENT HAS SWISS BANK

[07] KAZAKH OPPOSITION ASKS OSCE TO MONITOR SECOND ROUND OF

[08] JAPAN DENIES IT WILL PAY RANSOM FOR HOSTAGES IN KYRGYZSTAN

[09] KYRGYZSTAN HOLDS LOCAL ELECTIONS

[10] TAJIK OPPOSITION ORGANIZATION EXPELS DEPUTY PREMIER

[11] EXPLOSION IN TAJIK CAPITAL

[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

[12] KOSOVA SERBS SEEK OWN PROTECTION FORCE, CANTONS

[13] KFOR TO BOOST PRESENCE IN PRISHTINA

[14] HAS UCK'S POLITICAL POWER PEAKED?

[15] MULTI-ETHNIC TEAM FROM KOSOVA IN 'TRUST-BUILDING EXERCISE'

[16] SOME SERBIAN PARTIES FORM ELECTION COALITION...

[17] ...BUT WILL THERE BE ELECTIONS?

[18] DJINDJIC FEARS VIOLENCE AFTER MARKOVIC STATEMENT

[19] SESELJ ADMITS GOVERNMENT ROLE IN INFLATION

[20] RUSSIAN GAS ARRIVES IN SERBIA

[21] MONTENEGRIN AIRPORT REOPENS

[22] ALBANIAN GOVERNMENT TO STAY

[23] TUDJMAN PREDICTS ELECTION VICTORY...

[24] ...SEEKS CROATIAN 'ENTITY' IN BOSNIA

[25] TUDJMAN SPARKS REACTION IN BOSNIA

[26] WORLD BANK TO LEND $500 MILLION TO ROMANIA

[27] MAIN ROMANIAN OPPOSITION PARTY ELECTS NEW CHAIRMAN

[28] ROMANIA, YUGOSLAVIA SIGN HYDRO-ELECTRIC PLANT AGREEMENT

[29] FIVE MOLDOVAN PARLIAMENTARY DEPUTIES CREATE INDEPENDENT BLOC

[30] BULGARIAN PREMIER CALLS FOR EU LOANS TO YUGOSLAVIA

[31] MONTENEGRIN PREMIER VISITS BULGARIA

[C] END NOTE

[32] UKRAINIAN OPPOSITION CANDIDATES FAIL TO PRESENT UNITED FRONT

[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA

[01] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT CONFIDENT KARABAKH SETTLEMENT IS CLOSE

October, Robert Kocharian expressed confidence that he and

his Azerbaijani counterpart, Heidar Aliev, will succeed in

concluding an agreement resolving the Karabakh conflict,

RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported two days later. Kocharian

said he believes it would be more difficult to reach such a

settlement when he and Aliev are no longer in office. He

added that as a result of four rounds of direct talks over

the past three months, the cease-fire in the conflict zone

has been consolidated. But Kocharian appeared resistant to

international pressure to conclude a formal peace agreement

with Aliev during the November OSCE summit in Istanbul,

noting that Armenia considers the venue "not quite suitable."

LF

[02] KARABAKH PRESIDENT URGES LEGAL REFORM

president of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, has

instructed senior legal officials to draft within two weeks

proposals on how to bring the republic's judicial system

closer into line with that of Armenia, RFE/RL's Stepanakert

correspondent reported on 18 October. In a first step toward

legal reform, the enclave has disbanded the military tribunal

and military prosecutor's office, although martial law, which

was imposed in 1992, remains in force. In other news, the

republic's Defense Ministry announced on 18 October that it

will conduct scheduled maneuvers from 22-29 October, Noyan

Tapan reported. LF

[03] ARMENIA, GREECE SIGN DEFENSE AGREEMENT

Minister Vagharshak Harutiunian and his Greek counterpart,

Akis Tsohatzopoulos, signed a military cooperation agreement

in Athens on 18 October, AFP reported. The agreement covers

research, training, joint exercises, and the exchange of

information. LF

[04] TURKISH PRESIDENT VISITS AZERBAIJAN

Baku on 18 October, Suleyman Demirel discussed with

Azerbaijani President Aliev the obstacles both to a Karabakh

peace settlement and to construction of the planned Baku-

Ceyhan oil export pipeline and Trans-Caspian gas pipeline,

Turan reported. Both presidents said after their talks that a

final agreement on Baku-Ceyhan will be signed "in the nearest

future." That agreement has been repeatedly delayed because

of the reluctance of Western oil companies operating in

Azerbaijan to finance the project. Aliev subsequently

presented Demirel with the Istiglal (Independence) medal in

acknowledgement of his contribution to the "strategic

partnership" between the two countries and to resolving the

Karabakh conflict. Turkish Armed Forces Chief of Staff

General Huseyn Kivrikoglu, said to be "a good friend" of

Aliev, accompanied Demirel to Baku. LF

[05] GEORGIA LOBBIES FOR NEW UN ABKHAZ ENVOY

Eduard Shevardnadze told journalists in Tbilisi on 18 October

that Georgia supports the candidacy of German diplomat Dieter

Boden as UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's special

representative in Abkhazia to succeed Liviu Bota.

Shevardnadze noted, however, that Russia opposes Boden's

candidacy, Caucasus Press reported. The Georgian president

said that Boden gained "an excellent reputation" when he

served in Georgia in 1995-1996 as head of the OSCE mission

there, according to Interfax. That mission was primarily

engaged in mediating a settlement of the conflict in South

Ossetia. LF

[06] SPOKESMAN DENIES KAZAKHSTAN'S PRESIDENT HAS SWISS BANK

Presidential press spokesman Lev Tarakov denied on

18 October that President Nursultan Nazarbaev has any Swiss

bank accounts, AP and Interfax reported. "The New York Times"

had reported on 16 October that Swiss investigators had

discovered at a Swiss branch of the French Credit Agricole

Indosuez an account that was believed to be used by

Nazarbaev, though not in his name. Tarakov described the

article as consisting of "unchecked facts, rumors and

suspicions," according to Interfax. On 17 October, Kazakh

commercial television companies were ordered to halt

transmission of Russia's NTV, which had aired a summary of

the U.S. press article. LF

[07] KAZAKH OPPOSITION ASKS OSCE TO MONITOR SECOND ROUND OF

Communist Party of Kazakhstan leader

Serikbolsyn Abdildin told journalists in Almaty on 18 October

that opposition parties have asked the OSCE to monitor

closely the vote count in the 24 October second round of

elections to the lower chamber of the parliament, Reuters

reported. He commented that in the presence of outside

observers, local administrators would be less likely to

falsify the outcome of that vote. And he added that the

results should be made public the same day. Abdildin and

other opposition leaders have charged that the outcome of

the party-list voting in the 10 October first round was

falsified to increase the share of the pro-presidential Otan

party. LF

[08] JAPAN DENIES IT WILL PAY RANSOM FOR HOSTAGES IN KYRGYZSTAN

that Japan will not pay a ransom to secure the release of

four Japanese geologists seized by guerrillas in southern

Kyrgyzstan two months ago, Reuters reported. The guerrillas

are reportedly demanding $2 million for the geologists'

release. Aoki added that Tokyo is working "closely" with the

Kyrgyz authorities on the issue. Kyrgyz parliamentary deputy

Tursunbai Bakir Uulu, who has mediated the release of seven

Kyrgyz also taken captive by the guerrillas, said Kyrgyzstan

will "not pay a single kopeck" for the release of the four

Japanese, adding that he is confident they will be freed

"soon," Interfax reported. LF

[09] KYRGYZSTAN HOLDS LOCAL ELECTIONS

village councils throughout Kyrgyzstan took place on 17

October, Russian agencies reported. Overall voter

participation was 66.4 percent, according to Central

Electoral Commission Chairman Sulaiman Imanbaev. The highest

turnout (78.6 percent) was in Osh Oblast, in the south of the

country, where the recent hostage-taking occurred. The lowest

participation (38.3 percent) was registered in Bishkek,

RFE/RL's bureau in the capital reported on 18 October. LF

[10] TAJIK OPPOSITION ORGANIZATION EXPELS DEPUTY PREMIER

United Tajik Opposition on 18 October expelled from its ranks

First Deputy Prime Minister Khodja Akbar Turadjonzoda,

accusing him of "improper behavior and actions that

contradict...the policy of the party," ITAR-TASS reported.

The UTO Presidium also recommended that Turadjonzoda be

removed from the post of first deputy opposition leader and

from his government post. Turdjonzoda had criticized three

would-be opposition presidential candidates' demand that the

6 November poll be postponed (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 15 and

18 October 1999). Also on 18 October, the Supreme Court began

hearing testimony from the three would-be opposition

candidates, all of whom were denied registration, Asia Pluz-

Blitz reported the next day. A representative of the Central

Electoral Commission rejected their claim that the

commission failed to act on their earlier complaints that

local officials were actively preventing them from collecting

the necessary signatures to register as presidential

candidates. LF

[11] EXPLOSION IN TAJIK CAPITAL

on 18 October in an explosion that seriously damaged a

department store in central Dushanbe, close to the

presidential palace, Reuters and Interfax reported. Police

say the blast was caused by 300 grams of TNT. LF

[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

[12] KOSOVA SERBS SEEK OWN PROTECTION FORCE, CANTONS

representatives of Kosova's Serbian minority met at the

Gracanica monastery on 18 October, the private Beta news

agency reported. Agreeing that the new Kosova Protection

Corps will be dominated by ethnic Albanians and that Serbs

cannot count on it to protect them, the delegates proposed

that the Serbs set up their own protection force (see "RFE/RL

Newsline," 18 October 1999). They also decided that Serbs

should transform areas where they constitute a majority into

self-governing cantons. The delegates called for a moratorium

on activities by political parties and announced that a 49-

member Serbian National Council is to be set up. PM

[13] KFOR TO BOOST PRESENCE IN PRISHTINA

in a statement on 19 October that they will increase their

presence on the streets of Kosova's capital. The move came

hours after the killing of a Serbian man and in the wake of

other recent violence, primarily against Serbs and Roma.

"This barbaric behavior cannot be tolerated and all efforts

will be made to arrest those who think they can take the

lives of others and just walk away. As a result of such cold-

blooded murders, the KFOR command has decided to step up KFOR

security presence in Prishtina," the statement added. PM

[14] HAS UCK'S POLITICAL POWER PEAKED?

come to associate the former Kosova Liberation Army (UCK) and

its leader Hashim Thaci with violence and arrogant behavior,

the "International Herald Tribune" reported on 18 October.

The daily noted that the former guerrillas "are ensnared in a

deep political crisis caused by unhappiness with their heavy-

handed power grabs, rising disgust about the violence

plaguing [Kosova], and the rebels' own underestimation of

their political rivals." An unpublished opinion poll

commissioned by an unnamed Western organization shows shadow-

state President Ibrahim Rugova defeating Thaci in a two-way

contest by a four-to-one margin. A second poll gave Rugova 92

percent against Thaci, the daily continued. Rugova's policy

of remaining out of public view has added to his "mysterious,

mystical" image among Kosovars, an independent analyst told

the U.S. daily. PM

[15] MULTI-ETHNIC TEAM FROM KOSOVA IN 'TRUST-BUILDING EXERCISE'

Turk went to France on 19 October to begin what Major-General

Jean-Claude Thomann of KFOR called a "trust-building

exercise." They will receive training in fire-fighting,

emergency rescue, and related activities from the French

Civil Securities, AP reported. The Albanians, Muslims, and

Turk belong to the Kosova Protection Force, while the Serbs

were sent by the authorities in northern Mitrovica. Thomann

said the participants in the program agreed to "talk to one

another." He added that he feels it is too soon to expect

Serbs and Albanians to serve together in the same force.

Observers note that NATO and the UN regard the Civil

Securities as the model for the Protection Force. The UCK,

however, sees the force as its successor and the nucleus of a

future Kosovar army. PM

[16] SOME SERBIAN PARTIES FORM ELECTION COALITION...

of the Alliance for Change said in Belgrade on 18 October

that several of the parties belonging to the alliance will

form an election coalition. Zoran Djindjic of the Democratic

Party noted that the coalition parties will constitute a

joint group of deputies in the parliament after the

elections. Social Democratic leader Vuk Obradovic said that

his party will remain in the alliance but not join the

electoral coalition lest the Social Democrats lose their

identity, Belgrade's "Danas" reported. The opposition insists

that early elections be held by the end of the year based on

a system of proportional representation. Batic stressed on 18

October that the alliance will not take part in any elections

unless the regime introduces the electoral reforms that the

opposition demands, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported.

PM

[17] ...BUT WILL THERE BE ELECTIONS?

parties in the governing coalition said on 18 October that

there will be no early elections, AP reported. However, the

following day the Frankfurt-based Serbian daily "Vesti"

quoted an unnamed official of the governing Socialist Party

of Serbia as saying that elections will take place in

December. Mira Markovic, who is the wife of Yugoslav

President Slobodan Milosevic and the head of the neo-

communist United Yugoslav Left, stressed that "elections can

take place tomorrow as far as [her party] is concerned."

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Vojislav Seselj said that he

favors elections in March. He added that if the opposition

protesters block streets, "we will arrest them and turn them

over to the courts.... The police must react immediately and

mercilessly." PM

[18] DJINDJIC FEARS VIOLENCE AFTER MARKOVIC STATEMENT

fears that he may be the target of a violent attack following

a recent interview by Markovic, in which she called him a

"traitor," AP reported from Belgrade on 19 October. She used

similar language about publisher Slavko Curuvija shortly

before unknown thugs killed him in April. Djindjic said: "I'm

not worried about what will happen to me, whether Mirjana

Markovic will be consistent in punishing 'traitors' or only

will accuse me verbally. I'm more worried that she has the

power in Serbia to pronounce the sentencing." PM

[19] SESELJ ADMITS GOVERNMENT ROLE IN INFLATION

Belgrade on 18 October that the government recently printed

$400 million in dinar notes in addition to the $1 billion

already in circulation. He said that "we simply had to print

money to support [postwar] reconstruction," AP reported.

Previously, Prime Minister Momir Bulatovic denied that the

government had printed additional money. He charged

Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic and Bosnian Serb Prime

Minister Milorad Dodik with flooding Serbia with dinars after

they began to use the German mark as an unofficial currency.

PM

[20] RUSSIAN GAS ARRIVES IN SERBIA

Cosic said in Belgrade on 18 October that Russian gas

deliveries via Hungary have resumed. Russia's Gazprom will

provide some 4.5 million cubic meters of gas per day. It is

unclear whether Serbia has cleared its $20 million debt to

the Hungarian MOL company and signed a transit agreement,

which the Hungarian authorities had demanded. Hungary

observes EU sanctions against Belgrade but has agreed to

limited gas deliveries on humanitarian grounds, Reuters

reported. PM

[21] MONTENEGRIN AIRPORT REOPENS

for civilian traffic on 18 October following the repair of

damage caused by NATO airstrikes in the spring, RFE/RL's

Slavic Service reported. The government hopes that the

airport will increase Montenegro's direct links to the

outside world independent of Belgrade and help revive the key

tourist industry. PM

[22] ALBANIAN GOVERNMENT TO STAY

said in Tirana on 18 October that he does not plan any

changes in the government. He made the statement after

meeting with Prime Minister Pandeli Majko (see "RFE/RL

Newsline," "End Note," 18 October 1999). PM

[23] TUDJMAN PREDICTS ELECTION VICTORY...

Franjo Tudjman told a press conference in Zagreb on 18

October that he is confident that his Croatian Democratic

Community (HDZ) will win the parliamentary elections widely

expected to take place before Christmas. He argued that the

HDZ "created Croatia," has the best program of any party, and

will go on to victory "for the eighth time." Asked about the

Hague-based war crimes tribunal, Tudjman said that "no

Croatian general" will be sent to trial there. He stressed

that those men "liberated their country from evil and cannot

be held accountable" for atrocities. The president argued

that the court does not take a "balanced" approach because it

has indicted several Croats but none of the Serbs who shelled

Zagreb during the 1991-1995 conflict. Observers note that no

Croatian general has been publicly indicted. The majority of

those indicted are Serbs. PM

[24] ...SEEKS CROATIAN 'ENTITY' IN BOSNIA

Bosnian state and the 1995 Dayton peace accord can continue

to exist only if there is complete equality between Serbs,

Muslims, and Croats. To this end, the Croats as well as the

Serbs and Muslims should have their own "entity," he argued.

Observers note that Tudjman has never hidden his belief that

Bosnia is an artificial state that should be partitioned

between Serbia and Croatia. As a signatory of the Dayton

agreement, however, he is obliged to uphold the current

constitutional order, in which the Serbs have one entity and

the Croats and Muslims share power in a second one. PM

[25] TUDJMAN SPARKS REACTION IN BOSNIA

for the international community's Wolfgang Petritsch said on

18 October that Tudjman's statement will not lead to any

revision of Dayton, "Dnevni avaz" reported. Moderate Bosnian

Croat leader Kresimir Zubak argued that he has never heard

Tudjman advocate setting up a separate "Croatian entity" in

Bosnia and that the idea must have come from hard-liners

opposed to any links to the Muslims. PM

[26] WORLD BANK TO LEND $500 MILLION TO ROMANIA

preparing to grant Romania some $500 million in loans to

support the country's integration into the EU, according to

the bank's director for Romania, Andrew Vorkink. Vorkink told

Romanian journalists on 18 October that the money will go to

the mining and agricultural sectors, public administration

reform, and the stimulation of industrial production. He

praised Romania's success in maintaining currency stability

and increasing its currency reserves. VG

[27] MAIN ROMANIAN OPPOSITION PARTY ELECTS NEW CHAIRMAN

to the 16 October congress of the Party of Social Democracy

in Romania (PDSR) elected Alexandru Athanasiu as the party's

new leader, Romanian media reported on 18 October. Athanasiu

defeated the other candidate, Emil Putin, by a vote of 482-

471. Athanasiu said he will follow his predecessor's

political line. VG

[28] ROMANIA, YUGOSLAVIA SIGN HYDRO-ELECTRIC PLANT AGREEMENT

technological improvements at the Portile Fier I hydro-

electric power plant on the countries' mutual border along

the River Danube, according to a 18 October Mediafax report

cited by the BBC. The agreement is based on a 1998 convention

to coordinate work on the plant. VG

[29] FIVE MOLDOVAN PARLIAMENTARY DEPUTIES CREATE INDEPENDENT BLOC

and Prosperous Moldova have joined a former deputy of the

Party of Democratic Forces to form an independent bloc in the

parliament, Infotag and Basa-Press reported on 18 October.

The creation of the bloc weakens the government's support in

the parliament and increases the chances that the cabinet

would fall in any potential confidence vote. In other news,

presidential spokesman Anatol Golea rejected recent

suggestions by Prime Minister Ion Sturza that the president

wants the government dismissed, Infotag reported. VG

[30] BULGARIAN PREMIER CALLS FOR EU LOANS TO YUGOSLAVIA

Kostov on 19 October called on the EU to extend loans to

small and medium-sized businesses in Yugoslavia as a means of

shoring up the democratic opposition to Yugoslav President

Slobodan Milosevic, AP reported. Kostov also criticized the

West for delays in implementing an economic aid plan for the

Balkans. He expressed concern that the post-war

reconstruction of the region might be designed to serve the

interests of donors or private companies. VG

[31] MONTENEGRIN PREMIER VISITS BULGARIA

October thanked Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandur

Bozhkov for his country's stance during the Kosova crisis,

according to a BTA report cited by the BBC. Vujanovic and

Bozhkov also discussed ways of improving relations between

Montenegro and Bulgaria. Vujanovic was in Sofia to attend the

Southeast Europe Economic Forum. VG

[C] END NOTE

[32] UKRAINIAN OPPOSITION CANDIDATES FAIL TO PRESENT UNITED FRONT

When four candidates announced in August that they were

joining forces in the Ukrainian presidential race, the media

generally welcomed that announcement. The four candidates--

socialist Oleksandr Moroz, parliamentary speaker Oleksandr

Tkachenko, head of the mayors' association Volodymyr Oliynyk,

and former Prime Minister Yevhen Marchuk--made their

announcement in Kaniv, the rural, leafy burial-place of a

national poet. They subsequently became known as the Kaniv

Four. Analysts said a single candidate from the Kaniv Four

could be a real challenger to President Leonid Kuchma, who is

running for re-election.

Two months later, the Kaniv Four are again in the news,

but the media attitude has greatly changed. Moroz, the most

popular of the four candidates, has lost voter support in the

wake of a scandal surrounding the attack on the life of rival

candidate Natalya Vitrenko. Tkachenko has been accused of

breaking election laws by campaigning on Russian television.

And the failure of the four to announce a single candidate,

as promised, has led to widespread speculation that the Kaniv

Four have splintered into a Kaniv Three, or even Two.

The candidates delayed announcing their choice several

times, saying they feared physical attacks on the chosen

candidate. Finally on 15 October, Moroz's team announced that

Tkachenko and Oliynyk would support Moroz, while Marchuk

would continue his own campaign independently. Moroz's

campaign manager said the Kaniv Four still intend to field a

single candidate and it is "70 percent likely" that Moroz

will be that candidate. The final announcement is expected

just days before the 31 October election.

Government media greeted the delays with derision.

Kuchma was widely quoted as calling the behavior of the group

"agonizing." He said the four candidates were "monsters" and

that Moroz was "losing face." The press speculated that the

announcement was delayed because the four have no strategy.

Mykola Tomenko, head of the Kyiv Institute of Politics,

told RFE/RL that he considers the delay in the announcement

of a single candidate to be a reasonable response to an

unstable situation. He said the decision of Oliynyk and

Tkachenko to resign their candidacies in support of Moroz is

significant: "It's the first serious step. I think if he

remains the only one of four it will be a more serious step

to a member of the Kaniv Four to have a claim on the

presidency."

Tomenko added that he thinks the group was wise not name

Moroz as their candidate at this juncture. The media have

been linking Moroz with the grenade attack two weeks ago

against Vitrenko, who split with Moroz's Socialist party

several years ago and now heads the more radical Progressive

Socialists.

Moroz has denied involvement and attempted to challenge

the negative media coverage. The parliament last week ordered

the state channel UT-1 to show Moroz defending himself

against the allegations. UT-1 did not comply with the

parliamentary order, which most commentators say has a

dubious basis in law.

Analyst Tomenko says the state media's criticism of the

Kaniv Four is an indication that Kuchma sees the alliance as

a serious threat. That is a line the candidates themselves

have taken. "I think this only confirms the weight of the

four. The official channel UT-1 and the program "Panorama"

[recently] devoted 15 minutes to criticizing the Kaniv Four

and 10 minutes to criticizing Oleksandr Moroz. It seems

possible to draw the conclusion that the authorities are

afraid of the Kaniv Four and afraid of Oleksandr Moroz as a

real candidate."

At a press conference on 18 October, the four candidates

said they plan to appeal to the Central Election Commission

to have Kuchma's candidacy annulled. They say he is unfairly

using his government power over the media to further his

campaign.

The author is an RFE/RL correspondent based in Kyiv.

19-10-99

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