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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 4, No. 37, 00-02-22Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>RFE/RL NEWSLINEVol. 4, No. 37, 22 February 2000CONTENTS[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[C] END NOTE
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA[01] ARMENIA APPEARS SET TO HAVE COALITION GOVERNMENTAt ameeting in Yerevan on 19 February, Armenian Prime Minister Aram Sargsian invited representatives of all eight political parties represented in the parliament to propose candidates for a coalition government, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported on 21 February. Vartan Ayvazian, leader of the Kayunutiun (Stability) parliamentary faction, told RFE/RL that the parties have accepted the invitation and will nominate their ministerial candidates "in the next few days." Sargsian and the eight parties also signed a joint statement pledging to work together to extricate Armenia from its present economic crisis. Noyan Tapan political commentator David Petrosian predicted last week that some ministries may be merged. He identified as possible victims of the reshuffle Finance Minister Armen Darpinian, Health Minister Hayk Nikoghossian, Social Security Minister Razmik Martirossian, and Energy Minister David Zadoyan. LF [02] AZERBAIJAN, TURKMENISTAN AT ODDS OVER GAS EXPORT PIPELINE...Speaking to journalists in Tbilisi on 21 February, GeorgianPresident Eduard Shevardnadze confirmed that "some problems" have arisen between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan over the use of the planned Trans-Caspian export gas pipeline, Russian agencies reported. Shevardnadze said the problems derived from the discovery last year of huge quantities of gas in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian. That discovery prompted Baku to demand 50 percent of the throughput capacity of the pipeline to export its own gas. Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov on 17 February said the Azerbaijani demand runs counter to Turkmenistan's interests and could render the entire project economically inexpedient, Interfax reported. According to a declaration of intent signed last November in Istanbul by Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Turkey, a framework agreement on the Trans-Caspian pipeline was to have been concluded in April 2000. LF [03] ...ENABLING RUSSIA TO MUSCLE INAlso on 17 February, Niyazovdeclared that Turkmenistan is ready to export 100 billion cubic meters of gas annually to Russia, according to Interfax. Two days later, Niyazov discussed that possibility with visiting Gazprom chief Rem Vyakhirev, with whom he signed an agreement in December on the resumption of exports of Turkmen natural gas via Russia (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 December 1999). Caucasus Press noted that Ashgabat will not be forced to renege on its previous agreement to export gas to Turkey, as Turkmen gas exported to Russia can be transported to Turkey through the Blue Stream pipeline across the Black Sea. Construction of that pipeline began earlier this month and is expected to be completed next year. LF [04] AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITION LEADER APPEALS ON BEHALF OF CHECHENSIn a 21 February appeal to world leaders, Musavat Partychairman Isa Gambar condemned the atrocities, humiliation, and "unbelievable brutality" inflicted on the Chechen civilian population by the Russian military. Gambar called on the international community and international human rights organizations to pressure the Russian government to halt the "massacres and genocide." LF [05] GEORGIAN OFFICIAL WELCOMES CHECHEN OFFER OF MILITARY HELP INABKHAZIATamaz Nadareishvili, who is chairman of the Abkhaz parliament in exile (composed of the ethnic Georgian deputies elected to the Abkhaz parliament in 1991), said on 21 February that he appreciates an alleged offer by unnamed Chechen militants to help Georgian guerrilla formations to return Abkhazia's southernmost Gali Raion to Georgian control by military means, Caucasus Press reported. But Nadareishvili stressed that the operation should be conducted by the country's armed forces, rather than by Georgian guerrillas. The Chechen offer, reportedly made by Chechen guerrillas already in Gali, was reported in "Alia" on 21 February. But Chechnya's official representative in Georgia, Khizri Aldamov, told Caucasus Press on 22 February that he does not know of any such Chechen detachment in Abkhazia. Aldamov said new hostilities in Abkhazia would not be "the best solution." LF [06] STALIN'S GRANDSON BARRED FROM GEORGIAN PRESIDENTIAL POLLYevgenii Djughashvili cannot contend the 9 April Georgianpresidential elections because he is a citizen of Russia, not of Georgia, Reuters reported on 21 February, quoting Georgian Central Electoral Commission Deputy Chairman Giorgi Zesashvili. LF [07] SIX PARTIES WIN REPRESENTATION IN NEW KYRGYZ PARLIAMENT...Six of the 11 Kyrgyz political parties and blocs contestingthe 20 February parliamentary elections surmounted the 5 percent barrier to win representation in the new legislature, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported on 21 February. They were the Communist Party (27 percent support), the pro-government Union of Democratic Forces (17 percent), the Women's Democratic Party (13 percent), the Party of War Veterans (9 percent), the pro-presidential "My Country" (5.7 percent), and the moderate opposition Ata-Meken (5.6 percent). Those parties will share the 15 seats (of a total of 60 in the lower house of parliament) to be allocated under the proportional system. The Agrarian party, the Agrarian-Labor Party, Asaba, the Erkin Kyrgyzstan party, and the Manas bloc each polled less than 5 percent. LF [08] ...BUT OVERALL RESULTS UNCLEARRunoff polls will be held on5 or 12 March in most single-mandate constituencies, including those contested by Ar-Namys party leader Feliks Kulov, El (Bei-Bechara) chairman Daniyar Usenov, and Democratic Movement of Kyrgyzstan Chairman Djypar Djeksheev, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported, citing the Central Electoral Commission. The very few candidates who won outright in the first round of voting include Turdakun Usubaliev, who was first secretary of the Kirghiz Communist Party Central Committee from 1961-1985, and Asankul Akaev, elder brother of Kyrgyzstan's President Askar Akaev. LF [09] HIGH-LEVEL KIDNAPPING, MORE SHOOTING IN TAJIKISTANTheyounger sister of Deputy Premier Nigina Sharopova was abducted on 21 February outside the Dushanbe hospital where she works, ITAR-TASS reported. Later the same day, two unidentified groups of armed men exchanged fire in central Dushanbe after the vehicles in which they were travelling collided near the presidential palace. Two passers-by were injured. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Khomidin Sharipov has ordered the country's entire police force confined to barracks until after the first round of parliamentary elections on 27 February. LF [B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE[10] KOSOVSKA MITROVICA REMAINS TENSEU.S. peacekeepers took uppositions on the bridge separating the mainly Serbian north and mainly Albanian south of the northern Kosova town on 22 February. The previous day, KFOR troops from several countries used tear gas to turn back up to 10,000 ethnic Albanians who tried to force their way across the bridge into the north (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 February 2000). KFOR's General Klaus Reinhardt said: "The key thing really was to prevent an escalation in which somebody fired on the other one. It would have been a disaster. My soldiers were very reasonable. They used just the amount of power needed and did not overreact." PM [11] ROBERTSON WARNS TROUBLE-MAKERSIn Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson called the clashes between peacekeepers and ethnic Albanians an "indefensible disgrace," BBC Television reported on 22 February. He warned that "anybody who seeks to be provocative in that part of the world, on whatever side of the divide they may be..., [should know that] we will not tolerate action being taken." A BBC commentator noted, however, that peacekeepers in Mitrovica are vastly outnumbered by Albanians and Serbs alike. PM [12] HOW DID ALBANIANS GET THROUGH?Observers note that a keyquestion remains as to how up to 75,000 ethnic Albanians arriving on 21 February from Prishtina and other parts of Kosova managed to get through or circumvent U.K. KFOR cordons erected to keep the protesters out of the center of town. A BBC correspondent said that many of the demonstrators came from the Drenica region, which is a stronghold of the former Kosova Liberation Army (UCK). He suggested that the UCK's Thaci hoped to use the demonstration to strengthen his own political hand at the expense of the shadow-state's Ibrahim Rugova. Several of Thaci's aides were "prominent" in the crowd, the reporter added. PM [13] HOLBROOKE, CLARK SLAM BELGRADE ROLE IN KOSOVA UNRESTU.S.Ambassador to the UN Richard Holbrooke said in New York on 21 February that "the situation in Mitrovica is dangerous and requires the immediate attention of all the countries concerned. I think there is no question who's responsible for it. It's Belgrade. The leadership in Belgrade is fomenting trouble north of the Mitrovica bridge. There's no question. The problem here comes from Belgrade" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 February 2000). Speaking with Kosova's Hashim Thaci and Macedonia's Arben Xhaferi in Tirana, NATO's Supreme Commander in Europe General Wesley Clark took a similar stand: "There is an influence by Belgrade in the area," AP reported. PM [14] WHAT IS BELGRADE DOING IN KOSOVA?An unnamed Yugoslav Armyofficer told Reuters in Belgrade on 21 February that "only regular and planned activities [by Serbian forces] are going on in the region." He did not elaborate The Yugoslav government said in a letter to the UN Security Council that U.S. and German KFOR troops had engaged in "unprovoked [and] arrogant behavior...against the [local] Serbs," AP reported. Unnamed NATO sources in Brussels told Reuters that four companies of Serbian paramilitary police recently moved into a region of Serbia just east of Kosova where up to 100,000 ethnic Albanians live (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 February 2000). In Brussels on 21 February, Robertson himself referred to "large numbers of additional Yugoslav troops [moving] into the area," but he did not elaborate. A BBC correspondent said in Mitrovica on 22 February that unnamed Serbs used mobile phones to "control" the crowd in mainly Serbian northern Mitrovica during the recent unrest. PM [15] HAGUE COURT TO ADD CHARGES AGAINST MILOSEVICA spokesman forthe Hague-based war crimes tribunal said on 21 February that the list of charges against Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic will be expanded, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. He did not elaborate. Referring to recent reports by an Athens-based radio station that China has offered Milosevic asylum, the spokesman stressed that no country can legally offer refuge to an indicted war criminal. PM [16] MONTENEGRO SLAMS BELGRADE'S 'WAR PROPAGANDA'MontenegrinDeputy Prime Minister Dragisa Burzan said that the new television station set up by Milosevic's backers in northern Montenegro is aimed at polarizing society in the runup to local elections, "Danas" reported on 22 February (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 February 2000). Burzan stressed that the setting up of the television station is part of a larger campaign that Belgrade is staging against Podgorica and in which economic measures also play a part. PM [17] CROATIAN CONSULATE OPENED IN MONTENGROFormer DubrovnikMayor Petar Poljanic officially opened the Croatian consulate in Kotor, Montenegro. The town is near the Croatian frontier and is home to most of Montenegro's 15,000-strong Croatian minority. Poljanic stressed, however, that he is interested in promoting good relations with all the people in Montenegro, "Slobodna Dalmacija" reported on 22 February. PM [18] MESIC NAMES MORE TOP ADVISERSCroatian President Stipe Mesicappointed several key aides on 21 February, "Jutarnji list" reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 February 2000). They include: military specialist Imre Agotic, chief of the president's office Damir Vargek, foreign affairs expert Stanko Nick, and economics advisor Stjepan Zdunic. Elsewhere, Mesic said that Croatia must reform and become a "safe" country in order to attract foreign investment. He stressed that the country's geographic location could help enable it to become an "economic and financial center in this part of Europe." PM [19] CONTINUITY AFTER ALL IN REPUBLIKA SRPSKA?Prime MinisterMilorad Dodik told a press conference in Banja Luka on 21 February that the governing coalition will continue its work, despite the announcement by Milosevic's Socialist allies that they are leaving the coalition (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 February 2000). He called on Socialist parliamentary speaker Petar Djokic to give up that office but added that he will not accept the resignations of four Socialist ministers. Dodik said that the most important thing for the Republika Srpska is to have a functioning government and avoid instability, "Vesti" reported. Dodik blamed Milosevic for the imbroglio. In Sarajevo, "Oslobodjenje" suggested that some Socialist politicians may have decided to remain loyal to the governing coalition. PM [20] NEW RULE AGAINST CORRUPTION IN BOSNIAThe OSCE's ProvisionalElection Commission has decided that anyone elected to municipal councils in April's elections cannot remain director or a member of the governing board of a company in which the government owns more than 25 percent of the capital. OSCE spokesmen said in Sarajevo on 21 February that the ruling is aimed at preventing elected officials from misusing their position to protect, discriminate in favor of, or extend patronage to companies in which they have a vested interest. The OSCE's Robert Barry noted that it is not unusual in Bosnia for elected officials to hold top positions in several corporations simultaneously. PM [21] ROMANIAN GOVERNMENT ATTEMPTS TO APPEASE STRIKING TEACHERSThe government on 21 February announced it will raiseteachers' salaries by 60 percent on 1 April and another 40 percent on 1 September, Romanian radio reported the next day. Arrears dating back to 1998 are also to be paid if the necessary funds can be found at a cabinet meeting scheduled for 24 February. The teachers are also to be paid a 13th monthly wage for 1999, as provided for in their collective contract. A spokesman for the striking teachers said the unions will examine the decision on 22 February. In response to a journalist's question as to whether he will withdraw his resignation, Education Minister Andrei Marga said he hopes to return to the Cluj Babes-Bolyai University, of which he is dean. MS [22] WILL ROMANIAN DEFENSE MINISTER ALSO RESIGN FROM GOVERNMENT?The Democratic Party on 21 February said it expects DefenseMinister Victor Babiuc to resign from the government following his resignation last week from the party. The Democrats urged Prime Minister Mugur Isarescu to dismiss him if he fails to resign from the cabinet. Citing "political sources," Romanian Television on 21 February said Babiuc continues to enjoy the trust and support of President Emil Constantinescu, who believes the defense minister has the necessary experience and international reputation to see through the process of reforming the army. Also on 21 February, the opposition Party of Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR) signed an agreement with Fratia, the largest trade union confederation, stipulating that union leaders will run on PDSR lists in the local and general elections. The PDSR is to consult the unions about its program, and the unions will support the party's electoral effort. MS [23] ROMANIAN 'HOLOCAUST MINIMIZERS' DEALT BLOWProfessor GeorgeVoicu on 21 February was elected dean of the Political Science Faculty of the Bucharest University. The author of an 1998 article criticizing "Holocaust minimization" on the part of Romanian intellectuals, Voicu was recently attacked in the Romanian press after his article was reprinted in the prestigious French journal "Les Temps Modernes." MS [24] BULGARIAN TELEVISION STARTS TURKISH PROGRAMBulgarian statetelevision on 20 February began broadcasting a 20-minute weekly program in Turkish, the BBC reported, citing the Turkish Anatolia agency. The program, which has Bulgarian subtitles, covers news, music, and features and is sponsored by the International Center for Cultural Cooperation and Minority Problems. The editor in charge of the program told Anatolia that for now it can be seen only in the Sofia region but that she expects it to draw a great deal of interest. MS [C] END NOTE[25] WHAT FUTURE FOR THE EAST-WEST CORRIDOR?By Fabian Schmidt"Koha Jone" reported on 6 February that the Albanian government has recently focused most of its efforts on building a north-south highway and has virtually stopped construction of the important east-west Corridor 8, which is to link the Adriatic port of Durres with Skopje and Istanbul via Bulgaria. The east-west route is of both economic and political importance. Development of a modern and reliable east-west highway would strengthen links between the countries involved and weaken their dependency on other routes. In the case of Macedonia, the north-south axis linking it to Serbia and Greece would no longer be so important and would give Macedonia better access to Italy and Bulgaria, thus reducing its dependency on the port of Thessaloniki and the highway through Serbia. "Koha Jone" stressed that the delay in the construction of Corridor 8 comes at a time when the Greek government has begun construction of a highway linking the Greek Adriatic port of Igoumenitsa with Thessaloniki and subsequently with Istanbul. Athens will receive some 450 million euros ($450 million) from the EU for the project. Interestingly, the Greek project is called "Via Egnatia," referring to the ancient road that once linked Thessaloniki with Durres and ran through an area that is now central Albania; this is the very route of Corridor 8. Francesco Divela, one of the organizers of the joint Tirana-Bari international trade fair, warned that the Greek road project will reduce the attractiveness of the Corridor 8 project by connecting the Adriatic with the largest Balkan port, namely Thessaloniki. (One could also add that the Greek project will not do much to increase east-west economic integration, given that the highway runs across only Greek territory and does not link Greece with any neighboring former communist countries.) "Koha Jone" also quoted Italian Trade Ministry and U.S. officials as criticizing Tirana for dragging its heels on the construction of Corridor 8. It added that unnamed officials at the Albanian Transport Ministry's Department of Road Construction indirectly admit that they are not pursuing the Corridor 8 project very vigorously. "We do not implement a policy of [planning] roads or corridors, but we deal with the construction of road segments that we are charged with building," they commented. But in practice, new contracts have been signed for parts of the major new north-south highway that will eventually link Montenegro and Greece. Shortly before leaving office last November, then Transportation Minister Gaqo Apostoli signed three contracts for parts of the highway that are worth a combined total of $50 million. "Koha Jone" argues that Albania has given priority to developing the north-south connection to economically strong Greece rather than to much poorer Macedonia. This puts Albania in a difficult position vis-a-vis its two EU neighbors. Italy is interested in developing markets to the east via Corridor 8 and intends to invest in the upgrading of the port in Durres. Greece, for its part, is afraid that it will lose some of the turnover at the Thessaloniki port through the construction of Corridor 8 and is thus promoting the construction of the north-south highway. As for Albania, Prime Minister Ilir Meta maintains that the government considers the two highways of equal importance. So far, construction of Corridor 8 has begun only between Tirana and Durres--in which stretch Italy has invested some $17 million--and between Rrogozhina and Elbasan, on which a Turkish company is currently working. For the section between Elbasan and Librazhd, Albania has so far received only financial pledges from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. For the stretch between Librazhd and Qukes, Albania has signed a $15 million contract with the Macedonian company Mavropi, but construction had to be interrupted because of archeological discoveries along the ancient Via Egnatia. The last part of the road--between Qukes and Qafe Thane- -will be constructed with support from Kuwait, but the Albanian government has not yet set a date for beginning work there. Currently, there appears to be deadlock over the beginning of construction between Durres and Rrogozhina. A Greek company won the tender and was supposed to have begun work by 19 January 2000. However, the company failed to meet that deadline and is accusing the Albanian government of causing the delay by failing to nationalize the property on which the road will be built. The Agricultural Ministry, which is responsible for such action, has done nothing. The World Bank, meanwhile, has drawn up a project for the reconstruction of existing roads crossing the east, west, and north of the country. The bank has granted a loan worth $66 million, but the government has so far made use of only $7.7 million. The project provides for the construction of 90 kilometers of road, 60 kilometers of which would form part of Corridor 8, while another 30 kilometers would be part of the north-south highway, linking Fushe Kruja with Lezha. Finally, "Koha Jone" also reported that some of the work on the north-south highway has been marred by "irregularities" and the use of shoddy construction materials. In short, the day that Albania has a viable road network linking north and south, and east and west--with all the political and economic advantages that implies--is still a long way off. 22-02-00 Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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