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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 4, No. 116, 00-06-15Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>RFE/RL NEWSLINEVol. 4, No. 116, 15 June 2000CONTENTS[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[C] END NOTE
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA[01] ARMENIA, NATO DISCUSS COOPERATIONArmenian Foreign MinisterVartan Oskanian met in Brussels on 13 June with NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson, whom he briefed on the current stage of talks aimed at resolving the Karabakh conflict, according to Armenpress, cited by Groong. Oskanian stressed that the presidents of both Armenia and Azerbaijan have reconfirmed their commitment to a compromise settlement of that conflict. Robertson greeted Armenia's aspiration to intensify its cooperation with NATO within the Partnership for Peace program. Doing so, he said, will promote peace and stability in the region. LF [02] COMMISSION ESTIMATES LOSSES FROM ENERGY THEFTS IN ARMENIAThe ad hoc Armenian multiparty parliamentary commissionclaimed on 13 June that fraud, inefficiency and mismanagement in the energy sector since1992 has cost Armenia about $200 million in total losses, which is equal to 40 percent of the budget for this year, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported the following day. The commission's 37-page report alleges that 305,000 tons of fuel oil worth $25 million never reached Armenia between 1992 and 1995 and that the 224,000 tones of fuel oil imported in 1993 and 1994 cost the Ministry of Energy $11 million and not $29 million, as reported by official statistics. President Levon Ter-Petrossian's administration is also accused of "abusing" $12 million from a $60 million energy loan extended by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The commission calls for a criminal investigation into its findings, which its head, Davit Lokian, says do not give a complete picture of the total abuses. LF [03] RUSSIA, AZERBAIJAN FOCUS ON SECURITY ISSUESRussian SecurityCouncil Secretary Sergei Ivanov held talks in Baku on 14 June with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ramiz Mekhtiev, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Vilayet Guliev, and President Heidar Aliev, Turan and Russian agencies reported. Ivanov and Mekhtiev signed a joint protocol on coordinating measures to combat terrorism, organized crime, and drug-smuggling, which Ivanov described as "an important step" toward developing bilateral cooperation. It is not known whether the two men also discussed the disaffected Lezghin minority, whose historical homeland is divided by the Azerbaijani-Russian frontier. Turan had reported on 13 June that the Lezghin separatist organization Sadval is planning a congress in Makhachkala on 14 June. Aliev assured Ivanov that "there are no unresolved issues" between Azerbaijan and Russia, according to Interfax. On 12 June, Aliev had said Russia "can and must" promote a solution to the Karabakh conflict. LF [04] AZERBAIJAN, ROMANIA DISCUSS OIL TRANSPORTATIONMeeting on 14June in Baku with visiting Romanian Senate Foreign Policy Committee Chairman Georgiu Presecaru, President Aliev said that during his upcoming visit to Romania, "specific decisions" will be taken on the export of some Azerbaijani oil via that country, Interfax reported. In a meeting the same day with Rza Ibadov, who chairs the Azerbaijani parliamentary commission for foreign policy, Presecaru said that such exports via the Baku-Supsa pipeline and by tanker to Constanta would supplement, rather than compete with, the planned Baku-Ceyhan oil export pipeline, according to Turan. Presecaru also expressed Romania's interest in expanding bilateral economic cooperation with Azerbaijan and promised support for Baku's bid for full membership in the Council of Europe. LF [05] RUSSIA WARNS GEORGIA OVER DIVISION OF MILITARY ASSETSColonel General Leonid Ivashov, who heads the Russian DefenseMinistry's Department for International Military Cooperation, said in Moscow on 14 June that any Georgian demands for equipment currently deployed on Russia's military bases in Georgia will be rejected, Caucasus Press and ITAR-TASS reported. Two of those four bases are to be closed by mid- 2001. Ivashov said that the assets of the former Soviet military were equitably divided following the demise of the USSR and that Georgia received its rightful share. The chairman of the Georgian parliament's Defense and Security Committee, Revaz Adamia, said earlier this month that Tbilisi will demand $10 billion compensation for weaponry withdrawn from Georgia during the early 1990s, including two submarines and military aircraft. LF [06] RUSSIAN BORDER GUARDS FORTIFY OCCUPIED GEORGIAN VILLAGERussian border guards who three months ago occupied theGeorgian village of Pichvini and evicted residents from their homes are erecting fortifications there, Caucasus Press reported on 15 June. The village is located on a disputed sector of the Russian-Georgian border and commands mountain paths leading to Chechnya. The local Georgian population are reportedly angered that the Georgian leadership declined to challenge the Russian action for fear of creating further tensions in bilateral relations. LF [07] CENTRAL ASIAN UNION PLANS TO DEVELOP ALONG LINES OF EC...Attheir 14 June summit in Dushanbe, the presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan signed an agreement charting plans for creating a common economic space by 2002 and for further economic integration between their countries between now and 2005, Interfax reported. Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev characterized that document as "the first step toward the formation of a common labor and capital market." Akaev said that plans for integration comprise four stages: the creation of a free trade zone, the setting up of a Customs Union, the formation of a payments and monetary union, and the establishment of a common labor and capital market. The four presidents unanimously elected Tajikistan's Imomali Rakhmonov to succeed Akaev as chairman of the Union's Inter-State Council. LF [08] ...ADOPTS APPEAL ON AFGHANISTANAt Tajikistan's request, thefour presidents adopted an appeal to the UN Security Council, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and the OSCE to devote more attention to the situation in Afghanistan, Interfax and RFE/RL' s Kyrgyz Service reported. Uzbek President Islam Karimov explained that "the creeping expansion of religious extremism and international terrorism" originating in Afghanistan poses a threat to the countries of Central Asia. He expressed regret that all UN initiatives on Afghanistan to date have proved fruitless. The four presidents also appealed to the international community for financial aid to resolve the ecological problems posed to the region by Tajikistan's Lake Sarez. LF [09] KAZAKHSTAN'S PARLIAMENT FAILS TO RATIFY AGREEMENT ON TESTINGRANGESThe lower house of the Kazakh parliament on 14 June postponed ratification of bilateral agreements, signed in 1995, allowing Russia to use military ranges on Kazakh territory for testing anti-missile and anti-aircraft equipment, ITAR-TASS reported. Deputies called for the creation of a commission to study the agreements, under which Kazakhstan will receive $27.5 million annually for the use of those facilities. President Nursultan Nazarbaev will discuss the use of those bases and other aspects of bilateral defense cooperation during his visit to Moscow next week, Defense Minister General Sat Tokpakbaev told parliamentary deputies on 14 June. Tokpakbaev also admitted that the Kazakh leadership does not have a full inventory of all armaments the country possesses, Reuters reported. LF [10] MILITARY COURT TAKES OVER CASE AGAINST KYRGYZ OPPOSITIONPOLITICIANLyubov Ivanova, one of two lawyers for detained Ar-Namys party chairman Feliks Kulov, told RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau on 14 June that his case was transferred to the Kyrgyz Military Court the previous day. Kulov was arrested in late March, but no date has been set for his trial on charges of abusing his official position as minister of security from 1996-1998 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 23 March 2000). Meanwhile Kulov's second lawyer, Nina Zotova, has been ordered to vacate the office premises she rents from the Federation of Kyrgyz Trade Unions. She has received no response to repeated appeals to the district court on Kara Buura to declare invalid the official results of the 12 March parliamentary runoff, according to which Kulov lost that vote (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 and 15 March 2000). LF [B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE[11] YUGOSLAV MILITARY COURT CHARGES JOURNALIST WITH ESPIONAGEAspokesman for the military court in Nis said on 14 June that journalist Miroslav Filipovic is charged with the "criminal act of espionage in conjunction with spreading false information" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 15 May 2000). The court must soon launch proceedings against the journalist and decide whether Filipovic should be in prison until the trial begins. The London-based Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), which published many of Filipovic's articles, said in a statement that "Miroslav's only 'crime' has been to pursue serious reporting at the highest level. He has shown unique courage in covering topics at the heart of Yugoslav politics. IWPR calls on the Yugoslav authorities to respect the rule of law and behave according to international norms and standards." PM [12] BERISHA BLAMES KOSOVAR POLITICANS FOR TRAVEL BANAlbanianDemocratic Party leader Sali Berisha said in Tirana on 14 June that some Kosovar "factions" close to the UN civilian administration in Kosova are responsible for the decision of Bernard Kouchner, who heads that administration, to ban Berisha from visiting Kosova (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 June 2000). Berisha added: "I know Mr. Kouchner and I respect him for a lot of things he has done. But I was really surprised about the arbitrary decision of barring me from visiting Kosova." The former Albanian president criticized unnamed Kosovar political "factions inside the UN administration who smuggle weapons into Kosova with the help of Tirana government." Berisha added that such politicians espouse a "primitive nationalism." The reference is presumably to Hashim Thaci and General Agim Ceku, both of the former Kosova Liberation Army. Kouchner's spokeswoman said in Prishtina that "the situation is tense and Berisha's arrival could make the situation more tense. Berisha could be in danger." She did not elaborate. Reuters reported that Berisha's opposition to the 1999 Rambouillet Agreement could be a reason for the ban. PM [13] NO POWER FOR KOUCHNERThe Kosova Electric Company on 14 Junecut the power to Kouchner's house due to unpaid bills. The bill was soon paid and the power restored. Company spokesman Fadil Lepaja said that the ethnic Albanian from whom Kouchner rents the house was "most probably" at fault for the lack of payment. Lepaja added that "we still consider Mr. Kouchner to be one of the most honorable citizens of Kosova," AP reported. PM [14] YUGOSLAV MANEUVERS IN MONTENEGROSome 20 armed vehiclesbelonging to the military police passed twice through Tuzi, near the Albanian-Montenegrin frontier, on 14 June. The exercise caused "disquiet among the local mainly ethnic Albanian population," RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. The Yugoslav army had previously announced that maneuvers would take place following the 11 June local elections. PM [15] MONTENEGRO'S MILOSEVIC BACKERS KEEP LEADERThe steeringcommittee of the Podgorica branch of the Socialist People's Party (SNP) unanimously agreed to reject the resignation of Predrag Bulatovic as party leader, "Vesti" reported on 15 June (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 June 2000). Bulatovic offered to resign following the defeat in the local elections of the Yugoslavia coalition, to which the SNP belongs. The steering committee said in a statement that despite the coalition's defeat, the SNP will be the strongest single party in the new city council. PM [16] PLAVSIC WINS FIGHT FOR PARTY NAMEA court in Banja Lukaruled that Biljana Plavsic and her supporters retain the legal right to use the name Serbian National Alliance (SNS), "Vesti" reported on 15 June (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 5 June 2000). The court thereby ruled invalid her ouster in a vote at the party congress on 3 June. Her leading opponent, Dragan Kostic, charged that the court ruling came as a result of political pressure from the authorities of the Republika Srpska. Kostic and his allies, who include SNS leader Jovan Mitrovic, will soon found their own party. Plavsic hailed the court's decision. She added that she "thanked the surgeon Dragan Kostic for removing with his surgeon's knife parts of the SNS that were of no use." PM [17] ABDIC TO RUN FOR BOSNIAN PRESIDENCY?The Democratic People'sUnion (DNZ) announced that it will nominate Fikret Abdic, who founded the party, to replace Alija Izetbegovic for the Muslim seat on the joint presidency (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 7 June 2000), "Vesti" reported on 15 June. It is not clear whether Abdic, whom Izetbegovic's government has declared a war criminal, is legally entitled to run for office. Prior to the 1992-1995 war, he was Izetbegovic's only serious rival for popularity among Bosnia's Muslims. During the war, he promoted the interests of his power-base in the Bihac area at the expense of the interests of the authorities in Sarajevo. He also collaborated with both Serbian and Croatian forces. The Sarajevo government subsequently declared him a war criminal. Abdic is believed to be living in Croatia. PM [18] BOSNIAN MINISTER DISAPPOINTED IN STABILITY PACTForeignMinister Jadranko Prlic said in Sarajevo on 14 June that the Bosnian authorities are disappointed with the results of the EU's Balkan Stability Pact, Reuters reported. He suggested that many donors have not made good on their pledges and that the Pact's own bureaucracy has slowed matters down. He called for a greater role for countries from the region in coordinating projects. The Stability Pact acts as a clearing house for projects in order to prevent waste and duplication of effort and to identify projects most worthy of support. PM [19] SLOVENIAN MILITARY INVESTIGATES SECURITY LEAKThe DefenseMinistry said in a statement in Ljubljana on 14 June that it has launched an investigation to find out who recently leaked a document to the Maribor daily "Vecer" regarding cooperation between the Intelligence Security Agency (OVS) and the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). The statement did not deny the substance of the report in "Vecer," which wrote that the DIA and OVS are jointly studying the political situation in Serbia. The two agencies are particularly interested in the former general and current opposition politician Vuk Obradovic, AP reported. The U.S. embassy had no comment on the report. "Vecer" and the reporter who wrote the story are cooperating with the police investigation. President Milan Kucan said, however, that time has come to "question the purpose" of the OVS, which "has been implicated in various scandals and is undermining the credibility of the country." PM [20] CROATIA ISSUES WARRANT FOR TYCOONThe Interior Ministry on14 June put out an international arrest warrant for Josip Gucic and his son Zvonimir, who are suspected of embezzling about $24 million in dubious business transactions in recent years. The elder Gucic is believed to be in Germany, where he was allegedly undergoing medical treatment. This is the latest in a series of investigations into the affairs of leading businessmen who were close to the regime of the late President Franjo Tudjman. PM [21] RACAN PLEDGES ANTI-FASCIST LAWCroatian Prime Minister IvicaRacan said in Zagreb on 14 June that his government will soon submit to the parliament a bill on "prohibiting the propagation and use of fascist symbols." The move comes in the wake of a recent gathering of far-right supporters to honor a World War II fascist leader (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12 June 2000). PM [22] CROATIAN GOVERNMENT RECLASSIFIES 'INVALIDS'The governmenton 14 June published the names of several generals and many reserve officers whom it claims falsely were classified as war invalids and thereby entitled to special pensions and privileges. Many of the men were close to the Tudjman leadership. Former commander Branimir Glavas said that he does not recognize the legitimacy of the move, "Jutarnji list" reported. General Ivan Tolj, who also lost his invalid's status, said that he will start court proceedings against the government. Other top officers affected include Ante Budimir, Zivko Budimir, Mate Lausic, Mile Cuk, and Matko Kakrigi. PM [23] ROMANIA'S SECURITATE FILES COUNCIL SUSPENDS ACTIVITY INPROTESTThe College of the National Council for the Study of the Securitate Files Archives on 14 June said it is "temporarily suspending" its activities to protest the fact that the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI), where most of the files of the former secret police are deposited, is not cooperating with the council in good faith, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. College member Mircea Dinescu said the SRI is still using some Securitate informers and does not want their identify to be revealed. Gheorghe Oniosoru, who chairs the council, said access to the files must not be hindered or made conditional. The SRI has denied the accusations. President Emil Constantinescu, meanwhile, convened a meeting on 15 June between Oniosoru and SRI chief Costin Georgescu to mediate the conflict. MS [24] HEAD OF ROMANIAN NATIONAL OIL COMPANY DETAINEDPolice on 14June detained for questioning Ion Popa, manager of the National Oil Company Petrom, who is suspected of having signed a contract for diesel oil deliveries worth some $1.4 million to two local firms without requesting bank guarantees. Under existing rules, state-run companies must ask for collateral when payment is not made on delivery, Reuters reported. MS [25] EUROPEAN COMMISSION SAYS ROMANIAN OFFICIALS STOLE CHILDREN'SAIDRepresentatives from the European Commission said in Bucharest on 14 June that Romanian officials stole aid sent for malnourished children, including stocks of honey, biscuits and chocolate, Reuters reported. They said they found many children still suffering from malnutrition at a center in Bucharest that had received in November enough aid to last for nine months. Solving the problem of homeless and mistreated children is one of the conditions set by the EU for Romania's accession to the union. MS [26] SLOVAK PREMIER IN BULGARIAThe premiers of Bulgaria andSlovakia on 14 June said their countries wish to coordinate efforts in the quest to join the EU and NATO, BTA and TASR reported. Ivan Kostov and Mikulas Dzurinda also stressed the importance of resuming navigation on the River Danube, which is now hindered by the ruins of bridges destroyed during on NATO air raids on Yugoslavia last year. Kostov said Slovak businessmen must participate in the opportunities offered by the Balkan Stability Pact, mentioning in this connection the planned new bridge over the Danube linking Bulgaria and Romania. Dzurinda was also received by President Petar Stoyanov. MS [27] BULGARIAN TOWN AGAIN POLLUTED BY ROMANIAThe River Danubetown of Nikopol has again been polluted by ammonia gas from the Turnu Magurele chemical plant, on the Romanian side of the river. Concentrations were 3.7 times above standard norms, AP reported, quoting an Environment Ministry official. MS [C] END NOTE[28] WILL LUKASHENKA OUTPLAY THE OPPOSITION ONCE AGAIN?By Jan MaksymiukOn 24 November 1996, a constitutional referendum initiated by President Alyaksandr Lukashenka took place in Belarus. Lukashenka submitted to popular vote a radically rewritten constitution broadly expanding his powers at the expense of those of the legislative branch. The new basic law abolished the country's former parliament--the 260-seat Supreme Soviet--and introduced a bicameral legislature consisting of a 110-seat Chamber of Representatives (the lower house) and a 64-seat Council of the Republic (the upper house). This legislature has been deprived not only of the possibility to effectively act as a check on the government but also of the right to draw up its own budget. The 1996 plebiscite took place amid egregious violations of constitutional norms and procedures, and its results are widely believed to have been rigged. Before the referendum, the opposition in the Supreme Soviet had initiated procedures for impeaching Lukashenka, and his days in office appeared to be numbered. What saved him at the very last moment was a "conciliatory mission" undertaken by Moscow. A group of top officials led by then Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin arrived in Minsk and persuaded the opposition not to impeach Lukashenka in exchange for the Belarusian president's pledge that the referendum would be of a consultative nature only. The opposition and Lukashenka struck a deal to that effect, but following the referendum, which overwhelmingly endorsed the new constitution, Lukashenka enforced the results of the vote by decree. The new constitution prolonged Lukashenka's term in office for two another years, until 2001. Since the 1996 referendum, Lukashenka has consolidated his power and turned Belarus, as the U.S. Congress's 3 May 2000 resolution put it, into "an authoritarian police state where human rights are routinely violated." With Moscow's political and economic support, he has appeared to ignore Western criticism. But while he has managed to marginalize the opposition at home, he has failed to undermine the oppositionists' standing abroad. This fall, Belarus will hold elections to the Chamber of Representatives, a body that in the past four years has turned the concept of Belarusian parliamentarism into a caricature. Since last fall, the Belarusian opposition has been trying--with the help of the OSCE and other European organizations--to organize a dialogue with the authorities in order to hold fair, democratic parliamentary elections and overcome the country's international isolation. The OSCE says it will recognize the Belarusian ballot only if the authorities amend the country's electoral code, give the opposition access to the state-controlled media, expand the powers of the current legislature, and stop political persecution. Following Vladimir Putin's election as Russian president, Lukashenka's political position has dramatically weakened. As long as the politically--and physically--feeble Boris Yeltsin remained in power, Lukashenka could harbor hopes to continue to push his integration policies ahead and eventually succeed Yeltsin as head of a Belarusian-Russian unified state. Following Putin's installation in the Kremlin, however, such a turn of events seems unlikely. Now the most pressing issue confronting Lukashenka appears to be how to keep power in Minsk and avoid the incorporation of Belarus into the Russian Federation as the latter's 90th subject. Holding free and fair elections in Belarus could give Lukashenka the democratic mandate that he so obviously lacks, as well as improve his political position both at home and abroad. It is likely that these considerations have forced Lukashenka to launch a so-called "sociopolitical dialogue" in Belarus. Two months ago, the authorities brought together some 100 public associations and organizations in a bid to present the gathering to the OSCE as a forum for discussing the upcoming elections. The Belarusian opposition, however, refused to participate in that forum, which it says lacks the leverage to change Belarus's legislation and is only Lukashenka's attempt at outplaying the opposition (and the international community) once again. So far, the OSCE Minsk mission appears to have abided by the position defined by the OSCE Istanbul summit in November 1999: The constitutional crisis in Belarus can be overcome only by a "significant dialogue" that will lead to free, democratic elections. The current "sociopolitical dialogue" by no means corresponds to that definition, even though Lukashenka has promised to take the legislative initiative and submit to the Chamber of Representatives some amendments to the electoral code. At the same time, he appears willing neither to discuss the expansion of powers of the current legislature nor give the opposition access to the media he controls. As a result, his declared intention to hold transparent and democratic elections sounds like an empty promise. By August at the latest, the OSCE is expected to make a decision on whether to send observers to Belarus's elections this fall. Sending observers to elections will not automatically mean that the OSCE recognizes the ballot as democratic. But such a step usually indicates that there are prerequisites for holding democratic elections. In Belarus, no such prerequisites have been in evidence. Nor is there any real chance that in the next two months Lukashenka will take radical steps to comply with the OSCE demands. As a result, it would seem that the OSCE decision on whether to send its observers to Belarus is a foregone conclusion. However, given Lukashenka's talent for political maneuvering, it cannot be ruled out that he will outplay the opposition once again--this time with the OSCE performing a "conciliatory mission" in Belarus. 15-06-00 Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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