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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 5, No. 35, 01-02-20Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>RFE/RL NEWSLINEVol. 5, No. 35, 20 February 2001CONTENTS[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[C] END NOTE
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA[01] ARMENIA REJECTS TURKISH OFFER OFKARABAKH MEDIATIONThe Armenian Foreign Ministry on 19 February rejected Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem's 17 February proposal that Turkey host talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan on resolving the Karabakh conflict, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 February 2001). Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Dziunik Aghajanian said that Turkey cannot act as a mediator because of its "explicitly one-sided position" favoring Azerbaijan. She also pointed to the absence of diplomatic relations between Ankara and Yerevan as a further obstacle to such talks. LF [02] ARMENIAN PREMIER'S PARTY SECURESPARLIAMENT COMMITTEE CHAIRAfter intensive lobbying by senior members of the Republican Party of Armenia (HHK), its candidate, Gagik Minasian, was elected on 19 February to head the parliament's Finance and Economy Committee, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. Minasian, who is close to Prime Minister Andranik Markarian, garnered 63 votes compared with 42 for rival Vahram Baghdasarian. In the previous vote on 7 February, Baghdasarian, also a member of the majority Miasnutiun bloc, received 54 votes and Minasian 42. Minasian's appointment is a badly-needed victory for the HHK which has been weakened by the recent defection of several of its most prominent members (see "RFE/RL Caucasus Report," Vol. 4, No. 6, 9 February 2001). LF[03] ARMENIAN TRADERS STAGE STREET PROTESTSome 10,000 street traders marched to the Armenianparliament building in Yerevan on 19 February to protest a government ruling requiring them to introduce cash registers as of 21 February in a bid to stamp out tax evasion, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. The traders, who are supported by the Orinats Yerkir parliament faction, have demanded an emergency debate on the issue. The introduction of cash registers was originally scheduled for last fall but postponed after protests. The traders oppose any change to the present arrangement under which they pay tax at a fixed rate determined by the size and location of their market stalls. LF [04] AZERBAIJANI POLICE BATTLE WAR INVALIDS...Some 20 police were injured on 19 February in streetfighting in Baku with some 500 members of the Society of Karabakh War Invalids, Reuters and AFP reported quoting Azerbaijani Interior Ministry officials. Hundreds of invalids and their supporters had staged several short marches in the city during the day and blocked traffic on main streets, but returned each time after 20 minutes to the society's headquarters. Police did not attempt to disperse those marches, but clashed with the invalids in the late afternoon as the latter were converging on the venue for a planned rally. Police beat seven of the invalids. Presidential administration official Ali Hasanov earlier on 19 February accused the invalids of breaking the law. On 20 February, some 500 police surrounded the invalids' Baku headquarters, and other police detachments used force to disperse a large group of invalids and their mothers, detaining or beating dozens of people, Turan reported. LF [05] ...AS BAKU MAYOR OFFERS THEM JOBSHajibalaAbutalibov, who was appointed mayor of Baku last month (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 1 February 2001), has launched a crackdown against illegal trade in the capital, but at the same time has reserved 10,000 vacancies in legal retail stores for Karabakh war invalids, other veterans, and their family members, Turan reported on 20 February. LF [06] AZERBAIJANI TV LAUNCHES ITS VERSION OF[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE[07] HAGUE'S DEL PONTE CALLS FOR 'CONCRETESIGN'Carla Del Ponte, who is the chief prosecutor of the Hague-based war crimes tribunal, followed up her recent criticism of Belgrade's lack of cooperation with the court by calling on the Serbian authorities to "transfer" General Ratko Mladic or other unnamed Bosnian Serbs to the tribunal, even if Belgrade is not prepared to quickly extradite former President Slobodan Milosevic (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 February 2001). Speaking in Brussels on 19 February, Del Ponte stressed that "no political expediency, no fear of destabilizing Serbia should allow a reprieve to the transfer of such persons to The Hague. On the contrary, Serbia and the deepening of its democratization process will only benefit," Reuters reported. PM [08] WILL EU HELP CONVINCE SERBIA OF NEED TOCOOPERATE?In Brussels on 19 February, Del Ponte also appealed to EU Commission President Romano Prodi, EU foreign and security policy chief Javier Solana, and NATO Secretary-General George Robertson to encourage Belgrade to work with The Hague, Reuters reported. Solana promised to write EU foreign ministers about her concerns. Prodi agreed with her that it is time for Belgrade to show a concrete sign that it is willing to cooperate, the "Neue Zuercher Zeitung" reported. Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica recently cited remarks by Prodi and EU Stabilization Pact chief Bodo Hombach, as well as by unnamed U.S. officials, to the effect that it is not necessary for Belgrade to cooperate with The Hague (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 February 2001). U.S. President George W. Bush and Congress are to rule by 31 March whether Belgrade is cooperating sufficiently to receive an additional $100 million in U.S. aid. PM [09] SERBIAN LEGAL MEASURES ON HAGUE COULDTAKE 'MONTHS'In her remarks in Brussels on 19 February, Del Ponte noted that other Yugoslav republics, including Croatia and Montenegro, are cooperating admirably with the court, the "Neue Zuercher Zeitung" reported. In Podgorica, Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic stressed the importance of his republic's work with the tribunal, "Pobjeda" reported. But in Belgrade, Yugoslav Justice Minister Momcilo Grubac said that it might take "several months" for legislation on cooperating with the court to be drafted, sent to the parliament, and passed (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 13 February 2001). He noted that the new laws might actually require Milosevic and others to be tried in Serbia before they could be sent abroad, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. Serbian Justice Minister Vladan Batic noted that the new legislation might not be what The Hague wants. "I'm not optimistic, since not all members of the federal government want to pass the law on cooperation with The Hague Tribunal," AP quoted Batic as saying. PM [10] SERBIA SEEKING TO PROD NATO INTO KOSOVACRACKDOWN?Kostunica has telephoned Bush to urge the holding of a special session of the UN Security Council to discuss recent violence in Kosova and the Presevo Valley, the BBC Serbian Service reported on 20 February (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 February 2001). (The Milosevic regime also frequently called for Security Council meetings in response to violence in Kosova.) Yugoslav Interior Minister Zoran Zivkovic said in Belgrade that NATO could be more tough with the unnamed people responsible for the violence, but that the alliance is "afraid that the Albanian terrorists will perceive them as adversaries," the "Financial Times" reported. NATO's position is that it is doing what it can and that the parties directly concerned must solve their problems in negotiations. In December, Predrag Simic, who is Kostunica's foreign policy adviser, wrote two articles in the weekly "NIN" in which he outlined plans for how Belgrade could re-establish its authority in Kosova with the cooperation of the international community. PM [11] WHO OR WHAT IS BEHIND LATEST VIOLENCE INKOSOVA, PRESEVO?Unnamed "NATO sources" told Reuters on 19 February that there has been an increase in coordinated attacks on Serbs in Kosova since the new government took office in Belgrade in October, the agency reported from the Serbian capital. The sources added that "the Presevo and Kosovo extremists have overlapping agendas but not necessarily the same." Other Western sources have identified as many as three different Albanian groups operating in southwestern Serbia (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 February 2001). PM [12] PRESEVO FIGHTERS SAY SERBIAN POLICE KILLEDBY OWN MINESIn Lucane, commander Shefket Musliu of the Liberation Army of Presevo, Medvedja, and Bujanovac (UCPMB) said on 19 February that Serbian forces killed an Albanian commander recently in response to the death of three Serbian police in an explosion. Senior commander Sami Azemi denied that the UCPMB had anything to do with either that explosion or the one that destroyed a bus near Podujevo recently. Azemi condemned both attacks against Serbs, AP reported. On 20 February, "Koha Ditore" carried a statement by commander Vullnet Ibishi, saying that "the Serbian policemen ran into mines they had planted themselves. The incident occurred 500 meters behind Serbian positions where it was impossible for us to enter," Reuters reported. He added that the recent violence undermined attempts at a negotiated solution, "which we have favored from the beginning." PM [13] MACEDONIAN PRIME MINISTER BACKS SERBIA INPRESEVOLjubco Georgievski said in Belgrade on 19 February that he supports Serbia's new plan to stabilize Presevo, AP reported (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 16 February 2001). He added that he opposes unnamed "extremist forces without political support who want to jeopardize peace in the whole region." Georgievski said that the violence must stop if essential foreign investment is to flow into the region. PM [14] PROTECTION OF MINORITIES: KFOR'S NEW GOALNorwegian General Thorstein Skiaker, who will takeover command of KFOR on 6 April, said in Copenhagen on 19 February that "to establish safe and secure conditions for all ethnic groups in Kosovo is today the absolutely most important but also the most difficult task," AP reported. He added that KFOR's "assignment looks different today with the new [government] in Belgrade... The chances of having to defend Kosovo from an attack from the outside are now very [few]," he added. "From what I have learned from military reports, KFOR has roughly the strength needed to solve its problems," Skiaker noted. PM [15] STRIKE AT SERBIAN TELECOMAn unspecifiednumber of workers at Serbian Telecom went on strike on 19 February to demand payment of outstanding wages, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. Postal workers staged a sympathy strike. In related news, Italian authorities in Turin are investigating the possibility that Italian Telecom paid large sums in kickbacks in conjunction with its acquisition of shares in its Serbian counterpart in 1997, "Pobjeda" reported on 20 February, citing "La Repubblica." PM [16] MONTENEGRIN PARLIAMENT PASSES LAW ONREFERENDUMOn 19 February, the legislature passed a measure stating that voting in the upcoming referendum on independence is open to all Montenegrin citizens who have lived in the republic for at least two years, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. The measure will pass if a simple majority of those voting approve it. Legislators from the opposition Socialist People's Party (SNP) and the People's Party walked out to protest the decision. They want the referendum to be approved only if a majority of registered voters cast their ballots for it. The SNP also wants voting open to Montenegrins living in Serbia. Recent polls show a clear majority of Montenegrins favoring independence. PM [17] ANTI-NATIONALIST PROTEST IN CROATIAUp to10,000 persons gathered in Zagreb on 19 February for a rally with the themes "My Vote For Justice" and "One Hour For A State Based On The Rule Of Law." The demonstration was in support of the government's cooperation with The Hague and its willingness to bring all war criminals to trial, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12 February 2001). PM [18] SLOVENES RIDICULE AUSTRIAN 'HABSBURG'PROPOSALThe Ljubljana daily "Delo" has criticized a recent Austrian proposal to establish a Central European Strategic Partnership, starting with a conference of regional foreign ministers, "Die Presse" reported on 20 February (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 February 2001). The Slovenian daily suggested that Austria's motives are selfish and economic rather than beneficent and political. "Delo" charged that Austrian politicians have behaved arrogantly toward their eastern neighbors since that country joined the EU and noted that Carinthian Governor Joerg Haider has frequently tried to bully Slovenia. PM [19] IMPRISONED ROMANIAN MINERS' LEADER MAKESDEATH THREATMiron Cozma, who was sentenced in February 1999 to 18 years in prison for his role in the riots that brought down the government headed by Petre Roman in September 1991, on 19 February threatened political scientist Stelian Tanase with death. Tanase told "RFE/RL Newsline" on 20 February that the call was placed from the prison where Cozma is serving his sentence. Tanase said Cozma had apparently interpreted a remark made in a television program hosted by Tanase as being directed against efforts of his supporters to bring about the reversal of the sentence. Tanase says the remarks were triggered by such dubious recent judicial decisions as that of suspending the sentences passed against generals Victor Stanculescu and Mihai Chitac. He has launched a criminal complaint with the police and the Prosecutor-General's Office. MS [20] ROMANIAN OFFICERS CONVICTED FOR KILLINGSDURING 1989 REVOLUTIONThe Supreme Court of Justice on 19 February convicted two generals and a captain of "negligent manslaughter" in connection with the death of 50 conscripts at the Bucharest Otopeni airport during the 1989 revolution, AP reported. On 22 December 1989, the unit defending the airport opened fire on another unit that had responded to its call for reinforcements. The court ruled that General Dumitru Draghin, former commander of the airport defense forces, and General Grigore Ghita, head of airport security forces, should have ensured that the two units were aware of each other's position, and sentenced them to eight and six years, respectively. Captain Ionel Zorila was sentenced to four years on similar charges. The court ruled that the defense and interior ministries must pay 37.5 billion lei ($1.3 million) in compensation to relatives of the deceased. MS [21] ROMANIAN SENATE REJECTS MOTION TO DEBATEMINORITY-FRIENDLY LAWWith a vote of 81 against, one for, and one abstention, the Senate on 19 February rejected a motion of the extremist Greater Romania Party (PRM) to debate the recently-passed Local Public Administration Law, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. The PRM senators walked out before the vote, protesting the decision to reject the motion on grounds of unconstitutionality. PRM leader Corneliu Vadim Tudor said after the vote that his party had "achieved its purpose" to "demonstrate that the PRM is the only opposition party represented in the legislature." Tudor said that the law, which allegedly makes Hungarian Romania's second official language, "can be passed by the parliament but will never be passed by the [Romanian] people." MS [22] ILIESCU STILL OPPOSES HUNGARIAN UNIVERSITYIn an interview with the Budapest daily "MagyarHirlap," President Ion Iliescu on 20 February says he continues to oppose a separate Hungarian-language university in Romania, as this "may lead to segregation." He expressed hopes that following the implementation of favorable regulations on church properties and the use of minority languages, other claims of the Hungarian minority can be resolved once Romania's economy can afford it. In the interview, Iliescu also criticized the Hungarian government for failing to guarantee parliamentary representation for ethnic minorities. MSZ [23] RAPPORTEUR SAYS ROMANIAN REFORMS HAVEEU BACKINGBaroness Emma Nicholson, European Parliament rapporteur on Romania, said after talks with President Ion Iliescu, Prime Minister Adrian Nastase, and other officials on 19 February that the EU "fully backs" the reform program of the Romanian cabinet, state television reported. She said the reforms aimed at improving the conditions of abandoned children, in which she is particularly interested, "already show signs of bearing fruit." Nicholson also said Romania needs "significant foreign investment." MS [24] ROMANIA'S RULING PARTY BANGS ON SOCIALISTINTERNATIONAL DOORThe Party of Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR) on 19 February designated Adrian Severin as "envoy to the Socialist International" to promote its effort to be accepted as a member of that forum, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. The former foreign minister and current chairman of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is known to have numerous ties to the Socialist International. The negotiations for the PDSR's merger with the Social Democratic Party of Romania (PSDR) are at an advanced stage and the two formations are likely to be merged under the name of Social Democratic Party. The PSDR is a Socialist International member and the merger is likely to facilitate membership in the international, which the PDSR sought unsuccessfully in the past. MS [25] ROMANIAN GOVERNMENT REACHES AGREEMENTWITH UNIONS, EMPLOYERSThe government on 19 February signed a "social pact" with representatives of the main trade unions and the organization representing Romanian employers, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. The one-year agreement stipulates that the unions will not undertake labor action in exchange for the government's pledge to raise real wages by 4 to 4.5 percent in 2001, raise minimum wages by at least 10 percent, and to cut unemployment to under 10 percent from the current 11 percent. Under the agreement, the cabinet pledged to raise the GDP by between 4 and 4.5 percent and cut inflation to 27 percent from the over 40 percent registered in 2000, while keeping the deficit under 4 percent. MS [26] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT'S MOLDOVAN VISITPOSTPONED...President Petru Lucinschi's office announced on 19 February that a "working visit" by Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma has been postponed, RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. The visit should have started on 20 February. As grounds for the postponement, the presidential office mentioned the need for the two sides' teams of experts to "better prepare the summit" and particularly the planned meeting of the joint commission on Moldovan-Ukrainian cooperation. No new date was set. Infotag cites "observers" who believe the main reason for postponing the visit is the internal situation in Ukraine. MS [27] ...AS IS OSCE BRATISLAVA MEETING ONTRANSDNIESTER CONFLICTThe OSCE-organized meeting of the state commissions from Moldova, Ukraine, and Russia on solving the Transdniester conflict, planned for 20-21 February in Bratislava, has been postponed for one week, RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. The Moldovan commission's chairman, Vasile Sturza, said one of the reasons for the postponement was the intended visit to Moldova by Ukrainian President Kuchma, which has since been postponed. Sturza hinted that another reason was the position of the Tiraspol authorities, who earlier asked that the meeting be postponed until after the 25 February parliamentary elections in Moldova. MS [28] MOLDOVA TO JOIN WTONegotiations betweenMoldova and the World Trade Organization have been successfully completed and Moldova's membership in the WTO will formally be approved at the next meeting of the organization's general Council, AP reported on 19 February. The agency cited Moldovan Deputy Minister of Economy and Reforms Gheorghe Gaberi as saying his country has adapted its foreign trade legislation to meet WTO rules and has made concessions in opening its markets to foreign goods and services. MS [29] MOLDOVAN PARLIAMENT APPOINTSCONSTITUTIONAL COURT JUDGESDumitru Pulber and Elena Safaleru were selected on 19 February as judges on the Moldovan Constitutional Court, RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. Safaleru is a deputy elected to the parliament on the lists of the For a Democratic and Prosperous Moldova Bloc, and Safaleru is an assistant judge at the Constitutional Court. They will replace two other judges whose terms expired. MS [30] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT VETOES PARTIES' LAWPresident Petar Stoyanov on 17 February vetoed therecently-passed Political Parties Act and sent it back to the parliament for reconsideration, BTA, cited by the BBC monitoring service, reported. Stoyanov said that as formulated, the law fails to make the necessary distinction between parties represented in the parliament separately, those represented in parliamentary coalitions, and those that are members in parliamentary groups of other parties. He said this makes it difficult to interpret the law correctly and thus to determine which parties must re-register and which formations are exempt from this requirement. MS [31] BULGARIAN JOURNALISTS CONTINUE PROTESTBulgarian radio journalists are continuing their protestagainst the appointment of Ivan Borislavov as new general director, BTA reported on 19 February. The agency said President Stoyanov met with radio governing board member Alexander Burzitsov, who has been acting as interim director-general since Borislavov's hospitalization (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 February 2001). Stoyanov said he wishes to meet with members of the radio staff to hear their views but that Borislavov's current health state makes such a meeting "inappropriate for now." National Council for Radio and Television member Svetlana Bozhilova said the council has postponed the signing of the contract with Borislavov "until he is discharged from the hospital or decides to resign." MS [C] END NOTE[32] WILL UKRAINE'S PRESIDENT SURVIVE?By Jan MaksymiukDespite the evidence implicating President Leonid Kuchma in the murder of independent journalist Heorhiy Gongadze, and the protests triggered by those revelations, it seems unlikely that Kuchma's political future is threatened. This month's two strongest anti- Kuchma protests gathered some 5,000 people each and both of them were held in Kyiv. There have some anti-Kuchma protests in the provinces within the past month, but they gathered several hundred people at most. As some Ukrainian commentators say, what is really wrong about Ukraine is not Kuchma's authoritarian rule or his alleged responsibility for ordering Gongadze's murder, but the fact that most Ukrainians do not care about who rules them and how. Ukraine's current political unrest was provoked by Kuchma's former bodyguard, Mykola Melnychenko, who bugged the president's office for several months last summer and subsequently publicized the tapes allegedly proving the complicity of Kuchma and other top officials in the disappearance of Gongadze, an outspoken critic of the ruling regime, on 16 September last year. Socialist Party leader Oleksandr Moroz publicized the Melnychenko tapes on 28 November. It is now almost three months since the Gongadze case made headlines in the Ukrainian and world press, but nothing has been definitively clarified since then. Officially, a body found near Kyiv and widely believed to be Gongadze's was identified by genetic tests as Gongadze's only "to the extent of 99.6 percent." And this means, that Gongadze is not dead from the legal point of view. As Gongadze's wife told the Ekho Moskvy radio station, "if there is no crime, then there is no perpetrator of the crime." Officially, the Melnychenko tapes have been dismissed as a fake. The Prosecutor-General's Office -- in an enigmatic statement early this month -- said some conversations on the tapes actually took place but on the whole the tapes were "compiled from separate words and fragments, which is essentially a falsification." Kuchma himself has flatly denied any involvement in the disappearance of Gongadze, telling the "Financial Times" that he did not even know the journalist. He said the bugging scandal was staged by a "well-organized force" with "a great deal of money and capabilities," but failed to identify that force. Some 60 lawmakers and opposition politicians set up a Forum for National Salvation earlier this month with the aim of impeaching Kuchma and transforming Ukraine into a parliamentary-presidential or even parliamentary republic. But the group has so far failed to muster any significant support outside Kyiv. The authorities counterattacked by arresting former Deputy Premier Yuliya Tymoshenko, a prominent member of the forum, on charges of bribery, smuggling, tax evasion, and document forgery. Kuchma has simply shrugged off the current anti- presidential protests in Ukraine, saying he does not see any "civilized" opposition to himself within the framework of "Ukraine Without Kuchma" rallies. This statement may mean, among other things, that he is now ready to use not quite "civilized" means to deal with his opponents. As for the Forum for National Salvation, Kuchma said in a written statement that the group is not seeking salvation for the nation but "for themselves from political bankruptcy and oblivion...[and] criminal responsibility." Many were shocked that this statement was also signed by Premier Viktor Yushchenko, who has so far preserved the image of an independent politician, apparently not involved in shady economic deals or dirty political games in Ukraine. The Forum for National Salvation objected that Yushchenko's siding with Kuchma "contradicts both God's and human laws." This may be, incidentally, true, but Yushchenko's decision surely does not contradict the common sense of a man who occupies a leading position and wants to remain there as long as possible. Yushchenko is now 46, and some 50 percent of Ukrainians believe he stands a good chance of becoming Ukraine's next president. If Kuchma dismissed him now, his prospects of remaining in the spotlight until next presidential elections would be rather uncertain. How could Kuchma survive the current political unrest virtually unscathed? The answer is very simple: because neither the West nor Russia actually wants him to step down. Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent talks with Kuchma in Dnipropetrovsk signaled to many that Moscow wants to extend a helping hand to the Ukrainian president in order to seek some profits for Russia in Ukraine from the bugging scandal. The West, which has been carefully portioning its financial and moral support to Kuchma in a bid to prevent Ukraine from siding with Russia too strongly, may be somewhat baffled as to what to do now. However, the fact that there has so far not been even a hint of disapproval from major Western leaders for how Kuchma is behaving means only one thing: the West wants him to survive and continue his course. Paradoxically, one of the victims of the bugging scandal may be Ukraine's moderate nationalist right- wing, which supports Kuchma politically in the parliament in the so-called parliamentary majority. Why "national democrats" support Kuchma is obvious, although commentators perhaps do not always dwell on the reason: because the "national democrats" traded their support for former Communist Party apparatchik Kuchma for his agreement to "Ukrainianize" Ukraine -- to establish a truly Ukrainian education system, first of all. Arguably, nobody will deny that building the Ukrainian nation not only in the corridors of powers but also in people's minds warrants some political sacrifices and compromises. But now the question has arisen: Is this one compromise too many? 20-02-01 Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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