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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 5, No. 37, 01-02-22
RFE/RL NEWSLINE
Vol. 5, No. 37, 22 February 2001
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] ARMENIAN MAJORITY PARLIAMENT FACTION PLEDGES FAIR TRIAL IN 27 OCTOBER
KILLINGS
[02] NEW ARMENIAN PROSECUTOR-GENERAL APPOINTED
[03] EU TROIKA CONTINUES TOUR OF SOUTH CAUCASUS
[04] AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITION WARNS AGAINST 'DEFEATIST' KARABAKH PEACE
[05] SEVEN SENTENCED FOR MURDER OF AZERBAIJANI HISTORIAN
[06] GEORGIAN CURRENCY'S DOWNWARD SLIDE CONTINUES
[07] ABKHAZ REPRESENTATION DENIES REPORTS OF PRESIDENT'S RESIGNATION
[08] U.S. AMBASSADOR AFFIRMS CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR KAZAKHSTAN
[09] KYRGYZ OPPOSITION PAPER HALTS PUBLICATION
[10] KYRGYZ ALARMED BY EXTENT OF CORRUPTION
[11] TAJIK PRESIDENT CALLS FOR MORE INTENSIVE ECONOMIC COOPERATION WITH
RUSSIA
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[12] BALKAN SUMMIT OPENS IN MACEDONIA
[13] NATO 'ENCOURAGED' BY TALKS IN PRESEVO
[14] PRESEVO ALBANIANS READY FOR TALKS
[15] SERBIAN PRIME MINISTER IN MOSCOW
[16] AGREEMENT ON LINKS BETWEEN SERBIA, BOSNIAN SERBS
[17] BELGRADE SAYS SERBIAN ROLE IN IRAQI AIR DEFENSES ENDED
[18] SERBIAN PYRAMID-BANKER ARRESTED ON RETURN TO BELGRADE
[19] GENERAL MLADIC NO LONGER IN SERBIA?
[20] FORMER YUGOSLAV REPRESENTATIVES MEET IN SLOVENIA
[21] INDICTED CROATIAN GENERAL UNDER ARREST
[22] CROATIAN PRESIDENT INVITES SERBS TO RETURN
[23] UN'S KLEIN SLAMS LOCAL CROAT AUTHORITIES
[24] HUNGARY PLEASED WITH BUCHAREST'S SUPPORT FOR MINORITY LANGUAGES
[25] ROMANIAN PREMIER PLEDGES TO FIND MONEY TO COMPLETE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
[26] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT GIVES U.S. AMBASSADOR HIGHEST HONOR
[27] U.S. CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION VISITS MOLDOVA, TRANSDNIESTER
[28] RFE/RL EXPANDS BROADCASTS TO MOLDOVA
[29] BALKAN AIRLINES HEADING TOWARDS BANKRUPTCY
[30] BULGARIAN UNEMPLOYMENT RATE INCREASES
[31] TURKISH INTERIOR MINISTER IN BULGARIA
[C] END NOTE
[32] There is no End Note today.
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] ARMENIAN MAJORITY PARLIAMENT FACTION PLEDGES FAIR TRIAL IN 27 OCTOBER
KILLINGS
The Miasnutiun parliament faction issued a statement on 20 February
pledging to do all in its power to ensure that the 13 men accused of
perpetrating the 27 October parliament shootings receive a fair trial,
Noyan Tapan reported. The leaders of Miasnutiun's two constitutent parties,
Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsian and parliament speaker Karen Demirchian,
died in that attack. LF
[02] NEW ARMENIAN PROSECUTOR-GENERAL APPOINTED
President Robert Kocharian on 21 February named Yerevan City Prosecutor
Aram Tamazian as prosecutor-general, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported.
Tamazian, who is 49 and has spent his career in the law enforcement sector,
succeeds Boris Nazarian, who stepped down earlier this month for reasons
that remain unclear (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12 February 2001). "Azg"
claimed on 22 February that Nazarian did not expect that Kocharian would
accept his resignation. The paper expressed approval of Tamazian, saying
that he has a "clean professional background." LF
[03] EU TROIKA CONTINUES TOUR OF SOUTH CAUCASUS
EU chair and Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, EU Foreign and Security
Policy High Representative Javier Solana and External Relations
Commissioner Chris Patten held talks in Tbilisi on 21 February with
Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze, parliament speaker Zurab Zhvania
and Foreign Minister Irakli Menagharishvili. Lindh told journalists the
talks focused on stability in the South Caucasus and resolving conflicts in
Georgia. She said the EU is ready to help Tbilisi in the search for a
solution to the conflicts with Abkhazia and South Ossetia and in
implementing reforms. But she warned that it is still too early to speak of
the possible accession to the EU of the three South Caucasus states. Solana
similarly avoided giving a direct answer when asked to comment on Georgia's
chances of joining NATO, ITAR-TASS reported. From Tbilisi, the EU officials
flew to Baku for talks the same day with President Heidar Aliev, Russian
agencies reported. Aliev affirmed his country's intention of seeking EU
membership but did not specify when. He rejected Lindh's proposal, which
echoed earlier suggestions by Armenian President Kocharian, that economic
cooperation between Armenia and Azerbaijan could expedite a solution to the
Karabakh conflict. As he had done previously, Aliev said a solution to that
conflict is a precondition for any such economic cooperation (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 3 July 2000). LF
[04] AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITION WARNS AGAINST 'DEFEATIST' KARABAKH PEACE
At least three Azerbaijani opposition party leaders have rejected the OSCE
Minsk Group's draft Karabakh peace proposals, which were published for the
first time in the Azerbaijani press on 21 February (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
21 February 2001). Their publication has been widely construed in
Azerbaijan as indicating that Presidents Aliev and Kocharian will sign a
peace agreement at their upcoming meeting in Paris, Turan reported on 21
February. Liberal Party chairwoman Lala-Shovket Gadjieva said all three
published Minsk Group proposals require "an unconditional surrender" by
Azerbaijan, while Musavat Party chairman Isa Gambar said at least one of
those proposals violates the Azerbaijani Constitution. Ali Kerimov, the
chairman of the reformist wing of the divided Azerbaijan Popular Front
Party, said all three drafts run counter to Azerbaijan's national
interests. LF
[05] SEVEN SENTENCED FOR MURDER OF AZERBAIJANI HISTORIAN
Azerbaijan's Supreme Court on 21 February passed sentence on seven men in
connection with the murder of prominent historian Zia Buniatov four years
earlier, Turan and Reuters reported. Two men charged with committing the
killing were sentenced to life imprisonment, while the remaining five
received prison terms ranging from ten to 14 years. The man believed to
have masterminded the assassination remains at large. The court affirmed a
connection between the accused and the Vilayati Hezbollah-al-Fagikh
terrorist organization and claimed that they had undergone training in
Iran. Iran's ambassador to Baku has repeatedly denied any Iranian
involvement in Buniatov's death (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 October 2000 and
8 February 2001). LF
[06] GEORGIAN CURRENCY'S DOWNWARD SLIDE CONTINUES
Georgia's lari lost another 3.8 percent against the U.S. dollar on 21
February, slipping from 2.0825 to 2.165 to the dollar, Interfax and
Caucasus Press reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 February 2001). Georgian
National Bank officials, however, downplayed the lari's downward slide
which they attributed to "seasonal factors" and the deterioration in the
balance of payments resulting from increased fuel imports. They said the
bank will not intervene even if the lari loses further in value, and
predicted that the currency will stabilize in two to three weeks. LF
[07] ABKHAZ REPRESENTATION DENIES REPORTS OF PRESIDENT'S RESIGNATION
The Abkhaz representation in Moscow has formally denied Georgian media
reports that President Vladislav Ardzinba has stepped down and his duties
have devolved on Prime Minister Vyacheslav Tsugba, "Nezavisimaya gazeta"
reported on 22 February. The representation noted that under the Abkhaz
Constitution, it is the vice president who takes over the presidential
duties should the president resign or become incapacitated. Georgian papers
have repeatedly claimed in recent weeks that Ardzinba is suffering from
Parkinson's disease. LF
[08] U.S. AMBASSADOR AFFIRMS CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR KAZAKHSTAN
Ambassador Richard Jones told journalists in Almaty on 21 February that
proceeding from "national interests," the new U.S. administration will
continue to give high priority to relations with Astana, Reuters reported.
Jones said the U.S. wants to help Kazakhstan develop its energy resources,
adding that Washington hopes Astana's choice of pipeline routes for its
Caspian oil coincides with U.S. interests. Jones said the OKIOC consortium
was within its rights in selecting Italy's AGIP to operate that project
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 13 February 2001), but admitted that the U.S. had
hoped Exxon-Mobil would be chosen for that role. Jones said that the U.S.
supports Kazakhstan's planned military reform, noting that stability in
Central Asia will facilitate the unimpeded export of hydrocarbons. He added
that Washington will provide $4 million in 2001 to help Kazakhstan
reinforce its borders, Interfax reported. LF
[09] KYRGYZ OPPOSITION PAPER HALTS PUBLICATION
The editorial board of the opposition weekly "Res Publika" said on 21
February that publication of the paper has been suspended, Interfax and
RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported. The publishing house Uchkun has been
ordered not to print further issues of "Res Publika" until the paper pays a
fine of 200,000 soms ($7,000 at the 1999 exchange rate) imposed two years
ago for publishing an open letter by employees of State Radio and
Television criticizing that body's chairman, Amanbek Karypkulov (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 1 April and 3 May 1999 and 18 January 2000). LF
[10] KYRGYZ ALARMED BY EXTENT OF CORRUPTION
According to a poll of 2,100 people conducted by the independent center Vox
Populi, which receives some funding from the U. N. Development Program, 90
percent of respondents said they consider the police the most corrupt
agency in Kyrgyzstan, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported on 21 February. Some
40 percent said the country's leadership is powerless to stem corruption,
while 15.5 percent said economic reforms in Kyrgyzstan are unlikely to
succeed because of widespread corruption. LF
[11] TAJIK PRESIDENT CALLS FOR MORE INTENSIVE ECONOMIC COOPERATION WITH
RUSSIA
In his 21 February "Nezavisimaya gazeta" interview (see above), Imomali
Rakhmonov expressed regret that the level of economic cooperation between
his country and Russia has stagnated over the past three-four years. He
expressed bewilderment that Russia has shown no interest in the joint
development either of Tajikistan's Koni Mansur silver deposit (the world's
largest) or of the country's hydropower resources, and noted that the U.K.,
rather than Russia, has formed a joint venture with Tajikistan to develop
the country's Zerafshan gold deposit. Rakhmonov pointed out that Tajikistan
is the only CIS member state to have fulfilled 99 percent of the agreements
signed by CIS heads of state. LF
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[12] BALKAN SUMMIT OPENS IN MACEDONIA
Heads of state or government from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria,
Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Turkey, and Yugoslavia, as well as a
representative from Croatia, are due in Skopje on 22 February for the
opening of a two-day summit. The gathering will begin with bilateral talks
between some delegations and a meeting of economy ministers. Heads of state
and government are due to meet the following day. The security situation in
Presevo and Kosova is expected to overshadow the meeting. PM
[13] NATO 'ENCOURAGED' BY TALKS IN PRESEVO
A NATO "fact-finding" delegation visited the Presevo Valley on 21 February
and held separate talks with Serbian and Albanian leaders. Major General
Robert Dierker told Reuters that the Serbs, led by Deputy Prime Minister
Nebojsa Covic and army chief-of-staff General Nebojsa Pavkovic, "want to
not have any more fighting, any more people dying, and they want to solve
[the problem] peacefully." The NATO delegation also met with Presevo Mayor
Riza Halimi and other local Albanian officials. Shawn Sullivan, who is
political adviser to KFOR commander General Carlo Cabigiosu, said in
Bujanovac that he is convinced that the two sides will soon hold talks.
Representatives of the UN and EU were also present in the NATO delegation.
PM
[14] PRESEVO ALBANIANS READY FOR TALKS
Halimi said in Presevo on 21 February that the Albanians are "always for
dialogue" but do not want "imposed solutions or ultimatums" (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 21 February 2001). He added that talks without representatives
of the guerrillas would be "pointless" and that Covic's plan for the region
constitutes a "starting point" for negotiations but is not the last word,
AP reported. PM
[15] SERBIAN PRIME MINISTER IN MOSCOW
Zoran Djindjic arrived in the Russian capital late on 21 February for talks
with Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov that are expected to focus on economic
ties between the two countries, Reuters reported. ITAR-TASS quoted Djindjic
as saying that "Serbia gives extreme importance to economic ties with
Russia, which is its fundamental economic partner." Belgrade has huge debts
to Moscow, which have led Russia to cut off or reduce deliveries of natural
gas. PM
[16] AGREEMENT ON LINKS BETWEEN SERBIA, BOSNIAN SERBS
Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica and High Representative Wolfgang
Petritsch reached an agreement in Belgrade on 21 February on special links
between Yugoslavia and the Republika Srpska as provided for in the 1995
Dayton peace agreements, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. The mainly
Croatian and Muslim federation similarly has the right to special links to
Croatia. Kostunica is a long-time supporter of the Serbian nationalist
cause in Bosnia and was once close to its leadership. PM
[17] BELGRADE SAYS SERBIAN ROLE IN IRAQI AIR DEFENSES ENDED
London's "The Times" reported on 22 February that Serbian technicians
helped improve Iraqi air defenses during the regime of President Slobodan
Milosevic but that the new Serbian leaders stopped such assistance
immediately after they came to power. The daily added that "the part played
by the Serbs in training the Iraqis to mount more effective anti-aircraft
attacks on British and American jets flying over southern and northern Iraq
was a crucial factor in the sudden increase in more accurate missile and
artillery launches over the past six weeks." Of all foreign countries,
China allegedly played the most important role in improving Iraqi defenses
in violation of UN sanctions. Russia and Belarus also contributed to
improving Saddam Hussein's air defenses, the BBC's Serbian Service
reported. PM
[18] SERBIAN PYRAMID-BANKER ARRESTED ON RETURN TO BELGRADE
Police at Belgrade airport arrested Jezdimir Vasiljevic, who fled the
country in 1993 when his Jugoskandik pyramid-scheme bank went bankrupt, AP
reported on 22 February. Vasiljevic, who arrived from Cyprus, claims that
he has unspecified important "criminal evidence" against Milosevic.
Speaking from Cyprus before his return, Vasiljevic said: "I have so much
[criminal] evidence against Milosevic that he'll beg to go to The Hague.
The Hague would be like a spa for Milosevic," when compared to Yugoslav
prisons, Vasiljevic added. PM
[19] GENERAL MLADIC NO LONGER IN SERBIA?
Hague chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte recently told top NATO and EU
officials that a Yugoslav minister said to her that he had seen indicted
Bosnian Serb war criminal General Ratko Mladic in a Belgrade restaurant
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 February 2001). A British daily recently
published the Serbian addresses of prominent war criminals, including
Mladic. But Serbian Interior Minister Dusan Mihajlovic now says that Mladic
has left Serbia and gone into hiding, AP reported on 21 February.
Mihajlovic added that "As far as I know, Mr. Mladic was in Belgrade for a
while, at a certain address. But he has not been at his address for some
time, and we do not have information that he is in Serbia at all." Del
Ponte has suggested that the Serbian authorities could quickly extradite
Mladic, who is a Bosnian citizen, even if they do not want to sent
Milosevic to The Hague. PM
[20] FORMER YUGOSLAV REPRESENTATIVES MEET IN SLOVENIA
In the latest round of talks aimed at dividing up the joint assets of the
former Yugoslavia, Belgrade's representatives proposed in Ljubljana that
the national archives be kept intact in one place and accessible to all,
RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported on 22 February. Later in the day,
representatives of the chambers of commerce of the successor states will
discuss economic cooperation for the first time since the breakup of the
former Yugoslavia in 1991. Slovenia proposed the meeting. PM
[21] INDICTED CROATIAN GENERAL UNDER ARREST
Former General Mirko Norac (33) surrendered to police in Zagreb in the
evening of 21 February, hours after an announcement by Del Ponte that he
will be tried in Croatia and not in The Hague, "Jutarnji list" reported
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 February 2001). It appears that he was in the
capital for most of the two weeks that he was on the run from police, the
daily added. Police say that Norac will be sent soon to Rijeka, where he
was indicted in connection with the killing of dozens of Serbian civilians
in Gospic in 1991, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. Norac has denied
the charges, saying that he did not attack civilians while "defending his
homeland." The young ex-general is widely regarded in Croatia as a hero for
his role in the defense of Gospic, but President Stipe Mesic cashiered him
last year after Norac signed a petition against the government's policy on
prosecuting suspected war criminals (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 29 September
2000). PM
[22] CROATIAN PRESIDENT INVITES SERBS TO RETURN
Speaking in Vienna on 21 February, Mesic said that the indictment of Norac
proves that Croatia is now a state based on the rule of law, "Die Presse"
reported. He criticized many of the protesters who have demonstrated on
behalf of Norac, charging that they are simply interested in protecting
their privileges acquired during the years that the late President Franjo
Tudjman was in power. Mesic suggested that a reconciliation with Serbia
might be possible if that country undergoes a "catharsis" of its
nationalistic political culture. He called on Serbian refugees from Croatia
to come back to their former homes, "Jutarnji list" reported. PM
[23] UN'S KLEIN SLAMS LOCAL CROAT AUTHORITIES
Jacques Klein, who is the UN's chief representative in Bosnia, said in
Banja Luka on 21 February that unnamed local authorities in Croatia have
tried to harass returning Serbs and "embarrass" the Croatian government by
arresting some 34 Serbian returnees over the past two years, AP reported.
Klein suggested that the local authorities in question have ties to the
former Tudjman "infrastructure." Klein called on the Croatian government to
"send a clear signal to those officials that what they are doing undermines
Croatia's credibility in Europe." PM
[24] HUNGARY PLEASED WITH BUCHAREST'S SUPPORT FOR MINORITY LANGUAGES
Zsolt Nemeth, the state secretary at the Hungarian Foreign Ministry, said
after talks with Romanian Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana in Romania on 21
February that Budapest is pleased with the Romanian government's support
for minority languages, Hungary's Duna TV reported. Nemeth said the new
Romanian law on public administration is of "great significance" for
Hungarians in Romania and that it is an encouraging sign for building
better bilateral relations. PB
[25] ROMANIAN PREMIER PLEDGES TO FIND MONEY TO COMPLETE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
Adrian Nastase said on 21 February that the government will earmark 1
trillion lei ($3.7 million) in this year's budget for continued work on the
second reactor of the Cernavoda nuclear power plant being built in
southeastern Romania, Romanian Radio reported. Nastase, who made his
comment after a visit to the plant site, said that some $700 million is
still needed to complete the project. He added that some of that total will
be provided by Canada and European countries, and that work will be done by
such companies as Siemens and the Italian-based consortium ANSALDO. PB
[26] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT GIVES U.S. AMBASSADOR HIGHEST HONOR
Ion Iliescu bestowed the "Star of Romania" award upon departing U.S.
Ambassador to Romania James Rosapepe in Bucharest, AP reported on 21
February. Iliescu praised Rosapepe for learning about Romanian culture and
promoting foreign investment during his tenure. Rosapepe was active in
socieity and initiated a community program to reduce local bureaucracy,
awarding prizes to the towns that improved their business climate. PB
[27] U.S. CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION VISITS MOLDOVA, TRANSDNIESTER
A congessional delegation led by U.S. Representative Curt Weldon
(Republican, Pennsylvania) visited Moldova on 21 February and met with
outgoing President Petru Lucinschi and parliamentary representatives, Basa-
Press reported. Members of the delegation expressed their support for
Moldova's "territorial integrity" and their concern that "no essential
progress" has been made by Russia in withdrawing its troops and weapons
from Moldovan territory, as it pledged to do by 2002 at the November 1999
OSCE summit in Istanbul. DW
[28] RFE/RL EXPANDS BROADCASTS TO MOLDOVA
RFE/RL President Thomas A. Dine announced 19 February that Radio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty is dramatically increasing its broadcasts to Moldova.
Dine said RFE/RL has been the only international broadcaster with a program
dedicated to Moldova since the Romanian Service opened a bureau in Chisinau
in 1997 and began broadcasting 25 minutes a day of special programming for
Moldova. This will now increase to one hour a day, five days a week, and
the Romanian Service will now be known as the Romania-Moldova Service. DW
[29] BALKAN AIRLINES HEADING TOWARDS BANKRUPTCY
The Sofia city court put the Israeli-owned Balkan Airlines under
receivership on 21 February, BTA reported. Balkan Airlines spokesman Victor
Melamed said the move -- which puts the company's assets and bank accounts
under the control of two people designated by the court -- "is the
beginning of bankruptcy proceedings against Balkan." The court's decision
was based on an $11 million claim against the airlines by the Bulgarian
insurance company Bulstrad. The airlines has been grounded for one week.
The Israeli Zeevi Holdings Group bought the airlines in 1999 for $150,000
and pledges to pay off Balkan's $120 million debt and also to invest $100
million in the company over a five-year period. PB
[30] BULGARIAN UNEMPLOYMENT RATE INCREASES
The National Employment Office said that unemployment in Bulgaria in
January reached 18.54 percent of the workforce, BTA reported on 21
February. This marks a slight increase over the previous month. The highest
unemployment rate is in Turgovishte, in the northern part of the country,
which has 34.96 percent unemployment. The lowest rate is in Sofia, which
has about 4.77 percent. PB
[31] TURKISH INTERIOR MINISTER IN BULGARIA
A Turkish delegation led by Saadettin Tantan arrived in Sofia on 21
February on a three-day visit to focus on bilateral efforts to battle
illegal drug and human trafficking as well as organized crime, BTA
reported. Tantan is scheduled to meet with the chairman of the National
Assembly, Yordan Sokolov, and with his Bulgarian counterpart, Emanuil
Yordanov. PB
[C] END NOTE
[32] There is no End Note today.
22-02-01
Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
URL: http://www.rferl.org
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